A childhood memory: for Christmas, 1965, my parents bought me this Man From U.N.C.L.E. gun. I was ten years old. My brother got mad at me and cracked the gun over my head. I wish he hadn't because today it commands a very high price on Ebay!- William Burge
Retro Responds: Seems like every boy who grew up in the spy rage era had both this rifle and the James Bond attache case. Both were released for the holiday season in '65. The photo you sent indicates this is some creampuff item-- I imagine it sells for enough money to finance a small nation for a year. (Hey, remember those nifty U.N.C.L.E. I.D cards that came with many toys from the show?) Incidentally, David McCallum told me recently that both he and Robert Vaughn never knew until many years after the show left the air that they were entitled to royalties on every toy sold. They never collected a dime on all the merchandise sales. - Lee Pfeiffer
Like many TV stars of the 1950s and 1960s, Clint Eastwood was brow-beaten by his network to try his hand as a singer. Teenage girls would buy up virtually any record released by their TV and film star idols, regardless of their abilities as a singer. Eastwood's album of cowboy songs, recorded when he was starring in Rawhide, has been re-issued by Collector's Choice Records. Those of you who have witnessed Eastwood sing in films such as Paint Your Wagon and Honkytonk Man know that, while Sinatra never lost any sleep worrying about the competition, Clint does a pretty credible job. Click here to order the album from Amazon and to listen to sample tracks
George Clooney's heavily-hyped spy flick The American topped the holiday weekend box-office in North America, but the gross was a far-from-spectacular $16 million- barely enough to nudge out Robert Rodriguez' low-budget gore-fest Machete which was sold primarily to Hispanic audiences with its plot relating to America's hot-button illegal immigration issue. For more click here
Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut might have underwhelmed critics and audiences, but Extra votes its trailer as one of the best of all time.
The web site Extra has generously compiled a list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time. While there is plenty of room to quibble about some of the inclusions, the fun is actually watching the original trailers. Click here to access
Well, he did it again. In his 45th annual telethon to raise funds to combat Muscular Dystrophy, Jerry Lewis and his co-hosts raised almost $59 million- down slightly from last year, but still a staggering number considering the economic crisis the nation is in. For more click here
The Monkees' Head is one of several pop culture films from the 1960s to get the deluxe Blu-ray treatment.
The Criterion Collection has announced the label will release a major collection on Blu-ray. Here are the details:
Like the rest of America, Hollywood was ripe for revolution in the late sixties. Cinema attendance was down; what had once worked seemed broken. Enter Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner, who knew that what Hollywood needed was new audiences—namely, young people—and that meant cultivating new talent and new ideas. Fueled by money made from their invention of the superstar TV pop group the Monkees, they set off on a film-industry journey that would lead them to form BBS Productions, a company that was also a community. The innovative films produced by this team between 1968 and 1972 are collected in this box set—works created within the studio system but lifted right out of the countercultural id, and that now range from the iconic (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Last Picture Show) to the acclaimed (The King of Marvin Gardens) to the obscure (Head; Drive, He Said; A Safe Place).
Sly Stallone still harbors dreams of bringing the life story of Edgar Allan Poe to the screen.
In an interview with MTV's Josh Horowitz, Sylvester Stallone rejects suggestions that he resurrect Rambo one more time, saying the much-beleaguered hero has earned the right to a rest. However, he did confirm that he is proceeding with his decades-long plan to bring the story of Edgar Allan Poe to the screen. Stallone is hoping he'll be able to direct either Robert Downey Jr or Johnny Depp in the role. "I will direct it, but it's never gonna live up to the hype," he said. He jokingly added, "No matter what I do it's going to bomb, totally. Totally! When you've been talking about something for 30 years, it's impossible [to live up to those expectations]." For more click here
The good folks at the Cinematical web site have devised yet another meaningless but fun list- this time of the greatest horror film performances of all time. Click here to read and see if you agree
Cammie King Conlon, who played Bonnie, the ill-fated daughter of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind died earlier this week at age 76. She largely retired from show business as a child, but did provide the voice of Faline in Disney's Bambi. Ironically, she had spoken by phone with GWTW star Olivia de Havilland just before her death. For more click here
Paul Hogan, the affable Australian star of the mega-hit 1986 comedy Crocodile Dundee, has been barred from leaving Australia by government officials who say he owes tax money on his earnings from the film. Hogan has been disputing charges for years that he used off-shore bank accounts to illegally hide his profits from the film. Although Hogan has largely faded from view in America, the 70 year-old remains an iconic personality in Australia. For more click here
Critic Scott Mendelson argues that, in retrospect, Chuck Norris' films don't seem that impressive any more. Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer argues that they didn't seem that impress way-back-when, either.
By Lee Pfeiffer
Film critic Scott Mendelson argues that the action movies our youth are often glorified in our minds. As Mendelson obviously came of age in the 1980s, the examples he cites refer to the likes of Arnold, Stallone and Chuck Norris. He makes a poignant case that, viewed without nostalgia, these films aren't nearly as good as many thought they were during their initial release. He's right- but for those of us who grew up prior to that decade, I can say without gloating that they didn't look that good to us even at the time of their initial release. I enjoyed these grunt-and-groan action films in the day, but I was always completely aware that The Delta Force was no Dirty Dozen. Mendelson generalizes that most older action films haven't aged well, but his frame of reference seems to start and stop with the 1980s. I politely suggest he watch some of the WWII and tough cop movies of the 1960s and 1970s, for example, and he will see that many of these hold up as well as ever. For more click here
In the course of editing Cinema Retro magazine, I've met countless actors and filmmakers- many of them true legends. While each encounter is a memorable and cherished moment, one does get a bit jaded over time and you tend to adapt an attitude that "it's all in a day's work." However, while in London for Cinema Retro's recent Movie Magic Tour of British film locations, Dave Worrall and I were invited back stage at the London Film Museum to meet Ray Harryhausen. The special effects genius and his friend and biographer Tony Dalton were about to engage in an interview before a packed auditorium. Although Ray has been a contributor to Cinema Retro and allowed us access to his personal archives of priceless film props, I had never met the man. Making the occasion even more special was his impromptu reunion with actresses Caroline Munro and Honor Blackman. I was fully aware I was observing a wonderful bit of movie history. Blackman played the Greek goddess Hera in Harryhausen's landmark 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts. As we all chatted, I recalled seeing the movie for the first time and the lasting impression it has had on me. Jason was not particularly successful at the box-office compared to Harryhausen's trademark monster movies, but it has grown in stature and seems to have inspired an entire generation of younger movie directors and special effects experts.
Sony has finally done justice to the movie with a superb Blu-ray release. Harryhausen, who is now 90 but as spry as ever, is all over the special edition in both new and previously-released bonus features. Harryhausen's mastery of stop-motion animation required the kind of patience and skill that few could imagine in this era of overblown CGI-stuffed action film monstrosities. While there is no denying today's animated features are wonderful in their own unique way, there is nothing comparable to Harryhausen's achievements. If you don't understand why, the special features on the Blu-ray will illuminate the subject for you. In essence, every second of film required dozens of minor movements of the model figures Harryhausen created. It's a craft that still exists today, but barely. The film itself impresses more today than it did in 1963, with virtually every scene transfixed in one's memory from the playful attitudes of the gods, who use humans are pawns in their games, to the extravagant action sequences highlighted by the legendary battle with the skeleton army. If there is a weak aspect to the movie it is the casting of Todd Armstrong as Jason. Although physically appropriate for the role, Armstrong is the victim of some bad dubbing that distracts from his performance. On the other side of the coin, Nigel Green is wonderful as Hercules, playing the part in a far more down-to-earth manner than previous screen incarnations.
The Nick Fury comics by Jim Steranko are considered classics
By Lee Pfeiffer
MTV reports that there are serious discussions taking place about turning Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D into a new Marvel film franchise. The problem is that the films would be expensive and Fury doesn't have the name recognition of other Marvel heroes, though he has been portrayed as a supporting character by Samuel L. Jackson in the Iron Man films. Fury actually began as a popular Marvel WWII hero with the comic book Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos in a long-running series that began in 1962. In the mid-60s, Fury spun off into another comic during the James Bond rage. This found him working in the post-War years as a hi-tech secret agent for a government agency called S.H.I.E.L.D, which was an obvious nod to U.N.C.L.E. He still had his trademark eye patch and omnipresent cigar, however. The Nick Fury comics were initially drawn by Jack Kirby when they ran as installments in the Strange Tales comics. When he received his own comic, the early issues drawn by the moody but brilliant Jim Steranko were considered to be ground-breaking, but Steranko left Marvel after a short tenure and the Nick Fury comics lost much of their luster. For more on the development of Fury as a screen hero, click here
Regular readers know that we're big fans of director Joe Dante's site Trailers From Hell!, in which prominent film makers and scholars provide audio commentary on vintage movie trailers. Now Trailers From Hell! has released their first DVD of highlights from the site. Here is the official description:
Any movie can be great in 2 ½ minutes.
Trailers--you know, those fast-paced 2-to-4 minute theatrical promo
shorts that have preceded the Feature Attraction since the dawn of
sound? An exciting montage of all The Best Parts of a movie the
exhibitors want you to NEED to see! Full of swirling letters screaming
hyperbolic promises of THRILLS! ACTION! MYSTERY! ROMANCE! Packing all
the highlights of a whole picture into its own mini-movie in just a few
minutes!
THE BEST FROM TRAILERS FROM HELL!, Volume 1
showcases the cream of the award-winning website series, concentrating
on promos for horror, science fiction and fantasy films which viewers
can watch both as originally intended or accompanied by pithy commentary
by Trailers from Hell Gurus: Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Mick Garris (The Stand), Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead).
The trailers and commentaries are:
Joe Dante - The Tingler, Blood and Roses, Curse of Frankenstein, Earth vs. Flying Saucers
Mick Garris - Rabid, The Valley of Gwangi, Scream and Scream Again, Horrors of the Black Museum
John Landis - Curse of the Werewolf, Green Slime, Private Parts, Mighty Joe Young
Eli Roth - Squirm, The Birds, 3 on a Meathook, Forbidden Planet
Edgar Wright - Corruption, The Sentinel, Silent Running, Phantom of the Paradise
Included as an added bonus is the 1933 Majestic Pictures horror classic, The Vampire Bat, as well as two animated cartoon classics: Foster & Bailey's The Haunted Ship (1930) and Ub Iwerks' The Headless Horseman (1934).
The rising influence of on-demand viewing of TV episodes on the Internet has led to speculation that traditional cable TV will go the way of 8 tracks and audio cassettes. Although 88% of poll respondents say they have no intention of dropping cable service, younger viewers are far more open to using the web to watch their favorite TV episodes. Many industry analysts think this will become the norm for the new generation who will balk at paying high prices for a wealth of cable TV stations delivered to their homes - many of which they will never watch. The practice of bundling networks into packages has long been the model for cable companies, but there are signs consumers are becoming increasingly irritated at having to purchase access to networks that don't interest them. Click here to watch a debate about the future of cable TV
It's pretty difficult to imagine a scenario in which you might sympathize with Adolf Hitler. However, we're not sure that even the most notorious genocidal villain in history deserves this indignity. Unless- wait a minute!- it must be Moe Howard in one of those Hitler-spoofing Three Stooges shorts!
The Huffington Post has compiled a slide show of the worst and creepiest wax figures ever made. Click here to access the Hall of Shame.
Universally praised as one of the best films made about WWII during the era in which the War was ongoing, director Lewis Milestone's A Walk in the Sun was based on a popular novel by Harry Brown. Released a few months after the War had officially ended, Milestone's film has not fared well over the years. Originally an independent production, the budget ran dry several times before the movie was salvaged by an investor with deep pockets. Samuel Bronston, the future producer of epic movies, was integral to bringing the novel to the screen, though he never received a formal credit in the movie. Fox ultimately picked up the movie for distribution, though studio boss Darryl F. Zanuck almost changed the title to Salerno Beachead out of fear that A Walk in the Sun sounded too much like a love story. In the ensuing decades, the movie fell out of copyright and it was routinely found on bargain basement DVDs sold in "dollar stores". Now, VCI Entertainment, which specializes in restoring public domain films, has issued an impressive, first-class DVD edition.
This isn't the symbol of American values we wanted the Iraqis to adopt.
By Lee Pfeiffer
When the American government led the invasion of Iraq, the intention was to render useless weapons of mass destruction, remove Saddam Hussein from power and spread American values to the Middle East. The results have been a mixed bag by any standard. The brutal dictator was deposed and executed but those gosh-darned weapons of mass destruction have yet to turn up. As for spreading American values, the idea was to instill democratic traditions. The jury is still out on how well that will succeed, but there is one aspect of American life Iraqis have adopted with great enthusiasm: an obsession with pornography. Porn has always existed in Iraq, of course, just as it has in every civilization in history. (Archaeologists routinely discover depictions of sex acts etched into cave walls!) However, Saddam put on the pretense of being a devout Muslim and had anyone caught selling pornography imprisoned- or worse. This, despite the fact that his two sons routinely rode through Baghdad and commanded that any attractive women who suited their fancy be required to service them. With Saddam's regime a thing of the past, the pent-up demand for porn is booming and is becoming one of Iraq's few successful growth industries. The downside is that even children are peddling the blue movies and many of the titles glorify violence against women. For more click here
Angelina Jolie as Marilyn in Life Or Something Like It
Click here for a slide show of the most famous (and infamous) Marilyn Monroe impersonators. Warning: the photos include a sobering shot of then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto in drag!
Among Disneyana collectors, The Haunted Mansion holds a special place. Walt's classic theme park attraction has a fanatical base of enthusiasts. However, when Disney first attempted to translate the ride into a major film in 2003, those fans were turned off. The film was played strictly for laughs and starred Eddie Murphy slumming his way toward an easy pay check. Now acclaimed producer and director Guillermo Del Toro says he is involved in bringing The Haunted Mansion back to the big screen, saying “Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy. After all,
Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and
characters - think Chernabog from Fantasia or Maleficent as the dragon
or the Evil Queen in Snow White. I couldn't be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation of the
original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains, for me,
the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world!" It remains unclear whether Del Toro will actually direct the film, but does promise this time around, it will be scary. For more click here
The 1975 box office hit Once is Not Enough starring Kirk Douglas and Deborah Raffin will make its DVD debut in late September from Olive Films, which has acquired the rights to many great retro film titles. Here is the official synopsis:
Based
on a Best Seller by Jacqueline Susann (Valley of the Dolls). January
Wayne (Deborah Raffin), the adoring daughter of movie producer Mike Wayne (Kirk
Douglas) returns home to New York, only to find her father married to Deidre
Milford Granger (Alexis Smith), the fifth richest woman in the world. The
marriage is one of the conveniences for Mike, who has lost his magic touch as a
producer, and is in desperate need of money to continue his and his daughter’s
lavish lifestyles. Jealous January bitterly resents her father and cannot
accept the moral codes of this new world, finding only frustration. She gets a
job with Gloss Magazine and falls in love with Pulitzer Price-winning novelist
Tom Colt (David Janssen), whose virile prose and celebrated fistfights turn out
to be a compensation for his physical inadequacies. Her Stepmother Dee wants
her to marry David Milford (George Hamilton), Dee’s handsome young cousin and
wolf-about-town, who’s having an affair with the reclusive retired movie star,
Karla (Melina Mercouri), who in turn is carrying on a clandestine lesbian affair
with Dee. Directed by Guy Green (55 Days at Peking), with original Music
and Score by Henry Mancini (Victor/Victoria). Brenda Vaccaro won a
Golden Globe® award (and an Academy Award® nomination) for her supporting
performance as the man-crazy editor of a fashion magazine.
I wanted to bring to
your attention -- and recommend to your readers -- a book that I've
"loved" as a film buff ever since I bought my first copy back in
1970. It's The New York Times' "GUIDE TO MOVIES ON TV," edited by Howard
Thompson. It's an eleven by eight and a half
inch soft-bound book with 223 pages of some 2000 capsule reviews
taken from the pages of the Times. Though not in the same league as
the Leonard Maltin books or even other well-known film guides, this book was
unique in that it included a black and white still from each film next to the
review. The Times only published this guide once (in 1970), which is a
shame, but used copies can still be found at Amazon and other internet
sources. The films covered date from the late 1930's to the end of 1968.
I've scanned the cover
and some sample reviews. The book is often fascinating in that many
movies considered a classics now were not that highly regarded back
then. A good example is the review of "The Good, the Bad, and
the Ugly."- Rory Monteith
Retro Responds: All movie geeks must think alike. I agree this was one of my most beloved books about film criticism and a dog-eared edition of the book adorns my bookshelf. You're right- many films considered classics today were scorned by the Times when they were originally released. I would advise any retro movie lover to hunt this book down and add it to their research library. - Lee Pfeiffer
A recent poll finds that "Make my day", the line uttered by Clint Eastwood in the 1983 Dirty Harry movie Sudden Impact, ranks as the favorite movie saying of all time. Coming in at #2 is Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "I'll be back" from The Terminator. For more click here
This record might have paved the way for a release we're really looking forward to: an album created by all those "family values" politicians who vote against gay rights -then end up in a love nest with a person of the same sex.
The folks at Bizarre Records have compiled a selection of retro record album covers that are so unintentionally hilarious that we suspect they seemed weird even when they were initially released. Click here for the slide show.
Jackson Gillis' name may not be familiar to retro TV fans but his work certainly is. He wrote memorable scripts for classic series such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Perry Mason, Columbo, I Spy and many others. Gillis has died at the age of 93. Click here for biography
Your local Blockbuster store may be Gone With the Wind.
By Lee Pfeiffer
There was a time when Blockbuster seemed to be King of the World in terms of dominating the home video rental market. The company became a dominant force back in the 1980s after mom and pop businesses developed and refined the concept of renting videos to consumers. (Remember when you had to pay an annual fee to the local video store in order to rent your favorite movies?) Blockbuster waited in the wings for small businessmen to iron out the kinks in the business, then swooped into neighborhoods and shut out the little guys. For years, consumers decided to "Make it a Blockbuster night", as the company's effective ad campaign promoted. However, in recent years, consumer habits have changed. It's often almost as cheap to buy a DVD as to rent it. Movie fanatics have libraries that are bursting through their walls and many can't even get to watching the ones they already own, let alone renting other movies. Most tragically for Blockbuster, the soaring popularity of downloading films has made it difficult for the company to maintain their "brick-and-mortar" neighborhood stores. Add to this toxic soup, the worst recession in memory - a time when additional funds are scraped together to pay for rent, mortgages and health care, not to rent the latest Adam Sandler comedy. Consequently, the company, which closed over 300 stores in America last year, plans to close an additional 500+ this year. They are not alone. Click here to read how the sinking economy is impacting other major chains
