Herman Rush, a veteran television producer best known for licensing Till Death Us Do Part, the UK sitcom that Norman Lear turned into All in the Family, died Dec. 12 at 94 of natural causes in Los Angeles, according to several news reports.
Rush began his career in 1951, working in sales for Official Film. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, growing it into a major independent syndication company.
Up into the 1970s, Rush was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division, playing a role in the agency’s entry into television packaging. Some of the shows he was placed on networks included The Perry Como Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Kraft Music Hall and The Hollywood Palace.
H also represented producer Irwin Allen for TV hits Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.
Rush began his career in 1951, working in sales for Official Film. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, growing it into a major independent syndication company.
Up into the 1970s, Rush was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division, playing a role in the agency’s entry into television packaging. Some of the shows he was placed on networks included The Perry Como Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Kraft Music Hall and The Hollywood Palace.
H also represented producer Irwin Allen for TV hits Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.
- 12/21/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Herman Rush, who produced several television shows and was the former president of Columbia Pictures Television, has died. He was 94.
Rush died on Dec. 12 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter Mandie told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1929, Rush grew up in a show-business family, with his uncle Manie Sacks being Frank Sinatra’s first manager.
In 1951, Rush began his career in television, working first as a salesman for Official Film before moving up to several different leadership positions. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, in 1957 and turned it into a major independent syndication company.
Throughout the ’60s and early ’70s, he was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division. He also worked for CMA’s predecessor organization, General Artists Corporation, now known as International Creative Management, and played a huge role in the agency’s entry into television packaging.
Rush died on Dec. 12 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter Mandie told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1929, Rush grew up in a show-business family, with his uncle Manie Sacks being Frank Sinatra’s first manager.
In 1951, Rush began his career in television, working first as a salesman for Official Film before moving up to several different leadership positions. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, in 1957 and turned it into a major independent syndication company.
Throughout the ’60s and early ’70s, he was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division. He also worked for CMA’s predecessor organization, General Artists Corporation, now known as International Creative Management, and played a huge role in the agency’s entry into television packaging.
- 12/21/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive Interview: Gary DeJidas (Night Of The Insolent Vermin)
What was the first film that you saw that made you want to get into filmmaking and how did you go from film fan to filmmaker?
I’ve always filmed things since the age of 8 or 9, but I can remember being Very inspired as a pre-teen amateur filmmaker by fantasy/adventure movies like Goonies, Star Wars, Home Alone, Clue, but growing up I had an obsession with all the Classic Horror Films, Universal Monsters, and Classic Sci Fi TV Series have a big impact too, such as The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space and Land of the Giants.
I spent countless hours filming remakes and versions of Clue, and Home Alone, until puberty hit and I started writing my own scripts. Wanting to kiss cute girls may or may not have had an equal influence on my post-puberty storylines.
But in those early days,...
What was the first film that you saw that made you want to get into filmmaking and how did you go from film fan to filmmaker?
I’ve always filmed things since the age of 8 or 9, but I can remember being Very inspired as a pre-teen amateur filmmaker by fantasy/adventure movies like Goonies, Star Wars, Home Alone, Clue, but growing up I had an obsession with all the Classic Horror Films, Universal Monsters, and Classic Sci Fi TV Series have a big impact too, such as The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space and Land of the Giants.
I spent countless hours filming remakes and versions of Clue, and Home Alone, until puberty hit and I started writing my own scripts. Wanting to kiss cute girls may or may not have had an equal influence on my post-puberty storylines.
But in those early days,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
The film world is still reeling from the recent loss of actor Rick Dalton, whose passing was first announced on May 19th, 2023 by The Video Archives Podcast's official Twitter account. Dalton, who passed away at his Honolulu, Hawaii home (shortly after celebrating his 90th birthday in April), is survived by his wife, one-time Italian starlet Francesca Cappucci.
The Video Archives Podcast, created and hosted by filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, aired an episode on May 22nd that is apparently part one of a multi-episode run that revolves around the directors' memories of Dalton and his work.
While other friends and fans of the actor such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have yet to make any official statements or remembrances, Tarantino has made sure that Dalton's name isn't fading into the ether like so many stars of yesteryear. The "Pulp Fiction" director made sure to include a tribute to...
The Video Archives Podcast, created and hosted by filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, aired an episode on May 22nd that is apparently part one of a multi-episode run that revolves around the directors' memories of Dalton and his work.
While other friends and fans of the actor such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have yet to make any official statements or remembrances, Tarantino has made sure that Dalton's name isn't fading into the ether like so many stars of yesteryear. The "Pulp Fiction" director made sure to include a tribute to...
- 5/24/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Quentin Tarantino announced via series of tweets last week the death of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s leading man, Rick Dalton. He made the announcement via The Video Archives podcast, which he hosts with Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary, and indicated that today’s podcast would be “a memorial episode designed by Quentin that features some of Rick’s best roles.”
The director made good on that promise.
“On May 19, 2023, actor Rick Dalton passed away peacefully in his home in Honolulu, Hawaii,” announces Avary’s daughter Gala — who produces the show — at the opening of the podcast. “He is survived by his wife, Francesca. Dalton was beloved by fans of Bounty Law, where he played bounty hunter Jake Cahill for five seasons and also for his iconic role as Eddie Karpinski, the flamethrower-wielding vigilante in The Fireman, The Fireman Part 2, and The Fireman 3: CIA Crackdown. But he...
The director made good on that promise.
“On May 19, 2023, actor Rick Dalton passed away peacefully in his home in Honolulu, Hawaii,” announces Avary’s daughter Gala — who produces the show — at the opening of the podcast. “He is survived by his wife, Francesca. Dalton was beloved by fans of Bounty Law, where he played bounty hunter Jake Cahill for five seasons and also for his iconic role as Eddie Karpinski, the flamethrower-wielding vigilante in The Fireman, The Fireman Part 2, and The Fireman 3: CIA Crackdown. But he...
- 5/23/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Gunsmoke set a record as the longest-running scripted television show on primetime with 20 seasons under its belt between 1955 and 1975. It went down in history as one of the greatest Western dramas ever to hit the screen, but some fans would argue that the awards season didn’t give it the attention that it deserved. Gunsmoke won five Emmy Awards over its 20 seasons, although none of them went to lead actor James Arness.
‘Gunsmoke’ had a terrific ensemble cast L-R: Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, and Milburn Stone as Dr. Galen ‘Doc’ Adams | CBS via Getty Images
Gunsmoke initially started as a radio show in 1952 before it made its way to television. Diehard fans of the radio show were upset to hear that the voice cast wouldn’t return to play the iconic characters on television. Nevertheless, Gunsmoke...
‘Gunsmoke’ had a terrific ensemble cast L-R: Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode, and Milburn Stone as Dr. Galen ‘Doc’ Adams | CBS via Getty Images
Gunsmoke initially started as a radio show in 1952 before it made its way to television. Diehard fans of the radio show were upset to hear that the voice cast wouldn’t return to play the iconic characters on television. Nevertheless, Gunsmoke...
- 4/2/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The finale of CNN+’s “Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech,” titled “The Netflix Effect,” launches Thursday, perfect timing for an entertainment industry that is both reeling amid Netflix’s shocking Q1 subscriber miss, poor second-quarter outlook and the wait to see if CNN+ can find its groove as quickly as it might need to in order to survive.
Based on the “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox Media’s Recode, the CNN+ docuseries explores the complicated histories of Meta (a.k.a. Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Google and now Netflix. The final episode focuses on Netflix’s origins and its founder and CEO Reed Hastings, who on Tuesday revealed he is finally open to creating a lower-priced, ad-supported option for the streaming service, which lost 200,000 subscribers by the end of March.
Vox Media Studios president Marty Moe and chief creative officer of Vox Media Studios Chad Mumm, told...
Based on the “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox Media’s Recode, the CNN+ docuseries explores the complicated histories of Meta (a.k.a. Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Google and now Netflix. The final episode focuses on Netflix’s origins and its founder and CEO Reed Hastings, who on Tuesday revealed he is finally open to creating a lower-priced, ad-supported option for the streaming service, which lost 200,000 subscribers by the end of March.
Vox Media Studios president Marty Moe and chief creative officer of Vox Media Studios Chad Mumm, told...
- 4/20/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Nehemiah Persoff, an actor who went from the uncredited role of a cab driver in On The Waterfront‘s iconic “coulda been a contender” scene to become one of the busiest character actors in television and film for five decades, died Tuesday at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, California. He was 102.
Persoff had retired from acting in recent decades after suffering a stroke and other health issues. His death was reported to Deadline by a family friend.
Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, Persoff and his family moved to the United States in 1929, and after serving in the U.S. Army in World War II he relocated to New York to pursue a career in theater. He became a member of the famed Actors Studio in the late 1940s, studying with Elia Kazan, who would pay him a reported 75 to play the silent cab driver in Waterfront.
Persoff was also performing...
Persoff had retired from acting in recent decades after suffering a stroke and other health issues. His death was reported to Deadline by a family friend.
Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, Persoff and his family moved to the United States in 1929, and after serving in the U.S. Army in World War II he relocated to New York to pursue a career in theater. He became a member of the famed Actors Studio in the late 1940s, studying with Elia Kazan, who would pay him a reported 75 to play the silent cab driver in Waterfront.
Persoff was also performing...
- 4/6/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jerry Douglas, the actor best known for playing patriarch John Abbott on the long-running soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” died Nov. 9 in Los Angeles after a brief illness. He was 88.
Douglas was a mainstay of CBS’ top-rated daytime serial for more than 30 years in the role of the square-jawed cosmetics magnate and pillar of “Y&r’s” fictional Genoa City. He also racked up dozens of TV guests shots and supporting roles in movies over his long career, ranging from “The Bionic Woman,” “Barnaby Jones” and “The Streets of San Francisco” to “Arrested Development,” “Cold Case” and “Melrose Place.”
Douglas was a regular on “Y&r” from 1982 to 2006. Even after his character died, Abbott appeared in flashbacks from time to time, most recently in 2006 when he returned as a ghost to guide his children from the afterlife.. “Y&r” has been a mainstay of CBS’ daytime lineup since 1973. The serial topped the 20,000-episode mark last year.
Douglas was a mainstay of CBS’ top-rated daytime serial for more than 30 years in the role of the square-jawed cosmetics magnate and pillar of “Y&r’s” fictional Genoa City. He also racked up dozens of TV guests shots and supporting roles in movies over his long career, ranging from “The Bionic Woman,” “Barnaby Jones” and “The Streets of San Francisco” to “Arrested Development,” “Cold Case” and “Melrose Place.”
Douglas was a regular on “Y&r” from 1982 to 2006. Even after his character died, Abbott appeared in flashbacks from time to time, most recently in 2006 when he returned as a ghost to guide his children from the afterlife.. “Y&r” has been a mainstay of CBS’ daytime lineup since 1973. The serial topped the 20,000-episode mark last year.
- 11/11/2021
- by Katie Song
- Variety Film + TV
Master of Horror Greg Nicotero takes us on a stroll through some of his favorite movies, as well as a trip through every home video format you’ve ever heard of… and some you haven’t.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Outbreak (1995)
Creepshow (1982)
The Howling (1981)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Time Machine (1960)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Frankenstein (1931)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Thunderball (1965)
Broadcast News (1987)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Star Wars (1977)
Jaws (1975)
Bad Day At Black Rock (1955)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)
What’s Up Doc? (1972)
Logan’s Run (1976)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Aliens (1986)
1917 (2019)
Gravity (2013)
Alien (1979)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Outbreak (1995)
Creepshow (1982)
The Howling (1981)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Time Machine (1960)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
From Russia With Love (1963)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Frankenstein (1931)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Thunderball (1965)
Broadcast News (1987)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Star Wars (1977)
Jaws (1975)
Bad Day At Black Rock (1955)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)
What’s Up Doc? (1972)
Logan’s Run (1976)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Aliens (1986)
1917 (2019)
Gravity (2013)
Alien (1979)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein...
- 6/3/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The makers of Veep bring human error to outer space as Avenue 5 takes off on a three year mission.
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This Avenue 5 review contains no spoilers.
Set your phasers on fun when you watch Armando Iannucci's new HBO series Avenue 5. While it may not be quite the replacement for Veep as it intends, it is as effectively improved over "Avenue 3" as Plan 9 from Outer Space was better than the previous eight plans which were dropped for cult classic status. The series will not be as weighty as the cutting political satire of Veep, but weight factors heavily into the show's arc. Captain Ryan Clark, played by Hugh Laurie, is a lightweight skipper on a recreational space vehicle.
Space tourism is finally reaching America. Next year, Nasa will let private citizens walk around the International Space Station. It will cost about $35,000 a day and...
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This Avenue 5 review contains no spoilers.
Set your phasers on fun when you watch Armando Iannucci's new HBO series Avenue 5. While it may not be quite the replacement for Veep as it intends, it is as effectively improved over "Avenue 3" as Plan 9 from Outer Space was better than the previous eight plans which were dropped for cult classic status. The series will not be as weighty as the cutting political satire of Veep, but weight factors heavily into the show's arc. Captain Ryan Clark, played by Hugh Laurie, is a lightweight skipper on a recreational space vehicle.
Space tourism is finally reaching America. Next year, Nasa will let private citizens walk around the International Space Station. It will cost about $35,000 a day and...
- 1/3/2020
- Den of Geek
Film-score buffs had a bonanza of riches to choose from in 2018 — notwithstanding the fact that the soundtrack business is almost unrecognizable from what it was even a decade ago. Instead of farming out their new scores to the traditional soundtrack labels, most studios now retain them for their own in-house labels and generally release them digitally. Meanwhile, the labels that once relied on current films for their bread-and-butter releases are focusing more on the niche market for classic film scores: re-releasing old ones with new material, finding worthy titles that somehow never got released, and in some cases even re-recording classic scores.
It’s a complicated business, label executives say. Not only must they track down the best available audio (studios and production companies don’t always retain the elements or sometimes can’t find them), they have to clear the rights (and sometimes the music publishing details have changed). And,...
It’s a complicated business, label executives say. Not only must they track down the best available audio (studios and production companies don’t always retain the elements or sometimes can’t find them), they have to clear the rights (and sometimes the music publishing details have changed). And,...
- 12/30/2018
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Celeste Yarnall, a busy episodic TV and film actress primarily of the 1960s and ’70s and remembered by fans of the original Star Trek series for her one-time appearance as Yeoman Martha Landon, died October 7 at her home in Westlake Village, CA. She was 74.
Her death followed a battle with ovarian cancer and was first reported on the website StarTrek.com. In 2014 and 2015, Yarnall wrote several guest columns for the website about her diagnosis.
Yarnall, a familiar presence in later years on the Star Trek convention and autograph circuit, also has a firm, if small, place in Elvis Presley history: In 1968’s Live a Little, Love a Little, the actress — beautifully decked out in a glittery silver mini-dress and, briefly, a white fur coat — played a party-goer who draws Presley’s single-minded attention. He sings “A Little Less Conversation” to her in perhaps the film’s most memorable scene, a...
Her death followed a battle with ovarian cancer and was first reported on the website StarTrek.com. In 2014 and 2015, Yarnall wrote several guest columns for the website about her diagnosis.
Yarnall, a familiar presence in later years on the Star Trek convention and autograph circuit, also has a firm, if small, place in Elvis Presley history: In 1968’s Live a Little, Love a Little, the actress — beautifully decked out in a glittery silver mini-dress and, briefly, a white fur coat — played a party-goer who draws Presley’s single-minded attention. He sings “A Little Less Conversation” to her in perhaps the film’s most memorable scene, a...
- 10/9/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Academy Award-nominated art director and production illustrator George Jenson died of melanoma cancer in Henderson, Nev., on May 25. He was 87.
He was the production illustrator on 1983’s “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.” Jenson received his Oscar nomination for visual effects on “2010” in 1984.
Jenson began his career in the film industry in 1964 as a production illustrator/storyboard artist at 20th Century Fox Studios, working for producer Irwin Allen’s series “Lost in Space,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “Time Tunnel,” and “Land of the Giants.” He moved to Filmation Associates as a layout artist and illustrator on the animated TV series “Star Trek,” “Mission: Magic,” “Lassie’s Rescue Rangers,” and “My Favorite Martian” during 1972-75.
Jenson worked as a production illustrator on live-action feature films including Disney’s “Escape to Witch Mountain” and MGM’s “Logan’s Run.” He joined Steven Spielberg’s Amblin for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind...
He was the production illustrator on 1983’s “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.” Jenson received his Oscar nomination for visual effects on “2010” in 1984.
Jenson began his career in the film industry in 1964 as a production illustrator/storyboard artist at 20th Century Fox Studios, working for producer Irwin Allen’s series “Lost in Space,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “Time Tunnel,” and “Land of the Giants.” He moved to Filmation Associates as a layout artist and illustrator on the animated TV series “Star Trek,” “Mission: Magic,” “Lassie’s Rescue Rangers,” and “My Favorite Martian” during 1972-75.
Jenson worked as a production illustrator on live-action feature films including Disney’s “Escape to Witch Mountain” and MGM’s “Logan’s Run.” He joined Steven Spielberg’s Amblin for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind...
- 7/13/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
George Jenson, an Oscar-nominated art director and production illustrator who worked on such films as Return of the Jedi, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, has died. He was 87. The Art Directors Guild said today that he died May 25 of cancer.
Jenson began his four-decade career as a production illustrator and storyboard artist at 20th Century Fox Studios, working for producer Irwin Allen.s series Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He then segued to Filmation Associates, where he was a layout artist and illustrator on the TV toons Star Trek: The Animated Series, Lassie.s Rescue Rangers, Mission: Magic! and My Favorite Martians from 1972-75.
Pivoting to big-screen fare, Jenson worked as a production illustrator or storyboarder on a number of hit films ranging from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind...
Jenson began his four-decade career as a production illustrator and storyboard artist at 20th Century Fox Studios, working for producer Irwin Allen.s series Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He then segued to Filmation Associates, where he was a layout artist and illustrator on the TV toons Star Trek: The Animated Series, Lassie.s Rescue Rangers, Mission: Magic! and My Favorite Martians from 1972-75.
Pivoting to big-screen fare, Jenson worked as a production illustrator or storyboarder on a number of hit films ranging from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind...
- 7/13/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress Deanna Lund died on June 22 at her home in Century City of pancreatic cancer. She was 81.
Lund played one of the seven castaways trying to survive in a world of large, unfriendly people on the 1960s ABC series Land of the Giants. Her Valerie Scott was a selfish party girl on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and passengers of the spaceship Spindrift, which on the way to London crashed on a planet whose humanoid inhabitants were hostile and unbelievably huge. The show was extremely expensive to make, costing a reported $250,000 an episode.
The sexy Lund had appeared as a redheaded lesbian stripper opposite Frank Sinatra in Tony Rome (1967) and as Anna Gram, a moll working for The Riddler (John Astin), on ABC's Batman, leading...
Lund played one of the seven castaways trying to survive in a world of large, unfriendly people on the 1960s ABC series Land of the Giants. Her Valerie Scott was a selfish party girl on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and passengers of the spaceship Spindrift, which on the way to London crashed on a planet whose humanoid inhabitants were hostile and unbelievably huge. The show was extremely expensive to make, costing a reported $250,000 an episode.
The sexy Lund had appeared as a redheaded lesbian stripper opposite Frank Sinatra in Tony Rome (1967) and as Anna Gram, a moll working for The Riddler (John Astin), on ABC's Batman, leading...
- 6/26/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Deanna Lund, who starred in the late-’60s sci-fi series Land of the Giants and went on to appear in dozens of films and TV shows, died Friday. She was 81.
Lund played the heiress Valerie Scott on Land of the Giants, the 1968-70 cult drama credited by pre-disaster movie producer Irwin Allen, who was coming off the science fiction series Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas. It followed a group whose flight encountered a time warp and dropped them into mid-1980s London. The kicker was that they were normal size but everything they encountered was gargantuan: All of them could lounge on a breakfast plate, and a housecat was a hissing behemoth. The series didn’t really click with viewers, though it certainly gave its prop crew some enjoyable work.
Before her big break on network TV, the native of Oak Park, Il, had...
Lund played the heiress Valerie Scott on Land of the Giants, the 1968-70 cult drama credited by pre-disaster movie producer Irwin Allen, who was coming off the science fiction series Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Seas. It followed a group whose flight encountered a time warp and dropped them into mid-1980s London. The kicker was that they were normal size but everything they encountered was gargantuan: All of them could lounge on a breakfast plate, and a housecat was a hissing behemoth. The series didn’t really click with viewers, though it certainly gave its prop crew some enjoyable work.
Before her big break on network TV, the native of Oak Park, Il, had...
- 6/26/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Deanna Lund, who played one of the seven castaways trying to survive in a world of large, unfriendly people on the 1960s ABC series Land of the Giants, has died. She was 81.
Lund died Friday at her home in Century City of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, actress and novelist Michele Matheson, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed in September.
Lund starred as Valerie Scott, a selfish party girl, on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and ...
Lund died Friday at her home in Century City of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, actress and novelist Michele Matheson, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed in September.
Lund starred as Valerie Scott, a selfish party girl, on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and ...
- 6/25/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Deanna Lund, who played one of the seven castaways trying to survive in a world of large, unfriendly people on the 1960s ABC series Land of the Giants, has died. She was 81.
Lund died Friday at her home in Century City of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, actress and novelist Michele Matheson, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed in September.
Lund starred as Valerie Scott, a selfish party girl, on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and ...
Lund died Friday at her home in Century City of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, actress and novelist Michele Matheson, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was diagnosed in September.
Lund starred as Valerie Scott, a selfish party girl, on the Irwin Allen-created series, which aired for two seasons, from September 1968 until March 1970.
Set in the year 1983, 20th Century Fox's Land of the Giants revolved around the crew and ...
- 6/25/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
What makes a good Satanic Panic flick? Is it the urbane, dark humor of Rosemary’s Baby (’68), perhaps the outsized biblical insanity of The Omen (’76), or the insidious paranoia that infuses Race with the Devil (’75)? The answer for me is all of the above, and what a treat it is to come across another that brings something a little different - The Brotherhood of Satan (’71) offers a sense of quiet displacement before unleashing a torrent of blustery brimstone and hellfire.
Released by Columbia Pictures in early August, The Brotherhood of Satan even received some decent notices; Roger Greenspun of The New York Times proclaimed that the film “displays bold, direct, relatively uncomplicated acceptance of its supernature”, which is definitely one of its strengths – the evil is ingrained in the small town structure and those within are resigned to its nature. Hey, it was the ‘70s! Were you really expecting upbeat?...
Released by Columbia Pictures in early August, The Brotherhood of Satan even received some decent notices; Roger Greenspun of The New York Times proclaimed that the film “displays bold, direct, relatively uncomplicated acceptance of its supernature”, which is definitely one of its strengths – the evil is ingrained in the small town structure and those within are resigned to its nature. Hey, it was the ‘70s! Were you really expecting upbeat?...
- 4/21/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
By Darren Allison
Before inheriting the title "Master of Disaster", a perfectly justified honour for his reputation of creating some of the greatest disaster movies of the 1970s, Irwin Allen was also the man responsible for some of the classic TV shows to emerge in the 1960’s. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants have all survived the test of time and become immortalised among the best in terms of cultural importance. However, above all others, Lost in Space (1965-1968) is arguably the series that endured. Very loosely inspired by Johan David Wyss's classic 1812 adventure novel “Swiss Family Robinson”, the premise for the show was fairly uncomplicated and followed the adventures of the Robinson family, a crew of space colonists who encounter a number of strange and otherworldly situations after their ship is sabotaged and thrown off its original course. A great...
Before inheriting the title "Master of Disaster", a perfectly justified honour for his reputation of creating some of the greatest disaster movies of the 1970s, Irwin Allen was also the man responsible for some of the classic TV shows to emerge in the 1960’s. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants have all survived the test of time and become immortalised among the best in terms of cultural importance. However, above all others, Lost in Space (1965-1968) is arguably the series that endured. Very loosely inspired by Johan David Wyss's classic 1812 adventure novel “Swiss Family Robinson”, the premise for the show was fairly uncomplicated and followed the adventures of the Robinson family, a crew of space colonists who encounter a number of strange and otherworldly situations after their ship is sabotaged and thrown off its original course. A great...
- 12/18/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Nick Aldwinckle Sep 14, 2017
Our round up of horror and genre DVDs and Blu-rays returns, with some solid titles, and The Jerk sequel...
So, whilst Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump are comparing the size of their nuclear weapons and super-storms are battering the world’s coastlines, the head of Nato is describing the present moment as the “most dangerous in a generation”. With any luck, the inevitable apocalypse may bring with it some fun real-life zombie larks to bring some light to the fast-approaching nuclear winter: what more prescient documentary-drama could there be, therefore, than Re-Animator cult hero Brian Yuzna’s Return Of The Living Dead 3?
Resurrected this month on Blu-ray as part of the gloriously tacky Vestron Video Collection, the second sequel to Dan O'Bannon’s classic eighties comedy horror adopts more of an angsty nineties tone as the monster-making Trioxin chemical returns to cause havoc all over again,...
Our round up of horror and genre DVDs and Blu-rays returns, with some solid titles, and The Jerk sequel...
So, whilst Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump are comparing the size of their nuclear weapons and super-storms are battering the world’s coastlines, the head of Nato is describing the present moment as the “most dangerous in a generation”. With any luck, the inevitable apocalypse may bring with it some fun real-life zombie larks to bring some light to the fast-approaching nuclear winter: what more prescient documentary-drama could there be, therefore, than Re-Animator cult hero Brian Yuzna’s Return Of The Living Dead 3?
Resurrected this month on Blu-ray as part of the gloriously tacky Vestron Video Collection, the second sequel to Dan O'Bannon’s classic eighties comedy horror adopts more of an angsty nineties tone as the monster-making Trioxin chemical returns to cause havoc all over again,...
- 9/12/2017
- Den of Geek
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but in comics we do. That’s what sells it. Oftentimes, comics retailers need to make pre-ordering decisions based largely on just a comic’s cover.
Comics, like people, should be enjoyed for what’s on the inside. Corny but true. But like the B-side of a vinyl record, sometimes there’s glory on the flipside, like with comic book back covers.
Emil Novak, Sr. runs a great store in Buffalo called Queen City Bookstore. It’s overflowing with comics and lost treasures, most reflecting Emil’s ravenous appetite for great comics. During my last visit there, I stumbled across The Spirit: The First 93 Dailies reprint comic from 1977. The front cover sported a heroic Eisner Spirit image, but the back cover, showing an exhausted Spirit collapsed in the snow was the cool part. And the courageous use of negative space really stood out.
Comics, like people, should be enjoyed for what’s on the inside. Corny but true. But like the B-side of a vinyl record, sometimes there’s glory on the flipside, like with comic book back covers.
Emil Novak, Sr. runs a great store in Buffalo called Queen City Bookstore. It’s overflowing with comics and lost treasures, most reflecting Emil’s ravenous appetite for great comics. During my last visit there, I stumbled across The Spirit: The First 93 Dailies reprint comic from 1977. The front cover sported a heroic Eisner Spirit image, but the back cover, showing an exhausted Spirit collapsed in the snow was the cool part. And the courageous use of negative space really stood out.
- 8/14/2017
- by Ed Catto
- Comicmix.com
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
The Los Angeles Comic Book And Science Fiction Convention presents Classic Movie Poster Artist Robert Tanenbaum, Jean Hale (In Like Flint), Sharyn Wynters (The Female Bunch), and Donna Loren (Bikini Beach) at the August 20, 2017 Show.
Robert Tanenbaum is a Movie Poster Artist with an over 50 year career illustrating every film genre such as Science Fiction, Horror, Comedy, War, Drama and Martial Arts. Robert has illustrated such Classic Movie Posters as A Christmas Story, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Cujo, Five Fingers Of Death, Black Christmas, Super Fly, The Color Of Money, My Bodyguard, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, The Iron Cross, The Eagle Has Landed, Ransom, Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold, Hot Potato, Mel Brooks High Anxiety and Silent Night, Evil Night. Robert’s art is featured on the first announcement that Jaws was being made into a Movie.
The Los Angeles Comic Book And Science Fiction Convention presents Classic Movie Poster Artist Robert Tanenbaum, Jean Hale (In Like Flint), Sharyn Wynters (The Female Bunch), and Donna Loren (Bikini Beach) at the August 20, 2017 Show.
Robert Tanenbaum is a Movie Poster Artist with an over 50 year career illustrating every film genre such as Science Fiction, Horror, Comedy, War, Drama and Martial Arts. Robert has illustrated such Classic Movie Posters as A Christmas Story, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Cujo, Five Fingers Of Death, Black Christmas, Super Fly, The Color Of Money, My Bodyguard, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, The Iron Cross, The Eagle Has Landed, Ransom, Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold, Hot Potato, Mel Brooks High Anxiety and Silent Night, Evil Night. Robert’s art is featured on the first announcement that Jaws was being made into a Movie.
- 8/13/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Horror fans will be reunited with their favorite Good Guys doll when Cult of Chucky is released on home media beginning October 3rd, but those attending Horror Channel's FrightFest 2017 can encounter the deadly doll on August 24th when the seventh film in the Child's Play franchise makes its world premiere:
Press Release: Back in the heart of London’s West End for its 18th ‘adults-only’ anniversary, the world renowned horror and fantasy film festival will take place at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from Aug 24 - Aug 28 2017, taking over five screens to present 64 films including 20 World, 22 European and 18 UK Premieres. Fourteen countries are represented spanning five continents, reflecting the current global popularity of the genre.
The opening night attraction is the global premiere of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s criminally entertaining Cult Of Chucky, with writer and director Don Mancini and stars Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif in attendance,...
Press Release: Back in the heart of London’s West End for its 18th ‘adults-only’ anniversary, the world renowned horror and fantasy film festival will take place at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from Aug 24 - Aug 28 2017, taking over five screens to present 64 films including 20 World, 22 European and 18 UK Premieres. Fourteen countries are represented spanning five continents, reflecting the current global popularity of the genre.
The opening night attraction is the global premiere of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s criminally entertaining Cult Of Chucky, with writer and director Don Mancini and stars Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif in attendance,...
- 7/10/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
As a first time filmmaker, it takes a lot of courage to not follow the trends. The early ‘80s were flooded with slashers, and for good reason; they were, for the most part, instant ATMs to the studios. Thank God then (or Satan, your florist, a masseuse, whatever floats your boat) for Frank Laloggia, a New Yorker in his mid-20s who decided to go epic out of the gate with Fear No Evil (1981), a parable on Good Versus Evil, capital letters, with a strong Catholic bent filtered through Carrie’s prom dress.
Filmed in 1979 with initial funding coming from Laloggia and the rest from Avco Embassy (who ended up releasing it), this January release found little love from critics (except for Variety) but did pick up the Saturn Award for Best Low Budget Film – and well earned, indeed. Fear No Evil boasts high production values, (more or less) solid performances,...
Filmed in 1979 with initial funding coming from Laloggia and the rest from Avco Embassy (who ended up releasing it), this January release found little love from critics (except for Variety) but did pick up the Saturn Award for Best Low Budget Film – and well earned, indeed. Fear No Evil boasts high production values, (more or less) solid performances,...
- 6/17/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Don Kaye Apr 10, 2017
The director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is taking on Michael Crichton’s final novel, Micro...
As the buzz around the upcoming Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales continues to grow ahead of its May 26 release, co-director Joachim Rønning is already lining up his next job. He’s in talks with Amblin to direct Micro, the final novel written by Michael Crichton, and if all goes according to plan he’ll begin shooting this fall.
See related Quiz: Can you recognise these movie cats? Men In Black: David Schwimmer on turning down the lead role
Micro follows a group of graduate students who are lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company, but instead find themselves miniaturized and left in the rainforest, with only their scientific expertise and wits to help them survive. Think Land of the Giants...
The director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is taking on Michael Crichton’s final novel, Micro...
As the buzz around the upcoming Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales continues to grow ahead of its May 26 release, co-director Joachim Rønning is already lining up his next job. He’s in talks with Amblin to direct Micro, the final novel written by Michael Crichton, and if all goes according to plan he’ll begin shooting this fall.
See related Quiz: Can you recognise these movie cats? Men In Black: David Schwimmer on turning down the lead role
Micro follows a group of graduate students who are lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company, but instead find themselves miniaturized and left in the rainforest, with only their scientific expertise and wits to help them survive. Think Land of the Giants...
- 4/7/2017
- Den of Geek
Alex Westthorp Sep 19, 2016
We revisit Tom's Midnight Garden, Moondial, The Chronicles Of Narnia and a few lesser-known UK children's TV series...
Read our look-back at UK kids' fantasy dramas 1980 - 1984 here.
By 1985 British TV's children's drama had really hit its stride, achieving "a balanced diet of programmes" as Edward Barnes, the head of the BBC children's department observed. The late 80s, arguably, saw a new golden age for spooky and magical kids drama. Excellent production values, improved significantly by well-honed special effects work using Quantel, Paintbox and Harry, and moreover some interesting casting - often of very talented newcomers - produced some of the most memorable dramas of the era.
The second half of the decade saw the BBC riding high on the back of the success of their state-of-the-art adaptation of John Masefield's Box Of Delights. Meanwhile, anthology series Dramarama was going from strength to strength on ITV.
We revisit Tom's Midnight Garden, Moondial, The Chronicles Of Narnia and a few lesser-known UK children's TV series...
Read our look-back at UK kids' fantasy dramas 1980 - 1984 here.
By 1985 British TV's children's drama had really hit its stride, achieving "a balanced diet of programmes" as Edward Barnes, the head of the BBC children's department observed. The late 80s, arguably, saw a new golden age for spooky and magical kids drama. Excellent production values, improved significantly by well-honed special effects work using Quantel, Paintbox and Harry, and moreover some interesting casting - often of very talented newcomers - produced some of the most memorable dramas of the era.
The second half of the decade saw the BBC riding high on the back of the success of their state-of-the-art adaptation of John Masefield's Box Of Delights. Meanwhile, anthology series Dramarama was going from strength to strength on ITV.
- 8/16/2016
- Den of Geek
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away in 2013 at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and...
- 6/29/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
WWE.com
In the Rock ‘n Wrestling Era, it was Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy. Into the nineties, The Undertaker, Psycho Sid, Yokozuna, and Diesel dominated main events. Undertaker held over well into the Attitude Era and beyond, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Kane and The Big Show. Undoubtedly, the Vincent K. McMahon-era of WWF/E has been haven to a number of memorable goliaths, colossal immortals presented on the merit of immensity and intimidation factor.
Since the closing of the Attitude Era, however, WWE has failed to yield many brand new monsters with lasting power. Brock Lesnar and Batista qualify to an extent, but they’re also promoted with human qualities. If you’re talking ‘larger than life’ in the sense of going beyond human qualities, you can add Umaga to the list of successes, as well as to a very small degree,...
In the Rock ‘n Wrestling Era, it was Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy. Into the nineties, The Undertaker, Psycho Sid, Yokozuna, and Diesel dominated main events. Undertaker held over well into the Attitude Era and beyond, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Kane and The Big Show. Undoubtedly, the Vincent K. McMahon-era of WWF/E has been haven to a number of memorable goliaths, colossal immortals presented on the merit of immensity and intimidation factor.
Since the closing of the Attitude Era, however, WWE has failed to yield many brand new monsters with lasting power. Brock Lesnar and Batista qualify to an extent, but they’re also promoted with human qualities. If you’re talking ‘larger than life’ in the sense of going beyond human qualities, you can add Umaga to the list of successes, as well as to a very small degree,...
- 2/7/2016
- by Justin Henry
- Obsessed with Film
Rip our beloved Bat Beauty! A punch in the gut to Batfans. A first crush for men of a certain age, the beautiful Yvonne Craig has died at the age of 78.
Yvonne was born on the 16th of May 1937. In her early life before her television career she trained to be a ballet teacher. She gradually moved into acting during the 1950s. Before appearing on television she starred in a few films including; The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story, Ski Party, and High Time. She even played alongside Elvis Presley in Kissin’ Cousins and briefly dated the King. During the mid-1960s Yvonne moved from film into television, where she appeared in many shows including Man With a Camera, Wagon Train, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. More famously she played “Marta” (a green skinned Orion) in the third series Star Trek episode entitled “Whom Gods Destroy” in 1968.
1967 she was...
Yvonne was born on the 16th of May 1937. In her early life before her television career she trained to be a ballet teacher. She gradually moved into acting during the 1950s. Before appearing on television she starred in a few films including; The Young Land, The Gene Krupa Story, Ski Party, and High Time. She even played alongside Elvis Presley in Kissin’ Cousins and briefly dated the King. During the mid-1960s Yvonne moved from film into television, where she appeared in many shows including Man With a Camera, Wagon Train, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. More famously she played “Marta” (a green skinned Orion) in the third series Star Trek episode entitled “Whom Gods Destroy” in 1968.
1967 she was...
- 8/19/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Face front” all you Marvel-maniacs! The movie universe is expanding by actually getting…smaller. When we last visited the studio mega-franchise, just about ten weeks ago, metallic maniac Ultron ( a really major fail from Stark Industries) was out to destroy humanity until the Avengers (lead by the big heavy-hitters like Thor and the Hulk) pulled the plug on his plans. And story lines were in place for a new cosmic menace. But this new entry is not set way, way up there like last Summer’s surprise smash Guardians Of The Galaxy. Our new hero is more down to Earth (many times he’s a fraction of an inch from Earth). Non-comics fans may be surprised that he’s actually one of the earliest Marvel characters, almost pre-dating the age of heroes by his introduction in the Sf suspense story titled “The Man in the Ant Hill” from the anthology...
- 7/19/2015
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After diving into all the great Christmas-themed slashers and horror movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night, Santa's Slay, Christmas Evil, Saint Nick, and many others, it’s sometimes hard to believe there’s another great holiday to revel in just around the corner. There might not be as many films directly centered on ushering in the New Year, but there’s plenty to keep you entertained for a few days and nights.
I realize that not everyone smiles in glee like I do as teenagers get axed and knifed. Some folks just want some alternate choices in the face of all the countdowns and variety shows they’re bombarded with every year. The list I’ve put together includes not only slasher and horror flicks, but disaster, sci-fi, and action-oriented ones as well.
“New Year’s Evil” tells the tale of a Punk Rock and New Wave TV show host...
I realize that not everyone smiles in glee like I do as teenagers get axed and knifed. Some folks just want some alternate choices in the face of all the countdowns and variety shows they’re bombarded with every year. The list I’ve put together includes not only slasher and horror flicks, but disaster, sci-fi, and action-oriented ones as well.
“New Year’s Evil” tells the tale of a Punk Rock and New Wave TV show host...
- 12/30/2014
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Eric Shirey)
- Cinelinx
Don Matheson, who played one of the stranded "little people" on the Irwin Allen 1960s ABC sci-fi series Land of the Giants, has died, his daughter told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 84. Matheson, who worked as a Detroit narcotics cop before becoming an actor, died June 29 in his sleep in the Woodland Hills home of his daughter, actress and musician Michele Matheson, and her family. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer 10 months ago. Matheson played short-tempered businessman Mark Wilson on Land of the Giants, which aired for two seasons from September 1968 until March 1970. It
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- 7/6/2014
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Conor_O%27Brian_2013_A.jpg
Well, we’re into February and the promised rumour we heard last year is coming to fruition. It was heard that the WWE will be going back to the big men, the giants, after what they will consider the failed ‘independent’ experiment. Was it a failure? To most of us, no, it wasn’t.
This column isn’t about that though, this is about which of the big men will really begin to propel the company forward in the coming years. There’s a big list but the past four weeks have begun to show some direction here. Also, does ‘big’ necessarily mean ‘height’? No, but obviously, the physical stature of some of the wrestlers mentioned here are their main selling points.
It should be noted that in the next few months/years, we will begin to see...
Well, we’re into February and the promised rumour we heard last year is coming to fruition. It was heard that the WWE will be going back to the big men, the giants, after what they will consider the failed ‘independent’ experiment. Was it a failure? To most of us, no, it wasn’t.
This column isn’t about that though, this is about which of the big men will really begin to propel the company forward in the coming years. There’s a big list but the past four weeks have begun to show some direction here. Also, does ‘big’ necessarily mean ‘height’? No, but obviously, the physical stature of some of the wrestlers mentioned here are their main selling points.
It should be noted that in the next few months/years, we will begin to see...
- 2/3/2014
- by Hugh Firth
- Obsessed with Film
Actress, singer, and producer Sheila Mathews Allen died Friday at her home in Malibu after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. She was 84. The widow of film and TV producer Irwin Allen appeared in many of her husband’s productions including The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants, When Time Ran Out, and Lost In Space. She played Fanny Tatum on The Waltons and appeared in the Evel Knievel pic Viva Knievel! After her husband’s death in 1991, she took over as President of Irwin Allen Productions, overseeing development on features and nonfiction projects based on her husband’s intellectual properties, including Wolfgang Petersen’s 2006 remake Poseidon, for WB.
- 11/18/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Veteran acting coach Ivan Markota, whose clients included Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston and Law & Order‘s Mariska Hargitay, died August 6 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 86. Markota was CEO of Van Mar Academy of Motion Picture & Television Acting, which he opened in 1967. A former actor himself, Markota studied at 22 schools and workshops before deciding to open Van Mar. His credits include the 1960s TV series Land Of The Giants and feature films Waxwork II: Lost In Time (1992) and In Like Flint (1967). Markota’s other students included Sherri Shepherd, T.K. Carter, Rick Dees, Miguel Nunez, John Larroquette, Traci Lords, Denice Duff, Glenn Withrow, Walter Olkewicz, Casper Van Dien, Stephen Nichols, and Mary Hart.
- 8/13/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson,...
Special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, whose dazzling and innovative visual effects work on fantasy adventure films such as Jason And The Argonauts and The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad passed away last month at age 92. In 1933, the then-13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at a Hollywood theater and was inspired – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre “stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done.” It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action. The influence of Harryhausen on film luminaries like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson,...
- 6/25/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Anybody who has ever been to a high school reunion (and I’ve been to my share) will tell you that the calendar and the clock can be incredibly cruel (particularly when combined with the long-term effects of gravity, but let’s not go there).
Time punishes creative works as well. Some work grows dated, stale, stiff. Time and the evolving form of the given art leaves a once vibrant and exciting work behind looking dead and obsolete.
More cruel, perhaps, is work that is simply…forgotten. Not for any good reason. Good as it was, maybe it was simply not successful enough to lodge very deeply in the popular consciousness; working well enough in its day, but soon lost among the ever-growing detritus of a lot of other pieces of yesterday.
Movie music is particularly vulnerable to the cruelties of time. Outside of the form’s devotees, it rarely...
Time punishes creative works as well. Some work grows dated, stale, stiff. Time and the evolving form of the given art leaves a once vibrant and exciting work behind looking dead and obsolete.
More cruel, perhaps, is work that is simply…forgotten. Not for any good reason. Good as it was, maybe it was simply not successful enough to lodge very deeply in the popular consciousness; working well enough in its day, but soon lost among the ever-growing detritus of a lot of other pieces of yesterday.
Movie music is particularly vulnerable to the cruelties of time. Outside of the form’s devotees, it rarely...
- 1/14/2013
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Tom Jenkins And Simon Sharp, best known for their short film work, are set to rewrite and direct Giants at Sony Pictures, Deadline reports. The film follows a race of aliens who, not realizing that they're only 1/4 inch by human standards, set out to invade the planet Earth after a fallen screw from the Hubble Space Telescope makes them think their world is under attack. On Earth, the invaders wind up bonding with a young boy. The description suggests a family-friendly approach to a popular science fiction theme, reversed in television series like "Land of the Giants" and in the famous "Twilight Zone" episode "The Invaders." There's also a similar gag in Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," which reads as follows:...
- 10/3/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Movies from the “golden age” of black and white films (approximately the 1930’s through the 1950’s) almost invariably contain well-written dialogue and strikingly subtle humor, making them a favorite among many fans of cinema. The horror movies of this more subtle period in film history are therefore of a cerebral nature, primarily relying on the viewer’s imagination to generate the true sense of horror that modern movies generate through more visual means. It is these oft-ignored horror movies that will be the focus of a series of articles detailing the reasons why true fans of horror movies should rediscover these films.
Here we are with the 10th component in the Forgotten B&W Horror series. With this installment, we continue to look at movies that blur the line between horror and science fiction – a blurring that occurred with many sci-fi movies of the 1950′s.
The Deadly Mantis (1957) regales us...
Here we are with the 10th component in the Forgotten B&W Horror series. With this installment, we continue to look at movies that blur the line between horror and science fiction – a blurring that occurred with many sci-fi movies of the 1950′s.
The Deadly Mantis (1957) regales us...
- 9/5/2012
- by Tim Rich
- Obsessed with Film
The Secret World of Arrietty aka Kari-gurashi no Arietti
Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Japan 2010 imdb
Listen to the Mousterpiece podcast about The Secret World of Arrietty or read Josh’s extended thoughts about the film!
*****
The most astonishing thing about The Secret World of Arrietty is that it took so long for someone to try an animated adaptation of Mary Norton’s beloved award-winning book. Granted, there is a long-standing tradition of shooting films where humans see the world from the perspective of an insect: on film in The Incredible Shrinking Man, the Lily Tomlin remake The Incredible Shrinking Woman, and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids franchise, on TV in Land of the Giants and in the documentary Microcosmos. (Not to mention the various live adaptations of The Borrowers.) But there is something...
Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Japan 2010 imdb
Listen to the Mousterpiece podcast about The Secret World of Arrietty or read Josh’s extended thoughts about the film!
*****
The most astonishing thing about The Secret World of Arrietty is that it took so long for someone to try an animated adaptation of Mary Norton’s beloved award-winning book. Granted, there is a long-standing tradition of shooting films where humans see the world from the perspective of an insect: on film in The Incredible Shrinking Man, the Lily Tomlin remake The Incredible Shrinking Woman, and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids franchise, on TV in Land of the Giants and in the documentary Microcosmos. (Not to mention the various live adaptations of The Borrowers.) But there is something...
- 2/27/2012
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
Two more writers have been confirmed for season seven of Doctor Who, joining the previously announced Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and John Fay. First up is Being Human (UK) creator Toby Whithouse, whose previous episodes include School Reunion, Vampires of Venice, and The God Complex. The second writer is Chris Chibnall, who wrote the underrated David Tennant episode 42. There might be another writer or two who still hasn’t been announced, possibly including Gareth Roberts, who might end up writing a third Craig Owens episode with James Corden, something that has been rumored a few times.
Terry O’Quinn has snagged a 2 episode appearance on TNT’s Falling Skies. The big hit from last summer returns with further alien aggression. O’Quinn will guest star in the final two episodes of the season.
20Th Century Fox has set July 26, 2013 for the release of The Wolverine, the sequel to 2009’s X Men Origins: Wolverine.
Terry O’Quinn has snagged a 2 episode appearance on TNT’s Falling Skies. The big hit from last summer returns with further alien aggression. O’Quinn will guest star in the final two episodes of the season.
20Th Century Fox has set July 26, 2013 for the release of The Wolverine, the sequel to 2009’s X Men Origins: Wolverine.
- 2/10/2012
- by spaced-odyssey
- doorQ.com
Howard Keel on TCM: Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate Callaway Went Thataway is a pleasant comedy in which Keel has two roles: that of a cowboy star who spends most of his time wasted and a naive hick hired to impersonate said cowboy star. Keel is fine in both comedic roles, and so is Dorothy McGuire as the Hollywood slicker who falls for him. Fred MacMurray, as usual, is just there; also there are Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, and Esther Williams playing themselves in brief cameos. Charles Walters' Texas Carnival (1951) is a disappointingly flat Esther Williams musical. Not even Ann Miller manages to save this one. Robert Alton's Pagan Love Song (1950) uses the song and the setting — but not the story — of the 1929 Ramon Novarro blockbuster The Pagan. Nacio Herb Brown and future producer of MGM musicals Arthur Freed wrote the hit song "Pagan Love Song,...
- 8/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It’s another packed week of DVD and Blu-ray releases, here’s the rundown of what’s available to buy from today, March 28th 2011.
Machete (DVD/Blu-ray)
A bad-ass, star-studded action-thriller from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Machete is an over-the-top homage to 1970′s exploitation movies, starring Danny Trejo as a Mexican Federale seeking revenge against a vicious drug lord (Steven Seagal), a ruthless vigilante (Don Johnson) and a power-mad politician (Robert De Niro). He is helped by a savvy immigration agent (Jessica Alba), revolutionary She (Michelle Rodriguez) and by his brother, a priest (Cheech Marin), and finds solace with a drug addict (Lindsay Lohan) along the way. Review.
Wake Wood (DVD)
Still grieving the death of their only child, Alice, a young couple relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they stumble on a group of villagers practising Pagan rituals. They soon learn that this ritual has the power to bring back the dead,...
Machete (DVD/Blu-ray)
A bad-ass, star-studded action-thriller from Robert Rodriguez (Desperado), Machete is an over-the-top homage to 1970′s exploitation movies, starring Danny Trejo as a Mexican Federale seeking revenge against a vicious drug lord (Steven Seagal), a ruthless vigilante (Don Johnson) and a power-mad politician (Robert De Niro). He is helped by a savvy immigration agent (Jessica Alba), revolutionary She (Michelle Rodriguez) and by his brother, a priest (Cheech Marin), and finds solace with a drug addict (Lindsay Lohan) along the way. Review.
Wake Wood (DVD)
Still grieving the death of their only child, Alice, a young couple relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they stumble on a group of villagers practising Pagan rituals. They soon learn that this ritual has the power to bring back the dead,...
- 3/28/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Another one of television's greatest character actors has been claimed and is no longer with us. While today's generation may know him primarily as Seinfeld's Uncle Leo, generations of fans will remember him from so much more.
According to The Hollywood Reporter Len Lesser died Wednesday in Burbank of pneumonia related to cancer. He was 88.
Over his incredible six-decade career, which amounts to more than 500 appearances on film, television and the stage, Len has appeared on many staples of genre television including "The Ghost Busters", "The Munsters", "The Outer Limits", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Land of the Giants", "Kolchak: The Night Stalker", and many more.
At this time we here at Dread Central would like to take a moment to offer our sincerest condolences to Lesser's friends, family, and constituents. Thank you for your dedication to the entertainment industry and for all the laughs and scares you provided along your very long road.
According to The Hollywood Reporter Len Lesser died Wednesday in Burbank of pneumonia related to cancer. He was 88.
Over his incredible six-decade career, which amounts to more than 500 appearances on film, television and the stage, Len has appeared on many staples of genre television including "The Ghost Busters", "The Munsters", "The Outer Limits", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Land of the Giants", "Kolchak: The Night Stalker", and many more.
At this time we here at Dread Central would like to take a moment to offer our sincerest condolences to Lesser's friends, family, and constituents. Thank you for your dedication to the entertainment industry and for all the laughs and scares you provided along your very long road.
- 2/17/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
After his electrifying performance as Blacula (1972), the great William Marshall was briefly considered a worthy successor to Christopher Lee's vampire king. A respected Shakespearean actor with an impressive theatre background, he was set to become a major horror star of the seventies, but like his fellow stage actor Robert Quarry, who achieved the same status as Count Yorga, his film career faded rapidly after the genre went through a radical re-think following the commercial success of The Exorcist (1973).
Marshall remained in New York to train in as an actor and director in Grand Opera and Shakespeare, although he had to support himself in a variety of jobs before making his professional stage debut. At 6ft 5inches, he was an impressively built, handsome, strong-featured actor with a booming bass baritone voice to match his towering presence. Not surprisingly, he quickly built up a formidable reputation as America's finest Shakespearean actor,...
Marshall remained in New York to train in as an actor and director in Grand Opera and Shakespeare, although he had to support himself in a variety of jobs before making his professional stage debut. At 6ft 5inches, he was an impressively built, handsome, strong-featured actor with a booming bass baritone voice to match his towering presence. Not surprisingly, he quickly built up a formidable reputation as America's finest Shakespearean actor,...
- 2/15/2011
- Shadowlocked
Many say he remains the finest pound for pound boxer to ever step into the ring. The arguing barbers in Coming to America may not think so, but consider the following: he defeated Jake Lamotta, Rocky Graziano and Carmen Basillio. He held the welterweight title from ’46 to ’51, had an 85-0 record as an amateur and won 128 of his first 131 fights as a pro (84 by knock-outs).
After a three year retirement he returned to win the middleweight title at the age of 34. He makes a strong case and a difficult one to argue against.
In any event, whether you think he’s the greatest or not, his life is going to get the biopic treatment, like Ali, La Motta and Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter before him. Producer Rachael Horovitz is teaming up with screenwriter Danny Strong to get an option on the book Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson.
After a three year retirement he returned to win the middleweight title at the age of 34. He makes a strong case and a difficult one to argue against.
In any event, whether you think he’s the greatest or not, his life is going to get the biopic treatment, like Ali, La Motta and Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter before him. Producer Rachael Horovitz is teaming up with screenwriter Danny Strong to get an option on the book Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson.
- 10/7/2010
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Hey gang! You've got to watch this incredible retro 1950's trailer for The Avengers! This thing was put together in credibly well, and I couldn't help but have a smile on my face the whole time I was watching it. I would love to see this movie if it actually existed! Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think!
The trailer above was created by YouTube user whoiseyevan and here's what he had to say about it.
What if... the Avengers movie was created years before the actual comic book?
Lost in the annals of time and space, comes this magnificent motion picture of epic proportions. Taking a page from such horror classics as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and "House of Frankenstein," Timely Atlas Studios (the precursor to Marvel Studios), created the first superhero movie team-up. "The Avengers" featured an awesome array of characters such as Captain America,...
The trailer above was created by YouTube user whoiseyevan and here's what he had to say about it.
What if... the Avengers movie was created years before the actual comic book?
Lost in the annals of time and space, comes this magnificent motion picture of epic proportions. Taking a page from such horror classics as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and "House of Frankenstein," Timely Atlas Studios (the precursor to Marvel Studios), created the first superhero movie team-up. "The Avengers" featured an awesome array of characters such as Captain America,...
- 8/10/2010
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
The great folks at Code Red DVD are at it once again digging up hard-to-find blasts from the past to give the digital treatment to. Two of the latest drive-in favorites getting the special edition treatment via Code Red are the el cheapo 1974 cult fave Horror High (Aka Twisted Brain) and the 1973 survival thriller Terminal Island.
First out of the gate on August 10th will be a brand new 16x9 (1.85:1) print of Horror High mastered from HiDef from the original 35mm dupe negatives from Crown International's vault. This marks the first time the film has ever been released uncut on home video.
A series of grisly murders wreaks havoc at a small Texas high school! A no-nonsense cop is assigned to find out the identity of the mad devious killer who roams the corridors of the high school. A mild mannered student has been drinking a mysterious potion that turns himself into Vernon,...
First out of the gate on August 10th will be a brand new 16x9 (1.85:1) print of Horror High mastered from HiDef from the original 35mm dupe negatives from Crown International's vault. This marks the first time the film has ever been released uncut on home video.
A series of grisly murders wreaks havoc at a small Texas high school! A no-nonsense cop is assigned to find out the identity of the mad devious killer who roams the corridors of the high school. A mild mannered student has been drinking a mysterious potion that turns himself into Vernon,...
- 7/9/2010
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
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