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 […]

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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 […]

IN THE BEGINNING…PT 5

January 6, 2018 Alan Royle 0

SAM ELLIOTT (1944 – ) Sam made his (official) movie debut in the 1969 runaway success Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. His future wife, Katharine Ross, also appeared in that film, but they never met on the set because their scenes were shot on different days. It would be […]

TOP 10 RELATIONSHIPS – PT1 – CLARK GABLE

January 4, 2018 Alan Royle 0

When deciding to look at some of the big stars and their personal lives, I thought it might be intriguing to settle on a ‘Top 10’ loves for each of them. Commencing with the ‘King of Hollywood’, I immediately realized that selecting just ten and placing them in order of […]

CHILD STARS OF BYGONE DAYS – PT3

December 31, 2017 Alan Royle 10

      BOBBY BLAKE (1933 – )                                              as Little Beaver (R) with Bill Elliott as Red Ryder He was born Mickey Gubitosi in New Jersey in 1933, a […]

Child stars of bygone days – PT2.

December 29, 2017 Alan Royle 2

MATTHEW ‘STYMIE’ BEARD (1925 – 81)              During the Depression years Americans found something to laugh about at the movies watching the antics of a group of talented children in the ‘Our Gang’ and ‘Little Rascals’ comedy shorts. One of those extraordinary kids was an […]

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Child Stars of Bygone Days – PT1

December 27, 2017 Alan Royle 0

This is the first article about the myriad child stars who graced movies and television since the very beginning of the movie industry until around 1980. I have left out the more recent ones because their stories are mostly still to be written. So, we shall take a trip down […]