Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   Based on a number of screenplays written during Hollywood’s Golden Age, the issue of gun rights was addressed in Westerns, including Dodge City in 1939 and Winchester ’73 in 1950. In both instances, Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) and a Wyatt Earp-type character (Errol Flynn) took the bold step of disarming its ranchers and cowboys while traveling down the town’s Main Street in specific scenes.

   The political implication of this reference is fascinating, which by all accounts actually happened while Earp as sheriff dispatched dregs of the West during the nineteenth century. Conservatives such as James Stewart, Ann Sheridan, Bruce Cabot, Guinn Big Boy Williams, and Ward Bond didn’t appear to mind the suggestion of the reality-based plot-line. This was quite a dichotomy.

   Could any law enforcement of the Old West have carried out the aforementioned duty had the National Rifle Association gun lobby tried to impose its will? Further, what were screenwriters trying to accomplish by citing this historical incident; and might an NRA-style organization intervened during the Studio Era? These are worthwhile questions. 

  I can surmise the current NRA leadership might interfere and advocate for the characters portrayed based on their rights under the Second Amendment in remakes of these motion pictures. Today’s politicians should dispense the same kind of courage Wyatt Earp had, in response to the frequent urban terrorism that has taken place throughout cities, such as Texas, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, and California, among others. Plus, lobby groups, in general, should simply stay out of the decision-making process in Hollywood.

   Now, can someone help me off my soapbox.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   For the seventh straight year, here’s my ballot for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. I thought 2015 was a remarkable year for cinema. And, several folks and movies in most of the categories should be considered for the specific awards. Let me explain:

   OUTSTANDING MALE:  Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

All of the critical buzz is for Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant. He will probably win a career award for a solid performance (my actual second favorite of the year). But, Michael Fassbender was quite mesmerizing in the little-seen Steve Jobs. Aaron Sorkin has a knack for writing great scripts (remember The Social Network). Bryan Cranston, Eddie Redmayne, and Johnny Depp received well-deserved mentions; it’s just not their year to hold a statuette.

   OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

For me, this is the closest race! Saoirse Ronan and Brie Larson are really the class of this year’s tough field. And, my opinion might not change if Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander would have been appropriately placed in the Outstanding Female category, since their roles were starring parts. Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren are quite good, but round out this list. I choose Ronan edging Larson only because Saoirse carried Brooklyn by herself, while Brie shared wonderful screen time with Jacob Tremblay in Room. I didn’t enjoy Sarah Silverman’s performance, truth be told.

   OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Manny P. here…

   Stage and screen star Bette Midler has announced that she will play Dolly Gallagher Levi in a Broadway revival of the blockbuster 1964 musical, Hello Dolly! Four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks has been tapped as the director, and Tony-winner Warren Carlyle will choreograph the production, which will begin Broadway previews March 13th, 2017, and open April 20th at a theater to be announced.

                  BETTE MIDLER

   The title role, one of the greatest leading lady roles in musical theatre, was written for Ethel Merman, but ultimately originated by Carol Channing (right), who won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical, and also starred in the most recent Broadway revival of the musical in 1995. During its original run the role was played by Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Phyllis Diller, Pearl Bailey, and at last, Merman. Barbra Streisand starred in the film version.

   Produced by Scott Rudin, the show was originally written by Michael Stewart, based on The Matchmaker by Thorton Wilder. It won a then-record 11 Tony Awards in 1964, including Best Musical, and ran 2,844 performances, making it briefly the longest-running musical in Broadway history.

   No other casting was announced. Tickets won’t go on sale until a theater is selected.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   It was a simpler time. No, not Hollywood’s Golden Age; I’m talking about the frontier of the nineteenth century. John Wayne and his entourage wanted you to believe this premise. With the help of director John Ford, and his stable of filmmakers, which included Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, John Agar, Victor McLaglen, Noah Berry Jr., and others, the Old West became the backdrop of conservative values, validating the concepts of homesteading, a search for gold, the coast-to-coast travel by rail, the use of barb wire to section off property, trails of Native American tears, and the eventual Anglo colonization of the United States.

   Don’t misunderstand. I’m a huge fan of Stagecoach, Red River, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Bravo, True Grit, and The Shootist. John Wayne’s (right) movies are works of inspirational fiction. He and his cronies represented, and continue to represent, a certain kind of American infallibility. Wayne’s characters were so certain they were right that audiences believed them, too. And on screen, he didn’t waste time using his trademark laconic drawl to dress down his enemies, and then, shoot them dead with ruthless efficiency. Of course, critics of The Duke have surmised:

He’s like the racist grandpa that we nevertheless acknowledge; he’s the embarrassing tear in your eye when you root for America in the Olympics; or he’s the proud viewer of a Chevy truck commercial. 

   Unfortunately, somewhere along the way in his career, Wayne drank the kool-aid of artificial patriotism. This lead to his naming names from the very real Hollywood community to members of the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, as part of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Many directors, actors, screenplay writers, and others lost their opportunity to work for perhaps decades, and maybe, for the entirety of their career. The reasoning for the unsolicited attack… A prior or current affiliation with the American Communist Party, and a fear of continued communist infiltration into the movie industry. This dangerous philosophical call-to-action had an folksy elitist feel at its core.

   His apparent contempt only endeared him to audiences who found his lack of pretension both comforting and inspiring. Wayne maintained his unassailable image of immovability for an unprecedented career as a star and political activist: He campaigned tirelessly for Republicans for over four decades. The American legacy of John Wayne was cemented as the Berlin wall came down; an airport was named in his honor; and a museum in Winterset, Iowa celebrating his career is now a popular tourist destination.

   Donald Trump is currently attempting to tap into this masculine brand of Americana when he accepted an endorsement in Winterset from John Wayne’s kin. The obvious strategy by the Republican candidate is to cement the support  of primarily white men, aged 69 or older, with a high school diploma or less – a slice of electorate that has already shown a considerable affinity for the Teflon Don. Wayne has an undeniable cinematic cool – the kind of uniform appeal Trump has employed to woo voters since the summer.

   Trump, it appears, is vying to restore the frontier-style justice version of America which Wayne’s films often portrayed; the only trouble: It was always make-believe. I remind my readers of this essential fact. Remember this when you enter a polling booth to vote.

   And, sorry for burying the lead…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   I have exciting news. Steve Coogan will play Stan Laurel and John C. Reilly will portray Oliver Hardy in BBC Films’ Stan & Ollie, a biopic centering on the final 1953 UK tour of the famed comedy duo. The story centers on the world’s favorite comedy double act, who set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, they face an uncertain future.

STEVE COOGAN        STAN LAUREL           JOHN C. REILLY        OLIVER HARDY

   The tour becomes a hit, but Laurel & Hardy can’t quite shake the spectre of Stan and Ollie’s past; coupled with Oliver’s failing health, start to threaten their precious partnership. A portrait of their creative marriage begins to unfold as the duo, aware that they may be approaching their swan song, try to rediscover just how much they mean to each other.

   To be directed by Jon S. Baird, the screenplay for the Laurel & Hardy biopic has been written Jeff Pope, the Oscar-nominated writer of Philomena. BBC Films developed the feature alongside Faye Ward’s Fable Pictures and Jeff Pope’s Sonesta Films.

   This production I promise to monitor.

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   Glenn Frey was part of the quartet, The Eagles, arguably one of the most successful pop bands in the rock-era (along with The Doobie Brothers). His voice was melodic on New Kid in Town, Take it Easy, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, Heartache Tonight, and Already Gone. Frey (right) co-wrote some of their biggest hits, including The Best of My Love, One of These Nights, Hotel California, and Desperado.

   During his solo career, he was tied to motion picture and television soundtracks: Beverly Hills Cop, and Miami Vice. He also had roles in Jerry Maguire, and on the small screen, Miami Vice, Wiseguy, Nash Bridges, and Arli$$. A documentary, History of the Eagles, premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2013. The Heat is On, You Belong to the City, Smuggler’s Blues, The One You Love, and I Found Somebody were his biggest solo hits.

   The band, primarily made up of Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit, was to have been honored at the Kennedy Center last month. However, the appearance was postponed because of Frey’s health problems.

The mercurial Glenn Frey was 67.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   KCETLink Media Group President & CEO Michael Riley was clear at a recent event held at the residence of the British Consul General in Southern California: There is a strong Public Television commitment to local programming and quality productions that are imported from all over the world. One thing is quite evident; there remains a strong relationship between KCET and British television. With the unabashed popularity of Downton Abbey and Doc Martin, among others, this is indeed great news for fans of smart and intelligent programs on television.

                                                        MICHAEL RILEY  MARION ROSS  IAN McNEICE

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   Season 7 of Doc Martin premiered on January 14th. One of its stars, Ian McNeice (Bert Large), assured party-goers their will be a Season 8, which will start production early in 2017. McNeice also invited viewers of the program to England to enjoy the creative process that goes into the making of Doc Martin! By the way, at KCET.org/DocMartin, you can watch behind-the-scenes video shorts, enjoy episode recaps, and reacquaint yourself with the quirky cast of characters that makes up the residents of the sleepy Cornish village of Portwenn.

   Among the attendees included actress Marion Ross, best known for her role as the mother of Richie Cunningham in Happy Days; Cinecon’s Maureen Solomon; stand-up comic Linda Gacsko; and Val Zavala, KCET’s vice president of news and public affairs, and anchor of the network’s SoCal Connected. Zavala was the executive producer of the hugely popular Things That Aren’t Here Anymore documentary series that was hosted by the late Ralph Story back in the 1990s.

The event was thrown in conjunction with BAFTA, Pleasant Holidays, and Beverly Hilton Hotel, part of a partnership with KCET and their on-going fundraising drive for public television. KCET remains the nation’s largest independent public television station, and a nonprofit 501(c3) organization.

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   I join KCET in urging you to savor a great program; Thursday’s at 8p in Southern California: Doc Martin!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   When Carol Burnett appears January 30th at the SAG Awards to accept the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, somebody from SAG should be waiting backstage to hand her a check. She and dozens of other stars expected to attend the guild’s annual awards show are owed unclaimed residuals that were paid by productions to SAG-AFTRA.

   Burnett is not the only recipient of the guild’s highest honor who have unclaimed SAG residuals coming to them. Kirk Douglas, who received the award in 1999, is owed money, and so are heirs of former SAG Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Ricardo Mantalban, Leon Ames, Martha Raye, Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Ossie Davis, Stan Laurel, Edgar Bergen, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Pidgeon, and Charles Durning. The union is holding these funds for these actor’s families to claim.

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   Eddie Redmayne, nominated this year for The Danish Girl – and who won SAG’s Best Actor award last year for The Theory Of Everything – is owed unclaimed SAG residuals for past projects, and so are Johnny Depp, who this year is nominated for Black Mass, and Nicole Kidman, who is nominated for Grace Of Monaco. Maggie Smith, for Downton Abbey, has money waiting for previous work, as do nominees Game Of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage; Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell; Louis C.K., for Louie; and Ray Liotta received his accolade for Texas Rising. More than 20 members of ensemble casts nominated this year also have residuals coming to them that were paid in good faith to the union by the film companies, but are just sitting there.

   Actually, you don’t have to be an A-List star to be owed what amounts to buried treasure. More than 2,000 people named John who have money coming to them; more than 1,500 Roberts and Michaels; more than 1,300 Davids, 500 Marys; and more than 300 Susans and Jennifers. If it is unclaimed for some reason, the checks are deposited into a custodial fund where the cash is held until they identify/locate the proper payee. There are a number of reasons why that process may be difficult and can take some time – even when the potential recipients are well-known. Here is the link if you are a dues-paying member to check:

http://www.sagaftra.org/search-unclaimed-residuals

   There are 12 Mannys; but, I’m not owed residuals. Shucks!

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   French actress Leslie Caron spent this past week in New York, and she made a stop on Broadway to enjoy the latest production of An American in Paris. The 1951 movie that won the Oscar for Best Picture made Caron an instant star. She skyrocketed to fame, appearing in such hit musicals as Lili, Daddy Long Legs, and Gigi, which also won a Best Picture statuette in 1958.

   Caron got a standing ovation and flowers after being brought onstage. During a 45-minute meeting, she recalled long hours dancing on concrete during the An American in Paris filming.

   The latest stage production recently marked the show’s 300th performance, and won four Tony Awards. I plan to be in the audience in March with my sister.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

  The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will honour Sir Sidney Poitier with the Fellowship at the EE British Academy Film Awards on February 14th. He joins such previous recipients: Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Stanley Kubrick, Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Martin Scorsese, and Helen Mirren.

   Poitier began his acting career on Broadway in the 1940s before transitioning to motion pictures with No Way Out. Among his other cinematic credits: A Raisin in the Sun, Blackboard Jungle, Porgy and Bess, The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field. A Patch of Blue, To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, and Sneakers. He has also directed nine features, including Buck and the Preacher, the classic Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder comedy, Stir Crazy, and Uptown Saturday Night.

   Sir Sidney Poitier’s award-winning career features six BAFTA nominations, including one BAFTA win, and a Britannia Award for Lifetime Contribution to International Film. In 2002, he was awarded an honorary Oscar, and has also been nominated for seven Golden Globes, winning once; and he was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1982.

   As well as pushing the boundaries of his craft on screen, Poitier played an active role in the American civil rights campaign, and served as Ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan and UNESCO from 1997 to 2007. In 1974, Queen Elizabeth II conferred a Knighthood on Poitier; and in 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the US, by President Obama.

   The BAFTA Awards take place at the Royal Opera House. Stephen Fry will return to host this year’s ceremony.

   Sidney Poitier (right) remains a living inspiration to theater audiences, everywhere.

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<– Dan Haggerty was the burly actor best known as Grizzly Adams on television. The character evolved from his role in the feature film, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. He also appeared in Muscle Beach  Party, with Elvis Presley in Girl Happy, and in the iconic Easy Rider. Dan guest-starred on the small screen in Tarzan, CHiPS, The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, and the reality television program, American Pickers.

   Dan Haggerty was 74

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Alan Rickman was a classically trained stage star and reliable screen villain for decades. He’s best known for his work on Die Hard and the Harry Potter series of epic films. He was also memorable in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

   Trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rickman’s screen roles were remarkably varied. His movies include Sense and Sensibility, Truly Madly Deeply, Quigley Down Under, Galaxy Quest, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street. He won a BAFTA for his role in Robin Hood. Rickman is due to appear in two yet-to-be-released films: Eye in the Sky, with Helen Mirren; and the animated Alice Through the Looking Glass.

   He also spent plenty of time on the stage. He was the lead, Vicomte de Valmont, in the 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. When it moved to Broadway in 1987, Rickman received both a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nod for his performance. Other stage roles include support in A View from a Bridge, Romeo and Juliet, Noel Coward’s Private Lives, and Antony and Cleopatra. On television, he received a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.

   Though he played mean-spirited parts through much of his career, Rickman showed his charity while acting as honorary president of the International Performers’ Aid Trust, an organization that alleviates poverty in some of the world’s toughest conditions. Most of his peers found the British actor to be gracious and kind. Particularly saddened by the news of his passing were author J.K.Rowling and actress Emma Thompson.

   The immensely talented Alan Rickman (right) was 69.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   When the Great Earthquake and Fire hit San Francisco in 1906, 3-month-old William Del Monte’s family fled the city on a horse-drawn cart. Del Monte was the last known survivor of the 7.8-magnitude quake and fires that killed some 3,000 people and leveled much of the city.

   Of course, Del Monte didn’t remember much about his family’s dramatic escape. His mother bundled him up when the shaking stopped and ran out to the street. His dad commandeered a rig, which they rode down to the waterfront as flames licked at them from all sides. After the earthquake struck on April 18, 1906, fires erupted and raged for almost four days, burning more than 28,000 structures and leveling more than three-quarters of the city.

                                                                  WILLIAM DEL MONTE

   An MGM production was made way back in 1935 that chronicled the days leading up to the destructive event. San Francisco starred Clark Gable, Jeanette McDonald, and Spencer Tracy. The movie was lauded for its great special effects. Del Monte outlived each of the stars by 50 years.

   After being forced out of his home in North Beach after the 1906 Great Earthquake as an infant, Del Monte ultimately witnessed the city’s rise from the ashes more than a century ago, seeing it rebuilt. He became actively involved in annual earthquake commemoration events. This year, San Francisco’s mayor says the city will dedicate the event to him.

   The San Fran native embraced the changes in technology that he saw in his life — from gas lamps and horses and buggies all the way through the development of electricity and jet travel to computers. Del Monte worked as a stock market trader almost until the day he died.

   William Del Monte died of natural causes at a retirement home north of San Francisco. He was 109, just 11 days shy of his 110th birthday.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Playboy Mansion, the legendary Holmby Hills estate where Hugh Hefner has worked and made his home for four decades, is on the market for the nine-figure sum, making it among the priciest residential properties for sale in the United States. As part of any sale, the 89-year-old Hefner will be allowed remain in residence for the remainder of his life.

   Among the major works of architect Arthur R. Kelly, the stone-clad Gothic Tudor-style mansion was built for department store scion Arthur Letts Jr. in 1927. Playboy acquired the estate of more than five acres in 1971 for around $1.1 million. Hef will let it go for $20 million.

   Within nearly 20,000 square feet of interiors are 29 rooms including chef’s and catering kitchens, a game room, a wine cellar, and a screening room with a built-in pipe organ. The master suite occupies parts of two floors. Other amenities include a gymnasium, a tennis court, an orchard, and the infamous swimming pool and swim-in grotto. There’s also a four-bedroom guesthouse.

   And, the mansion is also among a select number of Los Angeles properties to have a zoo license. Grounds feature a menagerie of aviaries and arboretums holding a collection of exotic birds and monkeys. Albino peacocks and other animals roam freely through rolling lawns and various gardens.

   Bunnies will not be part of the sale…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Batman lasted just three years and yielded 120 episodes. However, it created a whole new generation of fans for the crime solving comic book hero, first devised in 1939 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, long before he became a much darker figure in big screen blockbusters (who indeed will return March 25th in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice). The colorful tongue-in-cheek superhero romp, aired twice a week — on Wednesday (with a cliffhanger) and Thursday nights — beginning in 1966, and became a quick sensation, with its campy tone and its catchy theme song.

BURT WARD                                           ADAM WEST

   The television version of Batman debuted January 12th with few expectations. Originally scheduled to join ABC’s lineup for the 1966-1967 season, it was rushed on air because of a hole in the network’s schedule. And, this was even after the show received, at the time, the worst audience test score for an ABC pilot in history. Little did executives realize they were on the cusp of a cultural phenomenon. The show became as big as The Beatles in music, and James Bond in films. The series created an enormous influence on pop culture. There were Batman fan clubs, lunch boxes, a dance craze, bubble gum cards, a motion picture, among other things. When ABC canceled the series in 1968, the Batcave set was demolished. Two weeks later, NBC decided to pick up the series, only to change its mind once executives realized they’d have to foot the bill for another set. By the way, Robin used 352 holy phrases during the course of the series. Holy multiple hosanna!

   Series regulars, Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon) and Alan Napier (Alfred), had long careers in cinema before Batman. George Sanders, Cliff Robertson, Eli Wallach, Eartha Kitt, John Astin, Tallulah Bankhead, Otto Preminger, Roddy McDowall, David Wayne, Shelley Winters, Liberace, Bruce Lee, Ethel Merman, and Vincent Price, among others, all guest starred on the show. Plus, Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin made a number of appearances as Catwoman, Joker, Penguin and Riddler, respectively. In fact, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood, and Cary Grant were fans of Batman and wanted to appear on the show. But producers, unfathomably, could not find any roles that fit them. Eventually, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, and Christian Bale all took turns as the big black bat, with Ben Affleck in the upcoming production. BURGESS MEREDITH/CESAR ROMERO/FRANK GORSHIN –>

   Batman and Robin, as portrayed by Adam West and Burt Ward, are still strong draws at comic book conventions on the nostalgia circuit. The Dynamic Duo are scheduled to voice the characters in a new, animated 90-minute feature, set to be released sometime in 2016, to mark the series’ 50th anniversary. And, Julie Newmar has even donated her Catwoman costume to the Smithsonian Institute.

   I promise you another blog as early as tomorrow. Same Bat time… Same Bat Channel…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here… 

   A lot will be written over the next week about the legacy of David Bowie. He was unique in the glam rock-era of popular music. And, he was a cultural icon for his approach as a musician and song-stylist. Let me remind you about Bowie’s formidable cinematic legacy. His career has been punctuated by various roles in movie and theater productions, earning acclaim as an actor.                                 DAVID BOWIE —>

   The beginnings of David Bowie’s film career predate his commercial breakthrough as a musician. Studying avant-garde theatre and mime under Lindsay Kemp, he played Cloud in the 1967 theatrical production Pierrot in Turquoise (later made into the 1970 television film The Looking Glass Murders). In the black-and-white two-reeler The Image, he was a ghost who emerges from a troubled artist’s painting to haunt him. The same year, The Virgin Soldiers saw Bowie make a brief appearance as an extra.

   In 1976, he earned acclaim for his first major starring role, portraying Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from a dying planet, in The Man Who Fell to Earth, directed by Nicolas Roeg. For his performance in the 1976 science fiction flick, he won a Saturn Award.

   Bowie starred in Just a Gigolo, an Anglo-German co-production  as a Prussian officer who, returning from World War I, is discovered by a baroness (Marlene Dietrich) and put into her stable of studs. He starred in The Hunger, a revisionist vampire film, with Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon. Bowie had a cameo in Yellowbeard, a 1983 pirate comedy created by Monty Python; and he had a small part as a hitman in Into the Night. Bowie appeared in Jim Henson’s dark fantasy Labyrinth. He played Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s 1988 epic, The Last Temptation of Christ. He portrayed physicist Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige in 2006. The rock star also appeared as himself in Zoolander. He did decline to play the villain in the James Bond film, A View to a Kill.

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<—David Bowie took the lead in the Broadway production, The Elephant Man, which he performed wearing no stage make-up, and who earned high praise for his expressive performance. He played the part 157 times between 1980 and 1981.

   In 1999, Bowie was made a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. He declined the royal honour of Commander of the British Empire in 2000, and turned down a knighthood in 2003. One year, I went to a terrific concert of his, that one at Dodger Stadium. A favorite television moment of mine: When he joined Bing Crosby on his last Christmas Special in 1977 (and just five weeks before Bing’s passing from a heart attack after a round of golf) singing the medley, Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy. The tune has become a seasonal classic.

   The innovative performer had just turned 69 on Friday, the day he released his 25th album. But, he continued to influence some of today’s top filmmakers with his groundbreaking approach, including Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, and director Tim Burton. British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted his profound sadness aboard the International Space Station about David Bowie’s sudden death from cancer.

   To paraphrase: Ground control to Major Tim…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Frank Armitage (right) was the Australian-born illustrator, muralist, and longtime Disney imagineer who also contributed to the eye-popping visuals on Fox Studio’s Fantastic Voyage. The visual effects made good use of Armitage’s expertise in anatomical drawings, and went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction (Color) and Best Special Effects. He first worked as an animator on Lady and the Tramp, but soon put his training as a muralist to good use, creating background paintings for such films as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and The Jungle Book.

   Born in Melbourne, Australia, Armitage served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, after which he attended art school. He soon dropped out and after winning an international art competition, moved to Mexico city where he trained as a muralist under David Alfaro Siqueiros. Moving to Los Angeles in 1952 with less than $100 to his name, he quickly found work at Walt Disney Studios, going on to contribute to a string of animated classics over the next decades.

   Armitage returned to Disney in 1977 when he was hired as an imagineer. In that capacity, he worked on the Wonders of Life Pavilion in Epcot Center, he painted 5,500 square feet of murals for Walt Disney World’s Safari Fare Restaurant, and several of Tokyo DisneySea’s murals, including nine of President Theodore Roosevelt, among many other contributions. Armitage had previously worked on Disney theme parks in the early 1950s, contributing to art at Storybook Land as well as other points around the park.

   Armitage retired from Disney in 1989, after which he studied medicine, and later, acupuncture in China. He continued to paint anatomy and other medical artwork and in 2006, he donated a portion of that work to the Biomedical Visualization Graduate Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

   Frank Armitage was 91.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum has announced that it has accepted into its collection a major gift of the sole surviving full-scale model of the 1975 Jaws shark. Created for display at the Universal Studios Hollywood at the time of the film’s release, the prop remained a popular backdrop for photos until 1990, when it was moved to the yard of Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking of Sun Valley, California, that regularly bought or hauled used vehicles from Universal Studios. With the business slated to close in January 2016, owner Nathan Adlen has made a generous gift of the historic prop to the Academy Museum.

   The shark model will join the Museum’s unmatched holdings— including an underwater apparatus and fin used in Jaws and Jaws II— as the largest object to enter the Academy’s collection to date. The monumental fiberglass model is a  final version made from the original mold. It yielded three latex and rubber casts that were used in production. Following the film’s release, the rubber casts deteriorated and were discarded. But, the fourth cast survived.

   The creation of the film’s mechanical shark—which Steven Spielberg named Bruce after his lawyer, Bruce Ramer—was undertaken by art director Joe Alves, who designed a prop with a 25-foot long body, 400-pound head and jaws nearly five feet wide. In 2010, the prop was authenticated by Roy Arbogast, a member of the film’s special effects crew.

   When the Academy Museum opens next year, I wouldn’t get too close to Bruce… especially if he’s hungry!

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   Douglas Dick was an actor who appeared in fine films, including Rope, The Accused, The Red Badge of Courage, Flaming Star, Casbah, Home of the Brave, and North to Alaska. He made many appearances on television. He guest-starred on Perry Mason a total of seven times. Dick also had roles in 77 Sunset Strip, Sea Hunt, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Mannix. He eventually retired to become a psychiatrist.

   Douglas Dick (right) was 95.

Until next time>                               “never forget”