Hollywood agents, Yul, Danny, and The Loved One (1964)

No great pearls of information to impart here, and not much connection between the two images - - just a couple of photos I liked from an old magazine article...

'The Men Who Rule The Stars' told of the power and influence of the top Hollywood talent agents.

The piece ran in the October 24th, 1964 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

I would have found it hard to imagine a completely casual moment passing between Danny Kaye and Yul Brynner.

Even in this shot, ⬅ with their agent Ted Ashley, it seems like hanging out with those guys might be a little tense.

Probably I'm mistaken...













Below, ⬇ even if it's an unremarkable photo, I was very pleased to see this image of a quiet moment behind the scenes on the set of one of my favorite films, 'The Loved One'.



Agent George Chasin and movie producer Martin Ransohoff look to be sitting around at
Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills as it's somewhere in the process of being dressed for a scene in the film.

If you've never seen it, 'The Loved One' from 1965 was a terribly cynical and dark comedy that followed on the heels of 'Dr. Strangelove' - - Director Tony Richardson attempting to do for the funeral business what Stanley Kubrick had previously done for the Cold War.

Billed as 'The motion picture with something to offend everyone!', screenwriters Terry Southern and Christopher Isherwood adapted and expanded upon Evelyn Waugh's quiet and sly novel, turning it into "an all-out attack on Hollywood, consumerism and the hypocrisies surrounding man's fear of death".

A stellar, high-sixties cast, and achingly beautiful black & white cinematography from Haskell Wexler.

Perhaps it's not for everyone, but I think it still needs to be seen.

Stick the DVD in your queue!

Reasons To Be Cheerful: week of 08/17/07

1. Fall is coming, honest.

Enough with the scorching heat, thank you.
I won't miss all the smoke, either.



**A couple of items this week that have been around for a while, but are news to me...

2. I rented a great DVD this past week; The 1997 documentary, 'Riding The Rails', which had aired on PBS' 'American Experience'.

It's about the experiences of teenaged hoboes who wandered the country during America's Great Depression.
There were tens of thousands of them.
Some were runaways, some were seeking better opportunities elsewhere, some were seeking adventure.
They all found a harsh existence that changed their lives and informed their futures.

The filmakers did an astonshing amount of research, gathering testimonies and recollections from people all over the country. A handful of older people appear in the film, relating stories from their youth. Through narration, we also hear bits and pieces from letters received.

I found the film riveting. Pretty close to everything one could want from a documentary. It incorporates old film footage and photos, and lots of perfectly appropriate period music. (Jimmie Rodgers and Woody Guthrie figure prominently)

Check it out, if you can.

3. Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett turn up often among the branches of the Rock & Roll 'family tree'.

Together or separately, it seems they've worked with (or associated with) everybody.
They'd probably be perfect for a musical equivalent of 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'.

Somehow I'd managed to miss (or sadly overlook) Delaney & Bonnie's album, 'Home'.
If I'm understanding correctly, it was their first album recorded (in 1968), but their second released (in 1969).

It was their only LP released by Stax Records, and it fits in so well with the Memphis soul label's late-sixties sound that during my first listen I did a bit of a double-take at the release date.

My first reaction was that I was hearing something of a 'tribute' to that Stax sound - - a faithful re-creation by outsiders - - but no, it's completely contemporary with the era, and if it features some of the label's cognoscenti, it's because that's where they were working at the time.

The only thing that makes the album stand apart from most of what Stax was issuing at the time is the fact that Delaney and Bonnie were white.
Unfortunately, that probably has much to do with why this superb record was not better received when it first came out.

They were in good company on the album though, backed by Booker T. & The MGs, Isaac Hayes, Leon Russell, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, and the Memphis Horns.

The Bramletts wrote some of the songs, others were supplied by some of the 'usual suspects' at the Stax studios, and there's a cover version of Erma Franklin's 'Piece of My Heart', recorded more than a year before Janis Joplin's version.

The CD reissue I just recently stumbled onto came out in 2006, and contains six bonus tracks not on the original release.

As far as the 'Stax Factor' goes, this album won't supplant my high opinion of Otis Redding or
Sam & Dave, et al, but fortunately it doesn't need to.
For me, it just came as a very welcome surprise, one that enriches my enjoyment of a particular facet of sixties soul music.

Delaney and Bonnie's career heyday began soon after this album was recorded, as their sound began to move more firmly into the Rock realm.

Here's a link to a YouTube video clip from 1969, featuring their new guitarist, Eric Clapton.

See also: This biography page. (click to link)

4. Sure, I'll call this a reason to be cheerful, why not.

It's about the special challenge of keeping old links on this site in good working order, and it's where you can lend a hand with some feedback.

I noticed a couple of links gone kaput the other day. Sometimes I can fix these things, other times I just have to let go...

In your travels nosing about this blog, if you happen to encounter links that are broken, files that won't play, videos removed from YouTube, etc, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could drop me a line to let me know.

(There's an e-mail link parked in the sidebar, too)

Thanks!

Reasons To Be Cheerful: week of 06/22/07

1. Tears Of The Black Tiger. I mentioned a few weeks back that I was looking forward to this film's US-region 1 DVD release.
I finally got a chance to watch it the other night. It's amazing, a special, exotic confection of a film.

If you've not heard of it, it's something of a Thai spaghetti-western, released in 2000, mixing astonishing use of stunning color imagery with action, violent and gory special effects, epic romance and surrealism.
A darn good time.

If some of the film's references to Thai folklore and its homages to Thai film are lost on me, the fascination is not.
If anything, it makes it come off as even more otherworldly. That quality fits well with the unique saturated colors achieved through a complex process involving transfering the film stock to beta video and later back to film.

Put the DVD on your list, in your queue, whatever - - but check it out if you get the opportunity. It's something different from what you've seen!

2. I was one of the faithful, lined up around the block in 1977, but I've never thought of myself as *too* much of a Star Wars geek.

That being said, darned if I didn't get a surprisingly big kick out of last Sunday's 'Robot Chicken Star Wars Special' on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Click the link and check out some clips, if you missed it. I'd already been warming up to the show, but this clever concoction put me over the top.

3. Sally Timms! She makes me happy, even if her songs are often not what one would call 'cheery'.

I'll always tend to be interested in any of the recorded output of all that Mekons crowd. Fortunately they tend to be prolific; Seems that Jon Langford and crew are always releasing a new record.

It's been almost three years now since Sally Timms' album 'In The World Of Him' came out, but I was just having another listen to it the other day. It's still working for me, it's *still* growing on me. Her voice and phrasing are stunning, haunting.

I've just happily discovered that there are some nice live recordings of Timms in concert available over at the Internet Archive site. Dig in, have a listen!

5000 Fingers of Dr. T publicity photo

It's 1953, and the boys pictured above are standing on their school's front steps, posing and squinting in the sunlight while they shill for an odd movie just coming out. (click on photo to ENLARGE)

'The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T' was the first Dr.Seuss story created solely for the big screen.

If you've somehow managed to avoid it thus far, it's a very '50's, very Seussian musical. Simply put, it's the story of a boy falling in love with a plumber while trying to escape from a maximum-security piano camp. It's also the story of how movie-making can go awry.

As it turned out, Ted 'Dr. Seuss' Geisel hated the experience of being involved in the movie, and detested the final product. He forbade any other Seuss material to be adapted to the big screen during his life time. (Sound reasoning, as it turned out.)

In turn, Columbia Pictures lost faith in the film mid-production, yanked promotion, cut the budget, and cut huge portions out of the finished movie.The plans for an epic children's fantasy along the caliber of Wizard of Oz were dashed, and the film received tepid reviews upon release.


And yet there's still something there, and it's a movie that needs to be seen. Especially if you're a Seuss fan.

- - And I STILL want my own Terwilliker beanie!! The ones pictured up top are the promo versions with the name of the movie printed on them. I suppose I'd settle for one if I couldn't have an authentic 'Happy Fingers' beanie like the ones used in the film. Actually though, it looks like they don't hold up very well... Maybe it's better to do without and keep the dream, he said.











Enough dissertation, really I just wanted to share that publicity photo I found many years ago. But you know how I can go on...

























...So here's just a quick Dr. T checklist: (click on links)

Here's details on the film at imdb...

...Here's a great tribute fansite. Lots of info, lots of photos, lots of fun.

You can head over to YouTube to watch the movie's trailer...

...And as long as you're there, you should also REALLY check out everyone's favorite musical number from the movie, featuring American national treasure,
Hans Conried.





ADDENDUM 8/13/07: An amazing promo still ganked from the visual and stunning
if charlie parker was a gunslinger... ☛ ☛ ☛

That's Tommy Rettig in the center.
Dig the shirts!
Click over for some background info!


ADDENDUM 3/28/08: Though it's been available on (Region 1) DVD here in the U.S. for a few years, die-hard 5000 Finger fans should be aware of the movie's recent inclusion in the 'Stanley Kramer Film Collection' DVD box set.

It's an interesting collection of 5 completely diverse (and classic) films produced by Kramer in the 1950's and '60's, a couple of them coming to DVD for the first time in this set.

As to Dr. T in the set, the print is certainly as good if not better than the previous stand-alone disc. The noteworthy additions are in the supplemental extras on the new edition. 'Labor of Love' would seem to be the catch-phrase for the effort put into a couple of interview segments.

Karen Kramer, Stanley's widow, gives some background on the production. The daughter of
Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy gives insights on her parents involvement. Actor George Chakiris (of all people!) relates his experience of working as a green-painted dancer in the memorable 'dungeon symphony' sequence. Michael Feinstein does a very cogent examination of the film's music and composer Frederick Hollander's score.

A few tantalizing allusions are made to music and sequences cut from the film, and the behind-the-scenes photos included are MAGNIFICENT.

Comparing the (pricy) box set to the previous stand alone release - - ? If you're a fanatic, there's great things to see in the newer version. If you don't care, - - why have you read this far??

The only thing I've noticed that you get on the previous single-disc release that's NOT on the Stanley Kramer Collection disc are a couple of those production photos that DIDN'T make the jump to the new 'bonus feature' mini-documentary, and a tacked-on vintage UPA 'Gerald McBoing Boing' cartoon.

Just an FYI...