On Joe Dante's "Trailers from Hell" web site, John Landis analyzes the merits (or demerits) of the 1977 cheapo Universal horror flick "The Car", a "so-bad-it's-good" favorite of many film buffs.
Here's a rarity: original 1969 behind-the-scenes production featurette for "Paint Your Wagon". The quality is pretty lousy but it's still fun to watch and hear comments from the stars. Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg starred in the mega-budget musical that went down in flames at the boxoffice, but there's still plenty to like in the film including production designer John Truscott's amazing sets and Marvin's unexpectedly effective warbling of "Wanderin' Star".
There have been four big screen versions of the classic musical/tragic romance "A Star is Born"...and they have all been very good. The 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson was not beloved by critics, but audiences embraced it and made it a major hit. Here is the original trailer.
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Relive this moment from the 1965 Oscar ceremonies in which Sidney Poitier presents the Best Actress award to Julie Andrews for "Mary Poppins". Her co-star Dick Van Dyke is on hand to cheer for her. This was also the era in which brevity and grace were the trademarks of acceptance speeches!
In this memorable segment from a 1976 broadcast of "The Tonight Show", Johnny Carson hosts Frank Sinatra, who makes a rare appearance on the show.Things are going well until Don Rickles makes a surprise appearance. Nothing more needs to be said....
Here's a highly watchable 1995 documentary about Sir Roger Moore (before he had earned the "Sir" title). Moore participated in the program, which traces his professional achievements as well as his extensive work on behalf of UNICEF.
Chances are that if you are a Cinema Retro reader, you're already familiar with Patrick McGoohan's 1960s TV series "The Prisoner", a true classic. It lasted only one season because McGoohan didn't feel he could extend the premise credibly beyond that point. It's esoteric, weird and completely compelling. What does it all mean? It's up to the individual viewer to form their own opinion. Here, Shout! Factory presents the uncut first episode of this landmark series, "Arrival".
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Singer Johnny Horton's Sink the Bismarck was a major hit when released in 1960. What many people don't realize is that the song was commissioned as the theme song for the film of the same name that was released the same year. It's pretty obvious why it wasn't used in the final cut of the movie: Horton specialized in catchy novelty songs with a country western theme. The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Kenneth More, was notable for its ultra-realistic take on the British pursuit of the infamous German battleship. As good as Horton's theme was, it would have been completely out of place in the film. Interestingly, if you have the DVD of the movie, check out the bonus trailer - it features snippets of Horton's song, indicating that the decision to cut it was made at the last minute.
In 1966, with Batmania sweeping the world, everyone was trying to get a
piece of the action. Columbia Pictures came up with a novel idea. The
studio rereleased the 1943 Batman and Robin serials collectively under the title An Evening with Batman and Robin. Naturally,
this was more than twenty years before Adam West and Burt Ward slid
down the Batpoles for the first time. The gimmick turned a tidy profit,
though some of the more naive fans may have been stunned to see the
Dynamic Duo in black and white and attired in costumes that looked like
they came in last place in the local school Halloween contest. This rare
trade ad extols the regional grosses the film event was scoring across
America. Did you know that Lewis Wilson, who played Batman in these
serials, was the father of James Bond producer Michael G. Wilson?
We all know the cautionary tale: "Be careful what you wish for- you just might get it!" That certainly applies to those who seek fame and fortune in show business. Child stars are particularly vulnerable to the down side of the industry. One day they are lauded as major stars, the next they can be seen as washed-up has-beens. In many cases, they die young through tragic circumstances, many of which are self-imposed. The web site Ranker takes on a sobering journey through the lives of 30 child stars who died long before their time. Click here to view.
