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"THE MAKING OF 'TOMBSTONE': BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE CLASSIC MODERN WESTERN" BY JOHN FARKIS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Cinema Retro has received the following announcement:

Just in time for the holidays, McFarland publications has released John Farkis��s latest book The Making of Tombstone: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Modern Western. Which is only appropriate as Disney/Buena Vista premiered this film on December 25, 1993, 25 years ago this month. While other books have been written about Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the O.K. Corral, this is the only book written solely about the making of that iconic film. With numerous behind-the-scene photos and interviews from over 140 cast and crew members, stuntmen, extras, wranglers and Buckaroos, this book is a virtual day-by-day summarization of how the film was made. Starring Kurt Russell, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Sam Elliott, Dana Delany, Bill Paxton, and Val Kilmer in his Oscar-deserved role of Doc Holliday, Tombstone is the story of Wyatt Earp, his brothers, Holliday, the Clantons and McLaurys, and their tumultuous relationship, cumulating in the historic gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and subsequent Vendetta ride.

Farkis details the stormy creation of the project, from script development, financing and casting, to site location and construction. Along the way, he also explores Kevin Costner��s Wyatt Earp, which at the time, was in direct production competition with Tombstone. In fact, Costner was screenwriter/director Kevin Jarre��s first choice for the role of Wyatt. Known for his screenplay of Glory (1989), Jarre was replaced early in filming by action-director George Cosmatos. While extremely proud of their work on the film, virtually everyone associated with the project said it was an extremely tough, miserable experience. And Farkis details the trials and tribulations in exquisite detail. With access to numerous script iterations, call-sheets, daily production reports and internal communications, he unpacks the story behind the story. Photographs supplied by cast and crew members serve to enhance this experience. Not only does he explain the film��s concept and production, he also describes the historical tale, from the founding of Tombstone, to the conclusion of Earp��s Vendetta ride. And, he adds a postscript appendix of the film��s recent 25th anniversary celebration.

Released on Monday, November26, this book can currently be purchased through McFarland, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and numerous other sites. If one wishes to have a personalized autographed copy, they can be ordered directly from the author. Jkfarkis@earthlink.net.

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REVIEW: "HARRYHAUSEN: THE MOVIE POSTERS" BY RICHARD HOLLIS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 13:00:00 +0000

BY LEE PFEIFFER

When it comes to publishing top-end film books nobody does it better than Titan. The company has its pulse on every movie geek��s desires and their recent title ��Harryhausen: The Movie Posters�� should leave fans of the late, great special effects genius Ray Harryhausen drooling over the superb representations of his films. Author Richard Holliss wisely leaves the text to a minimum to allow the wonderfully-reproduced graphics exemplify the sheer excitement and wonder of the sci-fi and fantasy films associated with Harryhausen. The book presents a mind-boggling number of rare international movie posters and assorted oddities relating to the promotion of his films. Titan has published the book in an appropriately large size hardback format that allows the stunning graphics to be fully appreciated.

One becomes aware of just how important of a role the classic movie posters played in selling these films to the public, thanks to their ingenious designs by then-unheralded artists. Represented are wonderful graphics from such films as "Might Joe Young", "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", the Sinbad films, "First Men in the Moon", "Mysterious Island", "Jason and the Argonauts" and so many other classics. With a foreword by John Landis, a long-time friend and admirer of Harryhausen, this is the most impressive film book to cross my desk this year. Kudos to all involved.

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"HALLOWEEN: THE CHANGING SHAPE OF AN ICONIC SERIES" BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:47:02 +0000

Writer Ernie Magnotta has released a new book "Halloween: The Changing Shape of an Iconic Series" that explores the origins of John Carpenter's classic chiller as well as evaluations of the entire "Halloween" series. The book is 380 pages and has 200 color photos. For full details and to order, click here.

BOOK REVIEW: "THE MOOD MODERN" BY OLIVER LOMAX; FOREWORD BY KEITH MANSFIELD; VOCALION BOOKS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:02:00 +0000

BY DARREN ALLISON

AUGUST 2018, VOCALION BOOKS, The Mood Modern, �C 486 pages, Foreword by Keith Mansfield, Hardback and paperback editions �C ISBNs: 978-1-9996796-0-6 (hardback) / 978-1-9996796-1-3 (paperback) �C Fully indexed �C Two sixteen-page photo sections, one in b/w, one in colour, both containing many never-before-published images: from the Phillips family archive, and of composers, musicians, recording sessions, catalogues, music scores and studio brochures.

I��ve had the pleasure of working with Oliver Lomax for well over a decade. His superbly produced Dutton Vocalion CD��s have regularly graced the pages of Cinema Retro. So when he hinted to me some months ago that he had been working on a book, I knew that it would materialise as something very special. After reading Oliver��s meticulously detailed liner notes which had accompanied many of his KPM and Bruton re-releases, it was perhaps no surprise that he had chosen the history of these legendary labels as the subject of Vocalion��s publishing debut.

Also known as mood, stock, background or production music, for decades library music has made an important though anonymous contribution to the broadcast media, supplying film, radio and television with innumerable themes and underscores.

The Mood Modern is three books in one, weaving together the separate strands of company history, biography and critical assessment of some of the most important music collectively produced by the KPM and Bruton libraries during the course of a quarter century, spanning the years from 1956 to 1980. At the heart of the book, however, is the Phillips family, one of Britain��s great music publishing dynasties, but in particular Robin Phillips (1939-2006).

The mid-1960s through the ��70s have come to be regarded as library music��s golden age. In Britain, it was when this somewhat mysterious branch of the music industry emerged from the chrysalis of its light music heritage, into a vibrant new era of modern, colourful sounds. Robin Phillips played a fundamental role in this transformation when, in 1966, he established a new library �C the KPM 1000 Series. Robin would also introduce several new composers who would quickly become some of the best-known and most successful names in the library music field: Keith Mansfield, Johnny Pearson, Syd Dale, Alan Hawkshaw, James Clarke, David Lindup, Brian Bennett and Steve Gray among others. And thanks to Robin��s guidance, by the early ��70s the 1000 Series had become one of the world��s foremost libraries, its music a ubiquitous presence in countless films, documentaries, radio programmes and television series.

But in 1977, at the height of his success, Robin left KPM for ATV Music �C taking with him his right-hand man, Aaron Harry, and the major composers �C where he formed the Bruton Library under the auspices of his brother Peter (who by now was ATV Music��s managing director) and show business mogul Lew Grade��s financial adviser, Jack Gill.

Drawing on interviews with members of the Phillips family (including Peter Phillips) and many of the composers, recording engineers, musicians and staff of both libraries, The Mood Modern tells the remarkable inside story of how KPM and, subsequently, Bruton came to be dominant forces in library music, both in Britain and internationally.

In addition to charting the origin and history of the music publishing firms �C Keith Prowse and Peter Maurice �C that merged to form KPM, The Mood Modern covers numerous related areas. These include the birth of Britain��s library music industry; the early British libraries and their inseparable link to the English light music tradition; how the arrival of commercial television in Britain led to the formation of the Keith Prowse library in 1956 under the aegis of its manager, Patrick Howgill, which paved the way for the KPM library; KPM��s legacy as a famous popular music publisher and its place in the history of Denmark Street (London��s Tin Pan Alley); Robin��s father, legendary music publisher Jimmy Phillips; the corporate manoeuvring that saw Keith Prowse, Peter Maurice and KPM bought and sold; and the clash with management that eventually caused Peter and Robin Phillips to leave KPM for ATV Music.

The importance of the recording engineer is acknowledged in The Mood Modern, and those who largely shaped the ��sound�� of the KPM and Bruton libraries are featured: Ted Fletcher, Adrian Kerridge, Mike Clements, Richard Elen (KPM) and Chris Dibble (Bruton Music). There��s detailed coverage of all the KPM 1000 Series�� overseas sessions �C including personnel, dates, locations and what was recorded �C and chapters respectively devoted to the sessions in Bickendorf, Cologne (along with the stellar lineup of international jazz talent that played on them) and in KPM��s two in-house studios. The Musicians�� Union embargo, which had forced British libraries to record much of their material on the Continent, is also scrutinised, as are the negotiations with the MU of the late ��70s that finally allowed British libraries to resume recording in British studios with British musicians.

As well as delineating the setting up of the Bruton Library, its struggle to get established and the background of the parent company, ATV Music (itself a division of entertainment conglomerate Associated Television [ATV]), Bruton��s recording sessions and early output are placed under the spotlight.

Another aspect of The Mood Modern is the chapter-length biographical portraits of five of the KPM 1000 Series�� principal composers: Syd Dale, Johnny Pearson, Keith Mansfield, James Clarke and David Lindup. This is the first time that any of them have been the subject of an in-depth portrait, and these chapters take in many associated areas: KPM library offshoots Aristocrat, Radio Program Music and the KPM International series; the litany of famous and not-so-famous TV and radio themes within the KPM library; Lansdowne Studios; British jazz and pop; classical music; commissioned film and TV scores; BBC Television and Radio; Independent Television (ITV); the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society; the Performing Right Society; Phonographic Performance Ltd. and so much more.

A host of other composers also feature in The Mood Modern. These include KPM and Bruton stalwarts Laurie Johnson, Neil Richardson, Steve Gray, Dave Gold, Francis Monkman, Brian Bennett, Alan Hawkshaw, John Dankworth, John Scott, Duncan Lamont, John Fiddy and John Cameron as well as the KPM 1000 Series�� house bands, WASP and SHARKS.

Putting everything into further perspective is a thorough examination of the pre-1000 Series KPM library, and a chapter that focuses on a leading music editor of the ��70s, who describes the processes and equipment that were used in transferring library music onto the soundtracks of films, documentaries and television programmes.

The Mood Modern is arguably the most fascinating and in-depth study of an essential genre within the music industry and a must for anyone with an intent interest in the history of soundtrack music.

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BOOK REVIEW: "MORE THAN A PSYCHO: THE COMPLETE FILMS OF ANTHONY PERKINS" BY DAWN AND JONATHON DABELL

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:02:00 +0000

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Despite having been a major star for decades and having a lead a life of controversy and personal obstacles and challenges, it seems surprising that there has never been a book about the films of Anthony Perkins that examined his work in detail. That dilemma has finally been resolved with the release of "More Than a Psycho: The Complete Films of Anthony Perkins" by husband-and-wife writing team of Dawn and Jonathon Dabell. The authors refreshingly concentrate on examining each of the actor's individual feature films and TV productions in detail, offering fascinating background information and astute evaluations of each title from classics such as "Friendly Persuasion" and "Murder on the Orient Express" to television fare such as "How Awful About Alan" There is a biographical section, to be sure, that provides meaningful details on Perkins' life and career but the primary emphasis is on the quality of his individual films. In this regard the book resembles those marvelous old Citadel Press "Films of..." titles that still adorn the bookshelves and libraries of movie lovers worldwide. The book is also profusely illustrated.

The Dabells succeed in their quest to prove that Perkins should be judged by other achievements that just his signature role as Norman Bates in "Psycho" but it's not without irony that the role that stereotyped him to a degree was one he would return to many years later to exploit in sequels based on Hitchcock's original premise. The book makes it clear that, for the most part, Perkins' considerable talents were generally under-utilized by the film industry. He would occasionally land a supporting role in an "A" list feature film but more of than not he top-lined a good deal of mediocre fare. Nevertheless, he always gave it his best effort and this very worthy book pays homage to his impressive achievements.

Here is an official announcement about the release of the book:

Anthony Perkins is best known for playing Norman Bates in Psycho. Its notoriety and success ensured he remained one of filmdom��s most recognisable faces for the rest of his life�� and beyond. Yet there were those (Perkins included) who felt he never truly shook the screen persona of the knife-wielding, mother-obsessed, cross-dressing psychopath, and he was often labelled on the strength of his most notorious role �C thus giving a distorted view of a career which spanned four decades and almost sixty movies.

In More Than a Psycho: The Complete Films Of Anthony Perkins, Dawn and Jonathon Dabell take a closer look at the actor��s entire body of work. Their book provides cast and crew details, an extensive image gallery, background information and considered critical analysis for every title. Perkins was, they argue, more than just a prominent screen villain �C his talent and versatility went much further, his wider oeuvre encompassing everything from romance to comedy, from war to westerns, from musicals to sci-fi.

With a foreword by highly regarded film and pop culture historian Paul Talbot, this is the essential guide to the career of Anthony Perkins.

300+ images.

Specially commissioned cover by artist Paul Watts.

Proofed and edited by Darrell Buxton.

Cast and crew information on every film, including films where Perkins was screen-writer or director only.

Capsule biography.

Television work.

Theatre work.

Theatrical and TV-movies.

In-depth, balanced critical analysis of every film.

Foreword by Paul Talbot, author of Bronson��s Loose, Bronson��s Loose Again! And Mondo Mandingo.

Extensive bibliography.

Rarely written-about titles explored in never-before-seen detail.

The first -and currently only - book devoted specifically to an examination of Anthony Perkins�� filmography.

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ALTERNATIVELY, SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE DIRECT FROM THE AUTHORS (REQUEST A SHIPPING QUOTE FOR YOUR PART OF THE WORLD BY SENDING ENQUIRIES TO morethanapsycho@hotmail.com).

BOOK REVIEW: "TERROR IN THE DESERT: DARK CINEMA OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST" BY BRAD SYKES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 14:13:00 +0000

BY TIM GREAVES

I must confess that when I first settled down to read ��Terror in the Desert: Dark Cinema of the American Southwest��, a new book from McFarland by film-maker Brad Sykes, it was with a distinctly doubtful attitude, insomuch that I couldn��t quite believe there were enough films in existence to qualify its topic as an authentic sub-genre. Surely it would be a padded affair...

Following an introduction in which the author outlines his discovery of and enthusiasm for the films he identifies as ��desert terrors�� C distinguished specifically by the dusty, inhospitable locations in which they��re set �C if, just 6-pages in, my doubts weren��t already being challenged, throughout the 275 ensuing pages they were suitably quelled; by the end I was completely won over.

Though under-populated when compared to the staple sub-genres of slashers, vampires, zombies, nature-gone-crazy and their ilk (most of which have members in their community with facets that earn them a spot in the ��desert terrors�� arena), there are nevertheless a surprising number of titles identified and discussed in the book, many of which had previously slipped under my radar. Quite a few of the films under examination have enjoyed their moment in the mainstream sunshine, rendering them (if only in name) familiar even to cinephiles with no interest in horror movies�C From Dusk Till Dawn, Eight Legged Freaks, Tremors, Duel, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hitcher �C but it was the intriguing-sounding entries I��d never heard of before which proved the most intriguing aspect of Sykes�� book for me. There won��t be many with a passion for cinematic terrors who, after having read about such titles as Raw Courage, Mirage, Road Killers or The Sadist (the latter cited by the author as the one which started it all back in 1963, and to which he devotes a whole chapter), will be able to resist an online search into their availability.

In discussing these films the text deigns to demonstrate, if I may quote the author, ��...how the genre has evolved over the years due to social, economic, and political changes as well as stylistic technical transitions within the movie industry.�� If that makes it all sound rather hifalutin, be assured it isn��t. Sykes writes authoritatively and informatively and never becomes bogged down in thesis-style analytics. In fact, so readable is his relaxed writing style that ultimately his enthusiasm becomes infectious.

��Terror in the Desert�� is an engrossing �C and for this reader, educational �C accomplishment and one that I��d not hesitate to recommend. There��s a handy A-Z appendix at the back cataloguing over 150 key titles, and it was nice to be reminded of movies I��d seen many moons ago, Sykes�� commentary about which filled me with the incentive for a revisit; Death Valley, The Velvet Vampire, Prey of the Chameleon, Ghost Town and Kingdom of the Spiders, to name but a handful.

Aside from the propensity to occasionally run a little too hot in recounting plot detail �C though fortunately it is only occasional �C my one reservation in terms of value for money with regard this slightly pricey volume is that pictorially it��s pretty underwhelming, with an extensive number of its 100+ b/w images being reproductions of (mostly) bland DVD sleeves and VHS cartons.

So, what did I take away with me from my immersion in ��Terror in the Desert��? Definitely a desire to widen my viewing ever further, but moreover that there really does seem to be such a thing as the ��desert terrors�� sub-genre. Who knew? Certainly not I.

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BOOK NEWS: "WATCHING SKIES: STAR WARS, SPIELBERG AND US" BY MARK O'CONNELL

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:34:00 +0000

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

A Loving ode to a VHS galaxy not that far, far away.

"A fantastic personal account of one of the greatest chapters in movie history. An unmitigated delight."

Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, Sherlock)

As Ready Player One and Stranger Things proves the retro might of VHS era cinema, Watching Skies: Star Wars, Spielberg and Us is a universal and affectionate tale about the pop cultural remembrances stuck in all our R2 unit's memories.

Like many a British kid in an '80s world of VCRs, Reagan and Atari, Mark O'Connell wanted to be one of the mop-haired kids on the Star Wars toy commercials. Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman and of course Star Wars weren't just changing cinema - they were making lasting highways into our childhoods, toy boxes and video stores like never before,

In this energetic and insightful memoir-through-cinema, Mark O'Connell flies a gilded X-Wing through a universe of bedroom remakes of Return of the Jedi, close encounters with Christopher Reeve, sticker album swaps, a honeymoon on Amity Island and the trauma of losing an entire Star Wars figure collection.

A unique study on how a rich galaxy of movie continue shaping big and vital cinema to this day, Watching Skies is for all Star Wars kids - whatever their era.

It is about how George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, a shark, two motherships, some gremlins, ghostbusters, and a man made of steel jumped a whole generation to hyperspace*.

(*action figures not included).

Published by The History Press. Paperback. 368 pages. Illustrated.

��16.99. ISBN: 9780750970198

ebook: ISBN 9780750986151.

Mark O'Connell is an award-winning writer and author. As a comedy writer he has written for a wide range of actors, performers, titles, and media. As a warm-witted pop culture pundit, he has written and guested for Variety, Sky Movies, The Times, The Guardian, OUT magazine, Channel Four, Five, Yahoo Movies and across BBC radio and television. He was one of the official storytellers of London 2012, owns one tenth of a BAFTA, once got praised by the Coen Brothers, and now travel writes. He is the author of Catching Bullets: Memoirs of a Bond Fan.

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GOOD OLD RELIABLE STEVEN: AUTHOR BARRY MONUSH ON THE LEGACY OF STEVEN SPIELBERG

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 13:33:00 +0000

(Barry Monush, author of the new book "Steven Spielberg FAQ" enlightens readers as to how the famed director inspired him to write this overview of the famed director's career.)

BY BARRY MONUSH

As it gets harder these days to find ��reliables,�� it��s nice to have certain filmmakers still around who have given me more pleasure than pain over the years. And even nicer when you��re given a chance to celebrate them in print. Such is the case with Steven Spielberg.

My publishers, Applause Books, were tossing around possible ideas for further volumes of their FAQ series, and I tossed back at them the suggestion of a Spielberg book. Of course it got an instant response, because absolutely everyone is aware of Steven Spielberg. You needn��t be the sort of film aficionado that follows the scene with fervent interest (i.e. readers of this website) to know he��s out there making movies and has been doing so for some 45 years with a track record of success far exceeding anyone else. When you��re pitching ideas, it helps for your topic to have a high awareness factor in order to get a book on that someone ��greenlighted,�� but it��s even better when the subject is worthy of the tribute.

To me, the motion picture scene since the 1970s would be inconceivable without the presence of Steven Spielberg. Some would go so far as to say he created the world of motion pictures as we know it today, which shouldn��t necessarily be taken as a high compliment. For everyone who loves the cinematic world of Steven Spielberg, there are plenty who will give you a theatrical grimace at the mere mention of his name. Trust me, I know, I��ve seen it, when people asked me what the subject was for my newest book. They either lit up or cringed. You don��t get to be that well known and that well-to-do financially without making some people a bit resentful or dismissive.

With great fame comes expectations of an unreasonable size. You can��t blow people away with the thrills of Jaws or the sense of wonder inherent in Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and then make a mere ��good�� movie; you��re expected to score a slam dunk, a home run and a touchdown every time you��re given the ball. As a result, some very good Steven Spielberg films have been shortchanged over the years by those who wanted him to reach Olympian peaks each time they plunked their cash down at the box office. Moviegoers have pigeonholed him according to their own personal tastes and fond memories, and often have stubbornly resisted venturing with him into new territory. Much as ��those wonderful people out there in the dark�� are loathe to admit it, history has shown that audiences let down filmmakers far more often than filmmakers do the audience. Of course any director worth their salt is going to go in unexpected ways once in a while or try out new genres or techniques, which is what makes movie going something exciting. Believe me, if you had a mild initial response to such movies as Empire of the Sun, Amistad, or Munich, I recommend you see them again. These are all strong, impressive, moving works with something to say about the human condition. If they do not tower as highly or with as much resonance as, say, Schindler��s List, that��s to be forgiven. That��s an awful lofty peak to reach, after all.

I don��t need this constant reassurance of greatness with Spielberg or any filmmaker for that matter. I know he��s good; quite good. Even when I��ve come away disappointed from one of his efforts, I know I wasn��t watching a hack on a downward spiral, but a singular talent whose capabilities were still evident even within the missteps. Such are all the best filmmakers. And Spielberg really is one of the best. It��s been evident from the start; it was even evident in his television work, in the handful of series episodes and movies he made for the small screen before he ventured towards the larger canvas of motion pictures.

I remembered pretty vividly the segment of the Night Gallery pilot he directed long before I even realized who Steven Spielberg was. Blind Joan Crawford��s justifiable punishment for her abominable behavior was dramatized in a lean but eerie fashion: her sight is restored for a brief period only to find herself waking up during a New York blackout. Her accidental stumble through a window was dramatized by dropping a plate of glass and watching it shatter in slow motion. A great touch. Watching the segment again, all these years later, there��s nothing in this credit to suggest that its director had never before taken on a professional directing job prior to this, nor that he had only recently turned 22 years of age. His work was that of a professional with decades of experience behind him.

Continue reading "GOOD OLD RELIABLE STEVEN: AUTHOR BARRY MONUSH ON THE LEGACY OF STEVEN SPIELBERG"

REVIEW: MICKEY SPILLANE��S NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED FINAL NOVEL "THE LAST STAND" FROM HARD CASE CRIME

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 03:05:54 +0000

BY GIACOMO SELLONI

Published for the first time anywhere, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mickey Spillane's birth, come two short novels in the same book. "The Last Stand" (Spillane's final novel) is preceded by "A Bullet for Satisfaction," an unfinished manuscript that was finalized by Spillane's long-time collaborator Max Allan Collins. Both stories are satisfying reads. The book has been published by the Hard Case Crime imprint from Titan Books.

Mickey Spillane is best known for his character Mike Hammer, the fictional P.I. that redefined the "action hero" and spawned countless imitators. Unlike private investigators before him, Mike Hammer was a merciless executor of villains who slept with countless beautiful, willing women. Sound like anyone we know? The first Mike Hammer novel, "I, The Jury," was published in 1947, six years prior to Ian Fleming's James Bond debut, "Casino Royale." It may be argued that if Fleming was indeed James Bond's literary father, Spillane and Mike Hammer could be considered, if not grandfathers, then influences. Fleming admitted to that but he also had an influence on Spillane. The mid-1960s saw Spillane introduce a new character, Tiger Mann, an agent for a private organization dedicated to wiping out Communism. Tiger Mann lasted four novels.

If there is such a thing as a "Tough-Guy-Renaissance-Man," Mickey Spillane was it. After a brief stint in college he worked summers as a lifeguard and for a period of time was a trapeze artist for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.Through a friendship with fellow Gimbels department store employee Joe Gill, he began his career as a comic book writer in 1940, eventually writing an eight-page story a day on a diverse number of characters from different publishing companies, including Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman and Captain America. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor and became a fighter pilot and flight instructor.

"I, The Jury" was written in just 19 days and sent off to publisher E. P. Dutton. Between the hardcover released in 1947 and the subsequent paperback a year later, the novel sold more than 6 1/2 million copies in the US alone. A new career began, along with a reinvention of the genre.

Mickey Spillane was also an actor. His first leading role was given to him by John Wayne, who hired him in 1954 to appear with Pat O'Brien and lion-tamer Clyde Beatty in the Wayne-produced film "Ring of Fear," which Spillane, without credit, also co-wrote, although, he did receive a white Jaguar as a gift from producer Wayne. He also starred as his most famous creation, Mike Hammer, in the 1963 British produced film "The Girl Hunters" for which he received favorable notices acting alongside such veterans as Lloyd Nolan and future ��Goldfinger�� actress Shirley Eaton. But perhaps for many of us of a particular age, he was most well known for his appearances in the Miller Lite commercials as his alter-ego of Hammer along with "Doll," Lee Meredith of "The Producers" fame.

First up in the book is "A Bullet for Satisfaction��, which presents a very Hammeresque character in a Hammeresque story. Told in Spillane's traditional first-person style, Detective Capt. Rod Dexter is both the hero (anti-hero?) and narrator. The book opens with Dexter investigating the murder of the politically connected Mayes Rogers. But no one seems to be talking. In an argument with the D.A, he loses his temper; "Then I'll just continue my investigation of the Rogers�� murder and go anywhere and everywhere it leads me. And before I'm through with you, you'll be doing plenty of talking". Not surprisingly, he loses his job. He takes it on his own to continue the investigation unofficially. The web spins, the clock turns and he finds himself getting deeper and deeper into trouble as he comes closer to unraveling a conspiracy. Of course he finds time for a dalliance, this time with the sister of Rogers�� widow.

Much like Mike Hammer, Det. Dexter is a man driven by vengeance. And much like Hammer, Dexter has a lot of luck with dames. When he, along with one of the women he seduces are kidnapped, Dexter diagnoses the situation thusly: "The other one grabbed Jean. She tried to break away and he slapped her until she was still. He was dead - he just didn't know it yet." A short time later: "Behind the wheel now, Bacon smiled and let a low, rumbling laugh come deep from his throat. 'What have you got against a little joy ride, Dexter?' He laughed again. So did the guy in the back. Killing them would be a pleasure."

Yes, Mickey Spillane's work can be a guilty pleasure but he never fails to satisfy. I guess that's why sales of his books have now topped 225 million.

The lead story here, "The Last Stand", is an entirely different type of book. First of all, it's told in the third-person, not Spillane's typical style. There are no shoot outs. There's no sex. There's a hell of a terrific story, though.

Joe Gillian is a pilot who, when his vintage BT 13A airplane loses power, lands "in the middle of a desert that was someplace in the United States where nobody would ever look to find him and, so far, not even a vulture was eyeing him for supper."

Drinking a beer (Miller Lite, natch - Spillane got a plug in) to pass the time, he meets Sequoia Pete, an Indian from a local reservation who's "fossil hunting" but who has lost his horse. They share a "Tastes great, less filling, right?" beer and try to find their way back to Pete's hogan. The buddy movie begins.

The love interest shows up soon after in the form of Pete's sister who is as brilliant as she is sexy and Joe finds himself pulled into a whirlwind of trouble that involves criminals, G-men, the tribe and a secret that could lead to incredible wealth and power.

Then there's Many Thunders, aka Big Arms. "They call him Big Arms for a reason," Running Fox said softly. "He picks up train wheels. He plays with tree trunks. Sometimes he lifts cars right off the ground." He also considers Running Fox to be his woman and has hurt many other men who he thought were a threat to his claim. And he's going to fight Joe on Feast Day.

"The Last Stand" is a terrific romp through the western desert of the US with colorful, well-fleshed characters and a fine story. It's written cinematically. You can almost picture the people and the world they inhabit.

I thoroughly enjoyed both these stories both times I read them. I can't say this about too many books, but when I turned the last page of "The Last Stand" I turned the book over, turned to the first page and started to read it again.

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NICOL WILLIAMSON: TROUBLED GENIUS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 22:27:03 +0000

(Author Gabriel Hershman has written "Black Sheep: the Authorized Biography of Nicol Williamson" (The History Press). Williamson, who passed away in 2011 at age 75, was an enormous talent. John Osborne called him "The greatest actor since Brando". However, he had many personal demons that sidetracked what should have been a far more successful career. Hershman explores the peaks and valleys of this temperamental man's dramatic life and career and in this article reminds us of why his talents and work should be rediscovered.)

BY GABRIEL HERSHMAN

Peter O��Toole, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Alan Bates, Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and �� Nicol Williamson. Just a few of the most influential actors of their generation.

Were you surprised when I mentioned Nicol��s name? He was, at the time of his death, the least well known of that generation of actors. And yet, in my opinion, Nicol should have topped that list. Anybody who saw Nicol in Osborne��s Inadmissible Evidence, sweating, combustible, driven by almost orgasmic self-loathing �C ��the greatest performance in a modern play�� in Michael Coveney��s words �C knew they were watching an extraordinary actor.

If only we could re-visit Waiting for Godot, Diary of a Madman, The Ginger Man and, of course, Hamlet �C a performance that led Nicol to the White House to give a one-man show in front of Richard Nixon �C then it would be clear: Nicol was the foremost actor of his generation.

But �� Nicol��s stage triumphs made his screen career seem desperately unsatisfactory by comparison. Yes, Nicol wanted to be a film star. An early meltdown at Dundee Rep came when Lindsay Anderson chose not to cast him as Frank Machin in This Sporting Life (1963). If he��d got that role �C and there��s no reason to assume Nicol would have made a lesser impact than Richard Harris �C then Nicol��s film career could have been different. Sadly, it was several years before audiences would see him in a major role, to glimpse that blowtorch talent on celluloid.

Nicol shone in The Bofors Gun (1968), playing a deranged, alcoholic squaddie who kills himself and, in so doing, scuppers the career prospects of a mild-mannered bombardier who��s desperate for promotion. It was a barnstorming portrayal. Pauline Kael later criticised this and other performances of Nicol��s as ��too strong�� C but she was wrong. Take Laughter in the Dark (1969). He was vulnerable and oddly affecting as the businessman blinded by infatuation (and a car crash) in Tony Richardson��s otherwise ineffective re-working of Nabokov��s classic.

Nicol was on top form again with one of his serial collaborators, Jack Gold, in The Reckoning (1970), a powerful story of class and revenge. It should have been up there with Get Carter but it was overlooked. The film of Hamlet �C although too dark and claustrophobic �C at least captured Nicol��s nasal, deliberately unsexy prince for posterity.

By 1970, despite not having a movie hit, Nicol was a genuine superstar. He wed gorgeous actress Jill Townsend who would enjoy small-screen success with Poldark. Yet an essay by Kenneth Tynan, written at the time of Nicol��s White House triumph, hinted at the demons that eventually destroyed him. In particular, it seems to me, that Nicol��s altercations�C unlike those of Harris and Reed �C were often with influential people. ��Victims�� included Broadway producer David Merrick, whom Nicol punched when the legendary showman demanded cuts to Inadmissible Evidence, Dick Cavett, whose chat show he once unceremoniously exited, and, later, Evan Handler, who got a beating during the infamous Broadway performance of I Hate Hamlet.

Perhaps �C for all their hellraising and vitriolic behavior �C guys like Reed and Harris knew who to be nice to. Perhaps they were simply more endearing drunks? Either way, by the early Seventies, Nicol was losing ground. He stumbled again on film. Who remembers his Red Bull performance in The Jerusalem File? Or The Monk? (Don��t worry, even diehard fans of Seventies movies don��t know them!!) They have disappeared.

Nicol offered a brilliant interpretation of Arturo Ui �C the Hitler-like gangster in a TV version of Brecht��s classic drama. But it was soon forgotten. Nicol made a memorable villain (his son, Luke, thought it was his greatest screen performance) in The Wilby Conspiracy. But it didn��t do much for his screen career. Playing Sherlock Holmes in The Seven Per Cent Solution looked like a breakthrough. Yet some enthusiasts had trouble accepting Nicol as a drug-addled Holmes.

Williamson starred as Sherlock Holmes opposite Robert Duvall as Watson in the 1976 film "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution".

By then Nicol��s life was increasingly troubled. He stormed out of Enemy of the People and The Ninth Configuration, both times before a scene was shot. He eventually took the lead in The Human Factor, Otto Preminger��s cash-strapped tale of political double dealing. Yet again it was a troubled project. Preminger seemed to be in the early stage of Alzheimer��s. It needed Hitchcock to bring it to life. Yet in Nicol��s self-effacing, benevolent lead �C a political agnostic caught between despicable ideologies �C there was so much nuance and subtlety.

Stage success continued to come Nicol��s way, in Coriolanus and Twelfth Night, in a Royal Court revival of Inadmissible Evidence, and, especially, in a Broadway production of Uncle Vanya. George C. Scott, his notoriously fiery co-star, was driven to apoplexy when Nicol won better notices. Yet genuine film stardom was elusive. Sadly for Nicol, who hated TV, it��s likely that an episode of Columbo was his best remembered screen performances of the decade. (Rosebud?!) See, I told you!!

The Eighties finally gave Nicol a palpable hit �C as Merlin in Excalibur. Such was Nicol��s perceived unreliability, and lack of box office clout, that John Boorman had to fight to win approval to cast him. Nicol enjoyed the role but, strangely, it did little for his film career. Instead he played third fiddle to Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski (whom he cheerfully described as ��a cunt��) in the enjoyably hammy Venom. To be fair, if anyone caused trouble on that film, it was not Nicol.

After that? Who remembers I��m Dancing as Fast as I Can? Or his portrayal of Mountbatten in the TV series The Last Viceroy? A late supporting role (well, he was only 50 but approaching the end of his film career) in Black Widow gave a hint of what could have been. He played, with endearing tenderness, a successful but lonely museum director. If you re-visit the film, watch Nicol��s performance carefully, the way he fiddles with his watch when he meets Theresa Russell, his little jig when he shows her his Seattle dream house. Ah, what a talent Hollywood missed out on in the Eighties!

Nicol continued to shine on stage. But great theatrical performances exist only in memory. Trevor Nunn, a particularly insightful contributor to my biography, remarked that ��the achievements of those who work in the theatre are no more than writing on the sand. There may well be a vivid and important message for all to see, for a while, but by and by the tide comes in, and when it next goes out, that writing has disappeared��.

All too true, sadly. Nicol continued to appear on stage, memorably in his one-man show Jack: A Night on the Town with John Barrymore. A contributor to my book, Saskia Wickham, told me she thought Nicol was ��mesmerising and just sublime �� a genius��. This, in the end, is where the appeal of Nicol and �C my biography �C resides. Nicol was perhaps a great screen actor lost. But I suspect that history will regard him as probably the greatest stage actor of his generation nevertheless.

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BRODERICK CRAWFORD, HOLLYWOOD'S FORGOTTEN KING

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:25:00 +0000

Cinema Retro receives many film-related books from publishers who desire that we feature them on our web site and in our magazine. One of the most impressive we've received recently is "The Films of Broderick Crawford" by Ralph Schiller. It's an engrossing biography that you may need two hands to lift and it's packed with interesting facts about one of Hollywood's most neglected leading men of a bygone era. We've asked Mr. Schiller to provide an overview of Crawford's career based on information in his meticulously-researched book.

BY RALPH SCHILLER

BY DANIEL SAVINO

Although sports films are ubiquitous in the movie world today, this wasn��t always the case. The ability of a sports story to transcend its roots in a game and become a triumphant story of the human spirit was arguably first done in the 1942 film The Pride of The Yankees. A new book about this film came out in June of 2017 from Hachette Books, written by Richard Sandomir: The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper and the Making of a Classic. This work is an impressive look at not only the making of the film, but also its cultural impact.

Pride of The Yankees is an ultimate hero story: the immigrant son who has a natural ability in a truly American past time only to be cut down in his prime by a fatal disease. It may sound like a natural for the film studios to develop, but as Sandomir points out in his book, this wasn��t always the case. Sam Goldwyn had to be convinced to make a movie about baseball. What finally moved the mogul to go ahead with the project was seeing film of Lou Gehrig��s ��Luckiest Man�� speech on July 4, 1939 in Yankee stadium. The connection was with the human side of the story, never with the sport.

When reading the making of chapters of any book that discusses a film in detail, it��s always interesting to see who emerges as the main characters in the story behind the story. Since this film was about Lou Gehrig, the ��Iron Horse�� ball player takes center stage. His strong-willed, independent widow Eleanor Twitchell is just as an important character, if in fact not more so than Gehrig himself. As the author lays out, it is Eleanor who made sure that Lou��s memory stayed alive after his death. Another star that emerges behind the scenes is Paul Gallico. Although Gallico is best known for his later career as the author of The Poseidon Adventure and other novels, he was a sports writer during the 1930s and as such became a chronicler of Lou Gehrig��s career. His 1941 book about the athlete, Lou Gehrig: The Pride of The Yankees became the official source material for the movie.

Just as the makers of the movie had to deal with the conundrum of trying to figure out how much actual baseball to have in the film, the author of a book about a baseball movie has to balance those two seemingly opposite entities. Sandomir does a good job in striking just such a balance; the book is much more about the movie and it��s impact than it is about America��s favorite pastime. This is an impressive accomplishment when one realizes that the author was a sports reporter for the New York Times for many years and must have had to resist the impulse to discuss in heavy detail the intricacies of the sport. When reading the book, one need only have a very basic knowledge of baseball, and even if a reader doesn��t possess this information, they should take comfort in realizing that they still probably know more about baseball than Samuel Goldwyn, the producer of the movie.

Other sections of this book discuss Babe Ruth��s career on film and playing himself in Pride; whether or not Gary Cooper, a natural right hander, actually batted left handed in his baseball scenes or if the filmmakers reversed the negative; the real life friction between Gehrig��s widow and his mother and how this was tapered down for the film. An interesting later chapter describes Gary Cooper on a USO tour in late 1943 in the South Pacific and, after a big demand from the troops, re-created Gehrig��s famous ��Luckiest Man�� speech to the best of his memory.

The Pride of The Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and The Making of a Classic is an excellent book and a great look at the making of what may just be the greatest sports movie of all time.

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MCFARLAND RELEASES "TWISTED VISIONS: INTERVIEWS WITH CULT HORROR FILMMAKERS" BY MATTHEW EDWARDS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 15:17:00 +0000

Cinema Retro has received the following announcement from McFarland publishers.

Horror and exploitation films have played a pioneering role in both American and world cinema, with a number of controversial and surreal movies produced by renegade filmmakers. This collection of interviews sheds light on the work of 23 directors from across the globe who defied the conventions of Hollywood and commercial cinema. They include Alfred Sole (Alice, Sweet, Alice), Romano Scavolini (Nightmares in a Damaged Brain), Stu Segall (Drive-in Massacre), Joseph Ellison (Don't Go in the House), David Paulsen (Savage Weekend, Schizoid), J?rg Buttgereit (Nekromantik, Schramm), Jack Sholder (Alone in the Dark, The Hidden), Marinao Baino (Dark Waters), Yoshihiko Matsui (Noisy Requiem) and Jamil Dehlavi (Born of Fire). More than 90 photographs are included, with many rare behind-the-scenes images.

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BOOK REVIEW: "DOING RUDE THINGS: THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH SEX FILM" (REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION) BY DAVID MCGILLIVRAY

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 15:29:00 +0000

BY TIM GREAVES

The British sex film was a truly unique beast. Finding its feet at the back end of the 1950s, proliferating throughout the 60s and 70s, and all but gone the way of the dodo by the early 80s, sex may have been the selling point but scarcely was it delivered upon. Usually depicting the act itself as a bit of a lark and something to be sniggered at, due to restrictive British laws at the time the menu in this country was mostly comprised of light titillation as opposed to the more, er... shall we say ��gratifying�� material being served up to European and Stateside audiences. With little to see beyond pert pink posteriors and bountiful bare bosoms, visuals whose stimulation value was already negligible were often further quashed by the wince-inducing sound of a slide-whistle.

The films that general audiences probably think of in regard to this period of time �C if indeed they think of them at all �C are the likes of the Confessions comedies, which is hardly surprising, for their appeal was unprecedented and the first in the series, Val Guest��s Confessions of a Window Cleaner, was the highest grossing British film of 1974. Yet looking at the 70s alone it��s remarkable just how many light-hearted boobs��n��bums films were birthed. I should know, I saw a fair few of them at a crummy, long-gone little cinema in Winchester. Most of them were excruciatingly awful too, albeit in an inexplicably endearing way.

In 1992 ��Doing Rude Things�� by David McGillivray was published and at that point was the only book of its kind. An assembly �C and expansion upon �C a series of articles that had originally appeared in the short-lived ��Cinema�� magazine 10 years earlier, it chronicled the highs and lows of almost a quarter of a century��s worth of British sex films, from 1957��s Nudist Paradise to 1981��s last gasp, Emmanuelle in Soho.

Now, to those with a passion for British exploitation cinema the name David McGillivray will be a familiar one. A former writer for, among others, the BFI��s lamentably deceased ��Monthly Film Bulletin��, he would go on to pen scripts for such cinematic schlockers as House of Whipcord, Satan��s Slave and Schizo, several of which also found him lurking on-screen in some minor capacity. Associated in the main with the ilk of those aforementioned terrors, David��s single foray into the arena of the 1970s sex film was the amusingly monikered comedy I��m Not Feeling Myself Tonight, a frothy brew awash with familiar thespian talent of the era. [Oh, yes, it should be mentioned that a plethora of household names populated these critically dismissed but publicly embraced oddities. From Bernard Lee and Arthur Askey to Irene Handl and Jon Pertwee, from Brian Murphy and Barry Evans to Windsor Davies and Richard O��Sullivan, dozens of ��respectable�� actors shelved their pride to participate in these movies. But then in the clime of widespread unemployment that plagued the industry back then �C and is regrettably still rife �C work was work and beggars couldn��t afford to be choosers.]

Continue reading "BOOK REVIEW: "DOING RUDE THINGS: THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH SEX FILM" (REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION) BY DAVID MCGILLIVRAY"

BOOK REVIEW: "THE ESSENTIAL MARILYN MONROE BY MILTON H. GREENE: 50 SESSIONS"

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:42:00 +0000

BY JOE ELLIOTT

��Make your life be your art and you will never be forgotten.�� (Charlotte Eriksson). I first fell in love with Marilyn Monroe when I was sixteen, after seeing her on television in the movie ��Bus Stop.�� By then she was long gone, but that didn��t matter. To me, she was like something from outer space, a goddess dressed in black fishnet and gold tassel. I��ll admit it��s a feeling I never quite got over. Marilyn had that effect on some men, both those who knew her (Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, for example) and millions of others like me who were her fans. Among the innumerable critical brickbats tossed at her both in her lifetime and later was the charge she was a terrible actress. I have always thought these criticisms somewhat unfair. While not a great actress, she was nonetheless quite competent in a number of roles. That is, when she was actually given the chance to act and not just served up as window dressing. Rewatching ��Bus Stop�� recently, I was struck anew at how really funny she could be. Forget all that stuff about her sad life, the broken marriages, the desperate desire to be taken seriously as a thespian. All that may be true, but her real talents lay in comedy. Like her gifted miscast cinematic sisters, Clara Bow, Marion Davies and Jean Harlow, Marilyn was born to play funny. Often she upstaged the best of them too, including in ��The Prince and the Showgirl,�� a film she made with Laurence Olivier. In it, she makes ��the world��s greatest actor�� look downright dull. On the other hand, there was that face, that body. For a generation of men, it defined rightly or wrongly what feminine sex appeal was all about. All of these qualities shine forth in The Essential Marilyn Monroe by Milton H. Greene: 50 Sessions (ACC Editions), just released last month. Of the book��s 284 images, 160 have never before been published.

Marilyn seems completely at ease in most of these photos. You can tell she and the photographer trust and like each other. She is at turns playful and happy, sad and reflective. None of it to me seems too contrived. Instead, she is allowing us to see her in a way she would never permit with any other camera man. She is fully naked (which had nothing to do with taking her clothes off). Not all the shots show her at her best. In some she appears, though still alluring, tired and somewhat shopworn. These are among my favorites in the collection. I like to think I��m getting a candid peek behind the carefully crafted, bloodless fa?ade of the manufactured Marilyn. For my money, she was most appealing when she wasn��t doing anything much at all in front of the lens, just looking -- which she often is in the Greene sessions. One photo, chosen by Greene��s son, Joshua, for the cover of this expansive volume, is a prime example of the species. She is gorgeous.

Marilyn and Milton Greene shared a special bond. Not only were they personal friends, she even lived with his family for a time in the 1950s. I imagine this as a happy period for her. She felt completely safe with him in a way she rarely did with anyone. It shows. The great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said that capturing the right image on film was an act of extraordinary physical and intellectual joy. As it turns out, that concept works both ways, for the photographer and the viewer. Greene clearly wanted us to see the woman others seldom glimpsed or even imagined. He succeeds brilliantly in that ambition. The glorious thing is it��s all here in this fabulous photo collection, one for the ages. For the Marilyn fan, it doesn��t get much better.

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