Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`Just like John Ford, Sam Peckinpah employed many of the same actors for his revisionist Westerns. One of those performers was L. Q. Jones. He was cast in the director’s Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. He was also prolific in television Westerns.

“`Jones turning to acting after corresponding with his former college roommate,  Fess Parker. At the time, Parker was already in Hollywood working in films and on televisions. This chat led to recurring roles in Cheyenne, Lassie, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, Have Gun – Will Travel, and especially, in Laramie, Rawhide, The Big Valley and Gunsmoke. He also guest-starred in Perry Mason, Route 66, My Favorite Martian, Hawaii 5-0, The F. B. I., Cannon, Kung Fu, Ironside, McCloud, Charlie’s Angels and Columbo.

“`He became a member of Sam Peckinpah’s stock company of actors and was frequently cast alongside his close friend Strother Martin.  Under the tutelage of Peckinpah, Jones eventually directed, produced and wrote the screenplay for Harlan Ellison’s A Boy and His Dog in 1975. Jones also appeared in  Battle Cry, Love Me Tender, Operation Mad Ball, Flaming Star, Nevada Smith, Hang ‘Em High and Casino.

“`L. Q. Jones (above right) was ninety-four.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Larry Storch was a comedic actor, best remembered for his role as Corporal Agarn on F-Troop. He was also a celebrated voice actor. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1967, but lost to childhood friend Don Adams that year. He even auditioned to play James Bond early in his career.

“`His high school classmate was Adams;  and he was the shipmate of Tony Curtis on the submarine tender USS Proteus. Early on, he would warm up an audience with comedic impressions for a local bandleader.

“`Storch was busy on television, guest-starring in Car 54 Where Are You, Sergeant Bilko, Mannix, Get Smart, Columbo, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, McCloud, The Flying Nun, Alias Smith and Jones, I Dream of Jeannie, Gomer Pyle  U. S. M. C., Gilligan’s Island, That  Girl, Love American Style and All in the Family.  He also performed on variety programs, such as The Ed Sullivan Show, Sonny and Cher, The Tonight Show, Laugh-In and The Hollywood Palace.

“`Surprisingly, Storch was in twenty-five films, notably in Captain Newman M. D., Sex and the Single Girl, The Great Race, Airport ‘75, and S. O. B.

“`Larry Storch (above right), always in his Agarn hat, was ninety-nine.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`While at the TCM Classic Film Festival for Celebrating Act 2 and Forgotten Hollywood, I ran into Hollywood Forever’s Karie Bible and Hollywood historian Jeremy Arnold. This was a lovely chat!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Out of the 1960s, came a rugged type of actor, well-suited in Westerns and hard-boiled dramas. Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, James Garner and Steve McQueen come to mind. One of the very best was James Caan; a true movie star who shared his screen time with some of the very best in his generation, such as Marlon Brando, John Wayne, Al Pacino, Robert Mitchum, Kathy Bates, Robert Duvall and Billy Dee Williams. He is remembered as the hot-tempered Sonny in The Godfather; and as the dying football player in the remarkable teleplay, Brian’s Song.

“`Caan went to Hofstra University and sparked an unlikely and fortuitous friendship with classmate Francis Ford Coppola. Caan was accepted to New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, where he studied for five years. He began his career in television in 1961.

“`Caan guest-starred in Combat!, The Untouchables, Death Valley Days, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, Wagon Train, Ben Casey, Get Smart and The F. B. I. His film career began with a walk-on in Billy Wilder’s Irma La Douce. His big break came when Howard Hawks cast him in El Dorado. Caan’s 1971 television role in Brian’s Song proved to be so successful, he earned an Emmy nomination and became an instant matinee idol.  (He had turned down the part four times!)

“`In The Godfather, Coppola originally cast Caan to play Michael Corleone. Both agreed that Al Pacino was better suited to the role. Coppola really wanted his friend to be in the movie, so he moved him over to play Sonny. During the production, Caan began hanging out with actual Mafiosos. Like George Raft, he kept a close relationship with his mob friends for the entirety of his career. Pacino, Caan and Robert Duvall received Oscar nods for their sterling performances.

“`Caan co-starred in Cinderella Liberty, Freebie and the Bean, Funny Lady, Rollerball, Silent Movie, A Bridge Too Far, Comes a Horseman, Dick Tracy and memorable bits in Misery,Thief and Elf. He also had a flashback cameo in The Godfather Part II. During his peak years of stardom,  he rejected a series of starring roles that proved to be successes for other actors, including M*A*S*H, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now, Love Story, Blade Runner and Superman.

“`James Caan (above right) was eighty-two.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I get to spend a treasured moment on Celebrating Act 2 with Art Kirsch and John Coleman to chat about the famous Hollywood stars that were graduates of my alma mater, Van Nuys High School in the San Fernando Valley. I get to share a couple of very personal fun stories as well!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Joe Turkel was a character actor most known for three roles in Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing, Paths of Glory and The Shining, He also gave a memorable performance in Blade Runner.                 JOE TURKEL —>

“`Turkel’s career took of in the 1950s and he remained busy through the 1960s with parts in Halls of Montezuma, Friendly Persuasion, Hellcats of the Navy, The Carpetbaggers, King Rat, The Sand Pebbles, The St. Valentines Day Massacre, and The Hindenburg. On the small screen, he appeared in The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bonanza, Rat Patrol and Miami Vice.

“`Prior to his passing, Turkel wrote a memoir, The Misery of Success, scheduled for a release later this year.

“`Joe Turkel was ninety-four.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Composer John Williams might be walking away from cinema after six decades of creating memorable motion picture scores. He would join Harrison Ford in retirement after completion of the latest Indiana Jones movie.

“`He plans to continue touring with a number of concerts planned for the rest of the year around the world. He wants to compose concert music in his private time.

“`Williams leaves Hollywood with an impressive legacy and his scores  known around the world. He won five Oscars with over fifty nominations.  He is credited for the sound that inspired   Star Wars, Jaws, The Poseidon Adventure, E. T., Jurassic Park, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Harry Potter. Williams also created the title themes to Lost In Space, Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I offer this premise, based on the observations made by the Czar of Noir (Eddie Muller)… Ruth Mundsack may be the #1 fan of TCM! Let’s meet her…

“`Celebrating Act 2 and Forgotten Hollywood enjoying the sights and sounds at this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Philip Baker Hall was a talented character actor who appeared in memorable films. He collaborated with directors Robert Altman and Paul Thomas Anderson.

“`Hall began his career in television and guest-starred in M*A*S*H, Good Times, The Waltons, Quincy M. E., T. J. Hooker, Matlock, Benson, Miami Vice, Falcon Crest, Emergency!, Chicago Hope, Murder She Wrote, Seinfeld, L. A. Law, Cheers, The West Wing and Modern Family.

“`He offered reliable movie support in  Nothing in Common, Hard Eight, Midnight Run, Ghostbusters II, Air Force One, Boogie Nights, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty, The Insider, Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Rules of Engagement, and Argo.

“`Philip Baker Hall (above right) was ninety.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I have fun with Art Kirsch and John Coleman of Celebrating Act 2 reviewing my favorite films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. (One thing… I mistakenly mentioned that Montgomery Clift won a Best Actor Oscar in 1961. It was actually Maximilian Schell.)

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`The votes are in from the TCM Classic Film Festival! We interviewed a number of fans that traveled from all over the country to share  with us their favorite screening as we celebrated Hollywood’s Golden Age. Join Celebrating Act 2 to reflect on a fest well done…

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`This episode on Celebrating Act 2 is wonderfully special. The chat I have with Art Kirsch and John Coleman parallels the chapter I have in my book, Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. I call it: Children of the Depression…

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Bo Hopkins was an actor remembered for playing the leader of the Pharoahs gang in American Graffiti. Hopkins appeared in over one-hundred film and television roles in a career of more than forty years.

“`Just like Ray Liotta, Hopkins was an adopted child. He led a troubled life as a teenager with instances of truancy, minor crimes and a stay in a reform school.  He dropped out of school just before his seventeenth birthday and joined the United States Army, where he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division was shipped off to Korea, where he served for nine months.

“`In Hollywood, he earned a living parking cars while studying at the Actors Studio. One of his classmates was Martin Landau. Hopkins appeared in popular films including The Wild Bunch, The Getaway, White Lightning, The Bridge at Remagen and Midnight Express. He was busy on television, guest-starring in  The Rockford Files, Dynasty,  Gunsmoke, Bonanza,  The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O,  The Rookies, Charlie’s Angels,  Fantasy Island, The A-Team, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Fall Guy and Murder She Wrote.

“`Bo Hopkins (above right) was eighty-four.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Ray Liotta was a rugged actor with piercing eyes.  He was best known for his performances in Field of Dreams and GoodFellas. He also portrayed singer Frank Sinatra in the television movie The Rat Pack for which he received a SAG Awards nomination.

                          RAY LIOTTA                  JOE PESCI

“`Liotta moved to New York after his graduation from college to try his luck at acting. He got a job as a bartender at the Shubert Organization and landed an agent within six months. One of his earliest roles was on the soap opera Another World. He quit the show after three years so he could try his luck in the film industry in Los Angeles. He made his movie debut in 1983’s The Lonely Lady. His initial major acting assignment was in Something Wild, which earned him his first Golden Globes nomination.

“`After his breakthrough performances in Field of Dreams and GoodFellas, he would stay busy in Hollywood for the rest of his career, with notable performances in  Unlawful Entry, John Q, Narc, Hannibal, and Smokin’ Aces. Liotta was partial to animation and children’s programmming and he appeared in flicks with SpongeBob SquarePants and The Muppets. At the time of his passing, Liotta had several projects in production.

“`Ray Liotta was sixty-seven.

To honor the memory of this fine actor, I present a tribute to the movie GoodFellas on my podcast, Manny Pacheco’s Forgotten Hollywood.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I enter an engaging Celebrating Act 2 chat about the terrific character actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age. This trip down memory lane is well worth the price of admission.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”