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The Reader's Page |
Arabella Speaks out…..
......Stop calling criminals “actors”!
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Warren Beatty steals cars, robs banks and even shoots people. But the cars are studio property,the banks are on movie sets, the bullets are not real and no one really dies. Warren Beatty isn’t a criminal….he just plays one on film. He is an actor! And acting has always been a legitimate profession.
But not on the evening news! Every night you hear criminals of every ilk discussed or paraded across the screen as “actors”. It must be galling to legitimate thespians to be coupled with all the carjackers, rapists and murderers of the world. Recently one local actor had to sit down and try to explain to his tearful 7-year-old son that Daddy was in no danger of being handcuffed and led away to jail. I suppose this could even happen to Warren Beatty.
And this disgrace is becoming even more pervasive. In my hometown a county council enacted a new law barring the health department from issuing new pollution permits to companies that have violated them in the past. And, hard to believe but true, they called it the “Bad Actor Law”!
PLEASE let us call criminals what they are…suspects, perpetrators or, better yet, pollution violators, thieves, kidnappers, rapists or murderers. Let the name fit the crime. They are not actors, they are crooks. Call them whatever else you want…
JUST DON’T CALL THEM ACTORS!
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The Golden Age of Film began way back in 1896 with the first two-reelers made by Edison and Eastman and ended with the demise of the studios and the studio star system in the late 1960’s. From silence to sound, legendary performers emerged to leave indelible marks in cinema history. Now most of them are gone and we must look to a whole new generation of stars and a new era of filmmaking for our legends of tomorrow. But who will measure up?
In 1923, Lon Chaney armed with just makeup, costume design, body language and sheer talent, made audiences believe he was really that “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and he did it without special effects or even the spoken word. Jane Wyman never uttered a sound in her Oscar-winning role as “Johnny Belinda” in 1948. Robert Montgomery shocked his fans by leaving the safety net of romantic comedy to portray a serial killer in “Night Must Fall” (1937), a character totally bereft of any redeeming qualities. James Cagney played gangsters, psychopaths and generally bad guys but had no trouble at all portraying song and dance man George M. Cohan in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in 1942. They were talented and versatile with no help from special effects and computer-generated monsters. Who will push that envelope today and become tomorrow’s legends? You choose!
To qualify for “Tomorrow’s Legends” the actor or actress must have careers beginning after 1950 with their body of work extending into the 1970’s and beyond. Performers working today are also eligible if they have at least 5 films in release.
Send us your choices and let us know how you arrived at your selection. And we will pass them on in our next issue with our new feature “Tomorrow’s Legends”.
e-mail us at….mamalion27@aol.com
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Ask Arabella... |
| From the “old gals” of Prescott, Arizona:
“Tell us something about Jack Kelly who played Jack the
co-pilot in “Julie” with Doris Day. He also was in “Maverick”
on television.” |
Dear “old gals”, You sound pretty “young at heart” to me. Jack Kelly was born in Astoria, NY on September 16th, 1927. He began his career at the tender age of two weeks as the Ivory Soap baby. The Kellys moved west when older sister Nancy left Broadway to play Tyrone Power’s love interest in “Jesse James” (1939). Just 12 years old, Jack made brief appearances in “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “The Story of Alexander Graham Bell” both in 1939. Although Jack made 45 films in all it was television that gave him the widest exposure. As James Garner’s younger brother in “Maverick” (1957-1962) and the police captain in “Get Christie Love” (1974-1975) with Teresa Graves, he became popular all over North America and parts of Europe. Jack married three times, two marriages ending in divorce. He and his third wife settled in Huntington Beach, California after his stint as host of NBC-TV’s “The Sale of the Century” . He held a city council seat there for 8 years. Jack died of a stroke on November 7th, 1992. |
| From Paul and Donna in Bentleyville, PA. “ We watched an old movie called “All That Heaven Allows” with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. The credits listed Gloria Talbott as the daughter but no mention of who played her beau, Freddy. We just know that was David Janssen. Was it? |
Yes, it was. Although he wasn’t credited, David Janssen did indeed play Freddie Norton. His voice gave him away immediately. “All That Heaven Allows” (1956) was David’s 15th film appearance but most of these were uncredited roles. Then, in 1963, he burst on the television screens as Richard Kimble, “The Fugitive”! When he had his fatal heart attack, Janssen was just starting “Damien: Leper Priest”. The footage had to be scrapped and the film reshot with Ken Howard in the title role. David Janssen was just 48 years old when he died. |
COMING ATTRACTIONS.....
Williamsburg Film Festival
March 11th-13th, 2004
"Honoring the Golden Age of Hollywood"
Holiday Inn - Patriot Convention Center
3032 Richmond Road,
Williamsburg , VA 23185
Williamsburg Film Festival
Memphis
Film Festival - June 17th-19th, 2004
"Meet Performers from Classic Movies and TV"
Memphis Film Festival - Festival Highlights
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Now Arabella
Asks... |
ARABELLA ASKS...
for your help to fight a world-wide health crisis....AIDS!
From now on on every page and in every issue,
you will see this little heart..reminding you to open yours!
