The Final Reel

Robert Wise remembered

Reuters’ story on director Robert Wise’s death Thursday afternoon emphasized the director’s contributions to big screen musicals like “West Side Story” and, of course, “The Sound Of Music”. For me and many other fans of 1940’s and 1950’s black and white cinema, however, he may be remembered more for fascinating and extremely watchable movies, even by today’s standards, like “Blood on the Moon”, a fascinating noir western and, of course, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. For the updated Reuters’ story see this link and for a full bio click here. For a lengthy interview from 1998 from the “Conversations with History” series for the Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley, check this out. Information about Wise’s Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute including the above photo is posted here.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Sept. 17, 2005

GWTW still on top

It’s probably no surprise to connoisseurs of the oldies but goodies that the burning of Atlanta still outshines the blowing up of the Death Star for sheer box office charisma. Check out the full story to see how today’s blockbusters stack up against the classics. You can purchase the full report compiled by Screen Digest here, or just check out the raw data for free at this link. Check out photos like this from the original film at this link.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Sept. 10, 2005

Dead stars online

Here’s something kinda creepy. Elizabeth of Reel Classics: The Classic Movie Site says it’s got a niche all its own on the net, and I think she’s got something there. Type in your favorite movie star and get a brief bio and information on where he or she is buried. Some entries even have a photo of the gravestone like Bela Lugosi’s above. To check out the famous grave search click here. To visit the Find A Grave homepage for the whereabouts of even more dead people visit this link.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Sept. 5, 2005

Moses III?

ABC is remaking the Ten Commandments (sort of) and was scheduled to start shooting in May. EEEK! I’m not sanguine about this one. Partially because it’s a mini series for TV. Read more about the project here. And has anyone heard anything further about Paramount’s plan for a remake? Here’s the link. How about a more provocative revision, if we must have one. Say John Singleton directing an all black cast. Andre Benjamin from Singleton’s “Four Brothers” and the music group Outcast could play Pharaoh. The possibilities for Nefretiri are endless. Any suggestions for Moses? Is Denzel Washington too obvious a choice? Seems only fair after Mel Gibson’s European Jesus. Place casting suggestions in the comments section or join our online group here and post them. And to purchase the photo above from the Heston and Co. production click here.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Aug. 28, 2005

New Classic Movie Community

Our new classic movies online community is now up and running. The site is dedicated to news and information of interest to fans of classic cinema from the earliest black and white era until the 1970's much like this blog. If you’ve got your own related site that you’d like to share or just want to talk about classic films of any era, including those by the foreign film masters, feel free to participate by clicking here. Also, if, you happen to be in Southern California and want to visit one of Hollywood’s classic old cinema palaces, like the historic 1922 Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood shown above, check out American Cinematheque by clicking here or go directly to information on both of the group’s historic theatres by clicking here and here. For more historical information on the Egyptian Theatre itself go here.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Aug. 21, 2005

Kong Reborn

I know I’ll probably never hear the end of this from purists, but I’m kind of looking forward to seeing Peter Jackson’s new take on the big ape due out in December. Chat rooms are buzzing with complaints about excessive CGI (that’s Computer Generated Imagery for those of you who haven’t watched any animation post-Harryhausen) but my seven-year-old, who always complained about the scientific inaccuracy of the carnivorous Brontosaurus in the 1933 original, will love the dinosaurs. And Jack Black looks great as Carl Denham. Just download the trailer here and have a look. For some great pics from the original film like the one above click here and here.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Aug. 18, 2005

Oompa Loompa Outed

Imagine the Oompa Loompas’ reaction to Ezzy Dame’s deception. They’d sing a little song about a guy who tells fibs and pretends he was in a big budget Hollywood movie when he really wasn’t.

Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-da
If you don’t lie then you will go far
Saying you starred in the picture’s untrue
Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-de-do

Then they’d probably drop him down a big shute or turn him into a giant blueberry or something. Read the whole sordid affair of an Oompa Loompa that never was here and here. Then, to make matters worse, read the interview by the local newspaper only a short time earlier about what Ezzy thought of Tim Burton’s remake of the classic film he was never actually in here. For more photos of the honest to goodness Oompa Loompas from the original film click here.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Aug. 15, 2005

Fade In

The idea for this blog is as simple as its title implies for those even remotely familiar with classic cinema or popular culture for that matter. The cryptic opening line of Orson Welles’ 1941 classic Citizen Kane is unforgettable for those who have seen it. This site grew out of a realization that news of interest to fans of classic cinema on the Internet is spread somewhat thin. However, some great sites do exist, such as Nathaniel S. Johnson’s great The Estate of Orson Welles where this image of the 1999 commemorative Citizen Kane postal stamp can be found. Check the site out here and keep checking back at The Rosebud Chronicles for frequent updates about classic film links on the net.

Originally posted to "The Rosebud Chronicles" Aug. 15, 2005