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Joe E. Tata, who portrayed the endearing Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 85.
Tata died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. Earlier, she wrote that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and that he had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
In what has to be some kind of record, Tata played henchmen to three supervillains — Frank Gorshin’s the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s the Penguin and Victor Buono’s King Tut — on the 1966-68 ABC series Batman.
He also appeared in the ’60s on a trio of Irwin Allen-produced sci-fi shows — ABC’s The Time Tunnel (once as Napoleon) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and CBS’ Lost in Space...
Joe E. Tata, who portrayed the endearing Peach Pit diner owner Nat Bussichio on all 10 seasons of the original Beverly Hills, 90210, has died. He was 85.
Tata died Wednesday night, his daughter, Kelly Katharine Tata, announced on a GoFundMe page. Earlier, she wrote that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018 and that he had been moved in April to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
In what has to be some kind of record, Tata played henchmen to three supervillains — Frank Gorshin’s the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s the Penguin and Victor Buono’s King Tut — on the 1966-68 ABC series Batman.
He also appeared in the ’60s on a trio of Irwin Allen-produced sci-fi shows — ABC’s The Time Tunnel (once as Napoleon) and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and CBS’ Lost in Space...
- 8/25/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 1974, I was 16 and curious to see ABC try once again with super-heroes. One fine Tuesday night, I sat at and watched Wonder Woman, horrified at the liberties taken in the backdoor pilot. Cathy Lee Crosby didn’t have the looks or the costume and the most interesting thing about this was Ricardo Montalban as the heavy.
The network somehow still saw the potential in the character and commissioned a more faithful pilot, this time with a comics-accurate costume and perfect casting in Lynda Carter. In the hands of former Batman scribe Stanley Ralph Ross, the show felt right. ABC agreed and a series of Wonder Woman shows were filmed, set in World War II.
This was the beginning of the jiggle era of television, as prime time was filled with busty, often braless actors and they pandered to the women’s movement with female-led shows that didn’t fulfill their promise.
The network somehow still saw the potential in the character and commissioned a more faithful pilot, this time with a comics-accurate costume and perfect casting in Lynda Carter. In the hands of former Batman scribe Stanley Ralph Ross, the show felt right. ABC agreed and a series of Wonder Woman shows were filmed, set in World War II.
This was the beginning of the jiggle era of television, as prime time was filled with busty, often braless actors and they pandered to the women’s movement with female-led shows that didn’t fulfill their promise.
- 7/27/2020
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Kino Lorber Blu-ray release.
By Nicholas Anez
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
When No Orchids for Miss Blandish premiered in London in 1948, it created controversy that extended all the way to British Parliament. The Monthly Film Bulletin called the movie “the most sickening exhibition of brutality, perversion and sex ever shown on a cinema screen.” The Saturday Pictorial called it “a piece of nauseating muck.” The Observer’s reviewer wrote: “This film has all the morals of an alley cat and the sweetness of a sewer.” Some politicians were also offended. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food said that the film “was likely to pervert the minds of the British people.” Eventually, the British Board of Film Censors was compelled to offer an apology for approving the film’s production.
Attempts to release the movie in the United States by distributor Richard Gordon were met with...
By Nicholas Anez
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
When No Orchids for Miss Blandish premiered in London in 1948, it created controversy that extended all the way to British Parliament. The Monthly Film Bulletin called the movie “the most sickening exhibition of brutality, perversion and sex ever shown on a cinema screen.” The Saturday Pictorial called it “a piece of nauseating muck.” The Observer’s reviewer wrote: “This film has all the morals of an alley cat and the sweetness of a sewer.” Some politicians were also offended. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food said that the film “was likely to pervert the minds of the British people.” Eventually, the British Board of Film Censors was compelled to offer an apology for approving the film’s production.
Attempts to release the movie in the United States by distributor Richard Gordon were met with...
- 3/4/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
In the midst of March Madness and with the Kentucky Derby around the corner, the first pitch of baseball season is almost here.
A quote from Field Of Dreams best describes America’s national pastime, “The one constant throughout the years has been baseball.”
To mark the start of the 2016 season, here’s our list of the Best Baseball movies.
The Bad News Bears
Considered by some to be the best baseball movie ever, the film celebrates its 40th anniversary this month (April 7, 1976). In an article from the NY Daily News, one line reads, “It is a movie that someone like the late Philip Seymour Hoffman called his favorite, and one which resonates on many levels today, with all different generations.”
Who are we to argue with greatness?
After skewering all-American subjects such as politics (The Candidate) and beauty pageants (Smile), director Michael Ritchie naturally set his sights on the...
A quote from Field Of Dreams best describes America’s national pastime, “The one constant throughout the years has been baseball.”
To mark the start of the 2016 season, here’s our list of the Best Baseball movies.
The Bad News Bears
Considered by some to be the best baseball movie ever, the film celebrates its 40th anniversary this month (April 7, 1976). In an article from the NY Daily News, one line reads, “It is a movie that someone like the late Philip Seymour Hoffman called his favorite, and one which resonates on many levels today, with all different generations.”
Who are we to argue with greatness?
After skewering all-American subjects such as politics (The Candidate) and beauty pageants (Smile), director Michael Ritchie naturally set his sights on the...
- 4/4/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Is this heaven? Nope, it’s Opening Week.
Recently Mlb rounded up a group of players to recite, word for word, James Earl Jones’ famous “people will come, Ray” speech from Field Of Dreams.
Wamg declares America’s national pastime, Baseball, to be the official sport of movie fans everywhere. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about Baseball?”
It all started Sunday night with the Cardinals at the Cubs with St. Louis winning 3 to 0.
To celebrate the first pitch of Opening Week, here’s our list of the best Baseball movies.
The Rookie
One of the best baseball biopics to come along over the years, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. A high school science teacher/baseball coach, Morris’ players make a bet with him:if they win district,...
Recently Mlb rounded up a group of players to recite, word for word, James Earl Jones’ famous “people will come, Ray” speech from Field Of Dreams.
Wamg declares America’s national pastime, Baseball, to be the official sport of movie fans everywhere. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about Baseball?”
It all started Sunday night with the Cardinals at the Cubs with St. Louis winning 3 to 0.
To celebrate the first pitch of Opening Week, here’s our list of the best Baseball movies.
The Rookie
One of the best baseball biopics to come along over the years, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. A high school science teacher/baseball coach, Morris’ players make a bet with him:if they win district,...
- 4/6/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.” – Field Of Dreams.
No truer words were ever spoken about America’s Pastime. Baseball began this past Spring with 30 teams vying for the chance to become World Champions and now it’s been decided. The San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers will play ball in the 2012 World Series. Before the final hurrah of nine innings, stats, bases and 3 strikes you’re out, Wamg has compiled a list of the Best Baseball Movies. Did we leave any in the dugout or are there some that should be sent to the showers?...
No truer words were ever spoken about America’s Pastime. Baseball began this past Spring with 30 teams vying for the chance to become World Champions and now it’s been decided. The San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers will play ball in the 2012 World Series. Before the final hurrah of nine innings, stats, bases and 3 strikes you’re out, Wamg has compiled a list of the Best Baseball Movies. Did we leave any in the dugout or are there some that should be sent to the showers?...
- 10/23/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Tonight is baseball's annual All-Star game and to honor the occasion The Wall Street Journal put together their own all-star team, a sort of fantasy fantasy baseball roster: the greatest fictional ball players in movie history.
You should go over and check out WSJ.com for the whole roster but I'll say this for the piece's author, the aptly named Jared Diamond: he put together a team with very few holes. There are obvious movie ball players that jump to mind: of course Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) will be the movie All-Stars' closer; of course Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) from "The Natural" will be in left field. But Diamond didn't forget the obscure choices either. He's got the legendary Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) from "The Sandlot," and he even put the titular monkey from Matt LeBlanc's "Ed" as a utility player on the bench.
You should go over and check out WSJ.com for the whole roster but I'll say this for the piece's author, the aptly named Jared Diamond: he put together a team with very few holes. There are obvious movie ball players that jump to mind: of course Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) will be the movie All-Stars' closer; of course Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) from "The Natural" will be in left field. But Diamond didn't forget the obscure choices either. He's got the legendary Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar) from "The Sandlot," and he even put the titular monkey from Matt LeBlanc's "Ed" as a utility player on the bench.
- 7/12/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
This is a wolf in pig's clothing. "Babe: Pig in the City" -- while waddling along in the guise of a family film -- is down to its shank, a grizzled depiction of a vicious and hideous world. Dark-toned and laden with oppressively grimy aesthetics, it's more akin to the sort of snide-and-sour offering one encounters at independent film festivals or Left Bank art houses, not what one expects given the film's sweet pedigree. Undoubtedly, Universal will slice some hefty boxoffice grosses over the holiday weekend based on the giddy expectations that recall this sequel's proud lineage, but word-of-mouth will be decidedly "Oscar Mayer" -- this porker is headed quickly to the slaughterhouse. Sensible parents with tots will be particularly nettled by the film's cruel and sadistic depictions such as animals squirming in death throes, etc.
While those folk who shop at Piggly Wiggly may be turned off by its dark and nasty ingredients, "Pig in the City" may find its best pastures overseas. With its pessimistic underpinnings, addled plotting and abstract meanderings, it's the sort of surreal cinematic slab that might be selected as a first-weekend competition entrant at Cannes.
Narratively, "Pig in the City" is a pig-out-of-water yarn. Old man Hoggett (James Cromwell) has been laid up and is in danger of losing ye olde farme. It's up to his spunky wife Esme (Magda Szubanski) to take hold of the reins and save it from foreclosure. The only course of action is to go to the city and capitalize on Babe's recent fame and garner an appearance fee at a big-time fair. Unhappily, air travel, being what it is today, botches things up and Esme and Babe never make it to the fair on time. They're left stranded in the big, bad city and take refuge in a seedy Bates-like hotel infested with all sorts of weird and dysfunctional creatures. Undeniably, the sweet-natured Babe and the stout Mrs. Hoggett are a sympathetic duo and we certainly want them to experience no harm. It's in these initial city scenes as Babe and Mrs. Hoggett counter The City Slickers' hostilities with their down-home brand of kindness that "Babe" really jells. Babe's naive and helpful ways are not only endearing, they are inspiring, and given the awfulness of the situations, quite funny.
But alas, this sequel focuses more on the maliciousness of the city characters as well as the inherent evil of the city (civilization) itself than it does on Babe's goodly, transcendent nature. Thematically, the power of one tiny individual to make the world a better place is lost in the film's overall ferociousness. As written by George Miller, Judy Morris and Mark Lamprell, the screenplay is not so much a scenario as it is a pessimistic smear of the dangers of city life. Narratively, it's merely assaultive as Babe and Mrs. Hoggett endure evil after evil. Structurally, the story is largely without tendons: it's a mere compendium of similar scenes -- Babe and Mrs. Hoggett enduring attack after attack. Eventually, this larder limps off to a pat and force-fed resolution, a happy-feel ending that is, well, just plain out of left field. Nonetheless, there is considerable skill in the writing: the dialogue is droll, deadpan and downright funny in a sparse kind of way. Unfortunately, it's going to be lost on much of its target audience, indicative of the enterprise's elevated, coffeehouse-noir sensibilities.
Still, "Babe" is filled with delightful moments in large part due to the charming animal cast, including not only pigs, but ducks, dogs, monkeys, kitties and cows. The voicework is terrific, particularly E.G. Daily's winning warbles as Babe and James Cosmo's wily deliveries as a monkey named Thelonius. Not only are these animals winning in their "performances" but they are integrated nicely into the story by the skilled and creative workings of the production team. In particular, costume designer Norma Moriceau's animal and human costumes are a constant delight chock full of personality and humor. Also a plus is cinematographer Andrew Lesnie's smartly composed groupings: back shots of Babe peering out at the big-bad world are wonderfully cute and comforting.
This time out, James Cromwell appears only briefly as a bookend as the sinewy Hoggett. That's a shame, for his gangly, practical-mannered performance in the original was a true highlight. As the determined Mrs. Hoggett, Szubanski brims with energy and chubby cheerfulness, while Mickey Rooney is well-cast as a comedic codger. Mary Stein's angular agility perks up her landlady part with some nifty comic touches.
While wildly appealing as a pet show, as a movie, "Babe: Pig in the City" is penned in by the lackadaisical story line as well as the film's grimy sensibilities. Despite the funny flourishes of the costumes and some sprightly animated figures and spunky visual effects, "Babe" is a pretty oppressive-feeling production. Under Miller's dark hand, the film's inventively expressionistic production design (Roger Ford) and baleful musical score (Nigel Westlake) only serve to further sodden this surprisingly dreary family outing.
BABE: PIG IN THE CITY
Universal Pictures
A Kennedy Miller film
Producers: George Miller, Doug Mitchell, Bill Miller
Director: George Miller
Screenwriters: George Miller, Judy Morris, Mark Lamprell
Additional unit director: Daphne Paris
Director of photography: Andrew Lesnie
Music: Nigel Westlake
Editors: Jay Friedkin, Margaret Sixel
Production designer: Roger Ford
Costume designer: Norma Moriceau
Executive producer: Barbara Gibbs
Visual effects and animation: Ryhthm & Hues, Mill Film, Animal Logic Film
Animatronics: Neal Scanlan Studio
Concept artist: Peter Pound
"That'll Do" written by Randy Newman, performed by Peter Gabriel
Animal action: Karl Lewis Miller
Casting: Alison Barrett, Nicki Barrett, Barbara Harris
Art director: Colin Gibson
Sound recordist: Ben Osmo
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Mrs. Hoggett: Magda Szubanski
Farmer Hoggett: James Cromwell
The Landlady: Mary Stein
Fugly Floom: Mickey Rooney
Voices:
Babe: E.G. Daily
Ferdinand: Danny Mann
Zootie: Glenne Headly
Bob: Steven Wright
Thelonius: James Cosmo
Easy: Nathan Kress, Myles Jeffrey
The Pitbull and the Doberman: Stanley Ralph Ross
The Pink Poodle: Russi Taylor
Flealick: Adam Goldberg
Nigel and Alan: Eddie Barth
The Sniffer Dog: Bill Capizzi
Fly: Miriam Margolyes
Rex: Hugo Weaving
The Narrator: Roscoe Lee Browne
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
While those folk who shop at Piggly Wiggly may be turned off by its dark and nasty ingredients, "Pig in the City" may find its best pastures overseas. With its pessimistic underpinnings, addled plotting and abstract meanderings, it's the sort of surreal cinematic slab that might be selected as a first-weekend competition entrant at Cannes.
Narratively, "Pig in the City" is a pig-out-of-water yarn. Old man Hoggett (James Cromwell) has been laid up and is in danger of losing ye olde farme. It's up to his spunky wife Esme (Magda Szubanski) to take hold of the reins and save it from foreclosure. The only course of action is to go to the city and capitalize on Babe's recent fame and garner an appearance fee at a big-time fair. Unhappily, air travel, being what it is today, botches things up and Esme and Babe never make it to the fair on time. They're left stranded in the big, bad city and take refuge in a seedy Bates-like hotel infested with all sorts of weird and dysfunctional creatures. Undeniably, the sweet-natured Babe and the stout Mrs. Hoggett are a sympathetic duo and we certainly want them to experience no harm. It's in these initial city scenes as Babe and Mrs. Hoggett counter The City Slickers' hostilities with their down-home brand of kindness that "Babe" really jells. Babe's naive and helpful ways are not only endearing, they are inspiring, and given the awfulness of the situations, quite funny.
But alas, this sequel focuses more on the maliciousness of the city characters as well as the inherent evil of the city (civilization) itself than it does on Babe's goodly, transcendent nature. Thematically, the power of one tiny individual to make the world a better place is lost in the film's overall ferociousness. As written by George Miller, Judy Morris and Mark Lamprell, the screenplay is not so much a scenario as it is a pessimistic smear of the dangers of city life. Narratively, it's merely assaultive as Babe and Mrs. Hoggett endure evil after evil. Structurally, the story is largely without tendons: it's a mere compendium of similar scenes -- Babe and Mrs. Hoggett enduring attack after attack. Eventually, this larder limps off to a pat and force-fed resolution, a happy-feel ending that is, well, just plain out of left field. Nonetheless, there is considerable skill in the writing: the dialogue is droll, deadpan and downright funny in a sparse kind of way. Unfortunately, it's going to be lost on much of its target audience, indicative of the enterprise's elevated, coffeehouse-noir sensibilities.
Still, "Babe" is filled with delightful moments in large part due to the charming animal cast, including not only pigs, but ducks, dogs, monkeys, kitties and cows. The voicework is terrific, particularly E.G. Daily's winning warbles as Babe and James Cosmo's wily deliveries as a monkey named Thelonius. Not only are these animals winning in their "performances" but they are integrated nicely into the story by the skilled and creative workings of the production team. In particular, costume designer Norma Moriceau's animal and human costumes are a constant delight chock full of personality and humor. Also a plus is cinematographer Andrew Lesnie's smartly composed groupings: back shots of Babe peering out at the big-bad world are wonderfully cute and comforting.
This time out, James Cromwell appears only briefly as a bookend as the sinewy Hoggett. That's a shame, for his gangly, practical-mannered performance in the original was a true highlight. As the determined Mrs. Hoggett, Szubanski brims with energy and chubby cheerfulness, while Mickey Rooney is well-cast as a comedic codger. Mary Stein's angular agility perks up her landlady part with some nifty comic touches.
While wildly appealing as a pet show, as a movie, "Babe: Pig in the City" is penned in by the lackadaisical story line as well as the film's grimy sensibilities. Despite the funny flourishes of the costumes and some sprightly animated figures and spunky visual effects, "Babe" is a pretty oppressive-feeling production. Under Miller's dark hand, the film's inventively expressionistic production design (Roger Ford) and baleful musical score (Nigel Westlake) only serve to further sodden this surprisingly dreary family outing.
BABE: PIG IN THE CITY
Universal Pictures
A Kennedy Miller film
Producers: George Miller, Doug Mitchell, Bill Miller
Director: George Miller
Screenwriters: George Miller, Judy Morris, Mark Lamprell
Additional unit director: Daphne Paris
Director of photography: Andrew Lesnie
Music: Nigel Westlake
Editors: Jay Friedkin, Margaret Sixel
Production designer: Roger Ford
Costume designer: Norma Moriceau
Executive producer: Barbara Gibbs
Visual effects and animation: Ryhthm & Hues, Mill Film, Animal Logic Film
Animatronics: Neal Scanlan Studio
Concept artist: Peter Pound
"That'll Do" written by Randy Newman, performed by Peter Gabriel
Animal action: Karl Lewis Miller
Casting: Alison Barrett, Nicki Barrett, Barbara Harris
Art director: Colin Gibson
Sound recordist: Ben Osmo
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Mrs. Hoggett: Magda Szubanski
Farmer Hoggett: James Cromwell
The Landlady: Mary Stein
Fugly Floom: Mickey Rooney
Voices:
Babe: E.G. Daily
Ferdinand: Danny Mann
Zootie: Glenne Headly
Bob: Steven Wright
Thelonius: James Cosmo
Easy: Nathan Kress, Myles Jeffrey
The Pitbull and the Doberman: Stanley Ralph Ross
The Pink Poodle: Russi Taylor
Flealick: Adam Goldberg
Nigel and Alan: Eddie Barth
The Sniffer Dog: Bill Capizzi
Fly: Miriam Margolyes
Rex: Hugo Weaving
The Narrator: Roscoe Lee Browne
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 11/25/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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