Mini Tribute: Character Actor John Fiedler

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Born February 3, 1925 Character Actor John Fiedler!

Character Actor John Fiedler appeared in over 185 film, TV and voice roles — most notably in 12 Angry Men (Feature Film Debut as Juror #2), The Odd Couple (as Vinnie), True Grit 1969 (as Lawyer Daggett) – & the adorable Piglet in Disney’s Winnie-the-Pooh!

“There are elements of Piglet that are me: the shyness and the anxieties and fears. Even after all these years. The more you know, the higher your standards are and the more you have to lose.” – John Fiedler

Character Actor John Fiedler as Piglet in Disney's Winnie the PoohJohn Fiedler as himself and John Fiedler as Piglet (photo)

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Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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Mini Tribute: Character Actor Victor Buono

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Born February 3, 1938 Character Actor Victor Buono!

Character Actor Victor Buono appeared in over 95 film and TV roles — most notably in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Supporting Actor Nominee), Robin and the 7 Hoods, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Greatest Story Ever Told  -& of course Batman as the villainous King Tut!

Victor Buono as King Tut on Batman

Being on ‘Batman’ allowed me to do something we actors are taught never to do: overact. -Victor Buono

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Mini Tribute: Character Actor S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Born February 2, 1883 Character Actor S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall!

Character Actor S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall appeared in over 100 films. He started his career in Hungarian and German silent films and early talkies, but is probably best remembered for his Hollywood era films including The Devil and Miss Jones, Ball of Fire, Casablanca, Christmas in Connecticut, The Dolly Sisters, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Cinderella Jones and In the Good Old Summertime.

“Everything is hunky dunky!” -S. Z. Sakall

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Character Actor S. Z. "Cuddles" SakallS. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall as Carl, the head waiter, in Casablanca (photo)

Customer: Are you sure this place is honest?
Carl the Head Waiter (S.Z. Sakall) Honest? As honest as the day is long!
-in Casablanca

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S. Z. Sakall and Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in ConnecticutS. Z. Sakall and Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in Connecticut (photo)

Watch now. I show you how to flip-flop the flop-flips.
-S.Z. Sakall as Felix Bassenak in Christmas in Connecticut

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Clark Gable

Posted on February 1, 2013 by minooallen

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Clark Gable, born February 1st, 1901!

Clark Gable is the type of man you don’t want to bring home to mother. Not because she wouldn’t approve – how could she not approve of all his devilish charm and suave appearance. You wouldn’t want to bring Gable home to mother because, well, he just might end up leaving said home with your mother.

Strong, ruggedly handsome, unwilling to take anyone’s attitude but more than happy to give his own, Gable is the perfect manifestation of the traditional male hero. He seemed most comfortable in the role of mysterious outsider whose reputation as a woman-chasing scoundrel cast him away from the inner circle of polite society while simultaneously adding to his already alluring mystique. It didn’t matter if he was in comedy or action/adventure, romance or drama; Gable always came across as the suave rebel, equally as likely to help you or take your money. So, let us celebrate this charming scoundrel by taking a look at the roles that best represent the title.

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Jean Harlow, Red Dust, Classic Movie Actress, Victor FlemingClark Gable with Jean Harlow in Red Dust (1932, Victor Fleming, director)

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Claudette Colbert, It happened one night, classic movie actress, Frank CapraClark Gable with Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night (1934, Frank Capra director)

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Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind (1939, Victor Fleming director)

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: John Ford

Posted on February 1, 2013 by minooallen

 

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, John Ford, born February 1st, 1894.

One of the most powerful aspects of film is its ability to create a self-contained world void of the trappings of reality. A well-crafted film can transport an audience from the comfort of their theater seats to the far reaches of time and space without having them question the logic of how they got there. It’s that willingness to suspend belief, to trust the filmmaker in guiding them safely through this new world, that gives the filmic image such power.  Whatever is represented on screen becomes truth for the viewer. Because of this, the title of filmmaker can sometimes be synonymous with that of mythmaker. No other filmmaker can demonstrate this point more than John Ford.

Although the western as a genre existed before Ford began making movies, it’s Ford who created what we collectively perceive as the Wild West. Ask the majority of people what they picture when they think of the Wild West. More than likely they will conjure up images of Indians fighting cowboys, gunfights in lawless western villages, and perhaps even the sun setting ever the distinct rock formations of Monument Valley as John Wayne rides his horse into unknown territories. They will conjure images created by John Ford, for in reality, the “Wild West” wasn’t really that wild at all. Gun fights were a rarity, Native Americans were rounded up then displaced by the US government and all cowboys did was sit around all day keeping an eye on, you guesses it, cows. Our collective perception of the Wild West, what we believe to be reality, is actually nothing more than a representation  — a myth created by John Ford. And to celebrate this maker of myths, this manipulator of perceived reality, let us take a look at the films that helped create the Legend of the Wild West.

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John Wayne as the mythical hero cowboy in Stagecoach (1939, John Ford director)

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Victor Mature in the mythic activity of gun fighting in My Darling Clementine (1946, John Ford director)

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Monument Valley, mythic land of the West in The Searchers (1956, John Ford director)

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Tallulah Bankhead

Posted on January 31, 2013 by minooallen

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Tallulah Bankhead, born January 31, 1902!

In the world of classic Hollywood, there are those I wish I could have worked with, those I wish I could’ve befriended, and those I wish I could have partied with. Tallulah Bankhead is the one I wish I could have partied with. I’ll be honest with you, faithful readers — I’ve only seen two of her films: Life Boat and Die, Die, My Darling. Most of my Bankhead knowledge comes from what I’ve read and one thing I could never stop reading was her quotes. I mean, half the reason I want to party with this lady IS the quotes. So, to celebrate this great star of the stage and screen, let’s look at some her best quotes.

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Tallulah Bankhead with John Hodiak in Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock director)

“If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.”

“Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.”

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Young Tallulah Bankhead.

“I have three phobias which, could I mute them,would make my life as slick as a sonnet,but dull as ditch water: I hate to go to bed, I hate to get up and I hate to be alone…”

“They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum.”

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Ronald Colman, classic movie actorTallulah Bankhead at a party with Ronald Colman. Why can’t I be there?

“I’d rather be strongly wrong than weakly right.”

“They say it’s the good girls who keep diaries. The bad girls never have the time. Me, I just wanna live a life I’m gonna remember even if I don’t write it down.”

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Ernest Lubitsch

Posted on January 28, 2013 by minooallen

 

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Ernst Lubitsch, born January 28, 1892!

I want you to do me a little a favor. Read the following loglines from three different classic films:

“A stern Russian woman sent to Paris on official business finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest.”
 
“An old roué arrives in Hades to review his life with Satan, who will rule on his eligibility to enter the Underworld.”
 
“During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier’s efforts to track down a German spy.”

 

Some pretty heavy stuff, am I right? I mean, death, political intrigue, and Nazis; those are all the things that make the greatest of dramas. And Ninotchka, Heaven Can Wait and To Be or Not to Be are all remembered as some of the greatest dramas to come out of the classic movie era. Oh, wait. My mistake, they’re all remembered as some of the greatest comedies to come out of classic Hollywood.

You see, that is great thing about birthday boy Ernst Lubitsch. He had the uncanny ability to take heavy, dark subject matters and find the inherent comical elements that exist within that reality. The amazing thing about Lubitsch wasn’t that he could simply make serious subjects hilarious; rather, it was that he did so using a lethal cocktail of sophistication, wit, and a slight splash of cynicism.  His humor didn’t rely on making the audience laugh AT the subject matter. No, his craft was far too elegant for the lowest common denominator. The beauty of the “Lubitsch Touch” was that it commented on the subject matter itself and the humorous situation inherent in such sadness.

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Ninotchka (1939, Ernst Lubitsch director)

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Heaven Can Wait (1943, Ernst Lubitsch director)

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To Be or Not to Be (1942, Ernst Lubitsch director)

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Paul Newman

Posted on January 26, 2013 by minooallen

 

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Paul Newman, born January 26th, 1925.

 

Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, George Roy Hill director)

Let me tell you a little story about my freshman year at College.  The date is September 26th, and I had been a student in the Purchase Film Conservatory for less than a month. Still in the “getting to know you” stage of my college experience, it’s fair to say that most of my new acquaintance knew very little about me. However, one thing they did know about: my Paul Newman obsession. Not only did I decorate my dorm room with a matted picture of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid era’ Newman, I also had various Newman’s Own product labels scattered between my Katharine Hepburn plaque and Billie Holiday posters. It was all very tastefully done, I swear. But I digress.

Paul Newman, actor, humanitarian, and all around good human being.

So, September 26th, 2008, a month into my freshman year of college, Paul Newman passed away. Still as big a star as he was in the 50’s, it was all over the news and was the talk of everyone in the film program. And, to great surprise, many of my new friends came up to me personally and offered me condolences about his death.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or creeped out, but I thanked them all none-the-less and chose to accept it.  There are worse things you can be know for during your freshman year of college other than being “Paul Newman girl”.

Paul Newman, making looking good seem far too easy since 1925.

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: D.W Griffith

Posted on January 22, 2013 by minooallen

 

Happy Birthday Classic Movie Legend, D.W Griffith, born January 22, 1875!

No doubt, D.W Griffith is one of the most controversial figures in the world of Classic Hollywood. He has already gone down in film history as one of the silver screen’s earliest and most prolific innovators. Although falsely credited with inventing the close-up and other technical achievements, his use of said techniques in terms of progressing the film narrative was a breath of fresh air to the burgeoning world of film. Through use of parallel editing (the cutting back and forth of two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously and in different locations) he transformed the very essences of filmic story telling. Yes, without a doubt, Griffith’s use of advanced camera and narrative techniques paved the way for the feature-length film, still the dominant film form in the world today. If only that’s where his legacy ended.

D.W Griffith

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post (about Butterfly McQueen), the world of Classic Hollywood was not without its flaws, and racism is definitely a dark page in the lexicon of classic film.  One of its worst perpetrators is a little film Griffith directed called The Birth of a Nation. Yes, while the three-plus hour Civil War epic was an innovation in narrative filmmaking, it also stands as being one of the most vile, racist films to ever come out of classic Hollywood. Rife with black face, Confederacy sympathies, and historically inaccurate representations, the film has become more famous, or in this case infamous, for its racists politics rather than its technical innovations. For this reason, despite directing over 400 films, Birth of a Nation stands as Griffith’s defining piece of work. Although Intolerance may have made more money and Broken Blossoms may have had better politics, the narrative of D.W Griffith will always be dominated by Birth of Nation and the controversy that surrounds it.

D.W Griffith’s controversial masterpiece The Birth of a Nation (1915, D.W Griffith director)

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Patricia Neal

Posted on January 20, 2013 by minooallen

 

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Patricia Neal, born January 20, 1926!

The first time I saw Patricia Neal, I was completely smitten. The film was A Face in the Crowd and I must have been in ninth or tenth grade. Now, although the film as a whole is absolutely amazing and most walk away remembering the bombastically boss performance of “pre-show” Andy Griffith, I remember being completely and utterly fascinated by Neal. For me, Neal was a different kind of leading lady. Though classic movies featured plenty of strong leading ladies, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Jean Arthur obviously come to mind, their performances always seemed to be in the world of aristocracy even when playing characters of limited financial means. They never seemed grounded to this earth, and that was their appeal. Neal, however, was always grounded.

What draws me to Neal is her ability to play well-intentioned but flawed characters. Like most people in this thing we like to call the ‘real world’, her characters are full of contradictions. Strong yet vulnerable; tough yet giving, the characters Neal brought to life seem more real than the typical ones seen in the great classic film fantasy. Not only do they struggle to do what’s right, they struggle to understand what’s even right in the first place. My favorite example of this comes from; you guessed it, A Face in the Crowd. I guess this is about the time I should say spoiler alert, so *spoiler alert.*

Towards the end of the film when Neal makes the decision to expose Griffith for the power hungry, elitist monster he has become — the dilemma of the moment is all over her face. Sure, she could allow Griffith to ride the ignorance of his fan base to heights of political power. Sure, she could join him in his contempt for the unknowing masses. Sure, she could continue to play her part in the elaborate lie, after all, it’s what she’s been doing the whole movie. But she can’t; she realizes that the horrifying truth is better than the comforting lie and exposes Griffith for the man he has become. So, to pay tribute to this legend, let us take a look at some of these flawed characters, perhaps you’ll recognize yourself in some of them, I know I certainly do.

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Andy Griffith, A Face in the Crowd face, classic Movie actor, Elia KazanPatricia Neal, despite knowing better, lets herself get caught in to the Andy Griffiths Cult of Personality in A Face in the Crowd (1957, Elia Kazan director)

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Patricia Neal plays the world weary Alma in Hud. (1963, Martin Ritt director)

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Patricia Neal as the wealthy but lonely resident of 2E in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, Blake Edwards director)

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

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