Fresh off his Tony-winning turn in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’ “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff will return to the rialto next spring in the new Bobby Darin jukebox musical “Just in Time.” Tony-winning director Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge”) will oversee the production that is set to transform the Circle in the Square theater into a nightclub complete with a swing band.
Groff will lead a cast of 16 to tell the story of this singer/songwriter who was only 37 when he died of heart disease in 1973. Darin had a string of hits in the 1950s including the chart-topping “Splish Splash,” “Dream Lover,” “Mack the Knife” and “Just in Time.” He turned to acting in the 1960s, often opposite his wife Sandra Dee (they met making “Come September” in 1961). He reaped an Oscar bid in 1963 for his supporting turn as a shell-shocked soldier in “Captain Newman, M.D.” In the 1970s,...
Groff will lead a cast of 16 to tell the story of this singer/songwriter who was only 37 when he died of heart disease in 1973. Darin had a string of hits in the 1950s including the chart-topping “Splish Splash,” “Dream Lover,” “Mack the Knife” and “Just in Time.” He turned to acting in the 1960s, often opposite his wife Sandra Dee (they met making “Come September” in 1961). He reaped an Oscar bid in 1963 for his supporting turn as a shell-shocked soldier in “Captain Newman, M.D.” In the 1970s,...
- 10/9/2024
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
During the mid-1970s, television producer Aaron Spelling and the writing duo of Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts hit upon the most spectacularly novel idea: Viewers loved watching women solve crimes. The eureka moment occurred in 1974 when the great and ludicrously beautiful Angie Dickinson scored a primetime hit with "Police Woman." While I'd argue Dickinson could've burned up the Nielsen ratings via weekly readings of Russian literature shot at the Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, she was a must-watch sensation as a glamorously attired detective. Though the scripts were rigorously formulaic for a '70s hour-long cop show, Dickinson's showbiz rep attracted a host of top tier guest stars; "Police Woman" didn't have much of a hook, but thanks to its star, it had plenty of sizzle.
It took some prodding (ABC execs Barry Diller and Michael Eisner abhorred Spelling's pitch), but "Charlie's Angels" became the breakout hit of the 1976 season.
It took some prodding (ABC execs Barry Diller and Michael Eisner abhorred Spelling's pitch), but "Charlie's Angels" became the breakout hit of the 1976 season.
- 9/21/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
James Darren, the beloved actor and singer who rose to stardom as the charming surfer Moondoggie in the Gidget film series, passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
He is also known for his for his role of Officer James Corrigan in the police drama T. J. Hooker.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Darren died peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after battling heart-related issues, his son Jim Moret confirmed.
Per the report, he initially went to the hospital for an aortic valve replacement, but doctors determined he was too weak to undergo the procedure.
After being discharged and returning home, his condition worsened, requiring him to be readmitted to the hospital.
“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said to THR, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
James Darren’s breakout role as Moondoggie in Gidget
Born James Ercolani on June 8, 1936, in Philadelphia,...
He is also known for his for his role of Officer James Corrigan in the police drama T. J. Hooker.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Darren died peacefully in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after battling heart-related issues, his son Jim Moret confirmed.
Per the report, he initially went to the hospital for an aortic valve replacement, but doctors determined he was too weak to undergo the procedure.
After being discharged and returning home, his condition worsened, requiring him to be readmitted to the hospital.
“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said to THR, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
James Darren’s breakout role as Moondoggie in Gidget
Born James Ercolani on June 8, 1936, in Philadelphia,...
- 9/3/2024
- by Frank Yemi
- Monsters and Critics
James Darren, the former teen idol and pop singer who played the dreamy surfer Moondoggie in three Gidget movies before starring on television on The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker, died Monday. He was 88.
Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had entered the hospital for an aortic valve replacement but was deemed too weak to have the surgery; he went home but had to return.
“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
Early in his career, the dark-haired Darren received excellent notices for starring in Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) — portraying the son of a hoodlum defended by Humphrey Bogart’s character in 1949’s Knock on Any Door — and for playing the Greek soldier Spyros Pappadimos in The Guns of Navarone...
Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had entered the hospital for an aortic valve replacement but was deemed too weak to have the surgery; he went home but had to return.
“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
Early in his career, the dark-haired Darren received excellent notices for starring in Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) — portraying the son of a hoodlum defended by Humphrey Bogart’s character in 1949’s Knock on Any Door — and for playing the Greek soldier Spyros Pappadimos in The Guns of Navarone...
- 9/2/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Darren, who went from teen idol status acting in youth-oriented movies like “Gidget” to becoming an actor in TV shows such as “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “T.J. Hooker” and a singer and director, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 88.
His son Jim Moret said that he had been able to express his love for his family while being treated in the cardiac unit. “He was a good man. He was very talented,” Moret said. “He was forever young.”
Moret said he was grateful that his father had been able to embrace his signature role as the surfer Moondoggie in the “Gidget” movie and that he continued to interact with his fans.
Born in Philadelphia, he studied acting with Stella Adler in New York and was signed to Columbia Pictures, where his first role was in “Rumble on the Docks.” He went on to...
His son Jim Moret said that he had been able to express his love for his family while being treated in the cardiac unit. “He was a good man. He was very talented,” Moret said. “He was forever young.”
Moret said he was grateful that his father had been able to embrace his signature role as the surfer Moondoggie in the “Gidget” movie and that he continued to interact with his fans.
Born in Philadelphia, he studied acting with Stella Adler in New York and was signed to Columbia Pictures, where his first role was in “Rumble on the Docks.” He went on to...
- 9/2/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
The summer horror movie subgenre spoils us all with an embarrassment of riches, but this also means that whenever people come up with a list of recommendations, the same players make an appearance again and again. At this point, you shouldn't need an online list to tell you that "Jaws" is the ultimate July 4th viewing experience. And considering that "Midsommar," "Summer of '84," and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" have the season in the title of the movie, these are also no-brainer suggestions for summer horror movies. Summer is also the season for summer camp movies, so "Sleepaway Camp," the entire "Friday the 13th" franchise, parodies like "The Final Girls," homages like "Fear Street: 1978," and the entire roster of Cabin in the Woods horror movies are all easy picks.
Then there are the countless folk horror films in the vein of "The Wicker Man" that all scream "summer,...
Then there are the countless folk horror films in the vein of "The Wicker Man" that all scream "summer,...
- 7/21/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Tony-winner Jonathan Groff is set to star in a staged reading next month of a new musical about Bobby Darin, the 1950s-’60s-era singer who scored hits with “Mack the Knife,” “Dream Lover” and “Beyond The Sea,” Deadline has confirmed.
With an eye toward Broadway, Groff will perform the industry reading of Just In Time in New York next month. Alex Timbers will direct the reading, as he did in 2018 when he teamed with Groff on an early concert version of the musical at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.
The musical takes its name from the Jule Styne-Adolph Green-Betty Comden song “Just In Time,” which Darin, among many others, recorded.
Attached to produce for an eventual Broadway run are Tom Kirdahy and Robert Ahrens. The reading in New York will be staged under the auspices of the Arlington, Virginia, non-profit regional theater Signature Theatre.
A timeframe...
With an eye toward Broadway, Groff will perform the industry reading of Just In Time in New York next month. Alex Timbers will direct the reading, as he did in 2018 when he teamed with Groff on an early concert version of the musical at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.
The musical takes its name from the Jule Styne-Adolph Green-Betty Comden song “Just In Time,” which Darin, among many others, recorded.
Attached to produce for an eventual Broadway run are Tom Kirdahy and Robert Ahrens. The reading in New York will be staged under the auspices of the Arlington, Virginia, non-profit regional theater Signature Theatre.
A timeframe...
- 7/12/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Micheline Presle, the French actress whose controversial Devil in the Flesh role was the start of a career that included starring opposite John Garfield, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and Paul Newman, has died at 101.
Presle died Wednesday in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, her son-in-law, Olivier Bomsel, told Le Figaro.
Presle portrayed a nurse having an affair with a student (Gérard Philipe) in the World War I drama Devil in the Flesh (1947), which the National Board of Review voted as one of the 10 best films of the year.
She was soon signed by 20th Century Fox, which changed her surname to Prelle and cast her as a café owner who falls in love with a crooked jockey (Garfield) in Jean Negulesco’s Under My Skin (1950). She also starred with Power in the Technicolor war film American Guerilla in the Philippines (1950), and in The Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951).
She would appear...
Presle died Wednesday in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, her son-in-law, Olivier Bomsel, told Le Figaro.
Presle portrayed a nurse having an affair with a student (Gérard Philipe) in the World War I drama Devil in the Flesh (1947), which the National Board of Review voted as one of the 10 best films of the year.
She was soon signed by 20th Century Fox, which changed her surname to Prelle and cast her as a café owner who falls in love with a crooked jockey (Garfield) in Jean Negulesco’s Under My Skin (1950). She also starred with Power in the Technicolor war film American Guerilla in the Philippines (1950), and in The Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951).
She would appear...
- 2/22/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Micheline Presle, the standout French actress who starred in the controversial Devil in the Flesh before making a foray into Hollywood that included roles opposite John Garfield, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and Paul Newman, has died. She was 101.
Presle died Wedneday in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, her son-in-law Olivier Bomsel told Le Figaro.
Presle came to international attention when she portrayed a nurse having an affair with a student (Gérard Philipe) in the World War I drama Devil in the Flesh (1947), which the National Board of Review voted as one of the 10 best films of the year.
Because it featured a woman who took a lover while her husband was away at war, it generated a great deal of discussion.
In 1949, Presle met American actor William Marshall, who had been married to another French star, Michèle Morgan, and followed him to America. They would wed that year in Santa Barbara.
Presle died Wedneday in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, her son-in-law Olivier Bomsel told Le Figaro.
Presle came to international attention when she portrayed a nurse having an affair with a student (Gérard Philipe) in the World War I drama Devil in the Flesh (1947), which the National Board of Review voted as one of the 10 best films of the year.
Because it featured a woman who took a lover while her husband was away at war, it generated a great deal of discussion.
In 1949, Presle met American actor William Marshall, who had been married to another French star, Michèle Morgan, and followed him to America. They would wed that year in Santa Barbara.
- 2/22/2024
- by Rhett Bartlett and Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sometimes, Ginger Zee’s job takes her to some dangerous locations, leaving her fans concerned for her safety.
That’s currently the case as the GMA personality is covering the torrential downpours in Los Angeles County, California.
Not only does Ginger deliver the nation’s forecast every morning on Good Morning America, but her job as the Chief Meteorologist/Chief Climate Correspondent at ABC News also entails traveling to the frontlines where storms are brewing.
Amid the flash flooding and landslides happening in California right now, Ginger has been amassing footage of the life-threatening weather conditions that have been wreaking havoc on the West Coast.
The 43-year-old has been sharing videos of the devastation on Instagram, filming herself along the L.A. River, and meeting with residents who have been affected by the storms.
Clad in her waterproof storm gear, Ginger posed dangerously close to the edge of the L.
That’s currently the case as the GMA personality is covering the torrential downpours in Los Angeles County, California.
Not only does Ginger deliver the nation’s forecast every morning on Good Morning America, but her job as the Chief Meteorologist/Chief Climate Correspondent at ABC News also entails traveling to the frontlines where storms are brewing.
Amid the flash flooding and landslides happening in California right now, Ginger has been amassing footage of the life-threatening weather conditions that have been wreaking havoc on the West Coast.
The 43-year-old has been sharing videos of the devastation on Instagram, filming herself along the L.A. River, and meeting with residents who have been affected by the storms.
Clad in her waterproof storm gear, Ginger posed dangerously close to the edge of the L.
- 2/6/2024
- by Mona Wexler
- Monsters and Critics
Following his funeral, which was attended by his ‘Friends’ co-stars, actor Matthew Perry has reportedly been secretly laid to rest in an A-list section of a star-studded cemetery. The ‘Friends’ star, who died aged 54 on October 28 in an apparent drowning in the hot tub in the backyard of his mansion in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, has reportedly had his casket placed within the walls of a corridor called Sanctuary of Treasured Love at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
According to tmz.com, the private burial site is situated behind gates and also serves as the final resting place for Michael Clarke Duncan, who starred alongside Matthew in the 2000 comedy film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Duncan also died aged 54, and died in 2012 by a heart attack.
Perry’s cause of death is still not known, but it has been reported that he...
According to tmz.com, the private burial site is situated behind gates and also serves as the final resting place for Michael Clarke Duncan, who starred alongside Matthew in the 2000 comedy film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Duncan also died aged 54, and died in 2012 by a heart attack.
Perry’s cause of death is still not known, but it has been reported that he...
- 11/9/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Following his funeral, which was attended by his ‘Friends’ co-stars, actor Matthew Perry has reportedly been secretly laid to rest in an A-list section of a star-studded cemetery. The ‘Friends’ star, who died aged 54 on October 28 in an apparent drowning in the hot tub in the backyard of his mansion in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, has reportedly had his casket placed within the walls of a corridor called Sanctuary of Treasured Love at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
According to tmz.com, the private burial site is situated behind gates and also serves as the final resting place for Michael Clarke Duncan, who starred alongside Matthew in the 2000 comedy film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Duncan also died aged 54, and died in 2012 by a heart attack.
Perry’s cause of death is still not known, but it has been reported that he...
According to tmz.com, the private burial site is situated behind gates and also serves as the final resting place for Michael Clarke Duncan, who starred alongside Matthew in the 2000 comedy film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Duncan also died aged 54, and died in 2012 by a heart attack.
Perry’s cause of death is still not known, but it has been reported that he...
- 11/9/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Francie ‘Gidget’ Lawrence was the main focus of the 1959 movie Gidget and the 1965 TV show of the same name. The famed film and series followed the adventures of a teenage Francie as she traversed the California surfing scene. Do you know exactly how old Gidget was supposed to be in the series? Gidget was not yet 16 when the series premiered
Sally Field | American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images Related
Every Actor Who Has Played Gidget Over the Years
Francie ‘Gidget’ Lawrence was 15 and a half when the TV show premiered
When Gidget premiered on ABC in 1965, the series followed Francie Lawrence through her surfing adventures in California. In the series, the character, nicknamed Gidget, was 15 and a half. In theory, if the series had continued, Gidget would have aged across several seasons. It wasn’t meant to be, though.
Gidget was canceled after a single season amid middling viewership. While...
Sally Field | American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images Related
Every Actor Who Has Played Gidget Over the Years
Francie ‘Gidget’ Lawrence was 15 and a half when the TV show premiered
When Gidget premiered on ABC in 1965, the series followed Francie Lawrence through her surfing adventures in California. In the series, the character, nicknamed Gidget, was 15 and a half. In theory, if the series had continued, Gidget would have aged across several seasons. It wasn’t meant to be, though.
Gidget was canceled after a single season amid middling viewership. While...
- 5/24/2023
- by Andrea Francese
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Frederick Kohner penned a novel about his young daughter, who was emersed in the growing surfing community as a teen in the 1950s. Her summer experiences inspired the book. Kohner likely never imagined that his book would spawn a cultural phenomenon. It did just that. The book eventually spawned a franchise of films and television projects that brought viewers on Francie ‘Gidget’ Lawrence’s summer adventures. Over the years, several actors have taken on the role of Gidget. Do you remember them all?
Sandra Dee was the first actor to portray the famed character
Sandra Dee was the first actor to take on the role of Gidget. She appeared in the first film adaptation of the bestselling book. By the time Dee landed the role in Gidget, she was a veteran in the entertainment industry. According to The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties, Dee earned the equivalent...
Sandra Dee was the first actor to portray the famed character
Sandra Dee was the first actor to take on the role of Gidget. She appeared in the first film adaptation of the bestselling book. By the time Dee landed the role in Gidget, she was a veteran in the entertainment industry. According to The Bad and the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties, Dee earned the equivalent...
- 5/20/2023
- by Andrea Francese
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Four years before Sandy arrived at Rydell High, the Pink Ladies began their reign as the newest clique to champion the school’s class of outsiders. Paramount+’s new prequel series, Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies, tells the story of the classic film’s outcasts set to the tune of teen friendships, sweet romance and standout dance numbers.
Marisa Davila stars as “Brainy” Jane, a Sandra Dee-type who sees her good-girl rep destroyed by a vicious rumor. Fed up with the social hierarchy, she bands together with fellow outcasts Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), a brainy romantic who’s been labeled the school slut; tomboy Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso), who longs to join the T-Birds; and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), who favors fashion over the dating scene.
Below, find out when to stream every new episode of Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies without cable, as well as how...
Marisa Davila stars as “Brainy” Jane, a Sandra Dee-type who sees her good-girl rep destroyed by a vicious rumor. Fed up with the social hierarchy, she bands together with fellow outcasts Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), a brainy romantic who’s been labeled the school slut; tomboy Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso), who longs to join the T-Birds; and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), who favors fashion over the dating scene.
Below, find out when to stream every new episode of Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies without cable, as well as how...
- 4/6/2023
- by Danielle Directo-Meston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gabrielle Upton, who wrote the screenplay for the classic California surfing movie Gidget, starring Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson and James Darren, has died. She was 101.
Upton died Sept. 13 in Santa Rosa, California, her daughter, Greer Upton, told The Hollywood Reporter. News of her death had not been reported until now.
A three-time WGA Award nominee, Upton wrote for such network shows as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour/Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, Convoy, One Step Beyond, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, The Virginian, The Big Valley and The High Chaparral.
She also worked on several daytime soap operas during her career, including Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, The Secret Storm and Love of Life.
After Frederick Kohner took a crack at adapting his best-selling 1957 novel Gidget, the Little Girl With Big Ideas for Columbia Pictures’ Gidget (1959), Upton came on and received sole screenplay credit.
Upton died Sept. 13 in Santa Rosa, California, her daughter, Greer Upton, told The Hollywood Reporter. News of her death had not been reported until now.
A three-time WGA Award nominee, Upton wrote for such network shows as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour/Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, Convoy, One Step Beyond, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, The Virginian, The Big Valley and The High Chaparral.
She also worked on several daytime soap operas during her career, including Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, The Secret Storm and Love of Life.
After Frederick Kohner took a crack at adapting his best-selling 1957 novel Gidget, the Little Girl With Big Ideas for Columbia Pictures’ Gidget (1959), Upton came on and received sole screenplay credit.
- 2/24/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Screen Actors Guild presented legendary comic actor Eddie Cantor with the first annual Life Achievement Award back in 1962. Over the past six decades, the award for ‘outstanding achievement in fostering ideals of the acting profession” has been given to such Hollywood icons as Stan Laurel, Bob Hope, Barbara Stanwyck, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, James Cagney, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. More recently, Mary Tyler Moore, Charles Durning, Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno, Carol Burnett, Helen Mirren and Robert De Niro have received the honor.
Two-time Oscar and three-time Emmy Award winning Sally Field is the latest recipient of the Life Achievement Award. The 76-year-old actress, who came to fame as the ultimate teenager “Gidget” in the 1965-66 ABC sitcom, is currently starring with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno in the hit feature comedy “80 for Brady.” She appeared with Jim Parsons last year in the drama...
Two-time Oscar and three-time Emmy Award winning Sally Field is the latest recipient of the Life Achievement Award. The 76-year-old actress, who came to fame as the ultimate teenager “Gidget” in the 1965-66 ABC sitcom, is currently starring with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno in the hit feature comedy “80 for Brady.” She appeared with Jim Parsons last year in the drama...
- 2/22/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The Locksmith is a 2023 thriller movie directed by Nicolas Harvard starring Ryan Phillippe and Kate Bosworth.
Storyline
An expert locksmith (Ryan Phillippe) is released from prison and pulled back into a world of crooked cops and small-town gangsters, despite the future he hoped to build with his ex-fiancé (Kate Bosworth) a detective, and their daughter.
The Stars Ryan Philippe
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Storyline
An expert locksmith (Ryan Phillippe) is released from prison and pulled back into a world of crooked cops and small-town gangsters, despite the future he hoped to build with his ex-fiancé (Kate Bosworth) a detective, and their daughter.
The Stars Ryan Philippe
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- 1/18/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Arrow swings into 2023 with a disc of a horror thriller ‘with issues’ — but appointing it with intriguing extras. Sandra Dee gets her perky nose all tangled up in an inter-dimensional conspiracy run by sneaky occultist Dean Stockwell — and we know that it’s all going to lead to a sacrificial altar. Roger Corman designer Daniel Haller directed this cross between a Poe picture and a psychedelic epic, for good old American-International.
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
The Dunwich Horror
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date January 10, 2023 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sandra Dee, Dean Stockwell, Ed Begley, Lloyd Bochner, Sam Jaffe, Joanne Moore Jordan, Donna Baccala, Talia Shire, Barboura Morris, Beach Dickerson.
Cinematography: Richard C. Glouner
Art Director: Paul Sylos
Film Editor: Christopher Holmes
Original Music: Les Baxter
Written by Curtis Lee Hanson, Henry Rosenbaum, Ronald Silkowsky from the story by H.P. Lovecraft
Executive producer Roger Corman
Produced by James H. Nicholson,...
- 1/3/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Am I allowed to say that?” Sarah Greenwood asked her collaborator Katie Spencer. The two paused for a moment before Greenwood returned to explaining her work on Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”
Greenwood was in Toruń, Poland, to receive a Special Award for Achievements in Production Design at the 30th EnergaCAMERIMAGE. Her career has included several collaborations with directors Joe Wright and Guy Ritchie, as well as the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black.” She’s been nominated for five Academy Awards, all in collaboration with set decorator Spencer. But Greenwood and Spencer faced a daunting challenge ahead of Gerwig’s much-anticipated comedy based on Mattel’s flagship doll: Who lives in a world of toys?
“The thing about ‘Barbie’ is that when you see the film, you’ll say that it’s so simple,” Greenwood said. “At least from a design point of view. What was the problem? Why...
Greenwood was in Toruń, Poland, to receive a Special Award for Achievements in Production Design at the 30th EnergaCAMERIMAGE. Her career has included several collaborations with directors Joe Wright and Guy Ritchie, as well as the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black.” She’s been nominated for five Academy Awards, all in collaboration with set decorator Spencer. But Greenwood and Spencer faced a daunting challenge ahead of Gerwig’s much-anticipated comedy based on Mattel’s flagship doll: Who lives in a world of toys?
“The thing about ‘Barbie’ is that when you see the film, you’ll say that it’s so simple,” Greenwood said. “At least from a design point of view. What was the problem? Why...
- 12/21/2022
- by Daniel Eagan
- Indiewire
Angela Lansbury, whose career crossed theater, film, and television across more than seven decades, has died at the age of 96. Her death was announced by MSNBC’s Ali Velshi on his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon and confirmed by NBC News. “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 Am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday,” her family said in a statement.
The actress is best known for “Murder, She Wrote,” but started her career in 1944 and has delighted generations of fans with nearly 150 credits. That includes everything ranging from voice-over performances to musicals and dramas. Lansbury was able to be anything an audience needed, from a warmhearted mother to a vicious villain.
Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925 in London, England. She was born into entertainment,...
The actress is best known for “Murder, She Wrote,” but started her career in 1944 and has delighted generations of fans with nearly 150 credits. That includes everything ranging from voice-over performances to musicals and dramas. Lansbury was able to be anything an audience needed, from a warmhearted mother to a vicious villain.
Angela Brigid Lansbury was born on October 16, 1925 in London, England. She was born into entertainment,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Sacheen Littlefeather (Apache/Yaqui/Ariz.), the Native American actress and activist who took to the stage at the 1973 Academy Awards to reveal that Marlon Brando would not accept his Oscar for The Godfather, has died. She was 75.
Littlefeather died at noon Sunday at her home in the Northern California city of Novato surrounded by her loved ones, according to a statement sent out by her caretaker. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which reconciled with Littlefeather in June and hosted a celebration in her honor just two weeks ago, revealed the news on social media Sunday night.
Littlefeather disclosed in March 2018 that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and it had metastasized in recent years.
Brando had decided to boycott the March 1973 Oscars in protest of how Native Americans were portrayed onscreen as well as to pay tribute to...
Sacheen Littlefeather (Apache/Yaqui/Ariz.), the Native American actress and activist who took to the stage at the 1973 Academy Awards to reveal that Marlon Brando would not accept his Oscar for The Godfather, has died. She was 75.
Littlefeather died at noon Sunday at her home in the Northern California city of Novato surrounded by her loved ones, according to a statement sent out by her caretaker. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which reconciled with Littlefeather in June and hosted a celebration in her honor just two weeks ago, revealed the news on social media Sunday night.
Littlefeather disclosed in March 2018 that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and it had metastasized in recent years.
Brando had decided to boycott the March 1973 Oscars in protest of how Native Americans were portrayed onscreen as well as to pay tribute to...
- 10/3/2022
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Nosferatu & Metaluna Mutant Action Figures from Super 7
Super 7 will add Nosferatu and This Island Earth’s Metaluna Mutant to its Ultimates action figure line in October 2023. They’re available to pre-order for 54.99. Shipping is free with the code FALLFREE22.
Nosferatu comes with three interchangeable heads, eight interchangeable hands, rat, and key ring, while Metaluna Mutant includes two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands. Each 7” figure is packaged in a slipcase-style collector’s box.
Halloween Posters from Vice Press
Vice Press has released Halloween 24×36 lithograph prints by Florey. Two variants are available: one with an autumnal, daytime aesthetic and the other with a spooky, nighttime atmosphere. My favorite detail is the subtle reflection of Michael Myers’ mask in the window.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Nosferatu & Metaluna Mutant Action Figures from Super 7
Super 7 will add Nosferatu and This Island Earth’s Metaluna Mutant to its Ultimates action figure line in October 2023. They’re available to pre-order for 54.99. Shipping is free with the code FALLFREE22.
Nosferatu comes with three interchangeable heads, eight interchangeable hands, rat, and key ring, while Metaluna Mutant includes two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands. Each 7” figure is packaged in a slipcase-style collector’s box.
Halloween Posters from Vice Press
Vice Press has released Halloween 24×36 lithograph prints by Florey. Two variants are available: one with an autumnal, daytime aesthetic and the other with a spooky, nighttime atmosphere. My favorite detail is the subtle reflection of Michael Myers’ mask in the window.
- 9/23/2022
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Look at her, she’s Sandra Dee… and also a spandex-rocking stiletto queen. Those extremes were dictated by the plot of “Grease,” but Olivia Newton-John had a strong narrative arc in her recording career, too. First, she was the country-pop crossover queen who set a template for Shania Twain; then, a dance-pop princess who could well have been the proto-Kylie; finally, a mature balladeer leaning toward self-help material that befit the public struggles and inspirational tone of her life’s difficult last act.
In celebration of the pop icon who died Monday at age 73, here’s a survey dedicated to covering the musical peaks and occasional eccentricities of a career that stretched from her film debut in 1965 to her ’70s and early ’80s heyday to her reflective final albums in the 2010s. The “Hopelessly Devoted” singer doesn’t deserve anything less than 25 critical devotionals.
25. ‘I Touch Myself’
Even most of...
In celebration of the pop icon who died Monday at age 73, here’s a survey dedicated to covering the musical peaks and occasional eccentricities of a career that stretched from her film debut in 1965 to her ’70s and early ’80s heyday to her reflective final albums in the 2010s. The “Hopelessly Devoted” singer doesn’t deserve anything less than 25 critical devotionals.
25. ‘I Touch Myself’
Even most of...
- 8/9/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Farewell, Olivia Newton-John, the eternally beloved pop queen who died Monday at age 73. No Seventies star had a weirder pop trajectory, going from the world’s favorite Australian country singer to a brazen Eighties black-leather New Wave diva in just a few years. But Olivia could do it all: weepy ballads like “I Honestly Love You,” country twang like “Let Me Be There,” Fifties pastiche in Grease. Disco show tunes with Gene Kelly and Elo in Xanadu. Heavy-breathing rock odes to sex like “Magic” and “Make a Move On Me.
- 8/9/2022
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
If you were raised in a house tuned to Am radio in the 1970s and early ‘80s, chances are that the crystalline vocals of Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday at age 73 at her Southern California ranch, were a big part of your childhood soundtrack.
This was especially true if you grew up in Australia, where we eagerly claimed her as our own, even if Onj was born in Britain and moved with her family to Melbourne when she was 5. I just have to think about her 1971 breakthrough hit, a wistful, soft-rock country love song by Bob Dylan called “If Not for You,” to start it playing in my head on a loop for days. “Let Me Be There,” from the same debut solo album has a similar lasting hold over me, as does “Banks of the Ohio,” a 19th-century down-home murder ballad rendered with sweet,...
If you were raised in a house tuned to Am radio in the 1970s and early ‘80s, chances are that the crystalline vocals of Olivia Newton-John, who died Monday at age 73 at her Southern California ranch, were a big part of your childhood soundtrack.
This was especially true if you grew up in Australia, where we eagerly claimed her as our own, even if Onj was born in Britain and moved with her family to Melbourne when she was 5. I just have to think about her 1971 breakthrough hit, a wistful, soft-rock country love song by Bob Dylan called “If Not for You,” to start it playing in my head on a loop for days. “Let Me Be There,” from the same debut solo album has a similar lasting hold over me, as does “Banks of the Ohio,” a 19th-century down-home murder ballad rendered with sweet,...
- 8/9/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Olivia Newton-John, the multiple-Grammy-winning “Physical” and “I Honestly Love You” singer who went on to star in the beloved film musical Grease and later Xanadu, died today at her Southern California ranch, according to her official Facebook page. She was 73.
No cause of death was given, but Newton-John had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She later recovered, but the cancer recurred in 2013 and had metastasized to her lower back within four years. She long had been an activist against the disease.
Related: Entertainment & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
A UK native who was raised in Australia, Newton-John began her career as a country singer but quickly crossed over to pop with the late-1973 hit “Let Me Be There.” It was the first of 15 Top 10 U.S. singles, including five No. 1s: “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “You’re the One That I Want”, “Magic” (from the 1980 film Xanadu) and her biggest smash, “Physical.” The latter topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks and was the No. 1 single of 1981. It also spurred a physical-fitness craze, with its music video featuring Newton-John — in a period-defining outfit that included a leotard and headband — cavorting among hardbody models and chunky schlubs just trying to work off a few dozen extra pounds. Watch it below.
Newton-John won four Grammy Awards among a dozen nominations during her career: “Let Me Be There” took Best Country Performance, Female, in 1974; “I Honestly Love You” won Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, the following year; and “Heart Attack” took Video of the Year in 1983. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
.
She is best known to movie fans as the “Sandra Dee”-esque Sandy in Grease, the 1978 smash that remains among the top-grossing movie musicals of all time. Starring opposite Travolta in the Broadway adaptation, Newton-John sang the film’s country-flecked ballad “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and also duetted with Travolta and the company on “Summer Nights.” Both of those singles also made the U.S. Top 10. The film’s soundtrack spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. It also spawned a No. 1 hit with Frankie Valli’s title track.
Related: John Travolta Remembers ‘Grease’ Costar Olivia Newton-John: “Your Impact Was Incredible”
Olivia Newton-John, and John Travolta in ‘Grease,’ 1978
Grease was a sensation with it premiered in June 1978. With school scenes shot at Venice High and Marshall High in Los Angeles, it combined the era’s 1950s nostalgia with the burgeoning disco movement and made film stars of Newton-John and Travolta. They played star-crossed polar-opposite lovers who become the king and queen of Rydell High School, with Newton-John’s Sandy Dumbrowski getting an extreme makeover from the prim, ponytailed new girl at school into a leather-clad stunner near the end.
Grease was added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2020.
The film also helped fuel Newton-John’s stellar music career. Along with “Physical” and “Magic,” she also had post-Grease Top 10 hits with the disco-flecked “A Little More Love,” “Make a Move on Me,” “Heart Attack,” “Twist of Fate” and the title track from follow-up film, “Xanadu.” She had five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart as well.
Related: Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter And Peers Remember The Actress, Singer And Humanitarian: “Heartbroken Doesn’t Even Begin To Cover It”
Released by Universal in August 1980, Xanadu coat-tailed the late-’70s roller disco craze, with Newton-John starring as Kira, a mysterious woman who falls in love with a struggling freelance artist (Michael Beck) living in Los Angeles. Despite co-starring Gene Kelly, the film was not a commercial hit — the skating fad had ebbed by the time it came out — but its soundtrack reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and went on to go double platinum. It also features Electric Light Orchestra and the Tubes.
Flowers for Olivia Newton-John are placed on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Many of Newton-John’s solo albums also were hot sellers in the 1970s and early ’80s, with If You Love Me, Let Me Know topping the Billboard 200 in October 1974 and follow-up Have You Never Been Mellow doing the same just five months later. Two others made the U.S. Top 10: Totally Hot (1978) and Physical (1981).
Born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England, Newton-John moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia, when she was a child. She began in music with a teenage pop group before winning an Australian TV talent show. She made her first single, “Till You Say You’ll Be Mine” in 1966 and toured English clubs as part of the duo Pat & Olivia with Pat Carroll. She later returned Down Under to continue her music career.
Newton-John is survived by her husband, John Easterling; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; her sister, Sarah Newton-John; her brother, Toby Newton-John; and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory at ONJfoundation.org.
No cause of death was given, but Newton-John had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She later recovered, but the cancer recurred in 2013 and had metastasized to her lower back within four years. She long had been an activist against the disease.
Related: Entertainment & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
A UK native who was raised in Australia, Newton-John began her career as a country singer but quickly crossed over to pop with the late-1973 hit “Let Me Be There.” It was the first of 15 Top 10 U.S. singles, including five No. 1s: “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “You’re the One That I Want”, “Magic” (from the 1980 film Xanadu) and her biggest smash, “Physical.” The latter topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks and was the No. 1 single of 1981. It also spurred a physical-fitness craze, with its music video featuring Newton-John — in a period-defining outfit that included a leotard and headband — cavorting among hardbody models and chunky schlubs just trying to work off a few dozen extra pounds. Watch it below.
Newton-John won four Grammy Awards among a dozen nominations during her career: “Let Me Be There” took Best Country Performance, Female, in 1974; “I Honestly Love You” won Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, the following year; and “Heart Attack” took Video of the Year in 1983. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
.
She is best known to movie fans as the “Sandra Dee”-esque Sandy in Grease, the 1978 smash that remains among the top-grossing movie musicals of all time. Starring opposite Travolta in the Broadway adaptation, Newton-John sang the film’s country-flecked ballad “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and also duetted with Travolta and the company on “Summer Nights.” Both of those singles also made the U.S. Top 10. The film’s soundtrack spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. alone. It also spawned a No. 1 hit with Frankie Valli’s title track.
Related: John Travolta Remembers ‘Grease’ Costar Olivia Newton-John: “Your Impact Was Incredible”
Olivia Newton-John, and John Travolta in ‘Grease,’ 1978
Grease was a sensation with it premiered in June 1978. With school scenes shot at Venice High and Marshall High in Los Angeles, it combined the era’s 1950s nostalgia with the burgeoning disco movement and made film stars of Newton-John and Travolta. They played star-crossed polar-opposite lovers who become the king and queen of Rydell High School, with Newton-John’s Sandy Dumbrowski getting an extreme makeover from the prim, ponytailed new girl at school into a leather-clad stunner near the end.
Grease was added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2020.
The film also helped fuel Newton-John’s stellar music career. Along with “Physical” and “Magic,” she also had post-Grease Top 10 hits with the disco-flecked “A Little More Love,” “Make a Move on Me,” “Heart Attack,” “Twist of Fate” and the title track from follow-up film, “Xanadu.” She had five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart as well.
Related: Olivia Newton-John’s Daughter And Peers Remember The Actress, Singer And Humanitarian: “Heartbroken Doesn’t Even Begin To Cover It”
Released by Universal in August 1980, Xanadu coat-tailed the late-’70s roller disco craze, with Newton-John starring as Kira, a mysterious woman who falls in love with a struggling freelance artist (Michael Beck) living in Los Angeles. Despite co-starring Gene Kelly, the film was not a commercial hit — the skating fad had ebbed by the time it came out — but its soundtrack reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and went on to go double platinum. It also features Electric Light Orchestra and the Tubes.
Flowers for Olivia Newton-John are placed on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Many of Newton-John’s solo albums also were hot sellers in the 1970s and early ’80s, with If You Love Me, Let Me Know topping the Billboard 200 in October 1974 and follow-up Have You Never Been Mellow doing the same just five months later. Two others made the U.S. Top 10: Totally Hot (1978) and Physical (1981).
Born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England, Newton-John moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia, when she was a child. She began in music with a teenage pop group before winning an Australian TV talent show. She made her first single, “Till You Say You’ll Be Mine” in 1966 and toured English clubs as part of the duo Pat & Olivia with Pat Carroll. She later returned Down Under to continue her music career.
Newton-John is survived by her husband, John Easterling; daughter Chloe Lattanzi; her sister, Sarah Newton-John; her brother, Toby Newton-John; and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory at ONJfoundation.org.
- 8/8/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Burt Metcalfe, the revered TV producer who worked on all 11 seasons of “Mash,” died July 27 in Los Angeles. He was 87.
Metcalfe was an actor turned director-producer who was recruited to work on “Mash” by director Gene Reynolds, who launched the series adaptation of Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy released by 20th Century Fox. Metcalfe started out as an associate producer and rose to showrunner for the show’s final six seasons. He also directed 31 episodes of the series’ 251 installments.
Reynolds, who was with “Mash” through the 1976-77 season before moving on to the helm of CBS’ “Lou Grant,” died at age 96 in February 2020.
The CBS series adaptation defied low expectations for movie adaptations and became pop culture touchstone of the 1970s and early ’80s. Set during the Korean War, Alan Alda starred as Col. Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, a cynical surgeon with a heart of gold who helped run a mobile...
Metcalfe was an actor turned director-producer who was recruited to work on “Mash” by director Gene Reynolds, who launched the series adaptation of Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy released by 20th Century Fox. Metcalfe started out as an associate producer and rose to showrunner for the show’s final six seasons. He also directed 31 episodes of the series’ 251 installments.
Reynolds, who was with “Mash” through the 1976-77 season before moving on to the helm of CBS’ “Lou Grant,” died at age 96 in February 2020.
The CBS series adaptation defied low expectations for movie adaptations and became pop culture touchstone of the 1970s and early ’80s. Set during the Korean War, Alan Alda starred as Col. Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, a cynical surgeon with a heart of gold who helped run a mobile...
- 8/1/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Nichelle Nichols, who broke down barriers with her portrayal of translator and communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek TV series and later in its film franchise, died Saturday night in Silver City, N.M. She was 89 years old.
Nichols’ death was confirmed by Gilbert Bell, her talent manager and business partner of 15 years.
A popular part of the principal players on Star Trek, Nichols shared one of the first interracial kisses in television history with costar William Shatner.
Nichols also played Lt. Uhura by voicing her on “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” and appeared in the first six “Star Trek” films. She became a lieutenant commander in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and then a full commander in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Throughout, she was a powerful symbol for African Americans and a fan favorite in the various projects.
NASA later employed Nichols...
Nichols’ death was confirmed by Gilbert Bell, her talent manager and business partner of 15 years.
A popular part of the principal players on Star Trek, Nichols shared one of the first interracial kisses in television history with costar William Shatner.
Nichols also played Lt. Uhura by voicing her on “Star Trek: The Animated Series,” and appeared in the first six “Star Trek” films. She became a lieutenant commander in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and then a full commander in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Throughout, she was a powerful symbol for African Americans and a fan favorite in the various projects.
NASA later employed Nichols...
- 7/31/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Burt Metcalfe, the onetime actor from Canada who served as a producer, director and writer on all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, collecting 13 Emmy nominations along the way, has died. He was 87.
One of the show’s unsung heroes, Metcalfe died Wednesday in Los Angeles of natural causes, his wife of 43 years, actress Jan Jorden announced. (She had a recurring role as Nurse Baker on the series.)
Before he gave up full-time acting to work on the other side of the camera, Metcalfe played the surfer Lord Byron opposite Sandra Dee and James Darren in Gidget (1959), appeared on the first season of The Twilight Zone and starred on the 1961-62 CBS sitcom Father of the Bride.
Metcalfe was a producer on all but five of M*A*S*H‘s 256 episodes from 1972-83 and its showrunner for its last six seasons. He...
Burt Metcalfe, the onetime actor from Canada who served as a producer, director and writer on all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, collecting 13 Emmy nominations along the way, has died. He was 87.
One of the show’s unsung heroes, Metcalfe died Wednesday in Los Angeles of natural causes, his wife of 43 years, actress Jan Jorden announced. (She had a recurring role as Nurse Baker on the series.)
Before he gave up full-time acting to work on the other side of the camera, Metcalfe played the surfer Lord Byron opposite Sandra Dee and James Darren in Gidget (1959), appeared on the first season of The Twilight Zone and starred on the 1961-62 CBS sitcom Father of the Bride.
Metcalfe was a producer on all but five of M*A*S*H‘s 256 episodes from 1972-83 and its showrunner for its last six seasons. He...
- 7/29/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Singers Beyonce and Zendaya are said to be in talks to star in a remake of the movie ‘Imitation of Life’. The drama film was first released in 1934, based on Fannie Hurst’s 1933 novel of the same name, and then remade in 1959, starring Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, John Gavin and Sandra Dee, reports […]...
- 2/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Actress Jean Hale Coleman, who had over 60 appearances in films and on TV staples of the ’60s and ’70s, passed away on August 3 in Santa Monica, according to family. She was 82.
For decades, Hale worked steadily on some of network TV’s biggest series including Bonanza, Hawaii Five-o, McHale’s Navy, My Favorite Martian, The Perry Mason Show, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Hogan’s Heroes, Cannon, The Wild Wild West and many others.
She also memorably played the Mad Hatter’s fetching paramour Polly, the hatcheck girl, in two episodes of the ABC’s iconic Batman series starring Adam West.
Hale was born December 27, 1938 in Salt Lake City to Doris Norrell and Stanton G. Hale. Her father was a major corporate leader of Mormon heritage and her great grandfather, Soloman Hale, owned a ranch with Brigham Young. She was raised in Darien, Connecticut.
Hale was educated...
For decades, Hale worked steadily on some of network TV’s biggest series including Bonanza, Hawaii Five-o, McHale’s Navy, My Favorite Martian, The Perry Mason Show, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Hogan’s Heroes, Cannon, The Wild Wild West and many others.
She also memorably played the Mad Hatter’s fetching paramour Polly, the hatcheck girl, in two episodes of the ABC’s iconic Batman series starring Adam West.
Hale was born December 27, 1938 in Salt Lake City to Doris Norrell and Stanton G. Hale. Her father was a major corporate leader of Mormon heritage and her great grandfather, Soloman Hale, owned a ranch with Brigham Young. She was raised in Darien, Connecticut.
Hale was educated...
- 9/27/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Like seemingly most of the rest of the planet, Doja Cat has always had an affection for the world of the Pink Ladies — that is, “Grease.” So it wasn’t as huge a stretch as it might seem for the singer who hit it big with “Hot Pink” to take on the role of Sandy and sing “You’re the One That I Want” for a Pepsi commercial that has its broadcast premiere during Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, a show she also happens to be hosting.
Asked if she grew up on “Grease,” she says, “I’m shocked that anybody hasn’t. I met someone once that didn’t know about ‘Grease.’ I was really, really shocked. It’s the most iconic film in the world. And my favorite was Bad Sandy. I feel like that’s so cliche, because everybody loves Bad Sandy., but that’s the best Sandy,...
Asked if she grew up on “Grease,” she says, “I’m shocked that anybody hasn’t. I met someone once that didn’t know about ‘Grease.’ I was really, really shocked. It’s the most iconic film in the world. And my favorite was Bad Sandy. I feel like that’s so cliche, because everybody loves Bad Sandy., but that’s the best Sandy,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The title card that opens writer-director Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie’s Love (now streaming on Amazon) informs us that we’re in New York City, in 1962. That announcement quickly becomes superfluous, however — as soon as you hear Nancy Wilson’s version of “The Nearness of You” over vintage yellow cabs whizzing by old-school cafeterias, cigar shops and the Canadian Club sign in Times Square, along with the sight of Tessa Thompson looking positively radiant in a radioactively blue evening gown, you know exactly where and when you are. If nothing else,...
- 12/24/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
John Saxon, the stoic yet charismatic character actor who starred in many iconic horror, western and genre films, died in Murfreesboro, Tenn., after a battle with pneumonia, according to multiple reports. He was 83.
The daughter of his “Enter the Dragon” co-star Bruce Lee paid tribute on the late martial arts actor’s Twitter page.
The daughter of his “Enter the Dragon” co-star Bruce Lee paid tribute on the late martial arts actor’s Twitter page.
- 7/26/2020
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Vincente Minnelli took time out from expensive MGM shows like Gigi to knock off this tale about the London debutante season, a light-comedy Cinderella story without satire or social comment. Young Sandra Dee and John Saxon come off well, but the show belongs to stars Rex Harrison and especially Kay Kendall, whose comedy timing and finesse lift the tame, weightless material.
The Reluctant Debutante
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date May 26, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Rex Harrison, Kay Kendall, John Saxon, Sandra Dee, Angela Lansbury, Peter Myers, Diane Clare, Charles Herbert.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan
Written by William Douglas-Home from his play
Produced by Pandro S. Berman
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Not often mentioned as a highlight of Vincente Minnelli’s career, The Reluctant Debutante is enjoyable now for the comedy playing of Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall. Harrison hadn’t been...
The Reluctant Debutante
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date May 26, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Rex Harrison, Kay Kendall, John Saxon, Sandra Dee, Angela Lansbury, Peter Myers, Diane Clare, Charles Herbert.
Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg
Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan
Written by William Douglas-Home from his play
Produced by Pandro S. Berman
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Not often mentioned as a highlight of Vincente Minnelli’s career, The Reluctant Debutante is enjoyable now for the comedy playing of Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall. Harrison hadn’t been...
- 6/30/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Composer Max Steiner, whose scores for “King Kong,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca” placed him in the movie-music pantheon, isn’t much discussed today. He seems to belong to that old-school, pre-synthesizer world of orchestral scoring from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
- 6/5/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Caylee Hammack has a knack for polishing what’s messy and making it beautiful, in a way that mirrors her signature bedhead. Hoop earrings made of plastic, heart-shaped sunglasses that could be found in a gas station, and small-town life in general — they’re all things that some might look down on, but not Hammack, who’s a hell of a lot more than the glitter on her eyelids.
“Hand-me-down dreams got me high in the rafters,” the Georgia native sings at the start of her new song, “Small Town Hypocrite.
“Hand-me-down dreams got me high in the rafters,” the Georgia native sings at the start of her new song, “Small Town Hypocrite.
- 2/25/2020
- by Samantha Hissong
- Rollingstone.com
American actor best known for her roles in The Poseidon Adventure, Blue Denim and Bunny Lake Is Missing
Carol Lynley, who has died of a heart attack aged 77, emerged as a young star in the late 1950s, when Hollywood was becoming aware of the growing teen audience who identified with new actors such as Lynley, Sandra Dee, Tuesday Weld and Sue Lyon, who all played similar coming-of-age roles.
Lynley’s poignant portrayal of a 15-year-old girl who finds herself pregnant and seeking an abortion in Blue Denim (1959) broke new ground, despite Hollywood’s lingering puritanical mores. The main differences between the play, by James Leo Herlihy, in which Lynley had appeared triumphantly the year before on Broadway, and the film were that, on screen, the word abortion is never uttered and the girl has the baby.
Carol Lynley, who has died of a heart attack aged 77, emerged as a young star in the late 1950s, when Hollywood was becoming aware of the growing teen audience who identified with new actors such as Lynley, Sandra Dee, Tuesday Weld and Sue Lyon, who all played similar coming-of-age roles.
Lynley’s poignant portrayal of a 15-year-old girl who finds herself pregnant and seeking an abortion in Blue Denim (1959) broke new ground, despite Hollywood’s lingering puritanical mores. The main differences between the play, by James Leo Herlihy, in which Lynley had appeared triumphantly the year before on Broadway, and the film were that, on screen, the word abortion is never uttered and the girl has the baby.
- 9/11/2019
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Peter Fonda, younger brother of two-time Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda, son of actor Henry Fonda and father of actress Bridget Fonda, is dead at age 79 on Friday after losing his fight with lung cancer. He would introduce Hollywood to the counter-culture of the ’60s with his take on a biker film, 1969’s “Easy Rider.” The influential film made with pal, co-star, co-writer and director Dennis Hopper helped make Hollywood atuned to what was happening during the decade of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’roll while kick-starting the New Hollywood movement of the late ’60s and ’70s.
Fonda was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Easy Rider” along with Hopper and Terry Southern. Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson found his breakout role and was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar as an Aclu lawyer, who wears a football helmet as he decides to travel with Fonda and Hopper’s biker characters.
Fonda was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Easy Rider” along with Hopper and Terry Southern. Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson found his breakout role and was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar as an Aclu lawyer, who wears a football helmet as he decides to travel with Fonda and Hopper’s biker characters.
- 8/17/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Tony Sokol Aug 16, 2019
Peter Fonda was a counterculture film icon who gave John Lennon a bad trip but a great song.
Actor and director Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home on Friday, Aug. 16, his manager, Alan Somers, announced via Variety. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter and star of Easy Rider was 79.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” the Fonda family said in a statement. “In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.
Peter Fonda was a counterculture film icon who gave John Lennon a bad trip but a great song.
Actor and director Peter Fonda died of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home on Friday, Aug. 16, his manager, Alan Somers, announced via Variety. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter and star of Easy Rider was 79.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” the Fonda family said in a statement. “In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.
- 8/17/2019
- Den of Geek
Peter Fonda, the Oscar-nominated actor whose roles in Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider and Roger Corman’s The Trip made him a counterculture hero in the late 1960s, died Friday at the age of 79. The cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer, his family confirmed to People.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away,” the family said. “[Peter] passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” they continued.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away,” the family said. “[Peter] passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family,” they continued.
- 8/16/2019
- by Jason Newman and Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Peter Fonda, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his work in the groundbreaking Easy Rider, which he co-wrote, produced, and co-starred in, has died at age 79.
The son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda, brother of actress Jane Fonda, and father of actress Bridget Fonda, his death was confirmed by his publicist.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away. Fonda, 79 years old, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16th at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family. The official cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer.
“In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy.
And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man,...
The son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda, brother of actress Jane Fonda, and father of actress Bridget Fonda, his death was confirmed by his publicist.
“It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda has passed away. Fonda, 79 years old, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16th at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family. The official cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer.
“In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy.
And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man,...
- 8/16/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
If you've used up all the available Douglas Sirk melodramas, why not try The Restless Years (1958), directed by Helmut Kautner (pronounced "Koit-ner")? It's a small town tale, focusing mainly on the teenage populace, but spreading out to follow their interaction with parents and teachers."This is a dirty, little, gossipy small town. And I ought to know because I was born here. People here are jut like a herd of sharks that turn on a crippled one and kill it." So says salesman James Whitmore to his son, a fresh-faced John Saxon, and he appears to be right, giving the film the social criticism dimension that Sirk's films likewise weave beneath their emotionally turbulent tales.The producer is the flamboyant Ross Hunter, who needs to be considered a kind of co-auteur of many Sirkian tales, only he should be credited for the dumber, soapier elements, his writers and directors for the irony and subtext,...
- 12/20/2018
- MUBI
It’s difficult to offer a detailed synopsis of “Running for Grace” without making it sound like something adapted from a young adult novel of recent vintage. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, you understand, but this pleasantly well-crafted period drama actually plays more like a throwback to youth-skewing entertainment of an earlier era. Imagine a Troy Donahue-Sandra Dee teen romance of the early ‘60s with an inoffensive undercurrent of social consciousness, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from director David L. Cunningham’s thoroughly predictable but lightly enjoyable tale of love and prejudice in 1920s Hawaii.
During this period in the Kona Coffee Belt, the lines between Japanese immigrant laborers and members of the mostly-white power structure are rigidly maintained. Jo (played as a child by Cole Takiue), an orphan of mixed-race lineage, finds himself ostracized by both groups until...
During this period in the Kona Coffee Belt, the lines between Japanese immigrant laborers and members of the mostly-white power structure are rigidly maintained. Jo (played as a child by Cole Takiue), an orphan of mixed-race lineage, finds himself ostracized by both groups until...
- 8/18/2018
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV.
Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Disenchantment” debuts on Netflix and “Shades of Blue” ends on NBC.
“Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” Fox, Wednesday, 9 p.m.
In the first season finale, Ramsay travels to Sandra Dee’s Bar-b-Que & Seafood, a laid back bar and grill located in Sacramento, CA. After intense investigation and surveillance, Ramsay and his team discover that the owner’s lack of discipline with her own family members has greatly inhibited any success for the restaurant.
“Disenchantment,” Netflix, Friday (Critics’ Pick)
While early installments are too committed to wheel-spinning setup, sparky humor and rapport develops later in the season. Bean, drawn in classic Groening style,...
Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Disenchantment” debuts on Netflix and “Shades of Blue” ends on NBC.
“Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back,” Fox, Wednesday, 9 p.m.
In the first season finale, Ramsay travels to Sandra Dee’s Bar-b-Que & Seafood, a laid back bar and grill located in Sacramento, CA. After intense investigation and surveillance, Ramsay and his team discover that the owner’s lack of discipline with her own family members has greatly inhibited any success for the restaurant.
“Disenchantment,” Netflix, Friday (Critics’ Pick)
While early installments are too committed to wheel-spinning setup, sparky humor and rapport develops later in the season. Bean, drawn in classic Groening style,...
- 8/13/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. He was 98.
The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, his nephew Lloyd Decker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maren now rests in the Court of Remembrance in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, right below actress Sandra Dee, Decker said.
At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic ...
The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, his nephew Lloyd Decker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maren now rests in the Court of Remembrance in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, right below actress Sandra Dee, Decker said.
At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic ...
Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. He was 98.
The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, his nephew Lloyd Decker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maren now rests in the Court of Remembrance in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, right below actress Sandra Dee, Decker said.
At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic ...
The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, his nephew Lloyd Decker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maren now rests in the Court of Remembrance in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, right below actress Sandra Dee, Decker said.
At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic ...
Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows (1955) is showing April 16 - May 16, 2018 in the many countries around the world as part of the series In the Realm of Melodrama: A Douglas Sirk Retrospective."The studio loved the title All That Heaven Allows. They thought it meant you could have everything you wanted. I meant it exactly the other way round. As far as I am concerned, heaven is stingy."—Douglas SirkUntil very recently, Douglas Sirk remained in a kind of critical limbo. In the last couple of years some valuable and novel material has appeared, covering many aspects of his work. The most important element so far left unstudied is Sirk’s relationship to the melodrama, the genre he most used during both his German period (1935-37) in feature films, and in his second American period, at Universal (1950-58).Two reasons, certainly, have contributed to the neglect of Sirk. One...
- 5/3/2018
- MUBI
Grease is a timeless classic, a musical ditty to the summer of our youths that appeals to all generations. So it comes as no surprise, on its 40th Anniversary, the John Travolta’s T-Birds and Stockard Channing’s Pink Ladies with the original Sandra Dee, Olivia Newton-John are making a return to the big screen with an all-new 4K restoration thanks to Park Circus.
Originally released in 1978, Grease made an indelible impact on popular culture. Forty years later, the film remains an enduring favourite as legions of new fans discover the memorable moments, a sensational soundtrack and classic love story. Boasting unforgettable songs including “Greased Lightnin,” “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” and, of course, “Grease,” the film is a timeless feel-good celebration.
Related: Clint Eastwood’s A Fistful of Dollars gets a new trailer for its 4K restoration release
Following the huge success of Saturday Night Fever,...
Originally released in 1978, Grease made an indelible impact on popular culture. Forty years later, the film remains an enduring favourite as legions of new fans discover the memorable moments, a sensational soundtrack and classic love story. Boasting unforgettable songs including “Greased Lightnin,” “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” and, of course, “Grease,” the film is a timeless feel-good celebration.
Related: Clint Eastwood’s A Fistful of Dollars gets a new trailer for its 4K restoration release
Following the huge success of Saturday Night Fever,...
- 3/20/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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