Bernadette Peters 75 -- February 28, 2023

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Wildly talented singer and actress Bernadette Peters was born 75 years ago today, on 28-February-1948. She has had many successes on Broadway, in movies and on television.

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Happy International Polar Bear Day, 2023 -- February 27, 2023

Carmichael wishes everyone a happy International Polar Bear Day. Carmichael asks you to please do what you can to slow the loss of sea ice. 

Carmichael's grandfather was a movie star in the Old Country.

The Covered Wagon is the Most Colossal Achievement in All Motion Picture History -- February 26, 2023

 

Motion Picture News, 24-February-1923

George N Fenin and William K Everson in their book The Western: from Silents to Cinerama said that The Covered Wagon, directed by James Cruze, may have been the first epic western. Jesse Lasky gave Cruze liberty to shoot on location and spend money. Paramount promoted the film heavily, as we see in this two-page ad with color.

We have seen James Cruze as an actor in a large number of films for Thanhouser. 

Motion Picture News, 20-January-1923

"Facts About the Bigness of 'The Covered Wagon.'" It was Big:

• 3,000 actors spent three months on location, eighty miles from a railroad.
  
• Nine states were searched for locations.
  
• 1,000 Indians were brought from reservations hundreds of miles away, with their horses, tepees, and complete equipment.
  
• Eight truckloads of supplies a day had to be taken over the rough desert roads.
  
• Three hundred wagons were built. 40,000 square feet of canvas used to cover them.
  
• 100 oxen broken to the yoke.
  
• 3,000 costumes of the period made.
  
• Water backed up three miles for river scene ; dam broke and flooded camp, tearing down tents.
  
• 500 horses brought from Oregon for buffalo hunt scenes, which required particularly strong animals. 500 ordinaty horses also used.
  
• 500 buflaloes used in the hunt; the only large herd in existence.
  
• Nine square rniles of territory burned up for prairie fire scene.
  
• Seventy trees felled and transported eighty miles for building of ferries.
  
• Sixty wagons hauled material daily for six weeks to build replica of Fort Bridger.
  
• Mile-wide river forded by 300 wagons; men and animals had to swim; this was really dangerous, as bottom was quicksand.
  
• Every department of studio represented on location : wardrobe, property, scenario, publicity, film laboratory, construction, bookkeeping, auditing, stenographic and doctor's ofIice.
  
• Electric light plant built and light supplied to all tents.
  
• Complete commissary department employing several hundred fed the crowds. Mess tent held 1,000 at a time.
  

Motion Picture News, 13-January-1923

"A fortune has been spent in making this picture."

Motion Picture News, 06-January-1923

Oscar Micheaux -- The Virgin of Seminole -- February 25, 2023

Sioux City New Era, 02-February-1923

Oscar Micheaux was a pioneer in producing what were known as race films. 100 years ago this month, his film The Virgin of Seminole was showing for two nights at the Diamond Theater in Sioux City, IA. It featured "An All Star Colored Cast." Most of his advertisements featured his name, but this one does not.

Film Daily, 27-February-1923

"'Deceit,' the first all-negro production..." The Film Daily writer did not know what he was writing about. At this point, Oscar Micheaux had produced, directed and distributed at least eight feature films. Other companies that had produced "all-negro" films included the Lincoln Motion Picture Company and Reol Productions. This was Evelyn Preer's first appearance in a movie.

      

Vicksburg Evening Post, 22-February-1923

Lawrence Chenault appeared in many pictures made by Oscar Micheaux, but The Schemers was a Reol Production. "A Splendid Cast of Colored Artists."

Film Daily, 26-February-1923

An Iowa state legislator introduced a bill to forbid segregation in movie theaters. I have to dig around to see if it passed.

Motion Picture News, 13-January-1923

This is one that I missed last month. This clever guy who managed the Moss chain of theaters in New York City had the clever idea of cashing in on all the publicity about the Ku Klux Klan by advertising that "The K.K.K. is coming to B.S. Moss' Broadway Theater, week commencing Mon. Dec. 18th."  I am at a loss for words. 

The Toll of the Sea -- February 24, 2023

Motion Picture News, 27-January-1923

The Toll of the Sea was the second feature film made by the Technicolor Corporation, the first to be released and the first using the subtractive, two-color Process 2. It was also the first film starring Anna May Wong. The film is still available.

Technicolor Process 1 was an additive two-color process and it required a special projector. Process 2 could be shown on a regular projector.

Alexandria Theater -- San Francisco to Have Another -- February 23, 2023

Motion Picture News, 24-February-1923

The Alexandria on Geary Street was the biggest theater in my neighborhood when I was growing up. It opened in 1923. As you might guess from the name, it was built with Egyptian decor. Later it had beautiful Streamline Moderne decorations till it got split into three theaters in 1976. 

The Reid Brothers designed many theaters in San Francisco, including the Castro. 

I liked looking out my parents' back window and seeing at the neon sign. I remember seeing a Disney revival in one of the smaller rooms, the old balcony or loge, while a Star Wars movie was playing in the main auditorium. We could hear it very clearly. The theater closed in 2004 and various groups spent years trying to do something with. Now it houses an exercise studio. The owners recently dismantled the sign because they said it was unsafe.

I took the photo on 18-February-2013.

The Spirit of '76 -- February 22, 2023

Motion Picture News, 07-April-1917

In honor of George Washington's birthday, here is an ad for The Spirit of '76 a Revolutionary War story that was released in 1917. It seems that producer and writer Robert Goldstein had invested his own money in this movie and completed it in 1916. 

Bisbee Daily Review, 05-December-1923

Soon after the film was released in 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. Robert Goldstein was the son of immigrants from Germany and the movie showed the British, who were now our allies, in a bad light. Goldstein was arrested, prosecuted and convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917, which made it illegal to attack our allies. he was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary, but his sentence was commuted to three years by President Woodrow Wilson. 

Noah Beery played George Washington.

Stella Stevens, Richard Belzer and Donald Spoto RIP --February 21, 2023

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Stella Stevens has died. She was very popular with men of my generation. I particularly liked her in the original Nutty Professor.

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Richard Belzer died. I liked him as a comedian and as Belzer in Law and Order SVU.

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I read some of Donald Spoto's books about people in the movie industry. I have never read any of his theology books. I need to find the one about Saint Francis of Assisi. 

Buster Keaton -- They'll Never Want to Wake Up -- February 21, 2023

Motion Picture News, 24-February-1923

When I first started reading about silent comedy, Buster Keaton's "Day Dreams" was considered a lost film. Later, people digging around found most of the movie, but some scenes are still missing. Eddie Cline and Buster directed.

"Day Dreams" has special meaning for me because it was partly shot in San Francisco and includes a scene shot on the Powell/Mason cable car line. In this screenshot, we see Buster sitting on the front bench of a Powell Street cable car while it rotates on the turntable at Bay and Taylor Streets. 

Motion Picture News, 24-February-1923

"The Balloonatic" (great name) may have been the first of Buster's silent short films that I saw. The Main Library used to show films one day a week at lunchtime.

Motion Picture News, 24-February-1923

"Buster Keaton rises to great heights..."

Motion Picture News, 03-February-1923

Metro, which had released Buster's first season of silent comedies, wanted to distribute the first feature in which he had creative control, The Three Ages. First National released Buster's second season of silent comedies.

John Adams -- February 20, 2023

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Happy Presidents' Day everyone.

In 2008, HBO ran a miniseries about John Adams, with the imaginative title John Adams. Paul Giamatti played Adams and Laura Linney played Abigail Adams. I have always liked Paul Giamatti, but I was surprised when he was cast to play John Adams. He did a fine job, along with the rest of the cast. The miniseries was inspired by David McCullough's book about Adams.

Jennifer O'Neill 75 -- February 20, 2023

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Jennifer O'Neill was born 75 years ago today. I liked her in Summer of '42, both the movie and the Mad Magazine version. I remember her in Luchino Visconti's The Innocent.

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Chaplin -- Yes, My Sharlie -- February 19, 2023

Motion Picture News, 03-February-1923

Charlie Chaplin's "The Pilgrim" was the last movie he made for First National release. It was four reels long.

Motion Picture News, 10-February-1923

Persistent rumors had it that Chaplin and Polish actress Pola Negri were going to marry. It would have been the second marriage for both. I was very young when I first read his My Autobiography and he said some things about Negri that I did not understand.

Photoplay, February, 1923

Negri and Chaplin. She had recently come to the US from Europe and some of this hoopla may have been publicity for her. 

Photoplay, February, 1923

The Photoplay reviewer said "The Pilgrim" was a good comedy, but felt it was "sketchy." Chaplin could have made more out of the material.

Motion Picture News, 17-February-1923

Fred Allen -- The Old Joke Cemetery -- February 18, 2023

Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, 13-February-1922

Fred Allen, the greatest comedian of old time radio, made his first movie in 1929. In 1922-1923 he played Broadway and then toured the country in a big revue, The Passing Show of 1922.One of his sketches was called "Old Joke Cemetery," It used a big backdrop with gravestones that bore the punchlines of antediluvian jokes. One of the chorines in the show was Portland Hoffa. He married her and they worked together for the rest of his life.

Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, 13-February-1922

Fred's name is hard to read in the complete ad. The big stars of the show were brothers Willie and Eugene Howard. They starred in three editions of The Passing Show. They had a very limited film career. Fred Allen had the first name on the supporting list. 

 The Passing Shows were yearly revues that ran from 1912 to 1924. You will notice that the 1922 edition was still on the road in 1923. 

Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, 13-February-1922

I found his two memoirs in the San Francisco Public Library, Treadmill to Oblivion and Much Ado About Me. The books taught me a lot about writing humor.

Raquel Welch, RIP -- February 17, 2023

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Actress Raquel Welch has died.  She made a big impression on men of my generation, many of whom had the poster of her in the hide bikini from One Million Years BC hanging in their rooms. 


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Despite strenuous efforts by producers to exploit her wonderful looks, she remained classy throughout her career. 

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Hammer's One Million Years BC and the accompanying poster made many people aware of her. 

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The original Bedazzled with Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore also brought her attention. 

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My favorite Raquel Welch movies were Richard Lester's Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers. 

Hoot Gibson -- The Peerless Dare Devil of the Saddle -- February 17, 2023

Seattle Star, 23-February-1923

I always enjoy Hoot Gibson movies. He added a lot of comedy to his films. Nat Ross directed The Galloping Kid.

Motion Picture News, 10-February-1923

Leo Maloney directed several movies with Hoot Gibson, but he also starred in a series of two-reel Range Rider westerns.

Motion Picture News, 06-January-1923

I didn't get to post this one last month. Ford Beebe directed Under Suspicion. 

Motion Picture News, 03-February-1923

Ford Beebe also directed Border Law.

Motion Picture News, 13-January-1923

Another one I didn't get to post last month. When I saw Neal Hart's name, I assumed he was one of many actors who changed their last names to match famous stars, but Neal Hart was this gentleman's real name and he was said to be a distant cousin of William S Hart.

Motion Picture News, 03-February-1923

William Farnum, a big, tough-looking guy, appeared in many westerns. Brass Commandments (interesting title) was directed by Lynn Reynolds.