Today would have been Greta Garbo's 100th birthday if she was still alive. She was born in Stockholm, Sweden as Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, the youngest of three children. Her father's death when she was 14 and a none too good relationship with her mother required her to find work at an early age. She was first a lather girl in a barbershop, then a department store clerk. It was her job at the department store that led to her career in movies. While there she appeared as a model in their newspaper ads and in a commercial short for the store. This led to appearances in a comedy short and the movie A Happy Knight.
By this time Garbo considered herself an actress. She studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1922 to 1924. While there she met director Mauritz Stiller. Stiller gave her the stage name "Greta Garbo" and gave Garbo her first big break--a role in the film Gosta Berlings Saga. In 1925 Stiller signed a contract with MGM. Among his conditions was that Garbo also be signed to a contract. Unfortunately, Stiller's career in Hollywood was brief. He was eventuallyfired by MGM. This was quite a different matter for Garbo. She became one of Hollywood's biggest leading ladies.
Garbo's first American film was The Torrent in 1926. She went onto make some of the most successful films of the silent era, including Flesh and the Devil and The Temptress. Garbo was one of the actors to make the transition to film, despite the fact that she had a husky voice with a thick Swedish accent. If anything, she became an even bigger star with the advent of sound than she had been during the silent era. She starred in such movies asGrand Hotel, Quenn Christina, Anna Karenina, and Ninotchka.
Despite Garbo's success as an actress, she remained a very private person. She very rarely gave interviews and almost never attended premieres. She never signed autographs or answered fan mail. When shooting was taking place with Garbo, the sets were always closed to visitors. Her line from Grand Hotel, "I want to be let alone," abbreviated to "I want to be alone," became her catchphrase for more reasons than the fact that it was a good line.
Garbo's success was not simply starring in movies that did well at the box office, but in Oscar nominations as well. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actres for Anna Christie (1930), Romance (1930 movie) (1930)), Camille (movie) (1937) and Ninotchka (1939). Despite this success, it seems that Garbo's life as an actress was not a particularly happy one. Her well publicised romance with John Gilbert ultimately failed, as did his career. From 1932 to 1934 she had a contract dispute with MGM which kept her out of movies for two years. As time passed Garbo apparently became choosier about her roles, appearing in movies less and less frequently. She turned down the starring role in Dark Victory to do Anna Karenina instead.
In 1941, two years after she'd appeared in Ninotchka, Garbo appeared in her last film, Two Faced Woman. At that point Garbo more or less retired from film, taking no parts in any movies offered her. In 1949 she did a screen test, but nothing came of it. Thre were rumours that she would appear in an adaptation of Remembrance of Things Past, but nothing came of that either.
Garbo lived the rest of her life as a private citizen. At times she would socialise with other celebrities, although as time passed she ceased to do this as often. She lived her last several years as a recluse. She died in April 1990 at the age of 84.
Garbo starred in some of the most successful movies of all time. To this day such films as Grand Hotel, Queen Christina, and Camille are still shown on television and in art houses. And while Hollywood treated her as one of its most glamourous stars, she was a serious actress. When she played the role of Queen Christina of Sweden, she insisted on looking as much like the queen as possible, even though it meant that she would look less glamourous doing so. Unfortunately, it seems to me that Garbo's career was largely eclipsed by her mystique. As an actress who fiercely guarded her privacy during her career and entered private life at a relatively young age afterwards, Garbo became an icon known for her life of seclusion. Even into her eighties she was still a target for the papparazzi of New York City. While today Garbo may be best known for her life as a recluse, it seems to me that she should also be remembered for her film career as one of the best actresses of her era, having made a number of classic films.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
40 Years of The Wild Wild West
Among my favourite series of all time I count The Wild Wild West. The series was a unique combination of Bondian spy drama, Jules Verne style science fiction, and Western action. It ran from 1965 to 1969 on CBS here in the United States and in syndication ever since. The show debuted forty years ago today.
The Wild Wild West was the brainchild of Michael Garrison. Garrison had started out as an actor, but eventually became an associate producer on such movies as An Affair to Remember, The Long Hot Summer, and Peyton Place. He graduated to being a producer, working on movies such as The Crowded Sky and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Like many in Hollywood in the early to mid-Sixties, Garrison observed the spy craze that had overwhelmed both movies and televisiion at the time. The Bond movies were doing big box office in theatres, while The Man From U.N.C.L.E. became one of the sleeper hits of the 1964-1965 season. At the same time television was in the midst of a new cycle towards Westerns, spurred by the success of Bonanza and The Virginian. It occurred to Garrison that crossing Bondian spy drama with the Western could make for a good TV series. He pitched the idea to CBS head of programming Hunt Stromberg Jr. Stromberg agreed that it was a good idea and assigned CBS associate director of programme development Ethel Winant to develop the series.
The concept which Winant eventually worked out centred on Secret Service agent James West, assigned to fight international spies and other villains in the West of the United States. Initially they came up with the idea that West would get his gadgets from a travelling peddler. The peddler chracter eventually developed into West's partner, Artemus Gordon. While West was the man of action in the partnership--the man who was always handy in a fight--Gordon was the master of disguise, con man, and inventor of gadgets. Gil Ralston, who had written for Ben Casey among other shows, was hired to write the pilot (the episode "Night of the Inferno").
With the script being written, casting for the roles of West and Gordon began. Initially they had wanted Western star Rory Calhoun for the role. After a screen test, however, CBS decided that Calhoun was not right for the part. Testing several actors, they finally cast Robert Conrad as James West. Conrad was already a veteran televison star, having starred in the series Hawaiian Eye. The casting for the part of Artemus Gordon went much more smoothly. Although many actors were tested for the part, only two were ever seriously considered. One was character actor Pat Hinkle (who would later play Comissioner Gordon in the 1989 Batman). The other was character actor Ross Martin, who had a gift for dialects.
Unfortunately, The Wild Wild West would have a rocky start. On the strength of the pilot, The Wild Wild West was placed on CBS's 1965 fall schedule. Unfortunately, in March 1965 CBS saw a change in the company's upper management. Both CBS's president, James Aubrey, and head of programming, Hunt Stromberg Jr., were fired. With the change in upper management also came changes in the network's fall schedule. Many series that were slated for the network's fall schedule were cancelled. Among those cancelled series was The Wild Wild West--cancelled before even one episode had ever aired! Fortunately, CBS soon had a change of heart and reinstated the series to its fall schedule.
This would not be the end of problems for the Wild Wild West, however, as the series would go through no less than seven producers in its first season. The show's original producer, Collier Young, was a veteran of The Adventures of Superman. Young's vision of The Wild Wild West departed considerably from the way Garrison saw the series, and Young was dismissed after producing only three episodes. It was then that Fred Frieberger, who had worked on Ben Casey and A Man Called Shenandoah (and would later go onto produce Star Trek) was brought on board the series. Frieberger was arguably the show's best producer. He established the format of the series, in which each week West and Gordon would face a criminal mastermind with some incredible plot (such as a former general seeking to establish his own kingdom in Mexico using an armour plated train, a crazed geologist who has figured out how to cause earthquakes, and a plot to rob a state of its treasury). Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Freiberger's tenure as producer on The Wild Wild West was the introduction of West and Gordon's archnemesis, Dr. Miguelito Loveless (more on him later).
While Freiberger set the course that The Wild Wild West would maintain for the rest of its run, he did not last as the show's producer. For reasons that are not precisely clear, CBS fired both Freiberger as producer and Michael Garrison as executive producer. As it would turn out, according to contract CBS could not fire Garrison as executive producer. Unfortunately, the same was not true of Fred Freiberger. . John Mantley, who had been the associate producer on Gunsmoke, was brought in as his replacement. John Mantley continued the series in the same vein as Fred Freiberger, with West and Gordon facing as a crazed puppeteer with steam powered "puppets" and an assassin with a body that has almost entirely been replaced by steel. Mantley's tenure as producer of The Wild Wild West once Garrison reclaimed his position as executive producer. Garrison wanted Freiberger back as the series' producer, but CBS refuesed to reinstate him. Gene Coon was then hired as the show's producer. Like Freiberger, Coon would also go onto produce Star Trek. Coon continued the series in the same vein as Freiberger and Mantley. Indeed, he produced what may be the best Wild Wild West episode of all time, "The Night of the Murderous Spring," in which Dr. Loveless plotted to poison the whole country with a hallucinogenic drug. Gene Coon would quit the series after several episodes to accept an offer from Warner Brothers to write the screenplay for Tell It to the Marines. Garrison produced the rest of the season's episodes himself, as well as the first few episodes of the second season, until Bruce Landsbury was hired as the series' final producer.
The format of The Wild Wild West was different from any other series on the air at the time. West and Gordon were Secret Service agents assigned to fight threats to the United States in the West. To accomplish this they were equipped with a marvelous train called the Wanderer. The Wanderer was equipped with an arsenal of guns and knives hidden behind a panel, as well as a billiard table with cues that could be used as rifles and billiard balls that could be used as bombs. West and Gordon had an array of gadgets at their command. Among the most used was the derringer which West kept hidden in a sleeve, which could be brought swiftly to his hand through a spring loaded device. Gordon was a master of disguise whose makeup kit was never far from his person. In many episodes West would be captured by the villain of the moment, only to be rescued by Gordon in some disguise. As might be expected, there were plenty of fight scenes on The Wild Wild West. The fights were meticulously choreographed. What is more, The Wild Wild West not only utilised such traditional fighting techniques as boxing, but Asian martial arts as well. In fact, The Wild Wild West may well have been the first American series to feature kung fu.
Of coruse, The Wild Wild West was also set apart from other shows of the time by its villains. The villains on the series were truly larger than life. Their plots often involved the conquest of a territory of the Old West or even the entire United States (or Mexico, for that matter). Often they used technology that was decidedly advanced for the 19th century. Indeed, The Wild Wild West can be considered a forerunner of the genre called steampunk, in which advanced technology is combined with Victorian settings.
Of course, the villain West and Gordon faced the most was Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Dr. Loveless was the creation of producer Fred Freiberger and writer John Kneubuhl. The two of them seized upon the idea that actor and singer Michael Dunn would make a great villain for the series. They hired Dunn and Kneubuhl set about writing the first episode to feature the doctor, "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth." Michael Dunn was a veteran actor, who was both diminutive in height and enormous in talent. Among his works could be counted his role in the movie Ship of Fools. The role of Loveless created for him was that of a mad genius with a gift for science, bent on world conquest. The back story Kneubuhl created for Loveless was that he was probably part Mexican and part Anglo. His mother was a landed descendent of Spanish dons. His father was an American who robbed Miguelito of his inheritance. Because of this and his small stature, Loveless is essentially angry with the whole world. Dr. Loveless appeared in all four seasons of The Wild Wild West and the episodes featuring him are among the show's best. Among Loveless's plots were one in which he sought to regain the land his ancestors owned in California with the world's most powerful explosive, a plot to destroy all life in the West with a special chemical, and a plot to assassinate the leaders of the world powers by using paintings through which living beings can e moved in and out.
The Wild Wild West proved to be a fairly popular series. It ranked in the Top 25 shows for the 1965-1966 season. It also received its share of attention from the Emmy awards. Ted Voigtlander, the show's Director of Photography, received a nomination for his wor on the episoden "The Night of the Howling Light." Agnes Moorehead would receive a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the episode "The Night of the Vicious Valentine." Ross Martin would be nominated for best supporting actor during the show's fourth season.
Although The Wild Wild West would not see the kind of upheaval it had in its first season, the following seasons would see more changes and problems for the series. In its second season the show made the shift from black and white to colour. It was also in the second season that the show lost its executive producer. Michael Garrison fell to his death on the stairs of his Bel Air Home in late 1966. Without The Wild Wild West was then deprived of its creator's guidance. Bruce Lansbury would continue as the series' producer for the remainder of its run..In its fourth season The Wild Wild West faced yet another crisis. It was during this season that Ross Martin suffered a heart attack. As a result, Artemus Gordon was absent from the series for several episodes.
A big change for hte series came at the start of its fourth season because of renewed outcry over television violence in the wake of the the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. For the 1968-1969 season, the networks introduced new restrictions on acts of violence on television. CBS restricted the producers of their series on the use of firearms, fighting in close quarters, and even such stunts as falling off a horse. For a series such as The Wild Wild West, which had always depended on a lot of action in its episodes, this made things very difficult.
Unfortunately, the new restrictions that the networks had put on shows did not silence the outcry over television violence. It was in March 1969 thta CBS cancelled The Wild Wild West due to exceesive violence. The cancellation was unexpected for the show's cast and crew, as the series was still doing fairly well in the ratings and they felt that the show was not overly violent--they viewed it as a comic book on film. It seems likely that The Wild Wild West was simply being used as a scapegoat in the controversy over television violence. Curiously, the much more violent (and higher rated) series Mannix remained on the air.
The cancellation of The Wild Wild West was not the end of the series. During the summer of 1970, CBS reran specially selected episodes of The Wild Wild West, with some of the more "violent" scenes cut out. The show then went into syndication where it has been ever since. At various points it has been regularly shown on both TBS and TNT. In the late seventies there would be two reunion movies featuring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as West and Gordon. The Wild Wild West Revisited aired in 1979, pitting the two agents against Dr.Loveless's son. More Wild Wild West aired in 1980, with West and Gordon facing a villain who has planted bombs in every captial of every world power at the time. Sadly, Ross Martin died in 1981, thus ending any possibilty of further reunion movies.
In my humble opinion The Wild Wild West was one of the most imaginative series of the Sixties. It deftly blended Bondian spy drama, Western action, and science fiction in a way that did not seem silly or strained. It is no surprise to me that it remains a series with a cult following to this very day.
The Wild Wild West was the brainchild of Michael Garrison. Garrison had started out as an actor, but eventually became an associate producer on such movies as An Affair to Remember, The Long Hot Summer, and Peyton Place. He graduated to being a producer, working on movies such as The Crowded Sky and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Like many in Hollywood in the early to mid-Sixties, Garrison observed the spy craze that had overwhelmed both movies and televisiion at the time. The Bond movies were doing big box office in theatres, while The Man From U.N.C.L.E. became one of the sleeper hits of the 1964-1965 season. At the same time television was in the midst of a new cycle towards Westerns, spurred by the success of Bonanza and The Virginian. It occurred to Garrison that crossing Bondian spy drama with the Western could make for a good TV series. He pitched the idea to CBS head of programming Hunt Stromberg Jr. Stromberg agreed that it was a good idea and assigned CBS associate director of programme development Ethel Winant to develop the series.
The concept which Winant eventually worked out centred on Secret Service agent James West, assigned to fight international spies and other villains in the West of the United States. Initially they came up with the idea that West would get his gadgets from a travelling peddler. The peddler chracter eventually developed into West's partner, Artemus Gordon. While West was the man of action in the partnership--the man who was always handy in a fight--Gordon was the master of disguise, con man, and inventor of gadgets. Gil Ralston, who had written for Ben Casey among other shows, was hired to write the pilot (the episode "Night of the Inferno").
With the script being written, casting for the roles of West and Gordon began. Initially they had wanted Western star Rory Calhoun for the role. After a screen test, however, CBS decided that Calhoun was not right for the part. Testing several actors, they finally cast Robert Conrad as James West. Conrad was already a veteran televison star, having starred in the series Hawaiian Eye. The casting for the part of Artemus Gordon went much more smoothly. Although many actors were tested for the part, only two were ever seriously considered. One was character actor Pat Hinkle (who would later play Comissioner Gordon in the 1989 Batman). The other was character actor Ross Martin, who had a gift for dialects.
Unfortunately, The Wild Wild West would have a rocky start. On the strength of the pilot, The Wild Wild West was placed on CBS's 1965 fall schedule. Unfortunately, in March 1965 CBS saw a change in the company's upper management. Both CBS's president, James Aubrey, and head of programming, Hunt Stromberg Jr., were fired. With the change in upper management also came changes in the network's fall schedule. Many series that were slated for the network's fall schedule were cancelled. Among those cancelled series was The Wild Wild West--cancelled before even one episode had ever aired! Fortunately, CBS soon had a change of heart and reinstated the series to its fall schedule.
This would not be the end of problems for the Wild Wild West, however, as the series would go through no less than seven producers in its first season. The show's original producer, Collier Young, was a veteran of The Adventures of Superman. Young's vision of The Wild Wild West departed considerably from the way Garrison saw the series, and Young was dismissed after producing only three episodes. It was then that Fred Frieberger, who had worked on Ben Casey and A Man Called Shenandoah (and would later go onto produce Star Trek) was brought on board the series. Frieberger was arguably the show's best producer. He established the format of the series, in which each week West and Gordon would face a criminal mastermind with some incredible plot (such as a former general seeking to establish his own kingdom in Mexico using an armour plated train, a crazed geologist who has figured out how to cause earthquakes, and a plot to rob a state of its treasury). Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Freiberger's tenure as producer on The Wild Wild West was the introduction of West and Gordon's archnemesis, Dr. Miguelito Loveless (more on him later).
While Freiberger set the course that The Wild Wild West would maintain for the rest of its run, he did not last as the show's producer. For reasons that are not precisely clear, CBS fired both Freiberger as producer and Michael Garrison as executive producer. As it would turn out, according to contract CBS could not fire Garrison as executive producer. Unfortunately, the same was not true of Fred Freiberger. . John Mantley, who had been the associate producer on Gunsmoke, was brought in as his replacement. John Mantley continued the series in the same vein as Fred Freiberger, with West and Gordon facing as a crazed puppeteer with steam powered "puppets" and an assassin with a body that has almost entirely been replaced by steel. Mantley's tenure as producer of The Wild Wild West once Garrison reclaimed his position as executive producer. Garrison wanted Freiberger back as the series' producer, but CBS refuesed to reinstate him. Gene Coon was then hired as the show's producer. Like Freiberger, Coon would also go onto produce Star Trek. Coon continued the series in the same vein as Freiberger and Mantley. Indeed, he produced what may be the best Wild Wild West episode of all time, "The Night of the Murderous Spring," in which Dr. Loveless plotted to poison the whole country with a hallucinogenic drug. Gene Coon would quit the series after several episodes to accept an offer from Warner Brothers to write the screenplay for Tell It to the Marines. Garrison produced the rest of the season's episodes himself, as well as the first few episodes of the second season, until Bruce Landsbury was hired as the series' final producer.
The format of The Wild Wild West was different from any other series on the air at the time. West and Gordon were Secret Service agents assigned to fight threats to the United States in the West. To accomplish this they were equipped with a marvelous train called the Wanderer. The Wanderer was equipped with an arsenal of guns and knives hidden behind a panel, as well as a billiard table with cues that could be used as rifles and billiard balls that could be used as bombs. West and Gordon had an array of gadgets at their command. Among the most used was the derringer which West kept hidden in a sleeve, which could be brought swiftly to his hand through a spring loaded device. Gordon was a master of disguise whose makeup kit was never far from his person. In many episodes West would be captured by the villain of the moment, only to be rescued by Gordon in some disguise. As might be expected, there were plenty of fight scenes on The Wild Wild West. The fights were meticulously choreographed. What is more, The Wild Wild West not only utilised such traditional fighting techniques as boxing, but Asian martial arts as well. In fact, The Wild Wild West may well have been the first American series to feature kung fu.
Of coruse, The Wild Wild West was also set apart from other shows of the time by its villains. The villains on the series were truly larger than life. Their plots often involved the conquest of a territory of the Old West or even the entire United States (or Mexico, for that matter). Often they used technology that was decidedly advanced for the 19th century. Indeed, The Wild Wild West can be considered a forerunner of the genre called steampunk, in which advanced technology is combined with Victorian settings.
Of course, the villain West and Gordon faced the most was Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Dr. Loveless was the creation of producer Fred Freiberger and writer John Kneubuhl. The two of them seized upon the idea that actor and singer Michael Dunn would make a great villain for the series. They hired Dunn and Kneubuhl set about writing the first episode to feature the doctor, "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth." Michael Dunn was a veteran actor, who was both diminutive in height and enormous in talent. Among his works could be counted his role in the movie Ship of Fools. The role of Loveless created for him was that of a mad genius with a gift for science, bent on world conquest. The back story Kneubuhl created for Loveless was that he was probably part Mexican and part Anglo. His mother was a landed descendent of Spanish dons. His father was an American who robbed Miguelito of his inheritance. Because of this and his small stature, Loveless is essentially angry with the whole world. Dr. Loveless appeared in all four seasons of The Wild Wild West and the episodes featuring him are among the show's best. Among Loveless's plots were one in which he sought to regain the land his ancestors owned in California with the world's most powerful explosive, a plot to destroy all life in the West with a special chemical, and a plot to assassinate the leaders of the world powers by using paintings through which living beings can e moved in and out.
The Wild Wild West proved to be a fairly popular series. It ranked in the Top 25 shows for the 1965-1966 season. It also received its share of attention from the Emmy awards. Ted Voigtlander, the show's Director of Photography, received a nomination for his wor on the episoden "The Night of the Howling Light." Agnes Moorehead would receive a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the episode "The Night of the Vicious Valentine." Ross Martin would be nominated for best supporting actor during the show's fourth season.
Although The Wild Wild West would not see the kind of upheaval it had in its first season, the following seasons would see more changes and problems for the series. In its second season the show made the shift from black and white to colour. It was also in the second season that the show lost its executive producer. Michael Garrison fell to his death on the stairs of his Bel Air Home in late 1966. Without The Wild Wild West was then deprived of its creator's guidance. Bruce Lansbury would continue as the series' producer for the remainder of its run..In its fourth season The Wild Wild West faced yet another crisis. It was during this season that Ross Martin suffered a heart attack. As a result, Artemus Gordon was absent from the series for several episodes.
A big change for hte series came at the start of its fourth season because of renewed outcry over television violence in the wake of the the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. For the 1968-1969 season, the networks introduced new restrictions on acts of violence on television. CBS restricted the producers of their series on the use of firearms, fighting in close quarters, and even such stunts as falling off a horse. For a series such as The Wild Wild West, which had always depended on a lot of action in its episodes, this made things very difficult.
Unfortunately, the new restrictions that the networks had put on shows did not silence the outcry over television violence. It was in March 1969 thta CBS cancelled The Wild Wild West due to exceesive violence. The cancellation was unexpected for the show's cast and crew, as the series was still doing fairly well in the ratings and they felt that the show was not overly violent--they viewed it as a comic book on film. It seems likely that The Wild Wild West was simply being used as a scapegoat in the controversy over television violence. Curiously, the much more violent (and higher rated) series Mannix remained on the air.
The cancellation of The Wild Wild West was not the end of the series. During the summer of 1970, CBS reran specially selected episodes of The Wild Wild West, with some of the more "violent" scenes cut out. The show then went into syndication where it has been ever since. At various points it has been regularly shown on both TBS and TNT. In the late seventies there would be two reunion movies featuring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as West and Gordon. The Wild Wild West Revisited aired in 1979, pitting the two agents against Dr.Loveless's son. More Wild Wild West aired in 1980, with West and Gordon facing a villain who has planted bombs in every captial of every world power at the time. Sadly, Ross Martin died in 1981, thus ending any possibilty of further reunion movies.
In my humble opinion The Wild Wild West was one of the most imaginative series of the Sixties. It deftly blended Bondian spy drama, Western action, and science fiction in a way that did not seem silly or strained. It is no surprise to me that it remains a series with a cult following to this very day.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Robert Wise 1914-2005
Director Robert Wise died of a heart attack Wednesday at the age of 91. Wise directed 39 films, the two best known of which are probably West Side Story and The Sound of Music. He had started as an editor, his best know work in editing being the movie Citizen Kane.
Robert Wise was born in Winchester, Indiana in 1914. He dropped out of college to take a job at RKO, where his brother was an accountant. He served as a sound effects editor on such films as ThThe Gay Divorcee and Top Hat. The first film he edited was Bachelor Mother in 1939. AT RKO he would edit such classic films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Citizen Kane, and The Magnificent Ambersons. It was when he was working with producer Val Lewton that he got his first directing credits. For Lewton he directed Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatcher. Wise would go on to direct the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, Run Silent Run Deep, West Side Story,. The Sound of Music, The Sand Pebbles, and The Andomeda Strain.
Robert Wise was nominated for Oscars seven times. Among those nominations was his work as editor on Citizen Kane. He won the Academy Award for best director for both West Side Story and The Sound of Music. He also served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.
While Robert Wise was best known as a director, I always thought that he was at his best as an editor. His work on such films as Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Devil and Daniel Webster was impeccable. Arugably, I think he was one of the greatest editors Hollywood ever produced. As director Wise directed some of my favourite films. While I am not a big fan of West Side Story or The Sound of Music, I have always loved The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Andromeda Strain, and The Body Snatcher. At any rate, it is a sure thing that Wise will be remembered for his work on Citizen Kane, The Sound of Music, and West Side Story.
Robert Wise was born in Winchester, Indiana in 1914. He dropped out of college to take a job at RKO, where his brother was an accountant. He served as a sound effects editor on such films as ThThe Gay Divorcee and Top Hat. The first film he edited was Bachelor Mother in 1939. AT RKO he would edit such classic films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Citizen Kane, and The Magnificent Ambersons. It was when he was working with producer Val Lewton that he got his first directing credits. For Lewton he directed Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatcher. Wise would go on to direct the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, Run Silent Run Deep, West Side Story,. The Sound of Music, The Sand Pebbles, and The Andomeda Strain.
Robert Wise was nominated for Oscars seven times. Among those nominations was his work as editor on Citizen Kane. He won the Academy Award for best director for both West Side Story and The Sound of Music. He also served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.
While Robert Wise was best known as a director, I always thought that he was at his best as an editor. His work on such films as Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Devil and Daniel Webster was impeccable. Arugably, I think he was one of the greatest editors Hollywood ever produced. As director Wise directed some of my favourite films. While I am not a big fan of West Side Story or The Sound of Music, I have always loved The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Andromeda Strain, and The Body Snatcher. At any rate, it is a sure thing that Wise will be remembered for his work on Citizen Kane, The Sound of Music, and West Side Story.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Rubber Soul
This weekend I replaced my copy of The Beatles album Rubber Soul. The album was released in 1965 when The Beatles were at the height of both their creativity and their popularity. It features some of their best known songs, including "Drive My Car," "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," and "You Won't See Me." It also includes some of my favourite Beatles songs. I have always loved "Nowhere Man," and I honestly think "In My Life" is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written (provided I ever marry, I want it played at my wedding). I also love the song "Michelle," for no particular reason. Sadly, not many of the songs from Rubber Soul are to be found on the Web. Otherwise I would give you a taste of some of the album. I already used "Nowhere Man" in an entry quite a while back, so I'll go ahead and let you listen to the other song from Rubber Soul that I have found online. So here is "Michelle," by The Beatles.
"Michelle"--The Beatles
"Michelle"--The Beatles
Thursday, September 8, 2005
Blondie Turns 75
It was seventy five years ago today that the comic strip Blondie first appeared. Its creator Chic Young was already a veteran of comic strips, having already worked on Beautiful Bab and Dumb Dora. Blondie was always beautiful and blonde, but originally she was also single (her maiden name for trivia buffs out there is Boopadoop)--the epitome of the young flappers of the era. At the time Blondie had several boyfriends.
All of that would change when the son of a railroad tycoon, Dagwood Bumstead, entered her life. By 1932 Blondie and Dagwood would fall in love. In 1933 Blondie and Dagwood married. And while Dagwood, with his love of enormous sandwiches and catnaps might not seem very romantic to women these days, he did make one of the ultimate sacrifices for Blondie. His parents disapproved of Blondie so much that they disinherited and disowned him. A son of wealth, Dagwood chose a middle class life just to be with the woman he loved.
Married life suited both Blondie and Dagwood well. The comic strip had been declining in popularity, but with Blondie and Dagwood's marriage its popularity soared. As the years passed various changes were made to the comic strip. Their son Baby Dumpling was born in 1934; eventually he would be called by his given name, Alexander. Their daughter Cookie followed later. Both grew into teenagers, although Blondie and Dagwood remained the same age. In 1991 Blondie opened her own catering business with her friend Tootsie. Of course, some things in the comic strip never changed. Although his boss, Mr. Dithers, has threatened to fire Dagwood many times, he still works for the J.C. Dithers Construction Company. Dagwood still ploughs through the mailman in his rush to get to work. Neighbour boy Alvin Fuddle still harasses Dagwood with questions. And Dagwood still loves sandwiches made from whatever is in the refrigerator at the time.
The success of Blondie allowed its characters to expand into other media. Blondie and Dagwood made their movie debut in 1938 in the feature film Blondie, which led to a series of 28 movies which lasted until 1950. Penny Singleton played Blondie, while Arthur Lake played Dagwood. There was also a radio show based on the comic strip. Curiously, Blondie never found success on televison. There have been two TV series based on the comic strip, both lasting only about half a season. On the first series Arthur Lake reprised his role as Dagwood from the movies, while Pamela Britton played Blondie. The series lasted only from January 1957 to September of that year. The second series debuted in September 1968 and starred Will Hutchingson as Dagwood and Patricia Harty as Blondie. It only lasted until January 1968. Blondie has also been featured on a United States Postal stamp and in an exhibit at the Library of Congress.
Blondiewas popular enough to even outlive its creator. Chic Young died in 1973. His son Dean Young took over the comic strip and has done it ever since. Currently Blondie is published in 2300 newspapers and 55 countries. Its worldwide readership is estimated at 250 million.
As I see it, the success of Blondie is essentially twofold. On the one hand, the Bumsteads reflect American life as we would like it to be: a stable family that gets along well with each other and face few problems that they cannot overcome (even after all these years of Mr. Dithers threatening to fire Dagwood, he still has his job...). Particularly these days, when divorce and broken homes are so common, Blondie serves as a reminder that it is possible to have a successful, stable family life. On the other hand, much of its success is also due to the relationship between Dagwood and Blondie. The two of them obviously love each other. Indeed, I rather suspect that the comic strip gives hope to men everywhere as far as the realm of romance is concerned. If a bumbling fool like Dagwood can win a girl like Blondie, why can't the rest of us?
Blondie has been around for seventy five years now. Dean Young has no plans to retire any time soon and has even expressed the thought that one of his daughters could well take over for him. It seems fully possible that Blondie could then be around for another seventy five years. With its popularity showing no sign of diminishing, it seems fully possible that it will be.
All of that would change when the son of a railroad tycoon, Dagwood Bumstead, entered her life. By 1932 Blondie and Dagwood would fall in love. In 1933 Blondie and Dagwood married. And while Dagwood, with his love of enormous sandwiches and catnaps might not seem very romantic to women these days, he did make one of the ultimate sacrifices for Blondie. His parents disapproved of Blondie so much that they disinherited and disowned him. A son of wealth, Dagwood chose a middle class life just to be with the woman he loved.
Married life suited both Blondie and Dagwood well. The comic strip had been declining in popularity, but with Blondie and Dagwood's marriage its popularity soared. As the years passed various changes were made to the comic strip. Their son Baby Dumpling was born in 1934; eventually he would be called by his given name, Alexander. Their daughter Cookie followed later. Both grew into teenagers, although Blondie and Dagwood remained the same age. In 1991 Blondie opened her own catering business with her friend Tootsie. Of course, some things in the comic strip never changed. Although his boss, Mr. Dithers, has threatened to fire Dagwood many times, he still works for the J.C. Dithers Construction Company. Dagwood still ploughs through the mailman in his rush to get to work. Neighbour boy Alvin Fuddle still harasses Dagwood with questions. And Dagwood still loves sandwiches made from whatever is in the refrigerator at the time.
The success of Blondie allowed its characters to expand into other media. Blondie and Dagwood made their movie debut in 1938 in the feature film Blondie, which led to a series of 28 movies which lasted until 1950. Penny Singleton played Blondie, while Arthur Lake played Dagwood. There was also a radio show based on the comic strip. Curiously, Blondie never found success on televison. There have been two TV series based on the comic strip, both lasting only about half a season. On the first series Arthur Lake reprised his role as Dagwood from the movies, while Pamela Britton played Blondie. The series lasted only from January 1957 to September of that year. The second series debuted in September 1968 and starred Will Hutchingson as Dagwood and Patricia Harty as Blondie. It only lasted until January 1968. Blondie has also been featured on a United States Postal stamp and in an exhibit at the Library of Congress.
Blondiewas popular enough to even outlive its creator. Chic Young died in 1973. His son Dean Young took over the comic strip and has done it ever since. Currently Blondie is published in 2300 newspapers and 55 countries. Its worldwide readership is estimated at 250 million.
As I see it, the success of Blondie is essentially twofold. On the one hand, the Bumsteads reflect American life as we would like it to be: a stable family that gets along well with each other and face few problems that they cannot overcome (even after all these years of Mr. Dithers threatening to fire Dagwood, he still has his job...). Particularly these days, when divorce and broken homes are so common, Blondie serves as a reminder that it is possible to have a successful, stable family life. On the other hand, much of its success is also due to the relationship between Dagwood and Blondie. The two of them obviously love each other. Indeed, I rather suspect that the comic strip gives hope to men everywhere as far as the realm of romance is concerned. If a bumbling fool like Dagwood can win a girl like Blondie, why can't the rest of us?
Blondie has been around for seventy five years now. Dean Young has no plans to retire any time soon and has even expressed the thought that one of his daughters could well take over for him. It seems fully possible that Blondie could then be around for another seventy five years. With its popularity showing no sign of diminishing, it seems fully possible that it will be.
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Goodbye, Gilligan
There are certain American television characters who are so iconic that it would be difficult to find any adult in the United States who would not recognise them. Among those characters is Gilligan, the hero of what could possibly be the most successful sitcom of all time, Gilligan's Island. The man who portrayed that character has passed on. Bob Denver died Friday of complications from cancer at age 70.
Bob Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York. He was both an atheletic coach and a math and history teacher before he became an actor. He broke into acting in 1959 with both a part n the movie A Private's Affair and the pivotal role of the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in the TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Krebs was easily the funniest character on the show, dressing like a stereotyical beatnik and always playing bongo drums. For Krebs the word "work" was truly a four letter word.
For many actors a single, iconic role in a TV series would pretty much be the sum of their career. This would not be the case for Bob Denver. In 1964 he was cast in a sitcom that place seven very different castaways on a deserted island. Denver played Gilligan, the bumbling first mate of the S. S. Minnow for three seasons. The series was cancelled not due to low ratings, but rather to make room for Gunsmoke (which was among CBS President William S. Paley's favourite shows). Despite its cancellation, the series would find new life in reruns. In fact, it may be the most rerun American series of all time, even surpassing I Love Lucy. For Denver the series' success was a double edged sword. He was loved by millions as the goofy first mate, but he was so identified with the role that he often find it hard to get parts.
Denver was primarily a television actor. In addition to The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Gilligan's Island, he starred in the TV series The Good Guys, Dusty's Trail, Far Out Space Nuts, and Twilight Theater. He also provided the voice of Gilligan in two animated spinoffs from the sitcom--The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet, as well as three reunion movies. He also reprised his role as Maynard G. Krebs in a Dobie Gillis reunion movie. Bob Denver made guest appearances on several TV shows, including Dr. Kildare, The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Alf, and The Simpsons. On both Roseanne and Baywatch he appeared in salutes to Gilligan's Island.
While Denver was mainly a television actor, he also appeared in a few films over the years. He played in For Those Who Think Young, Take Her, She's Mine, Who's Minding the Mint, and Did you Hear the One about the Travelling Saleslady.
In the Seventies Bob Denver replaced Woody Allen in Play It Again, Sam on Broadway. While his run was successful, he never performed much on stage thereafter.
Like most Americans of my generation, I first encountered Bob Denver as Gilligan. To this day Gilligan's Island is still maligned by critics, some of who would actually count it among the worst shows of all time. What these critics seem to overlook (or just plain ignore, as the case may be) is that Gilligan's Island was a genuinely funny show. And much of the reason the series was so funny was Bob Denver as Gilligan. Denver had a gift for slapstick and physical comedy. He also had a great sense of comic timing. Indeed, this was also evident in his earlier role as Maynard G. Krebs in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. This brings me to another of Denver's strongpoints, one that is overlooked given the many bumbling characters he sometimes played. Bob Denver did have something of a range in the characters he could play. Indeed, in many ways Maynard G. Krebs and Gilligan are two very different characters--Maynard was the epitome of "cool" in his era, while Giligan was anything but "cool." At any rate, Bob Denver played Gilligan so well that it is hard to picture any other actor in the role. It is hard to believe that the part was originally offered to Jerry Van Dyke (a fine comic actor in his own right).
To say that I am greatly saddened by Bob Denver's death would be a bit of an understatement. I grew up watching Gilligan's Island. Later I would discover The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in reruns. On both shows Denver played my favourite characters--Gilligan and Maynard G. Krebs respectively. And while I must admit that I do not consider myself either bumbling or lazy, I can honestly say that there have been times when I identified with both characters. I think most Americans my age probably have at one time or another. I suppose that in playing Gilligan, Bob Denver not only created one of television's most memorable characters, but one of the few true American icons to emerge from network television.
Bob Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York. He was both an atheletic coach and a math and history teacher before he became an actor. He broke into acting in 1959 with both a part n the movie A Private's Affair and the pivotal role of the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in the TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Krebs was easily the funniest character on the show, dressing like a stereotyical beatnik and always playing bongo drums. For Krebs the word "work" was truly a four letter word.
For many actors a single, iconic role in a TV series would pretty much be the sum of their career. This would not be the case for Bob Denver. In 1964 he was cast in a sitcom that place seven very different castaways on a deserted island. Denver played Gilligan, the bumbling first mate of the S. S. Minnow for three seasons. The series was cancelled not due to low ratings, but rather to make room for Gunsmoke (which was among CBS President William S. Paley's favourite shows). Despite its cancellation, the series would find new life in reruns. In fact, it may be the most rerun American series of all time, even surpassing I Love Lucy. For Denver the series' success was a double edged sword. He was loved by millions as the goofy first mate, but he was so identified with the role that he often find it hard to get parts.
Denver was primarily a television actor. In addition to The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Gilligan's Island, he starred in the TV series The Good Guys, Dusty's Trail, Far Out Space Nuts, and Twilight Theater. He also provided the voice of Gilligan in two animated spinoffs from the sitcom--The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet, as well as three reunion movies. He also reprised his role as Maynard G. Krebs in a Dobie Gillis reunion movie. Bob Denver made guest appearances on several TV shows, including Dr. Kildare, The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Alf, and The Simpsons. On both Roseanne and Baywatch he appeared in salutes to Gilligan's Island.
While Denver was mainly a television actor, he also appeared in a few films over the years. He played in For Those Who Think Young, Take Her, She's Mine, Who's Minding the Mint, and Did you Hear the One about the Travelling Saleslady.
In the Seventies Bob Denver replaced Woody Allen in Play It Again, Sam on Broadway. While his run was successful, he never performed much on stage thereafter.
Like most Americans of my generation, I first encountered Bob Denver as Gilligan. To this day Gilligan's Island is still maligned by critics, some of who would actually count it among the worst shows of all time. What these critics seem to overlook (or just plain ignore, as the case may be) is that Gilligan's Island was a genuinely funny show. And much of the reason the series was so funny was Bob Denver as Gilligan. Denver had a gift for slapstick and physical comedy. He also had a great sense of comic timing. Indeed, this was also evident in his earlier role as Maynard G. Krebs in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. This brings me to another of Denver's strongpoints, one that is overlooked given the many bumbling characters he sometimes played. Bob Denver did have something of a range in the characters he could play. Indeed, in many ways Maynard G. Krebs and Gilligan are two very different characters--Maynard was the epitome of "cool" in his era, while Giligan was anything but "cool." At any rate, Bob Denver played Gilligan so well that it is hard to picture any other actor in the role. It is hard to believe that the part was originally offered to Jerry Van Dyke (a fine comic actor in his own right).
To say that I am greatly saddened by Bob Denver's death would be a bit of an understatement. I grew up watching Gilligan's Island. Later I would discover The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis in reruns. On both shows Denver played my favourite characters--Gilligan and Maynard G. Krebs respectively. And while I must admit that I do not consider myself either bumbling or lazy, I can honestly say that there have been times when I identified with both characters. I think most Americans my age probably have at one time or another. I suppose that in playing Gilligan, Bob Denver not only created one of television's most memorable characters, but one of the few true American icons to emerge from network television.
Monday, September 5, 2005
Labour Day
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country, All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." (Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor)
Today is Labour Day in the United States and Canada. Despite Samuel Gompers' words above, I must admit that Labour Day never has meant too terribly much to me. To be honest, I don't know of anyone who actually celebrates Labour Day. My family never did anything special for the holiday. I do know a few people who hold barbecues or go to the Lake of Ozarks or go camping on Labour Day weekend, but that is more because it is a "three day weekend" than because it is Labour Day. In many ways, for me it is simply a day off from work rather than a real holiday. I get the feeling that is the case for most people.
Of course, that is not the way it was supposed to be. Labour Day is meant to honour the hard work and achievements of the American worker. Indeed, Labour Day was the brainchild of the American labour movement. It is uncertain as to who actually came up with the idea of Labour Day. Some believe that it was Peter J. McGuire, who was general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and also co-founded the American Federation of Labour. Others believe it was Matthew Maguire, who was the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York and who would go on to become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey. The one thing that does seem clear is that the Central Labour Union celebrated the first Labour Day on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. In 1884 the first Monday of September was settled upon as the date for Laobur Day. The Central Labour Union in New York City persuaded other groups to celebrate that day as "a working man's holiday." By 1885 Labour Day was being celebrated in other cities.
It would take a bit of time before Labour Day received national recognition. Various cities recognised the holiday in 1885 and 1886. By 1987 Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York all recognised Labour Day as an official state holiday. Other states would follow suit. It was in 1894 that the United States Congress passed the act which made Labour Day a legal, national holiday. Hard as it may be for many of us to believe today, they actually did celebrate Labour Day in the early years. Street parades would be held, as were picnics and such. Later, speeches by various important personages would become part of the celebration.
Of course, it seems to me that all of this has changed, at least by the Sixties. I have never seen or even heard of a Labour Day parade in my lifetime. I don't recall any significant speeches being made by any important people on Labour Day. I do know families who hold picnics and barbecues on Labour Day, but I think that has less to do with honouring t he American worker than it does simply taking advantage of a day off from work. Indeed, it seems to me that the most significant event held on Labour Day is the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon, which has very little to do with honouring the American worker either. Beyond the fact that very few, if any, seem to celebrate Labour Day as it was meant to be celebrated, there is also the bitter irony that many people have to work on Labour Day--the very people the day is meant to honour!
I rather suspect that none of this is going to change any time soon. For better or worse, Labour Day has changed from the original vision labour leaders had for the holiday. I suppose that it is sad that the day is not used to honour the American worker. But, then again, perhaps the best way to honour the American worker is to simply give him or her a day off, a day when he or she can enjoy a picnic or a barbecure or go fishing or whatever. Personally, I would rather have a day off from work than have someone honour me anyday....
Today is Labour Day in the United States and Canada. Despite Samuel Gompers' words above, I must admit that Labour Day never has meant too terribly much to me. To be honest, I don't know of anyone who actually celebrates Labour Day. My family never did anything special for the holiday. I do know a few people who hold barbecues or go to the Lake of Ozarks or go camping on Labour Day weekend, but that is more because it is a "three day weekend" than because it is Labour Day. In many ways, for me it is simply a day off from work rather than a real holiday. I get the feeling that is the case for most people.
Of course, that is not the way it was supposed to be. Labour Day is meant to honour the hard work and achievements of the American worker. Indeed, Labour Day was the brainchild of the American labour movement. It is uncertain as to who actually came up with the idea of Labour Day. Some believe that it was Peter J. McGuire, who was general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and also co-founded the American Federation of Labour. Others believe it was Matthew Maguire, who was the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York and who would go on to become the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey. The one thing that does seem clear is that the Central Labour Union celebrated the first Labour Day on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. In 1884 the first Monday of September was settled upon as the date for Laobur Day. The Central Labour Union in New York City persuaded other groups to celebrate that day as "a working man's holiday." By 1885 Labour Day was being celebrated in other cities.
It would take a bit of time before Labour Day received national recognition. Various cities recognised the holiday in 1885 and 1886. By 1987 Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York all recognised Labour Day as an official state holiday. Other states would follow suit. It was in 1894 that the United States Congress passed the act which made Labour Day a legal, national holiday. Hard as it may be for many of us to believe today, they actually did celebrate Labour Day in the early years. Street parades would be held, as were picnics and such. Later, speeches by various important personages would become part of the celebration.
Of course, it seems to me that all of this has changed, at least by the Sixties. I have never seen or even heard of a Labour Day parade in my lifetime. I don't recall any significant speeches being made by any important people on Labour Day. I do know families who hold picnics and barbecues on Labour Day, but I think that has less to do with honouring t he American worker than it does simply taking advantage of a day off from work. Indeed, it seems to me that the most significant event held on Labour Day is the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon, which has very little to do with honouring the American worker either. Beyond the fact that very few, if any, seem to celebrate Labour Day as it was meant to be celebrated, there is also the bitter irony that many people have to work on Labour Day--the very people the day is meant to honour!
I rather suspect that none of this is going to change any time soon. For better or worse, Labour Day has changed from the original vision labour leaders had for the holiday. I suppose that it is sad that the day is not used to honour the American worker. But, then again, perhaps the best way to honour the American worker is to simply give him or her a day off, a day when he or she can enjoy a picnic or a barbecure or go fishing or whatever. Personally, I would rather have a day off from work than have someone honour me anyday....
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