Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`Harry Belafonte was a Jamaican-American singer, actor and a resolute activist.  His activism was inspired through mentorship provided by Paul Robeson, and he later became a confidante of Martin Luther King Jr. Along the way, Belafonte popularized calypso music in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso in 1956 was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. His best known tunes:  Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), Jump in the Line (Shake Senora) and Jamaica Farewell.

HARRY BELAFONTE

“`In the late 1940s, Belafonte attended acting classes at the famed Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York City.  His classmates included Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Bea Arthur, Walter Matthau and Sidney Poitier. For a time, Belafonte performed with the American Negro Theater.  He began his career in music as a club singer in New York to pay for acting classes. He was backed by the Charlie Parker’s band the initial time on stage, which also included Max Roach and Miles Davis, among others. He signed a contract with RCA Victor in 1953.

“`Belafonte was recruited by Frank Sinatra to perform at the inaugural gala of John F. Kennedy in 1961, and performed alongside Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson and others. He appeared on television in variety programs, including  The Ed Sullivan Show, The Nat King Cole Show, The Steve Allen Show,  Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and  The Flip Wilson Show. During the week of February 5th, 1968, Belafonte was in for Johnny Carson on  The Tonight Show. Among his noted guests were the Reverend King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

“`Belafonte had a big screen career, appearing with Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan and James Mason. His co-starred in Bright Road, Carmen Jones, Island in the Sun, The World the Flesh and the Devil, Buck and the Preacher and Uptown Saturday Night.

“`Belafonte supported the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. President Kennedy later named Belafonte cultural advisor to the Peace Corps. Throughout his career, he was also an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and USA for Africa. From 1987 until his death, he was a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.  He spent the latter part of his life as a fierce advocate for many progressive causes.

“`Harry Belafonte was ninety-six.

Until next time>                                  “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I offer a compelling profile on the talented and tortured Orson Welles. His trajectory flamed out after the production of Citizen Kane, yet he still managed to create stirring images from movies that remain legendary. Celebrating Act 2 reflect…

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I am thrilled to spend this upcoming Saturday with the members of the Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society Saps at Sea tent. This group is a fervant bunch of L&H loyalists, who are part of an international contigent whose united purpose is to celebrate Stan and Babe by keeping their memory alive.

“`At the event, we will focus on the moviemaker who worked in the 1950s on keeping silent films relevent through a series of documentary compilations: ROBERT YOUNGSON. An Oscar-winning filmmaker of two-reelers while at Warner Brothers,  he remained a preservationist and is now considered the Martin Scorsese of his day as he introduced silent movies to a new generation of movie-goers, the Baby Boomer generation. Portions of Laurel and Hardy silents are in his compilations such as Two Tars, Big Business, The Second Hundred Years and the previously lost, Battle of the Century.

“`Forgotten Hollywood is joining tents of the Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society in a campaign to get  The Golden Age of Comedy and When Comedy was King added to the Library of Congress Film Registry for 2023. THE GOOD NEWS… It is FREE to vote for these masters of preservation on the Film Registry site of the LOC.  All it takes is a few minutes to vote.

“`This event is being held on Saturday, 7p at  Williams Hall, 3902 Kenwood Dr, Spring Valley CA 91977. Donation of $7 per person at the door (age twelve and under is free); refreshments included. The Saps at Sea will be screening The Golden Age of Comedy and I will autograph paperbacks in my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series.

“`Come on down and join us for an evening of frivolity, antics and sappy fun!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Today, I get to host Celebrating Act 2 and my guests are John Coleman and Art Kirsch! They discuss the films they loved throughout their lives. Each list is eclectic and all selections have a back story.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`My journey to the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival actually officially begins on Wednesday for two pre-event festivities. I expect that both activities will allow me to enjoy a bit of fellowship with cinephiles across the country, all congregating in four-block area around Hollywood Blvd. and Highland.

“`My Wednesday itinerary includes:

~ Media Welcome Reception at Club TCM in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The TCM hosts, including Eddie Muller and Ben Mankiewicz (above) will be on hand for the meet-and-greet.

~ Pre-Fest #14 Party at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Cinema fans who belong to Facebook’s TCM Classic Film Festival group will be celebrating the upcoming four-day fest. Kelly J Kitchens Wickersham of Richardson, TX and her team is hosting the event.

“`The festival kicks off on Thursday with the opening night red-carpet screening of Rio Bravo. Angie Dickinson will chat about the iconic Western prior to the screening. Warner Brothers is also celebrating their 100th anniversary. So, the theme of the festival is You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, originally recited by Al Jolson in the initial talkie, The Jazz Singer, distributed by WB.

“`See you at the TCM Classic Film Festival!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Michael Lerner was a brilliant supporting actor, who was memorable on television and in cinema. He is best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Barton Fink and as Arnold Rothstein in Eight Men Out.

“`Lerner made his initial television appearance as a teenager, as a quiz kid on a television program hosted by a local sportscaster. He received a Fulbright Scholarship to study theater in London for two years, at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  He remarkably lived in a flat with Yoko Ono and John Lennon.        MICHAEL LERNER —->

“`Lerner moved to Los Angeles in 1969 abd he made guest appearances in television shows, such as The Brady Bunch, That Girl, Night Gallery, The Streets of San Francisco, The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H, The Rockford Files, Love American Style, Kojak, The Odd Couple, Hart to Hart, The A-Team and Hill Street Blues. He also was in the cast of the teleplay, The Missiles of October, portraying Pierre Salinger, press secretary to John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crises. His big screen credits include The Candidate, The Other Side of Midnight, Harlem Nights, Newsies, No Escape and No Way Back.

“`Michael Lerner was eighty-one.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I reflect on the upcoming 2023 TCM Film Festival and their celebration of Warner Brothers. Great movies, lots of movie stars and aficianados and of course, die-hard fans from all over the world. It is a Celebrating Act 2 classic conversation!

“`Enjoy the rundown!

Until next time>                               “never forget”