Gregory Bonann was a lifeguard at Will Rogers State Beach in 1977 when he helped two children who were caught in a riptide. That rescue would ultimately change his life – and the face of television, setting the stage for the eventual “Baywatch” juggernaut.
Now, with the new feature adaptation of “Baywatch” in theaters this weekend, it’s time to revisit the unusual story of how the lifeguard show made it on the air – ultimately producing 242 episodes before ending its run in 2001.
It all started because it turns out Bonnan had saved the children of Stu Erwin, an executive at Mtm – the independent production company behind series like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” and run by legendary exec Grant Tinker.
While visiting Mtm’s offices in Studio City, Bonann pitched Erwin on a drama about lifeguards. The company passed, but Bonann took the opportunity to learn all about the TV biz.
Now, with the new feature adaptation of “Baywatch” in theaters this weekend, it’s time to revisit the unusual story of how the lifeguard show made it on the air – ultimately producing 242 episodes before ending its run in 2001.
It all started because it turns out Bonnan had saved the children of Stu Erwin, an executive at Mtm – the independent production company behind series like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” and run by legendary exec Grant Tinker.
While visiting Mtm’s offices in Studio City, Bonann pitched Erwin on a drama about lifeguards. The company passed, but Bonann took the opportunity to learn all about the TV biz.
- 5/28/2017
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
Anne Marie back with the next installment in our new Judy Garland series. Before she was a legend, Frances Gumm was a contract player. This meant that MGM could loan her out to other studios. It was common practice for both large stars and minor players. But what makes you Frances unique is how rare it was for her. Today's musical marks the only time MGM loaned out Judy Garland; the rest of her contract with the studio would be spent snugly - if not comfortably - within the white walls of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Judy's next short would kick off the Garland legend, and jumpstart the young teen's career. The Movie: Pigskin Parade (20th Century Fox, 1936) The Songwriters: Lew Pollack (Music), Sidney D. Mitchell (Lyrics) The Players: Stuart Erwin, Patsy Kelly, Betty Grable, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, directed by David Butler The Story: Already under contract to MGM...
- 1/13/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
Groucho Marx in 'Duck Soup.' Groucho Marx movies: 'Duck Soup,' 'The Story of Mankind' and romancing Margaret Dumont on TCM Grouch Marx, the bespectacled, (painted) mustached, cigar-chomping Marx brother, is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 14, '15. Marx Brothers fans will be delighted, as TCM is presenting no less than 11 of their comedies, in addition to a brotherly reunion in the 1957 all-star fantasy The Story of Mankind. Non-Marx Brothers fans should be delighted as well – as long as they're fans of Kay Francis, Thelma Todd, Ann Miller, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Allan Jones, affectionate, long-tongued giraffes, and/or that great, scene-stealing dowager, Margaret Dumont. Right now, TCM is showing Robert Florey and Joseph Santley's The Cocoanuts (1929), an early talkie notable as the first movie featuring the four Marx Brothers – Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo. Based on their hit Broadway...
- 8/14/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Review by Sam Moffitt
I love the silent era of movie making. I’ve written of this before and will again, many times I’m sure. Roger Ebert, on his website, made the observation (accurately I’d say) that silent films are not just movies without sound; they are a different medium altogether from the movies we are used to seeing now. Silent films are as different to sound films as radio is to television.
Hollywood Cavalcade was one of the first movies to look back at Hollywood history, and managed to involve several artists who were instrumental in making films that are still enjoyable today.
Hollywood Cavalcade tells the story of Mike Conners (Don Ameche) and his partner, ace cameraman Pete Tinney (Stu Erwin) and their trip to New York City to find a stage actress they can take back to Hollywood and make into a star of moving pictures.
I love the silent era of movie making. I’ve written of this before and will again, many times I’m sure. Roger Ebert, on his website, made the observation (accurately I’d say) that silent films are not just movies without sound; they are a different medium altogether from the movies we are used to seeing now. Silent films are as different to sound films as radio is to television.
Hollywood Cavalcade was one of the first movies to look back at Hollywood history, and managed to involve several artists who were instrumental in making films that are still enjoyable today.
Hollywood Cavalcade tells the story of Mike Conners (Don Ameche) and his partner, ace cameraman Pete Tinney (Stu Erwin) and their trip to New York City to find a stage actress they can take back to Hollywood and make into a star of moving pictures.
- 5/23/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Wallace Beery from Pancho Villa to Long John Silver: TCM schedule (Pt) on August 17, 2013 (photo: Fay Wray, Wallace Beery as Pancho Villa in ‘Viva Villa!’) See previous post: “Wallace Beery: Best Actor Oscar Winner — and Runner-Up.” 3:00 Am The Last Of The Mohicans (1920). Director: Maurice Tourneur. Cast: Barbara Bedford, Albert Roscoe, Wallace Beery, Lillian Hall, Henry Woodward, James Gordon, George Hackathorne, Nelson McDowell, Harry Lorraine, Theodore Lorch, Jack McDonald, Sydney Deane, Boris Karloff. Bw-76 mins. 4:30 Am The Big House (1930). Director: George W. Hill. Cast: Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Robert Montgomery, Leila Hyams, George F. Marion, J.C. Nugent, DeWitt Jennings, Matthew Betz, Claire McDowell, Robert Emmett O’Connor, Tom Wilson, Eddie Foyer, Roscoe Ates, Fletcher Norton, Noah Beery Jr, Chris-Pin Martin, Eddie Lambert, Harry Wilson. Bw-87 mins. 6:00 Am Bad Man Of Brimstone (1937). Director: J. Walter Ruben. Cast: Wallace Beery, Virginia Bruce, Dennis O’Keefe. Bw-89 mins.
- 8/17/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Wallace Beery movies: TCM offers a glimpse into Beery’s extensive filmography (photo: Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery in ‘Min and Bill’) According to the IMDb, the Wallace Beery Filmography features nearly 240 movie titles, including shorts and features, spanning more than three decades, from 1913 to 1949 — the year of his death at age 64. You’ll be able to catch about a dozen of these Wallace Beery movies on Saturday, August 17, 2013, as Turner Classic Movies continues with its "Summer Under the Stars" series. (See “TCM movie schedule: Wallace Beery from Pancho Villa to Long John Silver.”) Wallace Beery, much like fellow veteran Marie Dressler, with whom he co-starred in Min and Bill and its sequel, Tugboat Annie, was a Hollywood anomaly. At age 45, the ugly, coarse-looking actor became a top box-office draw in the United States after languishing in supporting roles, usually playing villains, throughout most of the silent era. Beery and Dressler,...
- 8/17/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Review by Sam Moffitt
I can pinpoint the exact moment I became a film fan, a cinema buff, a Movie Geek if you will. It was while watching a television broadcast of Pigskin Parade, a college musical based around football, released by 20th Century Fox in 1936.
But a little background on myself first. Born in southeast Missouri in 1955 I can remember when television was a rare and exotic device. We knew a few neighbors near us in the little town I started growing up in, Hiram, Missouri who had televisions. Getting to watch it was a rare treat ,we knew a little old lady near us who had a television and she let us come over to watch shows like McKenzie’s Raiders and the Grey Ghost.
In 1959 my mother bought a television, a 19″ Motorola cabinet model. I can be sure of the year because I vividly remember the premiere episode of The Twilight Zone,...
I can pinpoint the exact moment I became a film fan, a cinema buff, a Movie Geek if you will. It was while watching a television broadcast of Pigskin Parade, a college musical based around football, released by 20th Century Fox in 1936.
But a little background on myself first. Born in southeast Missouri in 1955 I can remember when television was a rare and exotic device. We knew a few neighbors near us in the little town I started growing up in, Hiram, Missouri who had televisions. Getting to watch it was a rare treat ,we knew a little old lady near us who had a television and she let us come over to watch shows like McKenzie’s Raiders and the Grey Ghost.
In 1959 my mother bought a television, a 19″ Motorola cabinet model. I can be sure of the year because I vividly remember the premiere episode of The Twilight Zone,...
- 1/15/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you’ve hunted around for movie bargains, you’ve probably seen some of Mill Creek Entertainment’s 50-Movie Packs on DVD. Apart from other great releases by Mill Creek, these packs are phenomenal boons to cinephiles looking to collect older titles.
There are three new packs available, and I want to not only let you in on a discount code, but I have one of the packs available for you to win.
I know a lot of people may be quick to overlook these packs, and not every movie included stands out as a major value, but there are some great titles in each of them, and fans of the genres will be pleasantly surprised by what they get out of the deal. I have to admit that there is something about seeing a 50-movie pack, especially when it doesn’t cost a couple of hundred dollars, or more,...
There are three new packs available, and I want to not only let you in on a discount code, but I have one of the packs available for you to win.
I know a lot of people may be quick to overlook these packs, and not every movie included stands out as a major value, but there are some great titles in each of them, and fans of the genres will be pleasantly surprised by what they get out of the deal. I have to admit that there is something about seeing a 50-movie pack, especially when it doesn’t cost a couple of hundred dollars, or more,...
- 5/10/2012
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
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