Filmmakers appear to be at their best when being interviewed by Europeans. Yesterday I offered up Orson Welles on Michael Parkinson’s show. Today, dig this one-hour doc made for French television titled ‘Billy Wilder; Portrait Of A 60% Perfect Man’. Ciment, a noted French cineaste, shot this material in Los
This is absolutely one of the best–if not the best–of the many interviews Orson Welles did over the years. It’s from a 1974 BBC program, the highly respected interview show hosted by Michael Parkinson. Welles is more relaxed than he is on guard, which is often his default attitude when
Seeing how it appears to be ‘George Cukor Day’ on TCM (‘The Philadelphia Story’ is playing as I write this and I’m about to give ‘Her Cardboard Lover’, which I’ve never seen, a try) I thought I’d post this 1973 doc about him. It was made as part of an
‘Three Sappy People’ (1939) is the 43rd short subject made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Thursday, April 6th through Monday, April 10th, 1939 and released on Friday, December 1st of that year. The film is a sharp-as-a-stiletto Curly-era outing, perfectly paced, inventively violent and
Here’s a short but delightful clip of the great Mel talking about working with the great Orson on ‘History Of The World Part 1’. I love Welles answer to Mel’s question as to what he was going to spend his salary on but I don’t believe it for a second;
YouTube is an interesting place to hang out. It enjoys introducing people to material that it houses and makes some curious connections when doing so. For instance, I’ve been posting Fats Waller material for the past few days. When I awoke this AM and logged in I found that they
‘We Want Our Mummy’ (1939) was the 37th short subject made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Tuesday, November 1 through Friday, November 4, 1938 and released on Friday, Feb 24, 1939. It’s one of the best, most assured and fastest paced prime Curly-era shorts
Here’s the complete ‘Shindig’ from October 7, 1964 which features The Beatles bookending the show. They begin with ‘Kansas City’ which features a rocking (though barely audible) McCartney vocal and then everyone has to wait twenty minutes for their return. Meanwhile another seven performers take the stage, possibly feeling the
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCOmlwDTVxA As a piece of material, ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’ by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkens is pretty much indestructible. When I first stumbled upon this clip from a 1969 ‘Hollywood Palace’, featuring a Barrie Chase dance set to the song, I had high hopes. Alas, they seem to
‘No Census, No Feeling’ (1940) was the fiftieth short subject made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Saturday, May 25th through Wednesday, May 29th, 1940 and was released on Friday, November 4th of that year. The film begins with the inadvertent destruction of a shopkeepers