Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Indian tribes and Jim Thorpe’s sons to move the remains of the athletic great from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma. Thorpe’s two surviving sons, and the Sac and Fox Nation have been seeking to bury Thorpe on American Indian land in Oklahoma.

   The justices on Monday left in place a court ruling that ordered Thorpe’s body to remain in the Pennsylvania town that bears his name. His wife won the original agreement from two merging towns in Pennsylvania to build a memorial and name the new town after Thorpe. Police then seized Thorpe’s body during his funeral service in Oklahoma.

   Thorpe was a football, baseball, and track star who won the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics. He died in 1953 at age 64. A motion picture was made that was considered a fictionalized biography of his well-documented  life. Burt Lancaster starred as the athlete.

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   ME-TV.com is featuring one of the small screen’s finest daytime live shows during its Golden Age. And, the star is none other than exercise guru – Jack LaLanne.

   The Godfather of Fitness opened America’s first health club in 1936. The Jack LaLanne Physical Culture Studio — a gym, juice bar, and health food store — kickstarted the modern health movement. In 1951, the charismatic health expert brought his winning workouts to television. Wearing his signature jumpsuit and slippers, The Jack LaLanne Show ran for 34 years. His dog Happy was there to help, too. Jack LaLanne lived to be 96.

   Here is a link to watch these classic programs:

http://metv.com/shows/jack-lalanne/videos

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Paramount Pictures wants to remake John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Classic film enthusiasts are crying foul.

   Based on a Dorothy M. Johnson short story, the motion picture starred James Stewart as a lawyer who arrives in the fictional town of Shinbone, which is being terrorized by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). John Wayne, in his last film for Ford, portrays a heroic cowboy who helps Stewart lead to modernize the community. The film was one of the last Westerns ever shot in black and white, and examined the legends created by the old West. Vera Miles, Andy Devine, Edmond O’Brien, and John Carradine are also part of the exquisite cast. In 2007, the movie was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

   The new film would be produced by Matt Jackson with Gabby Canton and Elizabeth Raposo overseeing the project for Paramount. There is talk to abandon the Western theme and modernize the story for audiences.

   This is one re-make that really doesn’t need to be made, in my estimation.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Now this is just weird!

   For years, Hallmark has captured those precious moments in its cards, figurines, and Christmas ornaments, such as your baby’s first steps, your aunt’s birthday, or a keepsake from a family vacation. Now, the company will boldly go where no one has gone before…

   A Vulcan dying from intense radiation in a Starfleet engine room is there latest way to usher in the holiday. Trekkies, you can now officially preorder a holiday decoration that depicts that classic moment from the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. You can trim your tree with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock sharing a bittersweet moment together that will surely lead to a decorative sequel. Klingons and Romulans couldn’t hurt the Star Trek brand any worse than this monumentally tacky promotion.

   By the way, this bauble is available for only $29.95. If you’d prefer, there is also a Lt. Uhura ornament.

   Gene Rodenberry and Leonard Nimoy must be turning over in their grave. My phaser is on stun!

   Scotty… Beam me out of this blog post…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Judy Garland is back, and getTV has got her. Join them as they celebrate arguably the world’s greatest entertainer that ever lived in all 26 episodes of The Judy Garland Show. This will be the first time the entire series has been broadcast in the United States since its premiere.

Judy Garland’s CBS series ran for only a short time, in 1963 and 1964, but featured great performances from Barbra Streisand, Lena Horne, Ethel Merman, Tony Bennett and other notables. Among the show’s highlights was Garland’s emotional performance of Battle Hymn of the Republic in late 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Facing Bonanza across the dial, the series ultimately didn’t capture enough viewers to last beyond its first season. The episodes were licensed from World Live Nation Entertainment.

   If you planning on joining Twitter on Monday to live tweet The Judy Garland Show, the cable channel is thrilled to announce that ‬ biographer John Fricke will be @getTV – sharing his extensive knowledge of Judy and her show, as well as answering your questions. Episodes of The Merv Griffin Show have also been acquired by the cable channel network. The programs will begin airing on Mondays at 8p ET starting October 12th.

   This is boffo entertainment… only on getTV.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the caped crusader’s vehicle is entitled to copyright protection. The Batmobile’s appearance and other distinct attributes, including its high-tech weaponry, make it a character that can’t be replicated without permission from DC Comics, the copyright holder, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said.

   The ruling came in a lawsuit against Mark Towle, who produced replicas of the Batmobile as it appeared in the 1966 television show featuring Adam West as Batman (left), and the 1989 movie with Michael Keaton in the lead role. The 9th Circuit said Towle sold the cars at his Southern California business for about $90,000 each.

   In its ruling, the 9th Circuit said Towle advertised each replica as the Batmobile, and used the domain name batmobilereplicas.com to market his business. He also advertised that the replicas would get noticed because of the Batmobile’s fame.

   Larry Zerner, an attorney for Towle, said his client copied the car’s design, which can’t be copyrighted. Towle also argued the Batmobile at times appeared without its bat-like features. But the 9th Circuit said that was akin to James Bond changing from swimming trunks to a tuxedo: It didn’t alter the car’s innate characteristics.

   I say:  To the Batcave with this whole frivolous lawsuit… And, so it goes.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Yogi Berra (right) was the Baseball Hall of Fame catcher renowned as much for his malapropisms as his record ten World Series championships with the New York Yankees. He helped the team reach it 14 times  during his 18 seasons in the Bronx, playing in more Fall Classic games than any other major leaguer; and was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player. But, his famous name appears almost as often in Bartlett’s Famous Quotations as it does in baseball’s record book.

   In 1943, his first professional season with the Yankees’ farm team in Norfolk, Va., was interrupted by World War II. He joined the Navy, and later served on a gunboat supporting the D-Day invasion.

    Berra played for the Yankees from 1949-65. His teammates included fellow Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. In 1956, he caught the only perfect game in World Series history and after the last out, he leaped into pitcher Don Larsen’s arms. The moment was captured in photographs, published in newspapers around the world. Berra, who played in 15 straight All-Star Games, never earned more than $65,000 a season.

   After he retired, Berra coached or managed the Yankees, New York Mets, and Houston Astros. He led both the Yankees and the Mets to pennants. In 1985, his firing as manager by the Yankees 16 games into the season sparked a feud with George Steinbrenner. Berra vowed never to return to Yankee Stadium as long as Steinbrenner owned the team. He eventually changed his mind, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the Yankees’ season-opening game in 1999.

   Berra published three books: his autobiography in 1961, It Ain’t Over… in 1989, and The Yogi Book: I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said in 1998. The last made the New York Times’ Best Seller list. In 1996, Berra was awarded an honorary doctorate from the state university in Montclair, N.J., where he and his family lived. The university also named its baseball stadium for Berra. The adjoining Yogi Berra Museum opened two years later. The museum houses Berra memorabilia, including what he said was his most prized possession, the mitt he used to catch Larsen’s perfect game.

    He was a fan favorite, especially with kids, and the cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him. He recently delighted television viewers by bringing his malapropisms to a commercial with the AFLAC duck.

Yogi Berra was an American original. He was 90.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Clint Eastwood has reportedly lured Hollywood’s 91-year-old Doris Day out of retirement for a silver screen swan song. The two friends are neighbors in Carmel Valley, California, and on a recent visit Eastwood reportedly presented Day with a script. The actress was delighted with the role, and is working out the final details of her first film role in almost half a century. Two conditions by the star:  They film around Carmel; and a cut of the profits goes to her animal fund charity.

   Day began her career as a singer in 1945, but shot to worldwide fame in the 1950s as the star of musicals, such as Love Me or Leave Me, the Hitchcock thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much, and a series of comedies (Move Over Darling; Pillow Talk) with Rock Hudson, James Garner, Tony Randall, and Rod Taylor. Jack Carson first suggested she was perfect for cinema. Since retiring, she has lived out of the spotlight, and has totally dedicated herself to the Doris Day Animal Foundation.

   A fear of flying meant she has refused both an honorary Oscar and the Kennedy Center Honors. She also declined to pick up a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2008. However, if anyone can convince her to return to the screen it may be Eastwood, who presented her with a Golden Globe in 1989, her last listed public appearance.

CLINT EASTWOOD        DORIS DAY

   On Day’s own website, there’s no mention of the cinematic project. Technically,  her current final movie credit  is from 1968: With Six You Get Eggroll.

    Doris Day may return. Perhaps… Perhaps… Perhaps… For the record, she says the rumors are not true.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Jack Larson was an  actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the television series Adventures of Superman.

   During the fall of 1945, he starred in Charley’s Aunt, and in the spring of 1946, he starred in Fantasy in Wonderland, a musical he wrote. In 1951, at the age of 18, Larson felt that he well was on his way, setting his goals on Broadway. But, his agent came to him suggesting that he audition for the role of Jimmy Olsen in The Adventures of Superman. Initially Larson balked at the idea, because he was intent on becoming a serious actor, however, the casting director persuaded him.

   Larson has always been willing to sit down for interviews about the Superman series and his connection to it, and in recent years, has had a number of cameos that pay subtle tribute to his character and the series, including a 1991 episode of Superboy, alongside Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane, and an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as an aged Jimmy Olsen. He and Neill provided commentary on several Adventures of Superman episodes for the January 2006 DVD release of the 1953 season.                           JACK LARSON —–>

   After his run on Superman, Larson focused on behind-the-scenes work such as writing and production. He appeared in motion pictures, such as Fighter Squadron, a post-World War II film directed by Raoul Walsh,  featuring newcomer Rock Hudson; Battle Zone, co-starring with Martin Milner, who also recently died; and the last film made by Ethel Barrymore, called Johnny Trouble. On the small screen, Larson guest-starred on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He co-produced with his longtime companion James Bridges, The Paper Chase, and Urban Cowboy with John Travolta.

   Larson owned and resided in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed George Sturges House in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

   The ever-youthful Jack Larson was 87.

Until next time>                               “never forget“

Manny P. here…

   Jackie Collins was a successful novelist and younger sister to actress Joan Collins. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List. In total, her books have sold over 500 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or as a television mini-series. She held dual citizenship: British (by birth) and US (by naturalization)

   Like her sister, Collins began appearing in acting roles in a series of British films in the 1950s. She also made appearances in The Saint and other television programs before giving up an acting career. Since then, she played herself in a few television series.

   Her most successful novel was Hollywood Wives. It was made into a hugely successful television miniseries, produced by Aaron Spelling and starring Candice Bergen, Stefanie Powers, Angie Dickinson, Anthony Hopkins, Suzanne Somers, and Rod Steiger. In 2001, she published Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, which was later turned into a television movie in 2003 starring Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Gilbert, and Robin Givens. Collins’ tales of sex, glamour, power… and even more sex were a forerunner to the pop culture of Desperate Housewives reality television.

   In 1998, Collins made a foray into talk-show television with the series Jackie Collins’ Hollywood, but this was unsuccessful.

   The salacious Jackie Collins was 77.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   I personally invite you to the TherapyCable Channel – Circle of Insight program with host Carlos Vazquez, as he tackles The Perils of Pornography. I co-host this insightful program, as we discuss the history of porn, the entrenchment of the adult film industry in California, and how we can encourage family-friendly programming in television and cinema. I will offer a brief history of the Hays Code that encouraged quality motion picture production during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

   Here is the link (click or copy-and-paste) to watch this scintillating half hour of conversation:

http://therapycable.com/sex-sexuality-videos/the-perils-of-pornography.html

   TherapyCable is also home to my Forgotten Hollywood web-based television program. Let me personally offer my thanks to Dr. Vazquez for giving me the opportunity to co-host his fine Circle of Insight show.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   An extensive archive from comedian Jerry Lewis’ career, including rarely seen films, long-lost television recordings, and home videos, will have a new home at the Library of Congress, curators announced on Monday. The collection also includes thousands of documents. He is donating some items, while others are being purchased by the library from his personal archive. Materials will be available to historians and researchers in Washington.

   The archive will chronicle his over 70 years in comedy. Conservators said the recordings will fill significant gaps in television history, including Lewis’ appearances with Dean Martin on NBC’s Colgate Comedy Hour and on The Tonight Show. Highlights from the collection include 35 mm prints of many of Lewis’ most popular cinema:  The Bellboy, The Errand Boy, and The Family Jewels. There is also test footage from films; a silent comedy filmed on the set of The Patsy, and rare footage of Martin and Lewis performing their nightclub act.

   Curators were particularly interested in Lewis’ archive because he was one of the most creative figures in American pop culture in the late 20th Century. The immense collection will give a more complete picture of the entertainer as a performer, director, producer, artist, educator, and philanthropist.

   The recordings and materials will join the library’s existing comedy collection documenting humorists, such as Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and Johnny Carson.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

    Former Kansas Senator Bob Dole is planning an ambitious fundraising effort to build the long-debated Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, and he will have help from Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw, and others. Dole aims to raise $150 million in private funds, if necessary, to build the memorial after more than 15 years of planning.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER       ROBERT DOLE  

   The 92-year-old World War II veteran says it’s time to honor Ike, the 34th President and Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, and his longtime hero. Organizers hope to create I Still Like Ike clubs nationwide to support the memorial. Every Saturday, Dole visits the World War II Memorial in Washington to welcome veterans. He is gathering petitions signed by veterans to support the Eisenhower project and is looking for support from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion.

   The Eisenhower project has won final approval for architect Frank Gehry’s design, and now must raise the funds to begin construction. Congress already appropriated $60 million for design and planning. Gehry designed a memorial park with statues of Eisenhower as a general, president, and a man from Kansas. A large metal tapestry will serve as a backdrop, depicting the Kansas landscape of Ike’s boyhood home. The park would be situated among federal agencies near the National Mall, facing the National Air and Space Museum.

   Dole pledges to work the phones and write fundraising letters. Next week, he’ll visit the Kansas State Fair and greet visitors at a booth promoting the memorial. Dole is also amassing a network of support, calling on former presidents, congressional leaders, and cabinet officials to join the effort. Brokaw, the NBC newsman, signed on this summer. Hanks is also joining the memorial’s advisory committee. The filmmaker and actor from Saving Private Ryan also worked with Dole to help lead the fundraising effort for the World War II Memorial.

TOM BROKAW             TOM HANKS

   Hollywood and Americana intersect in a metaphorical Hollywood-and-Vine moment.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Hollywood legend Stan Laurel told how he was lost after the death of Oliver Hardy in an amazing collection of letters which are about to go on sale in Britain. The type-written correspondence, written by Stan to his cousin in Cumbria are expected to generate huge interest when they are auctioned in Newcastle. In them, he writes of the terrible loss of his comedy partner, and life after Oliver’s death on August 7th, 1957.

                                      STAN LAUREL     OLIVER HARDY

   Laurel had confided that the illness of his comic partner had seen him lose 10 pounds in weight. It also left Stan with little work to do as he moved with his wife Eda to Malibu during the Summer of ‘57. A note from Oliver Hardy’s widow Lucille is also for sale. His widow tells of the star’s great suffering in the final months before he died.

   Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890, and died in America in 1965. He appeared in more than 100 short films, feature films, and cameos with Oliver Hardy. One of these letters was written only days before his own death. Other subjects included the death of George VI and succession of Elizabeth II, sailing on the Queen Mary at the same time as Winston Churchill, and personal family matters.

    A total of 41 letters sent to his cousin in Ulverston – Stan’s birthplace – between May 1947 and January 1965 are going under the hammer. The collection will be sold at Anderson & Garland in Newcastle on September 15th-17th.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Dickie Moore was a popular child actor. He was one of the last surviving actors to appear in silent films. He’s also famous for giving Shirley Temple her second on-screen smooch in Miss Annie Rooney.

   Besides appearing in major feature films, he was featured as a regular in the Our Gang series in 1932. In addition, Moore is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the 1933 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist and Marlene Dietrich’s son in Blonde Venus.

   Dickie had roles in Madame X, The Squaw Man, Disorderly Conduct, Million Dollar Legs, Man’s Castle, The Story of Louis Pasteur, The Life of Emile Zola, Sergeant York, Heaven Can Wait, The Song of Bernadette, and Out of the Past. Moore later performed on Broadway and on television.

    He went on to teach and write books about acting, edit Equity News, and produce an Oscar-nominated short film, The Boy and the Eagle. He owned a public relations firm for 44 years, and since 1988, he was married to the actress Jane Powell. In March 2013, Powell reported that her husband had arthritis and bouts of dementia.

   Dickie Moore was two days shy of his 90th birthday.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   President Barack Obama honored 21 individuals and organizations on Thursday for works that he says have helped Americans connect and understand each other a little better through the arts and humanities. The honorees included actress Sally Field and author Stephen King.

STEPHEN KING                SALLY FIELD

   Sally Field received the 2014 National Medal of Arts for expressing dignity, empathy, and fearlessness in award-winning performances that have touched audiences worldwide, as well as for showing those same qualities in her off-screen advocacy for women, LGBT rights, and public health. King also received an arts medal for combining storytelling with analysis of human nature.

    Obama said he loves to celebrate the brilliance of artists, innovators, and thinkers. The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities were created by Congress in 1965 to provide grants to support artistic excellence and creativity, and to advance the understanding and appreciation of history, literature, philosophy, and language. Both agencies are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year.

   Sally Field currently co-hosts with Robert Osborne The Essentials on Turner Classic Movies every weekend.

Until next time>                               “never forget”