In September 2021, Olivia Colman bagged her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite having failed on her Oscar bid for “The Father” five months earlier. This made her the 16th performer to triumph at the Emmys after going home empty-handed at the same year’s Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. The release of the 2024 Emmy nominations ballots confirmed that nine of the 16 actors who lost at the latest Oscars ceremony are capable of joining Colman on said list.
Gold Derby’s current Emmy odds indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Ryan Gosling and Jodie Foster, who just earned their respective third and fifth Academy Award notices for their supporting turns in “Barbie” and “Nyad.” They are now generally expected to share in the experience of being first-time acting Emmy nominees thanks to his...
Gold Derby’s current Emmy odds indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Ryan Gosling and Jodie Foster, who just earned their respective third and fifth Academy Award notices for their supporting turns in “Barbie” and “Nyad.” They are now generally expected to share in the experience of being first-time acting Emmy nominees thanks to his...
- 6/20/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Frank Capra was a three-time Oscar winner who dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
- 5/10/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In the fall of 2021, Olivia Colman scored her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite not having succeeded on her Oscar bid for “The Father” that spring. This made her the 16th performer to prevail at the Emmys directly after going home empty-handed at the Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. Now that the 2023 Emmy nominations ballots have been released, eight of the 16 actors who lost Oscars at the most recent ceremony officially have shots at joining Colman on this list.
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
- 7/5/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
A remake of Frank Capra’s ‘Pocketful of Miracles’, Miracles – also known by its Hong Kong English title ‘Mr Canton and Lady Rose’ – is an action-comedy-romance set against a backdrop of lavish elegance and style.
Pre-order your copy of
Jackie Chan’s “Miracles: The Canton Godfather” here
Synopsis
An optimistic Gwok Zan-Waa (Jackie Chan) arrives in Hong Kong, quickly finding himself impoverished. That is, until a serendipitous encounter with a rose seller (Gua Ah-Leh) leads to his inadvertent appointment as boss of a local gang. Amidst the reluctant leader’s efforts to reform their fraternity and businesses, is an endeavour to share his new-found fortune with the bestower, all whilst trying to stave off rivals and the authorities.
Special Features
Limited Edition Gloss O-Card slipcase [First Print Run Only – 3000] New artwork from R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien [check out his webshop for awesome kung fu prints here] Limited Edition 44 page Booklet: Miracles On Set: William Blaik takes a look back at the...
Pre-order your copy of
Jackie Chan’s “Miracles: The Canton Godfather” here
Synopsis
An optimistic Gwok Zan-Waa (Jackie Chan) arrives in Hong Kong, quickly finding himself impoverished. That is, until a serendipitous encounter with a rose seller (Gua Ah-Leh) leads to his inadvertent appointment as boss of a local gang. Amidst the reluctant leader’s efforts to reform their fraternity and businesses, is an endeavour to share his new-found fortune with the bestower, all whilst trying to stave off rivals and the authorities.
Special Features
Limited Edition Gloss O-Card slipcase [First Print Run Only – 3000] New artwork from R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien [check out his webshop for awesome kung fu prints here] Limited Edition 44 page Booklet: Miracles On Set: William Blaik takes a look back at the...
- 10/30/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Josip Elic, the familiar character actor who carried Jack Nicholson on his shoulders in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has died. He was 98.
Elic died Monday in River Edge, New Jersey, of complications from a fall, producer and manager Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.
A burly 6-foot-3 native of Montana, Elic also played a restaurant violinist who gets a bottle of champagne poured down his pants by Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967) and appeared in Pocketful of Miracles (1961), starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford.
On The Twilight Zone, he portrayed an officer in a future totalitarian state ...
Elic died Monday in River Edge, New Jersey, of complications from a fall, producer and manager Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.
A burly 6-foot-3 native of Montana, Elic also played a restaurant violinist who gets a bottle of champagne poured down his pants by Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967) and appeared in Pocketful of Miracles (1961), starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford.
On The Twilight Zone, he portrayed an officer in a future totalitarian state ...
- 10/25/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Josip Elic, the familiar character actor who carried Jack Nicholson on his shoulders in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has died. He was 98.
Elic died Monday in River Edge, New Jersey, of complications from a fall, producer and manager Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.
A burly 6-foot-3 native of Montana, Elic also played a restaurant violinist who gets a bottle of champagne poured down his pants by Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967) and appeared in Pocketful of Miracles (1961), starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford.
On The Twilight Zone, he portrayed an officer in a future totalitarian state ...
Elic died Monday in River Edge, New Jersey, of complications from a fall, producer and manager Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.
A burly 6-foot-3 native of Montana, Elic also played a restaurant violinist who gets a bottle of champagne poured down his pants by Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' The Producers (1967) and appeared in Pocketful of Miracles (1961), starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford.
On The Twilight Zone, he portrayed an officer in a future totalitarian state ...
- 10/25/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Frank Capra would’ve celebrated his 122nd birthday on May 18, 2019. The three-time Oscar winner dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
- 5/18/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
This article marks Part 8 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the Academy Awards winners.
The 1960 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“The Green Leaves of Summer” from “The Alamo”
“The Facts of Life” from “The Facts of Life”
“The Second Time Around” from “High Time”
“Never on Sunday” from “Never on Sunday”
“Faraway Part of Town” from “Pepe”
Won: “Never on Sunday” from “Never on Sunday”
Should’ve won: “The Green Leaves of Summer” from “The Alamo”
1960 Best Original Song is a mostly enjoyable affair and remarkable in at least one regard – it produced the first winner to hail from a foreign language film, the Melina Mercouri vehicle “Never on Sunday,” which also garnered a boatload of other nominations that year,...
The 1960 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“The Green Leaves of Summer” from “The Alamo”
“The Facts of Life” from “The Facts of Life”
“The Second Time Around” from “High Time”
“Never on Sunday” from “Never on Sunday”
“Faraway Part of Town” from “Pepe”
Won: “Never on Sunday” from “Never on Sunday”
Should’ve won: “The Green Leaves of Summer” from “The Alamo”
1960 Best Original Song is a mostly enjoyable affair and remarkable in at least one regard – it produced the first winner to hail from a foreign language film, the Melina Mercouri vehicle “Never on Sunday,” which also garnered a boatload of other nominations that year,...
- 9/25/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
Somehow, I seem to have inserted myself onto the Marvel “Friends and Family” list for preview screenings. A few weeks ago I got an advance look at The Defenders in a small screening room with about 25 people. On Monday, I went to an IMAX showing of The Inhumans with an audience of several hundred.
The environment in which I see a film influences the way I feel about it. I love going to screenings because they make me feel cool and sophisticated. The Defenders event was in the morning, with a group that included people I’d known for decades, in comfy chairs with excellent sight lines. The Inhumans was in an enormous theater, with an enormous screen, and hundreds of strangers (although there were some people I knew, including a new friend, an old friend and a really old friend.
Even before the movie started (and, to be fair,...
The environment in which I see a film influences the way I feel about it. I love going to screenings because they make me feel cool and sophisticated. The Defenders event was in the morning, with a group that included people I’d known for decades, in comfy chairs with excellent sight lines. The Inhumans was in an enormous theater, with an enormous screen, and hundreds of strangers (although there were some people I knew, including a new friend, an old friend and a really old friend.
Even before the movie started (and, to be fair,...
- 9/1/2017
- by Martha Thomases
- Comicmix.com
Ann-Margret movies: From sex kitten to two-time Oscar nominee. Ann-Margret: 'Carnal Knowledge' and 'Tommy' proved that 'sex symbol' was a remarkable actress Ann-Margret, the '60s star who went from sex kitten to respected actress and two-time Oscar nominee, is Turner Classic Movies' star today, Aug. 13, '15. As part of its “Summer Under the Stars” series, TCM is showing this evening the movies that earned Ann-Margret her Academy Award nods: Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge (1971) and Ken Russell's Tommy (1975). Written by Jules Feiffer, and starring Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel, the downbeat – some have found it misogynistic; others have praised it for presenting American men as chauvinistic pigs – Carnal Knowledge is one of the precursors of “adult Hollywood moviemaking,” a rare species that, propelled by the success of disparate arthouse fare such as Vilgot Sjöman's I Am Curious (Yellow) and Costa-Gavras' Z, briefly flourished from...
- 8/14/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Eleanor Parker 2013 movie series continues today (photo: Eleanor Parker in Detective Story) Palm Springs resident Eleanor Parker is Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month of June 2013. Thus, eight more Eleanor Parker movies will be shown this evening on TCM. Parker turns 91 on Wednesday, June 26. (See also: “Eleanor Parker Today.”) Eleanor Parker received her second Best Actress Academy Award nomination for William Wyler’s crime drama Detective Story (1951). The movie itself feels dated, partly because of several melodramatic plot developments, and partly because of Kirk Douglas’ excessive theatricality as the detective whose story is told. Parker, however, is excellent as Douglas’ wife, though her role is subordinate to his. Just about as good is Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Lee Grant, whose career would be derailed by the anti-Red hysteria of the ’50s. Grant would make her comeback in the ’70s, eventually winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her...
- 6/25/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Today, it seems audiences know "Bye Bye Birdie" only from the prominent mention of it on "Mad Men," when the Sterling Cooper agency tried to copy Ann-Margret's minimalist opening number for a diet soda commercial. But when the movie musical premiered 50 years ago (on April 4, 1963), it was a huge smash. It made an instant star out of the Swedish-born actress, as well as boosting the fame of co-stars Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde. Based on the Broadway hit musical, "Bye Bye Birdie" was seen as a trenchant pop cultural satire at the time. Everyone knows that Conrad Birdie, the hip-swiveling rocker who is drafted into the Army, and who stages a publicity stunt on the Ed Sullivan show by agreeing to kiss a teen fan before reporting for duty, is inspired by Elvis Presley, who had to put his career on hold in 1958 when he was drafted. But...
- 4/4/2013
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
By Todd Garbarini
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) is an exuberant, squeaky clean musical comedy from Columbia Pictures that is based upon the 1960 Broadway musical of the same name. It is also extremely dated by today’s standards and flat-out corny at times. Overall, however, it is a fun ride that sports a good number of memorable musical interludes, the title song easily giving the viewer a severe case of earworm. Director George Sidney was no stranger to musicals as he was also responsible for Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), Holiday in Mexico (1946), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Showboat (1951) and Scaramouche (1952). Here, he brings to the screen the story of Kim MacAfee (twenty-two year-old Ann-Margret in her breakout performance) as a high school girl who becomes the envy of her peers when she is given the opportunity to kiss teen rock idol Conrad Birdie on the...
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) is an exuberant, squeaky clean musical comedy from Columbia Pictures that is based upon the 1960 Broadway musical of the same name. It is also extremely dated by today’s standards and flat-out corny at times. Overall, however, it is a fun ride that sports a good number of memorable musical interludes, the title song easily giving the viewer a severe case of earworm. Director George Sidney was no stranger to musicals as he was also responsible for Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), Holiday in Mexico (1946), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Showboat (1951) and Scaramouche (1952). Here, he brings to the screen the story of Kim MacAfee (twenty-two year-old Ann-Margret in her breakout performance) as a high school girl who becomes the envy of her peers when she is given the opportunity to kiss teen rock idol Conrad Birdie on the...
- 10/17/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
"TCM Remembers 2011" is out. Remembered by Turner Classic Movies are many of those in the film world who left us this past year. As always, this latest "TCM Remembers" entry is a classy, immensely moving compilation. The haunting background song is "Before You Go," by Ok Sweetheart.
Among those featured in "TCM Remembers 2011" are Farley Granger, the star of Luchino Visconti's Senso and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope and Strangers on a Train; Oscar-nominated Australian actress Diane Cilento (Tom Jones, Hombre), formerly married to Sean Connery; and two-time Oscar nominee Peter Falk (Murder, Inc., Pocketful of Miracles, The Great Race), best remembered as television's Columbo. Or, for those into arthouse fare, for playing an angel in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire.
Also, Jane Russell, whose cleavage and sensuous lips in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw left the puritans of the Production Code Association apoplectic; another Australian performer, Googie Withers, among...
Among those featured in "TCM Remembers 2011" are Farley Granger, the star of Luchino Visconti's Senso and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope and Strangers on a Train; Oscar-nominated Australian actress Diane Cilento (Tom Jones, Hombre), formerly married to Sean Connery; and two-time Oscar nominee Peter Falk (Murder, Inc., Pocketful of Miracles, The Great Race), best remembered as television's Columbo. Or, for those into arthouse fare, for playing an angel in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire.
Also, Jane Russell, whose cleavage and sensuous lips in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw left the puritans of the Production Code Association apoplectic; another Australian performer, Googie Withers, among...
- 12/14/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Director and comedy writer known for his Elvis films and the hit TV series Julia
The director and writer Hal Kanter, who has died aged 92, was one of the great wits of Hollywood. He made his reputation as one of Bob Hope's principal writers, and for many years scripted the annual Oscar ceremonies (he shared Emmy awards in 1991 and 1992 for his work on the shows). He was also a huge influence on writers who followed him. He ended his 1999 autobiography, So Far, So Funny, with this: "If any of my work over the past 60 years has inspired, encouraged or motivated any young person to write comedy for radio, motion pictures or television, I apologise."
He wrote or co-wrote films including Once Upon a Horse ... (1958) for Rowan and Martin; The Road to Bali (1952) for Hope and Bing Crosby; Move Over, Darling (1963), starring Doris Day; and Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles...
The director and writer Hal Kanter, who has died aged 92, was one of the great wits of Hollywood. He made his reputation as one of Bob Hope's principal writers, and for many years scripted the annual Oscar ceremonies (he shared Emmy awards in 1991 and 1992 for his work on the shows). He was also a huge influence on writers who followed him. He ended his 1999 autobiography, So Far, So Funny, with this: "If any of my work over the past 60 years has inspired, encouraged or motivated any young person to write comedy for radio, motion pictures or television, I apologise."
He wrote or co-wrote films including Once Upon a Horse ... (1958) for Rowan and Martin; The Road to Bali (1952) for Hope and Bing Crosby; Move Over, Darling (1963), starring Doris Day; and Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles...
- 11/11/2011
- by Michael Freedland
- The Guardian - Film News
Comedy Writer Kanter Dies
Emmy Award-winning comedy writer Hal Kanter has died at the age of 92.
Kanter passed away at California's Encino Hospital on Sunday after suffering complications from pneumonia, his daughter Donna tells the Los Angeles Times.
Kanter shared an Emmy in 1955 for Best Written Comedy Material for his work on The George Gobel Show, but he is perhaps best known for creating the 1960s series Julia.
The show made history for featuring an African-American actress, Diahann Carroll, playing a professional employee rather than a domestic worker, and ran for three seasons.
Kanter also worked on Academy Awards broadcasts for more than 30 years, and his screenwriting credits include Bob Hope & Bing Crosby's Road to Bali, and Pocketful of Miracles, which starred Glenn Ford and Bette Davis. He also wrote and directed Loving You, starring Elvis Presley.
Actor Carl Reiner has paid tribute to his pal, saying, "What a dear man. He was considered one of the wits of the industry; there's no question about it. Any time he was called upon, he always could make the audience laugh. He was a funny elder statesman, and there's nothing better than having a witty elder statesman."...
Kanter passed away at California's Encino Hospital on Sunday after suffering complications from pneumonia, his daughter Donna tells the Los Angeles Times.
Kanter shared an Emmy in 1955 for Best Written Comedy Material for his work on The George Gobel Show, but he is perhaps best known for creating the 1960s series Julia.
The show made history for featuring an African-American actress, Diahann Carroll, playing a professional employee rather than a domestic worker, and ran for three seasons.
Kanter also worked on Academy Awards broadcasts for more than 30 years, and his screenwriting credits include Bob Hope & Bing Crosby's Road to Bali, and Pocketful of Miracles, which starred Glenn Ford and Bette Davis. He also wrote and directed Loving You, starring Elvis Presley.
Actor Carl Reiner has paid tribute to his pal, saying, "What a dear man. He was considered one of the wits of the industry; there's no question about it. Any time he was called upon, he always could make the audience laugh. He was a funny elder statesman, and there's nothing better than having a witty elder statesman."...
- 11/8/2011
- WENN
Hal Kanter (see photo), creator of the groundbreaking television series Julia, starring Diahann Carroll (photo) as a nurse, died Sunday, Nov. 6, of complications from pneumonia at Encino Hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino. Kanter was 92. Julia (1968-71) marked the first time a black actress had an important role in an American television series playing something other than a maid (e.g., Ethel Waters and Louise Beavers in the 1950s series Beulah). As quoted in the Los Angeles Times obit, Kanter said he didn't want to make profound political statements with each Julia episode. But political statements were made all the same, as Kanter explained: There is a fallout of social comment. Every week we see a black child playing with a white child with complete acceptance and without incident. One of the recurring themes in the thousands of letters we get is from people who thank us for...
- 11/8/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Veteran screenwriter, producer and director Hal Kanter died Sunday of complications of pneumonia in Encino, his daughter Donna Kanter told the Los Angeles Times. He was 92. “He was considered one of the wits of the industry,” said Carl Reiner, upon learning of Kanter’s death. ”He was a funny elder statesman, and there’s nothing better.” In a career that spanned several decades, Kanter worked in radio, TV and movies. He wrote for Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and for Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Kanter directed Elvis Presley in Loving You which he co-wrote and he wrote the screenplaly for Blue Hawaii. He even collaborated with Tennessee Williams on the 1955 movie version of The Rose Tatoo. Among other movie credits were George Cukor’s Let’s Make Love, with Marilyn Monroe and Yves Montand and Frank Capra’s Pocketful of Miracles. His numerous TV credits included creation of the landmark sitcom Julia,...
- 11/8/2011
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Prolific screenwriter and producer Hal Kanter has died. He was 92 years old. The cause was complications from pneumonia, his daughter Donna Kanter told the Los Angeles Times. In a career that spanned six decades, Kanter wrote the screenplays for a number of memorable films such as "Pocketful of Miracles" (1961), "Let's Make Love" (1960), and the Elvis Presley vehicle "Blue Hawaii" (1961). He mixed comedies and dramas, and also adapted Tennessee Williams' play "The Rose Tattoo" (1955) into an acclaimed feature film and wrote one of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby's signature "Road"...
- 11/8/2011
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
As rumpled TV detective Columbo and the grandfather in The Princess Bride, Peter Falk delighted audiences with his quirky charm. But Falk, who died June 23 at the age of 83, was accomplished in drama, nominated twice for an Oscar in 1960's Murder, Inc., and 1961's Pocketful of Miracles. In 1987, Falk began an association with acclaimed German film director Wim Wenders, appearing in Wings of Desire and its 1993 followup Faraway, So Close. Here, the director pays tribute to Falk in an exclusive essay: About Peter Falk "An Ex-Angel does not have a Grandma!" I remember that night, probably into the third week of shooting Wings of Desire,...
- 7/4/2011
- by Cynthia Wang
- PEOPLE.com
It is to be expected that the obituaries and commemorations for Peter Falk, who passed away last Thursday, would center on his four-time Emmy-winning starring role in the long-running series Columbo (the character was first introduced in a 1968 TV movie, it was turned into an NBC series running 1971-1977, then ABC revived the brand in 1989 for 24 TV movies, the last airing in 2003). His role as the perennially rumpled, misleadingly bumbling, “Ahhh, just one more thing…” homicide detective was not only his most famous and memorable character, but one which achieved that rarified altitude of “iconic.” Think Falk; think Columbo.
And as deserving as the tributes are, as laudatory as the valedictories have been, they still don’t do justice to the range and power Falk demonstrated throughout his career as an actor on both large and small screen.
Even the laurels thrown on his work in Columbo focus on the visible elements,...
And as deserving as the tributes are, as laudatory as the valedictories have been, they still don’t do justice to the range and power Falk demonstrated throughout his career as an actor on both large and small screen.
Even the laurels thrown on his work in Columbo focus on the visible elements,...
- 6/27/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Us actor whose success as the scruffy TV detective Columbo was complemented by a wide range of stage and screen roles
Show-business history records that the American actor Peter Falk, who has died aged 83, made his stage debut the year before he left high school, presciently cast as a detective. Despite the 17-year-old's fleeting success, he had no thoughts of pursuing acting as a career – if only because tough kids from the Bronx considered it an unsuitable job for a man. Just 24 years later, Falk made his first television appearance as the scruffy detective, Columbo, not only becoming the highest paid actor on television – commanding $500,000 an episode during the 1970s – but also the most famous.
Inevitably the lieutenant dedicated to unravelling the villainy of the wealthy and glamorous dominated his career, although – unlike some actors – he escaped the straitjacket, or in his case shabby raincoat, of typecasting. In addition to stage work,...
Show-business history records that the American actor Peter Falk, who has died aged 83, made his stage debut the year before he left high school, presciently cast as a detective. Despite the 17-year-old's fleeting success, he had no thoughts of pursuing acting as a career – if only because tough kids from the Bronx considered it an unsuitable job for a man. Just 24 years later, Falk made his first television appearance as the scruffy detective, Columbo, not only becoming the highest paid actor on television – commanding $500,000 an episode during the 1970s – but also the most famous.
Inevitably the lieutenant dedicated to unravelling the villainy of the wealthy and glamorous dominated his career, although – unlike some actors – he escaped the straitjacket, or in his case shabby raincoat, of typecasting. In addition to stage work,...
- 6/26/2011
- by Brian Baxter
- The Guardian - Film News
The legendary raspy voiced Peter Falk has passed away at his home in Beverly Hills according to a family statement. He was 83 and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Despite a rumpled appearance, a glass right eye and a quiet voice - Falk was also a fiercely compelling actor who handled dark drama and comedic farce with equal skill. Starting out on stage, he first got noticed for his work as a gangster in "Murder, Inc" and followed that with Frank Capra's last film "Pocketful of Miracles" - scoring Oscar nominations for both performances.
He also worked with John Cassavetes on both "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence", played a closeted Raymond Chandler-inspired detective in the mystery spoof "Murder by Death", and had roles in "The Great Race," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Vibes," "The In-Laws," "The Princess Bride,...
Despite a rumpled appearance, a glass right eye and a quiet voice - Falk was also a fiercely compelling actor who handled dark drama and comedic farce with equal skill. Starting out on stage, he first got noticed for his work as a gangster in "Murder, Inc" and followed that with Frank Capra's last film "Pocketful of Miracles" - scoring Oscar nominations for both performances.
He also worked with John Cassavetes on both "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence", played a closeted Raymond Chandler-inspired detective in the mystery spoof "Murder by Death", and had roles in "The Great Race," "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Vibes," "The In-Laws," "The Princess Bride,...
- 6/25/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
By Lee Pfeiffer
Peter Falk, the iconic actor of stage, screen and television, died yesterday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 83 years old and had been battling Alzheimer's Disease. Falk created a legendary persona that served him well: that of the inarticulate street guy. He also had a physical abnormality that he made work to his advantage: since the age of 3, he had a glass eye. Despite the fact that he rode to success playing rough, street-wise characters, he was actually highly educated. He earned a master's degree and did not enter acting until the relatively late age of 29. He found almost immediate success and appeared in acclaimed New York stage productions of classic plays by Arthur Miller and Paddy Chayefsky, among others. Falk also found a welcome reception in Hollywood, often playing gangsters. He scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination of Murder, Inc in 1960 and would be...
Peter Falk, the iconic actor of stage, screen and television, died yesterday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 83 years old and had been battling Alzheimer's Disease. Falk created a legendary persona that served him well: that of the inarticulate street guy. He also had a physical abnormality that he made work to his advantage: since the age of 3, he had a glass eye. Despite the fact that he rode to success playing rough, street-wise characters, he was actually highly educated. He earned a master's degree and did not enter acting until the relatively late age of 29. He found almost immediate success and appeared in acclaimed New York stage productions of classic plays by Arthur Miller and Paddy Chayefsky, among others. Falk also found a welcome reception in Hollywood, often playing gangsters. He scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination of Murder, Inc in 1960 and would be...
- 6/25/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Peter Falk Peter Falk, the two-time Oscar nominee best known for playing television police detective Columbo, died Thursday, June 23, at his Beverly Hills home. Falk, who had been suffering from dementia (apparently a consequence of Alzheimer's disease), was 83. Falk's two Oscar nods, both in the Best Supporting Actor category, came back-to-back in the early '60s: as a cold-blooded hitman in Burt Balaban and Stuart Rosenberg's 1960 crime drama Murder, Inc., and as a typical Damon Runyon underworld character — named Joy Boy — in Frank Capra's dismal 1961 remake of his own Lady for a Day, Pocketful of Miracles. Among Falk's other notable film roles are those in two John Cassavetes movies: the very, very, very long 1970 drama Husbands, co-starring Ben Gazzara and Cassavetes himself, and the director' biggest box-office hit, the 1974 release A Woman Under the Influence, co-starring Gena Rowlands as the mentally unbalanced title character. In the film, which many consider Cassavetes' best work,...
- 6/25/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Actor, who had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease, died at his Beverly Hills home
Peter Falk, the American actor famous for his role in the TV detective series Columbo, has died at the age of 83.
Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home on Thursday evening, said a family friend, Larry Larson. Falk had reportedly been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Perhaps one of Us television's most popular detectives, Falk won four Emmys for his starring role in Columbo, which ran from 1971 until 2003, and one for his role in the TV drama The Price of Tomatoes. He received Oscar nominations for Murder, Inc, his breakthrough film role, in 1960, and the comedy-drama Pocketful of Miracles, a year later. Falk also starred in the films The Princess Bride, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; Robin and the Seven Hoods, The Great Race, and The Cheap Detective.
Born in...
Peter Falk, the American actor famous for his role in the TV detective series Columbo, has died at the age of 83.
Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home on Thursday evening, said a family friend, Larry Larson. Falk had reportedly been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Perhaps one of Us television's most popular detectives, Falk won four Emmys for his starring role in Columbo, which ran from 1971 until 2003, and one for his role in the TV drama The Price of Tomatoes. He received Oscar nominations for Murder, Inc, his breakthrough film role, in 1960, and the comedy-drama Pocketful of Miracles, a year later. Falk also starred in the films The Princess Bride, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; Robin and the Seven Hoods, The Great Race, and The Cheap Detective.
Born in...
- 6/25/2011
- by Amy Fallon
- The Guardian - Film News
There's some sad news to report today as Peter Falk, TV's Columbo, has passed away at age 83. The actual cause of death has not been released, although it's known that Falk had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for the past few years. He was a talented actor who enjoyed success in both TV and film, earning multiple awards and nominations from each medium. Although Falk started in theater, he quickly transitioned into films, achieving back-to-back Best Supporting Actor nominations for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles. From there he enjoyed steady work in films like The Great Race, Castle Keep, and Murder by Death. Falk was also known for his friendship with actor/director John Cassavetes and the two collaborated on more verité-style films like Husbands and A Woman Under the Influence. And then there was Columbo, the role Falk would be most associated with. He started playing the seemingly inept...
- 6/25/2011
- by Aaron
- FilmJunk
Today brought with it the deeply sad news that iconic actor, Peter Falk, had passed away at the age of 83. During his over fifty year career, the actor had starred in such great films as Murder, Inc and A Pocketful Of Miracles.
Read more on The Criterion Collection adds 21 films to their Hulu Plus page; includes Peter Falk/John Cassavetes Mikey And Nicky...
Read more on The Criterion Collection adds 21 films to their Hulu Plus page; includes Peter Falk/John Cassavetes Mikey And Nicky...
- 6/24/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Columbo star Peter Falkis dead at the age of 83. Falk reported died peacefully at his home in Beverly Hills on Thursday evening. Peter Falk was best known for his starring role as Lt. Columbo in the long running television series of the same name. Columbo ran for 69 episodes from 1968 to 2003.
A representative for the family announced Columbo star Peter Falk died in a press statement on Friday. Falk is “survived by his wife, Shera, of 34 years and two daughters from a previous marriage,” the statement said. No official cause of death was released, but Falk was known to have suffered from Alzheimer’s.
In addition to his lengthy and impressive television career, Peter Falk also starred in such films as The Princess Bride, Wings of Desire and The Great Race. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his performances in Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles. He also won a...
A representative for the family announced Columbo star Peter Falk died in a press statement on Friday. Falk is “survived by his wife, Shera, of 34 years and two daughters from a previous marriage,” the statement said. No official cause of death was released, but Falk was known to have suffered from Alzheimer’s.
In addition to his lengthy and impressive television career, Peter Falk also starred in such films as The Princess Bride, Wings of Desire and The Great Race. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his performances in Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles. He also won a...
- 6/24/2011
- by Laura Vess
- SnarkFood.com
Known mostly as a TV actor, Falk received two Oscar nominations for supporting actor. One for Murder Inc. in 1960 and another for Pocketful Of Miracles the following year. Falk was a frequent collaborator with his friend John Cassavettes and co-starred in several of that filmmaker’s famous ensemble dramas. He’ll always be best known for playing Frank Columbo on television for 7 seasons on NBC, from 1971 to 1978 and again on ABC for 4 more season, 1989 to 1993. He won five Emmys for the part. Peter Falk was 83. From CNN’s website:
Actor Peter Falk, who rose to fame on a shambling manner and a rumpled raincoat as the TV detective Lt. Columbo, has died. He was 83.
Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home Thursday evening, according to a statement released by his friend, attorney Larry Larson. The cause of death was not released.
Though he was a renowned movie and stage...
Actor Peter Falk, who rose to fame on a shambling manner and a rumpled raincoat as the TV detective Lt. Columbo, has died. He was 83.
Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home Thursday evening, according to a statement released by his friend, attorney Larry Larson. The cause of death was not released.
Though he was a renowned movie and stage...
- 6/24/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Los Angeles – Peter Falk, the stage and movie actor who became identified as the squinty, rumpled detective in "Columbo," which spanned 30 years in prime-time television and established one of the most iconic characters in movie police work, has died. He was 83.
Falk died Thursday in his Beverly Hills home, according to a statement released Friday by family friend Larry Larson.
In a court document filed in December 2008, Falk's daughter Catherine Falk said her father was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
"Columbo" began its history in 1971 as part of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie series, appearing every third week. The show became by far the most popular of the three mysteries, the others being "McCloud" and "McMillan and Wife."
Falk was reportedly paid $250,000 a movie and could have made much more if he had accepted an offer to convert "Columbo" into a weekly series. He declined, reasoning that carrying a weekly detective...
Falk died Thursday in his Beverly Hills home, according to a statement released Friday by family friend Larry Larson.
In a court document filed in December 2008, Falk's daughter Catherine Falk said her father was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
"Columbo" began its history in 1971 as part of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie series, appearing every third week. The show became by far the most popular of the three mysteries, the others being "McCloud" and "McMillan and Wife."
Falk was reportedly paid $250,000 a movie and could have made much more if he had accepted an offer to convert "Columbo" into a weekly series. He declined, reasoning that carrying a weekly detective...
- 6/24/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Legendary actor Peter Falk, best known as television’s “Columbo,” passed away last night at his home in Beverly Hills. Falk, who was 83, had been dealing with dementia for the past several years.
After starting his career on stage, Falk moved to television in the medium’s “Golden Age” of the late ’50s, starring in live dramas such as “Studio One.” Before becoming ill, we spoke to Falk several times over the years, and he told us it was thrilling to be working in that era of television because you never knew what might happen during those live shows. (Click on the audio player to hear Peter Falk)Falk 1
Falk also had a successful film career, co-starring in movies like “Pocketful of Miracles” and “Murder, Inc.,” both of which earned him Academy Award nominations. Falk also co-starred in “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” with Hollywood legends Milton Berle and Spencer tracy.
After starting his career on stage, Falk moved to television in the medium’s “Golden Age” of the late ’50s, starring in live dramas such as “Studio One.” Before becoming ill, we spoke to Falk several times over the years, and he told us it was thrilling to be working in that era of television because you never knew what might happen during those live shows. (Click on the audio player to hear Peter Falk)Falk 1
Falk also had a successful film career, co-starring in movies like “Pocketful of Miracles” and “Murder, Inc.,” both of which earned him Academy Award nominations. Falk also co-starred in “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” with Hollywood legends Milton Berle and Spencer tracy.
- 6/24/2011
- by foxallaccess
- Fox All Access
Peter Falk Dead At 83
Columbo star Peter Falk has died at the age of 83.
The beloved actor passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Thursday.
Falk was born in New York in 1927 and enjoyed a career spanning 50 years.
He broke into the acting industry in 1956 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway production of Moliere's play Don Juan. That same year, he made his Broadway debut in Diary of a Scoundrel.
He later shifted his focus onto TV and film work, but he was warned early on not to expect too much success due to a glass eye he had implanted at the age of three - after doctors found a malignant tumour in his right eye.
However, he defied Hollywood agents and scored his film debut with a small role in Wind Across the Everglades in 1958. Two years later, Falk appeared as gangster Abe Reles in Murder, Inc - the same year he married first wife Alyce Mayo, with whom he has adopted daughters Catherine and Jackie. The movie was a hit with critics and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1961.
Murder, Inc. proved to be Falk's break-out role, and he would go on to reprise the role again in 1960s TV series The Witness.
Meanwhile, his film career continued to rise with a part in Frank Capra's 1961 comedy Pocketful of Miracles - another Oscar-nominated role - and parts in director pal John Cassavetes' movies Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
But it was Falk's turn as Lieutenant Columbo in the hit TV crime series Columbo that he is best known for. The programme aired on U.S. network NBC between 1971 and 1978, and later moved to ABC, where it was shown from 1989 to 2003. The role won Falk four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Falk suffered from deteriorating health towards the end of his life, suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
His personal life hit the headlines in January 2009 when his daughter Catherine, a real life private detective, battled Falk's second wife, actress Shera Danese, to be named conservator of his estate. Catherine claimed her father also had dementia and could no longer care for himself.
Falk is survived by Danese, whom he married in 1977, and his two children.
The beloved actor passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Thursday.
Falk was born in New York in 1927 and enjoyed a career spanning 50 years.
He broke into the acting industry in 1956 when he landed a role in an off-Broadway production of Moliere's play Don Juan. That same year, he made his Broadway debut in Diary of a Scoundrel.
He later shifted his focus onto TV and film work, but he was warned early on not to expect too much success due to a glass eye he had implanted at the age of three - after doctors found a malignant tumour in his right eye.
However, he defied Hollywood agents and scored his film debut with a small role in Wind Across the Everglades in 1958. Two years later, Falk appeared as gangster Abe Reles in Murder, Inc - the same year he married first wife Alyce Mayo, with whom he has adopted daughters Catherine and Jackie. The movie was a hit with critics and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1961.
Murder, Inc. proved to be Falk's break-out role, and he would go on to reprise the role again in 1960s TV series The Witness.
Meanwhile, his film career continued to rise with a part in Frank Capra's 1961 comedy Pocketful of Miracles - another Oscar-nominated role - and parts in director pal John Cassavetes' movies Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
But it was Falk's turn as Lieutenant Columbo in the hit TV crime series Columbo that he is best known for. The programme aired on U.S. network NBC between 1971 and 1978, and later moved to ABC, where it was shown from 1989 to 2003. The role won Falk four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Falk suffered from deteriorating health towards the end of his life, suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
His personal life hit the headlines in January 2009 when his daughter Catherine, a real life private detective, battled Falk's second wife, actress Shera Danese, to be named conservator of his estate. Catherine claimed her father also had dementia and could no longer care for himself.
Falk is survived by Danese, whom he married in 1977, and his two children.
- 6/24/2011
- WENN
Peter Falk, best known for playing TV's Columbo, died Thursday night at the age of 83. A family spokesman confirmed the actor's death with CBS News.
Falk, who won four Emmy Awards for his Columbo portrayal, last played the rumpled detective in the 2003 TV movie Columbo Likes the Nightlife. He also received Oscar nominations for his roles in Murder, Inc. and Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles. In 1961 he became the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year.
Falk suffered from Alzheimer's disease and in 2009 was placed in conservatorship. He's survived by Shera, his wife of 34 years, and two daughters.
For those keeping an eye on the celebrity-deaths-come-in-three rule, Falk is the third celebrity to pass away recently (the other two being Ryan Dunn and Bruce Springsteen's saxophone player Clarence Clemons).
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 6/24/2011 by reelz
Peter Falk...
Falk, who won four Emmy Awards for his Columbo portrayal, last played the rumpled detective in the 2003 TV movie Columbo Likes the Nightlife. He also received Oscar nominations for his roles in Murder, Inc. and Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles. In 1961 he became the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year.
Falk suffered from Alzheimer's disease and in 2009 was placed in conservatorship. He's survived by Shera, his wife of 34 years, and two daughters.
For those keeping an eye on the celebrity-deaths-come-in-three rule, Falk is the third celebrity to pass away recently (the other two being Ryan Dunn and Bruce Springsteen's saxophone player Clarence Clemons).
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 6/24/2011 by reelz
Peter Falk...
- 6/24/2011
- by reelz reelz
- Reelzchannel.com
New York - Us film and television star Peter Falk, who became famous in the role of detective Columbo, has died at age 83, Us media reported Friday. He passed away Thursday evening at his home in Beverly Hills, his family told local television Ktla. They did not give a cause of death, but he had suffered for years from dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Falk won four Emmy awards for his role in the television series Columbo, and was nominated for two Oscars for his roles in the films Pocketful of Miracles and Murder Inc. He also starred in German director Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire. Falk was best known for playing Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running...
- 6/24/2011
- Monsters and Critics
Peter Falk, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his portrayal of the raincoat-wearing, cigar smoking TV detective Columbo, died Thursday evening at his home in Beverly Hills, CA; he was 83. Though an exact cause of death was not released by his family, it had been known that Falk was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Though he received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 1960 and 1961 for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles, and was an acclaimed stage actor, winning a Tony Award for 1972's The Prisoner of Second Avenue, he was known to millions as the irascible Lieutenant Columbo, one of television most beloved detectives, whose apparent absent-mindedness belied his cunning deductive skills and ease at outwitting even the most clever and devious of criminals. In all, he received four Emmy Awards and 10 nominations for the role, which he played from 1968 (in the TV film Prescription: Murder) to a special 2003 episode of the series.
Born in New York City in 1927, Falk underwent surgery at only the age of three to have his right eye removed because of a malignant tumor; for the rest of his life he would wear a glass eye, which became one of his most notable traits. Rejected by the armed forces because of his eyesight, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines during World War II, returning home to finish his college education, obtaining a master's degree in public administration and taking a job as an efficiency expert in Hartford, Connecticut in the early 1950s. It was there that he began his acting career, studying with the acclaimed actress and teacher Eva Le Gallienne. After moving to New York to pursue acting full time, he co-starred in the 1956 revival of The Iceman Cometh alongside Jason Robards, and was on Broadway within the same year, and started appearing on television as well. In the late '50s he took a number of small film roles, and was hailed by critics for his turn as a murderer in the 1960 gangster film Murder Inc., which proved to be his breakthrough role. An Oscar nomination followed, as did a role in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles the next year, which was the acclaimed director's last film and for which Falk received a second Oscar nod.
With back-to-back Academy Award nominations and his first Emmy Award (for a 1961 episode of The Dick Powell Theater), Falk worked steadily throughout the 1960s in both television and film, with small roles in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and Robin and the 7 Hoods, and a starring role in the short-lived legal TV series The Trials of O'Brien. He first played the role of Lieutenant Columbo in the 1968 TV movie Prescription: Murder, which was originally written as a Broadway play and then reworked for television. The film set up a number of tropes for the upcoming TV series: the seeming ineptitude of detective Columbo and the intricate cat-and-mouse mysteries in which the killer, known to viewers, seemed to dance around the detective's bumbling investigations. Columbo became a TV series in 1971, with a young 25-year-old Steven Spielberg helming the very first episode. The series was an unqualified hit for NBC, and ran through 1977 in 90 or 120 minute movie-length segments that appeared every third week as part of the network's "Sunday Mystery Movie" series, with a wide variety of acclaimed guest stars. Even after it went off the air, it spawned the short-lived Mrs. Columbo (based on the detective's unseen wife), starring a young Kate Mulgrew.
While becoming one of the signature television stars of the 1970s, Falk also appeared on the big screen in two of close friend John Cassavetes' films, Husbands (1970) and the Oscar-nominated A Woman Under the Influence (1971). Falk also played a Sam Spade-style detective in the comedy Murder By Death, and also starred in The Brink's Job (1978), The Cheap Detective (also 1978), and The In-Laws (1979). After the Columbo series came to a close in 1977, Falk continued acting in film, appearing in two highly notable roles in 1987: the storybook-reading Grandfather in Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride, and an acclaimed turn as a slightly modified version of himself as a man who converses with angels in Wim Wender's Wings of Desire. He returned to the role of Columbo in 1989 when ABC began commission TV movies centered on the character that would appear twice a year. After his last Columbo turn in 2003, Falk appeared sporadically in film and TV, his last role in the 2009 indie comedy American Cowslip.
In December 2008, his daughter Catherine Falk had filed court documents stating her father suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and petitioned to be his guardian; he is survived by his two daughters and wife, Shera.
Though he received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 1960 and 1961 for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles, and was an acclaimed stage actor, winning a Tony Award for 1972's The Prisoner of Second Avenue, he was known to millions as the irascible Lieutenant Columbo, one of television most beloved detectives, whose apparent absent-mindedness belied his cunning deductive skills and ease at outwitting even the most clever and devious of criminals. In all, he received four Emmy Awards and 10 nominations for the role, which he played from 1968 (in the TV film Prescription: Murder) to a special 2003 episode of the series.
Born in New York City in 1927, Falk underwent surgery at only the age of three to have his right eye removed because of a malignant tumor; for the rest of his life he would wear a glass eye, which became one of his most notable traits. Rejected by the armed forces because of his eyesight, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines during World War II, returning home to finish his college education, obtaining a master's degree in public administration and taking a job as an efficiency expert in Hartford, Connecticut in the early 1950s. It was there that he began his acting career, studying with the acclaimed actress and teacher Eva Le Gallienne. After moving to New York to pursue acting full time, he co-starred in the 1956 revival of The Iceman Cometh alongside Jason Robards, and was on Broadway within the same year, and started appearing on television as well. In the late '50s he took a number of small film roles, and was hailed by critics for his turn as a murderer in the 1960 gangster film Murder Inc., which proved to be his breakthrough role. An Oscar nomination followed, as did a role in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles the next year, which was the acclaimed director's last film and for which Falk received a second Oscar nod.
With back-to-back Academy Award nominations and his first Emmy Award (for a 1961 episode of The Dick Powell Theater), Falk worked steadily throughout the 1960s in both television and film, with small roles in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and Robin and the 7 Hoods, and a starring role in the short-lived legal TV series The Trials of O'Brien. He first played the role of Lieutenant Columbo in the 1968 TV movie Prescription: Murder, which was originally written as a Broadway play and then reworked for television. The film set up a number of tropes for the upcoming TV series: the seeming ineptitude of detective Columbo and the intricate cat-and-mouse mysteries in which the killer, known to viewers, seemed to dance around the detective's bumbling investigations. Columbo became a TV series in 1971, with a young 25-year-old Steven Spielberg helming the very first episode. The series was an unqualified hit for NBC, and ran through 1977 in 90 or 120 minute movie-length segments that appeared every third week as part of the network's "Sunday Mystery Movie" series, with a wide variety of acclaimed guest stars. Even after it went off the air, it spawned the short-lived Mrs. Columbo (based on the detective's unseen wife), starring a young Kate Mulgrew.
While becoming one of the signature television stars of the 1970s, Falk also appeared on the big screen in two of close friend John Cassavetes' films, Husbands (1970) and the Oscar-nominated A Woman Under the Influence (1971). Falk also played a Sam Spade-style detective in the comedy Murder By Death, and also starred in The Brink's Job (1978), The Cheap Detective (also 1978), and The In-Laws (1979). After the Columbo series came to a close in 1977, Falk continued acting in film, appearing in two highly notable roles in 1987: the storybook-reading Grandfather in Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride, and an acclaimed turn as a slightly modified version of himself as a man who converses with angels in Wim Wender's Wings of Desire. He returned to the role of Columbo in 1989 when ABC began commission TV movies centered on the character that would appear twice a year. After his last Columbo turn in 2003, Falk appeared sporadically in film and TV, his last role in the 2009 indie comedy American Cowslip.
In December 2008, his daughter Catherine Falk had filed court documents stating her father suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and petitioned to be his guardian; he is survived by his two daughters and wife, Shera.
- 6/24/2011
- IMDb News
Film and television fans around the world are mourning the loss of a true Hollywood legend today as veteran actor Peter Falk has died at the age of 83, Variety reports.
Best known for portraying the iconic television detective "Colombo" over the span of several decades beginning in 1968, Falk also appeared in more than 40 films, with his most famous big screen role arguably coming as the grandfather narrating the hit 1987 film "The Princess Bride."
Born in 1927, Falk lost his right eye to a tumor at the age of three, resulting in the use of a glass eye for the rest of his life. Because of this quirk, which many studios viewed as a career ending deformity, he didn't break into movies until the age of 30. Once in the door, however, he quickly proved his star quality by earning Academy Award nominations for 1961's "Murder, Inc." and 1962's "Pocketful of Miracles."
Over...
Best known for portraying the iconic television detective "Colombo" over the span of several decades beginning in 1968, Falk also appeared in more than 40 films, with his most famous big screen role arguably coming as the grandfather narrating the hit 1987 film "The Princess Bride."
Born in 1927, Falk lost his right eye to a tumor at the age of three, resulting in the use of a glass eye for the rest of his life. Because of this quirk, which many studios viewed as a career ending deformity, he didn't break into movies until the age of 30. Once in the door, however, he quickly proved his star quality by earning Academy Award nominations for 1961's "Murder, Inc." and 1962's "Pocketful of Miracles."
Over...
- 6/24/2011
- by Scott Harris
- NextMovie
HollywoodNews.com: ‘Colombo’ star Peter Falk has passed away at 83 years old at his Beverly Hills home.
The actor was reportedly suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease while his health was deteriorating, states RadarOnline.com.
Falk has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Murder, Inc.’ and ‘Pocketful of Miracles.’ He won the Emmy Awards five times with four of those for his role on ‘Colombo.’ He also won a Golden Globe and a Tony.
Funeral plans are reportedly pending at this time.
Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News
Image by PR Photos...
The actor was reportedly suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease while his health was deteriorating, states RadarOnline.com.
Falk has twice been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Murder, Inc.’ and ‘Pocketful of Miracles.’ He won the Emmy Awards five times with four of those for his role on ‘Colombo.’ He also won a Golden Globe and a Tony.
Funeral plans are reportedly pending at this time.
Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News
Image by PR Photos...
- 6/24/2011
- by Molly Sullivan
- Hollywoodnews.com
Another Hollywood legend has left us behind to pursue, we're sure, much better things on the other side. Still, we're sad to see him go, but wow, does he have a legacy to share.
According to THR Peter Falk, who won four Emmys for his portrayal of the rumpled TV detective "Columbo" as well as Oscar nominations for his first two films, Murder, Inc. and Frank Capra's last film A Pocketful of Miracles, died Thursday in Beverly Hills. He was 83.
Though he no doubt solved lots of ghastly murders in his television days, he's only officially dabbled in our genre three times on the small screen, twice for Alfred Hitchcock and once for "The Twilight Zone".
We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to offer our sincerest of condolences to Peter's friends, family, and constituents. Godspeed, sir. We hope they have a huge selection of...
According to THR Peter Falk, who won four Emmys for his portrayal of the rumpled TV detective "Columbo" as well as Oscar nominations for his first two films, Murder, Inc. and Frank Capra's last film A Pocketful of Miracles, died Thursday in Beverly Hills. He was 83.
Though he no doubt solved lots of ghastly murders in his television days, he's only officially dabbled in our genre three times on the small screen, twice for Alfred Hitchcock and once for "The Twilight Zone".
We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to offer our sincerest of condolences to Peter's friends, family, and constituents. Godspeed, sir. We hope they have a huge selection of...
- 6/24/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
While it's pretty much a cliché for detectives to adorn trench coats, fewer on-screen investigators wore the signature wardrobe as well as Peter Falk when he played iconic TV detective "Columbo." While the actor is better know for his work in television, he also leaves behind a legacy in film as TMZ reports Falk has sadly passed away at age 83. In the last years of his life, the actor became plagued with dementia and tragically it has been said that he couldn't even remember his iconic role as Lieutenant Columbo on TV. Thankfully, audiences spanning generations will remember the actor through is many performances on TV and film. Aside from the aforementioned classic detective series, Falk also received two Academy Award nominations for the 1960 film Murder, Inc. and the 1961 film Pocketful of Miracles. In addition, the actor also appeared in films like Brigadoon, The Great Race, Wings of ...
- 6/24/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Peter Falk, the actor known to a generation as television’s Lt. Columbo, died yesterday in Beverly Hills, according to ABC News. “Falk died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home in the evening of June 23, 2011,” according to the statement from his family. He was 83.
Say Falk’s name and the image that instantly comes to mind is a slope-shouldered figure in a rumpled overcoat, staring down a suspect with one eye while the other roams unnervingly free. Few actors were ever identified with a single character as much as Falk was with Lt. Columbo, the slow-moving, sharp-witted detective he played...
Say Falk’s name and the image that instantly comes to mind is a slope-shouldered figure in a rumpled overcoat, staring down a suspect with one eye while the other roams unnervingly free. Few actors were ever identified with a single character as much as Falk was with Lt. Columbo, the slow-moving, sharp-witted detective he played...
- 6/24/2011
- by Samuel Adams
- EW - Inside TV
Chicago – He will surely be most-remembered for the trenchcoat-wearing eccentric detective “Columbo” but Peter Falk was a successful and underrated actor outside of the role that defined him. The great Falk passed away today at the age of 83 and the worlds of film and television will miss him greatly.
Born in New York City in 1927, Peter Falk made his first stage appearance at the age of 12. His glass eye (his was removed at the age of three due to a tumor) kept him out of World War II, but he wanted to serve and joined the Marines as a cook. After serving, he would work various jobs but found his love when he made his Broadway debut in 1956. 16 years later, he would win a Tony for his work on Broadway’s “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.”
Peter Falk
Photo credit: Getty Images
Of course, image-conscious Hollywood was hard for Peter Falk...
Born in New York City in 1927, Peter Falk made his first stage appearance at the age of 12. His glass eye (his was removed at the age of three due to a tumor) kept him out of World War II, but he wanted to serve and joined the Marines as a cook. After serving, he would work various jobs but found his love when he made his Broadway debut in 1956. 16 years later, he would win a Tony for his work on Broadway’s “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.”
Peter Falk
Photo credit: Getty Images
Of course, image-conscious Hollywood was hard for Peter Falk...
- 6/24/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The beloved rumpled trenchcoat-wearing police lieutenant on the Columbo TV series died at his Beverly Hills home last night after a long bout with Alzheimer's Disease, according to his daughter, who gave the news to Knx-1070. He was 83. The five-time Emmy winner (four for Columbo) also was a two-time Oscar nominee (for 1960's Murder, Inc and 1961's Pocketful of Miracles). He was a key member of iconoclastic filmmaker John Cassavetes' regular ensemble, starring in such independent film classics as Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974), and in a cameo at the end of Opening Night. In 1972 he won a Tony for his performance in Broadway's The Prisoner of Second Avenue. But his most famous role was Columbo, which first aired in 1968 as part of an anthology series on NBC from 1971-1978, took a five-year respite, and returned occasionally on ABC from 1983-2003. He once described Columbo as "an...
- 6/24/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Peter Falk, who played the shuffling, raincoat-wearing detective in Columbo, has died at age 83. The New York-born actor died Thursday, a family spokesman tells Los Angeles radio news station Knx 1070. Falk won four Emmys as Lt. Frank Columbo on the long-running series, his disheveled, seemingly absent-minded character matching wits each week with a foe who never failed to underestimate the detective. Getting his start in community theater in Connecticut, Falk moved back to New York to pursue acting professionally despite warnings from agents that his glass eye - his right eye was surgically removed at age 3 due to a tumor - would hold him back.
- 6/24/2011
- PEOPLE.com
Tony-winning New Yorker Peter Falk, who has died at age 83 after suffering from Alzheimers, was beloved for his long-running Emmy-winning TV role as Columbo. But he also memorably starred in Wim Wenders' exquisite Wings of Desire, long-time collaborator John Cassavetes' 1970 drama Husbands and such comedies as The In-Laws, opposite Alan Arkin. He was Oscar-nominated for supporting roles in the 60s' Pocketful of Miracles and Murder, Inc. Here's Variety and the Nyt. Below are ABC News and film clips as well as a Cassavetes/Ben Gazzara/Falk visit to the Dick Cavett Show and a recent interview about his memoir.
- 6/24/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
"Columbo" star Peter Falk, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, passed away at the age of 83 last night. A representative for the family told TMZ , "Peter Falk, 83-year-old Academy Award nominee and star of television series, Columbo, died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home in the evening of June 23, 2011. Peter Falk is survived by his wife, Shera, of 34 years and two daughters from a previous marriage." Best knows for playing Lieutenant Columbo on the TV series "Columbo," Falk also received two Academy Award nominations for Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles . He had a memorable role in The Princess Bride as well. Falk received five Emmy awards (four for "Columbo") and also a Golden Globe.
- 6/24/2011
- Comingsoon.net
By most accounts, Harry Cohn was a royal son of a bitch.
For the uninformed, Harry Cohn was co-founder of Columbia Pictures, and the autocratic ruler of the studio from its founding in 1919 until his death in 1958. He was vulgar, crass, tyrannical, a screaming, foul-mouthed verbal bully i.e. a royal son of a bitch.
He was also a cheap son of a bitch.
Originally considered a “Poverty Row” studio, Cohn’s Columbia – at least at first – refused to build a roster of salaried stars as the other studios did. Cohn didn’t want the overhead or the headaches he saw saddling other studio chiefs with their contract talent. Cheaper and easier was to pay those studios a flat fee for the one-time use of their marquee value stars to give Columbia’s B-budgeted flicks an A-list shine. Columbia was considered such a nickel-and-dime outfit at the time that other...
For the uninformed, Harry Cohn was co-founder of Columbia Pictures, and the autocratic ruler of the studio from its founding in 1919 until his death in 1958. He was vulgar, crass, tyrannical, a screaming, foul-mouthed verbal bully i.e. a royal son of a bitch.
He was also a cheap son of a bitch.
Originally considered a “Poverty Row” studio, Cohn’s Columbia – at least at first – refused to build a roster of salaried stars as the other studios did. Cohn didn’t want the overhead or the headaches he saw saddling other studio chiefs with their contract talent. Cheaper and easier was to pay those studios a flat fee for the one-time use of their marquee value stars to give Columbia’s B-budgeted flicks an A-list shine. Columbia was considered such a nickel-and-dime outfit at the time that other...
- 6/22/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
A case has been filed by American Rights Management Company against Vipul Shah’s Singh is Kinng on grounds of copyright infringement. This comes two years after the films theatrical release.
The comedy film starred Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif with a musical score by Us rapper, Snoop Dogg.
Filed in New York District Court, the lawsuit claims that the movie has been ‘derived’ from Daman Runyon’s short story, Madame La Gimp (1929). It also states that the film was ‘derived’ from Lady for a Day, A Pocket Full of Miracles and Miracles, all of which are derivatives of the original Madame La Gimp story.
Commenting on the issue, Vipul Shah says that he has seen A Pocketful of Miracles and another film based on the story and sees no relevance between the two. He went on to say that the script and story of the film was written by...
The comedy film starred Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif with a musical score by Us rapper, Snoop Dogg.
Filed in New York District Court, the lawsuit claims that the movie has been ‘derived’ from Daman Runyon’s short story, Madame La Gimp (1929). It also states that the film was ‘derived’ from Lady for a Day, A Pocket Full of Miracles and Miracles, all of which are derivatives of the original Madame La Gimp story.
Commenting on the issue, Vipul Shah says that he has seen A Pocketful of Miracles and another film based on the story and sees no relevance between the two. He went on to say that the script and story of the film was written by...
- 5/12/2010
- Bollyspice
Funny Games
By now the phenomenon of a director remaking one of his own movies is hardly novel.
Alfred Hitchcock made two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Frank Capra turned Lady for a Day into the more lavish Pocketful of Miracles.
There even are cases of foreign directors helming the American remakes of their own hit movies. Francis Veber directed both the original French version of Les Fugitifs and the Hollywood version, Three Fugitives, with Nick Nolte and Martin Short.
But I'm not sure there has ever been anything comparable to the new version of Funny Games, in which Austrian director Michael Haneke has produced a shot-for-shot replica of his 1997 German-language movie.
Some will question whether we needed even one version of this unsavory story. No doubt Haneke would argue that the original had such a limited audience in America that a remake starring Oscar nominees Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, along with Michael Pitt, will bring the story to lots of new viewers. But does this exercise in sadism and psychological torture deserve a larger audience, or any audience at all?
That point will be argued by critics, though there's no disputing the fact that this film, like the original, is compelling and exceptionally well acted. It probably will develop a cult following, like all of Haneke's work.
Ann (Watts), her husband George (Roth), and their son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) arrive at their secluded vacation home on Long Island in the movie's opening scene. As they are settling in, they are greeted by two polite but slightly creepy young men (Pitt, Brady Corbet), who claim to be visiting one of their neighbors and need to borrow some eggs.
The interlopers, who call themselves Paul and Peter, quickly insinuate themselves into the household, incapacitate George, and hold the family captive as they initiate a series of increasingly sadistic games. The tension mounts as Georgie and Ann try to escape, which only stokes the cruelty of their captors. Haneke keeps the most horrific violence offscreen, but that does not mute the impact of these degrading and ruthless exercises.
Viewers who hope to glean some sociological or psychological insights will be disappointed. At one point Paul gives a lengthy, completely fictitious profile of his cohort, just to mock those who seek an explanation for such violent antisocial behavior. The two boys dressed in white are meant to be evil incarnate -- motiveless, unfathomable, inescapable.
The only comprehensible comment that the film makes is about itself and the role of cinema in encouraging voyeurism and tolerance for violence. (This theme also was at the heart of Haneke's most acclaimed film, Cache.)
There's an intriguing moment, identical in both the Austrian and American films, in which Paul uses a TV remote control to rewind the action we have seen and replay a different version. Even though the director might want us to contemplate the audience's role in sanctioning violence, he can't escape the whiff of exploitation that infects both movies.
Still, this version, like the earlier one, is skillfully executed. Roth doesn't match the gravitas of the late Ulrich Muhe, who played the husband in the 1997 film, but he's affecting. Watts is superb in conveying the emotional anguish of her character. Pitt demonstrates his versatility with an electrifying portrayal of the sinister, soulless Paul. The only weak link in the cast is Corbet, who was convincing in more sympathetic roles in "thirteen" and Mysterious Skin, but doesn't exude enough menace as Pitt's baby-faced accomplice.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji gives an ominous edge to the sun-dappled locations, which look remarkably like the settings in the European film. Even the music selections are virtually identical in the two films. Perhaps the best way to appreciate the picture, its few intellectual pretensions notwithstanding, is as a classy horror film with a particularly nasty edge. It's not exactly entertainment, but it casts a poisonous spell.
FUNNY GAMES U.S.
Warner Independent Pictures
Celluloid Dreams, Halcyon Pictures, Tartan Films, X-Filme International
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Michael Haneke
Producers: Chris Coen, Hamish McAlpine, Hengameh Panahi, Christian Baute, Andro Steinborn
Executive producers: Naomi Watts, Philippe Aigle, Carole Siller, Douglas Steiner
Director of photography: Darius Khondji
Production designer: Kevin Thompson
Co-producers: Andrea Occhipinti, Rene Bastian, Linda Moran, Adam Brightman, Jonathan Schwartz
Costume designer: David Robinson
Editor: Monika Willi
Cast:
Ann: Naomi Watts
George: Tim Roth
Paul: Michael Pitt
Peter: Brady Corbet
Georgie: Devon Gearhart
Fred: Boyd Gaines
Betsy: Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Alfred Hitchcock made two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Frank Capra turned Lady for a Day into the more lavish Pocketful of Miracles.
There even are cases of foreign directors helming the American remakes of their own hit movies. Francis Veber directed both the original French version of Les Fugitifs and the Hollywood version, Three Fugitives, with Nick Nolte and Martin Short.
But I'm not sure there has ever been anything comparable to the new version of Funny Games, in which Austrian director Michael Haneke has produced a shot-for-shot replica of his 1997 German-language movie.
Some will question whether we needed even one version of this unsavory story. No doubt Haneke would argue that the original had such a limited audience in America that a remake starring Oscar nominees Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, along with Michael Pitt, will bring the story to lots of new viewers. But does this exercise in sadism and psychological torture deserve a larger audience, or any audience at all?
That point will be argued by critics, though there's no disputing the fact that this film, like the original, is compelling and exceptionally well acted. It probably will develop a cult following, like all of Haneke's work.
Ann (Watts), her husband George (Roth), and their son Georgie (Devon Gearhart) arrive at their secluded vacation home on Long Island in the movie's opening scene. As they are settling in, they are greeted by two polite but slightly creepy young men (Pitt, Brady Corbet), who claim to be visiting one of their neighbors and need to borrow some eggs.
The interlopers, who call themselves Paul and Peter, quickly insinuate themselves into the household, incapacitate George, and hold the family captive as they initiate a series of increasingly sadistic games. The tension mounts as Georgie and Ann try to escape, which only stokes the cruelty of their captors. Haneke keeps the most horrific violence offscreen, but that does not mute the impact of these degrading and ruthless exercises.
Viewers who hope to glean some sociological or psychological insights will be disappointed. At one point Paul gives a lengthy, completely fictitious profile of his cohort, just to mock those who seek an explanation for such violent antisocial behavior. The two boys dressed in white are meant to be evil incarnate -- motiveless, unfathomable, inescapable.
The only comprehensible comment that the film makes is about itself and the role of cinema in encouraging voyeurism and tolerance for violence. (This theme also was at the heart of Haneke's most acclaimed film, Cache.)
There's an intriguing moment, identical in both the Austrian and American films, in which Paul uses a TV remote control to rewind the action we have seen and replay a different version. Even though the director might want us to contemplate the audience's role in sanctioning violence, he can't escape the whiff of exploitation that infects both movies.
Still, this version, like the earlier one, is skillfully executed. Roth doesn't match the gravitas of the late Ulrich Muhe, who played the husband in the 1997 film, but he's affecting. Watts is superb in conveying the emotional anguish of her character. Pitt demonstrates his versatility with an electrifying portrayal of the sinister, soulless Paul. The only weak link in the cast is Corbet, who was convincing in more sympathetic roles in "thirteen" and Mysterious Skin, but doesn't exude enough menace as Pitt's baby-faced accomplice.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji gives an ominous edge to the sun-dappled locations, which look remarkably like the settings in the European film. Even the music selections are virtually identical in the two films. Perhaps the best way to appreciate the picture, its few intellectual pretensions notwithstanding, is as a classy horror film with a particularly nasty edge. It's not exactly entertainment, but it casts a poisonous spell.
FUNNY GAMES U.S.
Warner Independent Pictures
Celluloid Dreams, Halcyon Pictures, Tartan Films, X-Filme International
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Michael Haneke
Producers: Chris Coen, Hamish McAlpine, Hengameh Panahi, Christian Baute, Andro Steinborn
Executive producers: Naomi Watts, Philippe Aigle, Carole Siller, Douglas Steiner
Director of photography: Darius Khondji
Production designer: Kevin Thompson
Co-producers: Andrea Occhipinti, Rene Bastian, Linda Moran, Adam Brightman, Jonathan Schwartz
Costume designer: David Robinson
Editor: Monika Willi
Cast:
Ann: Naomi Watts
George: Tim Roth
Paul: Michael Pitt
Peter: Brady Corbet
Georgie: Devon Gearhart
Fred: Boyd Gaines
Betsy: Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/10/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Understated Ford a rarity
News of Glenn Ford's passing Wednesday rekindled my deep regret that my group, the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., never bestowed its Career Achievement Award on the popular star. Nearly every year during the 1980s and into the '90s, the late KPFK critic Dean Cohen and I would make our pitch for Ford. And every year someone else, equally as worthy to be sure, won the prize. I could never put my finger on why. Ford made more than 80 films in a career that lasted more than a half-century, and he was the star in most of them. Certainly no star was more versatile. His name was above the title in Westerns, comedies, romances, weepies, melodramas and adventure films. He was consistently good and eminently likable. In his best movies -- Blackboard Jungle (1955), The Big Heat (1953), Gilda (1946) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961) -- he was terrific with a sincerity, easy manner and sense of timing that disguised all the hard work. In more ordinary entertainments, he kept you riveted to the screen. He had that kind of charm.
- 9/1/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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