Concert Promoter Sid Bernstein R.I.P.

Sid Bernstein, the man who brought The Beatles to Carnegie Hall and organised many other rock concerts, died at the age of 95 on 21 August 2013.

Sid Bernstein was born in Manhattan, New York City on 1 August 1918. He developed an interest in entertainment while still young, frequently going to movies and vaudeville shows. In 1943 he enlisted in the United States Army.  He served with the 602nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion. While he was in the Army he had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time in England, which led to his love of British culture. He went onto fight in the Battle of Bulge. While he was stationed in France he published his own newspaper for American soldiers, The Comeback Diary. He later started a nightclub for GIs.

After World War II Sid Bernstein returned to New York City he organised shows at such venues as the Apollo, the Palace, the Paramount, and others. He also helped organise the Newport Jazz Festival and promote a tour for singer and actress Judy Garland. Eventually he went to work for the talent agency General Artists Corporation (G.A.C.). He served as Tony Bennett's agent, even getting the singer a gig performing at Carnegie Hall.

Interested in British culture ever since he had served in the United States Army, Sid Bernstein continued to read British newspapers after World War II had ended. It was in 1962 that he noticed several new stories about a phenomenally popular new band in the United Kingdom called The Beatles. While he had never heard any of The Beatles' songs, the British press had him convinced that they could be a success in the United States.

Eventually he called Brian Epstein, The Beatles' manager, with the intent of bringing The Beatles to the States. At this point only a few of The Beatles' songs had been released in the United States and all of them had done poorly, so Mr. Epstein had his doubts. Mr. Bernstein won Mr. Epstein over only by telling him that he would get The Beatles booked into Carnegie. Hall. Sid Bernstein got The Beatles into Carnegie Hall by a bit of subterfuge. He knew the woman who did the bookings for Carnegie Hall, and he told her that she should book this new phenomenon from England called The Beatles. The woman assumed they were a string quartet and Mr. Bernstein never let her know anything different. It would be the first time ever that a rock band played Carnegie Hall. The Beatles' performance at Carnegie Hall would only be their third performance in the United States, after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and a gig at Washington Coliseum in Washington D.C.

Of course, with their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and their concert at Carnegie Hall, The Beatles became a phenomenon in the United States. With such success Sid Bernstein naturally wanted to bring them back to the United States, except to a much larger venue. He considered Madison Square Garden, but dismissed it as it only had a seating capacity of 17,000. He then decided on Shea Stadium, home to the New York Mets. The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein worried that at 55,000 seats Shea Stadium might be too large. He told Sid Bernstein, "I don’t want any empty seats." Mr. Bernstein then offered Brian Epstein $10 for every empty seat. As it was, Brian Epstein need not have worried. The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium set both an attendance record and the record for gross profit for a concert that would remain unbroken for years. It was the first major concert held at a stadium.

Sid Bernstein's achievements went well beyond bringing The Beatles to Carnegie Hall and Shea Stadium. He also brought The Rolling Stones to Carnegie Hall (after which Mr. Bernstein has said, "...They asked me never to come back." He would go onto organise concerts for other British bands, including The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Kinks, The Moody Blues, Herman’s Hermits, and others. If he became known as "the Father of the British Invasion", it was with good reason.

Over the years he would also organise concerts for Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, The Bay City Rollers, Lenny Kravitz, and many others. Mr. Bernstein also booked acts for the Sixties TV rock music show Hullabaloo. He discovered and managed The Young Rascals. In 1970 he produced the Winter Festival for Peace at Madison Square Garden and the Sumner Festival for Peace at Shea Stadium.

If Sid Bernstein had only booked The Beatles into Carnegie Hall he would have had an enormous impact on rock history. If he had only booked The Beatles into Carnegie Hall and Shea Stadium he would have had an enormous impact on rock history. As it was he did much more. There can be little doubt that his promotion for concerts by British bands in the United States helped fuel the British Invasion. He would also be pivotal with regards to music beyond the British Invasion, playing a role in the careers of artists as diverse as Tony Bennett, Judy Garland,  Jimi Hendrix, and many others.

It would be easy to say that Sid Bernstein had a bit of luck in booking The Beatles to Carnegie Hall. After all, the timing was just right. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at the start of the month. The Beatles had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show only days before the Carnegie Hall concert. The fact remains that Mr. Bernstein had made his decision to book The Beatles based on what he had read in the British press and correctly surmised that such success could be duplicated over here. It was this acumen for what might prove successful that made Sid Bernstein effective as both an agent and a promoter. With that in mind, it is little wonder he had the impact on the history of pop and rock music that the did.

Godspeed Julie Harris

Julie Harris, a prolific actress who appeared on television, on stage, and on scree, died 24 August 2013 at the age of 87 from congestive heart failure.

Julie Harris was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan on 2 December 1925. She became interested in acting while very young. She studied drama while still in school and attended an acting camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado during the summers. After graduating high school Miss Harris attended Yale. It was while she was at Yale that she made her Broadway debut in It's a Gift in 1945. She left Yale to pursue an acting career and, in the late Forties, appeared on Broadway in the productions King Henry IV, Part II; Oedipus Rex; The Playboy of the Western World; Alice in Wonderland; Macbeth; Sundown Beach; The Young and Fair; Magnolia Alley; and Montserrat. She also made her television debut in the late Forties, appearing in episodes of Actor's Studio.

Julie Harris made her film debut in The Member of the Wedding in 1952. During the Fifties she appeared in such films as East of Eden (1955), I Am a Camera (1955), The Truth About Women (1957), and  The Poacher's Daughter (1958). On television she appeared in multiple presentations of Hallmark Hall of Fame. She also appeared on Starlight Theatre, Goodyear Playhouse, The United States Steel Hour, and Sunday Showcase. On Broadway she appeared in such productions as The Member of the Wedding; I Am a Camera; Mademoiselle Colombe; The Lark; The Country Wife; The Warm Peninsula; and Little Moon of Alban.

In the Sixties Julie Harris appeared on television in such shows as Play of the Week, The DuPont Show of the Month, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Rawhide, Laredo, Garrison's Gorillas, Run for Your Life, Tarzan, Daniel Boone, Bonanza, Journey into the Unknown, The Big Valley, and The Name of the Game. She appeared in the films Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The Haunting (1963), Hamlet (1964), Harper (1966), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Split (1968), and The People Next Door (1970). On Broadway she appeared in such productions as A Shot in the Dark, Marathon '33, Ready When You Are, C.B.!, Skyscraper, and Forty Carats.

In the Seventies Miss Harris was a regular on the TV shows Thicker Than Water and The Family Holvak. She guest starred on such shows as The Virginian, Medical Centre, Columbo, Hawkins, The Evil Touch, and  Tales of the Unexpected. She appeared in the films The Hiding Place (1975), Voyage of the Damned (1976), and The Bell Jar (1979). On Broadway she appeared in such productions as And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little, Voices, The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, The au Pair Man, In Praise of Love, The Belle of Amherst, and Break a Leg.

In the Eighties she was a regular on Knot's Landing. She guest starred on the shows Family Ties and Love Boat. She also appeared in the mini-series The Civil War. She appeared in the films Brontë (1983) and Gorillas in the Mist (1988). On Broadway she appeared in the production Mixed Couples. From the Nineties into the Naughts she appeared in the films HouseSitter (1992), The Dark Half (1993), Carried Away (1996), Bad Manners (1997), Passage to Paradise (1998), The First of May (1999), The Way Back Home (2006), The Golden Boys (2008), and The Lightkeepers (2009). On television she guest starred on The Outer Limits and appeared in the mini-series Scarlett. On Broadway she appeared in the productions Lucifer's Child, The Glass Menagerie, and The Gin Game.

There can be no doubt that Julie Harris was one of the most gifted actresses of our time. Over the years she played such varied roles as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, Ophelia in Hamlet, Mary Todd Lincoln in the Broadway play  The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, Charlotte Brontë in the movie Brontë, and many others. Indeed, while most actors only see success in one medium, Julie Harris had substantial credits on stage, on film, and on television. Indeed, while it was her appearances on Broadway that started her career, I rather suspect that the average person probably recognises her from her many appearances on television over the years more than from any place else. Aside from her considerable talent, much of the reason that she was so prolific in multiple media is the simple fact that she was a consummate professional. She appeared in both lead and supporting roles, in great works and works that were not so great, and yet she always strove to give the best performance possible. In the end Julie Harris was a rarity in film, television, and even the stage, a true artist.

The 100th Birthday of Walt Kelly

If one were to compile a list of the ten greatest cartoonists of all time, Walt Kelly's name would be near the top. Walt Kelly was the creator of the legendary comic strip Pogo, centred on the eponymous possum of the same name and his fellow inhabitants of the Okefenokee Swamp. Although in its original incarnation Pogo would run for only 26 years, it would have a lasting impact on American comic strips and American pop culture in general. It was quite simply, one of the most intelligent, most literate, and funniest comic strips ever created. Walt Kelly was born 100 years ago today.

Walt Kelly was born on 25 August 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family moved to  Bridgeport, Connecticut when he was only two years old.  It was while he was still attending Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport that he began cartooning, with cartoons published in both his high school's magazine and the local newspaper, the Bridgeport Post. After he graduated high school Mr. Kelly went to work for the Bridgeport Post, working as both a cartoonist and a reporter, as well as in the art and editorial departments. It was in 1935 that Walt Kelly's work first appeared in comic books, contributing to the first issue of New Comics (which had a publication date of December 1935), the second comic book ever published by National Allied Publications (one of the companies that would become DC Comics).

Walt Kelly eventually relocated to California, where he was hired by Walt Disney Productions. While there he became an assistant to legendary animator Fred More and developed a life long friendship with legendary animator Ward Kimball. While at Disney Walt Kelly worked on various Disney shorts, as well as the features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), and Dumbo (1941). Mr. Kelly remained with Walt Disney Productions until 1941. Not particularly wishing to take sides in the animator's strike that took place that year, Mr. Kelly took the opportunity to leave the studio and return to the East. There was apparently never any hard feelings on the part of Walt Disney or Walt Kelly. Mr. Disney still held Mr. Kelly in high regard and Mr. Kelly felt gratitude to Mr. Disney for the opportunities he had given him.

Having returned to the East Cost, Walt Kelly went to work for Dell Comics. Perhaps on the recommendation of Walt Disney himself, Mr. Kelly adapted both  Pinocchio and The Three Caballeros for Dell Comics, as well as providing covers for Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. He also worked on Dell Comics' comic books based on the Our Gang comedies, Fairy Tale Parade, Raggedy Ann and Andy,  and Uncle Wiggily. He also illustrated a series of promotional comic books for Peter Wheat Bread featuring a character named "Peter Wheat". What would be his greatest contribution to both comic books and comic strips would come in the pages of Dell's Animal Comics.


It was in Animal Comics #1, 1942, that Pogo Possum and his sidekick Albert Alligator made their first appearance. The two were not the primary characters in their first story, being secondary to a character named "Bumbazine". Bumbazine quickly disappeared from view, so that Pogo became both the star and the straight man of his own feature in Animal Comics. Pogo centred on the eponymous possum and his comic foil Albert Alligator and many other inhabitants of the Okefenokee Swamp. He proved enormously successful in comic books, graduating to his own title (Albert the Alligator and Pogo Possum) in 1945. It was followed by the title Pogo Possum in 1949 and Pogo Parade (a compilation of previously published Pogo stories) in 1953. Pogo would not remain solely in comic books for long, however, as he would be one of the few characters to transition to a newspaper strip.

It was in 1948 that Walt Kelly was hired to draw political cartoons for The New York Star. It was then on 4 October 1948 that Pogo first appeared as a newspaper strip, featured daily in The New York Star. The New York Star folded on 28 January 1949, but it would not be the last that newspapers would see of the possum. on 16 May 1949 the  Post-Hall Syndicate picked up Pogo for national syndication. Pogo proved enormously popular, running in around 500 newspapers in 14 countries at its height. It ran until 20 July 1975. Following Walt Kelly's untimely death from complications from diabetes on 18 October 1973, the strip was continued by his wife Selby Kelly and his son Stephen Kelly.

The popularity of Pogo naturally led to its expansion into other media, as well as merchandising. The strips were collected into several books over the years, with collections of Pogo strips still widely available. In 1969 The Pogo Special Birthday Special aired on NBC, directed by Chuck Jones. In 1970 Walt Kelly and his wife Selby began work on the animated short We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us. Unfortunately, Mr. Kelly's declining health and subsequent death would prevent its completion.In 1980 a stop motion feature film, I Go Pogo, was released. There have also been Pogo pinback buttons, colouring books, porcelain figures, Viewmaster reels, a Halloween costumes, and several other bits of merchandise.

While Pogo was popular, it could also be controversial. Because Pogo often dealt with politics, many newspapers moved the strip to the editorial page or dropped it altogether. To assuage any hard feelings on the part of newspapers, Walt Kelly began creating alternate, less offensive strips whenever he was writing a controversial story arc. Mr. Kelly called these strips "bunny strips", as they often featured fluffy bunnies. Newspapers then had the choice of printing what could be a controversial strip or a more innocuous one. A few newspapers actually printed both.

Despite any controversy it might have created during its run, Pogo was one of the most successful and influential comic strips of the 20th Century, and remains so today. Its success is a tribute to Walt Kelly's talent. Indeed, it is difficult to accurately describe Pogo; it is much more than the continuing adventures of Pogo, Albert, and the other inhabitants of the Okefenokee Swamp. In Pogo Walt Kelly combined a number of things to create a wholly singular comic strip. Nonsense poetry played a large role in the comic strip, as well as parody songs. In fact, an LP of nonsense poetry and parody songs was released in 1956, with Walt Kelly himself providing the vocals. Of course, satire also played a large role in Pogo, hence much of the controversy over the comic strip. It was early in the run of Pogo that Walt Kelly introduced a character named Simple J. Malarkey, wildcat who was obviously a parody of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Walt Kelly also satirised presidential campaigns by having Pogo reluctantly run for president in 1952 and 1956 (the slogan "I Go Pogo" has persisted to this day).

Walt Kelly and Pogo would prove very influential over the years, even as it was still in print. The comic strip Coodgy by Irv Spector was obviously inspired by Pogo. It has been acknowledged as an influence on their strips by such cartoonists as Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury),  Jeff MacNelly (Shoe), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and many others. While Berkely Breathed has never listed Walt Kelly among his influences, I've always seen a bit of Pogo in Bloom County. Pogo would even have an influence on other media. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo have acknowledged Pogo as having an influence on their comic Asterix, while Jim Henson has acknowledged Pogo as an influence on the Muppets (indeed, in the 19th episode of the first season of The Muppet Show,  Walt Kelly's "Don't Sugar Me" was performed). Jeff Smith has also acknowledged Pogo as an influence on his comic book Bone.

In the end Walt Kelly was not simply a cartoonist or even a cartoonist and an animator. He was a multi-talented individual with a gift for poetry, parody, satire, and even song. That Pogo became a phenomenal success should be little wonder. A man of multiple talents who was almost equally great in all of them, Walt Kelly was destined to become of the greatest cartoonists and satirists of the 20th Century.

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.