[Note from Michael: This marks the second to the last week of "The Steve McQueen Film Festival". Our Final Feature will be posted on April 5th; Special Quotations from Steve will be featured April 6th; On April 7th, I have a Special Tribute for all Bloggers & Lurkers who have patiently hung in here with me since February. Finally, On April 8th: Easter Sunday, I will post a simple but memorable "Send Off" that is very timely. Around this week way back in 1968, Warner Brothers & Steve's Solar Productions filmed the famous car chase for the action film, "Bullitt". Here we go! ]
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It's 1972, and Steve McQueen is tapped by Director Sam Pechinpah to play master thief "Doc" McCoy in THE GETAWAY. The film opens on location in Huntsville Penitentiary in Texas where McQueen spent two weeks with real inmates to gain the authenticity he needed for his character "Doc"McCoy--a complex bank robber who thinks twice and decides once with razor sharp instincts. Filming concluded in El Paso. At the time of this movie, Ali MacGraw was married to Paramount Studios boss Robert Evans. It was Evans who suggested that MacGraw be given a chance to play McCoy's wife "Carol". Interestingly, in her real-life autobiography, MacGraw recalls that she knew she was in real trouble within days of filming, as a powerful love affair ensued with McQueen off screen and made for troubling gossip in the media. Helicopters flew over the film crews with paparazzi attempting to capture photos of the duo.
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The plot: McCoy tells his wife to get word to influential Sheriff Benyan who has considerable influence with the prison Parole Board that he's "for sale". A deal is struck where McCoy is told to plan an elaborate bank heist with Benyan's goons. When the heist goes awry, the heat gets turned up as McCoy discovers "the price" Carol paid Benyan to extract his freedom. This tension in the plot must be resolved if their marriage is to remain intact. With relatively little acting experience, McGraw had to learn rather quickly how to drive a getaway car and handle a gun. This role was quite a stretch from her role as "Jenny" in 1970's "Love Story".
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McCoy is a bank robber who nevertheless follows his own moral code. Interesting note: Friend and Actor James Garner who was visiting a friend on the set, was enlisted by long-time McQueen stunt coordinator Carey Loftin to use his driving skills. He is driving the Orange colored VW as McQueen and MacGraw are escaping town. A violent film, McQueen acceded to Peckinpah's insistence that once out of prison the McCoy character would need to go slower in the romance scenes with Carol. A gripping action film,THE GETAWAY still holds up. Quincy Jones was Nominated at The Golden Globe Awards (c) in 1973 for "Best Original Score", and the movie WON The Golden Reel Award for "Best Sound Editing Feature Film--Unknown" by The Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA.
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In 1973, PAPILLON produced one of the most interesting pairings of actors at key career junctures: Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Filming took place in Spain and Jamaica. The title literally translated means "butterfly"--as noted by the tattoo McQueen's character wears on his chest. The film is based on Henri Charriere's true life story of life in the notoriously brutal French penal colony in 'Guiane' (French Guiana, South America) on "Devil's Island". Henri is wrongly convicted of murder. Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, and Little Big Man) plays Dega, Charriere's scruffy but brilliant friend. Together, the greatest adventure of escape is carefully planned. The Casting includes: Steve McQueen as Henri 'Papillon' Charriere; Dustin Hoffman as the brilliant Louis Dega;Victor Jory: Indian chief, Don Gordon returns (from "Wanted Dead or Alive","The Magnificent Seven" and "Bullitt") as Julot and Anthony Zerbe isToussaint, the Leper Colony chief. Directed byFranklin J. Schaffner. Steve McQueen was Nominated for "Best Motion Picture Actor-Drama" at TheAcademy Awards (c) in 1974 and Jerry Goldsmith received the Nomination for "Best Music--Original Dramatic Score". The sheer dynamics, according to Don Gordon, of younger rising star Dustin Hoffman often led McQueen to quip, "The young guys are coming up". Equally unpredictable, Hoffman reportedly kept McQueen on his toes with McQueen asking Don Gordon, "What's Dustin doing today?" during shooting. The first day of shooting where Hoffman's "Dega" character wears the Coca-Cola bottle-thick lens glasses, McQueen was incredulous. "He's wearing what!" However, just as McQueen had done in years past with minor roles next to major stars such as Yul Brynner in "The Magnificent Seven" or with Frank Sinatra in "Never So Few" he manages to steal the movie out from Dustin Hoffman. Both stars truly brought out the very best in one another.
"Somewhere, right now, there are kids going through what I went through. Maybe if they know I survived, they can find hope. I can't promise they'll ever forget what happened to them. But if they hold out, they'll get through okay and learn to live with the bad memories...and still learn to love."---Steve McQueen
Maybe you're tired of it. Maybe this season of our Unofficial "Steve McQueen Film Festival" ran too long, or not long enough; maybe Junior Bonner shouldn't have been excluded and Love with a Proper Stranger should have been included. Nothing and no one is perfect. But whatever I do here, I do for a reason. And since yesterday marked the birthday of Steve McQueen, I thought Sunday might be the right time to tell you a few things that you never knew about "The King of Cool". We all need a reason to Hope and I think what follows will bring Hope to you!
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While Steve was in Taiwan filming The Sand Pebbles in 1966, he and his first wife Neile came across an orphanage for young girls. Most of the girls were prostitutes. The orphanage was run by a Catholic priest named Edward Wojniak. Steve donated $12,500 then and there, and continued to support the mission until Wojniak died in the late 1970's.
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Throughout his life, Steve constantly visited The Boys Republic where he spent his youth. Each year during the holiday seasons (when their self-esteem couldn't be lower because they had no family to visit them) Steve appeared with Christmas toys, Easter baskets and Thanksgiving turkeys. Imagine! These boys, without a family of their own got to see a real movie star each Christmas and on other festive occasions. And no, this wasn't a publicity stunt at all! Steve would sit with them and talk for long periods of time. On one visit, Steve learned that two teenage boys had been sent to an adult prison. He offered to pay for them to be sent to a less severe Boys institution. In his Last Will & Testament, Steve left a large amount of money to The Boys Republic.
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Los Angeles Times columnist Joyce Haber wrote this about Steve in 1971: "A few seasons ago the owners of Four Oakes, a local restaurant, invited fifty black orphans for a free Thanksgiving Day dinner. They also invited several celebrities. McQueen arrived promptly on his cycle. He was the only star to show. I call that the act of a good man".
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When Nicaragua was devastated by a massive earthquake in the early 1970's Steve bought $50,000 worth of food and medical supplies and had it flown in to the victims immediately.
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While stricken with Mesothelioma and in failing health during the filming of his last film, The Hunter in 1979, Steve was so horrified by the poverty in some of the areas of Chicago that they were filming in that he asked his close friend Pat Johnson to go down to a local church and ask the priest what he could do to help. The priest made a list, and Steve pulled out a check book and paid for it all. Steve also gave his long-time stuntman and friend Loren Janes some money, and sent him out on a buying spree to purchase 100 baseballs, mitts and bats, and 100 footballs. Steve then had Loren put them in a local field for all the kids to find. According to Loren Janes, Steve did that many times, in many different areas. I'd like to close with one last story from The Hunter.
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Steve would eat with and talk to all the cast and crew on his films. One day, Steve struck up a conversation with a young 15 year old girl named Karen who worked as an extra on The Hunter. During that conversation, Steve discovered that her mother was in the hospital and dying of alcoholic poisoning. Steve actually went to the hospital with her to meet her mother (who was a big fan). "What can I do to help"?, Steve asked. "All my life I wanted my daughter to go to school. I could die a happy woman knowing my daughter had a way out of this slum", the mother replied. Steve and his third wife Barbara took 15 year old Karen in, eventually enrolling her in a private boarding school close to where they lived, so that she could come and spend weekends with them. That young girl went from the ghetto to studying to become a Veterinarian. Today, Karen remembers the McQueen's with a great deal of love.
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The stories I have just shared with you here came out only after Steve passed away. Yes, he was one of the film world's largest celebrities. He's been gone now 27 years. And yet, women in 2006 voted Steve among the Top 100 Sexiest Men of All Time. We guys smile and call him "The King of Cool". But you know what? None of that really means anything compared to this: he had a big heart. And I shared this with all of you because this is just one of the reasons you see the poster of my Unofficial Home of The Steve McQueen Film Festival all year long whenever you Click-On my BLOG PAGE at the top right hand corner. I launched it because it feels right for me to celebrate a person who personified "living in the moment". He wasn't perfect, but he was "the real deal". That's why I do the festival.
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Special thanks to Crispin Garcia for providing the Superstars of Action - Steve McQueen video.
Neille McQueen, Steve's first wife corralled Steve into auditioning for this Norman Jewison film in 1968 one morning while serving Steve his French Toast for breakfast. Neile started reeling off the names of leading men Jewison was ready to cast. McQueen felt overlooked, and actually drove his car over to Norman Jewison's home in Brentwood, California to meet with the director and plead with him that he really was Thomas Crown! Norman initially demurred and said to Steve, "Look, this guy is wealthy, he plays polo, he walks around in a suit. This is just going to be a difficult role for you" . McQueen replied that this was the exact reason that he wanted to play it and eventually he convinced Norman--who had already cast the role to another actor. Thomas Crown is a young, handsome millionaire who pulls off "the perfect crime" by having five men rob a bank with tremendous intrigue. Vicki Anderson, an independent insurance investigator (Faye Dunaway), is contracted to investigate the heist. As she digs deeper into the case she begins to suspect Crown's involvement. In an attempt to get closer she begins seeing Crown socially, openly telling him she is investigating him. They eventually fall in love and Vickie faces the decision to betray Crown and risk losing him or escape with him. The film was modeled on the life of noted Belgian thief Tomas Van Der Heijden who used a dune buggy to steal seven paintings by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir from the Louvre in 1961. For the temptress, Faye Dunaway is superb having been cast opposite Steve. From Jewison's accounts, McQueen initially didn't like the idea of working with Dunaway, at least once referring to her as "Dun fade away" (this was only Faye's second film) but soon the chemistry onscreen ignited. And the result was Cinema's longest non-stop lip-lock of a kiss at 55 seconds! This scene alone took over eight hours to film over a number of days (lucky for Steve)!McQueen's idea to rig the dune buggy with a Chevrolet Corvair engine and blazing at high speeds through the beach amid a flock of seagulls that disperse scared the living hell out of Dunaway. At the time, Jewison had just finished work on two films, "Inthe Heat of the Night"and "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming!" The sparse screenplay of 85 pages was penned by a 35 year old Boston lawyer named Alan Trustman--who had never written a movie script in his life! The Chatmaus' "split screen" effects had just been showcased at The Montreal World Expo--which Jewison and his film crew attended. This enabled the audience to follow the time-line of events with all five different characters and geographics. Theodora Van Winkle had full Card Blanche on Faye's wardrobe. And yes, "Windmills of Your Mind" by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman is dated (along with Faye's wardrobe). But remember, all of this was "cutting edge" for 1968---especially the "split screen" to reveal simultaneous action. Of course, the now famous chess scene between McQueen and Dunaway goes from silently flirting with each other, to heightened sexual tension. It was an unusual film for Steve, albeit, many prefer it to the Pierce Brosnan/Renee Russo remake many years later. Norman coached Steve in his role as a Cary Grant type of persona and there was so much creative freedom that Norman Jewison today says he misses, with the advent of huge corporate marketing divisions placing restraints on what can or cannot be undertaken. That piece of music, according to Jewison was so central to the McQueen character of Thomas Crown and works remarkably well in the glider scene as a metaphor for his cool and collected persona. The script was approximately 82 pages long, so a lot of improvisation was encouraged and captured here!
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This was a troubled film from beginning to end that coincided with the divorce of McQueen's marriage to Neille McQueen, after news of his infidelity began reaching her during the filming of 1968's "Bullitt". There were reportedly girls waiting for McQueen everywhere on this set, according to Mario Iscovich--Steve's personal assistant. Original Director John Sturges said in exasperation after McQueen demanded multiple rewrites and scenes endlessly re-filmed, "I'm too rich and too old to put up with this", then threw his script into the air and stormed off the set. A new director, Lee H. Katzin was brought in to replace John Sturges. The core of this turbulence during the McQueen film led friends to grow increasingly worried about his erratic behavior and at least part of it seemed to center on McQueen's vision to create a film that would become the quintessential racing movie, while John Sturges wanted more of a personality-oriented film with racing in the background. Part drama and part documentary, this in-depth movie depicts one of the most grueling auto races in history--the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. With two drivers, the race takes place on 14.5 kilometers of cordoned country road. Every few hours the two drivers per car alternate - but it's still a challenge for concentration and material. In the focus, is the duel between the German Stahler in Ferrari 512LM and the American Delaney (McQueen) in Gulf Team Porsche 917. Delaney is under extraordinary pressure, because the year before he caused a severe accident, in which his friend Lisa's husband was killed. True life racer Peter Revson was hired by McQueen to work with him on the actual driving. And to this day Chad McQueen, Steve's son is occasionally told by those who were present on the set, "Your old man was damned fast". Unknown to fans in the theaters at the films release, McQueen completed the movie with a broken foot in a cast--the result of an earlier motorcycle mishap before filming for Le Mans started. This is an intense film that McQueen wanted to make dating back to The Sand Pebbles, and considering the human toll of the various pressures in Steves life (and those around him at this time), it is a small miracle that this film was made at all. However troubled with the production "behind the scenes", it still manages to hold up very well today. The ending will jar you! INTENSE!
This week, I have some travel ahead. It concerns a fascinating magazine assignment involving a brilliant businessman and personality whom I have always wanted to visit with. And I am also looking forward to meeting up with a good friend in that city. She was gracious enough to have offered to pick me up at the airport. Now this may not sound like much at first. But it is a stress reliever in today's world where travel requires much more planning, along with the Winter-into-Spring type of weather across so many parts of the country (as we've seen with the recent travel delays in the Northeast) and lines of fellow passengers. A few years ago, I recall watching a documentary about the development of the airplane, and the commentator mentioned that most people today view commercial air travel as as a "necessary inconvenience". To me, it is enjoyable and a luxury I do not take for granted. There is so much that goes into making a rather ordinary flight enjoyable and comfortable--from the attitudes of the airline employees, to the courtesy they extend with a smile, and then of course the end result we all relish: having our baggage arrive at the same airport that we do. And promptly!
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Fortunately for me, I lucked out. My friend who is picking me up at the airport knows the city very well and even the building where I will be dropped off. Imagine the opposite: a cab driver who has no idea where your address is, the resulting delay and then the stress level that goes through the roof! We've all experienced both great service and surly service. But even though times have changed where there are few meals served on board a flight, the seating in Coach Class offers less leg room, and other amenities have been phased out due to costs, whenever I have a great flight experience I always make it a point to tell the Flight Crew after we've parked at the Gate and we're all deplaning: "That was a great flight". You can see the positive effect this has on the crew! Courtesy works both ways. And many crews are subject to either no feedback from passengers or plenty of complaints. This week, think about trying this simple act of kindness wherever you receive good service. Whether it's the Deli for a Bagel, or a department store. You'll be surprised how many people are starved to hear something positive delivered to them by someone who really appreciates their efforts! Call it "Good Karma" or whatever you wish. The one thing I have learned is that an act of simple kindness like this "makes bad days better and good days great"!
Hey! Did anyone catch the premiere last night of the 90-minute documentary film "An American Rebel: Steve McQueen"? It was held at the Downing Movie Theater, 19 Front Street in Newburgh with a wine & cheese reception, and a "Question & Answer" session with Barbara McQueen and Marshall Terrill afterwards. From what I saw last night on CNN, weather and travel in the Northeast is just terrible right now. The stories from passengers stranded at airports sounded like a nightmare. But, hopefully for those of you near the theater it was a grand event! Plus with the prospect of an "After-Premiere Party" at the East Side Bar & Grill in Walden, New York (with McQueen and Terrill on hand to greet guests and sign books) it just sounded to me like a GREAT way to spend a Saturday evening. And with Barbara McQueen as a fascinating Guest. I hope some of you were able to make it. Unfortunately, I have no idea how close any of these areas are. But I really wish I could have attended!
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We have sunshine and cool temperatures here in the Mid-West. So, at least "power-walking" is possible and Springtime is "just around the corner".
Our next film duo is "THE SAND PEBBLES" (1966) nominated for 8 Academy Awards and the winner of 9 Golden Globes. Sadly, Steve McQueen got his only Academy Award (Best Actor) for this film. Director Robert Wise was working simultaneously on "The Sound of Music" with Julie Andrews at the time. Wise's first choice for the role of "Jake Holman" was PaulNewman. Co-stars included Richard Crenna, Richard Attenborough, a 19-year old Candice Bergen (who had not yet decided if she wanted to become an actress or a photographer) with music by Jerry Goldsmith. Director Wise was so proud of this film, that for years after it was made he held annual parties with surviving cast members to celebrate it. Note: This was the first film that Twentieth Century-Fox shot a movie using Panavision amamorphic lenses (which replaced Cinemascope). There is so much in this film that you never see anymore. Each character, for instance, is introduced on film in a unique way. McQueen carries his Navy bunk bag over his shoulder, hesitates atop a dock as he surveys the U.S. Navy gunboat San Pablo (an embarrassing left-over relic of the Spanish American War) pauses, smiles and makes his way down the gang-plank--pure McQueen. Richard Crenna is the boat's Commanding Officer Lieutenant Collins. The scene is China in the 1920's. Not to be missed: Where maverick loner McQueen, whose only love is engines, climbs down into the Engine Room and in a touching scene introduces himself aloud to the idle engine. This was, after all, a movie about a man and his relationship to the boat, who often finds himself embroiled in a conflict requiring a tough moral decision. As part of America's foreign policy, the boat patrols the Yangtze River, "showing the flag" to protect American missionaries and businessmen from bandits and warlords. There is an "Intermission" (a practice Hollywood did away with by the late 1960's in America). Along comes The Chinese Revolution and each individual on the boat is faced with baring naked--revelations about themselves and the agonizing decisions that follow. Few people knew that the book written by author Richard McKenna in 1962 (upon which this movie is based) spent 28 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and was then serialized in The Saturday Evening Post. McKenna began writing in his 40's in Mountain Home, Idaho after many years in the Navy; he died of a heart attack in 1964. He was only 51 years old. The coupling of these two particular movies for this years "Festival" are as different as night and day. Filmed only two years apart, they are the subject of intense study by serious Actors worldwide.
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This Steve McQueen film will forever be associated with what became in Easter of 1968 one of the most dangerous car chases ever presented on the big screen. It remains unequaled. I open with this comment because as part of a multi-motion picture deal, McQueen's Solar Productions chose a complicated script that actor Robert Vaughn recalls sending back to McQueen "three or four times" with notes stapled to it stating, "This script makes no sense". Despite rewrites and the dedication of British Director Peter Yates to rework the script, Vaughn jokingly said in 2005 that the script "suddenly became increasingly clearer" to him as the price for his performance went up! The Plot involves McQueen as a San Francisco Detective named Frank Bullitt. All guts and no glitter, Bullitt and Don Gordon (a personal friend and frequent Co-Star of McQueen from his "Wanted Dead or Alive" TV series days) and two other cops are assigned to a rather simple assignment: to guard a witness named Johnny Ross for 48 hours before he provides testimony implicating the Mob the following Monday. Ross escapes to San Francisco from Chicago after stealing millions from Mob bosses. When the officers and the witness are killed, a ruthless politician with national aspirations in Washington named Walter Chalmers (Vaughn) is out to pin the blame on Bullitt, and the tension is thick. The vast majority of American audiences, truthfully, could not tell you what the plot was. This is due to the 10 minute car chase between McQueen driving a 1968 Mustang GT fastback chasing down the gunmen and the legendary stunt car driver Bill Hickman. Director Peter Yates called in top stunt driving coordinator Carey Loftin (who doubled for Steve along with Bud Ekins and Lorne Janes up until Steves death). Bill Hickman was already stunt driving for Walt Disney's original "The Love Bug" when Loftin got the call from Yates for a stunt man who could also look menacing as a killer. Loftin said "I have him sitting right here", and that's how Bill got the gig.
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Bill Hickman later drove for Gene Hackman in New York for "The French Connection", and for Roy Scheider in "The Seven Ups" in the 1970's. Bill was simply the best stunt driver in the U.S. Steve, indeed, did most of the driving with the exception of the dangerous airborne jumps and bone-jarring landings over seven hills along North Beach's Chestnut Avenue (and putting down the BMW motorcycle on the Canyon Highway)--both handled by Bud Ekins. Director Yates left one blown turn in the movie where Steve overshoots a side street, smokes the wheel wells in reverse with his head hanging out of the window, and goes after the killers. Hickman did his own driving through the chase in the 1968 Black Dodge Charger. Hickman in fact, worked for two weeks with McQueen (unknown to the producers) at the an abandoned landing strip to rehearse their stunt driving. The car chase was filmed over 22 city blocks reaching speeds of up to 130 miles per hour. A then-21 year old Jacqueline Bisset stars as McQueen's girlfriend. This is widely considered not only one of the best action flicks ever made, but as Director Lawrence Kasdan previously mentioned in an interview, every serious film actor to this day, studies how Steve got into and out of the car, how he walked, how he used his formidable facial expressions --all to humanize the counter-culture view of police officers who at the peak of the Vietnam War (when this film was made) were held in ill repute. The film won an Academy Award for "Best Film Editing".The Cast:Director: Peter Yates; Writers: Robert L. Fish(from the novel "Mute Witness"), Alan Trustman (screenplay); Harry Kleiner: (screenplay); Steve McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt; Robert Vaughn as Walter Chalmers; Jacqueline Bissett as Cathy; Don Gordon as Delgetti; Robert Duvall as the Cab Driver; Simon Oakland as Captain Sam Bennett and Norman Fell is Captain Baker. This film today is used in more television ads and is associated with "The King of Cool" probably more than any McQueen film we will feature. Two completely different films--one "Legend". Buckle in for this one!
We push forward tomorrow with an Academy Award Film
and one that made Steve "The King of Cool".
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The Barbara McQueen appearance on David Letterman last night was basically a short but happy and funny visit. I never knew Barbara was a pilot along with Steve. The coffee book she wrote certainly holds some wonderful unseen photos of their nearly 4 years together. Clearly, they were happy years and refreshingly, Barbara never knew who Steve McQueen was ( as this huge movie star) when they met for dinner and a motorcycle ride for their first date. I must say that my favorite part of the show was her story of Steve bringing home a new kitten anytime he made Barbara mad--they had 14 cats! If there was a theme that resonated with me, it was that Steve found peace with Barbara and I was only sorry this visit wasn't "The Charlie Rose Show" where there is ample time for the Guest to really elaborate. To those of you lucky enough in New York City (and later this week Newburgh) to meet and greet Barbara in-person and participate in the Questions and Answer sessions, I wish you an absolutely WONDERFUL experience! As a true fan, it would have meant a lot to me if I were able to be present. So, take your cameras and let me know how it goes if you have time! Finally, just a closing thought. The stories I have been bringing you here whether from Lord Richard Attenborough, or Norman Jewison, Robert Vaughn, Lawrence Kasdan or Don Gordon reveal a thoroughly human actor who had a short life, and a damn difficult one. But as we see on film and hear from those off the set, taken as a whole, Steve McQueen was quite human and in then in the end, he seemed to arrive full circle to happiness. 27 years later, he is genuinely missed by millions of fans just like me worldwide. I really take some comfort in doing this "Festival" every year because we live in a very different world today that is fast-paced, so focused on sensationalism and yes--often dreary. There was such a range of emotions, so muchLIFEto Steve and I hope that even if just a few of you will "discover" and enjoy his gift and talents as much I do all of this work through April 8th will have been for me, a Joy!
Those of you who reside in New York City (and especially those of you who have been kind enough to follow my 2nd Annual "Steve McQueen Film Festival" here on my Blog) are in for a treat! Barbara McQueen, widow of actor Steve McQueen, will be making an appearance on “The Late Show With David Letterman,” on Tuesday, March 13, along with actor Jeff Goldblum. Barbara's career as a model-turned-photographer and author led to her to write the book, “Steve McQueen: The Last Mile”. She'll talk with Dave about why she has re-emerged in the public spotlight after 25 years. Then on Thursday, March 15, McQueen will sign copies of “The Last Mile” at the world famous Kiehl's Pharmacy, 109 Third Avenue (between 13 & 14th avenues). The pharmacy contains a world-class collection of cars and motorcycles and one of Steve's motorcycles will be present. What a cool opportunity! The signing will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. and will include cocktails and appetizers. For more information, call (212) 677-3171. On March 17th, Barbara will be in Newburgh, New York to sign books at the Newburgh Barnes and Nobles, 1245 Route 300 at 1 p.m. with a presentation and "Q & A" (yes, question and answer) session. For more information, call (845) 567-0782. Later that evening, McQueen and Marshall Terrill, her Co-Author will attend the world premiere of “An American Rebel: Steve McQueen,” a new 90-minute documentary directed and produced by Richard Martin. The documentary is based on Terrill's 1993 biography, “Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel.” The premiere starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Downing Movie Theater, 19 Front Street , Newburgh, New York, preceded by a 6:45 p.m. wine & cheese reception, and a "Q & A" with Martin, Terrill and McQueen following the conclusion of the documentary. The film's soundtrack features music from Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, Anne Murray, The Rolling Stones and the Human Beinz. The last time a Hollywood premiere was held in Newburgh was with Tyrone Power (hey, a Cincinnati guy!) and the West Point film, “The Long Grey Line” in the 1950s. For more information, call the Downing Film Center at (845) 561-3686. An after-premiere party will be held at 9:45 p.m. at the East Side Bar & Grill, 624 Route 300, Walden, New York. McQueen and Terrill will be on hand to greet guests and sign books. For more information, call Sam Torres at (845) 629-0803. I'd love to attend these events but can't. But I've seen Barbara interviewed on television and she seems delightful! So, if you attend, please let me know how it goes. HAVE FUN!
Week #2 of the 5-Week "Virtual Film Festival" on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" continues with my tribute to Steve McQueen (1930-1980). It's a wonderful project and we are moving chronologically over a 20-year span I've carved out with just 12 out of a total 30 films that showcase the sheer range of this fine actor. Let's move ahead with our second pair:
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Based on a true story, (filmed in 1963) "The Great Escape" deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are--at this point---throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries. The Nazi's concept for rounding up the most dangerous and skillful prisoners likely to escape and housing them in a fortified concentration camp wasn't too brilliant in hindsight. The film is also memorable for the highly dangerous motorcycle stunt wherein Bud Ekins (one of Steve's doubles) handles the actual jump in one attempt. It was Ekins who was responsible for both setting down a motorcycle in "Bullitt" filmed 5 years later, and handling the Mustang GT airborne jumps in that film's famous car chase. Then as here, however, McQueen was an expert motorcycle rider and did handle the driving up to the jump as Nazi's approached. As in "Bullitt", McQueen wanted to handle the stunt himself, however, his insurance coverage provisions prevented this. The film was highly confrontational for McQueen who viewed the rushes only to see handsome James Garner showcased. Enraged, McQueen stormed off the set in mid-production on a motorcycle for two weeks causing considerable delays. Walter Mirisch at one point decided to combine the McQueen role with those of James Garner and "Big X" (Richard Attenborough). The following day, the entire office of the William Morris Agency flew in to the movie location in Munich and brokered an agreement suitable to McQueen. To Mirisch's credit, he said in 2005 that in retrospect, Steve's job was to expand his role and that they really had to respect that. Check out this AWESOME cast! Steve McQueen is Captain Hilts "The Cooler King";James Garner is Flight Lt. Hendley,"The Scrounger";Richard Attenborough (before he was knighted)...is Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X";James Donald is Group Captain Ramsey, "The SRO";Charles Bronson is Flight Lt. Danny Velinsky "The Tunnel King";Donald Plesance plays an unforgettable role as Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger";James Coburn is Flight Officer Louis Sedgwick "The Manufacturer";Hannes Messemer is Col. Von Luger and David McCallum is Lt. Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal". (You have to love how these nick-names revealed the talents of this group!). This really was the break-out role that cemented McQueen's career as "The King of Cool"!
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In 1965, Norman Jewison shot a coming-of-age 1930's picture of the New Orleans gambling world where Edward G. Robinson--in one of his final film appearances--is an unbeatable master of gambling halls who is paired with up and coming Steve McQueen with plenty of intensity. Director Norman Jewison recalled that McQueen's "street smarts" and lack of sophistication with the manner in which he delivered lines irritated Robinson. McQueen would repeatedly look at his shoes before delivering a line and Robinson, the elder actor who spoke four languages fluently found McQueen hard to accept and complained to Jewison. Ann-Margret and Tuesday Weld deliver plenty of sass and sex appeal. In the latter case, Weld really bonds with McQueen as a vulnerable loner who is lost and they play off each other very well. Jewison almost refused testing McQueen because the perception he had was that McQueen "had not done too much" up to that point, despite a television Western series and films such as "Love with a Proper Stranger" (a drama/comedy filmed in black & white in New York City with the beautiful Natalie Wood). Then came TheGreat Escape". It took America and the world by a storm and was so well received that Jewison took a chance on McQueen's instincts (many were responsible for actions not in the script) and thge result was a brilliant performance. The ending will have you sweating! The Cast: Edward G. Robinson asLancey Howard; Ann-Marget as Melba Nile; Karl Malden as "Shooter"; Tuesday Weld as Christian Rudd; Joan Blondell as "Lady Fingers"; Rip Torn is William Jefferson Slade; Cab Calloway is "Yeller" and James Weston (whom we'll see in a future film by Jewison with McQueen) is "The Pig". Directed by: Norman Jewison. Another "Classic"! It's worth noting that the vision Neile McQueen and husband Steve had for his image would reach full maturity within the following 36 months! And in spite of the tensions between the young McQueen and a veteran like Robinson, they play together brilliantly here! Later in the festival, I'll share an amusing story about Steve driving over to Norman's home in California to convince him that he should be cast in yet another film Jewison had his doubts about!
Here's a fun post. A personal favorite of mine and a singer with an angelic voice, I was smitten with Joni Mitchell's jacket cover from the CD "For the Roses". A world-wise and sophisticated singer/songwriter, she has paved the way for many artists today ranging from Jewel to Patti Smith, Suzanne Vega, Joan Armetrading and Bjork.
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Born in Canada, Joni toured the coffee house circuits of Toronto and later New York before David Crosby produced her first effort,"Songs to a Seagull". This was followed up by "Clouds" (an excellent painter who has featured her work in exhibitions, Joni has also created most of her album covers), "Ladies of the Canyon","Blue" (which many artists cite as the seminal CD of her vast collection with it's stark and personal lyrics. Kris Kristofferson cautioned her after its release, "Jesus Joan, hold back a little"). This was followed up with"For the Roses", "Court and Spark" (spawning the hit single "Help Me")the live dual LP "Miles of Aisles",and then a magical foray into jazz that became fused with Joni's folk music began to surface in "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" , the excellent"Hejira","Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" and the tragically overlooked "Mingus" ---all featuring great guests such as Bassist Jaco Pastorius, Guitarist Pat Metheny, Saxophonist Wayne Shorter and horn player Tom Scott with The L.A. Express. A rugged individualist, Joni has always resisted the trappings of commercialism and boldly risked alienating her folk audience as she continued to explore Jazz. But she stayed true to herself and another "Live" double LP called "Shadows and Light" emerged (later with a DVD). Her hit "Woodstock" was borne out of irony. She was booked on TV's "The Dick Cavett Show" and thus had to miss attending the famed 1969 Music & Arts Festival (though she saw her friends David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash off at the airport). After watching the events of the Festival play out on a hotel TV set, she immediately penned the song that made it's way onto Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's' CD "Deja Vu" and it became a smash hit.
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Known for her interesting guitar tunings, a cool example is her song "Coyote" (from "Hejira"). Joni uses a C11 tuning, by lowering the sixth string to a C, the fifth to a G, the third to an F and raising the second string to a C. She's a delightful artist whom friends describe as down to earth, in addition to enjoying a good game of pool!
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Sampling of Hits: Chelsea Morning, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock, The Circle Game, Carey, California, You Turn Me On I'm A Radio, Raised On Robbery, Help Me, Free Man In Paris, River, Jericho, Love or Money, A Case of You, Real Good for Free, The Last Time I Saw Richard, Both Sides Now.
Last night, I started looking back through my BLOGS and this one was my favorite. It dates back to 2005. This story grabbed me in such a way when I first read it, that it stayed with me for days after. Blog Bud Denny Shane contacted me after I first posted this and he encouraged me to try and meet the young woman and her parents in this story. Denny has found in his own experience that meeting such people who are chronicled in the media is at once fascinating and positive. They have the effect of bringing HOPE to each of us. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the McVey family. Maybe I'll give it another chance. I've updated this story a bit, knowing that many of you are reading it for the first time. Either way, I hope that you enjoy it.
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Jenna McVey was a 16-year old high school junior when I first Blogged about her story from a September 25, 2005 newspaper article and image (captured above) in The Cincinnati Enquirer. It was a front-page story about how Jenna met "Nelly"---a Belgium draft horse that was used for breeding. As the story goes, Nelly's beautiful blue eyes gradually turned white from an infection that stole her sight four years ago. With one-year of riding lessons under her belt at the time, Jenna came across the blind horse standing alone in a stall and noticed that no one ever paid attention to her. "She never got out, so I felt sorry for her", said Jenna. Instinctively, the horse pushed its nose against the fence where Jenna stood. "I just saw her and fell in love with her", she said. "I would go out to her stall and talk to her". The horse was mercilessly earmarked for auctioning to a rendering plant. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle!
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On September 18th of that year Jenna guided "Beauty" (her nickname shortened from "Blind Beauty" that "Nelly" responds to) during a dressage event--which translated from French means "training". It's actually a showcase of the horses training in an arena. Imagine this girl guiding a sightless "Beauty" over and around a course of bales of hay and even across a small bridge! Mary Dorin, a judge at the dressage event that day was stunned. "We didn't know it was a blind horse until it was already on the course. This horse did everything this little girl wanted", she said. "I stood there with the three volunteers and we cried".
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Beauty has a strawberry coat and blonde locks. Jenna guides the horse by using pressure with her legs. Judge Mary Dorin said, "This horse knows, I've got her on my back; I've got to take care of her". Jennahadplans to attend an Equine college and later teach riding lessons when I first posted this story. She rides "Beauty" five days a week for an hour or two. "Nelly is my favorite thing", she said. "I'd rather come out here and sit with her in a stall than have a million dollars". Remarkably enough,Jenna and her beautiful horse won the dressage event! Each rider donated $10 (US) or more to help horses recovered from Hurricane Katrina to participate in the event.
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Well, as friendships---and even love develops over time, Jenna started visiting the lonely horse more often. After school, she brought her school books and read her assignments or her favorite childhood tales aloud to "Beauty" in her stall. Blind for 2 years at the time of my original Blog, the horse was spared from a trip to a "processing plant" (to be killed). Today, thanks to Jenna's parents who purchased the beautiful horse, they gave both their daughter and "Beauty" a priceless gift of life! Today, Jenna and "Beauty" are inseparable. They protect one another. This was my favorite BLOG and I felt it was a fine way to positively move forward into a new week.
Captain Tom Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) and his band of skilled O.S.S. operatives are in WWII Burma to train the Kachin natives in modern warfare. But jungle combat, particularly against a Japanese army who is as familiar with the terrain as the Kachin proves to be more grueling than Reynolds had realized. Some respite is found in romantic arms of beautiful Carla, (Gina Lollobrigida) but after Chinese rebels cross the border to loot and murder American soldiers, Reynolds abandons all notions of "military protocol" and seeks requital. For a very hungry actor, McQueen's determination nearly steals the picture in his small role from Sinatra. However, Sinatra grew to like McQueen and after filming was completed, Steve and first wife Neille were flown by Sinatra to New York for a holiday. The year was 1959. Director: John Sturges; Writers: Tom T. Chamales (novel) and Millard Kaufman;The Cast includes: Frank Sinatra as Captain Tom Reynolds; Gina Lollobrigida as Carla Vesari; Peter Lawford as Capt. Grey Travis; Steve McQueen as Corporal Bill Ringa (his comments about New York are hilarious in the Jeep); Richard Johnson as Captain Danny De Mortimer; Paul Henreid as Nikko Regas; Brian Donlevy as General Sloan; a surprising appearance by Dean Jones as Sergeant Jim Norby; and Charles Bronson as Sergeant John Danforth.
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This is a fitting beginning for our 2nd Annual Virtual "Steve McQueen Film Festival" for 2007. We see a tremendous potential in McQueen and how he develops his career forward from here.
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WELCOME TO ALL!
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This 1960 film is a remake of ''The Seven Samurai'', albeit, with the American version (thanks to visionary Walter Mirisch) with this All-Star Cast!We have:Yul Brenner, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach and Steve McQueen and James Coburn as hired guns to guard a Mexican village from Banditos that come every now and then to take whatever the town has grown since their last visit. When they are hired, they go to the town and teach the villagers how to defend themselves. "We lost. We always lose." This was how Yul Brynner summarized the fate of men who kill for hire, knowing their lot is to look at life from the outside-in---until they too are killed. Credit this as a direct ancestor of Clint Eastwood's"Unforgiven". Director John Sturges reveals the empty sacrifice and unfulfilled yearnings of the characters glorified---or demonized by most Westerns. Following in the footsteps of "The SevenSamurai", these seven Actors display all the virtues of the hero's code: honoring women, showing kindness to children and compassion to the peasants who hire them, modelling at all times the enigmatic self-sufficiency that lies at the heart of a Western romance. And they kill plenty of bad guys. Yul Brynner is riveting and blunt; Steve McQueen (as he always did) made the most of his understated role with those facial expressions and antics--all unscripted. James Coburn, is wippy-legged and steely-eyed, and a convincing Charles Bronson, is the lost soul who comes close to joining the human fold. Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz round out the pantheon. Brynner and McQueen had a well publicized falling out and ended up actually hating each other during this film! Not to be missed: When McQueen and Brynner are sitting atop a hearse and Steve begins playing with his hat and jiggling a handful of bullets in his right hand between re-loads (this was actually meant to get under Brynner's craw and it almost did)! This is a fun film as the group assembles and you will enjoy seeing each when they were young. Only Robert Vaughn survives today. Eli Wallach, interestingly enough was paired with Steve here and in his last film, "The Hunter" in 1980. McQueen loved working with Director John Sturges, who keeps the tension keyed up high and the action moving. Most of you probably don't recall cigarette commercials on TV, but Elmer Bernstein's score for this film was used for Marlborough cigarettes. As McQueen says to Brynner: "Let her buck".
Basically, I'm a Public Relations Consultant with a background in Broadcast News. I've worked as a Reporter and Anchor with PBS, ABC, CBS & NBC affiliates and in Cable Television. I'm active in Radio & Television Commercials, Guest Speaking engagements and I enjoy writing, music and sports.
