Der erste Trailer von Sean McNamaras Biopic über Ronald Reagan wurde veröffentlicht. In den US-Kinos startet der Film mit Dennis Quaid in der Titelrolle am 30. August.
Das Leben des 40. US-Präsidenten, Ronald Reagan, wurde von Sean McNamara in „Reagan“ verfilmt. Dennis Quaid spielt die Titelrolle. Jetzt gibt es den ersten Trailer. Mit Rückblenden in Reagans Kindheit in Dixon, Illinois nach Hollywood, wo er Schauspieler war, in die Politik und ins Weiße Haus, aus ärmlichen Verhältnissen zum Präsidenten, der American Dream par excellence. Zur weiteren Besetzung von „Reagan“ gehören Penelope Ann Miller als Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari als Reagans erste Frau Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down als Margaret Thatcher, David Henrie als jugendlicher Reagan und Kevin Dillon als Jack Warner. Ursprünglich sollte der Film im Jahr 2023 in die Kinos kommen, doch aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie und des Schauspielerstreiks kam es zu zahlreichen Verzögerungen. Für die Produktion zeichnet Rawhide Pictures verantwortlich.
Das Leben des 40. US-Präsidenten, Ronald Reagan, wurde von Sean McNamara in „Reagan“ verfilmt. Dennis Quaid spielt die Titelrolle. Jetzt gibt es den ersten Trailer. Mit Rückblenden in Reagans Kindheit in Dixon, Illinois nach Hollywood, wo er Schauspieler war, in die Politik und ins Weiße Haus, aus ärmlichen Verhältnissen zum Präsidenten, der American Dream par excellence. Zur weiteren Besetzung von „Reagan“ gehören Penelope Ann Miller als Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari als Reagans erste Frau Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down als Margaret Thatcher, David Henrie als jugendlicher Reagan und Kevin Dillon als Jack Warner. Ursprünglich sollte der Film im Jahr 2023 in die Kinos kommen, doch aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie und des Schauspielerstreiks kam es zu zahlreichen Verzögerungen. Für die Produktion zeichnet Rawhide Pictures verantwortlich.
- 5/25/2024
- by Barbara Schuster
- Spot - Media & Film
‘Reagan’ Trailer Features Dennis Quaid as the 40th U.S. President and His Journey to the White House
The trailer for Reagan features Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan and his journey from childhood to the White House.
The new footage from the Sean McNamara-directed biopic on the 40th President of the United States was released on Thursday.
“From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, Reagan is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds,” the film’s synopsis reads. “Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former Kgb agent who followed Reagan’s ascent, Reagan captures the indomitable spirit of the American dream.”
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the trailer kicks off with Quaid, who portrays Reagan as an older man, saying, “There’s nothing a retired governor can do but a president, now he can do a thing or two.”
The film includes major events throughout Reagan’s life, including confrontations with childhood bullies,...
The new footage from the Sean McNamara-directed biopic on the 40th President of the United States was released on Thursday.
“From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, Reagan is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds,” the film’s synopsis reads. “Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former Kgb agent who followed Reagan’s ascent, Reagan captures the indomitable spirit of the American dream.”
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the trailer kicks off with Quaid, who portrays Reagan as an older man, saying, “There’s nothing a retired governor can do but a president, now he can do a thing or two.”
The film includes major events throughout Reagan’s life, including confrontations with childhood bullies,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Sean McNamara‘s Reagan, the first full-length feature on the 40th U.S. president, is out with its first trailer.
A biopic starring Dennis Quaid and set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the film follows Reagan’s journey from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to Hollywood, and then on to the White House. It begins with an aging Petrovich (Jon Voight), now 90 years old, being visited by an up-and-coming Russian leader who wants to know how the Soviet Union was lost.
Petrovich, the spy who knows everything there is to know about Reagan, begins recounting the tale of his adversary: the man he mockingly nicknamed “The Crusader,” beginning in 1922, when 11-year-old Ronald Reagan faces his first life crisis.
Additional cast for Reagan includes Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, David Henrie as teenage Reagan,...
A biopic starring Dennis Quaid and set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the film follows Reagan’s journey from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, to Hollywood, and then on to the White House. It begins with an aging Petrovich (Jon Voight), now 90 years old, being visited by an up-and-coming Russian leader who wants to know how the Soviet Union was lost.
Petrovich, the spy who knows everything there is to know about Reagan, begins recounting the tale of his adversary: the man he mockingly nicknamed “The Crusader,” beginning in 1922, when 11-year-old Ronald Reagan faces his first life crisis.
Additional cast for Reagan includes Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, David Henrie as teenage Reagan,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Dennis Quaid is an icon, according to CinemaCon.
The annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners has zeroed in on the veteran star to receive this year’s Cinema Icon Award. Quaid will be honored during the Big Screen Achievement Awards, hosted by official presenting sponsor the Coca-Cola Company inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11. The ceremony will also see trophies handed out to Amy Poehler (vanguard award), Lupita Nyong’o (star of the year), Shawn Levy (director of the year), Joseph Quinn (breakthrough performer of the year award) and Dan Stevens (excellence in acting award).
“From compelling dramas to exhilarating thrillers, Dennis Quaid’s remarkable career is a testament to his talent and versatility as an actor,” said Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon. “His ability to embody diverse characters has captivated audiences for decades with his dedication to crafting authentic portrayals. He is truly a Hollywood icon.
The annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners has zeroed in on the veteran star to receive this year’s Cinema Icon Award. Quaid will be honored during the Big Screen Achievement Awards, hosted by official presenting sponsor the Coca-Cola Company inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11. The ceremony will also see trophies handed out to Amy Poehler (vanguard award), Lupita Nyong’o (star of the year), Shawn Levy (director of the year), Joseph Quinn (breakthrough performer of the year award) and Dan Stevens (excellence in acting award).
“From compelling dramas to exhilarating thrillers, Dennis Quaid’s remarkable career is a testament to his talent and versatility as an actor,” said Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon. “His ability to embody diverse characters has captivated audiences for decades with his dedication to crafting authentic portrayals. He is truly a Hollywood icon.
- 3/28/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Director Sean McNamara’s Reagan, the first full-length feature on the 40th U.S. President, starring Dennis Quaid, has been picked up for North American distribution by ShowBiz Direct.
This will be the debut release from the recently launched studio which is led by exhibition veteran Kevin Mitchell, former Lionsgate distribution president Richie Fay, and the former co-president of Open Road distribution, Scott Kennedy. Pic is slated to hit theaters on August 30.
A biopic set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the film follows Reagan’s journey from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois to Hollywood and on to the White House. It begins with an aging Petrovich (Jon Voight), now 90 years old, being visited by an up-and-coming Russian leader who wants to know how the Soviet Union was lost. Petrovich, the spy who knows everything there is to know about Reagan, begins recounting the tale of his adversary:...
This will be the debut release from the recently launched studio which is led by exhibition veteran Kevin Mitchell, former Lionsgate distribution president Richie Fay, and the former co-president of Open Road distribution, Scott Kennedy. Pic is slated to hit theaters on August 30.
A biopic set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the film follows Reagan’s journey from his childhood in Dixon, Illinois to Hollywood and on to the White House. It begins with an aging Petrovich (Jon Voight), now 90 years old, being visited by an up-and-coming Russian leader who wants to know how the Soviet Union was lost. Petrovich, the spy who knows everything there is to know about Reagan, begins recounting the tale of his adversary:...
- 3/26/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“That movie was the President’s idea, not mine, but it was a demand, not a suggestion.”
The speaker was Jack Warner in a 1947 foreshadowing of his Donald Trumpian style. I recalled his remarks this week as I drove onto the Warner Bros lot, the fabled arena where Warner long reigned.
In his heyday, Warner was a Trump pre-clone in terms of temperament and rhetoric – a man who boasted about his mental acuity yet, to Hollywood’s power players, seemed occasionally unhinged.
I was visiting Warner Bros this week to spend some time with David Zaslav, a figure who, in temperament and politics, is the mirror opposite of Warner but whose empire is nonetheless a product of Warner’s erratic vision. Some believe that Zaslav’s studio – Hollywood in general – might still glean some insight from its founder’s idiosyncrasies.
A career maverick, Warner promoted gangster movies like Public Enemy...
The speaker was Jack Warner in a 1947 foreshadowing of his Donald Trumpian style. I recalled his remarks this week as I drove onto the Warner Bros lot, the fabled arena where Warner long reigned.
In his heyday, Warner was a Trump pre-clone in terms of temperament and rhetoric – a man who boasted about his mental acuity yet, to Hollywood’s power players, seemed occasionally unhinged.
I was visiting Warner Bros this week to spend some time with David Zaslav, a figure who, in temperament and politics, is the mirror opposite of Warner but whose empire is nonetheless a product of Warner’s erratic vision. Some believe that Zaslav’s studio – Hollywood in general – might still glean some insight from its founder’s idiosyncrasies.
A career maverick, Warner promoted gangster movies like Public Enemy...
- 3/7/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Jack Warner had been shouldering in on credit from one of his studio’s top producers. At least that’s what Hal Wallis may have told you after the 1944 Academy Awards when Jack Warner accepted the Casablanca Oscar that some felt should have been palmed by Wallis, the Warner Bros. film’s producer. But who should accept the best picture award? Today it’s the producers, but during Hollywood’s Golden Age it was sometimes the producer, sometimes the studio chief.
Wallis had been with the company for many years, first joining the studio in 1923, their first year of incorporation. Soon, Wallis was managing essential Warner films such as Little Caesar (1931), The Petrified Forest (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937), Dark Victory (1939), Sergeant York (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and, of course, Casablanca (1942). Despite being released in late 1942, Casablanca didn’t go into wide release until early 1943 and wasn’t...
Wallis had been with the company for many years, first joining the studio in 1923, their first year of incorporation. Soon, Wallis was managing essential Warner films such as Little Caesar (1931), The Petrified Forest (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937), Dark Victory (1939), Sergeant York (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and, of course, Casablanca (1942). Despite being released in late 1942, Casablanca didn’t go into wide release until early 1943 and wasn’t...
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The Locher Room” will welcome the latest Mr. and Mrs. Eric Forrester when host Alan Locher is joined by “The Bold and the Beautiful” stars Jennifer Gareis and John McCook on the Friday, March 1 episode of the popular YouTube series.
Earlier this month, Donna Logan (Gareis) finally wed her long-time partner, Eric Forrester (McCook), in a private ceremony at the Forrester estate, surrounded by their closest loved ones. To celebrate their happy union, portrayers Gareis and McCook will talk about the long road that finally led their characters to the alter, what’s next for the couple, and the bond they share as co-stars on the world’s most-watched daily daytime drama series.
John McCook is one of two original cast members remaining on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” having portrayed Forrester patriarch Eric Forrester since the show debuted on March 23, 1987. In 2022, McCook won his first Daytime Emmy Award for...
Earlier this month, Donna Logan (Gareis) finally wed her long-time partner, Eric Forrester (McCook), in a private ceremony at the Forrester estate, surrounded by their closest loved ones. To celebrate their happy union, portrayers Gareis and McCook will talk about the long road that finally led their characters to the alter, what’s next for the couple, and the bond they share as co-stars on the world’s most-watched daily daytime drama series.
John McCook is one of two original cast members remaining on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” having portrayed Forrester patriarch Eric Forrester since the show debuted on March 23, 1987. In 2022, McCook won his first Daytime Emmy Award for...
- 2/29/2024
- by Errol Lewis
- Soap Opera Network
In 1965, Martin Scorsese was 22 and surrounded by legends when he won the Jesse L. Laskey Intercollegiate Award at the Milestone Awards dinner hosted by the then-called Screen Producers Guild on March 8, 1965. Now, almost 60 years later, the filmmaker received the David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the 2024 PGA Awards in what he called a “full-circle” moment.
Guillermo del Toro introduced the Killers of the Flower Moon director and producer at Sunday’s award show, calling him an “indispensable titan.” When Scorsese, now 81, took the stage, he started to tell the story of the 1965 awards show and how he kissed German actress Elke Sommer on stage.
“On the stage, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Jack Benny, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner and Norman Lear, Lew Wasserman, Julie Stein, Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Janel Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Elke Sommer and David O. Selznick,” said Scorsese. “They were the people on the dais at...
Guillermo del Toro introduced the Killers of the Flower Moon director and producer at Sunday’s award show, calling him an “indispensable titan.” When Scorsese, now 81, took the stage, he started to tell the story of the 1965 awards show and how he kissed German actress Elke Sommer on stage.
“On the stage, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Jack Benny, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner and Norman Lear, Lew Wasserman, Julie Stein, Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Janel Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Elke Sommer and David O. Selznick,” said Scorsese. “They were the people on the dais at...
- 2/26/2024
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Martin Scorsese accepted the Producers Guild’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award at the PGA Awards tonight and took the Hollywood & Highland Ovation Ballroom down memory lane — to about 60 years ago, when he accepted a PGA nod for his student film, It’s Not Just You, Murray! at the ripe age of 22.
Painting the scene, the Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker said: “On the stage, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Jack Benny, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner and Norman Lear, Lew Wasserman, Julie SteinCary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Janel Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Elke Sommer and David O. Selznick. They were the people on the dais at the 13th edition of this event on March 8, 1965. That dinner was called the Milestone Awards Dinner and presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“At the very end of the dais was me,” Scorsese continued. “I was all the way on the end. I was receiving the Jesse L.
Painting the scene, the Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker said: “On the stage, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Jack Benny, Samuel Goldwyn, Jack Warner and Norman Lear, Lew Wasserman, Julie SteinCary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, Janel Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Elke Sommer and David O. Selznick. They were the people on the dais at the 13th edition of this event on March 8, 1965. That dinner was called the Milestone Awards Dinner and presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“At the very end of the dais was me,” Scorsese continued. “I was all the way on the end. I was receiving the Jesse L.
- 2/26/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Mike Nichols Made His Movie Directorial Debut with ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ — and Got Fired
Everyone involved with the film adaptation of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” had a lot riding on its success. For star Elizabeth Taylor, this was perhaps her first chance to prove that she could act (certainly the middle-aged Martha was the most demanding role she had ever had). For first-time producer Ernest Lehman, the movie could make or break him as he moved away from writing classics like “North by Northwest” and “Sweet Smell of Success.” And for director Mike Nichols, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” his feature film directorial debut, would either burnish his growing reputation as a boy genius after several smash Broadway hits or prove that he was out of his depth.
The impetus to play things safe must have been strong, and yet none of the film’s major players shied away from choosing the riskier paths. Filming in black-and-white in 1966 was not the indicator of...
The impetus to play things safe must have been strong, and yet none of the film’s major players shied away from choosing the riskier paths. Filming in black-and-white in 1966 was not the indicator of...
- 2/13/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
How does one repay a team of producers for launching its highest grossing film of all time? Give them the key to the studio — literally.
On Monday, “Barbie” producers, LuckyChap’s Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara inked a first-look deal at Warner Bros., which distributed the $1.4 billion-grossing movie. So, to celebrate, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Co-Chairs and CEO Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca decided to resurrect an old tradition, started by WB co-founder Jack Warner.
“Every once in a while, when a significant piece of talent signed a deal with the studio, he presented that company, that talent, with a key to the studio,” De Luca said as he and Abdy raised a toast to the trio. “We are so delighted to have our first key to our studio be given to LuckyChap.”
This historical artifact, De Luca noted, was particularly special, as the LuckyChap team received...
On Monday, “Barbie” producers, LuckyChap’s Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara inked a first-look deal at Warner Bros., which distributed the $1.4 billion-grossing movie. So, to celebrate, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Co-Chairs and CEO Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca decided to resurrect an old tradition, started by WB co-founder Jack Warner.
“Every once in a while, when a significant piece of talent signed a deal with the studio, he presented that company, that talent, with a key to the studio,” De Luca said as he and Abdy raised a toast to the trio. “We are so delighted to have our first key to our studio be given to LuckyChap.”
This historical artifact, De Luca noted, was particularly special, as the LuckyChap team received...
- 2/13/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
As Hollywood neared the midpoint of the 1980s, the industry had abandoned the risk-taking ethos of the 1970s and unabashedly embraced formula filmmaking. Stars still mattered, but the pitch was king. Studio executives keen on becoming their generation's Jack Warner, Daryl Zanuck and Louis B. Mayer were through humoring unpredictable auteurs like Martin Scorsese and Hal Ashby. They wanted can't-miss high-concept projects powered by high-wattage stars that could play for months on end in theaters because, despite the skyrocketing value of home video and pay cable channels, theatrical was still king.
"Beverly Hills Cop" traversed a rocky path from inception to production, but producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly developed and re-developed the project until they paired a 23-year-old comedy superstar with a once-hot director who'd two years prior gotten himself fired off "WarGames." The particulars of the fish-out-of-water plot shifted many times over the years (it was nearly...
"Beverly Hills Cop" traversed a rocky path from inception to production, but producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer doggedly developed and re-developed the project until they paired a 23-year-old comedy superstar with a once-hot director who'd two years prior gotten himself fired off "WarGames." The particulars of the fish-out-of-water plot shifted many times over the years (it was nearly...
- 1/30/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Studio takeovers have been the talk of the town in Hollywood for some time. It’s been less a discussion of if control will be ceded to new companies and more a conversation about who is buying, and why. Will it be studios taking over other studios, or, perhaps, tech giants elbowing further into the industry?
This week the megadeal fever was kickstarted again as it was floated that Warner Bros. Discovery has expressed interest in a tie-up with Paramount Global, following a meeting between Warners CEO David Zaslav and Paramount CEO Bob Bakish in New York last Tuesday. Such a merger would be historic, especially since the rolling back of the 1948 consent decrees that ended in major studios divesting in their theater chains.
Given that such a merger would (once again) reshape the Hollywood landscape, it’s worth remembering the first time Warner Bros. was involved in a mega...
This week the megadeal fever was kickstarted again as it was floated that Warner Bros. Discovery has expressed interest in a tie-up with Paramount Global, following a meeting between Warners CEO David Zaslav and Paramount CEO Bob Bakish in New York last Tuesday. Such a merger would be historic, especially since the rolling back of the 1948 consent decrees that ended in major studios divesting in their theater chains.
Given that such a merger would (once again) reshape the Hollywood landscape, it’s worth remembering the first time Warner Bros. was involved in a mega...
- 12/22/2023
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Permut is having a good day. “Rustin,” which he executive produced (he prefers “shepherded” and is quick to name his colleagues) got two important Golden Globe nominations, Best Film Drama Actor for Colman Domingo and Best Original Song for Lenny Kravitz‘s “Road to Freedom.” His other current project is the television series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” for which David Oyelowo nabbed a nom.
When we talked he was about to go into a screening, one of 50 he says he views during festival season. He is open about his own personal life as a gay producer in Hollywood. Even teaches me some Yiddish. And he’s proud to have worked alongside two relative newcomers in the producer business, Barack and Michelle Obama. The president posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin, an openly gay African-American, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his instrumental role in the 1963 March on Washington, and now the...
When we talked he was about to go into a screening, one of 50 he says he views during festival season. He is open about his own personal life as a gay producer in Hollywood. Even teaches me some Yiddish. And he’s proud to have worked alongside two relative newcomers in the producer business, Barack and Michelle Obama. The president posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin, an openly gay African-American, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his instrumental role in the 1963 March on Washington, and now the...
- 12/13/2023
- by Bill McCuddy
- Gold Derby
Marina Cicogna, a film producer and one of the first women to establish herself in the traditionally male cinema environment in Italy, died Saturday in Rome. She was 89.
Cicogna produced several important Italian films, including Metti, una Sera a Cena by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) by Elio Petri, with the latter winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1971. The New York Times called her “one of the most powerful women in European cinema.”
Her extraordinary experience and career were recounted in 2021 in the documentary film Marina Cicogna. Life and Everything Else by Andrea Bettinetti and in her autobiography, Ancora Spero, released this year by Marsilio Publishing.
Cicogna died with Benedetta Gardona, her companion of more than 30 years, by her side.
Ahead of receiving the 2023 David Award for Lifetime Achievement this year, Cicogna...
Cicogna produced several important Italian films, including Metti, una Sera a Cena by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) by Elio Petri, with the latter winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1971. The New York Times called her “one of the most powerful women in European cinema.”
Her extraordinary experience and career were recounted in 2021 in the documentary film Marina Cicogna. Life and Everything Else by Andrea Bettinetti and in her autobiography, Ancora Spero, released this year by Marsilio Publishing.
Cicogna died with Benedetta Gardona, her companion of more than 30 years, by her side.
Ahead of receiving the 2023 David Award for Lifetime Achievement this year, Cicogna...
- 11/6/2023
- by Livia Paccariè
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marina Cicogna, Italy’s first major female film producer who shepherded films by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Zeffirelli and Elio Petri, including Petri’s Oscar-winning “Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion,” has died. She was 89.
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
Cicogna died on Nov. 4 in her Rome home after a long battle with an unspecified form of cancer, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
The Venice Biennale foundation is a statement, praised her as “the first female film producer in Europe” and noted that she was always deeply linked to the Venice Film Festival that was founded by her grandfather, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.
Born in Rome on May 29, 1934, to Count Cesare Cicogna Mozzoni and Countess Annamaria Volpi di Misurata, Cicogna attended high school in Italy and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she struck up a friendship with Jack Warner’s daughter Barbara Warner and established a connection with Hollywood.
In...
- 11/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Erik Lomis, the late MGM film distribution executive, was posthumously honored as the recipient of the Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Award at a charity dinner held at the Beverly Hilton on Wednesday.
Paramount domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson hosted the event, sharing memories of one of his closest — and most profanity-laden — friends in the business. Among the stories Aronson told was the time that he suffered a life-threatening medical emergency that required hours of surgery and woke up in the hospital to find Lomis, suffering from a painful kidney stone, waiting by his bedside.
“‘What the F are you doing here?’” Aronson recalled asking Lomis, “I thought you were in the hospital. He said ‘Yeah, I was, but I heard you might die, so I thought I better get over here until you did.’ That was Erik Lomis, and that’s the way he was. The best and most loyal friend.
Paramount domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson hosted the event, sharing memories of one of his closest — and most profanity-laden — friends in the business. Among the stories Aronson told was the time that he suffered a life-threatening medical emergency that required hours of surgery and woke up in the hospital to find Lomis, suffering from a painful kidney stone, waiting by his bedside.
“‘What the F are you doing here?’” Aronson recalled asking Lomis, “I thought you were in the hospital. He said ‘Yeah, I was, but I heard you might die, so I thought I better get over here until you did.’ That was Erik Lomis, and that’s the way he was. The best and most loyal friend.
- 10/5/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The movie industry gave the late Erik Lomis — the bold and shrewd studio distribution chief who released hundreds of movies during his career — a fitting sendoff Wednesday night.
Lomis, who died suddenly in March at age 64, posthumously received the 2023 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Award during an emotional and touching ceremony at The Beverly Hilton on Oct. 4. And, in a surprise for those attending, Philadelphia Eagles’ radio announcer Merrill Reese narrated a tribute reel shown before team Eagles mascot Swoop presented the Pioneer Award to Lomis’ widow, Patricia Laucella (the Philly born and raised Lomis was a diehard Eagles fan).
Patricia Laucella
“Your instinct and inspiration never led you astray. I’m honored to have worked so closely with you,” said Creed series star and Creed III director Michael B. Jordan via video (the MGM threequel was the last film Lomis released in theaters before his death).
The long list of filmmakers,...
Lomis, who died suddenly in March at age 64, posthumously received the 2023 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Award during an emotional and touching ceremony at The Beverly Hilton on Oct. 4. And, in a surprise for those attending, Philadelphia Eagles’ radio announcer Merrill Reese narrated a tribute reel shown before team Eagles mascot Swoop presented the Pioneer Award to Lomis’ widow, Patricia Laucella (the Philly born and raised Lomis was a diehard Eagles fan).
Patricia Laucella
“Your instinct and inspiration never led you astray. I’m honored to have worked so closely with you,” said Creed series star and Creed III director Michael B. Jordan via video (the MGM threequel was the last film Lomis released in theaters before his death).
The long list of filmmakers,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tyrannical and brilliant, director Michael Curtiz created film legends out of mere stars, and turned movies into myth. Here are some of his greatest films.
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
- 9/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
When the Writers Guild of America released its Aug. 17 report on “The New Gatekeepers” — naming Disney, Netflix and Amazon — it took aim at anti-competitive practices, consolidation in Hollywood and called for additional oversight for streaming platforms that are allegedly stifling creativity.
All of this has roots in the negated Paramount Decrees from 1948. As U.S. Circuit Court Judge Analisa Torres argued in ending the decrees in 2020, when the 1948 rules were put in place, there were not multiple avenues of distribution like we have today (theater, home video, internet, television). The issue of clearances, exclusivity licensing for films raised in the 1948 ruling, already occurs on streaming platforms. “There also are many other movie distribution platforms, like television, the internet and DVDs, that did not exist in the 1930s and 40s,” wrote Torres in the decision. “Given these significant changes in the market, there is less danger that a block booking licensing...
All of this has roots in the negated Paramount Decrees from 1948. As U.S. Circuit Court Judge Analisa Torres argued in ending the decrees in 2020, when the 1948 rules were put in place, there were not multiple avenues of distribution like we have today (theater, home video, internet, television). The issue of clearances, exclusivity licensing for films raised in the 1948 ruling, already occurs on streaming platforms. “There also are many other movie distribution platforms, like television, the internet and DVDs, that did not exist in the 1930s and 40s,” wrote Torres in the decision. “Given these significant changes in the market, there is less danger that a block booking licensing...
- 9/4/2023
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles, Aug 28 (Ians) Veteran Hollywood star Julie Andrews was disappointed when British star and icon Audrey Hepburn was cast as Eliza in the classic ‘My Fair Lady’.
Although Andrews had received rave reviews for the role on stage, Warner Bros’ Jack Warner opted to cast Audrey in the lead for the feature film, reports aceshowbiz.com.
“Though I totally understood why Audrey had been chosen for the role (I’d never made a movie and was a relative unknown compared to her worldwide fame), I felt sad that I would never have the chance to put my version of Eliza on film,” Andrews told US Closer magazine.
However, Andrews had her revenge when she went on to win an Oscar and Golden Globe for ‘Mary Poppins’ and took a cheeky dig at Warner during her acceptance speech for the Globes.
She said: “My thanks to a man who made...
Although Andrews had received rave reviews for the role on stage, Warner Bros’ Jack Warner opted to cast Audrey in the lead for the feature film, reports aceshowbiz.com.
“Though I totally understood why Audrey had been chosen for the role (I’d never made a movie and was a relative unknown compared to her worldwide fame), I felt sad that I would never have the chance to put my version of Eliza on film,” Andrews told US Closer magazine.
However, Andrews had her revenge when she went on to win an Oscar and Golden Globe for ‘Mary Poppins’ and took a cheeky dig at Warner during her acceptance speech for the Globes.
She said: “My thanks to a man who made...
- 8/28/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. has partnered with LA’s Tarzana International Film Festival (Sep 29– Oct 1) to honor the author best known for creating the Tarzan and John Carter Of Mars characters.
Opening night festivities will include the screening of the 2017 documentary Tarzan: The Man Behind The Legend, followed by a Q&a with the director and cast.
The festival, which takes place at the Regal Cinemas in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, will bestow the inaugural Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award at the closing night gala. The award will be presented to an “iconic industry writer known for their work in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure”.
This year, the event will also celebrate Warner Bros’ centennial with a screening of 2007 feature The Brothers Warner directed by Cass Warner Sperling, granddaughter of longtime studio head Jack Warner. The documentary chronicles the creation and rise of the first major Hollywood studio.
Opening night festivities will include the screening of the 2017 documentary Tarzan: The Man Behind The Legend, followed by a Q&a with the director and cast.
The festival, which takes place at the Regal Cinemas in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, will bestow the inaugural Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award at the closing night gala. The award will be presented to an “iconic industry writer known for their work in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure”.
This year, the event will also celebrate Warner Bros’ centennial with a screening of 2007 feature The Brothers Warner directed by Cass Warner Sperling, granddaughter of longtime studio head Jack Warner. The documentary chronicles the creation and rise of the first major Hollywood studio.
- 8/24/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The demon Valak, aka The Nun, is among the most infamous faces in "The Conjuring" universe. Aside from perhaps the doll Annabelle, Valak's image looms over the franchise more than any other. According to a lawsuit put forth by actress Bonnie Aarons (via The Hollywood Reporter), who played the character in "The Conjuring 2," "The Nun," and "The Nun 2," the character shows up on official merch a lot, too. Now, Aarons is asking for a cut of royalties she says she's owed, alleging via a suit obtained by THR that Warner Bros. has been exploiting her "talent, creativity, and likeness."
"The Princess Diaries" and "Mulholland Drive" actress is reportedly suing Warner Bros, New Line Cinema, and Scope Productions for breach of contract, citing a clause in her contract that ensured her a "pro-rata share" on all merch with her likeness, which her suit alleges has included "toys, dolls, decorations,...
"The Princess Diaries" and "Mulholland Drive" actress is reportedly suing Warner Bros, New Line Cinema, and Scope Productions for breach of contract, citing a clause in her contract that ensured her a "pro-rata share" on all merch with her likeness, which her suit alleges has included "toys, dolls, decorations,...
- 8/18/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
“How did I become Tom Joad? I used to write for a living.”
Tom Joad was the hapless farmer in The Grapes of Wrath who fled the Dust Bowl to find a better life in California. The man who cited him this week is a successful screenwriter who’s been walking the picket line and asked that I not use his name.
While the cast of pickets might not mirror John Steinbeck’s characters in his great novel, still “the rhetoric of this strike has taken on a ‘rich against the poor’ obsession,” in the words of one studio CEO.
The bargaining jargon once focused on residuals, but now it’s about “land barons” and “tone-deaf greedy bosses” (the words of SAG-AFTRA’s Fran Drescher). Little wonder polling shows only 7% of the public siding with the “bosses.” The “class warfare” has passed the 100-day mark, with L.A. city workers joining in Tuesday.
Tom Joad was the hapless farmer in The Grapes of Wrath who fled the Dust Bowl to find a better life in California. The man who cited him this week is a successful screenwriter who’s been walking the picket line and asked that I not use his name.
While the cast of pickets might not mirror John Steinbeck’s characters in his great novel, still “the rhetoric of this strike has taken on a ‘rich against the poor’ obsession,” in the words of one studio CEO.
The bargaining jargon once focused on residuals, but now it’s about “land barons” and “tone-deaf greedy bosses” (the words of SAG-AFTRA’s Fran Drescher). Little wonder polling shows only 7% of the public siding with the “bosses.” The “class warfare” has passed the 100-day mark, with L.A. city workers joining in Tuesday.
- 8/10/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation (Wrmppf) is honoring one of their biggest champs this year with a posthumous recognition: late MGM and United Artists Distribution Boss Erik Lomis. The honor will be recognized at the October 4 dinner at The Beverly Hilton.
Lomis, who was a force in getting movie theaters back open as Covid quelled, and a proponent of the theatrical window with the release of the 007 title No Time to Die, passed away suddenly at 64 on March 22. Lomis was also known for his relentless and passionate fundraising for Will Rogers.
Lomis hosted last year’s Pioneer dinner which honored James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
A tradition for more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is bestowed upon esteemed and respected members in the motion picture industry whose corporate leadership, service to the community and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional. All proceeds...
Lomis, who was a force in getting movie theaters back open as Covid quelled, and a proponent of the theatrical window with the release of the 007 title No Time to Die, passed away suddenly at 64 on March 22. Lomis was also known for his relentless and passionate fundraising for Will Rogers.
Lomis hosted last year’s Pioneer dinner which honored James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
A tradition for more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is bestowed upon esteemed and respected members in the motion picture industry whose corporate leadership, service to the community and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional. All proceeds...
- 8/4/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Late Hollywood movie distributor Erik Lomis is being honored posthumously with this year’s Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Award.
The industry has been looking for a way to pay tribute to Lomis, who died suddenly in March and was a champion of the theatrical business.
The honor will take place Oct. 4 at The Beverly Hilton. Proceeds from the event go to the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation Assistance Fund, which supports individuals in the theatrical entertainment community dealing with illness, injury or a life-changing event.
“We are honored to celebrate Erik’s life and recognize his achievements in the motion picture industry with the Pioneer of the Year Award,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Paramount Pictures and Wrmppf past president and chairman. “His distinguished leadership and contributions to the film business, along with his tremendous advocacy, generosity and support of humanitarian causes and philanthropic endeavors,...
The industry has been looking for a way to pay tribute to Lomis, who died suddenly in March and was a champion of the theatrical business.
The honor will take place Oct. 4 at The Beverly Hilton. Proceeds from the event go to the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation Assistance Fund, which supports individuals in the theatrical entertainment community dealing with illness, injury or a life-changing event.
“We are honored to celebrate Erik’s life and recognize his achievements in the motion picture industry with the Pioneer of the Year Award,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Paramount Pictures and Wrmppf past president and chairman. “His distinguished leadership and contributions to the film business, along with his tremendous advocacy, generosity and support of humanitarian causes and philanthropic endeavors,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
She received five Academy Award nominations in ten years, winning for Best Actress twice. She was the spunky heroine to Errol Flynn’s dashing adventurer. She was Melanie, the sweet, compassionate counterpart to the spoiled, passionate Scarlett. And she became one of the oldest-living survivors of the Golden Age of Hollywood until her death at age 104 in 2020.
Olivia de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents. Her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, was born 15 months later. Her parents divorced when the girls were young, and her mother eventually settled in California with her two daughters. Growing up, de Havilland enjoyed performing in amateur stage productions. Although she originally planned to become a teacher, a role in one of those amateur productions, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, changed her fate. She was discovered, eventually cast in the Hollywood Bowl production of that play, and then in the 1935 film adaptation.
Although...
Olivia de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents. Her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, was born 15 months later. Her parents divorced when the girls were young, and her mother eventually settled in California with her two daughters. Growing up, de Havilland enjoyed performing in amateur stage productions. Although she originally planned to become a teacher, a role in one of those amateur productions, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, changed her fate. She was discovered, eventually cast in the Hollywood Bowl production of that play, and then in the 1935 film adaptation.
Although...
- 6/24/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
As waves swirl in the infinity pool of the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy take in the view of the rolling hills of Antibes. The sun beats down so fiercely on a lily-white tablecloth that the co-CEOs and co-chairpeople of the Warner Bros. Film Group shield themselves with Gucci and Ray-Ban shades. They resemble the all-powerful studio chiefs of yore — or at least their surroundings do. A lot has changed since the Golden Age of Hollywood: Jack Warner didn’t have two smartphones constantly buzzing, misconduct allegations involving “The Flash” star Ezra Miller and cratering share prices to worry about.
“It’s so competitive now,” De Luca says, looking out at the shimmering water. “We all have to sing for our supper.”
And sing, they have. In a starkly different setting a month before, with the clatter of slot machines blaring in the distance, I met...
“It’s so competitive now,” De Luca says, looking out at the shimmering water. “We all have to sing for our supper.”
And sing, they have. In a starkly different setting a month before, with the clatter of slot machines blaring in the distance, I met...
- 6/14/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Here’s looking at Warner Bros. which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Earlier this year, Turner Classic Movies, which is a member of the Warner Bros. Discovery family, celebrated the centennial with a monthlong tribute to the studio that gave the world such landmark films as 1927’s “The Jazz Singer,” the first feature with synchronized recorded singing and some dialogue; the ultimate gangster flick 1931’s “Public Enemy,: the glorious 1938 swashbuckler “The Adventures of Robin Hood”; and the beloved 1942 “Casablanca.
And during its Golden Age, its roster of stars included such legends as Rin-Tin-Tin, John Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Paul Muni, John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet.
Max is currently streaming the four-part documentary series “100 Years of Warner Bros.” (the first two episodes premiered at Cannes). And also arriving this week is the lavish coffee table book “Warner Bros.
And during its Golden Age, its roster of stars included such legends as Rin-Tin-Tin, John Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Paul Muni, John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet.
Max is currently streaming the four-part documentary series “100 Years of Warner Bros.” (the first two episodes premiered at Cannes). And also arriving this week is the lavish coffee table book “Warner Bros.
- 5/30/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Warner Bros. Discovery has been going all out for its 100-year anniversary, starting by reimagining classics from their catalog such as "A Star is Born" and "Rebel Without a Cause." Even beloved Warner brand TCM is getting in on the action, with a slate of remasters of classic films being announced in March of this year. And now, it looks like we're getting a full retelling of the whole Warner Bros. story, with four documentary specials set to hit the revamped Max service (which replaces HBO Max).
"100 Years of Warner Bros.," narrated by Morgan Freeman (naturally) and directed by Leslie Iwerks, will arrive starting on May 25, 2023, the same date Warner Discovery debuts the new Max service. The first two specials are set to arrive on that date, followed by the third and fourth on June 1. According to a release from the studio, the series will explore, "the impact of Warner Bros.
"100 Years of Warner Bros.," narrated by Morgan Freeman (naturally) and directed by Leslie Iwerks, will arrive starting on May 25, 2023, the same date Warner Discovery debuts the new Max service. The first two specials are set to arrive on that date, followed by the third and fourth on June 1. According to a release from the studio, the series will explore, "the impact of Warner Bros.
- 5/18/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
This is a dark moment for frazzled members of the writing fraternity.
Picketers in Hollywood and New York fear a prolonged standoff gripping film and TV. Also troubling, their colleagues in digital media are patching together their résumés as Vice Media and BuzzFeed prepare for crash landings. Will others follow?
Even a digital zealot like Ben Smith sees the moment as “a humbling experience.” His new book, titled Traffic, vividly revisits the picaresque adventures of the “muckrakers, dweebs and wing nuts” who set out to revolutionize legacy journalism. Some became at once rich and unemployed.
The New York Times liked Smith’s book, even though he quit that paper to start yet another digital adventure called Semafor — its fate still to be determined.
Here’s the irony: While Smith and his social media colleagues are making lots of noise for their next adventures, their colleagues in film and TV are frozen in silence.
Picketers in Hollywood and New York fear a prolonged standoff gripping film and TV. Also troubling, their colleagues in digital media are patching together their résumés as Vice Media and BuzzFeed prepare for crash landings. Will others follow?
Even a digital zealot like Ben Smith sees the moment as “a humbling experience.” His new book, titled Traffic, vividly revisits the picaresque adventures of the “muckrakers, dweebs and wing nuts” who set out to revolutionize legacy journalism. Some became at once rich and unemployed.
The New York Times liked Smith’s book, even though he quit that paper to start yet another digital adventure called Semafor — its fate still to be determined.
Here’s the irony: While Smith and his social media colleagues are making lots of noise for their next adventures, their colleagues in film and TV are frozen in silence.
- 5/4/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Golden Age of Hollywood gave us a plethora of phenomenal acting pairs that would appear together in film after film. We had Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and many more. In a time where franchises and intellectual properties were not ruling Hollywood, pairing two actors together again was its own form of franchising. They were similar kinds of movies, but each told different stories with the actors playing different characters. The chemistry was all you needed to get people to come back for more.
One of the best pairings of the era was obviously Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Not only were both of them phenomenal actors who had scintillating on-screen chemistry, but there was also the added factor that the two became a couple and were married until Bogart's death in 1957. Over the course of their partnership,...
One of the best pairings of the era was obviously Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Not only were both of them phenomenal actors who had scintillating on-screen chemistry, but there was also the added factor that the two became a couple and were married until Bogart's death in 1957. Over the course of their partnership,...
- 4/29/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Character actor Michael Lerner, known for his Oscar-nominated role in Joel and Ethan Coen's "Barton Fink," has died at the age of 81. Lerner passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2023. His nephew, "The Goldbergs" star Sam Lerner, confirmed the news in an Instagram post the following day (via Variety).
Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1941. In the 1960s, he appeared on sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch" and "The Doris Day Show" and studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before landing his first film role in "Alex in Wonderland" in 1970. In the decade that followed, Lerner would continue juggling movies, TV shows, and TV movies, making a number of guest appearances on shows like "Ironside," "The Bob Newhart Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files," "Kojak," and "Wonder Woman."
In the 1980s, Lerner costarred in "The Postman Always Rings Twice...
Michael Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1941. In the 1960s, he appeared on sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch" and "The Doris Day Show" and studied at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre before landing his first film role in "Alex in Wonderland" in 1970. In the decade that followed, Lerner would continue juggling movies, TV shows, and TV movies, making a number of guest appearances on shows like "Ironside," "The Bob Newhart Show," "M*A*S*H," "The Odd Couple," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files," "Kojak," and "Wonder Woman."
In the 1980s, Lerner costarred in "The Postman Always Rings Twice...
- 4/10/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
In the 1950s, the motion picture industry wanted nothing to do with the young medium of television — but Jack Warner soon realized that was a losing battle.
Warner Bros. was among the first to dive into TV production, when ABC approached the studio about acquiring a theatrical film package. But instead of just running films on TV, the result was “Warner Bros. Presents,” an umbrella series that debuted in 1955 and comprised programs based on existing intellectual property including “Casablanca” and “Cheyenne.”
The success of “Cheyenne” ushered the era of the Western to television, as Warner Bros. brought a movie studio approach to the small screen. “There’s a spirit of independence and innovation that’s so much a part of the legacy of the studio,” says Warner Bros. TV chairman Channing Dungey. Other early Warner Bros. TV hits included “Maverick” and crime dramas such as “Hawaiian Eye” and “77 Sunset Strip.
Warner Bros. was among the first to dive into TV production, when ABC approached the studio about acquiring a theatrical film package. But instead of just running films on TV, the result was “Warner Bros. Presents,” an umbrella series that debuted in 1955 and comprised programs based on existing intellectual property including “Casablanca” and “Cheyenne.”
The success of “Cheyenne” ushered the era of the Western to television, as Warner Bros. brought a movie studio approach to the small screen. “There’s a spirit of independence and innovation that’s so much a part of the legacy of the studio,” says Warner Bros. TV chairman Channing Dungey. Other early Warner Bros. TV hits included “Maverick” and crime dramas such as “Hawaiian Eye” and “77 Sunset Strip.
- 4/6/2023
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
The Warner brothers — Harry, Sam, Albert and Jack — were different from Hollywood’s other movie moguls in the industry’s early years. They were shrewd, brash, outspoken and passionate in ways that deviated from the industry norm. The most publicly consistent brother was Harry, a stoic businessman and proud immigrant. Sam was the technical visionary who was gone too soon. Albert largely avoided the public eye, although he served as a loyal ambassador to the family brand. Jack was the wild child, the entertainer, the sometimes unpredictable one.
Those talents served them well during a transitional time for what would become the filmed entertainment industry. The year 1903 marked that transition, moving from what historian Tom Gunning calls a “cinema of attractions,” based on simple spectatorship of an event, to narrative storytelling, which allowed audiences to get lost in what they saw onscreen. There was only one way to test the...
Those talents served them well during a transitional time for what would become the filmed entertainment industry. The year 1903 marked that transition, moving from what historian Tom Gunning calls a “cinema of attractions,” based on simple spectatorship of an event, to narrative storytelling, which allowed audiences to get lost in what they saw onscreen. There was only one way to test the...
- 4/4/2023
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Bros. today celebrates its centennial milestone as April 4, 2023, marks 100 years of its iconic contribution to film and television.
Its rich heritage stretches back to the four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, born to Polish-Jewish immigrants, who founded the studio in 1923 and became mavericks of the film industry. They not only created some of Hollywood’s greatest movies and film stars, but they also were pioneers behind the innovative technology of the Vitaphone that synchronized sound and put them in the forefront as major players in Hollywood.
Related: Warner Bros. Top-Secret Archives: Treasure Trove Of Film Memorabilia From ‘The Matrix’, ‘Batman’, ‘My Fair Lady’ & Dozens More
Sam Warner spearheaded the movement by applying the technology with sound effects and music, but no dialogue, in the 1926 film Don Juan, and then in two scenes from one of the first “talkies,” 1927’s The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, that featured...
Its rich heritage stretches back to the four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, born to Polish-Jewish immigrants, who founded the studio in 1923 and became mavericks of the film industry. They not only created some of Hollywood’s greatest movies and film stars, but they also were pioneers behind the innovative technology of the Vitaphone that synchronized sound and put them in the forefront as major players in Hollywood.
Related: Warner Bros. Top-Secret Archives: Treasure Trove Of Film Memorabilia From ‘The Matrix’, ‘Batman’, ‘My Fair Lady’ & Dozens More
Sam Warner spearheaded the movement by applying the technology with sound effects and music, but no dialogue, in the 1926 film Don Juan, and then in two scenes from one of the first “talkies,” 1927’s The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, that featured...
- 4/4/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros. Studios is celebrating its 100 anniversary by opening its top-secret archives — to the media, anyway — to showcase its incredible collections of film props, costumes, vehicles and documents.
The studio started cataloging and preserving props in the ’90s and continues to add more select items from the films and television series that Warner Bros. produces. The archivists create a wishlist of items to keep from film and tend to prioritize items that are recognizable or iconic. Those include the recent additions of 3 versions of the Jokermobile from Suicide Squad.
The warehouse also holds memorabilia from The Matrix, Superman and Batman films. Ten Batmobiles as well as masks and costumes worn by the actors who portrayed Batman are sealed in a heavily-secured room dubbed “The Batcave.” There’s also a superhero room with all the DC characters’ costumes.
Related: 100 Years of Warner Bros: Gallery Celebrating The Milestones In Film and...
The studio started cataloging and preserving props in the ’90s and continues to add more select items from the films and television series that Warner Bros. produces. The archivists create a wishlist of items to keep from film and tend to prioritize items that are recognizable or iconic. Those include the recent additions of 3 versions of the Jokermobile from Suicide Squad.
The warehouse also holds memorabilia from The Matrix, Superman and Batman films. Ten Batmobiles as well as masks and costumes worn by the actors who portrayed Batman are sealed in a heavily-secured room dubbed “The Batcave.” There’s also a superhero room with all the DC characters’ costumes.
Related: 100 Years of Warner Bros: Gallery Celebrating The Milestones In Film and...
- 4/3/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
It's important not to mix up the 1959 John Wayne film "Rio Bravo" with the 1966 John Wayne film "El Dorado." As cinephile Chilli Palmer (John Travolta) points out in the 1995 film "Get Shorty," Dean Martin played the drunk in "Rio Bravo," while Robert Mitchum played the drunk in "El Dorado." Basically the same part. Chilli Palmer also points out that John Wayne played the same role in both films: he played John Wayne.
Dean Martin was no stranger to cinema by 1959, having already appeared in a dozen short films. The bulk of his output, however, was playing more or less himself opposite his comedy partner Jerry Lewis. His first feature film didn't come until 1957, in the Richard Thorpe rom-com "Ten Thousand Bedrooms," coming after splitting with Lewis. Immediately diversifying, Martin went on to star in the war film "The Young Lions" and Vincente Minnelli's "Some Came Running" before appearing in "Rio Bravo.
Dean Martin was no stranger to cinema by 1959, having already appeared in a dozen short films. The bulk of his output, however, was playing more or less himself opposite his comedy partner Jerry Lewis. His first feature film didn't come until 1957, in the Richard Thorpe rom-com "Ten Thousand Bedrooms," coming after splitting with Lewis. Immediately diversifying, Martin went on to star in the war film "The Young Lions" and Vincente Minnelli's "Some Came Running" before appearing in "Rio Bravo.
- 3/25/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Bring up Golden Age Hollywood filmmaker Busby Berkeley, and most people conjure his staging of elaborate, kaleidoscopic dance numbers in such films as “Dames” and “Footlight Parade,” Ginger Rogers singing “We’re in the Money” at the height of the Depression in “Gold Diggers of 1933,” or his sinuous camera weaving through dancer’s legs in such hits as Oscar-nominated “42nd Street” (1933).
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
- 3/17/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A rerelease of “Superman the Movie” will kick off a year-long 100th anniversary celebration of Warner Bros. Studios across the U.K. and Ireland, Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed.
Warner Bros. was founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner and incorporated on Apr. 4, 1923. The “Superman” rerelease at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax in April will coincide with the 85th anniversary of the character. The rerelease of “The Exorcist” in September will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the horror classic. An Imax version of “Elf” will be released in November.
In Ireland, a restored “Cool Hand Luke” screening kicked off the celebrations on Feb. 27, in partnership with the Dublin International Film Festival. The event also featured a Q&a with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abramson, discussing the impact of the film as a key influence on his career.
A four-part documentary will be released celebrating the history of Warner Bros. from...
Warner Bros. was founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner and incorporated on Apr. 4, 1923. The “Superman” rerelease at BFI Southbank and BFI Imax in April will coincide with the 85th anniversary of the character. The rerelease of “The Exorcist” in September will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the horror classic. An Imax version of “Elf” will be released in November.
In Ireland, a restored “Cool Hand Luke” screening kicked off the celebrations on Feb. 27, in partnership with the Dublin International Film Festival. The event also featured a Q&a with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abramson, discussing the impact of the film as a key influence on his career.
A four-part documentary will be released celebrating the history of Warner Bros. from...
- 3/3/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
There were numerous superstars during the silent era from the clown princes of comedy Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd to such dramatic and action icons as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson and Lillian Gish. One was a good boy — the German Shepherd Rin Tin Tin. Not only is Rin Tin Tin, aka Rinty, credited with saving Warner Bros., but Hollywood lore also insists he, not Emil Jannings, was the first Best Actor Oscar winner.
With Warner Brothers celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and the Academy Awards just around the corner, it’s time to look at the Rinty phenomenon and its place in Hollywood history.
Rinty wasn’t the first canine star. Blair, the pet collie of British director Cecil Hepworth, headlined his 1905 thriller “Rescued by Rover.” The film was so popular it had to be shot twice because the...
With Warner Brothers celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and the Academy Awards just around the corner, it’s time to look at the Rinty phenomenon and its place in Hollywood history.
Rinty wasn’t the first canine star. Blair, the pet collie of British director Cecil Hepworth, headlined his 1905 thriller “Rescued by Rover.” The film was so popular it had to be shot twice because the...
- 2/27/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is perhaps David Fincher's strangest film (if you don't count that time he summoned a cursed CGI Orville Redenbacher). Strange not because of disturbing CGI resurrections of beloved cultural figures, but because it doesn't feel like any other Fincher movie. It was well-received upon its 2008 release, but some derided its sentimentality, which according to Peter Bradshaw made for a "twee and pointless" movie. But the sentimentality is what makes "Benjamin Button" such a fascinating entry in its director's filmography, which is otherwise characterized by a coldly cynical tone. This might be the only time in Fincher's career that he was accused of being "twee" in any sense of the word.
There was definitely a sense that in the post-9/11, post-2008 financial crash world, people had more pressing concerns than watching Brad Pitt age in reverse. But that didn't stop the movie from making...
There was definitely a sense that in the post-9/11, post-2008 financial crash world, people had more pressing concerns than watching Brad Pitt age in reverse. But that didn't stop the movie from making...
- 1/30/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Warner Bros. kicked off its 100th anniversary celebration on Wednesday with the unveiling of a new logo along with a lineup of special events and programming it will release throughout 2023.
The centennial festivities began with a sizzle reel of some of the studio’s most iconic films, including “Casablanca,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Unforgiven,” and “The Dark Knight” among others, with Morgan Freeman narrating.
Founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner on April 4, 1923, Warner Bros. struggled initially to compete with the likes of Paramount and MGM but found its first box office hit with “Beau Brummel,” a silent historical drama starring Broadway veteran John Barrymore. The film grossed 495,000 at the box office — about 8.6 million in today’s money — but that was enough to get the attention of Wall Street and allow Warner Bros. to negotiate loans that allowed it to expand its theatrical distribution network.
The centennial festivities began with a sizzle reel of some of the studio’s most iconic films, including “Casablanca,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Unforgiven,” and “The Dark Knight” among others, with Morgan Freeman narrating.
Founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner on April 4, 1923, Warner Bros. struggled initially to compete with the likes of Paramount and MGM but found its first box office hit with “Beau Brummel,” a silent historical drama starring Broadway veteran John Barrymore. The film grossed 495,000 at the box office — about 8.6 million in today’s money — but that was enough to get the attention of Wall Street and allow Warner Bros. to negotiate loans that allowed it to expand its theatrical distribution network.
- 12/14/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Warner Bros. Discovery has announced “Celebrating Every Story,” kicking off a campaign to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Warner Bros. studio.
“The name Warner Bros. is synonymous with entertainment and we are honored to be celebrating this iconic studio’s centennial and the rich heritage that stretches back to the four brothers who founded it in 1923,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “Over the past 100 years, Warner Bros. has created some of the most recognizable and beloved films, TV shows and characters ever made and has been the place for impactful storytelling that both defines and reflects our culture. We are excited about our company’s bright and dynamic future and, as we embark on its second century, to continue to tell the kind of great stories that entertain, inform and inspire audiences around the world.”
Warner Bros. was first founded by Albert, Sam, Harry...
“The name Warner Bros. is synonymous with entertainment and we are honored to be celebrating this iconic studio’s centennial and the rich heritage that stretches back to the four brothers who founded it in 1923,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “Over the past 100 years, Warner Bros. has created some of the most recognizable and beloved films, TV shows and characters ever made and has been the place for impactful storytelling that both defines and reflects our culture. We are excited about our company’s bright and dynamic future and, as we embark on its second century, to continue to tell the kind of great stories that entertain, inform and inspire audiences around the world.”
Warner Bros. was first founded by Albert, Sam, Harry...
- 12/14/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
All those British crime films once deemed undesirable for the National Image are beginning to get the attention they deserve. This story of a single day in a working class section of London has plenty of criminal activity but blends it in with the everyday crimes of desperation and boredom. The Sandigate girls are flirting with trouble but Googie Withers’ Rose Sandigate has gone much further: she’s hiding an escaped fugitive who was once her lover in the vain hope of recapturing her lost youth. Director Robert Hamer examines a dozen distinctive characters on the edge of respectability, in one of the most original ‘Brit noirs’ we’ve seen to date.
It Always Rains on Sunday
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1947 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 92 min. / Street Date November 5, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Googie Withers, John McCallum, Jack Warner, Edward Chapman, Susan Shaw, Patricia Plunkett, Nigel Stock, David Lines, Sydney Tafler,...
It Always Rains on Sunday
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1947 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 92 min. / Street Date November 5, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Googie Withers, John McCallum, Jack Warner, Edward Chapman, Susan Shaw, Patricia Plunkett, Nigel Stock, David Lines, Sydney Tafler,...
- 12/10/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dan Lauria will play former Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill in the upcoming biopic Reagan.
He’ll play opposite Dennis Quaid, who plays the 40th president.
Dan Lauria as Tip O’Neill
In a statement, director Sean McNamara said, “He and Dennis have the chemistry needed to portray Reagan and O’Neill as two politicians who were respectful adversaries.”
In Washington, the 1980s friendship between Reagan and O’Neill has long been viewed as a contrast to recent decades, as partisan rifts have gotten more personal.
Others in the case include Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner and Jon Voight as a fictional Kgb agent who tracks Reagan over the course of 40 years. Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord wrote the script.
Reagan is scheduled for a 2023 release, with shooting already completed.
Lauria received critical acclaim for playing Vince Lombardi...
He’ll play opposite Dennis Quaid, who plays the 40th president.
Dan Lauria as Tip O’Neill
In a statement, director Sean McNamara said, “He and Dennis have the chemistry needed to portray Reagan and O’Neill as two politicians who were respectful adversaries.”
In Washington, the 1980s friendship between Reagan and O’Neill has long been viewed as a contrast to recent decades, as partisan rifts have gotten more personal.
Others in the case include Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner and Jon Voight as a fictional Kgb agent who tracks Reagan over the course of 40 years. Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord wrote the script.
Reagan is scheduled for a 2023 release, with shooting already completed.
Lauria received critical acclaim for playing Vince Lombardi...
- 12/9/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Seconds after hitting the red carpet outside NeueHouse Hollywood on Thursday night, Jennifer Garner stopped posing momentarily to ask the row of photographers a quick question (or two).
“What do you think? Is she doing a good job?” Garner asked, referring to the woman standing to her left, power publicist and Lede Company co-founder and co-ceo Meredith O’Sullivan. Garner then turned to face O’Sullivan, adjusted the lapels of her black tuxedo jacket and faux-straightened her white dress shirt, like a publicist might do for a client ahead of a gala like the one about to unfold.
The gesture perfectly telegraphed how the tables turned for the special event as Garner showed up to honor O’Sullivan, her longtime publicist and “dear friend,” someone used to shining a light on her A-list clients, not the other way around.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of...
Seconds after hitting the red carpet outside NeueHouse Hollywood on Thursday night, Jennifer Garner stopped posing momentarily to ask the row of photographers a quick question (or two).
“What do you think? Is she doing a good job?” Garner asked, referring to the woman standing to her left, power publicist and Lede Company co-founder and co-ceo Meredith O’Sullivan. Garner then turned to face O’Sullivan, adjusted the lapels of her black tuxedo jacket and faux-straightened her white dress shirt, like a publicist might do for a client ahead of a gala like the one about to unfold.
The gesture perfectly telegraphed how the tables turned for the special event as Garner showed up to honor O’Sullivan, her longtime publicist and “dear friend,” someone used to shining a light on her A-list clients, not the other way around.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of...
- 11/11/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Angie Dickinson once said of Jack L. Warner, "Jack was funny. He was funny because he wasn't funny, but he was always trying to be funny, and that struck me as funny."
Dickinson's "Rio Bravo" co-star, John Wayne, was far from enamored of Warner's funniness, particularly as it pertained to business. Warner was an early practitioner of "Hollywood accounting," which is where the studio shifts the earnings from its hits to make money-losing films appear profitable. There are many examples, but the best known arose out of Buchwald v. Paramount, wherein the company attempted to avoid compensating the writer (whose original story had been stolen by the filmmakers) by claiming the film – which grossed 289 million worldwide on a 36 million budget – failed to turn a profit.
In Hollywood, it's sadly common for studios to screw writers out of money. When it comes to a major movie star like Wayne, however,...
Dickinson's "Rio Bravo" co-star, John Wayne, was far from enamored of Warner's funniness, particularly as it pertained to business. Warner was an early practitioner of "Hollywood accounting," which is where the studio shifts the earnings from its hits to make money-losing films appear profitable. There are many examples, but the best known arose out of Buchwald v. Paramount, wherein the company attempted to avoid compensating the writer (whose original story had been stolen by the filmmakers) by claiming the film – which grossed 289 million worldwide on a 36 million budget – failed to turn a profit.
In Hollywood, it's sadly common for studios to screw writers out of money. When it comes to a major movie star like Wayne, however,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Seventy-five years ago, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Huac for purposes of pronunciation) launched the first of its series of postwar investigations into alleged communist subversion in Hollywood.
The show trial was staged from Oct. 20 to 30, 1947, and you can probably rewind the newsreel images in your mind’s eye: the unhinged committee chairman, J. Parnell Thomas (D-n.J.), yelling over witnesses and furiously pounding his gavel; the compliant straight men accusing former colleagues of the most unpatriotic heresies in Cold War America; and the backtalking recalcitrants being hauled away from the witness table mid-harangue.
In countless documentaries and fictional reenactments, the confrontations are cast as a morality play pitting the craven Friendlies (as those who named names and sucked up to the committee are called) against the defiant Unfriendlies, who refused to cower before their inquisitors and would soon to be immortalized...
Seventy-five years ago, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Huac for purposes of pronunciation) launched the first of its series of postwar investigations into alleged communist subversion in Hollywood.
The show trial was staged from Oct. 20 to 30, 1947, and you can probably rewind the newsreel images in your mind’s eye: the unhinged committee chairman, J. Parnell Thomas (D-n.J.), yelling over witnesses and furiously pounding his gavel; the compliant straight men accusing former colleagues of the most unpatriotic heresies in Cold War America; and the backtalking recalcitrants being hauled away from the witness table mid-harangue.
In countless documentaries and fictional reenactments, the confrontations are cast as a morality play pitting the craven Friendlies (as those who named names and sucked up to the committee are called) against the defiant Unfriendlies, who refused to cower before their inquisitors and would soon to be immortalized...
- 10/20/2022
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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