Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`It is time to submit my SAG Awards ballot, highlighting celluloid performances in 2023. This was an outstanding year in cinema, with celebrated productions. Here are my selections:

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OUTSTANDING MALE:  Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

“`It is such a competitive category! Cillian Murphy delivered a strong, worthy performance in Oppenheimer; it would have been so easy to select him. Colman Domingo was so energetic and inspirational in Rustin.  Paul Giamatti’s relationship with director Alexander Payne offers such nuanced acting opportunities, as they did in Sideways and this year in The Holdovers. Giamatti gets my support. Bradley Cooper (Maestro) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) are respected actors that round out the category. Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon),  Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)  were clearly snubbed.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)

“`A brutally tough call. I LOVED Emma Stone (Poor Things), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall).  Lily Gladstone’s measured performance was bittersweet and transformative.  She wins by a nose.  No one worked harder than Annette Bening in prep for her role in Nyad.  Margot Robbie is a popular public pick and was snubbed by the Oscars. Performances by Huller and Greta Lee (Past Lives) were also ignored by SAG.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

“`Robert Downey Jr. is a clear choice. Clearly, he should have won for his work on Chaplin. Other worthy nominees include Robert DeNiro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)  and especially, Sterling K. Brown for a fine delivery in American Fiction. I would have rather seen Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) than Ryan Gosling (Barbie) in the fifth spot.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE:  Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

“`The one clear winner in this category is Da’Vine Joy Randolph, winning every competitive accolade in this year’s award’s season. Her competition is formidable, including Jodie Foster (Nyad) and Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple). Emily Blunt’s role in Oppenheimer gets lost in the crowd of strong performances, in my opinion. And Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) or Sandra Huller (The Zone of Interest) instead of Penelope Cruz (Ferrari) in the category.

OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:  Oppenheimer

“`It comes down to Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, since The Holdovers, Saltburn and Anatomy of a Fall were left out of the category. A magnificent cast, visionary direction and cinematography, and a compelling story describes my two favorites. The Color Purple offers a vibrant cast as well.  Barbie and American Fiction strength lies in its witty writing and a serviceable cast (with a couple of standouts).

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~ 2023 TOP TEN:  1. Oppenheimer   2. Killers of the Flower Moon   3. The Holdovers   4. Saltburn   5. Past Lives   6. Anatomy of a Fall   7. The Boys in the Boat   8. Rustin   9. Poor Things  10. A Haunting in Venice

“`The SAG Awards airs on February 24th on Netflix. Let us see how I do this year.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`The Oscars nominations will be announced this week. To honor this event, John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I will look at some International films up for consideration. Past and present, foreign films are in focus on Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I offer a compelling retrospective on Celebrating Act 2 on the life and times of Gary Cooper. He was clearly one of the Kings of Hollywood!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I will be the emcee at Saturday’s event by RetroFormat Silent Films at the Woman’s Club of Hollywood.  Highlighting the evening will be a screening of Rudolph Valentino’s Blood and Sand.

“`The event begins at 6:30p with Rosanne Welch, editor of  When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry.  She will autograph copies of the book. A story in the work traces the pioneering career of Blood and Sand screenwriter June Mathis. I will be on hand to sign copies of my Forgotten Hollywood book series, as well.

“`Do not miss an opportunity to experience Blood and Sand on the big screen, with live piano by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick. The Woman’s Club of Hollywood is at 1741 N. La Brea Ave. Go to the Event’s page on Facebook for ticket information at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/321874480774593/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D

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“`Sad to announce the passing of the ever-delightful Glynis Johns. An award-winning actress, Johns earned an Oscar nod for the 1960 film, The Sundowners. She received a Tony for her role in A Little Night Music and Johns was the first performer to perform a rendition of the iconic Send in the Clowns. Johns may be best known as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins but I enjoyed her performance in No Highway in the Sky, co-starring with James Stewart. She was memorable in a cameo bit opposite Hermione Gingold in Around the World in Eighty Days.

“`Glynis Johns (right) was one-hundred.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Join me at KLCS on Everybody with Angela Williamson @EverybodyKLCS at 10:30p  (in the Los Angeles area) this evening. Angela and I will be touring the Hollywood Museum. The location of this iconic repository use to be the Max Factor Building.

“`The PBS affiliate airs in Southern California on Channel 58. I will be watching in Cypress on Channel 15. Check your cable provider for your local listing.

“`Consider this my personal Forgotten Hollywood invitation… This is a fun interview!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`With the arrival of 2024, a batch of media are now available in the public domain, including Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie, Peter Pan and Tigger. Classic cinema, standards, books and other artistic works, published in 1928, are entering the public domain, as well,  such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus,  Buster Keaton’s  The Cameraman,  The Man Who Laughs, The Crowd,  literary versions of All Quiet on the Western Front and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Cole Porter’s Let’s Do It, The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife), Yes We Have No Bananas, and the live stage version of the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers.

“`According to copyright laws at the time, Steamboat Willie was scheduled to enter the public domain in 1984, fifty-six years after it was released. That timeline was lengthened several times,  most recently in 1998 by a congressional act that established the current ninety-five-year limit. The Walt Disney Company lobbied hard for an extension, known famously as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.

“`Works enter public domain when their copyrights expire, and they are free for use without permission. Trademark law, however, is different. Trademarks cover words, symbols, designs or expressions that identify brands. And they do not expire after a set period of time. That is the so-called turkey in the straw.

Until next time>                               “never forget”