MOVIE TRIVIA – PT179.

MOVIE TRIVIA – PT179.

 

Happy 130th Birthday Marjorie Main – Waldina

Marjorie Main

Marjorie Main was an MGM character actress loaned out to Universal for the ten ‘Ma & Pa Kettle’ films that proved so successful. Her real life husband of 14 years, Stanley Krebs, passed away in 1935 when she was in her forty-fifth year, but she continued to have ‘conversations’ with him until her own death in 1975! In fact, she was known to occasionally interrupt a scene in a movie, chat with him, and then matter-of-factly let the director know it was now OK to continue filming. Debbie Reynolds wrote in her biography Unsinkable, that Marjorie was known to occasionally bring the urn containing Stanley’s ashes with her to the MGM Commissary. She would order an extra meal for him and carry on conversation as if he were still alive and dining with her!

Peter O'Toole Retires With 'Dry-Eyed Farewell' – CBS San Francisco

Peter O’Toole in his later years

In 1976, Peter O’Toole underwent surgery to remove parts of his stomach and intestine. At the time his condition was attributed to his heavy drinking, but it was later revealed that he had actually been suffering from stomach cancer! The following year he almost died from a blood disorder; these two serious issues greatly affecting his ability to work at that time. Nominated no fewer than eight times for the Best Actor Academy Award throughout his career, he never once went on to win. When advised he was to receive a Special Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2003, he wrote a letter of refusal to the Academy, saying he would like more time to ‘win the lovely bugger outright’. He only attended the ceremony after being told the award would be bestowed whether he did so or not.

The Ace Black Blog: Movie Review: Raintree County (1957)

Monty Clift & Liz Taylor in Raintree County (1957)

Raintree County (1957) was MGM’s rather lame attempt to emulate at least part of the success enjoyed by 1939’s American Civil War epic Gone with the Wind. Problems beset the production quite early in filming, particularly when leading man Montgomery Clift was seriously injured in a car crash shortly after leaving a party at the home of his co-star Elizabeth Taylor. Clift’s face was horrifically injured and filming had to be halted while surgeons worked hard to reconstruct his appearance over several months. By the time he returned to the set his addiction to alcohol and pain-killers was at once apparent. Indeed, on at least two occasions, he was found running stark naked through the streets. On another, his hand was badly burnt when he fell asleep with a lit cigarette between his fingers. Elizabeth had her own issues. During filming she became embroiled in an affair with entrepreneur Mike Todd, despite being married to Michael Wilding at the time, and ultimately became ill enough to be hospitalized for a week. On its eventual conclusion, Raintree County ran for 168 minutes. It was too long, tedious and dull; a far cry from being a second GWTW.

Martine McCutcheon interview on pop comeback - 'I never fell out of love with music' | Music | Entertainment | Express.co.uk

Singer Martine McCutcheon

Lovely Martine McCutcheon played Hugh Grant’s love interest in 2003’s Love Actually, but she had already made a name for herself back in 1995 when, as a nineteen year-old, she first played Tiffany Raymond in the TV soap EastEnders. In April ’99, she hit the pop music charts in a big way when her debut single ‘Perfect Moment’ entered them at #1 and stayed on top for two weeks. In fact, her first five singles entered the charts in Top 10 spots. Her albums were also successful yet, by 2013 she was declared bankrupt by the courts; among her creditors HM Revenue & Customs.

Marco López

Marco Lopez in Chuka (1967)

Marco Lopez was Elvis Presley’s first stand-in when the legendary singer debuted in Love Me Tender (1956). Later, in the mid-sixties he was employed as one of Rod Taylor’s ‘hoods’, the collective name the Australian actor gave to his three bodyguards. When Rod made Chuka (1967), Lopez was given the role of Hanu, the Indian chieftain, and was noticeable enough to land a regular gig as Officer Sanchez in the popular TV cop show Adam-12 (1968-75).

Karl Malden And Wife Mona Were Married For 70 Years Before He Passed

Mona & Karl Malden

Karl Malden and his wife Mona married in 1938 and the union lasted 71 years until his death in 2009. At that time, theirs was the third longest marriage in Hollywood history, surpassing the 69 years of Bob and Dolores Hope (1934 until Bob’s death in 2003). The Malden marriage is currently third behind that of Art Linkletter & Lois Foerster (1935-2010) – 74 years, and Norman & Peggy Lloyd whose 75 year marriage ended with Peggy’s death in 2011. Incidentally, as of this writing (July 2020), Norman Lloyd is heading towards his 106th birthday on the 8th of November.

5 reasons Kris Kristofferson is the most interesting man in the world - Americas Military Entertainment Brand

Kris Kristofferson circa 1964

Singer/actor and Rhodes Scholar Kris Kristofferson is also a former United States Army Rangers captain. After graduating from Airborne School, Ranger School and flight school, he served in Germany before volunteering for service in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. In 1965, however, he was offered a professor of English Literature position at USMA West Point instead. He showed his disappointment over not being permitted to fight in Vietnam by resigning his position. A couple of years after leaving the army he flew helicopters for the Tennessee National Guard. In fact, Kristofferson got his start in the music business by landing his helicopter in Johnny Cash’s backyard and presenting him with a song he had written. Cash later recorded the song. Kris would ultimately lose his helicopter license because of his heavy drinking problem at that time; having actually passed out at the controls on one occasion.

Billy Wilder Movies | Ultimate Movie Rankings

Legendary director Billy Wilder

Michael Caine wrote in his biography that he was surprised to find director Billy Wilder living in a flat instead of a villa. When Caine visited the famous director of Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Some Like it Hot (1959), he was surprised to find Billy’s apartment chock-full of paintings, with no room left to hang them on the walls. His modern art collection was put together over a lifetime. He sold a portion of it in 1989 for $32.6 million!

George Cukor - Hollywood's Golden Age

George Cukor

Upon his death in 1983, director George Cukor was interred in the Garden of Honour at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, California, in an unmarked grave in a private area not accessible to the general public. Frances Goldwyn (formerly Francis Howard), wife of mogul Samuel Goldwyn, is buried next to Cukor at her request, because of her long, but unrequited, love for him.

 

 

5 Comments

    • Ha! Dontcha hate it when you write something cool and blow it with your editing? I do it all the time, Dan. I positively LOVED The Goon Show. They took the Mickey out of everyone (including Oz), but that is the prerogative of top quality comedians. All this current ‘political correctness’ crap is hamstringing the best in the business. It’s funny how the Brits like to ridicule Australia, especially given the fact that they started off the non-Aboriginal side of things by using our continent as a dumping ground for their convicts! Fortunately, there were more Irish than English in the bunch so we got the cream of British society instead of the dregs. You can’t keep a good Irishman down, in my opinion. Mind you, we ridicule the poor bloody Kiwis in much the same way, and they’re probably better than us, too. It’s all pretty good-humoured though. In Oz we have been raised on American movies and TV, so we are kind of half Aussie and half American (with a touch of Ireland tossed in). Not a bad combination when you add in the 3% of the population that is Aboriginal. I have played both Aussie football (not that sissy soccer) and darts against Aboriginals and the buggars run rings around white guys in both. Good to hear from you, Dan.

  1. Hi Alan–fun feature about Hollywood marital longevity, which is to some extent underemphasized. I would add Eva Marie Saint and Jeffrey Hayden (65 years until his death), William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett (70 years and counting!). And I would add Bob Newhart and his wife Ginnie. ONLY 57 years, but going strong. I mention them because Bob is, in my opinion, a much funnier comedian than the other Bob. I imagine there are other long-lived Hollywood marriages, and certainly salute them all.

    And of course we salute the vastly long life of the great Norman Lloyd who passed away this May 11 at 106. You noted in your piece that he was alive as of July 2020. All correct and accurate. But just reading it reminded me of a sketch I heard about the Ned Kelly legend (or fact) many decades ago on a retrospective of The Goon Show from the BBC. It began thus: “It was 1950 in England, but still only 1861 in Australia. Such is the difference in time between these two great nations…” I will stop there because it went on to be kind of mean to Australia, but that one line has stuck with me for probably 55 years. Humor, like marriage, can acquire longevity if it’s enough fun…

    And by the way, Australia, as you well know, has worked out just fine, even if no one here knows what time it there. Cheers!

  2. Martine Mccutcheon was hardly on stage during her run on My Fair Lady yet still was awarded an Olivier award! Her co star Jonathan Pryce vowed never to work with her again.

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