mel brooks

MOVIE TRIVIA – PT 20.

June 9, 2018 // 2 Comments

Orson Welles circa 1938 The Night That Panicked America (1975) was a tele-movie about the legendary 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre group, of a version of The War of the Worlds, that ‘millions of Americans, supposedly, took seriously’, believing the USA was under attack by aliens. The truth of the matter is much different, [...]

Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers’ – 1967 & 2005.

March 22, 2017 // 0 Comments

I have seen the original 1967 version of The Producers a number of times because I enjoy many of scenes and the script is very funny indeed. When you consider that I simply cannot abide Gene Wilder in anything, it is no small compliment to the rest of the cast that I keep returning to the film despite his irritating presence in it. Zero Mostel is extremely funny and Kenneth Mars as [...]

‘Hollywood – The Skeletons Are Out’ – a sampling

October 19, 2016 // 0 Comments

My latest book is titled Hollywood: The Skeletons Are Out. It contains 1,200 direct quotes by actors and directors about themselves, their colleagues and their films. Here is a random two dozen of them: Young Joan Collins When Joan Collins was asked if she was ever unfaithful, she replied: ‘Yes, but only on location. I used to say, ‘it doesn’t count on location.’ Everybody was [...]

Actors marrying other actors – PT 15

September 25, 2016 // 6 Comments

COLMAN, Ronald HUME, Benita 1938 – 58 (his death) Ronald Colman was very nearly one of the millions of fatalities of World War One. He had only been in France for two months when he was seriously gassed at the battle of Messines and invalided out of the battle zone [...]

Actors marrying other actors PT 3.

July 29, 2016 // 5 Comments

BACALL, Lauren – BOGART, Humphrey 1945 to 1957 (his death) ROBARDS, Jason 1961 to 1969 (div.) Bogie & Bacall Jason Robards & Betty Bacall And with Frank Sinatra Lauren (known [...]

Did you know? Points of interest Pt. 18

October 28, 2015 // 2 Comments

If the executives at Warner Bros. had their way it is very likely that Blazing Saddles might never have seen the light of day. They watched a private screening and none of them laughed at any part of it. Director and creator Mel Brooks then showed it to Warners employees and they laughed uproariously throughout the screening, convincing head office to take a chance with it. The [...]

A few snippets from Frank Langella.

July 20, 2015 // 2 Comments

Oscar-nominated actor Frank Langella published his most entertaining biography titled, Dropped Names: Famous Men & Women as I Knew Them, in 2013. It is a scathing one that pulls few, if any, punches. Here are a few snippets from it, some of his observations down the decades, along with the occasional added comment that might be of interest. Bancroft, Anne: Langella [...]