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, […]

Hollywood & the Catholic Legion of Decency (CLOD).

December 18, 2016 Alan Royle 6

  At the zenith of their power the ‘Seven Sisters’ (MGM, Warners, Paramount, Universal, Columbia, Fox and RKO) did much as they pleased. Few outsiders had any influence over their decisions or their conduct. Few, that is, with the exception of the Catholic Legion of Decency (CLOD). They were a […]

Past Oscars PT 5 – (1961-66)

November 16, 2016 Alan Royle 0

    1961               West Side Story – Best Picture                         Maximilian Schell – Best Actor for Judgment at Nuremberg                         George Chakiris – Best Supporting Actor for West Side Story                                                               Except for Fanny, I have seen each of the nominees – West Side Story, Judgment at Nuremberg, […]

Past Oscar-winners – some observations – Pt 3.

October 9, 2016 Alan Royle 0

    1949               All the King’s Men – Best Picture                         Broderick Crawford – Best Actor for All the King’s Men   Broderick Crawford Greg Peck as General Savage in Twelve O’Clock High Having seen all five nominated films for 1949, I am surprised that All the King’s Men came out on […]

Did you know? (D)

June 27, 2016 Alan Royle 3

    Recently I watched a British WW2 drama made in 1953 called Appointment in London (aka Raiders in the Sky). It was pretty good, too, although the final segment (a bomber raid on Germany) was drawn out far too long. The cast was first class with Dirk Bogarde, Ian […]

My Top 10 Handsome Actors

February 10, 2016 admin 8

  If I was given the chance to change my appearance to look like an actor, these are the Top 10 actors I would pick. I have no doubt that nobody else on planet Earth would choose the same ten I have chosen, surely not in the same order anyway. […]

Good Guys & Gals (Pt 1)

January 21, 2016 admin 8

  Like any community, Hollywood has had its share of men and women who excelled as human beings, not just in their chosen profession, but in their private lives as well. In an industry where the slightest miss-step is plastered all over the media, to go through decades without drawing […]

Barbara Payton – what a waste.

December 6, 2015 admin 37

  One of Hollywood’s truly tragic stories was that of Barbara Payton, a pretty and talented actress who experienced both the highs and lows of life in Tinsel Town. Just sixteen years after starring alongside Gregory Peck in the western feature Only the Valiant (1951) she was dead. Her body was […]

Did you know? Items of interest Part 2.

August 16, 2015 admin 9

  Mimi Rogers Until 1990 Tom Cruise was a Catholic. In fact, at 18 years of age he studied to become a priest, but changed his mind after one year. His first wife, actress Mimi Rogers, convinced him to renounce Catholicism and embrace the Church of Scientology. In 2003, he […]

The best male voices in movies?

March 29, 2015 admin 7

There are several factors that come together to produce a motion picture star. Obviously, being able to actually act is a major component. Even so, I have no doubt there are countless great actors out there who will never, ever become movie stars, simply because ability on its own just […]