IMDB Should Keep the Full Credits (Text Only) Page for Actors, Directors, and Other Crew

In December 2022 IMDB introduced its redesign for Name Pages for actors, writers, filmmakers, and other crew members. Many IMDB users were not happy with the redesign and made their displeasure known on IMDB's support forum and elsewhere. Users' anger was only mollified by the fact that IMDB still had what they now called a "Full Credits (Text Only)" page, which resembled a simplified Old Name Page.

Unfortunately, it appears that IMDB may be doing away with the Full Credits page. On Thursday I wrote my eulogy for Shelley Duvall. I did a Google search so I could go to her Full Credits page on IMDB. Sadly, when I clicked on the search result, I found that the Full Credits page was redirected to the New Name Page. I tried to find some way of circumventing this, but I couldn't find any way to do so. A search revealed an announcement of a redesigned Full Credits (Text Only) page. From the way I look at it, it doesn't look so much like a redesign of the Full Credits (Text Only) page as simply forcing people to use the New Name Page. Fortunately, the Full Credits (Text Only) Page appears to still be available on Chrome on mobile and Vivaldi on desktop (I wound up using my phone for Shelley Duvall's eulogy).

Needless to say, this has once more made IMDB users unhappy. The plain truth is that the New Name Page is much more difficult to use than the Full Credits (Text Only) page. While they have made changes to the New Name Page since its introduction in December 2022, the problem is that they are not enough and the Full Credits (Text Only) page remains far superior. To wit, on the Full Credits (Text Only) Page, in an actor, writer, director, or other crew member's credits, when a television series appears, every single episode that person worked on is listed below it. On the New Name Page, it simply lists the number of episodes the person worked on. The user has to click on that, after which a pop-up appears. Even then, in the pop-up the episodes are listed by season, so that one must do yet more clicking. Quite simply, with the Full Credits (Text Only) page one has no clicks to see what episodes of a TV show a person worked on, while with the New Name Page, one has multiple clicks.

I still honestly do not know why IMDB created the New Name Page to begin with. It is less user-friendly than the Old Name Page. I also do not know why they would want to get rid of the Full Credits (Text Only) page, as the New Name Page is also inferior to it. Users have made it clear that even after about two and half years they still hate the New Name Page and they want the Full Credits (Text Only) page to be kept. The sensible thing would then be to keep the Full Credits (Text Only) page. I have a feeling that if they don't, then people will turn to other sources for filmographies of actors, writers, directors, and so on, such as The Movie Database or even Wikipedia. I know I will. The New Name Page on IMDB is simply too user-unfriendly and too time-consuming to use.

ALF Actor Benji Gregory Passes On

Benji Gregory, best known for playing Brian Tanner on the sitcom ALF, died on June 12 2024 at the age of 46. His official cause of death is still pending, but his sister posted on Facebook that he died from "vehicular heatstroke" in a Chase Bank Parking Lot in Peoria, Arizona. He was found dead in his car, along with his dog.

Benji Gregory Hertzberg was born on May 26 1978 in Los Angeles. He made his television debut on an episode of The A-Team in 1984. That same year he guest starred on T.J. Hooker. He also guest starred on the shows Punky Brewster, Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, The Disney Sunday Movie, and Murphy Brown. He was a voice on the animated television shows Fantastic Max and Back to the Future. He was a guest voice on the animated series Pound Puppies. He appeared on ALF for the entirety of the show's run, from 1986 to 1990. He appeared in the movie Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). He was a voice in the animated film Once Upon a Forest (1993).

Benji Gregory served in the United States Navy, where he eventually became an aerographer's mate.

The Late Great Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall, who starred in such movies as The Shining (1980) and Popeye (1980) and worked a good deal with director Robert Altman died today, July 11 2024, at the age of 75. The cause was from complications from diabetes.

Shelley Duvall was born on July 7 1949 in Fort Worth, Texas. Her family moved to Houston when she was five years old. She attended South Texas Junior College. There she studied nutrition and diet therapy. While in college she threw a party for her fiancé, artist Bernard Sampson. At the party she met crew members of Robert Altman's movie Brewster McCloud, then filming in Houston. The crew members took her to meet casting director Lou Adler, who offered her a role in the movie. Shelley Duvall then made her film debut as Suzanne in Brewster McCloud. She made enough of an impression on director Robert Altman that he her cast her as mail order bride Ida Coyle in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971).

In the Seventies she appeared in the movies Thieves Like Us (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976), Annie Hall (1977), 3 Women (1977), The Shining (1980), and Popeye (1980). She made her television debut in 1973 in a guest appearance on Cannon. In the Seventies dhse also guest starred on Love, American Style; Baretta; American Short Story, and Saturday Night Live. She appeared in The Paul Simon Special.

In the Eighties Shelley Duvall was the narrator on the TV show Faerie Tale Theatre, which she also produced. Later in the decade she narrated and produced the show Tall Tales & Legends and she produced the show Nightmare Classics. She guest starred on the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone.  She appeared in the movies Time Bandits (1981) and Roxanne (1987). She appeared in the short subject Frankenweenie (1984).

In the Nineties Shelley Duvall produced and hosted the TV show Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories. She guest starred on the show The Ray Bradbury Theatre, L.A. Law, Adventures from the Book of Virtue, Aahh!!! Real Monsters, Wishbone, The Adventures of Shirley Holmes, Maggie Winters, and The Hughleys. She appeared in the movies Suburban Commando (1991), Underneath (1995), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Changing Habits (1997), Twilight for the Ice Nymphs (1997), ShadowZone: My Teacher Ate My Homework (1997), RocketMan (1997), Tale of the Mummy (1998), The 4th Floor (1999), Big Monster on Campus and (2000). She appeared in the movie Manna from Heaven in 2002. It was following Manna in Heaven that she went on hiatus from acting. She played one final role in The Forest Hills (2023).

Shelley Duvall was a remarkable actress capable of playing a wide variety. Chances are good that many people will remember her best as Wendy Torrance, Jack Torrance's much put-upon wife in The Shining. Many will also remember her as Olive Oyl in Popeye, a role she was seemingly born to play. In Thieves Like Us she played Keechie, a garage owner's daughter who falls in love with bank robber Bowie (Keith Carradine). In Nashville she played groupie Martha, who insists on being called "L.A. Joan." Over the years she played everything from Grover Cleveland's wife in Buffalo Bill and the Indians or Sitting Bull's History Lesson to an attendant at a health spa for the elderly.

Of course, Shelley Duvall was also a great producer. She was responsible for such classic TV shows as Faerie Tale Theatre, Tall Tales & Legends, and Bedtime Stories. These were shows that were meant for children, but were done in such a way that adults could enjoy them as well. It is little wonder that they were nominated and won awards. Shelley Duvall as a great actress and a great producer, and she will be remembered for both.

TCM Summer Under the Stars 2024

Turner Classic Movie has released its schedule for the 2024 edition of Summer Under the Stars. For those who are unfamiliar with TCM Summer Under the Stars, it is a programming block takes place every August on TCM in which each day is devoted to a classic star. Many fans look forward to Summer Under the Stars each year, including myself.

This year sees a few stars who have never been featured on TCM Summer Under the Stars before. Among these are Julie Andrews, Gordon McRae, Peter Ustinov, Eleanor Powell, Meryl Streep, Anita Page, Jean Paul Belmondo, Jerry Lewis, Jose Ferrer, Robert Shaw, Grace Kelly, Ossie Davis, and Leo Gorcey. If you're like me, you might be surprised that some of these stars are new to TCM Summer Under the Stars. Given the programming block has been around for 21 years, I would have thought at some point Julie Andrews, Gordon McRae, Eleanor Powell, Jerry Lewis, and Jose Ferrer would have been featured at some point!

This year has a fairly solid line-up of films being aired this August. As usual, there are some films I wish they would show during this year's TCM Summer Under the Stars. During Bette Davis's day on August 22, Now, Voyager (1942) is notably missing. And given this is Julie Andrews's first year for TCM Summer Under the Stars, it would have been nice if they would show Mary Poppins (1964), although I realize they may not have been able to get the rights. For the most part, however, I can't complain with TCM's choices. I would have scheduled some days differently. Given how often TCM shows Some Like It Hot (1959), I think I would have shown it earlier and scheduled The Great Race (1965) at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central. For Grace Kelly's day on August 24, I would have flipped To Catch a Thief (1955) and Rear Window (1954), so that Rear Window would be at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central and To Catch a Thief at 10:00 PM Eastern/9:00 PM Central. For Jose Ferrer's day, I would have scheduled The Caine Mutiny (1954) far earlier than 2:00  AM Eastern/1:00 AM Central.

Anyway, below are my picks for each day as to the movies you really don't want to miss. All times are Central.

William Powell (Thursday, August 1):
2:00 PM Libeled Lady (1936)
4:00 PM The Thin Man (1934)
7:00 PM Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
8:45 PM My Man Godfrey (1936)
10:30 PM Love Crazy (1941)

Ida Lupino (Friday, August 2):
2:15 PM The Sea Wolf (1941)
4:00 PM Out of the Fog (1941)
5:30 PM On Dangerous Ground (1952)
7:00 PM High Sierra (1940)
9:00 PM They Drive By Night (1940)
11:00 PM While the City Sleeps (1956)

John Wayne (Saturday, August 3):
11:00 AM Stagecoach (1939)
3:00 PM The Train Robbers (1973)
4:45 PM McLintock! (1963)
7:00 PM The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
9/:15 PM Red River (1948)

Julie Andrews (Sunday, August 4):
7:00 AM The Americanization of Emily (1964)
4:15 PM Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
7:00 PM Victor/Victoria (1982)

Gordon McRae (Monday, August 5):
11:00 AM Tea for Two (1950)
7:00 PM Oklahoma! (1955)
9:30 PM Carousel (1958)
11:45 PM On the Moonlight Bay (1951)

Jean Harlow (Tuesday, August 6):
9:00 AM Red-Headed Woman (1932)
10:45 AM The Girl From Missouri (1934)
7:00 PM Bombshell (1933)
9:00 PM Platinum Blonde (1931)
11:00 PM Hell's Angels (1930)
3:00 AM Wife vs. Secretary (1936)

Peter Ustinov (Wednesday, August 7):
9:15 AM Billy Budd (1962)
1:30 PM The Sundowners (1960)
4:00 PM Quo Vadis (1961)
7:00 PM Spartacus (1960)
10:30 PM Topkapi (1964)

Eleanor Powell (Thursday, August 8):
9:30 AM I Dood It! (1943)
11:30 AM Ship Ahoy (1942)
7:00 PM Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936)
9:00 PM Broadway Melody of 1938 (1938)
11:00 PM Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Montgomery Clift (Friday, August 9):
5:00 AM I Confess (1953)
8:30 AM Suddenly, Last Summer (1960)
1:00 PM The Young Lions (1958)
7:00 PM A Place in the Sun (1951)

Meryl Streep (Saturday, August 10):
7:00 PM Sophie's Choice (1982)
9:45 PM The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)

Cary Grant (Sunday, August 11):
7:15 AM Topper (1937)
9:00 AM Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
12:45 PM Gunga Din (1939)
3:00 PM Charade (1963)
5:00 PM Notorious (1946)

Anita Page (Monday, August 12):
9:30 AM Our Dancing Daughters (1928)
7:00 PM  The Broadway Melody (1929)
10:30 PM Night Court (1932)

Jean-Paul Belmondo (Tuesday August 13):
11:30 AM Two Women (1960)
3:00 PM A Monkey in Winter (1962)
7:00 PM Breathless (1960)
8:45 PM Pierrot le Fou (1965)
10:45 PM The Professional (1981)

Anne Bancroft (Wednesday, August 14):
8:30 AM 7 Women (11966)
5:00 PM The Pumpkin Eater (1965)
7:00 PM The Graduate (1968)
9:00 PM The Miracle Worker (1962)

Joseph Cotten (Thursday, August 15):
1:30 PM Journey Into Fear (1942)
3:00 PM Citizen Kane (1941)
5:15 PM The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
7:00 PM Portrait of Jennie (1948)
11:15 PM Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
3:00 AM Petulia (1968)

Jane Russell (Friday, August 16):
3:00 PM His Kind of Woman (1951)
5:15 PM The French Line (1954)
7:00 PM Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
9:00 PM The Paleface (1948)
11:00 PM The Outlaw (1943)

Jerry Lewis (Saturday, August 17):
7:00 AM At War With the Army (1950)
9:00 AM Sailor Beware (1951)
11:00 AM Scared Stiff (1953)
7:00 PM The Nutty Professor (1963)

Katharine Hepburn (Sunday, August 18):
8:30 AM Little Women (1933)
9:30 AM The Philadelphia Story (1940)
11:30 AM Bringing Up Baby (1938)
5:00 PM On Golden Pond (1981)
7:00 PM State of the Union (1948)
9:15 PM Woman of the Year (1942)
11:15 PM Pat and Mike (1952)

John Gilbert (Monday, August 19):
5:00 AM The Show (1927)
11:15 AM AM Bardelys the Magnificent (1926)
1:00 PM The Merry Widow  (1925)
3:30 PM Queen Christina (1933)
7:00 PM Love (1927)
8:30 PM Flesh and the Devil (1926)
10:30 PM The Big Parade (1925)

Jeanne Crain (Tuesday, August 20):
8:30 AM The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
3:00 PM A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
9:00 PM The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
11:00 PM People Will Talk (1951)

Jose Ferrer (Wednesday, August 21):
5:00 PM I Accuse!  (1958)
7:00 PM Moulin Rouge (1952)
9:15 PM Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
1:00 AM The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Bette Davis (Thursday, August 22):
6:30 AM Front Page Woman (1935)
8:00 AM Dangerous (1935)
9:30 AM Marked Woman (1937)
11:15 AM The Catered Affair (1956)
1:00 PM Dark Victory (1939)
5:00 PM The Little Foxes (1941)
9:00 PM The Letter (1940)
1:00 AM Dead Ringer (1964)
3:00 AM The Nanny (1965)

Robert Shaw (Friday, August 23):
5:00 AM Libel (1959)
7:00 PM A Man for All Seasons (1968)
9:15 PM The Sting (1973)
1:30 AM The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974)

Grace Kelly (Saturday, August 24):
9:00 AM High Society (1956)
11:00 AM The Country Girl (1952)
1:00 PM The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
5:00 PM Dial M for Murder (1954)
7:00 PM To Catch a Thief (1955)
9:00 PM Rear Window (1954)

Fred MacMurray (Sunday, August 25):
5:00 AM Alice Adams (1935)
2:30 PM The Egg and I (1947)
4:30 PM The Apartment (1960)
7:00 PM Double Indemnity (1944)

Donna Reed (Monday, August 26):
8:00 AM Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
10:00 AM The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
1:30 PM See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)
7:00 PM From Here to Eternity (1953)
1:15 AM They Were Expendable (1945)

Ossie Davis (Tuesday, August 27):
11:15 AM The Sheriff (1971)
4:45 PM The Hill (1965)
7:00 PM Do the Right Thing (1989)
9:!5 PM Get On the Bus (1996)

Marlene Dietrich (Wednesday, August 28):
2:00 PM Rancho Notorious (1952)
7:00 PM Blonde Venus (1932)
9:00 PM Morocco (1930)
1:00 AM The Blue Angel (1930)
3:00 AM Stage Fright (1950)

Leo Gorcey (Thursday, August 29):
6:30 AM Hell's Kitchen (1939)
1:15 PM Maisie Gets Her Man (1942)
7:00 PM Angels in Disguise (1949)
8:15 PM Blonde Dynamite (1950)
10:45 PM Ghost Chasers (1951)

Ginger Rogers (Friday, August 30):
3::00 PM The Gay Divorcee (1934)
5:00 PM Top Hat (1935)
7:00 PM Swing Time (1936)
9:00 PM Shall We Dance (1937)
11:00 PM The Major and the Minor (1942)

Tony Curtis (Saturday August 31):
10:45 AM The Great Race (1965)
1:30 PM The Perfect Furlough (1958)
7:00 PM Some Like It Hot (1959)
9:15 PM The Defiant Ones (1958)
1:15 AM Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Film Editor Bud S. Smith Passes On

Bud S. Smith, the film editor who was nominated for the Academy Award for editing for The Exorcist
(1973) Evan A. Lottman & Norman Gay and was nominated for the Academy Award for editing for Flashdance (1983), died on June 23 2024 at the age of 88. The cause was respiratory failure after a prolonged illness.

Bud S. Smith was born on December 6 1935 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began his career in television as part of the editorial department of the documentary television series Hollywood and the Stars. He was also part of the editorial department of the documentary TV movie Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon. In the Sixties he was the editor on the documentary TV movie The Bold Men (1965). He edited the TV specials The Incredible World of James Bond, Lucy in London, and Petula. He also edited the documentary TV movies Prelude to War: Beginning of World War II and The Big Land. He edited both episodes of Time-Life Specials: The March of Time and National Geographic Specials. He directed an episode of Dundee and the Culhane. The first feature film on which he was an editor was Putney Swope in 1969. He edited Pound 1970.

In the Seventies he served as an editor on the feature films Greaser's Palace (1972), Rhinoceros (1974), Sorcerer (1977), The Brink's Job (1978), Cruising (1980), and Falling in Love Again (1980). For television he edited the documentary TV movie Tribute to Bogart and the TV movie A Death in Canaan. He was on the editorial department of the feature film The Exorcist (1977).

In the Eighties he edited the movies Personal Best (1982), Flashdance (1983), Deal of the Century (1983), The Karate Kid (1984), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), Sing (1989), and Dark Man (1990). He was the supervising film editor on the films Zoot Suit (1981), Cat People (1982), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).

He edited the movie The Replacements (2000) and served as post-production advisor on Christina's House (2000). In the Naughts he edited the movies Young Black Stallion (2003), Ladder 49 (2004), and The Game of Their Lives (2005). He was an editorial consultant on the movie G-Foce (2009) and and an assistant editor on the short "Where's Barry?" (2014).

He also served as a second unit director or assistant director on the movies Sorcerer, Cat People, To Live and Die in L.A., Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), Virus (1999), and Driftwood (2006). He was a second unit director on the movie C.A.T. Squad. He was a producer on the movies Sorcerer, The Karate Kid (1984), To Live and Die in L.A., Virus, Driftwood, Lonely Street (2008), The Mighty Macs (2009), Alone Yet Not Alone (2013), and the short "Where's Barry?".