Author: John Welsh
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Oppenheimer
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Read more: OppenheimerJ Robert Oppenheimer lived a life worthy of a tragedy by Sophocles or Shakespeare. Like Oedipus or Othello, he planted the seed of his own destruction and nurtured the life it engendered. Since the cultures of Ancient Greece or Elizabethan England are unlikely to reoccur, we are left with what we have. What we have…
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The Untouchables
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Read more: The UntouchablesI was at the Ellis Mercantile movie prop house in Hollywood renting a couple dozen replica Colt Peacemakers and a few assorted Winchesters, Sharps and Spencer rifles for a western pilot I was propping to be shot in Santa Fe when I heard Brian DePalma was making a movie of The Untouchables. The guys at…
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Elton John Rocks: An Appreciation
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Read more: Elton John Rocks: An AppreciationOctober 5th 1973. I was driving my uncle’s Lincoln Mk III to deliver a case of scotch (Chivas Regal, the good stuff) to the rented house of my boss, the producer/director Charles Pierce. He had rented a eyesore at the very top of Laurel Canyon. Charle’s thirst was even greater than my own, although he…
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The Caine Mutiny: A Novel & Two Movies
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Read more: The Caine Mutiny: A Novel & Two MoviesThe Caine Mutiny, a 1952 novel by Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny, a 1954 movie, directed by Edward Dmytryk The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 2023 ,directed by William Friedkin It is worth noting the original 1954 Broadway production was directed by Charles Laughton Cast: Henry Fonda as Barney Greenwald, John Hodiak as Steve Maryk, Lloyd Nolan…
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Hollywood Novels
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Read more: Hollywood NovelsIt is a sad truth in life that you can’t watch movies all the time. Believe me, I know, I’ve tried. So, is there an alternative? I’ve tried to maintain my dedication to the ideal of ”Cinema is my religion and the theater is my church” (a line I borrowed from Victor Hugo. He was…
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Dangerous Friends, A Memoir by Peter Viertel
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Read more: Dangerous Friends, A Memoir by Peter ViertelWhite Hunter, Black Heart, a novel by Peter Viertel Decision Before Dawn, a film directed by Anatol Litvak White Hunter, Black Heart, a film directed by Clint Eastwood Peter Viertel was the kind writer Hollywood enjoyed in the 1930s and 1940s. Expats, mostly Jews, who had fled Hitler and were welcomed in Tinsel Town and…
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The English: Lost In A Wilderness
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Read more: The English: Lost In A WildernessThe gross silliness of Heaven’s Gate reminded me to always cast critical eye on even Westerns. They should not get a go-bye simply because I love Westerns, that’d just be goofy. Although goofy is in vogue these days, it’s best to subscribe to the old values. So, when Amazon Prime offers a Western staring Emily…
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The Big Knife
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Read more: The Big KnifeA hundred years ago the gentleman detective in the form of Philo Vance was extremely popular. The crimes he solved tended to be artificial and complex. The hard-boiled detective in the form of Sam Spade and the Continental Op were a reaction to this artificiality. Raymond Chandler wrote The Simple Art of Murder in reaction).…
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Memorable Movie Reflections: The Marx Brothers
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Read more: Memorable Movie Reflections: The Marx BrothersHooray for Captain Spaulding, The African explorer. He brought his name undying fame and that is why we say, Hooray, Hooray, Hooray. Yes, hooray for Captain Spaulding upon his return from the last trip to Africa, complete with entourage (Yes my friends, an entourage is required, even for the terminal mediocrity of today. The intrepid…
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Memorable Movie Scenes: Part 11
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Read more: Memorable Movie Scenes: Part 11Movie: The Grapes Of Wrath Charles Dickens saw it clearly. ”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” In 1933 a group of businessmen unhappy with FDR’s policies enlisted the aid of retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler…