Celebrating Films of the 1960s & 1970s - TV NEWS

OUT OF THIS WORLD: "STAR TREK" PHASER RIFLE AUCTIONED FOR $231,000!

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:32:00 -0500

A prop phaser rifle designed for one of two original pilot episodes for the original 'Star Trek' TV series has been sold at auction for an astronomical $231,000. The rifle was designed by Rueben Clamer for producer Gene Roddenberry and was wielded by William Shatner in a pilot episode for NBC. A previous pilot episode had been filmed with Jeffrey Hunter in the lead role, but the episode was rejected by NBC brass. Still, the network saw promise in Gene Roddenberry's creation and authorized a second pilot episode. The rests, as they say, is history. Click here for more about the gun, as well as film clips.

SPIELBERG DEVELOPING KUBRICK'S "NAPOLEON" AS TV MINISERIES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:58:00 -0500

Kubrick's research materials on Napoleon formed the basis of a high end coffee table book released several years ago.

Steven Spielberg has announced that he is working with the family of Stanley Kubrick to develop the late director's long-planned screen biography of Napoleon. Kubrick envisioned the project, for which he wrote a script in 1961 and devoted countless hours to researching, as a big screen epic. However, studios became wary of the production costs and the film was aborted before it went into production. Spielberg will utilize Kubrick's own research as the basis for the project, which is being developed as a major TV miniseries. For more click here

RETRO CLASSICS SHOWCASED ON THE COZI TV NETWORK

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:39:00 -0600

Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy.

Arriving earlier this year without any fanfare on many American cable systems, Cozi TV is a new network that presents a wealth of diverse retro TV series that have not been given much exposure in recent years. These include Lassie, Marcus Welby, M.D., Magnum P.I., The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Virginian, the creaky old Sherlock Holmes series starring Ronald Howard, The Lone Ranger, Wells Fargo, McMillan and Wife, Bancek, I Spy, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Roy Rogers Show, Alias Smith and Jones, Hopalong Cassidy and The Bold Ones. Best of all, the number of commercials are limited and the episodes we've seen appear to be presented uncut in their original running time. The network also presents a diverse range of feature films including such retro gems as the Airport movies, Arabesque, Sweet Charity, Coogan's Bluff and Two Mules for Sister Sara. Check your cable listings, as you may have the network but not even realize it. Cozi TV appears on cable systems owned by NBC. Click here for their web site, which is inadequate because the section dedicated to the series they carry lists only a fraction of them. To see a more complete list, scroll through the TV schedule bar.

GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS AND COVERAGE

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:26:17 -0600

President Bill Clinton's appearance provided evidence of the Golden Globes' increasing clout in the film industry.

Jodie Foster: mesmerizing but often incomprehensible.

By Lee Pfeiffer

The Golden Globe Awards are generally criticized for being incomprehensible for most viewers in that they are selected by a relatively tiny group of people known as the Hollywood Foreign Press. There have been jokes on the telecasts themselves that the awards can generally be "purchased" if a studio or nominee invites the right people to the right kind of parties. Despite the criticism, in recent years everyone agrees on this: the Golden Globes telecast is generally a lot of fun and never as dull as the Oscars often are. Unlike Oscar, the Globes cover television as well as motion pictures. Last night's award ceremony was breezy, fast-moving and actually funny, thanks to some good lines delivered by hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. There were some dud jokes, of course, and the usual presenters/winners who pretentiously drop obscenities to prove how hip they are but there was also the novelty of seeing a former President- Bill Clinton- make a surprise appearance to introduce a clip from Lincoln. The main value of the event was to prove that the Globes now serve as more than a forerunner for Oscar winners. They have their own identity, as evidenced by the fact that some of the most deserving artists were nominated for Globes but were snubbed by Oscar. Additionally, while Oscar sometimes trims their honorary awards down to ludicrously short time slots (Jerry Lewis received shabby treatment in this regard a few years ago), the Globes blissfully ignore the stop watch. This was evidenced by the lifetime achievement award given to Jodie Foster, who has spent her entire life in the film business. Looking wonderful at age 50, the accomplished actress and director gave a mesmerizing but often incomprehensible speech in which she joked about "coming out" as a lesbian (she is), explained her obsession for privacy and seemed to imply she was retiring from some aspect of show business, but no one could figure out exactly what she was referring to. Among the surprises was the fact that no one film emerged as a dominating factor, thus ensuring a good deal of suspense across all categories.

Click here for more coverage and a complete list of winners.

LIBERACE BIOPIC WITH MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND MATT DAMON WILL PLAY IT STRAIGHT

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:12:00 -0600

HBO's forthcoming telepic Behind the Candleabra will deal with the controversial relationship between two gay men in a straightforward manner. The film is based on the memoirs of Scott Thorson, the young man who shared the aging Liberace's life and bed in the twilight of the legendary entertainer's career. The film has caused a lot of buzz because the two men depicted will be played by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, two actors who feel that their reputations as straight romantic leads will ensure that their careers aren't jeopardized. In the past, straight actors who were courageous enough to play gay men in a sympathetic manner often saw their efforts eviscerated by critics and their box office power called into question. Douglas concedes he wouldn't have been courageous enough to take on such a role when he was Damon's age. Director Steven Soderbergh and his actors promise that, despite the over-the-top elements that characterized every part of Liberace's life and career, his story will be handled in a dramatic and dignified manner. Click here for more.

HITCHCOCK DEFENDERS SAY "THE GIRL" IS FOR THE BIRDS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:09:00 -0600

It seems to be open season on revered director Alfred Hitchcock. The feature film Hitchcock starring Anthony Hopkins was taken to task by some critics for artistic license in its depiction of the director's behavior during the making of Psycho, with some saying it exaggerates his eccentricities and the negative aspects of his personality. Now the BBC drama The Girl starring Toby Jones and Sienna Miller is also being criticized for presenting a one-sided depiction of the making of Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie. The unflattering portrayal of Hitchcock as a virtual sexual predator is based solely on the accusations of both films' female lead, 'Tippi' Hedren, a Hitchcock discovery who has long maintained that her rejection of his advances led to retaliatory actions that saw her career derailed almost as soon as it began. The BBC broadcast of the movie has led to legendary leading ladies Eva Marie Saint, Doris Day and Kim Novak speaking out in defense of Hitchcock and claiming he treated them with respect. Click here for more

NBC PASSES ON MUNSTERS REBOOT "MOCKINGBIRD LANE"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:05:00 -0600

Despite being a hit in the ratings with a test pilot aired on Halloween, NBC has officially backed out of producing future episodes of Mockingbird Lane, the reboot of the beloved 1960s sitcom The Munsters. For more click here

"BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY" ON PBS, JANUARY 1

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:01:43 -0600

By Eddy Friedfeld

When asked why most of Sid Caesar’s writers were young and Jewish, the late’ great Larry Gelbart replied, “Because most of our parents were old and Jewish.”

The answer to why there were so many Jews in Broadway musicals may not be as glibly succinct, but in Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy, which debuts on PBS on January 1 at 9:30 p.m., the answers are insightful and amazingly entertaining.

Written, produced and directed by Emmy-Award Winner Michael Kantor (Broadway- The American Musical and Make ‘Em Laugh- The Funny Business of America), the 90 minute documentary tries to answer the question of why the Broadway musical proven to be such fertile territory for Jewish artists of all kind, featuring icons from Broadway’s golden age, including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim to “Broadway babies” such as Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman and Andrew Lippa represent a sampling of the Jewish talents who continue to leave their mark on musical theater.

The show begins with David Hyde Pearce in a hysterical and joyful scene-chewing rendition of his Spamalot song, You Won’t Succeed on Broadway: “You may have the finest sets, Fill the stage with penthouse pets, you may have the loveliest costumes and best shoes, you may dance and you may sing, but I'm sorry Arthur King you'll hear no cheers, just lots and lots of boos “boo,” you may have butch men by the score, whom the audience adore… But I tell you, you are dead if you don't have any Jews.” “It wouldn’t be so funny if it weren’t true,” Spamalot creator, the great Eric Idle, added.

Kantor focuses on this central question left largely unaddressed in his Emmy-winning Broadway: The American Musical, combining interviews with performance footage, including many of the rousing anthems and timeless ballads America has loved for a century.

“The primary force behind the musicals are the guys who write the songs” Kantor said. “Broadway, The American Musical was principally a historical and cultural treatment, dealing with The Great Depression and the advent of Rock and Roll. The new documentary complements the earlier one. “It’s really an American story and our narrative tells how Jewish stories were part of an acculturation/assimilation process. My daughter was bat mitzvahed this year and I can hear the melodies of the prayers differently.”

In the 1920s, nearly one in four New York residents was Jewish. The film charts how Jewish immigrants and children of immigrants in the melting pot of old New York helped shape the vision of America through musical theater. While shows like Porgy and Bess, Show Boat and Oklahoma are fictions, they represent the artist’s vision of how do we take what we know from Jewish culture and tradition and make it into America?

The film succeeds in its attention to detail and how it captures the warmth and emotion of the great artists: Leonard Bernstein and Adolph Green met as kids at summer camp, worked together on the camp musicals and became lifelong friends. In 1893, a five year old Irving Berlin, arrived at Ellis Island. His earliest memory as a child growing up in Russia was of a pogrom, a vigilante attack on his Jewish village. And he remembers hiding in a ditch with his brothers and sisters and parents, watching Russian Cossacks burn down their village. Then he comes to America, gets off the boat, looks around him, sees all these Americans and he says, we stood there in our Jew clothes. He realized how different he was from everybody else. That feeling of being different, combined with a deep gratitude of being an American, resulted in the composition of classic tunes, including the definitive American Christmas song.

There was also apprehension about the appeal of Fiddler on the Roof beyond Jewish audiences. To the producers’ surprise and pleasure, the show was a worldwide hit that transcended culture and race. “The opening number “Tradition” was common to every culture so the show was as common to Japanese family life as it was to Jewish family life,” Hal Prince recalled. “And it went all over the world and every single place it went it became their family story despite the idiosyncrasies of what was Jewish about it. Playwright Joseph Stein said: "There are universal themes: It’s a story about parents and children, a story about struggling in a strange world, conflict of cultures, immigrants."

The film also points out that the music of Porgy and Bess was rooted in Hebrew prayers and then charts the journey of the music into the brilliants hands of Miles Davis as he re-crafts the liturgical themes roots into his own classic jazz riffs.

“I’ve always worshiped talent and the magic talented people can make in people’s lives and make a difference,” said Cabaret star Joel Grey, who narrated the documentary, and who is one of only eight actors to have won both a Tony and an Oscar for having portrayed the same role on stage and screen.

“I remember the day I went to [composer] John Kander’s house and he told me about the role. When I first heard the song Vilkomen, I remember thinking to myself- “Oh my God- this is going to be my song. The MC in Cabaret is one of the most villainous characters of all time in that he seemed like he was going to be fun. You laughed with him and liked him and he ended up sticking the knife in.”

“James Cagney (who spoke fluent Yiddish) was both an actor and song and dance man,” Grey said when asked about his own favorite performers and composers. “Marvin Hamlisch was my friend and one of the funniest human beings in history. He was the modern day Irving Berlin, with a brilliant sense of timing but also with a sense of the outrageous.”

Beginning his theater career at age nine, Grey is part of an entertainment dynasty. Grey’s father was Spike Jones band member Mickey Katz, whose solo hits included “Duvid Crockett” and “She’ll be Coming Around the Catskills,” and is father of Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey.

“It’s thrilling the way we as Jews made ourselves useful and found a place for ourselves after running for so long. Part of my Yiddishkeit [Jewish identity] comes directly from my Dad who turned popular music into Jewish experiences, as a way of adapting and owning the Jewish experience of American Jews.”

JIMMY FALLON, BILLY CRYSTAL AND JERRY SEINFELD: AN ABBOTT AND COSTELLO TRIBUTE

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 05:35:00 -0600

Jimmy Fallon had some high-powered assistance in his recreation of the classic Abbott and Costello comedy routine "Who's on First": Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal joined in the fun. The black and white sketch pays homage to the timeless routine, but despite the talent involved, it only proves no one can do it better than A&C themselves. Click here to view

FIRST REVIEW: LINDSAY LOHAN'S LIZ TAYLOR TV FLICK "A TRAIN WRECK"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 05:31:00 -0600

Lohan displays two good reasons for tuning into "Liz and Dick", but the prime motivation might be to hear the unintentionally funny dialogue.

The first review is in and things aren't looking good for Lindsay Lohan's "comeback" Lifetime TV movie, Liz and Dick which traces the love lives of you-know-who. In the Hollywood Reporter review, it is described as "half train wreck, half SNL skit" and one of those perfectly awful movies that merit watching because of the unintentional laughs. Hey, maybe we will watch it after all, especially since there is this immortal line of dialogue spoken by Burton to Taylor: "I will love you even if you get as fat as a hippo."

"MOCKINGBIRD LANE" PILOT TO AIR ON NBC OCTOBER 26; REBOOT OF "THE MUNSTERS"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:02:00 -0500

NBC will air the pilot episode of Mockingbird Lane on October 26. The show is a reboot of the 60s sitcom The Munsters. Most of these ventures are ill-advised. We'll have to reserve judgment on this one, but just take a look at the characters-- we routinely see far stranger looking people on the New York subway system every day. Herman looks like a Wall Street stock broker and the character of Grandpa, played by Eddie Izzard, resembles Truman Capote at one of his famous dinner parties. Is this really how these characters will look throughout the series? Herman Munster with no bolts from his head? For more click here

PETE EMSLIE: SEND IN THE CLONES (OR WHY I FINALLY CANCELLED MY CABLE TV SUSCRIPTION)

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:29:00 -0500

Pete Emslie is one of the best contemporary cartoonists around and his blog, The Cartoon Cave, is a must-read. Emslie has recently published what we will term "a guest editorial" because it captures many of Cinema Retro's criticisms of the current state of television. Unlike Emslie, we still find enough nuggets out there (some admittedly guilty pleasures) to justify keeping the old cable TV subscription. However, we can well understand why he just canceled his. Emslie concentrates on the sad state of the endless, indistinguishable crime shows that are on the air. The plots tend to be more and more over-the-top and the cast members are virtually cloned from the same mold. There is the token nod to someone over the age of 35 (Mark Harmon and David McCallum in NCIS, for example) but for the most part, crime shows always feature drop-dead gorgeous people holding pistols with two hands while shouting, "Freeze, you mother!" Every other situation has juvenile sexual innuendos and we rarely even get any cool theme songs because the average TV drama is a one hour block of commercials occasionally interrupted by content. Contrast this, as Emslie does, to the great old crime shows of old. Hawaii 5-0 (the real one, that is), didn't have Jack Lord and Kam Fong competing to get some comely new female detective in the sack. Instead, we got compelling characters, good acting and people looked like they really belonged in a police station. Imagine trying to launch a series with Peter Falk as Columbo today? A middle-aged, frumpy, cigar chomping man in the lead role? Fuggetaboutit! If they remake the series (and they eventually will), Columbo will be a Brad Pitt clone who eschews cigars for Twizzlers (more politically correct) and who uses his eccentricities to woo female suspects into confessing. In any event, click here to read Pete Emslie's take on all this (which includes a sly criticism of the fact that even all the cluttered, unimaginatively designed DVD boxed sets for these shows seem Xeroxed.) - Lee Pfeiffer

"THE BRADY BUNCH": WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 05:44:00 -0500

With Vince Vaughn producing a new TV series inspired by The Brady Bunch, CNN takes a look at the original cast members and catches up with what they're doing lately. Click here for more

A&E NETWORK TAKES THE "PSYCHO" PATH; REVEALS DETAILS OF NEW SERIES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 05:09:00 -0500

The A&E cable TV network has confirmed it is going into production on a prequel series based upon Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1960 thriller Psycho. Titled Bates Motel, the show will explore the creepy relationship between Norman Bates and his dominating mother. A&E issued this statement:

“We are proud to be partnering with Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin on their thrilling reinvention of one of the most compelling characters in cinematic history,” A&E Network president Bob DeBitetto and EVP of programming David McKillop said in a statement announcing the news. “It’s a provocative project from two of the best storytellers in the business, and we’re looking forward to getting started.”

This is not the first time the Psycho saga has been explored in the medium of television. There have been TV movies throughout the years including one that is ironically titled Bates Motel.

For Gary Giblin's extensive tribute to the Hitchcock original and analysis of the sequels, see Cinema Retro #18 in our back issue section or click here to order direct from eBay.

MADS MIKKELSEN TO PLAY HANNIBAL LECTER IN TV SERIES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 05:53:00 -0500

Acclaimed Danish character actor Mads Mikkelsen has been signed to play the notorious cannibal Hannibal Lecter on a new NBC crime series. The character was the centerpiece of author Thomas Harris' bestseller The Silence of the Lambs, which was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie. Anthony Hopkins immortalized the character of Lecter in the original film and sequels, though Brian Cox played the part first in the 1986 film Manhunter. Curiously, the Lifetime TV network is simultaneously developing the show Clarice, based on the young female FBI agent portrayed by Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs. For more click here