समाचार

War is no laughing matter, just in case anybody needs reminding. But there has always been a strain of comedy war films, from "Operation Petticoat" and "Operation Dumbo Drop" via the Mutual Assured Destruction laffs of "Dr. Strangelove" to war-adjacent capers like "The Greatest Beer Run Ever." In 2016, Todd Phillips gave us "War Dogs," a movie that plays somewhat like a stoner version of the latter with illegal firearms instead of cans of warm Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Inspired by a "Rolling Stone" article about two young Miami dudes who became unlikely gun runners for the U.S. Government, a black comedy about the murky world of international arms dealers will always be relevant in our era of perpetual war. Following movies like "Old School" and "The Hangover," Phillips might not have seemed like the obvious choice to direct a greed-is-bad black comedy about such a serious subject. As he proved in his later "Joker" movies,...

The 1970s was a decade of legendary sitcoms, dominated by true powerhouse comedies like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But in the shadows of these television titans, there are some truly hilarious sitcoms that have sadly faded from the cultural consciousness.

The decade saw television writers push the boundaries of the sitcom format. For many shows, this meant telling stories that explicitly addressed racism, sexism, and other topics that were considered sensitive in America's turbulent political landscape. Still, other writers explored the nature of the sitcom itself as prime time began to see series centered on increasingly bizarre circumstances that embraces offbeat humor.

Lucille Ball Starred in a Sitcom With Her Children Here's Lucy

Trailblazing comedienne Lucille Ball stars as Lucy Carter, a widow raising two teenagers on her own in Here's Lucy. Ball's real-life son and daughter, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz,...

Robert Machray, whose prolific, decades-long career as a character actor included appearances on Three’s Company, Roseanne, Suddenly Susan, The Drew Carey Show and, in a four-episode recurring role as Fire Marshal Dobbins on Cheers, died Sunday, January 12, at his home in North Hollywood. He was 79.

His death was announced on Facebook by husband Luigi Camperchioli, who said Machray suffered from dementia.

In addition to his TV career, Machray frequently appeared on stage, including in the 1999 Broadway production of Amadeus, playing the role of Salieri’s Cook opposite Michael Sheen and David Suchet. Numerous regional and Off Broadway stage credits include roles in Waiting for Godot (at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum), The Boys Next Door, Austin Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow and Threepenny Opera.

Born May 4, 1945, in San Diego, Machray made his TV debut in the 1977 NBC TV-movie Panic in Echo Park starring Dorian Harewood. That same year...

She gained fame as a “scream queen” over 40 years ago, but in the four decades since has proven her versatility in a range of genres. Award-winning activist, author and daughter of two film icons, Jamie Lee Curtis has built an impressive resume over several mediums. And 2022 was an especially wonderful year for her with an acclaimed performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that brought her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Curtis was born in Santa Monica on November 22, 1958 to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. After finishing school, she briefly pursued an education in law, but decided to follow in her parents’ footsteps instead. In 1977, she was given a small role in an episode of “Quincy M.E.,” followed by several more small parts and a role in the short-lived “Operation Petticoat,” based on the film which had starred her father. Then she received a part in a low-budget...

Robert Machray, who starred as Orson Welles on the stage and played Fire Marshal Dobbins on Cheers in an acting career that spanned five decades, has died. He was 79.

Machray died Sunday at his home in North Hollywood after enduring two strokes and a brief battle with dementia, his husband, Luigi Camperchioli, told The Hollywood Reporter.

He also showed up on episodes of Operation Petticoat, Three’s Company, Life Goes On, Roseanne, Sister, Sister, Suddenly Susan, Profiler, The Drew Carey Show, Girlfriends, Criminal Minds and Parks and Recreation, which in 2011 marked his final onscreen credit.

Machray portrayed Dobbins, often the victim of pranks at the bar, on four episodes of NBC’s Cheers during seasons eight, nine and 11 from 1990-93.

He appeared in the 1999-2000 Broadway revival of Amadeus that starred Michael Sheen and David Suchet and received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle prize in 2002 for his turn as Welles...

It seems only right on All Hallows Eve that Jamie Lee Curtis might be cryptically teasing another go-round with the unstoppable Michael Myers in the Halloween franchise. During a brand-new interview, the famed Scream Queen spoke about a number of her upcoming projects, including her reunion with on-screen daughter Lindsay Lohan in next years Freakier Friday. However, the conversation took an intriguing turn when Curtis also insinuated that she might not be done with The Shape just yet. Curtis told Entertainment Weekly:

"I have hung up my bell-bottoms and my pale blue button-down shirt. And I have relinquished [Laurie Strode] to the ages with a warm, 'aloha,' and a thanks for all the years and memories. And yet, if Ive learned anything in my 65 years on the planet, its never say never."

While most genre fans will always associate Curtis with Final Girl Laurie Strode from the Halloween franchise, and rightly so,...

There really hasn’t been a filmmaker quite like Blake Edwards. He could go from the silly-billy comedy of his “Pink Panther” comedies starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau to “Days of Wine and Roses,” a devastating drama dealing with alcoholism to the gender-bender musical comedy “Victor/Victoria” starring his wife Julie Andrews to the underrated Western “The Wild Rovers” with William Holden and Ryan O’Neal. Edwards even turned the diminutive British comedian Dudley Moore into a leading man thanks to his 1979 romantic comedy “10.” And let’s not forget the extraordinary collaboration he had with composer Henry Mancini who earned four Oscars including best song “Moon River” from 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and the title tune from 1962’s “Days of Wine and Roses.”

Still, there was no love lost between Edwards and Hollywood.

In my 2003 Los Angeles Times interview with Edwards, who had personality to spare, said “I have been a...

Jamie Lee Curtis was born for the Hollywood life, given that she was the daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. But being from a high-profile family also presents its own set of challenges. Something that even Lee Curtis was not immune to. Despite having the versatility to be an actor, she was constantly labeled a nepotism baby. But even this status couldn’t stop the actress from getting fired from the ABC show Operation Petticoat.

Jamie Lee Curtis in a still from Perfect || Columbia Pictures

While this might have been a huge disappointment for her given that she was just 19 years old at the time, However, this setback led her to her career’s biggest break, which was the Halloween franchise.

A set-back that brought forth a huge opportunity for Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis in a still from Halloween Kills || Universal Pictures

Jamie Lee Curtis is...

Gloria Stroock, who played Rock Hudson’s secretary on McMillan & Wife and appeared in films including Fun With Dick and Jane, The Competition and The Day of the Locust, has died. She was 99.

Stroock died May 5 of natural causes in Tucson, Arizona, her daughter, Kate Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Stroock was married to Emmy-winning writer-producer Leonard B. Stern (Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, The Phil Silvers Show, The Honeymooners, Get Smart and much more) from 1956 until his death in 2011 at age 87.

Her late younger sister was Geraldine Brooks, a Tony nominee and Warner Bros. contract player (Cry Wolf, Embraceable You).

Stroock recurred as Maggie, the secretary of Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, on the final three seasons (1974-77) of McMillan & Wife, the NBC series created by her husband.

She portrayed the wife of Richard Dysart’s art director in John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust...

The Jamie Lee Curtis episode of the Wtf Happened to This Horror Celebrity? video series (formerly known as Where in the Horror Are They Now) was Written and Narrated by Jessica Dwyer and Edited by Jaime Vasquez. It was Produced by John Fallon and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

The final girl. The antithesis of every horror movie villain. The final girl typically has a few traits that has become the standard for horror films over the last few decades. She needs to have a sense of innocence, be intelligent, and have a girl next door vibe that makes her the dream girl for a lot peeps. But most of all she’s a survivor who manages to outwit and outlast a supernatural evil (usually) that has been terrorizing her friends and neighbors and puts a stop to it. The blueprint for the final girl really was minted by an...

Jamie Lee Curtis acknowledged — and made light of — her “nepo baby” status while accepting her Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Sunday.

When it was time for the actrress’ speech, she recieved roaring applause from her peers, kissed her “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-star Michelle Yeoh on the mouth, ran up on stage, and spoke frankly yet proudly about her career journey.

“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby! — starred in,” the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress said to laughter from the audience, overcome with emotion.

“I was fired from that TV show a year later and I thought my life was over,...

Jamie Lee Curtis referred to herself as a “nepo baby” as she revealed the show that she was once fired from during this year’s SAG Awards.

On Sunday, the awards ceremony began with celebrities giving brief monologues to introduce themselves, also referred to as “I am an actor” speeches. Curtis began her speech by reflecting on the first programme she worked on, after she got her “card” as a member of the Screen Actors Guilds, at the age of 19.

“I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called Operation Petticoat,” she said. “Which was based on a movie that my father, Tony Curtis (nepo baby) starred in.”

“I was fired from that TV show, a year later, and I thought my life was over,” she continued.

However, Curtis then acknowledged the silver lining in that situation, adding: “If I hadn’t been fired from Operation Petticoat,...

The 29th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were full of laughable, emotional and inspirational moments. From Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh making history with their SAG Award wins to Jamie Lee Curtis’ nepo baby comment amid the viral debate, here are some of the night’s most memorable moments.

Jamie Lee Curtis Calls Herself a Nepo Baby

The ceremony kicked off with its traditional “I Am An Actor” opening segment, featuring Niecy Nash, of Dahmer, talking about being inspired to be “Black, fabulous, and on TV” as a child, and her first act: “Turn around in a circle and let my family get a load of me.” Bob Odenkirk also joined in, pretending to forget his final line: “I am an actor.” Jamie Lee Curtis was next, grinning as she remembered her first project, Operation Petticoat, and mirthfully called herself a “nepo baby.” She attributed her firing from Petticoat...

Jamie Lee Curtis is a nepo baby, and proud of it!

The actress wasted no time poking fun at herself during the 2023 SAG Awards, as she received major applause during the traditional “I’m an actor” introductions that open the annual awards show.

Curtis told the crowd about getting her SAG card at 19 years old and being hired — and quickly fired — from a short-lived TV series called “Operation Petticoat”, which was based on a film of the same name that starred her father, Tony Curtis. Curtis’ mother, Janet Leigh, was also an actress, best known for her performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

“Nepo baby!” she exclaimed, to big laughs from the crowd.

However, getting fired from “Operation Petticoat”, Curtis pointed out, freed her up to appear in a “little no-budget horror film” that ended up kicking off the “Halloween” franchise.

Et caught up with Curtis on the SAG Awards red carpet,...

The 2023 SAG Awards kicked off Sunday night with their traditional “I Am An Actor” opening segment, featuring Niecy Nash, of Dahmer, talking about being inspired to be “Black, fabulous, and on TV” as a child, and her first act: “turn around in a circle and let my family get a load of me.”

Bob Odenkirk also joined in, pretending to forget his final line: “I am an actor.”

Jamie Lee Curtis was next, grinning as she remembered her first project, Operation Petticoat, and mirthfully called herself a “nepo baby.” She attributed her firing from Petticoat to allowing her to audition for the iconic Halloween franchise.

Quinta Brunson and Janelle James of Abbott Elementary pretended to think the camera crew on them was the wait staff of the awards dinner.

The segment was preceded by Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin and Martin Short spoofing The Banshees of Inisherin — “If you keep bothering me,...

“I’m the only Oscar nominee who sells yogurt [Activia] that makes you shit,” cracked Jamie Lee Curtis during a career-retrospective conversation with film historian Leonard Maltin on Saturday night at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara. The newly minted best supporting actress Oscar nominee for Everything Everywhere All at Once was in town to collect the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Maltin Modern Master Award, and charmed attendees — including more than a few Academy members — with self-deprecation (“All the ‘nepo baby’ jokes, believe me, I’ve heard them all”), a claim that she “invented” Instagram and general candor about her 45 years as a screen actress: “I know what I can do, I know what I cannot do, and I’ve managed to have a really rich and robust group of opportunities in show-off business.”

Maltin — the namesake of the award Curtis was collecting, and a friend of Curtis’ late parents,...

Telemundo is getting a slice of the streaming wars pie: The American Spanish-language NBCUniversal network will launch Tplus, a new bilingual content brand designed to serve U.S. Hispanics, on Peacock.

Upcoming tiles include Telemundo’s biggest and most beloved franchises, from “Yo Soy Betty la Fea” to “Café con Aroma de Mujer,” as well as upcoming original projects like a documentary film based on the life of soccer icon Lionel Messi, a docu-series centered on Colombian artist J Balvin and a reality dating series from Red Arrow’s Kinetic Content, the production company behind “Love is Blind,” among others. The hub’s initial programming slate will exclusively be available to the platform’s premium subscribers.

The first titles in the Tplus programming slate will be revealed (along with many more to come), including a wide range of Spanish and English-language entertainment, news and sports content reflecting the richness and diversity of U.

Yvonne Wilder, the actor known for her work in “West Side Story,” “Seems Like Old Times” and numerous TV shows, died Nov. 24 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 84.

Wilder played the role of Consuelo in Robert Wise’s landmark 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story.” She also appeared in the role of Anita in a West End production of “West Side Story” and in the first international touring production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical.

Wilder was remembered by friends for her love of dancing and her fiery sense of humor. “West Side Story” co-star George Chakiris recently hailed her contributions to the stage production and the movie.

“Yvonne Wilder had an extraordinary, unique sense of humor. I did the play in London with Yvonne so I knew her before the movie,” George Chakiris told TCM in May. “But Yvonne’s humor was adopted by all of us.

Robert Hogan, a TV character actor who was a regular on Peyton Place for two seasons and recurred on The Wire and such other popular series as Law & Order and Alice, has died. He was 87. His family said he died May 27 of pneumonia complications at his home in coastal Maine.

Hogan amassed more than 150 credits during a six-decade career, guesting multiple times on such classic shows as Murder, She Wrote, Gunsmoke, The F.B.I., Barnaby Jones, 77 Sunset Strip, The Rockford Files and as Louis Sobotka in four Season 2 episodes of HBO’s The Wire. He also played Greg Stemple in a half-dozen Alice episodes during the early 1980s.

He also played the Rev. Tom Winter — whose affairs certainly were more than clerical — in more than 60 episodes of the New England-set 1960s romantic drama Peyton Place.

During his long TV career, Hogan was a regular on a handful of short-lived series,...

Actor Gavin MacLeod has passed away at age 90 following a lengthy illness. MacLeod entered the acting profession in the 1950s with small roles in films such as "I Want to Live!", "Pork Chop Hill" and "Operation Petticoat". He also appeared in many hit TV series of the era before landing a regular part as a member of "McHale's Navy". In 1971, he graduated to stardom with a key role in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", which showcased his superb talents as a comedic actor. Major stardom followed later when he had the lead role in the long-running hit TV series "The Love Boat". His other feature films include "Kelly's Heroes" and "The Sand Pebbles". For more about his life and career, click here.

Gavin MacLeod, the veteran television actor known for his roles on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Love Boat” has died, his nephew Mark See confirms. The five-time Golden Globe nominee was 90 years old.

MacLeod passed away early Saturday morning at his home in Palm Desert, California. According to TMZ, the actor had been in and out of the hospital with various illnesses for the last few months, although Covid was not one of them.

MacLeod found his breakout role on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” where he played Murray Slaughter, the head writer at Mary’s fictional television station. He appeared in all 168 episodes of the sitcom’s seven-year run. Betty White and Ed Asner are now the only surviving cast members of the classic series. The latter star has already posted a sweet tribute to the actor in which he describes him as “my brother, my partner...

Gavin MacLeod, who was the Love Boat captain and played Murray on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, two of the top television shows of the 1970s and 1980s, died today at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. MacLeod was 90 and his death was confirmed by his nephew, Mark See.

No cause of death was revealed, but MacLeod had been in ill health over the last few months.

The affable actor played head writer Murray Slaughter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and appeared in all 168 episodes over seven years, ending in 1977. He then pulled off a rarity, moving from one long-running hit show to another.

As Captain Stubing on The Love Boat, he appeared in 249 episodes, and later returned in the role for the TV movie The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage in 1990 and for the “Reunion” episode of the rebooted series Love Boat: The Next Wave in 1998.

MacLeod was...

Gavin MacLeod, a sitcom veteran who played seaman “Happy” Haines on “McHale’s Navy,” Murray on “Mary Tyler Moore” and the very different, vaguely patrician Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90.

MacLeod’s nephew, Mark See, confirmed his death to Variety. MacLeod died in the early morning on May 29. No cause of death was given, but MacLeod’s health had declined in recent months.

MacLeod played a relatively minor character on ABC hit “McHale’s Navy,” starring Ernest Borgnine, but as newswriter Murray Slaughter, he was certainly one of the stars of “Mary Tyler Moore,” appearing in every one of the classic comedy’s 168 episodes during its 1970-77 run on CBS. Murray was married to Marie (Joyce Bulifant) but was in love with Moore’s Mary Richards. His desk was right next to Mary’s in the Wjm newsroom, so MacLeod was frequently in the shot during the sitcom,...

Gavin MacLeod, the good-guy actor who played news writer Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat, has died. He was 90.

MacLeod, a familiar presence in America’s living rooms from 1970 until 1987 thanks to those high-rated shows, died Saturday in his Palm Desert home, relatives said.

Evidently quite comfortable at sea, MacLeod also played Seaman Joseph “Happy” Haines on the 1960s ABC sitcom McHale’s Navy (though he was miserable on that show) and was a supporting player on two notable nautical-themed films — Operation Petticoat (1959), with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, and Robert Wise’s ...

Gavin MacLeod, the good-guy actor who played news writer Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat, has died. He was 90.

MacLeod, a familiar presence in America’s living rooms from 1970 until 1987 thanks to those high-rated shows, died Saturday in his Palm Desert home, relatives said.

Evidently quite comfortable at sea, MacLeod also played Seaman Joseph “Happy” Haines on the 1960s ABC sitcom McHale’s Navy (though he was miserable on that show) and was a supporting player on two notable nautical-themed films — Operation Petticoat (1959), with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, and Robert Wise’s ...

Richard Gilliland, an actor known for his role on “Designing Women,” has died. He was 71.

The actor died on March 18 in Los Angeles following a brief illness. He was slated to work alongside his wife, Jean Smart, this summer in a movie directed by Tate Taylor.

The couple first met while on the set of CBS sitcom “Designing Women,” in which Smart played Charlene Frazier, the office manager of Atlanta interior design firm Sugarbaker & Associates, and Gilliland portrayed J.D. Shackelford, boyfriend of the firm’s head designer, Mary Jo Shively. Married for nearly 34 years, they acted together in a number of productions, including “It Had to Be You,” “Love Letters,” “24,” “Just My Imagination” and “Audrey’s Rain.”

Gilliland was born Jan. 23, 1950 in Fort Worth, Texas. Before moving to Los Angeles, he attended the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University and played Jesus in a year-long run of...

Richard Gilliland, a prolific actor who nearly 50-year career included Designing Women, Thirtysomething and series-regular roles on Just Our Luck, Operation Petticoat and Heartland, has died. He was 71. His family said he died March 18 in Los Angeles after an unspecified brief illness.

Born on January 23, 1950, in Fort Worth, Texas, Gilliland appeared in dozens of TV shows, ranging from The Streets of San Francisco, Medical Center, a recurring role on McMillan & Wife and Marcus Welby, M.D. in the 1970s through The Waltons, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat to St. Elsewhere, Night Court, Matlock, Judging Amy, Becker, Crossing Jordan, 24, CSI, Criminal Minds and Murder, She Wrote. He also co-starred in the 1978 NBC miniseries Little Women.

He also was a series regular on three ABC comedies during the 1970s and ’80: playing a World War II Navy officer opposite John Astin in Operation Petticoat (1977-79), a TV reporter who finds...

Richard Gilliland, a veteran character actor known for his work in “Designing Women” and “Airplane II: The Sequel,” and the husband to actress Jean Smart, has died. He was 71.

Gilliland died on March 18 in Los Angeles following a brief illness, his publicist told TheWrap.

The actor spent five years on the ’80s sitcom “Designing Women,” playing J.D. Shackelford, the boyfriend of Annie Potts’ character, Mary Jo Shively. Gilliland and Smart met on the show and got married in 1987. The two also shared the screen in a season of “24” in 2006.

Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland in 2020/Getty Images

He and Smart also worked together in stage productions of “It Had to Be You” and “Love Letters,” as well as the telefilms “Just My Imagination” and “Audrey’s Rain.”

Gilliland has over 90 acting credits in film and TV dating back to the 1970s, including dozens of guest appearances on shows such as “Criminal Minds,...

Richard Gilliland, a busy character actor whose credits included a recurring role on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, where he met his future wife, Emmy winner Jean Smart, died March 18 in Los Angeles after a brief illness, a publicist announced. He was 71.

The Texas native starred as Sgt. Steve Dimaggio on NBC’s McMillan & Wife in 1976-77 and as Lt. Nick Holden on ABC’s adaptation of Operation Petticoat in 1977-78, and he was a series regular on ABC’s Just Our Luck in 1983 and the CBC’s Heartland in 1989.

Gilliland also had recurring roles on other shows including Party ...

Richard Gilliland, a busy character actor whose credits included a recurring role on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, where he met his future wife, Emmy winner Jean Smart, died March 18 in Los Angeles after a brief illness, a publicist announced. He was 71.

The Texas native starred as Sgt. Steve Dimaggio on NBC’s McMillan & Wife in 1976-77 and as Lt. Nick Holden on ABC’s adaptation of Operation Petticoat in 1977-78, and he was a series regular on ABC’s Just Our Luck in 1983 and the CBC’s Heartland in 1989.

Gilliland also had recurring roles on other shows including Party ...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Ak vs Ak (Vikramaditya Motwane)

Over the 21st century, Bollywood cinema has entered into a completely different era of filmmaking and storytelling than was being made in the decades prior. Actors and directors who started their careers in the ‘80s and ‘90s have experienced such a drastic shift from their beginnings to what they are doing now that their older works seem almost archaic and unrecognizable. This has led, expectedly, to many of Bollywood’s artists making self-reflexive work that also reflects on the industry in general––Fan, Sanju, The Dirty Picture, Luck By Chance, and Shamitabh are just a few examples. Vikramaditya Motwane’s Ak vs Ak is...

To celebrate Variety’s 115th anniversary, we went to the archives to see how some of Hollywood’s biggest stars first landed in the pages of our magazine. Read more from the archives here.

In 1929, Variety hated the musical comedy “A Wonderful Night” at Broadway’s Majestic Theater (“remarkably dull … the outlook for this one is dreary”). However, there was praise for one of the stars, Archie Leach — who in a few years would change his name to Cary Grant and conquer Hollywood and the world. “Archie Leach makes a handsome leading man, but some of the lines of fearsome insipidity that he has to utter discounted most of his natural grace.”

Handsome, natural grace: Those words offer a hint of Leach/Grant’s appeal. Three years later, in 1932, Variety ran a two-sentence item: “Cary Grant, new leading man on the Paramount contract list, hails from vaudeville where his monicker was Archie Leach.

Closing out a year in which we’ve needed The Criterion Channel more than ever, they’ve now announced their impressive December lineup. Topping the highlights is a trio of Terrence Malick films––Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The New World––along with interviews featuring actors Richard Gere, Sissy Spacek, and Martin Sheen; production designer Jack Fisk; costume designer Jacqueline West; cinematographers Haskell Wexler and John Bailey; and more.

Also in the lineup is an Afrofuturism series, featuring an introduction by programmer Ashley Clark, with work by Lizzie Borden, Shirley Clarke, Souleymane Cissé, John Akomfrah, Terence Nance, and more. There’s also Mariano Llinás’s 14-hour epic La flor, Bill Morrison’s Dawson City: Frozen Time, Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning, plus retrospectives dedicated to Mae West, Cary Grant, Barbra Streisand, and more.

Check out the lineup below and return every Friday for our weekly streaming picks.

She gained fame as a “scream queen” over 40 years ago, but in the four decades since has proven her versatility in a range of genres. Award-winning comedienne, activist, author and daughter of two film icons, Jamie Lee Curtis has built an impressive resume over several mediums.

Curtis was born in Santa Monica on November 22, 1958 to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. After finishing school, she briefly pursued an education in law, but decided to follow in her parents’ footsteps instead. In 1977, she was given a small role in an episode of “Quincy M.E.,” followed by several more small parts and a role in the short-lived “Operation Petticoat,” based on the film which had starred her father. Then she received a part in a low-budget horror film that would change her life forever.

SEETony Curtis movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best

In 1978, Curtis made her movie debut in John Carpenter‘s now-iconic “Halloween,...

Legendary actor John Astin has just turned 90 years old, and fans of all generations are celebrating the beloved performer's career on his special day. Of course, Astin is very well-known for his breakout role as Gomez Addams in the original black-and-white version of The Addams Family, though the actor's biggest fans also remember him from a variety of other unforgettable movie and television roles. Now, as the actor enters his 90s, his fans are taking to social media to speak about their most favorite performances we've seen from Astin over the past several decades.

Of course, there are countless mentions online of Astin's memorable role as Gomez Addams. After starring alongside Carolyn Jones as Morticia in The Addams Family in the 1960's, Astin reprised the role for the 1977 television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. In the early '90s, Astin would play Gomez once again when he voiced...

Legendary actor John Astin has just turned 90 years old, and fans of all generations are celebrating the beloved performer's career on his special day. Of course, Astin is very well-known for his breakout role as Gomez Addams in the original black-and-white version of The Addams Family, though the actor's biggest fans also remember him from a variety of other unforgettable movie and television roles. Now, as the actor enters his 90s, his fans are taking to social media to speak about their most favorite performances we've seen from Astin over the past several decades.

Of course, there are countless mentions online of Astin's memorable role as Gomez Addams. After starring alongside Carolyn Jones as Morticia in The Addams Family in the 1960's, Astin reprised the role for the 1977 television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family. In the early '90s, Astin would play Gomez once again when he voiced...

Proud of its Peacock, NBCUniversal unveiled an avalanche of information about its forthcoming streaming service during parent company Comcast’s investor day Thursday, including its price, launch date and what shows and films — both original and classic — will be available on the platform at launch, and in the year to come.

Of course you already knew about old titles like “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Battlestar Galactica” and new shows like the “Saved by the Bell” and “Punky Brewster” revivals — but today Peacock announced some additional acquisitions, like the streaming rights to “Two and a Half Men,” “The George Lopez Show,” “Yellowstone” and Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” and “Chicago” franchises, as well as series orders for original projects, like the Tina Fey-produced pop-star comedy “Girls5Eva.”

But wait, there’s more!

According to NBCU, “with 15,000+ hours of content, Peacock has something for everyone – from sports and news,...

Blake Edwards. Courtesy of Paramount.“[Blake] Edwards has become a stylistic influence in the cinema,” Andrew Sarris would write of the filmmaker in 1968, “And his personality and script dominate Ralph Nelson’s Soldier in the Rain the way Lubitsch’s personality once dominated Cukor’s One Hour With You.” Sarris would dub himself an “Edwardian”in his support of the film director and the inclusion of Edwards in his foundational book, The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968, still remains the most serious scholarship on him. Edwards’ distinction in the book included him in “The Far Side of Paradise,” the category that “falls short of Pantheon,” the highest distinction. Edwards would be categorized alongside the likes of Capra, Cukor, Minnelli, Preminger, and Fuller—strong company, but characterized as such for Sarris because there is fragmentation or disruption within their careers. This high distinction by Sarris would have the great film critic come...

Blake Edwards would’ve celebrated his 97th birthday on July 26, 2019. Though best known for his comedies, the Oscar-nominated director dipped his toes into a number of different genres throughout his career, including thrillers, musicals and westerns. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1922, Edwards got his start as an actor before becoming a writer for movies and television. He rose to prominence after creating the TV show “Peter Gunn,” which starred Craig Stevens as a super-stylish detective. The series brought Edwards Emmy nominations for writing and directing in 1959.

He enjoyed his greatest big screen successes with the “Pink Panther” series, featuring Peter Sellers as bumbling French detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The films established Edwards as a master of physical comedy and sight gags, which his leading man was more than capable of delivering. The two...

Blake Edwards would’ve celebrated his 97th birthday on July 26, 2019. Though best known for his comedies, the Oscar-nominated director dipped his toes into a number of different genres throughout his career, including thrillers, musicals and westerns. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1922, Edwards got his start as an actor before becoming a writer for movies and television. He rose to prominence after creating the TV show “Peter Gunn,” which starred Craig Stevens as a super-stylish detective. The series brought Edwards Emmy nominations for writing and directing in 1959.

SEEJulie Andrews movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best

He enjoyed his greatest big screen successes with the “Pink Panther” series, featuring Peter Sellers as bumbling French detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The films established Edwards as a master of physical comedy and sight gags, which his...

Tony Curtis would’ve celebrated his 94th birthday on June 3, 2019. The Oscar-nominated performer starred in dozens of movies throughout his career, becoming famous as the charismatic leading man of romantic comedies, action films, and prestige dramas. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1925 in The Bronx, New York, Curtis got his start in movies thanks mainly to his good looks. He first gained attention as a serious actor thanks to Alexander Mackendrick‘s searing drama “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), in which he played an unscrupulous publicist who agrees to do the bidding of an amoral Broadway critic (Burt Lancaster). The film brought him a BAFTA nomination as Best Actor.

SEEBurt Lancaster movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best

He earned his one and only Oscar bid the...

Tony Curtis would’ve celebrated his 94th birthday on June 3, 2019. The Oscar-nominated performer starred in dozens of movies throughout his career, becoming famous as the charismatic leading man of romantic comedies, action films, and prestige dramas. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1925 in The Bronx, New York, Curtis got his start in movies thanks mainly to his good looks. He first gained attention as a serious actor thanks to Alexander Mackendrick‘s searing drama “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), in which he played an unscrupulous publicist who agrees to do the bidding of an amoral Broadway critic (Burt Lancaster). The film brought him a BAFTA nomination as Best Actor.

He earned his one and only Oscar bid the following year as Best Actor for Stanley Kramer‘s...

David Crow Oct 16, 2018

Jamie Lee Curtis cannot escape the reach of Halloween's Michael Myers or Laurie Strode. And she doesn't want to.

Jamie Lee Curtis knows the importance of Halloween and the boogeyman it unleashed. She can feel their combined shadow when entering a ballroom at San Diego Comic-Con. Arriving slightly behind the other filmmakers she’s partnered with to bring that boogeyman back, her presence causes the cavernous space filled with journalists to go quiet. All eyes are on the woman in a black blazer and horn-rimmed glasses. Next to me, Halloween producer Jason Blum murmurs, to no one in particular, that there is a queen.

“It is my life,” Curtis says once she sits across the table from reporters, reflecting on the significance of her breakout role. “This is the greatest job I will ever have, and I know it. I knew it then, I tried to pretend it wasn’t,...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Cary Grant was one of the few actors to defy the effects of aging. The older he got, the more popular his films became. By the late 1950s Grant had become uncomfortable making movies because he realized audiences only wanted to see him as a romantic lead and he felt self-conscious about studio insistence that he be seen on screen romancing female leads who were often decades younger than him. Nonetheless, Grant kept forestalling his frequent vows to retire from acting. He had taken much more control over his career by forming his own production company and the result were some of the biggest hits of his career ("Operation Petticoat", "That Touch of Mink", "Charade"). Grant's primary motivation for not retiring was his desire- or rather, obsession- with winning an Oscar. Alfred Hitchcock had advised him that the best way to do so was to get away...

This week’s edition of Tuesday Blus includes the following titles:

The Wound (2017) – Kino Lorber / Maigret Sets a Trap (1958) – Kino Lorber / Maigret and the St Fiacre Case (1959) – Kino Lorber / Valdez is Coming (1971) – Kino Lorber / Heat and Dust (1983) – Cohen Media Group / Operation Petticoat (1958) – Olive Films / Time to Die (1966) – Film Movement / The Unknown Girl (2016) – Sundance Selects (DVD) / False Confessions (2016) – Big World Pictures (DVD).

Continue reading...

Tony Curtis grew up idolizing the suave and funny Cary Grant, emulated his romantic moves as an actor and then performed a brilliant impersonation of Grant for Billy Wilder. The next step had to be co-starring with the great man himself. Blake Edwards’ amiable, relaxed submarine movie allows Grant to play with ladies’ under-things, while Curtis wrestles with a pig.

Operation Petticoat

Blu-ray

Olive Signature Edition

1959 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 120 min. / Street Date July 1, 2014 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95

Starring: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O’Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans, Dick Sargent, Virginia Gregg, Gavin MacLeod, Madlyn Rhue, Marion Ross, Arthur O’Connell.

Cinematography: Russell Harlan

Original Music: David Rose

Written by Paul King, Joseph Stone, Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin

Produced by Robert Arthur

Directed by Blake Edwards

The latest in Olive Films’ Signature Selection special editions is Operation Petticoat, a light comedy war movie noted for teaming Cary Grant with Tony Curtis.

'The Pink Panther' with Peter Sellers: Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy hit and its many sequels revolve around one of the most iconic film characters of the 20th century: clueless, thick-accented Inspector Clouseau – in some quarters surely deemed politically incorrect, or 'insensitive,' despite the lack of brown face make-up à la Sellers' clueless Indian guest in Edwards' 'The Party.' 'The Pink Panther' movies [1] There were a total of eight big-screen Pink Panther movies co-written and directed by Blake Edwards, most of them starring Peter Sellers – even after his death in 1980. Edwards was also one of the producers of every (direct) Pink Panther sequel, from A Shot in the Dark to Curse of the Pink Panther. Despite its iconic lead character, the last three movies in the Pink Panther franchise were box office bombs. Two of these, The Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, were co-written by Edwards' son,...

Blake Edwards: Director of the 'Pink Panther' movies – and Julie Andrews' husband for more than four decades – was at his best handling polished comedies and a couple of dead serious dramas. Blake Edwards movies: Best known for slapstick fare, but at his best handling polished comedies and dramas The Pink Panther and its sequels[1] are the movies most closely associated with screenwriter-director-producer Blake Edwards, whose film and television career spanned more than half a century.[2] But unless you're a fan of Keystone Kops-style slapstick, they're the filmmaker's least interesting efforts. In fact, Edwards (born William Blake Crump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 26, 1922) was at his best (co-)writing and/or directing polished comedies (e.g., Operation Petticoat, Victor Victoria) and, less frequently, dramas (Days of Wine and Roses, the romantic comedy-drama Breakfast at Tiffany's). The article below and follow-up posts offer a brief look at some of Blake Edwards' non-Pink Panther comedies,...

Heiress and philanthropist who became a Hollywood star playing poised, upper-class women

There has seldom been more closeness between an acting career and a lifestyle than that of Dina Merrill, who has died aged 93. As an heiress, socialite and philanthropist, Merrill had little trouble portraying upper-crust women in films and television. Her patrician allure led her to be proclaimed “Hollywood’s new Grace Kelly” in 1959. Alas, Merrill was seldom given the chance to shine as much as the star who became a princess. Nevertheless, she had a long career in films from the mid-50s to the mid-60s, and appeared regularly on television from 1955.

Perhaps she was best known on the big screen as Tony Curtis’s love interest in Blake Edwards’ Operation Petticoat (1959). The action comedy starred Cary Grant, who had been married to Merrill’s cousin, the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. Almost as celebrated was her role...

Newly available on Blu-ray, Operation Petticoat stars two of Hollywood’s ultimate leading men, Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, in a madcap, candy-colored comedy about two very different officers on a battered submarine in the Pacific during World War II, and what happens when five female Army nurses come aboard. Directed by Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, among many others), it was released in 1959 and showcases two of the biggest stars in the history of cinema at their brightest and most boisterous--even if the story itself leaves something to be desired.

Read more...