Notable Character Actresses – PT4

January 28, 2018 Alan Royle 0

MARGARET HAMILTON (1902 – 85) The Wizard of Oz (1939)                     State of the Union (1948)                    These Three (1936) As the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939) Margaret Hamilton became so identified with her role as the witch in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, that throughout […]

Some Notable Character Actresses – PT 1.

January 22, 2018 Alan Royle 0

MARGARET DUMONT (1882 – 1965) Margaret Dumont’s great claim to movie fame was her regular role as the ‘straight woman’ to the Marx Brothers in their movies. She was totally bald beneath her wigs and, consequently, wore them all the time. Groucho was convinced that she rarely understood the group’s […]

DRUGS IN THE SILENT ERA PT 1.

January 20, 2018 Alan Royle 3

  If you have ever wondered about the origins of drug use in Hollywood, when it started and how widespread its use may have been, then this article should provide at least a partial answer to those questions. These days, the practice of snorting coke at parties, even on some […]

The cast of ‘Gilligan’s Island’ (1964-7).

January 18, 2018 Alan Royle 4

This immensely popular series commenced shooting in late 1963. In the very first shot of the opening credits, the American flag is quite evident, flying at half-mast. Not long before filming began, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in November. Back in 1961, Newton Minow was head of […]

B LIST BEAUTIES – PT 8

January 16, 2018 Alan Royle 4

MARLA ENGLISH (1935 – 2012) Marla was one of those ‘promising’ beauties who might have been successful in the movie business if she had taken the opportunities presented to her and if she had gotten the right breaks at the right time. Success or failure in Hollywood often depends on […]

In the Beginning… (Pt 6) Those Collins Girls.

January 14, 2018 Alan Royle 9

      Jackie & Joan Collins Joan and Jackie Collins each made a name for herself in Hollywood in the sixties and seventies and beyond, one as a screen goddess and all-round society girl, the other as a best-selling writer of risqué novels. Both attended Francis Holland School at […]

No Image

AUSSIES BORN & BRED? NOT REALLY.

January 12, 2018 Alan Royle 0

                  TOM BURLINSON (1956 – )                      as Tommy Woodcock in Phar Lap (1983)     ‘Simply Sinatra’ After appreciating his playing of Tommy Woodcock; ‘strapper’ for the legendary racehorse Phar Lap in the 1983 movie of the […]

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE M.A.S.H. STARS?

January 10, 2018 Alan Royle 2

The hugely successful M.A.S.H. series on TV ran from 1972 to 1983, 251 episodes. There were twelve regular players over that time. Five of them have since died. Only two of the dozen appeared in all 251 episodes – Alan Alda and Loretta Swit. Two others made over 200 appearances […]

WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘DAD’S ARMY’? (1968-77)

January 8, 2018 Alan Royle 7

‘DAD’S ARMY’ (1968-77) The BBC hit series Dad’s Army ran for nine seasons, from 1968 until 1977. It started rather lamely and it must have been a touch and go decision to continue with it after the first season. The acting was so-so, the screenplays generally quite poor, and the […]