To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which Spanish actor worked with directors Luis Bunuel, William Friedkin, Ferdinando Baldi, Umberto Lenzi, Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and Florestano Vancini?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Francisco Rabal.
Charles Gilbert asks, "Which Serbian actress/basketball player who appeared prominently in one of the Sons of Hercules films had previously been a body double for Sophia Loren and had an affair with Cary Grant after his time with Loren?"
George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Ljubica "Buba" Otasevic of TRIONFO DI MACISTE.
Which Italian actor has been in every movie directed by Sergio Leone, except one, since 1964?
George Grimes knew that it was Mario Brega. Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was also true of Benito Stefanelli. Brega wasn't in DUCK, YOU SUCKER while Stefanelli wasn't in ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.
By what name is Richard Stuyvesant better known?
George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Mario Brega.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which Italian actor died in Greece on December 6, 1994?
Which Italian Western star died in Miami, Florida, on March 22, 2017?
In which Italian Western do we see our hero awaken from a nap by children setting fire to the hay on which he sits?
Name the movies from which these images came.
George Grimes, Charles Gilbert and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Mario Brega, Lorenzo Robledo, Diana Faenza and baby Francesca Leone in PER QUALCHE DOLLARO IN PIU, aka FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes, Charles Gilbert and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Christopher Lee and Leonora Ruffo in ERCOLE AL CENTRO DELLA TERRA, aka HERCULES AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, aka HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Laura Antonelli and Giancarlo Giannini in L'INNOCENTE, aka THE INNOCENT.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified that above photo.
It shows Feng Hsu and Feng Tien in THE FATE OF LEE KHAN.
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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:
Enjoyed:
ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (2018)
Tony Kushner on Arthur Miller (2018)
Mike Nicholas on Arthur Miller (2018)
Da Vinci's Inquest season five (2002)
THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN (2021) - There have been alot of documentaries about "The Little Tramp", but directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney with writer Oliver Kindeberg gathered alot of stuff of which before I hadn't heard and their presentation of it is marvelous. I don't like historical recreations, but that's how they decided to present scenes for which they only had audio recordings. It is odd seeing actors lip-syncing to old recordings, but I won't quibble too much about that. I do quibble that there is no mention of Sydney Chaplin and while they mention two films that Charlie made after being exiled from the U.S., they don't name them. Interestingly, while the film concludes that Charlie Chaplin was unknowable, the real mystery seems to be regarding his widow Oona, who bore him eight children.
South Park: Post Covid (2021)
South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid (2021)
SPIELBERG (2017) - Director Susan Lacy's HBO documentary on Steven Spielberg is fun, with a lot of clips and interviews and some interesting personal stories. The film implies that THE COLOR PURPLE was an artistic failure and it doesn't differentiate between the Indiana Jones movies, nor does it mention ALWAYS though Holly Hunter gives a quote. Ultimately, the program seems to want to make the case that Spielberg is an auteur and there was no mention of Tobe Hooper or Paul Schrader. What I liked best was seeing how Kate Capshaw had a positive effect on his life.
TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM (2013) - Director Morgan Neville's film could have been called "The Impact of Black Back-Up Singers On Pop Music" since it starts the story with The Blossoms, consisting of Fanita James, Jean King and Darlene Love. The film doesn't go into their history as they started as The Dreamers without Darlene Wright. But it was as The Blossoms that they started to work with record producer Phil Spector who changed Wright's name to Love. If you've an interest in White back-up singers like Cindy Bullens or Kiki Dee then you're out of luck. Among the other back-up singers that are featured, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Merry Clayton and Judith Hill are given particular attention, especially when the issue becomes whether the singers are contented to stay back-up or if they want to become stars. There is alot of archival footage shown including David Bowie performing "Young Americans" live with Luther Vandross as a back-up singer. Splendid stuff.
Mildly enjoyed:
IL SUO NOME GRIDAVA VENDETTA, aka A NAME THAT CRIED REVENGE (1968) - A gangster film dressed as a Western, this movie has Anthony Steffen as an hero with no memory who is surprised to discover that he is excellent with a gun. He stops a bounty killer from dragging him by the neck to the town of Dixon, but he ends up going to Dixon in the hope of discovering why he is a wanted man. William Berger seems to want to help him, but not before he tells Robert Hundar to get out of town with Steffen's wife Evelyn Stewart. Co-writer and director Mario Caiano doesn't have anything new in mind here, and the middle sections sags as he tries to find events to fill up the running time before the final gun fight. Robby Poitevin provides some nice tunes while Enzo Barboni provides some attractive pictures. Raf Baldassarre and Mario Brega appear inorder to join the ranks of the dead. Rossella Bergamonti appears to show that our hero is not adverse to sleeping with a woman he doesn't know. Of course, Colt.45s were not available during the Civil War.
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Charles Gilbert watched:
A Word on Westerns hosted by Rob (RJ) Word interviews Joanne Smith on the passing of her husband William Smith this year. Included afterwards is an episode of Stoney Burke titled "Point of Entry" in which Smith guest stars with Cesare Danova and Antoinette Bower on Jack Lord's series about a rodeo star. It surprised me to realize that both guys were taller than Lord.
DIE MONSTER, DIE (1965) American International Pictures makes use of Shepperton Studios in London to produce this gothic scifi written by H. P. Lovecraft. Steve (Nick Adams) is travelling in the English countryside to find the residence of his sweetheart Susan (Susan Farmer). Her eccentric wheelchair bound father (Boris Karloff) makes him feel highly unwelcome, though the young suitor is intent on discovering the reason for bizarre household events. The greenhouse on the mansion estate propitiously harbors super growth vegetation, sourced by radiation from a meteor fragment in the cellar, but has adversely affected several of the human occupants. Freda Jackson is in the cast but her face is never revealed.
GOD CREATED THEM...I KILL THEM (1967) Dean Reed plays dandy blonde heartthrob bounty killer Slim Corbett hired by a bank committee to resolve bank gold thefts. With model Linda Veras, Peter Martell, and Piero Lulli.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
SAMSON (61)
THE HYENA OF LONDON (63)
ESPIONAGE IN TANGIERS (65)
BRANDED TO KILL (67)
SOMETHING CREEPING IN THE DARK (70) - A few further thoughts on this: One of the more interesting cinematic orphans looking for Bava-esque significance. This has a hyper reality to it that reminds me of the Amicus horror anthologies of the same time period, but blended with an operatic sense of drama and surrealism that confound any attachment to reality.
PIG (21) - Nicholas Cage was a world-class chef who abandoned civilization to live in the woods of Oregon, living on the proceeds from trading the truffles his special pig finds. When someone steals the pig, he must return to the city to find her. So nice to see Cage in a good movie. I liked it.
Mildly enjoy:
SHE-DEVIL (57)
NIGHT WALKER (64)
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:
Gintama (anime) – episodes 25 & 26
Gukyeongi / Inspector Koo – season 1 – episodes 1 & 2
Enjoyed:
The undersea kingdom – episode 1 (B. Reeves Eason & Joseph Kane)
Les chevaliers du fiel dynamitent 2020 (tv show) (2020, Manu Carriau)
A series of unfortunate events – season 2 – episode 9
The lone gunmen – episodes 6 & 7
The steal (1995, John Hay)
Le voleur (1967, Louis Malle)
Mildly enjoyed:
OSS 117 : alerte rouge en Afrique noire (2020, Nicolas Bedos)
The F.B.I. story (1959, Mervyn LeRoy)
Il tesoro di Rommel (1955, Romolo Marcellini)
Der Fälscher von London (1961, Harald Reinl)
The wheel of time – season 1 – episode 6
Did not enjoy:
The cosmic man (1959, Herbert S. Greene)
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Angel Rivera wrote:
"I would like to thank you for making me aware of "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" (2021) as I was unaware of any new documentary series about "Star Trek". Unfortunately for me since I have so many Star Trek biographies and reference books as well as a book about "I Love Lucy" some of what was said seemed to have waxed over some facts that I know of just so they can make their take on the history more valid.
"First, Desi Arnaz did not introduce the Conga line dance to the US. That honor belongs to Cuban musician Eliseo Grenet Sanchez who introduced the conga line dance in 1929. What can be said is that Arnaz did help popularize the dance in the same way Chubby Checker popularized the Twist, even though Hank Ballard actually wrote and introduced the song two years before Checker recorded and released his version.
"Second they waxed over the fact that the reason that the show could have reruns was that Desi insisted that the show would be filmed instead of recorded on kinoscope. That way the films which would last longer than kinoscope could be shown over and over and they would receive payment to use the films because Desi had insisted that Lucy and he would own 100% of the show.
"After their break up which was due to the fact that Lucy was tired of dealing with Desi's drinking, gambling and womanizing, Desi asked Lucy to buy him out. [They had divorced in 1960 and in 1962, Desi asked Lucy to buy out his shares of the company.]
"As for Lucy's involvement with "Star Trek" even though she was head of the studio, she had many people who worked for her whose advice she trusted. She even at times still asked Desi for advice. In the book, "Inside Star Trek: The Real Story" written by Herbert F. Solow, who was head of production at Desilu Studios and Robert H. Justman who became a co-producer for "Star Trek"; when "Star Trek" was still in its infancy at the studio, Lucy had asked Herb Solow about what she referred to as "that South Seas series." Confused Solow had to answer he did not know what she was referring to. Lucy continued about that show that took place in WW II where there was a USO troupe touring the South seas which she said he had called "Star Trek". It was explained that in her world she thought of a "star trek" as movie stars traveling around the world such as a USO troupe traveling the South seas during WW II.
"He also goes on to state that he had personally handed the script for the first pilot to her while she was in her dressing room. After the first pilot had been shown to the NBC brass, he went to her dressing room to tell her about their reaction and noticed the script was in her dressing room apparently untouched. I'm sure as she was the de facto head of the studio her word was final, but where "Star Trek" is concerned, I don't think she had as much input as they make it out to be other than to agree with her executives on the matter. This made me suspect as to the other episodes of the series even though some of what was said I had known from reading different materials on the show and some I did not know. Still it was informative.
"Now to the movies I watched:
I enjoyed; "Chato's Land" (1972) this one I saw when it first came out in the theatres, and I remember Charles Bronson killing almost every one, but I did not remember the nudity. (Since I was 16 when I first saw it in the theatre, I think I would have remembered that.)
"Navajo Joe" (1966) I remember reading that Burt Reynolds had been told by his friend, Clint Eastwood that he had a marvelous experience working in Italy with a Sergio that when he got the call for this movie, he thought he would be working with the same "Sergio" that Eastwood had told him about. So he thought when the Sergio turned out to be Sergio Corbucci instead of Sergio Leone that he had gotten the wrong Sergio. Aside from the fact that Reynolds hated this movie, I still thought it was okay.
"The Wild and the Innocent" (1959) An Audie Murphy western with a 15 year old Sandra Dee, just before she hit stardom with "Gidget" and "A Summer Place" (both 1959) as his co-star and the ever dependable Gilbert Roland as the heavy with a heart.
"Cabaret"(1972) and "All That Jazz"(1979) a TCM double feature tribute to Bob Fosse. Both were enjoyable. "All That Jazz" I actually saw first in the movies and enjoyed it all over again.
"Dean Martin: King of Cool"(2021) as a big Dean Martin fan I found it most interesting. So much so that I dug up my VHS copy of the cable movie "The Rat Pack" (1998) which starred Ray Liotta as Sinatra and Joe Mantegna as Martin. Very well made for this type of picture.
I also enjoyed "Adios Amigo" a Richard Pryor comedy from 1975 written, produced, directed by and co-starring Fred Williamson. Richard Pryor is mostly funny as the amigo with "more tricks up his sleeve than there are hours in the day." One scene has Pryor as con man and thief holding up a stagecoach that is taking Williamson to prison. After he helps Williamson escape Pryor is about to leave Williamson, when he says to Pryor"You aren't going to leave me out here." To which Pryor responds, "Well I didn't bring you out here. Adios, Amigo!" and rides off leaving Williamson in the dust.
I also saw "Cherry 2000"(1987) which I had not seen since it debuted on cable. Melanie Griffith sure did look good.
Last, but not least I mildly enjoyed "Red Notice" the 2021 film starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. Let me just say Gal Gadot sure looks good. As for the picture itself, I didn't see much of the chemistry between Reynolds and Johnson that I saw between Jason Statham and Johnson in "...:Hobbs and Shaw" or the chemistry between Johnson and Kevin Hart in their movies. And as a caper film it is only mildly entertaining. For me the best part was any time Gadot was on screen.
[I just remembered I had pulled out my copy of "The Mask of Fu Manchu"(1932) which I had in my collection, but had not watched before. Historically this film is of interest as it has the great Boris Karloff in horrific make up as the evil Asian mastermind with Myrna Loy as his daughter. (In her early career she was usually cast in exotic roles to which after doing this film she said no more.) In this pre-production code film there is a lot of torture and sadistic thrills shown, especially when Loy gleefully tortures future cowboy star Charles Starrett. While the film is full of politically incorrect material, it still is interesting to watch if only for Karloff and Loy's performances.]"
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