By Lee Pfeiffer

Budd Schulberg, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of On the Waterfront, has died at age 95. The prolific Schulberg came from a show business family - his father was head of production for Paramount. However, he was never enamored of the industry and his sensational novel What Makes Sammy Run? exposed the seamier side of the business. Schulberg also exposed corruption on the New York docks in the 1954 film On the Waterfront (although the movie was shot entirely in Hoboken, New Jersey). Many felt the character of punch-drunk ex-boxer Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando) was an alter-ego for Schulberg himself. This was due to the fact that the character is presented as a hero for informing on his friends in the interest of the greater public good. Schulberg was dogged throughout his life by the fact that both he and the film's director Elia Kazan were friendly witnesses during  the McCarthy hearings. Both named names and implicated fellow writers and filmmakers as being Communist sympathizers.

Although Schulberg never equaled the success of Waterfront, he did win acclaim for the novel The Harder They Fall, which blew the lid off crime infiltration in the world of boxing. The book was made into a film in 1956. It was to be Humphrey Bogart's final role.Schulberg also wrote A Face in the Crowd, which was directed by Kazan. The film traces the rags-to-riches career of a country singer who becomes increasingly monstrous as fame goes to his head Although not a commercial success at the time, the movie is regarded today as a classic - due in no small part to a ferocious, star-making performance by Andy Griffith.For more click here

Director John Hughes, whose films Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains and Automobiles made him a hero of the Brat Pack generation, has died suddenly at age 59. Hughes was stricken by a heart attack in Manhattan, where he was visiting family members. Hughes' meteoric rise was followed by his virtual withdrawal from the film industry. He was rarely interviewed and seemed to relish his self-imposed retirement, as it allowed him to spend more time with his family. For more click here

Howard Smit, the makeup artist who worked on such films as The Wizard of Oz, Gunga Din, The Birds and Marnie, has died at age 98. Smit was instrumental in getting the Academy to finally award an Oscar in the category of achievement in makeup. For more click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Harry Alan Towers, the legendary British producer of low-budget, high-profit B movies, has died at age 88. Towers had a long career and had remained active in the film business. He was working on his autobiography when he died. Towers was a master at selling low-budget movies with one major star in order to broaden international appeal. He worked many times with Sir Christopher Lee, and their collaborative efforts included the highly popular Fu Manchu films of the 1960s. Towers also dabbled in B spy movies and horror films with kinky sexual angles. In the 1990s, he also brought Michael Caine back to the role of Harry Palmer in a series of made-for-cable TV movies. He is survived by his wife, actress Maria Rohm.

(Cinema Retro writer John Exshaw covers the making of the Fu Manchu films in Cinema Retro issue #15, coming this fall. The story includes exclusive comments from Sir Christopher Lee).