Bogie56

Though he was very gracious toward me, my understanding is Mr. Heston went off the rails with the subscription staff, yelling "You maniacs! You finally did it! Damn you all to hell!"

Wednesday, April 7 7 a.m. Gandhi (1982). Richard Attenborough’s biopic. There is also a pretty good Indian restaurant named Gandhi's in Kennington, London. It just needed an "all you can eat lunch buffet" sign.

Well, he did end the letter with "so let it be written, so let it be done. Sincerely, Charlton Heston."

Tuesday, April 6/7 12:15 a.m. From Here to Eternity (1953). I love the scene on Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background and practically no buildings on it.

I have a little Charlton Heston story. Back in the 70's I subscribed to a magazine put out by the American Film Institute then waited and waited and never received anything. Heston happened to be President of the Institute at the time so being a bit cheeky, I wrote a letter of complaint directly to him. ... "Where are my magazines" sort of thing. Not much later I received a letter on Charlton's personal stationary with a handwritten apology. And yes, the magazines started coming.

They are not perfect matches but whenever I see these two European actors they remind me a bit of Dusty. Francois Cluzet Dustin Hoffman Antonio De La Torre

1979 and I’ve also seen … Le Navire Night (1979) Marguerite Duras, France This is rock bottom of my also seen list. Another cerebral effort from Duras. This one makes India Song (1975) look like Die Hard With a Vengeance. A collection of shots of streets, parks and cemeteries with a man and a woman reading bits of nonsense overtop without any emotion. Occasionally we get to see three actors who sit like zombies while the voice over continues. It was too deep (or shallow) for me and having Dominique Sanda in it still did not make it worth seeing.

Monday, April 5 10 p.m. Five Easy Pieces (1970). Great film about dropping out.

Sunday, April 4 2:15 p.m. The Defiant Ones (1958). By Stanley Kramer.

Saturday, April 3 11 a.m. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Sessue Hayakawa was robbed!

Well, it wasn't a film promoting miracles like the Song of Bernadette. That's for sure. It thought in the end the stigmata was hysterical psychosomatic. But Jane Fonda does go from being a complete disbeliever and a prosecutor to a much softer, almost spiritual person even when the facts do not support that journey.

Friday, April 2 5:45 p.m. Being There (1979). I’ve never cared for this film but have seen it a number of times trying to determine what I may be missing. I guess I just find Sellers quite annoying.

And her stigmata? But (IMO) it is not just about Agnes' delusions but also about the Jane Fonda character's journey toward faith.

The winner of the 2020 Nederlands Film Festival Best Picture Award … Bulado (2020) Eche Janga, the Netherlands

Thursday, April 1 noon. Agnes of God (1985). Norman Jewison returns to Canada to make this feature starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilley.

Wednesday, March 31 Last day of the month already! 9:30 a.m. Claudelle Inglish (1961). I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of this one. With Diane Mcbain and Arthur Kennedy.

Tuesday, March 30 6 p.m. Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The entire cast excels in this Arthur Penn film.

Monday, March 29/30 Doris Day SOTM 4:15 a.m. Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962). A complete miss IMO.

You will find this first hand account on Wellesnet. Director recalls drunken Orson Welles wine commercial March 23, 2021 Orson Welles fans cringe — and YouTube users snicker — when they see a TV commercial outtake of the seemingly drunken actor-director hustling for Paul Masson. The embarrassing footage, originally passed around for years on VHS tapes, went viral in the digital age and has inspired numerous “Ah, the French” memes. But veteran British commercial producer and director Peter Shillingford, who was the assistant director on the infamous shoot, offered a compassionate account of the incident in a recent interview with Mel magazine‘s Brian VanHooker. Shillingford recalled how Welles had a contentious relationship with the ad agency men because he insisted on rewriting the copy. Welles appreciated how Shillingford kept them at arm’s length during the shoot. “I never saw an outburst from him, but there were confrontations between him and the agency, even though he always changed their dialogue for the better.” Welles shot eight commercials between between 1978 and 1981, always proclaiming “Paul Masson will sell no wine before its time.” He was credited with boosting sales for the California winery by 30 percent. (The “French champagne” commercial was the the fifth in the ad series and debuted in early 1980.) Shillingford described working with Welles during those commercial shoots as a “bundle of laughs.” “I’d stay with him at lunchtime too. I’ve read that he’d demand these huge meals, but he never ate lunch on the shoots I did with him. I’d sit with him and have a snack and he’d tell stories of old Hollywood and they were outrageous,” Shillingford said. “Those were magic times.” On the day of the “French champagne” shoot, Welles’ limousine arrived two hours late for the 10 a.m. shoot at a Los Angeles mansion, Shillingford recalled. He was beckoned to the limo by Welles, who appeared to be drunk, sleepy and mumbling. “I’m in trouble, Shillingford,” Welles told him. “Last night I was filming in Las Vegas. We had camera problems so the shoot went late — to dawn! I have not slept at all!” He explained that he had taken a sleeping pill when he left Las Vegas to sleep in the limo, but it had only just begun kicking in and his speech was beginning to slur. Welles attempted three takes to poor results and the dismay of the ad agency reps. Shillingford arranged for Welles to take a nap in one of the mansion bedrooms for a few hours in hopes of salvaging the shoot. “By 3 p.m. he’d been seated, and he delivered the lines perfectly. We were done by five, getting everything we needed without overtime. I remember him grinning at the furious agency guys as he walked away from the set.” Schillingford added, “On the way to the limo, he thanked me and said, ‘Lunch tomorrow, Shillingford, Ma Maison! One o’clock?’” “Of course I accepted. How could I refuse?” * * * The finished TV commercial for Paul Masson’s champagne: The three aborted takes:

Sunday, March 28/29 3:45 a.m. Bianco, Rosso e .. (1972). Not to be confused with Bianco, Rosso e Verdone (1981) by Carlo Verdone. It was also titled White Sister and The Sin and stars Sophia Loren and was directed by Alberto Lattuada.

Saturday, March 27/28 Noir Alley with Eddie Muller 12:15 a.m. Pepe Le Moko (1937). Later remade as Algiers (1938) with Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr. The was virtually shot-for-shot and they used the exact same location establishing shots.

I stopped going to slumber parties after barely escaping the fifth mass murder.

Friday, March 26/27 2 a.m. Slumber Party Massacre (1982). They were having fun until he showed up with a power drill.

Thursday, March 25/26 Letterboxed reframed 1 a.m. Psycho (1960).

1977 Mimino (1977) Georgiy Daneliya, Russia Mild comedy about two sad sacks; one a helicopter pilot from rural Georgia visiting Moscow hoping to become an airline pilot and another, a truck driver. Russian comedies can be quite broad which is not my cup of tea but this one was rather dry and more to my taste. Winner of the Moscow International Film Festival.