“Forgotten Hollywood”- Celebrating Screwball Comedy…

August 31st, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`What fun it is to chat about Screwball Comedies! Plus, I get to join to Art Kirsch and John Coleman on another segment of Celebrating Act 2. Expect an abundance of high jinks and shenanigans!!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Wakanda Forever…

August 29th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Chadwick Boseman was a lightening bolt,  who exploded in cinema with a variety of biopics,  and solidified his fame as a Marvel character. He has passed at the moment we honor Jackie Robinson, the legendary ballplayer Boseman portrayed in the film, 42.               CHADWICK BOSEMAN –>

“`Boseman graduated from Howard University. He earned small roles in television before his first star turn in 2013. His success as Robinson led to opportunities to tackle James Brown and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

“`Boseman largest legion of fans were from the Marvel cinematic universe. His T’Challa was initially introduced in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and his Wakanda Forever salute reverberated globally after Black Panther’s debut two years ago. The character’s last appearance was during Tony Stark’s memorial in last year’s Avengers: Endgame.

“`Boseman took on his first producing job in last year’s action thriller, 21 Bridges. His latest on-screen appearance was in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and his last role will be Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, adapted from a work by August Wilson.

“`Chadwick Boseman was just forty-three.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Everybody with Angela Williamson…

August 28th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`I am thrilled to share with you the debut of a wonderful program hosted by a dear friend. Everybody with Angela Williamson airs in Southern California on Wednesdays at 10:30p (pst) on KLCS, a PBS affiliate. The debut show will air on September 2nd. Check your local listings.

“`Angela and I have traveled similar paths. She is an educator, author, and most recently, an award-winning documentary filmmaker. My Life with Rosie is a loving look at Rosa Parks, a champion of civil rights, and it is adapted from Williamson’s literary work.

“`Everybody with Angela Williamson on KLCS (PBS) emphasizes diversity within the arts, education, and people. The show engages the audience by interviewing ordinary people doing extraordinary things while strengthening their communities.  I am proud to be participating in the conversation in an upcoming segment of the program.

“`A couple of hours before the debut program,  I will be conducting an interview with Angela on Facebook Live that will stream live at 3p (pst). We will take an in-depth look at her career in Education as an Adjunct Faculty Professor and Community Manager. More recently, Angela was named a Fielding Faculty Fellow at Fielding Graduate University. My colleague shares the same passion for developing future generations of broadcasters and preparing them for a career in broadcasting and digital media.

“`Please visit the Everybody with Angela Williamson Facebook page and on Instagram at:

https://www.facebook.com/EverybodyKLCS/

@everybodyklcs https://www.instagram.com/everybodyklcs/

#EverbodyKLCS #AngelaSW1 #Diversity #Education #Arts #Entertainment #YourVoiceMatters #Multicultural #LosAngeles #InterviewShow #Activism #CommunityEngagement #WomenHosts #WomenWriters #WomeninTV

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Twice the Fun…

August 19th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2, with John Coleman and Art Kirsch affords me the opportunity to have a chat about early comedy teams of cinema.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Suffragette City…

August 18th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`The nation is celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and a woman’s constitutional right to vote. Today, over sixty-eight million women vote in elections because of the courageous suffragists who never gave up the fight for equality.

“`Suffragists began the organized fight for women’s equality in 1848 when they demanded the right to vote during the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. For the next seventy-two years, women leaders lobbied, marched, picketed, and protested for their right to the ballot. After the House of Representatives and the Senate finally passed the amendment, it needed ratification by three-quarters of the forty-eight states to be added to the  Constitution. Tennessee was the final state to ratify, and the Nineteenth Amendment became law on August 18, 1920.

“`The fight continued for Women of Color. Jim Crow laws in place prevented their vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon Johnson, would affirm a guaranteed exercise of franchise, regardless of race or gender.

“`One flick that harmlessly poked fun of suffragists was The Great Race; the 1965 movie that starred Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. The woman’s movement is a side story, with the comedy antics provided by Natalie Wood, Vivian Vance,  and Arthur O’Connell. The rights-of-women struggle mystifies the male cast, causing frustration, anger, contempt and assorted patronizing behavior. Dare I say, this is not a film that comes to mind when discussing suffrage as a social construct.

“`In reality, President Woodrow Wilson never quite grasped the impact of the struggle. One hundred years later, women mostly understand their vast influence in any given election. Men remain humbled by their efforts.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- From the Mouth of Godzilla…

August 15th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Beginning next year you will be able to zipline into the mouth of Godzilla. The Nijigen no Mori amusement park in Hyogo Prefectural Awajishima Park, guests will also be able to indulge in Godzilla-themed foods and pick up all kinds of Godzilla merchandise.

“`In a country where Godzilla was created, he means as much as Mickey Mouse and it is not surprising that the character now has his own museum. The theme park’s latest attraction is called Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji. They opened the Godzilla museum to the public August 8th in order to build up hype for the coming attraction.

“`This is just one of the amazing attractions offered next year. There is also Super Mario World in Universal Studios. Due to COVID 19 and cancelled Olympics, they postponed the opening.

“`Now the trick is to get Japan to accept our passport…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Fox is Out of the Hen House…

August 13th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`The Walt Disney Company has just ended one of the best-known names in show business… 20th Century Fox. The film studio is now called 20th Century Studios.  The television division will be known as 20th Television. Both the 20th Century small screen and film re-brands retain the famous fanfare theme tune and searchlight logo.

“`Disney has also renamed their other television properties, including ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios to ABC Signature;  while Fox 21 Television Studios will become Touchstone Television.

“`Disney’s movie-making history dates back to the 1920s, today includes Lucasfilm – which makes the Star Wars franchise – and Marvel Studios, among its stable of film companies.

“`20th Century Fox was created in 1935 when Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Films merged. The studio is known for screening some of the most profitable productions of all-time, including Avatar and Titanic. 20th Century Fox Television, which traces their roots back to 1949, has been home to popular shows, including the original Batman series, M*A*S*H, and The Simpsons.

“`Earlier this year, when the film studio was re-branded, there were suggestions that Disney wanted to distance itself from Rupert Murdoch’s partisan, right-wing Fox News network.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Streaming Lucy…

August 12th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`The annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival will be virtual with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Margaret Cho, Weird Al Yankovic, Tiffany Haddish, and over two-dozen comedians. The fest, presented by National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, will stream conversations with the artists over three weekends, starting Friday and running through August 30th.

“`The live streams will be free on the center’s new platform, ComedyCenter.org/Festival, and at Facebook.com/NationalComedyCenter. The programs will then be available on-demand and without charge on the center’s platform.

 

“`The 29th annual festival will pay tribute to Carl Reiner, the filmmaker and creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show who died in June. A rare Reiner interview from the center’s archives will be shown on the final day of the event.

“`The fest, which last year drew large crowds to the center, is among the many annual events forced to improvise by the pandemic.  The non-profit center was founded in Ball’s hometown, which the I Love Lucy star had envisioned as a destination for comedy. It is funded by a mix of federal, state and private support.

=====================================

“`I am inviting you to check out my new article in Palos Verdes Pulse online magazine. The subject matter deals with a Hollywood hideaway found in Orange County… Crystal Cove. Here is a link to the story:

https://www.palosverdespulse.com/blog/2020/8/12/crystal-cove-hollywood-to-the-south-a-forgotten-hollywood-essay-by-manny-pacheco

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- One of a Dozen…

August 11th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Trini Lopez was a singer and guitarist who gained fame for his versions of Lemon Tree and If I Had a Hammer. He took his talents to Hollywood, notably appearing in The Dirty Dozen. He became an international star while performing in English and Spanish. Unlike other Mexican American singers such as Ritchie Valens, Lopez openly embraced his Hispanic roots despite warnings it would hurt his career. It never did. TRINI LOPEZ ->

“`Born Trinidad Lopez III to immigrants from Guanajuato, Mexico, he grew up in Dallas’  Little Mexico neighborhood. His life changed after his father bought him a twelve dollar black Gibson acoustic guitar from a pawn shop.

“`Buddy Holly saw Lopez at a nightclub in Wichita Falls, Texas, and introduced him to Norman Petty, his record producer in Clovis, New Mexico. Holly died in a plane crash six months later, and Lopez briefly replaced him as lead singer of The Crickets.

“`Lopez moved to Los Angeles and got a regular gig at P. J.’s Night Club in West Hollywood. Frank Sinatra saw him perform and offered him a contract with his new record label, Reprise, where Lopez got his first major hit with If I Had a Hammer. It reached the top of the charts in forty countries. They became pals and were spotted together regularly in social circles in Palm Springs and Las Vegas.

“`Lopez received a Grammy nomination for  Best New Artist of 1963. Due to his meteoric rise of success, he and The Beatles were co-headliners during an eighteen-day engagement at the Olympia Theatre in Paris.

“`Lopez’s initial cinematic role was in Marriage on the Rocks, making a cameo appearance in a nightclub scene; two years later, he became one of The Dirty Dozen. On television, he guest-starred on Adam-12.

“`Fascinated by his instrument, he designed two guitars for the Gibson Guitar Corporation, which are now collectors’ items.  Owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

“`Trini Lopez was eighty-three, and suffered from complications of COVID-19.

Until next>                                      “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Raft and McQueen…

August 10th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2 takes an in-depth look at two famous on-screen tough guys, George Raft and Steve McQueen. Both have day-long retrospectives on  TCM’s Summer Under the Stars. Join the conversation, featuring Art Kirsch and John Coleman.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Definitive Bond…

August 9th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Sean Connery has been crowned the best James Bond of all time in a tournament-style poll by the United Kingdom publication Radio Times. More than fourteen-thousand fans took part to decide which actor best portrayed Ian Fleming’s quintessential British secret service agent.

“`Using a system of rounds, Connery slipped by Daniel Craig  (often cited as the best to have played the role) in the first round, fifty-six percent to forty-three percent. Pierce Brosnan then convincingly beat George Lazenby in his heat, with the Irish actor scoring a decisive seventy-six percent of the votes. An upset in round three saw the hugely popular Roger Moore lose to Timothy Dalton, with Moore receiving forty-one percent over Dalton’s forty-nine percent.

“`The final round saw Dalton pitted against Connery and Brosnan, with the Scotsman coming out on top with forty-four percent of the voting. Dalton and Brosnan nabbed second and third place, respectively.

“`Connery is the most prolific Bond actor, having appeared in seven movies: and Never Say Never Again. Craig will appear in his fifth movie in the franchise, No Time to Die, later this year, with the film delayed from its original April release date due to the Covid 19 pandemic.  It is now scheduled for release on November 20th.

“`Upon hearing about this latest accolade, I am sure Connery was shaken, not stirred.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Bye Bye Consent Decrees…

August 8th, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`A federal judge has approved the Department of Justice’s efforts to end Paramount Consent Decrees; seventy-year-old court orders that prevented film studios from engaging in a variety of anti-competitive behaviors, including ownership of movie theaters. The termination of these Decrees were part of  Department of Justice’s review of legacy antitrust judgments that dated back to the 1890s and has resulted in the termination of nearly eight-hundred perpetual decrees.

“`Motion picture distributors that were not subject to the Decrees have entered the market since the 1940s; most significantly, Walt Disney Company, Lionsgate, Focus Features, Roadside Attractions, and STX Entertainment. Plus, no internet streaming company  — Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and others — that produce and distribute films are subject to the Decrees. The remaining defendants were at a disadvantage, and subject to legal constraints that do not apply to their competitors.

“`Few in 2020 are thinking it is a good idea to get into the movie theater business. Domestic attendance was already on the decline, even before COVID-19 forced most theaters to close.

“`Netflix and Amazon had shown some interest in owning theaters before this. Amazon was reportedly in the running to purchase  Landmark Theatres, and rumors that it might acquire AMC made the theater chain’s stock more valuable earlier this year.  The acquisition fell apart after AMC stabilized their finances. Netflix signed a long-term lease for New York City’s Paris Theatre last year, and it may have been interested in the  Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. These potential acquisitions would provide streaming service distribution of movies in theaters allowing the productions to then qualify for Academy Award consideration.

“`This court ruling could spell the end of the traditional movie theater chain. The CoronaVirus may have additionally contributed to the eventual demise of how we watch cinema.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Goodbye to Wilford…

August 1st, 2020

Manny P. here…

“`Wilford Brimley was a soft-spoken actor and a television spokesperson for the Quaker Oats Company. He also advocated for diabetes education and appeared in commercials for Liberty Medical.

“`After serving in the Marines and doing a variety of jobs, including ranch hand and wrangler, Brimley eventually established himself as a fine supporting player. He worked as a bodyguard for Howard Hughes and started shoeing horses in film and television. Brimley began acting in the 1960s as a riding extra in Westerns and as a stunt man at the urging of his friend, Robert Duvall.

“`Brimley’s onscreen breakthrough came when cast in the popular 1970s television series The Waltons; he made seven appearances between 1974 and 1977. His first credited feature film performance was in The China Syndrome, followed by an appearance in Absence of Malice and The Natural. Duvall was instrumental in securing for him for Tender Mercies.

WILFORD BRIMLEY

“`Other cinematic roles include The Electric Horseman, Brubaker, The Thing, Cocoon, My Fellow Americans, and The Firm. On television, he guest-starred in Walker Texas Ranger and Seinfeld.

“`Wilford Brimley was eighty-five.

Until next time>                               “never forget”