SueSueApplegate
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Posts posted by SueSueApplegate
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The excerpt in the schedule for Sunday's panel included the following information about the panelists:
2:30pm - 3:30pm
DANCING IN THE MOVIES--Dancing has kept film audiences spellbound for decades. This esteemed panel of dance greats will review the history of dance in film and its impact on moviemaking and audiences, as well as what its like to choreograph for - and dance in - the movies.
Moderator:
Larry Billman, dancer, author, historian and co-founder of The Academy of Dance on Film, is the author of Film Choreographers and Dance Directors. Published in 1997, the book was the first encyclopedia on the subject. Here's a link to an article about Larry Billman: http://www.mouseclubhouse.com/Interview ... inment.htm|http://www.mouseclubhouse.com/Interviews/larry-billman/larry-billman-early-years&live-entertainment.htm
Panelists:
Debbie Allen is an Emmy-winning choreographer, actress, stage and screen director and producer. She has choreographed for artists such as Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. She was also responsible for choreographing the Academy Awards 10 times.
Marge Champion is a dancer and choreographer who began her career as a live-action model for Snow White (1938), the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio (1940) and the hippopotamus ballerina in FANTASIA (1940). She and her husband, Gower Champion, were legendary for their appearances in many musicals produced in the 1950s at MGM. She last appeared on Broadway in the 2001 revival of Follies.
Vincent Paterson is a director, choreographer and dancer whose wide ranging career includes theater, concert tours, opera, music videos, Broadway and films, including Evita (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000); he also wrote, directed and co-choreographed the Cirque du Soleil show VIVA ELVIS!. Here's a link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665535/
Club TCM was packed, all center seats were filled, and I was sitting alternately on the floor and on top of one of the squishy chairs as passholders jostled around for comfortable perches.
I also met a passholder who claimed he was from Houston, but he really couldn’t explain to me where in Houston he lived. When Larry Billman revealed that the panel would answer questions from the audience, this same passholder stood up to speak to Debbie Allen. He commented that he had enjoyed the television program “A Different World” and then Ms. Allen began to respond even though the passholder in question had not completed his query. She didn't discuss "A Different World" and she didn't discuss her experiences on "Fame."
For the next 12-14 minutes, Ms. Allen bulldozed the panel topics and spent her time in the spotlight discussing how AIDS had devastated her dance companies, and then spent about 5-7 minutes complaining that there is no dancer’s union, and that dancers should be able to have a union like actors, and one passholder in the audience commented that he was just waiting for her to hold up her “Norma Rae” sign.
Here's a link in case you are ready to join her team: http://www.debbieallendanceacademy.com/
As an audience member, I noticed perplexed looks on the faces of many passholders, and some began to ponder what the diatribe was all about. I could also see that Vincent Paterson, who was seated next to Ms. Allen, was leaning as far away from Ms. Allen as was humanly possible without scooting his chair off the stage. The hidden diva had been unveiled.
And I agreed with some of the union statements and sympathies she expressed, but wrong time, wrong place, Debs. Some audience reactions included horror, confusion, and regret. Some folks pulled out their schedules and read about the panel again. “I could’ve gone to see a “A Place in the Sun” or a “Tribute to the Nicholas Brothers,” commented one female passholder. I just wish Ms. Allen had spent time time actually discussing the panel topic, dancing in the movies.
But I stood up, stated my first name, and that I was also from Houston. Ms. Allen was then poised to continue with her litany of personal causes, but I had explained that I really wanted to ask Marge Champion a question about her experiences on *Showboat*.
And I finally found out one of Ms. Champion's favorite stories about dancing in that landmark film. She described the grueling hours spent practicing and performing a number with her former husband and choreographer, Gower Champion, and after the last, grueling take, discovered the ribbon on her head had completely turned around and probably damaged the take. But she convinced everyone that it would never be noticed on the film. I really can't see it when I watch *Showboat*. Maybe if I stop almost every frame. But I couldn't tell. It was wonderful to hear her tell that story because she spoke with such an engaging attitude about her experiences, and she has such a sweet voice. She was also very accommodating to passholders she encountered during the course of the festival, and signed autographs and posed for photos. And I certainly didn't do justice to Ms. Champion's version of her experiences. Here's a link to her "That's Entertainment" intro with Leonard Maltin: http://www.tcm.com/festival2011/#/events/videoI|http://www.tcm.com/festival2011/#/events/video
I am still pondering that Marge Champion made a guest appearance on an episode of Fame as a character named Ann Carlton in 1982. But that point was never discussed in the panel introductions or responses. It seemed odd that no comment from the accomplished Allen made any recognition of the fact that the two actresses and dancers had ever crossed paths...
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I have to vote Marge Champion the Official Energizer Bunny of the 2011 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. She was everywhere. I first noticed her in the elevator, and she was so adorable! She had on her slacks and her little running shoes, and her posture was simply regal. At 91, and I know it is impolite to mention a ladies' age, but she should be properly proud, as her energy level astonished me. Ms. Champion was here, there, and everywhere, and attended several screenings of other activities and film venues where she was not slated to appear. And her fans are grateful. And she is adorable!
After we shared the elevator, she also hopped on over to the Robert Osborne interview with the legendary Peter O'Toole at the Music Box Theater where I thought I heard Ms. Champion say that she had been in a movie with him. Maybe it was *The Party*? May be that she said she just wanted to be in a movie with him. Who wouldn't? I am not sure. But she sat in the audience with the rest of us just like regular passholders, and everyone enjoyed that interview because it was the legendary Peter O'Toole.
I was seated in the last chair on the right hand side of the photo, before the second tier. Ms. Champion was, I believe in the second row, near the front of the stage in the center. Of course, everyone who knew who she was perked up immediately.
She introduced *That's Entertainment* on Sunday morning:
According to the blurb on the schedule, the Sunday afternoon TCM Panel entitled "Dancing in the Movies" would involve special guests who would discuss : "Movie dance performances" that " have spellbound audiences for decades; join our esteemed panel as they review the history of dancing in film, its impact on moviemaking and audiences, and what its like to choreograph for—and dance in—the movies."
So more on that next time!
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Oh, that's the Doug Sirk one with Dottie and Don. I haven't ever seen it. And Janis Carter, didn't she move back to New York?
Well, I certainly enjoyed meeting you! What fun in the LA sun we had. I was remembering that great screening of *Spartacus* with Kirk Douglas just this a.m. (big Jean Simmons fan here) and our lovely lunch al fresco...ah....those fab TCM FILM FEST memories!
Making that TCM Fan Perspective was such fun! I know those fellows had their hands full with me on the set...the biggest canned ham they probably ever filmed on the HRH rooftop set!
Yours was also one of my faves. I loved how they edited you around scenes from *Out of the Past,* another one of my guilty pleasures.
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Thanks, Lynn, for the on-the-spot coverage! I guess we all are protective of Grauman's and its environs because we all had so much fun there!
I have been well, Yance! I've been traveling around Texas. Don't be such a stranger 'round these parts...
King, it's only nine months away? ...I hope I can make it!
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I just wonder if this "Rave" preview is the kind of event the new management of Grauman's is planning to promote in the future. Yikes.
Great to see you posting, yancey. Hope you are well. Try to stay out of the Danger Zone, though!
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This thread is so much fun, it should be required reading... it's RUDYMENTARY!!!!
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David, by the time I finally arrived at the gift shop, they didn't have any more scarves. I hope these inquiries revive interest!
And how kind of you to help out someone in need. Just like you and your generous nature!
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Look for more "reports" in the coming weeks. My summer "hiatus" schedule is in high gear just now.
All my best wishes to Mr. Osborne for his continued good health and success...
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You ran an exciting Challenge Thread, Kingrat! Many congratulations to Lonesome Polecat!
You are next in charge, Lonesome, and the "King" of the next "Programming Lollapalooza!"
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Kingrat, you have got a fantastic challenge going on here! Thank you for all the time, patience, and diligence for making it so successful!
*JamesinArlington:* SOTM William Powell will always be a crowd-pleaser!
*ScottMacGillvray:* Loved your How to Be a Detective picks...
*Skimpole:* Veddy international and happy you acknowledge Deborah Kerr's birthday!
*Kyle (hlywdkjk):* Entertaining schedule. And a fair and honest gentleman, as always...
*Lonesome Polecat* :Yes, Danny Kaye as SOTM! The Henry Mancini tribute is lovely
*Fedya:* Very funny, Fedya. your current, headline-grabbing topics are ever clever and amusing!
*Traceyk65:* TCM import--veddy interesting..I enjoyed the "I Know Where the Bodies
are Buried!" collection...
*Filmlover*: Enjoyed your British Imports and the Hidden Sesame Street Theme
*Countess De Lave*: I'm screamin' over the WHOLE LOTTA HUTTONS!I
*Izcutter*:* Ha! Charles Coburn--THE MONOPOLY MAN...LUVLY! Joel should be SOTM AT LEAST ONCE!
I am so impressed and so greatful that there have been so many entries in this challenge. Thank you all for caring about classic film and the TCM Challenge.
As usual, I am getting a headache from trying to decide....but I just gotta go with LONESOME because of the Mancini tribute and the DANNY KAYE Star of the Month or FILMLOVER for his British Imports...or .....Izcutter's Monopoly Man and JOEL SOTM....or....Countess'' WHOLE LOTTA HUTTONS"
O.K., I took two aspirins and ...It's LONESOME
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I think this challenge is great, kingrat! I can't believe all these wonderful entries so far!
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As per a special request, I have answered the questions here with an honest response.
But my disclaimer is that I often change my " favorites" list depending upon what I am reading and what I am watching.
*What is your favorite word? English-preferential, Spanish--madrugada(dawn), French--fromage (cheese), Italian--prego (please), German--kugeln (candy)
What is your least favorite word? snag (I just hate to hit one!)
What is your favorite sound? waves at the seashore
What is your least favorite sound? a baby crying (It means a little one is so unhappy!)
What profession would you have liked to pursue? I wannabeahdirectuh!
What is your least favorite profession? insurance agent/embalmer (Sorry. It was a tossup!)
Who is your favorite actor? (Pick one) Leo G. Carroll (He shades every scene he is in. He makes it spookier, funnier, or more integral..) The tossup would be another of Hitchcock's favorite actors, John Williams.
Who is your favorite actress? (Pick one) Ingrid "where do zah noses go" Bergman
What is your favorite film? (Don't be lazy...pick one) *The Gods Must Be Crazy / The Lion in Winter.* (That is the narrowest I can be.)
When you arrive at the Pearly Gates you believe in, what would you want Him to say to you?
''We are glad you are back, your friends and family who preceded you are all here and waiting for you, the thermostat is permanently set at 68 degrees. And I found all your missing socks and jewelry.. ' (I am certain God has a great sense of humor!)
Have a Happy,Safe 4th of July, everybody!
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Terry, I want to echo the same sentiments as kingrat and Izcutter. You should go and have a blast!
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Ha-Ha! Uncle Phillip or a froggie? Whomever I kiss, I hope he turns into a prince!!
OR 
Just as long as it's not Hedley Lamarr! I'd rather kiss a Raisinet!!
Bronxie, as always, THIS IS *THE* THREAD!
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I hope they show *Lifeboat* so the door prize can be a diamond bracelet! (Okay, rhinestone...It's the thought that counts!)
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I was a very naive 16 year-old, sheltered, and well-behaved. (Feel free to comment on this nugget of personal gold!) So a couple of weeks after the wedding, my Mom was being her usual inquisitive self, and asking all sorts of questions about the first wedding I had played for. (Lohengrin requirement here...)
The family had called me sort of at the last minute. And I had explained to my mother that the preacher was there, the bride was there wearing a very pretty orchid-colored full-length number with little daisies sewn on a velvet ribbon around the empire waist, the groom was there, and her Daddy was there.
Then I said to Mom that she surely looked chubby in her dress...and, of course, she screams at me, "You mean you didn't know?"
And I said, "Know what?" So she decided to volunteer a great deal of information to me on that day that I had never heard before.....but there were no firearms in the church. Didn't check the gun rack in the kickem-up, though...
Sometimes you get an education and you are not even in school....
And I see the resemblance in the video....astute observation, there, kiddo!
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Well, sometimes it is a bit nerve-racking, but I have played for weddings and funerals quite a bit.
Actually, the first wedding I played I was 16 and I didn't realize until much later that it was a "shotgun" wedding....
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I didn't realize Larry Blyden had died so young! He was from Houston, Texas. I remember watching him on Password and other game shows. He went to the University of Houston for awhile.
It was so wonderful to meet you at the Turner Classic Movie Festival this year. Hope you are well, wouldbe! You, too, Mongo!
I always check out your wonderful thread.
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Yes, Mave! All is well with me Deep in the Heart of the Lone Star Drought! We finally had a little rain to slow down the wildfires yesterday. Hasn't been this dry or this hot since around 1910.
Just posted a bit on meeting documentary director Patricio Guzman on Sue Sue's Blog.
I have been distracted and occupied much this week.A dear friend passed, and I was asked to play the piano at the funeral.
Bronxie's Hirsuteness Thread is one of the livliest ever. Love reading Moira's, Jackie's, Izcutter's, and your posts....
Hope Jackie is doing much better!
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Dodging the hectic pace at the Hollywood Roosevelt one afternoon, I slipped away for a quiet lunch at Miceli's on Las Palmas. It had a typically old-world feel deep in the heart of the Turner Classic Movie Festival environs.
I was seated on the first level at a table next to the corner booth, and I was so hungry that the smells of garlic bread and simmering sauces were assaulting my senses like mad. I had zoomed to the first screening and skipped breakfast.
Lunch prices for pasta, salad, and a beverage are unbelievably reasonable and the fare at these prices didn't have to be sooooo tasty. The four gentleman seated at the next table were just finishing their lunch, and I noticed that they were speaking Spanish.
The gentleman in the corner was definitely treated with reverence and also spoke Spanish with an accent not usually attributed to California or Texas. A young man, who introduced himself as Shannon Kelly, works with the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and he introduced Director Patricio Guzman to me.
And of course I gushed and oohed and aahed.
Evidently, Mr. Guzman was in LA for a retrospective of his films. The following excerpt is from the UCLA Film and Television Archives website concerning Patricio Guzman:
“The only eternal lesson to be had is to study the past, so that we won’t repeat it.”— Patricio Guzmán.
In a remarkable 40-year career, Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán has crafted a unique legacy among documentarians: cataloguing the cataclysmic modern events of his country in a body of work not only timely, but timeless. Influenced early on by the non-fiction work of Chris Marker, Frédéric Rossif and Louis Malle, Guzmán began his career in 1971, documenting the sweeping social and economic reforms enacted by Chile’s then-president, Salvador Allende, Latin America’s first democratically elected socialist head of state. In 1973, Allende’s government was brought down in a bloody coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power and Guzmán was forced to leave Chile for Europe where he completed The Battle of Chile, Parts 1-3 (1975-1979), a searing account of the Allende government’s final year. Guzmán has returned to the events of 1973 and their aftermath several times throughout his career while also expanding his field of inquiry to explore the very natures of cinema, history and memory. In his latest film, Nostalgia for the Light (2010), Guzmán orchestrates a dazzling meditation on the insistent presence of the past in all our lives. UCLA Film & Television Archive is pleased to present Nostalgia for the Light in a special preview screening on Friday, April 15 and to welcome Mr. Guzmán in person to the Billy Wilder Theater on Friday, April 29.
Mr. Guzman is definitely one of those observant, quiet talents who seems to be continually scanning the environment and patiently sizing up those around him. Born in 1941 in Santiago, one of my favorite quotes from Guzman is that "we are not scientists, we are poets."
Guzman also appeared at the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar. To read more about him on Independent Lens, follow this link:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/insideindies/infocus/flaherty/
He was very kind, and seemed genuinely pleased that I knew of his work. He gave me his autograph!
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Is it just me? Has anyone else noticed that Alec Baldwin is the real James T. Kirk? I mean he is everywhere...I think he is taking over for Regis sometime...
Seriously, does anyone know when his ads for Priceline will be on next? I am really afraid he is going to run out of ginseng and acai berry.... -
{size:19px}Bronxie, I suggest you pack a couple of these delightful ensembles for the South of France....
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Hope you are doing well...I am starting to settle down now from summer travels and family obligations...
~Jackie and Maven the Mahvaluss, forgive my digressions...~
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One of my favorite moments at the Vanity Fair party occured toward the end of the evening when I met Peter O'Toole in one of the VIP sections. Robert Osborne and Leslie Caron had just passed through the milieu, and I inched over to the enormous leather sofa. Kate Phillips O'Toole, seated on her father's left, was smiling and seemed happy to be in attendance. I introduced myself, and said that I wanted to let Mr. O'Toole know how much I admired his abilities and his "body of work." Then, he shook my hand and said "Thank you." He was patient, and kind with all the guests, and his family certainly stayed close to him during the Vanity Fair Party, and the Grauman's ceremony.
I was also glad that I was able to attend the taping of his interview with Robert Osborne at the Music Box Theater. Everyone in the audience was attentive, interested in the questions presented by Robert Osborne and obviously enraptured and amused by Mr. O'Toole's responses, stories, and manner.
I felt very lucky indeed.
I can't wait until the interview is aired on TCM. It was a wonderful experience, and everyone in the audience was so energized by Peter O'Toole's presence.
Next: My encounter with Chilean Director Patricio Guzman
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Butterscotch, I am not sure about next year's schedule, but I do know 2011 was a whirlwind of fun and excitement.
And now back to our regularly scheduled program:
Swirling around the *Vanity Fair* party was much too much fun. I also met George Chakiris who looked "FAB." He was wearing a burgundy shirt with a black necktie. I went up to shake his hand, but he gave me a great big hug instead. I am sure he had absolutely no idea who I was, but he was so friendly, and there were lots of passholders and VFVIPS hanging around him for the short time he socialized, desperate to schmooze or click the camera shutter on their Iphones. An affable, kind gentleman.
A little birdy told me that during a chat she had with George, he explained that the shirt he was wearing was one of his favorites, that he liked to wear it to special parties, and that it was decades "young." It was certainly well-maintained, as can be said of Mr. Chakiris, himself.
During the Festival, Robert Osborne, Marni Nixon, Walter Mirisch and George Chakiris held court in the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to chat about their West Side Story experiences...
RAMBLES Part II
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
Too funny, Bronxie!!!! I'm giggling at the desktop, too, Miss G!
..TYPE A OVERBITE...