RIP: Ryan O’Neal

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Ryan O’Neal died on December 8, 2023.  Mr. O’Neal was 82.  No cause of death was given.

Ryan O’Neal’s mother, Patricia Ruth O’Callaghan, was an actress,  His father, Charles O’Neal, a  novelist and screenwriter.  While in high school Ryan O’Neal was a Golden Gloves boxer.  Later, while still in high school, Ryan O’Neal’s family moved to Munich, Germany when his father got a job writing for a television series.  His mother got Ryan a job as a stand-in.  Soon he was working as a stand-in and stuntman.  This led to Ryan O’Neal’s career in acting.  He would continue to act on television and feature films for the rest of his career.

Ryan O’Neal’s Awards include:

  • 1971 Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor for Love Story
  • 1971 Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for Love Story
  • 1974 Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) for Paper Moon
  • 2021: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Motion Pictures)

Some of Ryan O’Neal’s television projects include: The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis; The Untouchables; Laramie; Westinghouse Playhouse (3 episodes); Leave It To Beaver; My Three Sons; Empire (31 episodes); The Virginian; Perry Mason; Wagon Train; Peyton Place (501 episodes); Small Sacrifices; Good Sports (15 episodes); 1775; The Larry Sanders Show (2 episodes); Bull (6 episodes); Miss Match (18 episodes); Desperate Housewives; 90210 (3 episodes) and Bones (24 episodes).

Some of Ryan O’Neal’s feature film projects include: The Big Bounce; Love Story; Wild Rovers; What’s Up, Doc?; Paper Moon; Barry Lyndon; Nickelodeon; A Bridge Too Far; The Driver; Oliver’s Story; The Main Event; Tough Guys Don’t Dance; An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn and Zero Effect.

I have fond memories of going to The Wild Rovers starring William Holden, Ryan O’Neal and Karl Malden.  I was 12 and went by myself to the theater.  My favorite Ryan O’Neal performance is in Paper Moon.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ryan O’Neal’s family, friends and fans.

Rare “Son of Frankenstein” Make-Up Test Video with Boris Karloff & Jack Pierce!

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During a 1939 Son of Frankenstein color test, Boris Karloff clowns in full monster gear, strangling legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.

According to the documentary Universal Horror (1998), Son of Frankenstein was intended to be shot in color and some Technicolor test footage was filmed, but for artistic or budgetary reasons the plan was abandoned.

No color test footage is known to survive, but this rare clip from a Kodachrome color home movie filmed at the studio shows Boris Karloff in the green monster makeup, clowning around with makeup artist Jack Pierce (Janus Piccoula).

“Tarzan’s Desert Mystery” (1943) starring Johnny Weissmuller / Z-View

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Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943)

Director:  Wilhelm Thiele

Screenplay: Edward T. Lowe Jr. based on a story by Carroll Young based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Stars: Johnny Weissmuller, Nancy Kelly, Johnny Sheffield, Otto Kruger, Joe Sawyer, Lloyd Corrigan, Philip Van Zandt, Bobby Barber, Frank Faylen, Nestor Paiva and John Dehner

Tagline: THRILL AFTER AMAZING THRILL…as savage hordes…inflamed by crafty foes…hunt down TARZAN and the lovely maiden he is guarding!

The Plot…

Tarzan (Weissmuller), along with Boy and Cheetah, is on a mercy mission to deliver a serum that will save service members wounded in the war.  His errand will take him across the desert.  Along the way, Tarzan meets Connie Bryce (Kelly).  Connie is a performer who has been entertaining the troops.  Connie has a secret message she is to deliver to an Arab king.  When foreign agents attempt to kill Connie, Tarzan comes to the rescue… along with Boy and Cheetah.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery is Johnny Weissmuller’s 8th outing as the Lord of the Jungle.  He would make at total of 12 Tarzan movies.

Ben Johnson, who would become a star himself and an Academy Award winner (1972 – Best Supporting Actor in The Last Picture Show), was Johnny Weissmuller’s stunt double for the horse sequences.

I have fond memories of watching Tarzan movies, especially this one, with my grandpa.  He particularly got a kick out of the last scene when Nazis finally get someone on the radio.  They think they are talking to Hitler and get up to salute.  It’s actually Cheetah they’re talking to.

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Mayhem!” – The Trailer is Here!

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I like the looks of Mayhem!  I just hope the violence doesn’t get too graphic.

Opening in theatres January 5.

Starring: Nassim Lyes, Loryn Nounay, Olivier Gourmet
Director: Xavier Gens

A martial artist and ex-con Sam (Nassim Lyes) starts a new life in Thailand to escape a local gang lord, but a kidnapped family member sucks him back into the underworld he’d left behind in this propulsive action spectacle.

“Rumpus in the Harem” (1956) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Rumpus in the Harem (1956)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Felix Adler, Jack White

Stars: Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Vernon Dent and Everett Brown

Tagline: Ha-Ha-Harem Hi-Hi-Hijinks!

The Plot…

The boys are diner owners whose customers end up wearing more food than they eat.  After the boys learn that their girls need money to pay off debts, the overhear two crooks discussing the whereabouts of a stolen diamond. Shemp, Larry and Moe decide to recover and return the gem for a reward.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rumpus in the Harem is a reboot of Malice in the Palace.  Rumpus in the Harem was the first to make use of a “fake Shemp” for new scenes.

Rumpus in the Harem earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” starring Donald Glover & Maya Erskine – The Trailer is Here!

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Mr. & Mrs. Smith looks like fun.

Deal me in.

Two lonely strangers land a job working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. & Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier, espionage or marriage? Mr. & Mrs. Smith Premieres on Prime Video February 2nd, 2024.

“The Brothers Sun” starring Justin Chien, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Song Li – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

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I like the looks of The Brothers Sun.  Since it is on Netflix, it’s a no-brainer to check it out.

Blood runs in the family.

When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin, his eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) — who’s been completely sheltered from the truth of his family until now.

But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles and Bruce must figure out what brotherhood and family truly means before someone takes them out.

Streaming only on Netflix January 4th, 2024.

“For Crimin’ Out Loud” (1956) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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For Crimin’ Out Loud (1956)

Director:  Jules White, Edward Bernds (stock footage)

Writer: Felix Adler, story by Edward Bernds

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka

Tagline: None

The Plot…

When Councilman John Goodrich (Sitka) receives a note from a serial killer saying Goodrich will be his next victim, he hires our boys to guard him.  When our guys arrive they are greeted by Goodrich’s niece who says her uncle is missing.  Little do Larry, Moe and Shemp know, but the niece and her two accomplices are behind this!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

For Crimin’ Out Loud is a reboot of the Stooges’ 1949 short, Who Done It?.  They shot a new opening scene and the rest uses scenes from Who Done It?.

Who Done It? is one of my favorite Shemp shorts.  It contains the mansion with hidden panels, a scary looking monster/creep and the hijinks that come when our boys are running for their lives from room to room.

Moe sprained his ankle crashing through a door and so in scenes where he’s limping, the limp is real!

For Crimin’ Out Loud (1956) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: Norman Lear

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Norman Lear died on December 5, 2023.  Mr. Lear was 101.

Norman Lear dropped out of college to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.  After the war, Norman Lear worked in public relations, door to door sales, as he worked to sell comedy sketches for celebrities such as Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and Rowan & Martin.  This led to offers to write and direct.  Mr. Lear would go on to write, direct and produce both for television and feature films for the rest of his career.

Norman Lear’s Awards include:

  • 1968 Academy Award Nomination for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for Divorce American Style
  • 1975 Star on the Walk of Fame Winner for Television
  • 1977 Peabody Lifetime achievement Award
  • 1984: Television Academy Hall of Fame Award
  • 1985 Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special for Heartsounds
  • 1991 Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Informational Special for All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special
  • 1999 National Medal of Arts Winner
  • 2017: Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2019 Primetime Emmy Win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’
  • 2020 Primetime Emmy Win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Good Times’
  • 2022 Primetime Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘The Facts of Life’ and ‘Diff’rent Strokes’

Some of Norman Lear’s television projects include: The Martha Raye Show (18 episodes); Bobby Darin and Friends; The Danny Kaye Special; Henry Fonda and the Family; The Andy Williams Special; The Andy Williams Show (3 episodes); Steptoe and Son; Robert Young and the Family; Hot L Baltimore (13 episodes); Grady (10 episodes); Sanford & Son (135 episodes); Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (325 episodes); The Nancy Walker Show (11 episodes); Maude (141 episodes); All in the Family (207 episodes); Good Times (133 episodes); Palmerstown, USA (17 episodes); Square Pegs (20 episodes); Archie Bunker’s Place (97 episodes); Gloria (22 episodes); aka Pablo (2 episodes); One Day at a Time (209 episodes); Mama Malone (13 episodes); Heartsounds; The Jeffersons (253 episodes); Silver Spoons (116 episodes); The Facts of Life (201 episodes); 227 (116 episodes); All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special; Sunday Dinner (6 episodes); The Powers that Be (21 episodes); 704 Hauser (2 episodes); America Divided (4 episodes); Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ and One Day at a Time (2017 – 46 episodes).

Some of Norman Lear’s feature film projects include: Come Blow Your Horn; Divorce American Style; The Night They Raided Minsky’s; Start the Revolution Without Me; Cold Turkey; The Princess Bride and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Norman Lear was the creator/producer of some of the most popular and influential television programs of my lifetime.  I was a fan and regularly watched All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Good Times and The Jeffersons. These programs were not only very funny, but often left viewers with something to think about.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Norman Lear’s family, friends and fans.

“Masters of the Air” – The Trailer is Here!

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I said it before and I’ll say it again, “Deal me in!”

From the executive producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific comes Masters of the Air. The 9-part series event premieres January 26 https://apple.co/_MastersOfTheAir

Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name, and scripted by John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.

The series features a stellar cast led by Academy Award nominee Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle and Nate Mann, who are joined by Raff Law, Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook and Ncuti Gatwa.

Hailing from Apple Studios, “Masters of the Air” is executive produced by Steven Spielberg through Amblin Television, and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Playtone. Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey co-executive produce alongside Playtone’s Steven Shareshian. In addition to writing, Orloff co-executive produces. Graham Yost also serves as co-executive producer. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Tim Van Patten serve as directors.