Classic Movie News: UPDATED 4/23/05

[Dapper Dan]

April 2005:

23- Sir John Mills, mild-mannered English actor, Oscar-winner and father of actresses Hayley (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Hayley/hayley.htm) and Juliet Mills whose eight-decade film career included roles in IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946), THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER (1949), SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960), RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) and GANDHI (1982), dies at the age of 97.

20- Julien's Auctions of Los Angeles announces plans for a sale of over 200 personal and professional items from the estate of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Marilyn/marilyn.htm), as well as jewelry from the estate of late MGM (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/MGM/mgm.htm) movie musical star Ann Miller (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Ann_Miller/annmiller.htm) at an auction in Los Angeles on June 4.

19- Ruth Hussey (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Hussey/hussey.htm), Oscar-nominated supporting actress of the 1930s and '40s best known for her role as Jimmy Stewart (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Jimmy/jimmy.htm)'s girlfriend in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/Philstory/philstory.htm) (1940) as well as TENDER COMRADE (1943) and THE UNINVITED (1944), dies of complications from an appendectomy at 93.

19- Hugh O'Brian, western and action-film actor of the 1950s who played supporting roles in such films as THE CIMARRON KID (1950), VENGEANCE VALLEY (1951) and BROKEN LANCE (1954) before becoming a popular sheriff on TV's "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," celebrates his 80th birthday.

16- Karl Malden (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Malden/malden.htm), 93-year-old Oscar-winning character actor best known for his roles in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), is inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

16- Barry Nelson, MGM (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/MGM/mgm.htm) contract player of the 1940s who played supporting roles in SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (1941), BATAAN (1943), A GUY NAMED JOE (1943) and UNDERCOVER MAISIE (1947) before focusing his attention on stage and television work, celebrates his 85th birthday.

14- Bradford Dillman, leading man of stage and screen whose best known film roles have included work in COMPULSION (1959), FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1961) and THE PLAINSMAN (1966), celebrates his 75th birthday.

13- Bonhams & Butterfields auction house in London announces plans to auction off the blue and white gingham dress worn by Judy Garland (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Judy/judy.htm) in THE WIZARD OF OZ (http://www.reelclassics.com/Musicals/Wizoz/wizoz.htm) (1939) as part of a sale of rock, pop and film memorabilia being held on April 27.

11- Oleg Cassini, famed fashion designer whose movie costumes included gowns for his wife, actress Gene Tierney (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Tierney/tierney.htm), in THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946) and THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947), celebrates his 92nd birthday.

10- Henry "Harry" Morgan, veteran film and television character actor whose six-decade Hollywood career has included work on THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943), MADAME BOVARY (1949), THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1953) and INHERIT THE WIND (1960) as well as TV's "Dragnet" and "M*A*S*H*", celebrates his 90th birthday.

8- After approval from international regulatory authorities, a consortium led by Sony Pictures Corporation, parent company of Columbia Pictures (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia.htm), finalizes its acquisition of classic movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/MGM/mgm.htm) (itself the parent company of veteran film distributor United Artists (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/UA/ua.htm) after a 1981 merger) for some $4.8 billion, essentially marking the end of MGM (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/MGM/mgm.htm) and UA (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/UA/ua.htm) as anything other than brand names after their 80+ year tenures in Hollywood.

8- Onna White, Canadian-born choreographer who was awarded a special Oscar for her work on the musical OLIVER! (1968) and received eight Tony nominations for her stage work, dies at age 83.

6- Rainier III of Monaco, the European prince whose 1956 marriage to Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Grace/grace.htm) ended her Hollywood career and brought worldwide attention to his tiny country which continued even after her death in 1982, dies himself at the age of 81.

4- Frances Langford, singer-actress who transitioned from a successful radio career into appearances in such films of the 1930s and '40s as BORN TO DANCE (1936), YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) and THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1953), celebrates her 91st birthday.

1- Sophia Loren, 70-year-old Italian-born actress and Oscar-winner best known for her ample good looks and performances in HOUSEBOAT (1958), EL CID (1961), TWO WOMEN (1961) and MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972), receives a lifetime achievement award from the Istanbul Film Festival.

[Dapper Dan]

March 2005:


31- Paramount Pictures (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Paramount/paramount.htm), which in 2003 announced plans to remake THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (1947) with Jim Carrey starring and Steven Spielberg directing, revises its plans and signs Mark Waters to direct with Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and his son John Goldwyn producing. The original film was made by Samuel Goldwyn Sr. (http://www.reelclassics.com/Producers/Goldwyn/goldwyn.htm) and starred Danny Kaye (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Kaye/kaye.htm) and Virginia Mayo (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Mayo/mayo.htm).

30- Frankie Laine, western singer who contributed title songs to such films as BLOWING WILD (1953) and GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957) as well as TV's "Rawhide," celebrates his 92nd birthday.

29- Robert Redford (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Redford/redford.htm), actor and Oscar-winning director of such films as THE STING (1973) and ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980) respectively, announces plans to produce and co-star in a biopic of Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play professional baseball in the Major League.

29- "Moonlight and Magnolias," a new play dramatizing the week-long script-writing session in 1939 during which producer David O. Selznick (http://www.reelclassics.com/Producers/Selznick/selznick.htm), screenwriter Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming (http://www.reelclassics.com/Directors/Fleming/fleming.htm) overhauled the screenplay for GONE WITH THE WIND (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/GWTW/GWTW.htm) (1939) after filming on the now-classic epic had already begun, opens at New York's Manhattan Theatre Club.

24- Joseph Barbera, legendary Hanna-Barbera animator and co-creator of such classic cartoons as "Tom and Jerry," "The Jetsons" and "Yogi Bear," celebrates his 94th birthday.

22- Karl Malden (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Malden/malden.htm), bulbous-nosed, Oscar-winning character actor whose film work has included A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and POLLYANNA (1960), celebrates his 93rd birthday.

16- Robert Blake, former child star of the 1940s who, as Mickey Gubitosi, appeared in several "Our Gang" comedies, and later, as Bobby Blake, played alongside Humphrey Bogart (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Bogie/bogie.htm) in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) before graduating to adult roles in IN COLD BLOOD (1967) and the "Baretta" TV show of the 1970s, is found not-guilty of the 2001 murder of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, by a California jury.

12- Paul Newman (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Newman/newman.htm), 80-year-old Oscar-winning star of such films as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958), THE HUSTLER (1961), HUD (1963) and COOL HAND LUKE (1967), tells the Associated Press he plans to give up motor racing after next year but hopes to make one more film before retirement.

12- Jon Provost, former blond child star whose film appearances include roles in ESCAPADE IN JAPAN (1959) and THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED (1966) but who is best remembered for playing "Timmy" on TV's "Lassie" in the 1960s, celebrates his 55th birthday.

11- Officials at the Walt Disney Company (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Disney/disney.htm) announce plans to continue remaking many of the studio's classic family films, including THE SHAGGY DOG (1959, originally starring Fred MacMurray (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/MacMurray/macmurray.htm) and Jean Hagen), SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960, originally starring Dorothy McGuire (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/McGuire/mcguire.htm) and John Mills), 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954, originally starring Kirk Douglas (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Kirk/kirk.htm) and James Mason (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Mason/mason.htm)), ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (1975, with Ray Milland (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Milland/milland.htm) and Eddie Albert) and the sci-fi adventure TRON (1982).

10- Jane Fonda, two-time Oscar-winning actress and daughter of movie legend Henry Fonda (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Fonda/fonda.htm) whose five-decade film career has included leading roles in CAT BALLOU (1965) and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (1967), announces she will undergo hip replacement surgery after finishing publicity tours for her upcoming film, MONSTER IN LAW (2005), and new autobiography.

10- Katharine Houghton, niece of actress Katharine Hepburn (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Katharine/katharine.htm) who appeared with her aunt in the role of her daughter in 1967's Oscar-winning Best Picture GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, celebrates her 60th birthday.

6- Teresa Wright (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Teresa/teresa.htm), Oscar-winning star of some of the most popular films of the 1940s including MRS. MINIVER (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/Miniver/miniver.htm) (1942), Hitchcock (http://www.reelclassics.com/Directors/Hitchcock/hitchcock.htm)'s SHADOW OF A DOUBT (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/Shadow/shadow.htm) (1943) and THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/BestYears/bestyears.htm) (1946), dies at age 86.

5- Vance Gerry, veteran Disney (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Disney/disney.htm) story artist who contributed to many of the studio's animated features, including 101 DALMATIANS (1961), THE JUNGLE BOOK (1967) and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), dies of cancer at 75.

5- Morris Engel, New York photographer and filmmaker whose 1953 film, "The Little Fugitive," established a model for independent moviemaking and earned an Academy Award nomination, dies of cancer at 86.

5- A revival of "Mister Roberts," Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan's play based on Heggen's best-selling novel which starred Henry Fonda (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Fonda/fonda.htm) in the title role during the original 1,000+ performance-run on Broadway in 1948 and in the 1955 film version, debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.



February 2005:

27- Joanne Woodward, Oscar-winning star of such films as THE THREE FACES OF EVE (1957) and THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (1958) co-starring her future husband Paul Newman (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Newman/newman.htm), celebrates her 75th birthday.

27- Sidney Lumet, five-time Oscar-nominated director of such classics as 12 ANGRY MEN (1957), LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (1962), NETWORK (1976) and THE VERDICT (1982), receives an Honorary Oscar at the 77th Annual Academy Awards

23- Christopher Plummer, Canadian-born actor whose best known for his roles in THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (http://www.reelclassics.com/Musicals/SoundMusic/soundmusic.htm) (1965) and INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965), announces plans to join Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Warner Bros. upcoming romantic comedy, IL MARE, scheduled for release in 2006.

22- John Mills, mild-mannered English actor (and father of actresses Hayley (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Hayley/hayley.htm) and Juliet Mills) whose eight-decade career has included roles in such films as IN WHICH WE SERVE (1942), GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946), THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER (1949), SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (1960), RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) and GANDHI (1982), celebrates his 97th birthday.

22- Marni Nixon, little-known female vocalist who dubbed the musical numbers for Deborah Kerr (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Kerr/kerr.htm) in THE KING AND I (1956), Natalie Wood (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Wood/wood.htm) in WEST SIDE STORY (http://www.reelclassics.com/Musicals/Westside/westside.htm) (1961), and Audrey Hepburn (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Audrey/audrey.htm) in MY FAIR LADY (http://www.reelclassics.com/Musicals/Fairlady/fairlady.htm) (1964) before finally appearing on screen as Sister Sophia in THE SOUND OF MUSIC (http://www.reelclassics.com/Musicals/SoundMusic/soundmusic.htm) (1965), celebrates her 75th birthday.

20- Sandra Dee, youthful blonde beauty of the 1950s and '60s best known for her roles in GIDGET (1959), IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), TAMMY TELL ME TRUE (1961) and TAKE HER, SHE'S MINE (1963) as well as for her brief headlining marriage to pop singer Bobby Darin, dies of complications from kidney disease at 63.

18- Eva Marie Saint, Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles in ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), returns to the big screen as a shy librarian in BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (2005).

18- George Kennedy, imposing, bulky supporting actor of film and television who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in COOL HAND LUKE (1967) and is also remembered for CHARADE (1963), THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) and the AIRPORT films of the 1970s, celebrates his 80th birthday.

18- Dan O'Herlihy, Irish-born stage and screen actor whose four-decade film career included roles in MACBETH (1948), IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) and FAIL-SAFE (1964) as well as an Oscar nomination for his performance THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE (1954), dies at 85.

17- Warner Bros. (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/WarnerBros/warnerbros.htm) announces plans to update several of its classic Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote, and make them superhero action figures in the year 2772 for a new animated children's TV series, "Loonatics," that will air on Saturday mornings in the fall.

17- Bob Newhart, 75-year-old comedian best known for his work on television but whose films have included HELL IS FOR HEROES (1962) and CATCH-22 (1970), announces a deal with Hyperion for the publication of his memoirs in fall 2006.

15- Kevin McCarthy, prolific post-World War II big and small screen actor best known for his roles in DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1951) and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956), celebrates his 91st birthday.

14- Otto Plaschkes, British filmmaker who co-produced the Oscar-nominated film GEORGY GIRL (1966) starring James Mason (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Mason/mason.htm) and Lynn Redgrave, and worked as Otto Preminger (http://www.reelclassics.com/Directors/Preminger/preminger.htm)'s assistant director on EXODUS (1960), dies of heart attack in London at age 75.

11- Arthur Miller, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose best known works, ALL MY SONS, DEATH OF A SALESMAN and THE CRUCIBLE, have all been adapted for film multiple times, but who also wrote THE MISFITS (1961) directly for the screen for his then-wife Marilyn Monroe (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Marilyn/marilyn.htm), dies at 89.

10- Robert Wagner, film and TV actor and two-time husband of actress Natalie Wood (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Wood/wood.htm) best known for his youthful 1950s film roles, including PRINCE VALIANT (1954) and A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956), before finding success in television's "Hart to Hart" in the 1980s, celebrates his 75th birthday.

8- A California judge dismisses a lawsuit against actress Elizabeth Taylor (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Liz_Taylor/liz.htm) made by four descendants of a German woman who had sought to recover a valuable Vincent van Gogh painting from Taylor (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Liz_Taylor/liz.htm), claiming it had been taken by the Nazis during World War II before Taylor (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Liz_Taylor/liz.htm) bought it at auction in 1963.

5- James Garner, veteran film and TV actor whose career has included THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964) and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF! (1969) as well as TV's "Maverick'' and "The Rockford Files,'' receives a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild at the organization's annual gala awards show.

4- Ossie Davis, imposing black actor-writer-director of stage and screen whose film appearances have included roles in NO WAY OUT (1950), GONE ARE THE DAYS! (1963) and THE SCALPHUNTERS (1968), dies at age 87.

3- John Fiedler, diminutive, bald character actor best known for his supporting roles in 12 ANGRY MEN (1957), A RAISIN IN THE SUN (1961) and THE ODD COUPLE (1968) as well as for voicing the character of "Piglet" in Disney (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Disney/disney.htm)'s animated Winnie-the-Pooh adventures, celebrates his 80th birthday.

2- Elaine Stritch, stage and screen actress whose best known film work has included roles in THREE VIOLENT PEOPLE (1957), A FAREWELL TO ARMS (1958) and KISS HER GOODBYE (1959), celebrates her 80th birthday.




January 2005:

31- "Marlon, My Love, My Suffering," the memoirs of Marlon Brando (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Brando/brando.htm)'s Tahitian former wife Tarita Teriipaia, who played his love interest in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962), is released in France, detailing the couple's 43-year relationship and the 1995 suicide of their daughter Cheyenne.

30- Dorothy Malone, Oscar-winning supporting actress of the 1940s and '50s, best known for her film roles in COLORADO TERRITORY (1949), YOUNG AT HEART (1954) and WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) before playing the lead in the 1960s television series "Peyton Place," celebrates her 80th birthday.

30- Gene Hackman, two-time Oscar-winning actor whose five decades of film work has included HAWAII (1966), BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER (1970), THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), HOOSIERS (1986) and UNFORGIVEN (1992), celebrates his 75th birthday.

30- Coley Wallace, boxer who knocked out Rocky Marciano in an amateur bout and twice portrayed Joe Louis on film, in THE JOE LOUIS STORY (1953) and in Martin Scorsese's RAGING BULL (1980), dies at age 77.

29- Katharine Ross, Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for her role in THE GRADUATE (1967) whose subsequent film performances included roles in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) and THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975), celebrates her 65th birthday.

29- Ann Jillian, former child starlet best known for her performances in BABES IN TOYLAND (1961) and GYPSY (1962), celebrates her 55th birthday.

27- Sony Pictures Entertainment announces plans to celebrate the 112th anniversary of silent film comedian Harold Lloyd's birthday by reissuing several of Lloyd's classic films, including SAFETY LAST! (1923) and THE FRESHMAN (1925), in cities around the United States beginning April 20.

26- Paul Newman (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Newman/newman.htm), Oscar-winning star of such films as CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958), THE HUSTLER (1961), COOL HAND LUKE (1967) and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969), celebrates his 80th birthday.

24- Faye Dunaway, Oscar-winning star of such 1960 and '70s hit films as BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968) and NETWORK (1976), announces plans to host "Starlet," a new reality TV show on the WB network in which she will puts wannabe actresses through a Hollywood boot camp. The series debuts March 8.

19- Tippi Hedren, blonde former New York fashion model chosen by Alfred Hitchcock (http://www.reelclassics.com/Directors/Hitchcock/hitchcock.htm) to star in his 1960s thrillers THE BIRDS (1963) and MARNI (1964), celebrates her 75th birthday.

17- Virginia Mayo (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Mayo/mayo.htm), leggy blonde actress who began her career as a Goldwyn Girl and played supporting roles opposite comedian Danny Kaye before proving her dramatic mettle in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/BestYears/bestyears.htm) (1946), COLORADO TERRITORY (1949) and WHITE HEAT (1949), dies at age 84.

15- Ruth Warrick, film, theatre and television actress best known for playing Emily Monroe Norton in CITIZEN KANE (1941) and Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on the television soap opera "All My Children," dies of pneumonia at 88.

14- "The Last Mogul: The Life and Times of Lew Wasserman," a documentary about the career of the Hollywood talent agent who led MCA and later Universal Studios for half a century, debuts at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

12- Luise Rainer, German-born two-time Oscar-winning actress best know for her performances in THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (1936) and THE GOOD EARTH (1937), celebrates her 95th birthday.

12- The American Society of Cinematographers announces that film historian and critic Leonard Maltin has been chosen to receive the ASC's Award of Distinction at the organization's 19th annual Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony on February 13.

11- Thelma White, RKO (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/RKO/rko.htm) starlet, talent agent and later television producer best known for portraying a hard-boiled addiction queen in the 1936 anti-marijuana educational short REEFER MADNESS which became a cult classic when it resurfaced in the 1970s, dies of pneumonia at 94.

11- Rod Taylor, Australian-born leading man of the 1950s and '60s best known for his roles in THE TIME MACHINE (1960) and THE BIRDS (1963), celebrates his 75th birthday.

8- Classic film stars Kirk Douglas (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Kirk/kirk.htm) (SPARTACUS (1960)), Anne Francis (FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), and Celeste Holm (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Holm/holm.htm) (GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) join the throng of movie industry elite at the gala awards presentation of the 16th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.

8- Paul Newman (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actors/Newman/newman.htm), 79-year-old Academy Award-winning star of such films as THE HUSTLER (1961) and COOL HAND LUKE (1967), escapes injury when the race car he was testing at Daytona International Speedway spun out and caught fire.

4- Jane Wyman (http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Wyman/wyman.htm), Warner Bros. (http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/WarnerBros/warnerbros.htm)' starlet of the 1930s who became an Oscar-winning leading lady in the 1940s and '50s best known for her roles in THE YEARLING (1946), JOHNNY BELINDA (1948) and MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (1954), celebrates her 91st birthday.