“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Cinecon Invader…

November 18th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`I had a chance to catch up with Jimmy Hunt at Cinecon 58, The Celebrating Act 2 cameras captured the moment. The child star from Invaders from Mars was on hand to receive the Legacy Award and it is a fitting tribute to honor Hunt for his career.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Farewell to Robert Clary…

November 17th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Robert Clary was the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor. He was best known for playing Corporal LeBeau in the World War II sitcom Hogan’s Heroes. He also had recurring roles in the soap operas Days of Our Lives, and The Bold and the BeautifulROBERT CLARY ->

“`Born in 1926, Clary was the youngest of fourteen children; ten would die in the Holocaust. At the age of twelve, he began a career singing on a French radio station and also studied art in Paris. In 1942, because he was Jewish,  he was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp. Clary was liberated on April 11, 1945.

“`After the war, Clary returned to entertainment. One of his first American appearances was a French-language comedy skit on The Ed Wynn Show in 1950. He later met Merv Griffin and Eddie Cantor.  This led to Clary meeting Cantor’s daughter, whom he married in 1955. Cantor later got Clary a spot on The Colgate Comedy Hour.

“`His film roles included Ten Tall Men, Thief of Damascus, A New Kind of Love, and The Hindenburg. On television, he guest-starred on The Gisele MacKenzie Show and Fantasy Island. He had a recurring role in The High Chaparral.

“`After Hogan’s Heroes was cancelled in 1971, Clary maintained his close ties to fellow cast members Werner Klemperer, John Banner, and Leon Askin,  whose lives were also affected by the Holocaust. Clary spent subsequent years touring and speaking about the Holocaust. In his memoirs, he wrote:

Sometimes I dream about those days. I wake up in a sweat terrified for fear I’m about to be sent away to a concentration camp, but I don’t hold a grudge because that’s a great waste of time. Yes, there’s something dark in the human soul. For the most part, human beings are not very nice. That’s why when you find those who are, you cherish them.

“`Robert Clary was ninety-six.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Celebrating Art Laboe…

November 16th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I have a nostolgic chat on Celebrating Act 2 about the life and times of Art Laboe. He was a radio legend and my mentor and friend.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Chat with Janine Perreau…

November 11th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`While at Cinecon 58, I interviewed Janine Perreau, one of the child stars from Invaders from Mars. She shares her thoughts over the Celebrating Act 2 airwaves.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Ranking The Thin Man Movies…

November 7th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Let the critiques begin! I chat with Art Kirsch and John Coleman on Celebrating Act 2 as we rank the six Thin Man films in the celebrated series. Nick and Nora Charles transcends the Pre Code era of cinema and film noir. One thing we can agree… Asta is the best pooch in movies!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- VIM Silent Films at Cinecon…

November 4th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Our series continues as we chat with more luminaries at Cinecon 58. Rob Stone is a curator at the Library of Congress and was a presenter and an author live at Cinecon. Celebrating Act 2 was on hand as we chatted about the VIM Silent Film series.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Athletes in Cinema…

October 29th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman and Art Kirsch of Celebrating Act 2 join me in running down famous sports figures who have appeared in movies and on television. It is a fun discussion.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The President of Cinecon…

October 28th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`The Celebrating Act 2 cameras are rolling. Our weekly exposé on Cinecon 58 continues with Art Kirsch and John Coleman’s wonderful interview with Stan Taffel,  the president of Cinecon. He is a noted archivist and preservationist as well. And I am proud to call him my good friend.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Soundies at Cinecon…

October 21st, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Soundies  were two-reelers showcasing the performances of unknown and up-and-coming talent. The platform was a kind of a video jukebox and it was accessible to anyone with two-bits. Celebrating Act 2 converses with archivist Mark Cantor at Cinecon 58 as they chat about the Library of Congress preservation of this cinematic treasure.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Mob in Movies…

October 17th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2 takes a look at the famous movie stars with ties to the mob. John Kirsch and Art Coleman are the wiseguys in this engaging discussion.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Cinecon Chat with Alan K. Rode…

October 14th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`The Celebrating Act 2 cameras were out at Cinecon 58 over the Labor Day Weekend. We had a chance to interview noted  Hollywood historian Alan K. Rode as he shared the history behind the historic Hollywood American Legion Post 43 Theater.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Dame Lansbury…

October 11th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`One of the finest talents to grace cinema, the stage and small screen, Angela Lansbury’s career spanned nine decades and produced indelible portraits of a wide range of characters. She is best known as the sleuth in Murder She Wrote and her Broadway performances in Mame, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd. She would eventually earn five Tony Awards.

ANGELA LANSBURY

“`Lansbury was born in London in 1925 and traveled to the United States with her mother in 1940 to elude the blitz. She studied acting and her motion picture career took off. Contracted by MGM, her first three movies were Gaslight, National Velvet and The Picture of Dorian Gray. A pair of Academy Award nominations followed during this initial stretch. Her casting in The Manchurian Candidate earned her the finest cinematic reviews of her career and more Oscar attention.

“`Other films parts included The Harvey Girls, State of the Union, Till the Clouds Roll By, The Three Musketeers, Samson and Delilah, The Court Jester, The Long Hot Summer, Blue Hawaii, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Death on the Nile. She did voice work, contributing to animated films like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. One of her more celebrated recent appearances was in Mary Poppins Returns.

“`On television, she would receive eighteen Emmy nods, eleven for playing Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote. Sadly, a statuette eluded her mantle. She also guest-starred in The Man From U. N. C. L. E., Magnum P. I., and Touched by an Angel.

“`On a personal note, I was blessed to see her perform in Gypsy live when she toured in Los Angeles. I was in my teens and still remember her iconic work.

“`Truly a superstar in every way, Angela Lansbury was ninety-six.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Passing of Art Laboe…

October 10th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`The orignal Oldie-But-Goodie, Art Laboe, was a multi-generational broadcasting legend. He gave Latinos a music voice throughout the Southwest of the United States. Art appears in the Guinness World Book of Records for his seventy-nine year career. Personally, he mentored the totality of my career and I am saddened for his loss.

“`Laboe was born in Salt Lake City. Serving during World War II, he transmitted Morse Code to ships in the South Pacific.  In 1943, Art was hired at a San Francisco radio station. He traveled to Southern California after the war and continued his broadcasting career. His contemporaries included Alan Freed, Murray The K, Hunter Hancock, Wolfman Jack and Dick Hugg Huggy Boy.

“`Art Laboe coined the phrase, Oldies but Goodies, which led to his successful series of album compilations.  Art popularized live radio remotes when broadcasting his program at Scrivner’s Drive-In in Los Angeles. He developed the modern West Coast Urban Oldies format, featuring popular songs and listener dedications from the Southwest Latino community, and elsewhere. His dance and oldies shows at El Monte Legion Stadium united teens of Southern California regardless of race in an often culturally divided city. He personally arranged the deal that kept KRLA 11-10 AM on the air after negotiating with co-owners Bob Hope and Art Linkletter.

                                         ART LABOE    RICK NELSON

“`Art owned Original Sound Records and many of his tunes he licensed ended up in popular movies, such as American Graffiti. Laboe received a Star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame at Hollywood and Highland. I was proud to attend this wonderful ceremony in 1981.

“`In 2009, he was honored with Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters/Diamond Circle Award, given to members who have made an important contribution to the development of broadcasting. Art Laboe memorabilia can be seen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum’s interactive Rock and Radio exhibit in Cleveland. In 2012, Art Laboe was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.

“`I recently aired an interview I did with my dear friend on my podcast. You are welcome to listen and appreciate the warmth and candor of the great Art Laboe.

https://manny-pachecos-forgotten-hollywood.castos.com/podcasts/38246/episodes/ep-26-an-oldie-but-goodie-081022

“`Art Laboe was ninety-seven. Vaya con Dios dear Arthur…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Invaders From Mars at Cinecon…

October 7th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`Our Celebrating Act 2 travel to Cinecon 58 was special and we start our journey with a chat with Jan Willem Bosman Jansen, IGNITE Films CEO. He explains the process in restoring the 1953 classic, Invaders From Mars,  as well as the cultural value of the film that made them want to restore it. All footage of Invaders From Mars is shown by permission from IGNITE Films.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Trip to Canoga Park…

October 6th, 2022

Manny P. here…

“`If you reside near the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, please join me on Saturday (October 8th) at 1p for a family-friendly book-signing event at the Canoga Park Branch Library. I will chatting about Hollywood, based on my award-winning Forgotten Hollywood paperback series. And I will be signing copies of my literary work for interested patrons.

   

“`The library is located at 20929 Sherman Way in Canoga Park and the event is FREE!

“`I hope to see you there!

Until next time>                               “never forget”