Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here… 

   This year marks the centennial of one of Hollywood’s most legendary figures: Kirk Douglas (right), who as both an actor and a producer, has enlivened cinema with an unparalleled body of work, and delivered the highest ideals of popular entertainment. The UCLA Film & Television Archive and Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program present: Kirk Douglas: A Centennial Celebration.

   Born the child of Russian Jewish immigrants, he’s come to represent a vital, indispensable presence within American public life since the dawn of his career in the post-World War II era. His shaded portrayals of embattled individuals, striving for survival and transcendence, have enriched public discourse about manhood, citizenship, and the human spirit. Rather than representing a single type, and certainly not an impervious masculine type, his characters variously shine with enthusiasm and mirth, or brood with disillusionment or suffering, imbuing his work with authenticity. This has made him a relatable figure for generations of film-goers.

   His moral stands have been widely noted; particularly, his opposition to the Hollywood Blacklist, and a champion of Dalton Trumbo as the credited writer of Spartacus, and striking a decisive blow for free speech. For this contribution, and many others, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is pleased to present part of Kirk Douglas’ (below)  lasting cinematic legacy.

   Beginning July 8th at the Billy Wilder Theatre, the Summer lineup includes: Champion, Lust for Life, Ace in the Hole, Detective Story, Paths of Glory, Young Man with a Horn, Out of the Past, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Lonely are the Brave, and The Bad and the Beautiful.

   Each evening begins at 7:30p. For complete information on the 25-film salute, click (or cut-and-paste) the link below:

https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2016/kirk-douglas-centennial

   Born on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Billy Wilder fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s to become a master of Hollywood productions, and a shrewd comic observer of the Americana. Among the classics Wilder co-wrote and directed were Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment.

   The Billy Wilder Theatre is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles at the Courtyard Level of the Hammer Museum. It’s among a handful of venues nationwide able to exhibit an entire century’s worth of moving images in their original formats. From the earliest silent films requiring variable speed projection to cutting-edge digital cinema, the Wilder can accommodate an astonishing array of screen technologies.

   This is the perfect locale for a motion picture retrospective to honor Kirk Douglas; one of finest actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age. By the way, the thespian turns 100 in December.

   My apologies for burying the lead…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Noel Neill was a popular actress of the silver screen and television. She’s best known for her portrayal of Lois Lane in the film serials Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman, as well as the 1950s television series, Adventures of Superman. Over the decades, she appeared in various productions of the franchise, often playing the relative of one of the main characters, including Superman in 1978, the small screen show Superboy, the 1990s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman; and 2006 film Superman Returns.          NOEL NEILL / GEORGE REEVES —>

   Neill continued in the role of Lois Lane for five seasons until the series went off the air in 1958. She was scheduled to appear with co-star Jack Larson (Jimmy Olson), but after George Reeves’ (Superman) tragic and sudden passing, the final season was cancelled, officially ending the program. Neill embraced her association as Lois Lane, giving frequent talks on college campuses during the 1970s, endearing herself to audiences with her warmth and humor.

   Signing a contract with Paramount Pictures led to appearances in many of the studio’s feature films. Noel had a leading role in one of Monogram Pictures melodramas, and she became a familiar face in Monogram features for the next several years, especially in the recurring role of Betty Rogers. She appeared in the last of the original Charlie Chan movies, and also played damsels in distress in Westerns and Republic Pictures serials. Overall, Neill appeared in more than 40 flicks, including Here Comes the Waves, The Big Clock, Duffy’s Tavern, Son of a Badman, and An American in Paris.

   In her teens, she was a popular photographic model. Betty Grable’s pin-up was #1 among GIs during World War II, and Neill was ranked #2. For a time, Neill crooned with Bob Crosby and his orchestra. She also sang at the Del Mar Turf Club, which was owned by Bing Crosby. In 1951, she guest starred in an episode of The Lone Ranger. She eventually worked in the television department at United Artists. In 2010, the southern Illinois city of Metropolis (the city that calls itself the official home of Superman), unveiled a statue of Lois Lane. It was modeled on the likeness of Neill. She was honored to be memorialized at the unveiling.

   Representing truth, justice, and the American way, Noel Neill was 95.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Michael Cimino was the Oscar-winning director whose film The Deer Hunter was one of the great triumphs of Hollywood’s 1970s heyday. His disastrous Heaven’s Gate helped bring that era to a close. His brief body of work influenced actor Mickey Rourke, and directors Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino.  MICHAEL CIMINO –>

   After graduating from Yale University, Cimino moved to Manhattan to work in Madison Avenue-advertising, and became a star director of television commercials. He shot ads for L’eggs, Eastman Kodak, Kool cigarettes, United Airlines, and Pepsi Cola.

  Michael moved to Hollywood to become a screenwriter. His career credits include The Rose, The Scicilian, Silent Running, Magnum Force, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Year of the Dragon, and the remake of Desperate Hours.

   Cimino’s masterpiece was a personal story of how the Vietnam War affected a small steel-town in Pennsylvania. It was praised as the best motion picture since The Godfather in 1972. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it starred Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken, who also won a statuette for Best Supporting Actor.

   Cimino’s emerging career took a u-turn just two years later. Heaven’s Gate became synonymous with over-budget and out-of-control productions, and a cautionary tale for giving artistic-minded directors too much power in the new Hollywood that had been defined by directors such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Its initial budget of $11.5 million would balloon to $44 million after marketing. The cost hastened the demise of United Artists, and Cimino’s career. It helped bring down the director-driven renaissance that had fueled much of the great work of the 1970s, giving way to a blockbuster mentality that would dominate the decades that followed.

   Cimino frequently credits filmakers Clint Eastwood, John Ford, Luchino Visconti, and Akira Kurosawa as his cinematic influences. Cimino has stated, if it wasn’t for Eastwood, he would not be in the motion picture industry. In 2001, the French Minister of Culture decorated him Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and the Prix Littéraire Deauville, the latter award was previously given to his idols, Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal.

   Unfortunately, the financial failure of Heaven’s Gate jettisoned his promising career. Fifty productions were either shelved or given to other directors due to this famous flop, including Godfather III, Footloose, Born on the Forth of July, and The Pope of Greenwich Village. In a recent Vanity Fair article, Cimino claimed he never regretted the making of Heaven’s Gate.

   Once described by a critic as an enfant terrible, Michael Cimino was 77.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Fifty-two years ago The Beatles came to America. Their journey began on February 7th, 1964. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr arrived from the United Kingdom at the newly-named John F. Kennedy International Airport. With cameras flashing, and reporters jostling, they were whisked into Manhattan amid the screams, shouts, and tears of New York-area teens, braving the cold for a mere glimpse of the band.

   That Sunday, the veritable King of the television variety show, Ed Sullivan, introduced them to a captivated American audience of more than 73 million viewers; at the time a television record. And just like that, Beatlemania was upon us.

THE BEATLES

   Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! brings us back to the early 1960s, when rock & roll was re-energized by four lads from Liverpool. The exhibit covers the period from early 1964 through mid-1966; the years Beatlemania ran rampant in America. During this time the band affected nearly every aspect of pop culture, including fashion, media, art, advertising, and of course, music. On display are many Beatles-related pop culture artifacts from the period, as well as correspondence, instruments, posters, photographs, interviews, interactive displays, and a booth in which visitors can sing-along with Ringo Starr. Screenings and a series of talks reveal the continuing impact of The Beatles.

   Curated by the Grammy Museum and Fab Four Exhibits, Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! provides fresh new insight into how and why The Beatles impacted America in the 1960s, and beyond. The exhibition runs through September 5th.

   The Grammy Museum at LA Live is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., in Los Angeles.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

    In July, I’ll continue visiting County of Los Angeles Public Library branches to offer my unique perspective on American History. Each event includes a screening of my Forgotten Hollywood Documentary Trailer, and a chance for patrons to pick up autographed copies of my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series. Here’s are my stops (mostly in the San Gabriel Valley) throughout the month:

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WEST COVINA LIBRARY

1601 W. Covina Parkway, West Covina, CA

July 11th

Monday 5:30p – 7:30p

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TEMPLE CITY LIBRARY

5939 Golden West Ave., Temple City, CA

July 13th

Wednesday 6p – 7:30p

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SAN GABRIEL LIBRARY

500 S. Del Mar Ave., San Gabriel, CA 91776

July 20th

Wednesday 4p – 5:30p

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EL CAMINO REAL LIBRARY

4264 E. Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

July 30th

Saturday 1p – 2p

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   If you live in West Covina, Temple City, San Gabriel, East Los Angeles, or in Southern California neighboring communities, I urge to stop by.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   KCET is proud to present a new weekly classic series, KCET Must See Movies, providing a nostalgic destination for loyal viewers to watch motion pictures from Hollywood’s most iconic filmmakers. The eclectic lineup celebrates cinema that is considered timeless by film experts, worldwide.

   KCET Must See Movies features selected epic productions that is sure to entertain viewers. The variety of celluloid milestones presented in the series include West Side Story, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Some Like It Hot, Patton, Bridge on the River Kwai, Rain Man, Speed, and many more.

   The 1968 Academy Award-winning film Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand as famed comedienne and entertainer Fanny Brice, will kickoff the series. Directed by William Wyler, the musical chronicles the legendary Ziegfeld Girl’s rise to fame, and her subsequent career and personal life.

   Other flicks on tap in July: Gilda and Queen Christina. KCET Must See Movies premieres Friday, July 8th at 9p on KCET, and encores on Saturday at 4p.

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   Now is your opportunity to purchase an eBook version of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History at 50% off on Smashwords. For the entire month of July, you will be able to download my initial paperback on your favorite app. Click (or cut-and-paste) on the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/forgottenhollywood

   The eBook of my work will be available beginning on July 1st for about $5. Make sure to include the promo code:  SSW50. A version can be downloaded in these available formats:

epub – mobi – pdf – rtf – lrf – pdb

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here… 

   Long before his life story became a darling of the Great White Way, Alexander Hamilton was a hit in Albany. New York’s capital is finally capitalizing on the Hamilton Broadway musical craze with a lineup of attractions focusing on the patriot who got hitched in the upstate city and spent time in the area.

   The Founding Father first visited Albany in 1777 to speak to General Horatio Gates on behalf of George Washington. Three years later, he married Elizabeth Schuyler in the parlor of her Albany home — The Pastures, now known as Schuyler Mansion. Over the next 20 years, Hamilton traveled to the hamlet to visit his in-laws and to conduct legal business.

   The mansion is in coordination with an exhibit at the Albany Institute of History and Art that highlights Hamilton’s Albany connections and features some of his family heirlooms and papers. This exhibition highlights objects related to Hamilton from a collection with a few significant loans, including a portrait of him by Ezra Ames (courtesy of Union College Permanent Collection, Schenectady, New York). The locale is offering guided and self-guided tours that focus on Hamilton’s life in Albany.

   The exhibition runs through December 31st.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A judge has approved a settlement putting Happy Birthday to You in the Public Domain. United States District Judge George King approved the agreement. It ends the ownership claims of Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing company that has been collecting royalties on the song for years.

   The company has agreed to pay back $14 million to those who have paid licensing fees to use the song. Last year, King ruled the company didn’t own the lyrics, one of the best-known and most beloved songs in the world. He said the company has no right to charge for the song’s use.

   The origins of Happy Birthday to You date back to the late 19th Century, when sisters, Patty and Mildred J. Hill, introduced Good Morning to All to Patty’s kindergarten class in Kentucky. The complete printed text of Happy Birthday to You first appeared in Edith Goodyear Alger’s poem Roy’s Birthday, published in her book, A Primer of Work and Play, copyrighted by D.C. Heath in 1901, with no reference to the lyrics.

   In 1935, a piano arrangement and an unused second verse of Happy Birthday to You were copyrighted as a work-for-hire, crediting Preston Ware Orem for the piano arrangements and Mrs. R.R. Forman for the lyrics by the Summy Company. A later corporate restructuring in the 1970s saw Summy-Birchard becoming a division of a new company: Birch Tree Group Unlimited.

   Warner/Chappell Music acquired Birch Tree Group Unlimited in 1988 for 25 million US dollars. The company continued to insist one cannot sing the Happy Birthday to You lyrics for profit without paying royalties. In 2008, Warner collected around $5,000 each day (roughly $2 million per year) in royalties for the song. Warner/Chappell claimed copyright: 

For every use in film, television, radio, anywhere open to the public, and for any group where a substantial number of those in attendance are not family or friends of whoever is performing the song

   On June 13th, 2013, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Nelson filed a class action suit in federal court for the Southern District of New York  against Warner/Chappell because of the name of her film company, Good Morning to You Productions. As part of a documentary she was making about the song and its history, she paid $1,500 to secure the rights. This week’s decision finally puts the tune in the Public Domain.

   Warner/Chappell said it didn’t try to collect royalties from just anyone singing the song, but those who use it in a commercial enterprise. Finally, the ditty will now be able to appear on television and on the big screen without fear of a financial backlash.                    SHIRLEY TEMPLE —->

   According to the 1998 Guinness World Records, Happy Birthday to You is considered the most recognized song in the English language.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Thirty-five years after the massively successful World War II classic Das Boot, or The Boat, which chronicled the brutal life aboard a German U-boat, plans are underway for a sequel. The DPA news agency reported that pay-television channel Sky and Bavaria Film have announced they will produce a German-language series of eight one-hour episodes that will pick up from the tragic end of the movie. The production has a budget of €25 million euros ($28 million), and should air in 2018. It will also be based upon the eponymous novel by Lothar-Guenther Buchheim.

   The original 1981 film, which was nominated for six Oscars, was directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and starred Juergen Prochnow and Herbert Groenemeyer. Its high production cost ranks it among the most expensive films in the history of German cinema. In late 2007, there was an exhibition about the film Das Boot, as well as about the real U-96, at the House of German History in Bonn. Over 100,000 people visited the exhibition during its four-month run.

   Details on the director and cast for the series have not been announced.

   Meanwhile, a German court has granted Jost Vacano (right) more than $500,000 for his contributions on the anti-war movie. The Munich body ruled this week in favor of the Oscar-nominated cinematographer by ordering Bavaria Film, WDR, and Eurovideo to pay Vacano €475,000 euros, along with a 2.25% share in the motion picture’s future earnings. Vacano successfully argued that he should be better compensated after the film’s success.

   The 82-year-old cinematographer was initially given $200,000 for his work on the film, but he was cut out of future profits. Despite winning in court, his compensation only covers earnings from 2002 to 2014, as previous copyright law does not account for the more than $100 million Das Boot generated worldwide.

   Vacano has also worked on RoboCop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here… 

   Work has finally begun on rebuilding the storied resort where Elvis Presley’s character got married in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii, decades after a major hurricane heavily damaged its buildings and forced its closure. The company redeveloping the Coco Palms Resort began demolishing structures this week. The demolition will take six months. It hopes to reopen the hotel in mid-2018.

   Coco Palms initially opened in 1953 next to a historic coconut grove and ancient Hawaiian fishpond. It’s been closed since Hurricane Iniki — a Category 4 storm — slammed into the island of Kauai in 1992. The 46-acre grounds were once home to Kauai’s Queen Deborah Kapule Kekaihaakulou. It’s the site of key scenes in Blue Hawaii, including the last one where Presley sings the Hawaiian Wedding Song, and holds his bride’s hand while they board a raft to cross a lagoon.

           ELVIS PRESLEY

   Structures of the steel and concrete buildings will stay but their interior walls, plumbing and electrical wiring will be gutted. These buildings will house 80 percent of the hotel’s rooms. The bungalows housing suites, including the suite where Presley stayed during the filming of Blue Hawaii, are wood. These will need to be taken down and rebuilt eight feet above sea level to comply with new federal requirements to prevent flooding. The fishponds and lagoons are on the state historic registry and will be preserved. The renovated hotel will have 350 rooms, including 22 master suites and 50 junior suites. Hyatt will manage the hotel, once it reopens.

   Coco Palms Hui will set aside four acres for a community nonprofit that will offer lessons in Hawaiian culture, including hula, lei making, Hawaiian language, and playing the ukulele. The nonprofit will also provide hotel workers with a guide about Hawaiian culture and the historic Wailua area.

   Coco Palms is in Wailua, one of two political centers on Kauai before Europeans arrived in Hawaii in the late 1700s. Commoners farmed taro, a Hawaiian food staple, and tended fishponds in the fertile valley. Wailua has numerous shrines, which were reserved for the use of royalty and priests but fell out of use when the traditional Hawaiian religion was abolished in 1819. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Producer Hal Wallis would use the box office returns from Blue Hawaii to finance his next film, 1964’s Becket.

   On a personal note, I visited the historic area, six weeks before Hurricane Iniki slammed into the garden paradise.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced that actor Al Pacino, rock band The Eagles, gospel and blues artist Mavis Staples, and singer-songwriter James Taylor will be honored for influencing American culture through the arts. A spokesperson for the center calls Pacino’s selection a long overdue tribute.

   The co-star of The Godfather trilogy, who is regarded as one of the great American actors, has been the benefactor of the obvious oversight. Many of his peers, who became leading men in 1970s Hollywood, have already received tributes, including Warren Beatty, Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and Robert Redford.  AL PACINO ->

   Born in East Harlem, and raised in the South Bronx, Pacino began to draw notice for his onstage work in the late 1960s, and he won his first Tony Award in 1970. With his daring choices and deep immersion into his roles, he was among the 1970s movie stars who redefined what a Hollywood leading man could look and sound like.

   He had just one major film role to his credit when writer-director Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. He reprised the iconic role two years later in the groundbreaking sequel, The Godfather Part II, and Pacino received Oscar nominations for both performances.

   Al also starred in two other 1970s classics, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon. He worked sparingly in the 1980s but had another string of memorable starring roles in the 1990s, including Scent of a Woman, for which he won his first Academy Award after seven previous nominations. Other screen credits include Scarface, Heat, Donnie Brasco, and The Insider. More recently, he’s done memorable work in television, playing real-life figures, Jack Kevorkian and Phil Spector.

   For The Eagles, the recognition will be bittersweet. The band was tapped for the honor last year, but postponed its appearance because of founding member Glenn Frey’s failing health. Frey died in January, about a month after last year’s gala.

   Mavis Staples got her start as part of a family gospel band, singing alongside her four siblings, with her father, Pops Staples, on guitar. Her dad was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr., and The Staple Singers’ popular hits became a soundtrack for the Civil Rights movement. She has also performed twice at the honors ceremony, paying tribute to Paul McCartney and Al Green.

   James Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, won multiple Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

   The honorees will be celebrated at a gala on December 4th, featuring performances and tributes from top entertainers. The show will broadcast on December 27th on CBS.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   One of Hollywood’s true survivors, Olivia de Havilland, celebrates her 100th birthday on Friday, July 1st, but it’s her many fans who will receive the gifts of her talents as an actress.          OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND –>

   Turner Classic Movies will screen all of de Havilland’s movies — 39 in all — Friday nights in July, including her eight pairings with Errol Flynn, and her Oscar-winning turns in To Each His Own and The Heiress. Also on tap will be three other Oscar-nominated performances: as Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind; Hold Back the Dawn, for which she lost the Best Actress award to her sister, Joan Fontaine, for Suspicion; and The Snake Pit, in which she played a mental patient.

   After watching her motion pictures, curl up with de Havilland’s amusing 1962 memoir, Every Frenchman Has One, which Crown Archetype will re-issue on Tuesday, June 28th. De Havilland, who has lived in Paris since 1953, serves up a series of vignettes about adjusting to her life in the City of Lights, from shopping for clothes, to reading a thermometer (which was in degrees instead of celsius) to take her son’s temperature.

   Happy birthday, in advance, to the durable Olivia de Havilland.

Until next time>                               “never forget“

Manny P. here…

   The Beatles were a a Liverpool rock band on the cusp of stardom. The band’s ascent, and why the Beatles remain relevant today, will be documented in The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years. The project, directed by Ron Howard and produced by Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures, and Apple Corps Ltd., will explore four years in the life of the band before it stopped touring in 1966. The documentary is set for a theatrical release on September 16th, followed a day later by an exclusive on-demand streaming deal through Hulu.

   The film’s promises insight into the Beatles’ early years, beginning with the period after they had returned from an extended stint in Hamburg, Germany. A relentless performing schedule transformed a ragtag bunch of teens into a well-honed rock ‘n’ roll machine. Upon returning, the band set up camp at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and from there, they started touring all over the globe.

   Over the four years represented in the film, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr revolutionized popular music. After their initial appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, the band toured relentlessly. In those two-plus years, they performed 166 concerts in 90 cities around the world. For the project, producers scoured fan-made home-movies and photographs to augment the many hours of available interviews, performances, and behind-the-scenes footage. The production was completed with the combined cooperation of McCartney, Starr, and Beatles widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

   The film concludes with the band’s last official concert. Citing an inability to replicate in a concert setting its increasingly complicated music, The Beatles performed their last scheduled gig a little more than two years later at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park in August 1966.

  To paraphrase a classic tune by the Fab Four, director Ron Howard will allow The Beatles to profess their words of wisdom… let it be… let it be.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Michael J. La Rue announced plans to open a restaurant in the late Rue McClanahan’s honor later this year in New York City. The restaurant, fittingly called Rue La Rue Cafe, is scheduled to open early September in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Her longtime friend plans to decorate the restaurant with items he inherited after Rue’s death in 2010, including personal belongings and show-business memorabilia from The Golden Girls. The actress’ own piano will be used for live music.

   McClanahan’s son, Mark Bisch, is also on board with the project. Because of Bisch’s commitment, the Walt Disney Company, which owns the distribution rights to the hit show, will allow the restaurant to create and sell its own Golden Girls merchandise. Even though the eatery will focus on McClanahan, the other Girls will also get appropriate attention. Betty White is expected to attend the cafe’s ribbon cutting ceremony. Both actresses were close friends in real life.

   The news of the Golden Girls–themed restaurant comes during the same month as a Saved by the Bell–themed pop up diner opened in Chicago. That restaurant, originally slated to remain open until August 31st, recently announced it will extend its stay until the end of the year due to overwhelming demand.

   Currently, The Golden Girls remains syndicated in 50 countries around the world. The restaurant should become a tourist destination due to the show’s devoted fan base.

   I hope the cafe serves the famous cheese cake featured in many of the episodes for dessert.

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   A historic downtown Phoenix building known for appearing in the movie Psycho will become a cluster of condos. This week, the City Council approved the $2.3 million sale of the Barrister Building. Crescent Bay Development Services LLC plans to convert the six-story tower, which was once a hotel, into a complex of at least 88 condos. The developer also plans to incorporate restaurants and shops at the site. It’s often recognized for Alfred Hitchcock’s cameo in the opening scene of iconic suspense flick.

   Built in 1915, the property has been mostly vacant since 2010. However, the company plans to maintain the brick facade.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The bar where everybody knows your name is ready to go on tour. Cheers Live on Stage is a comedy based on some of the most memorable moments of the celebrated television show’s first season. It will feature retired Red Sox pitcher, and shameless lady’s man, Sam Malone, pretentious waitress Diane Chambers, rotund barfly Norm Peterson, idiotic mailman Cliff Clavin, and the rest of the first season cast when it debuts in September in Boston.

The show will have a cast of 14 actors — although no original cast members are involved — but to lend a little authenticity to a typical neighborhood bar, director Matt Lenz is planning what he says is an unusual casting call. Every night, he will bring about 10 pre-selected members of the audience to be on stage with the cast as bar patrons. They’ll be dressed in 1980s fashions and given directions, perhaps walking onstage to sit at a table, order a drink, then head upstairs to Melville’s, the restaurant above the bar. The stage set will appear almost identical to the television show, and producers plan to use the original theme music.

   Even though it’s based on the sitcom set in a Boston bar, loyal fans should see plenty of new material in the stage version, and may even get a chance to be a part of each performance. A national tour is also planned. Fans will get their fill of all of their favorite Cheers characters, but because the two-hour show is based solely on the first season, there will be no Woody, Frasier, or Rebecca.

   Erik Forrest Jackson, the writer who adapted the show for the theater, binge-watched all 22 episodes of the first season, and studied the original scripts before he started writing. The quality of the original is what  made a live reboot attractive to Randy Buck, the chief executive officer of Troika Entertainment, which is producing the show along with Stageworks Media. Troika traditionally brings Broadway musicals on the road, but barely hesitated when given the chance to get involved in the Cheers project.

   The television series ran for 11 seasons from 1982 until 1993, winning 28 Emmys and six Golden Globes, and is found on just about every list of the top small screen programs in history.

   Cheers to a potentially fruitful endeavor…

Until next time>                               “never forget”