This Blog is my tribute to you--to each of you--who for the past 3 years have stopped by either as a BLOG "lurker" or one who has bravely left me a "Comment" during "The 3rd Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival". My Website and my own life itself, is but a tiny corner of the world we live in. My late father used to say during our night time walks after dinner to me as a child: "You know about the Cosmos? Life is just mili-seconds long". During a recent telephone conversation with my Aunt, 88, she commented that for my Dad, "His time is over". But in my heart, my father's memory lives on. In the film world, it is quite obvious that Steve McQueen is missed. I've read e-mailed comments to me from Japan, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, France and The United Kingdom. Stop for a moment and imagine how many 20-Somethings and 30-Somethings are just now discovering Steve McQueen. Serious Actors studying their craft commonly have lively in-class debates about all of Steve's films. From his stage work in all versions of "A Hatful of Rain" to the films, "The Magnificent Seven", "Love with the Proper Stranger", "Bullitt" and all the way to "Junior Bonner and "The Hunter". The topics are rich. Steve was and remains a much beloved and missed actor and his Legacy---while a complicated man---his struggles were all too human. And that's the Steve McQueen millions of us worldwide relate to, revere and miss. And yet, as you'll read below, his spirit is still very much alive.
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Here is my fascination: His mother, Julian Crawford married Bill McQueen. At just 6 months old, Bill McQueen left Steve and Julian. Terrence Steve McQueen was born in Beech Grove, Indiana on March 24, 1930. I drove through Beech Grove in late 2007. At age 3, Steve was sent to Slater, Missouri to live with his great Uncle Claude on a farm. At age 5, his mother remarried and returned to take Steve back to Indianapolis where he fell in with kids who committed petty thefts. At age 12, the family moved to Los Angeles and Steve continued to find his way into trouble. His mother (who had remarried an abusive husband) felt overwhelmed with caring for Steve and sent him to The Boys Republic in Chino Hills, California. At 17, Steve left school to join the Marines where he was assigned to the Tank Division. Following his Honorable Discharge, he used his G.I. Bill in New York's Greenwich Village to learn acting. Of the 2,000 applicants at the time, only Steve McQueen and MartinLandeau were accepted into the prestigious Lee Strasberg School of Acting. Honing his skills at "The Neighborhood Playhouse", he applied himself. And the rest is history. It takes a remarkable man to survive so much.
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Hellen Keller once wrote: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved". That epitomizes Steve McQueen to me. When Steve died on November 7, 1980 of Mesothelioma, a deadly and painful form of cancer lined to asbestos exposure, he willed a significant gift to The Boys Republic, where he visited annually in-person--and not just for "photo ops". He wanted to give back to the institution that helped him, and spent genuine quality time with the boys at the camp. Today, Steve's first wife Neile sits on the board of directors. In 1983, a plaque was installed outside the newly constructed Steve McQueen Recreation Center. The plaque reads: "Steve McQueen came here as a troubled boy but left as a man. He went on to achieve stardom in motion pictures but returned to this campus often to share of himself and his fortune. His legacy is hope and inspiration to those students here now, and those yet to come".
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Steve and Neile's daughter Terry sadly passed away at age 38 in 1998. Our first feature, the documentary "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool" premiered in the U.S. from TCM in Los Angeles, California at The Peterson Automotive Museum on May 24, 2005. Among the celebrities in attendance was Neile Adams and son Chad McQueen, and actresses Dana Delaney of TV's "China Beach" fame and Doris Roberts from TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond". Neile re-issued her updated book, "My Husband, My Friend", and was widowed after 25 years of marriage in 2005 to Alvin Toffel. Neile continues to sing and record. Steve and Neile's son Chad McQueen participated in a book with Matt Stone called "McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon" and has remained busy as an actor, producer and auto racer. A serious crash in 2006 ended his auto racing career, however he continues to thrive. Steve's second Wife, Ali MacGraw wrote a well-received memoir in 1990 called "Moving Pictures" and was hailed in 1991 by People Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World". She made her Broadway acting debut in New York City in 2006 in "Festin". Steve's third wife and widow, former Cosmopolitan magazine and Ford Agency fashion model Barbara McQueen Brumsvold co-authored a book with Marshall Terrill entitled: "Steve McQueen: The Last Mile". Barbara and husband David are both motorcycle enthusiasts who divide their time between homes in Northwest Arizona and Montana. In summary, the magic lives on! And that is why I produce this Website Blog "Festival". As we have done and will continue to do each year--God-Willing--below is a parade of movie posters from this past week as a Tribute to each of you. Thank You for your patience and kind words of support privately and publicly. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
---Michael
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With your kind permission, I'd like to speak briefly about "The Boys Republic" because it was so important to Steve, and Neile is today a board member of the non profit organization.
There are Four Cornerstones that make up the Philosophy of The Boys Republic:
Accountability
The Group Is The Target of Change
Earning Self Esteem Through Personal Accomplishment
Nothing Without Labor
For further information about how you can support The Boys Republic in Steve's memory, please contact their Office of Development at : (909) 628-1217, extension 206.
For those of you who are just joining us in progress, this is the last 72 hours of my 3rd Annual "Steve McQueen Film Festival".
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Buckle your seat belts. In the history of Cinema, there has never been (and it is widely considered inconceivable that there ever will be) another car-chase that can equal that of "Bullitt". While the script is still difficult to follow after 40 years, the inescapable truth about this film is that audiences are cleverly interrupted from figuring out the complex plot line. It involves a dubious Senator with national ambitions (played brilliantly by Robert Vaughn) who enlists San Francisco Lieutenant Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) and his partner Delgetti (Don Gordon) to guard a mafia witness for a weekend in a seedy hotel so that the witness can provide Senate testimony the following Monday morning.
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Director Lawrence Kasdan("The Big Chill", "Grand Canyon") observed that any serious acting student has watched "Bullitt" over and over again to observe how McQueen walks, how he gets into and out of a car, and of course those wonderful improvised facial expressions McQueen was gifted to employ so successfully in each of his movie roles with little dialogue. The casting of then 21-year old Jacqueline Bissettas Frank's girlfriend, NormanFell and Simon Oakland as police Captains, not to mention (but I choose to anyway) using actual doctors in San Fransisco's General Hospital as part of the acting crew lends a marvelous authenticity to this police drama! Entire websites and even memorabilia (some of which I own) are enjoyed by millions worldwide who make their way to the film's location of San Francisco, California where the May, 1968 car chase scene was completed over a two-week period. The filming of the chase itself earned a 1969 Academy Award for Best Editing, and this is due to the fact that the various locations of the original car chase spanned 22 city blocks (primarily in the Russian Hill area of San Francisco, and then south of the city in the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway vicinity of Daly City). Thus, It is impossible for me not to sound apologetic when I say that I must discuss the chase, because it overtakes a complicated script that was rewritten numerous times. Moreover, the chase scene has been and will always be an iconic part of the American culture. Just this year Ford Motor Company manufactured a second and final limited edition of the Ford "Bullitt" Mustang in honor of McQueen (the first was in 2001). So, I must discuss it here. Plus I'm test-driving one for fun here in Arizona if I can find one (only 7,000 were built).
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BritishDirector Peter Yates and Producer Phillip D'Antonnienlisted race car driver and constructor Max Balchowski (of "Old Yeller" movie fame) to modify two identical "Highland Green" 1968 Ford Mustang 390 cubic inch GT Fastbacks. Solar Productions also bought two identical Black 1968 Dodge Charger 440 cubic inch R/T's (driven by the movie's two mafia hit men: Actor and Stunt Driver Bill Hickman and featuring Actor Paul Genge). Carey Loftinwas the Stunt Coordinator. A bit of trivia that Sheryl Crow knows: It was Hickman's unhappy lot to be following Actor James Dean driving his station wagon towing an empty flatbed trailer on the afternoon of September 30, 1955 when Dean was fatally injured in a tragic collision en route to a Salinas, California road race. As Hickman arrived on the scene and attempted to rescue Dean from his demolished aluminum body Porsche Spyder, he died in Hickman's arms.
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Hickman was a veteran Stunt Driver who began his career in 1949 and drove for Walt Disney's 1969 movie "The Love Bug", for Gene Hackman in 1971's "The French Connection" and Robert Urich in 1973's film "The Seven Ups". While Hickman did all of his own driving in "Bullitt", insurance constraints required McQueen to share the more dangerous driving (notably the 30 foot long airborne jumps off steep hills around Taylor and Filbert Streets) with long-time stunt double Bud Ekinswith Carey Loftin handling some of the driving as well. Two scenes in which McQueen is very much involved as the driver involves a mistake at Larkin and Chestnut, where driver Hickman was told to glance his car off a parked 1956 Ford Victoria. In the second DVD disc that comes with the movie "Bullitt" featuring the 10 minute special feature "Steve McQueen's Commitment to Reality", unused footage captures Hickman accidentally destroying an un-manned tripod camera after smashing into the Ford as he continues the scene. This was an unplanned goof that was left in the film. Immediately thereafter, McQueen who is chasing Hickman, himself overshoots a right turn, jams the transmission into reverse, sticking his head out of the drivers car door window and smokes the tires for all its worth to resume chasing Hickman. Afterwards, Loftin halted filming and ordered McQueen out of the Mustang so that Ekin's could get dressed as McQueen's stunt double to wrestle the Mustang around the turns and over the steep hills.
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The second scene of note is where McQueen is back behind the wheel chasing Hickman south out of San Francisco proper on their way to Guadalupe Canyon. Bud Ekins(who doubled for McQueen in the motorcycle jump in "The Great Escape") insisted on driving a motorcycle toward the chase cars on the Canyon Road where Hickman's character panics and swerves head-on into the oncoming traffic. Ekins lays down a BSA motorcycle as Hickman swerves behind him to the right, forcing McQueen off the left pavement into gravel and dirt, which is quite dangerous at speeds well over 115 miles per hour. It is here and on the level runs where McQueen himself is actually doing his own driving, manhandling the Mustang to get it back under control in the gravel and dirt to again, resume the chase after Hickman on the Canyon Road. McQueen is double-clutching the Mustang to keep up the RPM's (today's manual transmissions no longer require this technique). McQueen recalled the following of Ekin's stunt.
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"When he told us he was going to do this stunt, I really didn't want him to do it. 'You're liable to get kissed off, and your wife'll never forgive me', I told him. But he was stubborn, convinced he could do it okay. Man, I'll tell you, I never saw anything as scary as him having to throw that BSA down in front of us. He must have slid at least seventy-five feet along the blacktop. I just twisted the Mustang sideways to miss him, spun twice and slapped the bank---which wasn't in the script!"
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The City of San Francisco gave Director Yates only one take on the 6 AM casting call for the jump sequences, so the dangerous hill jumps at high speeds were filmed by multiple cameras, included those mounted on each cars' roll-bar. Balchowski beefed up the suspension torsion bars, control arms, shock absorbers and shock towers and springs of all four stunt cars, but otherwise left them essentially stock. McQueen had the steering wheel swapped for a 1967 Shelby Mustang steering wheel (today this item costs $7,500 or more); stock wheels were swapped for 15 inch American Racing Torque Thrust D-Mags with headers and an after market ignition system was installed. However, the Ford wasn't nearly as powerful as Hickman's 375-horsepower Charger. On one of the jumps, a puff of white smoke can be seen after the Mustang lands. This was actually caused by the oil pan slamming onto the concrete and bursting open. A quick welding job repaired it. With Director of Photography Bill Frakerfilming the level run of the car chase only six feet away from McQueen's driver door, Director Yates (at one point positioned in the Ford's rear seat) tapped Steve on the shoulder and said "We have a problem. I think we're out of film!", to which McQueen replied. "That's not all we're out of; we're out of brakes too!", at which point McQueen began zig-zagging the car left and right in a frantic effort to slow it down. Yates recalls: "I don't know how he ever got that thing stopped". The Mustang GT had suffered such unforgiving punishment on the hill jumps that by the time McQueen begins side-slamming Hickman's car at high speeds, the Mustang began to disintegrate, leaving a steering pitch of almost two feet. Each night, the cars were put on lifts for crews to inspect the undercarriages for cracks, however, the first Mustang GT was so badly damaged that it was scrapped after filming at the insistance of the insurance company.
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The crew included 50 actors, stunt men, drivers, plus camera, sound and communications people. William Fraker and a driver converted a stripped down Corvette chassis for the camera car to shoot film at speeds of up to 130 miles per hour. For those of you "motor heads" like me who want to know the definitive answer about what happened to the cars after the filming was completed, I have the answer for you! Both Dodge Chargers were scrapped, but the second Mustang (Chassis # 8Ro2S125559) was sold to a Warner Brothers employee. From there it was re-sold in 1974. McQueen himself and others tried to purchase the car unsuccessfully. When last seen, it had 66,000 miles on the odometer and had suffered only minor front-end accident damage. The paint was faded, but the welded-in camera mounts and holes drilled to support the lighting and camera equipment remain. After spending years in a Kentucky storage facility it was moved further south and the owner is anonymous as of this BLOG. Car collector Dave Kunz's replica was used by singer Sheryl Crow for the video release of her hit song "Steve McQueen". And to this day, neither "Ronin", "The Italian Job", "The Seven Ups" or any other film can equal the car chase of "Bullitt". Part of this reality is that we live in a very different time and culture where it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible to replicate the dangerous conditions of the "Bullitt" chase. Sadly, Bill Hickman, a heavy cigarette smoker died of cancer in February, 1986.
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The Cast:Steve McQueen is Lt. Frank Bullitt; Don Gordon is Delgetti; Robert Vaughn is Chalmers; Jacqueline Bissett is Cathy; Robert Duvall is Weissman the Cab Driver; Simon Oakland is Capt. Bennett; Norman Fell is Baker; Justin Tarr is Eddy; Feliece Orlandi is Renick; Pat Renella is Johnny Ross; Bill Hickman: Chargerdriver and thug; Paul Genge is the gunman; Writers: Alan Kleiner and Alan Trustman basd on the novel "Mute Witness" by Robert L. Fish. Directed by Peter Yates; Produced by Phillip D'Antoni; Music by Lalo Schifrin; WINNER 1969 Academy Award for Best Editing.
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Having spent so much time writing here about the car chase, let me add that the intense acting scene between McQueen and Vaughn in the hospital disproves McQueen's much quoted comment that "I'm not an actor, I'm a reactor". It is quite clear to anyone that Steve was not just a good actor; he was a GREAT actor! In summary, whatever McQueen put his mind to---whether lagging coins, playing polo on horseback in "The Thomas Crown Affair", competing as a karate student, as a professional motorcyclist, auto racer, flying his own planes or playing a wide variety of roles as the anti-hero during the Vietnam War era, he lived life to the fullest!
_____ SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE!
(This is an Unusually Long Post and Your Patience is Appreciated!) _______
The uncertainty that Director Norman Jewison seemed to feel towards casting Steve McQueen in "The Cincinnati KId" is very intriguing to me. And I say that knowing that Jewison almost refused testing McQueen on the grounds that McQueen "had not done too much" up to that point, despite a television Western series ("Wanted Dead or Alive") and films such as "Ever So Few" with Frank Sinatra, his work with Yul Brynner in "The Magnificent Seven", "Love With the Proper Stranger" with Natalie Wood and a picture I now call "the cinch er" with "TheGreat Escape". When that film catapulted McQueen to stardom, Jewison decided to take a chance on McQueen's instincts, and the result was a brilliant pairing with a terrific cast in this coming-of-age 1930's Depression era picture of the gambling world set in New Orleans. Edward G. Robinson--is featured in what became one of his final film appearances as an unbeatable if not ruthless master of gambling halls who is paired with "newcomer" McQueen with plenty of intensity. During the filming, according to Jewison, Robinson asked him to come to his Beverly Hills home to discuss his editing. "You know I know a little something about character development, kid. This guy--he never looks me in the eye". Here was the great film "star" who was fluent in three languages pitted against McQueen, who never finished high school, but who, nevertheless, deployed a formidable amount of "street smarts" and timing to convey the film's loner--which McQueen was in real life! What irritated Robinson most was that McQueen would look at the ground before and sometimes during his delivery of a line. This ran counter-culture to Robinson's training as a veteran theatre and film actor. But this tension would serve each actor well in the high stakes world of mental endurance and emotional manipulation in gambling. Further, McQueen and actress Tuesday Weld (Christian--Stoner's girlfriend) were in fact, two real-life loners continuing those roles in the film as well. And the interplay between them was, according to Jewison, magic to watch. The late Sharon Tate was screen tested for the role of "Christian", but was rejected as being too shy and inexperienced at age 23. Sexy siren Ann-Margret delivers plenty of sass and sex appeal to Karl Malden's "sugar daddy" husband. (Karl turned 96 last week: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARL!) Her first seduction scene with Steve is not to be missed (nor her second)! Meanwhile, William Jefferson-Slade (Rip Torn) tries to blackmail Shooter (Karl Malden) into cheating against Howard to gain revenge and allow "The KId" to win. A long time friend of Stoner, Shooter is faced with Slade revealing embarrassing information about Melba unless he goes along. When Stoner finds out about this scheme he forces the game to be played fair and square. The game lasts several grueling hours and begins with six players. The games' intensity finds both men winning and losing large pots. The ending is quite unpredictable and it will have you sweating!The Cast:Steve McQueen: is Eric "The Kid" Stoner; Edward G. Robinson isLancey Howard (Robinson replaced an ailing Spencer Tracy); Ann-Marget is Melba Nile; Karl Malden is "Shooter"; Tuesday Weld is Christian Rudd; Joan Blondell is "Lady Fingers"; Rip Torn is William Jefferson Slade; Cab Calloway is "Yeller" and James Weston is "The Pig". Directed by: Norman Jewison, Produced by Martin Ransohoff. It's worth noting that Joan Blondell received both a Laurel Award and a Golden Globe Nomination as Best Supporting Actress; Edward G. Robinson was Nominated for a Laurel Award as Best Supporting Actor. Based on the book by Richard Jessup, the screenplay was written by Ring Lardner, Jr. and Terry Southern; Produced by Martin Ransohoff.
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As a footnote: Before McQueen was cast, this picture was initially shut down and the original director Sam Peckinpah who wanted to shoot the film in Black & White was fired and replaced by Norman Jewison. Jewison brought in different writers because the original script struck him as a bit melodramatic. It's amusing that he enlisted Edward G. Robinson's cooperation after telling him that he would make his entrance "like a Mephistopheles" stepping off the train at the depot and emerging through the steam with his face on a close-up (which was the case)!
Here is the "break-out" role that made Steve McQueen a true "star" throughout the world with "THE GREAT ESCAPE". The Screenplay by James Clavell was adapted to the true to life depiction by author Paul Brickhill (who was himself shot down over Tunisia in March, 1943 and held as a POW) of a mass escape of Allied prisoners from exasperated Nazi's who built the so0called "escape proof" Stalag Luft III camp for repeat escape inmates. We witness the depiction of a desperate plan of escape through a tunnel engineered by convicts who each mastered various talents for deception and technical prowess features an all star cast led by: Steve McQueen as Captain Hilts, "The Cooler King"; James Garner as Flight Lt. Henley "The Scrounger", Lord Richard Attenborough as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett, aka "Big X", James Donald as Group Captain Ramsey, "The SBO", Charles Bronson as Flight Lt. Danny Velinski, "The Tunnel King", Donald Pleasance as Flight Lt. Colin Blythe, "The Forger", James Coburn as Flight Officer Louis Sedgwick, "The Manufacturer, David McCallum as Lt. Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt, Dispersal", Gordon Jackson as Flight Lt. Sandy MacDonald, "Intelligence", John Leyton as Flight Lt. William Dickes, "The Tunneler", Angus Lennie as Flight Officer Archibald Ives, "The Mole", Nigel Stock is Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish, "The Surveyor", and Robert Graf as Werner "The Ferret" with Hannes Messemer as Col. von Luger.
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Executive ProducerHarold Mirisch stayed close to the Brickhill book with the film. In reality, there were actually 3 tunnels dug. Each was named "Tom", "Dick" and "Harry" to maintain secrecy. Only one tunnel was used for the attempted escape of 220 prisoners. In all, 600 prisoners labored for more than a year in real-life, prompting the Gestapo to double the guards after taking over the camp from the Luftwaffe. At a critical juncture in the filming, Mirisch chose to show the cast 20 minutes of film that was shot. Following the screening, McQueen flew into a rage when he saw that a majority of the film clip depicted fellow actor James Garner, and he stormed off the set on a motorcycle for two weeks demanding a larger role and holding up production. After days of costly delays, an angry Director John Sturges announced that he was combining the Garner and McQueen roles.
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The next day, a turboprop commercial airliner carrying substantially the entire office of The William Morris Agency from Los Angeles, California landed in Munich and McQueen was located. Delicate negotiations resulted in Mirisch admitting that McQueen was ultimately right in wanting to expand his role as part of his job as an actor. A truce was struck wherein "Big X" (Lord Richard Attenborough) would ask Steve to escape and deliberately get caught in order to report on the geographical conditions and Nazi positions outside of the camp. Further, McQueen was allowed to add what became the most memorable and enduring scenes late in the film where he overtakes a Nazi soldier, and steals his uniform and motorcycle. This movie also began Steve's close association with life-long friend and stunt double Bud Ekins. What emerges is one of the most iconic stunts in movie history where the Germans on motorcycles hemmed-in McQueen on all sides of a country pasture and he is forced to assess the situation and make the daring decision for a motorcycle stunt that remains annealed in the worldwide consciousness: The final escape scene features McQueen doing all of the driving himself with one exception: the resulting 60 foot jump over a barbed wire was doubled by Bud Ekins who cleared the fence on the first try! The shot required a lot of measuring with the stunt crew enhancing the contours of the hill that became Ekins' launching ramp. As I previously mentioned, this sequence was McQueen's idea, and is today the film's most remembered action sequence.
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A footnote: On October 10, 2007 Bud Ekins passed away of natural causes at 77.
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Interestingly, Donald Pleasance and Hannes Messemer were actual POW's in World War II and advised Sturges on making the POW scenes more realistic. Charles Bronson, who had worked as a coal miner used his real-life claustrophobia to enhance his role as "The Tunnel King". The film was Nominated at the 1964 Academy Awards for Best Film Editing (Ferris Webster). Tension and a fascinating slight of hand of the prisoners with so few resources makes this a nail-biter of a film.
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A final word: Just prior to beginning work on this film, the film studio sent an attorney to the McQueen household with a contract for him to sign within 24 hours requiring him to stay away from racing. Steve's career was exploding at the time, but he was a very active weekend motorcycle racer. McQueen recalls the incident. "They gave me twenty-four hours to make up my mind. I took most of those twenty-four hours thinking about whether I wanted to go on racing, earning my money on the track, or whether I wanted to continue being an actor on the studio's terms. It was a very tough decision for me to reach. Still, I had Neille and our two young children to consider, and that made the difference. I signed their paper."
__________ ENJOY!
Authors Note: Dariana needs your support. She has been diagnosed with lung cancer. After you've visited mine, go to hers and give her your help. She needs it badly. Her blogsite is: http://thedivinedivas.blogspot.com.
We continue with a Comedy/Drama because it is well done and also because many people don't associate Steve McQueen with having a slightly comedic side. Natalie Wood is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, and her sass comes through with an intelligence and wit in every movie role I've seen her play. Word has it that the studios filmed this picture in Black & White to save money (and incorrectly pre-judged it to receive little or no notice). They were wrong! Filmed in 1963 and in fact, released on Christmas Day, this is one of the best films to deal with a still touchy issue of a single woman unexpectedly becoming pregnant and deciding what to do. For as many different people as there are in the world, that debate will continue, but for this film the characters take an amusing turn of events. Here's the plot:
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Angie Rossini (Natalie Wood) hails from a heavy-handed Italian Catholic family where she is shadowed by her overly protective brother, Dominick. Rocky Pampasano (Steve McQueen) is a cool trumpet player who has a one-night stand with Angie. What she calls a "stupid experiment" worsens when she finds herself pregnant. Edie Adams is Rocky's sleazy girlfriend with too many dogs and winds up stealing away the few scenes that she's in. When Angie informs Rocky that "I'm going to have a baby", McQueenplays the role straight and ignorant with a blank facial expression as he replies, "Congratulations," as if he were on another planet! Reality sinks in when Angie tells him: "Don't worry, I'm not going to cause you any trouble. I just want you to find me a doctor -- an address, you know?" Here are two completely different characters and they are quite a contrast in what makes their lives tick. They are rather lost, but joined by this new fate. But McQueen's character is vulnerable and unlike future roles, his steely resolve wavers until he sees something in Angie and wants to make a mid-course correction by proposing to her. When she refuses his offer of marriage on the basis of not being in love, their dysfunctional friends and family members go nuts and the picture becomes both funny and moving!
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Look for "Happy Day's" Tom Bosley makes his screen debut as well as a possible suitor for Angie who gets nowhere. Recognizing he must do something to win her heart, Rocky resorts to some hilarious strategies outside Macy's department store where Angie works. The dialogue here is rich and this is an early effort by Producer Alan J. Pakula. The tension between the independently-driven Angie and Rocky is amazing as he must fight for and eventually earn her trust and love. It is here where McQueen is cast in such a unique role that brings the best out of both actors.
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This film was Nominated for no less than 5 Academy Awards for: Best Actress in A Leading Role (Natalie Wood); Best Art Direction-Black & White (Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Sam Comerand Grace Gregory); Best Cinematography, Black & White (Milton Krasner); Best Costume Design-Black & White (the Legendary Edith Head); Best Writing, Story and Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen (Arnold Schulman).The film was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories. This entry in our 'Festival' will deliver a pleasant surprise to you. And the ending is one you'll not soon forget! We are largely deprived of movies delivering a sense of Hope for the future. This film is my answer to "Reality TV".The Cast: Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams. Herschel Bernardi, Tom Bosley, Harvey Lembeck, Penny Santon, Virginia Vincent, Nick Alexander and Augusta Ciolli. Produced by Alan J. Pakula and Directed by Robert Mulligan.
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ENJOY THIS ONE!
for Natalie Wood
Authors Note:Dariana needs your support. She has been diagnosed with lung cancer. After you've visited mine, go to hers and give her your help. She needs it badly. Her blogsite is:http://thedivinedivas.blogspot.com
Chris:There's a job for six men, watching over a village, south of the border. O'Reilly: How big's the opposition? Chris:Thirty guns. O'Reilly:I admire your notion of fair odds, mister.
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The film you are about to see is considered to be the very last American "Western" after "Rio Bravo" and "Red River". "THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" is a legendary film that came into existence after Executive Producer Harold Mirisch watched the 1954 film "Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa and brilliantly envisioned a Western epic about a group of seven gunmen hired by peasant villagers to protect them from being terrorized by bandits. Lead actor Yul Brynner as Chris is approached by the villagers to take on the job of recruiting a formidable army of seven gunfighters who accept a mere twenty dollars a piece for the assignment. One by one, the gunfighters are assembled to include a star-studded production that will never be equalled again:Horst Buchholst is Chico, Brad Dexter is Harry Luck--an old friend of Chris, Steve McQueen is Vin, Charles Bronson plays Bernardo O'Reilly, James Coburn is Britt and Robert Vaughn is Lee. Each of these characters is broke and only too ready to take on the task of cleaning up a border town from the bandits. In hindsight, it is a small miracle that "Magnificent Seven" was ever filmed at all!
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Alooming actors strike in Hollywood was brewing just as final casting was nearing completion. In a desperate attempt to evade the politics and certain production delays, director John Sturges quickly moved the entire production crew in a massive effort to Mexico where an entire village and border town was constructed for shooting to begin on May 1st, 1960. Substantial script changes and delicate negotiations with the Mexican people took place over concerns that Mexicans would not be portrayed poorly as Hollywood had historically typecast them over many years in films. To satisfy this obstacle, Mirisch proposed that the seven gunfighters would ally themselves with the plight of peasant villagers who were terrorized by bandits. This strategy was accepted and no expense was spared in erecting the town. The film is also controversial for another real-life dynamic that was being played out. While each of the actors were relatively unknown by comparison to Yul Brynner, each found himself attempting to outmaneuver their co-stars. However, a very public spat between McQueen and Brynner along with a bitter feud with Horst Buchholst and McQueen challenged the filmmakers. McQueen used this actual tension in one core scene in the film where he and Brynner lead a horse-driven hearse bearing a corpse to Boot Hill for burial armed with shotguns after substantially the entire town threatens to block their passage. In a tense scene that is unscripted, McQueen repeatedly adjusts his hat and shakes a handful of bullets as if they are dice as he loads his rifle. An aggravated Brynner in this "not-to-be-missed scene" strikes a match from his boot to light his cigarette, so aggravated that he wouldn't even look over at McQueen. McQueen smiles sarcastically and says,"Let her buck" and the action begins.
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While filming commenced, the entire world of future Hollywood Westerns back home in the United States had fundamentally changed with the gradual arrival of Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Westerns" --so named for their filming locations in Italy that gave rise to a new breed of cowboy in Clint Eastwood. But for this precious period frozen in time across the border in Mexico, "The Magnificent Seven" became truly legendary for its realism in the tradition of "High Noon" and those films of the genre' that preceded it. Directed by John Sturgesand written by William Roberts the stunning soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein was nominated in 1961 for an Academy Award for Best Music Score. Today, Robert Vaughn and Eli Wallach are the only surviving actors of this remarkable cast who had little idea that they were making history for decades to come. In 2007, Steve McQueen's widow Barbara Minty McQueen appeared as a Guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" in what was her first public appearance in since Steve's death in 1980. Paul Shafer and the band played the Theme from "The Magnificent Seven" as Barbara walked out to an emotion-packed standing ovation. There's no other way to say it. This is one hell of a film!
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I hope you enjoy it!
Authors Note: Dariana needs your support. She has been diagnosed with lung cancer. After you've visited mine, go to hers and give her your help. She needs it badly. Her blogsite is: http://thedivinedivas.blogspot.com
THE 3RD ANNUAL STEVE MCQUEEN FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS: "STEVE MCQUEEN: THE ESSENCE OF COOL"!
(All Photos Courtesy of: Donna Redden)
Just 3 days before his 37th Birthday on March 10, 1967 Steve McQueen becomes the 153rd star to put his handprints and footprints on the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater. Wife Neile is at his side.
Signing his name along with "THANKS!!"
...and it's Official! The most-famous actor in the world has earned the honor!
(Photo: Michael Manning--who else?) Today at 6928 Hollywood Boulevard
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Note: In order to view this, you will have to access the DVD "Bullitt". "Steve McQueen:The Essence of Cool" is actually contained on a second DVD within the "Bullitt" movie DVD case, and I felt it was vital to launch our 3rd Annual appreciation Festival with this disc. I pre-announced this early last week to allow participants usinf Net Flix a bit of extra time to access the feature, which was filmed in 2005.
---Michael
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Welcome to our 3rd Annual "Steve McQueen Film Festival"! This year I've decided that the only proper way to begin our week-long 'Festival' was to recommend a DVD that is contained within the 2005 release of the film, "Bullitt" called "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool". This important film sets the tone for the days ahead by familiarizing you with the film work and the man who was Steve McQueen. I realize it may take a little bit of extra effort to obtain it, but it is not to be missed! You'll hear the following share their recollections: Steve McQueen, in a final audio taped interview, Robert Culp,Neile Adams (Steve's wife of 15 years),Suzanne Pleshette, (Steve's Co-Star in "Nevada Smith"), Actor Martin Landeau, Steve's agentHillard Elkins, frequent Co-StarDon Gordon, Producer and business partnerRobert E. Relyea,Director Lawrence Kasdan, Executive Producer Walter Mirisch, Co Stars Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach, Lord Richard Attenborough, long-time stunt doublesBud Ekins, Pat Johnson, Loren Janes, Hollywood writer Charles Champlin, Director Norman Jewison, Steve's son Chad McQueen, Director Peter Yates, Steve's Personal AssistantMario Iscovich, ActorAlec Baldwin, Actor Eli Wallach, Actor Levar Burton, Photographer William Claxton, Cinematographer Haskell Wexler, Assistant to Director Sam Peckinpah, Katherine Haber, Producer David Foster, and Steve's widow Barbara Minty. Executive Producer: Leslie Grief, Written Produced and Directed by: William Friedman, and Produced by Julie Frankel, Kathy Williamson and Hillard Elkins.
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Last summer, I visited Graumann's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles and searched for the hand prints and shoe prints in the special cement section bearing the scrawled note "THANKS!" and the signature of "Steve McQueen" dated 3/10/ 67. As I placed my own smaller hands in his imprint I thought to myself. "How many professional motorcycle and automobile races and Marine tanks had these hands commandeered? These were the hands that held so many beautiful actresses". These were also the hands carried the casket of close friend and actor/martial arts great Bruce Lee as a pallbearer on July 31, 1973 along withJames Coburn, Chuck Norris, George Lazenby, Dan Imosanto, Taky Kimura, Peter Chin and his brother, Robert Lee. McQueen learned the martial art Tang Soo Do from ninth degree black belt Pat Johnson. Actor Chuck Norris (whom I personally introduced on stage at the "Texas Film Commission Lifetime Achievement Awards" ceremony)and Bruce Lee taught McQueen's son Chad Taekwondoand Jeet Kune Dorespectively. In fact, it was McQueen who persuaded Norris to attend acting classes. These were the hands that went up in a gesture of surrender with that leering smile to the Nazi guards in "The Great Escape". He was "Hilt's The Cooler King", the rebel Lieutenant of the San Francisco Police Department in "Bullitt"; the outlaw bank robber with second wife Ali MacGraw in "The Getaway"; the mildly comedic lover to NatalieWood in "Love with the Proper Stranger", and friend of Roman Polansky, wife Sharon Tate-Polansky and Steves friendand hairdresser Jay Sebring (Sharon, Jay and three others were tragically murdered by the followers of Charles Manson on August 9, 1969).
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My mind flashed back to the film footage of Steve and first wife Neile McQueen on the day pictured above, when he had just finished the ceremony at Graumann's and later, when a reporter stated, "You have been acknowledged as the most popular actor in the world". In some peculiar sense that hot afternoon, I felt ambivalent about finding myself---me---standing there at the precise spot where Steve became one of a relative few all time Hollywood Stars invited over the decades to participate in the cement imprinting. The younger kids around me paid little attention to Steve's imprint, and I wasn't sad. Rather, I understood that younger stars such as Whoopi Goldberg or Tom Hanks and their imprints were hovered over by a generation that wasn't even born when Steve died so young in 1980. Worldwide, he is nevertheless, beloved a full 27 years after his passing. Why? Because he left an indelible impression that was so captivating, so piercing with those blue eyes; he could do more with his facial expressions than other actors could with double the amount of dialogue. And that was the genius of Steve. He was simply electric; his anti-hero persona virtually jumped off the "Big Screen" and energized audiences. There I stood thinking. The boy who was abandoned by his father in Beech Grove Indiana in 1930, and whose mother sent him to live with his aunt in Slater, Missouri only to summon him years later to California and abandon him again at The Boys Republic in Chino Hills, California "for wayward boys" had traveled one hell of a journey in this life. He would leave the reform school at 17 to join the Marines. When he was Honorably Discharged, he used the G.I. Bill to obtain acting lessons---and out of 2,000 applicants to New York's prestigious Lee Strasberg School of Acting, only Martin Landeau and Steve McQueen were accepted! Can you even imagine? No other Hollywood star has been so honored with the enduring title of "The King of Cool". And I'm happy to say here that an entirely new generation of 20-somethings is re-discovering Steve's impressive body of film work.
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In "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool", what emerges is an understandably tortured soul who endured the much storied "School of Hard Knocks" and against all odds became an enduring "Legend" in ever aspect of what that word really means. His acting was borne of pure instinct and timing that can't be taught; it emanates from a man living on the edge, deeply concerned with reality and exposing the truth of a film character's vulnerabilities and defences from the deepest recesses of his soul. Guarded, moody, difficult to work with, explosive, and yet tremendously charitable, Steve left a significant portion of his estate to The Boys Republic, where he visited regularly the children there over the years. And not for "photo ops", but to sit down for an afternoon and have lunch with boys into whose eyes Steve likely peered into and saw a part of himself. At a Thanksgiving Day meal held at an all-black orphanage in the late 1960's, several Hollywood stars promised to show up. Steve McQueen drove to the orphanage on a motorcycle and spent the entire day with the children, while the other stars were "no-shows". This is the type of man with a heart. At the end of his turbulent life, he found happiness with former Cosmopolitan model Barbara Minty. Steve became a Christian and found the spiritual solace he sought throughout his short life. He was later was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a painful and terminal form of cancer. As he fought the disease, Steve is said to have come full-circle in his life--recognizing that he had hurt a number of people. So, he made those circumstances right. And it is always how I choose to remember my favorite actor: Steve McQueen.
Sheryl Crow's video for her hit song reminds me that we are just 2 days away from our 3rd Annual "Steve McQueen Film Festival". Mark your calendars for March 24th-31st!
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Filming in San Francisco
London, 1969 with the late Sharon Tate-Polansky & Roman Polansky
Join Us as we kick it off after 12 AM Monday... (and have a nice weekend!)
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "ANNIE HALL"!
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One thing I have learned from over three years of producing this feature is to never assume that a film, television series or an actor--however iconic--is known by everyone. There will always be those who read a "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" feature and then say "Oh, yeah. I remember that one". And as sure as I'm sitting here, someone will remark with total honesty, "I was always too busy with life to ever get around to seeing that. But thanks, I'll jot it down on my list!"
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With this in mind, "ANNIE HALL" is basically a film about a comedian named "Alvy Singer" (WoodyAllen) who winds up unexpectedly falling in love with a quirky, but attractive girl named---altogether now: Annie Hall!(played by Diane Keaton). This is a very entertaining film about two people who are total opposites, but nevertheless embrace each other with humor and fascination. This is also decidedly Woody Allen of the 1970's, with his self deprecating character who obsesses over the subject of death, and has a dark, cynical view about the world and the people in it. Annie is a clumsy but talented singer and photographer. This film is quite a riot as it takes you through the couple's entire relationship replete with private thoughts, the use of split screen (as each visits their own therapist) and basically how awkward conversation leads to love and romance. Allen often comes out of character to speak directly to the audience to explain his view of a given situation. It's hard to believe that over 20 years has passed! I recently saw Diane Keaton on"Larry King Live" and she was shown reacting to various films she had made. When her performance in this comedy was shown, it was rather clear to me that she had not watched herself in "Annie Hall" in some time. And the experience was at once embarrassing and endearing for such a great actress who remains strikingly attractive and working in age-obsessed Hollywood in her 50's (a sad reality Hollywood should be ashamed of, as many fine actresses over 40 are idle!).
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The American Film Institute rated this film as #31 among it's "Top 100 Movies". Six years ago, film critic Roger Ebert called it "just about everyone's favorite Woody Allen movie". The film swept the 1977 Academy Awards winning BEST PICTURE:Charles H. Joffee & Jack Rollins; BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Diane Keaton; BEST DIRECTOR: Woody Allen; BEST WRITING, SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN:Woody Allen&Marshall Brickman. Allen was a no-show for the Oscars, claiming that the ceremony "meant nothing" to him. Not to be missed: The scene where Allen and Keaton are standing in a movie line with a loudmouth behind them trying desperately to impress his date. With today's lack of cell phone etiquette, this will resonate very strong! Yes, how many time have we all been in this situation, right? Anyhow, this is some light fare with good memories before we head towards the weekend and heat up the "Festival".
____ ENJOY IT! Happy Birthday Fred Rogers, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"!
Note: Please stop over at Golfwidow's Ministry of Silly Walks (found on my Blogroll) to see Fred's "Goodbye". Here is a short Tribute to Fred Rogers:
"You believe what you want. You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine" ---Steve McQueen from "Bullitt" (We Rock & Roll on Monday).
http://www.fordvehicles.com/mustangbullitt/
http://autoshows.ford.com/181/2007/11/11/ limited-edition-model-pays-tribute -to-classic-movie-iconic-car/ ?cmp=show|bullittinterstitial|1|fv|20071122 (Click on and turn up your audio) :-)
This week we celebrate the life of Fred Rogers, creator of the iconic PBS TV series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Fred is probably the most misunderstood and unassuming genius I can think of (Orson Welles was assuming, but not in a bad way--I admired him as well). Rogers once said, "We are servants of those who watch and listen." At his memorial service in 2003 was surprise guest, violinist Itzhak Perlman, who played a gavotte by Bach in memory of Rogers. On video, in a red sweater, was cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was overseas on a concert tour but recalled his first meeting with Rogers and performed two musical favorites. One was Rogers' "Tree, Tree, Tree." Rogers wrote over 200 songs.
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Fred had a great sense of humor. "He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person," said David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. "His mission was to work with families and children for television. ... That was his passion, his mission, and he did it from Day One."
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He began playing piano at the age of 5 and graduated with a B.A. in Music Composition from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. His curiosity about television led him to New York City to delve into the production side of television for a couple of years as a floor manager for the NBC shows "Your Hit Parade" and "The Kate Smith Hour," but he disliked the experience. "I got into television because I hated it so," Rogers told CNN. "And I thought there's some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen." Fred Rogers married his college sweetheart, Sara Joanne Byrd, then moved back to Pittsburgh and began experimenting with "educational television." In 1954, he caught a break. Pittsburgh's WQED became the nation's first public television station and Fred developed "The Children's Corner," a prototype for what later became "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". During this run, Fred attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and became ordained as a minister in 1962. Concurrently, he took courses in child development and the following year, he created a 15-minute version of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for Canadian television. In 1964, he returned to Pittsburgh where WQED launched his series as a half-hour show. By 1969, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began airing on PBS stations that had built-out across the United States. He had a sincere devotion to children's curiosity about God, death and spirituality, and he used puppets to mirror children's feelings on a wide range of issues from sibling rivalry or separation anxiety. His persona was said to be the same on-camera and off-camera. There were never the bitter feuds of egos we hear about today and I think this was dues to Fred's total devotion towards ushering in a new era of emotional frankness in children's programming by nurturing both the psyche and soul. For example, he was deeply concerned about children's fears of war and nuclear annihilation during the "Cold War" and he protested television footage of the 9/11 attacks in the United States being re-run endlessly on television out of concern for children and their need for stability.
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Fred received 40 Honorary Doctorates, won 4 Emmy Awards (one for lifetime achievement) earned a Peabody Award in Broadcasting in 1992, gave numerous university commencement speeches, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. On July 9, 2002 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for improving the lives of children through compassion and his dedication to spreading kindness worldwide. Wherever he was a guest speaker, he always asked the audience for 60 seconds of silence so that everyone would remember those who helped them in life become who they were. He left behind his wife, two grown sons, James and John and three grandchildren. One thing is certain. I firmly believe that we will never see (in our lifetimes) an educator as genuine or down to earth as Fred Rogers. To close this out, I have a fun story. Fred drove an old Chevrolet Impala automobile. It was stolen from the WQED parking lot and Fred filed a police report. Within hours, it was back in his parking spot with a note from the thieves that read, "If we knew who this car belonged to, we never would have touched it!"
ONE WEEK COUNTDOWN TO 3RD ANNUAL STEVE MCQUEEN FILM FESTIVAL!
Steve McQueen 3/21/67 Grauman's Chinese Theater Los Angeles, California
My visit: 8/21/07 Once in a Lifetime! ___
Happy Sunday to all of you who read Blogs on weekends. Allow me to be direct: On Monday, March 24th we launch the 3rd Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival. In the past week alone, I have received e-mails from children of producers and personalities who "GOOGLED" some of the features from both "THE INTERVIEW" and yes, "FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT". A husband and wife knew actor Don Gordon from the 1960's (who appeared with Steve McQueen in several key films), and another's father was involved with the Robert Redford film, "Brubaker". The latter wrote to say that he agreed with my review entirely about the powerful, stirring ending of that film. I never cease to be amazed by how many people this seemingly small blogsite reaches worldwide. And of course I'm very, very proud of what I endeavor to accomplish with it.
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With that said, I have one final point. Those of you who are using Net Flix who actually follow the "Festival" loyally, will need to access the DVD "Bullitt" early on because the package contains a separate DVD entitled "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool". We will begin the "Festival" with this feature (found inside the packaging below the movie). This really sets the tone of the week. We have a new format and some new films this year. There are 6 films that will NOT be in this year's line up. Next year, will see us utilizing the same one-week format, albeit, with a some additional presentation changes. To all newcomers, may I just add: "Welcome Aboard"!
Many of you have no doubt lost sleep over my earlier alarm clock story, so I felt that I better do a "follow-up". I was at the Honda dealership recently to have the valves adjusted on my car. I wandered into the Gift Shop and spotted the alarm clock you see above. I asked the price and found out it was the last one. So, I told the clerk I'd take it for 50% off the asking price and we shook on it. Basically, you set the clock and it wakes you up with the sound of an Indy Car (I like to think it's Danica Patrick's) ignition starting and the driver leaving the pits winding through 5 gears, sounds of the car skidding to a stop, and two horn beeps. A woman's voice that says "Time to wake up!" :D)
(Danica: I see the ring . But If you ever find yourself single...) SMILE, IT'S SATURDAY!
"FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT" PRESENTS: SOLDIER IN THE RAIN!
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For 6 years, a friend of mine who is a bartender in Texas would e-mail me with one question. "Have you seen 'SOLDIER IN THE RAIN' yet?" After many months, no matter what I e-mailed him about, his sign off was "Remember..."Solider in the Rain". I'm telling you right now, this is the most unusual pairing I have featured this year on "Friday Movie Suggestion Night"! Why? Because Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen play against type in this comedy-drama film about the bonds of friendship. On the one hand we have an aging, obese Army Master Sergeant (Gleason) and on the other, a young, idolizing if not naive Sergeant (McQueen), who turns in an extremely uncharacteristic and animated comedic performance. Tuesday Weld is cast as Gleason's character's love interest. The film is Produced and co-written by Blake Edwards, who just came off of the disappointing "Operation Petticoat", but came back strong in "Days of Wine and Roses" before "The Pink Panther". Blake is a pure genius. He appears here as a Writer and Producer.
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This screenplay is based on the novel by William Goldman and directed by Ralph Nelson, who directed Gleason in "Requiem for a Heavyweight" the previous year! Now, you're going to find it strange when I say this; this movie is strong, but it doesn't rely heavily on the plot! In real life, Jackie and Steve were great friends. And you can see here why Jackie Gleason was called "The Great One" (I have a surprise Gleason film programmed for later this year that will knock your socks off!). McQueen plays a country bumpkin with a "devil-may care" enthusiasm, while Gleason helps him out of his scrapes. This is the story of enduring friendship. The late Tom Poston (eulogized last month here on my BLOG along with his lovely wife and a beloved actress, the late Suzanne Pleshette) is a clueless Lieutenant while Tuesday Weld (a lady with a remarkable career) was just coming to be known in Hollywood. Filmed 3 years before Adam West played television's "Batman", he makes a funny appearance in this short film that is full of surprises and I hope you will get a huge kick out of it. Here's our Cast: Directed by: Ralph Nelson; Writers:Blake Edwards, William Goldman (novel); and Maurice Richlin .Jackie Gleason is Master Sgt. Maxwell Slaughter; Steve McQueen is Sgt. Eustis Clay; Tuesday Weld is Bobby Jo Pepperdine; Tony Bill is Pfc. Jerry Meltzer;and Tom Poston plays Lt. Magee.
Meet Maria of "Nightspell World" at: http://nightspellworld.blogspot.com/ _____
Good Morning! Hey, I wanted to introduce all of you to a cool Blog Bud of mine from the Northern Coast of Spain. Her name is Maria and sometimes a nice person gets lost in the blog world shuffle. Maria is a gem! She loves metal bands along with: "Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven..to Rainbow, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Helloween, Stratovarius, At Vance. Oliver Hartmann, Rob Haldford, Dio, Bonnie Tyler, Bangles, Cramberries, U2,Carlos Nuñez..The Chieftains..and many many more".
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I've enjoyed following Maria as she learns English and she has a great spirit of Friendship and Love. Well, last night I stopped by to say HI! and saw that she had posted an appearance of The Rolling Stones on the old Ed Sullivan Show. This made me chuckle for a few reasons. First, I couldn't see any electric guitar cables from Keith Richards or Bill Wyman's axes! Second, a young Keith Richards looks like a high school prankster and I find that funny. Lastly, it's hilarious to see how stiff Sullivan is introducing Mick and the Boys. Then Maria posted a present day live outdoor concert of The Stones and it's just amazing how long this band has been around! Anyway, Maria is very cool and I hope you'll stop over and say hello to her. She's a cool blogger!
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Younger Keith Richards
Keith Today ___
Aside from watching Rick Springfield playing his axe, Keith is similarly an amazing musician in concert. Go have a look, say "HI" to Maria and enjoy your Wednesday!
It is said that "a picture says a thousand words". Visitors to my BLOG page and PHOTO page 3 on my Website (at http://www.michaelmanning.tv) are certainly aware of a special angel named Sahara Aldridge. This special girl passed away last November 5th after battling brain stem cancer for 17 courageous months. The amazing spirit of Sahara lives on, and here is but one example that I felt compelled to share with each of you. Pictured above meet Sahara's basketball team "The Lady Comets". The lovely lady to the far left is Assistant Coach and Sahara's Mother Amy Aldridge, and the good looking guy to the far right is the team's Head Coach and Sahara's Father Shannon Aldridge. The girls on the team made a decision early on that they were dedicating the season to Sahara and they went on to win the season undefeated 8-0. Sahara's jersey number was always 21. The team won 35-14---by 21 points. I live now in Northeast Arizona and I wasn't able to attend the games. But I wish I could have attended every single one on the front row to cheer on the team!
(Photo Credit: Aaron Eisenhauer)
Head Coach and a friend to so many of us, Shannon Aldridge slaps the hand of Britney Hubbard after she scored a basket Saturday, helping to secure the team's win and their perfect season. Shannon's shirt reads "Players may come can go, but legends live forever."
Shannon and Amy Aldridge congratulate their girls basketball team after winning the final game of the season, leaving them undefeated on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at the Southeast Missouri State University Rec Center. There is but no doubt that Sahara's spirit was with this team and in that auditorium. Thousands of children from literally around the world came to know about Sahara's battle with cancer. She was diagnosed on her 12th birthday. Like so many, The Aldridge family has touched my heart forever and this BLOG Page will keep you informed of the journey many of us are still on to keep Sahara's bright and shining spirit of Love and Joy alive daily! This we must do.
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To read this story in detail, you can access Lindy Bavolek's article in the Southeastern Missourian at:
I encourage you to visit Sahara's website at http://saharaaldridge.blogspot.com. Let me make one last comment. I haven't met a blogger who has visited my Website yet who didn't have a heart of gold. It is so human to feel like "I feel Sahara's loss, but I'm not good at expressing myself. It is out of my comfort zone". To you, dear friends I say this. Part of loving and certainly part of being a friend to those who have suffered a loss as Shannon and Amy have means fostering what my own Pastor of 21 years calls "Supportiveness". You don't have to be someone who has any sage wisdom or the perfect answer. Read their Blog Page regularly and just speak from the precise center of your heart. I have found that in my own life, "Supportiveness" is itself a real blessing and the best way I know to lift up those whom we care about. Please consider!
Steve McQueen (1930-1980) (All Photos by Pascal Van Zant)
Welcome to a short BLOG for Sunday! Two weeks from tonight we begin our 3rd Annual "Steve McQueen Film Festival" to honor the great Actor/Director/Philanthropist who after 30 films made an indelible impression in the hearts and minds of movie lovers worldwide. I've included some photos from the two past seasons below. This year begins a new format of a condensed 8 days over past festivals lasting a month or more. Mark your calendars for March 23rd-30th.
Enjoy Today!
Steve with Faye Dunaway & Paul Newman The Towering Inferno
Recently, I blogged about how fun it would be to mention a dozen random personalities of the present day I would enjoy interviewing, or what I prefer to call "visiting". Today, I present personalities who are sadly, no longer with us. This is a mere sample of 12 people whom I would love to sit down and visit with today...were it possible.
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Natalie Wood: Actress: Unforgettable!
Orson Welles: Actor/Director/Writer/Producer
Dudley Moore: Actor/Comedian/Pianist
Steve McQueen: Actor/Producer/Philanthropist
John Delorean: Auto Designer/Entrepreneur
Sammy Davis, Jr.: Singer/Actor/Dancer
Juan Trippe: Founder & Airline Visionary Pan American World Airways
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "DELIVERANCE"!
This was the film that showed Burt Reynolds as a serious actor. Far too many overlook the fact that Burt worked tirelessly for years in television series. He preceded Ken Curtis as "Festus" in "Gunsmoke", and was a Guest Star in television series' such as "Perry Mason","The Fugitive" and other Quin Martin Productions (including Reynold's own detective series, "Dan August" with Norman Fell). I have always said that if Burt slimmed down, got into shape and kicked the white hair for a younger look combined with a really good dramatic script he could really deliver. In 1979, he was the number one box office star in the country. But by then he alternated between comedy (he was unfairly panned in "Starting Over" and "The Man Who Loved Women") and what he himself confessed to be film roles that fell into two categories: "mean and meaner" with"Sharky's Machine", "Hustle" and "The Longest Yard". Back to 1972...
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Director John Boorman moved rapidly to secure the movie rights of "Deliverance" ahead of Sam Pechinpah, who wanted to direct this film badly. Instead, Pechinpah moved on to direct the intense "Straw Dogs", starring Dustin Hoffman in 1971. Boorman wanted Lee Marvin and Marlon Brando to play the roles of Ed and Lewis, respectively. After reading the script, however, Lee Marvin told Boorman that he and Brando were too old, and that Boorman should use younger actors. An interesting irony, because a young Burt Reynolds was often unfairly compared with Brando in his younger days! Boorman ultimately agreed, and cast Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds.Caution: This is not a movie for the fein of heart! While the cinematography, realism (each actor handled his own stunts to save money) and the sparse script is at once well choreographed, shocking and challenging to the audience, this film centers on the instinct of survival involving a group of highly civilized men urbanized humanity is stripped to the core by the James Dickey novel.
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The conflict and violence between good and evil reveals the fragility of the urbanized men led by Burt Reynolds as a gung-ho survivalist, Lewis, with John Voight,Ned Beatty (in his first movie) and Ronny Cox. Beatty and Cox were already starring in a North Carolina playhouse production when they were recommended to the director. The soundtrack contains the hit single "Dueling Banjos"--although Ronny Cox plays a guitar. Actor Billy Redden did not know how to play banjo for the famous "Duelling Banjos" scene, so another boy, who was a skilled banjo-player, played the chords with his arm reaching around at Redden's side while Redden picked. On the soundtrack, musicians Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel are actually playing. This movie will stun you and reveal Burt Reynold's as one actor who is capable of the raw powered performance given here.
For 1966, Custom Car designer George Barris created "The Batmobile" from a 1955 Ford Futura concept show car. It required 1,200 man hours and there were three built. I saw the second one at an auto show. Screen Gems paid Barris $20,000 (US) in 1965 to build the car. The show ran from 1966-68. Burt Ward who played Robin wrote a tell all book about the exploits of he and Adam West that I'll leave to your imagination! Let's just say the women went nutso for them.
The Dynamic Duo in tights!
The Partridge Family (1970-74) bus was a 1957 GMC manual 4 speed transmission, and I saw an out-take of a then 36 year old Shirley Jones blowing a scene grinding the gears and busting out laughing. The original bus was with the Orange County School District and purchased by Al's Used Car Lot in Los Angeles. It was sold several times after the show ended production and was found abandoned in a Taco Restaurant parking lot. It was eventually junked in 1987. When David Cassidy resumed touring in the 1990's he had a bus painted similar to this one. Good marketing! The show of course, centered on a widow whose children form a band to earn money. Top studio musicians were used to dub the instrumentation, however Shirley Jones and David Cassidy's vocals were authentic. The "band" had several hits from the show, which was a hoot because Danny Bonaduce faking playing a bass guitar was never in synch with the studio musicians. Susan Dey looked hot. What can I say?
On tour?
Mike Connors as "Mannix" circa 1971 with a Plymouth Barracuda convertible.
James Garner as private eye, "Jim Rockford" of "The Rockford Files" . The show opened with Jim's telephone answering machine (this was the 1970's) usually with a threat from some mob goon or a pal he owed money to. He lived in a house trailer and was an ex-con later acquitted for a crime he never did. His girlfriend was a defense attorney.
Jim drove a Gold colored 1974 Pontiac Firebird!
David Soul and Paul Michael Glazer used this Ford Torino in the TV series "Starsky & Hutch"--a favorite TV show of Elvis Presley! I had the rare pleasure of meeting Paul Michael Glazer and his wife Elizabeth in 1990 for whom The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids Foundation was named after her passing.
The Monkee's TV show ran from 1966-68 and The Monkee mobile was a heavily customized GTO built by Dean Jeffries used to transport the band to sites of their antics. There was a second car built for stunts but never used. Why a third one was built is beyond me. George Barris of Barris Custom City employed Jeffries and he bought the original car from him after television production ended. A long running dispute broke between the men about who designed it. As I blogged about previously, this TV manufactured band was later transformed into the guys actually taking on their own instruments and music seriously. They opened a show for Jimi Hendrix on tour--one show.
Here's the original car entering the restoration shop! I've seen this in person and it is quite impressive!
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This is a weird topic for a Wednesday, but good for a quick coffee break!
Tony Bennett:The Singer's Singer: ________________
Elizabeth Vargas: Broadcast Journalist
(Note: Before Liz got married I used to rehearse Mick Jagger's line from The Stone's "Emotional Rescue" with the British accent with the reverb turned up: "I want to be your Knight in Shining Armour" :D)
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Dr. Michael Debakey:Pioneering Heart Surgeon _______________
My latest magazine article is out in Borders and Barnes & Nobles Bookstores right now in the United States. Look for us in the United Kingdom and Internationally within the week! My interview is on Page 12 with Sibodh Karnik, CEO of Global Aero Logistics. Subodh is an amazing man and I thoroughly enjoyed our Georgia interview!
(Photo Credit GAL)
Triumphant Tripartite
by Michael Manning
While there is much talk about the coming wave of ‘mega-mergers’ in the USA, three smaller airlines have already been snapped up by one company, Global Aero Logistics (GAL). Formerly known as New ATA Holdings, the owner of ATA Airlines, in August 2007 GAL acquired World Air Holdings. Matlin Patterson Global Opportunities Partners II, the owners of GAL, paid $315 million in cash for World Air Holdings, parent company of World Airways that had itself acquired North American Airlines two years earlier. Overnight, the three separate airlines have transformed GAL into a $1.6 billion holding company (as measured by annual revenues) with 4,500 employees and a combined fleet of 60 aircraft. The heads of ATA Airlines, North American Airlines, and World Airways report to GAL Chairman Subodh Karnik, who spoke to Airways about his vision for the company.
“Lalo Schifrin’s work is spectacular.” CBS Sunday Morning News
“A musician of exceptional imagination and skill.” Los Angeles Times
“Such intelligence…such refinement…a far reaching musician.” La Revue Musical, Paris, France
Before I write about Lalo, you've got to copy, paste and watch this. This is Lalo just last year conducting a full orchestra in Paris performing "The Theme from Mannix" Live!
No wait! Here's that same concert with Lalo and Orchestra closing the show with "The Theme from Mission: Impossible". Say what you will, Tom Cruise's movies despite decades of new technology and an over-abundance of ego cannot top the original television series. I met actor Peter Lupus (Willy Armitage) at an auto show and we had a nice chat about the TV series. The main stars were Peter Graves as James Phleps; Leslie Ann Warren as Dana Lambert (for one season but I still can't get her out of my mind!) the late Greg Morris was Barney Collier (A footnote: shortly before Greg died of brain cancer in 1996 in Las Vegas, he reportedly attended the first Tom Cruise "Mission Impossible" movie and hated it so badly that he left the theater) ; Leonard Nimoy was "The Amazing Paris"; Barbara Bain was Cinnamon Carter; then husband Martin Landeau was Rollin Hand; Steven Hill was Daniel Briggs; Lynda Day George was Casey and Barbara Anderson was Mimi Davis. Stay with me this is VERY cool! Paste and play this:
Lalo Schifrin is a true "Renaissance Man". A pianist, composer and conductor, he is equally at home conducting a symphony orchestra, performing at an international jazz festival, scoring a film or television show, or creating works for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic and even The Sultan of Oman. WOW!
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His Classical music training took began in his home of Argentina where he also studied Law. He came from a musical family, and his father, Luis Schifrin, was the concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colon. Lalo continued his formal music education at the Paris Conservatory during the early 1950’s. Simultaneously, he became a professional jazz pianist, composer and arranger, playing and recording in Europe.When Schifrin returned to Buenos Aires in the mid 1950’s, he formed his own big concert band. It was during a performance of this band that Dizzy Gillespie heard Schifrin play and asked him to become his pianist and arranger. In 1958, Schifrin moved to the United States and thus began a remarkable career. My Blog is much too small to do his Biography justice. Here are scant "glimpses", then I'll tell you where to read more if you'd like!
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In the classical composition field, Schifrin has more than 60 works. He has written more than 100 scores for films and television. Among the classic scores are “Mission Impossible,”“Mannix,” “The Fox,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Bullitt,” “Dirty Harry,” “The Cincinnati Kid,”and “Amityville Horror.” Hey, what about recent film scores? Well, they include “Tango,” “Rush Hour,” “Rush Hour 2,” “Bringing Down The House”, “The Bridge of San Luis Rey,” “After the Sunset,” and “Abominable.”
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To date, Lalo Schifrin has won 4 Grammy Awards (with 21 Nominations), one Cable ACE Award, and received 6 Oscar nominations and (as I can personally testify to) he has a Star on the famed "Hollywood Walk of Fame".
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As a jazz musician he has performed and recorded with great personalities such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, and Count Basie.
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In January 2000, Schifrin premiered a new work for jazz big band, “Esperanto.” This work features soloists Jean-Luc Ponty (a fusion violinist whom I've seen in concert), Don Byron, Nestor Marconi, James Morrison, Trilok Gurtu, Sydney Thiam, Greg Hutchinson, Simon Stockhausen and the WDR Big Band. “Esperanto” was released on CD in September, 2000.
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Schifrin has been married to his wife, Donna, for more than 30 years. His three children include William, who is a writer for films and television; Frances, who is an art director/designer; and Ryan, who is a film writer/director.
For more information on Lalo Schifrin, please visit: www.schifrin.com. (and tell him Michael Manning sent you! ;-)
Today's television detective series are garbage. Sorry to be so blunt, but take a trip down memory lane with the opening from "You Tube" of the TV series "Manninx" starring Mike Connors and Gail Fisher as his secretary "Peggy". It ran from 1967-1975 and it was awesome! We'll talk after you watch the opening 50 second TV series opener below. The music is by Lalo Schifrin who scored the original TV series "Mission Impossible", and movies like "Bullitt" and was a jazz composer in his own right. He scored the "Theme for Maninx" in triple time (think waltz) with a snappy jazz opening using IBM "split screen" effects which was high tech at the time. Cue up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa0_K2bVA_M _____
Pretty cool, huh? Mike Connors (given name: Krikor Ohanian) is an Armenian-American actor who was born in Fresno, California. In the 1970's his CBS TV detective series, "Mannix" was all the rage and ran for 8 years. Mike Connor's character of Joe Mannix was created by William Link and Richard Levinson, developed for television by Bruce Geller and produced by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. Here's the scoop:
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Joe left a detective firm called "Intertect", to start his own detective agency. He owns a cool apartment at Paseo Verde Drive in Los Angeles and predominantly drove a yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible (with a car phone!) while dating a stream of beautiful women in their late 20's and early 30's---all hotties! A Korean War veteran, this series was packed full of action with fist fights, high-speed car chases, having his brake lines cut, being shot at from other cars and often being knocked unconscious. The women come and go except GailFisher--as his faithful secretary, "Peggy Fair". Gail was one of the first black actresses to be cast in an American TV drama series. Peggy ran the background checks, and handled the office. She was widowed when her police officer husband was killed and left to raise Toby, her young son. She was kidnapped a couple of times in the series and Mike was wounded by gunfire about a dozen times during the 8 year run. This series opened the doors to the following detective series': "Longstreet": starring the late James Franciscus as a blind detective; "Cannon" starring the late William Conrad; "Barnaby Jones" starring elderly Buddy Ebsen, "The Rockford Files" starring JamesGarner and "Charlies Angels" with Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson.
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Mike Connors was nominated for 4 Golden Globe Awards, (winning once) and for 4 Emmy Awards. Gail Fisher was nominated for 4 Emmy Awards, (winning once) and for 3 Golden Globe Awards, (winning twice). The series itself was nominated for the Emmy as "Best Dramatic Series and 4 times for the Golden Globe Award, winning once.Here are some of the series' Guest Stars:
Pernell Roberts, Beverly Garland, Robert Reed had a reprising role as Police Lieutenant Adam Tobias (after his father role on "The Brady Bunch"), Loretta Swit, Neil Diamond, Lew Alcinodor, Bobby Troup, Lynda Day, Robert Conrad, Fritz Weaver, Rich Little, Dean Stockwell, Shelley Fabares, Milton Berle, Lou Rawls, Martin Sheen, Rip Torn, Eddie Egan,Adam West (yes, TV's "Batman" 1966-68) and Burgess Meredith ("The Penguin"), John Ritter, and would you believe, Diane Keaton? Let's close this out with one last "YOU TUBE" that's fun!
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THIS IS A BLAST (BELOW):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJbU0ssrvm4&NR=1 ___ WELCOME TO MARCH, 2008!
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.
