Before directing ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Heaven’s Gate’, Michael Cimino was a highly successful director of hip and groovy 1960s television commercials. Although he technically was part of an all-in-one advertising/production house called Madison Pollack and O’Hare (MPO), he apparently was always a step outside of the group, marching to
Here’s a real deep YouTube discovery. It’s a twenty minute chunk of mostly raw footage from a 1970 television doc called ‘Billy Wilder’ showing Wilder in the process of directing a movie. The making of the doc coincided with Wilder’s presence in Europe shooting ‘The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes’,
‘Three Little Sew and Sews’ (1939) was the thirty-sixth short subject made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Monday, March 21st through Thursday, March 24th 1938 and was released on Monday, January 9th 1939. It is a peak Curly Howard-era short featuring some of Curly’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E81cTpcmkYohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op0NY8Fc5GY ‘Love Is All Around’, the much loved theme from ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’, was written by Sonny Curtis who also wrote ‘I Fought The Law’, made famous by Bobby Fuller. If the difference between Mary and Bobby Fuller seems like a stark one then try this on for
‘From Nurse To Worse’ (1940) was the 49th two-reel short subject made by The Three Stooges for Columbia Pictures. It was photographed from Wednesday, May 15th through Saturday, May 18th 1940 and released on Friday, August 23rd of that year. The film is a good solid Curly outing with an
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;