Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   The Forgotten Hollywood Fall Book Tour takes me to familiar locations, as I present Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History and Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. Here are the details:

~ SEPTEMBER 11th – TUGNET is a 35+ computer tech group that meets at the Granada Pavilion in Granada Hills. These tech-savvy members are also avid readers.

~ SEPTEMBER 14th – The LAGUNA WOODS VILLAGE WRITER’S CLUB has an active mature membership, who not only meet to discuss literary issues, but also run a weekly cable television show to discuss literature. I was a guest in January.

~ SEPTEMBER 15th – The LOYAL ORDER OF MOOSE / BUENA PARK CHAPTER 1945 will be the place for my official Donation Cermony, three years in the making.

*** I’m donating $1 for every 1st edition of my first paperback for a total of $2400. My most important event of the year will take place at 7:30p. Regional MOOSE Governors are invited. All proceeds go to MOOSE CHARITIES, INC., and funds are targeted for the MOOSEHEART CHILD CITY & SCHOOL, located just outside Chicago, ILL.

~ SEPTEMBER 16th – BARNES & NOBLE / Manhattan Beach booksigning at 1800 Rosecrans Ave., Unit B, Manhattan Beach, CA, from 12p – 4p. Targeted money goes to MOOSEHEART charity campaign.

~ OCTOBER 6th – 10th ANNUAL DUARTE FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS will be hosting authors, panel discussions and family-friendly activities. I’ll be sponsored by the Flintridge Book Store and Coffee Shop. It’s located at 1420 Santo Domingo Ave., and I’ll be there from 12p – 4p.

~ OCTOBER 13th – THE LOS ANGELES LATINO BOOK AND FAMILY FESTIVAL is an annual event featuring the latest literary work of top Latino Authors. The face of this event is actor Edward James Olmos. This year’s event will take place at Cal State Dominguez Hills. I’m scheduled to be on two panels that discuss the topics of Making Latino Books into Films and How to Get Published.

~ NOVEMBER 3rd – My second appearance this year with the CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB. I’m visiting the San Fernando Valley Chapter at the historic Motion Picture and Television Fund Facility.

   I’m looking forward to the opportunity in attending these wonderful appearances throughout Southern California; and making available my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series to a whole new group of eager readers.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   While you visit your local theater to check out the latest Blockbuster, or a classic flick… Remember one thing:

   Just sayin’…

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   CINECON 48 was fabulous! Check out the photo collage below. I’m next to Hollywood icon and child star… Jane Withers!

   HAPPY LABOR DAY!!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   GREAT NEWS!

   During my third Labor Day visit to CINECON, I made a deal for the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series to be sold at the NILES ESSANAY Silent Film Museum store. This cinematic establishment is located at 37417 Niles Blvd., Fremont, CA.

   In a blog on 9/5/11, I posted the Historic Story about this Northern California tourist center:

In 1907, George Spoor, a Chicago film distributor, and Gilbert M. Anderson, an actor and director, formed the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company.

Based in Chicago, on April 1, 1912, Anderson moved the film crew to Northern California. Over the next three years, the Niles Studio produced over 350 films including Broncho Billy Westerns, Snakeville comedies, and contemporary dramas. The equation changed in December, 1914, when Charlie Chaplin was signed by Essanay.

When Chaplin’s contract came up for renewal in December, 1915, Spoor rejected Chaplin’s salary demands – $10, 000 a week plus $150,000 to sign his name on the contract. Chaplin went elsewhere and Anderson was also ready to move on. On February 16, 1916, the Niles Essanay studio shut down. The doors were closed and locked. It was the end of an era.

Although not well known today, the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was one of the major studios of its day. This museum keeps the spirit of Charlie Chaplin and Broncho Billy Anderson silent films alive.

   The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed in 2001 in the Niles District of Fremont, California. We welcome new members and volunteers who wish to support our mission and/or participate in any way. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter, discounts at the museum store and discounts for special events.

The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum is a resource center for the history of Niles, for the Essanay Film Company, for pioneering film companies of the San Francisco Bay Area and for silent films in general. Reference materials collected through our preservation efforts range from historical data on the houses, commercial buildings and people of Niles to biographical material, documents, memorabilia, photographs and movies made by the Essanay Film Company and other early film producers.

The museum takes an active role in teaching and promoting silent film history in our 1913 nickelodeon-era theater with displays of photographs, posters, cameras and projectors, and by presenting seminars and movies, including the annual Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival in June and our weekly Saturday night programs throughout the year. The museum also works collaboratively with other historical organizations and archives to serve our mutual interests.

   For monthly information, please visit their website at:

http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

I am thrilled to be part of the Movie Book Fair at CINECON 48. It is part of the Memorabilia Show located on the third floor meeting area of the Loews Hollywood Hotel (formerly the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel), at 1755 N. Highland Ave., and it’s going on all weekend.

   I will be autographing copies of my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series TODAY from 11:30a to 3p. Patrons can purchase special autographed copies of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History and  Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History.

Here’s a link to their website, which will direct you to all the fabulous activities:

 http://www.cinecon.org/cinecon_memorabilia.html

   I hope to see you at CINECON 48!!

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A series of events around the world are set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond films. According to the official SkyFall website:

It has been announced that October 5th, 2012 will be Global James Bond Day, a day-long series of events for 007 fans around the world.

Worldwide events celebrating Bond’s golden anniversary include a global online and live charity auction event organized by Christie’s in London, a global survey to discover the favourite Bond film country-by-country, a film retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, a Music of Bond night in Los Angeles hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Designing 007: 50 Years of James Bond Style opens at TIFF in Toronto. Leading up to Global James Bond Day, for the first time ever fans can own all 22 films in the franchise on Blu-ray in one comprehensive collection with BOND 50, releasing worldwide beginning September 24th.

A new feature documentary from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Red Box Films, Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, will also be unveiled (with country-specific release details to follow). Directed by Stevan Riley, Everything Or Nothing focuses on three men with a shared dream – Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, and author Ian Fleming. It’s the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history. With unprecedented access both to the key players involved and to EON Productions’ extensive archive, this is the first time the inside story of the franchise has ever been told on screen in this way. Director Stevan Riley follows a story that begins with a groundbreaking spy thriller and continues six Bonds and five decades later. While Bond was saving the world from chaos and catastrophe on screen, this compelling documentary draws back the curtain to reveal the battles, threats and real stakes unfolding behind the camera.

   Bond and beyond…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   SOME EXCITING NEWS!

   According to their Facebook page:

THE BIG PICTURE: PARAMOUNT’S 100^TH ANNIVERSARY

The Hollywood Bowl

September 2^nd at 7:30p

   A nostalgia-filled night of unforgettable scores and clips from Paramount studio’s rich history, including Wings (the first Academy Award Best Picture winner), The Godfather  trilogy, the epic romance Titanic, and this year’s action blockbuster Mission: Impossible  Ghost Protocol, among many other favorites.

   Hosted by film, television, and Broadway star Jason Alexander, the evening will feature special appearances by composers Michael Giacchino (Super 8, Star Trek), Lalo Schifrin (the Mission: Impossible series), and Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump).

   Presented by the LA Philharmonic and produced in cooperation with Paramount Pictures.  For tickets and info, visit HollywoodBowl.com.

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The passing of the first man on the moon caused me to think about how important Neil Armstrong was to motion pictures. The origins of cinema’s relationship to human space travel dates back to 1902, when Georges Melies created The Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune). The movie was loosely based on two popular novels of the time:  From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verneand H. G. Wells’ The First Men in the Moon. It was named as one of the hundred greatest films of the 20th century byThe Village Voice.

   A Korean War veteran, Neil Armstrong was one of the initial test pilots tapped to become an astronaut. The exploits of these space pioneers are chronicled in the 1983 movie The Right Stuff. Though Neil was not personally featured, the story of his comrades called the Mercury Seven were chronicled. They included Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Wally Schirra, Gus Grissom, and Deke Slayton. 

   The Apollo 11 mission was the famous goal set by President Kennedy’s proclamation for an astronaut to set foot on the moon by the end of the decade  (1960s). When The Eagle landed on July 21st, 1969, the television and radio audience was estimated globally at 450 million at the moment when Armstrong made his famous walk.

                     NEIL ARMSTRONG

   Apollo 11’s flight to the moon has not been made into a Hollywood movie. However. the Apollo 13 mission became a cinematic classic. Neil Armstrong was portrayed as one of the astronauts supporting the combined efforts of NASA’s Mission Control.

   Like John Glenn, and other pioneering astronauts, Neil Armstrong will always be considered an American hero. He’s made one more flight to the heavens. His legacy is in tact.

   Neil Armstrong was 82.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Dick Van Dyke will receive the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award at their next gala in January. The 86-year old actor can add this accolade to his multiple Emmys, Tonys, and a Grammy he has received.                              DICK VAN DYKE —>

   Dick Van Dyke is best remembered on the small screen for starring in Diagnosis Murder and The Dick Van Dyke Show. But, he’s had a rousing career in cinema and on Broadway. His credits in film include Bye Bye Birdie, What a Way to Go, Mary Poppins, Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N., Divorce American Style, Fitzwilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Comic, Cold Turkey, and Dick Tracy. He appeared on stage in Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man, and Damn Yankees.

   His hometown is Danville, Illinois, which also produced Donald O’Connor, Gene Hackman and Bobby Short. His brother Jerry is also a well-known actor. Van Dyke delivered stirring eulogies of Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton, idols of his as a child. He began his entertainment career in radio during World War II, while serving in the United States Army Air Corps and Special Air Services. Van Dyke’s 2011 memoir My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business made the New York Times Best Sellers list.

   His good friend, Mary Tyler Moore, was award last year’s SAG Lifetime Achievement Award. The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 27, 2013.

   Congratulations to the tireless Dick Van Dyke!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   My wife Laurie had a teriffic time over the weekend at the Global eBook Awards Gala in Santa Barbara. Held at the historic University Club, she met actress Marilu Henner and the Editor-in-Chief of the Midwest Book Review, James A. Cox.

            LAURIE PACHECO       JAMES A. COX               MARILU HENNER 

   The Midwest Book Review has given two 5-Star Reviews for my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series. I was additionally thrilled Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History was the eBook Finalist in the Entertaiment and Performing Arts category.

   Laurie took amazing photos!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   William Windom was an intelligent award-winning actor with the folksy attributes of a Will Rogers. His performances were quite understated in a way that Spencer Tracy and Paul Scofield crafted in their screen roles.

   Windom had a simple movie career with parts in To Kill a Mockingbird, For Love or Money, The Americanization of Emily, Hour of the Gun, The Gypsy Moths, Escape From Planet of the Apes, The Mephisto Waltz, and the remake of Miracle on 34th Street. He starred on the small screen, including in The Farmer’s Daughter and My World and Welcome To It. He was outstanding in episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Hawaii  Five-O, Columbo, Mission Impossible, Night Gallery, All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, and especially, in Star Trek. He was a regular on Murder She Wrote for over a decade.

   Like James Whitmore and Hal Holbrook, William Windom cemented his career legacy with one-man shows on stage, usually playing James Thurber. He was one of my favorite character actors who will be sorely missed.

   William Windom was 88.

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   Phyllis Diller was the zany comedian discovered by Groucho Marx on the You Bet Your Life game show. She was also a personal friend of Bob Hope. He invited her to perform with him in Vietnam in 1966 with his USO troupe during the height of the war. She also had a husband named Fang.

   Her film career included roles in Splendor in the Grass, Boy Did I Get the Wrong Number, and The Sunshine Boys. Our delight was  her live appearances on the variety show circuit, including What’s My Line, The Tonight Show, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, The Hollywood Squares, and The Gong Show. Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas also had her on as a frequent guest.

   With her signature laugh silenced, Phyllis Diller was 95.                         PHYLLIS DILLER

PHYLLIS DILLER  /  JOHNNY CARSON

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   GREAT NEWS!

   BARNES & NOBLE has placed Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History in many of their stores from coast-to-coast. The results are staggering…

   Here’s a preliminary list:

~ CALIFORNIA – Glendale / Huntington Beach / Long Beach (2) / Santa Monica Studio City / Orange / Thousand Oaks

~ NEW YORK – 5th Ave / Broadway / Downtown Manhattan (2) / Union Square

   Thirteen locations increases my overall total to 20!

   Thank you B&N…

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   Phyllis Thaxter was a pretty leading lady on Broadway and Hollywood. While at MGM, she appeared in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Sea of Grass, Bewitched, and Blood on the Moon. She moved to Warner Brothers, and co-starred in Jim Thorpe All American, and Fort Worth. She also had small roles in The World of Henry Orient and Superman (1978), playing Clark Kent’s ma.

   On television, she guest starred on Wagon Train, Rawhide, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Twilight Zone. She resembled Teresa Wright, and received the same type of parts  over her career.

   Her father was a member of the Maine Supreme Court. She worked steadily, despite an affliction with mild polio in the 1950s. Her friendship with Montgomery Clift was legendary.

   Phyllis Thaxter was 90, when she died on Tuesday.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Helen Gurley Brown was a best-selling author and publisher. As the iconic editor-in-chief for Cosmopolitan Magazine for three decades, she spoke for woman’s issues, and captured the essence of the feminine mystique. Her husband produced top films, including Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, and Driving Miss Daisy.

HELEN GURLEY BROWN

   Brown’s big break came when her book Sex and the Single Girl was published in 1962. The best-selling work made the scribe an international celebrity. The title was purchased by a top moviemaker, and the subsequent project became a vehicle for Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, and Lauren Bacall. Her notable readers included Joan Crawford, Gypsy Rose Lee, and cast members of Sex and the City.

   Helen’s literary contributions and edited essays ushered in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and influenced the concept of feminism. While at Cosmo, Burt Reynolds famously posed nude for the magazine.

   Together with her husband, she established the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation. Two campuses regard this project their home: Columbia University and Stanford. In September, 2008, she was named the 13th most powerful American over the age of 80 by Slate magazine.

   Helen Gurley Brown was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   In the spirit of the Olympics, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood was handed the baton from the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica to honor the late Ernest Borgnine. The weekend event takes place each night at 7:30p, August 16th – 19th.

    Here’s the schedule to make your plans:

~ THURSDAY – JOHNNY GUITAR / THE BANDLANDERS

~ FRIDAY – EMPEROR OF THE NORTH POLE / THE VIKINGS

~ SATURDAY – THE WILD BUNCH / THE DIRTY DOZEN

~ SUNDAY – MARTY / THE CATERED AFFAIR

  The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. The event is sponsored by American Cinematheque. According to their website:

The American Cinematheque is a non-profit, viewer-supported cultural organization dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the Moving Picture in all its forms. The Cinematheque presents the best of film and video – ranging from the classics to the outer frontiers of the art form. Unlike an annual film festival, they screen year-round and are able to provide both the public and filmmakers with a permanent venue to enjoy and study film on the big screen.

 Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Kirk Douglas will be the very special guest on stage at a screening of Spartacus on August 13th at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Pete Hammond will serve as moderator for a discussion with the iconic 95-year old actor and producer.

   The event is sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as part of The Last 70mm Film Festival. A special print of this 1960 classic is scheduled to run at 7:30p. The interview with the screen legend will begin at 7p. According The Academy website:

Tickets for Spartacus are now sold out. A standby line will form on the day of the event, and standby numbers will be assigned starting at approximately 5:30p. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins. Ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the event to ensure a seat in the theater. Doors open at 6:30p. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard.

The film won four Oscars,including Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Ustinov), Color Art Direction (Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom; Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron), Color Cinematography (Russell Metty), and Color Costume Design (Valles, Bill Thomas). It also received nominations for Film Editing (Robert Lawrence) and Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Alex North).

   When the film was restored (two years after Laurence Olivier’s death) in 1991, the original dialogue recording of his bath scene was missing; it had to be re-dubbed. Tony Curtis was able to re-record his part, but the voice of Crassus was performed by Anthony Hopkins. A talented mimic, he’d been a protege of Olivier during his days as the National Theatre Artistic Director. Spartacus became the biggest moneymaker in Universal Studios history, an honor it held for a decade until it was surpassed by Airport (1970).

   Enjoy!

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   One of the most prolific composers for the stage and cinema has died. Marvin Hamlisch joins Richard Rodgers as the only one in music history to ever win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and a Pulitzer Prize. You can also add two Golden Globes accomplishments.

   He wrote scores for two early Woody Allen films: Take the Money and Run and Bananas. He additionally created the musical soundtrack for Save the Tiger; The April Fools; The Spy Who Loved Me;  Same Time Next Year; Kotch; Sophie’s Choice; Ordinary People; Three Men and a Baby; and of course, The Way We Were; Ice Castles; and the Scott Joplin-adapted score for The Sting. His Broadway music score from A Chorus Line was also transferred to the screen.   MARVIN HAMLISCH (by Shel Secunda)

   Though known for his movie scores, Hamlisch was influenced by Broadway musicals, including My Fair Lady, Gypsy, West Side Story, and Bye Bye Birdie. Early in his career, he wrote songs performed by teen-idol Lesley Gore — Sunshines Lollipops and Rainbows and California Nights; the latter by the singer on the television series Batman. He began a writing collaboration with Carole Bayer Sager, which led to his first marriage.

   Marvin Hamlisch also took his show on the road, as the musical director for tours by Linda Ronstadt and Barbra Streisand. And for a time, he held the position of Principal Pops Conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Pasadena Symphony and Pops. He was due to lead the New York Philharmonic during the upcoming 2013 New Year’s Eve concert.

   Marvin was working on a new musical, Gotta Dance; and he was scheduled to complete the score for a new Stephen Soderbergh bio-pic on Liberace, Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.

   Marvin Hamlisch was 68.

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   Judith Crist was a scathing film critic who worked for the Today show on NBC; TV Guide; the New York Magazine; the New York Herald Tribune, and the New York Post. Along with Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, and Gene Shalit, Crist developed a nationwide following from their roots in The Big Apple.

    Crist’s early influence stemmed from a love of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Favorite classics include Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, and everything produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Judith later helped further the careers of Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese. But, it was negative words that made Crist popular with her readers. Among her noted targets: Some Like It Hot; Spencer’s Mountain; Hurry Sundown; Cleopatra; and the rise in popularity of Italian cinema. Her friends were A-list Hollywood types… Bette Davis, Woody Allen, and director Joseph Mankiewicz. She played herself in a cameo in Stardust Memories.             JUDITH CRIST

   In 1963, Crist was awarded an Alumni Award by the Journalism School Alumni Association from Columbia University. She was a member of their Executive Committee, and served three terms as President of the Alumni Association during the 1960s.

   Judith Crist was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget”