“Forgotten Hollywood”- Movie References and Politics…

June 9th, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`After a day when politics dominated the cable news cycle, motion picture quotes capture our imagination. Rather impressive are several pointed references to The Godfather and Becket. With regards to the latter, a meticulous citation was uttered at yesterday’s Senate hearing.

“`Peter O’Toole portrayed Henry II twice in his career; a second time in The Lion in Winter. When his character (who promoted Thomas Becket to Archbishop of Canterbury) accused his cleric of treachery, due to influential relationships with Pope Alexander III and King Louis VII of France, Henry II uttered his stance over the situation and sealed the fate of his chancellor. At heart, lies a bitter dispute between Henry II, who feels betrayed by his former friend; and Becket, who mistrusts the motives of the English king. A scene from the 1964 film re-enacts this tragic moment in time:

“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest”

`

   

“`Meanwhile,  news pundits have compared a languid rapport between President and former F.B.I. Director, to Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone and tenuous alliances with Mafia associates. The Godfather is loaded with colorful quotes, and any of those spoken by Don Vito offers a rich parallel discerned during televised analysis. Particularly poignant:

“With respect comes loyalty”

~  ~  ~

“`I’m fascinated how cinema often draws metaphoric comparisons to our collective history.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Another Actor in the Hospital…

June 8th, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`Goodman Theatre  artistic director Robert Falls says Stacy Keach suffered a heart attack during the opening evening of a play at the venue in Chicago. The May 30th performance of Pamplona,  with Keach starring as Ernest Hemingway, was canceled halfway through when the actor appeared unwell.

“`Pamplona marks the actor’s third collaboration with Falls, and his second exploration of the literary icon:   He earned a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of Hemingway in the eponymous 1988 television mini-series.

“`The entire run of the one-man play has since been canceled. Falls says the Goodman could re-stage Pamplona next year.             STACY KEACH —>

“`Falls says he visited Keach on Tuesday, and found him in good spirits. He says Keach was sitting up and studying the script and asked about rescheduling. Goodman officials say the 76-year-old Keach is set to be released from a Chicago-area hospital.

“`Keach is best known for playing private eye Mike Hammer in several television series. He recently appeared in the Bruce Dern vehicle, Nebraska.

“`Best wishes to my fellow Van Nuys High School alum… Stacy Keach.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Woodstock / Special Olympics Honor

June 7th, 2017

Manny P. here… 

“`The site of the iconic 1969 Woodstock music festival is now officially recognized for its place in history.  Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo designated that Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Hudson Valley has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“`The weekend concert attracted 500,000 to Max Yasgur’s farm,  and it was a pivotal moment in New York and American history. It became the subject of a landmark documentary film. This recognition preserves the location for future generations. Plus, it furthers educational and cultural initiatives at the museum and surrounding grounds that will continue to embody the spirit of the 1960s.

“`The 800-acre Bethel Woods campus is 90 miles north of Manhattan.

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“`Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver will be posthumously honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards.  Timothy Shriver, one of her children, and chairman of the Special Olympics, will accept the award on July 12th. The Ashe accolade is given to individuals whose contributions transcend sports.

“`Eunice Shriver founded the Special Olympics in 1968 to aid individuals with intellectual disabilities through sports;  inspired by her sister Rosemary, who suffered from similar impairments. It will mark its 50th anniversary next year.

“`Shriver died in August 2009.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Rare Vinyl Account of Lincoln’s Death

June 6th, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`Conjecture filled nationwide periodicals the day after Abe Lincoln’s assassination on Good Friday, 1865. Among those people at Ford’s Theater who actually witnessed all chaos unfold was Joseph Hazelton; a stage – cinematic actor that  was employed as a program boy. By 1933, Joe was the last living witness of the tragedy. He gave a detailed account at the May Company Exposition Hall, in Los Angeles, of what he observed. The only remaining recording of his speech — rare audio of the eyewitness chronicle of Abraham Lincoln’s murder — is preserved at the Huntington Library. This is singular treasure complimented by a video,  which includes a portion of Hazelton’s dramatic account to bring a tragedy to life. His retelling was transferred onto vinyl at Freeman Lang Studios in Hollywood.

“`Created by the South Pasadena repository’s video producer, Aric Allen, the eight-minute clip compliments the history behind the 16-inch phono record. It’s made of shellac, as were many transcription vinyl from the late 1920s to the early 1930s; and it’s incredibly fragile. It resides in the library’s most secure, atomic bomb–proof vault.  What is fascinating about this account  preserved on the recording, as curator Olga Tsapina explains, is how it relates to the memory and mythology of the assassination.

“`Personal descriptions of that evening survive in the form of correspondence, diary entries, affidavits, and similar documents. However, listening to a witness offers a more vivid scene. Those attending the free 1933 lecture would have heard an oral presentation detailing John Wilkes Booth’s shooting of Lincoln, then leaping over the railing of the presidential box onto the stage, breaking his leg, and making his declarative exit. Booth made a ready escape on horseback.

“`Since Hazelton was a thespian, he delivered his narrative as if reading a theatrical script. During his oration, he surmised:

I shall never forget to my dying day, the look of anguish and despair on that man’s face, as he half dragged and half limped to the center of the stage with a wild maniacal stare, brandished the knife above his head, and cried out…

Sic semper tyrannis!

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Jerry Lewis Hospitalized…

June 5th, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`Jerry Lewis was hospitalized in Las Vegas on Friday. He has been  suffering from a chronic urinary tract infection. Doctors were quick to give him medication for the illness.  The medical center was set  to discharge him as early as tomorrow.

“`The comedian, who first got his start in Hollywood as a child, is determined to keep working, despite ongoing health concerns. He battled prostate cancer,  suffered two heart attacks, has diabetes, and daily deals with chronic lung disease.        JERRY LEWIS –>

“`Despite medical issues, Lewis is scheduled to travel to Toronto, later this week, to shoot a movie. Last year, insiders close to the star revealed that despite a busy schedule, Jerry will be ready to meet his son Joseph, who took his own life in 2009, in heaven.

“`Best wishes to the incomparable Jerry Lewis.

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“`Roger Smith was a television and movie actor. He co-starred in the detective series, 77 Sunset Strip;  and in a teleplay sitcom, Mister Roberts.  Roger went on to manage the career of Ann-Margaret, his wife of 50 years.

“`After a chance meeting with James Cagney, he was encouraged to try a career in Hollywood.  He signed with Columbia Pictures,  and then moved to Warner Brothers. Smith would play Cagney’s son in Man of a Thousand Faces. His greatest film exposure was a role in Auntie Mame, with Rosiland Russell. Due to several life-threatening illnesses, he retired from acting in 1966.            ROGER SMITH –>

“`After he married Ann-Margaret in 1967,  Roger helped shed her sex kitten stereotype in dramatic fashion in 1971,  when she appeared in Mike Nichols’ Carnal Knowledge as the abused mistress of Jack Nicholson. Critics were universal in their praise, and Margaret was nominated for an Oscar. She received an additional Academy Award nod in 1975 for her performance as Roger Daltrey’s mom in the rock-operaTommy.

“`Roger Smith was 84.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Doctor is In…

June 4th, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`A new museum dedicated to Theodor Geisel — who under the pen name, Dr. Seuss, wrote and illustrated dozens of rhyming children’s books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham — features interactive exhibits, artwork never before displayed publicly, and explains how his childhood experiences in the city about  90 miles west of Boston shaped his work. A grand opening for the public was Saturday, in the author’s hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, and it’s like walking into one of his beloved children’s books.

“`Kids are definitely the focus of the first floor of the museum created in conjunction with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the family company that protects Geisel’s legacy. It features games, and statues of Horton, Thing 1 — Thing 2, characters from Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, plus other figures.  Visitors will wander through Geisel’s childhood bedroom, his grandparent’s bakery and brewery, and different rooms painted in brilliant blue and red  (decorated in detail with scenes from the books).

“`The museum’s second floor has a more intimate feel,  with furnishings and assorted knick-knacks from Geisel’s studio from his La Jolla, California home, where he lived until his death in 1991, at age 87.  His treasured collection of 117 bow-ties is also on display.

“`The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss museum is expected to draw 100,000 visitors annually.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

“Forgotten Hollywood”- Golly… Sha-Zam…

June 3rd, 2017

Manny P. here…

“`A statue of actor Frank Sutton was dedicated in Downtown, Clarksville, TN. He’s best known for playing Sgt. Carter on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.  The City of Clarksville prepared the site and installed the work.

“`A crowd of over 150 people — including a group of third-grade students of Clarksville Academy, and sponsors from Coldwell Banker Realtors — gathered at the event, to watch Mayor Kim McMillan, project leader Mark Holleman, and sculptor Scott Wise pull the shroud from the bronze image.

“`The statue of Sutton emerged glowing in the midday sun, and it evoked a nice reaction from the crowd. Wise’s statue perfectly evokes Sutton’s stance of Sgt. Carter from the CBS sitcom, with his trademark hat, square jaw, and flaring nostrils.

“`Sutton took to the stage as a student at East High School in Nashville, where his family moved when he was eight, and then, he returned to Clarksville after high school.  He toiled as a radio broadcaster. During World War II, Sutton enlisted in the United States Army, and served in the South Pacific. After the war, he began a notable career as an actor,  with a number of television roles. Frank Sutton died in 1974.

“`No word if Jim Nabors attended the unveiling.

Until next time>                               “never forget”