A Critic Turned Inside Out
I feel I owe it to you, my loyal readers, to apologize for not being able to review the major new releases like Pixar’s Inside Out. I’m afraid the viral infection that has attacked my system is still doing…
Gene Autry Rides Again—On Youtube
You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Gene Autry Entertainment: they never miss a trick. Autry was a savvy businessman who owned much of his vast output including movies, television shows, and decades of radio broadcasts. Having…
From A Brooklyn Basement to Yale University
I can’t help but wonder what Herb Graff would think about his 16mm film collection being donated to Yale University. He would certainly be proud, and pleased that his children made this possible. I also think he’d have a…
Warren William—On The Air
People who discover the provocative pre-Code movies made in the early 1930s inevitably become fans of leading man Warren William, an urbane actor (sometimes referred to as the poor man’s John Barrymore) who starred in so many memorable films…
Theodore Bikel: A Living Legend
Several weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting an onstage conversation with Theodore Bikel, one day after his 91st birthday, at American Jewish University here in Los Angeles. The University had just screened his documentary Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes…
Drawing—And Admiring—Mickey Mouse
When I was a kid my first ambition was to be a cartoonist.Walt Disney’s Magazine printed tips on how to draw his most famous characters, which always began with a perfect circle. I found this challenging, which is one…
From Cary Grant To Groucho: Captured In Caricature
I love caricatures and always have. This Wednesday, my friend Drew Friedman, one of today’s most inventive artists, is joining his gifted colleague Stephen Kroninger in presenting an illustrated lecture called “12 Legendary Caricaturists You’ve, (probably), Never Heard Of”…
