Oh, Lord- they're remaking Hawaii 5-0!

By Lee Pfeiffer

For our money, Hawaii 5-0 was one of the all-time great action TV shows. Now, CBS- the network that telecast the series for years- has commissioned a pilot for a remake of the series. Can't they just set a brand new crime concept in Hawaii and leave the legacy of this classic series unblemished? Besides, the original series holds up great even by today's standards. Here's a suggestion for CBS: put the DVD releases of the show on moratorium and just telecast the old episodes. The key role of Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord, has not yet been cast. (Click here for our review of the DVD release) For more on the remake click here

Young Clint in a staged "candid" photo, typical of those demanded by studios during the 50s and 60s.

In England to attend the premiere of Invictus, Clint Eastwood sat down with the Telegraph to reflect on his life and remarkable career, ranging from a near death experience in an airplane to the lessons having children late in life has taught him. Click here to read

By Lee Pfeiffer

Paramount has recently released two major John Wayne titles as two DVD special editions. The releases were tied in with the studio's Centennial line of classics. In fact, El Dorado probably doesn't qualify as a classic, as it represents Howard Hawks' virtual remake of his 1959 film Rio Bravo (which is a genuine classic.) Regarded as a good, run-of-the-mill Western when released in 1967, the film has grown in stature as film scholars grapple with the notion that there simply aren't artists around today as interesting as Wayne, Hawks and Robert Mitchum, the other lead. The film showcases a fine supporting cast including James Caan in one of his first major roles, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey, Ed Asner and old reliable character actors Paul Fix and Arthur Hunnicutt playing a role that seems tailor-made for Walter Brennan. The plot is virtually identical to that of the previous film: a disparate group of heroes finds themselves holding an important prisoner and fending off a virtual army of gunslingers intent on freeing him. If Hawks was unapologetic about shamelessly plagiarizing another film, at least he was stealing from himself. (He would do yet another loose remake of the same story with Rio Lobo in 1970). Still, warmed-over Hawks is better than almost anything being made today, and El Dorado is a joy to watch. The banter between Wayne and Mitchum is terrific, the script has some genuinely funny moments and the action sequences are excellently staged.

Paramount's 2 DVD edition contains a wealth of great extras including:

• audio commentary tracks by Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Schickel, Ed Asner and Todd McCarthy
• seven short featurettes each pertaining to a different aspect of the film's production
• an interview with Paramount head honcho A.C. Lyles, who ran the studio when the movie was made
• a vintage production short that showcases Western art sculptor Olaf Wieghorst, who plays a small, amusing role in the film
• the original trailer and lobby card and production stills gallery

(Read an exclusive interview with James Caan about the making of the film in Cinema Retro issue #14)

By Herbert Shadrak

Richard Basehart may have been the greatest American actor ever. Certainly he was too accomplished a performer ever to be “just another movie star” – his unconventional good looks and astonishing versatility allowed him to convincingly portray murderers, heels and suicidal neurotics in a career that spanned 45 years, but he was equally effective at playing gentle souls, men of action (such as the intrepid U.S. intelligence agent in Decision Before Dawn), cowboys and the heroic Admiral Harriman Nelson in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea science fiction series on ABC.

“Even today, Richard Basehart remains one of the great, unrecognized talents of post-war American films,” writes Mark Gross in Films in Review. “Possibly this is because he is neither conventionally handsome nor easily identifiable as a character type. Instead, he seems to become lost in his performances, belied by a surface calmness, with a subtlety underlined by a sense of abandon in his quest for realism.”

After six years knocking about Broadway, Ohio-born Basehart's breakthrough came in 1945 in The Hasty Heart, in which he was cast as a proud, dying Scottish soldier. Basehart won the 1945 New York Drama Critics Award for his realistic performance and was named the most promising newcomer of the season. Hollywood came calling, and Basehart was soon signed to a movie contract. Thus began a globe-trotting screen career that lasted until his death in 1984.

Basehart followed his cinematic debut in Repeat Performance – a 1947 “déjà-vu” thriller featuring Joan Leslie - with a supporting role in Cry Wolf (1947), an old dark house thriller starring Barbara Stanwyck, Errol Flynn and Geraldine Brooks. Basehart played Stanwyck’s younger husband, who mysteriously vanishes. 

As his Hollywood career took off, Basehart made every effort to avoid being typecast, although in his early noirs he seemed to favor parts in which he was of a villainous or conflicted nature. In preparing for his roles, Basehart spent hours by himself trying to shape the character. He would sit on the end of the couch in his living room and be so engrossed in the roles that he was completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

There will be a special 'Psychoville' event at the Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley on Friday,23rd April at 6.30pm with Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton!

Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film 'Rope' will be screened alongside episode 4 of 'Psychoville' - the sublime homage to that film, with everyone's favourite mother and son serial killers, David and Maureen Sowerbutts centre stage & on the big screen. There will also be an Q&A with Steve and Reece following the screening.
The Phoenix Cinema is one of the UK's oldest cinemas in the UK & one of
London's leading independent cinemas, as well as being Steve and Reece's local cinema.

This event is a charitable trust as a non-profit making organisation. Tickets for the 'Psychoville' event are £15.00 for adults & concessions are £13.00. All money raised will support the Phoenix Cinema's Centenary Restoration Project, which goes towards restoring the Grade II listed building.

Tickets can be booked online by following the link & then clicking the All Shows option...scroll down the page towards the bottom to book for the 'Psychoville & Rope' event & click on the time shown - 18.30 - to book.
Tickets can also be purchased by phoning the Phoenix Cinema box office - 020 8444 6789

Click here to relive Cinema Retro's "screen debut" on an episode of Psychoville.

The acclaimed British character actor Ian Carmichael has died at age 89. His film credits include many popular British comedies such as I'm All Right, Jack, School for Scoundrels and Smashing Time. He was acting until very recently, with a continuing role in the 2009 British TV series The Royal. For more click here

Cinerama expert and documentary film maker Dave Strohmaier has been called the Indiana Jones of lost films. On the great web site In70mm.com, Dave relates the surrealistic story of how a late-breaking tip lead him to a most unexpected location where he had to quickly devise a way to prevent the destruction of the last known print of the long-missing Cinerama's Russian Adventure. Click here to read

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Park Circus film distributors in the UK:

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of PRETTY WOMAN, Cineworld Cinemas will host exclusive screenings nationwide on Valentine's Day, Sunday 14 February 2010.

Peter Murton (left) with fellow Bond production design masters Peter Lamont and Ken Adam at a recent James Bond event at Pinewood Studio's Theatre Seven.

We have just learned that our dear friend, production designer Peter Murton, passed away just before Christmas. Peter worked on many early Bond films in the art department, and was the production designer for The Man With The Golden Gun. A regular guest at the many Bondstars events at Pinewood Studios, Peter always entertained the fans with his stories about working on movies such as Death on the Nile, Superman 2 and 3, The Lion in Winter, The Ipcress File and many, many more he was involved with in a career spanning some sixty years. He worked alongside Retro's Dave Worrall a few years back on The Eagle Has Landed DVD documentary, for it was Peter who transformed the private Oxfordshire village of Mapledurham into the fictional hamlet of Studley Constable as seen in the film.Cinema Retro mourns the passing of this great artist.

Remember Days of the Thunder, the auto racing pic released 20 years ago that teamed Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman? Although the movie was considered somewhat of an under-performer at the boxoffice, Paramount hopes to reignite interest in the flick through tying in with the mania for NASCAR. The studio is actively licensing a line of T shirts featuring logos from the film and snappy tag lines like: "Rubbin' Is Racin'" and "You Can't Outrun the Thunder." It sounds like a creative ploy, especially since it would derive revenue out of a film that ran out of gas years ago. For more click here

Mirko di Wallenberg

Retro responds: Ouch, that hurts! We appreciate your loyalty, Mirko, but as we've pointed out on previous occasions, while our magazine sticks with films of the 60s and 70s, our web site covers a much broader canvas and contains commentary on personalities across the board of the entertainment industry. We publish numerous articles every day and it would be very difficult to just stick with stories about older movies. Naturally, not every article will appeal to every reader, but I think you're over-reacting. This is one article out of well over a thousand we have posted on line. When you read a newspaper, you don't expect every single article to be of interest to you, and it's the same with web sites. Just glance down the articles currently on our home page...virtually every single one has relevance to the subjects that interest you. We only very rarely even mention the name of lightweight "celebrities" such as Ms. Mills.  We just can't stand the hypocrisy of some public personalities and call them out when we can. By the way, we are also celebrating our third anniversary of being a "Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton- Free Zone." And to show you there are differences of opinions, see letter below. - Lee Pfeiffer

It's about time someone called out Heather Mills for using charity work as a way of boosting her reputation. What a shame that a true humanitarian like Paul McCartney would have been so short-sighted to have gotten involved with someone like this. Thanks for helping to expose her. I always enjoy the broad subject range of your web site and would like to suggest more reviews of DVDs that many readers may not be aware are out. I just read your review of The Internecine Project with James Coburn and ordered the DVD. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have even known about this movie.

Jim O'Connell

Retro responds: Thanks, Jim. Regarding those DVD reviews, look for an increase in the number of articles pertaining to more obscure releases by niche market DVD labels in the weeks to come. There are some great titles out there that we'll be showcasing. The same will be true with giving exposure to many interesting book titles that don't often get the proper exposure. And by the way, none of the DVDs or books will feature Heather Mills! - Lee Pfeiffer

The Aero Theatre in Santa Monica will present two major film collaborations between Spencer Tracy and director Stanley Kramer on the evening of February 10. The program includes a 50th anniversary screening of Kramer's classic Inherit the Wind as well as a big screen showing of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? which proved to be Tracy's final film. The movie is quite dated today but does feature fine performances by Tracy, Kate Hepburn and Sidney Poitier. Inherit the Wind, which is rarely seen on the big screen, has lost none of its power and relevance. The court room square offs between Tracy and Frederic March remain examples of what brilliant screen acting is all about. Click here for more

The horror movie blogs are on fire with speculation regarding what is going on at Fangoria magazine. The publication, which launched in 1979, has gone through disruptive times with a series of new owners, a bankruptcy and a warehouse fire. There has also been criticism that the magazine was slow to make necessary changes to keep up with the look of modern magazines. Now it appears as though the magazine may no longer be in business. The official web site has been off-line with no message alerting readers as to why. No official from the company has addressed the rumors. The latest issue is on newsstands, but apparently there are no announcements about the next issue or any Fangoria events in the coming months. Regardless of the explanation, the sound of silence by management is bizarre, to say the least. To read the web site's Horror Bid's analysis of the situation, click here

We generally try to minimize covering contemporary show biz gossip, but its been a few years since we visited the other planet that Heather Mills lives on. (She doesn't tread the same earth as we mere mortals).  Yes, the ex-Mrs. Sir Paul McCartney is still trolling about, desperately using charities and cheesy reality show appearances as an excuse to get in the spotlight. If you're intrigued by quasi-celebrities who shamelessly use charities to promote their own image, Mills is the gift that keeps on giving.  Mills Now London's Daily Mail offers a devastating report on her business dealings and personal habits, which include whining about a consistent lack of money even though she is worth millions of pounds. The Daily Mail piece accuses Mills of gaining praise and attention for promising to make significant donations to charities- then failing to delivery after the spotlight fades. The British tabloids are known for tearing down celebrities, but this isn't based on innuendo and supposition. It's a legitimate look at Mills' business affairs and her shocking behavior toward friends and colleagues. Sir Paul must be thanking his lucky stars he no longer has to spend "a day in the life" of Heather Mills. To read click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Here's another fine movie that has been largely unseen in recent years: Ivan Tors' 1966 adventure Around the World Under the Sea. The flick combined the talents of Lloyd Bridges, Goldfinger sensation Shirley Eaton, Man From U.N.C.L.E. David McCallum, Flipper star Brian Kelly, Daktari! star Marshall Thompson, with Keenan Wynn thrown in for good measure. The plot centers on a team of scientists who undergo a hazardous mission to plant earthquake detection devices on deep sea beds around the world. They encounter every obstacle imaginable, including some pretty frightening sea creatures. Tors, who excelled in underwater films and TV series, wrings a good deal of suspense from some of the situations and the film is entertaining throughout. It spawned a soundtrack album and tie-in comic book, but aside from a release on VHS in the 1980s, has remained unseen since except for rare showings on TCM. It's a worthy candidate for DVD release.

Original Italian poster for the film.

Click here to watch the original 1969 theatrical trailer for Sam Peckinpah's classic Western, The Wild Bunch. (See issue #3 of Cinema Retro for 18 page Peckinpah tribute including writer Mike Siegel's visit to legendary locations from The Wild Bunch.)

The trailer has been released for Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Against all odds, it actually looks compelling rather than gimmicky. Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko finally gets out of jail to find a new world awaiting him. The limo waiting at the prison gate isn't for him but for a street thug. It's good to see Douglas back in a meaty role and, if nothing else, the pic co-stars Eli Wallach, which is worth the admission alone. To watch the trailer click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Filmmaker Kevin Epps has shed new light on the legends behind the legendary Alcatraz prison. Movie audiences have been weened on the notion that being confined to The Rock was largely an experience relegated to white prisoners. In fact, over the decades Alcatraz 'hosted' a sizable population of black prisoners as well. Hollywood generally, well, whitewashed those prisoner's experiences during the heyday of crime movies because of segregationist attitudes in American society. Clint Eastwood's 1979 film Escape From Alcatraz set the record straight in a minor way: at least it depicted some black characters.Epps, a San Francisco documentary maker, explores the black experience on Alcatraz in The Black Rock. Working with a very limited budget, Epps, creatively uses rare still photos combined with first-hand interviews with black former inmates and guards. The result is a fascinating and thoroughly engrossing film that educates as much as it entertains. Although most people believe segregation was largely relegated to the deep south, the film proves that the horrible practice was alive and well inside the walls of Alcatraz. Black prisoners were segregated from whites, using the old-standby excuse that it was done for their own protection. (It's amazing how racist policies are always justified by the people who create them on the basis that they are actually for the benefit of those who are victimized by them.)

See details on banner ad below. Click on the banner for information about joining the CTBF and to view video messages from Daniel Craig and Danny Boyle.(Visit the store section to purchase tickets to Shutter Island)

Issue #12 of Cinema Retro featuring James Bond girl Margaret Nolan on the cover is now completely sold out. We regret that we will not be able to provide any additional copies of this issue for sale, as every issue of Cinema Retro is a limited edition collector's item.

By Lee PFeiffer

Some of the best DVD releases are coming from niche market companies that lack the financial resources to give them extensive marketing. Companies like Severin Films, Blue Underground and Scorpion Releasing have put a good amount of resources into releasing outstanding DVD editions of titles many readers may not even know are available. Thus, Cinema Retro will try to increase our coverage of these worthy titles and companies in the weeks and months to come. First up is Scorpion Releasing's deluxe edition of The Internecine Project, a 1974 London-based thriller directed by Ken Hughes and starring James Coburn in a bravura performance as a charismatic villain. Coburn plays an internationally respected economics expert who finds himself being tapped to be an adviser to the President of the United States. However, he must first ensure that his sordid sideline of running a small London crime ring is swept under the rug. To do so, he devises a complex scheme to convince each member of his team to murder another. The film, written by Barry Levinson and Jonathan Lynn, bristles with tension and leads to a wonderful and satisfying conclusion. Aside from Coburn's outstanding performance, you can relish yeoman work from Lee Grant, Harry Andrews and Ian Hendry- all set to Roy Budd's atmospheric score.

Scorpion has produced an excellent special DVD edition that includes a fascinating chat with screenwriter Jonathan Lynn, who would go on to be best known for writing famous British comedy TV series. On most special editions produced by major studios, the interviews are chopped into brief soundbites. Refreshingly, Scorpion allows Lynn to talk for almost 30 minutes- and he goes beyond discussing The Internecine Project to detailing working with John Landis on Clue. There are also some brief comments by Lee Grant and a very nice audio review of the film by Lisa Coburn, daughter of James Coburn, who provides interesting insights into her father's personal life. He worked so much that he had few long-time friends, with the exception of Robert Vaughn, Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee. She tells a wonderful anecdote about watching Lee and her dad perform martial arts together when she was a young girl. The DVD also contains the original trailer as well as a gallery of other trailers from Scorpion Releasing. Put this shamefully neglected film on your "must watch" list.

Click here to order from Amazon (This title will ship on February 23)

Gone are the days when Eddie Murphy would top the list of box-office favorites with films like Beverly Hills Cop. Today, he's the Meryl Streep of The Razzies, scoring a nomination for virtually every performance.

The annual Razzie Awards for worst achievement in filmmaking have been announced, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is shaping up to be the Ben-Hur of bad movies with nominations in all the key categories. Running close is the failed Will Ferrell comedy Land of the Lost and G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra distinguishing itself as well. Don't worry- perennial nominee Eddie Murphy is still on the Dishonor Role, thanks to his performance in Imagine That. If only the networks would telecast this ceremony! For full nominations click here

Legendary movie producer David Brown has passed away at age 93. He brought Elvis Presley to the big screen and launched Steven Spielberg's career. In conjunction with Richard Zanuck, Brown became an icon in the film industry, producing such hits as Jaws, The Sting, The Verdict, Driving Miss Daisy and Road to Perdition. A public funeral is planned for Thursday in New York. For more on his life and career click here

Johnny Depp: nabbing a Best Actor nomination wasn't so elementary.

The Los Angeles Times the time-honored analysis of who was shafted in this year's Oscar nomination line-up. Some people and titles that were considered "shoo-ins" didn't make the cut this year.

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and James Cameron's Avatar tied with his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker for 9 nominations each. For the first time since 1943, the Best Picture nominations have been expanded to ten films, even though the list of nominated directors remains at five (a virtual admission that the other five films are "throw away" nominees with little chance of picking up the prize). Meryl Streep scored her 16th Oscar nomination for Julie and Julia. There were some surprises: key nominations for District 9, Matt Damon and the lack of director or Best Picture nomination for Clint Eastwood's Invictus, even with the expanded list of Best Picture nominees. The awards will be presented on March 7. For the list of nominations click here

By Lee Pfeiffer

Lorraine B. Diehl, wife of famed ABC Radio film critic Bill Diehl,  has become quite a prolific author, as demonstrated by the release of her acclaimed new book Over Here! which chronicles life in New York City during WWII. Because America was spared the horror of warfare on its soil, most accounts of the nation during the war era are understandably limited to the combat role of the USA in the European and Pacific theaters.Yet, America played a key role in winning the war even before it officially entered the conflict after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The only person at the book party not impressed by Over Here! is Bill and Lorraine's granddaughter Lyla, who clearly has other priorities. (Photo: Lee Pfeiffer)

Through the controversial lend/lease agreement (enacted rather sneakily by FDR when the nation was still in isolationist mode), America kept England alive as it fought desperately (and alone) to keep Hitler from invading. Diehl has presented a fascinating story of what life was like in Gotham during this period and the war years that followed. She has lavishly illustrated the book with an abundance of mesmerizing photos. For movie lovers, there is ample coverage of the films made during the war for propaganda purposes. Diehl offers a plethora of fabulous candid photos that includes some great movie poster elements (a War Bonds drive in a theater features a great poster for Hitchcock's Spellbound.)

Diehl had a kick off party last week for the book at New York's legendary National Arts Club at Gramercy Park. Since then, Over Here! is generating major buzz and the book jacket displays kudos from the likes of newsman Tom Brokaw, Regis Philbin and documentary maker Ken Burns, who gushes "This is an evocative look at New York City during the Second World War; it's an enthusiastic, personal, immensely entertaining book, and a story about a city joining together to overcome the greatest challenge of the twentieth century. Brava!" Indeed, the book is a major achievement that manages that rare feat of entertaining even as it informs.

To order from Amazon click here

Brando in the 1962 remake of Mutiny on the Bounty.

The Screen Rant web site has an article by Vic Holtreman titled The Top Five Rules for Movie Remakes. Most of his observations are right on the money. Click here to read and see if you agree

By Lee Pfeiffer

Actor Pernell Roberts, who died recently at age 81, was never part of the Hollywood scene to any great degree. He always walked to his own beat, as evidenced by his leaving Bonanza in 1965 when the show was #1 in the ratings. He rarely gave interviews and I can never recall him sitting down as a guest on a talk show. This air of mystery always made him seem more interesting than other actors who would show up to cut the ribbon at a local supermarkets grand opening if it got them in the spotlight for a few seconds. Author Gary S. Chafetz, who writes political books, was once an aspiring actor in the 1960s. He writes a moving column about a side of Roberts most of us never knew and how Roberts consistently went to bat to help a young actor he probably knew would never succeed.  To read click here

Better days: Torn gave an acclaimed performance in the 1970s cult film Payday.

Notorious bad boy Rip Torn is at it again. The brilliant character actor has had a long battle with the bottle, which has often led to embarrassing public incidents and arrests. However, over the weekend, Torn's behavior resulted in an incident that could have serious ramifications for him. He was alleged to have been found inside a Connecticut bank he supposedly broke into and was in possession of a firearm. Police say he was also intoxicated. Torn is being held on $100,000 bail. For more click here

In a breakthrough moment in the entertainment industry, a female director has won the coveted Directors Guild of America award. Kathryn Bigelow was honored for her work on the Iraq War film The Hurt Locker. The award makes her a favorite to win the Best Director Oscar, which- in -turn- generally means her film will win Best Picture. There have only been six occasions since 1948 when the DGA winner didn't get the Oscar for directing. Adding drama to the decision was the fact that Bigelow was competing against ex-husband James Cameron, whose Avatar is now the top-grossing film of all time. Cameron is also considered to be a shoo-in for a Best Director Oscar nomination. For more click here

Dear Cinema Retro,
 
I absolutely love the Where Eagles Dare Special Tribute Issue. It is the best behind the scenes history of a film magazine that I have ever seen. I hope that this will be the first of many special film tribute issues that you will release in the future. May I suggest that the following films would make for very interesting special tribute issues in the future.
 
                                                    1. Bullitt
                                                    2. The Great Escape
                                                    3. Kelly's Heroes
                                                    4. The Magnificent Seven
                                                    5. The Wild Bunch
 
I hope that you will seriously consider my suggestions for future special film tribute editions. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Jay Barrick

Retro responds: Thanks for the kind words, Jay. We really appreciate all the support that our readers gave us for the Where Eagles Dare issue. We especially appreciate the efforts of over twenty contributors from around the world to make this issue a reality. Your suggestions are all great ones and are on our "must do" list. We're now researching for a major article on Kelly's Heroes for a future edition of the magazine, though it won't be a Movie Classics special. As for The Great Escape, we did some extensive coverage on the making of the film in Cinema Retro issue#1, which is still available as a back issue. Stay tuned for some announcements regarding our most ambitious project ever, the forthcoming Movie Classics special on the Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone Dollars films that will include an abundance of rare photos, including some that have never been published before. Meanwhile, if you don't have Where Eagles Dare issue, supplies are rapidly dwindling. Click here for ordering info.
 
                                                                                                

An alert from reader Wes Britton:

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Bill Marx will be the featured guest on KSAV’s broadcast of “Dave White Presents.” Bill will discuss life with his famous father (Harpo Marx), his famous mother (the girl with the “Million Dollar Legs”), his legendary uncles (Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, Gummo), not to mention Bill’s own musical career which included working with his Dad. And, of course, we’ll talk about Bill’s new book, Son of Harpo Speaks, now available as an audiobook Bill read himself for Bear Manor Media. You don’t have to be a Marx Brothers fan to enjoy this one—Bill Marx is more than entertaining in his own right!

Competing with Bill for your smiles and laughs will be one Dave White who promises to be more “predictably unpredictable” than usual, if that’s possible. We’ll hear a new “Poor David’s Almanac,” comic songs from years past, and new products from Dave’s questionable sponsors. 

Altogether, this will be a very special occasion not only due to our guest of honor, but because, for the very first time, listeners can catch the debut airing of the 90 minutes of variety entertainment at one of two times. Starting with this program, “Dave White Presents” will air at 7:30 p.m. EST and then later at 7:30, Pacific Time over—

www.KSAV.org

As always, if you’re busy Tuesday evening, the program will become available for 24/7 download access on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at—

www.audioentertainment.org/dwp

So there’s no reason to miss this one—you bet your life!

(Click here to read Nick Thomas' exclusive interview with Bill Marx for Cinema Retro)

Warner Brothers will become the only  Hollywood movie company to have their own major studio in the UK when it buys Leavesden Studios on the outskirts of London. The company will spend up to $100 million to purchase and revamp the former Rolls Royce factory which became an unlikely movie studio in 1995 when Eon Productions shot most of the James Bond movie GoldenEye. Bond production designer Peter Lamont and his team performed a Herculean task in making the conversion to a working studio. Since then, many major feature films have been shot there. Warner Brothers, which will be a major competitor to Pinewood Studios, intends to make the public welcome by offering tours and other events. For more click here

Season 6 of Cinema Retro begins with issue #16,which has now been mailed to all subscribers in North America and other non-European territories as of today. As always, subscribers get the latest issue in advance of retail shops. Due to particularly heavy demand for this issue, we won't know for a while whether we will have any individual copies of #16 for sale. As of this moment, it is only available from us on a subscription basis.  

As a courtesy to subscribers, when a new season starts we reserve a copy of the latest issue in anticipation of your renewal. If you have not renewed from last season yet, please be aware that as of today, we are no longer keeping an issue reserved for you. Due to very heavy demand, the present inventory of issue #16 will be sold on a "first-come,first-serve" subscription basis. As always, we are especially thankful to our subscribers, without whom this magazine would not exist.

  Highlights of this issue are as follows:

• The making of the lesbian-themed Hammer horror film Lust for a Vampire with an abundance of rare and provocative photos.
• Exclusive interview with director Norman Jewison, who gives the inside story on the making of such classics as In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof and The Thomas Crown Affair.
• Exclusive interview! James Caan recalls A Bridge Too Far and The Killer Elite
• Exclusive! The full inside story of the making of Errol Flynn's ill-fated adventure epic William Tell. In an interview with the film's director, the late Jack Cardiff, the inside story is revealed about why Flynn's comeback project was stopped in mid-filming. There is an abundance of never-before-seen photos from the production.
• Producer David V. Picker relates the making of the 1970s disaster film Juggernaut starring Richard Harris and Omar Sharif.
• Celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Godfather Part II - and making the case why it's an even better film than the original
• Exclusive! Acclaimed character actor Joe Turkel recalls making films with Stanley Kubrick including Paths of Glory and The Shining, as well as other film classics such as The Sand Pebbles and Blade Runner.
• Exclusive! Shirley Anne Field recalls making the cult hits These Are the Damned and Doctor in Clover.
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. feature films series continues with How to Steal the World starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum
• Raymond Benson's 10 best films of 1975
• plus the usual news about DVD releases, soundtrack albums and movie books

And you’re right to say the latest Miriam DVDs of El Cid and Roman Empire are excellent – but dear oh dear ! Why did they put the Intermission Music on the end of the first disc ? They clearly didn’t understand how these movies were shown. The intermission music is the Overture to the second half, not the playout to the first. Which makes it impossible to play the Intermission music, dim the lights and open the curtains (assuming you have them, which of course I do !) and go straight into the movie. Grrr !!!

 Sadly none of the above area as good as the LD versions (which I also have, of course).

Dick Budgen (UK)

Johnny Seven, a character actor who appeared in countless TV series and feature films, has died at age 83. Among his credits: Ironside, Bonanza, CHIPS, Sgt. Bilko, Gunsmoke, The Apartment and the Western Navajo Run, which he wrote produced and directed. In recent years, he ran a successful real estate business. For details click here

John Williams' terrific soundtrack to the 1977 classic thriller Black Sunday has been issued as a limited edition CD by Film Score Monthly. The film was directed by John Frankenheimer and starred Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller and Fritz Weaver. For more info click here

Phil

Retro responds: Thanks for the tip, Phil. The Weinstein Company owns the rights to the Samuel Bronston films they did a magnificent job of releasing both El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire as deluxe DVD editions, packed with extras. The plan was to also release 55 Days at Peking and Circus World, but to date, they have not appeared. By the way, if you search under these titles on Amazon, you'll see some DVDs come up. Be wary: the ones that say "all region" are bootlegs and the quality can be something to be desired. It appears as though Peking was released on DVD officially, but apparently never in an English-speaking country.

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I'm happy that you mentioned the upcoming broadcast of 55 Days at Peking on TCM. Like you, I really like that film, too, and think it's terribly underrated. I have an Asian DVD of the film which, while it isn't perfect, at least is in the correct 2:35 ratio and anamorphic as well.

The film has a fascinating and very troubled production history. The original director Nicholas Ray (who does a cameo as the American ambassador in the film) was fired after several weeks of shooting when he suffered a heart attack after taking speed to cure his alcoholism. he was replaced by Andrew Marton, who was already working on the film as the second unit director for the action sequences, which is the reason why the action sequences are so good. (I read an interview with Marton in which he said his first day as the main director was the ball sequence that Heston and Ava Gardner attend together in the film) Gardner, who was also heavily drinking at the time,walked off the film the day after character actor Paul Lukas called her out about her habit in front of the crew. This is why there's no final death scene between her and Heston in the film, as there was in the original script (which, of course, was written by several writers - credited and uncredited)

Sergio Mims

Retro responds: Thanks for the insights, Sergio. The film was clearly a troubled production and set in motion the decline of Bronstan's career. He was a good filmmaker but a terrible businessman. Still, Peking makes for magnificent entertainment. It makes true the cliche that "they don't make 'em like that anymore". 

Click here to order deluxe collector's DVD edition of El Cid. (Click here for review)

Click here to order deluxe collector's DVD edition of The Fall of the Roman Empire

Zelda Rubinstein, who played the eccentric psychic in Poltergeist, has died at age 76. For more click here. For more details about her life and career, check out Kasey Dickerson's tribute here.

Kritzerland Records has released a very limited edition (1,000 copies) CD of Ernest Gold's classic soundtrack for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The CD is a remastering of the original vinyl album along with bonus tracks never released before. This will sell out quickly! To order click here

By Dave Worrall

Clint Eastwood’s son Kyle, a well-respected jazz musician in his own right, has collaborated with Michael Stevens to produce a terrific score for Invictus. However, ‘Dad’ lends a hand, and the opening song ‘9,000 Day’s was written by Eastwood Sr along with Stevens and even has lyrics by Dina Eastwood (Clint’s wife) – talk about keeping it in the family! The result is a highly impressive CD soundtrack release. This is a magnificent score, and unlike Eastwood’s previous forays on Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Changeling and Gran Torino - which were dramatic, dark and moody - this music, like the film itself, is really uplifting. There are several songs in the film, all performed by Overtone a South African acapella band that was discovered by Dina Eastwood, who saw them in a show in Cape Town while her husband was filming Invictus. The soundtrack is a blend of traditional South African music mixed with an almost tribal chant/drum beat sound and orchestral overtures. It’s powerful stuff, with vocalist Yollandi Nortjie sounding very much (on ‘9,000 Days’) like Jamie Cullum’s song for Gran Torino , with  similar jazzy, bluesy vibes. As in previous films, Clint Eastwood delivers one of his simplistic piano-based themes but this time (in ‘Invictus Theme’) it is accompanied by a wonderful trumpet underscore which, for this writer, is so reminiscent of the legendary Chet Baker, and is a joy to hear. Kyle Eastwood and composer Michael Stevens have, once again, produced a great sounding score – this time one that perfectly blends a beautiful haunting cinematic theme with that of South African traditional music. Highly recommended – and one of my favourite Eastwood scores to date.

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By Lee Pfeiffer

Given the fact that the new medical drama Extraordinary Measures has received decidedly ordinary reviews, I wasn't particularly enthralled about seeing it. However, big screen appearances by Harrison Ford (who was executive producer on the film) are as rare as hen's teeth nowadays, so I thought I'd give it a try. The movie is the first to be released by CBS Films, the theatrical side of the TV network. The company intends to make modesty-budgeted films for wide audiences. The jury is still out as to whether the venture will succeed (Extraordinary Measures opened softly at the boxoffice). However, from an artistic standpoint, the company deserves praise for concentrating on stream-lined films that appeal to the intelligence of the audience, instead of bloated blockbusters. More importantly, the film - which has received modest praise for being workmanlike - is actually a completely engrossing and moving story that is wonderfully enacted under the direction of newcomer Tom Vaughan.

CINEMA RETRO HAS RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE THAT WILL BE OF INTEREST TO ALL SILENT FILM FANS:

The Kansas Silent Film Festival is back for its 14^th year Friday night - February 26^th and all day Saturday – February 27^th, 2010 at White Concert Hall on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. As with all previous events, admission is free and open to the public. Kansas City film historian, Denise Morrison will provide introductions for the films to be presented, providing an overview of the silent film era and the artists who created them.

    Festival staff are very excited to announce this year’s special guest -  Melissa Talmadge Cox, Buster Keaton’s granddaughter, who will introduce her favorite of her grandfather’s films, OUR HOSPITALITY. The film was a family affair, with both Melissa’s grandparents as the stars (Buster Keaton and Natalie Talmadge), her great- grandfather (Joe Keaton) and her father (James Keaton) have small roles. This will be a spectacular presentation with live orchestral accompaniment and will open the festival on Friday night, February 26^th.

   Quite rightly called Buster Keaton's “neglected masterpiece”, OUR HOSPITALITY (1923) has long been overshadowed by Keaton's better known films (THE GENERAL, THE NAVIGATOR and SHERLOCK JR). Keaton plays Willie McKay, who is caught in the middle of a bitter family feud (ala the Hatfields and the McCoys). The film features Heaton’s trademark deadpan comedy in addition to some amazing stunts. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra of Boulder, Colorado – a staple of the Kansas Silent Film Festival and a favorite with fans for over a decade.

   Starting off on the evening will be short films from comedy greats, Laurel and hardy (ANGORA LOVE -1929) and Charlie Chaplin (THE VAGABOND -1916). The program will begin Friday evening at 7 pm.   

   The Festival resumes Saturday morning, February 27^th at 10:00 am with an assortment of silent short films. Leading off is one of the earliest films in the Festival schedule, RESCUED BY ROVER (1905) - the first film in which a dog takes the lead, propels the story and becomes the hero. Rounding out the morning line-up is THE IRON MULE (1925) - featuring Al St. John who started his career in movies as a comedic sidekick to his uncle, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and THUNDERING FLEAS (1926) - with Our Gang and an all-star cast of Hal Roach regulars besieged by….fleas! The morning music for these films will be provided by Jeff Rapsis at the piano and Greg Foreman at the organ.       

   THE MAGIC CLOCK (1928), an amazing fantasy film from one of the pioneers in stop-motion puppet animation will conclude the morning and features a charming  musical score by the Mont Alto Orchestra.

   After a lunch break, the films continue at 1:30pm with FLAMING FATHERS (1927) featuring Max Davidson, the irresistible ethnic comedian who made gem after gem in the short comedy field, but is almost forgotten today. Directed by Stan Laurel and Leo McCarey, this is a classic example of how one gag builds upon another and no gag is left unused. Coming all the way from his home state of New Hampshire, Jeff Rapsis will contribute a delightful piano score.

   The first Saturday afternoon feature, THE MATRIMANIAC (1916) stars Douglas Fairbanks and Constance Talmadge and features organ music by Marvin Faulwell. This movie really MOVES! There are more laughs and thrills packed into this film's 46 minutes than most films can show with twice the running time.

KING OF THE WORLD!

Pernell Roberts, the last remaining cast member of Bonanza, has died from cancer at age 81. Roberts played the role of Adam, brother of Dan Blocker and Michael Landon, on the smash hit TV series between 1959 and 1965. He felt frustrated that his character was never fully developed and thought it was ridiculous that a man in his 30s would constantly defer to his father's (Lorne Greene) wishes. Like so many other stars who left hit TV series, Roberts' career stagnated for many years. However, in 1979 he was back in a hit, playing the title role of Trapper John, M.D., based on a character from the M*A*S*H TV series. The show lasted until 1986. For more click here