More on Harrison Ford.

March 2, 2017 Alan Royle 0

  It remains debatable whether or not Carrie Fisher introduced Harrison Ford to marijuana or if he was already into it before they made Star Wars together in 1977, but there is no doubt that by the 1980s he was more or less an authority on the stuff. During a […]

Actors marrying other actors – PT 21.

February 28, 2017 Alan Royle 0

     Danny DEVITO                              Rhea PERLMAN                  1982 –   Diminutive Danny DeVito (4’10” – 1.47m) has been married to comedienne Rhea Perlman since 1982 and they have three children. At 5’ (1.52m) Rhea towers over her husband. In 2012 the couple separated for five months, but reconciled in March 2013. […]

Custer of the West (1967) – So much for history.

February 26, 2017 Alan Royle 0

  There have been a great many movies made about Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn, some good and some not so good. This version, however, fits in neither category. It is that bad. It is one thing to ‘manipulate’ the facts a […]

Marlene Dietrich – femme fatale.

February 24, 2017 Alan Royle 8

  Try as I might, I find it extremely difficult to seriously dislike Marlene Dietrich. She was a hedonist, cheerfully bisexual, afraid of nothing and no-one, and she called a spade a spade. Almost without exception, she was friendly with her colleagues, heads of state, great writers and other famous […]

Miss Peggy Lee

February 22, 2017 Alan Royle 0

                                      Peggy Lee was not only an extraordinary singer, she also had the makings of a fine dramatic actress as evidenced by her Oscar nomination for Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955). She later complained […]

WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1929

February 20, 2017 Alan Royle 1

A new batch of WAMPAS Baby Stars were named in 1929. Two went on to be big stars, three others enjoyed a modicum of fame and the remaining eight faded into oblivion. The 1929 group (top L to R): Loretta Young, Josephine Dunn, Jean Arthur, Doris Hill, Anita Page, (centre L to […]

Did you know?

February 18, 2017 Alan Royle 2

          It did not take Hollywood long to start altering World War Two history. Shooting began on Wake Island (1942) even before the battle for the island had ended. In all there were 449 military personnel on this tiny speck in the Pacific (plus 1221 civilian workers). By […]

‘Correction, apology & thanks’.

February 16, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  It has been kindly brought to my attention that a piece of information I included in one of my books, concerning the disappearance of British actor Leslie Howard, was in error. Mr. Howard was aboard a civilian aircraft that was shot down by German Junkers over the Bay of […]

When is an Indian not an Indian? (PT 2).

February 16, 2017 Alan Royle 1

  On February 14, I posted the first part of this article, featuring a selection of non-Native Americans who have portrayed Amerindians in movies over the past 100 years or so. It was not a comprehensive list. In part two the focus shifts to the genuine Native Americans who now […]

When is an Indian not an Indian? (PT 1)

February 14, 2017 Alan Royle 4

  Until around about the eighties very few actual Native Americans were employed playing Indians in Hollywood movies. Thankfully, since then that has changed and there are numerous Native American actors making healthy livings in westerns and other genres. Over the next few days I shall examine some of those […]