Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Elaine Stritch Part 3

Where Is She Now?

Elaine Stritch was never one for the big screen, or the little screen, so a lot of her credits in those areas are limited. Since 2000, she has appeared in only 10 TV shows or movies. She made an appearance in two episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun as Martha Albright, her first in the 1997 episode Dick-In-Law, and her second in 2001 My Mother, My Dick. 2005 proved to be a “busy” year for Stritch. She would appear in a supporting role in the romantic comedy Monster-in-Law, starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda. She would also make an appearance in the John Turturro directed film, Romance & Cigarettes, but it was a very minor role.

But there is one show where she has become very well known to us all of a younger generation: 30 Rock. She plays the absolutely hilarious and wonderful Colleen Donaghy, the mother of Jack Donaghy. In fact, in 2007, Elaine Stritch won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the episode Hiatus. She would go on to be nominated again the next three years in a row. She is honestly one of the funniest characters in the show whenever she gets a chance to appear. I absolutely love her character and how much she is feared.

But while Stritch has been quiet in front of a camera, she still does her thing on stage. From November 7, 2001 to December 30, 2001, she had a one-woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty in New York’s Public Theater. The show was a summation of her life and career. It ran on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre from February 21, 2002 to May 27, 2002. And since 2005, Stritch has been performing a cabaret act at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City. It’s safe to say that she’s still got it. And for anyone who may miss Stritch, she will be lending her voice to the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman, which will be in theaters August 17, 2012.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Elaine Stritch Part 2

Known more for her work on the stage than on the big screen, Elaine Stritch was born February 2, 1925 to Mildred and George Stritch in Detroit, Michigan. Born into a wealthy family, Stritch had the opportunity to pursue her dream of acting and train at the Dramatic Workship of The New School in New York City. Several other students of the prestigious Dramatic Workshop were Bea Arthur, Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Rod Steiger, and Tennessee Williams.

Stritch made her stage debut in 1944, and in three short years was able to make her Broadway debut in the play Loco. 1947 would also mark her appearance in two other plays, Made in Heaven and the revue Angel in the Wings. As the years went on, her roles began to get bigger and better. While she was an understudy to Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam, she appeared in the revival of Pal Joey (1952). She would then star in the national tour of Call Me Madam, and was given a supporting role in the original production of William Inge’s Bus Stop.

It was in 1961, when Stritch starred in Noël Coward’s Sail Away, that she was “promoted over the title and given virtually all the best songs when it was reckoned that the leading lady … although excellent, was rather too operatic for a musical comedy.”(1) Throughout her time on the stage, Stritch became known as the singer with the brassy, powerful singing voice — and it wasn’t long before she became the toast of both Broadway and London’s West End.

When talking about Elaine Stritch, it’s essential to talk about her role in the British comedy series Two’s Company alongside Donald Sinden. Stritch played the role of Dorothy McNab, an American writer who lives in London and is famous for her sensationalist thriller novels. Sinder played the role of Robert, Dorothy’s English butler who disapproved of just about everything Dorothy did. The series thrived on the culture clash between these two characters. The show lasted from 1975 to 1979, and in total was nominated for four Britich Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA): 1977 for Best Comedy, 1979 for Best Comedy, Best Graphics (for the opening credits sequence) and Best Light Entertainment Performance for the two stars, Stritch and Sinden.

Stritch never appeared in many films, but when she did make an appearance, she always seemed to be a small, but integral part, of a very strong cast. Early on in her career, she appeared in the 1956 film Three Violent People, which starred Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter. She then co-starred with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones in the David O. Selznick remake of A Farewell to Arms. A year later, she appeared in The Perfect Furlough co-starring with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. But her best performance, in my opinion, was in the film Providence, directed by French filmmaker Alain Resnais.

(1) Source: http://books.google.com/books?id=iQyQNfaIKXwC&pg=PA126&dq=Coward+%22Sail+Away%22&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Coward%20%22Sail%20Away%22&f=false

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Elaine Stritch

Elaine Stritch

Prominent Roles

The Scarlet Hour (1956) as Phyllis Rycker
Three Violent People (1956) as Ruby Lasalle
A Farewell to Arms (1957) as Helen Ferguson
The Perfect Furlough (1958) as Liz Baker
Providence (1977) as Helen Wiener
Two’s Company (1975-1979) as Dorothy McNab
September (1987) as Diane
The Cosby Show (1989-1990) as Mrs. McGee
An Inconvenient Woman (1991) as Rose
Law & Order (1992/1997) as Lanie Stieglitz
Small Time Crooks (2000) as Chi Chi Potter
3rd Rock from the Sun (1997/2001) as Martha Albright
Monster-in-Law (2005) as Gertrude
30 Rock (2007-1012) as Colleen Donaghy
ParaNorman (2012) as Grandma

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Lee Part 3

Where Is He Now?

At this moment in time, Christoper Lee is 90 years old, and while he hasn’t been turning out movies like he used to, the fact he’s still acting is extremely impressive and exciting. It’s weird to say this about an actor who appeared in so much, but at the beginning of the 21st century, Lee had a resurgence in his career and has appeared in 22 films already. And in 2001, he appeared in the role that many modern day audiences would remember him for: Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings wasn’t the only recent series he would act in though! He was just getting started. He would appear in Star Wars Episodes II and III as Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus, and would lend his voice to the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars for the same character. What’s impressive about this role is that, while there is plenty of swordplay that takes place in the film, Lee claims to have done most of the swordplay himself. For this film, Lee would have been between the age of 80-85 roughly. That just shows his dedication to his acting and how hard he works. And that he is an ageless wizard.

Lee has always been a favorite actor of director Tim Burton, and because of this, Lee has appeared in five of Burton’s films since 1999. His first appearance was a small role in the film Sleepy Hollow, but this would lead to larger roles. He was given the role of Pastor Galswells in Corpse Bride, and then played a small role in Burton’s take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as the father of Willy Wonka, dentist Dr. Wilbur Wonka. He was also in the original cut of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street — as the spirit of Sweeney Todd’s victims called The Gentleman Ghost. The role however would end up being cut from the film because Burton felt that the songs from the part were too theatrical for film. Lee has appeared in Burton’s two most recent films, voicing the Jabberwocky in Alice in Wonderland and appearing in the adaptation of Dark Shadows as Clarney. He has also leant his voice to the most recent Tim Burton film, Frankenweenie, which will be released October 5th of this year.

Lee would end up appearing in the Oscar-Nominated film Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese as Monsieur Labisse. I remember when I first watched the film, I was unaware that he was in it — but once the camera cut to him, I just knew that it couldn’t have been anyone else. Speaking as someone who only truly knew him for his role as Saruman (and I’m sure I can speak for plenty of people in my generation) — Lee is so magnificent that when he appears on our screen today, we immediately know that this is Christopher Lee in front of our eyes.

Even though Lee reached the young age of 90 recently, he still isn’t stopping. In fact, he will be appearing in what may be two of the most successful films of all time within the next year and a half. Lee will be taking on the role of Saruman again in the Peter Jackson directed films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Being such a big fan of the Lord of the Rings franchise, I absolutely cannot wait and see what comes next. An Unexpected Journey will hit theaters December 14th, and it’s a guarantee that I will be there. There and Back Again will be in theaters December 13, 2013, and, again I will guarantee that I will be there.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Lee Part 2

One of the most respected actors of all time, Christopher Lee has been in the industry since 1946, and has performed roles in about 275 films, making him the Guinness World Record holder. Lee was born on May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, Westminster to Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee and Contessa Estelle Marie. His parents would separate when he was young, and he would live with his mother and sister in Switzerland. Lee would enroll in Miss Fisher’s Academy located in Wengen. His family would end up returning back to London, and Lee would attend Wagner’s private school. Afterwards, he would spend some time at Summer Fields School, and after being denied a scholarship for Eton, would wind up attending Wellington College.

It wasn’t until 1946 where Lee began his road to acting in films, when he signed a seven-year contract with the Rank Organisation, a British entertainment company. He would make his debut in the Gothic romance film Corridor of Mirrors, directed by Terrence Young, in 1947. He would also make uncredited appearances in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet in 1948 and John Huston’s Moulin Rouge in 1952. Lee would make his first film for Hammer in 1957, The Curse of Frankenstein, where he played Frankenstein’s Monster, while his close friend Peter Cushing would play the Baron. It was in 1958 where Lee would take on the character that would stick with him forver, when he played Dracula in a film of the same name for the same company. Peter Cushing would end up taking on the role of Doctor Van Helsing.

He would take on the role again in Dracula: Prince of Darkness in 1965. This particular performance is notable for the main reason that Lee has no lines and only hisses his way through the film. There are two sides of this story, the first being that Lee refused to speak the poor dialogue that he was given. The second being that screenwriter Jimmy Sangster claims there were no lines for Dracula at all. Lee and Cushing would end up appearing in 8 Dracula films that were produced by Hammer Films (he did appear in another Dracula film, but it was not associated with Hammer).

Breaking away from the Dracula-ness of Lee’s life, he has appeared in so many more films. Lee would appear in three seperate Sherlock Holmes films, playing Sir Henry Baskerville in The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1959 (alongside Peter Cushing, who played Holmes), then playing Sherlock Holmes himself in the 1962 film Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace, and finally in the Billy Wilder directed film, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in 1970.

It did seem like Hammer Films did own Lee’s life between the years of 1957 to 1977, as he would appear in numerous other films for them. But in 1973, he would appear in The Wicker Man, which he states is his personal favorite. Lee played the role of Lord Summerisle, and was so attracted to the role written by Anthony Shaffer, that he gave his services to the film for free. After this role, he completely left the horror genre for good. In 1974, Lee would end up becoming a James Bond villain, playing the role of assassin Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun. By the end of the 1970’s, Lee had already appeared in 137 different films, and would only appear in more as time went on.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

Prominent Roles
Corridor of Mirrors (1948) as Charles
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) as The Creature
Dracula (1958) as Count Dracula
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) as Sir Henry Baskerville
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) as Count Dracula
The Wicker Man (1973) as Lord Summerisle
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as Francisco Scaramanga
Jinnah (1998) as Mohammed Ali Jinnah
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) as Saruman
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) as Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) as Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus
Corpse Bride (2005) as Pastor Galswells
Hugo (2011) as Monsieur Labisse
Dark Shadows (2012) as Silas Clarney

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Tippi Hedren Part 3

Where Is She Now?

I’m going to be completely honest here, I only knew Tippi Hedren from her work with Hitchcock, so when I started looking into her most recent film appearances, I was surprised to see that she hadn’t been in any well-known movies recently.

She did have a role in the David O’Russell film, I Heart Huckabees in 2004, and she also made a guest appearance on CSI in 2008, but for the most part, her roles consisted of TV movies or relatively unknown movies. I’m happy to say, however, that this doesn’t signal an end for Tippi. She’ll be appearing in the Billy Bob Thornton film Jayne Mansfield’s Car. While there’s no official release date yet, it does seem rather exciting due to its all-star cast: Thornton, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, and John Hurt.

Hedren will also be appearing in the silent film, Return to Babylon, which revolves around the scandals that took place during the silent film era. The film will feature an ensemble cast including Jennifer Tilly as Clara Bow, Debi Mazar as Gloria Swanson, Maria Conchita Alonso as Lupe Velez, Brett Ashy as Fatty Arbuckle, and Stanley Sheff as Douglas Fairbanks, to name a few. Again, there hasn’t been any confirmed release date for this film either.

There are several movies in the pre-production stage for Tippi, but looking at the director and the cast, it’s hard to say what kind of impact they will have on her career. From the way I see it, it really seems like Hedren had a tough time picking up her career after she left the world of Hitchcock, but hopefully, with her two movies coming out later this year, she can make a comeback.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Tippi Hedren Part 2

“Tippi” wasn’t always her name. Born Nathalie Kay Hedren on January 19, 1930 to Dorothea and Bernard Hedren, she was given the nickname “Tippi” by her father — from the Swedish nickname, Tupsa, meaning ‘sweetheart’.  Growing up in Minnesota, Tippi had dreams of becoming a model. As a teen, she took part in department store fashion shows. While she was still in high school, her family relocated to California, and when she turned 18, she bought a ticket to head to the greatest city in the world: New York.

From 1950 to 1961, Hedren was a successful fashion model, appearing on the cover of many national magazines. But it was her role in a commercial that would change her life forever — Alfred Hitchcock was watching The Today Show, and in a commercial for a diet drink called Sego, saw Hedren.  After working with Grace Kelly, Hitchcock was looking for someone who possessed similar sophistication, self-assurance, and cool sex appeal, and he believed he had found that in Tippi.

After a costly $25,000 screen test, Hitchcock signed Hedren to a multi-year contract, his plan being to personally mold Hedren’s public image. Although Hitchcock may have been aiming to make Hedren the next Grace Kelly, Hedren had other ideas: she wanted to be known as the first Tippi Hedren.

The first, and most famous of Hedren’s films, would be The Birds. The film was met with extremely positive reviews, and would wind up being one of Hitchcock’s last successful films. Unfortunately, however, the relationship between Hitchcock and Hedren would slowly start to fall apart.

The next film that Hedren and Hitchcock collaborated on, and the last, was Marnie. The film was greeted with mixed reviews, but was Hedren’s favorite role between the two films. After Marnie, Hitchcock had several other roles in mind for Hedren, but she declined to work with Hitchcock anymore, apparently due to unwanted ‘advances’. Hitchcock kept her under contract, and when other directors expressed interest in casting her, informed them that she was unavailable. As Hitchcock wouldn’t allow Hedren to get out of her contract — Hedren could do nothing, and while doing nothing was paid a ‘small sum’ every week.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Tippi Hedren

Tippi Hedren

Prominent Roles
The Birds (1963) as Melanie Daniels
Marnie (1964) as Marnie Edgar
A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) as Martha
Roar (1981) as Madeline
Pacific Heights (1990) as Florence Peters
Citizen Ruth (1996) as Jessica Weiss
I Heart Huckabees (2004) as Mary Jane Hutchinson

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Hollywood’s Greatest: Then and Now – Michael Caine Part 3

Where Is He Now?

Nominated for an Oscar six times, winning it twice, Caine has settled down into more supporting roles over the past 10 years. Caine appeared in a couple of remakes of his older films, the first being the Stephen Kay-directed Get Carter with Sylvester Stallone starring in the lead role as Jack Carter this time (instead of Caine). The second would be the Kenneth Branagh adaptation of Sleuth, starring Jude Law in Caine’s previous role and Caine in the role originated by Laurence Olivier. Jude Law would end up starring in a remake of Caine’s Oscar-nominated film Alfie.

Now that we’re past the remakes, Caine would be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in the Phillip Noyce directed film, The Quiet American. In 2005, Caine would appear in the first of his films with director Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins. Since 2005, Caine has appeared in all four of Christopher Nolan’s films: Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception.

In 2006, Caine appeared in one of the most acclaimed films of the decade: Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. The film is considered the eleventh-greatest film of the 2000s (source:Metacritic). While playing a minor role, many critics praised Caine’s performance. And to be perfectly frank here, when I first watched the movie, I honestly had no idea that it was him. And when I found out it was him…I couldn’t believe it.

In 2011, Caine would lend his voice to two animated films: Gnomeo and Juliet (also featuring the voice of Maggie Smith), and Cars 2. In 2012, he already appeared in the action-adventure family film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans. Later this year, Caine will reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises. Caine will also be starring in the film Mr. Morgan’s Last Love, and will play a supporting role in Louis Leterrier’s magic/heist thriller Now You See Me. Caine has been busy over the past year, and I can just about guarantee that he won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

Josh Kaye for Classic Movie Hub

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