Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   Prospect House Entertainment, in partnership with Glendale Arts, and in association with the Tony Nicholas family, presents The Nicholas Brothers Tribute. This fabulous event is Sunday, January 25th at 7:30p.

   Hollywood’s greatest tap-dance team will be honored in a star-studded gala at the historic 1400-seat Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. They’ll chronicle Fayard and Harold Nicholas rise to fame,  from their humble beginnings in Philadelphia to pioneering and redefining the tap genre. They became bona-fide stars of the jazz circuit during the heyday of the Harlem Renaissance.

NICHOLAS BROTHERS

   By 1932, they were featured act at the Cotton Club, working with the orchestras of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Jimmy Lunceford. The brothers made their Broadway debut in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, and also appeared in Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s legendary musical Babes in Arms in 1937. Producer Samuel Goldwyn invited them to be a part of Kid Millions,  which was their first role in a Hollywood film. Other movie appearances include routines in The Big Broadcast of 1936, Tin Pan Alley, Down Argentine Way, Sun Valley Serenade, Orchestra Wives, Stormy Weather, and The Pirate. Archival footage was also featured in That’s Entertainment and That’s Dancing.

   This one-night only, special evening will feature Nicholas family members, celebrity friends, and co-stars, rare and never-before-seen home movie footage, movie trailers, clips from their dazzling feature film performances, dramatic on-stage reenactments from landmark moments in their lives, and amazing tap numbers performed by the very best dancers in the country, choreographed by the peerless Cathie Nicholas, Fayard’s granddaughter. Special Q&A guests include Gloria Hendry, best known for co-starring with Roger Moore in the James Bond film, Live and Let Die.

   This is going to be rousing fun!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The controversy surrounding LBJ’s role over Civil Rights as depicted in Selma is just the latest flap regarding artistic license; an argument that goes back to Hollywood’s Golden Age. The more celebrated recent furor involves Lincoln (Connecticut lawmakers were in a major uproar for incorrectly depicting state’s representatives voting against the 13th Amendment); Zero Dark Thirty (suggesting intelligence gathered through torture helped lead to Osama bin Laden’s capture led to a public outcry that was spearheaded by Senators Diane Feinstein and John McCain; and JFK (many still take as fact conspiracy theories floated by Oliver Stone).

PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON w/ MARTIN LUTHER KING

   I write in my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series that this often occurs by screenwriters not bound to the truth. It’s the job of historians and critics to point out the corrections when movie moguls get the facts wrong in a production. The argument of a filmmaker remains that they are simply trying to entertain. A character in the movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, succinctly sums up how history was portrayed in the Old West by real newspaper reporters: When legend becomes fact, print the legend! The John Ford-Western boldly pokes fun at the tall tales created, and the historical implications from the narrative.

   The most celebrated legend by Hollywood was created by the script from the 1939 drama, Drums Along the Mohawk. As I surmise in my chapter on Ward Bond:

Bond plays Adam Helmer, a Revolutionary War hero. Helmer, a frontiersman, is actually credited in warning the people of German Flatts, New York of an impending raid by Indians and Tories (British sympathizers). Due to his efforts, only two men were killed in the attack. Unfortunately, the true depiction in the novel and the subsequent film version differs; giving credit to Gil Martin, a settler in the Mohawk Valley. This inaccurate discrepancy is the highlight in the movie. The heroic assignment was made by Darryl F. Zanuck to showcase the star of the film, Henry Fonda.

   My Book Series is quick to point out these kinds of areas of issue because that is my literary job as a film and American historian. I don’t agree with those folks who claim a movie is less great because it gets the facts wrong.

   The bottom line… as a Screen Actors Guild member, my awards ballot will be based on acting style, production qualities, and effective use of narrative storytelling; not on whether the facts behind the motion picture are correct. My suggestion to a theatre-going audience:  Visit the snack counter, buy a tub of popcorn and soft drink, and then, enjoy the legend!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Rod Taylor was a likeable actor from Down Under, who appeared in many movies and television programs. He’s best remembered for his roles in The Time Machine, The V.I.Ps, The Glass Bottom Boat, The Birds, Sunday in New York, and Hotel.      ROD TAYLOR —->

     Rod acquired extensive radio and stage experience in Australia. He made his feature film debut in the Aussie film King of the Coral Sea, playing an American. He was later cast in a Hollywood-financed film shot in Sydney, Long John Silver, an unofficial sequel to Treasure Island. His first big motion picture was Giant. This led to work at MGM in a series of films, including Raintree County, The Catered Affair, and Separate Tables. He also was the voice of Pongo (a dog) in Disney’s animated feature 101 Dalmatians.

   The actor was quite busy on the small screen, as well. He was a regular on anthology shows, such as Studio One, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Lux Video Theatre, Playhouse 90, Zane Grey Theatre, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, DuPont Show of the Week, The Twilight Zone, Goodyear Theatre, and Tales of the Unexpected. He also guest-starred in Cheyenne, Walker Texas Ranger, Falcon Crest, and Murder She Wrote.

   Taylor was a pioneer of the Australian-New Zealand invasion of Hollywood that would come to include actors Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Nicole Kidman (born in Hawaii to Australian parents), Geoffrey Rush, and Russell Crowe; and directors Bruce Berenson, Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, Baz Luhrman, Rob Marshall, and Peter Jackson.

   In 1993, Rod hosted a documentary Time Machine: The Journey Back. At the end of the special came a mini-sequel, written by David Duncan, the screenwriter of the George Pal film. Taylor recreated his role of George, and reunited with co-star Alan Young.

   The affable hellion, Rod Taylor was 84.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   With the current selection by the Baseball Writers Association of America of four retired Major League ballplayers to its Hall of Fame, let’s look back at the last time this happened — 1955. Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio, John Smoltz, and Pedro Martinez in July will join fabulous company.

  1955 Induction Class

   One of the larger classes was inducted on July 25, 1955, as the Hall of Fame welcomed BBWAA inductees — Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons, and Dazzy Vance; and Veterans Committee picks — Frank Home Run Baker and Ray Schalk. The biggest induction ceremony since 1939, the crowd fav was easily DiMaggio, according to the New York Times.

           JOE DIMAGGIO                      DAZZY VANCE                        TED LYONS 

   Hollywood’s connection to one of these inductees is quite obvious. DiMaggio was briefly married to Marilyn Monroe. Considered one the all-time great ballplayers, the Yankee Clipper had a half-dozen red roses delivered three times a week to her crypt for 20 years. In the 1970s, DiMaggio became a spokesman for Mr. Coffee, and would be the face of the electric coffee maker for over two decades. DiMaggio also became a spokesman for The Bowery Savings Bank. DiMaggio regularly made commercials for the financial institution until 1992.

   When there is an influx of qualified candidates, like there were for many years after the Hall was opened, voters tend to spread their votes out. DiMaggio’s 88.8% is not an aberration of the time, and a player of his caliber would probably receive over 95% if voted on in today’s era (Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, etc.).

   Not making the cut that year… Hank Greenberg (who was inducted in 1956), Joe Cronin, Hack Wilson, Red Ruffing, Max Carey, and Zack Wheat. All of these gentlemen were eventually selected to represent these hallowed grounds.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Signing up a Hollywood actress as the face of a beauty brand is a common practice. But, Max Factor has taken the step of appointing a star who died in 1962. Marilyn Monroe has been unveiled as the company’s official Global Glamour Ambassador for its 2015 advertising campaigns. They will highlight the role make-up played in transforming Norma Jean into the blonde bombshell of Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch.

Manny P. here…

   Edward Herrmann brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to life in movies and documentaries, won a Tony Award, and charmed audiences as the stuffy dad on television’s Gilmore Girls. He was also a ubiquitous narrator for historical programs on The History Channel, and in such PBS productions as Nova.

<– Edward Herrmann began his career in theatre. But, his legacy remains in the many films and small screen performances that made his voice instantly recognizable. His motion pictures include The Day of the Dolphin, The Paper Chase, The Great Gatsby, Reds, Annie, The Great Waldo Pepper, The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Lost Boys, The Man with One Red Shoe, Overboard, Big Business, the remake of Born Yesterday, Nixon, The Aviator, The Emperor’s Club, and The Wolf of Wall Street. On the small screen, he excelled in Eleanor and Franklin, M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, and regularly, on Gilmore Girls. He narrated The American Revolution miniseries, and most recently, reprised the voice of FDR in Ken Burns acclaimed, The Roosevelts.

   Herrmann returned to Broadway in 1976 in the revival of Mrs. Warren’s Profession. For his performance, he won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He earned an Emmy in 1999 for his guest appearances on The Practice.

   In my home, his quaint voice was as familiar to me as a relative chatting at the dinner table. Edward Herrmann was 71.

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   From Television’s Golden Age, Donna Douglas (below) was part of the Clampett family on the very popular The Beverly Hillbillies. She was known for her role as Elly May, the pretty tomboy who loved wild animals and could beat up her cousin Jethro, played by Max Baer Jr.

   She was featured as the Letters Girl on The Perry Como Show and as the Billboard Girl on The Steve Allen Show. These and other television appearances led New York photographers and newspaper reporters to award her the Miss By-line crown, which she wore on The Ed Sullivan Show. She guest-starred on weekly programs, such as Bachelor Father, Thriller,  The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Adam-12, and Route 66. She was also cast in four 1961 episodes of the detective series, Checkmate. Prior to co-starring in The Beverly Hillbillies, Douglas was best remembered for The Twilight Zone episode, Eye of the Beholder.

   Her big screen films include Career, Lil Abner, Lover Come Back, Frankie and Johnny with Elvis Presley, and later, in The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies, a reunion of sorts. In 2010, Mattel released a new collection of three Barbies called the Classic TV Collection. These dolls were Samantha Stephens (from Bewitched, played by Elizabeth Montgomery), Jeannie (from I Dream of Jeannie, played by Barbara Eden) and Elly May Clampett.

   Donna Douglas was 81.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A plan to convert the former home of Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II into a tourist attraction appears to have created a conflict. But, his grandson hopes public officials will soon start singing a different tune. The composer spent 20 years at Highland Farm in suburban Philadelphia, where he co-wrote musical blockbusters, such as Oklahoma, Carousel, The King and I, and South Pacific. Will Hammerstein wants to turn the property into the Oscar Hammerstein II Music and Theatre Education Center. However, Doylestown Township supervisors and neighbors object to the scale of the $20 million proposal, saying it’s too much development for the parcel. A zoning hearing will be held on January 12th.

   Hammerstein purchased Highland Farm in 1940, and it was there he and Richard Rodgers formed their creative partnership. The farm was the locale where they worked together on The Sound of Music, and other productions. James, his youngest son,  attended nearby George School with Stephen Sondheim, who became a frequent visitor to the farm. Sondheim followed in Oscar’s path, penning lyrics to Into the Woods and West Side Story. After Hammerstein died of cancer at his beloved farm in 1960, his widow sold the land.

   There were many owners over the years, losing acreage as the plot was subdivided in a largely suburban county. Current owner Christine Cole has turned the main building into a bed-and-breakfast, with each room dedicated to musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

   Then, Will Hammerstein made a reservation at the B&B in 2010. He was in town for a reunion at George School. Together, Cole and Hammerstein came up with an idea for a classic Broadway fan experience: a house tour, a museum exhibit in the barn and capped off with an actual performance. It would require building a 400-seat venue, plus a parking lot on the now five-acre lot.

   Adjacent property owners have major concerns about noise, traffic, and storm water runoff, according to their lawyer. The zoning board meeting isn’t the only hurdle; approvals from other commissions would be required before ground could be broken. And then there’s fundraising. Will Hammerstein, a lawyer living in Brooklyn, incorporated a nonprofit to help.

   Members of the local arts council expressed enthusiasm for the project, as it would add cache to a region that already boasts the James A. Michener Museum and Pearl S. Buck House — authors who were both good friends with Oscar Hammerstein.

   In spite of the imposing odds, the collaborative team wishes to make the Pennsylvania hills alive with the sound of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

   Hopefully, they will succeed.

Until next year>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Luise Rainer  made cinematic history as the first person to win multiple Academy Awards and to garner them consecutively for her roles in The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth. Only four other movie stars have ever won back-to-back Oscars: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, and Tom Hanks. Rainer was also the oldest surviving actor owning a golden statuette, earning both in 1936 and 1937.

   She began her acting career as a teenager under innovative Austrian director Max Reinhardt, and appeared in several German films. In the mid-1930s, she was discovered by a talent scout from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer – on the lookout for new European beauties to rival Greta Garbo – and whisked to Hollywood. Her first American film was the largely forgotten Escapade, but the next roles made her a bona-fide star.        LUISE RAINER ——>

   She was later dubbed the Viennese teardrop, for her dramatic telephone scene in the bio-pic about the Broadway producer, Florenz Ziegfeld, that also starred William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Frank Morgan. She played Anna Held, the first wife of the famed impresario. For her next role, producer Irving Thalberg was convinced she would also be able to play the part of a poor Chinese farm peasant in the film based on Pearl Buck’s novel about hardship in China. All of a sudden, Luise was the studio’s hottest property.

   Rainer made several pictures in 1937-1938, including Big City (with Spencer Tracy) Toy Wife, and The Great Waltz, but she chafed under the studio system and clashed with mogul Louis B. Mayer, and soon moved to New York. Despite the negativity, Rainer was one of the actresses considered for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, but the idea was never well-received, and she wasn’t given a screen test. She was later bypassed for consideration in Madame Curie and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Greer Garson and Ingrid Bergman benefited from these casting decisions. Adding to her rapid decline, some feel, was poor career advice given to her by husband, playwright Clifford Odets, along with the unexpected death, at age 37, of Thalberg, whom she greatly admired. Rainer made only one more studio era film – Hostages in 1943 – but spent most of her later life in England. Some film historians consider her the most extreme case of the so-called Oscar curse in Hollywood mythology.

   Federico Fellini enticed her to play the cameo role of Dolores in his 1960 Oscar-winning La Dolce Vita to the point of her travelling to Rome, but she quit the production prior to shooting, a fact that has been attributed either to her resistance to an unwanted sex scene, or to her insistence on overseeing her own dialogue. She appeared sporadically on television, such as guest starring in Combat and The Love Boat.

   Rainer took her oath of allegiance to the United States in the 1940s, but she would end up living in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, instead. She made appearances at the 1998 and 2003 Academy Awards ceremonies as part of special retrospective tributes to past Oscar winners. In April 2010, she returned to Hollywood to present a TCM festival screening of The Good Earth, accompanied by an interview with host Robert Osborne.

   One of the all-time greats of Hollywood’s Golden Age of the 1930s, Luise Rainer was 104 (two weeks shy of her birthday).

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Time and Mother Nature are threatening to dismantle The Alamo. Not the original, but the replica 18th-century Spanish mission and Old West movie set John Wayne built for his Oscar-nominated 1960 movie. For decades, it was a tourist mecca and film production site. Alamo Village, a 400-acre plot of land about 120 miles west of San Antonio, was carved out of a large ranch in the late 1950s for Wayne’s directorial debut.

   Starring Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and the Duke as Davy Crockett, The Alamo had an estimated $12 million budget, huge for its time. The 4-foot-thick Alamo facade was modeled off a 1936 map of the historic building — drawn up for the Texas centennial — and set construction took nearly two years. Unlike the real Alamo, which is dwarfed by taller buildings in the heart of San Antonio, the view from John Wayne’s Alamo offers a panorama of iconic Texas and Western images.

   In its heyday, Wayne’s Alamo hosted James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch, and Willie Nelson. This is where James Arness reprised his famous Matt Dillon role in a Gunsmoke television movie. In all, nearly 40 major film and small screen productions, plus hundreds of commercials, documentaries, and music videos were shot at Alamo Village. And musical shows, comedy skits, and staged gunfights drew hundreds of tourists daily.

   At the main entrance to the ranch, only an abandoned ticket booth and a weathered sign telling visitors they’re entering the world’s largest outdoor movie set hint at its storied past. In recent years, a large crack has developed on the front of the Alamo facade. A tree grows inside. Walls and structures that have been replaced are failing.

   Corpus Christi businessman David Jones envisions saving Alamo Village as a Texas version of Old Tucson, a thriving Old West theme park in southern Arizona. Jones, who describes himself as a lifelong friend of the former owners, says he’s close to raising the $8 million he believes is necessary to buy the property and ready it for visitors.

   If preserved, two icons will be remembered… The Alamo and John Wayne (above).

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Christmas card dates back to Victorian-era England. Sir Henry Cole commissioned John Calcott Horsley to design a card for the holiday in 1843. Two batches totaling 2,050 cards were printed and sold that year for a shilling each. Early English cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favoring flowers, fairies, and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of Spring. Humorous and sentimental images of children and animals were popular, as were increasingly elaborate shapes, decorations, and materials. Official Christmas cards began with Queen Victoria in the 1840s. The British Royal family’s cards continued to reflect significant personal events of the year.

   Festive greeting cards were imported to America from England until 1874, when German-born printer Louis Prang produced the first American-made cards. Nineteenth century designs ranged from depictions of Christmas trees and Nativity scenes to cards shaped like bells and candles, or decorated with silk and satin.

    By the early twentieth century, sending Christmas cards had become a popular custom in Britain and the United States. The production of Christmas cards became a profitable business for many stationery manufacturers with the design of cards continually evolving with changing tastes and printing techniques.

   The World Wars brought cards with patriotic themes. Cartoon illustrations caught on with nostalgic, sentimental, and religious images. Of course, movie stars joined in on the tradition, dating back to the Silent Era, and into Hollywood’s Golden Age.

   ELIZABETH TAYLOR                       ESTHER WILLIAMS

   Have a very Merry Christmas!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Among the 25 cinematic additions within the Library of Congress National Film Registry are classics from Hollywood’s Golden Age. The 2014 class includes:

~ Down Argentine Way (1940) – Betty Grable’s first starring role in a Technicolor musical happened only because Alice Faye had an attack of appendicitis, but Grable took advantage of the situation and made herself as important to 20th Century Fox as Faye. Released a year before America entered World War II, this film and others starring Grable established her as the pinup queen. Carmen Miranda made her American film debut, and the Nicholas Brothers’ unparalleled dance routines dazzle.

~ The Power and the Glory (1933) – Preston Sturges’ first original screenplay, it’s a haunting tragedy in sharp contrast to the comedies of the 1940s that established him as one of America’s foremost directors. Compared favorably to novels by Henry James and Joseph Conrad for its extensive mix of narration with dramatic action (Fox Studios coined the word narratage to publicize the innovative technique), The Power and the Glory introduced a non-chronological structure to mainstream motion pictures that later influenced the production of Citizen Kane. Spencer Tracy’s performance was one of the fullest characterizations ever achieved on screen.

~ Rio Bravo (1959) – As the legend goes, this Western directed by Howard Hawks was produced as a riposte to Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon. John Wayne stars and is supported by Walter Brennan, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Angie Dickinson is the love interest, and Claude Akins, Ward Bond, and Pedro Gonzalez are also featured. A smart Western where gunplay is matched by wordplay, Rio Bravo is a terrific ensemble piece and it’s director Hawks’ last great film.

~ Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) – Charles Laughton is known for such serious roles as Nero, King Henry VIII, and Captain Bligh. He took on comedy in this tale of an English manservant won in a poker game by Charlie Ruggles, a member of Red Gap, part of Washington’s social elite. Aided by ZaSu Pitts and Roland Young, Laughton really shows his acting range. It didn’t hurt that Leo McCarey, who had just worked with W.C. Fields, was in the director’s chair. McCarey, who could pull heartstrings or touch funny bones with equal skill, started his long directorial career working with such comedic icons as Laurel & Hardy, and he created several beloved American films.

~ State Fair (1933) – For director Henry King to create a film that celebrated an institution as beloved as the State Fair, it required the presence of a cherished and steadfast star; in this case, America’s favorite cowboy Will Rogers. The humorist found a superlative vehicle for his homespun persona in this small town slice-of-life setting. He is assisted by Janet Gaynor, Lew Ayres, and Sally Eilers.

~ The Gang’s All Here (1943) – Although not remembered as well today as those put out by MGM, 20th Century-Fox’s big Technicolor musicals stand up well in comparison. Alice Faye was Fox’s #1 musical star. Carmen Miranda and her outrageous costume is highlighted in the legendary musical number The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat. Busby Berkeley, who had completed stints choreographing musicals at MGM and at Warner Bros., directed this gem.

~ House of Wax (1953) – A remake of 1933’s Mystery of the Wax Museum, the House of Wax expanded upon the earlier horror tale of a mad sculptor who encases his victims’ corpses in wax. It was produced by Warner Bros., and is considered the first full-length 3-D color film ever produced by a major film studio. Along with its technical innovations, House of Wax also solidified Vincent Price’s new role as a master of the macabre. Phyllis Kirk, Frank Lovejoy, and Carolyn Jones complete the cast.

   Other added celluloid include… Saving Private Ryan,  Little Big Man, Rosemary’s Baby, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Big Lebowski, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The premise of the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series is that Hollywood history and American history intersect in what I metaphorically call Hollywood-and-Vine moments. The year 2014 will be remembered for its holiday season as Sony Pictures pulled the plug on a film release due to cyber and personal threats on our freedom to make satirical comment, and even, to simply attend a movie with your family on Christmas. The cyber threats were quite real, laying waste to Sony Pictures Entertainment as they were internet hacked. First-run movies and employee’s private emails were illegally distributed to the public. The implied 9-11 style security threats on movie theaters remains conjecture as of this writing.

   Under the threat of terrorist attacks and with the nation’s largest multiplex chains pulling the film from its screens, Sony Pictures took the unprecedented step of pulling the December 25th release of The Interview. Sony cancelled the motion picture release in light of the decision by the majority of exhibitors not to show the film. AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, and Cinemark Theatres — the three top theater chains in North America — announced they were postponing any showings of the comedy about a television host tasked by the CIA to assassinate North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. The cancellation, announced Wednesday, was a startling blow to the Hollywood studio shaken by leaks and intimidation over the last several weeks by an anonymous group calling itself Guardians of Peace.

   Sony Pictures, which distributes much of Columbia Pictures classic film library, had acquired Lorimar Studios, previously on the MGM lot in Culver City. Many in the industry saw this brazen movie lot acquisition as an expansive purchase, like vultures picking at the dead bones of a formally mighty creature. With recent e-mail revelations from the moguls who run Sony regarding negative personal opinions about President Obama and actors, such as Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio, little capital sympathy exists from insiders in Hollywood.

   Yet, the bigger picture is clear. Sony’s announcement was met with widespread distress across Hollywood and throughout many other realms that followed on what amounted to one of the most significant hacking attacks on a corporation. With a modest budget of $40 million, The Interview was predicted to earn around $30 million in its opening weekend. Should the film not be released theatrically, Sony would also lose tens of millions in marketing costs already incurred. The Asian market had previously cancelled the release of the flick, another massive monetary blow to the movie studio.

   Cinematic political satire has a long and rich tradition. French and Italian filmmakers have never shied away from such drama. Duck Soup, The Great Dictator, To Be or Not To Be, Dr. Strangelove, and Fail Safe are noteworthy examples of classic cinema that has tackled the notion about rogue-countries-doing-unsettling-things-against-an-oppressed-people.

   Our freedoms have been compromised in a startling way. Newt Gingrich tweeted:  America had lost its first battle in the war of cyber terrorism. A former senior national security official in the George W. Bush administration commented that Sony made the wrong decision. SAG Award nominee Steve Carell called it:  A sad day for creative expression. Jimmy Kimmel also surmised:  (Sony’s decision) validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent. These are not over-statements, in my estimation.

  The truth… America’s long running military conflict remains in tact. The Korean War began in 1950, and it never really concluded. It has been seen as both a civil war and a proxy conflict in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. While not directly committing forces, Soviets have provided strategic planning, weapons, and material aid to North Korean and Chinese armies. The United States keeps a military presence in the area as an effort to uphold the armistice between South and North Korea.

   In the final analysis, the ultimate power of making movies remains viable on all levels of global culture and society. Let’s hope this art-form will always be a courageous way of individual expression. The Sony Pictures decision to buckle from bully threats should be the exception, not the rule.   KIM JONG-UN —–>

   I hope I never fear the opportunity to express my opinion over this or any other controversial issue.

   Just sayin’…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Here’s a flyer for a special nationwide screening of The Wizard of Oz, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events:

   What a great way to start the new year! Cut and paste the link below to obtain your tickets:

http://www.fathomevents.com/event/the-wizard-of-oz-75th-anniversary

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   Bess Myerson was an model and television actress. She was the first and, to date, only Jewish American to be crowned Miss America. Her attaining that title, days after the end of the Second World War, was a seminal event for Jews as an affirmation of the community’s integration into American society.

   She appeared regularly on television in the 1950s and 1960s, and was a regular on the celebrity quiz show I’ve Got a Secret. Myerson parlayed her fame into a political career, unsuccessfully running for the United States Senate, and holding high positions in the New York City government in two administrations. Her career ended in the 1980s, when she was swept up in a scandal that led to a 1988 trial in federal court on multiple charges, in which she was eventually acquitted.

   Bess Myerson (right) was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Former Topps Company executive Sy Berger, regarded as the father of the modern baseball card died early Sunday at his home in Rockville Center, NY. Berger personally signed players to baseball card contracts throughout the next few decades.

   A Bucknell graduate, Berger went to work for Topps before it produced baseball cards. He served in World War II, then became part of a small team that took on Bowman Gum by signing players to appear on the company’s oversized 1952 Topps set, which was designed on Berger’s kitchen table. Using scissors and cardboard at his kitchen table, Berger played around with ideas for trading cards until he struck upon a design that endured for decades: a card with team logos and simulated player autographs on the front and bios and stats on the back.

   Sy Berger was 91.

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   Over the weekend, I attended the OC/LA MCA-I Holiday Party. Southern California media professionals engaged in an evening of fellowship, entertainment, and even karaoke. During the gift exchange and raffle portion of the festivities, my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series were given away. The winner of my literary works was songstress Beverly Bremers.

   Beverly’s career is notable. She performed on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour on her thirteenth birthday. Bremers joined the musical Hair early in its Broadway run. In 1970, she was an original cast member of The Me Nobody Knows, winning an Obie for her performance. Beverly is best known for recording the 1972 Top 20 hit single Don’t Say You Don’t Remember.

   Currently, Beverly Bremers is also a well-respected vocal coach… and a proud owner of the Forgotten Hollywood Book Series

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   I’ve been invited to be a guest on Circle of Insight on the Therapy Cable network. The web television program is hosted by the esteemed Carlos Vazquez, a former congressional candidate for the US House of Representatives. I’ll be waxing nostalgic about Hollywood’s Golden Age and its psychological impact on society and culture, the Great Depression, the Allied fight during World War II, and the subsequent rise of the Baby Boomer generation. The internet podcast explores psychology with a myriad of topics, such as economics, politics, religion, and more. My three-part interview can be viewed after 02/21 on therapycable.com. As stated by Carlos Vazquez on his LinkedIn website:

Founded in 2013, Circle of Insight is a research and educational institution – a think tank-whose mission is to explore the tough issues and questions and to create, develop, and distribute content that will stimulate, encourage, and facilitate serious discussion in the hope of better understanding and advancement.

The Circle’s staff pursues this mission by performing timely, accurate research on relevant and pertinent issues and providing discussions with leading experts in their field.

The guests are comprised of doctors, lawyers, politicians, scientists, and experts in their field. We believe a multidisciplinary approach is essential in finding rational, comprehensive and practical solutions.

Cut-and-paste the link below for the latest program:

http://therapycable.com/circle-of-insight-the-origin-of-isil.html

   Carlos Vazquez is a financial planner specializing in retirement and behavioral finance (the psychology of investment decisions). He examines the unconscious patterns that create our views and behaviors towards money, risk, and decision making. Also, Vazquez is a Doctoral Candidate in Psychology.

   Here’s the complete lowdown about Therapy Cable:

   Just in time for the holidays, I invite you to tune in!

Until next time>                               “never forget”