Icons Radio Hour

David Ladd son of actor ALAN LADD

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0400

“If you can figure out my success on the screen, you’re a better man than I.” – Alan Ladd

Though he stood only 5’7”, Alan Ladd loomed large on the silver screen. Or, as in such classic Westerns as “Whispering Smith” (1948) and especially “Shane” (1953), very Tall in the Saddle. Ladd’s short stature was compensated by his deep baritone voice and an onscreen presence that commanded attention. Cliché though it sounds, when Alan Ladd entered a scene, he dominated it. Hero, villain or everyman caught in extraordinary circumstances, Ladd convincingly filled the bill. Offscreen, Ladd was a modest, self-assuming man who was never affected by his stardom. He remained gracious to his fans, never refusing a request for an autograph. His professional kindness and generosity was noted when Ladd was twice awarded the Golden Apple (1944 and 1950) for Most Cooperative Actor. Yet sadly, Ladd suffered from his own personal demons borne of deep insecurities and a not particularly happy childhood. In a 1961 interview when Ladd was asked, "What would you change about yourself if you could?", he replied tersely: "Everything."

Yet onscreen there was rarely another actor who could convey such cool and complete confidence.

Alan Ladd first gained a reputation as a movie tough guy when he appeared fourth-billed as the hired gunman Raven in the noir classic “This Gun for Hire” (1942). His cold and calculated killer tracking down the men who betrayed him stole the show from the picture’s official stars. Following his success in that film, the previously struggling Ladd went under contract to Paramount where he became one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws during World War II. His smooth, deep voice was also heard on many radio programs of the time, where after the broadcast he was often mobbed by fans. He was also one of the very few male celebrities whose cover photos sold movie magazines. In 1943, “Modern Screen" magazine ran sixteen stories on him in its twelve issues that year. So great was his popularity, in fact, that he held the unique distinction of being “starred” in a comic book series “The Adventures of Alan Ladd”. In his film work, Ladd was probably most noted for his pairings with the sultry and equally diminutive Veronica Lake, in such mysteries as “The Glass Key” (1942) and “The Blue Dahlia” (1946). After a career slump following too many routine roles in mediocre movies, like “Wild Harvest” (1947), “Saigon” (1948) and “Chicago Deadline” (1950), Ladd made a spectacular comeback as “Shane” in the film of the same name. His mysterious, ultra-cool former gunfighter who outdraws Jack Palance in the film’s famous climactic shootout became one of the foremost iconic figures of Western mythology. Ladd’s “comeback” was recognized when he was voted Most Popular Star at the 1953 Photoplay Awards. “Shane” proved a hard act to follow for the actor. While Ladd could never again recapture the success he enjoyed from that movie, he could take pride in the fact that he had created an unforgettable character through which his popularity continues to endure.

Ladd had his final screen triumph when he played the part of aging former cowboy Nevada Smith in “The Carpetbaggers” (1964). Fans and critics praised Ladd’s performance in the oft-panned film and predicted a new career for him as a solid character actor. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Alan Ladd died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and sedatives on January 29, 1964.

Francesca Robinson Grand Daughter of EDWARD G ROBINSON

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Born Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania in 1893, Robinson immigrated to the United States at the age of 9 with his family, settling in New York's Lower East Side. After earning his degree from City College of New York, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship. A noted linguist, he spoke 9 languages fluently and was an accomplished public speaker.

Robinson began performing using his new name in 1913. Over the next seventeen years, he appeared in 40 plays both on and off Broadway and was a member of the famed Theater Guild. In 1927, he captured the notice of Hollywood with his powerful performance in the Broadway play " The Racket." He also enjoyed a long run on the popular CBS weekly radio show, "Big Town," and made many acclaimed dramatic television appearances.

But he is probably best remembered for his work in the motion picture industry. His film debut was in the silent film "The Bright Shawl" (1923) and his first sound film was "The Hole in the Wall" (1929) with Claudette Colbert. Robinson won international fame for his vivid performance as Gangster Enrico Bandello in "Little Caesar" (1930), creating a prototype for American gangster portrayals. His last line, "Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Rico?" is one of the most famous lines in cinema history.

Robinson became one of the most sucessful leading men in the 1930's and early 1940's in such classics as "The Woman in the Window," "A Dispatch from Reuters," "The Sea Wolf'" "Double Indemnity," and his own personal favorite, "Dr. Erlich's Magic Bullet" (1940). He created another notable gangster in "Key Largo" (1948) opposite Bogart and Bacall, and co-starred in Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head" (1959). He received the Cannes Film Festival award as Best Actor for "House of Strangers" (1949). Many feel he stole "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965) as the world-weary, experienced poker player who takes on Steve McQueen, and was deeply moving in his last film role, "Soylent Green" (1973).

A noted philanthropist, Robinson contributed to hundreds of relief and entertainment agencies and cultural and religious groups, and received the prestigious Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and the French Legion of Honor, being the first Hollywood star to entertain in France after the invasion of Normandy. As a patron of the arts, his collection of rare books and impressionist art was considered among America's finest.

In 1970, Robinson received the Screen Actors Guild "Lifetime Achievement" award and in 1973 was awarded a special, honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement and outstanding contribution to motion pictures. The inscription reads: "To Edward G. Robinson who achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts, and a dedicated citizen... in sum, a Renaissance man. From his friends in the industry he loves."

Steve Rowland son of director ROY ROWLAND

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0400

Roy Rowland: Hollywood's Underrated Director

While perhaps not the most recognized name in the history of legendary movie directors, Roy Rowland certainly was responsible for some of the best and fondly-remembered titles to come out of Hollywood during the 1940s and 50s.

While some directors specialized in - or became best known for - specific genres: John Ford: Westerns; Cecil B. DeMille: Costume spectaculars; Alfred Hitchcock: Suspense, Roy Rowland never concentrated his efforts to establish himself as a “brand name”. Throughout much of his career, he played the field, and as such, was renowned for his versatility. Consider the range of his more memorable cinematic achievements: the sentimental “Our Vines Have Tender Grapes” (1945), the boxing drama “Killer McCoy” ( 1947), the Red Skelton comedy “Excuse My Dust” (1951), the Westerns “Bugles in the Afternoon” (1952) and the 3D-lensed “The Moonlighter”, 1953 (which offered a reteaming of “Double Indemnity” co-stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray), the dark musical fantasy “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T” (1953), the suspenseful “Scene of the Crime” (1949) and “Witness to Murder” (1954), and the tough noir thriller “Rogue Cop” (1954).

Incredibly, with such a wide variety of films to his credit, Rowland was never given an Oscar nomination and, in fact, received only one nomination: A DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for “Meet Me in Las Vegas” (1956).

Rowland began his directing career in 1934 with the all-star comedy/musical “Hollywood Party”, which featured such celebrities as Laurel and Hardy, Jimmy Durante, the Three Stooges . . . and even an appearance by Mickey Mouse!

Throughout the decade and into the early 40s Rowland directed a number of 10-minute MGM short subjects, starring humorist and writer Robert Benchley. These were known to audiences as the “How To . . . ” series, similar to the later Joe McDoakes shorts featuring George O’Hanlon.

In 1943 Rowland finally returned to features with “A Stranger in Town”, a compact political drama starring Frank (“The Wizard of Oz”) Morgan and Richard Carlson. His next film was the intriguing “Lost Angel”, starring Margaret O’Brien as a child raised by scientists in a completely sterile and unemotional environment.

Many of Rowland’s subsequent films were programmers, but he was hardly a “journeyman” director as he tried to add a unique quality to each. “These Wilder Years” (1956), for instance, featured the offbeat casting of James Cagney as a wealthy businessman on a quest to find the son he never knew and Barbara Stanwyck (one of his favorite actresses) as a sympathetic social worker. He also directed and co-wrote “The Girl Hunters” (1963), with mystery writer Mickey Spillane playing his own character of Mike Hammer.

Rowland also took a hand at producing episodes of the popular TV series “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” starring Hugh O’Brian as the title character.

In the mid-60s, Rowland closed out his directing career by filming three Spanish-made Westerns – a genre in which he was particularly active. He died in 1995.

While his feature film output was not as prolific as many of his contemporaries, Roy Rowland was unquestionably a unique and gifted filmmaker whose many memorable film achievements stand as testament to his t

Interview with actor ELI WALLACH

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

ELI WALLACH- QUINTESSENTIAL METHOD ACTOR

How did a Jewish guy from Brooklyn become the screen ideal in westerns as the swaggering, wise-cracking, mustachioed bandito with a huge sombrero?
Mention The Magnificent Seven and Eli Wallach’s nasty Mexican bandit, Calvera, pops to mind.
Bring up How The West Was Won, and it’s Wallach’s outsized train robber, the snarling Charlie Gant, which is immediately front-and-center in your mind.
Or, think of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, and Wallach’s deliriously captivating take on Tuco, The Ugly, is in your head.
In Ace High, a lesser known western of the “spaghetti” school, Wallach is Cacopoulos, once again a disarming villainous rogue. This time, though, the man from Brooklyn is Greek/Mexican.
But it wasn’t only westerns in which Wallach became the template for these foreign and ferociously charismatic villains.
How about The Moonspinners, in which Wallach is Stratos, another of his wicked villains. This go-around, though, he’s a Greek bad guy.
Or Lord Jim, where Wallach is the General, a vile, sadistic, cruel Asian warlord. Viewed one way, The General could be looked at as a forerunner to the later Tuco from The Good, the Bad & The Ugly; or, perhaps, the General is actually a more complex take on Wallach’s Calvera from the earlier Magnificent Seven.

Or both.

A lesser talent might well have become locked into this sort of scene-stealing role, typecast. But the man from Brooklyn is anything but a one-note talent. For Wallach played many other villains, all of a far different stripe.

Check out his bad guy performances in the following: Seven Thieves, as the rattled Poncho involved in a Monte Carlo jewel heist; The Line-Up, where his cold-blooded killer is also vulnerable, anxious, and even thoughtful; How To Steal A Million, in which his business tycoon, lusting after a sculpture, calmly breaks the law to own it. Nor has Eli Wallach confined himself to villains.

The man with the raspy voice, the man from Brooklyn, has proven himself a master in drama (The Misfits), surreal comedy (The Tiger Makes Out), sheer comedy (Movie Movie), noir (Zigzag), satire (Mistress), intense war drama (The Victors), crime (The Two Jakes), family epics (Godfather III), and the heart-warming (The Holiday).

And he’s still hard at it, making films. Wallach is currently shooting Tickling Leo, which will be released in 2008.

Tune in Sunday, June 29th 8 at PM ET, as Eli Wallach discusses his six decade career with ICONS Radio hosts Stephen Bogart and John Mulholland. With a disarming modesty, Wallach discusses his work with some of the most legendary people in Hollywood history: Gable, Monroe, Clift, McQueen, John Huston, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Audrey Hepburn, Peter O’Toole, Wyler, Clint Eastwood, Sergio Leone, Elia Kazan, Gregory Peck, Carl Foreman, Edward G. Robinson, Lancaster, Douglas, Nicholson, Coppola, Pacino; and, of course, Wallach's wife, the illustrious Anne Jackson.

Catherine Wyler daughter of director WILLIAM WYLER

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

“It took a Jew to make a really good movie about Christ.” – William Wyler on Ben-Hur.

At the time of his death in 1981, famed Hollywood director William Wyler was considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema. During his lengthy Hollywood career, Wyler was nominated a record 12 times for an Academy Award and received three Best Director Oscars, second only to Ford's four. Among his other tributes are the Irving Thalberg Award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences ultimate accolade for a producer. And he was the fourth recipient of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the third director to be so honored, following John Ford and Orson Welles. Each of these tributes has been fitting amd well-deserved since it has been said that no director – not even Orson Welles – did as much to develop the basic principles of filmmaking technique than did Wyler.

His career spanned 45 years, beginning in the Silent era. While most of his output during the 1920s consisted of “B” Westerns for Universal, in 1929 Wyler directed his first "A" picture, albeit another Western: Hell’s Heroes (1930), Universal's first all-sound movie shot outside a studio. With the success of that film, “Willie” (as he would become known in the industry) was off and running. He directed both Counsellor at Law (1933) and The Good Fairy, 1935 (with his then-wife Margaret Sullavan) for Universal before moving on to begin a fruitful, if at times difficult, association with independent producer Samuel Goldwyn. The titles of his Goldwyn films stand as a roll call of some of Hollywood’s greatest achievements.

Just a few of William Wyler’s early pictures: These Three (1936), based on the Lillian Hellman play Dodsworth (1936), Dead End (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Westerner (1940) and The Little Foxes (1941). On loanout to Warner Brothers, Wyler directed Jezebel (1938) and The Letter (1940), both of which featured Bette Davis in two of her best-remembered roles.

If Wyler was a true cinematic craftsman, he was also known in the industry as a hard-driving perfectionist, frequently requiring tens of takes for every shot in his films. This earned him the nicknanes '90-Take Wyler' and 'Once-More Wyler'. Actress Sylvia Sidney remembered that during the filming of Dead End it was not unusual for Wyler to do numerous retakes and even repetitions of the same dialogue or gestures until he got the “perfect” scene. Miss Sydney recalled that the cutting room floor would be covered with thousands of feet of unused footage.

Wyler was awarded his first Oscar for the classic Mrs. Miniver, 1942 (which also won the Best Picture Award). After serving in the Army Air Corps during WWII, where he filmed two propaganda documentaries, including The Fighting Lady (1944), which won an Oscar for Best Documentary, he directed what has probably become his most famous and endearing feature The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), an affecting and sympathetic look at the plight of returning servicemen. The film was a huge commercial and critical success and garnered for Wyler his second Academy Award, as well as a Best Picture nod for the movie itself. Other post-war successes included: The Heiress (1949), Detective Story (1951), Roman Holiday (1953), Friendly Persuasion (1956) and what is perhaps his crowning achievement, the multi-Oscar winner Ben-Hur (1959) – Wyler’s third Best director Oscar win. His career continued into the 1960s, where he remade his earlier These Three under its original title The Children’s Hour (1961), a more frank examination of Lillian Hellman’s exploration of lesbianism, and helmed the dark psychological thriller The Collector (1965). He had his last box office hit with the Barbara Streisand-starrer Funny Girl (1968), for which the novice actress won an Oscar for her first leading role.

Interview with actor FARLEY GRANGER

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:00:00 -0500

While still a teenager Farley Granger appeared in a Los Angeles little theater production, where he was spotted by a scout. Sam Goldwyn signed him to a film contract and he debuted onscreen as a Russian youth in The North Star (1943). Typecast as a troubled pretty boy or a vulnerable, sensitive, soulful young hero, Granger appeared in one more film and then served in World War II.

After the war, he returned to the screen as an intellectual thrill-killer in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948) Early predictions that Granger would become a major star failed to come true, however; his career was mismanaged and he never lived up to his potential. After making a series of minor Hollywood films, he moved to Italy in the mid '50s and made one film there, then returned to Hollywood for two more movies before giving up his screen career in favor of work on stage and TV.

In the late '60s Granger began to appear onscreen again, mostly in little-known Italian productions. Later he played a psychiatrist and head of a family on the TV soap opera One Life to Live, while still acting occasionally in films and on the stage.

ICONS Radio Interview with Chris Lemmon son of JACK LEMMON

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:00:00 -0400

James Cagney wrote in his autobiography that after watching a young actor named Jack Lemmon play a role on live television where the actor performed every duty with his left hand, he was surprised to later discover that Jack was actually very right-handed and decided to reverse things just to give his performance a distinctive touch. Cagney said that he immediately knew that Jack Lemmon was a “thinking actor”.

Few actors were as versatile as Jack Lemmon. And few actors understood or could explore the human condition as well as he. From zany screwball comedy to intense, serious drama, Jack Lemmon could play it all. Throughout his almost 50 year motion picture career, Lemmon entertained audiences with performances that were both thoughtful and evocative. Humorous and tragic. His list of film credits is impressive, ranging from comedic turns in “Some Like it Hot” and Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” to powerful dramatic performances in “The Days of Wine and Roses” and “The China Syndrome” The key to Jack’s success and longevity in the business was that, no matter how outlandish or somber the role, he always projected that singular quality audiences could identify with: He was human. His characters could just as easily convey humor as they could sympathy, rage as equally as compassion. He could be neurotic. He could be heroic. It was all in the character. It was all in the man. He looked at life the way most people do: With bewilderment as well as amusement. Jack’s gift was that he could mirror onscreen our own experiences.

Jack’s talent was unique and sublime and he had ample opportunity to display it in some of Hollywood’s most popular movies. Cinematic gems such as Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” (one of 7 films Lemmon would make with the great director), “Irma la Douce” and “Glengarry Glen Ross”. Consider the scope of Jack Lemmon’s abilities as best displayed in his two Academy Award-winning performances: The young and cowardly Ensign Pulver nervously dodging fierce captain James Cagney onboard a naval ship for fourteen months in “Mister Roberts”. And then a 180 degree turn as businessman Harry Stoner, suffering a midlife crisis and nearing the end of his rope in “Save the Tiger”. Two roles that were poles apart, yet Jack played both parts convincingly and with conviction. Because like all of us, Jack had his own faults and weaknesses. He understood. And understanding is one of the secrets behind great acting.

While Laurel had Hardy and Abbott had Costello, Jack found his perfect partnership with his close friend Walter Matthau. They became the comedic team from the 1960s up until Matthau’s death in 2000. They appeared together in a total of 10 movies beginning with the classic “The Fortune Cookie” and climaxing with “Out to Sea”. Lemmon would also star Matthau in his debut directorial effort,“Kotch”.

In his later years, Jack would return to television from whence he’d made his start, appearing in such quality telefilms as O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, “Inherit the Wind” and the touching “Tuesdays with Morrie”.

In his personal life, Jack Lemmon remained one of the most well-liked men in Hollywood. And he would be proud to know that he continues to be an inspiration to some of today’s most accomplished actors. Fellow two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey has openly acknowledged his gratitude to Jack Lemmon for his talent and generosity.

There is no question he has left us an unforgettable legacy.

Icons Radio Hour - THE MONSTER MASH

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

What do you get when you mix such literary luminaries as: Homer, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, Mary Shelly, Conan Doyle, Poe, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, and J. K.
Rowling …

With such behind-the-camera film-making talent as:

Ang Lee, James Whale, Tod Browning, Stephen Spielberg, Jacques Tourneur, John Guillerman, Ivan Reitman, Robert Rodriguez, Peter Jackson, Ray Kellogg, Bert I. Gordon, Christopher Guest(?!?) …

And with such before-the-camera luminaries as:

Bela Lugosi, Eric Bana, Boris Karloff, Fay Wray, Matthew Broderick, Robert De Niro, Abbott & Costello, Frederic March, Lon Chaney (father and son), Elsa Lanchester, Jessica Lange, Naomi Watts, James Arness, Mara Corday, Dana Andrews, Richard Carlson, Steve McQueen, and Jeff Bridges?

What, you were expecting Hamlet? Paradise Lost? The Inferno? Or, maybe Brokeback Mountain, This Is Spinal Tap, Saving Private Ryan, Best Years Of Our Lives, Raging Bull, Gunsmoke?

Hah! Why, the MONSTER film, what else?Join Steve Bogart, John Mulholland and Meir Ribalow for a monstrously (we couldn’t resist, mea culpa) good time on ICONs Radio Hour on Sunday, October 28, at 8 pm ET, as they explore the monster film, in all its Grade Z/B and A glory.

Icons Radio Hour - THE SPY THRILLER PART TWO

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Espionage has been with us forever...

What was Judas, but a double agent?

The spy will "never" come in from the cold.

Which is fortunate indeed, for Hollywood...and the legion of fans the world over who continue to make the spy thriller among the most popular of all genres.

Sunday night, ICONS RADIO HOUR is proud to present part two of a discussion between John Mulholland, Stephen Bogart and Meir Ribalow where they will explore the history of the Spy Thriller. They will trace the origins of the Spy Thrillers through films such as; Mata Hari, Cloak & Dagger, The 39 Steps, North by Northwest, 13 Rue Madeleine, The Manchurian Candidate, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and many more!

Tonight, we invite you to listen to part two of this series. John, Stephen and Meir will continiue to trace the origins of the Spy Thrillers with films such as; The James Bond Franchise, Where Eagles Dare, The Matt Helm spoofs with Dean Martin, The Manchurian Candidate, Three Days of The Condor, and the Bourne Trilogy.

Icons Radio Hour - THE SPY THRILLER PART ONE

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Interview with actress JEAN SIMMONS

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Jean Simmons. Three films. One year: 1960.

The Grass Is Greener

Elmer Gantry

Spartacus

As fine a year as any performer has ever had. Three distinctly different films – comedy, drama, period spectacle. And three distinctly different characterizations by Jean Simmons. Each performance spot-on, not an off-note.

Or, take 1953. Four films. In this one year, Ms. Simmons starred opposite: Richard Burton, Spencer Tracy, Teresa Wright, Deborah Kerr, Anthony Perkins, Stewart Granger, Charles Laughton, and Victor Mature, to name but a handful.
 
And yet, a glance at the career of Ms. Simmons reveals that these two years barely crack the surface of her remarkable talent and output.

Consider the following directors:David Lean. Laurence Olivier. Michael Powell. Basil Dearden. Ralph Thomas. Otto Preminger. George Sidney. George Cukor. Michael Curtiz. John Farrow. Joseph Mankiewicz. Robert Wise. William Wyler. Mervyn LeRoy. Henry King. Richard Brooks. Stanley Kubrik. Stanley Donen. Ted Kotcheff. Delbert Mann. George Schaefer. Bud Yorkin.

Or, consider the following actors:

Alec Guinness. Deborah Kerr. John Mills. Laurence Olivier. Claude Rains. Vivian Leigh. Stewart Granger. Dirk Bogarde. Anthony Quayle. Peter Cushing. Trevor Howard. Richard Burton. Victor Mature. Spencer Tracy. Teresa Wright. Anthony Perkins. Robert Mitchum. Charles Laughton. Gene Tierney. Marlon Brando. Frank Sinatra. Paul Newman. Gregory Peck. Charlton Heston. Burl Ives. Carroll Baker. Rock Hudson. Dorothy McGuire. Robert Preston. Shirley Jones. Kirk Douglas. Tony Curtis. Cary Grant. James Garner.

Jean Simmons has worked with them all. In a career which began in the 1940s, when she was a teen-ager (and which continues to this day – her latest, The Wreck, will be released in 2008), Ms. Simmons has played in Shakespeare, Shaw, comedies, dramas, westerns, noir, thrillers, spectacles, romances, melodramas, and musicals.

Tune in to ICONS Radio Hour this Sunday, October 14, 8 pm, EST, as Jean Simmons explores her extraordinary career with Steve Bogart and John Mulholland. Her warmth and intelligence shine through as Ms. Simmons discusses her co-stars, directors and films with a delightfully sharp British wit.

Icons Radio Hour - THE FILMS OF JOHN HUSTON PART TWO

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

John Huston was a man of many interests - painting, boxing, sculpture, gambling, fox-hunting, etc. An eccentric rebel of epic proportions, he reigned supreme as director, screenwriter and character actor in a career that endured over five decades. The ten time Oscar nominated legend was born John Marcellus Huston of Scottish and Irish heritage in Nevada, Missouri, on August 5, 1906. The son of acclaimed stage and screen star, Walter Huston, he early on displayed keen interest in the arts.

Warners Brothers was so impressed with a young John Huston that he was signed on as both screenwriter and director for the Dashiell Hammett mystery yarn The Maltese Falcon (1941). The movie classic made a superstar out of Humphrey Bogart and is considered by critics and audiences alike--- 65 years after the fact--- to be the greatest detective film ever made. Hollywood glory came to him again in association with Bogart and Warner Brothers'. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), a classic tale of gold, greed and man's inhumanity to man set in Mexico, won John Oscars for both director and screenplay and his father nabbed the "Best Supporting Actor" trophy.

With the momentum in his favor, John hung around in Hollywood this time to write and/or direct some of the finest American cinema made including Key Largo (1948) and The African Queen (1951) (both with Bogart), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Red Badge of Courage (1951) and Moulin Rouge (1952). Later films, including Moby Dick (1956), The Unforgiven (1960), The Misfits (1961), Freud (1962), The Night of the Iguana (1964) and The Bible (1966)

An ardent supporter of human rights, he, along with actor Humphrey Bogart and others, dared to form the Committee for the First Amendment in 1947, which strove to undermine the House Un-American Activities Committee. Disgusted by the Hollywood blacklisting that was killing the careers of many talented folk, he moved to St. Clerans in Ireland and became a citizen there along with his fourth wife, ballet dancer Enrica (Ricki) Soma. The couple had two children, including daughter Anjelica Huston who went on to have a bravura Hollywood career of her own. Huston and his third wife split after a son (director Danny Huston) was born.

Huston lived the macho, outdoors life, unencumbered by convention or restrictions, and is often compared in style or flamboyancy to both Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles. This maverick of a man's man who was once called "the eccentric's eccentric" by Paul Newman, left an incredibly rich legacy of work to be enjoyed by film lovers for centuries to come.

This Sunday, 10/7, at 8 pm, ET, author John McCarty - author of The Films of John Huston discusses the life and career of John Huston with ICONS radio hosts, Stephen Bogart and John Mulholland. The three discuss little known facts and off camera stories about John Huston.

John McCarty is a life long fan of the films of John Huston and has contributed articles and reviews to film and other periodicals as diverse as TV Guide, Film Heritage and The Journal of British Film Institute. His laest book Bullets Over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to "The Sopranos" (Da Capo Press, 2004), was produced as a major documentary by Hugh M. Hefner's Alta Loma Entertainment, for the Starz/Encore cable network; it aired in 2005 and 2006 and has been released on DVD by Image-Entertainment. The author of more than 20 non-fiction books of his own on film and entertainment subjects, Mr. McCarty has appeared in conjunction with his work on such cable network programs as Fox News Saturday, CNN's mid-day news, A&E's Biography, the Bravo network series Backspin, as well as on numerous major market radio stations across the country.

Icons Radio Hour - THE FILMS OF JOHN HUSTON PART ONE

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Gail Buckley daughter of LENA HORNE

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Kerry Washington … Naomie Harris … Sanaa Lathan … Angela Bassett … Hallie Berry ... Kimberly Elise …

To name but a few current actresses. Each talented. Attractive. Successful.

And black.

Not so many years ago, fewer perhaps than we’d care to think, this many women of color dominating movie screens would have been unheard of.  

Not just unheard of. In fact, impossible.

Consider Lena Horne.

When this extraordinarily talented singer, actress was signed by MGM in the early 1940s, her future must have looked bright, indeed. Here she was, being directed by the likes of Vincente Minnelli. Appearing in films opposite Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Cyd Charisse.

But she was also black.

And therein lies a story Which Lena Horne’s daughter, Gail Buckley, discusses in depth this Sunday, 9/30, at 8 pm ET, on ICONS Radio Hour. Ms. Buckley explores her mother’s career, from her early days at The Cotton Club to all-black films in the late thirties and her years at MGM in the forties.

Did we forget to mention the House Un-American Activities Committee?  

Gail Buckley doesn’t.

Nor does she forget Humphrey Bogart’s response when neighbors showed up at his door asking for his signature on a petition to stop Lena Horne from buying a home in their Hollywood neighborhood. Rick Blaine come to life.

Kerry Washington … Naomie Harris … Sanaa Lathan … Angela Bassett … Hallie Berry ... Kimberly Elise …

On the shoulders of giants, none more important than Lena Horne.

Scott Reisfield nephew of GRETA GARBO

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

“Garbo talks!”

"Garbo laughs!"

The clichés abound.

“I vant to be alone” Not true, never said.

Nor was MGM’s publicity juggernaut hardly above the fray. As its 1926 publicity release demonstrates:

“Greta Garbo, discovered in stark(?!?) Sweden, is setting the heart of America aflame.

”And yet, behind every cliché is a buried kernel. Greta Garbo did indeed set the heart of America aflame. From her first silent films: The Torrent and The Temptress, both in 1926, Garbo reigned.

Her ability to convey emotion, inner turmoil, through her expression alone, signaled a new style of film acting (mirrored among male actors at the exact same moment by Gary Cooper). Garbo and Cooper were acting from the inside-out, letting their eyes reveal the inner truth. Decades later, this would become known as the Method, but Garbo and Cooper were first out of the starting gate. Which makes the fact that Cooper turned down Ninotchka opposite Garbo even more a shame.

Cooper & Garbo in Ninotchka … now there’s a marquee.

Garbo starred in so many films throughout the twenties and thirties:

Flesh And The Devil
Love
The Kiss
Anna Christie
Mata Hari
Grand Hotel
The Painted Veil
Anna Karenina
Camille
Queen Christina
Ninotchka

Each captures different aspects of her extraordinary screen presence. Yet, it is one of her lesser efforts that allowed Garbo to convey a myriad of emotions – mystery, tragedy, humor. It’s all there in Susan Lenox, Her Fall And Rise. Though perhaps among Garbo’s weaker films, it’s nonetheless a powerful example of her sweeping talent. A talent whose impact is felt very much today.

To fully appreciate Garbo’s impact on today’s actors, catch Charlize Theron’s understated performance in the current The Valley Of Elah. Even when expressing frustration, disgust, outrage, Theron is under control. It’s all happening underneath, out of sight. Only through her eyes and steely expression are we aware of the roiling currents inside her character.

This Sunday, 9/23, at 8 pm, ET, Scott Reisfield discusses his great-aunt’s life and career with ICONS radio hosts, Stephen Bogart and John Mulholland. With personal anecdotes, Greta Garbo comes alive, as artist and woman.

Icons Radio Hour - THE WESTERN PART TWO

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

On Wednesday September 19, 2007 at 8:00PM EST Meir Ribalow and John Mulholland continue PART TWO of their discussion comparing original western films to their remakes. The two will explore the differences between Pale Rider and Shane, Unforgiven and Man of the West, High Plains Drifter and High Noon, as well the influences of The Wild Bunch, Magnificent Seven, Vera Cruz... and many more.

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Meir Ribalow: playwright, professor, poet, critic, editor, director.

As an award-winning playwright, he has seen his plays produced around the globe: New York, Chicago, London, Dublin, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Paris, Estonia, Canada, etc. Mr. Ribalow’s plays Raindance, Sundance and Moondance are being produced in repertory this fall in L.A., by the Alliance Repertory Company.

Mr. Ribalow was Joseph Papp's production Associate at the New York Shakespeare Festival and is the founder of The American Repertory Company of London. He directed Brian Dennehy and Blythe Danner in a Gala Benefit of, The Nature of the Universe, at the Neil Simon Theater in NYC. Mr. Ribalow has directed plays in both NYC and London, working with such talent as: Ruby Dee, Christopher Walken, Holly Hunter, Ellen Barkin, Eli Wallach, and the late Zero Mostel.

Mr. Ribalow also serves as Artistic Director of New River Dramatists, a creative center in North Carolina which brings writers and actors together to develop new work.

His poetry and fiction have appeared in The Paris Review, The Literary Review, The New York Quarterly and Fishdrum, among other magazines. He writes frequently on film, theatre and music, and his articles and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Sciences, Hadassah, Midstream, to mention a few.

Mr. Ribalow is a artist-in-residence at Fordham University in New York City.

Icons Radio Hour - THE WESTERN PART ONE

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Tonight, ICONS RADIO HOUR is proud to present part one of a two part discussion between John Mulholland and Meir Ribalow where they will explore the history of “The Western”. We invite you to listen to part two of this series this Wednesday evening, September 19, at 8:00 PM EST. John and Meir will continue a conversation on western classics such as; Shane, The Magnificent Seven, High Noon, Pale Rider, The Wild Bunch and the cannon of OK Coral films.

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Meir Ribalow: playwright, professor, poet, critic, editor, director.

As an award-winning playwright, he has seen his plays produced around the globe: New York, Chicago, London, Dublin, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Paris, Estonia, Canada, etc. Mr. Ribalow’s plays Raindance, Sundance and Moondance are being produced in repertory this fall in L.A., by the Alliance Repertory Company.

Mr. Ribalow was Joseph Papp's production Associate at the New York Shakespeare Festival and is the founder of The American Repertory Company of London. He directed Brian Dennehy and Blythe Danner in a Gala Benefit of, The Nature of the Universe, at the Neil Simon Theater in NYC. Mr. Ribalow has directed plays in both NYC and London, working with such talent as: Ruby Dee, Christopher Walken, Holly Hunter, Ellen Barkin, Eli Wallach, and the late Zero Mostel.

Mr. Ribalow also serves as Artistic Director of New River Dramatists, a creative center in North Carolina which brings writers and actors together to develop new work.

His poetry and fiction have appeared in The Paris Review, The Literary Review, The New York Quarterly and Fishdrum, among other magazines. He writes frequently on film, theatre and music, and his articles and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Sciences, Hadassah, Midstream, to mention a few.

Mr. Ribalow is a artist-in-residence at Fordham University in New York City.

Jamie Niven son of actor DAVID NIVEN

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

That David Niven landed in Hollywood in 1933 without any theatrical experience hardly proved an obstacle. Within a remarkably short period, he was appearing in supporting roles opposite such stars as Gary Cooper (Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, The Real Glory), Errol Flynn (The Charge Of The Light Brigade, The Dawn Patrol), Ronald Colman (The Prisoner Of Zenda), and Laurence Olivier (Wuthering Heights).

By 1939, Niven was himself starring – Raffles. If the role wasn’t particularly demanding – a gentleman thief – it nonetheless established the David Niven persona – urbane, suave, witty, and very much the British gentleman. Raffles was also the forerunner of one of Niven’s most popular roles -- Charles Lytton, gentleman thief -- in The Pink Panther (1963). Given the Peter Sellers stamp on the Inspector Clouseau series, it’s perhaps forgotten today, but David Niven was in fact top-billed in The Pink Panther.

Niven was among the first British actors to return to England after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939. For the next six years, Niven served in the British Army, with time off twice to appear in morale-building British war films – Spitfire and Immortal Battalion. Splendid raconteur though he was, Niven rarely ever spoke about his harrowing WW II service.

Perhaps nothing better sums up the man than his comment on why he never spoke of the war: “I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. I found it where they told me I would, but it was among 27,000 others, and I told myself that here, Niven, were 27,000 reasons why you should keep your mouth shut after the war."

Niven hit the ground running in 1946 with his first post-war film, Stairway To Heaven. In this sublime British film, director Michael Powell revealed depths in David Niven’s acting about which earlier directors could only have dreamed.  
In 1950, theappeared brighter. Michael Powell selected Niven to be Sir Percey Blakney, aka the Scarlet Pimpernel, in his new film, The Elusive Pimpernel. On paper, David Niven would seem the ideal Pimpernel. But things went disastrously wrong with this misguided production and the film was a resounding failure.

It would be 1956 before Niven escaped the career doldrums, when director Michael Anderson guided Niven and an enormous roster of cameo stars through the very successful Academy Award-winning Best Picture, Around The World In 80 Days.

Niven’s performance as the ex-military officer in Separate Tables turns his urbane and witty British gentleman inside out. It’s a brilliant, understated performance. And, strangely, not truly appreciated even yet in certain circles.  Niven continued his solid run throughout the sixties and seventies, starting with the hugely successful WW II adventure, Guns Of Navarone, followed by such films as: 55 Days At Peking, Bedtime Story, Paper Tiger, and Death On The Nile.
This Sunday, September 9, at 8 pm ET, Jamie Niven, son of David Niven, discusses his father’s roller coaster of a career on ICONS Radio Hour. Jamie spent time on the sets of many of his father’s films (he was on set when the guns of navarone were actually blown up). Every bit the magnetic story-teller as his father, Jamie brings him to vivid life with delightful anecdotes about his films, his war years, and his father’s closest friends, including Deborah Kerr, Noel Coward, Gregory Peck, Lauren Bacall, and Errol Flynn.

Rory Flynn daughter of actor ERROL FLYNN

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Who says there’s no audience for old Black & White films, for Classic Hollywood? The World Entertainment New Network has awarded Errol Flynn the top spot in its 2007 Best Movie Pirates Poll. Flynn, star of such swashbuckling hits as Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk, beat out Johnny Depp’s Captain Sparrow, from the Pirates Of The Caribbean series, as the Number One Movie Pirate of all time.

And yet, it might never have been.

ROBERT DONAT as CAPTAIN BLOOD ???

Robert Donat was all set to play the title character in the 1935 WB pirate epic. But Donat inexplicably failed to appear as shooting was beginning. Turned down next by second choice Brian Aherne, a desperate WB turned to the frighteningly inexperienced 25 year-old Australian-born Errol Flynn.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

And what a history! Few, if any, actors have ever had a ten year run like Errol Flynn had from 1935 – 1945. Consider just some of the highlights:  

Captain Blood, Charge Of The Light Brigade, Prince And The Pauper, Adventures Of Robin Hood, The Dawn Patrol, Dodge City, The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex, Santa Fe Trail, The Sea Hawk, They Died With Their Boots On, Desperate Journey, Gentleman Jim, Edge Of Darkness, Northern Pursuit, and Objective Burma.

If, in the post-WW II years, Flynn rarely recaptured his earlier triumphs, there are success worth revisiting: The Sun Also Rises, the Roots Of Heaven, Kim, Master Of Ballantrae, and, in what might be considered art imitating life: Too Much, Too Soon, in which Flynn played John Barrymore.

Inescapably, there is the tabloid Flynn: Boozer, womanizer, all-around hellion. Certainly, there is no denying this hell-raising Flynn, but there is a flip side to the man, a side which only someone who knew the man as a father could know.

This Sunday, September 2, at 8 pm ET, on ICONS Radio Hour, Rory Flynn, daughter of Errol Flynn, discusses her father’s career, in all its wild fluctuations, and his very public and very private off-screen world. Without ignoring the tabloid image of her father, Rory Flynn brings to life another man entirely; a man passionately devoted to his children. In a fascinating discussion with MODA’s Steve Bogart and John Mulholland, Rory Flynn explores the sensitive, passionate man she knew, first and foremost, as her father.

Sarah Karloff daughter of actor BORIS KARLOFF

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:00:00 -0400

“Sure, I remember Boris Karloff. He was the monster in Frankenstein.”

Well, yes, but what about Scarface, one of the finest gangster films ever made, directed by Howard Hawks … and The Old Dark House, the granddaddy of all haunted house thrillers, directed by James Whale … and The Lost Patrol, the template for all the lost patrol films which followed, directed by John Ford? Not bad, not bad at all.

“Boris Karloff, he was in that horror flick, Frankenstein, right?”

For sure, for sure. But if it’s Karloff and horror, let’s not stop there. How about 1934’s The Black Cat, a wicked little gem which teamed Karloff and Bela Lugosi for the first time? Or 1935’s The Black Room, another nasty gem in which Karloff plays twins, one good and the other evil (and is he ever!)? Or The Raven, from 1935? Another Karloff/Lugosi delicious little horror thriller. These three solid thrillers work surprisingly well even today, 70 plus years after their releases.

“Boris Karloff, Boris Karloff? Wasn’t he in Frankenstein? Played the monster, I think.”

Certainly did, more than once. In addition to Frankenstein, he also played the monster in both Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) and Son Of Frankenstein (1939). In fact, there are those who say that his performance as the monster in Bride is the best of his career.

“I know who Boris Karloff was, he had the screws in his forehead, in that monster flick, Frankenstein.”

Sure did. But the screws were inside his head – and definitely not screwed too tight – in such enduring dark horror classics as The Body Snatcher ('45), Isle Of The Dead ('45) and Bedlam ('46). All three are Val Lewton productions, and each serves as a solid example of Lewton’s estimable work.
 
“Karloff, he was always the same, wasn’t he? The Frankenstein monster.” 
Don’t tell that to Danny Kaye, who played opposite Karloff in The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty; nor to Gary Cooper, who played opposite Karloff in DeMille’s Unconquered, both in 1947. Not a monster in sight, just a very, very fine actor named Boris Karloff.

Or tell that to Broadway theatergoers, who caught Karloff in Arsenic And Old Lace and Peter Pan opposite Mary Martin and The Lark opposite Julie Harris.

Or mention it to television viewers who caught Karloff’s Uncle Vanya on Masterpiece Playhouse, or his title role in Don Quixote or his King Arthur in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court or his turn as Father Knickerbocker in The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.

“Karloff, Karloff? Why do I know the name. …? Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, he was the monster in all those Frankenstein movies.”

This Sunday night, at 8 pm ET, Sarah Karloff, daughter of Boris Karloff, discusses her father’s fascinating career on ICONS Radio Hour with Stephen Bogart and John Mulholland. Ms. Karloff offers first-hand anecdotes about her father’s approach to acting and, especially revealing, his feelings about his career in horror films  