“Forgotten Hollywood”- Lost Chaplin Film at Cinecon!

August 26th, 2010

Manny P. here…

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   CINECON 46 is fast approaching. The Film Festival is in Hollywood over the Labor Day weekend. One of the highlights to this fine event will be the rare screening of a “lost” Charlie Chaplin silent picture. It’s called A Thief Catcher, and it debuted in 1914.

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   Of course, I’ll be there on Friday, September 3rd on the 3rd floor of the Rennaissance Hotel (on the corner of Highland Ave. and Hollywood Blvd.) between 11:30a – 2:00p signing copies of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History.

   Here is a link for more info about their Memorabilia Show and the Film Book Fair:

http://www.cinecon.org/cinecon_memorabilia.html

   According to the Cinecon site: egyptsign

A Thief Catcher (Keystone, 1914), featuring a previously unknown performance by silent comedy star Charlie Chaplin, will have its West Coast re-premiere during the 46th annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood California over Labor Day Weekend, September 2-6, 2010

 

 Chaplin is officially credited with appearing in thirty-five films during his year at Keystone in 1914, but he claimed in various interviews that he had also played bit roles as a cop and a barber while at the studio–but he did not name the films, and although there has been some speculation about the possibility of additional Chaplin-Keystone appearances, none has turned up until now.

Film collector Paul Gierucki found a 16mm film print in a trunk at a Taylor, Michigan, antique store last year. “I could tell it was a Keystone comedy, so I haggled and got it for $100,” says Gierucki, but he didn’t get around to looking at the print for several months. When he did put it on a projector this past March, he was astonished when Chaplin appeared as a cop about six minutes into the film for an extended two-minute cameo. “My heart stopped,” Gierucki recalls. “I recognized him immediately.”

Starring Keystone’s famed comic villains Ford Sterling and Mack Swain, with support from Edgar Kennedy, A Thief Catcher was in production between January 5-26, 1914, soon after Chaplin arrived at the Keystone studio, and it represents the second or third screen role for the soon-to-be world famous comedy star.

A Thief Catcher is one of nearly forty rare and unusual films to be screened during the five-day Cinecon film festival, and will be shown on Saturday afternoon during a themed film preservation segment of the program.

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   CINECON 46 is sponsored in part by:     wbbanner_main

Until next time>                              “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Amazon 5-Star Review #4!

August 25th, 2010

Manny P. here…

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   I just received my fourth 5-Star Review on AMAZON. It comes from Southern California radio personality Lisa Osborne. She is a veteran newscaster in Los Angeles, and nationally syndicated broadcast personality. Her reports can be heard on KFWB 980 AM.

She writes:lisawall

Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History is a beautifully crafted book, filled with photos and stories of Hollywood’s Golden Age. You will be enchanted with the stories Pacheco shares as he takes you on a tour of forgotten Hollywood. Very nicely done, this is a perfect gift for the Hollywood fan in your life. In fact, I know that Hollywood buffs love this book, because a radio colleague borrowed my copy after seeing it on my desk, and I haven’t seen it since! 🙂

   Because of her journalistic background, I know Lisa Osborne takes pride in delivering this unsolicited review. Thank you for the endorsement! It’s heartfelt and cherished…

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   On a personal note, I would like to wish my folks a happy 54th Anniversary! I love you mom and pop…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- 1 Year = 1100 Books Sold!

August 24th, 2010

Manny P. here…M1100_title

   Even though the publication date of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History was September 8th, 2009… I actually received advanced copies on August 24th. I sold the first book to my friend Peter Parker later that day.

   One year later, I’ve just sold my 1,103rd paperback!  The Hollywood Mega chain of stores purchased almost 20 copies to put me over this magic number. Overall, the retail company has bought about 100 books in the last four months directly from me. The chain includes The Hollywoodland Experience, Souvenirs of Hollywood, and Hollywood Souvenirs, eachalong Hollywood Blvd. Tourists have flocked to the area and gobbled up the book (to my absolute delight).

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  Year TWO begins in the life of my work. I can hardly wait to see what new adventures are in store for me!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- LA Public Library Buys Book in Bulk!

August 18th, 2010

Manny P. here…

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   The Los Angeles Public Library system has made its statement by supporting my book Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. In addition to buying three copies for their Central Branch (one as a prestigious Reference copy), six other branches have also added my paperback to their shelves (including two Regional Branches).lapl_logo

Here are the other locations where you can now find my work:

 

Goldwyn Hollywood (Regional Branch) – 1623 N. Ivar Ave.

Will & Ariel Durant Library – 7140 W. Sunset Blvd.

Pico Union Library – 1030 S. Alvarado St.

Playa Vista Library – 6400 Playa Vista Dr.

Jefferson Library – 2211 W. Jefferson Blvd.

San Pedro (Regional Branch) – 931 S. Gaffey St.

   This officially ups the national library total to 37. California leads the way with 18 copies.

   I’d like to remind my readers that the L.A. City Council and Mayor have used your public library branches as the victim of the city’s financial woes. Proposed closures of branches, Monday city-wide closure of all branches, and slashing of employee pay will not solve the debt the city faces. And the elimination of education obtained through our L.A. Public Library is far more costly in terms of moral obligation. It’s time for the community to stand up and say: “Enough is enough.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Costco Puts Book Over 1000 Sold!

August 17th, 2010

Manny P. here…

My latest monthly statement has confirmed Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has now sold over a 1000 units. In fact, I’m knocking on the door to 1100 paperbacks owned nationally (and beyond).

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   COSTCO is my latest benefactor when it sent me revenue from my April appearances. The chain’s two stores in Hollywood and Burbank offically ran me over the millennium mark.

   And the best news of all:  The confirmed sales figures have all been reported in just under a year. SIMPLY AMAZING!  The momentum should spill into my Fall campaign. I’ll definitely keep you posted on the continued good news…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Book Featured at Prestigious Fest!

August 13th, 2010

Manny P. here…edmunds film fest

   I’ve been invited to attend the 2010 Edmonds International Film Festival this Fall. This world-class event is moving from Idaho to Washington to present the latest top independent films created this year. The Film Fest is now being sponsored by the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, which will make it a city wide experience.

   Edmonds is 15 miles northwest of Seattle, and overlooks Puget Sound. According to the Festival website:

It’s official, a world-class international film festival is headed to Edmonds, Washington, bringing a chance for you to see new independent films from visionary directors around the world. Comedy, drama, action, adventure, romance, documentaries and much more in short and feature formats will be screened, with stars, filmmakers, crews, writers and more there to support their film and tell you, the audience, all about it. Learn from experts during our workshops and seminars, and be entertained by their war-stories of making independent films in the 21st century during panel discussions.

   And this from the My Edmunds News.com:

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   The festival aims to be a signature event for Edmonds. For starters, there will be a gala kick-off party the evening of Oct. 20. Three evenings of films and three days of workshops.  A book signing by radio and television personality Manny Pacheco, author of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History.  An awards brunch. And oh, yes — let’s not forget the red carpet that will be rolled out for celebrities.

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   Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History will be showcased during the Film Festival. I’ll be negotiating with the organizers in presenting a classic film retrospective I’ll most likely host. I’ll also present my book signing at the Edmonds Theatre. According to literary publicist, Barbara Kindness, I shall also be involved with the on-going 30th Annual Friends Book Sale, which will take up the gymnasium of the Anderson Center during the same weekend in conjunction with the Fest.

   It’s really exciting about an opportunity that awaits in the state of Washington for me on  October 23rd & 24th. I’m thrilled my book will be featured during such a prestigious occasion.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Great Character Actress Dies…

August 9th, 2010

Manny P. here…

   One of the most talented character actors that Hollywood has ever produced has died. Patricia Neal was an Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe winning performer of the stage and screen.Neal-Face-still

   Her substantial film credits include The Fountainhead, Operation Pacific, The Day the Earth Stood Still, In Harm’s Way, A Face in the CrowdThe Subject Was Roses, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and her Academy Award-winning performance in Hud.

  She was also known as an extreme survivor, after living a full active life despite suffering three strokes in 1965. The situation left her in a coma for almost four weeks, yet she came back to have a fine acting career. The only real setback from the strokes was she had to turn down the part of Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, since she had not fully recovered.   PATRICIA NEAL / ANDY GRIFFITH

      The Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center that concentrates on helping people recover from strokes and spinal cord and brain injuries is named for her in Knoxville, where she grew up. This fine actress also became a noted pro-life advocate.

   Neal’s real art was to under-play her parts, which offered compelling quiet performances on screen. On television, she was the initial Mother Walton in the pilot episode of The Waltons. Again, she bowed out of the idea of playing on episodic television due to concerns about her health once the show was picked up.

   Patricia Neal lived a full 84 years when she died on Sunday.

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   I’m happy to include a 29th public library. Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History is now at the Warsaw, Indiana branch. Middle-America has really embraced my book, with libraries all over Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kentucky and now Indiana in the mix.

   Warsaw is known as the Orthopedic Capital of the World. The first orthopedic device was manufactured there in 1895. It’s a small community in the northern part of the state.

   Large or small, all libraries are welcomed to the fold.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Memories of MooseHeart…

August 4th, 2010

Manny P. here…picture-38234

   Author Elizabeth Marcheschi of Denver, Colorado recently found out about my donation of $1 of every book sold of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History’s first printing to the MooseHeart charity outside of Chicago, Il. It prompted her to send a very kind message.  She writes:

I remember driving past MooseHeart as a child. In my memories, it always seems to be during the holidays, but perhaps that was when I thought about it most. My parents would always patiently explain to me how MooseHeart was there to take care of orphans.

Conversely, I had an ulterior motive. My campaign to change my status from “only” child to “oldest child, started virtually from the day I was born at Copley Hospital in Aurora (not far from MooseHeart). Since I was born on their fourteenth wedding anniversary, my parents were reproductively challenged or reproductively uncooperative. Thus, around the age of four, I changed tactics. I began (obsessively, perhaps) suggesting that they adopt. MooseHeart, in my mind was the perfect place to find a sibling. By that point, I was willing to accept any position in birth order from youngest to oldest. My parents, fooled me by changing their spin on MooseHeart, telling me that, if anything happened to them, MooseHeart was there.

In 1968, it did. My mother died, making me a half-orphan, and MooseHeart became a safety net in my mind. Later, my father remarried, I gained a pair of younger step-sisters to love and occasionally tyrannize. I grew into a teenager, went away to college, and eventually moving to Southern California. There, from home and family, I spoke to my step-sisters often by phone. On one of those phone calls, my youngest step-sister, Jennie, mentioned that she and her husband were active in their local Moose Lodge, I thought back to MooseHeart. I thought of their two then-tiny daughters, and relaxed, knowing that if anything happened to all of us, MooseHeart would always be there for my nieces.

Thank you for thinking of MooseHeart in your generosity.

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   MooseHeart is a wonderful organization. For more information on my charity, please use the Navigation Bar to your left and click on the link. And, thank you Elizabeth for sharing your childhood memories.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Illinois Central…

August 2nd, 2010

Manny P. here…

   Two more libraries in Illinois have added Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History, bringing the national total to 28. The state is second only to California in the number of libraries embracing my paperback.des plaineslogo

  The first of these locations can be found in Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago. Known as the City of Destiny, it rests next to O’Hare International Airport. Also, the first McDonalds was built in this area.

   The movie – The Breakfast Club – was filmed there. Famed playwright David Mamet also referenced Des Plaines in his work Glengarry Glen Ross. PRKLOGO

  Another library in this locale now carries my book in the township of Park Ridge. The suburb is 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

   Some relatively famous folks have resided in Park Ridge including US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton; and actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Snodgress, and Karen Black. Grant Wood, famous for his painting American Gothic, also lived in Park Ridge.

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   Six libraries in Illinois have now included my book to their shelves. One location near Chicago which will receive my book as a gift (and a significant donation) is MOOSEHEART, my official charity. I plan on this special moment to occur when the paperback sells out its first printing (hopefully sometime in 2011).

Until next time>                               “never forget”