jakeem Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The influential film critic and historian Richard Schickel, who wrote for Time magazine for 38 years, has died at the age of 84. Schickel wrote numerous books about filmmaking and filmmakers. He also dabbled in documentaries, including his "The Men Who Made the Movies" series about such great directors as Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor, Howard Hawks, William A. Wellman, King Vidor and Raoul Walsh. http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-richard-schickel-dies-20170219-story.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 RIP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The influential film critic and historian Richard Schickel, who wrote for Time magazine for 38 years, has died at the age of 84. Schickel wrote numerous books about filmmaking and filmmakers. He also dabbled in documentaries, including his "The Men Who Made the Movies" series about such great directors as Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor, Howard Hawks, William A. Wellman, King Vidor and Raoul Walsh. http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-richard-schickel-dies-20170219-story.html I have to say more than any one critic or film historian, Richard Schickel is responsible for my whole conception of the Golden Era of Hollywood-- the movie stars and Studio heads and directors who made it happen. It was reading his books and magazine articles that first truly ignited my hunger to learn more about Hollywood legends. He had a way of truly describing the bigger than life aspect of the star, while at the same time retaining and understanding the very human and vulnerable quality of the star. A Great era deserved a great film historian and that was Richard Schickel. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Faiola Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I have the original book and 16mm prints of the entire original MEN WHO MADE THE MOVIES series. I think it is still the finest written series of documentaries about the movies ever made. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I have the original book and 16mm prints of the entire original MEN WHO MADE THE MOVIES series. I think it is still the finest written series of documentaries about the movies ever made. My own favorite is Brownlow's Hollywood, but TMWMTM is certainly up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Faiola Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The reason I rank TMWMTM so high is because of the societal and moral context written into the narration. These films gave genuine insight into the progressive bodies of work by each of the directors interviewed and profiled. Just the interviews alone make these extraordinary films, much like BBC's six-part history of RKO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I have to say more than any one critic or film historian, Richard Schickel is responsible for my whole conception of the Golden Era of Hollywood-- the movie stars and Studio heads and directors who made it happen. It was reading his books and magazine articles that first truly ignited my hunger to learn more about Hollywood legends. He had a way of truly describing the bigger than life aspect of the star, while at the same time retaining and understanding the very human and vulnerable quality of the star. A Great era deserved a great film historian and that was Richard Schickel. Did he ever have any connection with TCM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I remember reading his movie reviews in Life as a kid. I think he later wrote for Time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 I remember reading his movie reviews in Life as a kid. I think he later wrote for Time? Correct! Schickel wrote for Life from 1965 to 1972, when the magazine ceased publication. He was a film critic for Time until 2010. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Correct! Schickel wrote for Life from 1965 to 1972, when the magazine ceased publication. He was a film critic for Time until 2010.[/quotelevision Life is where I first read Richard Schickel's film commentaries. At that time he may have been the most read critic in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Life is where I first read Richard Schickel's film commentaries. At that time he may have been the most read critic in America. He was probably topped by Judith Crist in TV Guide (remember her?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess of Tap Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 He was probably topped by Judith Crist in TV Guide (remember her?)I can never forget Judith- - she was one of the biggest fans that Judy Garland ever had in the film criticism community. Judith Crist was very well known in the United States, but I think also that Richard Schickel's Life articles were seen on an international level as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 He was probably topped by Judith Crist in TV Guide (remember her?) She wrote for a N.Y. newspaper as well. Was it the Tribune? And later something else....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted February 22, 2017 Author Share Posted February 22, 2017 She wrote for a N.Y. newspaper as well. Was it the Tribune? And later something else....... She also was a movie critic for NBC's "Today" in the late 1960s and early 1970s before Gene Shalit joined the morning show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Yes. She was all over the place.......I remember she and Rex Reed had a feud going on for awhile....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyCronin Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 She was pretty much the sole arbiter of opinion when I was growing up..."We have to see this...Judith liked it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtishere Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 So sad to hear. I've been reading his wonderful book Keepers. He was a sensational writer on film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 He was probably topped by Judith Crist in TV Guide (remember her?) How about Pauline Kael? She may have been the most influential of all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 My favorite installment of "The Men Who Made the Movies" is the one about Sir Alfred Hitchcock. The Master of Suspense was a great storyteller on and off the screen, and he was very good at discussing his craft. https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/The_Men_Who_Made_the_Movies:_Hitchcock_(1973) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 How about Pauline Kael? She may have been the most influential of all. Not to the hoi polloi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Not to the hoi polloi. You gave me the chance to use my favorite word. She was, for the intelligentsia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 You gave me the chance to use my favorite word. She was, for the intelligentsia. LOL. I found her overrated and full of herself........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 My favorite installment of "The Men Who Made the Movies" is the one about Sir Alfred Hitchcock. The Master of Suspense was a great storyteller on and off the screen My favorite Hitch story is one he told in the 1969 documentary on David Selznick, about receiving one of Selznick's legendarily lengthy memos. Hitch tells it in a hilarious deadpan, with perfectly spaced pauses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 LOL. I found her overrated and full of herself........ Maybe she needed a laxative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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