Treasure this classic scene from Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory", perhaps the greatest anti-war movie ever made. Here, Kirk Douglas, in one of his greatest performances, has the unenviable task of defending ordinary soldiers in a court martial in which the men have been chosen at random to be executed to cover up a military mishap that resulted in the needless deaths of hundreds of troops in an unnecessary battle. Small wonder the French government prohibited the film being shown in France for many years.
In this early 1970s's interview with Dick Cavett, director Robert Altman discusses his personal demons, philosophy of filmmaking and a bit about "M*A*S*H".
Remember when the Oscar ceremonies considered it to be a highlight to present a lifetime achievement Oscar to a legendary veteran of the industry? Those were before such wonderful moments were excluded from the broadcast in favor of cramming in time-wasting comedy bits that would be more appropriate for the late-night talk shows. Today, the awards are presented at a separate ceremony and the broadcast treats viewers to a few cursory seconds of the recipient's acceptance speech. At least the great moments live on via YouTube, as evidenced by this wonderful presentation to Peter O'Toole in 2003. As Meryl Streep points out in her marvelous introduction, O'Toole had been nominated for the Oscar seven times, but never received one. O'Toole is the epitome of grace, humility and class in his acceptance speech, much to the delight of the legendary actors in the audience, including his old pals Sean Connery and Michael Caine. - Lee Pfeiffer
Here's a rarity: a behind-the-scenes production featurette for director Gordon Douglas's terrific 1966 remake of the John Ford classic "Stagecoach". There are some interesting views of the all-star cast including Van Heflin, who provides the narration for the featurette. You'll also see legendary American artist Norman Rockwell on the set, as he was enlisted to provide cast member paintings for the marketing campaign.
Blast from the past: here are some of the films playing in Canadian theaters in 1966. Whatta lineup: "The Silencers", "Our Man Flint", "The Sound of Music"....those were the days!
We always get a laugh out of the "conventional wisdom" that the Western film genre was all but dead in the 1970s. In fact, the decade produced some great Westerns including Clint Eastwood's hit "The Outlaw Josey Wales", which boasted a great score, impressive locations and a terrific supporting cast. Here is the original theatrical trailer.
Here's a real rarity from some years ago: an officially licensed Steve McQueen Virgil Hilts action figure sold only in Japan back in the 90s. The Great Escape packaging is enough to make a collecting nerd out of any retro movie fan, especially when you throw in the optional U.S Army jacket patterned after the one McQueen wore in the film. The bad news: these figures sell for hundreds of dollars whenever they periodically show up on the collector's circuit. Now if they'd only make that Donald Pleasence companion figure! (Image from UK-based Metropolis Toys, which has a cool catalog of toys based on classic TV shows and movies)
The original title of Don Knott's cult favorite "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" was originally titled "Running Scared". Did you know that Andy Griffith wrote much of the script but refused to take a screen credit? Instead, he wanted all the credit to go to screenwriters Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, who were writers for his hit sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show".
The title of The Three Stooges last feature film was "The Outlaws IS Coming!" and was released in 1965. Did you know that it was originally filmed under the title "The Three Stooges Meet the Gunslingers"?
