Worth 2,000 Words: From Al Jolson to Ricardo Montalban
By Steve CrumHere’s a very cool pic of the Studio Theatre, aka the CBS Radio Playhouse, at 1615 Vine Street in Hollywood, between 1936-39. That is when Al Jolson headlined his Lifebuoy Show on radio. Imagine attending a broadcast–wow!
In 1953, the building was renamed the Huntington Hartford Theatre and then, in 1964, the James A. Doolittle Theatre. That was when UCLA acquired the property. Finally, The Ricardo Montalban Foundation bought the building in 1999 and renamed it–guess what–the Ricardo Montalban (see photo). It features a resident troupe presenting plays for younger people, as well as various film festivals.
Worth 1,000 Words: Stan & Ollie pose in Minnesota
By Steve CrumHere is a very rarely seen photo of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy obviously having fun while posing at the University of Minnesota Theatre set for Peer Gynt in October, 1940. The Boys were playing the Orpheum in Minneapolis at the time. Said Hardy to reporters: “Your Minnesota weather–brr!–as far as I’m concerned. It was minus 30 degrees this morning.”
45 years ago, the U.S. Army & Muhammad Ali…
This last Friday, June 3, 2016, “The Greatest” died. My only link to him was like the millions who were watching or listening to him as he fought Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in New York City 45 years ago. Despite what the poster states, it WAS broadcast on radio. Return with me now.
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By Steve Crum
On March 8, 1971, I was temporarily living in a wooden barracks at Fort Dix, New Jersey–waiting along with a hundred other soldiers to be flown to Germany the next day. New Jersey was snowy and cold. Many of the guys in the barracks had their transistor radios on that evening–so many one could hear the live play-by-play of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier “Fight of the Century” a hundred yards away from our barracks door outside.It was a huge event in American culture. This bout between Ali and Frazier was the first time two undefeated boxers fought each other for the heavyweight title. Ali lost after 15 rounds, his first professional loss.
I am not a boxing fan–then or now, but that event gave me and my fellow soldiers a welcome diversion from the anxiousness of traveling to the unknown abroad as well as our shared homesickness.
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A Mini-Review of one great Mini-Series: ‘ROOTS’ [2016 remake]
By Steve CrumDespite Snoop Dogg’s well publicized rant against the 2016 remake of Roots, I have to comment on the power and glory of the 4-part, 8-hour miniseries that ended last night. It is superb TV. For Heaven’s sake, it is superb movie making–probably the best television viewing of this year or several years. Based on Alex Hailey’s best selling book and 1977’s record setting TV mini-series, Roots can be compared to Schindler’s List in the sense it is a motion picture everyone, meaning every one of us, must see…and never forget.
The production is first rate, including multiple directors helming different episodes. Of the dozens of fine actors featured, these six are particularly impressive: Regé-Jean Page (pictured here as Chicken George), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Tom Lea), Malachi Kirby (Kunta Kinte), Forest Whitaker (Fiddler), Anika Noni Rose (Kizzy), and Michael James Shaw (Marcellus). Expect these, and probably more, to receive Emmy noms.
Worth 1,000 Words: KARLOFF, CHANEY & LORRE display their roots via new route
By Steve CrumA (probably) colorized pic of the cast of “Wizard’s Leg and Owlet’s Wing,” a memorable Route 66 episode that aired Oct. 26, 1962. For the record, we are looking at (back row) George Maharis, Boris Karloff, Martin Milner…and (front) Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney Jr.
A colorized screen grab (above) finds the three horror movie vets scurrying down a motel corridor.
Another scene includes Chaney arising from a casket in full Mummy wrapping.
Boris Karloff gets made up (for the very last time) as Frankenstein’s monster in preparation for the 1962 episode.
The 3 ghouls observe how they have created widespread terror as they gaze over a motel balcony.