Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here.. 

   The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will honor Denzel Washington with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 73rd Annual Golden Globes for his considerable impact on the world of entertainment. The 60-year-old star has two prestigious statuettes for his roles in Glory and Hurricane. Overall, he received an additional five nods. Washington has also served as national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993

   Denzel, who starred in modern classics such as Malcolm X, Inside Man, and Training Day, will join previous recipients, including Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Harrison Ford, Warren Beatty, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Woody Allen, Robin Williams, Barbra Streisand, and others. Judy Garland was both the first woman to receive the honor at the tender age of 39 in 1962, and she was also the youngest honoree. Samuel Goldwyn was the oldest to receive the prize at 90 in 1973. The Cecil B. DeMille Award is handed out annually, with the exceptions of 1976 and 2008.  DENZEL WASHINGTON –>

   Founded in the 1940s during WWII, the HFPA’s original mission was to bridge the gap between Hollywood and the overseas community that watched its emerging films. Today, 55 countries are represented in the association. The 2016 Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10th. Ricky Gervais is hosting.

   Denzel Washington is a well-deserved recipient.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Baseball legends Willie Mays and the late Yogi Berra will be honored with the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They are among 17 people who will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a November 24th ceremony.

   Politicians include Senator Barbara Milkulski, former Representative Lee Hamilton and the late Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress. Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, known for refusing to fire the Watergate special prosecutor, will also be honored.

   Honorees from the entertainment world include Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Stephen Sondheim, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, James Taylor, and Itzhak Perlman. Spielberg has a motion picture currently in release, Bridge of Spies.

   Congratulation to our newest class of Medal of Freedom award winners.

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   Michael Gross was a designer, artist, and movie producer. In 1980, he began working in Hollywood, and is best remembered for designing the logo for the movie Ghostbusters, which was one of 11 films on which he served as producer or executive producer.

   His film catalog includes Twins, Beethoven, Legal Eagles, Kindergarten Cop, and Dave. In the 1970s, he was the art director of National Lampoon magazine. Gross created the If You Don’t Buy This Magazine, We’ll Kill This Dog cover for the periodical. He became the personal designer for John Lennon, and a consultant to The Muppets. Michael art directed Esquire Magazine and was also a director for Mobil Oil. His friends included John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Harold Ramis.

   Michael C. Gross was 70.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Tight security following the Paris terror attacks was in effect at Saturday night’s seventh annual Governors Awards, where Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds were to receive the first Oscars of Hollywood’s award season. Los Angeles police say security for the star-studded ceremony at the Hollywood & Highland Center was increased in the wake of the attacks, as it will at several other high-profile events around the city on Saturday night.               GENA ROWLANDS ——–>

   This year, Lee and Rowlands accepted Oscars for career achievement. Reynolds received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in recognition of her decades-long commitment to raising awareness of mental health issues. Spike offered peace and love to the people in France. Debbie announced Friday that she would be unable to attend the ceremony because of unspecified surgery, and her granddaughter was expected to accept the award on her behalf.

   Other celebrities attending the motion picture academy’s black-tie affair included Iris Elba, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Jane Fonda, Samuel L. Jackson, Amy Schumer, Ava DuVernay Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo, Laura Linney, and Quentin Tarantino. Portions of the untelevised ceremony may be included in the 2016 Oscar telecast.

   A spokesperson for the LAPD announced no known threats against the city, but the department beefed up patrols as a precaution. Film academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs opened the Governors Awards with words of support for France. She offered condolences in the wake of the terrorist attacks. In addition to heightened security, many of the stars expressed their sympathies for the victims and their wariness at quickly returning to show business.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The copyright on The Diary of Anne Frank, set to expire January 1st in most of Europe, has been extended by at least 35 years after the Swiss foundation that holds the copyright claimed Anne’s diary actually had a co-author: her father, Otto Frank. Otto has long been acknowledged as an editor and compiler of the best-selling work, but by acknowledging him as an author, Anne Frank Fonds is able to extend its copyright on the work until the end of 2050. Frank left them unread for some time, but eventually began transcribing them from Dutch for his Swiss relatives in 1947.           OTTO FRANK –>

   In most of Europe, copyrights expire 70 years after the author’s death. Anne died 70 years ago, but Otto didn’t pass away until 1980. Anyone in Europe wanting to publish the book will now need to continue asking the foundation for permission and paying it royalties.

   The change isn’t sitting well with many. One lawyer says it implies the foundation has been lying all these years about Anne writing the diary on her own. Others say giving copyright protection to editors undermines authors and calls the foundation’s claims that Otto co-authored the diary as spurious.

   As the sole member of his family to survive The Holocaust, Otto Frank inherited Anne’s manuscripts after her death, arranged for the publication of her diary, and oversaw its transition to the stage and screen. The foundation, which donates proceeds from sales of The Diary of Anne Frank to charities, says it’s not about the money. Rather they say they want to protect Anne’s legacy.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Legendary San Francisco stripper Carol Ann Doda created a splashy act that helped introduce topless entertainment to the city more than 50 years ago. She first went bare in 1964 at The Condor Club — a moment that changed every nightspot on busy Broadway in Frisco.

   Doda, known for her augmented bust, rode onto stage atop a piano on an elevator platform, debuting her act the same day President Lyndon B. Johnson drew half-a-million people in a visit to the city by the bay. The Condor Club had an illuminated sign carrying her likeness. Doda’s breasts became known as the new twin peaks of San Francisco. Bobby Freeman and Sly Stone were among the rockers that performed while the dancer did her thing.       CAROL DODA —>

   During its heyday in the early 1970s, the street in North Beach buzzed with more than two dozen night spots where carnival-like barkers beckoned passers-by to watch the scantily clad dancers, wearing nothing but a bikini bottom and high heels. The era spanned some 20 years.

   Doda had a role in Head, a 1968 film featuring The Monkees, which was produced by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson.The movie was produced by Columbia Pictures. In the flick, she appeared in a Golden Boy parody with Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, and Davy Jones.  She was profiled in Tom Wolfe’s book The Pump House Gang. For a decade, Doda was the spokesperson for what is now the San Jose television station KICU-TV Channel 36, then known as KGSC-TV. She finally left The Condor Club in 1985, and became the proprietor of Carol Doda’s Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique. She would perform in a rock band (organized by pop star Greg Kihn), do some modeling and comedy, and eventually sang and danced at another club. Some compare her influence as a cultural icon to the comedy of Lenny Bruce.

   The ample Carol Doda was 78.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Variety is reporting that Susan Sarandon and Reframed Pictures will partner with American Masters on a documentary about Hedy Lamarr. Alexandra Dean will direct the production with a working title Hedy: The Untold Story of Actress and Inventor Hedy Lamarr. Katherine Drew and Adam Haggiag is producing; while Sarandon and Michael Kantor will act as executive producers.                               SUSAN SARANDON –>

   Lamarr would have turned 101 on Monday. She appeared nude at the age of seventeen in the 1933 Czech film Ecstasy, and later married a prominent Austrian businessman who became a weapons dealer. Uncomfortable with her husband’s growing links to the Nazis, she immigrated to America in 1937 ,and became a huge star during its Golden Age. Lamarr, who was born Jewish, fled in the middle of the night, boarding a boat for America with nothing to her name except a single designer gown. She eventually convinced MGM boss Louis B. Mayer to sign her to the deal. Despite starring in a series of hit motion pictures, Hedy Lamarr (below) shunned the celebrity lifestyle.

   Lamarr was also a secret inventor who wanted to help the Allies win the World War II with a wireless form of communication called frequency hopping, which would go on to revolutionize communications all over the world. The technology – which has its roots in pianos that played music from perforated paper rolls – was shunned by the US government until the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, spread-spectrum broadcasting is found in wifi networks, smartphones, and GPS. The patent was filed over seven decades ago. Lamarr died in 2000, three years after being awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award. She was also inducted into the American National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. Forbes Magazine describes her as the most glamorous geek of all time.

    The film will be produced in association with Thirteen Productions LLC’s for WNET, and have its exclusive United States broadcast premiere on the American Masters series on PBS. The documentary received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The deal was announced at the American Film Market.

   Hedy Lamarr’s story will be one of the many recounted in my upcoming new paperback, due for release in 2016. The chapter will be about erudite actor, Leo G. Carroll.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Veteran actress Maureen O’Hara was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday after passing away last month. She was buried next to her third and last husband, Air Force Brigadier General Charles Blair, who was killed in a plane crash in 1978 – just 10 years after the couple was married.

   The Irish Times reports her grandson Conor Fitzsimons spoke at the service, delivering a tearful tribute to his grandmother. Also at the service was Melinda Munoz, the daughter of O’Hara’s former costar John Wayne. Members of the US Air Force honor guard served as pallbearers for O’Hara’s coffin.

   The Irish screen legend starred in over 50 feature films spanning five decades, including big screen classics such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, How Green was My Valley, The Quiet Man, Miracle on 34th Street, and The Parent Trap. O’Hara graced the stage at the 2014 Academy Awards to finally receive an honorary Oscar. The native Dubliner celebrated her 95th birthday in August.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A star-studded charity bash celebrated the legacy of Paul Newman in London. The gala is the final of three SeriousFun hosted this year during what would have been his 90th year, and the United Kingdom fundraiser comes on the heels of the New York City and Los Angeles events. Clea Newman is the director of special initiatives for the organization and the actor’s youngest daughter. Along with raising needed money, her hope is to preserve the legacy of Paul Newman’s philanthropic efforts over the course of his motion picture career. 

   The third annual SeriousFun Children’s Network UK gala at the Roundhouse honored the  Hollywood legend who founded the charity in 1988. Among the major stars who turned out to help in the cause were Renee Zellweger, Danny DeVito, Jeremy Irons and Downton Abbey’s Elizabeth McGovern.

   SeriousFun is a global community of 30 camps and programs serving children living with serious illnesses and their families, and is always free of charge. It has served more than 600,000 children and their family members from more than 50 countries. Newman christened them the Hole In The Wall Gang camps, a reference both to one of his best-loved roles as Butch Cassidy and to the Wyoming area where the celebrated train robber and his fellow outlaws would hide out. Newman’s Own Foundation has also been providing support to camps and programs around the world since the charity began.

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   Betsy Drake was the actress who starred opposite her husband Cary Grant in Every Girl Should Be Married and Room for One More. After coming to the attention of the producer Hal Wallis, she was pressured by her agent to sign a Hollywood contract. Later, Elia Kazan selected her as one of the founding members of the Actors Studio in New York.

   Drake was born in in Paris in 1923 to wealthy parents — her grandfather had built Chicago’s Drake Hotel — but the 1929 stock market crash sent the family reeling, and she spent her childhood being shuttled among relatives on the East Coast.

   Drake met Grant in August, 1949 when both were aboard the Queen Mary on a trip back to the US from England. Grant, 20 years her senior, had seen her in London as the lead in a production of Kazan’s Deep Are the Roots, and he asked actress Merle Oberon to arrange an introduction. They were married on Christmas Day, 1949 in an Arizona farmhouse in a ceremony that was arranged by Grant’s best man, millionaire Howard Hughes. Grant and Drake separated in 1958 and were said to remain friends until his death in November, 1986. She introduced him to LSD therapy, which was legal until 1966.

   Drake appeared in such films as Pretty Baby, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, and Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion. She wrote the original script for Houseboat, starring her husband, who originally intended that she would star with him. However, after he began an affair with Sophia Loren while on location for The Pride and the Passion, Grant arranged for the Italian actress to take his wife’s place with a rewritten script. Drake didn’t receive screen credit.

   In 1956, Drake and actress Ruth Roman were among the passengers rescued from the sinking Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria. At the time, she had been visiting Grant in Spain and was returning to the United States.

   Betsy Drake was 92.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   On Thursday, November 12th , I’m thrilled to be the featured speaker during their Veteran’s Day annual Field of Valor Community Luncheon ceremony, sponsored by the  Covina chapter of Rotary International. Here are the details:

   Among the topics of my remarks: The busy lives of actors during World War II, including Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Audie Murphy, Carole Lombard, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, John Garfield, Cesar Romero, Bob Hope, Hedy Lamarr, Lionel Barrymore, Jack Benny, Lee Marvin, Harold Russell, Charles Durning, among others. I’ll also have copies of my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series to autograph for interested readers.

   The entire program begins Saturday, November 7th. For complete info on the weeklong tribute, please visit the Covina Field of Valor Events page at:

http://covinafieldofvalor.org/events/

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   I will admit it. I have yet to see THE MARTIAN and PAWN SACRIFICE. This omission of viewership will soon be rectified. As a voting member for the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards, I have a list of newly-released motion pictures on my agenda. As usual, my plans include films that tackle history as told through the lens of Hollywood. They include:

~ TRUMBO – Nothing is more painful as cinematic legacy than the knowledge that Hollywood ate their young during the HUAC Blacklist during the McCarthy Era of the 1950s. Dalton Trumbo was the immensely gifted screenwriter that continued to work under assumed names, and put out such gems as Roman Holiday and The Brave One. I’m sure Bryan Cranston is a sure be to be an Oscar nominee this year for a riveting performance. And, I’m personally thrilled that this movie has the blessing of the Trumbo family, which helped share the story that includes the inclusion of Otto Preminger to the list of hero’s that helped break up the Blacklist by including Dalton Trumbo’s name to the screen credits of Exodus (as did Kirk Douglas had done in Spartacus).

~ BRIDGE OF SPIES – It’s always a great year in motion pictures when Steven Spielberg releases a film. The bonus is his collaboration with Tom Hanks, again sure to be an Academy Awards nominee this year. The story of the spy-swap during the Cold War that included pilot Gary Francis Powers is an epic tale of espionage.

~ SUFFRAGETTE – So compelling a tale of women’s rights during the turn-of-the-century, that Turner Classic Movies is using its release to compare the inevitable legacy that was brought about during Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond. Adam’s Rib and Norma Rae are the obvious examples used by TCM. The current faire should earn accolades for Carey Mulligan.

~ TRUTH – This one stars Robert Redford as Dan Rather, who lost his job for a story that was debunked by his peers about George W. Bush during his run for the presidency. CBS takes a beating in this fascinating tale of the evolution of our 24-hour news cycle, and the mistakes for such folly. I hear, the real standout in this production is Cate Blanchett, competition for Best Supporting Actress.

   I’ll probably end up seeing STEVE JOBS, OUR BRAND IS CRISES (I love Sandra Bullock), among others. My effort to visit neighborhood movie theaters is at hand… And, I can’t wait!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Melissa Mathison, the screenwriter who crafted magical family films, including E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, has died. The motion picture earned the screenwriter an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay. For over 20 years, she was also married to Harrison Ford. They divorced in 2004.

   Mathison’s initial credited work was in assistant roles on The Godfather: Part II and Apocalypse Now, before she broke out with her script for The Black Stallion. Her words were included in Kick the Can, from the cinematic version of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Melissa often collaborated with producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall and worked with directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Frank Oz.

   Mathison met the Dalai Lama in 1990 when she wrote Kundun, and developed a lasting friendship with the spiritual leader. She continued to work as an activist for Tibet freedom and was a member of the board of the International Campaign for Tibet.

   Her final assignment is set for release next year, again working with Spielberg on The BFG, which will be released by The Walt Disney Company. It’s an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s oft-forgotten, yet much celebrated story. The cast will include Bill Hader and Downton Abbey’s Penelope Wilton.

   Melissa Mathison was 65.

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   Automotive legend George Barris (above) was known throughout the world as the original King of Kustomizers. His creations are legendary in the world of television and motion pictures, including the original television series Batmobile, Munster Koach, and KITT from Nightrider. His personal collection included the General Lee, Torino Green Hornet, and the Monkee Mobile.

   George Barris was 89.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Animated beagle Snoopy has been honored with his own Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. He joins fellow cartoon icons, such as Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, as well as famous dogs Lassie and Rin Tin Tin in receiving the accolade. Snoopy’s star lies next to his creator’s star, Charles M. Schulz.

   The original drawings of Snoopy were inspired by Spike, one of Schulz’s childhood dogs. The pooch first appeared on the October 4th, 1950, two days after the initial strip. On March 16th, 1952, his thoughts were first shown in a thought balloon. Snoopy first appeared upright on his hind legs on January 9th, 1956, when he was shown ice-skating across a frozen lake.

   Snoopy and Charlie Brown were ranked by TV Guide as the 8th greatest cartoon characters of all time, especially after the strip’s Golden Age in the 1960s. Their popularity spawned holiday animated television specials during Halloween and Christmas, and even a Top 10 tune sung by The Royal Guardsmen. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was a popular Broadway play that brought the comic strip to life. The characters are currently the official mascots of Knott’s Berry Farm.

   Snoopy often imagines himself as a World War I flying ace that fights the Red Baron, while imagining his doghouse as a Sopwith Camel. He is perhaps best known in his alternate persona, wearing an aviator’s helmet, goggles, and a scarf. To honor the boy and his pet, the Apollo 10 lunar module was named Snoopy; and command module, Charlie Brown. Snoopy also became the official mascot of aerospace safety. The Silver Snoopy Award is a special NASA sterling silver pin with an engraving of Snoopy in a spacesuit helmet. It’s given by an astronaut to someone who works in the space program that has gone above and beyond the call of duty in pursuit of quality and safety. MetLife has employed Snoopy as their corporate mascot since the 1980s. Three huge  airships are owned and operated by the insurance company that provides aerial video coverage of sporting events, and the blimps feature Snoopy as a World War I pilot on their fuselage.

   The pup also looks very cool in sunglasses. His best friend is a little bird named Woodstock. The Peanuts Movie, set for release later this month, was promoted during the ceremony. Snoopy and Woodstock will be on the 20th Century Fox logo.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Glenn Close is set to reprise her starring role as fictional silent screen diva Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Next year’s run will be her first time on the London stage since she starred in A Streetcar Named Desire at the National Theatre in 2002. Glenn will be at the English National Opera’s Coliseum theater in London’s West End for 43 performances beginning April 1st. Her former co-star Alan Campbell will also reprise Joe Gillis (William Holden to Gloria Swanson in cinema). No further word on casting has been announced.

   The production will be semi-staged, with the opera’s orchestra onstage alongside the cast. Close won a Tony Award in 1995 for the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, based on Billy Wilder’s 1950 film. On a personal note, I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Close during the West Coast swing of the show. It remains my favorite stage performance. That’s saying a lot, since I’ve seen Lauren Bacall (Applause), Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady), Angela Lansbury (Mame), Charlton Heston (Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Richard Thomas, George Wendt (Twelve Angry Men), Martin Short, Jason Alexander (The Producers), Van Johnson (The Music Man), Davy Jones (Oliver!), John O’Hurley (Spamalot), among others.

   The 68-year-old star has received six Academy Awards nominations. She has won three Emmys and three Tonys. There is no indication on whether Close will bring the role to the silver screen. In the right hands, she could garner that long elusive Oscar.

GLENN CLOSE

   Here’s hoping Glenn Close brings her revival across the pond.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Fred Thompson was a politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio host. He was the campaign manager for Republican US Senator Howard Baker’s re-election campaign in 1972, and was minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in its investigation of the scandal. Thompson served in the United States Senate representing Tennessee from 1994 to 2003. As an actor, Fred appeared in a number of movies and television shows, as well as in commercials. In the final months of his Senate term in 2002, he joined the cast of the long-running NBC series Law & Order.

   Thompson’s rise to the Senate was atypical. He had never before held public office, but he overwhelmingly won a 1994 special election for Al Gore’s old Senate seat after connecting with voters. In 1996 he easily won a six-year term. Thompson eventually served as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board at the United States Department of State, was a member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence.

   In the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, Fred Thompson backed former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, who eventually succeeded him in the Senate, two years later. When Alexander dropped out, Thompson endorsed Senator John McCain’s bid and became his national co-chairman. After George W. Bush won the primaries, both McCain and Thompson were considered as potential running mates. In 2007, he made a run for the White House. He garnered 11 delegates before dropping out of the race.

   He advocated political positions that were considered traditionally small government. He opposed Roe v. Wade (though he was not in favor of prosecution of women who had early-term abortions); he didn’t support a Federal ban against gay marriage; he was a proponent of the Second Amendment and unfettered gun-ownership; he believed in heightened border security, while supporting immigration reform that would lead illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship; and he was quite skeptical of human-induced global warming.

   Fred Thompson eased into a prolific acting career in 1985. He specialized in roles in political and legal thrillers, including No Way Out, The Hunt for Red October, Days of Thunder, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard 2, Class Action, and the remakes of Born Yesterday and Cape Fear. On television, he guest-starred in Wiseguy,  China Beach, Roseanne, Matlock, Sex in the City, and most recently, The Good Wife.

   In 2009, he took over on Westwood One’s east coast noon time slot, hosting the talk radio program The Fred Thompson Show, after Bill O’Reilly ended The Radio Factor. One of his final roles, Thompson became an advertising spokesperson for American Advisors Group, a reverse mortgage lender.

   Traversing American history and Hollywood in a metaphoric Hollywood-and-Vine instance, Fred Thompson was 73.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

Advice from the banjo-eyed great with the funny voice, who shares the first chapter in my second book, Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History:

Until next time>                               “never forget”