Hollywood

  • Vidal Sassoon is a name synonymous with revolutionary hairstyling, but his lesser-known past as an anti-fascist activist with the 43 Group reveals another dimension of his life. Born in 1928 in Hammersmith, London, to Jewish parents of Greek and Ukrainian descent, Sassoon grew up in the impoverished East End. His early life was marked by…

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  • A bit of forgotten Movie history on the 122nd birthday of one of Hollywood’s greatest Cary Grant. Cary Grant’s near-casting as James Bond is one of the most revealing “what-ifs” in film history, because it shows how the Bond franchise defined itself by not choosing the most obvious star. By the late 1950s, Ian Fleming’s…

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  • I pride myself to be a bit of a movie buff, but to my amazement I had never heard of this Oscar nominated and ‘Photo Play-Medal of Honor’ winner. Today marks his 140th birthday. He has been credited for directing at least 124 movies and shorts, which is an amazing feat by any measure. Herbert…

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  • On January 2, 1941 The Andrew Sisters recorded “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” which became a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune that was written for the Abbott & Costello comedy film, Buck Privates.

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  • Errol Flynn, an iconic figure of Golden Age Hollywood, is remembered for his dashing roles in adventure films like Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. However, his off-screen life became just as famous for scandal, particularly the statutory rape allegations leveled against him in 1942. These charges brought Flynn to trial in a…

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  • Who doesn’t know the classic movie Ben Hur starring the legendary Charlton Heston, which won 11 Oscars Most people will have seen it. However what many don’t realize that the 1959 version had in fact been the 2nd remake of the story of Ben Hur, The 1st time it hit the screens was in in…

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  • Bugs Bunny, one of the most iconic and enduring characters in American animation, made his official debut on July 27, 1940 Warner Bros. cartoon A Wild Hare. Directed by Tex Avery and produced by Leon Schlesinger, A Wild Hare marked a significant turning point in cartoon history, not only introducing a fully formed version of…

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  • Jaws @ 50

    Steven Spielberg’s classic was released in cinemas on this day 50 years ago. Below just some random facts and anecdotes about the 50 year old Great White. Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes Bruce the Shark was a NightmareThe mechanical shark, nicknamed “Bruce” after Spielberg’s lawyer, frequently malfunctioned. This led Spielberg to limit its screen time dramatically — ironically…

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  •   The video below is an interview I conducted with Ferne Pearlstein, director, writer and producer of The Last Laugh. It is a documentary with world-famous comedians, including Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, and Gilbert Gottfried, pitch in with their own views on the boundaries of comedy.   source https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2102508/

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  • Bonanza -The Mothers

    The final episode of Bonanza aired on January 16, 1973, marking the end of a remarkable 14-season run. This blog delves into the unseen yet pivotal characters of the show—the mothers—whose presence shaped the story but who never appeared on screen. The Mothers of the Cartwright Boys in Bonanza The classic Western television series Bonanza…

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