“Forgotten Holywood”- Wife of Eli Wallach has Died…

April 14th, 2016

Manny P. here…eli-wallach-anne-jackson

   Anne Jackson was a star of the stage, cinema, and television. Along the way, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in Paddy Chayefsky’s Middle of the Night, and won two Obie Awards. Her marriage to Eli Wallach was one of the longest in Hollywood history: 66 years.   ELI WALLACH / ANNE JACKSON —>

   As an up-and-coming starlet, she studied at The Actor’s Studio and Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Her theatre credits include Summer and Smoke, The Waltz of the Toreadors, and Lost in Yonkers. On screen, she appeared in Dirty Dingus Magee, Lovers and Other Strangers, and The Shining.

   She was quite busy on television, guest-starring in The Philco Television Playhouse, Studio One, The Untouchables, The Defenders, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby M.D., RhodaHighway to Heaven, Law & Order, and ER. She later taught at the HB Studio in Manhattan, and continued to act in cameo roles.

   Anne Jackson was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Ken Burns and Jackie Robinson…

April 11th, 2016

Manny P. here…

   Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line, and became one of the most beloved men in America. Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even former teammates, who had once celebrated him for turning the other cheek. The series will also feature the storied career of Branch Rickey, the baseball executive who brought Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie Robinson

   Before his career with the Dodgers, Jackie Robinson was an acclaimed athlete at Pasadena City College and UCLA. After baseball, he was a widely-read newspaper columnist, a divisive political activist, and a tireless advocate for Civil Rights, who struggled to remain relevant as diabetes crippled his body, and a new generation of leaders set a more militant course for the movement.

 kenburns  Ken Burns shares this remarkable story on most PBS stations. It’s a seldom-shared tale, with plenty of side notes. He declared his upcoming two-part series on the African American baseball legend will also focus on the intersection of race and politics. Burns also notes that the popular image of Robinson as a squeaky clean hero obscures the second baseman’s fierce determination as a player, and a de facto advocate for racial equality.

   The Florentine Films documentary will air in two parts tonight and Tuesday. Black Lives Matter in this production.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Goodbye Norma Jean’s Home…

April 9th, 2016

Manny P. here… norma jean

   A Los Angeles city council member may lose his job because he authorized the demolition of a house once occupied by Marilyn Monroe (right). She lived in the Valley Village house a few miles north of Hollywood six decades ago, when she was 17-year-old Norma Jean Dougherty. Residents were trying to get historical designation for the house, but it was demolished just days before a scheduled hearing in June. City staffers didn’t want the house considered for historical protection, and it was torn down to make way for a condo project. Some might say, the residence was just a Candle in the Wind.

   One Valley Village resident says the destruction of Monroe’s old home is the major reason for an effort to recall Los Angeles city council member Paul Krekorian, a petition for which got official approval last week. Some residents blame Krekorian for not supporting the effort to protect Monroe’s house specifically, and the community he represents. The petition to recall Krekorian accuses him of favoring business interests in development.

   The petition needs more than 18,500 signatures from registered voters in Krekorian’s district for the recall effort to move forward. It could be an uphill battle: Krekorian was re-elected in 2015 with 75% of the vote. However, Marilyn Monroe might be more beloved.

   Just sayin’…

   Until next time>                            “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Frying Mr. Lewis…

April 8th, 2016

Manny P. here…

  At the Friars Club tribute for Jerry Lewis’ 90th birthday, many of the jokes were not about the comedian. When the subject did turn to Lewis, the kidding around turned to praise, and he was honored as a comic master, inspiration, and a savior. About 200 people squeezed into the first floor dining room for the 90 minute event. Lewis, whose birthday was last month, sat to the side of the dais, and laughed and cried. The Friars Club has long been like a second home for the funnyman, whose name appears on the front of the building and whose pictures hang inside.  JERRY LEWIS / ROBERT DE NIRO –>

   Before the tribute, he sipped on a soda in the first floor bar, otherwise known as the Billy Crystal Room, and dined upstairs with such friends as Robert De Niro and Jim Carrey. A birthday card in the lobby was signed by many of the patrons.

   The tribute touched upon many of the highlights of Lewis’ long and singular career, from his partnership with Dean Martin, to such movies as The Nutty Professor, and his stage performance in Damn Yankees. A compilation of pre-taped greetings included Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, and Don Rickles, who urged Lewis to go to bed early.

   The mood heated up as the night unfolded. Richard Belzer stripped down to a t-shirt to show off the Jerry Lewis tattoo on his arm; and singer Jack Jones removed his jacket and tie to deliver The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha, and he got a standing ovation for hitting some incredible high notes. Lewis, who had the final word, can be the most sentimental and irascible of comedians. He has been known to roast a few audience members, and on Friday night, he skipped any summaries of his career and scolded the crowd for not cheering louder. The crowd obliged.

   Overall, it was a fitting tribute.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- An Arabian Story…

April 5th, 2016

Manny P. here…

   Ten years into a broader hunt throughout the Arabian desert, archaeologists have unearthed a bullet they are almost 100% certain is the one Lawrence of Arabia claimed to have fired in 1917 in a guerrilla attack on the Hallat Ammar train. The item found at the site of the famed train ambush comes from a Colt automatic pistol that Lawrence, and likely no one else in his party, carried.

   Many, including his own biographers, have suspected the man originally called T.E. Lawrence wove tales too grand to be true, saying his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom exaggerates the role he played as a liaison officer with the rebel forces during the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks and Germans between 1916 and 1918. Critics have cast doubts on the book since it was first published in 1922.  Coincidentally, a Hejaz Railway engine nameplate was discovered just two months ago, further fortifying Lawrence’s story of the ambush.

Lawrence_in_Arabia   Peter OToole

                       T.E. LAWRENCE                                PETER O’TOOLE

   His tall tales were grand enough to inspire the 1962 epic Oscar-winning motion picture that starred Peter O’Toole in the title role, and was directed by David Lean.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Patent Pending…

April 3rd, 2016

Manny P. here…

   Missing for decades, the Wright brothers’ patent for their Flying Machine was found last month in a manilla envelope among 15-foot-high stacks of patent files in a limestone cave outside a small Kansas city. The holy grail of missing documents, which was supposed to be stored in Washington DC with other priceless papers, was finally recovered.

   The Wright brothers applied for the patent in 1903—nine months later their Flying Machine would spend 12 seconds airborne. One document in the patent file notes the brothers invented a new and useful machine for navigating the air. But, when officials tried to find the patent file for a commemoration in 2000, it had disappeared.

fling machine

FLYING MACHINE

   The patent hadn’t actually been seen since 1980, when it was returned to the National Archives following an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute. While it’s possible the patent file could have been stolen, officials assumed it had simply been misfiled, which can be even worse when you’re dealing with millions of patent papers.

   Sixteen years of hunting ended when archivist Bob Beebe — close to giving up during a search of a cave used to store records outside Lenexa, Kansas — opened one last box on March 22nd. Beebe emailed a colleague about the discovery.

   The infamous Flying Machine patent is finally scheduled to be exhibited next month at the National Archives Museum. Don’t you just love happy endings…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Essential Scorsese…

April 2nd, 2016

Manny P. here…

   Film fans in Australia will have the chance to revisit ten classic motion pictures from Martin Scorsese on the big screen. The movies will screen at the 2016 Sydney Film Festival (June 8th -19th). The filmmaker’s electrifying and enduring collaboration with Robert De Niro, which began with Mean Streets, and included Taxi Driver, New York New York, Goodfellas, The King of Comedy, Casino, and Raging Bull (one of the performances earning De Niro an Oscar). Each are on this year’s schedule.

MARTIN SCORSESE

   The retrospective program titled Essential Scorsese: Selected by David Stratton will kick off with the Scorsese’s breakthrough feature. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which stars Ellen Burstyn in her Academy Award-winning roles, is also on tap. His most recent flick to make the cut is The Aviator. Scorsese’s masterpiece, The Age of Innocence, will round out the program.

   Historically, box-office receipts had been dwindling since the end of World War II. It was time for a change, and an earth-shattering shift was the introduction of a new generation of directors. All were raised on the great productions of the Studio Era; filmmakers who were actually movie buffs. This new wave included Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Brian de Palma, Bob Rafelson, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Jonathan Demme – and above all, Martin Scorsese. One of his early jobs was to edit the documentary Woodstock.

   Essential Scorsese: Selected by David Stratton brings to the Festival for the second year one of Australia’s great masters of film criticism. He will curate a selection of celluloid by one of his favorite living directors. Scorsese is widely considered one of the important cinematic craftsmen of all time. His ground-breaking films and gritty, meticulous style are essential viewing for all fans of Hollywood. Even in the land down-under.

Until next time>                               “never forget”