The Late Great William Schallert

Television viewers might not recognise William Schallert's name, but they would certainly recognise his face. It was not a simple case that he played teacher Leander Pomfritt on Dobie Gillis or Patty Lane's father Martin on The Patty Duke Show or even the crochety Admiral Hargarde on Get Smart. He also guest starred on numerous TV shows and appeared in several movies throughout his long career. He appeared on such TV shows as Gunsmoke, Have Gun--Will Travel, Bewitched, Star Trek, The Partridge Family, and Magnum P.I. among many, many others. He appeared in such films as The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), In the Heat of the Night (1967), and Matinee (1993) among many others. William Schallert was not only one of the most prolific actors of his generation, but one of the best as well. Sadly, Mr. Schallert died yesterday, May 8 2016, at the age of 93.

William Schallert was born in Los Angeles on July 6 1922. His father was Edwin Francis Schallert, long-time drama critic and drama editor for The Los Angeles Times. His mother, Elza Emily Schallert (née Baumgarten), was a journalist and radio host. He enrolled in the University of California, Los Angles with the aim of becoming a composer, but he left school to serve as a fighter pilot in the United States Army during World War II. Following the war he returned to college where he studied theatre. While still a student he co-founded the Circle Theatre with Sydney Chaplin and several other students. In 1952 he won a Fulbright scholarship and went to England where he studied repertory theatre. He also served as a guest lecturer at Oxford University.

William Schallert made his film debut in Doctor Jim in 1947. In the late Forties he appeared in the films The Foxes of Harrow (1947), Mighty Joe Young (1949), The Reckless Moment (1949), Perfect Strangers (1950), and Lonely Heart Bandits (1950).

William Schallert was a very busy actor in the Fifties. In an interview with the Archive of American Television in 2012 he said, "In 1959, I probably set an individual record. I worked 57 times in [that] year; that’s more than once a week!" He made his television debut on an episode of Fireside Theatre in 1951. He had regular or recurring roles on several TV shows during the decade. On the sitcom Hey, Jeannie! he played flight engineer Herbert. On The Adventures of Jim Bowie he played newspaperman Justinian Tebbs. He appeared as Major Karl Richmond on Steve Canyon and Lt. Manny Harris on Philip Marlowe. He began playing one of his best known roles in 1959 when he was cast as teacher Leander Pomfritt on Dobie Gillis. Mr. Pomfritt was known for his deadpan humour and often referred to his students as  "my young barbarians" or "my young unemployables" or something similar. Despite this he often served as a source of wisdom for protagonists Dobie Gillis and Maynard G. Krebbs. When Dobie graduated high school, Mr. Pomfritt continued to appear on the show, taking a job at the junior college Dobie attended. William Schallert ultimately appeared on Dobie Gillis until its third season.

In addition to appearing in recurring roles on TV shows in the Fifties, William Schallert also made numerous guest appearances on series throughout the decade. In fact, in many cases he would make multiple guest appearances on the same show, playing a different character every time. He appeared on several of the anthology shows of the era, including Fireside Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Science Fiction Theatre, Four Star Theatre, Studio 57, Lux Video Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse, Playhouse 90, Goodyear Theatre, Climax!, The Loretta Young Show, One Step Beyond, and The Twilight Zone. When Westerns overtook the small screen he appeared on a large number of them, including Sugarfoot, Gunsmoke, Have Gun--Will Travel, Maverick, Jefferson Drum, Wichita Town, Wanted Dead or Alive, Lawman, and Wagon Train. He also appeared frequently on shows in other genres, from sitcoms to science fiction, including Space Patrol, It's a Great Life, Blondie, Whirlybirds, Zorro, Leave It to Beaver, The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna, Meet McGraw, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, Men into Space, Sea Hunt, and The Detectives.

Amazingly enough given the sheer hours of television in which he appeared during the Fifties, William Schallert also appeared in several movies during the decade. His first role of any significance in a film was in the B movie The Man from Planet X (1951) directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. His best known role during the decade may have been the hotel clerk in Pillow Talk (1959). He also appeared in such films as The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Captive Women (1952), Flat Top (1952), Sword of Venus (1953), Gog (1954), Them (1954),  Hell's Horizon (1955), The Lone Ranger (1956), Gunslinger (1956), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Girl in the Kremlin (1957),  Cry Terror! (1958), Some Came Running (1958), and The Beat Generation (1959).

Like the Fifties, the Sixties would be a very busy decade for William Schallert. He continued to appear as Mr. Pomfritt on Dobie Gillis in the early part of the decade.  In 1962 he appeared in the pilot Archie (based on the classic comic book feature of the same name) as the title character's father. It failed to sell. From 1963 to 1964 he played Patty's father Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show. Amazingly enough, on The Patty Duke Show he also played two other Lane relatives in various episodes: Kenneth Lane and Uncle Jed. In 1964 he appeared in the television pilot  Philbert (the single episode's official title was "Three's a Crowd"), which combined animation and live action. William Schallert played cartoonist Griff M., whose cartoon character Philbert (voiced by Trustin Howard) comes to life. ABC rejected Philbert  because as a weekly TV series it would have been too expensive, but it was released to theatres as a short subject. . From 1967 to 1970 he had the recurring role of the doddering Admiral Hargarde on Get Smart.

Despite appearing regularly on three different TV series in the Sixties (not to mention appearing in movies), William Schallert also made a  number of guest appearances during the decade. He played a reserved new farmer in the Andy Griffith Show episode "Quiet Sam", an Army major dealing with German POWs on Combat!,  and the Federation Undersecretary of Agriculture in the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles". He also guest starred on such shows as The Untouchables, The Rifleman, Thriller, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Lassie, 77 Sunset Strip, Have Gun--Will Travel, Rawhide, The Lucy Show, The Virginian, Mission: Impossible, The Guns of Will Sonnett, The Carol Burnett Show, The Wild Wild West, Mod Squad, Bewitched, Room 222, Marcus Welby M.D., and Hawaii Five-O.

In the Sixties he also appeared in several movies. His best known film role may have been in In the Heat of the Night (1967), in which he played Mayor Schubert of Sparta, Mississippi. He also played Judge Herman Spicer in the Western Hour of the Gun (1967), Professor Quigley in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), and CIA  Director Grauber in Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970). He also appeared in the films Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Paradise Alley (1962), Shotgun Wedding (1963), Will Penny (1967), Speedway (1968), an Sam Whiskey (1968).

William Schallert continued to be very prolific in the Seventies. He played the recurring role of Borden on the short-lived show The Man and the City. On The Nancy Walker Show he played the regular role of network executive Teddy Futterman. He played Nancy Drew's father Carson Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. He provided various voices on the Saturday morning cartoon Dinky Dog and played Mayor Hawkins on The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. In addition to his various recurring or regular roles on TV shows throughout the decade, Mr. Schallert also guest starred on several shows, including The Partridge Family; The D.A.; The F.B.I.; Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law; Kung Fu; Ironside; Gunsmoke; Love, American Style; The Six Million Dollar Man; Barnaby Jones; Ellery Queen; Maude; One Day at a Time; Archie Bunker's Place; Little House on the Prairie; Lou Grant; and yet others. He appeared in the films Charley Varrick (1973), Peege (1973), The Strongest Man in the World (1975), The Jerk (1979), and Hangar 18 (1980).

In the Eighties William Schallert played the recurring role of Stanley Perkins on The Waltons. He played General Robert E. Lee in the mini-series North and South, Book II. He was a regular on the TV show The New Gidget, playing Gidget's father Russ Lawrence. He played Harry Hopkins in the mini-series War and Remembrance. He guest starred on such TV shows as Lou Grant, Magnum P.I., Matt Houston, The Duck Factory, The Paper Chase, Hotel, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Twilight Zone, Simon & Simon, Highway to Heaven, Matlock, A Year in the Life, The New Leave It to Beaver, Midnight Caller, Quantum Leap, Murphy Brown, In the Heat of the Night, and Santa Barbara. He reprised his role as Leander Pomfritt in the TV reunion movie Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis. He appeared in the films Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Gremlins (1984), Teachers (1984), and Innerspace (1987).

In the Nineties William Schallert played the regular role of the title family's boarder on The Torkelsons. He provided a guest voice on the sitcom Dinosaurs and guest starred on such shows as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Coach, The Good Life, Melrose Place, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Roseanne, Dream On, ER, and Family Law. He reprised his role as Martin Lane in the TV reunion movie The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights. He appeared in the films House Party 2 (1991), Matinee (1993), and Beethoven's 2nd (1993).

In the Naughts William Schallert guest starred on such shows as The Zeta Project, Close to Home, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, According to Jim, Medium, and True Blood. He appeared in the film Sweetzer (2007). In the Teens he played villain Max Devore in the mini-series Bag of Bones. He guest starred on True Blood and 2 Broke Girls.

William Schallert also did many voice-overs for commercials over the years and was the voice of Milton the Toaster in commercials for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts in the Seventies. Mr. Schallert could also play guitar and piano.

William Schallert was the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1979 to 1981. He led the union during its long strike of 1980, which included a boycott of that year's Emmy Awards. While he was president of SAG he founded the Committee for Performers with Disabilities. Since 1977 he served as a Trusttee of the Motion Picture and Television Fund and since 1983 as a Trustee of the SAG Pension and Health Plans. His co-star from The Patty Duke Show, Patty Duke, would later serve as president of SAG.

William Schallert had to have been one of the most prolific television actors of  all time. His IMDB credits number a staggering 375 credits. The number of individual shows on which he guest starred was phenomenal, and there are several instances in which he guest starred on a particular show multiple times. On Gunsmoke alone he guest starred seven times throughout its run. He was the only actor who guest starred in the original version of The Twilight Zone, 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie, and the Eighties reboot of The Twilight Zone. Not only was William Schallert prolific, but he had a remarkably long career. Like Sir Christopher Lee, Mickey Rooney, Norman Lloyd, and a few others, he never actually retired. His first film appearance was in 1947. His final appearance was on 2 Broke Girls in 2014. Indeed, he was so prolific and his career was so long that I cannot even remember where I first saw William Schallert. I think it might have been Dobie Gillis or The Patty Duke Show, but I suspect it was more likely one of his myriad guest appearances.

Of course, I have to suspect William Schallert was so prolific because he was very much in demand throughout the years. And he was so much in demand throughout the years because he was just so versatile. Mr. Schallert may be best known as Mr. Pomfritt on Dobie Gillis, Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show,and the Admiral on Get Smart, but he played a wide variety of parts throughout his career. He had a humorous turn as hillbilly Eben Hakes in the first episode of Gunsmoke on which he guest starred, "Twelfth Night".  He played a fidgety drummer who might or might not have committed murder in the Have Gun--Will Travel episode "The Long Night". In the Partridge Family episode "The Red Woodlore Story" he played the unassuming folk singer of the title. While best known for playing nice guys, William Schallert played his share of bad guys. In another episode of Gunsmoke, "Albert", he played the leader of a group of outlaws. In the mini-series Bag of Bones he played the basest of villains, Max Devore.

Even  the regular and recurring roles he played on TV series varied a good deal. On Dobie Gillis Leander Pomfritt was erudite and possessed of a dry wit, but was nonetheless devoted to his students. On Get Smart, on which he was almost unrecognisable, Admiral Hargarde was doddering and very nearly senile. On The Nancy Walker Show he played an ambitious television executive with something of a resemblance to legendary programmer Fred Silverman. While some actors are generally typecast in one specific sort of role, William Schallert could and did play anything. He could be a villainous outlaw one week and an innocent hotel clerk the next.

Not only was William Schallert both prolific and talented, but he appeared to also have been a very nice man. I have known people who have interviewed him over the years and they all say the same thing. William Schallert was a total gentleman. A search on the internet will reveal a number of people who met or interacted with Mr. Schallert who will also say the same thing. While William Schallert was capable of playing anything, even the vilest of villains, it would seem in real life he was closest to Leander Pomfritt or Martin Lane, a man who truly cared about his fellow human beings. Ultimately William Schallert was not just a talented actor, but a truly fine human being as well.

My Mother and Classic Film

Unlike many younger classic film buffs, I was not introduced to classic movies by my parents. I was fortunate enough to be born at a time when local TV stations still showed classic movies. In those days before sports overwhelmed weekend afternoons, it was not unusual for one of the local stations to show a classic film or two on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. KPLR in St. Louis, which we could pick up on a good day, showed classic films multiple times a week. Indeed, late Saturday afternoons were when they always showed Abbott and Costello movies. Rather than my parents I would then say it was television that introduced me to classic movies.

That having been said, I do owe a debt to my parents with regards to classic films. While my parents never went to the theatre, they did watch a lot of movies on television when I was growing up. My parents had my brother and me when they were in their late Forties, so their tastes often ran to movies made when they were young. Younger parents in the Seventies might have scoffed at watching old black and white films from the Thirties and Forties. Because these were the films of their youth, my parents did not.

Both my father and my mother would then have some impact on my development as a classic film fan. My father probably had more impact on me as a child, but as an adult I began to learn more about my mother's love for movies. As the eldest son in the family I was the one who took care of my mother when she got older and during those years we watched a lot of movies together. From childhood I knew that Maureen O'Hara was her favourite actress, but I would not know until adulthood that her second favourite actress was Marilyn Monroe. It rather surprised me as the two actresses couldn't be more different. Maureen was flame haired and had a will of iron. Marilyn was bleach blonde and rather vulnerable. Regardless, both actresses appealed to my mother.

In fact, on the whole it was actresses who appealed to my mother more than classic actors. To this day I have no idea who her favourite actor was, but I know who plenty of her favourite actresses were. Maureen O'Hara and Marilyn Monroe were her favourites, but she also liked Audrey Hepburn (whom I think was my dad's favourite), Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and Shirley MacLaine. My mother was always a somewhat vulnerable, somewhat anxious woman, and I think many of these actresses displayed attributes she wished she had.

I cannot say that my mother had a particularly favourite film genre. Like my father she enjoyed Westerns. For that reason growing up I saw a number of Westerns, to the point that I probably saw a good portion of John Wayne and Randolph Scott's films before I was 18. Both of my parents also loved comedies. My mother's tastes in comedy ran more to screwball comedies and the comedies of Billy Wilder. Some Like It Hot (1959) numbered among her favourites, as did The Apartment (1960). Mom enjoyed a number of other film genres, everything from courtroom dramas to mysteries. She loved the old Charlie Chan movies and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) numbered among her favourite films. She also liked musicals, although not nearly as much as my father did.

Of course, there were those film genres my mother didn't care much for. My mother only enjoyed war films if they were not overly violent. She liked The Great Escape (1963), but not The Dirty Dozen (1967). Oddly enough given my tastes in films, she did not particularly care for science fiction, fantasy, or superhero movies. For my mother to truly enjoy a film there had to be some basis in reality. Her remark when watching any science fiction or superhero film would be, "That couldn't really happen."

If she had a least favourite genre of film it was probably horror. She actually saw Frankenstein (1931) in the theatre when she was young and really did not care for it. Not only was it not based in reality, but it was too scary. As an adult I teased my mother about seeing a classic in the theatre and not even appreciating it. Given my parents' tastes in films, it is rather odd that science fiction, fantasy, superhero, and horror number among my favourite genres. I rather feel sorry for subjecting them to so many movies and TV shows they probably did not particularly care for when I was little.

Despite my mother's distaste for science fiction, fantasy, superhero, and horror movies, my tastes in movies do resemble hers to a large degree. Even now I find myself watching a number of Westerns, mysteries, and musicals. Billy Wilder is one of my favourite directors and my preference in comedies is to those made before 1970. While my mother did not introduce me to classic film, she did have an impact on my development as a classic film buff. I truly do miss watching movies with her.

Abel Fernandez Passes On

Abel Fernandez, who played William Youngfellow on the classic TV series The Untouchables, died on May 3 at the age of 85. The cause was lung cancer.

Abel Fernandez was born in Los Angeles, California on July 14 1930. His mother was a Yaqui Indian and his father was Mexican. He attended  Belmont High School. At age 16 he enlisted in the United States Army. He served as a paratrooper in the Airborne 11th. He took up boxing while in the military and won the title of Asiatic Forces middleweight champion.

Mr. Fernandez boxed professionally following his service. He won the Los Angeles Golden Gloves tournament. He was a runner up in the National Golden Gloves tournament in Chicago. He boxed professionally until 1953. It was in August of that year that he told the Associated Press, "I don't think I'd be much good as a fighter anymore. I got to the point where I hated to hit guys. I was afraid I'd hurt them. I sent three boys to the hospital and spent most of my time visiting them. Fighters shouldn't care who they hit or how or where."

Abel Fernandez found a second career as an actor. He made his film debut in 1953 in Second Chance, fittingly enough playing a boxer. In the Fifties he appeared in such films as Alaska Seas (1954). Rose Marie (1954), Many Rivers to Cross (1955), Devil Goddess (1955), Fort Yuma (1956), and The Harder They Fall (1956). He made his television debut on an episode of Stories of the Century. He guest starred on such shows as The Joe Palooka Story, Cavalcade of America, The Ford Television Theatre, Cheyenne, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Disneyland, Have Gun--Will Travel, 77 Sunset Strip, Zane Gray Theatre, The Restless Gun, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza.

Abel Fernandez was a regular on the television adaptation of the popular comic strip Steve Canyon. He played Airman Abel Featherstone on the show. Steve Canyon lasted only one season. It was in 1959 that Mr. Fernandez made what may have been the most significant guest appearance of his career. He guest starred on the two-part Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode "The Untouchables", which was based on former Treasury agent Elliot Ness's memoir of the same name. Abel Fernandez played  William "Bill" Youngfellow, who was based on the real life member of the Untouchables,  William Jennings Gardner. Like both Abel Fernandez and William Jennings Gardner, Bill Youngfellow was Native American. This made the character one of the earliest Native American characters to appear in a drama set in a time and place other than the Old West. Besides Robert Stack as Elliot Ness, Abel Fernandez as Bill Youngfellow was the only member of the cast from the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode "The Untouchables" to appear on the regular series The Untouchables. Mr. Fernandez remained with the show for its entire run.

In the Sixties Abel Fernandez guest starred on such shows as The Barbara Stanwyck Show, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, Iron Horse, The Time Tunnel, Hondo, Lassie, Batman, The Virginian, The Big Valley, Daniel Boone, and Marcus Welby M.D. He appeared in the films. He appeared in the films La edad de la violencia (1964), Rio Conchos (1964), Apache Uprising (1965), The Appaloosa (1966), Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966), Madigan (1968), and Topaz (1969).

Abel Fernandez was absent from the screen in the Seventies, but guest starred on the shows Lou Grant and The Fall Guy as well as the film Quicksilver in the Eighties. In the Nineties he appeared in the film Buster's Bedroom (1991). In the Naughts he guest starred on the show Mujer, casos de la vida real.

Abel Fernandez occupies an important place in American television history. Bill Youngfellow was one of the earliest Native American characters to regularly appear in a television series set in the 20th Century. Prior to The Untouchables the vast majority of Native American characters appeared in Westerns. What is more, unlike most Native American characters on television at the time, Bill Youngfellow was not a stereotype. In appearing in a setting other than the Old West and in not being portrayed as a stereotype, Bill Youngfellow was then very different from most Native American character on television in the Fifties and Sixties.

Of course, Abel Fernandez played many other roles in his career. As an actual Native American he was often cast as American Indians in both Western TV shows and movies. Early in his career he played boxers several times. That having been said, he played many other roles in films. He was Kindley in Pork Chop Hill (1959), Private Geronimo in Target Zero (1959), and Detective Rodriguez in Madigan (1968). While the roles in which he appeared in films were often small, Abel Fernandez always gave a good performance.

Sixty Years Ago Today Elvis Presley Hit No. 1

It was sixty years ago today that Elvis Presley's self-titled debut album hit number one on the Billboard album chart. At the time his single "Heartbreak Hotel" had been number on the Billboard Top 100 since April 21.

In early 1956 Elvis Presley showed all the signs of becoming a phenomenon. His first single on RCA Victor, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released on January 27 1956 and was moving steadily up the charts. His final single released on Sun Records, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", hit number on the Billboard Country chart on February 25 1956. Elvis made four consecutive appearances on the Dorsey Brothers' TV series Stage Show, first appearing on January 28 and last appearing on February 18. He appeared on Stage Show two more times, on  March 17, and March 24.

With Elvis Presley's career gathering momentum in the early months of 1956, it should not be surprising that RCA Victor would want to release an album right away. Fortunately RCA Victor had gotten the rights to Elvis Presley's Sun Records tapes when they signed him. They were then able to create the album, simply titled Elvis Presley, by combing five unreleased Sun Records tracks with seven songs he had recorded at RCA Victor.

Curiously, the single "Heartbreak Hotel" was not included on the album. Many of the songs on the album were also covers of songs by other artists. These included Carl Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes", Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman", Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", Rogers and Hart's "Blue Moon", and Jesse Stone's "Money Honey". This was not unusual for albums at the time, which often combined a number of cover songs along with original material.

Regardless, Elvis Presley proved very successful. It remained in the number one spot of the Billboard albums chart until July 7. Retitled Elvis Presley Rock 'n' Roll in the United Kingdom, it would also top the British albums chart. As to Elvis, he would be an outright phenomenon before the year's end. His next album, Elvis, was released in October 1956 and topped the Billboard albums chart as well. In 1956 Elvis had four more number one singles following "Heartbreak Hotel": "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"; "Don't Be Cruel"; "Hound Dog"; and "Love Me Tender". If there was any doubt that Elvis Presley would be the next big thing, it would have been dispelled by his first appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show on September 9 1956. An unprecedented 60 million viewers tuned into the show, 82.6 percent of all television viewers at the time. Elvis was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest rock stars of all time.

Experiencing the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival Vicariously

While I have always wanted to go to it, I have never attended the TCM Classic Film Festival (or TCMFF for short). As a huge fan of classic films and Turner Classic Movies it is on my list of things I would really like to do, but my finances have never quite allowed me to do so. Never mind that I would get to watch classic films on the big screen, there are many one-of-a-kind events at the TCM Classic Film Festival I would like to have seen.

This year's TCMFF was no different.  Given I missed her when she was in Kansas City, I would really have liked to have attended the Illeana Douglas book signing. I always thought Illeana was very talented and very funny, and I have gotten to interact with her during various TCMParties on Twitter (including the epic ones for her "Second Looks" series on TCM).  It would be cool to meet her in person. I also would liked to have attended Rita Moreno's book signing. As many of you already know, I have had a crush on her since childhood. It would be nice to meet her in person, even if I would probably be a bundle of nerves!

As to movies, there were so many I would have liked to have seen at this year's film festival. Among these was Batman (1966) with Adam West and Lee Meriwether. I have always been a fan of both the TV series and the film, and it would have cool to have seen Adam West in person. I would also liked to have seen Forbidden Planet (1956), especially given Robby the Robot made a surprise appearance! I also would have liked to have seen Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), primarily for the chance to see Carl Reiner. Mr. Reiner is one of my heroes and I can guarantee seeing him in person would have been the highlight of the festival for me! The other highlight for me would have been The Manchurian Candidate (1962) with Dame Angela Lansbury. I have always been a huge fan of her. Of course, there are many other films at TCMFF I would liked to have seen: Band of Outsiders (1964), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Victory (1939), A Face in the Crowd (1957), The Freshman (1925), Horse Feathers (1932), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and Network (1976), among many others.

Of course, more than seeing any legendary celebrities in person or watching any beloved films on the big screen, the primary reason I would like to attend the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival is the opportunity to meet my classic film friends. Over the years I have befriended many fellow classic film fans online and I feel closer to many of them than people I know in person. Indeed, many of them I have literally known for years. Sadly, I have never met them in person. I would love to be able to finally meet them, as well as such TCM personages as Ben Mankiewicz  (whom I did get to talk to when I did Fan Favourites), Robert Osborne, and Illeana Douglas. In fact, I can guarantee getting to meet long time friends for the first time in person would be what I would love most about the festival.

It is because I have so many online classic film friends who did attend the festival that I have gotten to experience TCMFF vicariously. There was no shortage of photos and reports about the Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival posted to such social media outlets as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Google+. I swear that most of my friends got photos with Ben Mankiewicz or Illeana Douglas! Now that the festival is over many of my friends are making blog posts about it. As a result I am not only getting to see what the festival looked like, but learn a lot of what takes place at the festival. I want to say that I am very thankful to all of my friends for posting so much about TCMFF!

Below are several blog posts on the 2016 Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival. I will be updating the list as more are posted! Let me know if I miss any.

A Classic Movie Blog:
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Opening Night Red Carpet"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Francis Ford Coppola Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the Chinese Theatre"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: The Stars"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: The Films, Part One"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: The Films, Part Two"

Backlots:
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule: THURSDAY"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule FRIDAY"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule, SATURDAY"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule, SUNDAY"
"Highlights From the TCM Classic Film Festival"

Blog of the Darned:
"TCMFF Madness, Baby"
"Son of the TCMFF Survival Guide"
"A New Kilt for TCMFF, Translated"
"TCMFF Top 5"
"TCMFF 2016 - Initial Wrapup"

Classic Movie Man:
"2016 #TCMFF: The First Full Day"

Comet Over Hollywood:
"Turner Classic Movies Film Festival 2016: The Films"
"Turner Classic Movies Film Festival 2016: The People" 

The Hollywood Revue:
"Kicking Off TCMFF 2016"
"Day 2 of TCMFF 2016 Goes Out With a “Roar”" 
"TCMFF 2016, Day 3: My Day of Presentations" 
"TCMFF 2016, Day 4: An Interview to Remember" 

Journeys in Classic Film: 
"My 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Must-Sees" 
"The TCM Classic Film Festival: Pre-Fest and Day 1"
 "The TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Day 2"
"The TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Day 3"
"The TCM Classic Film Festival: Day 4"

 Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: 
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review"
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day One"
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Two"
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Three"
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Four" 
 "The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Five" 

Lou Lumenick in The New York Post:
"TCM Fest really does have something for everyone" 

Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog:
"My Top Picks for the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Day 1 and 2 Recap"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Day #3 Recap"
"TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Day #4 Recap"
"TCM Classic Film Festival: Day #5 Recap"
"TCM Classic Film Festival: Day #6 Recap"
"TCMFF Book Haul"
"Who I Met, Who I Saw and My Thoughts on the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival "

Outspoken and Freckled:
"TCM Film Fest 2016: Emotions Run High"

Silents and Talkies:
"TCMFF 2016 printable schedule + my top picks"
"TCMFF - Part 1"
"TCMFF - Part 2"
"TCMFF - Part 3"
"TCMFF - Part 4"
"TCMFF - Part 5"
"TCMFF souvenirs (alternate title: coolest photo of Monica Vitti ever)"

Speakeasy:
"Off to #TCMFF"
"The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival Side Trips"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Elliott Gould & The Long Goodbye (1973)"
"TCMFF, Day 2: The Day Where Everything Was a Highlight"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: A House Divided (1931)"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Private Property (1960)"
"2016 TCM Classic Film Festival: Law and Order (1932) & Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934)"

2017 TCM Classic Film Festival at Storify
 

"From Me to You" by The Beatles

It was 53 years ago today that "From Me to You" by The Beatles hit no. 1 on the British singles charts. The song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney while The Beatles were on tour with Helen Shapiro. The song's title and chorus was inspired by the title of the letters section of the music magazine Melody Maker, "From You to Us".

"From Me to You" was recorded at Abbey Road Studios on March 5 1963. It was released in the United Kingdom on April 11 1963. It was only a few days later that it hit the top of the charts. "From Me to You" was the first Beatles song to reach no. 1 on every singles chart in the United Kingdom. Their previous single, "Please Please Me", had reached no. 1 on every singles chart except the Record Retalier's chart (generally considered the definitive chart at the time), where it peaked at no. 2.

"From Me to You" was released in the United States on  Vee-Jay Records on May 27 1963. It initially failed to chart, even though Cash Box magazine had named it a "Pick of the Week".  That having been said, "From Me to You" would see composers John Lennon and Paul McCartney's first real success in the United States. Both The Beatles and American artist Del Shannon performed at the all-star concert Swinging Sound '63 at the Royal Albert Hall on April 18 1963. Del Shannon decided that he wanted to cover "From Me to You" and release it as a single in the United States. Del Shannon's cover of "From Me to You" became the first Lennon/McCartney song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, doing so June 29 1963. Unfortunately it would only spend four weeks on the chart, peaking at no. 77.

With Beatlemania growing in the United States, Vee-Jay re-released "From Me to You" on January 30 1964, although only as the B-side to "Please Please Me". This time it performed much better in the United States. Despite only being a B-side, it peaked at no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Here, from On Air, Live at the BBC Vol. 2, are The Beatles performing "From Me to You".

A Pictorial Tribute to Glenn Ford on His 100th Birthday

It was 100 years ago today that Glenn Ford was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford in Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne, Quebec, Canada. He was eight years old when his family moved to the Santa Monica, California in the United States. He became a naturalised citizen of the U.S. in 1939. After graduating Santa Monica High School he started acting at various small theatres in California. He signed with Columbia Pictures in 1939 His first major roles followed not long afterwards. He played opposite Rita Hayworth in The Lady in Question (1940) and appeared in the independently produced So Ends Our Night (1941).

During World War II he served in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Marine Corps. After the war he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve.  It was following the war that Glenn Ford's career really began to take off. He starred in the legendary film noir Gilda (1946) and in such films as A Stolen Life (1946), The Big Heat (1953), and Human Desire. It was arguably with the mid to late Fifties that Glenn Ford reached the height of his career. He starred in the classic social commentary film Blackboard Jungle (1955), the classic hard-boiled Western 3:10 to Yuma (1957), the classic Western The Sheepman (1958), and the war film Torpedo Run (1958). In 1956 he entered the top ten of Quigley Publishing's Poll of Film Exhibitors for the first time, ranking at no. 5. He topped the list in 1957 and ranked no. 6 in 1959.

While Glenn Ford's career arguably reached its peak in the late Fifties, he continued to work steadily in the Sixties. He appeared in such films as The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), Fate Is the Hunter (1964), The Rounders (1965), and Day of the Evil Gun (1968). In the Seventies he was the star of the TV show Cade's County and appeared in the films Midway (1976) and Superman (1978). His final appearance on the big screen was in the film Raw Nerve in 1991.

With a career that spanned over fifty years Glenn Ford remains one of the best remembered and most beloved stars of the 20th Century. He was an actor who was comfortable in a number of genres. While he did many Westerns and action films, he also starred in comedies, suspense thrillers, and even horror films. In honour of his 100th birthday, then, here is a pictorial tribute.

Glenn Ford in the early days of his career.

Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in a still for Gilda

Glenn Ford as Ben Wade in 3:10 to Yuma

Glenn Ford with Phyllis Thaxter and  Aaron Smolinski in Superman

Glenn Ford in a still from Happy Birthday to Me