The VW Fastback Sedan–a car you simply never see on the road anymore–received a big boost when newly famous star of ‘The Graduate’ Dustin Hoffman became the car’s key pitchman. Hoffman is still so close to his ‘Graduate’ persona that watching the commercial makes it seem like Benjamin Braddock found
W.C. Fields last home in Los Angeles was in a Hollywood neighborhood called Laughlin Park. The neighborhood is close to the hills of Los Feliz and gated for privacy. The house was for sale last year and a rather nice video was made showing the joint off. The house was
I would bet that most people reading this blog know that W.C. Fields was a Broadway headliner prior to his emergence as a Hollywood superstar. Furthermore, many readers might also know that he had a long career in Vaudeville before that. What one might possibly not be aware of, though,
‘Dizzy Pilots’ (1943) is the seventy-fourth two-reel comedy made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Tuesday, April 6th through Friday, April 9th 1943 and released on Friday, September 24th of that year. The central gag of the film–one of their strangest and most inventive–involves Moe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjX16FwJezM Here’s another of the George Mann home movie items, this one of W.C. Fields clowning around in front of his house in Great Neck, Long Island. The year is 1928. Though Fields is a Broadway star, his move to California and his eventual international stardom from his movies is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A11EWc2_WJQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qYmFXWtdo8 Yesterday I posted about the amazing George Mann home movie footage of Broadway in the late 1920s. Mann performed in a number of Earl Carroll reviews during that decade and in 1928 he was part of the seventh edition of ‘Earl Carroll’s Vanities’ along with W.C. Fields. Although Fields
Here is some extraordinarily rare and truly one-of-a-kind footage shot from the backstage wings of the 44th Street Theater in January, 1930. It shows us a few moments of a variety show in-progress called ‘Earl Carroll’s Sketchbook’, which starred Eddie Cantor, Patsy Kelly, William Demerest and a dance team called
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C_sYUQl7xM ‘Oily To Bed, Oily To Rise’ (1939) is the forty-second short film made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Thursday, March 16th through Monday, March 20th, 1939 and released on Monday, October 6th of that year. Make sure to pause and crank up the
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjV5U7W8X6E On Wednesday I posted two of Michael Cimino’s mid-1960s commercials which I’d sought out while reading Charles Elton’s fine new biography of Cimino. But it occurred to me that I’d never (except for his ‘Deer Hunter’ Oscar acceptance speech) heard him interviewed. And then I turned up the above,
Here are two mid-1960s Ginger Ale commercial spots, both of which use the same hipster narrator and Heffner-esque ‘Penthouse After Dark’ tone. The campaign line here is ‘one gulp is for thirst, the other gulps are for kicks’. We are deep in groovy mid-century party-land, with sexy chicks wearing striped
Dustin Hoffman (or is it Benjamin Braddock?) enthusiastically sells the ludicrous 1969 #VW Fastback in this classic #Television #Commercial. #TCMParty #actors https://raymonddefelitta.org/dustin-hoffman-shills-for-volkswagen/
Dig W.C.Fields lovely digs in Laughlin Park which was for sale last year. #Hollywood #LosAngelesHomes #TCMParty https://raymonddefelitta.org/blog/
Have you ever seen W.C. Fields incredible Juggling act? You haven't? Well, the best five minutes of your day await you! #comedy #Circus #FilmTwitter #TCM https://raymonddefelitta.org/w-c-fields-juggles-his-ass-off/
Moe Howard gets dunked in a bath of rubber and floats to the ceiling in 'Dizzy Pilots' (1943). It's easier to see it than explain it. #FilmTwitter #TCMParty #comedy https://raymonddefelitta.org/saturday-stoogefest-6/
'Dizzy Pilots' (1943) is this mornings Three Stooges #comedy treat (assuming you're that kind of person). #comedian #FilmTwitter #TCMParty https://raymonddefelitta.org/saturday-stoogefest-6/
