Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`The 2024 selections of Library of Congress’ National Film Registry have been announced. This year’s selections are exceptional, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Pride of the Yankees (1942),  Invaders from Mars (1953), The Miracle Worker (1962), Dirty Dancing (1987) and The Social Network (2010). Unfortunately our campaign to get Robert Youngson’s documentaries, Golden Age of Comedy and When Comedy was King, proved unsuccessful this year. The effort continues…

“`Let us look at the Golden Age of Hollywood selections:

~ ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) –  The collaborative efforts by James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart and director Michael Curtiz makes a Depression-era crime drama that reinforces the notion that cities were born in streets of immigrant neighborhoods.  The work may have been considered Cagney’s signature role if not for The Public Enemy made seven years earlier. The Dead End Kids are symbolic of the kind of grit youths needed after they grew up to become the greatest generation determined to rid Axis aggression.

~ THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942) – Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright and Walter Brennan shine in this bio-pic.  This film is a Hollywood tribute to the New York Yankees iron man first baseman Lou Gehrig, who had recently died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s disease). Babe Ruth appears in the movie, adding to its authenticity and poignance. The beloved classic culminates with Cooper’s re-enactment of Gehrig’s famous 1939 farewell speech at Yankee Stadium and a heart-wrenching: Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.

~ INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) – The 1950s produced many science fiction films, ignited by post-World War II paranoia over the hydrogen bomb, growing technological advancements, fear of Soviet expansion and Communist infiltration of American society.  Directed by William Cameron Menzies, with cinematography by John Seitz, the movie features stunning sets and photography in Supercinecolor. Recently restored by Ignite Films in collaboration with George Eastman Museum, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and UCLA Film and Television Archive.

~ THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962) – This celebrated early work from director Arthur Penn tells the incredible true-life story of Helen Keller and her determined teacher Anne Sullivan, chronicled in remarkable performances by Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, both fresh from a Broadway triumph on stage. Keller was still alive when the story was adapted to the screen. This production allowed the iconic activist to make peace with Hollywood and their previous attempts to categorize Keller as a curiosity.

“`The Library of Congress National Film Registry annually inducts twenty-five movies that are considered culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. These films must be at least ten years old.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`We continue our series of Forgotten Hollywood’s Top 3 in various genres of the Studio Era. This time around, it is those sagebrush sagas we regard as The Western. Art Kirsh and John Coleman from Celebrating Act 2 have their own ideas of what belongs on this list and that is what makes this conversation so fun!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Earl Holliman was a busy actor in many of Hollywood’s top movie productions for over six decades. He won a Golden Globe Award for the film The Rainmaker, co-starring with Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster. Holliman was also an activist and was an honorary chairman for Toys for Tots and president of Actors and Others for Animals for twenty-five years.

“`Wanting to become an actor, he traveled to Hollywood on money he earned as an usher and as a news boy. He joined the military despite his being too young to enlist. Holliman spent most of his free time at the Hollywood Canteen.

“`While performing at the Pasadena Playhouse, he sneaked to the Paramount Pictures  lot by claiming to have an appointment with the studio barber. Holliman eventually became friends with studio executives. He receuved a small bit part opposite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in Scared Stiff. Other movie roles include Broken Lance, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Big Combo, I Died a Thousand Times, Forbidden Planet, Giant, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and The Sons of Katie Elder.

“`On television, Holliman had the distinction of appearing on the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone. He landed a starring part on Police Woman, and a recurring role on The Thorn Birds and Caroline in the City.

“`Columnist Louella Parsons once referred to the soft-spoken actor as dedicated as though he were Marlon Brando and Anthony Perkins combined,  high praise considering his unassuming presence on screen.

“`Earl Holliman was ninety-six.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2, with my friends Art Kirsch and John Coleman, is helping me present and 11-part series called:  Forgotten Hollywood’s Top 3. Each episode, I choose my favorite films of a particular genre. Today, we examine my favorite in film noir.

“`This should be fun… Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here

“`Art Kirsh, John Coleman and I are close pals. On Celebrating Act 2, we discuss the close friendships during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`The Detective genre were popular as “B” movies in the 1930s and 1940s. John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I provide some of the more obscure series of movies, such as  Bulldog Drummond, Michael Shayne, Torchy Blaine, Boston Blackie and Ellery Queen.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget” 

Manny P. here…

“`Love em or Hate em, Ward Bond was prolific in his craft, and he appeared in more Oscar-nominated movies than any other movie star during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Art Kirsch and John Coleman join me on Celebrating Act 2 for a frank discussion on the durable actor.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Screen personas are not always accurate depictions of an actor’s private life. Take the case of Edward G. Robinson. His tough guy persona belied his cultured personality away from the screen. Celebrating Act 2 reveals all!

“`Until next time>                            “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Dame Margaret Natalie Smith was a personal favorite actress of mine. I loved her in great cinema, such as in  The V. I. P.’s, Death on the Nile, A Room with a View, Gosford Park, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and her Oscar-winning turn in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I fancied her comedies, such as  Sister Act, Quartet and particularly, Murder by Death. I watched her on television each week on Downtown Abbey and I never missed an episode. I even supported her exemplary performances in inferior productions, including in The First Wives Club and her Oscar-winning role in California Suite.                           MAGGIE SMITH ->

“`At the Oxford University Dramatic Society, Smith began her stage career in 1952 as Viola in Twelfth Night. In 1956, she made her Broadway debut. Laurence Olivier invited Smith to become part of his new National Theatre Company, soon after it was formed at The Old Vic in 1962. Alongside Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon, she was a fixture at the Royal National Theatre in the 1960s. Hollywood came calling and she never looked back.

“`A young generation of viewers emerged after Smith was cast in the Harry Potter series of movies. After co-starring in every episode of Downtown Abbey, she continued her role as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in two big screen productions.

“`She received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Baftas, four Emmys, three Golden Globes and a Tony Award. Smith was one of the few film performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting.

“`It would be easy to include Maggie Smith in the Top Ten of all-time great British Actresses, alongside  Wendy Hiller, Vivien Leigh, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr, Elizabeth Taylor, Vanessa Redgrave, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench.  Some might include Judith Anderson and Margaret Rutherford as well.

“`My first choice from such a treasured list remains Maggie Smith. She was eighty-nine.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`There are so many places in Hollywood to visit and Celebrating Act 2 has a rundown. John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I recommend some of our favorites!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`James Earl Jones was a sensational Broadway and movie actor, who may have been more famous with his voice than with his looks. He is best remembered for his audio performance as Darth Vader in the  Star Wars franchise, as Mufasa in The Lion King and as the vocal brand of CNN. He was one of the few performers to achieve the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). JAMES EARL JONES ->

“`Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 in Sunrise at Campobello. He gained prominence for acting in numerous productions with Shakespeare in the Park, including  Othello, Hamlet and King Lear. He won a Tony for his role as a boxer in The Great White Hope, in which he reprised in the 1970 film adaptation, earning him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

“`Jones made his movie debut in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Other notable film roles include: Claudine, The Comedians, Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

“`On television, Jones appeared in Dr. Kildare, Sesame Street, L. A. Law, Highway to Heaven, Third Rock From the Sun, Will and Grace, Mad About You, The Simpsons, Frasier, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and the celebrated Roots.

“`In 2019, he was honored as a Disney Legend. In March 2022, Broadway’s Cort Theatre was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre in his honor. After his passing. the NAACP, SAG-AFTRA and Major League Baseball paid tribute to the actor.

“`James Earl Jones was ninety-three.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I spend treasured time on Celebrating Act 2 chatting about the life and times of screen siren, Gloria Grahame. She was sultry and vulnerable and a big favorite of our crew.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget” 

Manny P. here…

“`Where do I go for research for my blogs and books? Find out when I share with Art Kirsch and John Coleman on Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Today, I join Art Kirsch and John Coleman on Celebrating Act 2 as we discuss the Golden Age of Radio, when movie stars often were featured in radio programs.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Celebrating Act 2 looks at one of those exciting moments in most films, simply called “the chase.” Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I examine some of the more iconic chases in celluloid history.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                              “never forget”