Hollywood Mysteries Pt 2.

July 18, 2017 Alan Royle 2

      The victim – 1959 – Beverly Hills, California  George Reeves (45) The corpse of George Reeves, television’s Superman, was found naked in his bedroom at 1.59am by his party guests who then waited 45 minutes before calling police. Why the delay? And why would George get completely […]

Hollywood Mysteries Pt 1.

July 16, 2017 Alan Royle 0

                        There has been a number of mysterious deaths in Hollywood and the movie (and TV )business over the past hundred or so years. Over the next week or so I shall briefly look at the most interesting of […]

50 TOP MALE SUPPORTING ACTORS PT 2 (25-1)

July 14, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  25        JOE PANTOLIANO I enjoyed Joe Pantoliano as Guido in Risky Business (1983), Eddie Moscone in Midnight Run (1988) and as Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive (1993). My only criticism is his over-use of expletives in the roles he chooses. Perhaps, I am just showing my age. 24        AUSTIN […]

50 TOP MALE SUPPORTING ACTORS PT 1 (50-26).

July 12, 2017 Alan Royle 1

    50 GREAT MALE SUPPORTING ACTORS Most of the truly great movies owe much of their success to, not just their leading players, but to the quality of the character actors who support them. We all have our favorites, but here is a selection of mine. You may not […]

DEBORAH KERR – Class and beauty personified.

July 10, 2017 Alan Royle 4

  I have written nine books on Hollywood, mostly on the stars of the so-called ‘Golden Era’, and have reached the slightly disillusioning understanding that most of my readers, (not all I hasten to add), are far more interested in the scandal and gossip than about any of the genuinely […]

The Quigley Poll of Top Box-office Stars PT 3. (1978-2013)

July 8, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  1978       Burt Reynolds 1979       Burt Reynolds 1980       Burt Reynolds 1981       Burt Reynolds 1982       Burt Reynolds We often tend to forget just how popular Burt Reynolds was. Only Bing Crosby and he have topped Quigley five years in succession! The most astonishing thing about Burt’s achievements is that, on scanning […]

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The Quigley Poll of Top Box-office Stars PT 2. (1944-77)

July 6, 2017 Alan Royle 11

  1944       Bing Crosby 1945       Bing Crosby 1946       Bing Crosby 1947       Bing Crosby 1948       Bing Crosby For five straight years Bing Crosby swept all before him. And I still don’t understand why he was so popular. He had a pleasant voice, but his personality grated on me something chronic. I […]

The Quigley Poll of Top Box-office stars PT 1. (1915-43)

July 4, 2017 Alan Royle 2

  The Quigley Publications Poll determined the top box-office stars each year. Here are the winners for each year from 1915 until 2013 – Part 1 (1915-43). 1915       William S. Hart 1916       William S. Hart Hart hailed from New York where he became famous for his 1899 portrayal of Messala […]

The ‘CARRY ON’ pictures Pt 3.

July 2, 2017 Alan Royle 5

  CARRY ON UP THE JUNGLE (1970)   Joan Sims and Frankie Howerd in Carry on up the Jungle By now the regulars in the cast were starting to have delusions of grandeur. Jim Dale turned down the role of the Jungle Boy because he felt the dialogue he was expected […]

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The ‘CARRY ON’ Pictures Pt 2.

June 30, 2017 Alan Royle 0

  CARRY ON COWBOY (1965)   Margaret Nolan in Carry on Cowboy Voluptuous Margaret Nolan makes the first of her six ‘Carry On’ films here playing Miss Jones. Not only was she beautiful, but she also showed a genuine flair for comedy. James Bond fans will recall her as Dink in […]