“Forgotten Hollywood”- CSI: Academy Awards…

March 5th, 2018

Manny P. here…

“`A real-life crime took place after the Academy Awards ceremony that culminated in the detainment of a crook. Terry Bryant was arrested by local authorities for suspicion of felony grand theft for stealing Frances McDormand’s Best Actress statuette for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.

“`The statuette was allegedly stolen during the Governors Ball after-party. Bryant had a ticket for the event. A video that posted live on a Facebook page that appeared to belong to Bryant that showed him kissing and flaunting the Oscar during the gala. A photojournalist stalled him after taking his picture holding the trophy.

“`The photographer didn’t recognize him as a winner, and began following Bryant. When he was confronted, the assailant handed the statuette back without a struggle. He was held by security guards at the event, and then arrested by Los Angeles police officers. Gary Oldman was given the accolade for security reasons until McDormand could be found.

“`Frances was not the initial victim of theft at an Academy Awards function. Alice Brady won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1937. She did not attend, and a mystery man accepted it on her behalf. He would run off with it.

“`In those days, supporting actors were awarded an official plaque.  The Academy intended to replace her prize. Unfortunately, she died of cancer before receiving it. The original was never recovered, and it remains missing to this day.

“`Bryant is being held on $20,000 bail. There was no reply to a message sent to one of his social media profiles, and it isn’t clear if he had an attorney who could issue an official statement on his behalf. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t return a request for comment.  FRANCES McDORMAND –>

“`After Frances and her Oscar were fortuitously reunited, they celebrated with a double double from In-N-Out Burger. That is what this tale and hamburger are all about.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Blog in Under Four Minutes…

March 4th, 2018

Manny P. here…

“`Before The Beatles, Roger Bannister was a true British superstar in track and field. He was a medical student at Oxford in 1954, when he electrified the sports world and lifted postwar England’s spirit, becoming the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes. Roger put on his spikes, and ran four laps around a cinder track in 3:59.4 seconds, for one of the defining sporting achievements of the 20th Century.

                               ROGER BANNISTER

“`His passion for running took off in 1945,  when his father took him to a track meet at London’s White City Stadium, built to host the 1908 Olympics. He resolved to take up running seriously at Oxford. At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Bannister was considered the favorite to win Gold in the 1,500 meters. But, organizers added an extra round of heats. Subsequently, he would have to run on three consecutive days. Roger finished fourth.

“`On the day he made history, May 6th, 1954, shortly after 6p, Bannister churned around Oxford’s Iffley Road track, his long arms and legs pumping, and his lungs gasping for air. Roger put in an extra kick over the final 300 yards and nearly collapsed as he crossed the finish line.

“`The record lasted just 46 days. Despite the brevity, he was selected Sports Illustrated’s  first Sportsman of the Year in 1954. Bannister retired from competition, and had a long and distinguished career in medicine. Later, as chairman of Britain’s Sports Council from 1971 to 1974, he created the initial test for anabolic steroids. Roger’s most treasured honor was the Lifetime Achievement award he received in 2005 from American Academy of Neurology. He was knighted for his medical work in 1975.

“`Sir Roger Bannister was 88.

================================== 

“`David Ogden Stiers (right) was a prolific character actor, best known for his role as  Major Charles Emerson Winchester on the small screen adaptation of M*A*S*H*. He received two Emmy nominations for his performances in the Korean War sitcom. He also played a adversary on the Perry Mason television movies of the 1980s. He was the associate conductor for Newport Symphony Orchestra and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival.

“`A former high school classmate of film critic Roger Ebert, he performed with California Shakespeare’s TheaterSan Francisco Actors Workshop, and the improv group, The Committee, whose members included Rob Reiner, Howard Hesseman, and Peter Bonerz.

“`In film, Stiers appeared THX 138, Oh God!, Doc HollywoodThe Cheap DetectiveThe Accidental Tourist; and he was a voice actor on Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas. On television, he guest-starred on Charlie’s Angels, WingsRhodaMatlock, Phyllis, KojakMurder She Wrote, Ally McBeal, and Frasier.

“`The pontificating David Ogden Stiers was 75.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- And the Recipient is…

March 1st, 2018

Manny P. here…

“`Turner Classic Movies announced Martin Scorsese will be awarded the inaugural Robert Osborne Award  in recognition of his work as a  film preservationist and impassioned classic movie fan. The award will be presented on April 26th during opening night of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival. Scorsese (below) addressed the subject of film preservation in Hugo.

“`Martin has been a celebrated director for over five decades,  making some of the most influential motion pictures in cinematic history. Five-time nominee for Best Director at the Academy Awards; he won in 2007 for The Departed. In 1990, Scorsese formed The Film Foundation; a nonprofit that preserves and protects celluloid history, working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has restored over 800 films, while the World Cinema Project has restored films from 21 countries. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young kids about a language and history of film.

“`For over 22 years,  Robert Osborne served as prime time host and anchor of TCM, aiding millions of viewers discover and enter the world of classic movies; and dedicating his life to preserving and sharing the movies he loved.  Embraced by fans around the globe as both a fellow movie lover and an unparalleled film historian, his legacy of devotion to classic films, and their ability to inspire, will live on through the Robert Osborne Award.

“`The award will be given out annually at the TCM Classic Film Festival to a recipient whose work helps keep the cultural heritage of classic cinema alive and thriving for generations to come. This year, Leonardo DiCaprio will present the award to Scorsese.

Until next time>                               “never forget”