Saturday, October 31, 2020

Sean Connery, RIP -- October 31, 2020

 

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I looked at my tablet this morning and saw a headline that said Sean Connery had died. To people of my generation, he was James Bond, but he did a lot more in his career. He worked with Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston and Brian De Palma. I think The Man Who Would Be King is my favorite. 

He was a proud Scotsman.

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Carole Lombard -- Halloween, 2020 -- October 31, 2020

 

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Beautiful and funny actress Carole Lombard poses for a Halloween photo. As far as I know, she appeared in only one horror film, 1933's Supernatural. Great poster. 

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Friday, October 30, 2020

A Trip to a Private Island -- October 30, 2020

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Late as usual: I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time.

Frankenstein, 1910 -- October 30, 2020

Edison Kinetogram, 15-April-1919

Halloween is coming. 

The first actor to play Frankenstein's Monster in a movie was Charles Ogle, in the 1910 Edison Frankenstein. When I was young, this movie was thought to be lost. 

Thursday, October 29, 2020

James Randi, RIP -- October 29, 2020

 

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Magician, escape artist and investigator James Randi has died, unless he is pulling our legs. I loved his book Conjuring

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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The Revenge of Tarzan -- October 27, 2020

 

Omaha Sunday Bee, 10-October-1920

Elmo Lincoln, who had played Tarzan in two movies, was no longer interested, so the Weiss Brothers hired fireman Gene Pollar to play the part. Because of the change, the movie which was based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' book The Return of Tarzan, was renamed to The Revenge of Tarzan. This was Pollar's only movie. He went back to being a fireman. 

Monday, October 26, 2020

Jaclyn Smith 75 -- October 26, 2020

 

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Beautiful actress Jaclyn Smith was born 75 years ago today, on 26-October-1945. I remember when Charlie's Angels premiered in 1976. Jaclyn Smith was my favorite. The Mad Magazine version was excellent. I don't remember seeing her in other movies or television shows. 

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Sunday, October 25, 2020

Rhonda Fleming, RIP -- October 25, 2020

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Actress Rhonda Fleming has died. She was made for Technicolor.

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Friday, October 23, 2020

Her Face Was Pretty, But Her Shoulders OH, BOY! -- October 23, 2020

 

Bemidji Daily Pioneer, 14-October-1920

The Chorus Girl's Romance, starring Viola Dara was based on F Scott Fitzgerald's' short story "Head and Shoulders."

Omaha Sunday Bee, 10-October-1920

Eileen Percy played Myra in The Husband Hunter, based on Fitzgerald's story "Myra Meets His Family."

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Edna Purviance 125 -- October 21, 2020

 

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Actress Edna Purviance played Charlie Chaplin's leading lady in most of his films for Essanay, Mutual and First National, including the first feature that Chaplin directed, The Kid. She also played the lead in A Woman of Paris, which Chaplin directed but did not star in.  When I was young, I didn't appreciate how pretty she was, perhaps because of the costumes, makeup and hair styles that she wore. At some point, the lightbulb went on and I understood. 

Moving Picture World, 23-June-1917


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Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Evelyn Brent 125 -- October 20, 2020

 

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Actress Evelyn Brent was born 125 years ago today, on 20-October-1895.  She had a long career in movies, silent and sound. She made three silent movies directed by Josef Von Sternberg. She could be scary. One of my favorite movie serials is the talkie Holt of the Secret Service, where she played a Secret Service agent posing as a gangster's moll. She doesn't take crap from anyone. 

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Monday, October 19, 2020

John Lithgow 75 -- October 19, 2020

 

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Actor and raconteur John Lithgow was born 75 years ago today, on 19-October-1945. I have always enjoyed his work. I think the first movie where I really noticed him was my old favorite, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. I liked Harry and the Hendersons. We often watched Third Rock From the Sun

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Sunday, October 18, 2020

Melina Mercouri 100 -- October 18, 2020

 

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Actress and politician Melina Mercouri was born 100 years ago today, on 18-October-1920. I have not seen many of her movies, but I remember when she was the Greek Minister of Culture. She tried to get the Elgin Marbles returned to Greece. During the military junta, she was a resistor, and had to go into exile. She married director Jules Dassin, who directed her in Topkapi

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Saturday, October 17, 2020

Montgomery Clift 100 -- October 17, 2020

 

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Actor Montgomery Clift was born 100 years ago today, on 17-October-1920. During World War Two, he was classified as 4-F because of chronic illness. He appeared in three movies with his friend, Elizabeth Taylor. Howard Hawks cast him in Red River. After an auto accident in 1956, he became dependent on pills and alcohol. He died of a heart attack in 1966. 

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Thursday, October 15, 2020

Mario Puzo 100 -- October 15, 2020

 

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Author Mario Puzo was born 100 years ago today, on 15-October-1920. I never read any of his books, except for one famous page from The Godfather, but I have seen the movies that Francis Ford Coppola made from The Godfather many times. Puzo was a veteran of World War Two. 

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Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Laraine Day -- October 13, 2020

 

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Actress Laraine Day was born 100 years ago today, on 13-October-1920. She appeared in most of the Doctor Kildaire movies with Lew Ayers. She spent most of her film career at M-G-M. Alfred Hitchcock and United Artists borrowed her for Foreign Correspondent.  

She married Leo Durocher, manager of the New York Giants, and studied baseball so she could understand what he was doing. She hosted a pregame television show called Day With the Giants

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Monday, October 12, 2020

The Greatest Adventure Man Ever Lived -- October 12, 2020

 

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Happy Columbus Day, everyone. In 1949 American actor Fredrick March played Christopher Columbus in a British film produced by J Arthur Rank. It premiered on Columbus Day, 1949. 

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Held By The Enemy -- October 11, 2020

 

Motion Picture News, 09-October-1920

William Gillette is best remembered for writing and starring in the first successful play about Sherlock Holmes. Gillette was born in Hartford, Connecticut on 24-July-1853. He became an actor when he was 20. By 1881, he was an actor, director and playwright. Gillette stressed realism in sets, lighting and sound effects and naturalism in acting. All this was a great change from the melodramatic standards in American theater. Gillette worked closely with producer Charles Frohman. Gillette's Civil War play Held by the Enemy was a great success in the United States and Great Britain. Paramount produced an adaption in 1920, which is presumed to be lost. 

Library of Congress (POS - TH - 1898 .H44, no. 2 (C size) <P&P> [P&P])



Friday, October 9, 2020

The Cradle of Courage -- October 9, 2020

 

Motion Picture News, 09-October-1920

William S Hart was an experienced stage actor who was fascinated with the American west. He often played what became known as the Good-Bad Man. In The Cradle of Courage, as a change of pace, he played Square Kelly, a criminal who reformed and served in the army during World War One. After the war, he joined a big city police force. His former associates make trouble for him. Lambert Hillyer directed. 


Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Late Daredevil Star in Attractively Produced Stunt Picture -- October 7, 2020

Motion Picture News, 02-October-1920

After serving in the US Army Air Service during World War I, Ormer Locklear became a barnstormer who specialized in wing walking. He and his partner Skeets Elliot toured the country thrilling audiences. While shooting their second starring movie, The Skywayman (great title), pilot Elliot was blinded by spotlights during a night dive and both men were killed. The producers left the scene in the movie.


Monday, October 5, 2020

Sundown Slim -- October 5, 2020

 

Motion Picture News, 02-October-1920

I like Harry Carey. I like this ad for Sundown Slim


Sunday, October 4, 2020

Buster Keaton 125 -- October 4, 2020

Motion Picture News, 02-October-1920

Happy 125th birthday to my favorite film comedian, Buster Keaton. I first became interested in Buster Keaton when I watched The General with my grandfather and he told me how much he had always liked Buster Keaton.

100 years ago last month, September 1920, Metro started to release Buster's starring series of two-reelers, which I think is one of the two greatest series of slapstick two-reelers. The other great series is the one Charlie Chaplin did for Mutual. "One Week" was not the first film produced, but it was the first released. It is a wonderful movie. 






Saturday, October 3, 2020

The Round Up -- October 3, 2020

 

Motion Picture News, 02-October-1920

100 years ago this month, Roscoe Arbuckle was appearing in The Round Up, a feature produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount. 

Memphis News-Scimitar, 23-October-1920

Memphis News-Scimitar, 26-October-1920