Actors
How Neil Simon Made Humor Out of Hardship
Marvin Neil Simon was born on Independence Day, 1927 in the Bronx. His father Irving was a garment salesman who struggled to make a living during the Depression. He also had a volcanic marriage to wife Mamie; young Neil would always remember putting his pillow over his ears during their many screaming matches.
Actors
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” — The Movie Almost Born On the Fourth of July
Every couple of years, right around Independence Day, I revisit this beloved 1942 musical biopic, and it’s always the same joyful, rousing experience.
Comedy
Why “The Awful Truth” Is the Best Comedy Too Few People Have Actually Seen
Ever since I first saw “The Awful Truth” on New Years’ Day, 1985 at New York’s Cinema Village Theater, I have been a vocal champion of this timeless screwball classic from 1937. Even with a crushing hangover, my (then-future) wife and I were convulsed, and I knew I had found a film I would return to for the rest of my life.
Actors
Why Ginger Rogers Was So Much More Than Fred Astaire’s Dance Partner
It was LA cartoonist Bob Thaves who wrote the following caption: “Sure he (Fred Astaire) was great, but don’t forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.”
Actors
Why Anne Bancroft Was So Much More Than Mrs. Robinson
In the years after the smashing success of Mike Nichols’s “The Graduate” (1967), Anne Bancroft came to believe that her portrayal of Mrs. Robinson, the bored middle-aged wife and mother who seduces newly minted college grad Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), overshadowed the rest of her career.
Classics
Why “North by Northwest”, Hitchcock’s Most Entertaining Film, Deserves the Big Screen Treatment
In my childhood, one of the movies that made me fall in love with movies was “North by Northwest” (1959). To my young, dazzled eyes, this film had everything: color, sweep, excitement, suspense, romance, humor, handsome scenery and even handsomer stars. It grabbed me from the first moment and never let me go. It was the most thrilling movie I had seen up to that time.
Actors
Why Eli Wallach Was the Happiest Good Actor Ever
Eli Wallach was known as one of our most versatile performers. Though Jewish, he played Mexican, Italian, and assorted other ethnic characters with the same fluency and assurance.
Horror
“The Exorcist” — How Our Scariest Movie Got Made
Released the day after Christmas, 1973, “The Exorcist” was an immediate sensation. In its first few weeks in theaters, stories abounded of viewers fainting, becoming nauseous or leaving the theater in tears. One man who passed out from fright and hit his head actually sued Warner Brothers, the studio that released the film.
Actors
Why the Versatile Dick Powell Deserves to Be Remembered
Dick Powell: always underrated, and today, perhaps even unknown. While any movie buff worth their salt will certainly remember him, for most anyone else not holding an AARP card, the mention of his name will likely elicit a questioning look.