This is a story about the legendary John Gilbert. No, not the venerable announcer of JEOPARDY and one-time emcee of MUSIC BINGO, still going strong today in his late 90s. The one that died more than 80 years ago and never saw his 40th birthday. When Louis B. Mayer, cofounder of MGM, wanted to break … Read more
At a time when we could all use something to distract us from other news, FRASIER’s long-awaited return drops today on Paramount+, and not a moment too soon. It’s been waaaaay too long since we were able to get a visit from Dr. Crane, and if ever we needed a good session with a Harvard-degreed … Read more
Would you have swooned over someone named Archie Leech? Would you have been afraid of a showdown with someone named Marion Morrison? In classic Hollywood, many studio executives felt there would have been no way you could have felt that way. Many of the Old Hollywood stars you know and love—Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Judy … Read more
It was both poignant and ironic that I had just left the FOX lot in Century City when I saw this alert flash onto my phone at a traffic light. Per DEADLINE’s Erik Pedersen: Jonathan Dolgen, a respected longtime entertainment industry executive known for his tough dealmaking and attention to budgets while chairman of Viacom … Read more
We celebrate Hollywood and its great history in these HOLLYWOOD FACTOIDS, which will continue through the end of this week before fading into obscurity. (Perhaps not, if perhaps the call to action at the top and the bottom of this musing is finally heeded). But have you ever wondered why Hollywood even exists in the … Read more
The legendary John Barrymore, patriarch of one of the most talented and successful families in the history of stages and screens, was known as THE GREAT PROFILE because of his rugged, handsome, chiseled features that had our great-grandmothers lusting. Probably a handful of our great-grandfathers as well. But for as cherished as Barrymore’s profile may … Read more
I’m in the demographic sweet spot where I actually remember the rash of films that hit big screens during the 1970s with the primary intention of scaring the bejeezus out of you, I actually went to the movies to see the first iterations of what would eventually become massive franchises, such as HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY the … Read more
Anyone who could conquer Youngstown was destined to conquer Hollywood and Silicon Valley, right? I first crossed paths with Mark Lieber when he was a young sales executive for a soon-to-be defunct distribution arm of the soon-to-be extinct Metromedia conglomerate. Mark even joined while the fate of the company was in limbo, shortly after it … Read more
For as long as there has been Hollywood, there has been kissing. Per a 2014 NEW YORK TIMES profile on the topic people have been locking lips since the 19th century, As the TIMES described it: The very first moving-picture kiss, in a 25-second short made by Thomas Edison in 1896, shows the problem clearly. The … Read more
In today’s media landscape, true success is rare, and relative to even the recent past the bar for what is considered success has lowered to the level of a champion Limbo player. This was the verbiage of an actual press release from CBS News that came out earlier this week touting the “success” of some … Read more