Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Maggie Smith Part 3

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Where Is She Now?

From 1966 to 2000, Maggie Smith had won two Oscars and had been nominated five times in total. She appeared in comedies, romances, even epics (Clash of the Titans). But within a span of three days in the year 2001, Maggie Smith had truly proven to the world that she hasn’t really gone anywhere. On November 7th, Gosford Park was released in theaters, and would end up giving Maggie Smith one more Oscar nomination, giving her six in total.

But just three days earlier, the largest film of Smith’s career was released: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. She would play the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall for 10 years and 8 movies, and has put her stamp on the Harry Potter franchise for as long as people choose to remember it. With Harry Potter taking up so much time, it’s impressive to see that Maggie Smith kept on working during those free moments.

From 2001 to 2011, Smith would appear in 9 TV movies/films: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood; My House in Umbria (won an Emmy for Lead Actress); Ladies in Lavender; Keeping Mum; Becoming Jane; Capturing Mary, From Time to Time; Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang; Gnomeo & Juliet.

Aside from Harry Potter, Smith will be known for her role in the British TV series Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley. For her role she received her second Emmy Award, this time for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Earlier this year, Maggie Smith was one of many stars in the British comedy-drama The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The film stars some of the greatest British actors in history: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Tom Wilkinson, Ronald Pickup, and Celia Imrie.

Her next film will be the directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman, Quartet, which focuses on a group of retired Opera singers who annually put on a concert to celebrate the birthday of famed Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi. But the arrival of Jean (played by Maggie Smith) disrupts the group. I had actually forgotten about this movie, even though I made a big deal about it the first time I heard of it. But with a cast of Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, and Billy Connolly, as well as it being the directing of Hoffman, this is a must see.

 Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Maggie Smith Part 2

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Josh Kaye

One of England’s most prominent stars, Dame Maggie Smith has been gracing the stage and the theaters with her presence since the early 1950’s. Born on the 28th of December in 1934, Smith is the youngest child to Margaret and Nathaniel Smith. She would go on to study at Oxford High School, and at the age of 18 would begin her career at the Oxford Playhouse, making her stage debut in a re-telling of one Shakespeare’s classics, Twelfth Night.

Just four years later, Smith would appear in her first film, Child in the House. While it may have been an extra role, this would go on to lead to much bigger things. In the 1960’s, she brought her talents to the Royal National Theatre, where she began to become a household name. One of her most famous performances was her portrayal of Desdemona in Othello opposite the wonderful Laurence Olivier. In 1965, she would go on to win her first Oscar for Best Actress in the same role.

Just four years later, Smith won her second Oscar for Best Actress in the title role of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. But she wasn’t close to being finished. It would take her 11 years to win another Oscar, but three Academy Awards within a 15 year span is an amazing number. Her third award was for her role as Diana Barry in California Suite, which also starred one of England’s most prominent male actors, Michael Caine.

There is one other role that, while it’s not as large as a film role, is just as important to the career of Maggie Smith. Between 1974 and 1975, she appeared on The Carol Burnett Show twice, and after watching clips of both appearances, it shows just how funny she can be. In fact, when Michael Caine heard that Maggie Smith would be starring in The Missionary with Michael Palin, it’s rumored that Caine humorously telephoned Palin, warning him that she would steal the film.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Maggie Smith

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Maggie Smith

Prominent Roles
Nowhere to Go (1958) as Bridget Howard
Othello (1965) as Desdemona (First Academy Nomination for Best Actress)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) as Jean Brodie (First Academy Win for Best Actress)
Travels with My Aunt (1972) as Aunt Augusta (Third Academy Nomination for Best Actress)
The Carol Burnett Show (1975-1975) as Gwendylspire Boughgrough/Ms. Collins
Murder by Death (1976) as Dora Charleston
California Suite (1978) as Diana Barrie (First Academy Win for Best Supporting Actress)
Clash of the Titans (1981) as Thetis
A Room with a View (1985) as Charlotte Bartlett (Second Academy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress)
Hook (1991) as Wendy Darling
Sister Act (1992) as Reverend Mother
Gosford Park (2001) as Constance, Countess of Trentham (Third Academy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress)
Harry Potter Franchise (2001-2011) as Professor Minerva McGonagall
Downton Abbey (2010-Present) as Violet Crawley

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Hub Doris Day CD Promotion

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Personally, I just ADORE Doris Day.  I can watch her movies over and over again!  That said, I’m very pleased to say that Classic Movie Hub is giving away Doris Day’s new 2-CD Set, “With a Smile and an Song” (courtesy of Sony Masterworks).

All you have to do is rate 30 movies on classicmoviehub.com for your chance to win!  Here’s a link to the contest: Classic Movie Hub Doris Day Giveaway Promotion!

I hope that you can participate!

Thanks!

–Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Dustin Hoffman Part 3

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Where Is He Now?

It’s easy to answer the question “where is Dustin Hoffman now?” since he hasn’t stopped making movies at all. Since 1985, Hoffman has appeared in at least one movie every year (except for one: 2000). 1997, in particular, proved to be a big year for Hoffman. He was awarded the Golden Globe’s Cecil B. Demille Award, which is an honorary Golden Globe for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” He was the 45th recipient of the award, winning the year after Sean Connery and the year before Shirley MacLaine. That year, for his performance in Wag the Dog, he also received his seventh Academy nomination for Best Actor.

In 2004, Hoffman would appear in five different movies: Freedom2speak v2.0, Finding Neverland, I Heart Huckabees, Meet the Fockers, and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. For Finding Neverland, he was included in the nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture by the Screen Actors Guild. For his role as Bernie Focker in Meet the Fockers, he was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. While the MTV Movie Awards really mean little to nothing in my opinion…it’s still something.

And then, in 2007, Hoffman appeared in, what I personally believe, is one of the best children’s movies of all time: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Hoffman plays the eccentric Mr. Edward Magorium, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. If you look back up at the picture posted above, you’ll see Hoffman as Mr. Magorium. It’s amazing, and while it may be a silly movie, I recommend that everyone see it.

2008 was an easier year for Hoffman as he never actually appeared on-screen in any movie but instead lent his voice to three animated films: Kung Fu Panda, Horton Hears a Who!, and The Tale of Despereaux. Being the most successful of the three, Kung Fu Panda gave Dustin Hoffman the Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production. He would go on to reprise his role as Master Shifu in the sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, which appeared in theaters in 2011.

In 2011, Hoffman also appeared in the HBO television series, Luck, which was recently cancelled. Hoffman played the lead role as Chester “Ace” Bernstein, a lifelong mobster who has recently been released from a three year prison sentence.

For the future, Hoffman is rumored to appear in possibly three movies: The Song of Names with Anthony Hopkins; Very Good Girls with Anton Yelchin and Dakota Fanning; and The Giver with Jeff Bridges. All three are in the pre-production stage so nothing is completely confirmed, but either way, you can expect Hoffman to appear in at least one film during 2012. Can’t wait!

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Dustin Hoffman Part 2

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Josh Kaye

One of the greatest actors on the stage, in film, and on television, Dustin Hoffman wasn’t someone who had plans to be an actor. But thankfully, plans tend to change, and all of us have been rewarded over the past 50+ years with some of the most memorable characters that Dustin Hoffman has portrayed throughout his career. Born on April 8, 1937 to Lillian and Harry Hoffman, Dustin began his life in Los Angeles, California. Spending his teen life there, he graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955 and had plans to study medicine at Santa Monica College. But after one year, Hoffman decided to drop medicine and went on to join the Pasadena Playhouse.

Hoffman didn’t exactly break into the business right away. After spending two years at the Pasadena Playhouse alongside fellow Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, the two traveled to New York City in an attempt to find acting jobs. This didn’t exactly go as planned and Hoffman, to support himself, found himself taking some odd jobs. A couple of these jobs were working at a restaurant coat checking and stringing Hawaiin leis. While only really getting support television roles, Hoffman had to take a break from acting and went on to teaching for a bit.

In 1966, he finally got his big break as director Mike Nichols chose Hoffman to star in his film, The Graduate. Hoffman would receive his first Academy Award nomination for his role and would go on to bigger projects from there. Hoffman headed to Broadway in December of 1968 to appear in the musical Jimmy Shine, which gave him a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Within the next few weeks, Hoffman would be on the set of his next major film, the Academy-Award winning Midnight Cowboy.

Dustin Hoffman finally won his first Academy Award in 1979 for his role as Ted Kramer in Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer. The film would go on to win five Oscars including Hoffman’s win for Best Actor. The other awards included Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the wonderful Meryl Streep. From here, Hoffman’s roles only got better and better, and he went on to win another Oscar for his role as autistic savant Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Dustin Hoffman

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Dustin Hoffman

Prominent Roles
The Graduate (1967) as Benjamin Braddock (First Academy Nomination for Best Actor)
Midnight Cowboy (1969) as Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Second Academy Nomination for Best Actor)
Lenny (1974) as Lenny Bruce (Third Academy Nomination for Best Actor)
All the Presidents Men (1976) as Carl Bernstein
Marathon Man (1976) as Babe Levy
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) as Ted Kramer (First Academy Win for Best Actor)
Tootsie (1982) as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels (Fifth Nomination for Best Actor)
Death of a Salesman (1985) as Willy Loman
Rain Man (1988) as Raymond Babbitt (Second Academy Win for Best Actor)
Hook (1991) as Captain Hook
Wag the Dog (1997) as Stanley Motss (Seventh Academy Nomination for Best Actor)
Finding Neverland (2004) as Charles Frohman
Stranger than Fiction (2006) as Professor Jules Hilbert
Kung Fu Panda (2008) as Master Shifu
Last Chance Harvey (2009) as Harvey Shine
Luck (2011-2012) as Chester “Ace” Bernstein
Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub
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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine Part 3

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Where Is She Now?

As Shirley MacLaine gets closer to her 80’s, she seems to be getting busier and busier by the year. Since 2000, MacLaine has appeared in 14 different movies or TV shows. In 2000, Shirley MacLaine made her directing debut with the film Bruno. At the time, she was 66 years old, which is around the time most people would be retiring!

Of the 14 films that she recently appeared in, nine were feature films, most notably: In Her Shoes, Rumor Has It…, Valentine’s Day and Bewitched. She picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for In Her Shoes. The other five films were TV movies: These Old Broads (2001); Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002); Salem Witch Trials (2002); Coco Chanel (2008); and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008). She would go on to receive an Emmy nomination for Coco Chanel (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie), as well as Golden Globe nominations for both Hell on Heels and Coco Chanel (both for Best Performance by An Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television).

On April 27 of this year, Shirley MacLaine can be seen starring in the Richard Linklater film, Bernie, as wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent. Also, later on this year, MacLaine will be appearing as a regular in the award winning British series, Downton Abbey, as Martha Levinson, Cora’s mother. Aside from this, rumor has it (forgive the pun) that MacLaine will possibly appear in seven different movies between 2012 – 2013. Six of the seven films are still in pre-production and are only rumors, but she is officially confirmed to star with Christopher Walken in Lian Lunson’s The Boom Boom Room. These could be two extremely exciting years for one of the world’s greatest living actresses, and if you’re like me, you won’t want to miss out on what comes next.

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine Part 2

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Actress. Singer. Dancer. Author. Activist. There seems to be nothing that Shirley MacLaine can’t do. Shirley MacLaine Beaty was born April 24, 1934 in Richmond Virginia to Ira Owens Beaty and Kathlyn Corinne. Shirley was performing in front of people at a young age, first beginning with ballet. Unfortunately, many of her roles were boys’ roles because there were no boys in her ballet class and she was the tallest girl available. While warming up backstage before a performance as Cinderella’s fairy godmother, she broke her ankle — but this didn’t stop her from going out there and performing the role anyway. Within time however, MacLaine realized that ballet wasn’t for her, and she instead pursued Broadway dancing — and then acting.

After high school graduation, MacLaine headed to Broadway, and a year later she was chosen to be Carol Haney’s understudy in The Pajama Game. In an ironic turn of events, Haney would end up breaking her ankle, and MacLaine would fill in for her. A few months later, MacLaine would again fill in for Haney — this time, the same night that well-known film producer Hal B. Wallis was in the audience. Impressed with MacLaine’s performance, he signed her to work for Paramount Pictures.

MacLaine’s feature film debut was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry (1955), which won her a Golden Globe for New Star Of The Year. I apologize for breaking the fourth wall here, but if Hitchcock sees enough talent in a person with no film experience to feature them in his film, then this person must be fantastic. A year later, MacLaine would star in Some Came Running, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her second Best Actress nomination would come two years later with The Apartment, but she lost to Elizabeth Taylor. When speaking about her chances, she said, “I thought I would win for The Apartment, but then Elizabeth Taylor had a tracheotomy”.

Nomination three of five came in 1963 for the film Irma la Douce, which reunited her with Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon. Again, she would lose Best Actress, this time to Patricia Neal for her performance in Hud. In the 70’s, MacLaine would be nominated two more times, one for Best Documentary, The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir, and the other for Best Actress in The Turning Point. In The Turning Point, MacLaine portrays a retired ballerina, which was probably a role all too familiar to her.

In 1978, MacLaine won the Women in Film Crystal Award, which is awarded to outstanding women who helped expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1983, MacLaine finally won her first Best Actress Academy Award for her role as Aurora Greenway in the James L. Brooks film Terms of Endearment. The film would also win Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson.

 

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Coming To A Theater Near You — Casablanca / Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Shirley MacLaine

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Josh Kaye

Before I go on to talk about fantastic actress Shirley MacLaine, I wanted to let you know about a wonderful event happening on Wednesday, March 21st — Casablanca will be re-released in select theaters around the country. As you already know, Casablanca is, in my opinion, the best film to ever win Best Picture, which of course makes it one of the best films to ever be created. And now the chance to watch this film on the big screen is here! So if you’re available March 21st, make sure you don’t miss this fantastic event. Just go here for more details and to see which theaters are showing Casablanca.

Continue reading →

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