The same season that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson took it virtually upon themselves to help save Turner Classic Movies following a series of layoffs that was pointing to what could have been its demise, the trio are showing just how hands-on they’ll be. For September, the trio has each compiled a list of recommendations that will air on TCM throughout the month. From melodramas and film noirs to tantalizing tales and giant ants, let’s see what Spielberg, Scorsese and PTA have to recommend.
Steven Spielberg’s September TCM picks are: Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life (1959), the sci-fi monster movie Them! (1954), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956), and two Vincente Minnelli films, musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).
Martin Scorsese went a bit more obscure for his TCM picks, selecting British drama Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), pre-code...
Steven Spielberg’s September TCM picks are: Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life (1959), the sci-fi monster movie Them! (1954), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956), and two Vincente Minnelli films, musical Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).
Martin Scorsese went a bit more obscure for his TCM picks, selecting British drama Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), pre-code...
- 9/4/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Following David Zaslav’s despicable gutting of Turner Classic Movies earlier this summer––one of many anti-art maneuvers the money-hungry Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president has commandeered in his embarrassing, hopefully short-lived tenure––he hoped to curry some favor by bringing together the holy trinity of filmmakers to guide the future of the channel. Now, after a few weeks on the job of “network advisors,” Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson have shared their picks of what to see on the channel this month.
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
The first two mentioned filmmakers provided videos of their recommendations, with the Killers of the Flower Moon director recommending the Boris Karloff-led Isle of the Dead, Two Sisters from Boston, Victor Fleming’s melodrama Red Dust, and Joseph Losey’s Accident.
Spielberg recommends a pair of Vincente Minnelli films, Meet Me in St. Louis and The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas Sirk’s Imitation of Life,...
- 9/4/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It's been a long road, getting from there to here.
One might recall in June of 2023, it was announced that several key executives and programmers at Turner Classic Movies were callously canned by the new management at their parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. For many, this was tantamount to nixing TCM altogether. CEO David Zaslav made this decision at the end of a string of bad decisions that made him look like the film world's most callous villain. After the weird rebranding of HBO Max to merely Max, it was starting to look like Zaslav didn't give a damn about film history.
It certainly looked that way to Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson, three lovers of vintage film and advocates for the preservation of classics. The trio famously called Zaslav to appeal for the retaining of TCM and the re-hiring of some of their old staff. A...
One might recall in June of 2023, it was announced that several key executives and programmers at Turner Classic Movies were callously canned by the new management at their parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. For many, this was tantamount to nixing TCM altogether. CEO David Zaslav made this decision at the end of a string of bad decisions that made him look like the film world's most callous villain. After the weird rebranding of HBO Max to merely Max, it was starting to look like Zaslav didn't give a damn about film history.
It certainly looked that way to Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson, three lovers of vintage film and advocates for the preservation of classics. The trio famously called Zaslav to appeal for the retaining of TCM and the re-hiring of some of their old staff. A...
- 9/2/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The Criterion Channel has unveiled their lineup for next month and it’s another strong slate, featuring retrospectives of Carole Lombard, John Waters, Robert Downey Sr., Luis García Berlanga, Jane Russell, and Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Also in the lineup is new additions to their Queersighted series, notably Todd Haynes’ early film Poison (Safe is also premiering in a separate presentation), William Friedkin’s Cruising, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorama.
The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.
See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.
#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014
12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957
About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985
The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986
The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953
Aya of Yop City,...
The new restorations of Manoel de Oliveira’s stunning Francisca and Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli will join the channel, alongside Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor, Bong Joon Ho’s early short film Incoherence, and Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Rosetta.
See the lineup below and explore more on criterionchannel.com.
#Blackmendream, Shikeith, 2014
12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, 1957
About Tap, George T. Nierenberg, 1985
The AIDS Show, Peter Adair and Rob Epstein, 1986
The Assignation, Curtis Harrington, 1953
Aya of Yop City,...
- 5/24/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Writer, producer, director Lee Daniels discusses some of his favorite films with Josh & Joe.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Infested (2002)
Shadowboxer (2005)
The United States Vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
A Star Is Born (1937)
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
Island In The Sun (1957)
Carmen Jones (1954)
Claudine (1974)
Mandingo (1975)
Drum (1976)
Caligula (1979)
Gloria (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Abby (1974)
Blacula (1972)
Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
Cabaret (1972)
Lenny (1974)
Sounder (1972)
All That Jazz (1979)
I Am A Camera (1955)
Travels With My Aunt (1972)
The Emigrants (1971)
Star 80 (1983)
Harold And Maude (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
In The Mood For Love (2000)
Leave Her To Heaven (1945)
Laura (1944)
Dragonwyck (1946)
The Baron of Arizona (1950)
His Kind of Woman (1951)
Explorers (1985)
Innerspace (1987)
Jack Reacher (2012)
Them (1954)
Revenge of the Creature (1955)
Tarantula! (1955)
Coogan’s Bluff (1968)
Going In Style (1979)
Going In Style (2017)
Judas And The Black Messiah (2021)
Stroszek (1977)
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Infested (2002)
Shadowboxer (2005)
The United States Vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
A Star Is Born (1937)
Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
Island In The Sun (1957)
Carmen Jones (1954)
Claudine (1974)
Mandingo (1975)
Drum (1976)
Caligula (1979)
Gloria (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Abby (1974)
Blacula (1972)
Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
Cabaret (1972)
Lenny (1974)
Sounder (1972)
All That Jazz (1979)
I Am A Camera (1955)
Travels With My Aunt (1972)
The Emigrants (1971)
Star 80 (1983)
Harold And Maude (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Pickup On South Street (1953)
In The Mood For Love (2000)
Leave Her To Heaven (1945)
Laura (1944)
Dragonwyck (1946)
The Baron of Arizona (1950)
His Kind of Woman (1951)
Explorers (1985)
Innerspace (1987)
Jack Reacher (2012)
Them (1954)
Revenge of the Creature (1955)
Tarantula! (1955)
Coogan’s Bluff (1968)
Going In Style (1979)
Going In Style (2017)
Judas And The Black Messiah (2021)
Stroszek (1977)
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams...
- 3/2/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Howard Hughes movies (photo: Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in 'The Aviator') Turner Classic Movies will be showing the Howard Hughes-produced, John Farrow-directed, Baja California-set gangster drama His Kind of Woman, starring Robert Mitchum, Hughes discovery Jane Russell, and Vincent Price, at 3 a.m. Pt / 6 a.m. Et on Saturday, November 8, 2014. Hughes produced a couple of dozen movies. (More on that below.) But what about "Howard Hughes movies"? Or rather, movies -- whether big-screen or made-for-television efforts -- featuring the visionary, eccentric, hypochondriac, compulsive-obsessive, all-American billionaire as a character? Besides Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a dashing if somewhat unbalanced Hughes in Martin Scorsese's 2004 Best Picture Academy Award-nominated The Aviator, other actors who have played Howard Hughes on film include the following: Tommy Lee Jones in William A. Graham's television movie The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977), with Lee Purcell as silent film star Billie Dove, Tovah Feldshuh as Katharine Hepburn,...
- 11/6/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
TCM devotes Thursday nights in October to Vincent Price, the versatile actor whose career lasted more than five decades and extended far beyond the horror films for which he was best known.
The chronological lineup includes such classics as The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), The Three Musketeers (1948) and While the City Sleeps (1956).
And on Oct. 23 and Oct. 31, Price’s talents in the horror genre are on full display in 17 films, just in time for Halloween.
Thursday, Oct. 3
8 p.m. – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
10 p.m. – Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Midnight – The Keys of the Kingdom (1945)
2:30 a.m. – The Three Musketeers (1948)
5:15 a.m. – The Bribe (1949)
7 a.m. – The Long Night (1947)
Thursday, Oct. 10
8 p.m. – The Baron of Arizona (1950)
9:45 p.m. – His Kind of Woman (1951)
Midnight – The Las Vegas Story (1952)
1:30 a.m. – Dangerous Mission (1954)
3 a.m. – Son of Sinbad (1955)
4:45 a.m. – Serenade (1956)
Thursday,...
The chronological lineup includes such classics as The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), The Three Musketeers (1948) and While the City Sleeps (1956).
And on Oct. 23 and Oct. 31, Price’s talents in the horror genre are on full display in 17 films, just in time for Halloween.
Thursday, Oct. 3
8 p.m. – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
10 p.m. – Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Midnight – The Keys of the Kingdom (1945)
2:30 a.m. – The Three Musketeers (1948)
5:15 a.m. – The Bribe (1949)
7 a.m. – The Long Night (1947)
Thursday, Oct. 10
8 p.m. – The Baron of Arizona (1950)
9:45 p.m. – His Kind of Woman (1951)
Midnight – The Las Vegas Story (1952)
1:30 a.m. – Dangerous Mission (1954)
3 a.m. – Son of Sinbad (1955)
4:45 a.m. – Serenade (1956)
Thursday,...
- 10/3/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
His Kind of Woman!
Directed by John Farrow
Written by Frank Fenton, Jack Leonard
U.S.A., 1951
John Farrow’s His Kind of Woman! has it all, and so, so much more. Sometimes the best entries in a film genre or series are the ones that need to add different ingredients to spice things up a little bit. Certain conventions must be adhered to, but the development of some less expected qualities may prove to be much welcomed additions. With a movie that tries to be so big, brilliant and perfect, it is small wonder that the famous Howard Hughes filled the role of producer. What we end up with is a hybrid between a traditional film noir entry and something out of left field.
The story evolves slowly, with a strong sense of mystery hanging around as to the real objectives until the final lap. Better still, Farrow reveals...
Directed by John Farrow
Written by Frank Fenton, Jack Leonard
U.S.A., 1951
John Farrow’s His Kind of Woman! has it all, and so, so much more. Sometimes the best entries in a film genre or series are the ones that need to add different ingredients to spice things up a little bit. Certain conventions must be adhered to, but the development of some less expected qualities may prove to be much welcomed additions. With a movie that tries to be so big, brilliant and perfect, it is small wonder that the famous Howard Hughes filled the role of producer. What we end up with is a hybrid between a traditional film noir entry and something out of left field.
The story evolves slowly, with a strong sense of mystery hanging around as to the real objectives until the final lap. Better still, Farrow reveals...
- 4/6/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Where Danger Lives
Directed by John Farrow
Screenplay by Charles Bennett
U.S.A., 1950
Infatuation is a funny thing. On the spur of the moment, its symptoms exude nothing less than immeasurable positivity. One’s attraction to particular individual feels good, feels right, feels like it must be satisfied. Despite however powerful its hold may be, everyone arrives at the conclusion that infatuation and love are not one and the same. Love is lasting, whereas infatuation, even if it holds the possibility of evolving into something deeper, is a short term effect. That does not prevent people from acting out on it, convinced that it is in fact love guiding them. In some cases, regret is all that follows. Robert Mitchum is unfortunate enough to experience that first hand in the 1950 film, Where Danger Lives.
San Franciscan doctor Jeff Cameron (Robert Mitchum) has been working some long, long hours. Just...
Directed by John Farrow
Screenplay by Charles Bennett
U.S.A., 1950
Infatuation is a funny thing. On the spur of the moment, its symptoms exude nothing less than immeasurable positivity. One’s attraction to particular individual feels good, feels right, feels like it must be satisfied. Despite however powerful its hold may be, everyone arrives at the conclusion that infatuation and love are not one and the same. Love is lasting, whereas infatuation, even if it holds the possibility of evolving into something deeper, is a short term effect. That does not prevent people from acting out on it, convinced that it is in fact love guiding them. In some cases, regret is all that follows. Robert Mitchum is unfortunate enough to experience that first hand in the 1950 film, Where Danger Lives.
San Franciscan doctor Jeff Cameron (Robert Mitchum) has been working some long, long hours. Just...
- 2/17/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
[Premiere Screening: Monday, January 23 Noon –Temple Theatre, Park City]
I am a filmmaker because as a young man much of my time was spent watching a television show titled The Million Dollar Movie. It was broadcast on the local station Wor Channel 9. They happen to own the Rko Pictures film catalogue and they would show a film all week. The one film that I saw many times that had a tremendous impression on me was Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. So watching that show every week and seeing that film and others such as Gunga Din, Fort Apache, His Kind of Woman shaped much of my filmic sensibility. From that point in my life to now I love watching movies all types of moves. My palette has expanded to include not only American films but also foreign films, not only narrative films but also documentaries and experimental films. I love films, great ones, mediocre ones and even bad ones. I...
I am a filmmaker because as a young man much of my time was spent watching a television show titled The Million Dollar Movie. It was broadcast on the local station Wor Channel 9. They happen to own the Rko Pictures film catalogue and they would show a film all week. The one film that I saw many times that had a tremendous impression on me was Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. So watching that show every week and seeing that film and others such as Gunga Din, Fort Apache, His Kind of Woman shaped much of my filmic sensibility. From that point in my life to now I love watching movies all types of moves. My palette has expanded to include not only American films but also foreign films, not only narrative films but also documentaries and experimental films. I love films, great ones, mediocre ones and even bad ones. I...
- 1/19/2012
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
"Sidney Lumet, a director who preferred the streets of New York to the back lots of Hollywood and whose stories of conscience — 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict, Network — became modern American film classics, died Saturday morning at his home in Manhattan. He was 86." Robert Berkvist in the New York Times: "'While the goal of all movies is to entertain,' Mr Lumet once wrote, 'the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing.' Social issues set his own mental juices flowing, and his best films not only probed the consequences of prejudice, corruption and betrayal but also celebrated individual acts of courage."
"Nearly all the characters in Lumet's gallery are driven by obsessions or passions that range from the pursuit of justice,...
"Nearly all the characters in Lumet's gallery are driven by obsessions or passions that range from the pursuit of justice,...
- 4/18/2011
- MUBI
When Jane Russell died at home earlier this week at the age of 89 from respiratory failure, it was the passing of a Hollywood myth. Not a legend, but a myth, for the Jane Russell we remember, the images of Jane Russell we carry in our heads, were wholly Hollywood magic: making us believe in something that wasn’t really there. Consider: Russell’s obits all use the same words — “sex symbol,” “provocative,” “sensual,” “pinup girl.” For the viewing public, she was all these things, and that was Hollywood smoke-and-mirrors at its best, for the woman behind the image that steamed up camera lenses and burned through movie screens and left many an American male tossing and turning restlessly in his bed after a night at the movies was, in the end – as they used to say in her day – a good girl.
Without taking anything away from her, that she...
Without taking anything away from her, that she...
- 3/2/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Voluptuous star of The Outlaw and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
The actor Jane Russell, who has died aged 89, was among the most desired women of the 20th century. She had great erotic force and great likability. Russell made just over 20 films, but only a handful of those are remembered: her first film, The Outlaw (1943); the comedy western The Paleface (1948), with Bob Hope; and the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), co-starring Marilyn Monroe.
The Outlaw, produced by Howard Hughes, was famously promoted with a series of publicity stills showing Russell lying in the hay, and bending down to pick up bales. The experience made her savvy about the vulgarity of the film industry. Her breasts were less covered and more fetishised, lit, photographed, designed and dreamed about than any woman's in the cinema had been until that time. Hughes even designed a special bra for her to wear in the film (although she...
The actor Jane Russell, who has died aged 89, was among the most desired women of the 20th century. She had great erotic force and great likability. Russell made just over 20 films, but only a handful of those are remembered: her first film, The Outlaw (1943); the comedy western The Paleface (1948), with Bob Hope; and the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), co-starring Marilyn Monroe.
The Outlaw, produced by Howard Hughes, was famously promoted with a series of publicity stills showing Russell lying in the hay, and bending down to pick up bales. The experience made her savvy about the vulgarity of the film industry. Her breasts were less covered and more fetishised, lit, photographed, designed and dreamed about than any woman's in the cinema had been until that time. Hughes even designed a special bra for her to wear in the film (although she...
- 3/2/2011
- by Mark Cousins
- The Guardian - Film News
Jane Russell, the Hollywood silver-screen siren who ignited a tinder box with Howard Hughes’ bosom-heaving 1943 western The Outlaw, died on Monday at age 89. But the legacy she leaves behind will always be more than just the sum of her ample parts. The raven-haired beauty was only 19 and working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office when the notorious ladies’ man Hughes spotted her and cast her as Rio MacDonald, the smoldering girlfriend of Sheriff Pat Garrett, in The Outlaw. Overnight, she was catapulted from obscurity to infamy, thanks to the movie’s poster, which featured Russell reclining suggestively on a haystack,...
- 3/1/2011
- by Chris Nashawaty
- EW.com - PopWatch
Yesterday brought the unexpected passing of director and producer Gary Winick, and today more sad news starts off our morning. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Golden Age actress Jane Russell has passed away at age 89. Her family revealed the historical actress died due to resporatory failure sometime on Monday. The sexy and busty beauty got her start as an actress when Howard Hughes gave her the chance of a lifetime with a role in The Outlaw. But before the movie was even released, Russell found herself gaining fame and affection as pictures of her in sexy costumes and swimsuits made her a favorite pin-up girl. Though Hughes' film had trouble getting passed censors, the film still helped make her a star. Hughes paid special attention to the actress and lined her up in several films at Rko (which Hughes acquired and attempted to revamp himself) which included His Kind of Woman,...
- 3/1/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
We look back at Jane Russell's movie career, from The Outlaw through Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to her late-60s cameos
As a 20-year-old and the object of Howard Hughes's attentions, Jane Russell was force-fed into a series of low-cut dresses for The Outlaw (1943).
She plays Doc Holliday's girl Rio, who falls in love with a wounded Billy the Kid when he hides out with her, on the run from Pat Garrett. Not remotely historically accurate, this blood-heat western is best remembered for the censorship squabbles over exactly how far Russell was allowed to lean over while tenderly ministering to the Kid. Hughes's legendary underwired cantilevered brassiere was designed during the shooting of the film, but Russell denied she ever wore it.
The Paleface (1948) was a real change of pace: a comedy western with Bob Hope as the useless dentist Peter Potter, who plays husband to Russell's deep-cover Calamity Jane.
As a 20-year-old and the object of Howard Hughes's attentions, Jane Russell was force-fed into a series of low-cut dresses for The Outlaw (1943).
She plays Doc Holliday's girl Rio, who falls in love with a wounded Billy the Kid when he hides out with her, on the run from Pat Garrett. Not remotely historically accurate, this blood-heat western is best remembered for the censorship squabbles over exactly how far Russell was allowed to lean over while tenderly ministering to the Kid. Hughes's legendary underwired cantilevered brassiere was designed during the shooting of the film, but Russell denied she ever wore it.
The Paleface (1948) was a real change of pace: a comedy western with Bob Hope as the useless dentist Peter Potter, who plays husband to Russell's deep-cover Calamity Jane.
- 3/1/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Jane Russell, the star of classic movies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Outlaw, has died aged 89. The actress rose to fame in the early 1940s with Howard Hughes’ Western The Outlaw, and went on to appear in critically acclaimed movies The Paleface, His Kind Of Woman and Macao. But she quit acting at the end of the '60s and only made a handful of appearances after that. “Why did I quit movies?” mused Russell in 1999. “Because I was getting too old! You couldn’t go on acting in those years if you were an...
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- 3/1/2011
- by Josh Winning
- TotalFilm
Actress Jane Russell, best known for her films during the 1940s and 1950s, passed away from respiratory problems in her Santa Maria home Monday. She was 89 years old. Russell began her career as a celebrity sex symbol, first appearing in Howard Hughes' "The Outlaw." The 1943 release was famously the subject of a legal battle over exactly how much of Russell's cleavage could be displayed and not violate production code. From there, Russell's career blossomed with her turning in her most famous performance in Howard Hawk's "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" in 1953. Other notable roles of Russell's include "Double Dynamite" (with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra) and "His Kind of Woman" and "Macao" (both opposite Robert Mitchumm).
- 3/1/2011
- WorstPreviews.com
Actress Jane Russell, best known for her films during the 1940s and 1950s, passed away in her Santa Maria home Monday at the age of 89. Russell's daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield says the actress died of a respiratory-related illness.
Russell was discovered by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes who cast her in his sexy and controversial 1941 western The Outlaw. The 1943 release was famously the subject of a legal battle over exactly how much of the actress' cleavage could be displayed and not violate production code. Nevertheless, the film turned Russell into a star.
She went on to appear opposite such leading men as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, but perhaps her most famous role was opposite Marilyn Monroe in 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Other notable roles included Double Dynamite (with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra), His Kind of Woman and Macao (both opposite Robert Mitchum).
Russell was also the number one pin-up girl...
Russell was discovered by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes who cast her in his sexy and controversial 1941 western The Outlaw. The 1943 release was famously the subject of a legal battle over exactly how much of the actress' cleavage could be displayed and not violate production code. Nevertheless, the film turned Russell into a star.
She went on to appear opposite such leading men as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, but perhaps her most famous role was opposite Marilyn Monroe in 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Other notable roles included Double Dynamite (with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra), His Kind of Woman and Macao (both opposite Robert Mitchum).
Russell was also the number one pin-up girl...
- 3/1/2011
- CinemaSpy
Los Angeles — She was the voluptuous pin-up girl who set a million male hearts to pounding during World War II, the favorite movie star of a generation of young men long before she'd made a movie more than a handful of them had ever seen.
Such was the stunning beauty of Jane Russell, and the marketing skills of the man who discovered her, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.
Russell, surrounded by family members, died Monday at her home in the central coast city of Santa Maria. Her death from respiratory failure came 70 years after Hughes had put her on the path to stardom with his controversial Western "The Outlaw." She was 89.
Although she had all but abandoned Hollywood after the 1960s for a quieter life, her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield said Russell remained active until just a few weeks ago when her health began to fail. Until then she was active with her church,...
Such was the stunning beauty of Jane Russell, and the marketing skills of the man who discovered her, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.
Russell, surrounded by family members, died Monday at her home in the central coast city of Santa Maria. Her death from respiratory failure came 70 years after Hughes had put her on the path to stardom with his controversial Western "The Outlaw." She was 89.
Although she had all but abandoned Hollywood after the 1960s for a quieter life, her daughter-in-law Etta Waterfield said Russell remained active until just a few weeks ago when her health began to fail. Until then she was active with her church,...
- 3/1/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Jane Russell, the voluptuous actress known for her roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Outlaw along with her lifelong work as an advocate for adoption, passed away today in Santa Maria, CA. She was 89.
She was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell on June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota, the eldest of five children and the only daughter of Roy, an Army lieutenant and Geraldine, an actress. After her father's retirement from the Army and acceptance of a job in California, the family relocated to California's San Fernando Valley and eventually Burbank. She spent her teen years taking piano lessons (at her mother's insistence) and grew interested in theater, joining the drama club at Van Nuys High School and taking part in productions there. Her plan to become a designer after graduation was dashed after the death of her father, when she instead found a job as a secretary and receptionist in order to help support her family. At her mother's urging, she continued to hone her skills with training at stage director Max Reinhart's School of the Theatre, and made additional money working as model.
Her dramatic studies, combined with good fortune -- she was reportedly discovered while working at her receptionist job -- brought Jane to the attention of Howard Hughes, who signed her to a seven-year contract in 1940 after a protracted search for a woman to star in his next project, The Outlaw. The movie, which completed filming in February of 1941, was denied release because it violated the Hayes Office production codes for decency (they were unhappy with the display of Russell's cleavage). While Hughes and the Hayes Office negotiated cuts to the film, Russell was sent on an extensive tour to promote the unreleased picture; her tour, combined with provocative ads and photos promoting the film, put her on the national radar, and a limited release of the trimmed down film in 1943 (along with a wider release in 1946) made her a star. Also in 1943, Jane married Bob Waterfield, her high school sweetheart, who was the UCLA quarterback at the time and who would go on to become a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Cleveland Rams/Los Angeles Rams.
Jane's next film appearance was five years later, in 1946 with RKO's The Young Widow, which was the first time that she would be seen by most filmgoers, since The Outlaw was still tied up in Hayes Code violations. Her following films found her cast with some of the most popular leading men of the time -- Bob Hope in 1948's The Paleface; two incendiary pairings with Robert Mitchum (His Kind of Woman, Macao); co-starring with Victor Mature and Vincent Price in The Las Vegas Story, with Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx in 1951's Double Dynamite, and with Clark Gable and Robert Ryan in The Tall Men (1955).
However, it would be her co-starring role with another popular leading lady of time for which she would be most commonly remembered: as Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with rising star Marilyn Monroe. The pair, cast as two showgirl best friends sailing to Paris to find husbands, redefined the musical with their comedic, overtly sensual stylings and became real-life friends in the process.
As Jane continued to expand her film resume through the mid 1950s, she and her husband Bob continued to build their life together. Unable to have children of their own, they chose to adopt, bringing Tracy and Thomas in 1952, and Robert in 1956, into their family. The adoption struggles the couple faced inspired Jane to found the World Adoption International Fund, which assisted in simplifying the adoption process for over 50,000 families as well as lobbying for the passage of 1953's Federal Orphan Adoption Bill and 1980's Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act.
Jane's already-busy offscreen life included time spent building her musical career; beside her albums 'Let's Put Out the Lights' and 'Jane Russell' and singles recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra, she would also appear in her own solo nightclub act that toured around the world, and later formed a gospel group with Connie Haines and Beryl Davis that released a single that reached number 27 on the Billboard chart.
As her film roles became less notable - her last being in 1970's Darker Than Amber - Jane returned to the stage, where she appeared in both Broadway and regional productions, and also appeared in TV series The Yellow Rose and Hunter. Her marriage to Bob Waterfield ended in divorce in 1968; she was married twice more, to Roger Barrett (August-November 1968) and to John Calvin Peoples (from 1974 until his death in 1999).
She is survived by her children Tracy, Thomas and Robert.
She was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell on June 21, 1921 in Bemidji, Minnesota, the eldest of five children and the only daughter of Roy, an Army lieutenant and Geraldine, an actress. After her father's retirement from the Army and acceptance of a job in California, the family relocated to California's San Fernando Valley and eventually Burbank. She spent her teen years taking piano lessons (at her mother's insistence) and grew interested in theater, joining the drama club at Van Nuys High School and taking part in productions there. Her plan to become a designer after graduation was dashed after the death of her father, when she instead found a job as a secretary and receptionist in order to help support her family. At her mother's urging, she continued to hone her skills with training at stage director Max Reinhart's School of the Theatre, and made additional money working as model.
Her dramatic studies, combined with good fortune -- she was reportedly discovered while working at her receptionist job -- brought Jane to the attention of Howard Hughes, who signed her to a seven-year contract in 1940 after a protracted search for a woman to star in his next project, The Outlaw. The movie, which completed filming in February of 1941, was denied release because it violated the Hayes Office production codes for decency (they were unhappy with the display of Russell's cleavage). While Hughes and the Hayes Office negotiated cuts to the film, Russell was sent on an extensive tour to promote the unreleased picture; her tour, combined with provocative ads and photos promoting the film, put her on the national radar, and a limited release of the trimmed down film in 1943 (along with a wider release in 1946) made her a star. Also in 1943, Jane married Bob Waterfield, her high school sweetheart, who was the UCLA quarterback at the time and who would go on to become a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Cleveland Rams/Los Angeles Rams.
Jane's next film appearance was five years later, in 1946 with RKO's The Young Widow, which was the first time that she would be seen by most filmgoers, since The Outlaw was still tied up in Hayes Code violations. Her following films found her cast with some of the most popular leading men of the time -- Bob Hope in 1948's The Paleface; two incendiary pairings with Robert Mitchum (His Kind of Woman, Macao); co-starring with Victor Mature and Vincent Price in The Las Vegas Story, with Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx in 1951's Double Dynamite, and with Clark Gable and Robert Ryan in The Tall Men (1955).
However, it would be her co-starring role with another popular leading lady of time for which she would be most commonly remembered: as Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with rising star Marilyn Monroe. The pair, cast as two showgirl best friends sailing to Paris to find husbands, redefined the musical with their comedic, overtly sensual stylings and became real-life friends in the process.
As Jane continued to expand her film resume through the mid 1950s, she and her husband Bob continued to build their life together. Unable to have children of their own, they chose to adopt, bringing Tracy and Thomas in 1952, and Robert in 1956, into their family. The adoption struggles the couple faced inspired Jane to found the World Adoption International Fund, which assisted in simplifying the adoption process for over 50,000 families as well as lobbying for the passage of 1953's Federal Orphan Adoption Bill and 1980's Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act.
Jane's already-busy offscreen life included time spent building her musical career; beside her albums 'Let's Put Out the Lights' and 'Jane Russell' and singles recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra, she would also appear in her own solo nightclub act that toured around the world, and later formed a gospel group with Connie Haines and Beryl Davis that released a single that reached number 27 on the Billboard chart.
As her film roles became less notable - her last being in 1970's Darker Than Amber - Jane returned to the stage, where she appeared in both Broadway and regional productions, and also appeared in TV series The Yellow Rose and Hunter. Her marriage to Bob Waterfield ended in divorce in 1968; she was married twice more, to Roger Barrett (August-November 1968) and to John Calvin Peoples (from 1974 until his death in 1999).
She is survived by her children Tracy, Thomas and Robert.
- 3/1/2011
- by Heather Campbell
- IMDb News
Jane Russell has passed away at age 89, Ksby is, sadly, reporting today. Russell, a major Hollywood star of the 1940's and 50's, began her career as a celebrity sex symbol, first appearing in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw . The 1943 release was famously the subject of a legal battle over exactly how much of Russell's cleavage could be displayed and not violate production code. From there, Russell's career blossomed with her turning in her most famous performance in Howard Hawk's Gentleman Prefer Blondes in 1953. Other notable roles of Russell's include Double Dynamite (with Groucho Marx and Frank Sinatra) and His Kind of Woman and Macao (both opposite Robert Mitchumm). Russell is survived by three children, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
- 2/28/2011
- Comingsoon.net
The Night of the Hunter: Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
The Film
While researching the aspect ratio of Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955) on DVDBeaver.com, I noticed something rather telling in the review. In each DVDBeaver review, there are links to books related to the film. For instance, if you look at the review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), you'll find links to books on Kubrick. For the review of Night of the Hunter, DVDBeaver supplied a list of film noir book titles including Alain Silver's appropriately titled Film Noir, which features Hunter's antagonist Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) on the cover. Re-watching the film, I couldn't help but wonder what classified it as noir (for my classical noir retrospective, click here).
Sure, I can see on the surface where one might brand the film a noir. The film owes its aesthetic to German Expressionism, is shot in black and white,...
The Film
While researching the aspect ratio of Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955) on DVDBeaver.com, I noticed something rather telling in the review. In each DVDBeaver review, there are links to books related to the film. For instance, if you look at the review of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), you'll find links to books on Kubrick. For the review of Night of the Hunter, DVDBeaver supplied a list of film noir book titles including Alain Silver's appropriately titled Film Noir, which features Hunter's antagonist Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) on the cover. Re-watching the film, I couldn't help but wonder what classified it as noir (for my classical noir retrospective, click here).
Sure, I can see on the surface where one might brand the film a noir. The film owes its aesthetic to German Expressionism, is shot in black and white,...
- 11/17/2010
- by Drew Morton
The buddy cop sub-genre is always a hard task to nail as witnessed in Kevin Smith’s groan-inducing Cop Out. The key is getting two likeable leads that can play off each other and who can bring a balance to the predicaments that come their way. The best of the best in this department is Running Scared with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. Coming in a close second is Dead Heat, a film that not only has action and comedy, but one that adds horror in the form of the undead.
If Dan O’ Bannon directed Beverly Hills Cop it would look something like Mark Goldblatt’s directorial debut. Hardcore horror fans pushed aside the lighter side of cinema in the latter half of the 80′s, and in the wake of such arrogance pictures like Dead Heat were left out in the cold. I take movies for their face value,...
If Dan O’ Bannon directed Beverly Hills Cop it would look something like Mark Goldblatt’s directorial debut. Hardcore horror fans pushed aside the lighter side of cinema in the latter half of the 80′s, and in the wake of such arrogance pictures like Dead Heat were left out in the cold. I take movies for their face value,...
- 11/15/2010
- by Jason Bene
- Killer Films
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