FIFTIES MOVIE TRIVIA – PT5

March 7, 2018 Alan Royle 3

  Joan Collins in The Opposite Sex (1956) The Opposite Sex (1956) was a musical re-make of the 1939 film The Women. It was also one of the early vehicles for the new British bombshell Joan Collins. New to the movies and to MGM, she recalled walking past the studio […]

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 […]

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 Romances of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

June 24, 2017 Alan Royle 40

    The stunning American actress Grace Kelly only made eleven movies in her brief but spectacular career. By most accounts she made hay with most of her leading men while the sun shone. But not all of them. Her supporters argue that she was basically seeking a father substitute […]

‘Hollywood – The Skeletons Are Out’ – a sampling

October 19, 2016 Alan Royle 0

  My latest book is titled Hollywood: The Skeletons Are Out. It contains 1,200 direct quotes by actors and directors about themselves, their colleagues and their films. Here is a random two dozen of them:   Young Joan Collins When Joan Collins was asked if she was ever unfaithful, she […]

My Top 50 Handsome Actors (Pt2)

February 8, 2016 admin 10

    #30   Jeff Bridges Better looking than his dad or his brother #29   Stewart Granger In his best role as Scaramouche #28   Pierce Brosnan In his very first film – The Long Good Friday #27   Tom Berenger He was really strong in Platoon #26   Patrick Dempsey ‘McDreamy’ […]

PETER USTINOV – A truly great man

October 10, 2015 admin 1

  Few character actors can boast a resume like that of the late Peter Ustinov, probably because few possessed the extraordinary qualities he possessed. Not only was he an outstanding actor in both movies and stage plays, but he was also a successful writer, director, producer, journalist and raconteur. He […]

STEWART GRANGER – A man’s man – mostly.

June 7, 2015 admin 8

  It is difficult not to admire English actor Stewart Granger. In an era that spawned a generation of actors and actresses ready and willing to do and say whatever their studios demanded of them, and equally unwilling to cross powerful gossip columnists like Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons for […]