“Forgotten Hollywood”- Celebrating MacGuffins!

March 18th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`Join Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I as we chat about Alfred Hitchcock and his MacGuffins in movies. This is the usual fun on Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Saturday Night with Steve Rubin…

March 8th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`I am thrilled to be a guest on the celebrated podcast:   Saturday Night at the Movies. Host Steve Rubin has me on his program for an hour as we chat about the iconic character actors in my Forgotten Hollywood Book Series. The supporting actors we focus on includes Walter Brennan, Peter Lorre, Lionel Barrymore, Van Heflin, Arthur Lake, Frank Morgan and Sydney Greenstreet.

https://steverubinssaturdaynightatthemovies.podbean.com/e/character-actor-icons/

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Celebrating Pop Music Stars in Film…

March 4th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I talk about those wonderful singers and bands of the 1950s and 1960s who also appeared in cinema. What a wonderful collaboration of music and film!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The End Quiz…

February 19th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`Today I will quiz John Coleman and Art Kirsch on the great last lines of iconic cinema. It will be fun and the viewing audience is invited to play along while watching Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- SAG-AFTRA Choices 2024…

February 5th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`I am pleased to be on Celebrating Act 2 with Art Kirsch and John Coleman to discuss the best movies of 2023 and my choices for the SAG Awards scheduled for later this month.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- My SAG Awards 2024 Ballot…

January 23rd, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`It is time to submit my SAG Awards ballot, highlighting celluloid performances in 2023. This was an outstanding year in cinema, with celebrated productions. Here are my selections:

~ ~ ~

OUTSTANDING MALE:  Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)

“`It is such a competitive category! Cillian Murphy delivered a strong, worthy performance in Oppenheimer; it would have been so easy to select him. Colman Domingo was so energetic and inspirational in Rustin.  Paul Giamatti’s relationship with director Alexander Payne offers such nuanced acting opportunities, as they did in Sideways and this year in The Holdovers. Giamatti gets my support. Bradley Cooper (Maestro) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) are respected actors that round out the category. Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon),  Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)  were clearly snubbed.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)

“`A brutally tough call. I LOVED Emma Stone (Poor Things), Carey Mulligan (Maestro) and Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall).  Lily Gladstone’s measured performance was bittersweet and transformative.  She wins by a nose.  No one worked harder than Annette Bening in prep for her role in Nyad.  Margot Robbie is a popular public pick and was snubbed by the Oscars. Performances by Huller and Greta Lee (Past Lives) were also ignored by SAG.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

“`Robert Downey Jr. is a clear choice. Clearly, he should have won for his work on Chaplin. Other worthy nominees include Robert DeNiro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Willem Dafoe (Poor Things)  and especially, Sterling K. Brown for a fine delivery in American Fiction. I would have rather seen Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) than Ryan Gosling (Barbie) in the fifth spot.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE:  Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

“`The one clear winner in this category is Da’Vine Joy Randolph, winning every competitive accolade in this year’s award’s season. Her competition is formidable, including Jodie Foster (Nyad) and Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple). Emily Blunt’s role in Oppenheimer gets lost in the crowd of strong performances, in my opinion. And Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) or Sandra Huller (The Zone of Interest) instead of Penelope Cruz (Ferrari) in the category.

OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:  Oppenheimer

“`It comes down to Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, since The Holdovers, Saltburn and Anatomy of a Fall were left out of the category. A magnificent cast, visionary direction and cinematography, and a compelling story describes my two favorites. The Color Purple offers a vibrant cast as well.  Barbie and American Fiction strength lies in its witty writing and a serviceable cast (with a couple of standouts).

~ ~ ~

~ 2023 TOP TEN:  1. Oppenheimer   2. Killers of the Flower Moon   3. The Holdovers   4. Saltburn   5. Past Lives   6. Anatomy of a Fall   7. The Boys in the Boat   8. Rustin   9. Poor Things  10. A Haunting in Venice

“`The SAG Awards airs on February 24th on Netflix. Let us see how I do this year.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Celebrating Foreign Films…

January 22nd, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`The Oscars nominations will be announced this week. To honor this event, John Coleman, Art Kirsch and I will look at some International films up for consideration. Past and present, foreign films are in focus on Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Gary Cooper… Yup!

January 9th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I offer a compelling retrospective on Celebrating Act 2 on the life and times of Gary Cooper. He was clearly one of the Kings of Hollywood!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Blood, Sand and Valentino…

January 4th, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`I will be the emcee at Saturday’s event by RetroFormat Silent Films at the Woman’s Club of Hollywood.  Highlighting the evening will be a screening of Rudolph Valentino’s Blood and Sand.

“`The event begins at 6:30p with Rosanne Welch, editor of  When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry.  She will autograph copies of the book. A story in the work traces the pioneering career of Blood and Sand screenwriter June Mathis. I will be on hand to sign copies of my Forgotten Hollywood book series, as well.

“`Do not miss an opportunity to experience Blood and Sand on the big screen, with live piano by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick. The Woman’s Club of Hollywood is at 1741 N. La Brea Ave. Go to the Event’s page on Facebook for ticket information at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/321874480774593/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D

============================================

“`Sad to announce the passing of the ever-delightful Glynis Johns. An award-winning actress, Johns earned an Oscar nod for the 1960 film, The Sundowners. She received a Tony for her role in A Little Night Music and Johns was the first performer to perform a rendition of the iconic Send in the Clowns. Johns may be best known as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins but I enjoyed her performance in No Highway in the Sky, co-starring with James Stewart. She was memorable in a cameo bit opposite Hermione Gingold in Around the World in Eighty Days.

“`Glynis Johns (right) was one-hundred.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Everybody Visits Hollywood Museum!

January 3rd, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`Join me at KLCS on Everybody with Angela Williamson @EverybodyKLCS at 10:30p  (in the Los Angeles area) this evening. Angela and I will be touring the Hollywood Museum. The location of this iconic repository use to be the Max Factor Building.

 

“`The PBS affiliate airs in Southern California on Channel 58. I will be watching in Cypress on Channel 15. Check your cable provider for your local listing.

 

“`Consider this my personal Forgotten Hollywood invitation… This is a fun interview!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Public Domain Hit Parade…

January 2nd, 2024

Manny P. here…

“`With the arrival of 2024, a batch of media are now available in the public domain, including Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie, Peter Pan and Tigger. Classic cinema, standards, books and other artistic works, published in 1928, are entering the public domain, as well,  such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus,  Buster Keaton’s  The CameramanThe Man Who Laughs, The Crowd,  literary versions of All Quiet on the Western Front and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Cole Porter’s Let’s Do It, The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife), Yes We Have No Bananas, and the live stage version of the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers.

“`According to copyright laws at the time, Steamboat Willie was scheduled to enter the public domain in 1984, fifty-six years after it was released. That timeline was lengthened several times,  most recently in 1998 by a congressional act that established the current ninety-five-year limit. The Walt Disney Company lobbied hard for an extension, known famously as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.

“`Works enter public domain when their copyrights expire, and they are free for use without permission. Trademark law, however, is different. Trademarks cover words, symbols, designs or expressions that identify brands. And they do not expire after a set period of time. That is the so-called turkey in the straw.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Full Day of Christmas…

December 25th, 2023

Manny P. here…

“`Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I on Celebrating Act 2 spends an entire day watch classic Christmas movies. And we have a great time in the viewing room…

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- National Film Registry 2023 Selections

December 13th, 2023

Manny P. here…

“`It is that time of the year again! The 2023 selections of the Library of Congress National Film Registry have just been announced. This year’s selections are more modern and diverse, including Fame (1980),  Home Alone (1990),  The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Apollo 13 (1995) and 12 Years a Slave (2013). 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:

~ DINNER AT EIGHT (1933) – Director George Cukor’s pre-Code film features a sumptuous cast assembled by MGM mogul Irving Thalberg, including Jean Harlow, Billie Burke, Lee Tracy, John Barrymore,  Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler and Lionel Barrymore.  Herman J. Mankiewicz and Frances Marion adapted the George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber play for the screen. This is a movie selection that I have proudly voted for through the public nominations process over the last five years!

   

~ LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955) – Walt Disney released it in wide screen CinemaScope to keep people going to theaters following the advent of television. One of the studio’s beloved animated works,  this unlikely love story is made memorable by endearing songs, excellent voice talents (which included Larry Roberts, Verna Felton, Peggy Lee and Stan Freberg) and iconic moments including a kiss involving spaghetti.

“`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”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Kings of Warner Brothers…

December 11th, 2023

Manny P. here…

“`Who claims the mantle of King of Warner Brothers in the 1930s? James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Edward G. Robinson? Art Kirsch, John Coleman and I break it down on Celebrating Act 2.

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Remembering Ryan O’Neal…

December 8th, 2023

Manny P. here…

“`Ryan O’Neal was a familiar actor, who began his career on television’s Peyton Place, and became a bankable star in popular movies, such as Paper Moon, What’s Up Doc and Love Story. His relationships would include marriages to Joanna Moore and Leigh Taylor-Young and a live-in situation with Farrah Fawcett. One of his kids was Oscar-winning actress Tatum O’Neal.

“`Originally, O’Neal trained to fight as a Golden Gloves boxer.  He also earned steady work as an extra, a stuntman and finally, an actor on television. He guest-starred in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Bachelor Father, The Untouchables, Leave It to Beaver, Wagon Train, My Three SonsThe Virginian and Perry Mason. His performance on Peyton Place earned attention from film producers. In addition to his most successful projects mentioned above, he also starred in Barry Lyndon, A Bridge Too Far and The Main Event.

“`O’Neal remained a fav in the tabloids, He was linked in romances with Bianca Jagger, Anouk Aimée, Jacqueline Bisset, Ursula Andress, Barbra Streisand, Joan Collins, Diana Ross, Melanie Griffith and Anjelica Huston.  In February 2021, O’Neal and Ali MacGraw were bestowed stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, nearly fifty years after the release of Love Story.

“`The tumultuous life of Ryan O’Neal (above right) ended this week. He was eighty-two.

Until next time>                               “never forget”