Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   Experience the life of a Hollywood icon as the historic Alex Theatre hosts Loretta Young’s 100th Birthday Gala. The event will be held on January 30th, Thursday at 8p.

   A paragon of grace and beauty, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actress stole Clark Gable’s heart, and advanced women’s status in entertainment by becoming the longest-running female host of a prime-time television show with The Loretta Young Show. A leading lady of such films as The Bishop’s Wife, The Farmer’s Daughter, and The Stranger, Young shared the screen with such greats as Cary Grant, David Niven, Orson Welles, and Joseph Cotton.

   Young’s son and daughter will be on hand, along with celebrity friends, to take the audience on a journey through the star’s life. Movie clips, conversations, testimonials, dramatizations, and an exclusive exhibit of Young’s famous dresses and cherished possessions will bring this Hollywood legend to life.

   The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd., between and California in Glendale. It opened as a Vaudeville and silent movie theatre, and later, had a long career as a first-run movie and major preview house. The theatre reopened in 1993 as a performing arts and entertainment venue.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The original handwritten manuscript of The Star-Spangled Banner and the flag that inspired the song’s lyrics will be displayed together at the Smithsonian in Washington, the first time the historic pieces are believed to have been shown side-by-side. The manuscript is on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, and the flag has been at the Smithsonian since the early 1900s. They will be together from Flag Day, June 14th, through July 6th. The three-week exhibition starts celebrations, marking 200 years since the song was written on September 14th, 1814.

<— Francis Scott Key was a 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet when he wrote the song’s words during the War of 1812. Key watched as the British bombarded Baltimore’s Fort McHenry for more than 24 hours. When he saw the fort’s flag flying on the morning after the bombardment, a signal that US troops had withstood the enemy, he was inspired to write a poem originally called Defense of Fort McHenry. It was set to music and later renamed, becoming the country’s national anthem in 1931. Key’s original manuscript, written with quill and ink, has a surprise for viewers who know the song. His poem is actually four stanzas, though the first stanza is the only one that’s traditionally sung.

   Folks may be more familiar with the flag, as millions visit each year to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The flag has been at Smithsonian for more than a century after being given to the institution by the family of Major George Armistead. He was the commander of Fort McHenry and the man who commissioned the banner with 15 stripes and stars, representing the number of states in the Union at the time. Except for a period during World War II, when it was housed in Virginia for safekeeping, the flag hasn’t traveled outside of Washington since coming to the Smithsonian.

   Key’s manuscript has traveled slightly more often since being purchased for the historical society in the 1950s. In 2011, it was taken by armored vehicle, with a police escort, to the state’s capital in Annapolis and to Fort McHenry. And in 2013, the museum brought it to Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland., where Key is buried.

   Oh say can you see… It will be a worthwhile visit!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Larry D. Mann, best known as Yukon Cornelius in the stop motion animation Christmas favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has died. Prior to acting, he started as a disk jockey on CHUM 1050 radio in Toronto in 1949. His cinematic career spanned four decades, and appeared in more than twenty movies. He also had dozens of credits in television. Producer Norman Jewison considered him to be a versatile character actor.         LARRY D. MANN —–>

   Mann had minor roles in Robin and the Seven Hoods, The Quick and the Dead, The Singing Nun, Spencer’s Mountain, There was a Crooked Man, In the Heat of the Night, Oklahoma Crude, and The Sting. He shared screen-time with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Falk, Edward G. Robinson, Bing Crosby, Henry Fonda, Maureen O’Hara, Donald Crisp, Debbie Reynolds, Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Faye Dunaway, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Robert Shaw.

   He guest-starred on the small-screen in Ben Casey, The Wonderful World of Disney, Gunsmoke, My Favorite Martian, The Green Hornet, Bewitched, Get Smart, Bonanza, The Big Valley, Green Acres, Hogan’s Heroes, Mannix, Dragnet, It Takes a Thief, The Mod Squad, Night Gallery, Ironside, Baretta, Hill Street Blues,The Dukes of Hazzard, Quincy M.E., and Columbo.

   He excelled in children’s programming with a recurring part on Howdy Doody for five years. And, his voice was used in animated classics, such as Return to Oz, The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Pink Panther and Friends, and The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show. His legacy was cemented on the annual yuletide event that starred Burl Ives. And, Rudolph has faithfully aired every winter since 1964, making this the longest running Christmas television special in history, and one of only four 1960s seasonal fare still telecast; the others were How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman. The family-fav has been shown on CBS affiliates since 1972, with the network unveiling a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005.

   Larry D. Mann was 91.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   For 20 years, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Robert Osborne has introduced thousands of films and interviewed hundreds of stars, including several longer in-depth interviews with Hollywood legends in his continuing series of specials, Private Screenings. On Monday, TCM is going to turn the tables on Osborne as the interviewer becomes the interviewee in a brand new special Private Screenings: Robert Osborne. He will be interviewed for this special by his friend and former co-host of The Essentials… Alec Baldwin (below with Osborne).

   Robert Osborne has served as TCM’s host since the network’s launch on April 14th, 1994. He’s a man whose fascinating stories, historical knowledge, and a sheer love of the subject have made his name synonymous with classic film. But the story of Osborne’s own life is one that could be a motion picture itself. It’s a story of a small town boy from Colfax, Washington, who at a young age, fell in love with film, moved to Hollywood to give acting a try. He then became a writer, columnist, critic, and the official biographer of Oscar, thanks to a series of books he’s written on the Academy Awards. Osborne created an industry for himself as the keeper of the flame for classic film at a time when nostalgia for Hollywood didn’t even exist. Then along came Turner Classic Movies with a custom-made job for his passion.

   As TCM expanded, so have his duties. In addition to his hosting gig, he co-hosts The Essentials weekly showcase with Drew Barrymore. And, he serves as the official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival held each Spring, and the TCM Classic Cruise in December. In recognition of his contributions to classic film, Osborne received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006, and a special award from the National Board of Review in 2008.

   Baldwin and Osborne’s conversation begins with his early days tracking the movies playing in New York, and compiling the background information into a hefty notebook he affectionately calls Blackie. Viewers will not only get to see Blackie on camera for the first time, but also enjoy clips from Osborne’s early days as an actor in commercials, as well as in the daytime drama The Young Marrieds, and the pilot for The Beverly Hillbillies. In addition, Osborne is featured in several clips from The Dinah Shore Show, which frequently had him on to converse about the Oscars, and The Morning Program on CBS, for which he did movie and theater reviews.

    The special is packed with great stories from Osborne’s life and career, which has included influential encounters with several notable figures: Jane Darwell, who suggested he move to Hollywood after working with him in a regional theater production; Lucille Ball, who put him under contract at Desilu, and later encouraged him to go into journalism; Natalie Wood, who helped him work out the questions for his first interview; Olivia de Havilland, who asked him to escort her to the American Film Institute’s tribute to Bette Davis, and whom he continues to talk nearly every Sunday; and Dorothy Lamour, who introduced Osborne to the executives who eventually launched Turner Classic Movies. He also chats about the Private Screenings interviews he has conducted since the franchise launched in September 1995, including stars, such as Betty Hutton, Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, and Mickey Rooney.

   One of the memorable aspects of Private Screenings: Robert Osborne is a collection of personal, heartfelt testimonies from the many actors and other film personalities who have known and worked with him. Tributes are given by Robert Wagner, Chita Rivera, Jane Powell, Joel Grey, Diane Baker, Arlene Dahl, Eva Marie Saint, Barbara Rush, Liza Minnelli, Mariette Hartley, and Tina & Nancy Sinatra.

   It’s slated to premiere on Monday, January, 6th, at 8p (ET/PT), followed by a night of four films hand-picked by Osborne.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   For the fifth straight year, here’s my ballot for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. I thought 2013 a solid year of cinema. And, several folks and movies in most of the categories should be considered for the specific awards. Let me explain:

   OUTSTANDING MALE:  Bruce Dern (Nebraska)

   All FIVE nominees are solid. Matthew McConaughey is a very close second choice for a fine job in Dallas Buyer’s Club. And, Tom Hanks and Forest Whitaker provide their best work in years. Plus, who is this Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)… He’ll be a certain nominee again. I’m mildly surprised Christian Bale was overlooked for American Hustle. Bruce Dern is THE man!

   OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

   The weakest category field by far. Judy Dench is my second choice for Philomena, but she has been better in other films. Sandra Bullock wins in essentially a two-person film. Sort of like Sleuth in outer space. The buzz is on Emma Thompson; but, I’m not feeling Saving Mr. Banks. And, the plot of Blue Jasmine has been essentially done by Woody Allen a dozen times, and performed better by Diane Keaton and Dianne Wiest.

   OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)

Manny P. here…

   The Harry Ransom Center at University of Texas at Austin is raising $50,000 over 75 days for the exhibit The Making of Gone With The Wind (September 9th, 2014 – January 4th, 2015). This Hollywood classic premiered in 1939, and will mark its 75th anniversary in 2014.

   Producer David O. Selznick’s epic Gone With The Wind was embroiled in controversy before a single frame was shot. Based on the 1936 best-selling novel by Margaret Mitchell, the motion picture’s depictions of race, violence, and cultural identity in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction continue to both compel and trouble audiences around the world.

   The exhibition will reveal surprising new stories about the making of this quintessential film from Hollywood’s Golden Age and illustrate why it remains influential and controversial 75 years after it was released. The exhibition will include over 300 original items from Selznick’s archive housed at the Ransom Center, including behind-the-scenes photographs, production records, storyboards, correspondence, audition footage, and fan mail. The exhibition will also feature many of the gowns worn by Vivien Leigh as the beautiful and ambitious Scarlett O’Hara. These recently conserved costumes will be displayed together for the first time in more than 25 years.

   Turner Classic Movies is a premier sponsor. Your support will provide funds for additional docent-led tours, published exhibition catalog, outreach, complementary programming, and presentations. Here’s a link to make a donation:

http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/forms/gwtwForm.cfm

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Juanita Moore was a longtime film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth African American to be nominated for an Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Supporting Actress category at a time when only one had won an Oscar. Her most famous role was as Annie Johnson in the 1959 movie Imitation of Life, a 1959 tearjerker that starred Lana Turner, and was based on a Fannie Hurst novel and a remake of a 1934 film.

   Born in Los Angeles in 1914, Moore was a chorus girl at the Cotton Club before becoming a film extra while working in theater. She made her cinematic debut in Pinky. Among her other films were The Girl Can’t Help It and The Singing Nun. She had guest-starring roles on television shows, including Adam-12, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Dragnet, Marcus Welby M.D., ER, and Judging Amy.  JUANITA MOORE  ->

   Moore also had an active career in the theater, starting at Los Angeles’ Ebony Showcase Theatre in the early 1950s, a leading black-run theater. She also was a founding member of the celebrated Cambridge Players, with other performers, such as Esther Rolle and Helen Martin. She appeared on Broadway in 1965 in James Baldwin’s play The Amen Corner, and in London in a production of Raisin in the Sun.

   Juanita Moore was 99.

—————————————————————–

   Angela Lansbury was one of more than 1,000 people who were recognized by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Honors List. She has been made a Dame of the British Empire. The twice-yearly royal honors reward hundreds of people for services to their community or national life.  DAME ANGELA LANSBURY  –>

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Santa Catalina has been the location for the filming of over 500 motion pictures, television programs, documentaries, and commercials over the past 90 years. Beginning as early as 1911, and continuing through the Silent Film era and the introduction of sound to cinema, the Island served as location for more than 225 films.

   Throughout its history, the Island has been transformed into the coast of North Africa, Tahiti, and even the American frontier. It’s been called the lost continent of Atlantis, and the home of a famous mechanical shark… Jaws. In short, Santa Catalina Island holds a unique place in the history of motion picture productions as Hollywood’s exotic backlot.

   During the 16 years of silent film production, many notable directors and actors frequented the Island and produced many classic films, such as Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Treasure Island, Old Ironsides, and The Black Pirate. D.W. Griffith was one of the first directors on the Island. His feature Man’s Genesis was filmed in 1912. Many of the large studios followed Griffith’s lead and began utilizing the Island as the backdrop of their films. Universal, Lasky Film Corporation, Fox, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn, and United Artists were among the many companies.

   Another interesting and lasting impression of this unique history was the introduction of the North American Bison to the Island. Many believe that the bison were brought to the Island for the production of The Vanishing American, the movie version of Zane Grey’s classic novel, released by the Lasky Film Corporation in 1925. Perhaps the Island scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. However, a herd of the bison has been roaming the hills of Catalina since December of 1924.

   Sound to motion pictures ushered in a new era of production for Hollywood and Catalina Island. It continued to be a prime location for many of Hollywood’s best filmmakers. One of the first talkies filmed was Condemned starring Ronald Colman. The following years witnessed Island of Lost Souls, Rain, Treasure Island, Captain Blood, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Captain’s Courageous being shot on the Island. The amount of motion pictures during this period introduced several screen favorites to the immense charms of Catalina.

   Many famous actors and celebrities were spotted on the Island and off the coast in their palatial yachts. Each week, Harry Grattan, proprietor of the St. Catherine’s Hotel gift shop, would report his celebrity sightings. Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Betty Grable, Norma Shearer, Irving Thalberg, Richard Arlen, and Johnny Weissmuller were all steady visitors.

     JOHN WAYNE   JOHNNY WEISSMULLER  HUMPHREY BOGART

   The onset of World War II changed life on the Island and in Hollywood significantly. Avalon was closed to tourism and the use of the Island for filming was suspended. After World War II, the film industry’s use of Catalina Island slowly re-emerged. Memorable productions have been filmed at the location over the last fifty years, including The Glass Bottom Boat, Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, Apollo 13, Waterworld, MacArthur, and Amistad. Most recently, aerial shots of the Island were featured in Disney’s Pearl Harbor. And, Natalie Wood infamously drowned off its coast.

   Santa Catalina awaits the next cast and crew that will add another production to the already long list of memorable movies filmed on her shores.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P.  here…

    The Loft Cinema is a nonprofit dedicated to creating community through motion pictures, honoring the vision of filmmakers, celebrating ideas, and promoting the appreciation of the art of film. It’s been a mission-driven, membership-supported arts organization since November 2002, serving the greater Tucson area and all of Southern Arizona.

   To start 2014… Suspense! Excitement! Blondes! All through the month of January, The Loft celebrates the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the women who made them classics! Gentlemen truly prefer blondes. Hitch certainly did, and throughout his career, The Master of Suspense obsessively explored and exploited the mysterious appeal of such fair-haired beauties as Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, and Tippi Hedren, just to name a few. They were daring and beautiful. They were sophisticated, smart, cool, and dangerous. And most importantly, they were blondes… Hitchcock Blondes.

~ REBECCA – January 4th, Saturday, 7p

~ STAGE FRIGHT – January 9th, Thursday, 7p

~ REAR WINDOW – January 11th, Saturday, 7p

~ THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH – January 16th, Thursday, 7p

~ MARNIE – January 23rd, Thursday, 7p

~ VERTIGO – January 25th, Saturday, 7p

   If you live in the Tucson area, begin the new year with the grand master… Alfred Hitchcock and his movies.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Jimmy Stewart Museum, located in Indiana, Pennsylvania (his hometown) highlights its namesake’s accomplishments in film, radio and television. His roles as military hero, civic leader, family man, and world citizen are also woven into displays, film presentations and gallery talks. There’s even a room dedicated to his family’s long and colorful history in Western Pennsylvania. A daguerreotype of his great grand-dad in a Civil War uniform, baby photos of Jimmy, and his dad’s old desk from the family hardware store are all on display.

   You can view Stewart’s motion picture clips and career retrospectives in an intimate, 1930′s vintage movie theatre. Plush with navy velvet drapes and wine colored seats, the theatre features the best of the old and new. The state-of-the-art sound and projection system was donated by Universal Studios of Hollywood.

   Jimmy Stewart aficionados have transformed the third floor of the Indiana Public Library into a museum, capturing the quiet magic and small town charm that catapulted the star to enduring fame. From the museum’s windows, visitors can glimpse the family hardware store site, the bronze statue dedicated to Jimmy on his 75th birthday, and courthouse clock immortalized by Life Magazine’s famous back-from-World War II photo.

   Displays are chock full of original movie posters and photos beginning from the 1930s. Awards and citations from Hollywood, film critics, the Boy Scouts, and other organizations fill walls and cases. Jimmy has personally selected favorite momentos of his career to display, such as a Winchester commemorative rifle, and a propeller blade autographed by the cast and crew of Flight of the Phoenix. All of this adds a personal touch to this one-of-a-kind museum….

   The Jimmy Stewart Museum is a non-profit educational organization [501(c)(3)] charity, and a member of the American Association of Museums. Its operations are funded through admissions, contributions, and membership society programs. All memberships offer the following benefits:

• Unlimited free admission
• Invitation to all member events
• Advance notice on celebrity events and priority in lines  
• 10% discount on museum store purchases

   All proceeds from the membership program and museum store not used to cover related costs subsidize the museum’s displays, film theater, educational programs, information service and web site. In fact, the museum depends entirely on these programs, admission fees and private contributions to continue its operations and services for the public. Your participation helps us keep the legend and the legacy of James M. Stewart alive. And, all members receive a Jimmy Stewart Museum tote bag.

   Here’s a link to make a needed contribution:

http://jimmy.org/membership/

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Almost six decades after it first aired, Associated Press reports an I Love Lucy Christmas Special was last week’s most-watched holiday program, according to ratings released on Tuesday. There was a gimmick: The episode of the 1950s sitcom was colorized.

   It was thought to be lost and wasn’t part of the syndicate package until it was discovered in 1989. CBS ran it twice after Lucille Ball’s passing in 1989; once in its original black-and-white version, and once in color.

ETHEL   LUCY   RICKY   FRED

   The I Love Lucy special on CBS drew 8.7 million viewers to rank as Friday evening’s favorite program and #16 for last week overall, according to Nielsen figures. The Holiday runner-up — A Charlie Brown Christmas — settled for 6.4 million the previous night on ABC.

   I Love Lucy aired from October 15th, 1951 to May 6th, 1957. The weekly show was voted the best television program of all time in a 2012 viewer poll that was conducted by ABC News and People Magazine.

   Everyone still loves Lucy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Betfair Hollywood Park in Inglewood closed after 75 years in operation. The race track is best known for the legendary Seabiscuit winning 1938’s inaugural running of Hollywood Gold Cup. Dick Van Patten, the 85-year-old actor who starred in Eight is Enough, was a longtime regular. He walked away a winner on Sunday when his horse Tanquerray won the $50,000 third race.

   The track was opened in 1938 by the Hollywood Turf Club. The 600 original shareholders included many stars, directors, and producers of the film world, such as Al Jolson and Raoul Walsh (two of the original directors of the board), Joan Blondell, Ronald Colman, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Sam Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck, George Jessel, Ralph Bellamy, Wallace Beery, Irene Dunne, Hal Wallis, and Mervyn LeRoy (director of Hollywood Park from 1941 until his death in 1986). Liz Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau were frequent visitors, among others.

   Hollywood Park was used as a storage facility from 1942-44 in association with the war effort, opening only for a brief War Charities meeting in November, 1944. Other highlights:

• In 1951, Citation became the first million-dollar-winning horse by winning his final start, the Hollywood Gold Cup
• On July 3rd, 1977, Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew finished fourth in the Swaps Stakes, a major upset
• On December 10th, 1999, Laffit Pincay Jr. surpassed Bill Shoemaker’s all-time record for race wins by a jockey

   The Hollywood Park Racing Association and the Los Angeles based subsidiary of Betfair Group that also owns Television Games Network completed a historic agreement on March 13, 2012, intended to transform the customer experience for fans at the venue, as well as, online and on cable. Hollywood Park’s 18 weeks of racing dates will be divided among Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Del Mar. Over 1,900 horses, 470 full time employees, and 600 workers who reside in the track’s stable area must move on.

   Betfair Hollywood Park is the second major California race track to close since 2008, when Bay Meadows near San Francisco was closed after 74 years for development.

—————————————————————————–

   Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has been added to its 43rd literary branch. It is now housed at Tidewater Community College – Virginia Beach Branch Library. TCC has five campuses throughout the Tidewater area in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is the 104th overall library that carries one of my works in the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series. It’s also the 4th worldwide college / university repository with one of my paperbacks, including UCLA and the University of Michigan.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Library of Congress has made its 2013 National Film Registry additions. Spanning the period 1919-2002, the choices named to the registry include Hollywood classics, silent films, documentaries, independent, and experimental motion pictures. This year’s selections bring the number to 625, a small part of the Library’s vast moving-image collection of 1.2 million items.

   Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress selects 25 productions culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. The films must be at least 10 years old. The Librarian makes the annual registry selections after reviewing hundreds of titles nominated by the public and conferring with Library film curators and the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB).

   Here are the highlights:

~ Mary Poppins (1964) – Alleged to be Walt Disney’s personal fav, it’s based upon a book by P.L. Travers. With an original tale as its framework, aided by the Sherman Brothers, a cinematic musical was fashioned about a most unusual nanny. Weaving together a witty script, an inventive visual style, and a slate of classic tunes (such as A Spoonful of Sugar and Chim Chim Cher-ee), Mary Poppins has enchanted generations. Seamless integration of animation with live action, its pitch-perfect cast includes Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Darwell, and Ed Wynn. A Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious achievement.

~The Quiet Man (1952) – Director John Ford used The Quiet Man to pay tribute to his Irish heritage. With her red hair ablaze against the lush green landscapes, Maureen O’Hara embodies the mystique of Ireland. John Wayne personifies the indefatigable American searching for his ancestral roots, with Victor Young’s jovial score punctuating their escapades. The movie and the locale are populated with characters bordering on caricature. Sly, whiskey-loving matchmaker Michaleen O’Flynn (Barry Fitzgerald), burly town bully Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), and put-upon but patient Widow Tillane (Mildred Natwick) are the most vivid.

~ Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – Judgment at Nuremberg broadened its scope beyond the condemnation of Nazi perpetrators to interrogate the broad concept of justice within any modern society. Conceived by screenwriter Abby Mann during McCarthyism, the film argues passionately that those responsible for administering justice also have the duty to ensure human-rights are preserved even if they conflict with national imperatives. Originally produced as a Playhouse 90 teleplay, Mann and actor Maximilian Schell received Oscars, and it boasted fine performances from its all-star cast, including Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, and William Shatner.

~ The Magnificent Seven (1960) – The popularity of this Western, based on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), has continued to grow since its release, due in part to its role as a springboard for several young actors on the verge of successful careers: Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholz. Yul Brynner bought the rights to Kurosawa’s original story, and hand-picked John Sturges as its director. He had earned a reputation for Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Contributing to the film’s popular appeal through the decades is Elmer Bernstein’s vibrant score.

~ Gilda (1946) – The end of World War II came a dark edge in the American psyche and a change in the cinema it produced. Film noir defined the 1940s and Gilda defined the genre—long on sex appeal, but short on substance. Director Charles Vidor capitalized on the voyeuristic angles of film noir. Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, and George Macready round out a tempestuous triangle.

~ Forbidden Planet (1956) – MGM Studio’s Forbidden Planet is one of the seminal science-fiction films of the 1950s, a genre that found itself revitalized within America’s new post-nuclear age. Based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Forbidden Planet is both sci-fi saga and allegory, and proved an inspiration to future visionaries, such as Gene Roddenberry. Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis, and in his debut, Robbie the Robot, make up the cast.

~ Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) – Edward Albee’s 1962 stage triumph made a successful transfer to the screen in this adaption written by Ernest Lehman. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton—who were both Oscar nominees for their work (with Taylor winning) in their respective roles as Martha and George, an older couple who share an explosive evening opposite a younger husband and wife, portrayed by George Segal and Sandy Dennis. Mike Nichols began his auspicious screen directing career with this film; already examining the absurdities and brutality of modern life, themes that became two of his career hallmarks.

   The public is urged to make nominations for next year’s registry at the NFPB website:

www.loc.gov/film

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Winter 2013 is turning into something really special! On Oprah Winfrey’s “O“ website, a Forgotten Hollywood visual retrospective has been created, recounting my own personal journey, which includes my Book Series, Blog, weekly Radio Program, and Documentary in Production. They say a picture paints a 1000 words… Here’s proof:

   And, congrats to Oprah on today’s SAG Awards Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

http://www.oprah.com/odbimage/db_208223264_1 

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The last 48-hours has been devastating for audiences of classic cinema. On the heels of the passing of Peter O’Toole, we have additionally lost Oscar-winning star Joan Fontaine (below). She was also the sister of Olivia de Havilland. In fact, they are the only siblings to have won lead acting Academy Awards. In Hollywood circles, Fontaine was a favorite of many directors — Alfred Hitchcock, George Cukor, Billy Wilder, Nicholas Ray, and Fritz Lang.

   In 1940, she earned an Oscar nod for her performance in Rebecca. The next year, Fontaine won the Best Actress Academy Award for Suspicion, making Joan the singular actress to ever win the statuette in a movie directed by Hitchcock. For the filmmaker, she became a prototype of cool blondes played by Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief and Rear Window; Kim Novak in Vertigo; Tippi Hedren in Marnie and The Birds; Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest;and Janet Leigh in Psycho. Joan’s career included roles in Gunga Din, The Women, Jane Eyre, The Constant Nymph, Ivanhoe, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.   

   She received wonderful reviews in 1954 on Broadway in Tea and Sympathy, opposite Anthony Perkins. She also appeared in numerous radio shows during the 1940s for the Lux Radio Theater. Her small screen appearances were notable: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Wagon Train, Cannon, The Love Boat, and a recurring part on the daytime soap opera, Ryan’s Hope. She earned an Emmy nomination for the latter effort.

   After Joan’s Oscar triumph, a legendary feud with her sister lasted for the rest of their lives since one of the other nominees that year was de Havilland. Olivia finally garnered a coveted statuette in 1946 for her performance in To Each His Own. In reality, they were never very close, which was one reason the actress took the last name on screen… Fontaine. Joan wrote bitterly about her sister in the memoir No Bed of Roses. She also famously didn’t get along with Rebecca co-star Laurence Olivier because he preferred that his wife Vivien Leigh get the role. British critics and audiences weren’t receptive either. But, Fontaine became a top star in Hollywood for over two decades.

   The actress eventually left Tinsel Town when she was asked to play Elvis Presley’s mother. She settled at her Villa Fontana estate about five miles south of Carmel.

   Turner Classic Movies will celebrate her life with seven motion pictures to air on December 29th. The cable network will follow with three Peter O’Toole films, plus an extended interview of the actor by Robert Osborne that was conducted at the 2011 TCM Film Festival, a few years back.

   Joan Fontaine, the demure beauty, was 96.

Until next time>                               “never forget”