The making of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962).

August 11, 2017 Alan Royle 1

  Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is a remarkable movie for many reasons, not the least of which is that it runs for 227 minutes (the restored Roadshow print) without a single word being uttered by a female! No women, no romance and no love story. Most Hollywood experts would automatically […]

The many loves of Rita Hayworth

August 7, 2017 Alan Royle 14

  RITA HAYWORTH (1918-87) As a teenager Margarita Cansino (Rita Hayworth) was sexually abused by her abominable father, a Latin dancer named Eduardo Cansino, who not only abused her himself, but rented her out to his cronies. When she confided this to her husband Orson Welles he was rightly appalled. […]

The many loves of Ingrid Bergman.

August 5, 2017 Alan Royle 31

  INGRID BERGMAN (1915 – 82)                   Most fans are genuinely surprised to find that many of the screen’s biggest movie stars are diminutive in stature. It probably has a lot to do with cinema-goers seeing their idols enlarged on theatre screens, […]

The many loves of Ava Gardner.

August 3, 2017 Alan Royle 29

  AVA GARDNER (1922-90)            Ava was a ‘knockout’, possibly the sexiest woman ever to grace a movie screen. She married Mickey Rooney when he was the number one box-office draw in movies (she refused to sleep with him unless he married her first). Within three weeks or so of the […]

The many loves of Lana Turner.

August 1, 2017 Alan Royle 5

  LANA TURNER (1921-95)   1936:   Wayne Morris, who would become a fighter pilot hero in World War Two, was Lana’s first Hollywood crush.   1937:   Ronald Reagan was her first studio-arranged romance, although it is generally believed that their relationship did not go beyond a few horse-riding outings. However, […]

A couple of English roses – Simmons & Bloom.

July 30, 2017 Alan Royle 5

    JEAN SIMMONS (1929 – 2010) Jean Simmons was her real name and she hailed from Crouch Hill, London. She was barely sixteen when she landed a miniscule part in the British film Caesar and Cleopatra in 1945. The production proved to be an opportunity (however small) for several […]

ANGELINA JOLIE – Smoke and mirrors?

July 28, 2017 Alan Royle 4

  Angelina Jolie is an enigma. She is both secretive and outrageously candid. She is selfish and at times quite selfless. She can be buoyant and effervescent one minute; depressed and suicidal the next. From an early age she was highly sexual and into self-mutilation. Her mother seemingly encouraged the […]

Hollywood philanthropists – a quick look.

July 26, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  In the last 20-30 years there has developed a philanthropic culture in Hollywood involving superstars in the movie industry. Cynics are quick to accuse these people of ‘image-making’, or of diverting media attention from potential career-damaging headlines of a personal nature. In some instances that has certainly happened, but […]

ROCK HUDSON – An all-time great sex symbol.

July 24, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  In 1995, Empire magazine named the Top 100 Sexiest Stars in Movie History and Rock Hudson came in at # 28. Today, of course, he is best remembered for his sexuality rather than his appeal to female cinema-goers around the world. Rock was the first big star to be […]