PETER ORTIZ (1913-88) The highlight of the undistinguished film career of Peter Ortiz was probably his portrayal of Captain St. Jacques in the 1950 John Wayne western Rio Grande. His wartime career, however, is the stuff of legend. Multi-lingual Pierre ‘Peter’ Ortiz was the most decorated man to […]
I was a ‘baby-boomer’, born in 1947, and grew up in Fremantle, Western Australia, in an era when drive-in movies were the big thing during the 1960s. My mates and my brothers and I would zoom off to the drive-in, two or three times a week during the summer […]
Jane Wyman & Ronald Reagan Lew Ayres & Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda (1948) Ronald Reagan married Jane Wyman in 1940, but by the time she made Johnny Belinda (1948) she wanted out. She was tired, she said, of her husband’s incessant talking, for one thing. Her unutterable boredom was palpable to […]
Ben Fisz Former Polish World War Two fighter pilot Ben Fisz discovered a book called ‘Skis Against the Atom’ in a London public library and convinced himself it would make a terrific movie. He quietly purchased the film rights from the author, then hired a writer to work […]
The American backers for the projected James Bond film Dr No (1962) were unimpressed with Sean Connery’s test footage. Co-producer Cubby Broccoli sent a memo to his partner Harry Saltzman: ‘Feel we can do better.’ In fact, they could not do better at all. Cary Grant, James Mason, Michael Redgrave, […]
In the previous post I looked at the passing of Carrie Fisher, Michael Massee, Jon Polito, Florence Henderson, David Bowie, Patty Duke, Alan Rickman, Alan Thicke, Charmian Carr, Dan Haggerty, Kenny Baker, Robert Vaughn, Gene Wilder and Ronnie Corbett. Here are some more unique individuals who failed to see […]
Every year the movie world loses irreplaceable talent to the ravages of time, illness and mishap, and 2016 was no exception. Here is a brief look at some of the performers whose unique personas will no longer grace our screens. Fortunately, unlike most of us, their best works will […]
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, […]
Enough has been written down the decades about this iconic musical to last a lifetime. I thought it might be interesting, instead, to find out what has happened to the cast members in the interim. Here is a brief rundown on the major players. Where possible I have included pictures […]
It is hard to believe that the star of The Sound of Music will be eighty in October. Why do I suddenly feel very old? Even as a 10 year old she possessed ‘an enormous, belting, freak voice with a range of four octaves and some fierce high notes’. […]
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