Although you won’t often hear his name mentioned among auteur theorists, four-time Oscar winner Robert Wise amassed an impressive filmography in his lifetime. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Wise cut his teeth as a film editor, most notably working on Orson Welles‘ landmark film “Citizen Kane” (1941), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He made his directorial debut with “The Curse of the Cat People” (1944), the first of many successful collaborations with low-budget horror producer Val Lewton.
Throughout his career, Wise excelled at a number of genres, including science fiction (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”), film noir (“Odds Against Tomorrow”), horror (“The Haunting”), war (“The Desert Rats”), comedy (“Two for the Seesaw”), and drama (“Executive Suite”). Rather than imposing his own directorial fingerprint on each film, Wise instead tried to adapt his style to best suit the material.
Wise cut his teeth as a film editor, most notably working on Orson Welles‘ landmark film “Citizen Kane” (1941), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He made his directorial debut with “The Curse of the Cat People” (1944), the first of many successful collaborations with low-budget horror producer Val Lewton.
Throughout his career, Wise excelled at a number of genres, including science fiction (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”), film noir (“Odds Against Tomorrow”), horror (“The Haunting”), war (“The Desert Rats”), comedy (“Two for the Seesaw”), and drama (“Executive Suite”). Rather than imposing his own directorial fingerprint on each film, Wise instead tried to adapt his style to best suit the material.
- 9/1/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Mitchell Ryan, an actor known for roles in “Dark Shadows,” “Dharma & Greg” and movies including “Magnum Force” and “High Plains Drifter,” died Friday in Los Angeles, his agent confirmed. He was 88.
Soap opera fans may remember Ryan best for his role of Burke Devlin on “Dark Shadows,” a gothic soap that aired on ABC in the late 60s and early 70s. Ryan played Burke until 1967, when he was replaced by Anthony George.
Kathryn Leigh Scott, who portrayed several roles on “Dark Shadows,” shared thoughts on her costar’s death in a Friday Facebook post.
“My sweet, beloved friend Mitch died early this morning,” Scott wrote. “He was a great gift in my life. I cherish my warm memories of his beautiful soul. I’m heartbroken.”
In addition to his work as Burke Devlin on “Dark Shadows” and Edward Montgomery “Dharma and Greg,” Ryan’s career included dozens of other...
Soap opera fans may remember Ryan best for his role of Burke Devlin on “Dark Shadows,” a gothic soap that aired on ABC in the late 60s and early 70s. Ryan played Burke until 1967, when he was replaced by Anthony George.
Kathryn Leigh Scott, who portrayed several roles on “Dark Shadows,” shared thoughts on her costar’s death in a Friday Facebook post.
“My sweet, beloved friend Mitch died early this morning,” Scott wrote. “He was a great gift in my life. I cherish my warm memories of his beautiful soul. I’m heartbroken.”
In addition to his work as Burke Devlin on “Dark Shadows” and Edward Montgomery “Dharma and Greg,” Ryan’s career included dozens of other...
- 3/5/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
The show must go on. At least the Venice Film Festival must go on. Even a pandemic can’t stop the oldest international film festival from taking place Sept. 2 through Sept. 12 in the picturesque of grand canals. Of course, safety is first with masks, social distancing etc. are all in place as critics get a first glance at possible award-winners.
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
Over the past seven years, the festival has held world premieres of such Oscar-winners as 2013’s “Gravity”; 2014’s “Birdman”; 2015’s “Spotlight”; 2016’s “La La Land”; 2017’s “The Shape of Water”; 2018’s “Roma”; and 2019’s “Joker.” Only two films that won the festival’s top prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1948’s “Hamlet” and 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”
The festival began in 1932 as part of the Venice Biennale, the city’s legendary exhibition of the arts under the guidance of President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata,...
- 9/2/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Billy Goldenberg, the Emmy-winning composer and songwriter, died Monday night at his home in New York City. He was 84.
Goldenberg wrote the themes for such 1970s TV series as “Kojak,” “Harry O” and “Rhoda,” composed the pilot scores for “Night Gallery” and “Columbo,” and won Emmys for the TV-movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” and miniseries “The Lives of Benjamin Franklin,” “King” and “Rage of Angels.”
He expanded his 1975 “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” song score, with lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman, into the score of the 1978 Broadway musical “Ballroom,” directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett of “A Chorus Line” fame. It earned eight Tony nominations including Best Musical.
Reminiscing Wednesday about their collaboration on “Ballroom,” Alan Bergman told Variety: “Billy was one of the rare composers who was also a dramatist. Lots of people can write melodies, but you could tell Billy the situation, what the characters were feeling,...
Goldenberg wrote the themes for such 1970s TV series as “Kojak,” “Harry O” and “Rhoda,” composed the pilot scores for “Night Gallery” and “Columbo,” and won Emmys for the TV-movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” and miniseries “The Lives of Benjamin Franklin,” “King” and “Rage of Angels.”
He expanded his 1975 “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” song score, with lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman, into the score of the 1978 Broadway musical “Ballroom,” directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett of “A Chorus Line” fame. It earned eight Tony nominations including Best Musical.
Reminiscing Wednesday about their collaboration on “Ballroom,” Alan Bergman told Variety: “Billy was one of the rare composers who was also a dramatist. Lots of people can write melodies, but you could tell Billy the situation, what the characters were feeling,...
- 8/5/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
On April 15, 1954, MGM's star-studded drama Executive Suite held its premiere in Hollywood. The film went on to earn four Oscar nominations at the 27th Academy Awards, including for best supporting actress (Nina Foch), art direction, cinematography and costume design. The Hollywood Reporter's original review, headlined "'Executive Suite' Dynamic Drama; Certain B.O. Smash," is below.
Here is a magnificent motion picture that meets the standard of greatness on almost every count. Running a fast 103 minutes, Executive Suite holds the viewer from the opening scene, building absorbingly to a smashing climax. With such ...
Here is a magnificent motion picture that meets the standard of greatness on almost every count. Running a fast 103 minutes, Executive Suite holds the viewer from the opening scene, building absorbingly to a smashing climax. With such ...
- 4/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On April 15, 1954, MGM's star-studded drama Executive Suite held its premiere in Hollywood. The film went on to earn four Oscar nominations at the 27th Academy Awards, including for best supporting actress (Nina Foch), art direction, cinematography and costume design. The Hollywood Reporter's original review, headlined "'Executive Suite' Dynamic Drama; Certain B.O. Smash," is below.
Here is a magnificent motion picture that meets the standard of greatness on almost every count. Running a fast 103 minutes, Executive Suite holds the viewer from the opening scene, building absorbingly to a smashing climax. With such ...
Here is a magnificent motion picture that meets the standard of greatness on almost every count. Running a fast 103 minutes, Executive Suite holds the viewer from the opening scene, building absorbingly to a smashing climax. With such ...
- 4/15/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Robert Wise would’ve celebrated his 104th birthday on September 10. Although you won’t often hear his name mentioned among auteur theorists, the four-time Oscar winner amassed an impressive filmography in his lifetime. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Wise cut his teeth as a film editor, most notably working on Orson Welles‘ landmark film “Citizen Kane” (1941), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He made his directorial debut with “The Curse of the Cat People” (1944), the first of many successful collaborations with low-budget horror producer Val Lewton.
Throughout his career, Wise excelled at a number of genres, including science fiction (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”), film noir (“Odds Against Tomorrow”), horror (“The Haunting”), war (“The Desert Rats”), comedy (“Two for the Seesaw”), and drama (“Executive Suite”). Rather than imposing his own directorial fingerprint on each film,...
Wise cut his teeth as a film editor, most notably working on Orson Welles‘ landmark film “Citizen Kane” (1941), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He made his directorial debut with “The Curse of the Cat People” (1944), the first of many successful collaborations with low-budget horror producer Val Lewton.
Throughout his career, Wise excelled at a number of genres, including science fiction (“The Day the Earth Stood Still”), film noir (“Odds Against Tomorrow”), horror (“The Haunting”), war (“The Desert Rats”), comedy (“Two for the Seesaw”), and drama (“Executive Suite”). Rather than imposing his own directorial fingerprint on each film,...
- 9/10/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
On this day (April 20th) in history as it relates to showbiz...
1893 Harold Lloyd, silent comedian of excellence, born in Nebraska
1889 Adolf Hitler born. The German Führer has been played in movies by literally hundreds of actors including in recent years Robert Carlyle, Udo Keir, Noah Taylor, and Bruno Ganz. On this awful subject let's consider it a shame that Jodie Foster never made that rumored Leni Reifenstahl (Triumph of the Will) biopic she was interested in doing. That would have made an interesting less covered piece of the ever-harrowing Nazi puzzle.
⇱ 1924 Oscar nominated actress Nina Foch (Executive Suite, An American in Paris, Spartacus) is born in The Netherlands. She was awesome.
1937 Modern gay hero George Takei born in Los Angeles. Becomes famous as Lt. Sulu in the Star Trek TV series in the 60s.
1893 Harold Lloyd, silent comedian of excellence, born in Nebraska
1889 Adolf Hitler born. The German Führer has been played in movies by literally hundreds of actors including in recent years Robert Carlyle, Udo Keir, Noah Taylor, and Bruno Ganz. On this awful subject let's consider it a shame that Jodie Foster never made that rumored Leni Reifenstahl (Triumph of the Will) biopic she was interested in doing. That would have made an interesting less covered piece of the ever-harrowing Nazi puzzle.
⇱ 1924 Oscar nominated actress Nina Foch (Executive Suite, An American in Paris, Spartacus) is born in The Netherlands. She was awesome.
1937 Modern gay hero George Takei born in Los Angeles. Becomes famous as Lt. Sulu in the Star Trek TV series in the 60s.
- 4/20/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Broadway’s delightful — but wickedly accurate — satire of big business was brought to movie screens almost intact, with the story, the stars, the styles and dances kept as they were in the long-running show that won a Pulitzer Prize. This is the place to see Robert Morse and Michele Lee at their best — it’s one of the best, and least appreciated movie musicals of the 1960s.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Anthony Teague, Maureen Arthur, Sammy Smith, Robert Q. Lewis, Carol Worthington, Kathryn Reynolds, Ruth Kobart, George Fennemann, Tucker Smith, David Swift.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Allan Jacobs, Ralph E. Winters
Original Music: Nelson Riddle
Art Direction: Robert Boyle
Visual Gags: Virgil Partch
From the play written by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows,...
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 121 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95
Starring: Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Anthony Teague, Maureen Arthur, Sammy Smith, Robert Q. Lewis, Carol Worthington, Kathryn Reynolds, Ruth Kobart, George Fennemann, Tucker Smith, David Swift.
Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Film Editor: Allan Jacobs, Ralph E. Winters
Original Music: Nelson Riddle
Art Direction: Robert Boyle
Visual Gags: Virgil Partch
From the play written by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows,...
- 3/25/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dana Andrews movies: Film noir actor excelled in both major and minor crime dramas. Dana Andrews movies: First-rate film noir actor excelled in both classics & minor fare One of the best-looking and most underrated actors of the studio era, Dana Andrews was a first-rate film noir/crime thriller star. Oftentimes dismissed as no more than a “dependable” or “reliable” leading man, in truth Andrews brought to life complex characters that never quite fit into the mold of Hollywood's standardized heroes – or rather, antiheroes. Unlike the cynical, tough-talking, and (albeit at times self-delusionally) self-confident characters played by the likes of Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and, however lazily, Robert Mitchum, Andrews created portrayals of tortured men at odds with their social standing, their sense of ethics, and even their romantic yearnings. Not infrequently, there was only a very fine line separating his (anti)heroes from most movie villains.
- 1/22/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jud Kinberg, the father of “X-Men” co-writer/producer and “Deadpool” producer Simon Kinberg, has died. He was 91. Jud Kinberg was best known for his own producing work on the 1956 Vincent van Gogh biopic “Lust for Life” starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn, and “Executive Suite” in 1954. In 1978, he was nominated for an Emmy for producing “Quincy M.E.,” the NBC drama starring Jack Klugman as a coroner who investigates suspicious deaths. Kinberg Sr. died Nov. 2 of natural causes at his home in New York City, his son told The Hollywood Reporter.
- 11/9/2016
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
The biggest, most lavish hook-up between Hollywood and the Pentagon was this Anthony Mann-James Stewart collaboration, a morale & recruiting cheer for America's intercontinental bombing air force, the service that kept the peace by holding up our side of the balance of fear. Strategic Air Command Blu-ray Olive Films 1955 / Color / 1:66 widescreen (VistaVision) / 112 min. / Street Date October 16, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98 Starring James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Lovejoy, Barry Sullivan, Alex Nicol, Bruce Bennett, Jay C. Flippen, James Millican, James Bell, Rosemary DeCamp, Harry Morgan, William Hudson, Strother Martin, House Peters Jr. Cinematography William Daniels Film Editor Eda Warren Original Music Victor Young Written by Valentine Davies, Beirne Lay, Jr. Produced by Samuel J. Briskin Directed by Anthony Mann
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the 1950s America was spending its enormous military budget on a fantastic array of advanced weapons technology, the most expensive of which was...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In the 1950s America was spending its enormous military budget on a fantastic array of advanced weapons technology, the most expensive of which was...
- 10/22/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Is this Rod Serling's best teleplay ever? Van Heflin, Everett Sloane and Ed Begley are at the center of a business power squeeze. Is it all about staying competitive, or is it corporate murder? With terrific early performances from Elizabeth Wilson and Beatrice Straight. Patterns Blu-ray The Film Detective 1956 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date September 27, 2016 / 14.99 Starring Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Joanna Roos, Valerie Cossart, Eleni Kiamos, Ronnie Welsh, Shirley Standlee, Andrew Duggan, Jack Livesy, John Seymour, James Kelly, John Shelly, Victor Harrison, Sally Gracie, Sally Chamberlin, Edward Binns, Lauren Bacall, Ethel Britton, Michael Dreyfuss, Elaine Kaye, Adrienne Moore. Cinematography Boris Kaufman Film Editors Dave Kummis, Carl Lerner Art Direction Richard Sylbert Assistant Director Charles Maguire Written by Rod Serling Produced by Michael Myerberg Directed by Fielder Cook
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Let me roll off the titles of some 'fifties 'organization...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Let me roll off the titles of some 'fifties 'organization...
- 9/20/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Get yer terrific long-suppressed film history right here, folks -- this is what it takes to get your movie banned in East Germany in 1965: Günter Stahnke makes a drama revealing forbidden capitalist-style competitiveness and dastardly backstabbing in a state-run industry. Think any of those Party censors would object? Spring Takes Time DVD Defa Film Library 1965 / B&W / 1:37 flat / 76 min. / Der Frühling braucht Zeit / Street Date March 2016 / available through The Defa Film Library / 29.95 Starring Eberhard Mellies, Günther Simon, Doris Abesser, Karla Runkehl, Rolf Hoppe, Erik S. Klein, Friedrich Richter, Elfriede Née. Cinematography Lothar Erdmann, Eckhardt Hartkopf, Hans-Jürgen Sasse, Kurt Schütt Film Editor Erika Lehmphul Original Music Gerhard Siebholz; 'The Sputniks' Written by Hermann O. Lauterbach, Konrad Schwalbe, Günter Stahnke Produced by Defa Directed by Günter Stahnke
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
So you think artists over Here have it bad... Günter Stahnke experienced some late-career fame at the 1990 Berlinale film festival,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
So you think artists over Here have it bad... Günter Stahnke experienced some late-career fame at the 1990 Berlinale film festival,...
- 3/12/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A damning study released on Monday by the University Of Southern California has added fuel to the fire in the ongoing diversity furore, highlighting a paucity of opportunity for females, non-white ethnic groups and members of the Lgbt community.
Inclusion Or Invisibility?, a 27-page report by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, examined the status quo in front of and behind the camera in film, TV and digital platforms, and took the pulse of senior executives at 10 major companies.
The study analysed data from 2014 and found, among other things, that males accounted for 71.3% of all speaking roles in film, that only two directors from a pool of 407 were female and non-white, and that females over 40 were “largely invisible” in entertainment.
Furthermore an inclusivity scorecard of the six Us majors found that none passed the test, compared to more positive results by digital giants Amazon and Hulu.
The conclusion...
Inclusion Or Invisibility?, a 27-page report by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, examined the status quo in front of and behind the camera in film, TV and digital platforms, and took the pulse of senior executives at 10 major companies.
The study analysed data from 2014 and found, among other things, that males accounted for 71.3% of all speaking roles in film, that only two directors from a pool of 407 were female and non-white, and that females over 40 were “largely invisible” in entertainment.
Furthermore an inclusivity scorecard of the six Us majors found that none passed the test, compared to more positive results by digital giants Amazon and Hulu.
The conclusion...
- 2/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
A damning study released on Monday by the University Of Southern California has added fuel to the fire in the ongoing diversity furore, highlighting a paucity of opportunity for females, non-white ethnic groups and members of the Lgbt community.
Inclusion Or Invisibility?, a 27-page report by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, examined the status quo in front of and behind the camera in film, TV and digital platforms, and took the pulse of senior executives at 10 major companies.
The study analysed data from 2014 and found, among other things, that males accounted for 71.3% of all speaking roles in film, that only two directors from a pool of 407 were female and non-white, and that females over 40 were “largely invisible” in entertainment.
Furthermore an inclusivity scorecard of the six Us majors found that none passed the test, compared to more positive results by digital giants Amazon and Hulu.
The conclusion...
Inclusion Or Invisibility?, a 27-page report by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, examined the status quo in front of and behind the camera in film, TV and digital platforms, and took the pulse of senior executives at 10 major companies.
The study analysed data from 2014 and found, among other things, that males accounted for 71.3% of all speaking roles in film, that only two directors from a pool of 407 were female and non-white, and that females over 40 were “largely invisible” in entertainment.
Furthermore an inclusivity scorecard of the six Us majors found that none passed the test, compared to more positive results by digital giants Amazon and Hulu.
The conclusion...
- 2/22/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
José Ferrar stars in his second dramatic feature as director, teamed with newcomer Gena Rowlands as a married working couple. Ferrar's executive assistant isn't on the list of those invited to meet the new corporate bosses, which everyone knows means he's a dead employee walking. Things are looking darkest just as his loving wife is bringing news of a baby on the way. The show builds up a terrific critique of anxiety in the Rat Race, but then... The High Cost of Loving DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1958 / B&W / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date July 16, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring José Ferrer, Gena Rowlands, Joanne Gilbert, Jim Backus, Bobby Troup, Philip Ober, Edward Platt, Charles Watts, Werner Klemperer, Malcolm Atterbury, Jeanne Baird, Nick Clooney, Abby Dalton, Richard Deacon, Nancy Kulp, Lucien Littlefield. Cinematography George J. Folsey Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music Jeff Alexander Written by Rip Van Ronkel,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
To say there's buzz around the return of Empire, Fox's ballsy King-Lear-meets-Mahogany hit that kicks off its sophomore season on September 23rd, is an understatement. (It's like observing that there's a few Gop hopefuls running for President.) All eyes are on the series to see if it can maintain the level of drama, glam and delightful camp that turned it into a ratings powerhouse and Twitter champ. The series hits every pleasure point for successful trashy TV: ludicrous plots, gleaming fashions, breakout performances, and a true gasp of it's own...
- 9/21/2015
- Rollingstone.com
We're just 9 days away from the launch of another Smackdown Summer. Rather than announce piecemeal, we'll give you all five lineups in case you'd like more time to catch up with these films (some of them stone cold classics) over the hot months. Remember to cast your own ballots during each month for the reader-polling (your 1979 votes are due by June 4th). Your votes count toward the final Smackdown win so more of you should join in.
These Oscar years were chosen after comment reading, dvd searching, handwringing, and desire-to-watch moods. I wish we had time to squeeze in a dozen Smackdowns each summer! As it is there will be Two Smackdowns in June, a gift to you since this first episode was delayed.
Sunday June 7th
The Best Supporting Actresses of 1979
Meryl Streep won her first of three Oscars while taking her co-star Jane Alexander along for the Oscar ride in Kramer vs. Kramer.
These Oscar years were chosen after comment reading, dvd searching, handwringing, and desire-to-watch moods. I wish we had time to squeeze in a dozen Smackdowns each summer! As it is there will be Two Smackdowns in June, a gift to you since this first episode was delayed.
Sunday June 7th
The Best Supporting Actresses of 1979
Meryl Streep won her first of three Oscars while taking her co-star Jane Alexander along for the Oscar ride in Kramer vs. Kramer.
- 5/29/2015
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In her column Room Number, travel expert Melissa Schwartz of Destination Happiness -- whose client roster ranges from Wme agent superstars to Wall Street titans -- reveals her favorite room in a different location on the entertainment industry travel circuit. The room of choice in Tokyo, where the Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off Thursday, is the very generous 800-square-foot Executive Suite Room 1708 in the Palace Hotel Tokyo (1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda). In a city where space itself is an extravagant luxury, this suite overlooks the regal gardens of the Imperial Palace, making it quite possibly like no
read more...
read more...
- 10/18/2013
- by Melissa Schwartz
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
William Holden movies: ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ William Holden is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" featured actor today, August 21, 2013. Throughout the day, TCM has been showing several William Holden movies made at Columbia, though his work at Paramount (e.g., I Wanted Wings, Dear Ruth, Streets of Laredo, Dear Wife) remains mostly off-limits. Right now, TCM is presenting David Lean’s 1957 Best Picture Academy Award winner and all-around blockbuster The Bridge on the River Kwai, the Anglo-American production that turned Lean into filmdom’s brainier Cecil B. DeMille. Until then a director of mostly small-scale dramas, Lean (quite literally) widened the scope of his movies with the widescreen-formatted Southeast Asian-set World War II drama, which clocks in at 161 minutes. Even though William Holden was The Bridge on the River Kwai‘s big box-office draw, the film actually belongs to Alec Guinness’ Pow British commander and to...
- 8/22/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This will be the last top ten off the top of my head whole decade thingies for a bit -- we need to get to real articles but I've been swamped off blog. But these discussions are fun, don't you agree? The 1950s were the first film decade I was obsessed with in that when I was first becoming interested in cinema in the mid 80s, the 50s somehow came to signify Mythic Classic Hollywood to me, though cinema obviously stretched much much further back. So I guess I'll always be kind of attached to this decade when the movies got literally bigger (I do so prefer rectangulars to squares) and the era's stars really defined (at least for me) the concept of "Movie Star". I mean it's hard to argue with Liz, Brando, Clift, Dean, Monroe in all caps.
Which is why Giant is such a perfect 1950s movie...
Which is why Giant is such a perfect 1950s movie...
- 3/20/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi in Oscar nominee (but not DGA nominee) David Lean's Summertime DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards 1948-1952: Odd Men Out George Cukor, John Huston, Vincente Minnelli 1953 DGA (12) Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, Above and Beyond Walter Lang, Call Me Madam Daniel Mann, Come Back, Little Sheba Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Julius Caesar Henry Koster, The Robe Jean Negulesco, Titanic George Sidney, Young Bess DGA/AMPAS George Stevens, Shane Charles Walters, Lili Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 William Wyler, Roman Holiday Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity 1954 DGA (16) Edward Dmytryk, The Caine Mutiny Alfred Hitchcock, Dial M for Murder Robert Wise, Executive Suite Anthony Mann, The Glenn Miller Story Samuel Fuller, Hell and High Water Henry King, King of Khyber Rifles Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, Knock on Wood Don Siegel, Riot in Cell Block 11 Stanley Donen, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers George Cukor, A Star Is Born Jean Negulesco,...
- 1/10/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By most accounts, Harry Cohn was a royal son of a bitch.
For the uninformed, Harry Cohn was co-founder of Columbia Pictures, and the autocratic ruler of the studio from its founding in 1919 until his death in 1958. He was vulgar, crass, tyrannical, a screaming, foul-mouthed verbal bully i.e. a royal son of a bitch.
He was also a cheap son of a bitch.
Originally considered a “Poverty Row” studio, Cohn’s Columbia – at least at first – refused to build a roster of salaried stars as the other studios did. Cohn didn’t want the overhead or the headaches he saw saddling other studio chiefs with their contract talent. Cheaper and easier was to pay those studios a flat fee for the one-time use of their marquee value stars to give Columbia’s B-budgeted flicks an A-list shine. Columbia was considered such a nickel-and-dime outfit at the time that other...
For the uninformed, Harry Cohn was co-founder of Columbia Pictures, and the autocratic ruler of the studio from its founding in 1919 until his death in 1958. He was vulgar, crass, tyrannical, a screaming, foul-mouthed verbal bully i.e. a royal son of a bitch.
He was also a cheap son of a bitch.
Originally considered a “Poverty Row” studio, Cohn’s Columbia – at least at first – refused to build a roster of salaried stars as the other studios did. Cohn didn’t want the overhead or the headaches he saw saddling other studio chiefs with their contract talent. Cheaper and easier was to pay those studios a flat fee for the one-time use of their marquee value stars to give Columbia’s B-budgeted flicks an A-list shine. Columbia was considered such a nickel-and-dime outfit at the time that other...
- 6/22/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
The Peninsula Chicago is celebrating their 10th anniversary and they want you to be there!
"Extra" is giving away a phenomenal package, valued at $10,000, to one lucky friend and a guest. It includes:
--Roundtrip airfare for two to Chicago
--Two-night stay in a Peninsula Executive Suite
--Two 60-minute spa treatments at the Peninsula Spa by Espa
--Royal tea for two
--Chauffeured service in a cool Mini Cooper
Sign up to become an "Extra" friend and...
"Extra" is giving away a phenomenal package, valued at $10,000, to one lucky friend and a guest. It includes:
--Roundtrip airfare for two to Chicago
--Two-night stay in a Peninsula Executive Suite
--Two 60-minute spa treatments at the Peninsula Spa by Espa
--Royal tea for two
--Chauffeured service in a cool Mini Cooper
Sign up to become an "Extra" friend and...
- 6/1/2011
- Extra
A classy dame. A dynamite broad. A tough cookie. The language is definitely un-pc…and yet, it seems not only proper but singularly apt when talking about Barbara Stanwyck. It was the language of the day when her star soared off into the ascent, and it would remain so her over the course of a 60-year career on stage, film, and TV, it would be criminal to clean it up for politeness’ sake. It was the kind of language she unabashedly used herself in her later years, describing herself frankly, bluntly, and with characteristic modesty – as was her wont – as “…a tough old broad from Brooklyn.”
And, kiddo (as she’d probably say), she was. She had to be.
She was four-year-old Ruby Stevens when a drunk pushed her mother off a streetcar killing her, and her father, unable to cope, ran off. She bounced from one foster home to another,...
And, kiddo (as she’d probably say), she was. She had to be.
She was four-year-old Ruby Stevens when a drunk pushed her mother off a streetcar killing her, and her father, unable to cope, ran off. She bounced from one foster home to another,...
- 4/3/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
The Louisiana set of Breaking Dawn might not be particularly friendly to visitors, but it will be a different story when production for the two-part Twilight finale moves to Vancouver, British Columbia. Provided you have enough cash, that is. CharityBuzz is auctioning off a day-long visit to Breaking Dawn's Vancouver set, including a face-to-face meet-up with Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson. The lucky bidder will also receive a two-night stay in a Deluxe Executive Suite at Vancouver's prestigious Four Season Hotel, and limousine service to and from the set. Pretty sweet deal, huh? Well, it had better be—because the current minimum bid is...
- 11/19/2010
- by Celebuzz
- Celebuzz.com
In an awards season where actresses have created unusually memorable performances, The Hollywood Reporter is focusing on six of the most buzz-worthy in its first relaunched issue available Wednesday.
Amy Adams (The Fighter), Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech), Nicole Kidman (The Rabbit Hole), Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Hilary Swank (Conviction) sat down with THR for an hourlong freewheeling and often fun discussion to kick off the annual Awards Season Roundtable Series.
The actresses discussed everything from dealing with director conflict on the set, the emotional impact of certain roles, to how they balance motherhood and work. The interviews were conducted on Oct. 25 at the Siren Studios in Los Angeles. The group was photographed by photographer Lorenzo Agius.
Extensive video portions of the interview will be available on THR online on Nov. 3.
The 156-page premiere edition of the new THR also features,...
Amy Adams (The Fighter), Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech), Nicole Kidman (The Rabbit Hole), Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and Hilary Swank (Conviction) sat down with THR for an hourlong freewheeling and often fun discussion to kick off the annual Awards Season Roundtable Series.
The actresses discussed everything from dealing with director conflict on the set, the emotional impact of certain roles, to how they balance motherhood and work. The interviews were conducted on Oct. 25 at the Siren Studios in Los Angeles. The group was photographed by photographer Lorenzo Agius.
Extensive video portions of the interview will be available on THR online on Nov. 3.
The 156-page premiere edition of the new THR also features,...
- 11/2/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Walter Pidgeon on TCM: Forbidden Planet, Executive Suite Schedule (Pt) and synopses from the TCM website: 3:00 Am Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930) An 18th-century English flirt wins the heart of a notorious highwayman. Cast: Claudia Dell, Ernest Torrence, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Alfred E. Green. C-63 mins. 4:15 Am Hot Heiress, The (1931) When a society woman falls for a riveter, she tries to pass him off as an architect. Cast: Ben Lyon, Ona Munson, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Clarence Badger. Bw-79 mins. 5:45 Am Shopworn Angel, The (1938) A showgirl gives up life in the fast lane for a young soldier on his way to fight World War I. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: H.C. Potter. Bw-85 mins. 7:15 Am Flight Command (1940) A cocky cadet tries to prove himself during flight training. Cast: Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Frank Borzage. Bw-116 mins. 9:15 Am Design For [...]...
- 8/19/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
I apologize for the absence of posts today. I clearly need a secretary executive assistant!
Selina Kyle has a rough day at work. And afterwards, too
My four favorite movies about administrative professionals are probably Executive Suite (1954), Secretary (2002), 9 to 5 (1980) and Batman Returns (1992). What? Batman Returns is totally about a secretary. Which movie were you watching? The title is misleading because Batman is barely in it. It's a gothic dramedy about a lonely secretary and her open window policy for the neighborhood cats. It's all about the secretary and she's in every single frame of the movie. At least that's the way I remember it.
If you are an administrative professional the Film Experience sends you virtual flowers today and encourages you to leave work early. Don't let your evil CEO push you out an impossibly high window. Don't let them work you like a dog!
Selina Kyle has a rough day at work. And afterwards, too
My four favorite movies about administrative professionals are probably Executive Suite (1954), Secretary (2002), 9 to 5 (1980) and Batman Returns (1992). What? Batman Returns is totally about a secretary. Which movie were you watching? The title is misleading because Batman is barely in it. It's a gothic dramedy about a lonely secretary and her open window policy for the neighborhood cats. It's all about the secretary and she's in every single frame of the movie. At least that's the way I remember it.
If you are an administrative professional the Film Experience sends you virtual flowers today and encourages you to leave work early. Don't let your evil CEO push you out an impossibly high window. Don't let them work you like a dog!
- 4/21/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
One "Extra" friend is about to win a relaxing getaway in Dana Point, Calif.!
The winner will receive a gift certificate good for one weekend with a guest at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. The package includes a two-night stay in the Executive Suite, as well as dinner in Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern restaurant. The St. Regis is California's only Mobil Five-Star resort and a Aaa Five-Diamond retreat located in Orange County,...
The winner will receive a gift certificate good for one weekend with a guest at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point. The package includes a two-night stay in the Executive Suite, as well as dinner in Michael Mina's Stonehill Tavern restaurant. The St. Regis is California's only Mobil Five-Star resort and a Aaa Five-Diamond retreat located in Orange County,...
- 11/5/2009
- Extra
Nina Foch, who died last December, will be remembered by USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with “A Tribute to Nina Foch” on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. "A Tribute to Nina Foch" will feature film clips as well as onstage remembrances with several of her colleagues, students, friends, and family. The Dutch-born stage, film, and television actress, among whose motion picture credits are the B-noir classic My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), the Oscar-winning musical An American in Paris (1951), an her Oscar-nominated supporting turn in Executive Suite (1954), was also an acting coach and a senior faculty member at the American Film Institute. Later, Foch taught for many years at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, offering the advanced seminar in directing actors for film. RSVP to www.ninafochtribute.com. All seating is unreserved. The...
- 4/8/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Oscar nominee Nina Foch has died in Los Angeles. She was 84.
The actress fell ill while teaching at the University of Southern California on Thursday. She died the following day of complications from a long-term blood disorder.
Foch had been a teacher at USC for 40 years.
Born in Holland in 1924, she started out as a B-movie star in films like My Name Is Julia Ross in the mid-1940s and became a favourite in film noir movies like Human Desire and The Dark Past.
Foch also appeared in classics A Song to Remember, An American in Paris, The Ten Commandments and Executive Suite, for which she was Oscar nominated as a Best Supporting Actress.
She also earned an Emmy Award nod in 1980 for her work on an episode of Lou Grant.
The actress fell ill while teaching at the University of Southern California on Thursday. She died the following day of complications from a long-term blood disorder.
Foch had been a teacher at USC for 40 years.
Born in Holland in 1924, she started out as a B-movie star in films like My Name Is Julia Ross in the mid-1940s and became a favourite in film noir movies like Human Desire and The Dark Past.
Foch also appeared in classics A Song to Remember, An American in Paris, The Ten Commandments and Executive Suite, for which she was Oscar nominated as a Best Supporting Actress.
She also earned an Emmy Award nod in 1980 for her work on an episode of Lou Grant.
- 12/8/2008
- WENN
June Allyson, the perenially perky actress who played wife, girlfriend and girl-next-door to a long line of leading men in the 40s and 50s, died Saturday at her home in Ojai, California; she was 88. The actress died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis complicated by a long illness, with her husband of 30 years, David Ashrow, at her side. Born Eleanor Geisman in the Bronx, the actress grew up in near-poverty, raised by her divorced mother. After a serious injury at age eight, she spent years confinded in a steel brace, and began both swimming and dancing lessons to increase her mobility. The dancing paid off: in 1938, at age 21, she was cast in the Broadway production Sing Out the News. A prominent role in George Abbott's Best Foot Forward brought her to the attention of Hollywood, and she was later cast by MGM in the 1943 film version, and signed to a contract by the studio. With her raspy voice, sunny disposition and wholesome good looks, she stood apart from other more glamorous actresses yet endeared herself to both women, who identified with her, and men, who saw her as the "perfect wife." Her appeal was epitomized in such films as Little Women, where she played the tomboyish Jo opposite Peter Lawford, and baseball drama The Stratton Story, her first film with James Stewart. Offscreen, Allyson caused concern from her studio bosses when she married Dick Powell, her occasional co-star; the actor had been married twice before and was 13 years her senior, and by most reports their marriage was often tumultuous. In the 50s, Allyson most often played the steadfast wife, most famously opposite previous co-star Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story and Strategic Air Command. Other films during the decade included Executive Suite (with William Holden), The Opposite Sex, The Shrike (a rare unsympathetic role), Interlude, and a remake of My Man Godfrey alongside David Niven. As husband Powell's health began to decline (he died in 1963), Allyson began her retirement from films, and through the 60s worked mainly in television, including her own show, The Dupont Show with June Allyson. Her later career consisted mainly of TV movies and guest star appearances on shows ranging from The Love Boat to The Incredible Hulk, and she underwent another turbulent marriage, to Glenn Maxwell, her former husband's barber. In 1976, she married current husband Ashrow, with whom she traveled extensively. To most recent generations, Allyson was known as the upbeat spokeswoman for Depends undergarments, a role she undertook with aplomb as she helped pioneer research for urological and gynecological diseases in senior citizens. Allyson is survived by her husband and two children, daughter Pamela and son Richard, from her marriage to Powell. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...
- 7/11/2006
- WENN
June Allyson, the perenially perky actress who played wife, girlfriend and girl-next-door to a long line of leading men in the 40s and 50s, died Saturday at her home in Ojai, California; she was 88. The actress died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis complicated by a long illness, with her husband of 30 years, David Ashrow, at her side. Born Eleanor Geisman in the Bronx, the actress grew up in near-poverty, raised by her divorced mother. After a serious injury at age eight, she spent years confinded in a steel brace, and began both swimming and dancing lessons to increase her mobility. The dancing paid off: in 1938, at age 21, she was cast in the Broadway production Sing Out the News. A prominent role in George Abbott's Best Foot Forward brought her to the attention of Hollywood, and she was later cast by MGM in the 1943 film version, and signed to a contract by the studio. With her raspy voice, sunny disposition and wholesome good looks, she stood apart from other more glamorous actresses yet endeared herself to both women, who identified with her, and men, who saw her as the "perfect wife." Her appeal was epitomized in such films as Little Women (1949), where she played the tomboyish Jo opposite Peter Lawford, and baseball drama The Stratton Story, her first film with James Stewart. Offscreen, Allyson caused concern from her studio bosses when she married Dick Powell, her occasional co-star; the actor had been married twice before and was 13 years her senior, and by most reports their marriage was often tumultuous. In the 50s, Allyson most often played the steadfast wife, most famously opposite previous co-star Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story and Strategic Air Command. Other films during the decade included Executive Suite (with William Holden), The Opposite Sex, The Shrike (a rare unsympathetic role), Interlude, and a remake of My Man Godfrey alongside David Niven. As husband Powell's health began to decline (he died in 1963), Allyson began her retirement from films, and through the 60s worked mainly in television, including her own show, The Dupont Show with June Allyson. Her later career consisted mainly of TV movies and guest star appearances on shows ranging from The Love Boat to The Incredible Hulk, and she underwent another turbulent marriage, to Glenn Maxwell, her former husband's barber. In 1976, she married current husband Ashrow, with whom she traveled extensively. To most recent generations, Allyson was known as the upbeat spokeswoman for Depends undergarments, a role she undertook with aplomb as she helped pioneer research for urological and gynecological diseases in senior citizens. Allyson is survived by her husband and two children, daughter Pamela and son Richard, from her marriage to Powell. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff...
- 7/10/2006
- WENN
Actress Shelley Winters, the larger-than-life movie star who became one of only two women to win two Best Supporting Actress Oscars, died Saturday in Beverly Hills; she was 85. The actress died of heart failure early Saturday morning, following hospitalization at the Rehabilitation Center in Beverly Hills after suffering a heart attack in October. A woman with a zest for living and a loud, brassy attitude to match her appetites, Winters was born Shirley Schrift in East St. Louis, IL, and started her career as a chorus girl before moving on to stage parts in New York; she would later study at the legendary Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg. Signed to a contract with Columbia in the 40s, the actress received her new name and a number of unmemorable, and mostly uncredited, supporting parts before returning to Broadway. She was lured back to Hollywood, though, by Universal, which transformed her into a stunning blonde bombshell, and her first memorable role was opposite Oscar winner Ronald Colman in A Double Life. Her reputation as an actress was cemented with her amazing performance in 1951's A Place in the Sun alongside Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor; her heart-wrenching role, which forced her to tone down her glamorous image, earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and put her on the Hollywood map. Other films in the 50s included the classic The Night of the Hunter, I Am a Camera, and Executive Suite. She capped the decade with The Diary of Anne Frank, and her turn as Mrs. Van Daan won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, which she later donated to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. As Winters' fame in movies grew, so did her reputation as a life-loving, outspoken, lustful, political, provocative woman. Her romances were as legendary as any male star of the era, and she counted William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Sean Connery, Sterling Hayden and Errol Flynn among her conquests. She was married three times, first to businessman Paul Meyer, then to actors Vittorio Gassman (with whom she had a daughter) and Anthony Franciosa; both marriages to the Italian actors were notoriously volatile. In 1962, Winters played the mother of the nymphet Lolita in the Stanley Kubrick film, a turning point at which her performances would become broader and more outrageous. She won her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 1965's A Patch of Blue, and her hateful role as the mother of a blind woman was in stark contrast to her previous Oscar-winning performance. (Aside from Winters, the only other actress to win two Best Supporting Actress Oscars is Dianne Wiest.) Winters also appeared in Alfie, Harper, and A House is Not a Home in the 60s, and the 70s brought on such movies as Bloody Mama, Who Slew Auntie Roo and Cleopatra Jones, though her sentimental and winning performance in The Poseidon Adventure, as an overweight woman whose swimming talents help lead her fellow passengers to safety, received yet another Oscar nomination. (Winters gained 30 pounds for the role, which she often commented she never lost again.) Talk show appearances, TV films and lesser-known movies dotted the rest of her career, though she made memorable appearances in S.O.B. and The Portrait of a Lady, and had a recurring role on the sitcom Roseanne as the star's overbearing grandmother. Winters also wrote two best-selling autobiographies, Shelley: Also Known as Shirley and Shelley II: The Middle of My Century. She is survived by her daughter, Vittoria, two grandchildren, and her longtime companion, Jerry DeFord. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 1/14/2006
- IMDb News
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