Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   Need I say more?

Until next time…                                  “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester is celebrating the Studio Era. Hooray For Hollywood takes us from the dawn of the talkies, to the birth of the movie musical, and into the 60s.

   The program features show-stopping sequences from 42nd Street, On The Town, Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, A Star Is Born, Gypsy, Ziegfeld Follies, Top Hat, etc. One amazing performance will be presented by The John Wilson Orchestra, and critics are calling the event: Technicolor for the Ears. This fabulous concert will take place on Tuesday, November 29th at 7:30p.

   The Bridgewater Hall is located at Lower Mosley St., Manchester, UK. The Hall is home to three resident orchestras: the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic, and Manchester Camerata.

      JOHN WILSON 

   If you are making plans on visiting the United Kingdom next month, put this on your calendar as a place to check while on vacation.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   And then there were none… The last film star from Hollywood’s Silent Era has died. Barbara Kent had a substantial career before Jolson uttered his first words on screen in 1927. She also dabbled in movies during the advent of cinema’s Golden Age before retiring in 1935.

   Barbara Kent was a Canadian-born student, who won the Miss Hollywood Pageant in 1925, the same year she graduated from  Hollywood High School. Universal Studios contracted the teen later that year. Her major film debut was impressive portraying a femme fetale opposite John Gilbert and Greta Garbo in Flesh and the Devil. She excelled in comedies playing opposite Harold Lloyd, Reginald Denny, Oliver Hardy, and Rex - the Wonder Horse!                   BARBARA KENT

   Her transition to talkies was seemless appearing in Feet First (again with Harold Lloyd), and the first sound version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist in 1933. Ironically, she lost interest in continuing to act in motion pictures after she got married to a talent agent.

   Barbara Kent was 103.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Before Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, their was Jean Harlow —->  Nicknamed The Platinum Blonde, she’s considered one of the greatest actresses who ever lived, despite a career barely lasting a decade. MGM often cited that her films were some of the biggest box office draws for any particular year in the early-to-mid 1930s. Her premature death in 1937 due to complications from renal failure only added to her legend.

   Harlow clearly rivaled other actors of the day for popularity, such as Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Clark Gable, William Powell, and Spencer Tracy at her own studio; and Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Gary Cooper, and Cary Grant on other lots. Her immense talent was overshadowed by her celebrity status as a beautiful woman.

   The Jean Harlow: 100th Anniversary Collection is expected to be released on November 7th, and available through Movies Unlimited, the WB Online Store, and other locations. It contains newly remastered versions of some of her popular pictures and lost classics, including Bombshell, Personal Property Riffraff, and her last film, Saratoga. 

   This particular collection has never been available on DVD, and is the perfect holiday gift for any lover of classic cinema. Special features:  a portfolio of seven MGM studio portraits and newly discovered trailers.

   Jean Harlow, born in 1911, would have been 100 on March 3rd of this year.

Until next time>                          “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Former CBS News legend Robert Pierpoint has died. In his first big assignment, he provided live reports during the Korean War. He later became a White House correspondent, covering every president from Eisenhower through Carter. Pierpoint is also remembered for playing himself on the radio during the final episode of M*A*S*H. He’s the voice you hear announcing the end of the Korean conflict. During his career, he received two Emmys for his work.  ROBERT PIERPOINT –>

   A close friend to radio legend Edward R. Murrow, Pierpoint appeared on the first edition of See It Now in 1951. He was also a frequent contributor on Charles Kuralt’s Sunday Morning broadcasts, reporting from the State Department until his retirement. Bob covered breaking news on monumental events in American history, including the Cold War, President Kennedy’s assassination, and President Nixon’s resignation. He became the chief diplomatic correspondent in 1980.

   During his time as a correspondent, Pierpoint became a close friend of eventual President George H. W. Bush, often spending time with him on tennis courts. As doubles partners, they won several CBS tennis competitions together.

   In his 1981 memoirs, At the White House: Assignment to Six Presidents, he cited that one mistake he made over his years was failing to mention about the stains on Jackie Kennedy’s pink outfit after she left her husband’s side at Parkland Hospital in Dallas on November 22, 1963. “I didn’t describe the blood, and I should have”, he wrote, “I was in shock.”

   Robert Pierpoint was 86.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Danforth Book Distribution has completely reworked their website, and it now includes an online store to purchase literary product including Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History.  Credit cards and Pay Pal are cheerfully accepted. 

   According to their press release:

   Check out the photos below taken at the recent 2011 Northwest BookFest in Kirkland, WA while I was conducting a book signing at the Danforth Book Distribution booth. 

   Please follow the following links below for all your purchase needs or information:

http://danforthbooks.myshopify.com/products/forgotten-hollywood-forgotten-history-by-manny-pacheco

http://www.danforthbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danforth-Book-Distribution/174735999251501

   Congratulations to Laura Danforth and her team for her company’s fabulous expansion!

Manny P. here…

   Turner Classic Movies is partnering with NCM Fathom to celebrate the 50th anniversary premiere of West Side Story. A nationwide one-night screening will take place on Wednesday, November 9th at 7p.

   This 1961 cinematic event was adapted from the 1957 Broadway show, and loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The film holds the distinction of being the screen musical  awarded the most Oscar wins (10), including Best Picture. The cast includes Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, and George Chakiris. The movie was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress in 1997.

   According to the TCM website:

 In honor of its 50th Anniversary, NCM Fathom and Turner Classic Movies are bringing West Side Story back to the big screen for a one night event in movie theaters nationwide! This extraordinary event includes an exciting new Turner Classic Movies original production followed by MGM’s 50th Anniversary restoration of West Side Story—the most acclaimed musical of all time.  Tickets are on sale for the general public.

   Where ever you reside, you don’t want to miss this special event! Here’s a link to the NCM Fathom purchase site:

http://www.fathomevents.com/classics/event/westsidestory.aspx?utm_source=TCM&utm_medium=PromotionalCampaign&utm_campaign=WSS_FathomEventPage

Until next time>                                “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Norman Corwin, who died yesterday, was a giant during Radio’s Golden Age. His contributions spanned seventy years, and he worked with many of the greats of news and Hollywood.

   Norman Corwin joined CBS in 1938 at the height of the radio network’s glory, and he worked with such pioneers as Edward R. Murrow and Howard K. Smith. He focused on writing, producing, and directing when not working behind the microphone.

   In 1941, Corwin wrote We Hold These Truths, a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights which featured the voices of Lionel Barrymore, Walter Brennan and Orson Welles. This patriotic exercise was aired on all four radio networks just days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. His nightly chronicles of life during World War II kept America focused on our collective effort to combat Axis aggression. He composed On a Note of Triumph, broadcast nationwide on May 8, 1945 (V-E Day), at the moment of our Allied victory in Europe.

   Corwin received numerous awards in media and the humanities, including two Peabody medals. During his career, he earned Emmy and Golden Globe awards. He also received an Oscar nod for his screenplay, Lust for Life, the biography of Vincent Van Gogh that starred Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. In 1993, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and  the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle a year later. We Hold These Truths was added in 2005 to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

   He would inspire a wide range of scribes and actors including Rod Serling, Norman Lear, Gene Roddenberry, J. Michael Straczynski, and William Shatner.

   Norman Corwin was 101.

Until next time>                          “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   These past few weeks have really been extraordinary in terms of book sales. Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History has now encouraged cash registers to ring over 2200 times! Some of the highlights include:

* Danforth Distribution just reported a September disbursement of almost 50 copies

* The Duarte Festival of Authors and the Niguel Shores Women’s Club guests were more than willing to buy two dozen paperbacks during my recent visits

* Orders were authorized by the Hollywood Mega store chain and Bev’s Boutique at the  Beverly Garland Holiday Inn for an additional two dozen books

* Several copies have been individually purchased as an eBook on the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook sites 

   We’re entering another holiday season prepared to sell out the first run of the book. This means a second edition printing of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History is inevitable. And, the upcoming sequel of my special series of books is currently being designed for mass distribution.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The Clark County Library in Las Vegas is offering an early Halloween celebration by screening two classic films. The movie series is called: Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou: Universal’s Horror Classics. These FREE events are a great way to introduce your family to cinema from Hollywood’s Studio Era.

* THE MUMMY (October 18th, 1p) - This 1932 motion picture was directed by Karl Freund, and features Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest. After the success of Dracula and Frankenstein, mogul Carl Laemmle Jr. was inspired by the 1922 opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb to create another memorable character for his studio’s stable of ghouls. The screenplay was most likely adapted from a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle entitled The Ring of Thoth.

* THE INVISIBLE MAN (October 25th, 1p) - Claude Rains had the most intriguing American screen debut by an actor (he had a small role in a British silent picture in 1920). For the most part, you only hear his voice throughout the movie. This classic was directed by James Whale, best known for his work on Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. It’s loosely based on the H.G. Wells science fiction novel. Produced in 1933, The Invisible Man was recently selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

   The screenings will take place at the 399-seat Main Theatre. The Clark County Library is located at 1401 E. Flamingo Rd. For more information visit the website below:

http://www.lvccld.org/events/event.cfm?nID=38390  

   Treat yourself to chills and macabre black humor that were a staple at Universal Studios.

Until next time>                            “never forget”