"I Love Lucy" was in many ways TV's first solid-gold hit, and it wasn't just because the show premiered when there were few television programs on the air. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then a real-life married couple, made magic together on screen as clever but ridiculous Lucy Ricardo and her straight man of a husband, Ricky. Their chemistry and comedy made the show an enduring, medium-changing hit, rocketing it to the top of the Nielsen charts and beaming it into the hearts and homes of millions of people worldwide.
The show came to a close in 1957, and while Ball and Arnaz would continue dominating television in other sitcoms and specials — not to mention their powerhouse production company Desilu — for years to come, no follow-ups ever held the same unique magic as the original series. Arnaz passed away in 1986, and Ball followed three years later. Today, only three actors who...
The show came to a close in 1957, and while Ball and Arnaz would continue dominating television in other sitcoms and specials — not to mention their powerhouse production company Desilu — for years to come, no follow-ups ever held the same unique magic as the original series. Arnaz passed away in 1986, and Ball followed three years later. Today, only three actors who...
- 10/6/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Fans of Gilligan’s Island love to joke about the earliest version of the show’s theme song, which shouts out most of the cast before resorting to an “And the rest!” lyric to refer to the Professor and Mary Ann. In fact, it didn’t change until star Bob Denver lobbied for it to include everyone.
One cast member, however, would have preferred to keep it the original way — Tina Louise, the “Movie Star” who closed out the original version of the credits. “Part of Louise’s dissatisfaction with the series was that she had expected to be the star of the show,” according to a 1965 issue of TV Guide, as reported by MeTV.
TV Guide wasn’t much of a gossip rag but even the publication responsible for channel listings couldn’t ignore the bad blood between Louise and everyone else in the cast. Denver, who played Gilligan, “will...
One cast member, however, would have preferred to keep it the original way — Tina Louise, the “Movie Star” who closed out the original version of the credits. “Part of Louise’s dissatisfaction with the series was that she had expected to be the star of the show,” according to a 1965 issue of TV Guide, as reported by MeTV.
TV Guide wasn’t much of a gossip rag but even the publication responsible for channel listings couldn’t ignore the bad blood between Louise and everyone else in the cast. Denver, who played Gilligan, “will...
- 9/27/2024
- Cracked
When it comes to the feminist themes of "Mad Men," it's typically Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) at the front of the conversation. She's on a clear upward journey from the moment she shows up in the pilot, and spends the show slowly but surely rising through the ranks of a male-dominated corporate environment. Then there's Betty (January Jones) as Peggy's polar opposite, a woman who spends the series trapped in an unfulfilling housewife role, even though she's not stupid and she speaks Italian; she totally could've enjoyed that career in psychology if she'd been born a little later.
In the middle is Joan. She's introduced as an extension of the mean girl trope, and characterized as sort of vain and shallow. She casually espouses all the ideals about gender roles that the show itself clearly wants to criticize. She comes from a time where looks really are almost all that matters for a woman,...
In the middle is Joan. She's introduced as an extension of the mean girl trope, and characterized as sort of vain and shallow. She casually espouses all the ideals about gender roles that the show itself clearly wants to criticize. She comes from a time where looks really are almost all that matters for a woman,...
- 9/14/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
With the announcement for the 76th Primetime Emmys set for July 17th, let’s travel back 70 years and revisit the winners of the 6th Emmy Awards held Feb. 11, 1954 at the venerable Hollywood Palladium and telecast on Khj. New categories introduced that year included best new program and supporting actor and actress in a TV series. Prior to 1954, performers were nominated as individuals, but this year the program for which they were nominated was also included. NBC was nominated for 36 Emmys, while CBS placed second with 30 and ABC trailing far behind with just three.
CBS’s cherished “I Love Lucy’ won its second Emmy for best comedy series, while Vivian Vance took home her only Emmy for the show for her supporting role as Ethel Mertz. The other nominees for comedy series were CBS’ “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,” NBC’s “Mr. Peepers,” CBS’ “Our Miss Brooks,” and CBS “Topper.
CBS’s cherished “I Love Lucy’ won its second Emmy for best comedy series, while Vivian Vance took home her only Emmy for the show for her supporting role as Ethel Mertz. The other nominees for comedy series were CBS’ “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,” NBC’s “Mr. Peepers,” CBS’ “Our Miss Brooks,” and CBS “Topper.
- 7/11/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
What makes a great courtroom thriller? A mesmerizing and clever plot that draws viewers in immediately. Three-dimensional characters that keep you guessing if they are the guilty party and twists and turns that leave audiences gasping and gob smacked.
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
- 1/18/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Multiple Maniacs. Photographs by Lawrence Irvine courtesy and copyright Dreamland Studios.John Waters still shocks. While the Pope of Trash may now be something of a respectable elder to queer cinema, appearing on talk shows and making annual movie recommendations for Artforum, his films have retained their ability to surprise and challenge the status quo. Works like Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970) have kept audiences squirming in their seats (and reaching for the barf bags), but they’ve also gained their long-denied critical understanding. They’re now taken seriously, viewed as earnestly as any kind of “respectable” film that doesn’t feature singing anuses, mother-son incest, or rape via giant lobster. Pink Flamingos (1972) is almost certainly the only film in Sight and Sound’s Top 250 greatest films of all-time list that features its lead eating dog feces from the sidewalk.Yet not every aspect of the Waters canon has been given its rightful due.
- 9/8/2023
- MUBI
Marcia de Rousse, who played Dr. Ludwig on the HBO original series “True Blood,” died in Altadena, Calif., on Saturday from a long illness, her agency told Variety. She was 70.
De Rousse was born in Doniphan, Mo., and graduated from the University of Missouri.
She was known for her role as Dr. Patricia Ludwig, a doctor for supernatural beings, in three episodes of “True Blood.” She first appeared in Season 2 on the episode “Scratches,” and later worked on the drama series’ fourth and seventh seasons. Her other television credits include “St. Elsewhere,” “The Fall Guy” and “Schoooled.”
On the film side, de Rousse worked on the 2003 dramedy “Tiptoes,” starring Gary Oldman, Kate Beckinsale, Patricia Arquette, Matthew McConaughey and Peter Dinklage. She played Kathleen in the film.
De Rousse made her feature film debut as a Hotel Rainbow guest in 1981’s “Under the Rainbow,” directed by Steve Rash. Set in 1938, the...
De Rousse was born in Doniphan, Mo., and graduated from the University of Missouri.
She was known for her role as Dr. Patricia Ludwig, a doctor for supernatural beings, in three episodes of “True Blood.” She first appeared in Season 2 on the episode “Scratches,” and later worked on the drama series’ fourth and seventh seasons. Her other television credits include “St. Elsewhere,” “The Fall Guy” and “Schoooled.”
On the film side, de Rousse worked on the 2003 dramedy “Tiptoes,” starring Gary Oldman, Kate Beckinsale, Patricia Arquette, Matthew McConaughey and Peter Dinklage. She played Kathleen in the film.
De Rousse made her feature film debut as a Hotel Rainbow guest in 1981’s “Under the Rainbow,” directed by Steve Rash. Set in 1938, the...
- 9/4/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Paramount+'s 2023 series "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" serves as a prequel to the hit 1978 film. The musical series follows Jane (Marisa Davila), Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso), and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara) as they form the girl gang the Pink Ladies in 1954. In "Grease," which is set in 1958, Sandy (played by the late Olivia Newton-John) is befriended by the Pink Ladies clique when she becomes a student at Rydell High, though Betty Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan, and Marty are all different levels of welcoming toward her.
How does "Rise of the Pink Ladies" connect to the original "Grease"? Well, of course, the new Pink Ladies and T-Birds attend the same high school that the original characters do. In the movie, Rydell High is run by Principal McGee, played by the late Eve Arden, but in "Rise of the Pink Ladies," she's Assistant Principal McGee, played pitch-perfectly by comedic icon Jackie Hoffman.
How does "Rise of the Pink Ladies" connect to the original "Grease"? Well, of course, the new Pink Ladies and T-Birds attend the same high school that the original characters do. In the movie, Rydell High is run by Principal McGee, played by the late Eve Arden, but in "Rise of the Pink Ladies," she's Assistant Principal McGee, played pitch-perfectly by comedic icon Jackie Hoffman.
- 5/18/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Prequels are all the rage these days.
We love returning to beloved universes that feel familiar but have new stories to tell.
Prime Video's A League Of Their Own was a terrific example of taking the framework of the source material and transforming it into something that feels relevant to modern audiences and uplifts voices that were not always given a platform in the eras being depicted.
Similarly, Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies focuses on the outcasts, the nerds, the ambitious, and the women who don't feel like conforming to the status quo -- or, because of who they are, haven't been allowed.
Why shouldn't they band together and create something new and special to celebrate each other?
Musically, we get the familiar opening number, "Grease Is The Word," and it manages to set up all the central characters. The lyrics take on new meaning, and it's like we're...
We love returning to beloved universes that feel familiar but have new stories to tell.
Prime Video's A League Of Their Own was a terrific example of taking the framework of the source material and transforming it into something that feels relevant to modern audiences and uplifts voices that were not always given a platform in the eras being depicted.
Similarly, Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies focuses on the outcasts, the nerds, the ambitious, and the women who don't feel like conforming to the status quo -- or, because of who they are, haven't been allowed.
Why shouldn't they band together and create something new and special to celebrate each other?
Musically, we get the familiar opening number, "Grease Is The Word," and it manages to set up all the central characters. The lyrics take on new meaning, and it's like we're...
- 4/2/2023
- by Mary Littlejohn
- TVfanatic
Apparently, "Grease" is still the word at Paramount+ because an all-new show based on the hit stage musical and its beloved 1978 film adaptation is heading to the streaming service later this year after originally being set up at HBO Max in 2019. But rather than follow the star-crossed students made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the 10-episode series will focus on the origins of the Pink Ladies, the girl gang made up of Stockard Channing, Dinah Manoff, Jamie Donnelly, and Didi Conn in the first movie (and led by an up-and-coming Michelle Pfeiffer in the underrated sequel).
Titled "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies," this prequel will be set four years before the original story and follows the first members of the group that challenged the idea of what a woman should be like in the 1950s. And while we've seen images and cast announcements for the upcoming project in the past,...
Titled "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies," this prequel will be set four years before the original story and follows the first members of the group that challenged the idea of what a woman should be like in the 1950s. And while we've seen images and cast announcements for the upcoming project in the past,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Ben F. Silverio
- Slash Film
Paramount+ is hoping its latest series will be the one that you want. Like greased lightnin’ (go greased lightnin’), the “Grease” prequel series “Rise of the Pink Ladies” is racing to the streamer on April 6, in time for you to binge it over those summer nights eventually. Paramount+ announced the news from their January 9 presentation for the Television Critic’s Association Winter press tour and, because there are worse things they could do, released a short teaser for the teen musical series to accompany it.
The series is a prequel to “Grease,” the 1978 film itself adapted from the 1971 stage musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Directed by Randal Kleiser, the movie was led by John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John as star-crossed greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson, but the film became a cultural sensation (raking in 366.2 million at the global box office) thanks in part to the memorable supporting cast,...
The series is a prequel to “Grease,” the 1978 film itself adapted from the 1971 stage musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Directed by Randal Kleiser, the movie was led by John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John as star-crossed greaser Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson, but the film became a cultural sensation (raking in 366.2 million at the global box office) thanks in part to the memorable supporting cast,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
So, what do the 4th Primetime Emmy Awards, which took place Feb. 18, 1952, have in common with the 2022 edition?
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
The stars of the No. 1 TV series, CBS’ “I Love Lucy,” were the hosts of the Emmy ceremony, which was telecast in Los Angeles on Kcea, now known as Kabc. And it was the first time that the Emmys embraced national television networks. Previously, nominations and awards were bestowed on projects that were produced or aired in Los Angeles.
This year, Amy Poehler’s valentine of a film, “Lucy and Desi,” not only received strong reviews but six Emmy nominations including Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special and directing for Poehler. The Amazon Prime doc won two: writer Mark Monroe and composer David Schwartz.
Traveling back to the 1952, the ceremony took places at venerable nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove. It must have been a short show because only seven awards were handed out.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
The stars of the No. 1 TV series, CBS’ “I Love Lucy,” were the hosts of the Emmy ceremony, which was telecast in Los Angeles on Kcea, now known as Kabc. And it was the first time that the Emmys embraced national television networks. Previously, nominations and awards were bestowed on projects that were produced or aired in Los Angeles.
This year, Amy Poehler’s valentine of a film, “Lucy and Desi,” not only received strong reviews but six Emmy nominations including Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special and directing for Poehler. The Amazon Prime doc won two: writer Mark Monroe and composer David Schwartz.
Traveling back to the 1952, the ceremony took places at venerable nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove. It must have been a short show because only seven awards were handed out.
- 9/7/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
In 1954, Eve Arden made history as the first woman to win a lead acting Emmy for a specific comedy series. She achieved the honor for playing the titular character on “Our Miss Brooks,” who made her living as a high school teacher. While more than a quarter of all Best Comedy Actress-winning characters have been housewives, teaching has proven to be the category’s second most favorable occupation. After Arden, Bea Arthur (“The Golden Girls”) and Melissa McCarthy (“Mike & Molly”) took the 1988 and 2011 prizes, respectively, for portraying educators. Now, “Abbott Elementary” star and first-time Emmy nominee Quinta Brunson has a shot at becoming the fourth member of this group.
Brunson, who also created “Abbott Elementary,” entered the pilot, which aired on ABC in December, as her episode submission. The installment introduces her character, Philadelphia public school teacher Janine Teagues, an optimistic, conscientious molder of second grade minds. A scant budget...
Brunson, who also created “Abbott Elementary,” entered the pilot, which aired on ABC in December, as her episode submission. The installment introduces her character, Philadelphia public school teacher Janine Teagues, an optimistic, conscientious molder of second grade minds. A scant budget...
- 8/24/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Before she began her five-season tenure as the star of “That Girl” in 1965, 27-year-old Marlo Thomas (daughter of small screen legend Danny Thomas) had appeared on more than a dozen TV programs. She ultimately earned four Best Comedy Actress Emmy nominations for the ABC sitcom and thus became the fifth woman to amass as many bids in the category for a single series, after Gracie Allen (“The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show”), Lucille Ball (“I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show”), Donna Reed (“The Donna Reed Show”), and Elizabeth Montgomery (“Bewitched”).
At the time of her first nomination in 1967, Thomas was the third youngest female comedy lead contender ever. Each of her four eventual losses in the category was to an actress at least three years her senior. Over the course of nearly six decades, she has fallen to 10th place on the list of youngest nominees, with two...
At the time of her first nomination in 1967, Thomas was the third youngest female comedy lead contender ever. Each of her four eventual losses in the category was to an actress at least three years her senior. Over the course of nearly six decades, she has fallen to 10th place on the list of youngest nominees, with two...
- 8/23/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Before she began her five-season tenure as the star of “That Girl” in 1965, 27-year-old Marlo Thomas (daughter of small screen legend Danny Thomas) had appeared on more than a dozen TV programs. She ultimately earned four Best Comedy Actress Emmy nominations for the ABC sitcom and thus became the fifth woman to amass as many bids in the category for a single series, after Gracie Allen (“The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show”), Lucille Ball (“I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show”), Donna Reed (“The Donna Reed Show”), and Elizabeth Montgomery (“Bewitched”).
At the time of her first nomination in 1967, Thomas was the third youngest female comedy lead contender ever. Each of her four eventual losses in the category was to an actress at least three years her senior. Over the course of nearly six decades, she has fallen to 10th place on the list of youngest nominees, with two...
At the time of her first nomination in 1967, Thomas was the third youngest female comedy lead contender ever. Each of her four eventual losses in the category was to an actress at least three years her senior. Over the course of nearly six decades, she has fallen to 10th place on the list of youngest nominees, with two...
- 8/23/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
When Shirley Booth (54) won the 1953 Best Actress Oscar for her screen debut in “Come Back, Little Sheba,” she became one of the 12 oldest champs in any acting category and the second oldest in hers after Marie Dressler. In 1962, she made history as the oldest winner of the Best Comedy Actress Emmy for her role on “Hazel” and further solidified that position when she triumphed again one year later. She starred as the titular housemaid for a total of five seasons and received a third bid in 1964 at age 65.
Booth’s final nomination for “Hazel” made her the second oldest nominee in her category up to that point, and she would continue to rank within the top five for over two decades. She now sits at 10th place, with four women over 65 having added their names to the list in the last five years.
The television academy has recognized the work...
Booth’s final nomination for “Hazel” made her the second oldest nominee in her category up to that point, and she would continue to rank within the top five for over two decades. She now sits at 10th place, with four women over 65 having added their names to the list in the last five years.
The television academy has recognized the work...
- 8/21/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
When Shirley Booth (54) won the 1953 Best Actress Oscar for her screen debut in “Come Back, Little Sheba,” she became one of the 12 oldest champs in any acting category and the second oldest in hers after Marie Dressler. In 1962, she made history as the oldest winner of the Best Comedy Actress Emmy for her role on “Hazel” and further solidified that position when she triumphed again one year later. She starred as the titular housemaid for a total of five seasons and received a third bid in 1964 at age 65.
Booth’s final nomination for “Hazel” made her the second oldest nominee in her category up to that point, and she would continue to rank within the top five for over two decades. She now sits at 10th place, with four women over 65 having added their names to the list in the last five years.
The television academy has recognized the work...
Booth’s final nomination for “Hazel” made her the second oldest nominee in her category up to that point, and she would continue to rank within the top five for over two decades. She now sits at 10th place, with four women over 65 having added their names to the list in the last five years.
The television academy has recognized the work...
- 8/21/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Prior to the firm establishment of the Best Drama Actress Emmy category in 1966, leading women on continuing series typically competed directly against each other regardless of genre. These mixed contests happened to produce equal amounts of comedic and dramatic winners during the 1950s and 1960s, with Eve Arden (“Our Miss Brooks”) and Loretta Young (“The Loretta Young Show”) being the respective first ones to represent the formats. Young, who triumphed in 1955, 1957, and 1959, remains one of only six women to rack up three or more wins in this category.
Each episode of Young’s eponymous show, like those of 1950s programs “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and “Alcoa Theatre,” was a stand-alone special featuring a unique storyline and set of characters. For all eight seasons, Young consistently acted as the wraparound host and would often star in the main fictional portions of the episodes. Her last Emmy victory at age 46 gave her...
Each episode of Young’s eponymous show, like those of 1950s programs “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and “Alcoa Theatre,” was a stand-alone special featuring a unique storyline and set of characters. For all eight seasons, Young consistently acted as the wraparound host and would often star in the main fictional portions of the episodes. Her last Emmy victory at age 46 gave her...
- 7/24/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Throughout the 1960s, several theatrical films from two decades prior were reworked into television series, the majority of which lasted a maximum of two seasons. One of these cases involved the 1947 fantasy film “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. The TV adaptation, which debuted in 1968 with Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare in the lead roles, did not fare particularly well and was cancelled by NBC after a single season. It was immediately picked up by ABC, but its tenure there was just as short.
The show did manage to garner six Emmy nominations during its short run, including one for Best Comedy Series. Lange also picked up a pair of Best Comedy Actress trophies, making her the second youngest champion in her category at the time. Over half a century later, she places behind a total of nine younger women, including three who triumphed in their 20s.
The show did manage to garner six Emmy nominations during its short run, including one for Best Comedy Series. Lange also picked up a pair of Best Comedy Actress trophies, making her the second youngest champion in her category at the time. Over half a century later, she places behind a total of nine younger women, including three who triumphed in their 20s.
- 7/21/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
“The Golden Girls,” which premiered on NBC in the fall of 1985, was initially presented as a sitcom about three women in their mid-50s and one in her early 80s sharing a house in Miami, Florida. However, most of the cast members’ real life ages did not align with those of their characters. Estelle Getty, who played eldest housemate Sophia, was really only 62 when the show first aired, while two of the quinquagenarian characters were played by 63-year-old actresses Bea Arthur and Betty White. Indeed, the only member of the main quartet who was truly age appropriate was 51-year-old Rue McClanahan.
Each of the four “Golden Girls” actresses took home a single Emmy for their work on the show. McClanahan earned hers in 1987 for a second season episode called “End of the Curse” in which her character, Blanche Devereaux, begins menopause. At 53, she was the sixth oldest winner in the...
Each of the four “Golden Girls” actresses took home a single Emmy for their work on the show. McClanahan earned hers in 1987 for a second season episode called “End of the Curse” in which her character, Blanche Devereaux, begins menopause. At 53, she was the sixth oldest winner in the...
- 7/20/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Though streaming and cable comedies such as “Ted Lasso,” “Hacks,” “Barry” and “Only Murder in the Building” are poised to receive multiple Emmy nominations, ABC’s perceptive and smartly funny mockumentary “Abbott Elementary” may just teach them a lesson. The freshman series, a valentine to educators who overcome trials and tribulations to teach, is a leading Emmy nomination contender.
Set in a predominately Black, grossly underfunded grade school in Philadelphia, the series stars Quinta Brunson as an eager second-grade teacher who is one of the few educators who have made it to a second year at the school. Brunson also created the series which was inspired by her mother who was a teacher in Philly for 40 years. Reviews were glowing for the series. The L.A. Times critic Robert Lloyd wrote: “The series feels fresh even as it mines the familiar. As much as characters represent an agglomeration of types,...
Set in a predominately Black, grossly underfunded grade school in Philadelphia, the series stars Quinta Brunson as an eager second-grade teacher who is one of the few educators who have made it to a second year at the school. Brunson also created the series which was inspired by her mother who was a teacher in Philly for 40 years. Reviews were glowing for the series. The L.A. Times critic Robert Lloyd wrote: “The series feels fresh even as it mines the familiar. As much as characters represent an agglomeration of types,...
- 6/15/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 70 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Throughout the 1960s, several theatrical films from two decades prior were reworked into television series, the majority of which lasted a maximum of two seasons. One of these cases involved the 1947 fantasy film “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. The TV adaptation, which debuted in 1968 with Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare in the lead roles, did not fare particularly well and was cancelled by NBC after a single season. It was immediately picked up by ABC, but its tenure there was just as short.
The show did manage to garner six Emmy nominations during its short run, including one for Best Comedy Series. Lange also picked up a pair of Best Comedy Actress trophies, making her the second youngest champion in her category at the time. Over half a century later, she places behind a total of nine younger women, including three who triumphed in their 20s.
The show did manage to garner six Emmy nominations during its short run, including one for Best Comedy Series. Lange also picked up a pair of Best Comedy Actress trophies, making her the second youngest champion in her category at the time. Over half a century later, she places behind a total of nine younger women, including three who triumphed in their 20s.
- 8/27/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
For most of the late 1970s, ABC essentially reigned supreme among TV networks with the hit series “Happy Days” and its spinoff, “Laverne & Shirley.” In the fall of 1977, new sitcoms “Three’s Company” and “Soap” were chosen to follow the sister series in the Tuesday night lineup, leading to an increase in the network’s popularity. Although “Soap” was the least favored of the four, it attracted a strong following due to its quirky premise. Presented a parody of daytime soap operas, the show focused on two sisters and their respective turbulent households.
“Soap” won four Emmys during its four-season run, half of which came in 1980 in honor of the acting work of one of its pairs of leads. The Best Comedy Actor prize went to Richard Mulligan (47), while the corresponding female award went to his TV wife, Cathryn Damon, who would turn 50 later that week. At the time of her victory,...
“Soap” won four Emmys during its four-season run, half of which came in 1980 in honor of the acting work of one of its pairs of leads. The Best Comedy Actor prize went to Richard Mulligan (47), while the corresponding female award went to his TV wife, Cathryn Damon, who would turn 50 later that week. At the time of her victory,...
- 8/27/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Laraine Newman was 23 years old when she was cherry-picked by Lorne Michaels to join the inaugural cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, along with Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris and Dan Aykroyd. During her five-year tenure on the iconic show, Newman skyrocketed to fame for playing memorable characters such as Connie Conehead and Sheri the Valley Girl. A founding member of the legendary comedy troupe the Groundlings, the Emmy-nominated comic would go on to appear in Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories” and in TV series such as “St. Elsewhere” and “Laverne & Shirley.” Newman would later carve out a thriving career as a voiceover artist, behind characters in such blockbuster animation projects as “The Incredibles,” “Minions” and “The Secret Life of Pets.” She’s also continued to hone her comic chops in the Drama Desk award-winning show “Celebrity Autobiography,” which was created by Eugene Pack.
- 3/5/2021
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
When I wrote the holiday movie guide “Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas” a decade ago — and bemoaned the lack of LGBT stories being told in the seasonal sub-genre — I never could have predicted the bumper crop of 2020, which is offering queer-centric (or at least gay-inclusive) new movies from Lifetime, Hallmark, Paramount Network, and Netflix, as well as the arrival of “Happiest Season,” an all-star Christmas comedy with a major studio behind it.
“Happiest Season” isn’t the kind of “inclusive” movie where someone went through a heterosexual script with the find-replace function and changed the gender of one of the leads; this is a film in which identity, family, and the closet represents a major through-line. That it does so in the trappings of a Christmas farce may take some viewers aback, but director Clea Duvall (who co-wrote with Mary Holland) takes the serious parts seriously, but not so...
“Happiest Season” isn’t the kind of “inclusive” movie where someone went through a heterosexual script with the find-replace function and changed the gender of one of the leads; this is a film in which identity, family, and the closet represents a major through-line. That it does so in the trappings of a Christmas farce may take some viewers aback, but director Clea Duvall (who co-wrote with Mary Holland) takes the serious parts seriously, but not so...
- 11/25/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 69 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“I Love Lucy” is the subject of a heartfelt tribute from “Will & Grace” on April 9. In “We Love Lucy,” Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) each imagine themselves as Lucy Ricardo opposite Will (Eric McCormack) as her hubby Ricky. Part of the fun is seeing this trio of talent also play Fred and Ethel in various combinations.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
- 4/9/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Jerry Fogel, who portrayed one-half of the newlywed couple hounded by the meddling Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden on the 1960s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. He was 83.
Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.
The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.
Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...
Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.
The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.
Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...
- 10/23/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerry Fogel, who portrayed one-half of the newlywed couple hounded by the meddling Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden on the 1960s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. He was 83.
Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.
The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.
Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...
Fogel died Monday at a hospice facility in Kansas City, Missouri, his family announced. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2008.
The lanky 6-foot-3 actor also played Lt. Commander William Outerbridge in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and was Ken Howard's brother-in-law, Bill Donahue, on the CBS high-school basketball drama The White Shadow.
Fogel quit his job as a popular rock 'n' roll DJ in his native Rochester, New York, signed ...
- 10/23/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Red Skelton Whistling Collection
DVD
Warner Archive
1941, 42, 43 / 1:33:1 / 78, 74, 87 Min.
Starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford
Written by Robert MacGunigle, Nat Perrin
Cinematography by Sidney Wagner, Clyde De Vinnam, Lester White
Directed by S. Sylvan Simon
One night in 1950 during an especially frenetic episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour, Jerry Lewis stepped away from Dean Martin to address the camera point blank – “You get the idea – I’m supposed to be a 9-year-old kid.” Hardly a revelation – especially to Red Skelton, the reigning king of prepubescent horseplay.
That reign was begun in 1923 and fueled by broadly played gags that were both leering and infantile – like a burlesque version of The Bad Seed. One of Skelton’s most grating characters was a wisecracking brat called the “mean widdle kid” – wearing short pants and lace collar while delivering grown-up one-liners in baby talk he was a less feral version of Joe Besser’s...
DVD
Warner Archive
1941, 42, 43 / 1:33:1 / 78, 74, 87 Min.
Starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford
Written by Robert MacGunigle, Nat Perrin
Cinematography by Sidney Wagner, Clyde De Vinnam, Lester White
Directed by S. Sylvan Simon
One night in 1950 during an especially frenetic episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour, Jerry Lewis stepped away from Dean Martin to address the camera point blank – “You get the idea – I’m supposed to be a 9-year-old kid.” Hardly a revelation – especially to Red Skelton, the reigning king of prepubescent horseplay.
That reign was begun in 1923 and fueled by broadly played gags that were both leering and infantile – like a burlesque version of The Bad Seed. One of Skelton’s most grating characters was a wisecracking brat called the “mean widdle kid” – wearing short pants and lace collar while delivering grown-up one-liners in baby talk he was a less feral version of Joe Besser’s...
- 4/27/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Kaye Ballard, a comic actress and singer who was a regular presence on TV for decades and starred in the late-’60s NBC comedy The Mothers-in-Law, has died. Palm Springs-area paper The Desert Sun reported that the star also known for The Girl Most Likely and a half-dozen Broadway musicals died Monday at her home in Rancho Mirage.
Ballard had appeared on a couple of TV programs when she was cast as Marge opposite Jane Powell and Cliff Robertson in the 1958 big-screen musical comedy remake of The Girl Most Likely. She would appear in a handful of movies in the ensuing decades, but TV was her go-to medium.
In 1967 she starred with Eve Arden in The Mothers-in-Law, playing half of an unconventional couple, the Buells, who was best friends with their very-straight suburban neighbors the Hubbards (Arden and Herbert Rudley). The series struggled to lure viewers in its 8:30 Sunday...
Ballard had appeared on a couple of TV programs when she was cast as Marge opposite Jane Powell and Cliff Robertson in the 1958 big-screen musical comedy remake of The Girl Most Likely. She would appear in a handful of movies in the ensuing decades, but TV was her go-to medium.
In 1967 she starred with Eve Arden in The Mothers-in-Law, playing half of an unconventional couple, the Buells, who was best friends with their very-straight suburban neighbors the Hubbards (Arden and Herbert Rudley). The series struggled to lure viewers in its 8:30 Sunday...
- 1/22/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Singer-comedienne Kaye Ballard, who starred alongside Eve Arden in the 1960s sitcom “The Mothers-in-Law” and was among the stars of the 1976 feature based on Terrence McNally’s farce “The Ritz,” died Monday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. She was 93.
She had recently attended a screening of a documentary about her life, “Kaye Ballard: The Show Goes On,” at the Palm Springs Film Festival, according to the Desert Sun, and became ill soon after.
Ballard’s career spanned stage and screen, and she was a star on Broadway when she was paired with Arden as neighbors whose kids get married on “The Mothers-in-Law,” which ran on NBC from 1967-69 and later in syndication.
On the show Ballard played Katherine “Kaye” Josephina Buell, the overly emotional wife of Roger Buell (played by Roger C. Carmel) and overprotective mother of Jerry Buell (Jerry Fogel). She was an unenthusiastic housewife, frequently spoke in Italian, and...
She had recently attended a screening of a documentary about her life, “Kaye Ballard: The Show Goes On,” at the Palm Springs Film Festival, according to the Desert Sun, and became ill soon after.
Ballard’s career spanned stage and screen, and she was a star on Broadway when she was paired with Arden as neighbors whose kids get married on “The Mothers-in-Law,” which ran on NBC from 1967-69 and later in syndication.
On the show Ballard played Katherine “Kaye” Josephina Buell, the overly emotional wife of Roger Buell (played by Roger C. Carmel) and overprotective mother of Jerry Buell (Jerry Fogel). She was an unenthusiastic housewife, frequently spoke in Italian, and...
- 1/22/2019
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Carol Channing was always, seemingly, full of sunshine. With her unique voice and “back row” Broadway singing chops, the eternal ingenue sparkled through a remarkable seven decade show business career. Ms. Channing died on January 15th, 2019, at the age of 97, at her home in Rancho Mirage, California.
Carol Elaine Channing was born in Seattle, Washington. She attended Bennington College at age 16, with her mother telling her beforehand that her father – who passed as white – was actually bi-racial (her grandmother was African American). Undeterred by this information (she has said in her bio and interviews that she was proud of her heritage), she went to the New York stage and first understudied for Eve Arden at age 19. She went on to originate the role of Lorelei on stage in “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” (Marilyn Monroe played the role in film), and introduced the song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.
Carol Elaine Channing was born in Seattle, Washington. She attended Bennington College at age 16, with her mother telling her beforehand that her father – who passed as white – was actually bi-racial (her grandmother was African American). Undeterred by this information (she has said in her bio and interviews that she was proud of her heritage), she went to the New York stage and first understudied for Eve Arden at age 19. She went on to originate the role of Lorelei on stage in “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” (Marilyn Monroe played the role in film), and introduced the song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.
- 1/17/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It's not going to be a lazy afternoon when the great Golden Age musical comedy star, Kaye Ballard, sits down with Rob in her Palm Springs home to look back on her incredible career that includes the original productions of The Golden Apple, Carnival, Molly, Plus Top Banana with Phil Silvers, The Mothers-in-law with Eve Arden, Cinderella with Julie Andrews, and countless appearances on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and The Muppet Show.
- 11/26/2017
- by Behind the Curtain
- BroadwayWorld.com
Turner Classic Movies continues with its Gay Hollywood presentations tonight and tomorrow morning, June 8–9. Seven movies will be shown about, featuring, directed, or produced by the following: Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, Farley Granger, John Dall, Edmund Goulding, W. Somerset Maughan, Clifton Webb, Montgomery Clift, Raymond Burr, Charles Walters, DeWitt Bodeen, and Harriet Parsons. (One assumes that it's a mere coincidence that gay rumor subjects Cary Grant and Tyrone Power are also featured.) Night and Day (1946), which could also be considered part of TCM's homage to birthday girl Alexis Smith, who would have turned 96 today, is a Cole Porter biopic starring Cary Grant as a posh, heterosexualized version of Porter. As the warning goes, any similaries to real-life people and/or events found in Night and Day are a mere coincidence. The same goes for Words and Music (1948), a highly fictionalized version of the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musical partnership.
- 6/9/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Grease 2 gave me such writer's block in the Pfandom series because what to even focus on with such an event? I finally powered through but the focus naturally had to be on Lapfeiff's career. So, herewith a random collections of thoughts and observations from this viewing which I think was my 6th or 7th? The movie is terrible but I'm addicted to early Pfeiffer's lusty bravado in it, hence the multiple revisits.
(This is gif heavy so be warned...)
Dody Goodman & Eve Arden reprising their Grease roles as "Blanche & Miss McGee"
↑ But these are the faces you'll find me making every time I find myself watching it. Why Are You Doing This Again?!?!?...
(This is gif heavy so be warned...)
Dody Goodman & Eve Arden reprising their Grease roles as "Blanche & Miss McGee"
↑ But these are the faces you'll find me making every time I find myself watching it. Why Are You Doing This Again?!?!?...
- 3/28/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
If your favorite “Feud: Bette and Joan” character is Pauline, Alison Wright gets it.
“I kind of love her too,” she told IndieWire. “She’s a strong, assertive, capable, able woman, and not a victim in any sort of sense. She’s got her head screwed on pretty tight. Ryan [Murphy] initially described her as being whip-smart and cool as a cucumber, so that’s an attractive concept right there.”
Read More: ‘Feud: Bette and Joan’ Main Titles: How That Striking Vintage Opening Sequence Got Made
Wright first became familiar to FX audiences as another 20th century secretary, “poor Martha” of “The Americans.” But the two characters couldn’t be further apart. As the loyal and clever assistant to director Robert Aldrich (played in the show by Alfred Molina), Pauline represents a rare breed of Hollywood women for the year 1962 — an aspiring director, who in this week’s episode has the...
“I kind of love her too,” she told IndieWire. “She’s a strong, assertive, capable, able woman, and not a victim in any sort of sense. She’s got her head screwed on pretty tight. Ryan [Murphy] initially described her as being whip-smart and cool as a cucumber, so that’s an attractive concept right there.”
Read More: ‘Feud: Bette and Joan’ Main Titles: How That Striking Vintage Opening Sequence Got Made
Wright first became familiar to FX audiences as another 20th century secretary, “poor Martha” of “The Americans.” But the two characters couldn’t be further apart. As the loyal and clever assistant to director Robert Aldrich (played in the show by Alfred Molina), Pauline represents a rare breed of Hollywood women for the year 1962 — an aspiring director, who in this week’s episode has the...
- 3/28/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
“Cain, Curtiz, And Crawford”
By Raymond Benson
Mildred Pierce is one curious piece of cinema. As film critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito point out in their fascinating conversation that is a supplement on this beautifully-presented Blu-ray release from The Criterion Collection, Pierce is a movie that almost doesn’t know what it wants to be. In many ways it is a woman’s picture, that is, a melodrama, but it’s disguised inside a manufactured film noir.
This reasoning is sound, for in spite of novelist James M. Cain being known for terrific pulp crime fiction (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice), his 1941 novel Mildred Pierce is not a crime story, unless you want to say that a young woman having an affair with her stepfather is “criminal.” The book is indeed hardboiled and pulpy, but there is no murder in it.
On the other hand, Michael Curtiz...
By Raymond Benson
Mildred Pierce is one curious piece of cinema. As film critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito point out in their fascinating conversation that is a supplement on this beautifully-presented Blu-ray release from The Criterion Collection, Pierce is a movie that almost doesn’t know what it wants to be. In many ways it is a woman’s picture, that is, a melodrama, but it’s disguised inside a manufactured film noir.
This reasoning is sound, for in spite of novelist James M. Cain being known for terrific pulp crime fiction (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice), his 1941 novel Mildred Pierce is not a crime story, unless you want to say that a young woman having an affair with her stepfather is “criminal.” The book is indeed hardboiled and pulpy, but there is no murder in it.
On the other hand, Michael Curtiz...
- 2/17/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Mildred Pierce
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 860
1945 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 111 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2017 /
Starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Veda Ann Borg, Jo Ann Marlowe, Butterfly McQueen.
Cinematography: Ernest Haller
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Film Editor: David Weisbart
Original Music: Max Steiner
Written by: Ranald MacDougall from the novel by James M. Cain
Produced by: Jerry Wald, Jack L. Warner
Directed by Michael Curtiz
James M. Cain’s 1941 novel Mildred Pierce offers a venal and self-destructive view of America not with a story of respectable bourgeois society, not the criminal underworld. A de-classed, suburb-dwelling nobody fights her way onto the social register by using men and by hard work… and then watches as her obsessive goals blow up in her face In Cain’s worldview it’s every woman for herself. He drags in an odd personal theme,...
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 860
1945 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 111 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2017 /
Starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Veda Ann Borg, Jo Ann Marlowe, Butterfly McQueen.
Cinematography: Ernest Haller
Art Direction: Anton Grot
Film Editor: David Weisbart
Original Music: Max Steiner
Written by: Ranald MacDougall from the novel by James M. Cain
Produced by: Jerry Wald, Jack L. Warner
Directed by Michael Curtiz
James M. Cain’s 1941 novel Mildred Pierce offers a venal and self-destructive view of America not with a story of respectable bourgeois society, not the criminal underworld. A de-classed, suburb-dwelling nobody fights her way onto the social register by using men and by hard work… and then watches as her obsessive goals blow up in her face In Cain’s worldview it’s every woman for herself. He drags in an odd personal theme,...
- 1/28/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When I was a kid I’d make the trek to Lewis’ Drug Store to buy comics with my allowance money. Maxwell’s Food Store had a better selection, but that was on the other side of the treacherous “Five Points” intersection, and I wasn’t yet allowed to cross that on my own.
Detective Comics, starring Batman, was a favorite, and you can make a case that some of the very best Batman stories were appearing each month during that early 70s period. They were fantastic thrillers by Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Irv Novick, with the occasional Michael Kaluta or Bernie Wrightson cover. I didn’t know how good I had it.
So you can imagine my surprise when I picked up Detective Comics #429 and looked at the interior story’s artwork by Frank Robbins. I remember thinking “Is this a joke?” and “Is this a Golden Age reprint?...
Detective Comics, starring Batman, was a favorite, and you can make a case that some of the very best Batman stories were appearing each month during that early 70s period. They were fantastic thrillers by Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Irv Novick, with the occasional Michael Kaluta or Bernie Wrightson cover. I didn’t know how good I had it.
So you can imagine my surprise when I picked up Detective Comics #429 and looked at the interior story’s artwork by Frank Robbins. I remember thinking “Is this a joke?” and “Is this a Golden Age reprint?...
- 10/10/2016
- by Ed Catto
- Comicmix.com
The recent box office success of The Boss firmly establishes Melissa McCarthy as the current queen of movie comedies (Amy Schumer could be a new contender after an impressive debut last Summer with Trainwreck), but let us think back about those other funny ladies of filmdom. So while we’re enjoying the female reboot/re-imagining of Ghostbusters and those Bad Moms, here’s a top ten list that will hopefully inspire lots of laughter and cause you to search out some classic comedies. It’s tough to narrow them down to ten, but we’ll do our best, beginning with… 10. Eve Arden The droll Ms. Arden represents the comic sidekicks who will attempt to puncture the pomposity of the leading ladies with a well-placed wisecrack (see also the great Thelma Ritter in Rear Window). Her career began in the early 1930’s with great bit roles in Stage Door and Dancing Lady.
- 8/8/2016
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Terence Davies’ films deal with repressed desire, longing, and emotional pain that springs from the depths of his characters’ souls, and yet, in person, the great British auteur is undoubtedly the funniest person in the room. He is all smiles and jokes as we sit down to discuss his glorious Sunset Song, entering a limited release this week, and a retrospective of his work at the Museum of the Moving Image. It makes sense that he is joyful rather than somber, because it makes one feel a sort of relief knowing that levity was welcomed between takes on haunting dramas such as Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Deep Blue Sea. In Sunset Song, Davies takes on the first part of a trilogy written by Lewis Grassic Gibbons, in which we meet farm girl Chris Guthrie (a luminous Agyness Deyn) as she is forced to take on the reins of her life in pre-wwi Scotland.
- 5/12/2016
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
Merle Oberon movies: Mysterious star of British and American cinema. Merle Oberon on TCM: Donning men's clothes in 'A Song to Remember,' fighting hiccups in 'That Uncertain Feeling' Merle Oberon is Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month of March 2016. The good news: the exquisite (and mysterious) Oberon, whose ancestry has been a matter of conjecture for decades, makes any movie worth a look. The bad news: TCM isn't offering any Oberon premieres despite the fact that a number of the actress' films – e.g., Temptation, Night in Paradise, Pardon My French, Interval – can be tough to find. This evening, March 18, TCM will be showing six Merle Oberon movies released during the first half of the 1940s. Never a top box office draw in the United States, Oberon was an important international star all the same, having worked with many of the top actors and filmmakers of the studio era.
- 3/19/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jean Simmons is the original frustrated Mad Housewife who runs away from a 'dream marriage' in search of something more fulfilling. Uncompromising, adult, and making use of an interesting cast. Plus, the soundtrack uses Michel Legrand's incomparable song "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The Happy Ending Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Ship Date January 19, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Jean Simmons, John Forsythe, Shirley Jones, Teresa Wright, Nanette Fabray, Bobby Darin, Kathy Fields, Tina Louise, Dick Shawn, Lloyd Bridges, Karen Steele, Erin Moran. Cinematography Conrad Hall Original Music Michel Legrand, lyrics Alan & Marilyn Bergman Produced, Written and Directed by Richard Brooks
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I looked at some of the poster artwork for The Happy Ending, and yes indeed, one of the main styles is indeed like the cover of this disc -- a photo of a rusty garbage...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I looked at some of the poster artwork for The Happy Ending, and yes indeed, one of the main styles is indeed like the cover of this disc -- a photo of a rusty garbage...
- 2/13/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Eerie question: What do The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live!, The Wiz Live!, and Grease Live! have in common? Eerier answer: They are all good. Seriously. They're glitzy live productions with some tepid acting (particularly in the case of The Sound of Music), but you tend to forgive their awkward moments because the live gimmick is, above all else, cute. It's like watching expensive, well-rehearsed high school theater. And that's a good thing. And it makes you miss high school theater. Fox's Grease Live!, which aired live on the East Coast on Sunday night, added nothing to what we already know of the classic 1978 movie musical (aside from a limp new ballad chirped by a pleasant-enough Carly Rae Jepsen), but it had all the infectiousness and emoji-big smiles you need from three hours of live musical entertainment. No one was begging for Grease to be stretched to the...
- 1/31/2016
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
Joan Crawford in 'Mildred Pierce.' 'Mildred Pierce' review: Very entertaining soap opera Time has a way of making some films seem grander than they really are. A good example is Mildred Pierce, the 1945 black-and-white melodrama directed by Casablanca's Michael Curtiz, and that won star Joan Crawford a Best Actress Oscar. Mildred Pierce is in no way, shape, or form great art, even though it's certainly not a bad film. In fact, as a soap opera it's quite entertaining – no, make that very entertaining; and entertainment is a quality that can stand on its own. (The problem in recent decades is that cinema has become nothing but entertainment.) In the case of Mildred Pierce, the entertainment is formulaic and rather predictable – but in an enjoyable, campy sort of way. Unbridled Hollywood melodrama Now, what makes Mildred Pierce a melodrama is something known as the Dumbest Possible Action – Dpa for short.
- 12/12/2015
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
Though we have to wait until January 31 to see Julianne Hough don Sandy's skintight black togs, the first preview photos of Fox's "Grease Live!", a live retelling of that classic story at Rydell High, are now available. It seems clear this version is inspired by the '78 movie version since Hough, playing the part of Sandy Olsson, is styled exactly like Olivia Newton-John. Aaron Tveit as Danny Zuko looks more like Kenickie from the movie (Jeff Conaway), but his attitude is Travoltian. And if Vanessa Hudgens isn't entering Stockard Channing lookalike contests in the near future, she's missing out. Those are very convincing imitations of the '78 cast. The only problem: Who wants to see convincing imitations of the '78 cast? "Grease" is the single most iconic musical of the 1970s. Everyone knows the songs, the look, and the way the actors were styled. In order to tell its story...
- 11/24/2015
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
Grease Live has found its Principal. Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer has joined Fox’s musical as Rydell High School Principal McGee, the role played by Eve Arden in the 1978 film. She joins the ensemble cast that includes Julianne Hough (Sandy), Aaron Tveit (Danny), Vanessa Hudgens (Rizzo), Carlos PenaVega (Kenickie), Keke Palmer (Marty) and Carly Rae Jepsen (Pink Lady Frenchy). Tommy Kail and Alex Rudzinski are directing the production which Fox airs on Sunday…...
- 11/12/2015
- Deadline TV
'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' 2015: Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' movie is a domestic box office bomb: Will it be saved by international filmgoers? Directed by Sherlock Holmes' Guy Ritchie and toplining Man of Steel star Henry Cavill and The Lone Ranger costar Armie Hammer, the Warner Bros. release The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has been a domestic box office disaster, performing about 25 percent below – already quite modest – expectations. (See also: “'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Movie: Bigger Box Office Flop Than Expected.”) This past weekend, the $80 million-budget The Man from U.N.C.L.E. collected a meager $13.42 million from 3,638 North American theaters, averaging $3,689 per site. After five days out, the big-screen reboot of the popular 1960s television series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum has taken in a mere $16.77 million. For comparison's sake:...
- 8/19/2015
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
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