Vanessa Marquez and R2-D2

Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you. Given what today is, I thought I would make a post with a Star Wars theme. My dearest Vanessa Marquez was the biggest Star Wars fan I ever knew, and she had an extensive collection of Star Wars merchandise. Quite naturally, she was then one of the people who contributed to the Kickstarter for the Star Wars fan film Return of Pink Five. She would get a cameo at the end of the film, and she was billed as"Pink Squadron Pilot." As Vanessa's many friends knew, her favourite colour was pink.

Anyway, while Return of Pink Five was filming at Long Beach Comic Con, Vanessa got to interact with R2-D2 (not the actual R2-D2 from the Star Wars movies, but a very convincing replica). If you knew Vanessa Marquez, you also know that her all-time favourite character was R2-D2. In fact,  I used to tease her about R2 being my rival. Here's a short video of Vanessa and her all-time favourite Star Wars character (or as she called him, "my guy").

The Late Great Duane Eddy

Legendary guitarist Duane Eddy died on April 30 2024 at the age of 86. The cause was cancer. He was known for such hits as "Rebel Rouser" and "Peter Gunn."

Duane Eddy was born on April 26 1938 in Corning, New York. He grew up in Phoenix. He started playing guitar by the time he was five years old. It was while he was playing at Arizona radio station KCKY that he met disc jockey Lee Hazlewood. Lee Hazlewood produced Duane Eddy's first single, "I Want Some Lovin'"/"Soda Fountain Girl," which was released locally in Phoenix.

It was in 1958 that Duane Eddy signed with Jamie Records. His first single on the label, "Movin' and Groovin'," reached no. 72 on the Billboard chart. His second single on the label, "Rebel Rouser," proved to be a hit. It reached no. 6 on the Billboard chart. His success with "Rebel Rouser" would be followed by several hit singles, including "Ramrod," "Cannonball," "The Lonely One," "Forty Miles of Bad Road," and "Because They're Young." His albums also did well. His debut album, Have "Twangy" Guitar Will Travel, went to no. 5 on the Billboard album chart. His second album, Especially for You, peaked at no. 18. In the course of his career, Duane Eddy recorded more than 50 albums.

Duane Eddy's stream of hits ceased in 1964 with the British Invasion. Despite this, he continued to release singles and albums throughout the Sixties. He released only a few records in the Seventies, although he produced records for such artists as Phil Everly and Waylon Jennings. He also played guitar on records from P.F. Sloan and Phil Everly. In the Eighties he recorded a new version of "Peter Gunn" with The Art of Noise" that reached no. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. His first album since the Sixties, Duane Eddy & The Rebels, was released in 1987. His last album, Road Trip, was released in 2011.

Duane Eddy dabbled in acting. He appeared in the movies A Thunder of Drums (1961), The Wild Westerners (1962), Savage Seven (1968), and Kona Coast (1968). He guest starred on two episodes of Have Gun--Will Travel. He also wrote the themes for such movies as  Because They’re Young (1960), Pepe (1960) and Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)

In 1986 Duane Eddy told the Associated Press, "I had a distinctive sound that people could recognize, and I stuck pretty much with that. I’m not one of the best technical players by any means; I just sell the best." While there are many who disagree with Mr. Eddy about his technical skill as a guitarist, there can be no doubt that he was a great stylist. Duane Eddy created his "twangy" sound by playing lead on the bass strings of his guitar.The sound was further developed by Mr. Eddy and producer Lee Hazlewood (who would later use it on his song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinstra). The "twang" gave Duane Eddy an utterly unique sound that was both highly appealing and highly adaptable. He could use it on a jazz composition such as "Peter Gunn," a traditional song such as "The House of the Rising Sun," or outright rock 'n' roll compositions such as "Rebel Rouser." He would certainly have lasting impact, influencing artists from The Ventures to The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix to John Fogerty.

The Art of Artifice on TCM Tuesday Nights in May 2024

A scene from Jason and the Argonauts (1964)

Tuesday nights in May on Turner Classic Movies are devoted to the special theme The Art of Artifice, in which TCM celebrates production design, special effects, and the various techniques used to make the fictional worlds of movies seem real to viewers. Over the four Tuesdays of May, Turner Classic Movies will be showing 24 movies that are remarkable for making the unreal seem real.

While period pieces, science fiction movies, and fantasy films might spring to mind when one thinks of production design to create a whole new world, TCM is showing a wide variety of movies on Tuesdays this month. There is everything from Hitchcock's thriller North to Northwest (1959) to the teen comedy Beach Party (1964) to Dr. Seuss's musical fantasy The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953). What is more there are some truly great films being shown this month in addition to the ones I just named. Forbidden Planet (1956), Citizen Kane (1941),  The Red Shoes (1948), and The Thief of Bagdad (1940) number among the movies they are showing. Tuesday, May 28 may be one of the best nights ever in TCM's 30 year history. That night they are showing Jason and the Argonauts (1964), King Kong (1933), Metropolis (1926), and Eraserhead (1977).

Below is the schedule for the Art of Artifice. All times are Central.

Tuesday, May 7:
7:00 PM North by Northwest (1959)
9:30 A Matter of Life and Death (1957)
11:30 PM Forbidden Planet (1956)

Wednesday, May 8:
1:15 AM Citizen Kane (1941)
3:30 AM The Fountainhead (1949)

Tuesday, May 14:
7:00 PM Rancho Notorious (1952)
8:45 PM Beach Party (1964)
10:30 PM Breathless (1983)

Wednesday, May 15:
12:30 AM Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
2:30 AM Querelle (1982)
4:30 AM The Boy Friend (1971)

Tuesday, May 21:
7:00 PM The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)
8:45 PM The Red Shoes (1948)
11:15 PM Donkey Skin (1970)

Wednesday, May 22:
1:00 AM The Glass Slipper (1955)
2:45 AM Brigadoon (1954)
4:45 AM The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Tuesday, May 28:
7:00 PM Jason and the Argonauts (1964)
9:00 PM King Kong (1933)
11:00 PM Metropolis (1926)

Wednesday, May 29:
1:45 AM Eraserhead (1977)

For the First Time Ever, Blood In Blood Out (1993) is on Streaming

As of today, May 1 2024, Blood In Blood Out (1993) is available for streaming on Hulu. For many movies this would not be big news, but in the case of Blood In Blood Out it marks the first time it is available for streaming. In many ways, it is remarkable that the movie is available for streaming at all given it history. Indeed, many of the film's fans have accused Disney of burying it (Disney owned Hollywood Pictures, under which it was released).

Quite simply, Blood In Blood Out was not released under the best circumstances. The riots in Los Angeles that erupted on late April and early May of 1992 following the acquittal of the police officers who had beaten Rodney King made Disney CEO Michael Eisner concerned that the film could generate bad press for the studio. Its release was then delayed. On February 5 1993, test screenings were held in Rochester, New York, Tucson, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada. A fist fight broke out at the screening in Las Vegas, convinced Michael Eisner that the film could lead to violence, even though no one had been injured in the fight.

Ultimately Blood in Blood Out would be released, but under the less provocative title Bound by Honor. It was released to thirty cities on April 30 1993. Unfortunately, it would prove to be a box office disappointment. Prior to the test screenings in February 1993, Disney had projected Blood In Blood Out to make  $40 million. Instead as Bound by Honor, only made a meagre $4.5 million. It should come as no surprise that it disappeared quickly from theatres.

While Blood In Blood Out  (under the title Bound by Honor), it would find its audience through home video and premium cable channels. The movie was released under the title Blood In Blood Out: Bound by Honor on VHS on January 5 1994. It began airing on such premium channels as Showtime and The Movie Channel in 1995 under that same title. It was on January 13 2000 that Blood In Blood Out was released on DVD. It is because of home video and its airings on various premium cable channels that it developed a cult following particularly among Chicanos. Despite this, it would remain unavailable on streaming services other than unauthorized, poor quality copies popping up on YouTube.

For myself, Blood In Blood Out is significant as it features an early performance by my dearest Vanessa Marquez, who plays the daughter of Montana, the leader of the gang La Onda in the movie.

At any rate, the fact that Blood In Blood Out is now available on streaming is a testament to its fans' tenacity in campaigning on the film's behalf. Although it has long been available on DVD and Blu-ray, it has not been shown on premium channels for years. Being available on Hulu then gives many greatest access to the film than they have had in years.

Agnes Moorehead in Dark Passage (1947)

(This post is part of the Third Agnes Moorehead Blogathon hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood)

There can be no doubt that Agnes Moorehead was one of the greatest character actresses of all time. While she is best known today as Endora on the classic television show Bewitched, throughout her career she played a wide variety of roles. Among her most remarkable roles was that of Madge Rapf in Dark Passage (1947), who was a far cry from Endora.

Dark Passage centres on Vincent Parry, a man falsely accused of killing his wife who escapes from San Quentin. Parry takes refuge with a young woman, Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), whose father had also been falsely accused of a crime. Unfortunately, among Irene's friends is Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead), a woman that Parry had spurned and who falsely claimed at Parry's trial that his wife had identified him as her killer out of spite. Even once Parry has plastic surgery to change his appearance and begins trying to clear his name, he still faces the danger of being discovered.

For the first hour of Dark Passage, the viewer sees things through Parry's eyes. It is after his plastic surgery that viewers finally get to see what Parry looks like. This technique was not exactly new when used in Dark Passage. It had been used as early as 1927 in Abel Gance's Napoleon and in the first five minutes of the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). It had been used in the previous year for the entirety of Robert Montgomery's Lady in the Lake (1946), in which nearly the whole film is seen through the eyes of its hero, Philip Marlowe.

Dark Passage was based on the novel of the 1946 novel of the same name, Dark Passage by David Goodis. The novel had been serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from July 20 to September 7 1946, and was afterwards published as a book. Among those who had read the book was Humphrey Bogart, who wanted to make a film version of the novel with himself in the lead role.

Dark Passage was the third movie to star Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, but the star attraction in the film is really Agnes Moorehead. The role of Madge Rapf is a sharp break from many of the roles Miss Moorehead played during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Madge Rapf is no dowdy governess or plainly dressed matron. Instead she is a wealthy woman dressed to the nines, making Madge one of Agnes Moorehead's most glamorous roles in her days before she was cast as Endora.

Unfortunately for the film's protagonist, Vincent Parry, Madge is not only glamorous, but venomous as well. Madge is clearly a woman who usually gets what she wants, and can be very vindicative when she doesn't. Indeed, none of the characters in the movie seem to like Madge very much, and some of them appear to outright hate her. In the hands of a  lesser actor, Madge could have easily been a one-note character. In the hands of Agnes Moorehead, she is entirely three-dimensional. Her fear throughout the movie that Vincent Parry will kill her appears genuine. When Madge behaves flirtatiously (something Miss Moorehead rarely got to do in her film career), she simply oozes sex. In the end, Agnes Moorehead makes Madge Rapf one of the great femme fatales in film history.

Agnes Moorhead was capable of playing a wide variety of roles, and she played many throughout her career. That she makes Madge a three-dimensional character with only limited screen time is a remarkable achievement. It certainly stands as one of the best roles of her career.

Long-Time Moody Blues Keyboardist Mike Pinder Passes On

Mike Pinder, a founding member of The Moody Blues and the band's long-time keyboardist, died on April 24 2024 at the age of 82. He had been suffering for many years from dementia.

Mike Pinder was born on December 27 1941 in Erdington, Birmingham. As a young adult he joined the band El Riot and The Rebels, which included future Moody Blues members Roy Thomas and John Lodge. He served for a time in the British Army. After returning to England, Mike Pinder played in a band called The Krew Cats, who played at some of the same venues in Germany as The Beatles. It around the same time he was in The Krew Cats that Mike Pinder worked as an engineer at Streetly Electronics, in Streetly, Birmingham. Streetly Electronics is notable for the first models of the Mellotron in the United Kingdom. The Mellotron is an electronic instrument that would prove pivotal in the history of The Moody Blues.

It was in May 1964 that Mike Pinder, Roy Thomas, Clint Warwick, Denny Laine, and Graeme Edge formed what was then called The M & B 5. The band was soon renamed The Moody Blues. The Moody Blues signed with Ridgepride, a label that leased their records to Decca. Their first single, a cover of Bobby Parker's "Steal Your Heart Away" saw little success, but their second single, "Go Now," proved to be a hit. It reached no. 1 on the UK singles chart and no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first album, The Magnificent Moodies (released as Go Now in the US) was released on July 23 1965.

Unfortunately, The Moody Blues were unable to immediately follow up the success of "Go Now." Their single ""I Don't Want to Go On Without You" only went to no. 33 on the UK singles chart. "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" went to no. 22. "Everyday" would be their last single to chart for a time, only going to no. 44 on the UK singles chart. Clint Warwick left the band in July 1966, retiring from the music business entirely. Frustrated by the band's lack of success, Denny Laine would also leave The Moody Blues. Clint Warwick and Denny Laine would be replaced by John Lodge and Justin Hayward.

Having been playing R&B covers and original material along the same lines, The Moody Blues eventually changed their style. The single "Fly Me High"/"I Really Haven't Got the Time" (the latter of which was written by Mike Pinder) marked move towards psychedelia. "Love and Beauty" by Mike Pinder would mark an even greater shift in style for the band, marking the first time the Mellontron was used on a Moody Blues song. It was in 1967 that The Moody Blues' groundbreaking album Days of Future Passed was released. The album combined orchestral elements with rock music and established the style for which The Moody Blues would become best known. The album would also prove to be a success. While it only reached no. 2 on the UK album chart, it reached no. 3 on the Billboard album chart. It was Mike Pinder who recited the spoken lines on the album on the tracks "Morning Glory," and "Late Lament."

The Moody Blues would continue to release successful albums from the late Sixties into the Seventies. Mike Pinder sang and wrote many songs during this period, particularly those featuring a classical influence. He wrote the B-side for the band's 1968 single "Ride My See-Saw," "A Simple Game," for which he won an Ivor Novello Award. His song "So Deep Within You" was later covered by The Four Tops. For John Lennon's album Imagine he was a guest on the songs "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (I Don't Wanna Die)" and "Jealous Guy."

The Moody Blues went on hiatus in 1974. Mike Pinder moved to Southern California that same year. He recorded his first solo album, The Promise, which was released in 1976. The Moody Blues regrouped in 1977 for the album Octave. Mike Pinder elected not to tour with the band, and he was replaced on the tour by Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who had been with Yes. Mike Pinder left The Moody Blues following the recording of Octave.

Mike Pinder then went to work for Atari Inc., where he worked on music synthesizers. He eventually released his second and final solo album, Among the Stars, in 1994. He also wrote two spoken word albums, A Planet With One Mind (1995), in which he recited children's stories from different parts of the world. A Planet With One Mind was followed by another spoken word album, A People with One Heart.

Mike Pinder was pivotal to the success of The Moody Blues. In introducing the Mellontron to the band, he was responsible in part for moving The Moody Blues towards the more progressive sound for which they would be known. Until he left following Octave, Mike Pinder was the band's primary music arranger. He wrote several songs for the band, and on those which he did not write he often contributed his skill with the Mellontron or even his voice. Ultimately, Mike Pinder's influence would extend beyond The Moody Blues and he would have an influence on the progressive rock and symphonic rock genres as a whole.

Seven Samurai Turns 70

It was 70 years ago on this date, on April 26 1954, that Seven Samurai was released in Japan. It is regarded as Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, as well as one of the greatest movies ever made. As for myself, it is my favourite movie ever made. Indeed, I consider it the greatest movie of all time.

When I was growing up one of my favourite movies was (and still is) The Magnificent Seven (1960), a tale of seven gunslingers who band together to defend a small village from marauders. I would be a teenager before I learned that The Magnificent Seven was based on an earlier, Japanese film, Seven Samurai, in which seven samurai band together to defend a village against bandits. I would be in my twenties before I actually saw Seven Samurai. I had already seen Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961) and Sanjuro (1962), which I both loved. When my best friend rented Seven Samurai from 9th Street Video in Columbia, I was then more than ready to see it. It did not disappoint. In fact, even upon my first viewing I decided it was one my favourite movie of all time and what I considered the greatest movie ever made. I have seen Seven Samurai many time since then and my opinion has not changed.

Seven Samurai is certainly a marvel of cinematic technique. Asakazu Nakai's black-and-white cinematography is beautiful. Nearly even given frame of Seven Samurai would make for a great still photography. Akira Kurosawa's editing is also superb, made all the more remarkable by the fact that he edited the movie even as it was being shot. As to Akira Kurosawa's direction, it too is incredible. As much as I love Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder, I remain convinced Akira Kurosawa is the greatest director of all time, and Seven Samurai is his best work.

While Seven Samurai boasts fantastic cinematography, editing and direction, it may be the screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni that its greatest strength. The story is nothing short of compelling, as a small Japanese village in 1586 hires seven samurai to defend them against bandits who have attacked the village regularly. As might be expected, there are several great action scenes, but Seven Samurai is much more than an action movie. The characters are all fully rounded, from the samurai to various villagers, so that the interactions between the various characters make for several great scenes. Seven Samurai is also well-paced. The film clocks in at three hours and 23 minutes, but it hardly feels that long. In fact, when I first saw Seven Samurai I told my best friend it could be even longer.

Not only does Seven Samurai boast a great script, but also great acting as well. There is not one bad performance in the film. Toshiro Mifune, who gave many great performances throughout his career, gave what may be his best performance in his career as Katsushirō, a peasant who aspires to (and is eventually considered) a samurai. Takashi Shimura also gives a great performance as Kambei Shimada, the war-weary leader of the samurai. Kokuten Kōdō as Gisaku, the village elder whom everyone calls "Granddad," is remarkable. All of the actors in Seven Samurai give great performances, no matter how small their role may be.

Of course, Seven Samurai was revolutionary and remains highly influential. Japanese film expert Michael Jeck suggested that it was first movie in which a team of heroes was assembled for a mission, a trope that has since been used in movies from The Guns of Navarone (1961) to Star Wars (1977). In addition to The Magnificent Seven, it has also been remade several times. The film's pacing and visual aesthetic would also be influential on American and British action films from the Sixties to today. As strange as it might sound, films as diverse as the James Bond films and Saving Private Ryan (1998) have been influenced by Seven Samurai. Of course, various elements from Seven Samurai have been used in yet other action films, from the introduction of a hero in a scene unrelated to the plot to use of rain to large battle scenes have been borrowed by numerous other movies.

What appeals to me about Seven Samurai is that at its core is its humanity. The fact that its heroes, as well as the villagers, are all human beings with their fare share of virtues and flaws, makes the heroism of both the samurai and the villagers even greater than if they had been more traditional movie heroes of the time. As great as the film's cinematography, editing, and direction is, as good as its pace is, I think the reason Seven Samurai has remained influential seventy years after its release is that it is an epic, but at the same time realistic story of ordinary people who become heroes.