Category: Celebs

Very Rare “First Blood” Poster by Drew Struzan with Stallone & Kirk Douglas!

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This comes to us from my collection. It is a rare advertisement for First Blood from when the project was first promoted. Yep, Kirk Douglas was set to play Colonel Trautman. 

Douglas left the production when he learned that the original ending (in which Douglas’ character killed Rambo) had been changed to allow Rambo to live.  Richard Crenna was brought in and the rest, as they say is history.

The great Drew Struzan did the poster!

– Craig

Click on the photo to see a bigger version.

Larry Cohen – RIP

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Larry Cohen, the writer – director – producer who made his mark in television and feature films, has died at the age of 77.

I first became aware of Mr. Cohen when he wrote and directed the low-budget horror cult classic It’s Alive.  After that I saw Cohen’s name pop-up from time to time but it wasn’t until Cohen’s adaption of Mickey Spillane’s I, the Jury that I really began to take notice.

Cohen’s I, the Jury, directed by Richard T. Heffron starred Armand Assante as Mike Hammer.  That film really hit a sweet-spot for me.  As I learned more about the people behind the making of the film I discovered that Cohen had created two television series that I loved as a kid: Branded and The Invaders!

Cohen broke into the business writing for television creating scripts for The Fugitive, The Rat Patrol, Custer (3 shows I loved as a kid) and many other series.  He went on to create Branded and The Invaders.  Cohen’s tv work led to theatrical films where he wrote and directed Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Q and others.

Had Cohen just been known for Branded or The Invaders or I, the Jury, his impact on my youth would have warranted a mention here, but to think that he did those and so much more…

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Larry Cohen’s family, friends and fans.

The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Trailer is Here with a bit of Controversy

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How about this trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?

It didn’t take long for some fans to start complaining about Brad Pitt’s character getting the best of Bruce Lee.  My thoughts: If it is rehearsal for a film, then, “Ok”.  Maybe Lee’s character is scripted to lose.  But if the scene is supposed to be a real fight, then, “No way.”

Then again, that’s not really Bruce Lee, so why the worry? Once Upon a Time in Hollywood isn’t a documentary, and with a title that begins with Once Upon a Time we shouldn’t expect one.

At any rate, here’s the trailer.

Josh Greathouse’s Art Book!

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Joshua Greathouse has a new art book featuring covers, sketches, paintings and a preview of his next series Unprofessional coming out.  Enlightenment is now on Kickstarter.

If you click over to give it a look, you’ll get a glimpse of the Get Carter piece that Greathouse did for me.  I’d think that for many readers of this site, the Stallone art would be enough to support Josh’s Kickstarter.  ; )

Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola and “The Godfather”

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Francis Ford Coppola has written a new introduction for the 50th anniversary edition of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather and Entertainment Weekly has posted it.

The new intro is worth a read for fans of the book or movie.  Here are a few tidbits:

  • Coppola didn’t want to direct The Godfather until his second reading of the novel.
  • Most of Don Corleone’s most memorable lines were really spoken by Puzo’s mother!
  • Puzo advised Coppola to never associate with real gangsters! (Which leads to an interesting “encounter” with John Gotti.)
  • Puzo didn’t like the idea of Michael having Fredo killed.
  • It was Talia Shire (Adrian in Rocky!) who came up with the idea of Michael’s wife having a secret abortion and then telling him.
  • Both Coppola and Puzo wanted the third film to be called The Death of Michael Corleone.

 Entertainment Weekly’s post is worth a read and so is Puzo’s novel!

Jan-Michael Vincent: RIP

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It was reported today that Jan-Michael Vincent died on February 10th of cardiac arrest in Asheville, North Carolina.  Vincent was 74 and hadn’t acted in nearly two decades due to battles with drugs and alcohol and the results of two car crashes (1996 and 2008) that left him with damaged vocal cords and an amputated leg.  It was a sad end to a career that started with such promise.

I first took notice of Jan-Michael Vincent when he appeared as Link in the Danger Island segments of The Banana Splits.  Vincent then had the starring role in the TV movie The Tribe.  A couple of years later Vincent co-starred with Charles Bronson in the theatrical release The Mechanic.  He followed that up with a starring role as The World’s Greatest Athlete from Disney.

With his good looks and easy manner, Vincent was on the verge of a long career starring in theatrical films.  Sadly, it just wasn’t to be.  Still Vincent had a strong presence and starred or co-starred in films such as Baby Blue Marine, White Line Fever, Big Wednesday and Hooper (with Burt Reynolds).  His best known television projects included The Winds of War mini-series and a starring role in the tv series Airwolfe.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jan-Michael Vincent’s family, friends and fans.