A Shroud of Thoughts

Actor David Kelly R.I.P.

2012-02-14T22:19:00.000-06:00

Irish actor David Kelly passed on 12 Februrary 2012 at the age of 82.

David Kelly was born on 11 July 1929 in Dublin, Ireland. He started acting when he was only 8, at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. He made his television debut on an episode of The Passing Show in 1951. He made his movie debut in The Wrong Man in 1956. In the later Fifties he appeared in episodes of the TV shows G.E. Theatre, ITV Play of the Week, and ITV Television Playhouse. He appeared in the film short "The Mail Van Murder" and the feature film Dublin Nightmare (1958). He also appeared frequently on stage.

In the Sixties Mr. Kelly appeared in the films The Quare Fellow (1962), Girl With Green Eyes (1964), Young Cassidy (1965), Ulysses (1967), The Italian Job (1969), Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), and The McKenzie Break (1970). He guest starred on such TV shows as Undermind, Public Eye, The Informer, The Wednesday Play, Adam Adamant Lives!, Half Hour Story, The Ronnie Barker Playhouse, and For Amusement Only.

In the Seventies David Kelly provided the voice of the Dead Man in the series Tales From the Lazy Ace. He was a regular on the shows Robin's Nest, Oh Father!, and Last of Summer. He appeared on the RTE mini-series Strumpet City. He made guest appearances on such shows as Armchair Theatre, Z Cars, Doctor on the Go, The Adventurer, Fawlty Towers (one of his most famous appearances), Mr. Big, Citizen Smith, and Time of My Life. He appeared in such films as Never Mind the Quality: Feel the Width (1973), Philadelphia, Here I Come (1975), and The Next Man (1976).

In the Eighties he was a regular on the series Cowboys. He appeared on such shows as The Gentle Touch, Whoops Apocalypse, Glenroe, The Irish R.M., Yellowthread Street, and In Sickness and In Health. He appeared in the films The Jigsaw Man (1984), Stryker's War (1985), Pirates (1986), and Joyriders (1989). In the Nineties he appeared in the American mini-series Scarlett. He appeared on such shows as Heartbeat, Ballykissangel, and Upwardly Mobile. He appeared in the films Into the West (1992), A Man of No Importance (1994), Moondance (1995), The Run of the Country (1995), The Matchmaker (1997), Walking Ned Devine (1998), Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000), and Greenfingers (2000).

In the Naughts he appeared in such films as Mean Machine (2001), Mystics (2003), Laws of Attraction (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), The Kovak Box (2006), and Stardust (2007).

Although probably best known to audiences for his guest appearance on Fawlty Towers as incompetent builder O'Reilly in the episode "The Builders" and his role as the kindly Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, David Kelly had long and varied career in which he gave many good performances. Throughout his career he played everything from Catholic priests (in The Run of the Country) to a slightly mad scientist (in The Kovak Box). What is more, he was convincing in all of them. David Kelly was a brilliant actor who gave great performances even in the smallest of roles before becoming famous late in his career.

Actor Peter Breck Passes On

2012-02-12T21:52:00.000-06:00

Peter Breck, perhaps best known for playing Nick in the popular Western TV series The Big Valley, passed on 6 February 2012 at the age of 82.

Peter Breck was born on 13 March 1929 in Rochester, New York. His father was jazz musician Joseph "Jobie" Breck. His parents were often on the road when Mr. Breck was very young, so he lived with his grandparents in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Eventually his parents divorced and Peter Breck went to Rochester, New York to live with his mother and her new husband. Following his graduation from high school Mr. Breck served in the United States Navy on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. After his demobilisation Mr. Breck attended the University of Houston where he majored in English and Drama. While still attending the University of Houston he apprenticed at Houston's Alley Theatre.

Peter Breck made his television debut in an episode of Sheriff of Cochise. In the Fifties he guest starred on such shows as The Grey Ghost, The Court of Last Resort, Tombstone Territory, Highway Patrol, Wagon Train, Have Gun--Will Travel, U.S. Marshal, Zane Grey Theatre, The Restless Gun, Sea Hunt, and Sugarfoot. He played the lead role in Black Saddle. During the Fifties he appeared in such films as Thunder Road (1958), I Want to Live (1958), The Wild and the Innocent (1959), and The Beatniks (1960).

In the Sixties Mr. Breck appeared on such television shows as Bronco, The Roaring Twenties, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Lawman, The Gallant Men, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, Bonanza, and The Virginian. He had a recurring role on Maverick as Doc Holiday. In 1965 he began a four year run as Nick Barkley on The Big Valley. He appeared in such films as Portrait of a Mobster (1961), Lad: A Dog (1962), The Crawling Hand (1963), Shock Corridor (1963), and The Glory Guys (1965).

From the Seventies into the Naughts, Mr. Breck appeared on such television shows as Alias Smith & Jones, Mission: Impossible, McMillan & Wife, S.W.A.T., The Six Million Dollar Man, Vega$, Masquerade, The Fall Guy, the Nineties revival of The Outer Limits, and John Doe. He appeared in such films as Benji (1974), The Sword and The Sorcerer (1982), Highway 61 (1992), Decoy (1995), Lulu (1996), Enemy Action(1999), and Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004). Throughout the Seventies he appeared on stage. In later years he wrote a column for Wildest Westerns magazine.

Peter Breck spent the majority of his career playing in Western television series. The reason was quite simply that he was very good at it. Whether playing a hero or a villain, Mr. Breck was very convincing riding a horse and carrying a six gun. The fact that he spent the majority of his career in one genre should not be taken to mean that Peter Breck was not talented or versatile. He played a wide variety of characters on television Westerns and he always played them with an energy and depth not always seen in oaters on the small screen. Indeed, the three roles for which he was best known were very different from each other. On Maverick he played a smooth talking if rather dangerous Doc Holiday. On Black Saddle he played Clay Culhane, a gunslinger turned lawyer who preferred to solve problems with his legal knowledge than his guns. On The Big Valley he played Victoria Barkley's second oldest son, Nick Barkley, who had a bit of a temper and rather enjoyed a good fight. He was convincing in all of these roles, even though each one was different from the other. What is more, in his older years Peter Breck often attended Western TV show conventions where he talked about his experiences in the small screen horse operas. From all reports he was a true gentleman who always had time and a kind word for his fans. Peter Breck was that rare combination: a singular talent who was also a perfect gentleman.

Stop ACTA

2012-02-11T01:05:00.011-06:00

I must apologise for getting political again, but freedom on the internet is once again threatened. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement or ACTA is absolutely as dangerous, if not more so, than SOPA and PIPA. Like SOPA, ACTA could throttle freedom of expression of the internet and make it much easier for the corporate media to literally sue internet companies out of existence. It also encourages ISPs to essentially spy on their users, just in case they are violating the agreement.

Today several protests against ACTA are taking place in Europe. If you value your freedom on the internet, you might want to take part in some way as well!

Stop ACTA & TPP: Tell your country's officials: NEVER use secretive trade agreements to meddle with the Internet. Our freedoms depend on it!

I urge you to vote no on ACTA and to communicate its severe problems to your colleagues. ACTA's vague language locks us into obsolete copyright and patent laws, preventing democracies from updating their laws to unlock new economic and social opportunities.It criminalizes harmless remixes by ordinary users if they achieve 'a commercial scale' (art 2.14.1) which many amateur videos do on sites like Youtube. And it criminalizes legitimate websites by making them responsible for user behavior ('aiding and abetting' art 2.14.4).Worse, it permanently bypasses the democratic process by empowering the 'ACTA Committee' to 'propose amendments to [ACTA]' without your approval. (art 6.4) In other words, it's impossible to know what you're voting for.The global movement against the US law SOPA showed that internet freedom is a crucial issue which belongs in the legislative process of each country. You should view ACTA as an attempt by a handful of companies to circumvent the democratic process, and you should vote against it.Thank you. Please reply if you have any questions.

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The Meryl Streep Oscar Email Controversy

2012-02-10T21:35:00.000-06:00

If you have been keeping track of this year's Oscar race, you may well be aware of a controversy over an email promoting Meryl Streep for Best Actress for her role in The Iron Lady. If not, it seems that Prometheus Global Media, the parent company of The Hollywood Reporter, sent the email as a third party advertisement out to Hollywood Reporter subscribers, many of who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The header of the email read "From: The Weinstein Company: The Iron Lady." The subject line of the email read "Exclusive Meryl Streep Video." Within the email itself was an advert which quoted critic Thelma Adams, "It's been TWENTY-NINE YEARS SINCE MERYL STREEP WON AN OSCAR and she certainly deserves to win for her performance in 'The Iron Lady'!" Embedded in the advert was a link to a video interview with Meryl Streep on the Weinstein Company website. In the interview itself, moderator Peter Hammond notes that it has been 29 years since Meryl Streep has won an Oscar and states, "Something has to be done about that!"

On the surface the email would appear to violate rules four and five of the Academy's rule on Oscar campaigns. Rule number four forbids emails that "extol the merits of a film, an achievement or an individual" and forbids any mention of past awards or links to websites to promote a nominated film or individual. Rule number five clarifies that links to websites are only permitted if the website only contains screening information and has no promotional material whatsoever. That having been said, these rules only apply to emails sent direct to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since the email was sent to subscribers of The Hollywood Reporter, they are technically legal.

Regardless, the email sent by the Weinstein Company to subscribers of The Hollywood Reporter has angered many members in the Academy. Many of the angered Academy members contacted TheWrap.Com, a news site covering Hollywood, who broke the story. Weinstein Company COO commented on the controversy with the words, "“We are surprised that a media outlet like TheWrap, which normally has journalistic integrity, would print the strange accusation of an anonymous competitor and use this as a direct broadside against Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. (the email appears to have been sent out from Variety as well)."

This is hardly the first time that campaigning to win a particular Oscar has generated controversy. Perhaps the most memorable instance occurred in 1961 when the publicist of Best Supporting Actor award nominee Chill Wills from The Alamo, W. S. Wojeiechowicz, took a two page advert in Hollywood trade papers that read, "Win, Lose, or Draw, You're Still My Cousins and I Love You All" and included a list of hundreds of Academy numbers. In response, Groucho Marx (who was among those listed) took out an advert that read, "Dear Mr. Chill Wills: I Am Delighted to Be Your Cousin, but I Voted for Sal Mineo." Regardless, Mr. Wojeiechowicz took out another full page advert in The Hollywood Reporter that included a photo of Chill Wills from The Alamo and a photo of the cast of the film and read, "We of The Alamo cast are praying--harder than the real Texans prayed for their lives in the Alamo--for Chill Wills to win the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor--Cousin Chill's acting was great" and was signed, "Your Alamo Cousins."

This second advertisement outraged Academy members, not the least of who was John Wayne, who placed his own disclaimer adverts in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter condemning the advert, stating that the Chill Wills advert was "...an untrue and reprehensible claim." Needless to say, Texans were also outraged. Texas newspapers received many letters to their editors that condemned the comparison. The Alamo took home only one Oscar for Best Sound. While the fact that its competition were such films as The Apartment, Spartacus, and Psycho, there can be little doubt that at least part of the reason it won no Oscars was that Chill Wills' campaign for an Oscar left many Academy members cold.

I rather suspect that this email could result in the same situation for The Iron Lady. If enough Academy members were offended by the email, they might not only deny Meryl Streep an Oscar for Best Actress, but an Oscar for any other category in which The Iron Lady is nominated. While the email does not violate the Academy's Oscar campaign rules, it would certainly seem to be in poor taste in that it seems to advocate giving Meryl Streep another Oscar not for her performance in The Iron Lady, but because she has not won one in the past 29 years.

Of course, this brings me to another point. I have not seen The Iron Lady and I do not know how good or bad Miss Streep's performance may have been in the film, but if many Academy members agree with me there is a good reason she has not won an Oscar for 29 years. Quite simply, my late best friend summed up Meryl Streep's performances of the past few decades, with but a few exceptions, as, "Look at me, I'm acting!" I must say that I always agreed with him. I always felt that the vast majority of her performances were self-conscious and overly contrived, that it was far too obvious that she was playing a character. To me truly great acting only occurs when the viewer doesn't think the actor is acting. In other words, Meryl Streep is like a ventriloquist who makes no effort to hide the fact that her lips are moving the entire time. I believe that is the reason she has not won an Oscar in 29 years.

By all means, The Iron Lady could be the first truly great performance Meryl Streep has given in literally years. Perhaps in playing Margaret Thatcher in the film it is not so blatantly obvious that she is acting as it has been in her other roles. That having been said, even if it is the greatest performance of her career and deserving of a Best Lead Actress Oscar, the email sent to Hollywood Reporter subscribers promoting her for a role leaves a bad taste in my mouth the way that reading about Chill Wills' campaign for an Oscar always did. Quite simply, I oppose any and all campaigning to win an Oscar, let alone campaigns that are conducted in bad tastes. To me the Oscars should not be a popularity race. The awards should not be awarded simply to those who can cajole, wheedle, or otherwise use undue influence on Academy members to vote for them. To me Oscars should only be given to those films and individuals who truly deserve them. Oscars should only be given to those films and individuals who are truly the best. I know it doesn't always work like that. I know that all too many times that films and individuals have won Oscars for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the film or the actor's performance. Certainly there is no shortage of examples from movie history.

That having been said, while the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can hardly keep its members from voting for a film because they are pals with the director or voting for a particular actor because they feel he or she is overdue for an Oscar, I think the Academy can certainly insure that Oscars not awarded simply to whoever campaigns the best for one. Quite simply, I think the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should simply ban campaigning for Oscars entirely. No advertisements. No emails. No letters. No phone calls. The only thing permissible would be screenings, at which no gifts would be given nor food nor drink available. To me the Academy Awards should not be like running for Prom Queen. They should be about who truly did the best.

The 48th Anniversary of The Beatles' 1st Appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

2012-02-09T21:19:00.002-06:00

It was 48 years ago tonight that The Beatles made their historic first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It broke the record for the most watched television programme in the United States at the time and would hold that position for literally years. It remains the 26th most watched programme in the United States, although it must be kept in mind that America had far fewer television sets from what it did when many of the programmes (mostly Super Bowls) surpassed it.

Here is a video I found of The Beatles' complete performance on that historic night 48 years ago.

Zalman King R.I.P.

2012-02-08T19:25:00.067-06:00

Zalman King, who as an actor appeared in shows ranging from The Alfred Hitchcock Hour to Charlie's Angels and later produced erotic television shows on cable, passed on 3 February 2012 at the age of 70. The cause was colon cancer.

Zalman King was born Zalman King Lefkowitz on 23 May 1942 in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa to become a commercial scuba diver. He later went into acting, making his television debut in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. In the Sixties he appeared on such TV shows as The Munsters, The Loner, Bonanza, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Gunsmoke, Adam 12, Daniel Boone, and Then Came Bronson. In 1969 he became a regular on the series The Young Lawyers (one of the rotating shows under the umbrella title The Bold Ones). He continued on The Young Ones until 1971.

In the Seventies Mr. King appeared in such films as You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat (1971), The Ski Bum (1971), Some Call It Loving (1973), Trip With the Teacher (1975), The Passover Plot (1976), and Tell Me a Riddle (1980). He appeared on such TV shows as Ironside, The F.B.I., W.E.B., and Charlie's Angels. In the Eighties he retired from acting, only appearing in the movies Galaxy of Terror (1981) and Endangered Species (1982). He would only appear twice more as an actor, once in a 1996 episode of The Red Shoe Diaries and again in the 2007 film Saint Francis.

It was in 1980 that Zalman King went into writing and producing, writing the story for the movie Roadie and serving as an executive producer. He would also write and produce the movie 9 1/2 Weeks (1988). It was in 1988 that Mr. King also began directing. That year he directed, wrote, and produced the movie Two Moon Junction. Over the years he would direct (and usually write and produce as well) such film as Wild Orchid (1989), Delta of Venus (1995), In God's Hands (1988), Women of the Night (2001), Dance with the Devil (2006), and Kamikaze Love (2012). He produced the TV series The Red Show Diaries, ChromiumBlue.com, and Body Language.

I was never a fan of Mr. King's erotic films and TV shows (I disliked Two Moon Junction), although I did like Roadie and 9 1/2 Weeks. I was much more impressed with Zalman King as an actor. Like many of the actors who made frequent guest appearance on television in the Sixties, he was versatile. He played everything from a beatnik courting Marilyn Munster on The Munsters to lawyer Aaron Silverman on The Young Lawyers to the pushy, smug rescue team leader Baelon in Galaxy of Terror. He was a very good actor who could play a variety of roles and be convincing in all of them.

The 200th Anniversary of Charles Dickens' Birth

2012-02-07T21:43:00.000-06:00

Today it occurred to me that 7 February must be one of the most important days in English pop culture. It was on this day in 1964 that The Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time. Of course, they would go onto become the greatest rock group of all time, as wildly popular in the United States as they were in their homeland. It was also on this day in 1812 that Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England. Of course, Mr. Dickens would go onto become the greatest novelist in the English language, as wildly popular in the United States as he was in his homeland. It would seem, then that two of the most important events in English pop culture happened today, albeit 152 years apart.

Regardless of whether one agrees with my opinion of The Beatles, Charles Dickens, or 7 February, the fact is that both The Beatles and Charles Dickens have had an incredible impact on my life. Even if I did not have a good deal of English blood running through my veins (I'd have to go over my genealogy with a fine tooth comb, but it seems to me that I am mostly English in descent), The Beatles and Mr. Dickens would have been enough to turn me into an Anglophile. I am not sure when I was exposed to either of them. With The Beatles it may have been the animated series or it may have been on the radio. With Charles Dickens it may have been one of the many motion picture or television adaptations made over the years. Either way, I have never known life without either The Beatles or Charles Dickens and I have always love them.

Charles Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Landsport, Portsmouth, England. He was the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens, the second of eight children. His childhood would begin idyllically enough, spending much of it in Chatham, Kent. His father, John, had a huge library and young Charles read voraciously as a child. Cervantes, Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, Oliver Goldsmith, and Tobias Smollett would all form part of Charles' Dickens' education in English literature.

Unfortunately, this somewhat ideal childhood would come to an end. John Dickens moved to Camden Town, London in 1822, when young Charles was about ten. By 1824 John Dickens was deeply in debt and found himself imprisoned in Marshalsea debtor's prison in Southwark, London. Young Charles found himself boarding with family friend Elizabeth Roylance in Camden Town. To help pay his keep he worked ten hour days at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. He earned only six shillings a week under often brutal working conditions. His father John Dickens' release from Marshalsea would come about through what could be considered unfortunate circumstances. John Dickens' grandmother, Elizabeth Dickens died and he inherited £450.

Sadly, Charles Dickens' mother did not take him away from Warren's Blacking Warehouse right away. It would be some time before he stopped working there and attended Wellington House Academy in North London. Wellington House Academy was not the best of schools. The instruction there was haphazard at best and the headmaster tended towards downright sadistic cruelty. While young Charles was attending Wellington House, his father John Dickens sought work as a parliamentary reporter. As to young Charles, he eventually went to work as a clerk at the law offices of Ellis and Blackmore at Holborn Court, Gray's Inn. While working for Ellis and Blackmore, Charles Dickens taught himself Gurney's system of shorthand. He put it to use as a freelance reporter, in Doctors’ Commons and the police courts around London. He went onto become a parliamentary reporter, first at the True Sun and later at the Mirror of Parliament and the Morning Chronicle.

It was while he was a parliamentary reporter that he began writing of a more creative sort. His first short story, "A Dinner at Poplar Walk, was published in The Monthly Magazine in 1833. He also began writing sketches of life around London at the time. The first of these sketches was published in the December 1833 issue of The Monthly Magazine under the pen name Boz (the pseudonym he uses for all of his sketches). These sketches were eventually under the title Sketches by Boz in 1836. It was in March 1836 that his first novel he Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (AKA The Pickwick Papers) started being serialised. By Chapter 10 The Pickwick Papers was all the rage. Unauthorised copies of the chapters of The Pickwick Papers soon began to appear, as well as unauthorised merchandise. By the time the chapters of The Pickwick Papers was collected into a book in late 1837, late Charles Dickens was already a phenomenon, not unlike The Beatles nearly 130 years after The Pickwick Papwers was published. And like The Beatles, Charles Dickens would also conquer America. He was a success in the United States from the moment an unauthorised edition of The Pickwick Papers was published in five parts in 1836.

The success of The Pickwick Papers would be followed by Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, he Old Curiosity Shop, and Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. Charles Dickens made his first trip to the United States, which proved very successful. Once he returned to England, he wrote what would become one of his most enduring works. A Christmas Carol would prove so popular that it is often credited with single handedly revitalising Christmas in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was followed by two more Christmas tales, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth. It was with Dombey and Son and David Copperfield that Charles Dickens' works became more serious and more complex.

The change in the themes and styles of Charles Dickens' novels did nothing to hinder their success. In particular, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations would prove incredibly successful. In his later years Charles Dickens' health began to fail. It was on 22 April 1869 that he suffered a mild stroke. Regardless, he started another novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It was on 8 June 1870 that Mr. Dickens suffered another stroke, one from which he did not recover. It was on 9 June 1870 that Charles Dickens, by then arguably the most successful author of his time, died.

If Charles Dickens proved to be a phenomenon in the 19th Century and continues to be extremely popular in the 21st Century, it is perhaps because of his literary style. There can be no doubt that he owes a good deal to the genre of Gothic romance. His novels are filled with coach journeys on dark and windy nights, fog bound marshes, and even a run down estate (Miss Havisham's Satis House in Great Expectations). Although not often noted, more than one tragic romance figured in Charles Dicken's novels--Sydney and Lucy in A Tale of Two Cities, Pip and Estella in Great Expectations. Like the Gothic romanticists, Charles Dickens' prose style was often overly poetic and sometimes even florid.

While Charles Dickens' style had a good deal in common with the Gothic romances, at the same time his novels had touches of comedy. Even his most serious novels often featured humour, with the British upper classes often a target of parody. While his style greatly resembled that of the Gothic romance and humour often figured in his novels, at the same time Charles Dickens could be very realistic. Indeed, his detailed descriptions of life in London bring to life the Victorian Era more than any history book ever could.

Not only was Charles Dickens popular in his own time, but as today's many observances of his 200th birthday show, he continues to be popular. At no point have his works ever gone out of print. It was while Mr. Dickens was still alive that the first stage adaptations of his novels were made. As early as 1897 a film was based on the death of Nancy Sykes from Oliver Twist. It was in 1901 that the first film adaptation of A Christmas Carol was made. Over the years there have been over 300 short film, feature film, and television adaptations of Charles Dickens' various works.

A phenomenon in his own time whose novels continue to be popular, Charles Dickens' influence on English literature and English pop culture cannot be overestimated. There are many who believe that A Christmas Carol revitalised Christmas in the English speaking world, that Charles Dickens transformed the holiday from a more community centred, religious holiday into one that was more centred on the more festive observances of family and friends. Charles Dickens' other novels may not have had a direct social impact, but they certainly brought attention to social ills ranging from child labour to bureaucracy to sanitation.

As popular as he has continued to be since the 1830's, Charles Dickens would have a lasting impact on writers. His influence can easily be seen in the works of Thomas Hardy, who began his career not long after Mr. Dickens' death. The Russian Fyodor Dostoyevsky expressed his admiration for Charles Dickens in his Diary of a Writer, published in 1873. Somerset Maugham and T. S. Eliot praised his creation of characters. Charles Dickens was one of George Orwell's favourite writers. Charles Dickens' influence can be seen in modern writers ranging from Tom Wolfe to Anne Rice to J. K. Rowling to Neal Stephenson.

As I mentioned above, I do not know when I was first exposed to the works of Charles Dickens. I have no doubt that it was one of the many film or television adaptations done over the years. I do remember the first time I read a novel by Charles Dickens. It was after I saw a 1980 Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of A Tales of Two Cities starring Chris Sarandon as Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. I checked the book out from the library and I was hooked. I would go onto read Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and so on. While my favourite novel is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens is probably my favourite author.

It would seem that I am not alone in having Charles Dickens as my favourite author, as he would seem to be the favourite of many. I think Charles Dickens can be safely described as "The Beatles" of 19th Century authors and I think he remains so today. Indeed, A Tale of Two Cities could well be the best selling novel of all time. At 200 million copies sold, it has sold more copies than The Lord of the Rings, The DaVinci Code, or any of the "Harry Potter" books. And while there are many who continue to argue about the relevance of Charles Dickens in the 21st Century, his books continue to sell and sell well. Charles Dickens became a phenomenon with his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, and has continued to remain a phenomenon ever since. I am not sure that any author will ever be quite so successful.

Super Bowl Commercials 2012

2012-02-06T20:24:00.001-06:00

For many Americans the Super Bowl may be the one time they view television when they get up during the show to use the restroom or get snacks, but stay glued to their sets during the commercials. Indeed, while not every American is necessarily a National Football League fan, I think most of us are interested in the commercials that air during the big game. Even those of us don't watch the Super Bowl (I only watch if the Rams are playing, which means I have not watched the game in years) will be sure to check out the adverts online.

Over all, I thought this year's batch of commercials was much better than last year's batch, but over all I was still very disappointed. At least very few of the commercials were downright offensive this year. The advertisement that offended me the most was TaxAct's "Free to Pee." The commercial centred on a boy who has to go to the bathroom and when he does not find one, he simply urinates in the family pool. Maybe I'm too squeamish about such things, but I do not find urinating in pools funny at all. In fact, I find it gross.

Another commercial that somewhat offended me starred one of my favourite celebrities around, model Adriana Lima. Here I want to stress I admire Miss Lima for more than the fact that she is beautiful. She is a strict Roman Catholic who apparently remained a virgin until her marriage (I'm not Christian, but I have to admire anyone who gives more than lip service to their religious beliefs). She has also done a good deal of charity work. In interviews she seems like a very sweet woman, the Brazilian girl next door. It really dismays me at the hate being directed her way last night and today.

That having been said, I did not like what I thought was the underlying message of the Teleflora spot in which she appeared. To me the underlying message of the Teleflora commercial is that a gift of flowers is a guarantee of romance in the bedroom at night's end. Not only does this run contrary to the words I have often heard from women (not necessarily me, of course) that their favours cannot be bought. The implication that their favours can be bought then seems a bit demeaning to women to me. That having been said, I have had several women I respect highly who have told me that they did not find the Teleflora commercial offensive in the slightest. Certainly Miss Lima did not find it offensive or she would not have participated in it. Anyhow, here is the commercial so you can decided for yourself (here I will note that any comments insulting Adriana Lima will be deleted).

Regardless of whether one finds the TeleFlora advert demeaning to women or not, I think all of us can agree that the E*Trade commercials are offensive. I think the only thing creepier than a baby that talks like an adult is perhaps a clown (any clown will do). Another commercial offended me not because the commercial was offensive, but because it seemed too close to actress, director, and star of the web series Hollywood Girl Courtney Zito's entry in the "Crash the Super Bowl" commercial competition. The commercial in question was the Dannon Oikos Greek Yoghurt advert "The Tease." Below is the Dannon commercial.

Here is Courtney Zito's entry in the Dorito's "Crash the Super Bowl" competition, "Battle of the Sexes":

For those who are wondering, Miss Zito is the pretty brunette who tackled the guy.

Now I am not going to say that Dannon's ad men plagiarised Courtney Zito's commercial. Ideas are a dime a dozen and it is not unusual for people to have the same basic idea around the same time (I have ditched ideas for blog posts because of that). Still, the two commercials are terribly similar and Courtney Zito's commercial has been on the internet since October. I am hoping that it was just a case of different people having the same idea at the same time (and I am certain it probably is), but part of me has to wonder if it is.

Regardless, most of the commercials that I disliked I did so because they were, well, stupid. On this list was Acura's commercial "Transactions," with Jerry Seinfeld. The advert was simply silly and poorly done. I disliked the Toyota Camry advertisement "Reinvented" for the same reason. Indeed, I have to point out that many of us would be very dismayed if rain could make one lose weight (slender all my life, I could dwindle away to nothing in a sudden downpour...). The Cars.Com commercial "Confident You" was stupid and creepy. Do we really need to see a head pop out of a guy's shoulder and sing a bad song like something from a science fiction movie?

One commercial that I did not like I can guarantee most women probably loved. That was the H&M advert with David Beckham. Okay, I loved their choice of music (The Animals are one of one of my favourite bands and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood") is one of my favourite songs, but I really do not want to see David Beckham in his skivvies. That having been said, given how many scantily clad women appear in Super Bowl commercials, I guess I cannot rightfully complain about the commercial. What's good for the goose is good for the gander (still, I'm not embedding the commercial here...).

One commercial that is causing controversy is Chrysler's "It's Halftime in America." Republicans (among them arch-Republican Karl Rove) viewing the commercial as little more than an advertisement for the campaign to re-elect President Obama. While Republicans do not seem too happy about the commercial, it seems some of my Democratic friends are not either. They saw it as an endorsement of the Republican Party. Myself, I really saw nothing overtly in the commercial. To me it simply said that times are bad, but the American automotive industry has made a comeback and so can the United States. It's then a bit hard for me to understand the controversy.

While over all I found this year's commercials disappointing, there were a few that I genuinely liked. One of them was the MetLife commercial "Everyone." What I love about this ad is it not only features the Peanuts gang, but characters from Hanna-Barbera cartoons (Atom Ant, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Top Cat), Candlewick Press (Waldo of Where's Waldo fame), UPA (Mr. Magoo), Warner Brothers (Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzalez, Marvin the Martian), Harvey Comics (Capser the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich), Jay Ward (Mr. Peabody and Sherman), TTV (Underdog), and MGM (The Wolf from "Red Hot Riding Hood). If you're a fan of animated cartoons, comic books, and children's book like me, this is a fun commercial to watch:

It seems as if the best commercials this year were car commercials (except for Acura, Toyota, and a few others that were just bland). I love this one for the Hyundai Veloster Turbo, not simply because it has a cat (well, a cheetah). It's also very funny.

I thought Volkswaggen's commercial this year was brilliant. "The Dog Strikes Back" combines a cute canine with a classic James Brown theme and Star Wars in a way that it all works and that, at least to me, was very funny.

Audi's "Vampire Party" also impressed me. I love the fact that it starts seriously, with a vampire party, a vampire driving an Audi, and "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen (the best song in any commercial this Super Bowl, except maybe for the H&M advert).

Arguably the best commercial this Super Bowl was "Matthew's Day Off." The commercial stars Matthew Broderick as Ferris Buell--I mean, Matthew Broderick, in a take off on his best known role. I thought this commercial was very good tribute to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and very funny too. I love that Matthew Broderick could step right back into a role he hasn't played in nearly thirty years.

While I still think Courtney Zito's entry in Dorito's "Crash the Super Bowl" competition was better, this finalist, "Man's Best Friend," is very funny. I must say, however, that as a cat lover I do not condone this dog's actions in any way whatsoever...

A canine out of the other sort also stars in Bud Light's "Rescue Dog." Generally I do not care for Budweiser's commercials (indeed, Bud Light was guilty of the incredibly sexist advert "Bud Light Book Club" in 2010), but this commercial is hilarious. I might also point out that it is not simply a beer commercial. The star of the advert, Weego, was indeed a rescue dog, and so Bud Light is donating $1 to Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundations, ARF, (up to $250,000) for every "like" to their Facebook page. While I don't like beer, I have to admit that I like the idea of Budweiser donating money to dog shelters.

Finally, what could be my favourite Super Bowl commercial this year is from NBC. "Vocal Combat" is an advert for The Voice with the judges from that show fighting it out Hong Kong kung fu movie style for a most remarkable voice. It's the identity of that voice that really makes the commercial (anyone who knows me will know why I love the advert, even though I don't care for The Voice).

The Late Great Ben Gazzara

2012-02-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

Ben Gazzara, who appeared in movies from Anatomy of a Murder (1959) to The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) and starred in the classic TV show Run For Your Life, passed yesterday, 3 February 2012, at the age of 81. The cause was pancreatic cancer.

Ben Gazzara was born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in Manhattan, New York City on 28 August 1930. His parents were both Italian immigrants, so that Mr. Gazzara grew up speaking both Italian and English. It was a skill that would prove useful in his acting career. It was when he was 11 that he attended a play in which a friend was acting at the Madison Square Boys Club. It was this event that spurred his interest in acting. He participated in several plays at the Madison Square Boys Club afterwards. Mr. Gazzara attended Stuyvesant High School and Our Lady of Angels High School before taking classes at the Dramatic Workshop at the New School. Afterwards he joined the Actor's Studio.

Ben Gazzara made his debut on Broadway in 1953 in the play End as a Man. He would return to Broadway many times over the years. In the Fifties he appeared in the productions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Hatful of Rain, and The Night Circus. In the Sixties he appeared in the play Traveller without Luggage. In the Seventies he appeared in revivals of Hughie and Duet, and a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. In the Nineties he appeared in Shimada. In the Naughts he appeared in a revival of Awake and Sing.

Mr. Gazzara made his television debut in an episode of Treasury Men in Action in 1952. In the Fifties he appeared on such shows as Danger, The United States Steel Hour, Playhouse 90, Kraft Theatre, and The DuPont Show of the Week.

In the Sixties he played the lead on two different shows: Arrest and Trial and Run For Your Life. While Arrest and Trial only lasted one season, it is remembered for its format, which was a forerunner of Law and Order. The first half of each episode would centre on police detectives Nick Anderson (Ben Gazzara) and Dan Kirby (Roger Perry) as they conducted a criminal investigation. The second half of the show followed defence attorney John Egan (Chuck Connors) as he defended he person the two detectives had arrested. This meant that invariably either the detectives or the defence attorney would be proven wrong. Run For Your Life is better remembered than Arrest and Trial. In fact, it may be the one work in any medium that most people over a certain age remember Ben Gazzara from. Mr. Gazzara played lawyer Paul Bryan, who when informed by doctors that he only has eighteen months to live, decides to travel the United States. Despite being given eighteen months to live, Run For Your Life ran for three seasons and would prove successful in reruns. During the Sixties Mr. Gazzara also appeared on the shows Kraft Suspense Theatre and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre.

In the Seventies Mr. Gazzara appeared in several TV movies, including The Family Rico, Maneater, and The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. He appeared in the miniseries QB VII. In the Eighties he appeared in such TV movies as A Question of Honour, A Letter to Three Wives, and People Like Us. In the Nineties he appeared in such TV movies as Blindsided, Convict Cowboy, and Protector. In the Naughts he guest starred on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and such TV movies as Hysterical Blindness, Pope John Paul II, and Empire State Building Murders.

Ben Gazzara made his film debut in 1957 in The Strange One. In the Fifties he would go onto appear in the films as Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Risate di gioia (1960). In the Sixties he appeared in such films as The Young Doctors (1961), Convicts 4 (1962), A Rage to Live (1965), If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium (1969), The Bridge at Remagen (1969), and Husbands (1970). In the Seventies he appeared in such films as The Neptune Factor (1973), Capone (1975), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), High Velocity (1976), Voyage of the Damned (1976), Saint Jack (1979), and Bloodline.

In the Eighties Mr. Gazzara would appear in such films as Inchon (1981), They All Laughed (1981), A Proper Scandal (1984), Don Bosco (1989), Road House (1989), and Quicker Than the Eye (1990). In the Nineties he appeared in such films as Sherwood's Travels (1994), Bandits (1995), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), The Big Lebowski (1998), Happiness (1998), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Blue Moon (1990), and The List (2000). In the Naughts he appeared in such films as Home Sweet Hoboken (2001), Bonjour Michel (2005), Looking For Palladin (2008), 13 (2010), Christopher Roth (2010), and Chez Gino (2011). His last films will be The Wait and Max Rose, both set to be released this year.

In many ways it seems impossible to me that Ben Gazzara is dead. This is not simply because he is one of my favourite actors, but also because he seemed very nearly unstoppable. All throughout his life Mr. Gazzara was a very prolific actor. For example, one can look at the year 1964. He appeared on Broadway in Traveller Without Luggage and in the TV series Arrest and Trial. What is more, 1964 is not an isolated. It seemed that most years of Ben Gazzara's life he often appeared in multiple movies and made multiple appearances on television. This is even more amazing when one considers that Mr. Gazarra's career spanned sixty years. He made his first appearance on television in 1952 and his last films will be released in 2012. He continued his hectic pace of acting right into his seventies.

Of course, the reason Ben Gazzara was so prolific was that he was gifted with a most singular talent. He was incredibly versatile. In Anatomy of a Murder he played the rather rough and boorish Lt. Manion. It was only two years later he played the earnest, clean cut Dr. Coleman in The Young Doctors. Throughout the years Mr. Gazzara played everything from a stage director dealing with a mentally unstable actress (Opening Night) to a porn director and loan shark (The Big Lebowski). Mr. Gazzara played all of these roles quite convincingly. Indeed, such was Mr. Gazzara's skill as an actor that he could convey more emotion simply with his eyes than many actors could with their whole body. He was an incredible actor and one who will surely be missed.

TCM's 31 Days of Oscar

2012-02-03T21:57:00.000-06:00

This month and the first two days of March, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is holding their "31 Days of Oscar." For those of you unfamiliar with Turner Classic Movies, "31 Days of Oscar" is an annual event that TCM airs to coincide with the Academy Awards, during which time every film that they show is either an Oscar winner or an Oscar nominee. Most years are centred around a certain them. This year it is "Go Around the World with Oscar," with marathons of movies set in a particular country.

Now many classic movie fans look forward to the "31 Days of Oscar" each year, as it is a time when TCM shows some of the greatest films of all time. This month they will be showing Gone With the Wind (1939), Gaslight (1944), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Giant (1955), My Fair Lady (1964), and so on. This means that many classic movie buffs can look forward to seeing their many of their favourite movies this month.

While many classic movie fans look forward to TCM's "31 Days of Oscar," I have to say I am not one of them. Oh, many of my favourite movies will air this month. In addition to such big names as Gone With the Wind, Casablanca (1942), The Apartment (1960), and The Music Man (1962), Turner Classic Movies is showing such "smaller" gems as The Ladykillers (1955), Town Without Pity (1961), Wait Until Dark (1967), and The Four Feathers (1939). I already know that there are some days when my DVR will be running non-stop. That having been said, I still do not particularly care for the "31 Days of Oscar," at least as it has been handled the past many years.

There are two simple reasons that the "31 Days of Oscar" is my least favourite Turner Classic Movies event of the year. The first is that it is the one time during which TCM is guaranteed to show several movies made after 1970. In my humble opinion, TCM should only show movies made before 1970, with but only a very few exceptions. My reasoning is simply that it takes at least twenty to thirty years before a film can be considered a classic. In other words, to be a classic, a movie must stand the test of time. This month Turner Classic Movies is showing Rocky (1976), Gandhi (1982), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Gloria (1980), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Awakenings (1990), Glory (1989), Victor/Victoria (1982), Logan's Run (1976), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and so on. Now don't get me wrong, I do love many of these films dearly Both Three Days of the Condor and Glory number among my favourite films of the Seventies and Eighties. That having been said, I don't really think they have a place on TCM as they simply have not been around long enough. Sadly, "the 31 Days of Oscar" see more recent films on TCM (some as recent as the Naughts--I think it was last year they showed Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which was released in 2003) than any other time of year. Here I should point out that many of these more recent films could be seen on many other cable channels. Just how many times have AMC and TNT alone shown Rocky?

The second reason I am not particularly fond of the "31 Days of Oscar" is that being nominated for an Oscar or even winning an Oscar is not a guarantee of quality. I believe we can all name films that not only should not have won an Oscar, but should not have even been nominated. A case in point for me is Kramer vs. Kramer. I have always thought that it was one of the worst best picture winners of all time. To me it amounts to a Lifetime movie (made before Lifetime had even launched) that somehow got made as a feature film. About the only thing I can recommend about the movie is its performances, which are top notch. Sadly, Kramer vs. Kramer is not the worst movie to ever win Best Picture, let alone be nominated for it. Conceivably, The English Patient (1996) and Crash (2004), Best Picture winners so bad that they make Kramer vs. Kramer look like Citizen Kane (1941), could air on TCM during the "31 Days of Oscar." They may have, for all I know. Of course, if winning Best Picture is no guarantee of quality, then neither is being nominated or winning any other category necessarily a guarantee. Don't get me started about Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Between the fact that more recent films often air on Turner Classic Movies during the "31 Days of Oscar" and that sometimes inferior quality films will air on TCM during the "31 Days of Oscar" simply they were nominated or won some Oscar or another, I sometimes find myself watching the channel less than I would usually during another time of year. Whereas during TCM's "Summer Under the Stars" in August I sometimes find myself watching TCM several hours a day, during "31 Days of Oscar" I sometimes find myself not turning to the channel for days at a time.

Now I am not about to say that I think that Turner Classic Movies should do away with the "31 Days of Oscar." I certainly think it is a viable concept and that it is a good way of honouring those films that have been nominated for an Academy Award or have won one. I just wish TCM would revise what is showing during the "31 Days of Oscar." While quality is generally in the eye of the beholder (I realise that there are those who might think that Kramer vs. Kramer is a great film), they could at least limit the films shown to those produced prior to 1970 or at the very least prior to 1980. Indeed, in doing so I think that TCM would be playing to its strongest suit--focusing upon and celebrating older films. I also think I would probably not be the only one of their viewers who would happy if they did so. Let's face it, most of us TCM fans watch the channel to see films of a certain vintage, films not shown any place else and often not even available on DVD. I very seriously doubt many of us would miss many of the more recent films if they were not shown on TCM at all.

Regardless, while I must admit I am never happy to see Rocky or Logan's Run on TCM, while I don't particularly care for the "31 Days of Oscar" as it currently stand, I am looking forward to seeing many of my favourites again. As much as I might complain about the "31 Days of Oscar," it is the one time of year I can see Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Giant, The Music Man, and so on all in the same month and on the same channel.

Why the Google+ Nansayers Are Wrong

2012-02-02T18:52:00.002-06:00

On 19 January of this year Google CEO Larry Page announced that Google's social networking site had 90 million users. This week it appears that Google+ has broken 100 million users. One would think that most in the media would then consider Google+ to be a roaring success. Amazingly enough this is not the case, as there are still a few in the media who either think Google+ has been a failure or they think it is destined to fail.

A prime example of this is an article in The Register, "Google+ funny numbers mask falling growth," in which the author claims that Google is cooking the books to prove Google+ has been successful. Gawker in an article entitled "Google Resorts to Shamelessly Whoring Out Brad Pitt for Google Plus" (I apologise for the language--their words, not mine) refers to Google+ as "the Antarctica of social networks" and claims Google+ hasn't "...turned out to be the runaway success they wanted it to be." The Gawker article even referred to Google+'s users as "weirdos (perhaps I should not mention how unprofessional that is)." An article in The Daily Mail entitled "Is Google the Next Dinosaur" claims that "Google Plus is hardly a lively place." Unlike The Register and Gawker, The Daily Mail does back its words up with an Associated Press report that stated, "About 80 percent of Plus users visit the service at least once a week, according to Google. The company is trying to increase the frequency by including recommendations about Plus accounts in its search results, a recent change that has raised questions about whether Google is abusing its position as the Internet’s leading gateway to unfairly promote its own services over its rivals."

Of course, there was a time that such articles were much more common. When Google+ first launched in June it seems most press outlets were predicting its swift demise. Indeed, the media really did have good reason to expect Google+ to fail. Google's previous social networking efforts, Google Wave and Google Buzz, were not merely failures, they were colossal flops. There was little reason for anyone to expect that Google+ would be any different. One could not really blame the various media outlets for doubting that Google+ would be successful. That having been said, by November it should have been apparent to most in the media that not only had Google+ proven successful, but it was not going to be the flop that either Google Wave or Google Buzz were.

Indeed, as someone who has been on Google+ since early July, I can say that it is a very active site, hardly the "Antarctica of social networks" the Gawker article claims. At the moment 1249 people have me circled (the Google+ equivalent of following on Twitter or subscribing on Facebook). On Facebook I only have 470 friends (I don't allow subscribers) and on Twitter I only have 426 followers. What is more, new people circle me almost every day and certainly every week. Compare this to Facebook, on which I had my first friend request this week in about three months.

Not only do new people seem to be joining Google+ constantly, but it seems to me that my Google+ stream is often busier than my Facebook news feed. Some might claim this is natural as I have over double the number people circled on Google+ than I have friends on Facebook, but I tend to doubt that. If that was the case one would think my Google+ stream would only be double that of my Facebook news feed. Instead, I swear at time that it is at least three times busier. Not only does it seem to me that people post to Google+ at least as much as Facebook (and I suspect much more), but the posts on Google+ seem to receive much more in the way of comments than those on Facebook. Now part of that may be explained by the possibility that many, perhaps most, people often use Facebook passively (simply "liking" a post rather than saying anything about it), they tend to use Google+ actively (actually commenting on posts). Even if that is the case, that would seem to argue that Google+ has a greater level of interaction than Facebook, more proof that it is hardly a site that is not lively.

Of course, there is that Associated Press article cited by The Daily Mail article that states that about 80% of Google+ users visit it at least once a week. Ironically, if The Daily Mail intended this as evidence that Google+ is not active, then they sadly failed. I have to point out that the key words in the Associated Press are at least. That is, about 80% of Google+ users visit the site at least once a week. The Associated Press article says nothing about how many visit the site more than once a week or even daily. While I have no statistics right at hand, I do have my own experience on Google+, so I can say with some accuracy that a fairly large number of people I have circled visit the site each and every day. Others may visit Google+ only a couple of times a week, while yet others may only visit once a week. Indeed, it seems to me that this level of activity on Google+ is more or less the same level of activity that I see on Facebook as well. At any rate, neither Google+ nor Facebook are MySpace (truly and sadly the Antarctica of social networks).

Given the number of people who have me circled on Google+, a number which grows everyday, and the number of posts made to Google+ everyday, not to mention the comments on those posts, I can only conclude that anyone who insists that Google+ is not active is dead wrong. Given that Google+ is very active, it seems to me that it can also be concluded that Google+ is not a failure. If no further proof is needed of Google+'s success, one need look no further than Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, who in Facebook's initial public offering acknowledged Google+ to Facebook as a serious rival, alongside Microsoft and Twitter.

Why then are people still writing articles claiming Google+ is a failure? I suspect one reason lies in the fact that Google is one of the largest internet search service and one of the largest internet based companies in the world. Google is ubiquitous on the Web. Such overwhelming success, which in Google's case almost amounts to a monopoly on internet searches (there is Yahoo and Bing, but they are used much less often than Google), often breeds contempt in certain individuals. And such contempt often manifests itself in such individuals hoping that Google will fail at some point. I might also add that the sad fact is many media outlets believe bad press outsells good press. They (although mistakenly, in my opinion) believe that they will get more readers if they knock Google+ than if they are honest about how well it is really doing.

Another possible reason I think that people are still writing claiming that Google+ is a failure is that they simply are not doing their research. Given the claim of some that Google+ is not active, that almost no one posts to it, et. al., I have to wonder if they have even registered at Google+ and used it. Obviously, if one has not registered to Google+, then he or she has no first hand knowledge of how active Google+ really is. It would amount to me claiming that no one ever posts to Pinterest and it is destined to fail. How would I know? Why should anyone believe me? I'm not even registered at Pinterest and but rarely visit the site!

As to those who have registered at Google+ but still claim it is failing (not many I would assume), I have to wonder if they bothered circling anyone when they joind or if they simply sat there waiting for someone to circle them? Google+ is like Twitter. If you don't follow anyone, chances are that no one will follow you. And, of course, if you're not following anyone, you won't see any tweets and you will have no idea how busy Twitter actually is. Obviously, if one has registered at Google+ and one has not circled anyone, then he or she will see no posts and will have no idea how busy the site actually is. To put it another way, it is like going on Facebook and not adding any friends! Imagine how dead one's news feed would be?

In the end I am not sure how important Google's claim that Google+ has 100 million users is, as the site seems to be busy regardless (100 million users is useless if no one is posting). It certainly is not failing, not unless my Google+ stream is the only one filled with posts every day. Those who continue to insist that Google+ has failed or that it will go the way of the dinosaurs seem to me to either be intentionally ignoring the facts or simply have done so little research that they are not aware of them. Indeed, I have to wonder that if Google+ does surpass Facebook's 845 million users if they won't still be claiming it has failed. I rather suspect that they will.

TV Director John Rich R.I.P.

2012-01-31T19:54:00.000-06:00

John Rich, who directed television shows from Gilligan's Island to All in the Family, passed on 29 January 2012. He was 86 years old.

John Rich was born in Rockaway Beach, New York on 6 July 1925. During World War II he served as a navigator in the United States Army Air Forces, although he was never sent overseas. After the war he attended the University of Michigan, where he received both a bachelor's and a master's degree in English. It was while at the University of Michigan that he entered the entertainment industry. He worked as a disc jockey for a local radio station. After he graduated he moved to New York where he worked on the NBC radio show Wanted. Afterwards he moved into television, working as the stage manager on various NBC shows, including The Kraft Television Theatre.

It was in 1951 that John Rich broke into directing with an episode of Big Town. In the Fifties he directed such series as Colonel Humphrey Flack, I Married Joan, Where's Raymond, Our Miss Brooks, Conflict, The Rough Riders, Bat Masterson, and The Rifleman. In the Sixties he directed such series as The Twilight Zone, Mister Ed, The Dick Van Dyke Show (for which he won an Emmy), Gilligan's Island, Bonanza, Hogan's Heroes, Gunsmoke, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., and That Girl. He also directed the motion pictures Wives and Lovers (1963), The New Interns (1964), Roustabout (1964), and Easy Come, Easy Go (1967).

In the Seventies he directed such shows as All in the Family (for which he won another Emmy), Barney Miller, On the Rocks, and Benson. He also served as a producer on such shows as All in the Family, On the Rocks, and Benson. In the Eighties he directed such shows as Newhart, Condo, Mr. Sunshine, and Dear John. He produced the shows Condo and Mr. Sunshine. In the Nineties he directed such show as The Man in the Family, Walter & Emily, The Second Half, Murphy Brown, If Not For You, Hudson Street, and Something So Right. He produced the shows Walter & Emily and MacGyver.

There can be little doubt that John Rich was one of the best sitcom directors in the history of television. He directed some of the best known episodes of sitcoms widely regarded as classics. For The Dick Van Dyke Show he directed "Laura's Little Lie"/"Very Old Shoes, Very Old Rice (a two parter in which it is revealed Laura lied about her age when they were married). For All in the Family he directed "Sammy's Visit (the episode guest starring Sammy Davis, Jr.)." For Gilligan's Island he directed the very first episode, "Two on a Raft." Of course, Mr. Rich's talents went beyond directing comedy. He also directed the classic Twilight Zone episode, "A Kind of a Stopwatch." It was a simple case that John Rich worked on some of the greatest sitcoms of all time. He also made some of the greatest episode of those sitcoms and some of the best episodes of dramas as well.

Ian Abercrombie R.I.P.

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000-06:00

Ian Abercrombie passed on 26 January 2012 at the age of 77. The cause was kidney failure. He had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

Ian Abercrombie was born in Grays, Essex on 11 September 1934. He started out as a dancer and at age 17 migrated to the United States. He made his debut on stage in Stalag 17 in 1955. In 1957 he was drafted into the United States Army. He served in Special Services in Germany. After he was demobilised Mr. Abercrombie appeared on stage in the Los Angeles area. He made his feature film debut in an uncredited role in Von Ryan's Express in 1965. He made his television debut the same year in an episode of Amos Burke Secret Agent. For the remainder of the Sixties he appeared in the TV shows as Dragnet and Get Smart. He appeared in the movies Star! (1968), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1968), and The Molly Maguires (1970).

In the Seventies Ian Abercrombie guest starred on the shows O'Hara U. S. Treasury, Search, Columbo, Barnaby Jones, Cannon, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Battlestar Galactica, and The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts. He appeared in such movies as Wicked, Wicked (1973), Young Frankenstein (1974), Sextette (1978), The Prisoner of Zenda (1979), and Blood Beach (1980). In the Eighties he appeared in such TV shows as Quincy M.E., Knot's Landing, The Devlin Connection, Happy Days, Tucker's Witch, Three's Company, Airwolf, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Hotel, L. A. Law, Dynasty, Moonlighting, Tales From the Crypt, Twin Peaks, The Flash, and Alf. Mr. Abercrombie was a regular on the soap opera Santa Barbara. He appeared in such movies as Getting Even (1981), The Ice Pirates (1984), Last Resort (1986), Flicks (1987), and Warlock (1989).

In the Nineties he appeared in such movies as Zandalee (1991), Puppet Master 3: Toulon's Revenge (1991), Army of Darkness (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Mousehunt (1997), and Wild Wild West (1999). He was a semi-regular on the sitcom Seinfeld. He guest starred on such shows as Coach, The Nanny, Murphy Brown, Northern Exposure, Cybil, Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Trek: Voyager. In the Naughts he was a regular on ChromiumBlue.Com, Birds of Prey, and The Wizards of Waverly Place. He provided the voice of Chancellor Palpatine for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He appeared on such shows as Crossing Jordan, The District, Nip/Tuck, Charmed, Summerland, Desperate Housewives, and How I Met Your Mother. He appeared in the films Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005), Inland Empire (2006), and Based on a True Story (2008). He was the voice of Ambrose on Rango (2011).

Ian Abercrombie was the modern day equivalent of the great characters of old. He was very rarely cast in major roles in films and he was a regular on TV shows only a few times. Most of his career was spent in guest appearances on television programmes and small parts in movies. Despite this he was always memorable and his characters were memorable as a result. Although he was only on screen for a few minutes, he easily made an impression as the Wiseman in Army of Darkness. By the same token, he only appeared in seven episodes of Seinfeld as Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt, yet everyone remembers the character better than many who appeared more often on the show. Ian Abercrombie had a talent for creating believable characters in a very limited time on screen, a talent he put to good use throughout his career.

The 70th Anniversary of Desert Island Discs

2012-01-29T20:56:00.000-06:00

It was 70 years ago today, 29 January 1942, that Desert Island Discs, debuted on BBC radio. The programme was created by Roy Plomley The concept of the programme was simple, but unique. Each week a guest (referred to as a "castaway") chooses eight works of music, a book, and a luxury item that they would want if they were stranded on a desert island. The luxury has to be an inanimate object that cannot be used for rescue from the island (such as a boat) or used for communications with the world outside the island (for instance, a satellite phone would not be allowed today). During Roy Plomley's tenure as presenter these rules were fairly strictly enforced. Today a bit more leeway is allowed with regards to the rules. At the same time the guest or castaway discusses their lives and the reason for their choices of music, book, and luxury. In the end Desert Island Discs is an odd combination of interview programme and music programme.

Despite its rather singular format or perhaps because of it, Desert Island Discs is the longest running radio programme in British history and the second longest running worldwide (surpassed only by The Grand Ole Opry). In the course of its history it has featured almost 3000 castaways, with very few castaways appearing more than once. The show's very first castaway was actor and comedian Vic Oliver. His first choice of music and hence the first music played on the show as Chopin’s Étude No.12 in C minor played by pianist Alfred Cortot.

Over the year's the show's format has changed very little, although it has changed presenters from time to time. The creator of Desert Island Discs, Roy Plomley, also had the longest stint as its presenter, from the show's debut in 1942 to his death in 1985. Sir Michael Parkinson, best known for his television show Parkinson, took over from Mr. Plomley and served as its presenter until 1988. Sue Lawley, who had served as the anchor of the nightly news show Tonight and an anchor on Nationwide, took over from Mr. Parkinson. She remained with Desert Island Discs until 2006. Kirsty Young, who had worked for BBC Radio Scotland, Scottish Television, and ITV, took over from Sue Lawley and has been with the show ever since.

Although relatively rarely given its 70 years, Desert Island Discs has seen controversy. Perhaps it most controversial guest was Lady Diana Mosley in 1989, who referred to Adolph Hitler as "fascinating" and, when asked by Sue Lawley, "What about the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis," replied with "Oh no, I don't think it was that many." The BBC received hundreds of complaints in response to the interview. In 1996 it was Sue Lawley herself who invited controversy, by questioning then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's sexuality. Other times Desert Island Discs has seen less than friendly guests. Roy Plomley made the mistake of stating to movie director Otto Preminger that in growing up in various European cities he must have led "...a rather gipsy existence." Mr. Preminger took offence and proceeded to make insults about Mr. Plomley's appearance. Mr. Plomley also had a difficult time with Lauren Bacall, who seemed to grow more agitated with each time he complimented her.

27 September 2009 was another important date in the history of Desert Island Discs. It was on that date that the BBC reached an agreement with Mr. Plomley's family to stream the programme on BBC's iPlayer online. On 30 March 2011 the BBC made 500 of the older episodes of the show available on iPlayer. It is also available through ITunes.

If Desert Island Discs has lasted seventy years, its perhaps because of its unusual format. In having guests imagine that they are on a desert island, the programme actually allows them to talk about things that they might not on a regular interview show. It was on the show that Yoko Ono revealed she had thought about aborting her son Sean. It was also on the show that TV producer Jimmy Mulville talked about his father's suicide. Of course, much of the show's appeal was also the music. On no other interview show would guests be asked to choose eight songs that they would like to have a desert island. Indeed, the choices of various guests' music was often surprising and often revealed a good deal about them. The unique format of Desert Island Discs allowed it to last seventy years. It seems likely it will last seventy more.

Could Timeline Be the End of Facebook?

2012-01-28T20:44:00.003-06:00

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I have a long history of complaining about Facebook. The reason is that more than any other web site it seems to me that Facebook has become progressively less and less useful over the years. There was a change to the profiles in January 2011 whereby one's status update was no longer displayed at the top of the page. In September 2011 Facebook changed the news feed so it could not be read in reverse chronological order (a change that was so unpopular that Facebook back pedalled on it two months later). Now come 1 February Facebook is making mandatory something that they had introduced last September: Timeline. It seems to be upsetting users as much as, if not more so than, the change they made to the news feed last September.

Essentially, Timeline is a new sort of profile that, in Facebook's words, "...lets you highlight the photos, posts and life events that help you tell your story." With Timeline one or one's friends can more easily check out one's activity on Facebook at any given time. Perhaps because of this there have been concerns expressed in the press over privacy. The fears expressed in the press are that Facebook will apparently share too much of one's information. That having been said, I do not think this is the case myself. Having tried Timeline on a test profile, I did not notice that it changed my privacy settings at all. What was always visible to friends was still only visible to friends and what was private was still private. Nor have I heard any of my friends who have switched to Timeline complain about privacy concerns.

Related to the concerns over privacy, the press has expressed some concern that Timeline could unearth some past embarrassing activity for users on Facebook, but I honestly do not think this concerns the average person. I think most of us over the age of 16 know better than to post anything that might come back to haunt us later on a social networking site. Besides, once Facebook switches one over to Timeline, it gives him or her a seven day grace period in which to clean up any dirty laundry. I honestly think that the press is wrong with regards to concerns over Timeline seriously affecting user's privacy. Indeed, I haven't heard any of my friends panicking over the idea that now old posts will be more easily found.

Instead, the majority of complaints I have heard about Timeline (and it is one I have myself) concern its layout. Quite simply, unlike the current profile, Timeline is not laid out in a linear fashion. Instead it is laid out in two columns and appears to be meant to be read from left to right. Many users (including myself) have complained that this layout is downright confusing. Indeed, it took me a few weeks to make heads or tails out of my friends' profiles who had switched to Timeline (and keep in mind I consider myself more tech savvy than most). In addition, the layout is not particularly attractive. It is as if Facebook has all of a sudden forgotten the KISS Principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and turned into MySpace in its later incarnations. Indeed, instead of Facebook, Timeline looks like some sort of strange hybrid between Facebook and MySpace--"Spacebook" or "MyFace." Now I do know a few people who have changed to Timeline and like it. And I know even more who prefer the old profile, but do not mind Timeline too much. That having been said, these cases seem to be the exception to the rule. The majority of people who have changed to Timeline seem to hate it. And I do mean, hate it.

With users upset over Timeline, I really must say that I don't understand why they simply did not take it out for retooling shortly after the first complaints emerged in September . After all, I will say there are things about Timeline I do like, namely the ability to easily go to any month in any year to look at one's posts. That having been said, I think this functionality could have easily been combined with the current profile. People woudl still have their wall that could be read in linear fashion, but they could jump to say, December 2007 if they wanted to. Indeed, had they gone that route I do not think people would be nearly so resistant to Timeline as they are.

While most users have gotten upset over many of the changes Facebook has made over the years, they seem to be more upset with the switch to Timeline than anything except the aforementioned changed to the News Feed. I have known a few users who have said that they will stop using Facebook if Timeline is forced upon them. If one looks at any post regarding Timeline on Facebook's own official Facebook page, one will find several posts from people wanting to know how to change back to the old profile or begging them not to go forward with Timeline. What is more pages protesting Timeline have popped up on Facebook. A page called "I Hate Timeline" has over 6000 members. Another page called "Remove Timeline" has over 10,000 members. Yet another page named more succinctly, "Timeline Sucks"," has over 13,000 members. A simple Google search reveals several different petitions demanding that Facebook does not go forward with Timeline or does away with it completely.

Now admittedly, this sort of outrage has happened every time that Facebook has introduced some sort of change, but after the whole brouhaha over the change to the News Feed, I have to wonder that Facebook users do not mean it this time. The simple fact is that over the past three years Facebook has introduced more changes than most web sites have in ten, often against the wishes of its users. I rather suspect that users were tired of the constant changes two years ago. Indeed, is it any wonder that Facebook is now the most hated company in America? That's right, people actually hate Facebook more than the airlines or the telephone company. In the past Facebook could afford to force changes on its users, despite how angry it would make them or how much people would hate Facebook for it (this is not their first time on the Ten Most Hated Companies list), because they were more or less the only game in town. Even with the changes Facebook would make, they were still better than their competitors (MySpace, Orkut, MyYearbook, et. al.).

Now I am not so sure they can afford to ignore users' complaints about a change. The simple fact is that for the first time in Facebook's history, they have a viable competitor in Google+. Google+ has grown in leaps and bounds since it went public on 20 September. Just this week Google+ crossed the 90 million users mark--something it took Facebook four years to do. And while I know of those who have tried out Google+ and didn't like it, most people I know actually prefer it to Facebook. The reason? It's simple, easy to use, and Google is much more responsive to its users than Facebook ever has been (not only are the Google employees on the site who can answer your questions, but they have handy a feedback link right there in plain sight). I do not think it is much of a stretch for me to say that if Facebook goes forward with Timeline, they might find users fleeing Facebook for Google+, much the same way users fled MySpace for Facebook years ago.

That having been said, I do not think it is too late for Facebook. They have back pedalled on changes they have made before (the aforementioned change to the News Feed). And as much as I have complained about Facebook in the past, it remains a very useful site that is superior to all of its competitors except Google+. If Facebook called off making Timeline mandatory for everyone now and if they gave those already with Timeline the choice of returning to the old profile, I think they could save themselves. Sadly, I do not think that is going to happen, as Facebook has a long history of ignoring user complaints to simply do what it wants. If that is the case and Facebook does not back pedal on Timeline in the months after making it mandatory, we might well be talking about Facebook a year from now the way we talk bout MySpace now.

James Farentino and Robert Hegyes R.I.P.

2012-01-27T22:27:00.000-06:00

James Farentino

Prolific actor James Farentino passed on 24 January 2012 at the age of 73 after a lengthy illness.

James Farentino was born on 24 Feburary 1938 in Brooklyn, New York. He trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his debut on Broadway in The Night of the Iguana. In 1962 he made his television debut in The Naked City. He made his motion picture debut in 1963 in Violent Midnight. He appeared extensively on television in the Sixties, in such shows as The Defenders, 77 Sunset Strip, Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Ben Casey, Laredo, The Virginian, The F.B.I., Run For Your Life, The Fugitive, and Ironside. He was a regular on The Bold Ones: The Lawyers. He appeared in such films as Ensign Pulver (1964), The War Lord (1965), The Pad and How to Use It (1966), Banning (1967), Rosie! (1967), Me Natalie (1969), and Story of a Woman (1970).

In 1973 he returned to Broadway in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire and in 1975 in a revival of Death of a Salesman. In the Seventies he appeared on such TV shows as Rod Serling's Night Gallery, and Police Story. He was a regular on Cool Million. He appeared in the film The Final Countdown (1980). In the Eighties he was a regular on Dynasty, Blue Thunder, Sins, and Mary. He appeared in the movies Dead and Buried (1981) and Her Alibi (1989). In the Nineties he was a regular on Julie. He appeared on the shows E.R. and Melrose Place. In the Naughts he appeared in the film Women of the Night (2001).

While Mr. Farentino had a troubled personal life, he was a fairly good actor. He played a wide variety of roles, ranging from hard working lawyers to abusive husbands. He did all of them convincingly.

Robert Hegyes

Robert Hegyes, best known for playing Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, passed on 26 January 2012 at the age of 60. The cause was a heart attack.

Robert Hegyes was born 7 May 1951 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey. He received a degree in speech, theatre, and dance at Glassboro State College in Glassboro, New Jersey. After college he moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. He was performing in an off Broadway play, Don't Call Back, when he was cast on Welcome Back, Kotter. He appeared on the series for four years. In the Seventies he also guest starred on The Streets of San Francisco and Chico and the Man. He appeared in the film Just Tell Me You Love Me (1978). In the Eighties he was a regular on Cagney and Lacey. He appeared on the series Lewis & Clark and CHIPS. He also appeared in the movie Underground Aces (1981). In the Nineties Mr. Hegyes appeared in the movies Bob Roberts (1992) and The Pandora Project (1998). He appeared on the shows L. A. Heat, NewsRadio, and Diagnosis Murder. In the Naughts he appeared in the films Pupose (2002) and Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool (2002).

He also taught at Venice High School in California.

Robert Hegyes created two memorable characters on television. Epstein on Welcome Back, Kotter was a teenage Sgt. Bilko with a penchant for forging absence excuses. Manny Epsoito on Cagney & Lacey was a freewheeling detective who took a somewhat informal approach to his job. That people remember both characters, that Mr. Hegyes was mourned a good deal on both Twitter and Facebook, is a tribute to his career as an actor. While his career was not necessarily long or prolific, he accomplished something only a very few actors did. He left a lasting mark in the lives of many fans.

Dick Tufeld Passes On

2012-01-26T21:21:00.000-06:00

Voice artist Dick Tufeld, best known for providing the voice for the Robot on Lost in Space, passed on 22 January 2012 at the age of 85.

Dick Tufeld was born on 11 December 1926 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in Pasadena, California. As a child he was fascinated by radio dramas such as The Shadow and The Green Hornet. He studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, majoring in speech. After college he moved to Los Angeles, where he found employment in radio. Starting in 1949 he was the announcer on The Amazing Mr. Malone, Falstaff's Fables, and the radio version of Space Patrol.

It was through Space Patrol that he first worked in television, serving as the announcer of the television version of the space opera starting in 1953. He also served as the announcer on the Fifties series Annie Oakley and Surfside 6. In the Sixties he was the announcer on the TV series The Gallant Men and The Judy Garland Show. It was in 1964 that he first worked with producer Irwin Allen on the TV show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, serving as a the announcer on that series. It was in 1965 that he received his most famous job, one courtesy of Irwin Allen, as the Robot on Lost in Space. Memorable for the line (not quite uttered every episode) "Danger, Will Robinson," the Robot was easily the most popular character on the show alongside Dr. Smith (played by Jonathan Harris). He also served as the announcer on the Irwin Allen show The Time Tunnel. In the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties he served as an announcer on cartoons such as The Fantastic Four, Spider-Woman, Thundarr the Barbarian, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Garfield and Friends, and Histeria. He reprised his role as the Robot in the 1998 feature film version of Lost in Space and in 1998 and 2004 episodes of The Simpsons.

Dick Tufeld also voiced many commercials over the years. He voiced commercials for Mr. Bubble bubble bath, Gallo wine, and Zenith television sets. He also narrated The Wonderful World of Disney and the trailer for the movie Mary Poppins.

While not everyone might recognise Dick Tufeld's name, the majority of the population might well recognise his voice. Even if he had not been the voice of the Robot on Lost in Space, his voice was ubiquitous on television from the Fifties into the Sixties. The reason was that he was one of the great voice talents of his generation. Mr. Tufeld's voice was mid-ranged and very easy on the ears. He could convey excitement without seeming bombastic or overblown. What is more, his voice was such that he could convey emotions very subtlety, whether it was excitement, solemnity, or sorrow that was called for. It is little wonder, then, that he should have done so many television shows and commercials, or that the Robot on Lost in Space is remembered to this day.

The Late Great Nicol Williamson

2012-01-25T21:03:00.000-06:00

Nicol Williamson, perhaps best known for his role as Merlin in the movie Excalibur (1981), passed 16 December 2011 at the age of 75. The cause was oesophageal cancer.

Nicol Williamson was born 14 September 1936 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. When he was still young his family moved to England, where young Mr. Williamson attended Central Grammar School in Birmingham. He left school at 16 to work in a factory run by his father. He later attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. He regarded his time there as a disaster, dismissing the school as "...nothing more than a finishing school for the daughters of local businessmen” He spent his National Service as a gunner in the Airborne Division.

Following National Service Nicol Williamson became part of the Dundee Repertory Theatre. There he appeared in 33 productions. He made his debut at the Royal Court in 1961 in That's Us. He had his first big success in the theatre with Inadmissible Evidence on the West End in 1964. In 1966 Inadmissible Evidence moved to Broadway. Mr. Williamson won a Tony Award for his performance. Nicol Williamson's stage career would include performances in such productions as Hamlet, Plaza Suite, Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, Macbeth, and Jack: A Night on the Town with John Barrymore.

Nicol Williamson's film career began in 1956 with an uncredited part in The Iron Petticoat. In the Sixties he appeared in such films as The Six-Sided Triangle (1963), The Bofors Gun (1968), the film adaptation of Inadmissible Evidence (1968), The Reckoning (1969), Laughter in the Dark (1969), and Hamlet (1969). He appeared on such television shows as ITV Play of the Week, Z Cars, Teletale, Six, and The Wednesday Play.

In the Seventies appeared in such films as The Jerusalem File (1972), Le moine (1972), The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), Robin and Marian (1976--in which he played Little John to Sean Connery's Robin Hood), The Seven Per-Cent Solution (1976--in which he played Sherlock Holmes), The Goodbye Girl (1977), and The Cheap Detective (1978). On television he appeard on such shows as Thirty Minute Theatre, Late Night Drama, and Columbo. It was in 1981 that he appeared in his best known role, as Merlin in Excalibur. During the Eighties he appeared in such other films as Venom (1981), I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), Return to Oz (1985), Black Widow (1987), and The Exorcist III (1990). He appeared on television in the mini-series Christopher Columbus and Lord Mountbatten--The Last Viceroy. In the Nineties he appeared in an episode of Chillers and the movies The Advocate (1993), The Wind in the Willows (1996), and Spawn (1997).

Nicol Williamson was as well known for his temperament as he was his talent, and both were considerable. Very few actors over the years could play characters with the intensity with which Mr. Williamson did. Indeed, in many respects Nicol Williamson could be compared to Richard Burton or Marlon Brando, although arguably he had more consistency in the quality of his performances than either of them. Indeed, Mr. Williamson did not simply give great performances in classics such as Excalibur (playing the quintessential Merlin), but good performances even in films that were somewhat less than classics (Cogliostro in Spawn). Although often known for his somewhat fiery temperament, it will be for his talent that he will be remembered.

Robert Dozier Passes On

2012-01-22T18:54:00.000-06:00

Film and television writer Robert Dozier passed on 6 January 2012 at the age of 81.

Robert Dozier was born in 1930 in Hollywood, California. His father was producer William Dozier, who would later gain his most lasting fame as producer and narrator on the TV series Batman. Mr. Dozier graduated Beverly Hills High School and attended Brown University for a brief time. During World War II he served in the United States Army Signal Corps, where he made documentaries.

Mr. Dozier started out in television writing episodes of Studio One. During the late Fifties he would go onto write for the series Four Star Playhouse, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Front Row Centre, Thriller, Have Gun--Will Travel, and G.E. Theatre. In the Sixties he wrote the story for the film I Could Go On Singing, and the screenplays for The Cardinal (1963) and The Big Bounce (1969). He wrote episodes of Espionage, Dan August, The Lieutenant, and Batman. In the Seventies he wrote episodes of Harry O., a series which he also produced. In the Eighties he wrote an episode of The Devlin Connection and produced the series The Contender. He retired in 1989.

Robert Dozier was a very good writer whose teleplays often portrayed the downtrodden. For instance, one of his scripts for Have Gun--Will Travel centred on an elderly man who believed himself to be Don Quixote, still hoping for knighthood. Mr. Dozier's script for Thriller centred on a young boy who has been neglected by his father. Mr. Dozier wrote "Deal a Blow" for Climax, which dealt with the relationship between a son and his overbearing father. It was later adapted as the motion picture The Young Stranger in 1957. Throughout his career Robert Dozier wrote many fine scripts which upheld the underdog. It's for that he will be remembered as a television and movie writer.

Johnny Otis R.I.P.

2012-01-21T21:59:00.042-06:00

Legendary rhythm and blues bandleader Johnny Otis passed on 17 January 2012 at the age of 90.

Johnny Otis was born John Alexander Veliotes on 28 December 1921 in Vallejo, California. The son of Greek immigrants, he grew up in a predominantly black section of Berkeley, California. He started drumming professionally in 1939. In 1945 he formed his own sixteen piece band. It was also that year that he had his first hit with "Harlem Nocturne."

From the late Forties into the Fifties he would have several hits, including "Double Crossing Blues," "Mistrustin' Blues," "Rockin' Blues," "Gee Baby," "Call Operator 210," and "Willie and the Hand Jive." "Willie and the Hand Jive" was arguably his biggest hit. It was also his last. In addition to his various hit songs, Mr. Otis also discovered the recently deceased Etta James and Big Jay McNeely. He also produced the original version of "Hound Dog," performed by Big Mama Thornton. He composed several songs as well, including "Every Beat of My Heart," performed by The Royals.

In the Sixties Mr. Otis turned his attention to politics and the civil rights movement. In 1968 he published his first book, Listen to the Lambs (1968). He would publish three more books, including Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue (1993), Colours and Chords (1995), and Red Beans & Rice and Other Rock ’n’ Roll Recipes (1997). He continued to perform music into the Naughts.

There can be no doubt that Johnny Otis was a pioneer. With his orchestra in the late Forties he blended jazz, gospel music, and the blues in a way that could rightfully be considered a forerunner of rock 'n' roll. Indeed, by the early Fifties it can be argued that he was performing rock 'n' roll before the genre had even been given its name. Although his last hit would be in 1958, he then had a lasting impact on the history of popular music.

Etta James Passes On

2012-01-20T20:49:00.000-06:00

Etta James, the legendary rhythm and blues singer, passed today at the age of 73. The cause was complications from leukaemia.

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on 25 January 1938. Her mother was only 14 when Miss James was born. During her early years she was raised by foster parents. Etta James started singing early, at age five in church. At the age of 12 she moved with her mother to San Francisco. As a teenager she switched from the Gospel music she sang in church to rhythm and blues.

She was only 15 years old when she recorded her first song and had her first hit. "Roll Me with Me, Henry (also known by its bowdlerised title, "Dance with Me, Henry") topped the rhythm and blues charts for four weeks. She had a follow up hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy," which went to number 6 on the rhythm and blues chart in 1955. Miss James would not have another hit until she signed with the legendary Chess label in 1959. That hit was "If I Can't Have You" with Henry Fuqua.

In 1960 "If I Can't Have You" was followed by the hits "Spoonful," "All I Could Do Is Cry," and "My Dearest Darling." It was in 1961 that she had a hit with what many consider her signature song, "At Last." "At Last" hit number two on the rhythm and blues chart, but only went to number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its poor showing on the Hot 100 chart, the song would grow in popularity until Miss James' version became the quintessential one and her most popular song. She would have further hits with '"Trust in Me," "Something's Got a Hold of Me," and "Pushover."

After "Loving You More Every Day" was released in 1964, Miss James' career would go into a lull and she would have no further hits until "Tell Mama" in 1967. Miss James had further hits with "Security," "Almost Persuaded," and "Losers, Weepers (Part 1)." "I Found a Love" was her last major hit, released in 1972.The 1980 album Changes would be her last for nine years as she fought both alcoholism and drug addiction. Following Seven Year Itch in 1980 she would release several more albums until her final album, The Dreamer released in November 2011.

While many of Etta James' songs would fail to cross over from the rhythm and blues charts to the Billboard Hot 100, her songs have proven to have a lasting success that some of her more successful contemporaries would not. Much of the reason was her incredible voice, which could deliver emotion more powerfully than most any other singer. Another reason was that Miss James was very versatile as a singer. She started her career singing doo wop. During her years with chess she tended more towards ballads. In her later years she gravitated more towards jazz. In fact, even though Miss James has often been classed as a rhythm and blues singer, she is actually difficult to classify to one single genre. Etta James performed everything from traditional rhythm and blues to doo wop to rock 'n' roll to soul. She was a one of a kind talent who could perform almost anything.

The Day the Internet Went Dark

2012-01-19T21:35:00.000-06:00

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”~Edmund Burke

If you went to A Shroud of Thoughts yesterday, you would have encountered a 503 error accompanied by verbage explaining why the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act bills are dangerous. The 503 error was coded by me at the suggestion of Google (503 error prevents one's rankings on Google from being affected). The blackout template was designed by April Russo of Cranial Soup. The reason that A Shroud of Thoughts went dark was quite simply that it was part of the much larger internet strike protesting both SOPA and PIPA, in which several sites throughout the Web went dark. I don't want to talk here about why SOPA and PIPA are bad here (you can read all about both bills at Fight For the Future). What I would like to discuss is the fact that what happened yesterday was, quite simply, unprecedented.

Indeed, according to Fight for the Future some 50,000 websites blacked out all or some of their sites. The most publicised was perhaps Wikipedia, where the only entries one could look up without encountering the blackout page were "SOPA," "PIPA," and "Censorship." Google blacked out their famous doodle. Clicking on the big black space that covered the doodle took one to an online petition against both bills. Both Wired and The Huffington Post redacted large parts of their site. Matthew Inman, creator of the popular webcomic The Oatmeal, replaced his strips with a long animated GIF explaining SOPA and its dangers with his characteristic humour. For Wordpress bloggers there was a blackout plugin available, although the popular blogging service itself participated in the blackout by redacting the blogs hosted there. Even members of Congress blacked out their web sites in solidarity with the protests against SOPA and PIPA: Representative Anna Eshoo and Representative Zoe Lofgren. Fight for the Future estimates a total of 116,000 websites participated in the protest in some way, shape or form.

Indeed, according to Fight for the Future, 3 million people emailed congress and another 10 million people signed petitions. Fight for the Future estimated that 2.2. million tweets on Twitter mentioned SOPA yesterday. In fact, at times yesterday Congressional websites were receiving so much traffic from anti-SOPA/anti-PIPA protesters that they crashed. The offices of Congressmen and Senators were inundated with calls and emails from people protesting the two bills.

What is more is the online protests seem to have had some effect. The number of Senators supporting PIPA dropped from 40 to 20. Six of the Senators who had co-sponsored the bill withdrew their names from it. In the House of Representative, three Congressmen who had supported the bill backed away from it. Given the fact that this happened on the same day as the blackout to protest the two bills, it would seem that the blackout had its intended effect. In fact, on his Facebook page Senator John Boozman of Arkansas said that he had changed his position on PIPA because of the protest. Sadly, many Senators still support PIPA and many Congressmen support SOPA (for those of you who might want to contact them and convince them to straighten up their act, here's a complete list).

Three things strike me with regards to yesterday's protest against SOPA and PIPA. The first is how large the protest actually was. As shown above, individuals who took action in some form against the two bills was estimated to be in the millions. In the seventeen years I've been online I don't think I have ever seen that many people gathered together on the internet for one cause. The second is that this was a protest as never has been before. Websites either went dark or redacted much of their text. It was as Fight for the Future describes it, an internet strike. What is more, it was not simply the big name websites that went dark, but small websites like The Oatmeal and many blogs (like this one). Quite simply, the technoscenti and those of us who regularly use the web stood up together and told Congress, Hollywood, the music industry, and the various other corporate supporters of the bills, "No." The third is that to some extent the internet blackout actually worked. PIPA and SOPA both lost supporters.

Of course, the fight is not over yet. SOPA could still pass. And while President Obama has said that he will veto it, it is possible that it could pass with the two-thirds majority necessary to override his veto. Because of this we must keep up the pressure. Contact your Senator or Representative and let them know how dangerous these two bills are. Whether they are intended as a means of censoring the Web or not, the way that they are written that is certainly the effect they will have.

Happy 90th Birthday, Betty White

2012-01-17T20:49:00.000-06:00

I am guessing that the vast majority of people know that it is Betty White's 90th birthday. The fact has been mentioned on numerous television shows, websites, and even trended on Twitter. As if that was not enough, last night NBC aired a tribute to Betty White for her 90th birthday. While it is hardly rare these days for a celebrity to turn 90, it is rare for one to received such attention on their 90th birthday.

There are some that might credit the attention to Betty White's 90th birthday to the alleged "revitalisation" of her career that came with the famous Snickers commercial that aired during Super Bowl XLIV. And it cannot be denied that since that commercial Miss White has been very active. She hosted Saturday Night Live on 8 May 2010. Since June 2010 she has starred in her own sitcom on TVLand, Hot in Cleveland. She has guest starred in Community, The Middle, and 30 Rock. Her new show (sort of a take on Candid Camera), Off Their Rockers debuted last night. That having been said, I do not think that the attention to Betty White's birthday is due to any so-called "revitalisation" of her career. The simple fact is that in a career spanning seventy years there really never has been a time when Betty White was not active or popular.

Indeed, to give one an idea of how long Betty White's career actually is, it was only three months after her graduation, in 1939, that she appeared on an experimental Los Angeles television station. Throughout the Forties Miss White appeared on several popular radio shows, including Blondie and The Great Gildersleeve. Towards the end of the decade she appeared in her own radio show, The Betty White Show. In 1949 she made the move to television, co-hosting the local, Los Angeles show Hollywood on Television on KLAC. Her groundbreaking sitcom Life With Elizabeth began as a live, local show on KLAC. It went national in 1953 and ran until 1955. For the rest of the Fifties Betty White appeared in a talk show and a variety show called The Betty White Show and the sitcom Date with the Angels.

In the Sixties she was perhaps best known as the host of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. She also appeared on numerous game shows, including What's My Line, Password (on which she met her husband Allen Ludden), To Tell the Truth, and Match Game. She would continue to appear on game shows for the rest of her career, to the point that she would become known as "the First Lady of Game Shows." In 1962 she made her feature film debut in Advise and Consent. The Seventies would see Betty White play Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore as well as appear in her own short lived sitcom, The Betty White Show. She guest starred on shows from The Carol Burnett Show to Ellery Queen.

The Eighties would see Miss White appear in the sitcom Mama's Family (a spinoff of the "Eunice" skits on The Carol Burnett Show). She played Rose Nylund on the classic sitcom The Golden Girls. She guest starred on shows ranging from Who's the Boss to the soap opera Santa Barbara. The Nineties would not see Betty White slow down. Aside from continuing to play Rose on The Golden Girls, she appeared on such shows as Bob and Diagnosis Murder. She was regular on yet another series, Maybe This Time. She also appeared in the film Hard Rain. This brings us up to the Naughts, where we can see that Miss White's career was in no need of being "revitalised." Even before her famous Snickers commercial, Betty White was a regular on the shows Ladies Man, Boston Legal, and The Bold and the Beautiful. She guest starred on shows ranging from Malcolm in the Middle to That 70's Show to Everwood. She appeared in such movies as Bringing Down the House (2003) and The Proposal (2009). Mind you, all of this was before 2010.

How then was Miss White's career revitalised by that Snicker's commercial 2010? I submit that her career was not revitalised because it needed no revitalisation. As seen from above, Betty White was a very busy lady in the Naughts. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find a decade since the Forties that she wasn't busy!

Of course, Betty White would not be so busy if she was not so popular, so it would seem that she is one of those very few performers who has been popular for her entire career. While there is no doubt that much of this is due to her extreme talent, I think much of it may also rest with Betty White herself. It is true that throughout her career Miss White has played some very dramatically different characters, from the wholesome but mischievous Elizabeth to the man hungry Sue Ann to the clueless Rose to the plain spoken Elka. On the surface these characters might seem very different (especially Sue Ann and Rose), but I think at their core is what might be the true Betty White. In each episode of Life with Elizabeth, Elizabeth would get she and her husband Alvin (Del Moore) into numerous predicaments. At the end of each episode her husband Alvin would announce that he was leaving her, at which point announcer Jack Narz would ask, "Elizabeth, aren't you ashamed?" Elizabeth would then slowly nod her head while a grin slowly came across her face, showing that she thought the mischief had been worth it.

It is that sense of mischief and fun that I think is at the centre of Betty White as both a person and an actress, and it has shown through in every character she has played and even in her numerous talk show and game show appearances. As a young woman Betty White was still the pretty woman who had never quite lost her girlish sense of fun. In her middle years she was always everyone's favourite aunt, the one who would joke and play games with you. As an older lady she is the grandmother who kids you, pulls pranks on you, and has a good time. I think the reason that Betty White has always been busy and always been popular is that she has such a sense of fun that everyone loves her. Even in the worst of moods it is impossible not to see Betty White and not be cheered up. Betty White simply enjoys life so much that it becomes contagious.

I rather suspect, then, that even had Miss White never made that Snickers commercial we would still see the outpouring of birthday wishes that we have seen this day. Betty White has been called a national treasure and I don't think that is any exaggeration. For seven decades she has brought laughter and happiness to a country often in need of it. One of the first television pioneers, she was also one of the very best. Betty White is the one star from the Golden Age of Television whose career has never faltered, whose career has never slowed down. Indeed, I rather suspect all of us are hoping that she is still around ten years from now so we can wish her "Happy 100th birthday!"

Four Movies for Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T20:38:00.000-06:00

Here in United States it is Martin Luther King Day. The day is observed every third Monday in January in honour of the birth of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Since the day was first observed in 1986, it has become a day when Americans reflect not only on the legacy of Dr. King, but also on the Civil Rights Movement to which he contributed.

Given both the significance and the solemnity of the day, it can be difficult to choose movies fitting it. It seems to me that, given the paucity of motion pictures covering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or the Civil Rights Movement, movies that touch upon the African American experience in the United States would be fitting for Martin Luther King Day. Sadly, given that even today most portrayals of African Americans in Hollywood film can be grossly stereotypical, even this can be rather difficult task. That having been said, I can think of at least four films that would fit Martin Luther King Day and treat African Americans with dignity.

Glory (1989): While there have many movies about the War Between the States, I can only think of one that deals with African Americans in that war. That is Glory. Glory was based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the Union's first official United States Army united comprised almost entirely of African Americans. While Glory does stray from history at times, it is for the most part an accurate portrayal of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and one that treats the black soldiers as human beings rather than stereotypes. Indeed, the most impressive performances are given by Morgan Freeman as John Rawlins and Denzel Washington as Trip. Perhaps the movie's only flaw is that it is largely told from the point of view of the unit's white commanding officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick). In my humble opinion Glory would have been more interesting if it had been told from the point of view of one of the soldiers.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961): Sadly, realistic portrayals of African American families are still very rare today. This is one of the very few produced in the past sixty years. Based on the 1958 play of the same name, A Raisin in the Sun, follows several weeks in the lives of the Youngers, an African American family living in Chicago sometime between the end of World War II and the end of the Fifties. As the Younger family come into conflict over their various hopes and dreams, the average American can see a bit of themselves and their own families in the Youngers. Not only does A Raisin in the Sun benefit from a sterling script, but from a fantastic cast including Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, and a young Louis Gossett.

Sounder (1972): Based on the classic young adult book of the same name, Sounder numbers among my favourite movies of all time. Much of this is because it has an excellent script as well a great cast including Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Kevin Hooks. That having been said, it is also because it is one of the few honest examples of life in the rural South (albeit at an earlier time), let alone one of the few honest examples of an African American family in rural South. While my father was never imprisoned, I could easily identify with the Morgan family and their lives. While I obviously have a bit more in common with the Morgan family than, say, Yankees living in a big city, Sounder is so well executed and so very human that I think anyone watching the film can see a bit of themselves in the Morgans. Indeed, I can guarantee anyone who has ever had a dog as a pet will love the film, as it is one of the best films to portray the relationship between a family (the Morgans) and their dog (Sounder).

The Tuskegee Airmen (1995): The Tuskegee Airmen is not a feature film, but a television movie produced by HBO. I include it here because it is so well made that it feels more like a feature film. The Tuskegee Airmen deals with the legendary 332nd Fighter Group, the first fighter group composed entirely of African Americans, during World War II. While like Glory the movie does depart to a degree from history, for the most part The Tuskegee Airmen is a fairly accurate portrayal of the lives of the pioneer airmen. The movie benefits from a very good script, as well as excellent performances from Laurence Fishburne (although he was a bit old for the part) and Cuba Gooding Jr. The movie also benefits from having the feel of an old time, flag waving war movie while at the same time recognising the realities of the time (such as racism).

Here I should note that this Friday a big budget feature film (produced by George Lucas, nonetheless), based on the exploits of the 332nd Fighter Group, Red Tails, is being released this Friday.

Me-TV

2012-01-15T23:03:00.001-06:00

I now have a new favourite network. It's called Me-TV (Memorable Entertainment) and they show more of my favourite shows than any other network out there. Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, Thriller, Honey West, Batman, and many more air on Me-TV. In fact, this weekend my television was tuned to it most of the time.

Me-TV started out as a programming block on Chicago station WFBT (now WWME-CA) during which the station aired such older shows as The Phil Silvers Show, The Jack Benny Programme, Maude, and others. It was on 1 January 2005 that WFBT became WWME-CA and started airing Me-TV full time, with the call letters WFBT being moved to another channel. On 1 March 2008 two more stations joined Me-TV. The new WFBT became WMEU-CA and adopted similar nostalgia oriented programming. as MeToo. On the same day Me-TV moved beyond the Chicago area into Milwaukee as the DT3 station of CBS affiliate WDJT also adopted the Me-TV format of nostalgia programming. It was on 22 November 2010 that parent company Weigel Broadcasting announced that they would take Me-TV nationwide. On 15 December 2010 Me-TV launched nationally. It was on 7 January 2011 that Wichita, Kansas station KTCU-LD became the first station not owned by Weigel Broadcasting to join Me-TV. Since then several stations have joined Me-TV, including what used to be our local weather channel (KMIZ-DT2). KMIZ-DT2 joined Me-TV on 8 January 2012.

Of course, Me-TV is not the only nostalgia network out there. Retro Television was launched in July 2005. Antenna TV was launched in January 2011. I am not entirely sure which of the three networks is doing the best, although from a cursory glance at lists of their affiliates it looks to me as if Me-TV has the most with Retro Television a close second. Antenna Television is not far behind Retro Television in its number of affiliates. Regardless, the fact that each network has around seventy to eighty affiliates would seem to indicate there is a demand for stations that show older shows.

As to Me-TV, I can understand why it has met with a good deal of success so far. The past week my television has been tuned to our local Me-TV affiliate at least once every weekday and many, many hours this weekend. In fact, I find that I have the opposite problem with Me-TV that I do with most networks and cable channels. On most networks and cable channels there is simply too little I want to watch (in fact, with some cable channels there is absolutely nothing I want to watch--a case in point is MTV). The problem with Me-TV is that there is simply too much on it that I want to watch. In fact, I suspect that if I recorded every single show I want to watch on Me-TV on my DVR, it would be filled in a matter of days.

The plain truth is that Me-TV is what TV Land should be. Even when TV Land was a nostalgia channel it lacked a good deal of variety. While the cable channel always aired a good number of sitcoms, it never very many hour long dramas beyond the Westerns Bonanza and Gunsmoke. It was perhaps weakest with regards to science fiction and fantasy shows. In its entire sixteen year history, TV Land had only aired about five science fiction/fantasy shows that were not comedies. This is quite a contrast to the current schedule of Me-TV, which has much more variety. Me-TV has its fair share of sitcoms (The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, Get Smart, and so on), Westerns (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Rifleman, and so on), action shows (The Unctouchables, Combat, 12 O'Clock High, The Fugitive, and so on), science fiction/fantasy shows (The Wild Wild West, Star Trek, Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and so on), mystery shows (Perry Mason, Peter Gunn, The Rockford Files, Columbo, and so on), and other genres. In fact, if Me-TV has only one weakness, it is in its children's programming. Edgemont is a Canadian show from the Naughts (think something similar to Degrassi High), while Green Screen Adventures and Mad About are both currently in production. Given Me-TV is a nostalgia channel, it would seem more fitting if it aired such classic cartoons as Underdog, Gumby, Jonny Quest, The Jetsons, and so on. That having been said, Edgemont, Green Screen Adventures, and Mad About are only on a few hours each weekend, so they are easy to overlook.

Beyond the fact that Me-TV is showing classic television shows, I must also applaud them for showing them as they originally aired. As far as I can tell they do not trim time from the shows for commercials and the commercials occur when they would have when the shows originally aired. What is more, Me-TV airs the credits of TV shows without a credit squeeze and without cuts. In fact, Me-TV even advertises this fact--"Credits where credits are due." For someone like me who enjoys listening to the closing theme songs of TV shows as well as being able to see the names of the guest stars and so on, this is truly a blessing. I hope other networks and cable channels follow suit!

I hope that Me-TV does prove to be a resounding success. I also hope that it does not stray from programming classic television shows in the years to come. Given my own tastes in television shows and my talks with various friends, it would seem that Me-TV definitely fills a niche that has been needed in television for a long time. For the silent majority who are tired of reality shows, Me-TV may be just what the doctor ordered.

Today Turns 60

2012-01-14T22:54:00.005-06:00

It was on 14 January 1952 that a revolutionary new show debuted. Today was the first television morning news show in the world. While today morning news shows are ubiquitous, in 1952 the idea was nothing short of being cutting edge. Indeed, even though it is still on the air after sixty years, there was some resistance on the part of National Broadcasting Company executives to even putting it on the air.

Today, also known as The Today Show, was the creation of innovative NBC executive Pat Weaver (he would go onto create The Tonight Show as well). Like nearly all television executives of his time, Mr. Weaver had begun in radio, where such early morning shows as The Breakfast Club (NBC Blue/ABC 1933-1968) and Breakfast in Hollywood (NBC/ABC/Mutual 1942-1948) met with success. He then thought that an early morning show could work on television as well. Pat Weaver's initial concept was called Rise and Shine, which would have been a variety show with songs and comedy routines. He reconsidered his concept on the basis that television should seek to differentiate itself from radio. Pat Weaver then developed the idea of a show that would be a "newspaper of the air," including everything that one would find in a morning newspaper. There would be news, weather reports, sports reports, interviews, and even a bit of humour. Rise and Shine then became Today.

As if an early morning show on television was not a revolutionary idea enough, Pat Weaver went one step further with the development of Today. Much like radio, at that point in television programmes were produced and sponsored by advertisers and their agency. Like Your Show of Shows before it(another legendary show created by Pat Weaver), NBC would sell time for commercials on Today to multiple advertisers. Not only would this be a more profitable approach for the network, but it would also give the network total control over Today.

While today we take breakfast television for granted, in 1951 Pat Weaver actually met with a good deal of resistance to his idea for Today. There were many within NBC who were convinced no on would watch television at such an early hour. Worse yet, the affiliates showed some opposition to Mr. Weaver's proposal of an early morning, network programme. Beyond the scepticism they shared with NBC executives that anyone would even watch television so early, there was also concern on the affiliates part that they would have to programme shows in the hours following Today (at this point in television history many stations did not begin broadcasting until 11:00 AM at the earliest). Of course, this would cost the local affiliates money. Not surprisingly, when Today debuted, only 24 NBC stations had agreed to show it.

Fortunately, time would prove the NBC executives and affiliates wrong and prove Pat Weaver right. Today would prove to be a success, largely due to two figures. The first was its original host, Dave Garroway. Mr. Garroway had started with NBC as a page in 1938. Mr. Garroway started work at Pittsburgh radio station KDKA in 1939. Two years later he left for the larger market of Chicago. During World War II Mr Garroway went to work for WMAQ in Chicago. He soon became one of the most popular DJs not only in Chicago, but in the entire nation. In 1948 and 1949 he was voted the best disc jockey in Billboard's Annual Disc Jockey Poll. Eventually Dave Garroway's popularity would win him a place on NBC Television. In 1949 Garroway at Large debuted. On television Mr. Garroway had an easy going, casual style in which viewers were often given a look backstage of the show. Unlike many at NBC, Dave Garroway actually believed in Pat Weaver's idea of an early morning show. As the host of Today Dave Garroway would prove extremely popular, to the point that for a time Today would be called The Dave Garroway Today Show (not only the single time it would have a title other than Today, but the only time it bore the name of its host).

The other figure that would make Today a success would have considerably less experience in television than Mr. Garroway and was also a good deal hairier. As popular as Dave Garroway was, it would be a chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs who would save Today from cancellation. While Today had a respectfully sized audience, by the beginning of 1953 it was still hardly a financial success. At that time the show cost $60,000 a week, an amount hardly covered by the show's advertising. Rumours that NBC might cancel the early morning show were reflected in headlines such one in Billboard: "TODAY MAY BECOME YESTERDAY TOMORROW." In January 1953 there was a very real possibility that the world's first early morning news show might end shortly after its first year.

It was in early 1953 that former NBC pages and then pet store owners Buddy Mennella and LeRoy Waldron were due to appear on another programme with their chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs. Today writer Len Safire took J. Fred and his trainers to visit Today producer Mort Werner. Mort Werner then approved the idea of making the chimp a regular on the programme. J. Fred Muggs made his debut on Today on 3 February 1953. J. Fred Muggs drove ratings for Today through the roof as children tuned into the programme to see the chimpanzee and as a result turned their parents into regular viewers of the show. J. Fred Muggs also proved to be a merchandising bonanza for NBC. There were J. Fred Muggs colouring books, dolls, a Little Golden Book, puzzles, and many other items. While J. Fred Muggs propelled Today to new heights of popularity, as is often the case, there were problems behind the scenes. In particular, J. Fred Muggs and Dave Garroway did not get along particularly well. In fact, Mr. Garroway was often bitten by the chimp. Worse yet, after three and a half years J. Fred had grown in size, making him stronger and harder for his trainers to rein him in. NBC then ended its contract with J. Fred Muggs. He was replaced by another chimp, Kokomo, in 1957. Kokomo would not prove as popular as J. Fred, and left the show in 1958.

Today would have a lasting impact on television. Its most obvious impact was in proving that audiences would tune into early morning television. Not only would local stations programme their own shows in the early morning, but eventually Today would be imitated both i the United States and across the world. In fact, CBS would try to imitate Today as early as 1954. The Morning Show was hosted by Walter Cronkite, Jack Paar, John Henry Faulk, and Dick Van Dyke in its two years on the air. CBS has tried to imitate it since then, although ABC would meet with some success with its more entertainment oriented Good Morning America.

Besides inspiring similar morning shows across the Pond, Today would have a lasting impact on British broadcasting, although not in the way Pat Weaver or original producer Mort Werner may have wanted it. In 1954 Today covered the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, coming early at 5:00 AM EST to do so. With communications satellites several years in the future, NBC depended upon a then state of the art Mufax machine to transmit pictures over short wave radio frequencies from the BBC in London. The pictures could arrive as swiftly as nine minutes (quite fast for the time). At one point there came a lull in the transmissions. To fill time Dave Garroway interviewed J. Fred Muggs about coronations and monarchs among chimpanzees. As might be expected, NBC would also interrupt coverage of the Coronation with commercials, among them ones in which J. Fred pitched for a brand of tea. The British press was not amused and launched broadsides against NBC. Worse yet, at the time Parliament was debating the creation of commercial television in the United Kingdom. Opponents of commercial television pointed to NBC's coverage of the Coronation as evidence as to why commercial television should not exist in the UK. In the end, while commercial television would arrive in the United Kingdom, because of NBC and the other American networks' coverage of the Coronation, commercial advertisements on television in the UK would be much more heavily regulated. Not surprisingly, a rule existed that banned commercials during any coverage of the Royals.

While Today was revolutionary in being the first early morning programme, it would also prove to be a pioneer with regards to women in the field of television journalism. While most people probably think of Barbara Walters as a pioneer with regards to female journalists on television, she was not the first female reporter on Today. She was preceded by both Estelle Parsons and Mary Kelly. If the name "Estelle Parsons" sounds familiar, it is because she would later be an Oscar winning actress. It was in 1951 that she took a job with NBC as a production assistant on Today--this before even Dave Garroway was hired. As a production assistant Miss Parsons' duties were varied. She called the United States Weather Bureau for weather reports. She retrieved wire copy and gave it to then newsreader Jim Fleming. Eventually Estelle Parsons' role would go from behind the camera to in front of it. She interviewed figures from Eleanor Roosevelt to Marilyn Monroe. In 1952 she even went to the Democratic convention to cover presidential candidate Estes Kefauver. This made Miss Parsons the first woman to cover national politics on television. Even though Miss Parsons had a good deal of success on Today, her heart was in acting and she eventually left the show to pursue that field.

Like Estelle Parsons, Mary Kelly was with Today in its earliest days. Miss Kelly worked her way from simply getting coffee for the show's panellists to writing and eventually conducting interviews in front of the camera. Eventually Miss Kelly became the entertainment feature editor at Today. She interviewed screen legend Buster Keaton, reported on the Tony Awards, and reported on the filming of the movie Saint Joan in London. And well before the "Where in the World Is Matt Lauer"" segment currently on Today, Mary Kelly flew around the globe. In 1957 she was promoted to Associate Producer.

Eventually the Today production team would want women to be more visible on the show, but they would forego such professional, confident women as Estelle Parsons and Mary Kelly for young women in a more traditional role. The year 1955 saw the beginning of the era of what were formally referred to as "Women's Editors," but were informally referred to as "Today Girls." The Today Girl handled issues related to fashion, family, women, and light hearted fare. With but a few exceptions (Beryl Pfizer and Barbara Walters), the Today Girls were not serious journalists, but often entertainers. Former Miss America Lee Meriwether was the first Today Girl. Other notable Today Girls were Betsy Palmer, Helen O'Connell, Florence Henderson, and former Miss Rheingold Robbin Bain. The last Today Girl would be the one to break the mould: Barbara Walters.

Miss Walters was the last person hired by David Garroway before he left. Hired as a writer, she started out writing women's segments before writing harder news segments. Like Estelle Parsons and Mary Kelly before her, she would eventually appear in front of the camera. By the mid-Sixties she was a regular panellist on Today. By 1966 Miss Walters was a de facto co-host of the show, even if she did not officially have the title. She interviewed figures from Dean Rusk to Grace Kelly to Richard Nixon to Truman Capote. Despite this, Barbara Walters would not be recognised as a co-host until 1974. While it would take Miss Walters literally years to achieve the title of co-host, since that time many women have had the title of co-host (or co-anchor as it is now called) on Today.

Not only would Today have the first female co-anchor of any early morning news show, it also had the first African American co-anchor. Bryant Gumbel had started his career with NBC as a sportscaster for NBC Sports. In the fall of 1980 Bryant Gumbel began to appear on Today regularly with the feature "Sportsman of the Week." When Tom Brokaw left as co-anchor of The Today Show, then producer Steve Friedman campaigned for Bryant Gumbel was his replacement. Mr. Gumbel was a controversial choice with both NBC News and NBC Sports, and not because he was African American. NBC News was opposed to the idea of a sportscaster getting the position of co-anchor on Today. NBC Sports was none too happy with losing Bryant Gumbel as their primary sportscaster and their biggest star. Mr. Friedman persisted and Bryant Gumbel debuted as the co-host of Today on 4 January 1982.

For the most part Today has remained unchanged over the years. Due to Dave Garroway's precarious health, NBC changed the shooting schedule so that most of the show was shot in the afternoon on videotape. The only part of Today that was live at that point were the news reports read by Frank Blair. After Dave Garroway left the show in 1961, Today went back to being live and has been aired live ever since. Dave Garroway's departure would also bring another change to Today. Prior to 1961 Today had been under the control of NBC's entertainment division. With Dave Garroway's departure, Today was taken over by NBC News. NBC News attempted to make Today a much more serious news programme, appointing John Chancellor as Dave Garroway's replacement. Unfortunately, NBC News' changes to the show did not work out. John Chancellor was uncomfortable in the role of Today Show host and missed being out in the field as a reporter. Viewers seemed to prefer the lighter approach of Dave Garroway's Today Show. After only a short time Mr. Chancellor left Today (he would go onto anchor The NBC Evening News) and he was replaced by Hugh Downs. Mr. Downs was much more in the mould of Dave Garroway, with an easy going approach he had honed as the announcer on NBC's The Home Show and Tonight Starring Jack Paar. Since then Today has remained the balance of hard news and lighter material that it had been in the beginning--Pat Weaver's "newspaper of the air."

While Today has not changed in its format over the years, it would go from airing five days a week to airing every day of the week. For most of its history Today only aired Monday through Friday. On September 20, 1987 NBC debuted a Sunday edition of Today. Originally 90 minutes in length, the Sunday edition of Sunday was shortened to one hour in 1992 when Meet the Press expanded to an hour. The Saturday edition of Today debuted on August 1, 1992. It has always been two hours in length.

Another major change is that over the years Today has expanded in length. For most of its history Today was two hours long, but beginning in the Nineties it was start to expand. In the fall of 1999 NBC created a spin off of Today called Later Today. It was hosted by Jodi Applegate, former Today Girl Florence Henderson, and Asha Blake. Later Today suffered from low ratings, so that in August 2000 it was replaced by the third hour Today. On September 10, 2007 a fourth hour of Today was added. Originally the fourth hour was hosted by former newsreader and current co-anchor Ann Curry, current newsreader Natalie Morales, and Hoda Kotb. On April 7, 2008 Ann Curry and Natalie Morales were replaced by Kathie Lee Gifford. The fourth hour of Today would also change its format at that point, dropping the news segments and concentrating more on interviews and feature segments. While the first three hours of Today remained more of a news magazine, the fourth hour of Today became more of talk show.

While we tend to take breakfast television for granted now, Today was a revolutionary programme in its time. It invented a whole new genre of television, that of the television morning news magazine. It has been imitated many times over, not simply by CBS and ABC, but by many cable channels as well. Today also featured the first female political news reporter, the first female co-host, and the first African American co-host (Bryant Gumbel). Although it has sometimes been labelled "infotainment (a suitable label for some of its competitors)," I personally think it still most accurately described as Pat Weaver envisioned it--"a newspaper of the air." I think this is the reason that Today has remained the number one morning news programme in the United States. Unlike some of its competition it has rarely swung too far either towards hard news or towards pure entertainment. I rather suspect that this will keep it on top for another sixty years.

(Here, courtesy of NBC News, is a rather amazing video celebrating the 60th anniversary of Today)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Actor Dan Frazer R.I.P.

2012-01-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

Television and film Dan Frazer passed on 16 December 2011 at the age of 90. The cause was a heart attack. He was perhaps best known for playing Captain McNeil on Kojak.

Dan Frazer was born on 20 November 1921 in New York City. He developed an interest in acting while performing in productions put on at a community centre operated by his local Roman Catholic church. During World War II he served in the United States Army.

Following the war Mr. Frazer took up acting again. He made his television debut in 1950 in an episode of Studio One. Throughout the Fifties he appeared in such shows as The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, The Phil Silvers Show, and Outlaws. In the Sixties he appeared in such shows as The Andy Griffith Show, Car 54 Where Are You, Alcoa Premiere, The Untouchables, McHale's Navy, Route 66, Honey West, My Favourite Martian, Run for Your Life, and The Invaders. He also appeared in such films as Lillies of the Field (1963), Lord Love a Duck (1966), Counterpoint (1967), Take the Money and Run (1969), and ...tick...tick...tick (1970).

In the Seventies Dan Frazer played Captain McNeil on Kojak. He also guest starred on Flying High and Barney Miller. He appeared in such films as Bananas (1971), Fuzz (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), The Super Cops (1973), and Breakout (1975). During the Eighties he appeared on the soap opera As the World Turns and he guest starred on Monsters. From the Nineties into the Naughts he guest starred on Law & Order and Third Watch. He appeared in the movies Deconstructing Harry (1997), The Kings of Brooklyn (2006), and The Pack (2010).

Hammer Director Don Sharp Passes On

2012-01-10T18:33:00.000-06:00

Don Sharp, who directed such movies as Kiss of the Vampire (1963) and Raputin: The Mad Monk (1966) for Hammer Films, passed on 14 December 2011 at the age of 90.

Don Sharp was born on 19 April 1921 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He attended St. Virgil's College in Tasmania. In 1941 He enlisted in the Australian Air Force. Following World War II he began acting on radio and on stage. In 1949 he moved to England. There he co-wrote and acted in his first movie, Ha'penny Breeze, in 1950. As an actor Mr. Sharp would only appear in a few more films, as his career shifted more towards writing and directing. In 1955 he directed his first film, The Stolen Airliner. Over the next few years he directed the films The Inbetween Age (1958), The Adventure of Hal 5 (1958), Linda (1960), and Two Guys Abroad (1962). He also directed episodes of the series Ghost Squad.

It was in 1963 that he directed the Hammer classic Kiss of the Vampire. The film is credited with having save Hammer Films, which had faltered slightly with the release of a big budget, critically panned version of Phantom of the Opera. For the remainder of the Sixties Don Sharp directed such movies as Witchcraft (1964), The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), Curse of the Fly (1965), The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967), and A Taste of Excitement (1970). He also directed episodes of The Avengers and The Champions.

From the Seventies into the Eighties, Don Sharp directed such films as Dark Places (1973), Psychomania (1973), Callan (1974), Hennessey (1975), Bear Island (1978), Thirty Nine Steps (1978), and What Waits Below (1985). He also directed episodes of Q.E.D., Hammer House of Horror, and Woman of Substance. Mr. Sharp also wrote many movies, including Conflict of Wings (1954), The Stolen Airliner (1955), The Adventures of Hal 5 (1958), Legend of a Gunfighter (1964), and A Taste of Excitement (1960).

Don Sharp was a very talented director who could work well with a limited budget. He tended to be meticulous with regards to even small details in his productions, making them look more expensive than they really were. What is more, Mr. Sharp was able to work in such genres as horror and thrillers without ever resorting to sensationalism. While he only directed three films for Hammer, in many ways he was an ideal director for the studio. Indeed, Kiss of the Vampire is arguably among the greatest films the studio ever produced.

Robert Easton R.I.P.

2012-01-09T18:53:00.000-06:00

Character actor and dialogue coach Robert Easton passed on 16 December 2011 at the age of 81.

Robert Easton was born on 23 November 1930 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following his parents' divorce he moved with his mother to San Antonio, Texas. He was fourteen years old when he won a spot on the popular radio programme Quiz Kids. At age 18 he appeared in his first film, Undertow (1949). Mr. Easton appeared in movies throughout the Fifties, primarily playing hillbillies, hicks, or cowboys. Among the films he in which he appeared throughout the decade were Call Me Mister (1951), The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Belles on Their Toes (1952), Feudin' Fools (1952), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), The High and Mighty (1954), The Kettles in the Ozarks (1956), and Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). He also appeared frequently on television in the Fifties, including such shows as The Jack Benny Programme, Adventures of Superman, Racket Squad, My Little Marge, Gunsmoke, Father Knows Best, The Bob Cummings Show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Wagon Train, Rawhide, and The Andy Griffith Show.

In 1961 he married Englishwoman Julie Grimstead and moved with her to England. There he studied phonetics at University College in London. As a result during his three years in London he not only picked up an English accent, but a number of European accents as well. In the Sixties he provided the voice for Lt. Sheridan on the Gerry Anderson marionette show Stingray. He appeared on several other shows throughout the decade including Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Real McCoys, The Saint, Burke's Law, Death Valley Days, The Munsters, The Beverly Hillbillies, Perry Mason, Lost in Space, Run for Your Life, My Mother the Car, Combat, Get Smart, The Doris Day Show, The Red Skelton Show, and The Mod Squad. He also appeared in the films Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Come Fly With Me (1963), The Loved One (1965), One of Our Spies is Missing (1966), and Paint Your Wagon (1969).

During the Seventies he appeared in such shows as Alias Smith and Jones, Kolchak the Night Stalker, and Fernwood Tonight. He appeared in such films as Johnny Got His Gun (1971), The Giant Spider Invasion (1975), Mr. Sycamore (1975), Pete's Dragon (1977), and When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder (1979). He provided voices for the animated film Heavy Traffic (1973). From the Eighties into the Naughts he appeared in such films as Tai-Pan (1986), Working Girl (1988), Seven Minutes (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Primary Colours (1998), and Gods and Generals (2003).

Starting with Havana Rose in 1951, Mr. Easton served as a dialect coach on several movies. Among the films on which he was a dialect coach were Khartoum (1966), The Molly Maguires (1970), Magic (1978), Scarface (1983), Flesh + Blood (1985), Good Will Hunting (1997), and The Last King of Scotland (2006). He was also a dialect coach on the mini-series North and South.

The 100th Anniversary of Charles Addams' Birth

2012-01-07T21:18:00.001-06:00

It was 100 years ago today that Charles Addams was born. He was quite possibly the most famous cartoonist to ever have his work appear in The New Yorker, well known for his at times macabre cartoons. Over time a family of recurring characters would begin appearing in his cartoon: a tall, slender, dark haired woman; her shorter, stout husband ; their two children; a Frankensteinian butler; and so on. Colloquially these recurring characters became known as "the Addams Family." With the classic 1964 television series based on the cartoons, the name became official.

Charles Addams was born on 7 January 1912 in Westfield, New Jersey. He started drawing at an early age, a pursuit in which his father encouraged him. He drew cartoons for Westfield High School literary magazine, Weathervane. After high school he attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He later studied at the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. In 1933 he went to work for the magazine True Detective, where among other things he retouched photos of corpses so there was no blood.

It was on 6 February 1932 that his first cartoon appeared in The New Yorker. It was in 1938 that the first cartoon that identifiably featured members of the Addams Family appeared--a vacuum cleaner salesman's encounter with Morticia and Lurch (who at this point had a beard). Charles Addams' cartoons would appear in The New Yorker from that point forward until his death. Of course, The New Yorker was not the only publication to feature Mr. Addams' work. Charles Addams' illustrations also appeared in Collier's, Life, Mademoiselle, TV Guide, and others. It is important to know that not all of Mr. Addams' cartoons featured the Addams Family, although almost all of them tended to be absurdist or macabre in nature and most often both.

During World War II Charles Addams served the Signal Corps Photographic Centre in New York, where he made animated training films for the United States Army. Bob Montana of Archie Comics fame, fellow New Yorker cartoonist Sam Cobean, dramatist William Saroyan, and Canadian cartoonist James Simpkins also worked in the Signal Corps Photographic Centre.

Both during and following World War II Charles Addams' popularity as a cartoonist and illustrator grew. His first anthology of drawings, Drawn and Quartered, was published in 1942. It would be followed by eight more anthologies of his cartoons. He also provided illustrations for Afternoon in the Attic, an anthology of John Kobler short stories. He also compiled Dear Dead Days, a scrapbook of grotesque images ranging from Victorian woodcuts to old medicine show advertisements.

The popularity of the Addams Family cartoons may have made either a television or motion picture adaptation inevitable. It was in 1963 that television producer David Levy was walking with a friend down 5th Avenue in New York City and passed a display of Charles Addams' books in a store window, including Homebodies, which featured a portrait of the entire Addams Family. Mr. Levy realised that that the Addams Family cartoons could provide the basis for a hit TV series. He approached Charles Addams with the proposal of the TV series, which Mr. Addams approved. Charles Addams provided names for the various characters, as well as brief descriptions of each of them (prior to the TV series, none of the Addamses were named). While it is often assumed that Thing (a disembodied hand) was created for the series, this was not the case. Thing appeared as early as 1954, as a disembodied hand changing records on a phonograph in the Addams mansion. Only Cousin Itt was created for the show, although he appeared in the cartoon before the TV series. At the suggestion of David Levy, Charles Addams added a hair covered creature. The new character made his debut in the 12 October 1963 issue of The New Yorker, the cartoon featuring the character answering a phone with the words, "This is it speaking." David Levy add an extra "T" to the characters' name and he became "Cousin Itt."

Although The Addams Family woud only run for two seasons, it would become a cultural phenomenon all its own. In the Seventies there would be a reunion telefilm, Halloween with The Addams Family. The Seventies would also see an animated series based on both the cartoons and the TV show. The Nineties would see two major motion pictures, a new animated series, a TV movie, and a new live action series. In 2010 musical based on the cartoons and the TV series debuted on Broadway. Most recently Universal obtained the rights to Charles Addams' drawings with the goal of a stop motion picture based on them with Tim Burton set to produce it.

Even prior to the television series, however, Charles Addams had an impact on Anglo-American pop culture. Edward Eager's fantasy novel Knight's Castle referred to "Chas Addams (which is how Mr. Addams always signed his drawings). Alfred Hitchock was known to be a fan of Mr. Addams' cartoons, so it should come as no surprise that Mr. Addams in mentioned in North By Northwest (1959)--Cary Grant's line,"The three of you together. Now that's a picture only Charles Addams could draw." It is a common assumption that the house in Psycho (1960) was inspired by the Addams mansion (the two do admittedly look a good deal alike).

Except for possibly James Thurber, Charles Addams may well have been the most famous cartoonist to ever appear in The New Yorker on a regular basis and he was most certainly the most famous whose success emerged from the appearances of his work in that magazine. As to why Charles Addams' cartoons, both those featuring the Addams Family and those that did not, became so popular, it is perhaps for the same reason that Ronald's Searle's St. Trinian's School cartoons and fellow New Yorker cartoonist Edward Gorey's work also attained popularity. Quite simply, the work of all three men allowed people to face our very worst faces and laugh at them. The Addams Family poised to spill boiling oil on carollers, a skier going through a tree without harm, an octopus rising from a manhole to grab an innocent victim, these images allowed us to laugh at death. In the mid to late 20th Century, when the threat of nuclear destruction sometimes seemed imminent, Charles Addams put us all at ease by bringing us face to face with the grotesque and making us to see the humour in it.

Of course, Charles Addams' most popular creation was the family that bears his name. Most certainly the Addams Family helped society laugh at death, but their appeal goes even further than Mr. Addams's other cartoons. The Addams Family were an extended family who enjoy the bizarre and the macabre. Even though it is apparent even in the cartoons that they are a family of means, they are still very much outsiders when it comes to society. Despite this, the Addams Family can hardly be said to be dysfunctional. Morticia and Gomez not only love each other, they are very openly affectionate. Despite some very odd hobbies, their children, Pugley and Wednesday, are well taken care of. They also care for members of their extended family--Grandmama and Uncle Fester (in the original series he was Morticia's uncle, not Gomez's brother). The Addams Family were proud of their eccentricities. In fact, they were a much healthier extended family than many more "normal" nuclear families. Quite simply, the Addams Family not only allowed us to laugh at the macabre, they also told us that it was all right to be different and that was all right to even be proud of those differences. Indeed, the Addams Family made it clear that it was better to go one's own path than it was to simply conform to society's expectations.

Certainly, Charles Addams never conformed to society's expectations. Over the years he never toned down his cartoons nor did he look for success elsewhere. When the television series came about, it was David Levy who went to Mr. Addams, not the other way around. Much like the family he created, Charles Addams was a success because he was different, because he chose his own path and worked in his own style. Even if there had never been an Addams Family TV series, Charles Addams would still be one of the most famous cartoonists of the 20th Century.

Danny Thomas at 100

2012-01-06T21:51:00.000-06:00

When I think of early television situation comedies, two names come to mind. The fist is Lucille Ball, the star of I Love Lucy. The second is Danny Thomas, star of Make Room For Daddy (also known as The Danny Thomas Show). It was 100 years ago today that Danny Thomas was born.

Sadly, while Lucille Ball is still well known, it seems to me that Danny Thomas has almost been forgotten. Oh, most people my age and a little younger still know who Danny Thomas is, even if they have never seen an episode of Make Room For Daddy, but I fear most younger people have no idea who he is, let alone just how much of a television pioneer he was. In many respects Make Room For Daddy was as revolutionary as I Love Lucy, and in some respects it was even more so. What is more, Danny Thomas was not only the star of his own sitcom like Lucy, but also like Lucy he was a television producer who would have a hand in some of the most influential TV shows of all time.

Danny Thomas was born Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz on 6 January 1912 in Deerfield, Michigan to Lebanese parents. He began his career as a comic performing under an Anglicised version of his given name, "Amos Jacobs Kairouz." In 1932 he started performing on the radio show The Happy Hour on WMBC in Detroit, Michigan. By 1938 he had moved onto working in radio in the bigger market of Chicago. In 1940 he was offered a three year deal at the 4100 Club in Chicago that would pay much more than his work in radio did. Not particularly wanting his family and friends to know he had returned to working in clubs, he adopted a new stage name by combining the two names of his brothers--"Danny Thomas."

Fortunately, the 4100 Club would provide Mr. Thomas with his big break. He was spotted there by Abe Lastfogel of the William Morris Agency, who signed him to a USO tour featuring Marlene Dietrich and got him a part on Fanny Brice's radio programme The Baby Snooks Show. He would later join the cast of the radio show The Bickersons. In 1947 Danny Thomas would make his motion picture debut in The Unfinished Dance. He would go onto appear in Big City (1948), I'll See You in My Dreams (1951), and the 1952 version of The Jazz Singer. While he received good notices for his works in motion pictures, Danny Thomas's future would lie in another medium.

Having rejected the advice of three different studio to have plastic surgery performed on his admittedly large nose and tired of working night clubs, Danny Thomas looked for work in the television industry. His initial job in television was as one of the hosts (along with Jack Carson, Jimmy Durante, and Ed Wynn) of Four Star Revue on NBC. Neither Danny Thomas nor the show's other rotating hosts would remain with it for long. After its first season NBC changed the show's name to All Star Revue and replaced the rotating hosts with various big name, guest hosts.

Fortunately, Mr. Thomas's agent, Abe Lastfogel, would insure that he would continue to have a career in television. Quite simply, Mr. Lastfogel made it a condition that the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) would have to take Danny Thomas if they wanted the then bigger star Ray Bolger (most famous as the Scarecrow on The Wizard of Oz). ABC had not been particularly impressed with Danny Thomas's performance on NBC's Four Star Revue and insisted that any show he in which he starred must be a sitcom. Mr. Thomas, producer Lou Edelman, and writer Mel Shaverson developed a premise for a sitcom that drew upon Mr. Thomas's own life as a nightclub performer with a family. In fact, it was Danny Thomas's wife who gave the show its title. While Mr. Thomas was on tour she would allow their children to sleep with her. When Mr. Thomas returned from touring, the children would then have to "make room for daddy." Make Room For Daddy then centred on fictional nightclub performer Danny Williams and his family--wife Margaret (Jean Hagen), son Rusty (Rusty Hamer), and daughter Terry (Sherry Jackson).

On paper Make Room For Daddy sounds a lot like other domestic comedies of the era, such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best, but in reality it was something wholly different. At the time most television fathers were inevitably either level headed straight men (Father Knows Best may be the best example) or total bumblers (The Stu Erwin Show). In contrast Danny Williams was neither. Danny could often be the source of comedy on the show, but at other times he could be the level headed father figure. He was in many respects a more realistic view of fatherhood and the forerunner of such TV dads as Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show) and Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show).

Make Room For Daddy was also set apart from other domestic comedies of the time in that it often incorporated song and dance routines into its episodes, giving the show much in common with I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show (which Danny Thomas produced). Although often classed as a domestic comedy, Make Room For Daddy was as much a show biz comedy as it was anything else. Indeed, this brings me to another way in which Make Room For Daddy differed from Father Knows Best and other domestic comedies. Quite simply, Make Room For Daddy was much more of an ensemble comedy. Episodes did not simply focus on Danny, his wife, and his children, but on their housekeeper Louise (played originally by Louise Beavers and later by Amanda Randolph) , members of the extender family (especially Uncle Tonoose, played by Hans Conried), Danny's manager Charlie (played by Sid Melton), and so on. To a degree this makes Make Room For Daddy the direct forerunner of other ensemble comedies, such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, and so on.

Make Room For Daddy was revolutionary in other ways as well. Like other shows of the era, Make Room For Daddy featured an African American domestic (played by Louise Beavers and later played by Amanda Randolph). Unlike many other shows of the time, the character of Louise was treated with much more respect. In fact, I remember an interview in which Danny Thomas told how the network really did not want him to express affection towards Louise (such as hugging her and so on). Mr. Thomas refused to comply. To him Louise was both a human being and a member of the Williams family.

In all Make Room For Daddy would run for twelve years and undergo several changes. Jean Hagen left the show after the third season to pursue her film and stage career. Margaret was then written out of the show as having died and Danny Williams spent the following season as a widower. In the fifth season Danny Williams married Kathy "Clancey" O'Hara (Marjorie Lord) and Clancey brought her daughter Linda (Angela Cartwright) into the marriage. In the 1957-1958 season Make Room For Daddy moved to CBS and was given the new title of The Danny Thomas Show. ABC had lost interest in the show, which was a grave error on their part. At CBS The Danny Thomas Show rose into the top ten rated shows where it remained until Mr. Thomas ended the show after twelve seasons.

Even if one does not regard Make Room For Daddy a revolutionary sitcom on the level of I Love Lucy, there can be no doubt of Danny Thomas's contributions to television history as a producer. It was during the first season that Sheldon Leonard became a director on the show. An actor best known for his roles as gangsters and heavies (perhaps most familiar today to audiences as Nick in It's a Wonderful Life), Mr. Leonard wanted to break into directing and production. During the third season Mr. Leonard was promoted to the show's producer. Eventually Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard founded their own production company, one which would produce some of television's most legendary shows. From the late Fifties into the Sixties Messrs. Thomas and Leonard would produce such shows as The Real McCoys, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bill Dana Show, and The Joey Bishop Show. The Andy Griffith Show was a spin off of Make Room For Daddy, an episode of which served as a back door pilot for the show. Danny Thomas himself cast Mary Tyler Moor as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. While many younger people today may have never heard of Make Room For Daddy, nearly everyone has heard of The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Without Sheldon Leonard, Danny Thomas would produce shows such as The Guns of Will Sonnett and The Mod Squad.

Danny Thomas would continue to perform very nearly until his death. In 1970 he appeared in a continuation of Make Room For Daddy called Make Room For Granddaddy. He later starred in the short lived series The Practice (not to be confused with the legal drama of the same name), I'm a Big Girl Now, and One Big Family. His last appearance was a guest shot on Empty Nest in 1991--the year that he died.

Danny Thomas was not simply a great comic actor and legendary television producer. He was also a humanitarian. Indeed, he founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a non-profit hospital and research facility focused on children's diseases.

Although Danny Thomas is not remembered today as he should be, there can be no doubt of his contributions to television. Make Room For Daddy was a revolutionary sitcom which pioneered ensemble comedies and gave the world a more realistic view of fatherhood than its contemporaries. As a producer Danny Thomas gave us legendary, character driven comedies, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Andy Griffith Show, that would surpass the success of his own show. As a humanitarian he founded St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Danny Thomas was a fine human being and a towering figure in the history of television. It is something that we should not soon forget.

Sword Master Bob Anderson R.I.P.

2012-01-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

Bob Anderson, who choreographed sword fights in movies from Master of Ballantrae (1953) to Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and served as a stunt double in many more, passed on 1 January 2012 at the age of 89.

Bob Anderson was born on 15 September 1922 in Gosport, Hampshire, England. He was very young when he took up fencing. In his early Twenties he joined the Royal Marines. During World War II he served in the Mediterranean. Following the war Mr. Anderson taught fencing as an instructor for the various services. He won competition with the bayonet, épée, foil, and sabre. He competed in the sabre event at the World Championships in both 1950 and 1953. In 1952 he he represented the United Kingdom in fencing at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. A noted fencer, he was asked to work with Errol Flynn on The Master of Ballantrae at Pinewood Studios. Bob Anderson both choreographed fights for the film and served as a stunt double for nearly all of Errol Flynn's opponents.

The Master of Ballantrae would be the beginning of a long career for Mr. Anderson in film. Over the years he worked in various capacities on many films, including Crossed Swords (1954), The Moonraker (1958), The Guns of Navarrone (1961), From Russia with Love (1963), Carry On Pimpernel (1966), Casino Royale (1967), Kidnapped (1971), the first Star Wars trilogy, Highlander (1987), The Princess Bride (1987), The Three Musketeers (1993), The Mask of Zorro (1998), and Lord of the Rings. He also served as sword master on the TV show Highlander. He also served as the coach for the British national fencing team for 30 years.

It is well known, at least among Star Wars fans, that it was Bob Anderson who wielded Darth Vader's light sabre in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Mr. Anderson's career went far beyond Star Wars, as he can be credited with choreographing some of the incredible sword fights in cinematic history. In fact, Bob Anderson should not perhaps be remembered best for doubling as Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, but instead the duel between Westley (Cary Elwes) and Inigo (Mandy Patinkin) in The Princess Bride. While the scene was helped a bit by special effects, most of it was simply Mr. Anderson's skill as a sword master. Indeed, it can be said that with little doubt that movies from Crossed Swords to Highlander would not have been nearly as exciting without Bob Anderson's expertise. If any man deserved the title of "sword master," it was certainly Bob Anderson.

The 120th Brithday of J.R. R. Tolkien

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000-06:00

It was 120 years ago today that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (now Free State Province, part of South Africa). The son of a bank manager and a professor versed in the English language, he would become one of the most famous English writers of all time. In fact, it is quite possible that J. R. R. Tolkien is the most famous fantasy writer of any nationality. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings number among the best selling books of all time.

Born in South Africa, Mr. Tolkien spent the majority of his childhood in England. It was while his mother, brother, and himself were visiting family in England that his father died from rheumatic fever in South Africa. The family lived for a brief time with Tolkien's maternal grandparents in Kings Heath, Birmingham, then moved to Sarehole, Worcestershire. The environs of Sarehole would prove to have a lasting impact on young Tolkien, influencing the fictional Shire of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Mr. Tolkien studied at Exeter College, Oxford, initially studying Classics before changing to English Language and Literature. During World War I he served in the Lancashire Fusiliers, eventually being invalided to England after contracting trench fever. In 1920 he became a Reader in English Language at the University of Leeds. He eventually became the youngest man to ever become a professor there. In 1925 he became a Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon, with a fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1945 he became the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Merton College, Oxford.

It is perhaps fitting that J. R. R. Tolkien was born on the anniversary of the birth of Jacob Grimm, the German philologist and mythologist. Although known to the public at large as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Mr. Tolkien was also an influential philologist and mythologist in his own right. Indeed, in many respects he was almost as influential as Jacob Grimm himself. His lecture Beowulf: The Monster and The Critics may well be the most influential work on the poem of all time. In 1936 there was a tendency for scholars downplay the fantastic elements (such as Grendel and the dragon) in Beowulf in favour of viewing the poem merely as a source of Germanic tribal history. Mr Tokien not only argued that the fantastic elements were a necessary part of the poem, but also encouraged its study as a work of literature than merely a source of history. If Beowulf is today regarded as the first great narrative of the English language, it is largely J. R. R. Tolkien we owe for that.

While J. R. R. Tolkien would make many other contributes to Anglo-Saxon philology and the study of the English language, it is for his fiction that he is best known. Published in 1937, The Hobbit proved to be a success, so much so that its publisher asked Mr. Tolkien for a sequel. That sequel would eventually prove even more wildly successful than The Hobbit. The first volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, was published in 1954. While The Hobbit was almost an immediate success, it would take time for The Lord of the Rings to become the phenomenon it is now. While it sold well in hardback, The Lord of the Rings would not be published in paperback until the Sixties. Following its publication in the Fifties and into the early Sixties, The Lord of the Rings was primarily read by fantasy and science fiction fans.

To a large degree this would change because of the unauthorised publication of the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings. In 1965 Donald A. Wollheim of Ace Books believed he had found a loophole in American copyright law whereby Lord of the Rings was not protected under copyright in the United States. Ace Books then published an unauthorised edition of the novel. Both Mr.Tolkien and his fans were outraged with Ace Books to the point that Ace Books withdrew their edition from circulation and paid a royalty payment to Mr. Tolkien. In the meantime Ballantine Books published an authorised edition. Regardless, the unauthorised edition of Lord of the Rings fuelled interest in the novel to the point that it became a fad. By 1967 The Lord of the Rings was particularly popular with the hippie subculture in the United States. Fortunately The Lord of the Rings would not remain the province of fantasy fans and hippies for long, and in the end the book would become the third best selling book of all time worldwide (surpassed only by A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).

Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well J.R. R. Tolkien's other works, would have a lasting impact on Anglo-American pop culture. It was largely because of the phenomenal success of The Lord of the Rings that the fantasy genre experienced phenomenal grown in the Seventies and Eighties. It was because of The Lord of the Rings that such novels as The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and such fantasy series as The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson met with success. Of course, there would be outright imitations of The Lord of the Rings as well, the most notable (and perhaps the worst) being the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. The first role playing game, Dungeons and Dragons owed a good deal to The Lord of the Rings, as did many of its successors. Even rock music would be influenced by The Lord of the Rings, with bands from Led Zeppelin to Rush drawing inspiration from the novel. The novel was also adapted as three major motion pictures (or there volumes in one long motion picture, if you prefer) and has provided the inspiration for several role playing games.

I must confess that I have not escaped the influence of Tolkien myself, having read both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as various other Tolkien works. As a lad my first reading material tended to be comic books and reprints of old pulp magazine novels (such as Doc Savage and The Shadow). My interest in works that often contained fantastic elements led me to reading science fiction, but even as a child I didn't always find the genre satisfying. Too often science fiction novels tended to be dry reading material, concentrating more on science and technology than characterisation or action. The Lord of the Rings opened up a new world for me, not only featuring a well developed fantasy world, but three dimensional characters as well. While I had already read Robert E. Howard's fantasy stories before I read The Lord of the Rings, it would be Tolkien would lead me to read the works of such fantasists as Michael Moorcock, Lord Dusany, Lloyd Alexander, and others.

Mr. Tolkien would prove to be an influence on me beyond my tastes in fiction. It did not take me long after I developed an interest in Old English literature and Anglo-Saxon history that I learned of Mr. Tolkien's contribution to their study. While we'd studied portions of Beowulf (in translation, of course) in school, it was Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics that led me to a true appreciation of the poem. With regards to the study of Old English literature, I must say that I owe a good deal to J. R. R. Tolkien.

Today, 120 years after his death, J. R. R. Tolkien remains one of the best selling of all time. An Oxford professor who studied Old English language and literature, his works are now studied at universities world wide. His influence can be seen in everything from literature to movies to music. The son of a bank manager born on Jacob Grimm's birthday went much further than any student of Old English literature and language could ever hope to.

The Late Great Ronald Searle

2012-01-03T20:11:00.000-06:00

Ronald Searle, who created the St. Trinian's School cartoons and with Geoffrey Willans co-created the Molesworth series of books, passed on 30 December 2011 at the age of 91.

Ronald Searle was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England on 3 March 1920. He started drawing when he was only five years old. He left school when he was 15, at which point he drew cartoons for The Cambridge Daily News. In 1939 he enlisted in the Corps of Royal Engineers. He trained for two years at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. It was in 1941 that the first St. Trinian's School was published in the magazine Lilliput.

Mr. Searle was station in Singapore in January 1942. Unfortunately, Singapore fell to the Japanese a month later. He was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese. Initially he was incarcerated in the Changi Prison in Singapore. Later he served as slave labour on the Siam-Burma Death Railway in the Kwai jungle. During his imprisonment he contracted both beri-beri and malaria. Mr. Searle documented the conditions of his imprisonment in drawings that he hid in bamboo tubes, mattresses, and other places. Had they been discovered Mr. Searle would have most certainly been executed. Several of the drawings would be published in The Naked Island by Russell Braddon (who was also held as a prisoner by the Japanese). Most of the drawings would appear in Mr. Searle's book Ronald Searle: To the Kwai and Back, War Drawings 1939-1945, published in 1986.

Following the war Ronald Searle resumed drawing St. Trinian's School cartoons in 1946, although they tended to be much darker than they had been before the war. The cartoons were set at St. Trinian's School, where the schoolgirls were not only not exactly well behaved, but sometimes down right homicidal. The cartoons and their gallows humour proved popular enough to be published in several collections. The cartoon series also provided inspiration for a series of four movies in the Sixties, one movie in the Seventies, and a new series of films in the Naughts.

It was in the early Fifties that Geoffrey Willans approached Ronald Searle with a proposal to illustrate a series of books based on a series of columns he had written for Punch. The result was the Molesworth series of books, which followed the misadventures of schoolboy Nigel Molesworth at St. Custard's School. The first book in the series, Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents, was published in 1953. The series would provide inspiration for two sequels written by Simon Brett portraying Moleswoth as an adult, and a BBC Radio 4 serial, Molesworth, which portrayed Moleswoth in middle age.

In 1955 Ronald Searle became the illustrator for the theatre column of Punch, for which he provided a humorous cartoon adaptation of The Odyssey in 1956. In 1957 he made the short animated film "Energetically Yours." In 1960 he became the first non-American to win the Reuben Award given by the National Cartoonist's Society. Throughout the Fifties into the Sixties he provided illustrations for magazines ranging from The New Yorker to Life to TV Guide. In 1961 he left cartooning for a time and moved to Paris. There he worked as a reporter for both Life and Holiday. He also worked in film. He had designed the titles for the first few St.Trinian's films and also did titles for Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (1969), and Scrooge. He served as production designer on the full length animated film Dick Deadeye or Duty Done (1975).

Ronald Searle also published a good number of books unrelated to either St. Trinian's School or Molesworth, both on his own and with various collaborators.

I am not sure that it is enough to say that Ronald Searle was the greatest British graphic artist of all time. Quite simply, he was one of the greatest graphic artists of all nation and of all time. He was a cartoonist who easily ranks alongside such greats as Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, and James Thurber. Like any truly great cartoonist Ronald Searle combined artistic skill with an incredible sense of humour. It was present in everything from the St. Trinian's School cartoons to his lesser known works. Throughout his lifetime he proved incredibly influential, influencing such diverse artists as Quentin Blake, John Lennon, and Matt Groening. If few cartoonists ever reach the levels of success that Ronald Searle did, it is perhaps that there have been so few that possessed his incredible talent.

The American Holiday Season

2012-01-02T19:55:00.000-06:00

With the American holiday season pretty much at an end, my mind has turned to the holidays celebrated in the United States. Namely, I think that our holidays tend to spread apart rather oddly. Three of the biggest holiday celebrated in the United States all fall in the last three months of the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and whatever early winter holiday one celebrates--Christmas, Hanukkah, and so on), while at other times of the year there are large gaps between the holidays most Americans celebrate.

It wasn't this way in medieval Europe or Great Britain, where holidays tended to be spread more or less evenly apart. Consider the traditional holiday calender celebrated in medieval England. Candlemas fell on 2 February, at a time roughly between Christmas and Easter. Lammas on 1 August was only about 45 or so days after Midsummer (24 June, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist according to the Church). In between the major holidays were days celebrated in honour of various saints and the various local fairs that were held from time to time. Sadly, many of these days would fall into disuse in England, not to mention much of Europe. By the time the United States was founded many of these former holidays were no longer celebrated.

It is perhaps because of this that holidays celebrated in the United States are somewhat unevenly distributed. Much of this is complicated by the fact that in the United States many of the Federal holidays are not celebrated by most of the populace, while many of the holidays celebrated by the populace are not Federally recognised. For me the perfect example of a Federal holiday not celebrated by most of the population is Labour Day. It is a holiday that has no real rituals connected to it in much of the country. At most some might go to the beach or hold a barbecue. There are no great Labour Day traditions. For many it is merely a day off and for many more--those the day is meant to honour--it is not even that. Labour Day can be contrasted with Halloween, a holiday that is not recognised by the Federal government. Despite having no Federal recognition, a good many people celebrate Halloween, perhaps most people. It is a holiday that also has its own traditions (trick or treating and so on) linked to it and even its own imagery (jack o'lanterns, black cats, bats, et. al.). I dare say, even if they don't get the day off, for many people Halloween is a real holiday, while Labour Day is not.

When one takes into account the actual holidays that Americans celebrate, the gaps between holidays can become extreme. Consider the months following New Year's Day. In January there is Martin Luther King Day, but it is more a day that one observes and remembers important people than it is a day that one celebrates and has fun--a very important day, no doubt, but not one filled with joy and family togetherness. The same holds true for President's Day in February. Now there are St. Valentine's Day in February and St. Patrick's Day in March, but both of these are highly specialised holidays. Those without a significant other tend to be left out of St. Valentine's Day--how can one celebrate a day devoted to romance and giving gifts to one's beloved when one doesn't have a beloved? St. Patrick's Day is in some ways even more specialised. Unless one is Catholic or Irish, one has little reason to celebrate the day. Given Martin Luther King Day and President's Day are more days one observes rather than celebrates, and not everyone celebrates St. Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day, that leaves a huge gap between the end of the holiday season and the next holidays celebrated by most Americans (which I assume would be Easter for Christians or equivalent holidays for other faiths, and Purim for those who are Jewish).

There is an even bigger gap in the late summer and early autumn, when there are not even traditional holidays of the specialised type such as St. Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. Between the Fourth of July and Halloween there are only Labour Day and Columbus Day, two holidays recognised by the Federal government that no one celebrates. The gap between the Fourth of July and Halloween is only filled by Rosh Hashanah celebrated by those of the Jewish faith and the various late summer and autumn fairs held locally among the various states. It is for that reason I've often thought that late summer and early autumn tend to be one of the glummest times of year! Of course, once one hits Halloween there are four holidays in a row (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah./the Yuletide/et. al., and New Year's Day) in a space of only three months.

Of course, I suppose one might ask why any of this matters. Well, my thought is that holidays serve an important role in society. They give us a break from the everyday routine of work and give us a chance to enjoy ourselves. Quite simply, they are an escape not unlike watching a movie or reading a book, but of a longer period. Indeed, there is a reason that many Americans look forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Sadly, such breaks or escapes from our everyday routine are rather unevenly distributed in the American schedule. As I pointed out earlier, there is a big gap in the summer where the only holiday is Labour Day, which I suspect the average American doesn't regard as a real holiday at all.

Unfortunately, I doubt that there is very much that can be done about the gaps in the American holiday schedule now. I rather doubt that Americans would start celebrating Lammas or any of the old, traditional holidays. At the same time I cannot see Americans adopting any new holidays that would fill the gaps, except for perhaps Dr. Seuss's birthday (which seems well on its way to becoming a national holiday) . And sadly, I cannot see anyone making an effort to pump any sort of joy into Labour Day. In the end, I suppose we Americans are simply stuck with the holidays we already have, unless someone can develop some that can fill the gaps.

The Year 2011

2011-12-31T17:22:00.000-06:00

Today is the final day of 2011 and I cannot say that I am unhappy to see this year go. From a personal standpoint this has not been a particularly good year for me. Indeed, 2011 will always be to me the year that my best friend died. It was on 12 June of this year that my friend Brian passed on. I must confess that I still am mourning him and I still miss him a good deal. This past holiday season was a particularly difficult one for me because of that.

Even if my best friend had not died, however, it would be hard for me not to view 2011 as a year of death. Many of my favourite celebrities died this year and in such quantities that I swear I spent the first six months of this year writing eulogies in this blog. I am guessing the big news as far as celebrity deaths go this year was the passing of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor. As much as I loved Elizabeth Taylor, however, she was not the celebrity I mourned the most this year. Indeed, there were others I mourned more and a few I actually shed tears over. I am guessing that many of us felt the passing of Peter Falk more intensely than we did Miss Taylor. The reasons go far beyond the fact that he played Lt. Columbo. Mr. Falk was a multi-talented actor who also had a career not only on television, but on the screen and stage as well. I believe many of us also mourned a good deal over Jane Russell. Miss Russell was well known for her physical attributes, but it was for her wit and her talent that we all loved her. She was both on screen and off screen the perfect combination of brains, beauty, and wit. Of course, she was not the only beautiful brunette to pass this year that I found myself mourning. Elaine Stewart was an actress on whom I had a crush since childhood. She was beautiful and quite versatile. I think because of her beauty her talent was often underestimated, something I hope will change in coming years. I also found myself mourning John Neville. Most people probably knew him as Baron Munchausen from The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), but he played may more roles, including Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Terror (1965) and the Well Manicured Man in The X-Files.

Others of my favourite actors worked primarily in television. This was particularly true of James Arness. Most of us know him as Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, but Mr. Arness also appeared in such films as Big Jim McLain (1952), The Thing (1951), and Them! (1954). What made me feel Mr. Arness's death even more acutely was that he left behind a letter in which he thanked his fans for his career. It's the only time I have ever seen an actor do that. This year also saw the passing of what may have been the most popular of The Doctor's companions on Doctor Who of all time. Elisabeth Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who. She was the first of The Doctor's companions to whom I was ever exposed and she still one of my favourites. In fact, in my humble opinion Sarah Jane ranks alongside Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, and Honey West as far as independent female characters who could think for themselves on television. Arguably Cliff Robertson was as much of a film actor as a television actor, but it was on television where I first encountered him. He was a frequent guest star on television shows in the Sixties, including The Twilight Zone and Batman. Of course, he also had an extensive career in film, appearing in such movies as PT 109 (1963), Sunday in New York (1963), and Charly (1968).

Of course, actors were not the only celebrities who died this year. Director Sidney Lumet, who helmed such films as 12 Angry Men (1957), Fail-Safe (1964), Serpico (1973), and Network (1976) , passed this year. This year also saw the passing of screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, whose screenplays for Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958) turned Hammer Pictures from an obscure British studio into the studio most identified with horror movies besides Universal. The world of television saw the passing of three men who had a huge impact on my life and on Anglo-American pop culture. Sherwood Schwartz created Gilligan's Island, arguably one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. David Croft co-created several successful sitcoms, including Dad's Army, Are You Being Served, and 'Allo 'Allo. Bert Schneider was the co-producer of The Monkees. He went onto produce some of my favourite films, including Head (1968), Easy Rider (1969), and Five Easy Pieces (1970). The world of comic books was also hit hard this year. Les Daniels, the comic book historian died at a terribly young age of 68. Jerry Robinson, the creator of The Joker and well known advocate for creator rights, also passed this year. Legendary comic book artist and writer Joe Simon, who created Captain America and other characters, died only months after his creation finally saw life on the big screen in a major motion picture.

While there were many deaths this year, in many ways 2011 was unremarkable as far as pop culture goes. The biggest movies this year were primarily sequels--Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, a third Transformers movie, a fourth Twilight movie, and so on. Even when a movie wasn't a sequel, it was often a remake (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) or based on existing properties (the various superhero movies and so on). If anyone wants to use a year as an example of the possibility that Hollywood has run out of idea, 2011 could well be it.

Fortunately, television would at least make an attempt to be original in the 2011-2012 season, although the quality of the end results were often questionable. On the surface The Playboy Club was something different for NBC. Unfortunately, it was also very, very bad. Similarly, its fellow period piece Pan Am was something that ABC usually would not do. Unfortunately it was also a bit of a disappointment. The major networks have made more of an effort to air genre shows this year. Early in the year NBC aired The Cape, a superhero drama that lasted rather briefly. This season NBC and ABC debuted two very different shows that draw upon fairy tales (Grimm and Once Upon a Time). While the networks at least seem to be experimenting with different sorts of shows, they also seem to have lost all tastes when it comes to sitcoms. When it comes to the 2011-2012 season, it may be remembered as the Season of the Banal Sitcom. Up All Night, Whitney, and How to Be a Gentleman also seemed to demonstrate that NBC and CBS have forgotten what a good sitcom is. Indeed, his might be particularly true of NBC. Late this year NBC shelved the best comedy on television, Community, but is keeping the frightfully unfunny Up All Night and Whitney on the air!

There is somewhat better news in the world of music, particularly for those of us who worry that Justin Beiber and The Jonas Brothers may be taking over the world. Indeed, tween heartthrobs figured in none of the top ten albums. What is more, some of the top ten albums came from vocal talents who can actually sing. Adele, Lady Gaga, and Michael Buble held the top spots for the year. Even better, rock music seems to be making a bit of a comeback. Albums by both Coldplay and Mumford & Sons ranked in the top ten. Another upside is that not one of the top albums was by a rap artist, something those of us fear that particular musical genre could make a comeback have to be thankful for. On the downside, the top ten albums of the year worldwide also included what I call "pop rubbish." Both Rihanna and Beyonce had albums in the top ten.

Whatever the impact had on myself personally, I have to say it was not overly remarkable year with regards to pop culture. While television and music seem to be improving, motion pictures seem to be stuck in a rut of sequels. I suppose we can only hope that movies follow the course of television and music in trying something different. Sadly, that might not be 2012, as there seem to be more sequels on tap.

Christmas Has 12 Days!

2011-12-30T20:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I went to WalMart. The huge Christmas tree that one saw just as he or she walked into the store was gone. There was no trace of holly to be seen. Worse yet, there was no eggnog in the dairy section, nor were there any cherry cordials anywhere in the store. It was as if as far as WalMart was concerned, Christmas was over.

Now I now that some reading this may point out that yesterday was 29 December, four days after Christmas Day. While this is true, it ignores the fact that Christmas is not one day, but a festival that is twelve days long. Traditionally Christmas took place from the evening of 24 December (Christmas Eve) to the day of 6 January (Twelfth Day). And while I must confess no one outside of churches seems to have recognised the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas in my lifetime, when I was a lad there was at least some recognition that the period between 26 December and 1 January was part of the Christmas season. Oh, radio stations generally ceased playing Christmas music after 25 December and most TV outlets would not show holiday oriented specials and movies after 25 December. But all businesses would keep their Christmas decorations up, including their trees, until at least 2 January. In the days when I was growing up, it was generally recognised that New Year's Day was a part of the Christmas season, even if almost everyone stopped celebrating the holidays before Epiphany.

Of course, WalMart apparently forgot that Christmas lasts twelve days long ago. While I seem to recall that even as recently as the Naughts they kept their ornaments up longer, I also remember an advert they ran back in the Naughts beginning 26 December (it may have first aired on 25 December for all I know). The commercial began, "Now that the holidays are over..." Ummm, it's not even New Year's Day yet! From the commercial it would appear that WalMart believed the holidays ended with Christmas Day. The fact that they had no ornaments up in the store yesterday demonstrates that they apparently have not learned any differently since that advert aired.

I would not be so irritated at WalMat for taking down their Christmas decorations so early if they did not put them up so early as well. I went to WalMart on 1 November this year. I was confronted by the huge Christmas tree at the front of the store and Christmas music playing over the intercom. One would have thought it was the middle of December! Going by this, I almost believe that WalMart thinks the holiday season begins the day after Halloween and ends on Christmas Day. No, it doesn't. In fact, I think the vast majority of Americans do not think of it as "Christmas time" until Thanksgiving at the earliest. Many of us don't think of it as the holiday season until much later!

Now I'm guessing many reading this might ask why celebrating the Yuletide at least until New Year's Day is such a big deal. Well, for me there are several reasons. The first is simply tradition. Until the 20th Century, when the holiday season became convoluted with the holiday shopping season, Christmas was observed as a festival that lasted for the traditional twelve days. The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was first published relatively recently, in 1780 in England. Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, makes reference to the twelve days of Christmas. Even when I was a growing up there was some recognition that Christmas did not end with Christmas Day. It has only been the past twenty years that certain merchants and media outlets have forgotten that Christmas is twelve days long and New Year's Day is a part of the Christmas season. In ignoring this tradition we effectively break with the past, we break with what our ancestors practised for years. This sets up what could be a dangerous precedent. If we forget the twelve days of Christmas, what is to keep us from forgetting Christmas all together?

The second reason is that Christmas is essentially a winter holiday. In both the United States and the United Kingdom its imagery deals with winter--snowmen, snowflakes, sleighs, and so on. Now winter does not begin until 21 December or 22 December. In insisting that the "holiday season" runs from 1 November to 25 December, then, WalMart and other merchants are placing the bulk of the Yuletide during autumn! Unless we are willing to change Christmas imagery to fallen leaves and pumpkins (not unlike Halloween and Thanksgiving), then we need to keep the Yuletide in its proper season.

Of course, that brings me to the third reason for observing the Twelve Days of Christmas. In the United States, at least, we already have holidays that take place in autumn. Both Halloween and Thanksgiving are very big holidays here in the States, and both are closely tied to their season. Unfortunately, for many years Thanksgiving has been in danger of losing its own identity. Almost all major stores have their Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving, if not as early as WalMart (who put them up 1 November). Worse yet, in the past some networks and cable channels have aired Christmas movies on Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is very much in danger of becoming just another part of an overly long Christmas season. Given how early many stores are putting up Christmas decorations and start selling Christmas ornaments, I have to wonder that in a few years Halloween may not be as well! Of course, if society began observing the Twelve Days of Christmas again then we probably would not see stores putting up Christmas ornaments until later, adn Thanksgiving would remain its own special day rather than an mere extension of the "Christmas" season.

As to my fourth reason for celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas, it is simply that I believe the average American needs a break after a long year of work. The way we celebrate Christmas now the average American does not receive much of a break Far too much emphasis is placed on shopping for gifts to be given on 25 December. making a time that should be one of joy all too stressful for the average American. If we celebrated the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas, then gifts could be given on any of the twelve days, not just Christmas Day. This would give people more time to shop for gifts, which would reduce the amount of stress people experience during the holidays. I might also point out that it could also bring in more money for retailers like WalMart who seem to turn Christmas into an autumn holiday!

Of course, there are signs that at least the period between 25 December and 1 January may be increasingly regarded once more as part of the holidays. At least since the early Naughts the DMX Holidays and Happening digital music channel has continued to play Yuletide tunes until 31 January when it switches to what I can only describe as "party music." Various television outlets have also shown signs of regarding the period between 25 December and 1 January as part of the Christmas season. This week AMC showed The Polar Express several nights in a row beginning with the night of 26 December. Oxygen showed the movie Elf this week, after 25 December. This trend has been taking place for a few yeas now, so one can only hope that it continues to grow.

Indeed, I am hoping it will continue until even WalMart, the veritable Grinch of late when it comes to the holidays, realises the error of their ways. It is bad enough that WalMart seems to believe that 1 November is a good time to put up Christmas decorations. It is even worse that they think 26 December is the day to take them down. Christmas is a winter holiday, not an autumn one, and it should be observed as such!

The "Thin Man"/"It's a Wonderful Life" Connection

2011-12-29T22:06:00.001-06:00

(Warning: This post deals with some very important plot points in the "Thin Man" films. If you have not seen all of the "Thin Man" movies, then, you would be advised to skip this post. Here There Be Spoilers!!!)

Last Thursday Turner Classic Movies showed a "Thin Man" marathon. That is, they showed all six "Thin Man" movies back to back. Of course, it is also the holiday season, which means NBC showed the classic It's a Wonderful Life multiple times. In watching both "The Thin Man" marathon and It's a Wonderful Life I learned something I should have realised long ago given how many times I've watched the films. Quite simply, "The Thin Man" movies and It's a Wonderful Life are connected more than one would think. Several actors who would go onto appear in It's a Wonderful Life appeared in "Thin Man" movies. It was not a small number of actors who did so, nor was it always actors who played only in It's A Wonderful Life who appeared in "Thin Man" movies. Indeed, both leads appeared in "Thin Man" movies before they ever appeared tin It's a Wonderful Life.

Of course, the most obvious connection between "The Thin Man" series and It's a Wonderful Life is not through actors but through writers. Husband and wife writing team Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich wrote the first three "Thin Man" movies--The Thin Man, After The Thin Man, and Another Thin Man. They also wrote the screen play to It's a Wonderful Life with Frank Capra. If It's a Wonderful Life has so many great lines, then, it is because it was written by writers who had written more than their fair share of witty lines.

Beyond sharing the writing team of Hackett and Goodrich, the first movie in the sires, The Thin Man, also shared an actor with It's a Wonderful Life. Charles Williams may be best known to many as Cousin Eustace from It's a Wonderful Life, George's cousin and clerk at the Bailey Building and Loan. In The Thin Man he had an uncredited role as a fighter manager.

While Charles Williams had only a bit part in The Thin Man and only a supporting role in It's a Wonderful Life, After the Thin Man would feature none other than George Bailey himself, Jimmy Stewart, in a major role that was as different from George as one could get. Jimmy Stewart plays David Graham, who has long carried a torch for Nora Charles' cousin Selma (Elissa Landi). In the end we learn David is not only some poor guy suffering from a case of unrequited love, but he is stark raving mad. Indeed, Jimmy Stewart, who played self sacrificing George Bailey, is guilty of murder in After the Thin Man! Mr. Stewart would not be the only actor from It's a Wonderful Life to appear in After the thin Man. Ward Bond, who played Bert the Cop, appeared in a very small role as a party guest!

Like After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man would also feature two actors would go onto appear in It's a Wonderful Life. Sheldon Leonard played nick the Bartender in It's a Wonderful Life. In Another Thin Man he plays a much more sinister character, Phil Church, who has been threatening Colonel McFay (C. Aubrey Smith). Phil Church has very little in common with Nick, as he is even more menacing than Nick was in the reality in which George Bailey was never born! In addition to Sheldon Leonard, one of the police detectives in Another Thin Man is also played by an actor with a minor role in It's a Wonderful Life. Dick Elliot played the man on the porch who urged George Bailey to kiss Mary Bailey "...instead of talking her to death" and then complains, "Youth is wasted on the wrong people!"

Like After the Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man featured one of the leads of It's a Wonderful Life. Donna Reed played Molly Ford, girlfriend of the murder victim, Paul Clarke (Barry Nelson). Miss Reed would be the only actor in Shadow of the Thin Man who would go onto appear in It's a Wonderful Life, but the next "Thin Man" movie would make up for this. No less than three actors who would appear in It's A Wonderful Life appeared in The Thin Man Goes Home, although none of them would be in major roles. Sara Edwards, who played Mary's mother (Mrs. Hatch) in It's a Wonderful Life, played a passenger on a train. Tom Fadden, who played the bridge caretaker in It's a Wonderful Life, played another train passenger. Charles Halton, who played Carter the Bank Examiner in It's A Wonderful Life, had a slightly larger role as R. T. Tatuam, one of the employees of banking tycoon Sam Ronson (Minor Watson).

Song of the Thin Man would be the last "Thin Man" film, but like After the Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, and Another Thin Man, it would have a very strong link to It's a Wonderful Life. Gloria Grahame, Violet Bick herself, played Fran Page, a very sultry jazz singer. Al Bridge, who appeared as the sheriff in It's a Wonderful Life, appeared as Nagle the Watrefront Policeman. Charles Sullivan, who played a bartender at Nick's in the reality in which George Bailey was not born, played a police sergeant.

As can be seen, it's not a simple case of character actors appearing in minor roles in both the "Thin Man" series and It's a Wonderful Life. The two leads of It's a Wonderful Life each appeared in a "Thin Man" movie (Jimmy Stewart in After the Thin Man and Donna Reed in Shadow of the Thin Man). Two important members of It's a Wonderful Life also appeared in "Thin Man" movies--Sheldon Leonard in Another Thin Man and Gloria Grahame in Song of the Thin Man. One major member of the cast of It's a Wonderful Life appeared in a minor role in a "Thin Man" movie--Ward Bond in a bit part in After the Thin Man. And then there are the bit players who appeared in small roles in both the "Thin Man" series and It's a Wonderful Life: Dick Elliot, Sam Edwards, Charles Halton, and so on. Even discounting the act that Hackett and Goodrich wrote the first two movies, there is never anything less than one degree of separation between any given "Thin Man" movie and It's a Wonderful Life.

Today it must seem unusual for so many actors who would go onto appear in It's a Wonderful Life to have appeared in "Thin Man" films. It would be something like several members of the cast of, say, Serendipity (2001) having appeared in "James Bond" movies (admittedly it's hard seeing John Cusack saying "I expect you to die, Mr. Bond...."). What is even more remarkable it that the "Thin Man" movies and It's a Wonderful Life were produced by two different studios--the "Thin Man" movies by MGM and It's a Wonderful Life by Capra's own Liberty Films. It becomes even more remarkable when one considers that Frank Capra had not ever worked for MGM by the time It's a Wonderful Life was produced. Why then are there so many connections between the "Thin Man" films and It's a Wonderful Life?

Much of it is the fact that the "Thin Man" movies were the "James Bond" movies of their day. While most series films were cheaply produced programmers, the "Thin Man" movies were very much "A" pictures. This meant that not only were the leads played by big name stars (William Powell and Myrna Loy), but that MGM would use the best of their young talent. Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Gloria Grahame were probably all cast because they were seen as up and coming stars by the studio. Frank Capra, as a director of some importance, would naturally cast big names as his leads in It's a Wonderful Life. Indeed, he had worked with Jimmy Stewart on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. As to character actors such as Sheldon Leonard and Dick Elliot, it should come as no surprise that they would appear in both the "Thin Man" movies and It's a Wonderful Life. First, we must consider the fact that character actors generally played a specific type. Sheldon Leonard was known for playing thugs and gangsters, so he was a natural choice for Phil Church. Now he might seem like an odd choice to play Nick the Bartender, except when one considers Nick's behaviour in the reality in which George was not born--he was not a nice guy. Second, character actors tended to work frequently and in a wide array of movies, everything from programmers to major feature films. While the leads of It's a Wonderful Life appear in two "Thin Man" movies, many of the actors who played lesser parts probably appeared in other series as well. In other words, It's a Wonderful Life probably has connections to everything from "The Falcon" series to the "Blondie" series (actually, it has at least one connection to the "Blondie" series--Penny Singleton appears in a major role in After the Thin Man).

Regardless, when one becomes aware of the connections between It's a Wonderful Life and the "Thin Man" movies it makes for some rather interesting viewing. Indeed, my favourite could well be After the Thin Man. Not only do we get to see George Bailey as a psychotic killer, but we get to see Bert The Cop as a party guest. One has to wonder what the folks in Bedford Falls would think....

Holiday Movies That Aren't Holiday Movies

2011-12-27T19:44:00.000-06:00

Most people if asked to define what constitutes a holiday movie would probably define it as "any movie set at Christmas or any movie in which Christmas plays a pivotal role in the plot." On the surface this sounds like a very good definition. Indeed, I would be inclined to agree with it myself. The problem is that there are movies that fit this description that are not generally considered Christmas movies and ones that do not that are.

A perfect example of a holiday film that is not often counted among holiday films is Billy Wilder's classic The Apartment (1960). The movie takes place from about early November to New Year's Eve, thus encompassing the whole holiday season. What is more, both Christmas and New Year's Eve play pivotal roles in its plot; however, for what reason it is not often included in lists of holiday movies. Indeed, I have seen the movie shown in July nearly as often as in December. While I am not about to complain about The Apartment being shown all times of year (it is one of my favourite films), it seems to me that it should be counted as a holiday favourite in the same way that It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 24th Street (1947) are.

Another movie that has in the past been excluded from lists of holiday movies is Love Actually (2003). Like The Apartment its plot encompasses nearly the whole holiday. And like The Apartment Christmas plays a pivotal role in its plot. Despite this, the first time I ever saw the film was on the USA Network in July. That wasn't an isolate incident either, as I have seen it at other times of year. Here I want to stress I am not going to complain, as I love the film, but it seems to me it is an ideal movie for the holiday season. Fortunately, unlike The Apartment, I think Love Actually is becoming regarded as a holiday classic, even if TV stations and cable channels neglect to show it over the holidays. Quite simply, I know a good many people who watch it every Yuletide (myself included)!

Another film not often regarded as a holiday movie is Die Hard (1988). Die Hard is set during the holiday season and given that a Christmas party is taking place the holiday does play a role in its plot. In fact, it is hard picturing it set during any other time of year. While I know of many who regard The Apartment and Love Actually as holiday movies, I know very, very few people who regard Die Hard as such. I suspect it is because it is an action movie. The emphasis in Die Hard is not so much on holiday cheer as it is on action. Still, the fact remains that the movie does take place at Christmas and the holiday plays a role in its plot. For that matter, it does have subplots which fit the holiday (McClane's reconciliation with his wife, Powell's redemption).

While there are movies that are set at the holidays and in which the holidays are central to the plots that are not considered holiday movies, strangely enough there are movies that actually have little to do with Christmas beyond relatively few scenes that are considered such. Among these are Meet Me In St. Louis (1944). Indeed, Meet Me in St. Louis takes place from the summer of 1903 to the spring of 1904. The movie then touches upon several seasons besides Christmas. Admittedly, the climax is set at Christmas, but the holiday itself only has little bearing on the plot. For all extents and purposes the Christmas ball of the climax could have been set at spring or summer with very little change to the plot. In fact, it can be argued that Halloween played a more pivotal role in the movie! Now the holiday standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was introduced in the film, that really does not seem to me to be enough to qualify it as a holiday movie. As much as I have always enjoyed Meet Me in St. Louis, I fail to see why it is shown so much in December. It could easily be shown in October or March as well.

Similar to Meet Me in St. Louis is a movie considered one of the Christmas movies, Holiday Inn. The plot of Holiday Inn unfolds over roughly two years and covers much more than just the Yuletide. Indeed, while Christmas does play a pivotal role in its plot, so do many other holidays (including Valentine's Day and the 4th of July). It would be hard to argue against the film being shown at Christmas, but at the same time it seems to me that it could be played at nearly any holiday. Indeed, I rather doubt it was the intention of Paramount to crate a Christmas film with Holiday Inn. Despite its close connection to the holiday now, it was originally released in August! Regardless, one could argue that Holiday Inn is a film for all holidays, not just the holidays.

At least Meet Me in St. Louis and Holiday Inn do touch upon Christmas. There is one film that at least the media connects to Christmas, if no one else does, that has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday. Every year ABC shows The Sound of Music (1965) on or around Christmas Eve and several channels have done so before it. Despite this, The Sound of Music has no scenes set at Christmas, Christmas does not play a pivotal role in the film, nor do I think Christmas is even mentioned in the movie! The airing of The Sound of Music at the holidays actually does irritate me, not simply because I dislike the movie, but because it seems to me that they should be showing something that has more bearing on the holiday. While Meet Me in St. Louis and Holiday Inn only touch upon Christmas, I can appreciate why they are shown at this time of year. I cannot understand why The Sound of Music is shown. If one is going to show The Sound of Music on Christmas Eve, then why not The Ten Commandments or Mary Poppins or Gunga Din?! Heck, Alien has much to do with the holidays as The Sound of Music.

In the end I suppose what is a holiday movie for any given person is largely a matter of perception. Indeed, despite my words regarding Holiday Inn above, I do see it as a Christmas movie, thus violating my own definition of the term. If some do not consider The Apartment as a holiday film, then I assume it is because they do not perceive it as such. Of course, I am still puzzled to ABC and other television outlets considering The Sound of Music holiday fare, but then I also have trouble seeing "My Favourite Things" as a Christmas song too.... I suppose some things just defy explanation.

Cyd Charisse For Christmas

2011-12-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling a bit down tonight, so in lieu of a full fledged blog post I'll leave you with something much better--holiday themed pin ups featuring the leggy Cyd Charisse.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by She & Him

2011-12-22T12:40:00.000-06:00

One of my favourite versions of the classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is one of the latest. She & Him reverses the roles, with Zooey Deschanel taking the role of the wolf and M. Ward taking the role of the mouse. That having been said, I don't think Zooey would have to beg me to stay inside with her and away from the cold!

My Favourite Modern Christmas Carols

2011-12-21T21:39:00.055-06:00

Monday I posted a video of "Merry Christmas Will Do" by Material Issue. It happens to be one of my favourite modern Christmas carols (modern defined here as anything after 1960). I then thought I should go ahead and share my top five favourite modern Christmas carols ("Merry Christmas Will Do" would be number six) in reverse order (from #5 to #1).

At number five is, of all things, a cover of a Mariah Carey song. If you're like me, then you did not particularly care for Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" nor any of its various covers over the years. Fortunately, it was several years ago I discovered it was actually a good song just waiting to be discovered, and it was one of my favourite bands who discovered it. Here then is My Chemical Romance's cover of "All I Want for Christmas is You."

At number four is "Don't Shoot Me, Santa" by The Killers. BTW, the video was directed by Matthew Gray Gubler, who plays Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds

At number three is another cover song, although in this instance it is not a cover a Yuletide song. "Christmas is All Around" originated as a parody of The Troggs' "Love is All Around" in the movie Love Actually. In the context of the film "Christmas is All Around" is a holiday single released by washed up rock star Billy Mack, played by Bill Nighy. Although in the movie Billy consistently derides the song, I not only think it is very good, but possibly the best cover of "Love is All Around" ever performed.

At number two is "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon. The song was released in the United States in December 1971, not long before Christmas. As a result it failed to make an impact on the Billboard charts. Due to a publishing dispute its release in the United Kingdom was delayed, so that it was released in December 1972. There it did somewhat better, peaking at #4 on the UK singles chart. While it is one of my favourite holiday songs, I must confess I sometimes find myself crying when I hear it. John Lennon having been murdered in December, the song was receiving airplay at the time.

My favourite modern, holiday song of all time is "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love. It was the only original song included on the 1963 Christmas compilation album A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records. Originally Ronnie Spector was meant to sing it, but her vocals seemed a bit lacking, so Darlene Love sung the song instead. Although it is now considered a classic (in December 2010 Rolling Stone named it number one in its list of the Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs), "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" flopped on its initial release. It has since been covered several times by other artists and Darlene Love performs it each year on The Late Show with David Letterman

Goodwill Towards Men?

2011-12-20T15:34:00.000-06:00

Those of you living in the United States may have been Best Buy's "Game On" adverts, in which people try to top Santa Claus when it comes to giving gifts. To many these commercials may seem like mildly amusing spots of no importance. As for myself, I find them somewhat disturbing. To me they portray gift giving as a competition, in which the importance in giving gifts is not their significance to the individual but instead the amount of money spent on gifts and the sheer number of gifts given. Indeed, to me they point to something that has disturbed me for some time. I think that the meaning of the holidays may well be getting lost in the crass commercialism and consumerism that now accompanies the season.

Of course, complaints about the commercialisation of Christmas are nothing new. Complaints about commercialism with regards to the Yuletide have existed as far back as the classic movie Miracle on 34th Street in 1947. It seems to me that as the years have gone by such commercialism has grown even worse, to the point that not only is too much emphasis placed on the buying of expensive gifts, but people are becoming downright rude and even aggressive during the one time of year when they should be treating everyone else well. One need look no further than an incident this past Black Friday, in which a woman in Southern California pepper sprayed fellow shoppers at a WalMart simply because she wanted an Xbox gaming console. If this was simply an isolated incident one could simply dismiss it, but the plain truth is that acts of violence throughout the United States while shopping occur with alarming frequency on Black Friday and other times during the Christmas shopping season. Quite simply, it seems to me that people are putting more emphasis on buying expensive gifts than on the goodwill towards one's fellow man that is central to the season.

The phrase "goodwill to men (often accompanied by the phrase "peace on Earth") " has long been associated with Christmas. The line "peace on Earth, goodwill to men" occurs in various Christmas carols, most notably Longellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The phrase has its origins in Luke 2:14 from the Christian Bible, which reads "Glory to God, and on Earth peace, and goodwill towards men." That having been said, the idea of "goodwill towards men" during a holiday season in December probably pre-date the advent of Christianity. Modern Christmas in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand owes a good deal to the pre-Christian, Germanic holiday called in Old English Géol and in Old Norse Jól--modern English Yule. Not only was Yule a time of gift giving and merriment, it was also a time of peace and goodwill. Violence appears to have been forbidden during the holiday. In Svarfdæla saga a man postponed a duel until three days after the Yuletide. Grettis Saga referred to Yule as "..greatest mirth and joyance among men." Even if one is not Christian (as I am not), to celebrate the holidays without expressing goodwill towards one's fellow man is then ignoring one of the most ancient, most central, and perhaps most important aspect of the season.

Of course, I suppose some might point out that we should always treat one's fellow man with goodwill, regardless of the time of year. I certainly cannot argue against that. That having been said, I see no harm in having a time of year when goodwill towards men is emphasised, so as to serve as a reminder of how we should behave all times during the year. Whether the pagan Yule of centuries ago or the Christmas of more recent centuries, I think that was one of the purposes the holiday served. Sadly, I think it is this goodwill that has been lost in the crass commercialism and consumerism that developed during the late 19th Century and throughout the 20th Century. Quite simply, the emphasis is being placed entirely upon the wrong things during the holidays.

Here I must point out that I do not believe that gift giving is one of those wrong things being emphasised during the holiday season these days. Gift giving was a part of the pagan holiday of Yule and has been a part of Christmas for centuries. The problem is not an emphasis being placed on the giving of gifts, but on how much those gifts cost and how many gifts are given. Indeed, as a child it seems to me that gift giving was actually more common. One did not simply give gifts to those in one's nuclear family, but one's extended family as well. That having been said, the gifts given were not expensive Xboxes and IPhonees, but gifts of a much simpler nature. My aunts would bake cookies and candy to give as gifts during the holiday. My godmother always gave our family a fruitcake. As a child I received hand sewn Christmas stockings. As a child I appreciated all of these gifts. Even though they were not expensive, they showed that the individuals giving them had placed time and effort in creating them. Indeed, as an adult some of my most prized gifts have not been very expensive--DVDs of my favourite movies from the $5 bin at WalMart, a calendar of pinup art, and so on.

The problem is then not the gift giving at the holidays, but the idea that one should buy expensive gifts and buy many gifts with which Madison Avenue has brainwashed the average American for nearly the past 100 years. The purpose of giving gifts at the Yuletide is to show one's appreciation for others, not to show how much money one can spend or to buy a more expensive gift than others. Gift giving should be an extension of showing goodwill towards one's fellow men, not a competition to see whose gifts cost the most.

Sadly, I do not know if there is any way of returning to a time when goodwill played a significant role in the holidays without a total sea change in the way Madison Avenue and corporate America approaches the season. As long as companies insist on emphasising the cost of gifts and how much one buys, there will more incidents such as pepper spraying fellow shoppers just for an XBox and very little goodwill to be seen in sight. This is sad to me as not only in emphasising crass consumerism has Madison Avenue and corporate America reduced goodwill during the Yuletide, but in reducing the goodwill that should be inherent in the season they have also taken away much of its joy and fun as well.

Merry Christmas Will Do by Material Issue

2011-12-19T23:59:00.002-06:00

One of my favourite rock 'n' roll Yuletide songs and one of the very few that is actually power pop--"Merry Christmas Will Do" by Material Issue

Good Modern Holiday Movies

2011-12-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

For many of us movie buffs it must sometimes seem that truly good holiday movies are a thing of the past. Indeed, the Yuletide films of the past thirty years often seem like a miserable lot. They range from romantic comedies that are mediocre at best to inane comedy fantasies to inept attempts to revive the themes of holiday classics of old. To those of us who do not want to watch Elf (2003) for the 200th time that it has been shown on the USA Network, it must seem that truly good Christmas movies are a thing of the past.

Fortunately, there have been a few, if very few, truly good movies that have touched upon the holidays since When Harry Met Sally was released in 1989. Here is my short list of truly good holiday movies by the year in which they were released.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): I honestly believe that there has never been a bad Muppet movie made. This is particularly true of The Muppet Christmas Carol. While many comedic re-tellings of Charles Dickens' classic have relied upon low humour and cheap laughs, like The Muppets' other movies The Muppet Christmas Carol is a class act all the way. Indeed, the movie actually follows Mr. Dickens' novella very closely, adding only a bit of comedy and a bit of song. Aside from The Muppets themselves, The Muppet Christmas Carol features an inspired bit of casting--Michael Caine as Ebeneezer Scrooge. As might be expected, Mr. Caine delivers a great performance. The Muppet Christmas Carol also has a great soundtrack, with songs written by Paul Williams. In the end, it could well be the only truly good adaptation of A Christmas Carol made in the past twenty years.

While You Were Sleeping (1995): Anyone who has read this blog know that I am not a huge fan of modern day romantic comedies. If good holiday movies are a rarity these days, good romantic comedies are even rarer. Most modern romantic comedies seem to me to be trite, shallow, and, well, not very funny. Fortunately, While You Were Sleeping is one oft he exceptions. Not only is While You Were Sleeping a good romantic comedy, but a good holiday movie as well. The film centres on Lucy Moderatiz (played by Sandra Bullock), a token taker for the Chicago Transit Authority, who saves a man's life on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, the man is in a coma and Lucy is mistaken for his fiancee. As might be expected, complications upon complications develop from there.

What sets While You Were Sleeping apart from other modern romantic comedies is that it has a very good script and an excellent cast featuring not only Miss Bullock, but Bill Pullman, Peter Boyle, Glynis Johns, and Jack Warden. In fact, the movie reminds me of the classic romantic, screwball comedies of old, so that would actually make a good companion piece to the classic romantic, screwball, holiday comedy Christmas in Connecticut (1945). Indeed, while many modern romantic comedies seem to be written exclusively for women, like the romantic comedies of old While You Were Sleeping can be enjoyed by both sexes with equal enthusiasm.

Serendipity (2001): Fortunately, While You Were Sleeping is not the only good romantic comedy released in the past twenty years. It is not even the only good romantic, holiday film. There is also Serendipity. Indeed, Serendipity could be one of the romantic movies insofar as it deals with the existence of true love itself. The movie centres on Jonathan Trager (John Cusack), who meets Englishwoman Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) during the Christmas shopping season. The two spend a pleasant evening together, but at the end Sara decides that they should let fate decide if they should be together. She writes her name in a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera, while Jonathan writes his on a $5 bill. Seven years later Jonathan and Sara are in relationships with other people, which is naturally when that copy of Love in the Time of Cholera finds its way back to Jonathan.

Serendipity benefits from an excellent cast. Aside from the two leads (John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale), the cast features Jeremy Piven, Molly Shannon, and Eugene Levy. The film is also very well written, with fully developed characters rather than the cardboard cut outs that populate most modern romantic comedies. What is more, Serendipity is one of those few modern romantic comedies which both men and women can enjoy. Indeed, it is the only romantic comedy made in the past twenty years I can remember that is mostly told from the male point of view!

Love Actually (2003): Although it is often called a romantic comedy, Love Actually is in reality a comedy set during the Yuletide that follows ten different storylines exploring the various forms of love, from romantic love to familial love to friendship. As a result there is no single character who can truly be said to be a main character, so that Love Actually is very much a film with an ensemble cast. For decades it seemed to me that only Robert Altman could execute such a film and do it well, but Robert Curtis proved he could do such a film very well too. Indeed, he not only directed the film, but he wrote it as well.

Love Actually is such a well done film that it is actually hard to pick just one element that makes the film so great. It truly is more than the sum of its part. Mr. Curtis's screenplay is both intelligent and funny, with just enough sentiment to make the film touching without being schmaltzy. The film also has an incredible cast, including Bill Nighy as washed up rock star Billy Mack, Hugh Grant as a lovestruck prime minister of the United Kingdom, Liam Neeson as a stepfather coping with his wife's death and advising his stepson on how to handle a crush, and many others. The film also features some incredible photography from Michael Coulter. I don't believe London has ever looked so beautiful on film before or since. Of course, that brings me to another point. The film is almost entirely a British production, featuring a mostly British cast. This makes Love Actually a must watch film for any Anglophile. Here I must put in a word of warning that Love Actually is not exactly family viewing. There is material in the film that would be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Regardless, Love Actually is a very well done film that not only evokes the holiday spirit very well, but captures the essence of London and explores the various types of love in great fashion as well. Of the films I have mentioned here, it may well be the one destined to become a classic.

The Polar Express (2004): There can be no doubt that The Polar Express is an incredible technical achievement. Indeed, it was the first film ever almost entirely shot using performance capture technology. The end result is that for its time The Polar Express had the most realistic looking characters of any computer animated film. Indeed, it may have been the realistic look of the movie's characters that alienated many critics at the time (as an example, Paul Clinton of CNN referred to the characters as "creepy"). Nearly a decade later, when such realism in computer animated films is much common, the film is much better appreciated and has developed a cult following.

Indeed, even at the time those critics who were a bit creeped out by the film's characters admitted that it had amazing visuals. Even today when computer animation is much more advanced, The Polar Express is still impressive visually. If The Polar Express was simply a visually stunning, but empty technical achievement, however, it would not have achieved cult status in the seven years since its release. Instead The Polar Express is a paen to Christmas of the past, at a time when crass consumerism had not yet taken over the holiday and goodwill to one's fellow man was still very much a part of the holiday. Although the time period is never made clear in the film, it would appear to be set sometime in the Fifties or Sixties. Herpolsheimer's department store is still the primary centre of holiday shopping in Grand Rapids, Michigan (the hometown of the protagonist), while the technology, fashion, and even the music (except for an anachronistic appearance by Steve Tyler--apparently Santa's elves had Aerosmith before the rest of us) point to an earlier era.

That is not to say that The Polar Express is simply another mindless exercise in glorifying Christmases of the past. It is a movie of some depth, even going so far to explore some of the darker aspects of the holiday, including the greed that often accompanies the receiving of gifts and the inequity of good, but poor children not always having the happiest of holidays. The film also has the benefit of truly great vocal performances by its cast, including Tom Hanks (in multiple roles as the Conductor, the film's protagonist, and Mr. C. himself) and Michael Jeter (in his last performance). In the end The Polar Express is a well done film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.

The Late Great Joe Simon

2011-12-15T23:04:00.003-06:00

Legendary comic book writer and artist Joe Simon died yesterday, 14, December 2011, at the age of 98. With partner Jack Kirby, Mr. Simon created Captain America, The Boy Commandos, The Newsboy Legion, and The Fly. Messrs. Simon and Kirby virtually created the romance comic book genre with the title Young Romance in 1947. On his own Joe Simon created Blue Bolt, Brother Power, and Prez.

Joe Simon was born Hymie Simon in Rochester, New York on 11 October 1913. His mother disliked the name "Hymie" so much that she insisted on calling him "Joseph" until it was finally accepted as his name. Mr. Simon took to art while very young. He drew cartoons and comic strips for the newspaper at Benjamin Franklin High, which he attended. After he graduated from high school Mr. Simon took a job as assistant art director at The Rochester Journal-American. After two years he took job as an artist at The Syracuse Herald. At age 23 Joe Simon moved to New York City. His first job there was with Paramount Pictures, where he retouched publicity photos of movie stars. Mr. Simon also did freelance work for the various magazines published by McFadden Publications. It was the art director at McFadden Publications, Harlan Crandall, who recommend to Joe Simon that he could find plenty of work in the young industry of comic books. It was then that Joe Simon took a job with comic books packager Funnies Inc.

Among Mr. Simon's first comic books would be stories for a publisher who would have a significant impact on his life--Martin Goodman, the head of what would later become known as Marvel Comics. Joe Simon wrote stories for Daring Mystery Comics #1, January 1940. In doing so he created the characters The Firey Mask and Trojak the Tiger Man. While working for Funnies Inc. Mr. Simon's best known character may have been Blue Bolt, created for comic book publisher Novelty Press. Eventually Joe Simon would go to work for Fox Publications as an editor in chief, working on such titles as The Blue Beetle. It was at Fox Publications that Mr. Simon would meet artist Jack Kirby, the man who would become his business partner for many years and his friend for decades.

The team of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon would leave Fox Publications to go to work for Martin Goodman at what would later become known as Marvel Comics. There Mr. Simon would become an editor; however, their biggest impact at the company, perhaps their biggest impact in the history of comic books, would be the creation of Captain America. It was in 1940 that Joe Simon made a sketch of a character he initially called "Super American." Mr. Simon decided the name would not work and soon renamed the character "Captain America." He gave Captain America a boy sidekick, named "Bucky" after his friend Bucky Pierson. Martin Goodman not only gave his approval for the character, but also dictated that he should debut in his own title (something unprecedented at the time). Captain America Comics soon became the company's best selling title (even selling more than such magazines as Time) and Captain America became the company's most popular character.

Unfortunately the success of Captain America would not guarantee that Simon and Kirby would remain with Martin Goodman. The pair believed that Mr. Goodman was not paying them the percentage of the profits from the character that he had promised. As a result the two of them moved to National Comics Inc. (one of the companies that would become DC Comics) in 1941. It was at National Comics Inc. that Simon and Kirby would revamp the characters of Sandman and Manhunter. It was also at National Comics that they would create The Boy Commandos and The Newsboy Legion. The team would also freelance for other companies as well, working on the first issue of Fawcett Publications' Captain Marvel Adventures.

During World War II Joe Simon enlisted in the Coast Guard while his partner Jack Kriby was drafted into the United States Army. With cartoonist Milt Gross, Mr. Simon would be assigned to create a comic book that would help drive up enlistment in the Coast Guard, Adventure is My Career. Following World War II Joe Simon and Jack Kirby resumed their partnership. The two would help Crestwood Publications develop a new comic book imprint, Prize Comics, under which they published a Western title, Boy's Ranch, and an early horror title, Black Magic. It was also under the Prize Comics imprint that the team created what is believed to be the first romance comic book, Young Romance. The team also created The Fighting American for Crestwood in 1954.

It would be a salesman at Crestwood who would encourage Simon and Kirby to found their own comic book company. Mainline Publications would founded in either 1953 or 1954. It would ultimately publish four titles: Bullseye (a Western title), Western Scout, Foxhole (a war title), and In Love (a romance title). Unfortunately, Mainline Publications would not prove successful and ended at the end of 1955. Worse yet, Crestwood Publications failed to pay Simon and Kirby for their work for the company. After the team's attorneys reviewed the company's finances, they determined Crestwood owed them $130,000 for work done over the past seven years. Crestwood paid them $10,000. At the same time the comic book industry was starting to fail in the wake of the moral panic over comic books in the early Fifties, which led to a slump in sales in the mid-Fifties. Simon and Kirby then dissolved their partnership, although the two remained friends.

While Jack Kirby remained in the comic book industry, Joe Simon went to work in commercial and advertising art. The two would reunite in 1959 when they collaborated on The Double Life of Private Strong and created The Fly at Archie Comics. In 1960 Mr. Simon founded the satirical magazine Sick, providing the magazine with material for over a decade. In the Sixties he also worked as an artist for the advertising agency of Burstein and Newman. In 1964 he became the art director for Burstein, Phillips, and Newman. In 1966 Simon and Kirby reunited to work for Harvey Comics. There they revived The Fighting American for a single issue. Mr. Simon also worked on Harvey's titles Unearthly Spectaculars and Double-Dare Adventures.

In 1968 Joe Simon would return to National Periodical Publications (now DC Comics Inc.). There he created Brother Power the Geek. In 1973 he teamed with artist Jerry Grandenetti to create Prez, a series about a teenage United States president. In 1974 Simon and Kirby reunited for one last time, working on a new Sandman title for National Periodical Publications. With Jerry Grandenetti, Mr. Simon would do two one-shots in the company's try-out title, 1st Issue Special: The Green Team: Boy Billionaires and Outsiders.

In 2003 Joe Simon reached an agreement with Marvel Comics whereby he would receive royalties for the merchandising and licensing of Captain America and he and the late Jack Kirby would always be credited as the character's creator.

If Joe Simon had only created Captain America and done nothing else, he would still have had an enormous impact on comic books. As it is, both in combination with Jack Kirby and on his own, Joe Simon would have an enormous impact on comic books in the Golden Age and later. In fact, it is quite possible that the only man to have more impact on comic books than Messrs. Simon and Kirby was the legendary Will Eisner. Not only did Simon and Kirby create Captain America, they also created the two most popular boy gang features (The Boy Commandos and The Newsboy Legion), created the first romance title (Young Romance), created an early horror title (Black Magic), and much more. Of course, the reason Joe Simon would have such an impact on comic books was simple. Both with and without Jack Kirby, Joe Simon's work was always excellent. In the Golden Age and later Mr. Simon created stories and art that was far ahead of many of his peers. Joe Simon was utterly unique in the field of comic books and I doubt the industry will ever see another writer and artist like him ever again.

Bert Schneider Passes On

2011-12-14T18:39:00.000-06:00

Bert Schneider, who was executive producer on The Monkees with Bob Rafelson and produced such films as Easy Rider (1969) and The Last Picture Show (1971), passed Monday, 12 December 2011 at the age of 78 from natural causes.

Bert Schneider was born on 5 May 1933 in New York City. He was the son of Columbia Pictures executive Abe Schneider. He attended Cornell University, but dropped out. He later went to work for his father, who was then the head of Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures. In 1965 Mr. Schneider left Screen Gems and founded Raybert Productions with Bob Rafelson. Raybert Productions' first project was the television series The Monkees. The Monkees drew heavily upon The Beatles' movies A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), as well as the Marx Brothers' films, the French New Wave, and other diverse sources. Although The Monkees would not do well in the ratings, the show would prove to be a lasting success. It would be rerun on both CBS and ABC on Saturday mornings before entering a very successful run in syndication. It would eventually be rerun on MTV in the Eighties, creating a whole new Monkees craze, and would later be released on DVD.

The success of The Monkees would lead Bert Schneider and Bert Rafelson into the motion picture industry. Their first film, Head (1968) starring The Monkees (directed by Mr. Rafelson), would bomb at the box office, but would later become a cult film with its fair share of critical acclaim. Their next film would be both a box office and a critical success. Easy Rider (1969) was not only a box office success, but proved to be one of the most influential movies of the past forty years.

Over the next several years Bert Schneider would produce several critically acclaimed movies over the years, including Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Last Picture Show (1971), the documentary Hearts and Minds (1974), Days of Heaven (1978), and Broken English (1981). With Bob Rafelson, Mr. Schneider would win the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for The Monkees in 1967 and, with Peter Davis, he would win teh Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for Hearts and Minds.

Bert Schneider was one of the mavericks who shook up Hollywood in the late Sixties. Along with such figures as Peter Bogdanovich, Paul Schrader, Philip Kaufman, and others, Mr. Schneider was a leader in "New Hollywood," a movement in the late Sixties and the early Seventies in writers and directors controlled the creative content of their movies. As a result, films produced by "New Hollywood" often dealt with subjects never covered by the old Hollywood studios and even dealt with the counter-culture. In the end the American movie industry would be changed forever. Indeed, while the pioneers of the "New Hollywood" movement generally worked within the studios, the movement would lead to the development of the independent film industry as we know today.

Not only was Bert Schneider a leader in New Hollywood, but he produced some very influential films. Easy Rider, The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces, and even Head would have a lasting impact that is felt today. Indeed, the influence of all four films can still be seen in independent films to this day. All four films told unconventional stories on relatively small budgets, thus paving the way not only for New Hollywood but the independent films of the Eighties, Nineties, and Naughts.

Of course, here it must be pointed that, along side Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider was a revolutionary even when he was an executive producer on The Monkees. Too often The Monkees has been dismissed as a mere imitation of A Hard Day's Night. Not only did The Monkees actually owe more to Help! than A Hard Day's Night, but it would go far beyond either film in terms of surrealism and stylistic touches. The Monkees incorporated touches from the French Nouvelle Vague and often utilised such techniques as slow motion, fast motion, solarisation, distorted focus, and so on. Not only was The Monkees utterly unique at the time it first aired, but there has never been another show quite like it since its debut. The show would have a lasting impact, particularly in the development of rock video.

Speaking for myself, I have to say I cannot measure the impact Bert Schneider probably had on my life. He produced three of my favourite movies of all time: Head, Easy Rider, and Five Easy Pieces. What is more, he produced my favourite sitcom of all time, The Monkees. Ironically, it is probably The Monkees that had the most impact on me. Not only would the show influence my tastes in sitcoms for the rest of my life, but it had a huge impact on my tastes in music as well. If I am a power pop fan today, it is not only due to The Beatles and The Who, but due to The Monkees as well. I then owe both Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson a good deal for what I am today.

Gift Ideas For the Vintage Male

2011-12-12T18:21:00.001-06:00

The holidays are a time of gift giving and it is often the case that people are puzzled as to what to buy the men in their lives. Fortunately, this is much easier if one has a vintage male in his or her life. While the average male can present even other men with problems when it comes to buying gifts, the vintage male is much easier to buy for.

Of course, here I suppose I should define what a vintage male is. A vintage male is a man who is not only fascinated by earlier eras, but whose tastes often run to those eras too. While most vintage males have a broad interest in the past, they will usually gravitate towards one era or another. Using myself as an example, while I love the Twenties, Thirties, and Forties, it is the Sixties that has always fascinated me. Most of my favourite bands come from that era, including The Beatles (my favourite band of all time), The Who, The Kinks, The Monkees, and so on. Many of my favourite movies also come from that era, particularly British kitchen sink dramas and other British films form the early to mid-Sixties. I even love the fashion from the era. Given a choice between dressing like Fred Astaire in the Thirties or Terence Stamp in the Sixties, I would choose to dress like Mr. Stamp. Regardless, the fact that most vintage males are drawn to one era over others makes buying gifts for them relatively easy.

Before I go on to what would be good gift ideas for vintage males, I should point out what not to buy as a gift for a vintage male. I know this is true of myself and it seems to hold true for most of my fellow vintage males, but it is a good idea to follow when buying gifts for them: except for clothing and toiletries do not buy them anything practical. Unless the vintage male in your life simply enjoys working in the shop or fixing things, do not buy them tools. As much as Black and Decker in their adverts might like you to believe that all men would like nothing more than a band saw, chances are unless your vintage male is also Mr. Fix-It, the gift won't be appreciated. My attitude towards such things is twofold. First, I can buy tools myself. Second, to me buying a tool for a man is something like buying a blender for a woman--it's a gift based on gender stereotypes that shows not much thought was put into the gift!

Ruling out anything practical as a gift for the vintage male, then what should one buy him? I think the following are good ideas.

Books: Books are perhaps the easiest gift one can buy the vintage male. Not only do most vintage males I know love to read, but since they are usually interested in certain subjects and certain eras, they are very easy to buy books for. Using myself as an example, I have a small library of books dealing with Swinging London (everything from the Mod subculture to the Kray Twins), as well as a rather large number of biographies on various movie stars. When buying books for a vintage male as a gift, then, one simply buys books on what interests him. If the vintage male in one's life is a huge fan of The Who, then he will probably appreciate books on the band. If the vintage male in one's life always fancied Grace Kelly, then he would probably appreciate a biography on her.

Of course, so far I have discussed non-fiction. Fiction can be a bit trickier when it comes to buying gifts for the vintage male. Most of us have our favourite genres of fiction we read and others that we cannot stand. This can become even more complicated when one takes into account the various authors a vintage male might like or dislike. As an example, I have loved fantasy fiction since I was a lad. I love Michael Moorcock, Stephen R. Donaldson, and, of course, J. R. R. Tolkien. That having been said, I think fantasy author Terry Brooks is a total hack. In other words, just because a vintage male likes novels about vampires does not mean he will appreciate The Twilight Saga as a gift! If one considers buying a vintage male fiction, then, one should not only learn what genres he likes, but what authors as well!

Classic Films or Television Programmes: Speaking for myself, I would rather have a DVD of a film I dearly love from the $5.00 bin at WalMart (or the equivalent at Tesco in the UK) than an expensive piece of jewellery I might never wear. One of my most prized Yuletide gifts I ever received was a set of episodes from The Adventures of Robin Hood my brother gave me several years ago. He only paid about $5.00 to $6.00 for the set, but I prize it more than I would have a much more expensive gift. The reasons are simple. The Adventures of Robin Hood has been one of my favourite shows of all time and it shows that my brother actually put some thought into the gift. Indeed, those episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood actually helped me get through a very bad break up several years ago!

Of course, here I must point out that when buying classic films or TV shows for a vintage male, one must take into account his tastes in film and television. This goes beyond catering to the specific eras in which he in interested, but also take into account the particular genres he likes. For example, let us say one is buying a DVD as a gift for a vintage male who is fascinated by the Forties, but who also likes science fiction and dislikes romance movies. The vintage male in our example might well appreciate a DVD of Forbidden Planet, even though it was released in the Fifties, more than he would a copy of Now Voyager, even though it was released in the Forties (personally I love both movies). Quite simply, one should be familiar with a vintage male's viewing habits before buying him any DVDs!

Classic Music: Just as I would rather have a DVD of a favourite movie than a much more expensive gift, I would also prefer a copy of a favourite album than a much more expensive gift. Most vintage males love music and like me would appreciate a CD of their favourite album. That having been said, in some ways buying music as a gift is in some ways trickier than buying movies. In my experience musical tastes tend to vary more in people than tastes in any other medium. What is more, musical tastes in any given person can be very broad, embracing several different genres of music, to very narrow, embracing only a few or even one genre of music. Using myself as an example, I have very broad tastes in music. While my favourite genre of music would probably be power pop, I also love heavy metal, mid-20th Century pop (think Doris Day and Frank Sinatra), jazz, rhythm and blues, and many others. In fact, the only three genres I actively hate are rap, modern day country, and disco, and there are even a few songs in the latter two genres I like. I would be as happy with Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours as I would My Chemical Romance's Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys. That having been said, not every vintage male has tastes as broad as mine. I have a friend whose tastes run, quite simply, to classic rock. He likes Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and most all rock 'n' roll produced before 1980. His tastes really don't go beyond the classic rock genre, so that buying him a Frank Sinatra album, let alone a Snoop Dog album, would probably be a very bad idea!

As with DVDs, then, one should know something of a vintage male's tastes in music before buying him an album as gift. One of my most prized Yuledite gifts as a lad was my first copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which my sister bought me. I don't think I would have appreciated it quite as if she had bought me a Conway Twitty album...

Alcohol: Most vintage males appreciate the finer things in life, so that unless he is a teetotaller, he will appreciate fine liquor as a gift. Here I must stress the word fine. Even if the vintage male in one's life drinks Budweiser regularly, I doubt he will appreciate a case of it for Christmas or Hanukkah. Again, as with movies and music, one should put some thought into a gift of alcohol. Tastes in liquor tend to vary from person to person, even brother to brother. My favourite liquor is Tennessee bourbon, although I also enjoy wine and mead. My brother doesn't particularly care for bourbon, Tennessee or otherwise, and very much prefers mead or wine. And when it comes to wine, he prefers white wine to red wine. One should obviously find out what sorts of liquor a vintage male likes before buying some for him as a gift.

Here I must point out that when buying liquor as a gift that quality is not always equal to price. Here in Missouri our German wineries produce many fine wines that taste much better than the more expensive wines produced in the California wineries (all of which taste like vinegar to me). The fact that more expensive liquor often does not taste as well as less expensive liquor also holds true for bourbon, gin, vodka, and practically every sort of alcohol under the sun. That having been said sometimes cheap alcohol does taste much worse than the more expensive alcohol. I would not giving recommend giving MD 20/20 to anyone except perhaps to one's worst enemy.

Of course, with alcohol one has concerns that one does not have with DVDs or CDs. Quite simply, one should never give liquor as a gift to anyone with a drinking problem. Obviously giving Jack Daniels Black Label No. 7 to an alcoholic is not a good idea.

Clothing: As I pointed out above, most vintage males love the finer things in life and this includes clothing. Indeed, it is one of the few practical gifts that a vintage male would appreciate. The problem is that clothing can cost a good deal, making it a very impractical gift if you are on a limited budget. A good three piece suit can cost $600 to over $1000. Even a fine shirt can cost anywhere from $25 to over $100. Obviously a lot of clothing would be a very expensive gift if one is part of the middle class. That having been said, however, this does not mean that one cannot buy clothing as a gift. While this is not true of all vintage males, many of us appreciate ties, the finest of which can be bought even if one is on a budget. While suits may be out of the reach of most of us in the middle class as a Yuletide gift, one can often find very good shirts through EBay, Amazon, and other online venues at a much cheaper price than one would in the stores. I've actually found Ben Sherman shirts at EBay for $15 that would generally run for as high as $79 in a store.

Here I must point out that as with music and DVDs, one should take into account the tastes of the vintage male for whom one is buying. My fashion sense runs more towards the Mods of mid-Sixties England, so that a skinny tie or a Ben Sherman shirt would be ideal for me. That having been said, if a vintage male's favourite era is the Forties, he might appreciate the skinny tie, but he might not care much for a Ben Sherman shirt! Beyond taking into account tastes in clothing, I must add one more caveat with regards to buying clothes as gifts for the vintage male. Do not buy him socks! It seems to me that among men socks are perhaps the least appreciated gifts of them all. I suspect it goes back to when we were all lads and the first Christmas gift from our parents we always opened was, well, socks! Men, like boys, would rather have toys.

Jewellery: If television adverts are to be believed, jewellery is something men give women. That having been said, men like jewellery too, especially vintage males. Of course, as with clothing, jewellery can sometimes be costly. Obviously the average person is not going to be able to afford to buy the vintage male in his or her life a diamond ring. That having been said, there are many more affordable choices. A ring with the vintage male's birthstone will be more affordable than one with, say, a ruby or a diamond as the stone. Similarly, there is a wide array of jewellery available to men that is not traditionally worn by women. Very handsome tie tacks and cuff links may be found at affordable prices and may often be more appreciated than a more expensive ring, especially if the vintage male in one's life loves clothing.

Of course, when buying jewellery for the vintage male, one must take into account his tastes. I have always preferred silver to gold and I have never liked big, gaudy stones. My brother tends to prefer gold to sliver, although like myself he doesn't care for big, gaudy stones. Similarly, while some men might love cuff links, they might not particularly care for rings. One should definitely go to the trouble of finding out what the vintage male likes in jewellery before buying him any.

Toiletries: Most vintage males I know like to be clean and like to smell good. Various toiletries would be a good idea as gifts for the vintage male. Of course, here I must add a word of warning. Since cologne is one of those stereotypical gifts we all seemed to buy our fathers as children, no toiletry should ever be the only gift one gives a vintage male for the holidays. Even if the vintage male for whom one bought the cologne or bath wash appreciates the gift, the fact remains that it could be perceived as a gift to which one did not place much thought. If one is going to buy vintage male cologne or another toiletry as a gift, then, make sure it is to accompany another gift, such as a DVD, CD, or shirt.

Of course, here I must point out that tastes in cologne and other toiletries tend to vary more even than tastes in music do. And often women and men will disagree on what smells good. I had a girlfriend who loved the smell of Axe (Lynx in the UK). Personally I think it makes one smells too perfumey--I much prefer Old Spice! If one wants to buy any man cologne, let alone the often more picky vintage male, one should probably find out what he likes first.

Here I must stress that this is hardly a complete list and vintage males do vary a good deal in what they might like as a gift. Among the various things I like are old guns, but I very seriously doubt that every vintage male would appreciate a vintage Colt M1911 as a present! While I think the advice I offer above is quite good, the best piece of advice I can offer anyone seeking to buy a gift for a vintage male is simply to get to know his interests, what he likes and dislikes, and what he thinks would make a good gift. If one does that, chances are he will appreciate any gift one buys him. And he will certainly like it better than a band saw or another pair of socks!

Alan Sues R.I.P.

2011-12-11T19:52:00.000-06:00

Comic actor Alan Sues, best known as part of the cast of Rowan & Martin's Laugh In, passed on 1 December 2011 at the age of 85.

Mr. Sues was born on 7 March 1926 in Ross, California. As a teenager he jumped a fence at Paramount Studios and watched a scene from Holiday Inn being shot. It made such an impression on him that he decided to go into acting. Alan Sues served in World War II in the United States Army. He studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Mr. Sues made his debut on Broadway in 1955 in Tea and Sympathy. He made his movie debut in The Helen Morgan Story in 1957. In the Sixties he appeared in such films as The Wheeler Dealers (1963), Move Over, Darling (1963), and The Americanisation of Emily (1964). On television he appeared on The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West, The Doris Day Show, and Love American Style. In 1968 he joined the cast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In. His best known characters on the show were Uncle Al the Kiddie's Pal, a children's show hot with a constant hangover, and Big Al, an overly effeminate sportscaster. While on Laugh In he began appearing in commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter as a very flamboyant Peter Pan.

In the Seventies Alan Sues appeared on Broadway again in Sherlock Holmes, playing Professor Moriarty. He appeared in such shows as CHIPS. Time Express, and Fantasy Island, as well as the movie Oh Heavenly Dog. In the Eighties he was the voice of The Dragon in The Reluctant Dragon (1981) and he appeared in the movie Snowballing (1984). He appeared on television in The Brady Brides and Punky Brewster. In the Nineties he guest starred on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and in the film Lord of the Road (1999). In 2009 he appeared in the film Artificially Speaking.

Alan Sues was one of the reasons that Rowan and Martin's Laugh In remains a classic. He was outrageously funny, with humour that just seemed to come non-stop. This suited him perfectly to the fast pace of Laugh In. Mr. Sues' flamboyant brand of humour was put to good use elsewhere as well, whether it was the commercial for Peter Pan or his bit as the Court Clerk in Move Over, Darling. He was a very funny man and he will be missed.

Ken Russell Passes On

2011-12-10T15:36:00.000-06:00

Flamboyant director Ken Russell passed on 27 November 2011 at the age of 84.

Ken Russell was born on 3 July 1927 in in Southampton, Hampshire. He spent much of his childhood watching movies in the cinema. He attended Pangbourne College, a nautical school in Pangbourne, Berkshire. He served for a time in the Merchant Navy and in the Royal Air Force. He studied dance and then in his late twenties he became a photographer. It was because of his freelance photography that in 1959 he was hired by the BBC. There he made several documentaries, including several segments of Monitor and Omnibus (the British series, not to be confused with the American series of the same time). He also directed several of his own short films, starting with Peepshow in 1956.

It was in 1963 that Mr. Russell directed his first feature film, French Dressing, which was very loosely based on Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman. The film was a critical and box office failure, leading Ken Russell to continue his work at the BBC. His second feature film would be a bit more successful, the third instalment of the Harry Palmer series, Billion Dollar Brain (1967) starring Michael Caine. He followed Billion Dollar Brain with one of his best known films, Women in Love (1969). Women in Love would not only establish Mr. Russell as a director, but also one who was not afraid of controversy and even self indulgence. Arguably it was in the Seventies that Ken Russell was in his prime. It was in that decade that he directed his controversial film The Devils (1971), The Boy Friend (1971), Tommy (1975--an adaptation of The Who's rock opera), Liztomania (1975), Valentino (1977), and Altered States (1980).

Mr. Russell's output slowed in the Eighties. In that decade he directed such films as Crimes of Passion (1984), Gothic (1985), and Lair of the White Worm (1988). The Nineties saw Mr. Russell work primarily in television, directing only two feature films in that decade: Whore (1991) and Lion's Mouth (2000). The Naughts saw Ken Russell return to feature films, directing such movies as The Fall of the Louse of Usher: A Gothic Tale for the 21st Century (2002), Revenge of the Elephant Man (2004), and Boudica Bites Back (2009).

Ken Russell has always been a director about whom I have had mixed feelings. In my opinion he was capable of brilliant work, but at the same time he was given all too much to such self indulgence that some of his films just do not make a whole lot of sense. For me Mr. Russell was at his best when he reined his more flamboyant tendencies on concentrated on the film's script and characters instead of filling the screen with bizarre imagery. Mr. Russell could make very good, if outré movies which I enjoyed very much. I am still impressed by such movies as Women in Love, The Devils, Tommy, Altered States, Crimes of Passion, Gothic, and Lair of the White Worm. That having been said, he could also make movies that even someone with as often odd tastes as myself could not stand (Lisztomania comes foremost to my mind). Despite Ken Russell's flaws, I do have to confess that he was a genius and even in his worst films there were often amazing visuals.

The Late Great Jerry Robinson

2011-12-08T23:43:00.135-06:00

Jerry Robinson, the legendary cartoonist credited with creating The Joker and co-creating both Robin and Alfred in the Batman comic book feature, passed today at the age of 89. In addition to working in comic books, newspaper strips, and political cartoons, Mr. Robinson was also a highly regarded comics historian and an early creators' rights advocate.

Jerry Robinson was born on 1 January 1922 in Trenton, New Jersey. At the age of 17 Mr. Robinson was selling ice cream at a resort in the Catskills when Batman co-creator Bob Kane noticed the white painter's jacket he was wearing, which was covered with his own illustrations. Mr. Kane offered Mr. Robinson a job working on the Batman feature as an inker and letterer. Robinson would soon become an important fixture on the Batman feature, to the point that he probably contributed more to the character's mythos than anyone except Bill Finger. He is credited with having co-created the character of Robin with Bill Finger, the character of Alfred with Bob Kane, the character of Two-Face with Bill Finger, and the villains Tweedledee and Tweedeledum with Don Cameron. While there has been some dispute over the creation of the character, most comic book historians credit Jerry Robinson with the creation of The Joker.

A year after Jerry Robinson had been hired by Bob Kane, he and Bill Finger were hired away by Detective Comics Inc. (one of the companies that would become DC Comics Inc.). While he would work on other features for the company, he continued to work on Batman until 1947. Mr. Robinson would also work for other comic book publishers, including work on London for Lev Gleason, and The Green Hornet for Harvey from 1942 to 1943. At National Periodical Publications (the company that would become DC Comics Inc.) he worked with friend Mort Meskin on The Vigilante and Johnny Quick from 1946 to 1949. From 1944 to 1946 Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin ran their own studio that produced material for the short lived Spark Publications, including Atoman.

In the Fifties Jerry Robinson taught at the School of Visual Arts. He also worked at the company that would eventually become Marvel on everything from romance to war comic books. With writer Sheldon Stark he created the newspaper strip Jet Scott, which started in 1953. In 1963 Jerry Robinson created his long running political newspaper strip Still Life. A year later he created another newspaper strip, Flubs and Fluffs. He also created the political comic strip Life with Robinson. Between Still Life and Life with Robinson, Jerry Robinson was a political cartoonist for 32 years. In the Sixties he contributed to several Dell comic books, primarily such TV show adaptations as Rocky and Bullwinkle and Lassie.

In 1973 he published The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art, a history of newspaper comic strips.In 1978 he founded the Cartoonists and Writers Syndicate. In the Seventies Jerry Robinson would prove pivotal in the fight for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to receive compensation from DC Comics Inc. for their creation. He would be an advocate for creators' rights ever since then. In 1999 Jerry Robinson co-created the manga series Astra with Shojin Tanaka and Ken-ichi Oishi.

Jerry Robinson would also create one of the most impressive collections of Golden Age comic book art ever to exist. As a young man working in the comic book industry he would retrieve the work of his peers from the trash and preserve them. In the end he kept pieces that would be displayed at museums and even sold at auction for very high prices.

As mentioned earlier, there was some dispute over whether Jerry Robinson created The Joker. Bob Kane, co-creator of Batman with Bob Finger, always maintained that Bill Finger brought him a photograph of Conrad Veidt from the movie The Man Who Laughs (1928) and that he created the character based on that. According to Jerry Robinson, he sketched a Joker playing card as a part of the concept of a new Batman villain. He showed the sketch to Bill Finger, who told him that it reminded him of Conrad Veidt from The Man Who Laughs. Mr. Finger then brought in photographs from the movie for Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson then created the visual look of The Joker based on those photos, while Mr. Finger fleshed out the character. Most comic book historians agree with Jerry Robinson's account of the creation of The Joker. Indeed, it must be pointed out that until the Sixties Bob Kane denied that Bill Finger even had a role in the creation of Batman, making his reliability somewhat questionable.

Even Bob Kane would not dispute that Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson created the character of Robin. Mr. Finger suggested to Jerry Robinson that they create a character with whom youngsters could identify. Jerry Robinson took inspiration from the movie The Adventures of Robin Hood and named the new character "Robin." The costume was based on N. C. Wyeth’s illustration “Robin Meets Maid Marian.” The character proved successful, to the point that he inspired a trend towards youthful sidekicks in the Golden Age of comic books.

Regardless, even if Jerry Robinson had not created The Joker, he would have a lasting impact on Batman, having a role in the creation of Robin, Alfred, and Two-Face. In fact, even though Bob Kane co-created Batman, it is arguable that Batman as we know him to day (indeed, as he was known by 1943), is largely the product of Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, and Gardner Fox (the legendary writer who first introduced gadgets such as the Batarang into the feature). Beyond Jerry Robinson's contributions to Batman, it must be acknowledged that he was a great cartoonist. Still Life and Life with Robinson number among the best political comic strips of all time. He also contributed art to books and even to Playbill. He took photographs worldwide, many of which have been displayed for exhibition. As if that was not enough, he was a great comics historian. Beyond amassing an impressive collection of Golden Age art, he also wrote the book on the history of newspaper comic strips.

Going beyond Mr. Robinson's work as a cartoonist, he was also a pioneer in the field of creators' rights. It was largely due to Jerry Robinson that Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would receive from DC Comics Inc. a deal that gave them annual payments and even provided for their heirs. And it was after repeated calls from Jerry Robinson that DC Comics Inc. finally agreed to give Messrs. Siegel and Shuster credit on all works involving Superman. Jerry Robinson also worked on behalf of oppressed political cartoonists worldwide.

In fact, Jerry Robinson was something much rarer than an extremely talented and legendary cartoonist. He was by all accounts a true gentleman. Everyone I know who ever had the opportunity to meet or speak with him have spoken of his kindness and decency. Artist Neal Adams, who worked with Jerry Robinson in the legal battle to get compensation for Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster for the creation of Superman, said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times, ”Jerry didn’t hesitate a moment, ever, if he had a chance to help someone.” Jerry Robinson was a man who genuinely cared for others, something which was shown in his fight for creators' rights and his work on behalf of oppressed political cartoonists.

As for myself, I owe Jerry Robinson more than I can ever know. It is not a simple case that Batman is my favourite comic book character of all time and Mr. Robinson made valuable contributions to Batman's mythos. The simple fact is that Batman got me into comic books, which led to me wanting to write comic books, which led to me simply wanting to be a writer. To a very large degree, then, I owe much of what I am to Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson. The simple fact is that without Jerry Robinson I might never have become a writer. Indeed, this blog would not even exist. I have no idea if Mr. Robinson can hear me, but on behalf of all of us whom he inspired, I would like to say, "Thank you."

The Late Great Harry Morgan

2011-12-07T22:05:00.000-06:00

Harry Morgan, who appeared in films from Holiday Affair (1949) to Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) and TV shows from December Bride to M*A*S*H, died today at the age of 96. A prolific actor, Mr. Morgan appeared in over 100 movies.

Harry Morgan was born Harry Bratsberg on 10 April 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Muskegon High School with plans to become a lawyer, but while attending the University of Chicago he developed an interest in theatre. He made his debut on Broadway in the play Golden Boy in 1937. From the late Thirties into the early Forties he appeared in such plays as The Gentle People (1939), Thunder Rock (1939), Heavenly Express (1940), and The Night Before Christmas (1941).

In 1942 Harry Morgan moved to California. He was discovered by a talent agent in a production of Hello Out There by William Saroyan in Santa Barbara. He was signed to 20th Century Fox. In his early years he used "Henry Morgan" as his stage name, but he later changed it to "Harry Morgan" to avoid confusion with radio satirist Henry Morgan. Mr. Morgan made his film debut in To the Shores of Tripoli in 1942. His big break would come in 1943 when he appeared as Art Croft in The Ox-Bow Incident. During the Forties he appeared in such films as Wing and a Prayer (1944), State Fair (1945), Dragonwyck (1946), All My Sons (1948), The Saxon Charm (1948), Madame Bovary (1949), Holiday Affair (1949), and Dark City (1950).

In the Fifties Harry Morgan would expand into television, making his debut in an episode of The Amazing Mr. Malone in 1951. He was a regular in the role of Peter Porter on the sitcom December Bride and its spin off Pete and Gladys. He guest starred on such shows as Cavalcade of America, The 20th Century Fox Hour, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He continued to appear in films, including Scandal Street (1952), High Noon (1952), Thunder Bay (1953), The Glen Miller Story (1954), Strategic Air Command (1955), Inherit the Wind (1960), and Cimarron (1960).

In the Sixties Harry Morgan was a regular on The Richard Boone Show, Kentucky Jones, and Dragnet. He guest starred on Ensign O'Toole, Have Gun--Will Travel, The Untouchables, The Virginian, Dr. Kildare, and Love American Style. He appeared in such films as How the West Was Won (1962), John Goldfarb Come Home (1965), Frankie and Johnny (1966), What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966), The Flim-Flam Man (1967), and Support Your Local Sheriff (1970).

In the Seventies Mr. Morgan played the regular role of Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H, as well as a regular role on Hec Ramsey. He guest starred on such shows as Night Gallery, The Partridge Family, and Gunsmoke. He appeared in the films The Barefoot Executive (1971), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), Scandalous John (1971), Charley and the Angel (1973), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), The Shootist (1976), and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.

In the Eighties Harry Morgan reprised his role as Sherman Potter on the spin off After M*A*S*H and he had a regular role on Blacke's Magic. From the Eighties into the Nineties he guest starred on such shows as You Can't Take It With You, Murder She Wrote, The Twilight Zone, The Simpsons, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He appeared in such films as Dragnet (1987), Family Plan (1997), and Crosswalk (1999).

If Harry Morgan is best known for his role as Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H, it is perhaps because he was so good at playing such characters, characters who were acerbic and firm, yet ultimately kind hearted. Indeed, among the best scenes in Holiday Affair from 1949 is one in which Mr. Morgan played a police lieutenant very similar to Colonel Potter. His roles in Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter would also be similar. Even his television roles were similar--Pete Porter of December Bride and Pete and Gladys was essentially a younger version of Sherman T. Potter. While Harry Morgan had a gift for playing such characters, it must be pointed out that he played a wide variety of roles in his career that were often very different from Colonel Potter. In The Big Clock (1951) he convincingly played a quiet but nonetheless threatening bodyguard. In Inherit the Wind (1960) he played a small town judge forced to hear what could have been the trial of the century. In The Shootist he played an understandably nervous marshal who must deal with a gunfighter played by John Wayne. Harry Morgan played a variety of roles, not all of them sarcastic yet soft hearted characters. Indeed, although now best known for his comedy roles, it must be pointed out that Mr. Morgan was equally adept at drama. Very few actors had as diverse a career as Harry Morgan, a man who played in both notable films and notable TV shows. If he had a long, prolific, and diverse career, it was simply because Mr. Morgan was a man of very great talent.

Judy Lewis Passes On

2011-12-02T23:03:00.058-06:00

Judy Lewis, actress and daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable, passed on 25 November 2011 at the age of 76. The cause was cancer.

Judy Lewis was conceived during a brief affair that the single Loretta Young and the married Clark Gable had while working on Call of the Wild (1935). Concerned that a child out of wedlock could damage her career, Loretta Young went to Europe for several months before returning to the United States. Miss Lewis was born on 6 November 1935 in Loretta Young's home in Venice, California. She spent her first 19 months with various caretakers until Miss Young picked her up, leaking the story to gossip columnist Louella Parsons that she had "adopted" Judy.

Judy Lewis attended Marymount, a Catholic girl's school in Los Angeles. In 1958 she made her television acting debut in an episode of Mackenzie's Raiders. She was a regular on the TV Western Outlaws and the soap operas The Secret Storm and General Hospital. She guest starred on such shows as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Highway Patrol, Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside 6, Search, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco, and One Day at a Time. She appeared in the movies Operation Bikini (1963), Thunder in Dixie (1964), Airport 1974 (1974), and Southern Double Cross (1976). On Broadway she appeared in the play Mary Mary in 1964. In 1992 Judy Lewis became a licensed, clinical psychologist, working with troubled children.

Judy Lewis was 31 before a confrontation with her mother Loretta Young in 1966 revealed the truth behind her birth--that she was the daughter of Miss Young by Clark Gable. In 1994 she published a memoir, Uncommon Knowledge, which revealed the truth of her parentage to the world. For the next three years she and her mother were estranged. Miss Young would not acknowledge Miss Lewis's parentage except in her autobiography Forever Young, which was to be published only after her death. It was published in 2000, only a few months after Loretta Young's death.

Tom Wicker R.I.P.

2011-12-01T23:27:00.048-06:00

Journalist and novelist Tom Wicker died on 25 November 2011 at the age of 85. The cause was a heart attack.

Tom Wicker was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on 18 June 1926. It was when he was working on his high school newspaper that he decided to become a journalist. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. Afterwards he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served at various North Carolina newspapers. Eventually he became the Washington, D.C. correspondent for The Winston-Salem Journal. In 1959 he became associate editor on The Nashville Tennessean. In 1960 James Reston hired him as one of The New York Times' Washington bureau. In 1964 he was named chief of The New York Times' Washington bureau. In 1968 Tom Wicker became an associate editor at The New York Times.

Tom Wicker also wrote several books. He wrote ten non-fiction books, the first being Kennedy Without Tears: The Man Beneath the Myth in 1964. His other non-fiction books included On Press (1978), One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream (1991), and Shooting Star: The Brief Arc of Joe McCarthy (2006). He also wrote ten novels. His first novel, Get Out of Town, was published under the pen name Peter Connolly. He published two more novels under the pseudonym. His first novel published under his given name was The Kingpin (1953). His 1961 novel The Judgement would provide the basis for the controversial episode of Bus Stop "A Lion Walks Among Us." His novel Facing the Lions (1973) would spend 18 weeks on The New York Times list. His 1984 novel Unto This Hour spent 15 weeks on the list.

The 10th Anniversary of George Harrison's Death

2011-11-29T13:30:00.000-06:00

Ten years ago today on 29 November 2001 George Harrison, of The Beatles and The Travelling Wilburys, died. It is a significant day in my life, not simply because George was a Beatle, but because after John Lennon he was my second favourite Beatle. Many of my favourite Beatles songs were written by George Harrison: "Think for Yourself," "Taxman," "I Want to tell You," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "I, Me, Mine," and many others. What is more, I had somewhat of a connection with George Harrison that I never had with the other Beatles, not even John Lennon. George's sister Louise Harrison lived for many years in Benton, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. George Harrison was the only Beatle to have been to the United States before the group's historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. He visited his sister in Benton, having flown in from England to Lambert Field in St. Louis. Unlike the other Beatles, then, George had a link to the Missouri/Illinois border area. It's even feasible some of my relatives might have met him, not knowing they were meeting someone who would one day be part of the greatest rock band of all time.

Because George Harrison had been a significant part of my life and because I had something of a personal connection to him, however small, I can remember very well the day he died. Indeed, George Harrison was the first rock star from one of my favourite bands whose death I learned from the internet. I read the news of his passing in Yahoo News. And while I had known that he had cancer for years and I know the prognosis for him was not good, the tears still began. They would last, on and off, for a few days. I remember listening to George's songs (both with The Beatles and on his own) over and over. And I remember the local television stations talked to Louise Harrison about her younger brother and his legacy.

George Harrison was born on 25 Feburary 1943 in Liverpool in the district known as Wavertree. He was twelve years old when he became interested in music. He had been riding his bicycle down the street when he heard "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley playing in a nearby house. From that moment on George devoted his life to music. In fact, it was while at Liverpool Institute that with his older brother Peter and his friend Arthur Kelly (later an actor who appeared in Bergerac and The Bill) that George founded a skiffle band called The Rebels. It was also at Liverpool Institute that George would meet someone who would change his life forever, a fellow rock 'n' roll aficionado. His name was Paul McCartney.

Of course, Paul McCartney was a member of the skiffle band known as The Quarry Men, founded by John Lennon. Beyond the fact that Paul introduced George to John and the other Quarry Men, the exact circumstances and even the date of that first encounter are not clear. From Paul McCartney to John's friend Pete Shotton to George himself, accounts of that first meeting tend to vary Regardless, while John and the other Quarry Men considered George to be too young to join the band, they did permit him to tag along with them. In 1958, at the age of 15, George Harrison, the kid with a gift for playing guitar, officially became one of The Quarry Men, replacing Eric Griffiths as lead guitarist. George would leave school at 15 and would work as an apprentice electrician at local department store Blacklers for a short time.

In the meantime The Quarry Men, the band of which George Harrison was lead guitarist, would evolve into The Beatles. It was on 5 May 1960 that the band once known as The Quarry Men would become The Silver Beatles. On 18 August of that same year, they became The Beatles. It was when The Beatles were offered a job playing in Hamburg, Germany, 17 year old George Harrison would accompany them. In Germany The Beatles would receive musical training like no other, playing show after show, night after night. When they returned to Liverpool they were very well trained musicians. Once one of several bands in Liverpool, The Beatles soon became one of the top Merseyside bands. Eventually The Beatles were signed to EMI. They released their first single, "Love Me Do," in October 1962. It proved a moderate success. Their next single, "Please Please Me," also proved to be a moderate hit. Their next single, "From Me to You," would do even better, but ti was their fourth single which would establish The Beatles as the most successful band in the United Kingdom. "She Loves You" became the fastest selling single in the history of the UK charts and the biggest song ever in the UK for years.

While The Beatles' earliest hits were written by John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison's skilled guitar work was responsible for much of their success. And while John and Paul would write many of the band's early singles, George Harrison was also a composer. In fact, his first song, "Don't Bother Me," appeared on The Beatles' second album, With The Beatles. Sadly, John and Paul would generally restrict George anywhere from one to three songs per album. Despite this George proved a very skilful composer, writing some of The Beatles' best remembered songs. It was while The Beatles were still together that George Harrison would launch his solo career, with the soundtrack to the movie Wonderwall, Wonderwall Music, in 1968. After The Beatles broke up he would have a fairly successful solo career and would also play with the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys (in addition to Harrison, the members were Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty).

Sadly, I have always thought that George was under appreciated as both a composer and a Beatle. In most rock bands the lead guitarist is the undisputed star, the equivalent of a quarterback on a football team or the handsome leading man in a movie. In a band that featured not one, but two impressive and often vocal composers (John Lennon and Paul McCartney), it was all too easy for the more quiet and reserved George Harrison to be overlooked. Indeed, while Beatles fans are all too aware of George's contributions to the band, as lead guitarist, as a composer, and, well, as George, the general public has always seemed to treat him as just The Beatles' lead guitarist. Like many Beatles fans and George Harrison fans, this strikes me as wrong, and for several reasons.

First and foremost, in my humble opinion George Harrison was nearly the equal, if not the equal of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney as a composer. Indeed, he wrote some of The Beatles' best known songs, songs that are every bit as good as anything composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney: "Taxman," ""If I Needed Someone," "Love You To," "Only a Northern Song," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Here Comes the Sun," "I, Me, Mine," and many others. No less than Frank Sinatra himself referred to "Something" as the "...greatest love song ever written." Indeed, in many ways I think George may have been a better composer than Sir Pal McCartney over all. Granted, Paul's best songs tended to be better than George's best songs with but a few exceptions ("Taxman," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"), but then George's worst songs ("Within You, Without You") were fare superior than Paul's worst songs ("Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "Silly Love Songs"). With the exception of a few songs George may have never reached the dizzying heights of "Eleanor Rigby" or "Yesterday," but then he never reached the low points that Paul did with "Mother Nature's Son" or "Wild Honey Pie." While John and Paul are deservedly lauded as composers, then, it seems to me that George Harrison should be as well.

Indeed, it seems to me that not only did George make considerable contributions as a composer to The Beatles, but he may have also had the best solo career of any of The Beatles except John Lennon. All Things Must Pass may have been the single best solo album released by any Beatle after the break up of the band. As a solo artist George wrote and recorded a number of songs that are memorable to this day: "Isn't It a Pity," "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)," "Crackerbox Palace," "Not Guilty," All Those Years Ago," and many others. As a solo artist George Harrison wrote songs and recorded albums that were consistently good and in some instances even better than those he had recorded with The Beatles.

Not only do I think George has always been underestimated as a composer, but I also think his contributions to The Beatles have been not been recognised by the general public as well. Indeed, George Harrison's contributions went far beyond that of most lead guitarists to their respective bands. It was George Harrison who first proposed that The Beatles stop performing live concerts. Ever the musician, George felt that the screaming crowds at their concerts made playing well nearly impossible. Of course, it is generally believed that in abandoning live concerts The Beatles were able to concentrate on recording, not only making advancements in recording techniques but allowing them to make even more sophisticated songs.

Indeed, George would have an even more direct impact on The Beatles' recordings. Ever on the look out for new and more sophisticated means of recording, it was George Harrison who introduced The Beatles to such new innovations as the Moog synthesiser. It was through his fascination with Indian culture that George Harrison discovered a sitar, an instrument that found its way into such Beatles songs as "Norwegian Wood."

As much as I admire George Harrison (and the rest of The Beatles, for that matter), I realise all too well that he was not perfect. George was known to have a very severe temper. His temper was so great that early in The Beatles' career he was known to get into fights with photographers and even police officers. George Harrison could be a perfectionist when it came to his music, testing the patience of even his producers. He was not always the most faithful husband, at times cheating on first wife Patti Boyd and second wife Olivia Harrison. George Harrison was also sued for copyright infringement because of similarities between his song "My Sweet Lord" and The Chiffons' song "He's So Fine." A United States district court would rule that George did not deliberately commit plagiarism, but instead he subconsciously did so without realising it. Given George's personality, I tend to believe that he was indeed a victim of cryptomnesia and did not initially realise that he was copying "He's So Fine." That having been said, one would think that given how often "He's So Fine" was probably played in 1969 (and still is) sooner or later he would have heard the song and then changed "My Sweet Lord" so the two were not so similar.

While George Harrison had more than his fair share of flaws, he remains a man I admire and one whose life had a very large impact on my own. As I said, after John Lennon, George Harrison was my favourite Beatle. Known as "the Quiet Beatle" and even referred to as "the Great Stone Face" by Ringo Starr, George taught me that there could be strength in silence. That is, one could sometimes accomplish more by saying little and remaining reserved than by making a verbal commotion of things. George Harrison proved that the English stereotype of "maintaining a stiff upper lip" can actually be a strength.

And while I would never follow George Harrison into Hinduism (my religious views are rather more Western in outlook), I cannot deny that his spirituality had an impact on me. George proved that one could be a deeply spiritual individual without forcing one's choice of religion down other's throats. Like so much in his life, George's religious views were a quiet, reserved affair. Everyone knew his religious beliefs, everyone knew he was a deeply spiritual individual, and yet one never felt that he was flaunted his religion. Indeed, in many ways George felt like a much more spiritual, more more religious person because of that.

George Harrison also taught me a good deal about approaching one's own death. Like George, my father had died of lung cancer, so I knew something of what George was going through. Throughout George's illness, however, I never remember reading in the news that he complained about having developed cancer, wallowed in self pity, or blamed others. Even to the very end he faced death with dignity and even cheerfulness. Indeed, George even took responsibility for his own death. I remember reading an interview with him not long before his death in which he pointed out that developing cancer was his own fault. If he had never taken up smoking or had given it up long ago, he would most likely have never developed lung cancer.

More than anything else, however, George Harrison taught me to treat other people with respect. George viewed all of us as unique and special, and yet at the same time irrevocably connected to each other. It was a thought that often surfaced in his songs. As much as I dislike "Within You, Without You," I must admit hat its lyrics carry an important message. Essentially it is up to us to make a difference, and that difference is to treat others with the love and respect with which we ourselves would like to be treated. George Harrison's final words were “Love one another.” Those three simple words summed up what he had been saying since the days of The Beatles. If I am even half the man I should be, if I am better than that what I could have been, it is in a large part due to George Harrison.

It is then that I will spend today listening to George Harrison's songs. It is also the reason that I will shed not a few tears today. George Harrison had an impact on me more than most musicians in history, more than most artists in history. In fact, it is possible that only John Lennon had more of an influence on me. To a large degree, then, I owe George Harrison for almost everything I am and everything I ever will be.

Danger Mouse Co-Creator Mark Hall Passes On

2011-11-26T14:50:00.077-06:00

Mark Hall, who co-founded the animation studio Cosgrove Hall and co-created Danger Mouse, passed on 17 November 2011 at the age of 74. The cause was cancer.

Mark Hall was born on 17 May 1936 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. As a child he would put on his own puppet shows for his friends. It was while he was at the Regional College of Art, Manchester that he met Brian Cosgrove. In 1969 Mark Hall and Brian Cosgrove founded Stop Frame Animations. Initially the studio created commercials for the magazine Look-In and The TV Times. It was in 1971 that they produced their first series, The Magic Ball. In 1972 they produced and Mark Hall directed the television animated movie Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo. Stop Frame Animations' last series was Noddy in 1975. Stop Frame Animations folded in 1975, but from its ashes Mark Hall and Brian Cosgrove founded Cosgrove Hall as a subsidiary of Thames Television. In 1976 they produced the series Jamie and The Magic Torch.

Cosgrove-Hall then produced the seies Chorlton and The Wheelies in 1976. This was followed by the programmes Captain Kremmen and Cockleshell Bay. It was in 1981 that Cosgrove Hall would produce their greatest success. Danger Mouse, a parody of spy fiction and spy movies featuring the title mouse who was a secret agent. Danger Mouse would not only prove to be a smash hit in the United Kingdom, where at its height it had 21.5 million viewers, but around the world as well. Indeed, while it was not the first British cel animated series to air in the United States (Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, Ludwig, and Paddington Bear had preceded it), it was by far the most successful. With British wit, plenty of parody, and a tendency to bizarre plots, Danger Mouse proved appealing not only to youngsters, but to adults as well.

Cosgrove Hall would go onto produce more successful animated series including The Wind in the Willows, Count Duckula (a spin off from Danger Mouse), Oh! Mr. Toad, Fantomcat, Noddy's Toyland Adventures, and Captain Star. Cosgrove Hall also produced television movies, including The Pied Piper of Hamelin and The Reluctant Dragon, as well as the feature film adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG (1989).

To some degree Mark Hall is a legend in television animation and with good reason. It would be enough if he had simply co-created Danger Mouse, one of the most successful animated series of all time, but he and Brian Cosgrove did much more. Although often shot on minuscule budgets, the Cosgrove Hall programmes were always very well done. Indeed, the series The Wind in the Willows is one of the few adaptations to successfully capture the feel of Kenneth Grahame's novel. With Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall left behind a legacy in animation that will be long remembered.

Anne McCaffrey R.I.P.

2011-11-23T14:12:00.028-06:00

Science fiction and fantasy writer Anne McCaffrey passed on 21 November 2011 at the age of 85. The cause was a stroke.

Anne McCaffrey was born on 1 April 1926 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from Radcliffe College with a degree in Slavonic languages and literature. In 1952 her first short story was published. It was in 1959 that her story "The Ship That Sang" was published. It would be succeeded by five more short stories that she would eventually weave into the novel The Ship Who Sang. It was in 1967 that the first novella in the series that would gain Miss McCaffrey lasting fame would be published. This novella and the second would become the novel Dragonflight (1968), the first of the "Dragonriders of Pern" series. In all 22 novels would be published in the series.

Although best known for The Ship Who Sang and "The Dragonriders of Pern," Anne McCaffrey would publish several other books, including Decision at Doona (1969), To Ride Pegasus (1973), The Crystal Singer (1982), Freedom's Landing (1995), and The Unicorn Girl (1997).

While I cannot say Anne McCaffrey was one of my all time favourite writers, I can say that I always enjoyed her books a good deal. She had a very brisk, easy to read style and tended to avoid the wordiness of many science fiction writers. She also had a gift for creating believable characters, in particular strong women, as well as a knack for creating believable worlds. She was a very talented writer and it is quite understandable why she developed a following over the years. In fact, I rather suspect she could be the most successful female science fiction writer of all time.

Actor John Neville Passes On

2011-11-22T22:15:00.172-06:00

John Neville, who in his career played both Sherlock Holmes and Baron Munchausen, passed on 19 November 2011 ate age of 86. The cause was Alzheimar's disease.

John Neville was born on 2 May 1925 in Willesden, London. He was the son of a lorry driver. Mr. Neville attended Chiswick School for Boys. It was when his church choir went to see A Midsummer's Night Dream starring Sir Ralph Richardson and Vivien Leigh that his love for theatre began. He left school at age 16 to work as stores clerk at a garage, but his career would be set when a performance as Hamlet for a church production won him a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During World War II John Neville served as a signalman in the British Royal Navy.

John Neville made his debut on the West End in 1947 in a small part in Richard III at the New Thaetre. In 1948 he took part in the Open Air Season at Regent's Park. He played Lysander in A Midsummer's Night Dream and Chatillon in King John. In 1949 he worked with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre where he played John Worthing in The Importance of Being Ernest. He later worked at the Old Vic, where he played Surface in The School for Scandal, Ferdinand in Love's Labour Lost, and Valentine in The Two Gentelmen of Varona.

In 1950 Mr. Neville made his debut on television in the teleplay Mrs. Dot. Throughout the Fifties he appeared on such shows as ITV Playhouse, ITV Play of the Week, Producer's Showcase, The Dupont Show of the Month, and BBC Sunday Night Theatre. In 1960 he made his film debut in Oscar Wilde. In 1953 he was once more at the Old Vic, where among other roles he appeared as Lewis the Dauphin in King John,Orsino in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, and Berowne in Love's Labour Lost. In 1955 he received rave notices for his performance of the title role in Richard III. At the Old Vic he played roles ranging from Mark Antony in Julius Ceasar to Hamlet in the play of the same name. It was in 1959 he left the Old Vic. He directed The Importance of Being Ernest at the Bristol Old Vic and appeared as Nestor in Irma La Douce.

In the Sixties John Neville appeared in such films as I Like Money (1961), Billy Budd (1962), Unearthly Stranger (1964), and The Adventures of Gerard (1970). One of his most notable film roles came in 1965 when Mr. Neville played Sherlock Holmes in the movie A Study in Terror. On television he was a regular on both The Company of Five and The First Churchills. He appeared on the programmes Theatre 625 and Half Hour Story. On stage he directed Henry V at the Old Vic. He played the Stranger in The Lady from the Sea and other roles ranging form Macbeth to Faustus.

In the Seventies he appeared in such shows as Shadows of Fear, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Love Story, The Protectors, ITV Saturday Night Theatre, and Benjamin Franklin. On stage he appeared as Captain Macheath in The Beggar's Opera. He took an offer to direct The Rivals at the National Arts centre in Ottawa, Ontario. He would spend the rest of his life in Canada. Over the years, on stage he directed Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya, Mother Courage, Othello, The Three Sisters, and other plays. He appeared on stage in Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, Pericles, The Merchant of Venice, and Henry VIII.

In the Eighties John Neville played the title role in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) . He was a regular on the television programme Grand and appeared on the series Titans. In the Nineties he played the role of the Well-Manicured Man on The X-Files, a role he reprised in the 1998 movie. Mr. Neville was also a regular on Emily of New Moon and Amazon. He appeared on such television programmes as Avonlea, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Stark. He appeared in such films as The Road to Wellville (1994), Little Women (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Urban Legend (1998), The Duke (1999), and Sunshine (1999). In the Naughts he appeared in such films as Time of the Wolf (2002), Hollywood North (2003), The Statement (2003), and Separate Lies (2005). He appeared in such television programmes as Odyssey 5, Bury the Lead, and Friends and Heroes His last role on screen was in the film Bradfordian Rain.

John Neville first came to my notice as Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Terror. In fact, he would prove to be my favourite Holmes besides Basil Rathbone. In the years since I would be impressed by the sheer diversity of roles which Mr. Neville played, everything from the colourful Baron Munchausen to Lt. Radcliffe in Billy Budd. John Neville was versatile to the point that I believe that he could play any role in the world. Indeed, it is for this reason that is career spanned over sixty years. He acted very nearly until his death. Not only could very few actors boast such a long career, but few could boast one that was as diverse and as well done as that of John Neville.

The Late Great Les Daniels

2011-11-19T22:04:00.084-06:00

Comic book historian and novelist Les Daniels passed on 5 November at the age of 68. The cause was a heart attack.

Les Daniels was born on 27 October 1943 in Danbury, Connecticut. He grew up in Redding, Connecticut. He was only nine years old when the course of his career was determined. It was at that age that his mother threw his comic book collection out. He earned his bachelor's degree at Brown University. He received his master degree as well, writing his master's thesis on pulp horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.

Les Daniels would make his mark as a comic book historian with the book Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America, published in 1971. It was one of the earliest books on the medium, one which traced comic books from the first appearance of Superman to the moral panic over comic books in the early Fifties to the underground comics of the Sixties. In 1975 Mr. Daniels published Living in Fear: A History of Horror in Mass Media. The book covered nearly 1500 yeas of the genre, from Aeschylus' play Oresteia to horror novels and movies of the Seventies.

In 1978 Les Daniels published his first novel, The Black Castle. It was the first in a series of novels featuring Don Sebastian de Villanueva, a Spanish nobleman turned vampire. Mr. Daniels would write four more novels featuring Don Sebastian: The Silver Skull (1979), Citizen Vampire (1981), Yellow Fog (1986), and No Blood Spilled (1991).

Despite the Don Sebastian novels, it would be for his histories of comic books and comic book characters for which he would become best known. In 1991 he published Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics, which covered Marvel Comics from its origins in the late Thirties to the late Eighties. DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favourite Comic Book Heroes, published in 1995, chronicled the history of DC Comics from its earliest beginnings. Les Daniels would also write histories of DC Comics' major characters: Superman, the Complete History: The Life and Times of the Man of Steel (1998), The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Dark Knight Batman (1999), and The Complete History: Wonder Woman (2000).

Les Daniels was not the first comic book historian, but he was arguably the greatest. Only two other books ever matched Mr. Daniels Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America: Jim Steranko's two volume History of Comics and Gerard Jones's Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book (2004). As to Mr. Daniels' other comic book histories, there were never anything quite like them. No one but Les Daniels ever covered Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in such detail, and no one but Mr. Daniels ever wrote such detailed histories of the two major comic book companies in the industry. That he was also a successful novelist only makes Les Daniels even more impressive.

Indeed, I must confess I owe a great deal to Les Daniels. It is not simply that he wrote histories of a medium I love, comic books, but that he made chronicling pop culture respectable. Without Les Daniels and a few others as examples I might never have started writing about television, movies, music, comic books, and pulp magazines. To a large degree, A Shroud of Thoughts, then, owes its existence to Mr. Daniels. It's for that reason his passing saddens me more than that of many more famous individuals.

Actress Dulcie Gray R.I.P.

2011-11-18T15:41:00.000-06:00

Actress and singer Dulcie Gray, who appeared in many Gainsborough films, passed on 15 November 2011 at th age of 95. The cause was bronchial pneumonia.

Dulcie Gray was born Dulcie Bailey in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya (now Maylasia) on 20 November 1915. She attended schools in Wallingford, Oxfordshire; Wokingham, Berkshire; and Swanage, Dorset. After completing her education in England she returned to British Malaya where she worked as a journalist for the Malaya Tribune. Following her father's death she returned to England where she enrolled in Ecoles des Beaux Arts school. Learning she did not excel at art, she enrolled at the Webber Academy of Dramatic Art. It was there she met Michael Denison. The two would eventually marry and would form one of the best known husband and wife acting teams in the United Kingdom. They would be married for 59 years, until Mr. Denison's death.

In 1939 Miss Gray made her professional debut in Hay Fever at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland. While Mr. Denison served in World War II, she played with repertories in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Harrogate. Afterwards she went to London to play in Shakespeare at the Open Air Theatre in Regent Park. It was in 1942 that she made her debut on the West End in Little Foxes. It was her role in the play Brighton Rock that attracted the attention of Gainsborough Pictures, who signed her to a contract.

Dulcie Gray made her film debut in a small part in Banana Ridge in 1942. She went onto appear in such films as Two Thousand Women (1944), A Place of One's Own (1945), They Were Sisters (1945), Mine Own Executioner (1947), A Man About the House (1947), and The Glass Mountain.

In the Fifties Miss Gray made her debut on television in an adaptation of the play Milestones in 1951. Throughout the decade she appeared on such shows as Rheingold Theatre, Alfred Marks Time, BBC Sunday Night Theatre, and ITV Play of the Week. She appeared in such films as The Franchise Affair (1951), Angels One Five (1952), and There Was a Young Lady (1953). In the Sixties Dulcie Gray appeared in the movie A Man Could Get Killed (1966) and the TV series ITV Playhouse. In the Seventies she appeared on the TV series Crown Court and BBC Playhouse of the Month.

In the Eighties Miss Gray was a regular on the series Howard's Way, on which she played Kate Harvey. She appeared on the shows Play for Today, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Three Up Two Down,. In the Nineties she appeared on the shows Tales From the Crypt and Doctors. In 1996 she and Michael Denison appeared on Broadway for the first time in a revival of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband.

In addition to being an actress and singer, Dulcie Gray was also a mystery novelist. Her first novel, Murder on the Stairs, was published in 1957. She would go onto write around two dozen mystery novels, most of them featuring the character of Inspector Cardiff. She also wrote eight radio plays and many short stories. One, "The Fur Brooch," was adapted as an episode of Night Gallery. Miss Gray was also one of the foremost experts on butterflies. In 1978 she published the scholarly study Butterflies on My Mind.

As an actress it is difficult to separate Miss Gray's career from that of her husband, Michael Denison. As a team Mr. Denison and Miss Gray acted together many, many times. As an individual actress she was often compared to Googie Withers. That having been said, Dulcie Gray was actually quite talented as an actress. In They Were Sisters she appeared without her husband, playing opposite James Mason as the wife he destroys. It was an impressive and sensitive performance and one of the stand out performances in the film. Of course, Miss Gray was more than an actress. As a mystery novelist she wrote popular books, some of which are in print to this day. She was also quite knowledgeable as a lepidopterist. Butterflies on My Mind won the Times Senior Information Book Award. Although Dulcie Gray was not the best known of the Gainsborough Girls, she was certain a woman of multiple and considerable talents.

Actor Sid Melton Passes On

2011-11-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

Sid Melton, best known for playing Charlie Halper on Make Room for Daddy and Alf Monroe on Green Acres, passed on 2 November 2011 at the age of 94.

Sid Melton was born Sidney Meltzer in Brooklyn, New York on 22 May 1917. His father was Isidor Meltzer, a well known performer in Yiddish theatre. His brother Lewis Meltzer was a screenwriter who worked on such movies as The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and High School Confidential (1958). He made his film debut in a small part in New York Town in 1941. He would go on to appear in such film as Shadow of the Tin Man (1941), Blondie Goes to College (1942), Cario (1942), Girls in Chains (1943), George White's Scandals (1945), Suspense (1946), White Heat (1949), and On the Town (1949).

In the Fifties Sid Melton appeared in such films as The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), Leave It to the Marines (1951), The Naked Street (1955), Edge of Hell (1956), Public Pigeon No. One (1957), Designing Woman (1957), The Tunnel of Love (1958), and The Buccaneer (1958). Like many actors of the era, Mr. Melton's career increasingly shifted to television in the Fifties. He was a regular as Ichabod "Ikky" Mudd on Captain Midnight and played the night club owner Charlie Halper on Make Room for Daddy starting in 1959. He guest starred on such shows as Our Miss Brooks, Adventures of Superman, Cheyenne, Date with the Angels, The Jack Benny Programme, The Thin Man, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, December Bride, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Peter Gunn, and Bachelor Father.

In the Sixties Sid Melton was a semi-regular on Green Acres as carpenter Alf Monroe. He reprised his role as Charley Halper in the sequel series to Make Room for Daddy, Make Room for Grandaddy. He guest starred on such shows as The Joey Bishop Show, The Munsters, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Run Buddy Run, The Danny Thomas Hour, That Girl, Petticoat Junction, Daktari, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., and I Dream of Jeannie.

In the Seventies Sid Melton guest starred on such shows as The Chicago Teddy Bears, Love American Style, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, The Doris Day Show, and Rhoda. He appeared in the films Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Hit! (1973), That Lady from Peking (1975), and Game Show Models (1977). In the Eighties Mr. Melton played the recurring role of Sophia's late husband on The Golden Girls. He guest starred on such shows as The Fall Guy and Hunter. In the Nineties he guest starred on Major Dad, Nurses, Blossom, Empty Nest, and Dave's World.

Perhaps no actor was as good at comedy relief as Sid Melton. It was the role he played in the majority of films and television shows in which he appeared. Even in the films noir and science fiction features in which he appeared, Mr. Melton was usually the comic relief. The reason for this is quite simply that he was very good at it. Very few supporting actors in movies or TV shows could be as funny as Sid Melton. What is more, he did not play simply one sort of character. He was equally adept at playing stressed out, nervous nightclub owners (Charlie Halper) as he was clumsy, inept carpenters (Alf Monroe) and small time con men (Friendly Freddy, his recurring character on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.). It is because Mr. Melton was so good that his career boasts a unique honour: he appeared as a regular on semi-regular on three classic sitcoms (Make Room For Daddy, Green Acres, and The Golden Girls). When it came to comedy relief, they didn't maek them any better than Sid Melton.

Actress Margaret Field R.I.P.

2011-11-11T23:27:00.048-06:00

Actress Margaret Field passed on 6 November 2011 at the age of 89. The cause was cancer. She was the mother of actress Sally Field.

Margaret Field was born on Houston on 10 May 1922. During World War Ii she moved to Pasadena, California. There she was discovered by talent scout Milton Lewis, and she was signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures. Margaret Field made her screen debut in 1945 in a bit part in The Little Witch. Over the next several years she appeared in such films as Double Rhythm (1946), The Perils of Pauline (1947), The Paleface (1948), My Friend Irma (1949), and Samson and Delilah (1949). In 1949 she made her debut on television in a guest appearance on The Lone Ranger.

In the Fifties Miss Field appeared in such films as The Man From Planet X (1951) and Captive Women (1952). Her career largely shifted to television, and she guest starred ons such shows as Racket Squad, Fireside Theatre, The Range Rider, Death Valley Days, The Lone Wolf, Climax, King's Row, Make Room for Daddy, The Loretta Young Show, Wagon Train, M Squad, Westinghouse Desliu Playhouse, The Rebel, The Westerner, The Untouchables, and Perry Mason.

In the Sixties she appeared on such shows as Lawman, The Dick Powell Theatre, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Adam-12, and My Three Sons. In the early Seventies she retied from acting to concentrate on raising her family.

Television Writer and Director Hal Kanter Passes On

2011-11-10T22:47:00.061-06:00

Television producer, director, and writer Hal Kanter passed on 6 November 2011 at the age of 92. Mr. Kanter had worked such shows as The George Gobel Show and the ground breaking sitcom Julia.

Hal Kanter was born in Savannah, Georgia on 18 December 1918. His father, Albert Kanter, would become famous as the creator of the long running comic book series Classics Illustrated. Mr. Kanter was a writer from a very young age. He was only 11 when he sold his first article to a newspaper. He was only 16 when he worked as a full-fledged newspaper writer. It was in the late Thirties that Mr. Kanter broke into radio when one of Eddie Cantor's writers hired him to write jokes for only $10 a week. He would go onto write for Bob Hope on The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope and the anthology show Grand Central Station. During his service in World War II Hal Kanter worked as a writer for Armed Forces Radio. Following the war Mr. Kanter worked on such radio programmes Amos and Andy, Beulah, Philco Radio Time (which starred Bing Crosby), and The Danny Kaye Show.

It was 1949 that Hal Kanter broke into television as head writer on The Ed Wynn Show. He would go on to write and produce The George Gobel Show. In 1964 he created, wrote, and produced the sitcom Valentine's Day. It was in 1968 that Hal Kanter created the series Julia. The sitcom starred Diahan Carroll in the title role. Julia was historic as the first American television show to star an African American woman in a role that was not that of a stereotype. He would go onto create and write for The Jimmy Stewart Show. He also wrote episodes of All in the Family, and Chico and the Man. He also wrote for several Academy Awards ceremonies.

Hal Kanter also worked in film as well. He wrote screenplays for such films as Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), Road to Bali (1952), Casanova's Big Night (1954), Artists and Models (1955), Blue Hawaii (1961), Pocketful of Miracles (1961), Move Over, Darling (1963), and Dear Brigitte (1965). Mr. Kanter also directed a few films, including Loving You (1957), I Married a Woman (1958), and Once Upon a Horse (1958).

As a comedy writer Hal Kanter's gift was his razor sharp wit. He could had a talent for coming up with incredibly funny lines, a talent that served him well not only in the many radio shows and TV shows on which he worked, but as a co-writer on Academy Awards ceremonies as well. It was a talent that was very much on display in many of the films on which he worked, particularly Road to Bali and Move Over, Darling. Of course, he was also very much a pioneer. In creating Julia Mr. Kanter gave American television its first female, African American character who was not only not a domestic or a stereotype, but a professional woman (Julia was a nurse). Like I Spy before it, Julia opened new doors for African Americans in television. As a very funny man with a sharp wit and a true pioneer in television, Hal Kanter will be remembered.