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R.I.P. Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison (b. 1926) has passed away at the age of 97 and so we thought it incumbent upon us to toss in a few words of eulogy, if not ululation. He’s been retired for 20 years, being on the cusp...
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Feliz Cumpleaños, Chita Rivera
January 23 is the birthday of Chita Rivera (Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, b. 1933). I’ll risk getting New Yorkers’ backs up by being overexplainy about who she is, for her legend...
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Some Reverence for a King and an Abbot
I’m not sure why I never thought to scratch beneath the surface of the career of classic Hollywood director Henry King (1886-1982) before, as I love several of his films. But I’m glad I did for, taken...
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Let Yer Freak Flag Fly, Florida!
January 25 is National Florida Day. Two of my brothers have retired to the Sunshine State, and they keep inviting me to come down for a visit, which I have half a plan to do. The origin of this post...
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For Australia Day: A Salute to Circus Oz
It’s Australia Day, and I’ve already done my big Australia omnibus post, so this year I thought I would do a short piece that flows very naturally out of my recent ones on Martin Sharp and the Luna...
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A Bit on Benay Venuta
January 27 was the birthday of stage star Benay Venuta (Benvenuta Rose Crooke, 1910-1995). Old time movie fans will probably know her best from the movie musicals Annie Get Your Gun (1950, as Dolly...
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Hear the Real Groucho! And Much More
If I were any kind of a guy, I’d plug every single episode of the Marx Brothers Council Podcast as they drop, but the naked truth is, I can’t keep up. It’s the only podcast I listen to, but I can’t...
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The Vaudeville of Chekhov
Yes! Google it and you will find many published books and articles with titles much like this post! I even dropped his name with reference to the many uses of the word vaudeville in my book No...
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A W.C. Fields Finding Aid
We’ve long since passed 100 posts on the topic of William Claude Dukenfeld, a.k.a. W.C. Fields (1880-1946) on this blog and so we thought we’d mark his birthday (January 29) with this new handy...
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The Dirt on Tammy Grimes
Oh, there’s no “dirt” on Tammy Grimes, per se, only information. it’s just wordplay and a shameless headline. Grimes (1934-2016) was an actress/performer whose legend was primarily in the theatre,...
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La Vie de André Antoine
More than once here have we pointed out the real true fact the many theatrical forms that owe their origins all or in part to France: melodrama, farce, vaudeville, burlesque, revues, even the Grand...
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Happy 70th, Bill Mumy
Bill Mumy (Charles William Mumy Jr, b. 1954) turns 70 years old today. For someone who has nearly 100 screen credits accumulated over nearly half a century, and has distinguished himself in numerous...
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That Time I Interviewed Dr. Bronner
It’s quite true, although it must be pointed out that there have been three generations of Drs Bronner since the mid 20th century, and many generations of soap-making Heilbronners before that. I...
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Two Tourneurs, Father and Son
A somewhat unusual case to contemplate today: a father and son, both of whom made well-known, well-respected and popular movies in two countries: France and America. Maurice Tourneur (Maurice Thomas,...
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Film Forum’s Sapph-o-Rama Begins Today
Launching today in New York: Sapph-o-Rama, Film Forum’s 30 film series of movies “exploring the eccentric, enduring, and genre-encompassing history of the Lesbian image in cinema”. The most perverse...
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R.I.P. Melanie
Melanie (b. 1947) passed away a week ago. I’d already planned a post for her birthday, which is today, so I thought I’d save the obit and let this one, regrettably, do double duty. Melanie Safka was...
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Recalling David Brenner
Today we toot a horn for the much-missed comedian David Brenner (1936-2014). (It’s also Charles Lindbergh’s birthday but that anti-Semite can wait his turn.) Brenner was ubiquitous on television when...
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The Strange Tale of Dr. Dante: Hypnotist and Con Man
This one is far from an exclusive but the show biz angle lured me in. I’m quite sure I first heard of Ronald Pellar (1930-2013) a.k.a Dr. Dante a.k.a. Ronald Dante a.k.a. Mr. Hypnotist as the seventh...
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900 New Posts Free!
The bad news — my hard drive died so I won’t be churning out a few thousand new daily words for a couple of days. The good news? I’ve just opened up to the public over 900 additional posts that were...
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The Glorious Gloria Talbott
Today we pause to acknowledge actress Gloria Talbott (1931-2000). We’ve had a handful of occasion to mention Talbott here, chiefly in relation to her horror films: she has key roles in The Cyclops...
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