Director and actor
Lamont Johnson passed away in October at age 88. Every obituary I have read
leads with the sentence "Emmy- winning director..." and he did
do marvelous work on episodic TV (The Twilight Zone), "Movies of the Week" (That Certain Summer) and mini-series (Lincoln). On a personal level, I will always remember him as one the best, most underrated
directors of the 70s. One of his films- The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) stars George Peppard -who has never been
better- as a ruthless government investigator in the first,
and, imho, best of the classic conspiracy thrillers
from the 70s (All The President'sMen, The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, Executive Action). Like much of Johnson's best
television work, complex political, moral and ethical issues are weaved into an
engrossing melodrama. Unlike the other fine films mentioned , there
is real pathos here. One cannot help but feel an emotional connection
to Michael Sarrazin and Christine Belford as they
struggle to make sense of their shattered lives. The final confrontation
between Sarrazin and Peppard in a deserted security complex is absolutely
mesmerizing, and will leave you breathless. The Groundstar
Conspiracy was not a box-office
hit, but it did receive considerable critical acclaim. When
it made its network television premiere,
TV Guide promoted it with a "Close-up" review -
an honor reserved only for the most prestigious motion pictures. A true
suspense classic, it deserves to be rediscovered by future generations of film
fans.
French poster for The McKenzie Break
Another 70s thriller worth seeking out is The McKenzie Break (1970) starring Brian Keith. Keith plays a
Irish/British officer tasked with preventing German soldiers from escaping an Allied POW camp in Scotland (!) This one of the most
intriguing WWII films ever made. A classic battle of wits combined with
exciting action, this dynamic film, like Groundstar, has an unforgettable climax.
For the Cinema Retro
family, the passing of Mr. Johnson is especially poignant. A fan of old
-time radio, I am a regular listener to Greg Bell's satellite radio program Radio Classics on Sirius/XM. One evening, whilst listening
to an episode of Tarzan, Mr. Bell
informed his audience that Tarzan was voiced by none other than Lamont
Johnson. Thrilled by this news, I proposed an article featuring
an interview with Mr. Johnson, to CR. editor-in-chief Lee Pfeiffer.
Lee was supportive of the idea and encouraged me to begin preparation.
I tried as hard as I could to reach Mr. Johnson over the summer but
to no avail. I will always regret the missed opportunity.
In the meantime, I recommend visiting the Archive of American Television web site where
you can access a lengthy interview conducted with Lamont Johnson about his
outstanding work in the medium.
Comments on this article can be sent to the the author combrm@yahoo.com
(Note: The Groundstar Conspiracy is out of print on DVD. Click here to order The McKenzie Break on Amazon)
(
November 30, 2010 - Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images North America)
Cinema Retro contributor- and Friars Club member- Eddy Friedfeld takes you inside the recent roast for Quentin Tarantino.
“Quentin Tarantino changed the face of cinema, and now it’s time for cinema to return the favor,†Roastmaster General, filmmaker/comedian Jeffrey Ross said, as the Friars honored the acclaimed writer/director with an assembled dais of actors and comedians skewering him with insults, making fun of his body of work, his body, and each other.
The eclectically star-studded event held in front of a capacity crowd at the New York Hilton’s ballroom on December 1st, included Uma Thurman, Jerry Lewis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Cheech Marin, Rosario Dawson, Eli Wallach, Patricia Arquette, Kathy Griffin, Howard Stern, and Harvey Weinstein and was ably hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, who turned to his friend and collaborator and said: “I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Jim Henson every day for designing your face.†“Quentin believes that men and women of any race had equal rights to be raped and maimed on the movie screen.â€
“Inglourious Basterds†co-star Eli Roth turned to Madsen and Buscemi and said: “Mr. Brown and Mr. Blond, you look like Mr. Ash and Old Yeller,†referring to their “Reservoir Dogs†characters. A raspy voiced Madsen said: “Uma Thurman, you are the object of Quentin’s affection. I used to be.†“Quentin, because of Harvey Weinstein you’re sitting here. And because of “Grindhouse,†Harvey has to borrow cab fare to get home…He is the only documented case of a man who envies his own penis,†Richard Belzer said. “Quentin has severe abandonment issues. His father left not only before he was born, but before he came.â€
Perhaps the most prestigious arts award given in the United States is the Kennedy Center Honors, which takes place annually in Washington D.C. Every year a diverse group of people from various aspects of the arts are honored by the top names in show business and politics. This year's honorees included Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, choreographer Bill T. Jones, Broadway composer Jerry Hermann and country singer Merle Haggard. Keeping in tradition, the President and First Lady were in attendance at the black tie event. President Obama is known to be a big McCartney fan and had previously admitted that one of the great thrills of his life was watching Sir Paul sing "Michelle" in front of his wife at a performance at the White House. The Washington Post pointed out the incredibly diverse list of attendees from the music world: Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming, Jennifer Hudson, Harolyn Blackwell, Steven Tyler, Jessye Norman, Leon Fleisher, Denyce Graves, Joshua Bell, Terence Blanchard, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Cook, Norah Jones, Kid Rock, Theodore Bikel, Matthew Morrison, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Karen Ziemba and Florence Henderson. If only a Hollywood agent were managing the affair: it would have been the ultimate jam session. The intertwining of show biz and political figures has occasionally resulted in some awkward moments. It was during the administration of President George W. Bush that Barbra Streisand was chosen to be honored, thus leaving her with a difficult choice. Streisand was so adamant in her vitriolic criticism of the President that many predicted she would never appear at the White House for the pre-ceremony festivities. Yet, such is the prestige of this award that Babs did just that and was photographed politely shaking the President's hand.