Joss Ackland, the veteran British stage and screen actor who was known for starring in “White Mischief” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” died on Sunday. He was 95.
“Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning,” said his rep, Paul Pearson.
In Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 2,” his villainous diplomat character notably utters the line “Diplomatic immunity!” before being shot by cop Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.
With over 130 film and television credits, Ackland appeared in a wide range of projects, including “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Bill & Ted” and “The Hunt for Red October,” where he starred alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. His television work includes “Shadowlands,” where he played C.S. Lewis, and “Midsomer Murders.”
Ackland was made a Cbe for services to drama in 2001. He earned two BAFTA nominations...
“Joss was a long term client and great friend who remained lucid, erudite and mischievous to the very end, he died peacefully with his family this morning,” said his rep, Paul Pearson.
In Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 2,” his villainous diplomat character notably utters the line “Diplomatic immunity!” before being shot by cop Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover.
With over 130 film and television credits, Ackland appeared in a wide range of projects, including “K-19: The Widowmaker,” “Bill & Ted” and “The Hunt for Red October,” where he starred alongside Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. His television work includes “Shadowlands,” where he played C.S. Lewis, and “Midsomer Murders.”
Ackland was made a Cbe for services to drama in 2001. He earned two BAFTA nominations...
- 11/19/2023
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Screenwriter Bo Goldman, who won Oscars for his scripts to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Melvin and Howard” and was among a select group of film scribes including Robert Towne and William Goldman considered to be among that generation’s best, died Tuesday in Helendale, Calif., his son-in-law, director Todd Field, confirmed to the New York Times. He was 90.
Goldman was also Oscar nominated for 1993’s “Scent of a Woman.”
The 1976 Oscar he shared with Lawrence Hauben for co-adapting Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was a particularly impressive achievement considering that “Cuckoo’s Nest” represented only Goldman’s second screenplay and the first to be produced. The win for adapted screenplay was part of a sweep for the film that also included victories for best picture, director, actor and actress. No movie had won those five awards since 1934’s “It’s a Wonderful...
Goldman was also Oscar nominated for 1993’s “Scent of a Woman.”
The 1976 Oscar he shared with Lawrence Hauben for co-adapting Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was a particularly impressive achievement considering that “Cuckoo’s Nest” represented only Goldman’s second screenplay and the first to be produced. The win for adapted screenplay was part of a sweep for the film that also included victories for best picture, director, actor and actress. No movie had won those five awards since 1934’s “It’s a Wonderful...
- 7/26/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at an Oscars category from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winner stands the test of time.)
Every year, one or several films racks up an impressive haul of nominations. 14 is currently the record, shared amongst "All About Eve," "La La Land," and "Titanic," but routinely, you'll see eight, nine, or double-digit nominations for movies. This past year, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" had 11, while "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" managed nine apiece.
Most of the time, however, the Academy likes to spread the wealth. Take last year's movies. Even with "Everything Everywhere" doing abnormally well, it only won seven of those 11. "All Quiet" just won four, and "Banshees" went home empty-handed. A nomination domination does not necessarily set you up to do a massive clean sweep of the Oscars. Even "Titanic,...
Every year, one or several films racks up an impressive haul of nominations. 14 is currently the record, shared amongst "All About Eve," "La La Land," and "Titanic," but routinely, you'll see eight, nine, or double-digit nominations for movies. This past year, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" had 11, while "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" managed nine apiece.
Most of the time, however, the Academy likes to spread the wealth. Take last year's movies. Even with "Everything Everywhere" doing abnormally well, it only won seven of those 11. "All Quiet" just won four, and "Banshees" went home empty-handed. A nomination domination does not necessarily set you up to do a massive clean sweep of the Oscars. Even "Titanic,...
- 7/23/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
It was the battle of the Stephens at the 27th annual Tony Awards telecast March 25, 1973 on ABC from the Imperial Theatre. In one corner was Stephen Sondheim’s glorious and exquisite romantic musical “A Little Night Music” based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comedy “Smiles of a Summer Night.” And in the other corner, 25-year-old Stephen Schwartz’s hip, cool, Fosse Fosse Fosse musical “Pippin.”
“A Little Night Music,” which featured song memorable tunes as “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country,” waltzed into the ceremony hosted by Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm and co-hosted by Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach with 12 nominations including best musical, best original score, best book for Hugh Wheeler, best direction of a musical for Harold Prince, best performance by a leading actress in a musical for Glynis Johns, leading actor in a musical for Len Cariou, featured actress in a musical for...
“A Little Night Music,” which featured song memorable tunes as “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country,” waltzed into the ceremony hosted by Rex Harrison and Celeste Holm and co-hosted by Sandy Duncan and Jerry Orbach with 12 nominations including best musical, best original score, best book for Hugh Wheeler, best direction of a musical for Harold Prince, best performance by a leading actress in a musical for Glynis Johns, leading actor in a musical for Len Cariou, featured actress in a musical for...
- 4/5/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Carleton Carpenter, an actor whose lanky, aw-shucks cornpone good looks made him a familiar supporting presence opposite such leading ladies as Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor throughout the 1950s, died today in Warwick, New York, following years of declining health. He was 95.
His death was announced by spokesperson Kevin McAnarney.
Born Carleton Upham Carpenter in Bennington, Vermont, Carpenter served as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II, helping to build the airstrip from which the Enola Gay would later take off for its flight to Hiroshima. By the time of the 1945 atomic bombing, Carpenter had started his Broadway career with a role in David Merrick’s 1944 production Bright Boy.
Other Broadway roles would arrive in quick succession: Carpenter appeared in Three to Make Ready with Ray Bolger (1944), The Magic Touch (1947), John Murray Anderson’s Almanac (1953) and Hotel Paradiso (1957).
Carpenter’s TV and film credits developed alongside his stage career.
His death was announced by spokesperson Kevin McAnarney.
Born Carleton Upham Carpenter in Bennington, Vermont, Carpenter served as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II, helping to build the airstrip from which the Enola Gay would later take off for its flight to Hiroshima. By the time of the 1945 atomic bombing, Carpenter had started his Broadway career with a role in David Merrick’s 1944 production Bright Boy.
Other Broadway roles would arrive in quick succession: Carpenter appeared in Three to Make Ready with Ray Bolger (1944), The Magic Touch (1947), John Murray Anderson’s Almanac (1953) and Hotel Paradiso (1957).
Carpenter’s TV and film credits developed alongside his stage career.
- 1/31/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Carleton Carpenter, who performed on stage and screen alongside stars such as Debbie Reynolds in “Two Weeks With Love” and Judy Garland in “Summer Stock,” died Monday in Warwick, N.Y., according to his reps. He was 95.
Carpenter was a multi-hyphenate artist whose career spanned eight decades. His 1950 duet with Debbie Reynolds covering the song “Aba Daba Honeymoon” sold more than a million copies. He performed in countless radio, television and film productions and on stages on- and off-Broadway. He even went on to write a number of books, including his 2017 memoir, “The Absolute Joy of Work.”
Born Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. on July 10, 1926 in Bennington, Vt., Carpenter attended Bennington High School and served as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He attended the National High School Institute for Theatre Arts at Northwestern University and began his performance career as a clown and magician at carnivals.
Carpenter was a multi-hyphenate artist whose career spanned eight decades. His 1950 duet with Debbie Reynolds covering the song “Aba Daba Honeymoon” sold more than a million copies. He performed in countless radio, television and film productions and on stages on- and off-Broadway. He even went on to write a number of books, including his 2017 memoir, “The Absolute Joy of Work.”
Born Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. on July 10, 1926 in Bennington, Vt., Carpenter attended Bennington High School and served as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He attended the National High School Institute for Theatre Arts at Northwestern University and began his performance career as a clown and magician at carnivals.
- 1/31/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
Jodie Foster is the new Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The two-time Oscar winner pulled off a Golden Globe upset in Best Supporting Actress for “The Mauritanian” last month, but she was Mia from Monday’s Oscar lineup, becoming the fifth Globe winner not to earn a corresponding supporting actress Oscar nomination and first in 44 years.
The last Globe champ and Oscar snubbee was Katharine Ross for 1976’s “Voyage of the Damned.” Before that, Katy Jurado of “High Noon” (1952), Hermione Gingold of “Gigi” (1958) and Karen Black of “The Great Gatsby” (1974) all failed to convert their Globe gold into an Oscar bid.
In terms of the men, eight supporting actor Globe champs have been overlooked by the academy, mostly in the ’50s and ’60s. Taylor-Johnson was the most recent one to be blanked. Like Foster, he won the Globe in a shocker, for 2016’s “Nocturnal Animals,” but the academy opted to nominate his co-star Michael Shannon instead.
The last Globe champ and Oscar snubbee was Katharine Ross for 1976’s “Voyage of the Damned.” Before that, Katy Jurado of “High Noon” (1952), Hermione Gingold of “Gigi” (1958) and Karen Black of “The Great Gatsby” (1974) all failed to convert their Globe gold into an Oscar bid.
In terms of the men, eight supporting actor Globe champs have been overlooked by the academy, mostly in the ’50s and ’60s. Taylor-Johnson was the most recent one to be blanked. Like Foster, he won the Globe in a shocker, for 2016’s “Nocturnal Animals,” but the academy opted to nominate his co-star Michael Shannon instead.
- 3/15/2021
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association mostly used a rubber stamp to fill out the TV portion of their Golden Globe ballots this year, saving most of the organization’s traditional chaotic energy for the film categories instead. In one of the most surprising but also welcome moments of the evening, Jodie Foster took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “The Mauritanian.”
Foster was in fourth place in Gold Derby’s odds heading into the Globes, behind Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”), Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) and Olivia Colman (“The Father”), and leading Helena Zengel (“News of the World”). So what does this win mean for Foster’s chances at the Oscars? Well, let’s put it this way: The last actress who won the Golden Globe for supporting actress and was then snubbed by the academy was Katharine Ross, for “Voyage of the Damned...
Foster was in fourth place in Gold Derby’s odds heading into the Globes, behind Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”), Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) and Olivia Colman (“The Father”), and leading Helena Zengel (“News of the World”). So what does this win mean for Foster’s chances at the Oscars? Well, let’s put it this way: The last actress who won the Golden Globe for supporting actress and was then snubbed by the academy was Katharine Ross, for “Voyage of the Damned...
- 3/3/2021
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
We have one last batch of Blu-ray and DVD releases coming our way before we say goodbye (and good riddance) to the month of March. Scream Factory is keeping busy this Tuesday with their Blu-rays for both Bones and Munster, Go Home! (two titles this writer cannot wait to revisit in HD), and Vinegar Syndrome is showing some love to both Hollywood Horror House and Xtro 3: Watch the Skies this week as well.
Arrow Video has put together a 3-Disc Special Edition Collector’s Set of the Ringu films that fans will definitely want to pick up, and season two of The Purge television series heads home to DVD, too. Other releases for March 31st include Eat Brains Love, Evil River, and Terror in Woods Creek.
Bones (2001)
The time is 1979. Jimmy Bones is respected and loved as the neighborhood protector. When he is betrayed and brutally murdered by a corrupt cop,...
Arrow Video has put together a 3-Disc Special Edition Collector’s Set of the Ringu films that fans will definitely want to pick up, and season two of The Purge television series heads home to DVD, too. Other releases for March 31st include Eat Brains Love, Evil River, and Terror in Woods Creek.
Bones (2001)
The time is 1979. Jimmy Bones is respected and loved as the neighborhood protector. When he is betrayed and brutally murdered by a corrupt cop,...
- 3/31/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Scream Factory has provided full release details for the March 31st release of Munster, Go Home! on Blu-ray, including new audio commentary with Butch Patrick and Rob Zombie!
Los Angeles, CA -- Get ready to see America’s funniest family in their first full-length feature film! On March 31, 2020, Scream Factory proudly presents Munster, Go Home! on Blu-ray for the first time. Complete with bonus features including the television film The Munsters’ Revenge and new audio commentary with Butch Patrick and Rob Zombie, this release of Munster, Go Home! is a “munst”-have for any fan of The Munsters.
Following the wildly popular Munsters TV series, original cast members Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster), Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster), Al Lewis (Grandpa) and Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) are reunited in this hilarious movie as you’ve never seen them before … in spooky color!
Herman inherits a mansion in England and moves the...
Los Angeles, CA -- Get ready to see America’s funniest family in their first full-length feature film! On March 31, 2020, Scream Factory proudly presents Munster, Go Home! on Blu-ray for the first time. Complete with bonus features including the television film The Munsters’ Revenge and new audio commentary with Butch Patrick and Rob Zombie, this release of Munster, Go Home! is a “munst”-have for any fan of The Munsters.
Following the wildly popular Munsters TV series, original cast members Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster), Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster), Al Lewis (Grandpa) and Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) are reunited in this hilarious movie as you’ve never seen them before … in spooky color!
Herman inherits a mansion in England and moves the...
- 2/18/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
He’s mean, he’s nasty, he carries a razor and he’s dating your sister! Cosh Boy was front & center in 1953 debates about ‘what’s wrong with the British cinema.’ It holds up well, if not as PC social comment, then as solid exploitation fare, with our verminous hero putting the moves on tough-but-vulnerable local girl Joan Collins. The entire cast will want to stand in line to get revenge against Roy Walsh, the punk who steals from his own mum and lets his criminal gang do the dirty work. Take it from me, he’s a dirty rat.
The Slasher (Cosh Boy)
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1953 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / Street Date January 7, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 19.95
Starring: James Kenney, Joan Collins, Betty Ann Davies, Robert Ayres, Hermione Baddeley, Hermione Gingold, Nancy Roberts, Laurence Naismith, Ian Whittaker, Stanley Escane, Michael McKeag, Sean Lynch, Johnny Briggs, Nosher Powell.
The Slasher (Cosh Boy)
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1953 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / Street Date January 7, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 19.95
Starring: James Kenney, Joan Collins, Betty Ann Davies, Robert Ayres, Hermione Baddeley, Hermione Gingold, Nancy Roberts, Laurence Naismith, Ian Whittaker, Stanley Escane, Michael McKeag, Sean Lynch, Johnny Briggs, Nosher Powell.
- 1/4/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Harry Townsend's Last Stand www.HarryTownsendsLastStand.com a new play written by George Eastman The Snow Job Bitter Exchange and directed by Karen Carpenter Love, Loss and What I Wore Handle With Care, just opened at New York City Center Stage II 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues and is produced by Dennis Grimaldi A Gentlemen's Guide... Love Letters, Angels in America, Other People's Money. Starring Three time Tony Award Nominee and Tony Award winner, Len Cariou title role in Sweeney Todd A Little Night Music with Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold Applause starring Lauren Bacall 'Blue Bloods' and Craig Bierko Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominee, Music Man 'The Long Kiss Goodnight, 'UnREAL,' 'Blue Bloods'.
- 12/5/2019
- by Linda Lenzi
- BroadwayWorld.com
Harry Townsend's Last Stand www.HarryTownsendsLastStand.com a new play written by George Eastman The Snow Job Bitter Exchange and directed by Karen Carpenter Love, Loss and What I Wore Handle With Care, is currently playing at New York City Center Stage II 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues and is produced by Dennis Grimaldi A Gentlemen's Guide... Love Letters, Angels in America, Other People's Money. Starring Three time Tony Award Nominee and Tony Award winner, Len Cariou title role in Sweeney Todd A Little Night Music with Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold Applause starring Lauren Bacall 'Blue Bloods' and Craig Bierko Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominee, Music Man 'The Long Kiss Goodnight, 'UnREAL,' 'Blue Bloods', Harry Townsend's Last Stand opens on Wednesday, December 4.
- 11/21/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...
- 7/5/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
An admiring nod to ’60s dream siren Daliah Lavi! American-International leaps into an epic Jules Verne comedy about a trip to the moon, a good-looking but slow and unfunny farce that must squeak by on the goodwill of its cast of comedians. Burl Ives is excellent casting as P.T. Barnum, promoting a Greatest Show Off the Earth.
Blast-Off
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1967 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 119 99, 95 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / Those Fantastic Flying Fools; Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon / available through Olive Films / 29.95
Starring: Burl Ives, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Lionel Jeffries, Troy Donahue, Daliah Lavi, Dennis Price, Hermione Gingold, Jimmy Clitheroe, Graham Stark, Edward de Souza, Judy Cornwell, Allan Cuthbertson, Sinéd Cusack, Maurice Denham.
Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer
Film Editor: Ann Chegwidden
Original Music: John Scott
Written by Dave Freeman, Peter Welbeck (Harry Allan Towers) inspired by the writings of Jules Verne
Produced by Harry Allan Towers
Directed by Don Sharp...
Blast-Off
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1967 / Color/ 2:35 widescreen / 119 99, 95 min. / Street Date March 21, 2017 / Those Fantastic Flying Fools; Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon / available through Olive Films / 29.95
Starring: Burl Ives, Terry-Thomas, Gert Fröbe, Lionel Jeffries, Troy Donahue, Daliah Lavi, Dennis Price, Hermione Gingold, Jimmy Clitheroe, Graham Stark, Edward de Souza, Judy Cornwell, Allan Cuthbertson, Sinéd Cusack, Maurice Denham.
Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer
Film Editor: Ann Chegwidden
Original Music: John Scott
Written by Dave Freeman, Peter Welbeck (Harry Allan Towers) inspired by the writings of Jules Verne
Produced by Harry Allan Towers
Directed by Don Sharp...
- 6/9/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When Debbie Reynolds died on Wednesday at the age of 84, she had been famous for more than 65 years. A multi-talented star who fixed her place in the Hollywood firmaments when she was just 19 years old (the same age that her daughter, the late Carrie Fisher, was introduced to the world as Princess Leia), Reynolds’ life was the stuff of Tinseltown legend, and she never seemed to grow tired of the spotlight. On the contrary, she was a force of nature until the bitter end, brightening almost every corner of showbiz at one point or another during her decades on stage and screen.
Read More: Debbie Reynolds’ Co-Stars and More Celebrities Mourn Her Passing on Twitter
A hit recording artist, an Oscar (and Tony)-nominated leading lady, a Las Vegas lounge sensation, and a dedicated collector of movie memorabilia (some of her most heroic efforts were dedicated to the preservation of...
Read More: Debbie Reynolds’ Co-Stars and More Celebrities Mourn Her Passing on Twitter
A hit recording artist, an Oscar (and Tony)-nominated leading lady, a Las Vegas lounge sensation, and a dedicated collector of movie memorabilia (some of her most heroic efforts were dedicated to the preservation of...
- 12/29/2016
- by Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland, Liz Shannon Miller and William Earl
- Indiewire
This week's number is hands down the weirdest entry in Judy's filmography. It doesn't fit neatly into Judy's biography or star image; it really appears to be one of those things that happened because the timing was right. In 1962, Warner Bros released a Upa animated feature called Gay Purr-ee. It's a movie about Parisian cats that feels like An American in Paris meets The Aristocats as played by the Looney Tunes. In a bit of early celebrity stunt casting Upa cast two big voices for its dimunitive feline leads: Judy Garland and Robert Goulet.
The Movie: Gay Purr-ee (WB, 1962)
The Songwriters: Harold Arlen (music) & E.Y. Yarburg (lyrics)
The Cast: Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Red Buttons, Hermione Gingold, Paul Frees, Mel Blanc, directed by Abe Levitow.
The Story: Gay Purr-ee really needs to be seen to be believed. Done in the limited-animation style of Upa, the movie sets...
The Movie: Gay Purr-ee (WB, 1962)
The Songwriters: Harold Arlen (music) & E.Y. Yarburg (lyrics)
The Cast: Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, Red Buttons, Hermione Gingold, Paul Frees, Mel Blanc, directed by Abe Levitow.
The Story: Gay Purr-ee really needs to be seen to be believed. Done in the limited-animation style of Upa, the movie sets...
- 8/24/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
'Ben-Hur' 1959 with Stephen Boyd and Charlton Heston: TCM's '31 Days of Oscar.' '31 Days of Oscar': 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Ben-Hur' are in, Paramount stars are out Today, Feb. 1, '16, Turner Classic Movies is kicking off the 21st edition of its “31 Days of Oscar.” While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being vociferously reviled for its “lack of diversity” – more on that appallingly myopic, self-serving, and double-standard-embracing furore in an upcoming post – TCM is celebrating nearly nine decades of the Academy Awards. That's the good news. The disappointing news is that if you're expecting to find rare Paramount, Universal, or Fox/20th Century Fox entries in the mix, you're out of luck. So, missing from the TCM schedule are, among others: Best Actress nominees Ruth Chatterton in Sarah and Son, Nancy Carroll in The Devil's Holiday, Claudette Colbert in Private Worlds. Unofficial Best Actor...
- 2/2/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
William Cameron Menzies. William Cameron Menzies movies on TCM: Murderous Joan Fontaine, deadly Nazi Communists Best known as an art director/production designer, William Cameron Menzies was a jack-of-all-trades. It seems like the only things Menzies didn't do was act and tap dance in front of the camera. He designed and/or wrote, directed, produced, etc., dozens of films – titles ranged from The Thief of Bagdad to Invaders from Mars – from the late 1910s all the way to the mid-1950s. Among Menzies' most notable efforts as an art director/production designer are: Ernst Lubitsch's first Hollywood movie, the Mary Pickford star vehicle Rosita (1923). Herbert Brenon's British-set father-son drama Sorrell and Son (1927). David O. Selznick's mammoth production of Gone with the Wind, which earned Menzies an Honorary Oscar. The Sam Wood movies Our Town (1940), Kings Row (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). H.C. Potter's Mr. Lucky...
- 1/28/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Danièle Delorme: 'Gigi' 1949 actress and pioneering female film producer. Danièle Delorme: 'Gigi' 1949 actress was pioneering woman producer, politically minded 'femme engagée' Danièle Delorme, who died on Oct. 17, '15, at the age of 89 in Paris, is best remembered as the first actress to incarnate Colette's teenage courtesan-to-be Gigi and for playing Jean Rochefort's about-to-be-cuckolded wife in the international box office hit Pardon Mon Affaire. Yet few are aware that Delorme was featured in nearly 60 films – three of which, including Gigi, directed by France's sole major woman filmmaker of the '40s and '50s – in addition to more than 20 stage plays and a dozen television productions in a show business career spanning seven decades. Even fewer realize that Delorme was also a pioneering woman film producer, working in that capacity for more than half a century. Or that she was what in French is called a femme engagée...
- 12/5/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Thank heaven for not-so-little girls. A revival of the Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe musical Gigi, starring Disney-minted and Spring Breakers starlet Vanessa Hudgens, has booked the Neil Simon Theatre and will begin previews on March 19, with an official opening on April 8. The theater became available when the producers of The Last Ship announced that the Sting musical would trim its sails as of January 24.
The revival of the musical by the team behind My Fair Lady and Camelot will begin its out-of-town tryout this weekend at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where it runs through February 12. The show, based on the novel by Collette about a young Parisian girl who is being groomed for life as a courtesan, will feature a new book (Lerner wrote the original) by UK writer Heidi Thomas.
The director is Eric Schaeffer and the choreographer is Emmy-winner Joshua Bergasse (Smash, the current Broadway revival of On The Town.
The revival of the musical by the team behind My Fair Lady and Camelot will begin its out-of-town tryout this weekend at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where it runs through February 12. The show, based on the novel by Collette about a young Parisian girl who is being groomed for life as a courtesan, will feature a new book (Lerner wrote the original) by UK writer Heidi Thomas.
The director is Eric Schaeffer and the choreographer is Emmy-winner Joshua Bergasse (Smash, the current Broadway revival of On The Town.
- 1/14/2015
- by Jeremy Gerard
- Deadline
Polly Bergen: Actress on Richard Nixon's 'enemies list' (image: Polly Bergen publicity shot ca. late 1950s) (See previous article: "Polly Bergen Movies: First U.S. Woman President.") As discussed in the previous post, despite its deceptively progressive premise — the first United States woman president as a palpable reality — Kisses for My President, written by veteran Paramount screenwriter Claude Binyon (Search for Beauty, The Gilded Lily) and newcomer Robert G. Kane (whose sole other movie credit was the poorly received Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy Western Villain), was an unabashedly reactionary, "traditional family values" effort. Ironically, Polly Bergen, for her part, was a liberal-minded, politically active Democrat. At around the time Kisses for My President was released, Bergen, along with Gregory Peck, James Garner, and other Hollywood personalities, publicly came out against California's Proposition 14, a 1964 ballot initiative that would have nullified the Rumford Fair Housing Act, thus paving the way for...
- 9/22/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music holds a special place in my heart. A particularly impressive production at a community theatre was my first time to see a Stephen Sondheim musical staged, and it began my love affair with the man's music. The Tony Award winning and successful 1973 musical features a score written entirely in schmaltzy waltz time signatures and has a delightfully soapy plot derived from Ingmar Bergman's 1955 Swedish film Sommamattens leende In English Smiles of a Summer Night. In 1977, a film version of A Little Night Music was released, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Lesley-Anne Down, and Diana Rigg, with Len Cariou, Hermione Gingold, and Laurence Guittard reprising their Broadway roles. While the critical reception to the stage musical was glowing, the critical reception of the film was notoriously underwhelming. Despite this, Jonathan Tunick received an Oscar for his orchestrations of the memorable, lovely, and tuneful score, which...
- 8/13/2013
- by David Clarke
- BroadwayWorld.com
Last year, Angela Lansbury tied record-holder Julie Harris when she won a fifth Tony Award for her featured performance as the madcap Madame Arcati in the Noel Coward play "Blithe Spirit." On Tuesday, she got a chance to break that tie with her featured nomination as the cynical Madame Armfeldt in the first rialto revival of Stephen Sondheim's 1973 Tony-winning tuner "A Little Night Music." Hermione Gingold, the originator of the role, lost the 1973 race to her co-star Patricia Elliot, who played Countess Charlotte Malcolm. Lansbury's first four Tony wins were for lead actress in a musical: "Mame" (1966), "Dear World" (1969), "Gypsy" (1975) and "Sweeney Todd" (1979). Indeed, Lansbury has only gone down...
- 5/4/2010
- by tomoneil
- Gold Derby
Chicago – “The Music Man” is alive in a way few Hollywood musicals ever are. Its big numbers often grow organically, allowing melodies to emerge from the rhythm of speech, overlapping action or the seemingly mundane movement of characters across the frame. In the exuberant world of this ageless classic, music is less of a self-conscious construct than an irresistible life force infiltrating the cadence of everyday life.
Much of the film’s success must be attributed to the work of director Morton DaCosta and star Robert Preston. DaCosta directed Preston in the musical’s 1957 Tony-winning Broadway production, and insisted that his lead actor be cast in the 1962 cinematic adaptation, rather than the studio’s preferred star, Frank Sinatra. It’s impossible to imagine anyone but Preston in the role of “Prof. Harold Hill,” a charismatic con artist who seduces the simple citizens of River City, Iowa into financially supporting his...
Much of the film’s success must be attributed to the work of director Morton DaCosta and star Robert Preston. DaCosta directed Preston in the musical’s 1957 Tony-winning Broadway production, and insisted that his lead actor be cast in the 1962 cinematic adaptation, rather than the studio’s preferred star, Frank Sinatra. It’s impossible to imagine anyone but Preston in the role of “Prof. Harold Hill,” a charismatic con artist who seduces the simple citizens of River City, Iowa into financially supporting his...
- 2/9/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The more things change, the more they stay the same, for Leslie Caron at least. The 78-year-old actress will soon play the role of Madame Armfeldt, created by Hermione Gingold in the original 1973 production of A Little Night Music, on the Paris stage. Gingold portrayed her grandmother in the 1958 film, Gigi, which starred Caron as a young courtesan-in-training. Now a grandmother herself, Caron will appear in an English-language revival of A Little Night Music, the musical by Stephen Sondheim, at the Theatre du Chatelet next February http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/2009-2010/#/a-little-night-music-367-en/; besides Caron, it will also feature Kristin Scott Thomas and Lambert Wilson. Although Caron has been operating a five-bedroom bed and breakfast, Auberge La Lucarne aux Chouettes http://www.lesliecaron-auberge.com/Us/auberge_us.html in Burgundy, 75 miles outside of Paris, for the last 15 years, she has also been busy the past few years writing her memoirs,...
- 9/5/2009
- by Jane Levere
- Huffington Post
One of the last musicals from the Freed unit is lovingly restored for high definition. The subject of the film is sugarcoated, but it comes to high definition with a nice transfer as well as some bells and whistles. An American in Paris seems more lovingly restored, but Gigi makes a fine companion to set on your shelf beside it. Gigi (Leslie Caron) is a teenager who has come of age. She now is under the tutelage of her Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans) to become a courtesan. Her grandmother Alvarez (Hermione Gingold) doesn.t know if Gigi is mature enough to take these lessons seriously. Bachelor Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jordan) doesn.t seem to be enjoying the finer things of...
- 4/17/2009
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 Chicago – Two of the most beloved musicals of all time recently made their debut on Blu-Ray with extravagant collections of special features, beautiful HD, and crystal clear audio. All musical fans will want to add the Best Picture-winning “An American in Paris” and “Gigi” to their Blu-Ray collection.
One of my favorite musicals, 1951’s “An American in Paris,” an Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Score, and Screenplay, is such an essential film to the history of the musical genre that it seems like a no-brainer for HD Blu-Ray. It’s an undeniable classic featuring one of the great stars of the musical, Gene Kelly, at his athletic peak and includes the debut of the magical Leslie Caron.
An American in Paris was released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: Warner Brothers
As if Kelly and Caron weren’t enough to entice musical fans,...
One of my favorite musicals, 1951’s “An American in Paris,” an Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Score, and Screenplay, is such an essential film to the history of the musical genre that it seems like a no-brainer for HD Blu-Ray. It’s an undeniable classic featuring one of the great stars of the musical, Gene Kelly, at his athletic peak and includes the debut of the magical Leslie Caron.
An American in Paris was released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: Warner Brothers
As if Kelly and Caron weren’t enough to entice musical fans,...
- 4/6/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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