“The Great McGinty” (1940) charts the rise and fall of a Depression-era hobo to mayor of a city, then Governor, and finally exile in a banana republic. Though a satire, Preston Sturges, certainly the greatest writer-director in Hollywood history, was
Movies, specifically Hollywood movies, are the greatest machinery of propaganda the world has ever known. So powerful is Hollywood and its ability to convey a message that in modern times America has never achieved victory in war without Hollywood’s support.
Faye Dunaway once told me that to play a role she had to commit to the character with all her heart and soul. She needed, she explained, to love the character. In terms of performance this means the actor has
In 2001, I wrote a film for Showtime called “Brotherhood of Murder”, based on the book of the same name by Tom Martinez and John Guinther. The film stars William Baldwin, Peter Gallagher and Kelly Lynch. Director Martin Bell did
Barbara Kent, December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011 Barbara Kent: “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but being an actress was not it.” —The Sound of Silence, by Michael Ankerich. Barbara Kent, b.
On May 2, 1949, Elle, France’s most popular women’s magazine, featured a cover photo of a fifteen year old model identified only as “BB.” Among the thousands of people who saw the photo of Brigitte Bardot was aspiring film director
In the beginning of his legendary career, Kirk Douglas (1916 – ) b. Issur Danielovitch, was almost typecast as a well-meaning but ineffectual husband as in, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, 1946, and A Letter to Three Wives, 1949.
The Los Angeles Times is, like the NY Times, a reliably anti-Israel newspaper whose liberal/progressive/leftist slant often veers into support for the Jew-hatred that is the foundation of Palestinian terror. Even their entertainment articles frequently marinate in a radical ideology
In 1939, Joan Fontaine, twenty-one years old, was slowly making her way up the Hollywood ladder. MGM signed Fontaine to play a small part in the high profile production The Women, directed by George Cukor, starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford,
Hollywood, an overwhelming leftist enclave, has a deep, dark secret. This secret has nothing to do with substance abuse or adultery. Hollywood’s best kept secret is that it is deeply Conservative–when it does the business of, well, Hollywood. Step into
Automobiles represent freedom. Try and remember when you were a teenager yearning for your driver’s license so you could hop into daddy’s car and go, go, go. It didn’t matter where, you just wanted to burn rubber and escape into
Hollywood, during its Golden Age, was a dream machine spinning images of adventure, glamour, and most of all, romance. MGM’s roster of female stars constituted the greatest collection of beautiful and talented women the world has ever known. One of
Here’s “The Tailor,” an adorable short from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, written, directed and edited by Gordon Grinberg. “The Tailor” 2011Jewish Film Festival Entry Vidéo funnytoo sélectionnée dans Cinéma Don’t want to say too much except to note
When Sarah Palin burst upon the national scene and the liberal media attempted to destroy her, it occurred to me that this honest and decent woman was being transformed into a hated Jew. No matter what she said, no matter
Turner Classic Movies allows yours truly to catch up on movies never seen and movies viewed so long ago that memory has left muddled, imprecise impressions. In 1964, age 14, I shlepped from Brooklyn into Manhattan to see the British
When I was a child growing up during the 50’s and 60’s, there really was an Easter parade up and down the streets of my beloved Brooklyn neighborhood. Off to church went our Christian neighbors, the working class men tugging
It was my great honor to have Sidney Lumet as the director of my screenplay, A Stranger Among Us, 1992, starring Melanie Griffith, Eric Thal, and Mia Sara. Working with Sidney was a master class in making movies. I learned
Afshan Azad, 22, who plays Padma Patil in the “Harry Potter” film series remains in hiding. She refused to appear in a London court and press charges, no doubt because she knows there’s no way the British police can protect
The only thing notable about this story is that it’s being reported. And the only reason it’s being reported is because Ms. Azad is an actress in one of the most popular franchises in movie history. The facts are simple
No matter how famous he became, no matter how much money he earned, Tony Curtis was always Bernard Schwartz, an insecure and damaged Jewish kid from the Bronx. As the son of Hungarian-Jewish immigrants, Curtis didn’t speak English until he
Dhimmitude: an attitude of concession, surrender and appeasement towards Islamic demands. South Park, equal opportunity satirists, have finally met their match. No, not the Islamist barbarians who have issued an indirect fatwa against South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt
There was a time when Hollywood and Hollywood stars represented hope and freedom. Universal’s top star in the 1940s was Deanna Durbin (b.1921 – ) who starred in a series of hugely popular and successful light musical comedies. Durbin, a
Just a few steps outside my room at Hillsdale’s Dow Hotel & Leadership Center hangs this wonderful portrait of George Washington. Hillsdale Feels a Lot Like Yeshiva Growing up in Brooklyn, I attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, an Orthodox elementary
[Ed. Note: Here are Part I and Part II of this series.] I’ve seen John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln at least a dozen times, but screening it here at Hillsdale College made me see the film in an entirely new
The imposing but elegant Central Hall houses the administrative offices of Hillsdale College. I know it looks like classic MGM, but it’s actually Second Empire architectural style. UPDATE: The location of the Winston Churchill statue has been corrected. No tattoos.
I’m in Michigan, on assignment for Big Hollywood, to cover a four-day film festival presented by The Center for Constructive Alternatives at Hillsdale College. For the next few days I will screen some landmark films from, arguably, Hollywood’s greatest year,
The great pioneering director D.W. Griffith hired Rabbi Isadore Myers as the Jewish technical consultant on his great epic, Intolerance, 1916. Griffith was so happy with Rabbi Myer’s expert advice and attention to detail that he said to the good
“Comrade Karen?” My wife gazes at me, and she’s like, “Huh?” “Since I’m watching all these Russian themed movies I feel the need to get in character.” “Robert…” “Comrade Robert, if you please.” My poor wife heaves a weary sigh.
This month TCM is running a fascinating series, Shadows of Russia, a history of Russia and the Soviet Union as seen through Hollywood’s lens. If you care about movies and politics, you should check out these movies. The idea for
Continuing from last week, here’s my list of the Ten Best Classic Hollywood Movies I screened during the past year. I realize that this list seems a bit, er, obscure and maybe even esoteric, but in truth, every film is
Here’s my annual list of the Ten Best Movies I Screened in 2009. I did not see more than a handful of contemporary releases that came close to the smart pacing, narrative sophistication and honest passion of these older films.
In 1999, a few weeks before The Devil’s Arithmetic went into production, I met with stars Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, and Mimi Rogers in Dustin Hoffman’s Brentwood office. Dustin and Mimi had rescued my script from development hell–a seven year
Lilian Gish, Broken Blossoms, 1919, a genuine Hollywood star. Americans admire excellence and authenticity. The rise of the Hollywood movie star was built on powerful performances that projected the idea of authentic emotions. Film audiences experienced a magical connection–often, deeply
Lupe Velez, The Mexican Spitfire. The lives of Hollywood stars are frequently tragic and messy tales of absent fathers, cruelly ambitious mothers, and madly dysfunctional families. Mexican-American actress, Lupe Velez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944) “The Mexican Spitfire”
This is not Yael, our beautiful Israeli sharpshooter. Security forbids us from posting her real name or image. But you get the idea, right? “How long did it take you to qualify as a sharpshooter in the IDF?” “Not too
Actress and author Patsy Ruth Miller. In 1924 while shooting a film in New York, actress Patsy Ruth Miller (1904-1995) developed a close friendship with author F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. Frequently, Fitzgerald and Patsy Ruth would go
Meet Larry, my buddy from Bensonhurst. Okay, so it’s not Larry. For reasons of security his identity cannot be compromised. But take my word for it, Larry looks exactly like William Powell in The Thin Man. Or not. Shabbat in
Esther Ralston at the height of her fame, 1920’s. To read Part I of this series, please click here. To read Part II, please click here. Broke, with her second marriage in shambles and blacklisted by studio boss L.B. Mayer–Esther
This is not a picture of yours truly with My Chinese Spy. It’s star-struck me with the great Chinese actress Gong Li on location in China. I confess, I use any excuse to publish this photo. American Journalism Goes Dark–Voluntarily