Today is St. Patrick's Day. There were parades in many major cities, including New York, Chicago, Boston, and several others. Thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans wore green today. Bars serve green beer. Chicago even dyes the Chicago River green. And while thousands of people celebrated this day, I did not.
It's not that I have anything against St. Patrick's Day or St. Patrick. That having been said, as I see it, unless one happens to be Irish, Nigerian (he is the patron saint of Nigeria), Montserratian (he is the patron saint of Montserrat), Catholic, an engineer, or a paralegal, there is not too much point in celebrating the holiday. Since I am none of those things (my mother's family made it through 400 years of living in North America without marrying any Irishmen; my father's family 300 years without marrying any), I don't see any real need to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. To me it would be no different than celebrating Songkran. Since I am not Thai or Buddhist, I don't celebrate that holiday either.
Of course, in the United States the fact that I do not celebrate St. Patrick's day does cause some problems. Here these seems to be an assumption that everyone celebrates the day, at least if they are Northern European descent. For that reason I do get asked very often why I am not wearing green (I do not get pinched--the people who know me know better than that) and if I am eating corned beef (the answer to which is, "No," I never eat corned beef). And most seem mystified as to why I show no real enthusiasm for the day. It does get tiresome explaining that as I am neither Irish nor Catholic, I see no reason to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Do not get me wrong. I certainly don't want to rain on anyone's parade. I know that traditions and customs are important to me, so I do want those who celebrate St. Patrick's Day to enjoy the day and have a lot of fun. I fully realise that St. Patrick's Day is very important to many and that in this country it is a de facto major holiday (I suspect that more people celebrate St. Patrick's Day rather than the legally recognised Labour Day). At the same time I do wish those who celebrate St. Patrick's Day would be a little more considerate to those of us who do not celebrate the day. Do not ask us why we are not wearing green or if we are going to eat corned beef. Do not expect us to go drinking green beer on the night of St. Patrick's Day. Simply let us go about our day as we do every day. For my part, I will not ask you why you are not wearing a leek or a daffodil come next St. David's Day.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Actor Peter Graves Passes On
Actor Peter Graves, best known for his role as Jim Phelps on the classic series Mission: Impossible, passed yesterday at the age of 83.Peter Graves was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis on March 18, 1926. His older brother James Arness, best known as Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, preceded him into acting. To avoid confusion with his brother, He adopted his grandfather's last name. Graves served for two years in the United States Air Force before studying drama at the University of Minnesota. He worked in summer stock before he moved to Hollywood to pursue acting there. Having appeared in an uncredtied role in Winning Your Wings, his first credited role was in Rouge River in 1951.
Peter Graves appeared in roles in such films as Up Front (1951), Fort Defiance (1951), The Congregation (1952), and Red Planet Mars (1952). He made his television debut in Gruen Guild Playhouse in 1952. It was in 1953 that he appeared in one of his most famous roles, as Price in Stalag 17. He appeared in the films War Paint (1953) and East of Sumatra (1953). In 1953 he was a regular on the short lived show Where's Raymond, starring Ray Bolger.
For much of the Fifties Peter Graves appeared frequently on television, guest starring on such shows as Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, Biff Baker U.S.A., Studio 57, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Fireside Theatre, Studio One, The Millionaire, Lux Video Theatre, and Climax. In 1955 Graves was cast in the role of Jim Newton on the series Fury. The show ran for five years and 116 episodes. He also appeared in such films as The Raid (1954), Black Tuesday (1954), The Long Grey Line (1955), Wichita (1955), The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955), It Conquered the World (1956), and Wolf Larsen (1958). He had a significant role in the classic Night of the Hunter.
As the Sixties opened Peter Graves was cast as the lead in the short lived series Whiplash. He guest starred on such shows as Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, Branded, Run For Your Life, and Daniel Boone. In 1965 he was cast as the lead in the short lived series Court Martial. It was in 1967 that he was cast as Jim Phelps, head of the Impossible Missions Force, on the series Mission: Impossible. He replaced Steven Hill, the original lead on the show who played Impossible Missions Force leader Dan Briggs. Graves became the one constant on the series, appearing in it until its run ended in 1973. He also appeared in such films as A Rage to Live (1965), The Ballad of Josie (1967), and Sergeant Ryker (1968). He made his only appearance on Broadway in 1962 in The Captains and the Kings.
The Seventies saw Peter Graves appearing in several television movies, including The President's Plane is Missing, Scream of the Wolf, The Underground Man, Dead Man on the Run, SST: Death Flight, and The Gift of the Magi. He appeared in such films as Sidecar Racers (1975) and The Clonus Horror (1979). In 1980 he appeared in one of his best known roles, as the pilot in the film Airplane. The Eighties saw Graves appear in the films The Guns and the Fury (1981), Savannah Smiles (1982), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and Number One with a Bullet (1987). On television he appeared in the mini-series The Winds of War. He guest starred on Simon & Simon, Fantasy Island, Murder She Wrote, and Life with Lucy. In 1988 he returned to the role of Jim Phelps in a revival of Mission: Impossible. It lasted until 1990. The Nineties saw Graves guest star on The Golden Girls, Burke's Law, and Diagnosis Murder. He appeared in the film Addams Family Values (1993). The Naughts saw Peter Graves guest star on House and American Dad. He had a recurring role on the show Seventh Heaven. From 1994 to 2006 he was the host of the A&E series Biography. He had a cameo in the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).
The image most have of Peter Graves is that of the strong, straight arrow hero. And this comprised most of the roles he played in his career. But Graves could play other sorts of roles, as shown by two of his most famous films. In Stalag 17 Graves played the slightly shady barrack security chief Price. In Airplane he played the bumbling pilot Clarence Oveur, who uttered non sequiturs and one liners. Peter Graves was very good at playing the straight shooting hero, but he was capable of other roles as well. If Mission: Impossible became a hit, it was largely because of Peter Graves' talent.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My Mother the Car
To be honest, the show did have one of the strangest premises of all time in television. The show centred on lawyer Dave Crabtree (Jerry Van Dyke) who was shopping for a station wagon in a used car lot when he discovered his mother had been reincarnated as a 1928 Porter automobile. Dave's mother talked to him through car's radio, its dial light flashing in sequence to her words (the car was voiced by Ann Southern). Dave took the Porter to a restoration shop (the car had become dilapidated over the years), where it came to the attention of ruthless car collector Captain Manzini (Avery Schreiber). Manzini became a recurring villain on the show, developing various schemes to get his hands on the car.
Surprisingly enough for a show considered by many to be the worst show of all time, My Mother the Car was created by Allan Burns and Chris Hayward. The two had previous worked on the classics Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show. They would go onto work as story editors on the critically acclaimed He & She and write for Get Smart. Allan Burns would eventually create The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant, both with James L. Brooks. Chris Hayward would write for Barney Miller and created the series A.E.S. Hudson Street. Among the writers on the show was none other than James L. Brooks, who would create Room 222, co-create The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant with Allan Burns, and was one of the creators of Taxi. He has also worked in feature films (Starting Over, Terms of Endearment, and so on).
At the time the premise of My Mother the Car was thought preposterous by many, but given the television milieu of the Sixties it was not that unusual in some ways. After all, the Sixties had begun with a sitcom about a talking horse, Mister Ed. By 1964 there would be shows about a Martian (My Favourite Martian), a witch (Bewitched), a family of monsters (The Munsters), and a family that was just plain macabre (The Addams Family). That Allan Burns and Chris Hayward would think of a show in which one's mother was reincarnated as a car is not that strange given the scheme of things in the Sixties. And the show could have been even stranger. Originally it was to have been Crabtree's dead wife that had been reincarnated as the car, but it was decided that smacked too much of necrophilia.
The lead on the show, Jerry Van Dyke had guest starred on his brother's series, The Dick Van Dyke Show. He had also appeared in the films The Courtship of Eddie's Father, McLintock, and Palm Springs Weekend. He had been offered the role of Gilligan in Gilligan's Island, but turned it down because he thought the pilot script was bad. The fact that Gilligan's Island became a hit may or may not have influenced his decision to do My Mother the Car. Reportedly Jean Arthur and Eve Arden had been auditioned as the voice of Mother, but the role eventually went to Ann Southern. Southern was a veteran actress of Hollywood, having appeared in several feature films and starred in the "Maisie" series. She was also a veteran of television who had already starred in two series of her own: Private Secretary and The Ann Southern Show. As to why Southern took the role, it was the simple case of an easy pay cheque. She could simply record her lines and did not have to worry about makeup, wardrobe, or anything else.
As to the car itself, according to producer Rod Amateau it was named for Ann Southern's co-star from Private Secretary, Don Porter. Here I must point out, that in reality at least two different companies had manufactured cars under the Porter marque. A short lived steam powered automobile was manufactured under the Porter marque by the Porter Automobile Co. from 1900 to 1901. More conventional, gasoline powered cars were made under the Porter marque by American and British Manufacturing Corporation from 1919 to 1922. Regardless, the car in the show was not an actual 1928 Porter, but the creation of car customiser George Barris (who also designed The Munster's coach and later the Batmobile). The car was built using parts from various vintage cars including a Model T, a Maxwell, a Hudson, and a Chevrolet. Another car was also built, with removable floorboard and equipment so that someone could drive the car without being seen, for those scenes in which Mother drove herself.
Regardless of the talent involved in the show, My Mother the Car debuted to disastrous reviews. Its ratings were not much better, although it did prove popular with young viewers. In the end, My Mother the Car lasted only one season and thirty episodes. It went off the air in September, 1966. Having run only one season, it did not have enough episodes for a healthy syndication run. Since then it has rarely been seen.
It was several years ago that I had the opportunity to see a few episodes of the show when Joel Stein was a guest programmer for Trio. Since then I have watched a few episodes online (it is available at both Hulu and TV.Com). I must say that I was surprised when I first saw it. The show does not live up to its bad reputation. The quality of the episodes are sometimes hit and miss, but it is hardly the worst show of all time. Indeed, I can think of many of shows that are much, much worse (The Facts of Life and the recent CBS sitcom Yes, Dear being two of them). For me the question then becomes why critics in 1965 attacked My Mother the Car so and why has it maintained its reputation as one of the worst shows of all time.
I think the answer is that critics were simply reacting to the show's premise rather than the quality of the show itself. Let's face it, even by the standards of Sixties television, the idea of someone's mother returning from the grave as a car was very, very strange. This was complicated by the fact that critics in the Sixties could be extremely hypercritical of any show whose premise they disliked. Indeed, it must be considered that both The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan's Island, now considered classics by some, received some of the worst reviews of all time. What separates those two shows from My Mother the Car is that they became hits and have been rerun ever since. With a bizarre premise, receiving some of the worst reviews any show ever has, lasting only a single season, and having been rarely seen since, My Mother the Car never had the chance for reappraisal.
Of course, now My Mother the Car can be watched, in its entirety, online. It will be interesting to see if over the next several years its reputation will change. With over forty years of bad press, I am not sure it will. Regardless, while I would not consider My Mother the Car a classic, it is not the worst show of all time by any stretch of the imagination.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Actor Merlin Olsen R.I.P.
Actor and former National Football League player Merlin Olsen passed yesterday at the age of 69. The cause was mesothelioma.
Merlin Olsen was born in Logan, Utah on September 15, 1940. He attended Utah State University, where he played American football as a defensive tackle. Once he left college, Olsen has offers from the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. He signed with the Rams, for whom he played from 1962-1976. Following his NFL career, Olsen became an American football analyst for NBC. His contract with NBC stipulated that he have the opportunity to act.
Olsen's acting career began before his NFL career had even ended. He appeared in a small part in the 1969 feature film The Undefeated. Afterwards he guest starred on such shows as Petticoat Junction, The Brian Keith Show, and Kung Fu. He appeared in the films One More Train to Rob, Something Big, and Mitchell. In 1977 he was cast as Jonathan Garvey, Pa Wilder's sidekick on Little House on the Prairie. He left that series to star in his own show, Father Murphy, which ran from 1981 to 1983. In 1986 he starred in the short lived series Fathers and Sons. In 1988 he starred in the series Aaron's Way, his last work as an actor.
For the most part Merlin Olsen starred in the sort of shows I do not generally watch, but he always seemed to be an appealing and likeable fellow. He was certainly well suited to the role of the gentle giant. He also made the sort of shows of which too little is seen on television now--family oriented programmes. While I cannot say that I am necessarily a fan of his oeuvre, I must say I was saddened to hear of his passing.
Merlin Olsen was born in Logan, Utah on September 15, 1940. He attended Utah State University, where he played American football as a defensive tackle. Once he left college, Olsen has offers from the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. He signed with the Rams, for whom he played from 1962-1976. Following his NFL career, Olsen became an American football analyst for NBC. His contract with NBC stipulated that he have the opportunity to act.
Olsen's acting career began before his NFL career had even ended. He appeared in a small part in the 1969 feature film The Undefeated. Afterwards he guest starred on such shows as Petticoat Junction, The Brian Keith Show, and Kung Fu. He appeared in the films One More Train to Rob, Something Big, and Mitchell. In 1977 he was cast as Jonathan Garvey, Pa Wilder's sidekick on Little House on the Prairie. He left that series to star in his own show, Father Murphy, which ran from 1981 to 1983. In 1986 he starred in the short lived series Fathers and Sons. In 1988 he starred in the series Aaron's Way, his last work as an actor.
For the most part Merlin Olsen starred in the sort of shows I do not generally watch, but he always seemed to be an appealing and likeable fellow. He was certainly well suited to the role of the gentle giant. He also made the sort of shows of which too little is seen on television now--family oriented programmes. While I cannot say that I am necessarily a fan of his oeuvre, I must say I was saddened to hear of his passing.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Corey Haim R.I.P.
Eighties star Corey Haim passed yesterday at the age of 38. The cause was apparently a drug overdose.
Corey Haim was born on December 23, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario. He was still a young child when his mother enrolled him in acting lessons in an effort to overcome his shyness. He appeared in his first commercial when he was ten years old. He was thirteen when he made his film debut in First Born. The same year he was a regular in the Canadian series The Edison Twins. In 1985 he appeared the films Secret Admirer, Silver Bullet, and Murphy's Romance. In 1986 he starred in Lucas, a film for which he received very good notices for his performance. In 1987 he starred in the short lived series Roomies.
In 1987 Haim appeared in the film that would turn him into a teen idol, Lost Boys. The following years he appeared in the films Licence to Drive, Watchers, and Dream a Little Dream. Unfortunately for Haim, he soon found himself appear in films made for the direct to video market for most of the Nineties, including The Double O Kid, Double Switch, and Last Resort. During the Nineties he only appeared in a few films released to theatres, including Dream Machine, Blown Away, Shooter on the Side, Snowboard Academy, and Never Too Late. On television he guest starred on PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal and appeared in the television movies Merlin and Without Malice. The Naughts saw Haim appear in the films Universal Groove, Crank: High Voltage, and Shark City. He appeared in the straight to video sequel to The Lost Boys, The Lost Boys: The Tribe. He was also star of the reality show The Two Coreys, which also starred Corey Feldman.
Corey Haim was born on December 23, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario. He was still a young child when his mother enrolled him in acting lessons in an effort to overcome his shyness. He appeared in his first commercial when he was ten years old. He was thirteen when he made his film debut in First Born. The same year he was a regular in the Canadian series The Edison Twins. In 1985 he appeared the films Secret Admirer, Silver Bullet, and Murphy's Romance. In 1986 he starred in Lucas, a film for which he received very good notices for his performance. In 1987 he starred in the short lived series Roomies.
In 1987 Haim appeared in the film that would turn him into a teen idol, Lost Boys. The following years he appeared in the films Licence to Drive, Watchers, and Dream a Little Dream. Unfortunately for Haim, he soon found himself appear in films made for the direct to video market for most of the Nineties, including The Double O Kid, Double Switch, and Last Resort. During the Nineties he only appeared in a few films released to theatres, including Dream Machine, Blown Away, Shooter on the Side, Snowboard Academy, and Never Too Late. On television he guest starred on PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal and appeared in the television movies Merlin and Without Malice. The Naughts saw Haim appear in the films Universal Groove, Crank: High Voltage, and Shark City. He appeared in the straight to video sequel to The Lost Boys, The Lost Boys: The Tribe. He was also star of the reality show The Two Coreys, which also starred Corey Feldman.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, held last night, received higher ratings than it had in several years. Unfortunately, this year's Oscars held few surprises. Here I do have to point while the awards held no surprises, they were historic. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director award. On a more dubious note, Sandra Bullock became the first actor to win both an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year.
I must confess I do not have very much of an opinion on the awards themselves, not having seen most of the films nominated this year. I have to say that it seems to me that they were predictable for the most part, with most of the front runners winning in their given categories. Mo'Nique took Best Supporting Actress. Christoph Waltz took Best Supporting Actor. Sandra Bullock took Best Actress. Jeff Bridges took Best Actor. The Hurt Locker took both Best Picture and Best Director. There only three categories in which I believe there was a bit of an upset. The Hurt Locker took both Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, technical categories in which I think most expected Avatar to win. Another possible upset may have been in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. I think many thought it would be the only Oscar that Up in the Air would take. Instead it went to Precious. While it may not be particularly objective and while it may be a bit petty, I must say I am glad Avatar lost Best Picture and James Cameron lost Best Director. While I have not seen either The Hurt Locker or Avatar, I have to say to this day I hold a grudge against Cameron for ever making Titanic...
At to the ceremony itself, it was a mix of good and bad--sadly, mostly bad. As to what was good about the ceremony, I thought the opening number with the ultracool Neil Patrick Harris was well done and entertaining. I also thought the memorial montage was well done, with James Taylor singing The Beatles' "In My Life." I also have to say I appreciated clips of the Best Song nominees being shown rather than the songs performed. To me performing the songs always dragged the ceremony out. And too often the songs that were nominated were, well, not very good (anyone remember "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp?").
Sadly, there were only a few of the moments in the ceremony I really appreciated. Indeed, I fear Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin may go down as among the worst hosts in Oscar history. While a few of their gags were very good, there were many others that simply fell flat. To be honest, I am not sure that they can be blamed for their performances. I think the Oscar hosting duties may be something best performed by one person and one person alone. Of course, even at their worst, Baldwin and Martin were far more bearable than the interpretative dance sequence performed to the Best Original Score, which seemed dull to the extreme. I do appreciate that the Academy included a tribute montage to horror films, but I believe it was very poorly executed. First, I think they could have gotten someone better to introduce the montage. Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are best known for their work in the Twilight films, which are not horror movies. Second, some of the clips shown not horror movies (New Moon, Edward Scissorhands, et. al.). Even worse, outside of Nosferatu and scenes from some of the Universal classics, the montage concentrated primarily on films made in the past thirty years. Wholly ignored were the classic Hammer horror movies, as was Val Lewton.
Another complaint I have is the way that the Best Actor and Best Actress awards were handled. Just as last year, fellow actors were brought out to pay tribute to the nominees before the award was presented. While this year this went better than last year (they at least got individuals who had worked with the nominees), to me it still drags the ceremony down. I do not want to hear what one actor has to say about another before the award is presented. I just want to see clips of the nominees' performances and then to see the award presented. That's it.
Of course, I must confess I generally do not expect much of Oscar hosts, and bad dance sequences seem de rigueur for the Academy Awards. One of the things that really displeased me about last night's ceremony was the seven minute tribute to John Hughes. I am sure that there are those who felt it was touching, but to me it was very, very objectionable. Quite simply, why should John Hughes have been singled out for a tribute apart from the memorial montage? This was not done for Alfred Hitchcock when he died in 1980. There was no individual tribute to Paul Newman last year. To me, to single out John Hughes above and over the others who died last year (who included Jennifer Jones and Karl Malden) is, quite simply, unfair.
Indeed, I am particularly irked by the John Hughes tribute given the short shrift given to Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis, who won honorary Oscars this year. All we were given was a very short piece discussing the ceremony (held some time back), a few clips from their careers, and then an exceedingly brief shot of Miss Bacall and Mr. Corman. Not only did they not get to say anything, but the camera did not linger long on them. Indeed, they even cut the ovation they received rather than letting it simply fade out! To me this is not the proper treatment of legends such as Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis, who made much more significant contributions to film than John Hughes in my humble opinion.
Over all, I must say that this year's Oscars was overly dull and not particularly well executed. I do hope in future years they do away with having actors pay tribute to the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees before those awards are presented. I also hope that they have no more interpretative dance sequences. And most of all, when someone wins an honorary Oscar, give them the time they deserve and let them say something!
I must confess I do not have very much of an opinion on the awards themselves, not having seen most of the films nominated this year. I have to say that it seems to me that they were predictable for the most part, with most of the front runners winning in their given categories. Mo'Nique took Best Supporting Actress. Christoph Waltz took Best Supporting Actor. Sandra Bullock took Best Actress. Jeff Bridges took Best Actor. The Hurt Locker took both Best Picture and Best Director. There only three categories in which I believe there was a bit of an upset. The Hurt Locker took both Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, technical categories in which I think most expected Avatar to win. Another possible upset may have been in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. I think many thought it would be the only Oscar that Up in the Air would take. Instead it went to Precious. While it may not be particularly objective and while it may be a bit petty, I must say I am glad Avatar lost Best Picture and James Cameron lost Best Director. While I have not seen either The Hurt Locker or Avatar, I have to say to this day I hold a grudge against Cameron for ever making Titanic...
At to the ceremony itself, it was a mix of good and bad--sadly, mostly bad. As to what was good about the ceremony, I thought the opening number with the ultracool Neil Patrick Harris was well done and entertaining. I also thought the memorial montage was well done, with James Taylor singing The Beatles' "In My Life." I also have to say I appreciated clips of the Best Song nominees being shown rather than the songs performed. To me performing the songs always dragged the ceremony out. And too often the songs that were nominated were, well, not very good (anyone remember "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp?").
Sadly, there were only a few of the moments in the ceremony I really appreciated. Indeed, I fear Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin may go down as among the worst hosts in Oscar history. While a few of their gags were very good, there were many others that simply fell flat. To be honest, I am not sure that they can be blamed for their performances. I think the Oscar hosting duties may be something best performed by one person and one person alone. Of course, even at their worst, Baldwin and Martin were far more bearable than the interpretative dance sequence performed to the Best Original Score, which seemed dull to the extreme. I do appreciate that the Academy included a tribute montage to horror films, but I believe it was very poorly executed. First, I think they could have gotten someone better to introduce the montage. Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner are best known for their work in the Twilight films, which are not horror movies. Second, some of the clips shown not horror movies (New Moon, Edward Scissorhands, et. al.). Even worse, outside of Nosferatu and scenes from some of the Universal classics, the montage concentrated primarily on films made in the past thirty years. Wholly ignored were the classic Hammer horror movies, as was Val Lewton.
Another complaint I have is the way that the Best Actor and Best Actress awards were handled. Just as last year, fellow actors were brought out to pay tribute to the nominees before the award was presented. While this year this went better than last year (they at least got individuals who had worked with the nominees), to me it still drags the ceremony down. I do not want to hear what one actor has to say about another before the award is presented. I just want to see clips of the nominees' performances and then to see the award presented. That's it.
Of course, I must confess I generally do not expect much of Oscar hosts, and bad dance sequences seem de rigueur for the Academy Awards. One of the things that really displeased me about last night's ceremony was the seven minute tribute to John Hughes. I am sure that there are those who felt it was touching, but to me it was very, very objectionable. Quite simply, why should John Hughes have been singled out for a tribute apart from the memorial montage? This was not done for Alfred Hitchcock when he died in 1980. There was no individual tribute to Paul Newman last year. To me, to single out John Hughes above and over the others who died last year (who included Jennifer Jones and Karl Malden) is, quite simply, unfair.
Indeed, I am particularly irked by the John Hughes tribute given the short shrift given to Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis, who won honorary Oscars this year. All we were given was a very short piece discussing the ceremony (held some time back), a few clips from their careers, and then an exceedingly brief shot of Miss Bacall and Mr. Corman. Not only did they not get to say anything, but the camera did not linger long on them. Indeed, they even cut the ovation they received rather than letting it simply fade out! To me this is not the proper treatment of legends such as Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis, who made much more significant contributions to film than John Hughes in my humble opinion.
Over all, I must say that this year's Oscars was overly dull and not particularly well executed. I do hope in future years they do away with having actors pay tribute to the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees before those awards are presented. I also hope that they have no more interpretative dance sequences. And most of all, when someone wins an honorary Oscar, give them the time they deserve and let them say something!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Bernard Kates R.I.P.
Actor Bernard Kates passed at the age of 87 on February 2.
Bernard Kates was born in Boson, Massachusetts on December 26, 1922. He studied acting in New York. His show business career began in the Thirties on radio. He served during World War II, and resumed his career following the war. In 1949 he made his debut on Broadway in At War with the Army. He also debuted on television on The Magic Cottage and Suspense. During the Fifties he appeared in such TV shows as The Philco Television Playhouse, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Decoy, Naked City, Mr. Lucky, Sea Hunt, Playhouse 90, and One Step Beyond On Broadway he appeared in Billy Budd and The Disenchanted. He also appeared in the film You're in the Navy Now.
In the Sixties Bernard Kates appeared in the television shows The Untouchables, The Asphalt Jungle, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, The Ouer Limits, Combat, The Fugitive, and Hawk. Kates was a recurring character on the series Bus Stop as the Coroner and a regular on the show Where the Heart Is. He appeared on Broadway in Have I Got a Girl Like You and The Devils. He appeared in the film Judgement at Nuremberg. Kates later appeared on the shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He appeared in the films Super Cops, The Babe, and The Phantom. He also acted in a good deal of regional theatre.
Bernard Kates was born in Boson, Massachusetts on December 26, 1922. He studied acting in New York. His show business career began in the Thirties on radio. He served during World War II, and resumed his career following the war. In 1949 he made his debut on Broadway in At War with the Army. He also debuted on television on The Magic Cottage and Suspense. During the Fifties he appeared in such TV shows as The Philco Television Playhouse, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Decoy, Naked City, Mr. Lucky, Sea Hunt, Playhouse 90, and One Step Beyond On Broadway he appeared in Billy Budd and The Disenchanted. He also appeared in the film You're in the Navy Now.
In the Sixties Bernard Kates appeared in the television shows The Untouchables, The Asphalt Jungle, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Ben Casey, The Ouer Limits, Combat, The Fugitive, and Hawk. Kates was a recurring character on the series Bus Stop as the Coroner and a regular on the show Where the Heart Is. He appeared on Broadway in Have I Got a Girl Like You and The Devils. He appeared in the film Judgement at Nuremberg. Kates later appeared on the shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, NYPD Blue, Picket Fences, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. He appeared in the films Super Cops, The Babe, and The Phantom. He also acted in a good deal of regional theatre.
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