Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   A great character actor, who I had the pleasure to meet, has died. Theodore Bikel was a Tony and Academy Award-nominated actor and singer whose passions included folk music and political activism. He sang in 21 languages, appeared on numerous television shows, recorded books on tape, and performed in opera productions.            THEODORE BIKEL —->

   In 1945, Bikel moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Early in his career, he played opposite Vivien Leigh in a West End production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Bikel starred on Broadway as Capt. von Trapp in the original 1959 production of The Sound of Music. Theodore may be best known for his portrayal of Tevye in stage productions of Fiddler on the Roof. Although he did not appear in the original 1964 Broadway version or the 1971 film, he played Tevye more than 2,000 times on stage from 1967 onward. His latest film was a documentary about interpreting the work of Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem, who wrote Fiddler on the Roof.

   Bikel received an Oscar nod for his 1958 portrayal of a Southern sheriff in The Defiant Ones, the acclaimed drama about two prison escapees. Other on screen roles include The African Queen, Moulin Rouge, My Fair Lady, I Want to Live, The Enemy Below, The Pride and the Passion, A Dog of Flanders, and The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming. He worked with Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren, Susan Hayward, Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Donald Crisp, and Curt Jurgens. He often referred to himself as the poor-man’s Peter Ustinov.

   He guest-starred on television in The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Hawaii Five-O, Columbo, Charlie’s Angels, Cannon, Little House on the Prairie, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, Dynasty, All in the Family, Knight Rider, Murder She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Law & Order.

    Bikel became increasingly involved with Civil Rights issues and progressive causes, and was a delegate to the 1968 Democratic Convention. In 1962, Bikel co-founded Actors Federal Credit Union, and became the head of Actors Equity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to serve on the National Council for the Arts in 1977 for a six-year term.

   The immensely talented Theodore Bikel was 91.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

    Most critics dismissed it as just a rough draft for To Kill a Mockingbird, and readers despaired over an aging, racist Atticus Finch. But Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman is still a million seller.

   HarperCollins has announced Monday that Go Set a Watchman in its combined print, electronic and audio formats has sold 1.1 million copies in the United States and Canada, a figure which includes first-week sales and months of pre-orders. The publisher stunned the world in February when it revealed that a second novel was coming from Lee, who had insisted To Kill a Mockingbird would be her only book.

  HarperCollins, where award-winning authors have included Michael Crichton and Veronica Roth, is calling Watchman its fastest seller in history. Truth be told, other books have sold much faster: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, published by Scholastic in 2007, sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours.

   Watchman was completed before Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Mockingbird, but is set in the same Alabama community 20 years later. Critics and readers were startled to find Atticus disparaging blacks and condemning the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw segregation in public schools.

   Watchman was released July 14th and as of early Monday remains at #1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, with Mockingbird also in the Top 10. HarperCollins has increased an initial print run of 2 million copies for Watchman to 3.3 million.

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   The Screen Actors Guild is recognizing Carol Burnett for her six decades in entertainment. The actors’ union announced Monday that Burnett will receive its 52nd Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual SAG Awards in January.

   Union President Ken Howard said that the 82-year-old entertainer is a creative dynamo and a comedic genius. Burnett got her start on stage, where television talent bookers spotted her. She joined the cast of The Garry Moore Show in 1959. She launched The Carol Burnett Show in 1967, which ran for 11 years and won 25 Emmy Awards.

   Burnett is working on a book about the success of her show set to be published next year.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Legendary filmmaker and producer Walter Mirisch (right) is set to receive the KCET Cinema Series Lumiere Award this evening at a special screening event of the classic 1960 Western The Magnificent Seven at 7p at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The award recognizes excellence, artistry, and innovation by a filmmaker or actor for their outstanding contribution to film. Mirisch will be interviewed by Pete Hammond of Deadline.com. Expected luminaries include actress Susan Blakely, James Coburn Jr., and KCET’s Val Zavala.

   Mirisch has had a long and successful motion picture career, producing some of the industry’s finest and most memorable films, such as Some Like it Hot, The Apartment, West Side Story, The Pink Panther, and Fiddler on the Roof. He produced In the Heat of the Night, the Best Picture of 1967. Mirisch served as the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1973-1977. He won the Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1977, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1982.

   Walter is still active in Hollywood with his role as President and Executive Head of Production at The Mirisch Corporation, an independent filmmaking organization.

   The Aero Theatre is located at 1328 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.

Until next time>                               “never forget“

Manny P. here…

  More than 7,000 copies of Harper Lee’s new novel Go Set a Watchman are headed to Madrie’s Ol’ Curiosities & Book Shoppe, located in a converted three-bedroom house near the courthouse square in Monroeville, Alabama. The owner had to buy a new building across the street just to store all the books, many of which he will ship to online purchasers. It’s doubtful people anywhere care more than the town of 6,300, and the model for Scout Finch’s hometown of Maycomb in both books.

   Madrie expects to get his first shipment of 4,000 books in an 18-wheeler on Monday, and the store will open at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday to begin selling books at the first moment allowed by the publisher. Each novel sold by Madrie’s shop will come with an embossed emblem and a certificate showing it was purchased in Lee’s hometown. Madrie has strung lights across the store’s front lawn for an early-morning shindig and is bringing in an Atticus Finch impersonator who also sings Dean Martin songs on the side. Madrie hopes to close around 2 a.m. before reopening the shop a few hours later for more sales, but he isn’t counting on it.

   A couple blocks away, volunteers will begin public readings at 7a Tuesday of Go Set a Watchman in the old county courtroom, a childhood hangout for Lee, and a model for the court in the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Walking tours will be conducted around town pointing out sites mentioned in both books.

   There will also be talks, refreshments, an evening cocktail hour with mint juleps and story-telling at the public library, which was a hotel 55 years ago when actor Gregory Peck came to town with his wife to get a feel for his character in the movie, Atticus Finch, who was based on Harper’s father, the late A.C. Lee.

   Scout has a boyfriend named Hank in the new novel, Atticus struggles with his own racist beliefs, and her older brother Jem is dead, according to an excerpt released Friday by the publisher. As in To Kill a Mockingbird, the new book parallels parts of Lee’s life. The author lives in an assisted living home just a few miles from downtown.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   An anonymous donor has offered a $1 million reward for credible info leading to a pair of Judy Garland’s sequined, ruby red slippers stolen from a museum in her Minnesota hometown. The late actress wore the slippers in The Wizard of Oz. Three other pairs of shoes still exist, including one on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

   John Kelsch, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, says the donor is from Arizona and is a huge fan of Garland and the 1939 movie. The reward offer requires the recovery of the slippers and the perpetrator’s name.

   The 10-year anniversary of the theft is in August. The slippers were insured for $1 million. Kelsch says they could be worth $2 million to $3 million now. An actual book was written about the crime.

   I can guarantee that the thief did not have a green face and ride a broom…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Egyptian-born actor’s Hollywood debut in Lawrence of Arabia immediately enshrined him as a smoldering leading man of the 1960s, transcending nationality. He was already the biggest heartthrob in his homeland, where he played brooding, romantic heroes in multiple films in the 1950s — and was wed to Egyptian cinema’s reigning screen beauty.

    He wasn’t Lean’s first choice to play Sherif Ali, the tribal leader with whom Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence teams up to help lead the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Lean had hired another actor, but dropped him because his eyes weren’t the right color. The film producer, Sam Spiegel, went to Cairo to search for a replacement and found Sharif. After passing a screen test that proved he was fluent in English, he got the job. The film brought him a supporting actor Oscar nod.         OMAR SHARIF —–>

   His international stardom was cemented three years later by his starring turn in another sweeping historical epic by Lean, Doctor Zhivago. He was also the Jewish gambler Nick Arnstein opposite Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. The 1968 film was banned in his native Egypt because he was cast as a Jew. Other movies include Mackenna’s Gold, Funny Lady, and The Pink Panther Strikes Again.

   Sharif spent much of his later years at a hotel in Cairo and at the Royal Moncean Hotel in Paris. In 2005, Sharif was awarded the inaugural Sergei Eisenstein Medal by the UNESCO in recognition of his significant contributions to world film and cultural diversity. Sharif’s son Tarek revealed in May that his father had Alzheimer’s. In fact, he’d been suffering from the disease for three years.

   On Sunday, GET-TV will celebrate his life with Funny Girl and The Horsemen.  Check your local listings for times.

   The gallant Omar Sharif was 83.

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   Roger Rees was a Welsh actor, best known to American audiences for playing the characters Robin Colcord on Cheers; and Lord John Marbury on The West Wing. He won a Tony for his performance in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Other screen roles include Star 80, Frida, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He guest-starred on television in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Good Wife.                         ROGER REES —->

   Roger Rees was 71.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Discovery Channel presents Shark Week each year to boffo ratings. Of course, the classic movie channels and classic Hollywood websites see things a wee bit differently. Let me present a couple of scenes from West Side Story (the second photo is letter boxed):

                                    GEORGE CHAKIRIS

   Taking a bite out of Donald Trump’s commentary!

   Just sayin…

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   Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, UCLA Film and Television Archive is renowned for its pioneering efforts to rescue, preserve, and showcase moving image media and is dedicated to ensuring that the collective visual memory of our time is explored and enjoyed for generations to come. A public arts unit of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, the Archive is a unique resource for media study, and one of the largest repositories of moving image materials in the world. The Archive’s Research and Study Center provides free access to its holdings to international researchers from all disciplines. The Archive is well known for its moving image restoration efforts, and many of its projects are invited to screen at prestigious events around the globe, as well as screening locally at UCLA’s Billy Wilder Theater.

   A Turner Classic Movies tribute  on July 15th will be hosted by Jan-Christopher Horak, director of UCLA Film and Television Archive since 2007. In addition to his long career in archiving and curating, Horak has taught at universities around the world and is the author of several film-related books. Horak will present a series of classic celluloid restored by the Archive, including shorts, newsreels, and The Night of the Hunter.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   89.3 KPCC is reporting a local group, Homeowners on Beachwood Drive United, comprised of people living in the Hollywoodland neighborhood, is taking the city of Los Angeles to court over access to the Hollywood sign. The city’s most iconic landmark is at the center of a fight between tourists who snake through neighborhoods to see it and residents who live there.

`

   Currently, hikers can travel up along N. Beachwood Dr. and cut through a gate near Sunset Ranch Hollywood to access a trail leading up to the famous marker. However, the path is dangerous due to no designated parking – they must park on the street – nor are there any sidewalks. Because of heavy congestion, emergency vehicles might have trouble maneuvering around cars.

   The route published online has driven up awareness. Plus, former city councilman Tom LaBonge promoted the sign as a top tourist spot. This tourism boom is pretty recent.

`

   All the residents really want is the city to invest in other routes with infrastructure  such as parking and public bathrooms. Hence, the lawsuit…

   Bulletins as they break…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   NEW FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD SHOW ON THERAPYCABLE

   Episode #7 of FORGOTTEN HOLLYWOOD on THERAPYCABLE features guest Sharyn Case. She is currently directing The Miracle Worker for live performances set to begin on July 10th – July 25th at The Attic Community Theater at 2834 S. Fairview in Costa Mesa. Because of the inspirational nature of the story, The Attic will present one signed performance each weekend, and will be encouraging schools for the deaf and other organizations for the hearing impaired to come and see the play.

   The Miracle Worker is the true story of Helen Keller, an Alabama girl born blind and deaf, and her partially blind instructor Annie Sullivan, who, by teaching her sign language, would set Helen on the path of becoming one of the world’s most accomplished and remarkable women; writing books and winning international acclaim for her story and her determination to not let her disabilities stop her from a well-documented path. Keller and Sullivan remained lifelong companions. The Broadway production led to an award-winning 1962 motion picture, and Oscars for Anne Bancroft, who played Sullivan; and Patty Duke portraying Keller.

   To enjoy the interview on THERAPYCABLE CHANNEL, click (or cut-and-paste) to view our latest program:

http://therapycable.com/culture-videos/miracle-worker-on-stage.html

   I want to personally invite our Southern California audience to this remarkable live show. To purchase tickets for this remarkable play, click (or cut-and-paste) on the link below:

http://www.atticcommunitytheater.com/

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

I don’t do this often… So, this is special! In conjunction with the website, Classic Movie Hub, I will giving away 6 paperbacks in the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series through August 1st.

   There are two ways to enter through Twitter and Facebook. Just answer the following question and follow the instruction at the page link listed below:

Who is one of your favorite Character Actors and why?

http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/the-forgotten-hollywood-book-giveaway-july-twitter-contest/

The following dates on Twitter, announcements on the random winners will made:

• Saturday, July 11: “Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History” One Winner
• Saturday, July 18: “Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History” One Winner
• Saturday, July 25: “Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History” One Winner
• Saturday, August 1: “Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History” One Winner

For more info on the Classic Movie Hub Summer-Giveaway contest, click (or cut-and-paste) on the link below:

http://www.classicmoviehub.com/forgotten_hollywood_by_manny_pacheco_book_giveaway_promotion.php

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   My latest noted reader of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History is Steve Hodel. His name should sound familiar to you, since he is the distinguished author of the Black Dahlia Book Series. He is also a private investigator. One of the longest cold-case files in Los Angeles Police Department history, I’ll make mention of this particularly gruesome crime that occurred in the late 1940s in my upcoming new book in the chapter on Arthur Lake.

   I’m thrilled to have one of my peers own a copy in my book series.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here… 

   Diana Douglas, the first spouse of Kirk Douglas and mother of Michael Douglas, has died at the movie industry retirement home in Woodland Hills. Born in Bermuda, Douglas was an actress and model who appeared in dozens of movies and television episodes.

   Her roles include Keeper of the Flame, The Sign of the Ram, The Whistle at Eaton Falls, The Indian Fighter, and later, Planes Trains and Automobiles. Television appearances include General Electric Theatre, Naked City, Ben Casey, Kung Fu, The Streets of San Francisco, Roots: The Next Generation, and a recurring role on Days of Our Lives.   DIANA DOUGLAS –>

   As a model, Diana was on the cover of Life Magazine in May 1943. Kirk Douglas, an acquaintance from acting school, saw the cover and vowed to marry her. They tied the knot that year and had two sons, Michael and Joel, before divorcing in 1951. They remained on amicable terms and appeared together in several films.

   Diana Douglas was 92.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Calm down, folks… No one in the Federal Government is planning to ban Gone with the Wind from purchase or future theatrical screenings.

   A New York Post columnist last week  started the fuss by suggesting the classic flick and its themes were suspect in its romanticizing of the Confederate war against the states. He concluded by asking his readers to consider (as he surmised):  The offensively sympathetic celluloid portrayal of slavery and enshrining the falsehood that the Civil War wasn’t fought over slavery — in the wake of the Charleston church slaughter.

   The reason for the panic:  Ultra-conservative  social media sites suggested the Post writer was a flaming socialist fanatic. They also piggy-backed the charge with an inflammatory photo still of a book-burning scene from the film — Fahrenheit 451. So called Fair-and-balanced websites decided to pick up the right wing slant, nationally, and suddenly, Gone with the Wind skyrocketed in popularity as of Friday. It seems, Americans do give a damn about the epic feature!

   Warner Brothers, which has distributed Gone with the Wind since 1996 (it has sold more theater tickets than any other film, ever), is a politically progressive company, sensitive and socially responsible enough about outdated racial attitudes to have placed disclaimers on some older films and cartoons. Still, they are a company with stockholders, and there is no way they are going to completely withdraw a film as lucrative as Gone with the Wind from circulation.

   Truth be told… Columnist Lou Lumenick stopped far short of calling for ANY  cinematic censorship; even for the more blatantly racist The Birth of a Nation. However, his soul-searching words caused a run on Gone with the Wind blu-ray purchases, surpassing sales of the highly popular Fifty Shades of Gray and American Sniper on Amazon.

   One can argue the merits of the Best Picture of 1939, but I assure you, this movie will not be banished to a museum for viewing. Meanwhile, the South Carolina State Assembly seems headed for voting to remove the Confederate flag from its premises as early as next week.

   By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Olivia de Havilland who  celebrated her 99th year, last week. She played Melanie Hamilton Wilkes in the motion picture classic.

   Oh, the GWTW poster above is meant simply as satire; that’s Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and an atomic bomb. My tongue is firmly planted against my cheek. It’s the kind of political humor that drives terrorist groups like ISIS crazy, and what makes America great.

   Have a safe-and-sane 4th of July…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The childhood home of actor Dick Van Dyke could be torn down after a central Illinois city condemned the dilapidated building. The Champaign News-Gazette reports the 89-year-old actor took to Twitter this week to call attention to the Danville home he and brother Jerry lived in during high school after relocating from Missouri.                     DICK VAN DYKE —–>

   The film star of Mary Poppins, Bye Bye Birdie, What a Way To Go, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and television’s The Dick Van Dyke Show  and Diagnosis: Murder, recalled happy memories in a tweet to his 85,200 followers. Among his high school classmates in Danville were Donald O’Connor and Bobby Short, both of whom would go on to successful careers as entertainers. Another was Jerry Seawright, the founder and original director of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Gene Hackman also lived in Danville during those same years.

   Mayor Scott Eisenhauer said the city council didn’t know the Van Dyke connection when it condemned the house in December. He expressed a willingness to donate the property as part of a prospective rehabilitation project, should the city gain ownership. The property’s owner died in 2011.

   A museum is a possible remedy.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Adam Nimoy has found a way to spend countless hours with his late father Leonard Nimoy: He’s creating a documentary for the actor who played Spock on Star Trek. The Spockumentary funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $600,000 will focus on the pop icon and his legacy. The television director and film professor said it would explore his father’s life onscreen and off-screen.  LEONARD NIMOY —->

   For the Love of Spock began as a project for the father and son before Leonard’s Nimoy’s death in February at the age of 83. His father wanted to keep it Spock-centric, but once he passed, Adam knew he had to include more about his father. The documentary will include clips from the Star Trek films and television shows, Nimoy’s other works, and interviews from family, as well as William Shatner who played Capt. James T. Kirk and celebrity fans like Seth McFarlane. Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the new movie franchise, will narrate the film.

   With this film, Adam Nimoy hopes he can tie in everything he loves about his father, their lives together, and the many characters he played. For the Love of Spock is expected to be released in time for the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek series in 2016.

   It’s surely one way for the Spock character to live long and prosper.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The United States Postal Service announced that award-winning actor and philanthropist Paul Newman will be honored on a Forever Stamp. The stamp will go on sale September. 18th. The stamp art features photographer Steve Schapiro’s 1980 photograph of the star.

    Over the course of his decorated career, he garnered ten Academy Awards nods, including eight for Best Actor. He won an Oscar for his role in the 1986 film The Color of Money. At the Academy Awards in 1994, Newman was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He also served as the president of the board of the famed Actors Studio, which he helped support financially.

   More than just a film icon, Newman used his success as an actor, writer, producer, and director to advance his philanthropic endeavors funding charitable causes in an effort to make the world a better place. His SeriousFun Children’s Network has helped more than 600,000 children and families in the United States, and beyond. Perhaps Paul’s boldest action on the philanthropic stage came in 1982, when he founded the Newman’s Own food company. Beginning simply with a single product of oil-and-vinegar salad dressing and a commitment to quality and charitable giving over profit, the company has since grown into an international business with more than 200 products. Along the way, Newman’s Own has donated more than $430 million to thousands of charities.

   In 1998, the actor created the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, composed of board chairs and CEOs of major organizations. In 2006, he co-founded the Safe Water Network, which provides market-based safe water solutions to people in developing worlds.

   Paul Newman’s legacy stretches way beyond his iconic cinematic career.

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   Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has reached 1300 in confirmed sales. Keeping pace with my initial literary work, I want to thank Sharyn Case of Costa Mesa, CA for putting my efforts over the next threshold.

   Sharyn is a current stage director, whose work includes a current production of The Miracle Worker that will be presented at the prestigious Attic Theatre in Orange County. She was influenced by the fabulous 1962 motion picture that featured award-winning performances by Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. Nine performances are expected to begin on July 10th.

   As my first book approaches 3300 purchases, it’s nice to see the continued brisk sales.

Until next time>                               “never forget”