Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`The 1951 Championship Game was the  National Football League’s 19th finale, played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This was a rematch of the previous season’s contest in Cleveland, with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Conference playing the defending league champion Cleveland Browns of the American Conference.

“`Pop had been a fan since they won the championship in 1945 as the Cleveland Rams. When they moved to Los Angeles, his loyalty was cemented. My dad was thirteen. He spent the rest of his life waiting for their next victory.

“`This was the first NFL championship game to be televised coast-to-coast and it was blacked out by the league in Southern California. The DuMont Network purchased the championship game television rights from the league. The Browns were favored to win this title game on the road by six points.

“`The underdog Rams upset the Browns 24–17 for their second championship before a then-record crowd for the title game of 59,475. Bob Waterfield, Tom Fears and Norm Van Brocklin all played for the Rams. Otto Graham played for Cleveland. The championship banner awarded to the Rams was given to Tom Bergin in gratitude for hosting the post-game dinner.  As of 2016, it hangs in Bergin’s pub in Los Angeles, the one banner in private ownership. By the way, the Browns have never been in a Super Bowl game.

“`Until yesterday’s victory in Super Bowl LVI, this was the Rams’ singular NFL championship as a California squad.  They won in 1999 as the St. Louis Rams. Over the next seventy years, my dad molded fans out of his brother, sister and his son (me!). Last October, my father and his brother passed away. They both had a front row seat in heaven in order to watch the big game I am quite sure.

“`I dedicate the Ram’s victory to my pop and my uncle… Manuel N. Pacheco and Johnny Parra. (above left with their sister Dolores Parra)

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`My interviews with celebrated scribes at the Hollywood Heritage Museum continues! Author and Hollywood Historian Steven J. Rubin shares with us The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia. Celebrating Act 2 presents part three in the series.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I chat about my choices for this season’s SAG Awards on Celebrating Act 2. It is an engaging discussion!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Douglas Trumbell was a film director and special effects magician. He was the son of Donald Trumbull, who created the visual look for The Wizard of Oz. He created special photographic effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Tree of Life, and also directed Silent Running and Brainstorm.

“`Douglas Trumbull’s began his career at Graphic Films in Los Angeles. The small animation and graphic arts studio produced  To the Moon and Beyond for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The spaceflight film caught the attention of director Stanley Kubrick.

“`Author Michael Crichton and director Robert Wise were very impressed by Trumbull’s efforts on The Andromeda Strain. His success on Andromeda set him up to direct Silent Running. Its environmental message struck a chord and the movie has become a cult classic. Trumbull also had uncredited work using blue screen techniques on The Towering Inferno.

DOUGLAS TRUMBULL (Star Trek: The Motion Picture & Blade Runner)

“`In 1975, Trumbull turned down an offer to provide the effects for George Lucas’ Star Wars due to other commitments, but he later contributed to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Blade Runner followed. After his work on Brainstorm and the death of its star, Natalie Wood, Trumbull left Hollywood.

“`One of his post-cinematic work was Back to the Future Ride at  Universal Studios Theme Park. Trumbull’s Showscan technology could be seen on a theme-park type ride at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.  After three decades away from Hollywood, he returned to special effects work on Terrence Malick’s 2011 film The Tree of Life.

“`Trumbull was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. He received Academy Awards nods on three occasions and received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award in February 2012, an honorary Oscar given to:

An individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.

“`He was given the American Society of Cinematographer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Georges Méliès Award from the Visual Effects Society.

“`Douglas Trumbull was seventy-nine.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2 is the place to have a chat about the great director, Stanley Kramer. John Coleman and Art Kirsch join me in this engaging discussion.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Afternoon with The Authors interviews at the Hollywood Heritage Museum continues on Celebrating Act 2. This week, I chat with noted historian and author Marc Wanamaker about his new book Hollywood’s Trains & Trolleys.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Carleton Carpenter Jr was a movie, television and stage actor. He gained fame when teamed in 1950 with Debbie Reynolds in Three Little Words and Two Weeks with Love. Their duet, Aba Daba Honeymoon,  was the initial soundtrack recording to become a top-of-the-chart gold record, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts.

“`Born in Vermont, Carpenter served as a Seabee during World War II. He helped build the airstrip from which the Enola Gay took off for a fateful flight to Hiroshima. After leaving the military, he began his performing career as a magician and an actor on Broadway.

“`Carpenter signed with MGM in 1950, where he made eight movies in three years including the popular Father of the Bride and Summer Stock. He composed Ev’ry Other Day, which he recorded for MGM Records and sang on screen in The Whistle at Eaton Falls. He wrote material for Reynolds, Kaye Ballard, Marlene Dietrich, and Hermione Gingold, and developed scripts for movies and television, as well.

“`The actor received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 from Cinecon and Reynolds was there to present him with the accolade.

“`Carleton Carpenter Jr. was ninety-five.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`It is time to offer my SAG Awards Ballot, highlighting cinematic performances in 2021. This was a so-so year in movies. Here are my selections:

  OUTSTANDING MALE:  Andrew Garfield (Tick Tick… Boom!) 

“`Critics see this as a heavyweight match between Will Smith (King Richard)  and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), both with pitch-perfect performances. I vote for the dark horse Andrew Garfield for a tour de force presentation.  He captures the essence of the talented and tragic Jonathan Larson, the visionary behind Rent. Garfield was an easy choice. Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of MacBeth interprets The Bard to absolute perfection; Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz rounds out the field.  Overlooked, Bradley Cooper (Nightmare Alley), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up), and Peter Dinklage (Cyrano).

  OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)

“`Nicole Kidman did something I thought not possible.  She made me forget who was playing the iconic Lucille Ball. She earned my pick. Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) and Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) were wonderful this year. Olivia Coleman has found her niche in small edgy productions; Jennifer Hudson can sing Aretha for me anytime she wants, although Cynthia Erivo was better on television. Worthy contenders: Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), and Jennifer Lawrence (Don’t Look Up).

  OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Troy Kotsur  (CODA)

Manny P. here…

“`I join Art Kirsch and John Coleman on Celebrating Act 2 to chat about the busy social media sites that promote Hollywood history in 2022.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I conducted a series of interviews for Celebrating Act 2 at Hollywood Heritage Museum last December. It was during their Afternoon with the Authors event. Each Friday, I will chat with Hollywood historians, authors and cinematic luminaries. Richard Adkins is the curator at the museum and his comments are a great way to start this series.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I sometimes mention that I had a cousin who was a former congressman. Esteban E. Torres was a politician who served as member of the United States House of Representatives for California’s 34th congressional district from 1983 to 1999. A Korean War veteran and longtime antipoverty activist,  his career on Capitol Hill put Torres in the vanguard of Latino influence in national politics.

“`Educated at East Los Angeles College, Torres served in the United States Army from 1949 to 1953. He was appointed United States Ambassador to UNESCO from 1977 to 1979 and also served as a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter from 1979 to 1981.

“`Torres was unsuccessful in his initial attempt to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, but was elected in 1982 as a Democrat. He served from 1983 until 1999. He did not run for reelection in 1998 and was succeeded by Democrat Grace Napolitano. He served as a member of the California Transportation Commission from 1997 to 2007.

ESTEBAN E. TORRES 

“`A school in East Los Angeles was re-named Esteban E. Torres High School,  It opened on September 13th, 2010 and I was proud to attend the ceremony with my father. The facility has a unique educational approach with five academies:  Performing Arts, Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Art, and Social Justice and Leadership.

“`My cousin, Estaban Torres, was ninety-one. Tomorrow was his birthday…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I am walking down memory lane with John Coleman and Art Kirsch of Celebrating Act 2 as we reminisce about trips to the drive-in movie theatres.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P…

“`Celebrating Act 2 takes a look at villains in motion picture history with hosts John Coleman and Art Kirsch, especially in Gangster films and Westerns…

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Hardy Krüger was a fine German actor who spent his youth learning to hate political extremism. He is well remembered for his roles in  Hatari! and The Flight of the Phoenix.

“`Krüger’s folks were fanatical Nazis and he was forced to attend an elite Adolf Hitler School at the Ordensburg Sonthofen.  In March 1945, Krüger was assigned to the 38th SS Division Nibelungen and ended up in heavy combat. The teen was ordered to fire at Allied soldiers. After he refused, Krüger was sentenced to die for cowardice. It was countermanded by an officer. Krüger described this moment as his break with Nazism. He later served as a messenger for the SS. Krüger eventually deserted and went into hiding until the end of the war.

“`He established himself as a German film star during the 1950s. Fluent in German, English and French, he first came to the attention of English language audiences in the 1957 British film The One That Got Away.  In 1960, Krüger bought Ngorongoro, a farm in what is now part of Tanzania, which he owned for over a decade.  This timely purchase led to him being cast in Hatari!, directed by Howard Hawks. After the success of the flick, his ranch was re-named The Hatari Lodge.

HARDY KRUGER      JAMES STEWART

“`In The Flight of the Phoenix, he was the standout among the talented ensemble, cast in the production. He co-starred with James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Ian Bannen, Ernest Borgnine, Peter Finch, and Dan Duryea. Other notable movies included The Secret of Santa Vittoria, Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far, The Wild Geese and the television mini-series War and Remembrance.

“`Hardy Krüger was ninety-three.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Yvette Mimieux  was a popular film and television actress best known for her breakout role as Weena in The Time Machine. She was nominated for three Golden Globes during her acting career.         YVETTE MIMIEUX –>

“`Mimieux’s first screen appearance was in episodes of the television show, One Step Beyond in 1959. During the 1960s, she was under contract with MGM. She co-starred in Where the Boys Are, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, Diamond Head, Toys in the Attic, and The Delta Factor. Later, she appeared in The Neptune Factor and The Black Hole. On television, she guest-starred in Mr. Lucky, Dr. Kildare, and The Love Boat.

“`An entrepeneur, Mimieux was a writer for magazines and wrote short stories. This talent led to her submission of teleplays to producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.  For a time, she had a business selling Haitian products.

“`Yvette Mimieux was eighty.

Until next time>                               “never forget”