"60"

A style icon and Hollywood legend, there's not much to say about Audrey Hepburn that hasn't already been said — but we'll say it again anyway. She's worth it. Born in Brussels, for much of her youth Audrey was unlucky enough to live in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, where she and her family suffered considerable privations. At war's end, she headed to London, quickly latching on to performance and dance. A natural, she won her first Broadway role at the age of 22 in "Gigi," and became an overnight phenomenon two years later when she made her starring film debut in "Roman Holiday."   She'd go on to shine in film after film throughout the '60s. After that heady decade, she decided to scale back somewhat and spend more time as a mother to her two sons. Later still, Hepburn became a U.N. goodwill ambassador, championing the cause of hunger in developing countries.

Who doesn’t love a good minion? They are fiercely loyal, almost invulnerable, and some even bite through solid steel. So if they chop the head off the odd statue or two… well, that counts toward reasonable wear and tear. With distinctive traits often spelled out in fancy nicknames (like Nick Nack, Tee Hee, May Day, and Xenia Onatopp) they get the best lines and the best deaths… but are they really dead? In “Live and Let Die”, Bond number two (Roger Moore) never does see the end of voodoo priest Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder of 7up commercial fame) — even after slamming him in a coffin filled with poisonous snakes — never got him… never will. There is no doubt that these colorful characters are far more memorable than any of Bond’s do-gooder friends – seriously, does anyone remember the many faces of Felix Leiter?

A close inspection of Lee J. Cobb’s film career, spanning nearly four decades, demonstrates what a versatile actor he was. Still, today he is best remembered for playing bitter, caustic, angry men. 

There’s little question that director John Ford and actor John Wayne forged one of the most successful and enduring partnerships in the history of movies.

Personally, I rate Melvyn Douglas as one of the finest stage and screen actors of the twentieth century. Not only was he awarded two Oscars over his career, but he is one of just nine individuals to attain the fabled Triple Crown of acting, winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony.

Much as I tend to favor non-fiction in my nighttime reading, I have a particular fondness for a good, juicy documentary. At a time when an endless series of comic book adaptations dominates the landscape of mainstream narrative film, there’s no denying that a smart and involving documentary provides a welcome alternative.

When producer Ross Hunter decided to make “Pillow Talk” early in 1959, many industry insiders doubted his judgment. After all, the golden era of romantic comedy was long past. William Powell had already retired, and Cary Grant had only a few films left, most of which were not romantic comedies.