Category: Movies

Eva Marie Saint died yesterday from natural causes.  Ms. Saint was 102.

Eva Marie Saint graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she studied acting.  While there Ms. Saint was a member of Theta Alpha Phi, the theater honorary fraternity.  She also earned the lead in the stage production of Personal Appearance.

Eva Marie Saint began her career as a page for NBC.  A role on the television show Campus Hoopla followed.  Eva Marie Saint appeared in Life Magazine twice before becoming a star.  The first time was in a photograph in an essay about television.  The second time Ms. Saint was profiled as a struggling actress trying to make it.

Eva Marie Saint began getting roles and good notices for her acting.  In 1954, Ms. Saint won the Outer Critics Circle Special Award for her Broadway role in The Trip to Bountiful.  In 1955, she nominated for her first Emmy Award for “Best Actress In A Single Performance” for her role on The Philco Television Playhouse production of Middle of the Night by Paddy Chayefsky. She won another Emmy nomination for the 1955 television musical version of Our Town.  In between, these two awards Eva Marie Saint co-starred with Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront.  This role won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Eva Marie Saint’s career spanned 75 years on stage, television and feature films.

Some of Eva Marie Saint’s television performances include: A Christmas Carol; Kraft Mystery Theater; The Chevrolet Tele-Theater; Lights Out; Suspense; Actor’s Studio (4 episodes); The Clock (3 episodes); Buck Rogers (3 episodes); The Prudential Family Playhouse (2 episodes); One Man’s Family (12 episodes); City Hosital; Man Against Crime; A Trip to Bountiful; The Web (2 episodes); Martin Kane, Private Eye (40 episodes); Studio One (3 episodes); Goodyear Television Playhouse (2 episodes); The Philco Television Playhouse (5 episodes); Producer’s Playhouse (2 episodes); The First Woman President; How the West Was Won (4 episodes); The Love Boat (2 episodes); Love Leads the Way; Fatal Vision; A Year in the Life (3 episodes); Breaking Home Ties; Moonlighting (6 episodes); American Masters; Titanic (2 episodes); Fraiser and The Legend of Korra (5 episodes).

Some of Eva Marie Saint’s feature film appearances include: On the Waterfront; A Hatful of Rain; Raintree County; North By Northwest; Exodus; All Fall Down; 36 Hours; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; Grand Prix; Superman Returns and Mariette in Ecstasy.

My favorite Eva Marie Saint roles are in On the Waterfront and North by Northwest.  She was so good in both (and everything she did).

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eva Marie Saint’s family, friends and fans.

Marjoe Gortner died on October 2nd from congestive heart failure.

Marjoe was born into a family that had a long line of preachers.  His father, Vernon Gortner, was a third-generation Christian revival preacher.  Marjoe’s name was a combination of the biblical names Mary and Joseph.  As a small child Marjoe had the ability to mimick adults.  They trained him in what to say and what gestures to make as his spoke.  Marjoe’s parents had him ordained at the age of four.  Marjoe became a hit on the revival circuit.

As an adult Marjoe came forward to decry his days as a child preacher.  Marjoe exposed the lies, fake “healing” items, and scams perpetrated on the unsuspecting public.  Marjo went so far to participate in Marjoe, an exposé documentary which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The success of the documentary opened opportunities for Marjoe to act.  Marjoe began his acting career in 1973 with a role in the pilot for Kojak.  For the remainer of his career Marjoe acted on television and feature films.

Some of Marjoe Gortner’s television performances include: The Marcus-Nelson Murders; Barnaby Jones; Medical Center; Police Story (2 episodes); Viva Knievel; Laugh-In (2 episodes); Fantasy Island (2 episodes); The A-Team; Matt Houston; Streethawk; Otherworld; Airwolf; T.J. Hooker (2 episodes); Hotel; Half Nelson and Falcon Crest (17 episodes).

Some of Marjoe Gortner’s feature film appearances include: Earthquake; Bobbie Joe & the Outlaw; The Food of the Gods; Starcrash; American Ninja 3: Bloodhunt and Wild Bill.

I first became aware of Marjoe Gorter in the movie Earthquake.  He played a psycho Nationalguardsman.  His most famous role was probably in Bobby Jo & the Outlaw.  He played the outlaw and Bobbie Jo was played by a pre-Wonder Woman Linda Carter.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marjoe Gortner’s family, friends and fans.