Actress Dorothy Janis Dies: One of the Last Silent Screen Performers
Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Janis in The Pagan
Dorothy Janis, who made a few film appearances at the dawn of the sound era and was the widow of bandleader Wayne King, died Wednesday morning in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, according to musician Lew Williams, who received the news from Janis’ granddaughter. Janis, one of the last surviving performers to have played at least one major role in silent films, was either 98 or 100, depending on the source.
A pretty, petite brunette with sensuous lips — according to (possibly made-up) reports from the period, she was half-Native American — Dorothy Janis was born in Dallas on Feb. 19, 1910 or 1912. Her most notable movie role was that of [...]
by Andre Soares | March 11, 2010
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Tags: Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Janis, Harry Garson, John Howard Lawson, Lummox, Michael Ankerich, Ramon Novarro, Silent Films, The Pagan, The White Captive, W. S. Van Dyke
Akira Kurosawa TCM Tribute
The Academy had its John Hughes tribute on Sunday. Tonight, Turner Classic Movies is paying tribute to someone who may not be a household name in the United States, but who merits recognition as well. The guy, after all, made quite a few films that won awards here and there even though they were mostly in black and white, and didn’t star Rob Lowe, Macaulay Culkin, or Demi Moore. Does Rashomon ring a bell? Seven Samurai? Yojimbo? Ran? Kagemusha? Dersu Uzala?
Akira Kurosawa — believe it or not, I actually have a photo of myself standing right next to him — will be honored tonight on TCM. Four of the director’s films will be shown, including the little-known Hakuchi, [...]
by Andre Soares | March 9, 2010
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Tags: Akira Kurosawa, Hakuchi, Ikiru, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Toshiro Mifune, Turner Classic Movies
TCM Remembers 2008, or How the Oscars Should Learn to Do an “In Memoriam” Segment
In the 2008 TCM Remembers clip above, you’ll find a collection of film personalities, from Ingmar Bergman star Eva Dahlbeck to Jaws‘ Roy Scheider, from Rear Window screenwriter John Michael Hayes to Il Sorpasso director Dino Risi, from silent film actress Anita Page (seen with Joan Crawford) to Black Orpheus‘ Breno Mello and Marpessa Dawn, from Oscar winner Paul Scofield to schlock goddess Vampira. I dare you not to get choked up even if you don’t recognize most of them.
by Andre Soares | March 9, 2010
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Tags: Anita Page, Breno Mello, Dino Risi, Eva Dahlbeck, Marpessa Dawn, Paul Scofield, Roy Scheider, Turner Classic Movies, Vampira
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on TCM: Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne Movies
Basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will join Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne to present four of his favorite films in TCM’s "Guest Programmer" series on Monday, March 22.
Most "Guest Programmer" evenings are devoted to the best-known old classics, and Abdul-Jabbar (and Raquel Welch’s on April 1) will be no exception. Abdul-Jabbar’s tough-guy flicks consist of two of Humphrey Bogart’s and two of John Wayne’s best-remembered vehicles, respectively, The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon; and The Shootist and Stagecoach. Who knows? Perhaps if you watch The Big Sleep a tenth time you’ll be able to figure out what actually takes place in that movie.
The following is a schedule for Abdul-Jabbar’s Monday, March 22, [...]
by Andre Soares | March 4, 2010
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Tags: Classic Movies, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Osborne, Stagecoach, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, The Shootist, Turner Classic Movies
Raquel Welch to Present Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hebpurn, Lauren Bacall Movies
Raquel Welch will join Robert Osborne on Turner Classic Movies this spring to present four of her favorite films in TCM’s "Guest Programmer" series on Thursday, April 1.
Welch will discuss Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall’s To Have and Have Not, in addition to a couple of films featuring strong-willed women: George Cukor’s Adam’s Rib, starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, with Jean Arthur and James Stewart. The last presentation of the Welch evening will be the girl flick of 1961, Blake Edwards‘ Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in which Audrey Hepburn’s sweet sex worker (not that you’d actually be told what the character does for a living) finds both [...]