Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

   It’s a known fact that Orson Welles didn’t receive an Oscar for Best Director in 1941 for his work on Citizen Kane. This accolade went to John Ford for How Green was My Valley. Nor did Kane win the Best Picture statuette. Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz (the grandfather of Ben Mankiewicz, the weekend host at Turner Classic Movies) did garner an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for co-writing Kane’s amazing script.

   The only statuette Citizen Kane received is now up for sale, according Nate D. Sanders Auctions. Despite a protest from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beatrice Welles (Orson’s daughter) was given the right to sell the Oscar by court ruling, and the prize was valued at one million dollars in 2002. In 1950, the Academy required that Oscar winners  promise they not sell their statuette before offering it back for one dollar. Believed lost, Welles bequeathed the award to his daughter in his will. It was found in 1994, almost ten years after his death.

   The pictures losing to Citizen Kane that year in the Best Screenplay category included Sergeant York and The Devil and Miss Jones.

   Online bidding at www.natesander.com is open until 5 p.m., December 20th. A suggestion…  Ben Mankiewicz should step up and make a bid. This would keep the Oscar in their family. And,  his donation of this item to TCM might make it an outstanding display artifact in their lobby. Just saying…

 Until next time>                                 “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Robert Wagner is set to make a series of interview appearances in Florida this week as part of a three-day retrospective. Included in the discussion might be insight into the fateful night in which  Natalie Wood drowned.

   The longtime actor will visit Stuart, Florida for a three-day event. Stuart is the locale where the couple honeymooned back in 1957, and is a popular fishing community. The setting for the series is the Lyric Theater.

   Questions will be solicited in writing from audience members just before each program and will then be vetted by Wagner’s publicists. He’s promised to answer any inquiries regarding the ongoing criminal investigation into the death of Natalie Wood. A surprise guest is also expected.                                                                              ROBERT WAGNER

   Robert Wagner was a popular star at MGM during the 1950s, and his movie credits include What Price Glory, Broken Lance, Titanic, The Mountain, Prince Valiant, The Pink Panther, The Towering Inferno, Midway, and the Austin Powers series of comedies. He’s best known for television roles on It Takes a Thief, and Hart to Hart.

   He recently subbed for Robert Osborne as a guest host on TCM, and was hired as a celebrity spokesperson promoting the idea of reverse mortgages for the Senior Lending Network.

   Wagner’s career was recognized in 2009 by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, when they presented him with their Art Gilmore Career Achievement Award.

   The ticket price to this potentially candid series is $50 per day.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   An honor befalling Charles Dickens is ongoing in the United Kingdom to celebrate the bicentennial birthday of the celebrated writer. A two-pound uncirculated collectible coin is now available from the Royal Mint’s website. The new coin will feature a portrait of the novelist made up by a number of his most famous titles.

   The design unveiled last week is an innovative portrait by artist Matthew Dent combining David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol, etc., to form a silhouette of Dickens’ profile. The image resembles a bust on display at the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

   Turner Classic Movies is also celebrating the work of Charles Dickens by running cinema based on the writings of this literary giant. Every Monday in December, TCM is airing fabulous movies featuring Freddie Bartholomew, W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Claude Rains, Alastair Sim, Ronald Colman, Edna May Oliver, Gene Lockhart, C. Aubrey Smith, and Reginald Owen (among others) sharing the majesty of Dickens.

   Coins will be circulated early next year to mark the 200th birthday of the Victorian scribe on February 7, 2012.

Until next time>                                  “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Dallas is returning to television. The iconic nighttime soap opera will air in the Summer of 2012 on the TNT network.

   A new generation of cast members will join Larry Hagman (J.R.), Patrick Duffy (Bobby), and Linda Gray (Sue-Ellen). Ten episodes have been ordered and filming began in October. The production is expected to wrap in January. The location shooting is taking place entirely in Dallas, Texas (of course).

   Son of Broadway legend Mary Martin, Larry Hagman has enjoyed a long career in motion pictures and television. His movie credits include Ensign Pulver, In Harm’s Way, Fail Safe, Nixon, JFK, Harry and Tonto, and the 1978 production of Superman. He’s best known for roles on the small screen in I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas. He began his career on the Daytime Soaps - Search For Tomorrow and The Edge of Night.       LARRY HAGMAN —>

   Over the years, Hagman received several Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for playing J.R. Ewing. In October, Hagman announced he was diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer. We can root against J.R., but we wish the versatile actor all the best in his ongoing battle.

Until next time>                             “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   I’ve just been invited to the Hollywood Heritage Museum this Sunday, December 11th to be part of their Afternoon with the Authors program. The event takes place from noon until 4p, and this is a fun way to spend the day. About a dozen scribes will be on hand to participate in this  insightful forum.

   According to their press release:

This is a great opportunity to get a Hollywood-themed book signed as a gift for a friend or family member by the author.

Hollywood Heritage, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic built environment in Hollywood and to education about the early film industry and the role its’ pioneers played in shaping Hollywood’s history.

Hollywood Heritage, Inc. operates the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the Lasky-DeMille Barn, the building in which Hollywood’s first feature length motion picture, The Squaw Man, was made in 1914. The Museum is located at 2100 North Highland avenue, across from the Hollywood Bowl. The museum is completely operated by all volunteers. Programs include “Evenings at the Barn,” Silent Society silent film screenings, membership events, preservation action, walking tours of Hollywood Boulevard and other areas as well as participation in regional preservation education.

   An autographed copy of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History is a unique holiday gift.

   I look forward to meeting you at Afternoon with the Authors this Sunday at the Hollywood Heritage Museum (across from the Hollywood Bowl).

   For more information visit the press link below:

http://www.eyespyla.com/www/thebuzz.nsf/a6206a6c64a75a918825728f0052cf07/c721b3cd4e8623b18525795800725f72!OpenDocument

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   Another book shop is carrying Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. The real beauty… JJ Books is the national home where my paperback was self-published. Even though I live in Southern California, I’m considered a local author, which is quite a compliment.

   Welcome to the fold! According to their website:

Take one couple with a passion for reading, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a supporting cast of friends and family; you have a brand-new addition to Country Village in Bothell – JJ BOOKS

   This is a brand new independent bookstore that opened in July. Just in time to sell their first book, with their first customer… a Western by Louis L’Amour.

   JJ Books is located at 23716 8th Ave. SE, Ste. B, Bothell, WA. Here’s a link to their website:

http://jjbooksbothell.com/local_authors

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Harry Morgan, the busy actor in motion pictures and television, has died. He was cast in over 100 films, and co-starred in many television programs throughout its Golden Age.

   Morgan began acting on stage in 1937 when he joined the Group Theatre in New York. He  had a small part in the original production of the Clifford Odets play Golden Boy. He appeared in a number of successful Broadway roles alongside such other players as Lee J. Cobb, Elia Kazan, and Karl Malden.

   In 1942, Morgan made his screen debut in To the Shores of Tripoli. What followed was a slew of important roles in cinema. Orchestra Wives,The Ox-Bow Incident, State Fair, A Bell for Adano, Dragonwyck, The Big Clock, The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Madame Bovary, Bend of the River, High Noon, The Far Country, remakes of What Price Glory and Cimarron, Thunder Bay, The Glenn Miller Story, Strategic Air Command, The Teahouse of the August Moon, Pete Kelly’s Blues, Inherit the Wind, How the West Was Won, and The Shootist; plus the Support Your Local Sheriff and The Apple Dumpling Gang film-series only scratch the surface of memorable performances Harry Morgan delivered in movies.

   For the modern generation of television viewers, he was visible on December Bride, and its spinoff, Pete and Gladys; and notably, as Bill Gannon on Dragnet, and as Col. Sherman Potter on M*A*S*H. The versatile character actor finally retired from performing well into his eighties.

   In 1980, Morgan won an Emmy for his performance on M*A*S*H.  He was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers as an  honoree of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2006.

   In a bit of irony, the patriotic actor died on the day the United States honored the memory of those who fought during Pearl Harbor.

   Harry Morgan was 96.

Until next time>                             “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   A familiar face of The Addams Family is being honored by John Hopkins University. John Astin graduated from the Baltimore, Maryland institution with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama in 1952. Officially, their renovated theatre will now be called the John Astin Theater.

   John was hired by the University in 2001. His popular classes on Method Acting, and his job as Director in the Theater Arts and Studies Department, are credited with revitalizing interest in the school’s higher-learning program.

   Astin has been successful on the stage, in movies, and, on television throughout his five-decade career. His early career included participation in The Threepenny Opera on Broadway, and Charles Laughton’s production of Major Barbara, based on the play by George Bernard Shaw.

   John Astin had parts in West Side Story, That Touch of Mink, Move Over Darling, Viva Max!, Bunny O’Hare, Evil Roy Slade, Freaky Friday, National Lampoon’s European Vacation and the Killer Tomatoes series of films. His finest moments were on the small screen in I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster, and as Gomez Addams, the patriarch of The Addams Family for three years. He replaced Frank Gorshin as The Riddler on Batman, and appeared on Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, The Partridge Family, and was  awarded a recurring role on Murder She Wrote.                                    JOHN ASTIN

   John Astin was married to actress Patty Duke for thirteen years. Duke was encouraged by her then-husband to run for President of the Screen Actor’s Guild, which she was elected to in 1985. Astin received an Oscar nomination for Prelude, a short project he wrote, produced, and directed. He also served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America.

   John Astin’s devotion to his craft through many applications is undeniable. I congratulate the actor and scholar for this latest accolade.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   The grandson of Rita Hayworth has most likely committed suicide. Andrew Embiricos was discovered with a plastic bag over his head in his Manhattan apartment. An autopsy is scheduled to offer a definitive conclusion as to his official cause of death.             ANDREW EMBIRICOS ———————>

   Embiricos had a storied life. He teamed with his family to advocate for increased research to cure Alzheimer’s disease. He also dabbled dubiously as a amateur gay-porn filmmaker.

<——–Rita Hayworth pioneered the casting of Latin actresses in roles that had little to do with her ethnicity. The American Film Institute listed Hayworth as one of the greatest movie stars of all time. Her iconic motion pictures included roles in  Only Angels have Wings, The Strawberry Blonde, Gilda, Cover Girl, The Lady from Shanghai, Pal Joey, They Came to Cordura, and Separate Tables. Rita was the recipient of the National Screen Heritage Award in 1977.

   Hayworth married five times. Her husbands include Orson Welles, Dick Haymes, and Prince Aly Khan. In 1987, she died from complications of Alzheimer’s at age 68. One of the major fund raisers for the Alzheimer’s Association is the annual Rita Hayworth Gala. Her daughter Yasmin Aga Khan has been  the hostess for this event and a major sponsor since 1985.

   Andrew Embiricos was the son of Yasmin Aga Khan. He was only 25.

Until next year>                             “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Outlandish sketch comedy was a noted staple of variety shows on television of the 1960′s. Elements of this funny approach has its roots in the song scoring of Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Ernie Kovacs was a pioneering expert in this style of delivering raucous lines with expert timing. A comedian known for this type of humor was Laugh-In regular Alan Sues, who died last week.     ALAN SUES ———————->

  Sues honed his skills on stage and the silver screen. His credits include Tea and Sympathy on Broadway and directed by Elia Kazan;  and film roles in Move Over Darling and The Americanization of Emily. 

   The comedian is best known for television roles on The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West, and of course, his five years on Rowan & Martin’s  Laugh-In. The vaudeville concept of sketch was popular on the top-rated  weekly program that aired on NBC. Alan worked well with his co-stars Ruth Buzzi, Joanne Worley, Judy Carnes, and particularly, Dick Martin. Popular segments involving Sues included him playing a hungover kiddie-show host, and a crazy sports anchor who rang a goofy bell. As he put it:  I love my tinkle!

ROWAN & MARTIN  

   Sues appeared in television commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter during the 1970s. His favorite role was playing Professor Moriarty in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, when he toured with Leonard Nimoy with the Royal Shakespeare Company over a three-year period.

   Alan Sues belongs in the television Pantheon containing loud humorous technicians during its Golden Age, joining Don Knotts, Frank Fontaine, Paul Lynde, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Rip Taylor, Charles Nelson Reilly, among others. This rip-roaring era of sketch-work made the small screen so improvisationally successful, and should never be forgotten.

   Alan Sues was 85.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

   Paramount Pictures is celebrating its 100th birthday with a screening of the first Oscar-winning movie. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a restored version of Wings on January 18th, complete with a live-music accompaniment by organist Clark Wilson. The restoration was conducted with the help of the Academy Film Archive.

   Wings features stirring action footage and fine performances from Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, and in a small part, a very youthful Gary Cooper (in a tragic role). It is the only silent picture to win the top Academy Award, which it did back in 1927.

   This fact may change in 2011, since The Artist has the inside track to win this year’s Best Picture statuette. The French entry swept most of the major awards at the Festival de Cannes, and just last week, was recognized as the top movie by the New York Film Critics Circle. The Artist is distibuted in the United States by Warner Brothers.

   The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will debut an exhibit called Paramount’s Movie Milestones: A Centennial Celebration in conjunction with the screening, and the studio’s birthday. It includes photographs, design sketches, posters, and archived correspondence. The collection is on display January 6th through February 5th at the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery.

   To honor the month-long event, Gary Lycan and I are re-airing our tribute to Paramount Pictures on Forgotten Hollywood over The Spa Radio Network, Saturday, January 14th at 3p (PST). You will hear rare stories and listen to superb cinema-related music scores  that placed Paramount on the Hollywood map.

   Here’s the link to our weekly program if you live outside the area:

http://tuner1.dc1.sonixtream.com/playlists/am1510kspa/am1510kspaKSPAAM.asx

   You can pick up a copy of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, site of the first movie lot that eventually led to the creation of Paramount Studios.

Until next time>                                “never forget”