Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night to present an Honorary Award to Maureen O’Hara, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Harry Belafonte.  Both will be presented at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 8th, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland Center.

MAUREEN O’HARA                     HARRY BELAFONTE

   O’Hara, a native of Dublin, Ireland, came to Hollywood in 1939 to co-star opposite Charles Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She went on to appear in a varied range of celluloid, including swashbucklers The Black Swan and Sinbad the Sailor, family classics Miracle on 34th Street and The Parent Trap, the spy comedy Our Man in Havana, and numerous Westerns. She was a favorite of director John Ford, who cast her in five features, including How Green Was My Valley, Rio Grande and The Quiet Man.

   An actor, producer, singer and lifelong activist, Belafonte began performing in theaters and nightclubs in and around Harlem, where he was born. From the beginning of his film career, he chose projects that shed needed light on racism and inequality, including Carmen Jones, and The World, the Flesh, and the Devil. He was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, marching and organizing alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and funding initiatives with his entertainment income. Belafonte was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and currently serves on the boards of the Advancement Project and the Institute for Policy Studies. His work on behalf of children, education, famine relief, AIDS awareness, and civil rights has taken him all over the world.

   The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

   Congratulations to these most worthy recipients.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The 50th Anniversary of CINECON begins on Thursday, and runs throughout the Labor Day weekend. Of course, I will be on hand for the festivities signing copies of the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series. I’m excited the Loews Hollywood Hotel, located at 1755 North Highland Ave., continues to be the host hotel.

   I’ll spend Saturday from 12p-3p; and Sunday from 12p-5p outside the Dealer Rooms among fellow authors who share a passion for Hollywood’s Golden Age. For more info, click on the link below:

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

   Come by and say hello… and pick up an autographed copy of one or both of my books! Happy Birthday to CINECON 50 !!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Lord Richard Attenborough was a celebrated actor, film director, film producer, and entrepreneur. He was the President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As a filmmaker, he won two Academy Awards for Gandhi in 1983. While performing as a thespian in cinema, Attenborough is best remembered for his over-the-top performance in Jurassic Park.

   Attenborough’s acting career started on stage and he appeared in shows at Leicester’s Little Theatre, prior to his going to RADA, where he remained Patron until his death. Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred along the West End in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which went on to become the world’s longest running stage show in history. His film career began in the Noël Coward / David Lean 1942 production In Which We Serve.  RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH ->

   He served in the Royal Air Force, and afterward, became one of the best-known actors of post-War Britain. he was sought by major movie studios across the pond. Roles included The Great Escape, The Flight of the Phoenix, The Sand Pebbles, The Magic Christian, Doctor Doolittle, A Bridge Too Far, and the remake of Miracle on 34th Street (as Kris Kringle). After producing and directing Young Winston, Lord Richard decided to produce the epic story of Ghandi. When he garnered the statuettes, he took on noted projects, such as the movie version of A Chorus Line, Cry Freedom, Chaplin, and Shadowlands.

   In 1967, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 1976, and 17 years later, received a life peerage, becoming Baron Attenborough of Richmond upon Thames.

   Attenborough was a constant advocate for the British film industry, as well as other humanitarian causes, including his extensive work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He was awarded a Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize in 1983. After 33 years of dedicated service as President of the Muscular Dystrophy campaign, Attenborough became the charity’s Honorary Life President in 2004. Attenborough collected Picasso ceramics from the 1950s. More than 100 items went on display at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester in 2007. Pinewood Studios paid tribute to his body of work by naming a purpose-built film and television stage after him. The Richard Attenborough Stage has an area of 30,000 sq. ft.

   One of the finest storytellers of our time, Lord Richard Attenborough was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has just passed 1100 in sales. The latest milestone is due to the purchases made at our monthly MCA-I event involving media professionals in the Orange County, CA area, and at a local chapter of  Rotary International function in Carpinteria, just outside of Santa Barbara.

   More sales are expected next week for the book series as I head to Vista, CA in San Diego for a Rotary luncheon; and CINECON 50, the annual film festival held on Labor Day weekend in Hollywood. Each year, I do quite well at this event.

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   Thank you to J.L. Slade of UpThereVideo for providing highlights on YouTube at my recent chat with MCA-I media industry professionals to talk about Branding Your Career. Check out the enticingly positive review and video piece by cutting and pasting the following links:

http://www.mcai-oc.org/893-review-of-august-2014-meeting-social-media-branding-for-your-business-and-aerial-mastcam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8opoWU4KT8

   As they say… onward and forward!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Don Pardo was a radio and television announcer whose career spanned over seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with NBC, working as the announcer for early incarnations of such notable shows as The Price Is Right, Jeopardy (with Art Fleming), and the NBC Nightly News. His longest and best-known announcing gig was for Saturday Night Live, a job he held for 38 seasons, from the show’s debut in 1975 until his passing.               DON PARDO –>

   He joined NBC as an in-house announcer in 1944, remaining on the network staff for 60 years. During World War II, Pardo worked as a war reporter for NBC Radio. Pardo made his mark quickly, reading news dispatches on the radio filed from the front lines during World War II. After the war, he was the announcer for such shows as the Colgate Comedy Hour and Your Show of Shows.

   In the early 1950s, he served as announcer for many of RCA’s and NBC’s closed-circuit color television demonstrations. Pardo squeezed in many other assignments at NBC, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pardo was the on-duty live booth announcer for WNBC-TV in New York and the NBC network on November 22, 1963, and he was first to announce to network viewers that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.

   Pardo appeared in several movies, mostly as himself, including Woody Allen’s Radio Days, an homage to the Golden Age of Broadcasting; and Honeymoon in Vegas. On television, he appeared in 30 Rock and his voice was  used in an episode of The Simpsons.

   The venerable Don Pardo was 96.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

  <–DEBBIE REYNOLDS – actor, singer, dancer, author, champion for the preservation of the artifacts of film history, and understanding and treatment of mental illness – has been named the 51st recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor: SAG Life Achievement Award for career and humanitarian accomplishment. Given annually to a  legendary actor who fosters the finest ideals of the acting profession, the union’s highest accolade will be presented to Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-nominated Reynolds at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January. 25th, 2015.

   Star of more than 50 motion pictures, two Broadway shows, two television series, as well as dozens of cabaret and concert appearances, here and abroad, the 82-year-old Reynolds is celebrating her 66th year in show business. Debbie made iconic films, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award  for her title role performance; and the Cinerama epic, How the West Was Won.

   In 1955, Reynolds, along with Jack Haley Jr., Hugh O’Brian, and others, founded a charity to fight the stigma of mental illness, calling themselves The Thalians, after the goddess of comedy, Thalia. Over nearly 60 years, The Thalians have raised over $30 million, endowing The Thalians’ Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. When the center’s priorities shifted to other types of illnesses, The Thalians moved to UCLA’s Operation Mend, which provides medical and mental health support to returning wounded military personnel. Reynolds was elected The Thalians’ president in 1957, and for many years alternated between that role and the chair of the board with Ruta Lee, and currently serves as the organization’s president emeritus. Reynolds has also been a lifelong supporter and fundraiser for the Girl Scouts.

   Reynolds other abiding passion has been the collection and preservation of memorabilia from Hollywood’s first half-century of filmmaking. Beginning with the landmark 1970 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer auction, she amassed thousands of costumes, props, and mementos of Hollywood’s studios and their greatest stars, building the largest individual collection of Hollywood memorabilia, including Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch, Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Elizabeth Taylor’s headdress and Richard Burton’s costume from Cleopatra, and Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot gown from My Fair Lady. While the collection was showcased at Reynolds’ Las Vegas hotel in the 1990’s, sadly, after numerous attempts over 50 years to establish a Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum to give the collection a permanent home, Reynolds sold the memorabilia to private collectors at a series of auctions in between 2011 and 2014.

   Congratulations to the Unsinkable Debbie Reynolds on her latest accolade…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Next spring, The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology — with the help of FIT graduate students learning how to curate — will focus on five designers who helped define Lauren Bacall’s subtle seductiveness, her sophisticated mix of classic femininity, and raw masculine authority in fashion. Hundreds of personal garments she donated will be turned into an exhibition about her style.

   The exhibit on FIT’s Manhattan campus will focus mostly on Bacall’s looks from the 1950s and 1960s. A model at 16, later a pal of Yves Saint Laurent and a frequent wearer of designs by Norman Norell, some of her clothes by the designer will be joined by other designs Bacall donated from Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, and Ungaro. Bacall gave FIT roughly 700 garments.

   Much like the fashion of Marlene Dietrich, Bacall was never elevated to muse for any one designer. Plenty, though, were touched by her style over the decades: Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, her friend Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren, among them.

   Lauren Bacall’s only condition on the exhibition… make it a high quality process. After her passing, it will be elevated to a tribute to the actress.

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   Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the life and career of Lauren Bacall (above) with a 24-hour marathon of memorable performances, including all four films in which she co-starred with husband Humphrey Bogart. TCM’s tribute to Bacall will begin airing Monday, September 15th, at 8p, and conclude Tuesday, September 16th, her 90th birthday. The cable channel will open its remembrance of Bacall’s extraordinary life and career with the TCM original Private Screenings: Lauren Bacall.

   For a complete listing, go to the TCM website at:

https://pressroom.turner.com/us/tcm/tcm-remembers/tcm-remembers-lauren-bacall#.U-0Q-E0g-5R

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Lauren Betty Bacall was Hollywood royalty, at one time married to Humphrey Bogart, and later, to Jason Robards. She became a part-time fashion model. Howard Hawks’ wife spotted her in a very small picture in Vogue and urged Hawks to have her take a screen test for To Have and Have Not. Her meeting with the star led to a screen couple known simply as Bogie and Bacall. A tune was written about their legendary love, appropriately called Key Largo.                         LAUREN BACALL —–>

   Hawks asked his secretary to find out more about her, but the secretary misunderstood and sent her a ticket to Hollywood for the audition. He signed her to a seven-year personal contract and brought her to Hollywood. During screen tests for To Have and Have Not, Bacall was nervous. To minimize her quivering, she pressed her chin against her chest and to face the camera, tilted her eyes upward. This effect became known as The Look, Bacall’s trademark. Through her storied career, she appeared with Bogie in four more motion pictures, including The Big Sleep, Dark Passage (left), Key Largo, and a cameo in Two Guys in Milwaukee.

   She also starred with Charles Boyer in Confidential Agent; Kirk Douglas and Doris Day in Young Man with a Horn; Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable in How to Marry a Millionaire; Clifton Webb and Van Heflin in Woman’s World; John Wayne in Blood Alley; Richard Widmark in The Cobweb; Rock Hudson in Written in the Wind; Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood in Sex and the Single Girl; Paul Newman in Harper; Albert Finney, Sean Connery, and Ingrid Bergman, among others in Murder on the Orient Express; and once again, John Wayne in his final film, The Shootist. Though nominated, she surprisingly never won a competitive Academy Award in her sparkling career. Bacall also notably became the off-screen voice for Turner Classic Movies.

   Lauren used her star-power for personal political causes. She and Bogart led a contingent of actors to Washington to fight against the persecution of artisans accused of belonging to  Communist organizations. Their group called itself the Committee for the First Amendment, and testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee. She campaigned for Democratic candidate, Adlai Stevenson, in the 1952 Presidential election, and for Robert Kennedy in his 1964 run for Senate.

   On Broadway, she shined in Cactus Flower, Applause, the musical based on the movie All About Eve, Goodbye Charlie, and Woman of the Year. On a personal note, the first stage play I ever saw as a young man was Applause. Betty Bacall helped me develop a lifetime love for musical theatre.

   Over the decades, her pals included Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn (a friendship that began during location filming of The African Queen), Frank Sinatra, Louella Parsons, and Swifty Lazar. Gregory Peck became a confidante during the production of Designing Women, which was made as Bogart’s health declined. He died before the film was completed. Betty also became friends with historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and journalist Alistair Cooke.

   Bacall received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1997. Two years later, she was voted one of the 25 most significant female movie stars in history by the American Film Institute. Bacall was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Oscar. The award was presented at the inaugural Governors Awards in 2009.

   She was ever protective of the Bogart legacy, lashing out at those who tried to profit from his image. In 1997, she appeared at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood for ceremonies launching the US Postal Service’s Humphrey Bogart stamp.

   An undeniable movie star of the highest order (she defined the term), the actress taught a whole generation of movie-goers to whistle. Lauren Bacall was 89.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Robin Williams has died from an apparent suicide. A master improvisational comedian, he successfully transitioned to television and film. Williams won an Oscar for his supporting performance in Good Will Hunting in 1997.

   A native of Chicago, he was accepted into the Juilliard Academy, where he had several classes in which he and Christopher Reeve were the only students and John Houseman was the teacher. Encouraged by Houseman to pursue comedy, Williams identified with the wildest and angriest of performers: Jonathan Winters, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin.

   Williams gained notoriety on the television program Mork & Mindy, which also co-starred Winters. It was developed after a number of successful appearances on Laugh-In, Eight is Enough, and especially, The Richard Pryor Show, and Happy Days. He was able to play himself on Saturday Night Live and The Larry Sanders Show. Robin last appeared in a weekly sit-com called The Crazy Ones.

   It was his groundbreaking performance on Mork & Mindy that allowed the manic actor to transition to motion pictures. He had roles in Popeye, The World According to Garp, Moscow on the Hudson, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poet’s Society, Awakenings, The Fisher King, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, The Bird Cage, Patch Adams, and as the voice of the Genie in Aladdin.

   In many instances, he was considered to garner various parts in the Batman series of films as the Joker and the Riddler. Williams actively campaigned to appear as a notable villain, though it never came to fruition.

    Williams was found unconscious in his home in unincorporated Tiburon, California. The Marin County Coroner Division suspects his passing to be suicide by asphyxia, pending an investigation. According to his publicist, Williams was battling severe depression in the time before his death.

   Robin Williams, a comedic genius, was 63.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Ed Nelson was best known for his noted role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the long-running ABC television series Peyton Place. Late in the run, after many of the actors left the program, he received top billing. However, he guest-starred in numerous small screen shows, more than fifty motion pictures, and hundreds of stage productions.

    Early in his career, Ed worked with famed B-movie producer Roger Corman. But, it was television where the durable actor excelled. Nelson was cast in episodes of such Westerns as Maverick, Wagon Train, Have Gun-Will Travel, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Laramie, and Bonanza. He appeared on drama and adventure series too, including The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and two episodes of Perry Mason. During the 1980s, Nelson took on the role of Senator Mark Denning in the daytime soap opera Capitol.     ED NELSON  —->

   In his later life, Nelson taught acting in Louisiana at Tulane University. During interviews, he expressed great joy that his face was familiar to audiences, while his name remained in relative obscurity.

   Ed Nelson was 85.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Starting Monday, TV Land will air a new version of Candid Camera, the hidden-camera show that first debuted in 1948. The 10-episode series is produced by Peter Funt, son of the original show’s creator and host, Allen Funt. He will co-host with Mayim Bialik of The Big Bang Theory. Guest stars including Reggie Jackson and Carnie Wilson will help pull off the gags.

   The original show’s catchphrase was Smile, you’re on Candid Camera, which is how people learned they had been pranked. Versions of the show have returned to television several times since its initial run. It is a pioneer in the genre of reality television.

   Funt brought his program to ABC, and then switched to NBC in the fall of 1949. The format moved to syndication in 1951 and continued for three years before returning to NBC in 1958 as a segment of Jack Paar’s The Tonight Show. The segment re-appeared in 1959 on CBS as a feature on The Garry Moore Show, before becoming a stand-alone show in 1960.      ALLEN FUNT —>

   The program’s longest uninterrupted run came on the 1960–1967 CBS version on late Sunday nights. Producer / host Funt was joined on stage by CBS veteran Arthur Godfrey the first season; Garry Moore Show announcer/sidekick Durward Kirby from 1961 to 1966; and Bess Myerson for the final season of the run, at which time, it also began broadcasting in color.

   In its first week, new episodes of Candid Camera will air at 8p, Monday through Thursday. The show will then air weekly on Tuesdays, starting August 19th.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Smokey Bear is turning 70 on Saturday. As the friendly bruin with the brimmed hat and shovel enters his golden years, his steadfast message of responsible fire prevention hasn’t changed.

   Smokey Bear was created in 1944 because of fears that America’s enemies would set forest fires while most firefighters were in battle overseas. When the war ended, Smokey stuck around — and he is at the center of the longest-running public service announcement campaign in US history. Research shows he is known by 96%  of American adults, and ranks near Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus for name recognition. His creation was a collaborative effort of the  National Association of State Foresters, US Forest Service, and the Ad Council.

   Smokey traditionally never spoke in his public service messages except for his signature line — Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires. When he first debuted, television was in its infancy and posters were hand-drawn. Smokey Bear’s ad campaign got a boost in 1950 when a real bear cub that had been rescued from a New Mexico wildfire was nursed back to health and sent to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, as the living Smokey.

   Now, Smokey is a social media connoisseur and a prolific blogger, with his own accounts on Facebook, Twitter (@Smokey_Bear), Instagram, and Flickr. He has more than 300,000 friends on Facebook and 24,000 people follow him on Twitter. Fans can sign a virtual card and upload pictures at www.smokeybear.com. People still enjoy contacting Smokey the old-fashioned way, too. He has his own ZIP code (20252 in 1952), as his popularity soared, and it was reactivated in the summer. A series of YouTube videos created around his latest birthday show Smokey giving hugs (#SmokeyBearHug) to campers who properly build and extinguish camp fires, and also safely dispose of used barbeque charcoal, among other things.

   Happy birthday to the cultural icon of a most reliable campaign… Smokey Bear!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

Michigan is the state to visit in the Fall for the 20th annual Buster Keaton Convention. Here are the details…

   Pre-registration will be available during the day for early birds on Wednesday, October 1st at the Shoreline Inn, 750 Terrace Point Blvd. You can also register online at:

http://www.busterkeaton.com/

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood is featuring Universal Monster Mash August 7th – 9th.

   The frights begin Thursday night with two horror flicks starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff – The Black Cat and The Raven. There’s a triple bill on Friday with Dracula with Lugosi; the 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera with Claude Rains; and The Wolf Man. On tap for Saturday is a monster triple feature with Karloff:  Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and Son of Frankenstein.

   FYI – The following week: Modern School Of Film’s FILM: MASTERS series returns with actor Alfred Molina’s (below) cinematic pick – Kubrick’s visually-stunning 1960 epic Spartacus. Molina will participate in a discussion after the show with Modern School of Film founder Robert Milazzo. The event takes place on Sunday, August 10th. The screening will begin at 7p.

   The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A centennial salute to Alec Guinness is taking place at the Aero Theatre week retrospective will take place over three Thursday’s, beginning August 7th. In honor of his 100th birthday, join the Aero for some of Alec Guinness’ greatest roles, including Oliver Twist, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit, The Ladykillers, The Scapegoat, Father Brown, Last Holiday, The Card, Damn the Defiant!, Our Man in Havana, and Tunes of Glory.

   Sir Alec Guinness (1914 – 2000) was one of the most versatile and accomplished actors; a master of stage and screen, equally adept at drama, comedy, and action. After establishing himself as a theater performer, Guinness made a name for himself in classic Ealing comedies, most notably, Kind Hearts and Coronets (in which he played eight characters).                       ALEC GUINNESS  —->

   He also proved to be a dramatic heavyweight in his collaborations with director David Lean, beginning in 1946 with Great Expectations. Lean cast the performer in five additional films, including such masterpieces as The Bridge on the River Kwai (for which Guinness won a Best Actor Oscar), Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago.

   Guinness found a whole new audience when George Lucas put a light saber in his hand as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (for which the actor received another Oscar nomination). A rather reluctant Jedi – this was an actor raised on the works of Shakespeare and Dickens – Guinness would nonetheless find that the box office success of the film gave him the freedom to choose roles independent of financial concerns for the rest of his life.

   Presented by the American Cinematheque in collaboration with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Los Angeles. The Aero Theatre is located at 1328 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.

Until next time>                               “never forget”