The Meaning of Life ends with a visit from the Grim Reaper. ibid.
‘The petty difference were forgotten.’ ibid. Python on Chapman’s illness & death
We know the rhythm of all those sketches. ibid. Pailn
Lauded and acclaimed. ibid.
Nollywood: Once ridiculed for its low budgets, questionable acting and terrible special effects, the Nigerian film industry now produces more films a year than Hollywood. And its movies are going global. With multi-million-dollar films screened on Netflix and massive viewing figures online, Nollywood has become big business. Reggie Yates Meets World s1e3, MTV 2019
This is a man who climbed the Hollywood ladder one rung at a time until he reached the top and became the most popular American actors of the time. This is the story of a star who embodied his country and who little by little became consumed with patriotic fervour. This is the story of an actor seemingly one and the same with his on-screen persona, the heroic, confident cowboy, a pillar of strength and virility. John Wayne: America at all Costs, Sky Arts 2019
He was 22, handsome, and Fox Studios put their bets on him as if he were a young racehorse. ibid.
With the exception of a trip to the Pacific to entertain the troops, John Wayne spent the entirety of the war years in Hollywood. ibid.
His golden age had begun. In a few short years he made one big picture after another. ibid.
He topped the box office and remained there for the next 25 years. ibid.
He embodied America. And yet Duke Morrison, his alter ego in real life, was a tormented man ever since the end of the Second World War. ibid.
In the post-war years while he was performing his greatest roles, John Wayne began to over-compensate and to devote himself to the cause of the American military. ibid.
John Wayne’s political convictions began to determine the roles he chose. ibid.
By the end of the 1960s, John Wayne appeared to be completely out of luck with the new generation. ibid.
During the making of Le Mans a rumoured one million feet of film was shot. It was presumed lost or destroyed. Steve McQueen: Le Mans & The Man, BBC 2020
A superstar who loved auto racing decided to do a picture about his sport. ibid.
He was American royalty … ‘Basically, I come from the gutter.’ ibid.
With a budget of $6 million, Le Mans would be the most expensive Cinema Centre film to date. ibid.
‘After the Sebring race … he was admired by the other drivers as a real professional racer.’ ibid.
‘The movie for all generations, the movie that captured the smells, the noise, the feeling of car racing like no other film.’ ibid.
15 June 1970: Principal photography begins on Le Mans … 17 July 1970: filming on Le Mans is suspended for two weeks … 3 August 1970: Filming resumes on Le Mans … ‘It was the most difficult film I had ever done.’ ibid.
My grandfather Harry Birrell was obsessed with cinema. This is a film he made in 1959 with a little help from my 4-year-old dad … At age 10 Harry was given his first cine-camera. Harry Birrell Presents Films of Love & War, BBC 2020
Laurel & Hardy: Stan Laurel in the early 60s [with puppet] … He lives with his wife Aida in Santa Monica, California. Laurel is retired after leaving show business. For 30 years he and his best pal Oliver Hardy were a team. The world famous comedian has no star complex. Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives & Magic, Sky Arts 2020
‘We sure used to have a lot of fun, didn’t we?’ ibid. Film, Laurel to Stan
106 comedies together: Laurel & Hardy are the best known and post popular comedy duo in the world. ibid.
‘At last you are using my brain.’ ibid. Stan to Laurel film
Whatever Stan does and whatever happens to Ollie, he bears it with a stoic demeanour. ibid.
They dine together, play golf together and even go fishing. ibid.
New York harbor: On 16th 1932 Laurel and Oliver leave here for England on a luxury liner. ibid.
They perfect their unmistakable style of comedy: one of their basic principles of comedy: tit for tat. ibid.
A lot of back taxes to pay: Stan is seen more frequently at his favourite bar after work. ibid.
Stan ends up getting married seven times to four women. ibid.
Laurel & Hardy go on a major twelve-week tour to major US cities. ibid.
Twentieth Century Fox – Stan and Ollie are finally able to make movies again. ibid.
Stan and Ollie are unemployed … Theatre instead of movies … They leave New York for England in 1947. ibid.
Nadja: We have just returned from the Talkies.
Laszlo: They should never have added sound. There’s pop music and people talking all the way through it. What We Do in the Shadows s2e7: The Run, BBC 2020
‘You know John I don’t think he ever slept.’ Too Young to Die s1e3: John Belushi, friend, Sky 2012
‘He always played at the top of his skill, at the top of his ingenuity, at the top of his personality.’ ibid.
He made just seven films but they immortalised him. ibid.
Belushi was arrogant and quick-tempered, funny and dramatic, insecure and beset by doubt. ibid.
An early death that was inevitable? John Belushi died in 1982 of a mixture of cocaine and heroin. ibid.
‘Absolutely brilliant parody of Joe Cocker.’ ibid. friend
Saturday Night Live: In four seasons of the show John played well over fifty characters and improvisations. ibid.
Animal House became the most successful comedy of all time. ibid.
For Saturday Night Live he [Belushi] had devised the Blues Brothers – their records sold millions: The Blues Brothers: a musical with crazy car chases. The film cost $27 million … A triumphant return for John. But shooting was overshadowed by Belushi’s alcohol and drug excesses. ibid.
Early morning on 29 November 1981: Actress Natalie Wood was found dead today. Her body was discovered fully clothed in the waters off Catalina Island. Too Young to Die s1e5: Natalie Wood
It was the death of an actress who even as a little girl had given the term ‘child star’ a new meaning. ibid.
The death of Natalie Wood is one of Hollywood’s great mysteries. ibid.
‘God created my daughter. But I made her.’ ibid. mother
Natalie took refuge in a dream world. She fell for a handsome film actor eight years her senior: Robert Wagner. ibid.
In those years Natalie Wood belonged to everyone … except herself. ibid.
Natalie was nominated for an Oscar and signed an exclusive contract with Warner Brothers. ibid.
Hollywood loved Natalie and Natalie loved her life as an actress. ibid.
The two led a life in the public spotlight. ibid.
Judy Garland was born Frances Gumm in 1922. Her life was marked by triumphs and tragedies. She was a Hollywood star, a goddess on stage, and the most famous drug addict of her day. Too Young to Die s1e7: Judy Garland
‘The Wizard of Oz has been seen by more people than any other movie in history.’ ibid. biographer
‘She needed to take off weight and they did that with pills. It was some kind of speed that she took.’ ibid. personal assistant
Within fifteen years Judy Garland made over thirty films. She was the most commercially successful star of her time. ibid.
On 22nd June 1969 Judy Garland died in London of an overdose of tablets. She was 47 years old. Her body was flown to New York for the funeral. ibid.
He was a star who didn’t want to be, certainly not one from Hollywood. He wanted to be an actor pure and simple: an actor from New York. Philip Seymour Hoffman refused to be typecast. He seemed to fit every film perfectly. Too Young to Die s1e8: Philip Seymour Hoffman
‘A truly kind wonderful man and one of our greatest actors – ever.’ ibid. Mia Farrow tweet