Summer Under the Stars and Ben M

[Lzcutter]

TCM announced earlier today that Ben M will be hosting this year's Summer Under the Stars in the wake of Robert O's hiatus:

Ben Mankiewicz will serve as guest host for TCM's Summer Under the Stars festival in August. Ben will introduce the 9th installment of the festival while Robert Osborne is taking a break.

This year's Summer Under the Stars features several people for the first time, including day-long schedules with Orson Welles, Joanne Woodward and Peter Lawford.

Summer Under the Stars will also highlight Marlon Brando, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford and, on what would have been her 100th birthday, Lucille Ball.

[JackFavell]

And Ben Johnson!

[knitwit45]

And Ben Johnson!

yaaaaay!

[ChiO]

Odd...I didn't notice any of his films showing on August 8.

[knitwit45]

Could it be because Orson didn't make any westerns????? I'm sure he would have used Our Ben to the fullest extent if he had.

[ChiO]

He made Westerns: THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI and TOUCH OF EVIL. And, of course, CITIZEN KANE, which is everything.

He appeared in MAN IN THE SHADOW and did provide narration for DUEL IN THE SUN.

[JackFavell]

I really like Boy on a Dolphin, it's a much better movie than the title or the description would seem to indicate.

I am excited to finally see the Herb Jeffries movies on Friday night! Jeffries was a jazz musician, who sang with Duke Ellington and knew jazz greats like Count Basie and Louis Armstrong. He started out as a tenor, but lowered his range on advice from Billy Strayhorn. He was known as the Bronze Buckaroo or the Sepia Singing Cowboy. He was proud to be African American, and never appeared in subservient roles. During his career making films with positive black images, he continued his successful musical career as well, singing a number of hits. The film Two Gun Man from Harlem is not a western, it's in the crime genre. Harlem on the Range has Jeffries singing songs he wrote himself.

I wished I'd taped An Ideal Husband when it was last on, I really enjoyed it.

As for the rest of the Paulette features, I have only seen Pot O' Gold and Second Chorus, but too many years ago to be able to judge whether they are worth keeping. I'll be watching too, kingrat!

[pvitari]

Herb Jeffries was at the TCM festival last April -- he was at two of the three Roy Rogers movies I attended. He's in a wheel chair now but otherwise looks great, still wearing his colorful western gear with fringed jacket, big hat and bo.os ;) I did see him rolling down the red carpet at one point. A young theater employee watched him come by before one screening and I asked the young man if he knew who that was. He didn't have a clue, so I told him about Herb Jeffries and he seemed really interested and said he'd look him up on the web. I hope he did!

Roy's daughter Cheryl Rogers Barnett introduced him at each screening... he's the last of the singing cowboys. I didn't talk to him but it was an honor just being in his presence.

Herb Jeffries at the 2011 TCM festival

[JackFavell]

Thanks or that picture, P! He was looking dapper as ever!

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Wendy & Kingrat,

I'll be front and center all day Tuesday for Paulette.

I've only seen "Vice Squad" and "Paris Model" once before and they are not so good really. But, I'll watch them again.....
"Charge of the Lancers" is about the Crimean War and kind of silly with Paulette as a gypsy, who has a good time playing with Jean Pierre Aumont (both on & off screen!!)....

If you watch "An Ideal Husband" be sure and spot that enormous ermine coat at the beginning. She wore that to the premier and I've been inside it, snuggled up to her!!! Fell in love instantly and at 6 years old too!!!

Enjoy Tuesday and have a glass of bubbly & some chocolates. Better yet, enjoy a banana split with Paulette and me!!

Larry

[JackFavell]

I think I'll put on all my good jewelry, drink the bubbly, and skip the chocolates.... I'll be thinking of you, lucky Larry, watching that ermine coat, wishing I had one myself.