Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`I had a wonderful time with Andrew Gilmore of the Mostly Movies, Maybe Music podcast. Here is the link:

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Robert Duvall is a once-in-a-generation Oscar-winning actor, who made his impressive mark on Broadway, television and in film.  With a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for a stint on The Twilight Zone,  his brief appearance at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird and recurring roles in The Godfather trilogy.

“`In 1955, Duvall attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City,  studying under Sanford Meisner on the G. I. Bill.  His classmates included Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, and James Caan. Duvall roomed with Hoffman in a New York City while they studied together at the Playhouse, and he also lived with Hackman while working odd jobs, such as clerking at Macy’s, sorting mail and driving a truck.

“`Duvall spent over a decade in off-Broadway productions. His television work included guest-roles in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, The Untouchables, Route 66, Combat!, The Outer Limits,  The Fugitive,  Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,  The Time Tunnel, The Wild Wild West, The F. B. I., and The Mod Squad.

“`His film career began playing Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. There was no looking back, with notable parts in  Bullitt, True Grit, M*A*S*H*, The Conversation,  Network,  The Godfather and  The Godfather Part Two. His line “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” from Apocalypse Now was iconic in cinematic history.  Duvall continued his masterful run with roles in The Great Santini, The Natural and Oscar-winning performance in Tender Mercies. In 1989, Duvall starred in the miniseries Lonesome Dove. He continued to work well into his nineties.

“`Many accolades and an impressive litany of moving images, Robert Duvall was ninety-five.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`It is time for me to submit my SAG Awards ballot, highlighting celluloid roles in 2025. It was an eclectic year in movies. And the Horror / Fantasy genres are well represented. Here are this year’s selections with comments added for opinion and context:

~ ~ ~

OUTSTANDING MALE:  Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)

“`All five in this category deserved consideration!  Most likely, Timothee Chalamet will win for Marty Supreme.  I really loved Jesse Plemons in Bugonia and Michael B. Jordan (in a dual role) in Sinners. Leo DiCaprio also is stellar in One Battle After Another.  But, Hawke is a one-man orchestra as he triumphs in every scene of Blue Moon. This one feels like a theatre production and it is mesmerizing.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE:  Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

“`This category is a fight between Buckley and Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Kate Hudson is delightful in Song Sung Blue and Emma Stone delivers again in Bugonia. Chase Infiniti is wonderful in One Battle After Another,  but it really is a supporting role. Buckley is subtle in some scenes and larger-than-life in others.  The Actor would be a well-deserved accolade.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING MALE:  Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)

“`Paul Mescal is brilliant as William Shakespeare in Hamnet, but it is a lead performance. Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro do not hit for me in One Battle After Another. It comes down to Miles Caton in Sinners and Elordi. Both are really the heart of each movie. Elordi delivers a transformative performance and is unrecognizable.  He inches to the finish line. Caton and his co-star, Delroy Lindo (who was snubbed), deserve consideration. And Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value honestly should have earned the prize this year, but was ignored by the nominating committee.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING FEMALE:  Amy Madigan (Weapons)

“`Again, let us applaud five well-deserved nominations. Odessa A’Zion in Marty Supreme  and Wunmi Ozaku in Sinners steal every scene they appear in. This is the second straight amazing performance for Ariana Grande in Wicked. The odds are on a shootout between Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another and Madigan. Aunt Gladys is slated for a film sequel, that is how iconic Madigan delivered in Weapons. She gets my vote.

OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE:  Sinners 

“`I am very disappointed Blue Moon was omitted from this category. The cast in Hamnet and Frankenstein are strong. One Battle After Another is uneven; the male supporting roles do not match the efforts of their gender counterparts.  So for me, it comes down to Marty Supreme and Sinners.  Sinners is a trully collaborative effort on screen and the ensemble never misses a beat!

~ ~ ~

2025 Favs: 1. Blue Moon  2. Frankenstein  3. Sinners  4. Hamnet  5. Marty Supreme  6. Wicked   7. Bugonia   8. Jay Kelly   9. Wake Up Dead Man:  A Knives Out Mystery  10. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

“`The SAG Awards airs on March 1st on Netflix. Let us see how I do this year.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I received an early Christmas stocking stuffer in the form of a great review for my second book:  Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. The reviewer is Jerry Brown from the prestigious site, Goodreads. He writes:

Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History fits squarely into nonfiction film history Hollywood biography, and it shines precisely where most Hollywood books do not; on these unforgettable character actors who built the Golden Age without ever becoming household names. Your focusing on faces like Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr., Marjorie Main, and Sydney Greenstreet gives readers the secret passageways behind classic cinema.

What elevates the book is its credibility and heart. The awards, museum placements, and archival tone signal this isn’t nostalgia, it’s preservation. You’re not just recounting trivia; you’re restoring these performers to their rightful place in American cultural history, and doing it in a way that feels personal and accessible rather than academic.

This is a natural fit for Goodreads Listopia lists such as Hollywood’s Golden Age (Beyond the A-Listers), Forgotten Film Legends, or Classic Cinema History Worth Saving lists frequented by film lovers who crave depth and discovery.

You’ve clearly done important work rescuing these stories from obscurity. Would you be open to seeing the book highlighted on Listopia lists dedicated to classic movie history and unsung Hollywood icons?

Jerry Brown, Goodreads

“`Thank you my friend for the kind words and the consideration for addition…

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`June Lockhart enjoyed a career that began in the 1930s and was part of Hollywood royalty. Her dad was famed charactor actor, Gene Lockhart. They both appeared in the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol (her film debut).  Along her path, she was a werewolf and a fictional mother to a legendary collie and a family stuck in the cosmos.

“`Lockhart’s career began on stage for the Metropolitan Opera company. She was just eight years of age.  In movies, June thrived throughout the 1940s in  All This and Heaven Too, Sergeant York,  Meet Me in St. Louis, The White Cliffs of Dover, Miss Annie Rooney, She-Wolf of London, Son of Lassie and The Yearling.

“`Lockhart reunited with Lassie in the 1950s and 1960s in the television series. She starred as Dr. Maureen Robinson in Lost in Space on CBS. Other small screen roles included a two-year stint on Petticoat Junction and was a regular on General Hospital.  June spent over thirty years guest-starring on various television programs, including Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Adam-12, Bewitched, Family Affair, Happy Days, Marcus Welby M. D., Falcon Crest, and Knott’s Landing.

“`For her continuing work after Lost in Space in the field of aeronautics,  NASA awarded her the Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for inspiring the public about space exploration. By the way, she remained incredibly close to her co-stars Billy Mumy and Angela Cartwright from the series for the rest of her life.

“`June Lockhart was 100.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`The Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog book tour journey continues with my trip this week to Gums Mall-Antiques and Collectables. You are invited to stop by the antique mall filled with furniture, vintage clothes, collectibles, and more in the heart of Hawaiian Gardens, CA. It is a 13,000 square foot building with over seventy-five different vendors. And it has an enchanted garden, a beautifully constructed gazebo and a mountain with cascading waterfall.

“`September is Book Worm Month at Gums and they have invited me for an author event on Saturday, September 20 from 1p to 4p. I will have copies of the entire Forgotten book series including my latest hardcover, coffee table work.  PLUS, they also promise a day of karaoke! Here is the flyer filled with the details of the event:

“`What is not to like? Come join us!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Robert Redford is so photogenic, it is hard to imagine anything else but his imagery on the big screen. However, he left a footprint so large, he redefined the moving-making experience. For the most part, he succeeded. Along the way, he was successful in front of and behind the camera, he established an iconic film festival, and he partnered with legendary Paul Newman in a pair of Hollywood classics, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting.

“`Redford started his career in television’s  The Untouchables, Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66 and memorably in a tender episode of The Twilight Zone before making his Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. He ended up in the cinematic version of the play opposite Jane Fonda, who became a lifelong friend.

“`Over the next seven decades, Redford would appear in a number of screen gems (including the pair with Newman):  Inside Daisy Clover, Downhill Racer, The Candidate, Jeremiah Johnson,  The Way We Were, The Natural, Brubaker, The Great Gatsby, The Electric Horseman, Out of Africa, Indecent Proposal and my own favorites:  The Hot Rock, All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor, Sneakers and Truth. He won an Oscar for a directorial effort, Ordinary People. Other productions are just as memorable, such as  The Milagro Beanfield War, Quiz Show (another fav), The Horse Whisperer, A Civil Action and A River Runs Through It.

“`Redford founded Sundance Institute in 1981. This hosts the Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent festival throughout the United States. For his efforts, he collected a Kennedy Center Honors and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“`Robert Redford died in his sleep at his home in Sundance, Utah. He was eighty-nine.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog is finally in print and available! The new hardcover book that was co-written with my sister, Virginia Vandewouwer, remains a labor of love and it took five years to write…

“`The work captures my best and favorite 150 blogs I wrote over a sixteen year period out of a total of 2100 blogs, and acts as a literary diary of the Hollywood scene of the 21st Century. The stories I share all relate to Hollywood’s Golden Age. Actors featured include Kirk Douglas, Joan Crawford,  Natalie Wood,  Lauren Bacall,  Tippi Hedren, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, and hundreds more!

“`In the coming months, I will be at several book-signing events and autographed copies of Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog will be available, as well as paperback copies of my other books in the Forgotten Hollywood series.  On Friday, I will be at Lecture with Lianne at Fred Hesse Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. The oral presentation and book signing begins at 4p and food is always provided for FREE! Below are the complete details…

“`Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog may be my finest work to date and I am really proud that I collaborated with my sister on this project. We will see you on Friday.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`My venture to New York is over and what a whirlwhind! A couple of days with friends in the Bronx and my first visit to CapitolFest in Rome in upstate New York proved to be exhilerating!

“`While in the legendary burough, I visited Yankee Stadium. The home of the Bronx Bombers, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, it is actually a new stadium that was built across the street from the original site. My friend Timothy (above with Percy the Posh Pug)  also brought me into midtown Manhattan right where  See No Evil, Hear No Evil (co-starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor) was filmed.

“`Traveling by bus and a short distance by train was a great way to see the lush greenery that surrounds the state outside the city. Once in Rome, I discovered it is a city steeped in military pride. The city is also an hour’s drive from Cooperstown, home of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

“`CapitolFest 22 was all pomp and circumstance, with a beautiful marquee and theatre. While there, I met with cinephiles from all over the country. They marveled at the lineup of obscure movies featured over the weekend. Good friends, Rob Stone, John Millen and Rosalie and Ben Kicks, made the three-day event really special. Though I was under the weather for a spell, I was still able to deliver my oral presentation to an enthusiastic crowd.

“`One of the Capitolfest organizers is the tireless Dr. Julie Pierce. She invited me to check out some of the films. I went to the Saturday evening session and I saw a rare pristine print of the silent 1927 classic, The Gorilla, and a 1934 pot-boiler, Menace. It starred two of my favorite character actors, Paul Cavanaugh and Burton Churchill. A very-young Ray Milland was featured in the who-done-it.

“`I was fortunate to receive advanced rushes of my new hardcover, Beware of the Blog  (co-written with my sister, Virginia Vandewouwer), to autograph for avid readers of my Forgotten Hollywood book series.

“`This is one trip I will remember for a long time!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Due to the efforts of a number of  friends and cinephiles, I will be making my first visit to Capitolfest, beginning Friday, August 8th. It’s taking place at the Capitol Arts Complex in Rome, New York.

“`Capitolfest is Central New York’s 35mm classic film festival,  screening rarely-seen silent and early talking cinema from around the turn-of-the-20th Century into the late 1930s. Most of the movies are shown via 35mm films from archives such as the  Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, George Eastman Museum and UCLA Film & Television Archive as well as prints from studios, such as  Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers and Disney. For this year’s kick-off movie, they selected  Ruggles of Red Gap, a 1935 comedy directed by Leo McCarey and co-starring Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charles Ruggles and Capitolfest tribute star — ZaSu Pitts.

“`On a personal note, I have been asked to be the Saturday luncheon speaker the event. And I am thrilled to debut my new hardcover book, Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog. My printers have assured me that they will overnight copies of my work to debut and autograph!

“`CapitolFest takes place at the Capitol Arts Complex, 220 East Dominick Street, Rome, NY.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`It is that time of the year. What is becoming my annual pilgrimage to the Columbus Moving Picture Show in Ohio, the film fest always takes place leading into the Memorial Day weekend. Festival producer Samantha Glasser always guarantees a fine collection of movies on celluloid, the largest dealer room in the Midwest, and a very strong lineup of author oral presentations. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza North.

“`I will be there with my collection in the Forgotten Hollywood book series.

AND BREAKING NEWS!!!

Forgotten Hollywood: Beware of the Blog

“`I will be accepting pre-orders for my new hardcover pop culture work! Co-written with my sister, Virginia Vandewouwer, the book looks at media in the first quarter of the twenty-first century, and its relationship with Hollywood’s Golden Age.  It is officially due out in August. However, patrons of the Columbus Moving Picture Show will have the initial opportunity of owning a signed copy.

“`Movies scheduled at this year’s festival include the pre-code comedy classic, Million Dollar Legs, with W. C. Fields and Jack Oakie;  silent feature, Irene, with the fabulous Coleen Moore;  and Kentucky, featuring Loretta Young and an Oscar-winning performance by Walter Brennan.

“`I will be presenting a Forgotten Hollywood oral presentation on Friday at 10a in the Cardinal Room. I will telling stories from my new book. Joining me from the West Coast – Hollywood historians, authors and my dear friends – Richard Greene and Randy Skretvedt. Also on hand, film historian Rob Stone from the Library of Congress (another pal).

“`The Crowne Plaza North is located at 6500 Doubletree Ave., Columbus, Ohio. Consider this my personal invitation to stop on by at this one-of-a-kind film festival. Here is a link for more information:

https://www.columbusmovingpictureshow.com/

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`First night of the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival  begins April 24th, Thursday, with a Red Carpet ceremony and a screening of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Other movies scheduled later in the evening include such iconic cinema as Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion, Teacher’s Pet with Doris Day and Clark Gable and Tracy / Hepburn’s iconic Pat and Mike.

“`If you are unable to attend the Red Carpet ceremony, let me invite you to my totally FREE presentation down the street at the Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Branch Library, 1623 Ivar Ave. I am doing a talk about some the great character actors from my Forgotten Hollywood book series, including Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, Frank Morgan and Lionel Barrymore. Plus, I will be autographing copies of my paperback for those interested. Here is all the info:

“`If you have never been to one of my presentations, consider this my personal invitation!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`Simply said… Gene Hackman was the greatest actor of his generation. That is saying a lot, considering the careers of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall, among others. But it is not hyperbole when you consider his body of work with his many roles in westerns, drama, and comedy.  He was natural in his approach, much like Spencer Tracy, generations before. On screen, he was an everyman!

“`The two-time Oscar-winning actor studied journalism and television production at the University of Illinois under the G. I. Bill. He joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California and was a classmate of Dustin Hoffman. Both moved to New York City and they joined Robert Duvall, sharing New York apartments.

“`Any Wednesday with actress Sandy Dennis was a huge Broadway success in 1964. It opened the door to film work. His initial credited role was in Lilith, with Jean Seberg and Warren Beatty in the lead roles. After taking guest-starring parts on television, Hackman would embark on arguably one of the finest career paths in cinematic history.

“`He starred (or co-starred) in  Bonnie and Clyde, Downhill Racer, I Never Sang for My Father, Marooned, The French Connection (Best Actor), The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, Bite the Bullet, Red,  the Superman series of films, Hoosiers, No Way Out, Mississippi Burning, Crimson Tide,  The Quick and the Dead, Postcards From the Edge, Unforgiven  (Best Supporting Actor),  The Firm, Get Shorty, Absolute Power, Enemy of the State, Runaway Jury and Welcome to Mooseport.

“`Hackman was honored with a Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Golden Globe Awards for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment field a year before he officially retired, in 2003. He  came out of retirement to narrate two documentaries related to the United States Marine Corps: The Unknown Flag Raiser of Iwo Jima and We the Marines.

“`As legendary filmmakers line up to pay homage, including Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin, Nathan Lane and Francis Ford Coppola, we remember the legendary star for his body of unmatched work.

“`Gene Hackman was ninety-five.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`I am thrilled to be visiting the Los Feliz Branch Library this Wednesday, February 12th at 6p as part of the LA Made series. I lived in this beautiful community back in the 1980s.

“`LA Made is a cultural series featuring free music, dance, theater and conversations with local entertainers at libraries throughout the city.  LA Made is possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  I plan on sharing stories written in my Forgotten Hollywood book series.

“`The Los Feliz Branch Library is located at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027, at the corner of Hillhurst and Franklin. Consider this my personal invitation!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

Manny P. here…

“`The Celebrating Act 2 / Forgotten Hollywood Top 3 genres continues! Art Kirsch and John Coleman looks at the finest Courtroom Dramas of the Studio Era. The three I selected are among my Top 10 favorite movies of all-time!

“`Enjoy!

Until next time>                               “never forget”