Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor Passes On

Gilbert Taylor, the cinematographer who worked on such films as A Hard Day's Night (1964), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), died on 23 August 2013 at the age of 99.

Gilbert Taylor was born on 12 April 1914 in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire. In 1929 he became a camera assistant with Gainsborough Studios. His first credited work was on the film Rookery Nook in 1930, on which he served as a camera assistant. For the next several years he served as a camera assistant on such films as Third Time Lucky (1931), Many Waters (1931), Nell Gwyn (1934), Turn of the Tide (1935), Escape Me Never (1935), and The Lambeth Walk (1939).

During World War II Gilbert Taylor served in the Royal Air Force, where he served as a cameraman documenting the damage caused by British bombing raids over Germany. Following World War II Mr. Taylor returned to work, serving as associate director of photography on Journey Together (1945) and a camera operator on School for Secrets (1946), Fame is the Spur (1947), Brighton Rock (1947), and My Brother Jonathan (1948). His first credit as a full fledged cinematographer was on The Guinea Pig (1948). He served as director of photography on Seven Days to Noon (1950).

In the Fifties Gilbert Taylor served as cinematographer on such films as Circle of Danger (1951), High Treason (1951), Single-Handed (1953), Front Page Story (1954), The Weak and the Wicked (1954), As Long as They're Happy (1955), Yield to the Night (1956), The Good Companions (1957), Ice Cold in Alex (1958), Bottoms Up (1960), and The Full Treatment (1960). He provided special effects photography for The Dam Busters (1955).

The Sixties would arguably be the height of Giblert Taylor's career, as he served as cinematographer on such classic films as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Repulsion (1965), and Cul-de-sac (1966).  He also served as cinematographer on such films as The Rebel (1961), It's Trad, Dad! (1962), Hide and Seek (1964), Ferry Cross the Mersey (1965), The Bedford Incident (1965), The Man Outside (1967), Before Winter Comes (1969), and A Nice Girl Like Me (1969). He also served as cinematographer on episodes of The Avengers and The Baron, and provided additional photography for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He also directed an episode of Department S.

In the Seventies Gilbert Taylor served as cinematographer on such films as The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971), Frenzy (1972), Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974), The Omen (1976), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Escape to Athena (1979), Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979), Dracula (1979), and Flash Gordon (1980). He was also cinematographer on episodes of The Pathfinders. In the Eighties he worked on such films as Green Ice (1981), Venom (1981) Losin' It (1983), Lassiter (1984), and The Bedroom Window (1987). His last film work was in the 1994 film Don't Get Me Started.

If Gilbert Taylor is one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, it is perhaps because he had a gift for choosing a look specific to each film he shot. His work on A Hard Day's Night is a perfect example. He shot The Beatles' first film in the documentary style then popular with both the French and British New Wave filmmakers, lending a bit of reality to an at times surreal film. He gave The Omen a soft, dream like look, as befitting its somewhat nightmarish plot. He gave Repulsion a stark look, with wide angle shots and lighting to capture the film's mood. Each of Gilbert Taylor's films looked different from the others, and each one had its own look tailored specifically to it. What is more, Mr. Taylor had a knack for creating just the right sort of photography that would fit any given film. While the writing, direction, and acting might not be up to par in the films on which Gilbert Taylor worked, his cinematography was always top notch.

Elmore Leonard R.I.P.

Elmore Leonard, the author of many crime thrillers and Westerns, died today at the age of 87. The cause was complications from a stroke.

Elmore Leonard was born in New Orleans on 11 October 1925. He was nine years old when his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Following his graduation from high school in 1943 Mr. Leonard served for two years in the United States Navy as a Seabee. Following World War II he attended the University of Detroit, from which he graduated in 1950. Afterwards he worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency in Detroit.

Mr. Leonard wrote Westerns in his spare time and sold his first story, "Trail of the Apache", in 1951. His first novel, The Bounty Hunters, was published in 1953. In the Fifties he followed it with three more Western novels: The Law at Randado, Escape from Five Shadows, and Last Stand at Saber River. His short story "The Captives" provided the basis for the Bud Boeticher film The Tall T (1957), starring Randolph Scott, while his story "Three-Ten to Yuma" provided the basis for the Western classic 3:10 to Yuma (1957).

In the Sixties Elmore Leonard wrote only one Western, Hombre, which was adapted into the 1967 film of the same name. In 1969 Elmore Leonard's first crime thriller, The Big Bounce, was published. It was adapted into the film of the same name the same year. In the Seventies Mr. Leonard wrote a mixture of Westerns and crime thrillers. Among his Westerns were Valdez is Coming, Forty Lashes Less One, and Gunsights. Among his crime thrillers were Mr. Majestyk (adapted into the 1974 film of the same name), 52 Pick-Up (adapted into the 1984 movie The Ambassador and the 1986 film 52 Pick Up), Swag, Unknown Man No. 89, The Hunted, The Switch, and City Primeval. The Eighties would see Mr. Leonard writing exclusively crime thrillers, including Split Images, Cat Chaser (adapted as the 1989 film of the same name), Stick (adapted as the 1985 movie of the same name), Killshot (adapted as the 2009 film of the same name), and Get Shorty (adapted as the 1995 film of the same name).

The Nineties would see Elmore Leonard's last Western Cuba Librre, as well as the crime novels Rum Punch (adapted as Quentin Tarentino's film Jackie Brown), Pronto, and Riding the Rap (the last two, along with 2001's  Fire in the Hole, would provide the basis for the show Justified). The Naughts would see the publication of such novels as Tishomingo Blues,  Coyote's in the House, and Road Dogs.

Elmore Leonard also wrote for film and television. He wrote the screenplay for Joe Kidd (1972) and the television movies High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane and Desperado.

Elmore Leonard was arguably one of the most gifted writers of the 20th Century. His style could perhaps be best described as "stripped down." He wrote with a minimum of description and with a concentration on dialogue. He eschewed adverbs entirely. Many believe that he transformed the crime thriller, removing its cliches and turning many of its cliches around. While he may now be better known for his crime thrillers, it is actually his Westerns I prefer. While other Western novelists and Hollywood seemed to be in love with the American plains, Mr. Leonard preferred to set his stories and novels in New Mexico and Arizona. His Western novels also tended to be grittier than those of other Western writers, often lending a film noir sensibility to the Western genre. Indeed, the classic film 3:10 to Yuma is fairly close to what one can expect in Mr. Leonard's Western novels and stories. Regardless, whether one is discussing his Westerns or crime novels, Elmore Leonard was one of the best authors of his time.

Five Films Worth a Second Look

This past May as part of its Friday Night Spotlight Turner Classic Movies aired "Second Looks", hosted by director, screenwriter, and actress Illeana Douglas. "Second Looks featured films that did not perform very well on their initial release (often critically as well as at the box office), but may now be worthy of reevaluation (hence the title, "Second Looks"). During its run "Second Looks" included such films as The Loved One (1965), Mickey One (1965), and A New Leaf (1971).

Ever since TCM aired "Second Looks" I have thought of films that in my opinion are ready for rediscovery. To this end I have come up with a list of five films that number among my favourites, but are not widely known and appreciated. Now I do have to point out that not all of these films were critical failures at the time of their release, as some of them actually received generally positive reviews. That having been said, none of them did particularly well at the box office and some of them are largely forgotten today.

Catch Us if You Can (1965): With the success of The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night (1964), it was inevitable that other British bands of the era would star in their own movies. Sadly,  Herman's Hermits' Hold On! (1966) and The Spencer Davis Group's The Ghost Goes Gear (1966) would be typical of the British rock band musicals of the mid-Sixties, films nearly as forgettable as they were poor in quality. An exception was The Dave Clark Five's Catch Us if You Can (retitled Having a Wild Weekend in the United States).  In fact, the film received largely positive reviews upon its initial release. Unfortunately, it also performed poorly at the box office. It would be the first feature film directed by then documentary film maker John Boorman, who would go onto direct such films as Deliverance (1972) and Excalibur (1981).

John Boorman and screenwriter Peter Nichols (who went onto write the movie Georgy Girl) were not content to mimic The Beatles' success with A Hard Day's Night, instead making Catch Us if You Can dramatically different from any other British rock musical of the Sixties. Indeed, The Dave Clark Five do not even play themselves, but rather a team of stuntmen (something which Dave Clark had done in real life) who flee London in rebellion against the images and advertising generated by the media. Indeed, central to Catch Us if You Can is the question of what is truly real and what is illusion. Particularly when compared to the other British rock band musicals of the era, Catch Us if You Can can be surprisingly dark. At the same time, however, it is also extremely funny and contains some of the best songs The Dave Clark Five ever performed.

Hot Enough for June (1964): In the early Sixties TV shows such as The Avengers and Danger Man, sparked a spy craze in the United Kingdom. The spy craze was kicked into high gear with the release of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, in 1962, which also brought the craze to the United States. With audiences on both sides of the Pond hungry for anything related to spies, a number of both serious spy thrillers and comedic spy spoofs would be released from the early to mid-Sixties. Many were poor imitations of the Bond movies. One film that was not a pale imitation of a Bond film was the comedy Hot Enough for June (released as Agent 8 3/4 in the United States) starring Sir Dirk Bogarde.

Hot Enough for June utilises the time honoured premise of an ordinary person getting caught up in international intrigue. What sets Hot Enough for June apart from earlier films of a similar nature (such as the classic North by Northwest) is that Nicholas Whistler (played by Mr. Bogarde) is truly an ordinary Englishman. When he find himself caught in the midst of spy games he does not suddenly discover heretofore unknown talents (such as marksmanship or driving cars like a professional stuntman), but instead reacts as any ordinary person realistically would--he is confused, bewildered, scared, and on the run. This alone sets Hot Enough for June apart from other spy spoofs of the era. It is further set apart by the fact that it takes a subtle, tongue in cheek, but very intelligent approach to espionage, the Cold War, and relations between the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe.

Despite a solid cast (which included, in addition to Sir Dirk Bogarde, Robert Morley, Leo McKern, and Roger Delgado) and, in my humble opinion, a first rate screenplay, Hot Enough for June was received poorly by critics in the United Kingdom. American critics were slightly kinder to the film. Regardless, Hot Enough for June was not a hit at the box office on either side of the Pond. It is definitely a film just waiting to be rediscovered.

Penelope (1966): It can be argued that the heigh of Natalie Wood's career was in the early to mid-Sixties. She starred in such hit films as West Side Story (1961) and Splendour in the Grass (1961), while receiving an Oscar nomination for Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). The year 1965 would see her star in The Great Race, an epic comedy that was the sixth highest grossing film of the year. Released in 1966 Penelope would have seemed poised to be a smash hit. Unfortunately, the film received  largely negative reviews from critics. And while Penelope started out strong at the box office (it was the #1 film in the United States in its second week of release), audiences were soon staying away from it in droves and it topped out at a paltry $4 million.

I find this sad as, in my humble opinion, Penelope is actually a very funny and well done comedy. It is essentially a caper film centred around the title character (played by Natalie Wood), the kleptomaniac and slightly madcap wife of a rather staid banker (played by Ian Bannen). Miss Wood shines as Penelope, convincingly playing a character who is by turns flighty and wily and always charming. What is more, Penelope boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Dick Shawn (as Penelope's lovestruck psychiatrist), Peter Falk (as the down to Earth, but clever detective Lt. Bixbee), and Lou Jacobi (as con artist Ducky). There is even a cameo by Jonathan Winters, as sex crazed anthropology professor Klobb. Penelope also boasts excellent production design, including costumes designed by Edith Head.

The President's Analyst (1967): I was a bit hesitant to include this film in this list, as it is not exactly obscure. Indeed, The President's Analyst is something of a cult classic. That having been said, I really think it should be better known and that it should be considered simply a classic, cult or otherwise. Indeed, The President's Analyst received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon its release and it is still highly regarded (indeed, it enjoys an 81% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes). Despite the large amount of critical praise The President's Analyst  received, it died at the box office. The film only made $2,450,000 in its initial release.

Although often called a spy spoof, The President's Analyst may be more accurately described as a cultural satire. The plot centres upon Dr. Sidney Schaefer (played by James Coburn), who finds himself hired as the president's psychiatrist. When the pressures of the job get to him, Dr. Schaefer decides to go on the run. Unfortunately, what seems like every government in the world (and one rather huge corporation) is hot on his tail, anxious for the valuable information they think he has. In the process The President's Analyst sends up everything from spy movies to the FBI to liberals to conservatives to modern telecommunications.

Even given the fact that it was released in a time ripe with satirical black comedies such as Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and The Loved One, The President's Analyst was an edgy film for the era. In fact, then  head of production at Paramount Robert Evans claimed that he was visited by the FBI who told him that they did not want him to make the film due to its rather unflattering portrayal of the Bureau. Regardless, before the film's release all references to the FBI were replaced by the "Federal Bureau of Regulation" and "FBR" and all references to the CIA were replaced by the "Central Enquiries Agency" or "CEA". Whether Mr. Evans' claim is true or not, such lampooning of government agencies, let alone portraying them in unfavourable terms, was rare in the days before such films as The Parallax View (1974) and Wag the Dog (1997). In some respects, then, The President's Analyst was a bit ahead of its time.

The Satan Bug (1965): In the Sixties director John Sturges was at the peak of his career. He had ended the Fifties with one of his two biggest films, The Magnificent Seven (1960). In 1963 another one of his biggest films, The Great Escape, was released. Both were blockbuster films with all star casts. The Satan Bug would be a very different film. Based on Alistair MacLean's  novel of the same name, The Satan Bug featured no big name stars and eschewed action of the sort seen in the James Bond thrillers for a more intellectual approach.

The Satan Bug centres on former intelligence agent Lee Barrett (played by George Maharis), who finds himself investigating the theft of a virus that could kill all life on Earth in a matter of months (the "Satan bug" of the title) from a secret government bioweapons laboratory. While its premise is admittedly Bondian, The Satan Bug unfolds very differently from other spy thrillers of the era.  The emphasis is not on non-stop action, but instead on dialogue, character interaction, and planning. Combined with its rather deliberate pace, The Satan Bug is then much more suspenseful than if it had been done in the manner of the Bondian thrillers of the day. It also benefits from a great cast, that includes Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews.

It was perhaps because it was so different from other espionage thrillers of the time that many critics were not kind to The Satan Bug upon its release. Bosley Crowther in The New York Times complained that it "...has much the triteness and monotony of an average serial television show." The headline of Mae Tinnee's review in The Chicago Tribune summed up many critics' opinion of the film, "The Satan Bug,'All Talk, Little Action'". Worse yet, The Satan Bug fared poorly at the box office. In all it earned only $6 million. While The Manificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Ice Station Zebra are all well remembered, The Satan Bug remains one John Sturges film that is largely forgotten. And this should not really be the case at all.

Why NBC Should Bring Back Saturday Night at the Movies

It was on 23 September 1961 that NBC Saturday Night at the Movies debuted. It was a historic moment for American television. Prior to NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, the only films one would see on television were older films before 1950 or slightly more recent B movies. Even then, these films were aired almost exclusively on local stations. It was in 1961 that NBC bought the rights to broadcast 31 films made after 1950 from 20th Century Fox. The first of these to air was How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), starring Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe. While the film was 8 years old, it was far newer than most films shown on television up to that time.

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies proved to be a hit. In fact, it proved so successful that it was not long before ABC and CBS would have their own movie anthology series. The ABC Sunday Night Movie debuted in April 1962. Top rated CBS waited a bit longer before debuting their first movie anthology series--The CBS Thursday Night Movie debuted in September 1965. Regardless, the movie anthology series proved so popular that by 1968 there was one on every night of the week.

Of course, now movie anthology series are nearly unknown on American broadcast television. Indeed, among the first to go was the original NBC Saturday Night at the Movies. The Seventies saw the rise of such premium channels as HBO and Showtime, making it possible for people to watch films on television without having to sit through commercials. Between this and the sheer number of movie anthology series on the networks in the late Sixties and into the Seventies, the ratings for NBC Saturday Night at the Movies dropped over time. NBC cancelled the original movie anthology series in 1978. The other movie anthology series would suffer similar fates, with the advent of the VCR and later DVDs hammering the final nails in their coffins. NBC would attempt to bring back NBC Saturday Night at the Movies during the 2000-2001 season, but it only lasted about a year.

Regardless, it is easy to see why the idea of a movie anthology series on Saturday night appealed to NBC in 1961. Quite simply, relatively recent theatrical films could draw more viewers than standard television shows of the time could have. Traditionally television audiences have been at their lowest on Friday and Saturday nights. To make matters worse, the television audience for Friday and Saturday nights have traditionally been composed of children and the elderly, hardly the 18-49 demographic the networks have wanted since the Seventies. While several hit shows have aired on Saturday night (Gunsmoke, Have Gun--Will Travel, pretty much the entire CBS line up for much of the Seventies, The Golden Girls, and so on), Saturday night has generally been a bit of a problem for the networks. Indeed, in the Naughts the networks simply surrendered the night by airing reruns for the most part, the documentary magazine 48 Hours on CBS being a notable exception.

Looking  at the way that the American broadcast networks currently schedule Saturday nights, I must say that this seems wrong headed to me. In scheduling reruns on Saturday night, not only do the networks lose any chance of winning the desired 18-49 demographic, but any other television viewers as well. In fact, the last time I remember watching network programming on Saturday night was when NBC aired It's a Wonderful Life last December. And that was probably the first time I'd watched network programming since NBC had aired It's a Wonderful Life the December before that!  On those Saturday nights when I am home I will generally watch something on cable (this is always the case when Doctor Who is on BBC America) or on DVD. Quite simply, then, in airing reruns, the networks are surrendering Saturday night to the various cable channels or to DVD and Blu-Ray players. I rather have to doubt that they are winning the night, and especially not in the 18-49 demographic.

Instead of simply programming reruns on Saturday night, I think the networks would do better if they scheduled something else. In the case of NBC, I think they could schedule a movie anthology series, one with an already established brand name: NBC Saturday Night at the Movies. Of course, given the fact that movies are a dime a dozen on various cable channels (they form a good part of the programming for both USA and TNT), NBC would want to make NBC Saturday Night at the Movies different from earlier movie anthologies. I figure this could be done in two ways. The first is that they could borrow a page from Turner Classic Movies and have a host. The host would introduce the film being aired that night and provide trivia about the film in bumpers right before and after commercial breaks. Ideally, the host should be pleasant, congenial, and preferably a film expert (think Robert Osborne on TCM). Second, I do not think they would want to limit themselves to recent films, but instead to show movies from the Thirties to the Teens. One week one might see The Dark Knight, next week he or she might see Dark Victory. The presence of a host would set the new NBC Saturday Night at the Movies apart from movies shown on cable, while showing older films would give viewers something not usually seen on American television outside of Turner Classic Movies.

Now I realise that NBC attempted to revive NBC Saturday Night at the Movies in 2000. And I realise that particular version of Saturday Night at the Movies had a host. That having been said, I think it failed because it was showing recent films that had already been shown over and over on cable channels and the host was Ryan Seacrest. Now I have nothing in particular against Mr. Seacrest, but he is hardly Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz, and the few times I watched the 2000-2001 Saturday Night at the Movies I don't remember much film trivia. If NBC had aired a variety of films, both old and new, on Saturday Night at the Movies, and had a host who could provide real movie trivia, I think might actually have done better than it did in the 2000-2001 season.

Of course, I also realise that another objection could be that they would not get enough of the 18-49 demographic to make a new NBC Saturday Night at the Movies worth their while. First, as anyone who has read this blog knows, I think the networks and Madison Avenue's obsession with the 18-49 demographic is misguided in the extreme. I won't go into all of the reasons I believe this (I've outline those elsewhere), but I will point out the simple fact that college students and people starting out in life don't have money. If Madison Avenue wants a demographic with some extra spending cash and a willingness to buy things beyond the necessities, it seems to me that they should be looking at the 30-64 demographic!

Even if the networks and Madison Avenue were right about their pursuit of the 18-49 demographic, I rather suspect that a movie anthology series, especially one done differently than others before it, would draw a greater share of that demographic than reruns of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or Chicago Fire. Indeed, it would probably draw a greater share of other demographics as well. I rather suspect that even Madison Avenue would have to agree that an audience of sixty year olds is better than no audience at all, which I have to wonder isn't where the networks are at right now.

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies revolutionised American television when it debuted in 1961. For over a decade it proved extremely successful. It certainly would not be quite so revolutionary now and I certainly don't think it would receive the ratings that it did in the Sixties. That having been said, NBC Saturday Night at the Movies could draw more viewers to NBC on Saturday nights, certainly more than the reruns they currently air now. At any rate, it seems to me that instead of simply surrendering Saturday night to the cable channels, it is time for the broadcast networks to fight back.

Just a Few Pictures of Hedy Lamarr

It is August, which for me means that my allergies are back. It also means I feel slightly under the weather and not up to a full fledged blog entry tonight. For that reason, then, I will leave you with something that should cheer all of us up, some pictures of the Most Beautiful Woman in the World and, with composer George Antheil, inventor of a " a secret communication system" that is the basis for modern day spread spectrum technology found in everything from mobile phones to GPS: the legendary Hedy Lamarr.

Eydie Gorme Passes On

Eydie Gorme, the singer who both performed solo and with her husband Steve Lawrence, died 10 August 2013 at the age of 84.

Eydie Gorme was born Edith Gormezano in The Bronx on 16 August 1928. She attended William Howard Taft High School, where future director Stanley Kubrick numbered among her classmates. After graduating high school, she took night classes at City College while working during the day as a translator at the United Nations.  On the weekends she sang with Ken Greenglass and his band. Ken Greenglass would become her manager and she sang on tour with Tommy Tucker and His Orchestra. It was with Tommy Tucker and his band that she made her recording debut in 1950. She went onto perform with the bands of both Tex Beneke and Ray Eberle.

It was in 1952 that Eydie Gorme struck out on her own and recorded her first solo work. That same year she was the star of the Voice of America radio show Cita Con Eydie ("An Appointment with Eydie"), broadcast in Latin America. Her big break would come in 1953 when she appeared on Tonight, then hosted by Steve Allen. Also booked on the show was another singer, the man would one day become her husband, Steve Lawrence.

 It was in 1954 that Miss Gorme had her first hit single. The song "Fini" went to #19 on the American singles chart. In the late Fifties she would have three more top forty hits: "Too Close For Comfort"(which went to #39 in 1956), "Mama, Teach Me To Dance" (which went to #34 in 1956), "Love Me Forever" (which went to #24 in 1957), and "You Need Hands" (which went to #11 in 1958). Eydie Gorme appeared regularly on television in the Fifties. In addition to Tonight, she appeared on Look Up and Live, The Denny Vaughan Show, Frankie Laine Time, The Big Record, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, Person to Person, The Milton Berle Show, The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show, and The Steve Allen Plymouth Show. In 1958 she  and Steve Lawrence hosted their own summer replacement show, The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gorme Show.  Miss Gorme and Mr. Lawrence were married in 1957.

In the Sixties Eydie Gorme would have her biggest hit. In 1963 "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" went to #7 on the Billboard singles chart. Miss Gorme would have only two more top forty hits during the decade on the Billboard Hot 100, both duets with her husband Steve Lawrence: "I Want To Stay Here" and I Can't Stop Talking About You". Her songs regularly hit the Billboard Easy Listening chart, among them the singles "Can't Get Over (the Bossa Nova)", "Just Dance On By", "Don't Go To Strangers",      "What Did I Have That I Don't Have?", "Tonight I'll Say a Prayer", and so on. She also continued to appear frequently on television. Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence were frequent guests on The Garry Moore Show. Both with and without her husband, Miss Gorme appeared on such shows as Juke Box Jury, The Jimmy Dean Show, What's My Line, The Jack Paar Programme, I've Got a Secret, The Hollywood Palace, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Kraft Music Hall.

Eydie Gorme continued to regularly hit the Billboard Easy Listening chart in the Seventies with such songs as "Love is Blue/Autumn Leaves" (with her husband Steve Lawrence), "It Was a Good Time", and "What I Did For Love".  She appeared on such TV shows as Here's Lucy, The Merv Griffin Show, Sammy and Company, Sanford and Son, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and The Carol Burnett Show. She and Steve Lawrence appeared in their own television specials, Steve and Eydie: Our Love Is Here to Stay, Steve & Eydie: From This Moment On...Cole Porter, and Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin.

After the Seventies Steve & Eydie focused more on performing American standards. Eydie Gorme released no more singles, although they continued to tour and released several more albums. She continued to make occasional appearances on television, on such shows as Empty Nest, The Nanny, The Tonight Show, Fraiser, and The Rosie O'Donnell Show. She had a cameo in Ocean's Eleven (2001). Miss Gorme retired in 2009.

Eydie Gorme was one of the most remarkable singers of the 20th Century. She had an incredible range, much greater than other female vocalists of her era. She was also very versatile as a singer. In her career she performed everything from swing to American pop standards to jazz. Often overlooked here in the United States is that Miss Gorme was a pop star in multiple languages. Fluent in both Ladino (the spoken by Sephardic Jews) and Spanish, she produced hit singles in Spanish, including "Sabor a Mí".

Of course, it is impossible to separate Eydie Gorme from her husband Steve Lawrence. While they both had hits of their own, one always heard more about "Steve & Eydie" than simply one or the other. Together they were consummate performers, with an easy going presence on stage. In many respects they were a throwback to another time in the era of rock 'n' roll, a happily married couple who behaved as such on stage. It made for good entertainment even after the advent of rock music, and allowed for the two of them to not only have a marriage that lasted over 50 years, but a music act that did so as well. Both as a solo performer and one half of the team of Steve &  Eydie, Eydie Gorme was a singular performer.

A Tribute to Noah Beery, Jr. on His 100th Birthday

Today most people probably know Noah Beery, Jr. as Jim Rockford's dad, Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, on The Rockford Files. But Noah Beery, Jr. had a long career well before appearing on The Rockford Files, playing character roles in several films from the Thirties onwards. It was 100 years ago today, on 10 August 1913, that Noah Beery, Jr. was born.

Looking back there should be little wonder that Noah Beery, Jr. would become an actor. His father was character actor Noah Beery, Sr., who appeared in such films as The Mark of Zorro (1920) and She Done Him Wrong (1933).  His uncle was Wallace Beery, who played  the title role in The Champ (1931)  and Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1934). Noah Beery, Jr. made his film debut while very young, appearing in The Mark of Zorro (1920) when he was only seven.

Noah Beery, Jr.'s first major role was in Heroes of the West (1932), in which he played the lead, something that would be rare for most of his career. This photo is from the early Thirties. Despite being identified with friendly, grizzled types for most of his career, I don't think Mr. Beery was bad looking when he was all cleaned up!

Here in Noah Beery, Jr. in the opening credits for the serial Tailspin Tommy from 1934, based on Hal Forrest's comic strip of the same name. Mr. Beery played Tommy's sidekick "Skeeter" Milligan.

Here Noah Beery, Jr. is sitting beside Anne Baxter, with Oscar O'Shea as a train conductor standing beside them. This is a still from 20 Mule Team (1940), a Western in which Mr. Beery's uncle Wallace Beery also appeared!

Here is David Bruce as Larry O' Ryan and Noah Beery, Jr. as Cpl. Kurt Richter from "Gung Ho!": The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders in 1943.

Although Noah Beery, Jr. may be best known for Westerns, he also did other genres as well. Here he is in a scene from the science fiction film Rocketship X-M (1950).

By the Fifties Noah Beery, Jr. was appearing on television. He guest starred on such shows as Schlitz Playhouse, Climax!, Studio One, and Rawhide. He was also a regular on the shows Riverboat and Circus Boy. On the latter he played Joey the Clown. The young star of Circus Boy was Micky Braddock, son of actor George Dolenz, who would go onto greater fame as Micky Dolenz of The Monkees.

Noah Beery, Jr. continued to do a good deal of television in the late Fifties and well into the Sixties. He was a regular on the Western Hondo and guest starred on such shows as Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wagon Train, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, and High Chaparral. He also continued to appear in films, including Inherit the Wind (1960), Journey to Shiloh (1968), and The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), from which this screen shot is taken. 

In the Seventies Noah Beery, Jr. played Joseph "Rocky" Rockford, father of detective Jim Rockford (played by James Garner) on The Rockford Files. While it may now be the role for which he is best known, Mr. Beery guest starred on several other TV shows, including Alias Smith & Jones, The Waltons, The Streets of San Francisco, and Ellery Queen. He also appeared in the films 43: The Richard Petty Story (1972), Walking Tall (1973), and The Spikes Gang (1974). 

Noah Beery, Jr. turned 68 in 1981, but he continued to act into the Eighties. He was a regular on the TV show The Quest and the night time soap opera The Yellow Rose. He also guest starred on such shows as Magnum P.I., Hot Pursuit, Cover Up, Trapper John M.D., and Murder She Wrote. He also appeared in the films The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and Waltz Across Texas (1982). Mr. Beery retired from acting in the late Eighties. He died of a cerebral thrombosis on 1 November 1994.

There can be no doubt that Noah Beery, Jr. was a singular actor. He was handsome in a boyish sort of way, even well into his later years, yet at the same time he seemed more ordinary person than matinee idol. This was also true of his acting style. He generally played friendly, unassuming, and often humorous characters and did so with a no real theatrics or grandstanding. This made his characters not only made his characters seem like everyday people, but also the sort one would not mind inviting to dinner or having a drink with. In the end Noah Beery, Jr. was in many respects the everyman of classic film and classic television. While he generally played the sidekick rather than the hero, it was this quality that made him as memorable as any of the leads whom he played opposite.