The Big Apple: A Short History of New York City 20C History Project 2014-12-24 | This is a fast-paced 23-minute documentary history of New York City, narrated at rapid speed by renowned New York newscaster Bill Beutel and produced by the Museum of the City of New York. It uses archival illustrations and paintings to cover the first two centuries, photographs to cover the second half of the 19th century and film footage for the 20th century. It starts out with Henry Hudson’s landing in 1609 and concludes with the construction of Lincoln Center and the World Trade Center in the 1960s and 1970s and ethnic street festivals in the 1990s. It’s got a remarkable array of imagery. Produced in 1992.
Peckin - musical number from NEW FACES OF 1937 20C History Project 2019-03-14 | One of the most bizarre musical numbers I’ve ever found in a Hollywood movie is this number, called “Peckin’” which comes out of nowhere in NEW FACES OF 1937. It’s presented in the middle of a show called “New Faces” being given an out-of-town tryout and it features an array of black dancers and musicians who had not appeared previously in the film. It opens with a trio of farmers, played by the Three Chocolateers, who observe the pecking motions of chickens and then duplicate it before moving to a huge nightclub set where they now become dancing waiters for a crowd of black diners, who soon imitate the pecking motions while a band plays. Dancers come out of the mouth of a huge demonic face and eventually a waitress (Mildred Boyd), still making the pecking motion, moves into another set, a large parlor where she now becomes a maid attending a white bride getting ready for her wedding. The bride is Harriet Hilliard, who later married Ozzie Nelson and the two starred on TV in “Ozzie and Harriet.” There’s a brief cut in the middle of the number to an ongoing battle between two of the film’s stars, Joe Penner and Parkyakarkus.
Mr. Beebe of Harlem, with Harold Nicholas 20C History Project 2019-03-09 | “Mr. Beebe” is a song-and-dance number featured in the 1944 Columbia Pictures release, CAROLINA BLUES. It stars Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers) and features a stunning array of African-American performers of the time, including the Four Step Brothers (who give Mr. Nicholas a run for his money when it comes to acrobatic tap), the Four Dreamers, singer June Richmond and dancers Marie Bryant and Louise Franklin, among others. The song was co-written by Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn and black songwriter Dudley Brooks. This clip contains the complete number although I’ve edited out the extraneous intro and outro portions featuring Ann Miller.
World:Comm: Animation Not Just for Kiddies 20C History Project 2019-02-27 | This discussion covers the state of animation for adults on television and home video in 1997. There are video montages of wartime animation aimed at servicemen (the Private Snafu series); images of racial stereotyping in 1940s cartoons; adult animation on TV (e.g. The Simpsons and Beavis & Butthead); and a montage from Japanese animation. [WARNING: the Japanese anime clip contains brief shots of graphic violence and nudity.] The discussion includes the importance of comic books in providing source material for much of this animation. The guests are Don Duga, Vice Pres., Polestar Animation; John O’Donnell, Managing Dir., Central Park Media (distributor of Japanese animation); and Candy Kugel, director and producer, Buzzco Associates. The host is James Day, a Public Television pioneer who was teaching at Brooklyn College by this point. Produced by the Brooklyn College TV Center/CUNY.
World:Comm: Animation International Import and Export 20C History Project 2019-02-27 | Wide-ranging discussion of animation from overseas, chiefly Europe and Japan, and attempts to release it in American markets in the 1990s, including the home video and nontheatrical markets, cable TV, and the festival circuit. There is discussion of new formats and new technologies, with the then-new format of DVD being mentioned, as well as internet streaming. There are montages of European art animation, Japanese animation, and National Film Board of Canada animated shorts. The guests are: John O’Donnell, Managing Director of Central Park Media; John J. Graves, VP, Cinepix Properties; and Mary Jane Terrell, U.S. Marketing Mgr., National Film Board of Canada. The host is James Day, a public television pioneer who was teaching at Brooklyn College at the time of this interview, recorded in 1997. Produced by the Brooklyn College TV Center/CUNY.
Mole People in Grand Central Station 20C History Project 2019-02-10 | This clip contains two segments from a three-part news story aired on WABC Eyewitness News in February 1989 (30 years ago) in which reporter Jim Dolan descends to the tunnels underneath Grand Central Station where homeless people have set up house to avoid detection by the police. One couple thrives in a space that’s almost inaccessible, while others have to contend with crack addicts who share their more accessible spaces. This clip contains Parts 2 & 3, which aired on Feb. 7-8, 1989.
Jungle Taitei Opening Theme 20C History Project 2018-10-15 | This is the opening credits sequence of the Japanese TV series, "Jungle Emperor" (aka 'Jungle Taitei,' 1965-66), the first color animated TV series made in Japan. It was imported to the U.S. in 1966 and dubbed in English as "Kimba the White Lion." It was produced by Osamu Tezuka, who wrote and drew the manga series (1950-54) this was based on. The music is by Isao Tomita.
Ben Carter and Mantan Moreland 20C History Project 2018-04-24 | Ben Carter and Mantan Moreland do a soft-shoe routine from their old vaudeville act in the middle of a Michael Shayne crime drama, DRESSED TO KILL (1941).
Pat Buchanan on Foreign Policy @ Cato Institute 11/22/99 20C History Project 2015-12-03 | The topic of the talk is: “The New Americanism: A Response to President Clinton’s Allegations of a New Isolationism” This was taped at the Cato Institute on November 22, 1999 and aired on C-SPAN. Pat Buchanan was then the presidential candidate of the Reform Party and had recently published “A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny.” He declares that he is not an isolationist but does oppose intervention. As he puts it, “Intervention is the incubator of terrorism.” He poses these questions: Are we to be a republic or an empire? Are we to be a peacemaker or the world’s policeman? At different points, he is hard on both President Clinton and Governor George W. Bush, against whom he was competing for President. He speaks for 24 minutes and then takes questions for 34 minutes. The moderator is Ted Carpenter, Cato Institute VP for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies.
Ralph Nader at IMF Protest, 4/16/00 20C History Project 2015-12-03 | Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate in the 2000 presidential race, spoke at a rally to protest a meeting of the World Bank/International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. on April 16, 2000. In this 13-minute speech, which aired on C-SPAN, he describes the relations of large, multinational corporations with corrupt governments and ruling elites around the globe and how the billions of dollars spent by the IMF in third world countries rarely reaches the poor inhabitants and instead fill the pockets of local oligarchs and dictators with some of it kicked back to the corporations. I was hoping this speech would help me recall the point of the protests, but Nader is long on generalities and short on specifics.
Marilyn Monroe: The New York Years (WNBC) 20C History Project 2015-11-17 | This is a news segment from WNBC-TV sometime in 1992 which focuses on Marilyn Monroe’s years in New York in the mid-1950s. There are two interviewees: John Springer, a renowned publicist, and James Haspiel, who met Monroe in New York as a 16-year-old fan and developed a friendship with her. Several of his photos are shown, as well as clips from THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH and SOME LIKE IT HOT. Veteran NBC newsman Gabe Pressman is seen in a clip from 1954 asking Monroe about Arthur Miller. Reported by Dawn Fratangelo.
Elian Gonzalez Press Conference with Marisleysis 20C History Project 2015-11-16 | On Easter Sunday, April 23, 2000, the Gonzalez family gave an emotional press conference on C-SPAN to discuss the seizure of young Elian Gonzalez by federal agents from their home the day before. Leading the speakers is Marisleysis Gonzalez, Elian’s 21-year-old cousin, who issues a heartfelt plea for justice and demands that Pres. Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno stand before her and explain and “not to stand in front of other people and try to eat their brains with lies.” Just before she stops after 12 minutes, she demands of the assembled reporters, “Don’t get tired of listening to what I have to say.” (She had been speaking for about five minutes before I started recording.) We then hear from Donato Dalrymple, the fisherman who rescued Elian from the seas, and then from another cousin, Georgia Sid, who’s considerably briefer than Marisleysis. I stopped recording just after the lawyer, Roger Bernstein, began to speak. Marisleysis’ harangue is quite an astounding document of someone speaking entirely from the id--raw, unfiltered, and unedited. And heartbreaking.
ET on Humphrey Bogart 20C History Project 2015-11-11 | On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary re-release of CASABLANCA, Entertainment Tonight aired this concise four-minute profile of the film’s star, Humphrey Bogart. Interviewees include biographer Joe Hyams and agent Irving “Swifty” Lazar, as well as Bogart’s last wife, Lauren Bacall, seen in a 1989 interview clip. This segment aired on April 21, 1992.
Benny Hill Obit on ET 20C History Project 2015-11-11 | This segment of Entertainment Tonight from April 21, 1992, covers the death of British comedian Benny Hill, aged 65, the day before. Ample clips from his TV show are shown, as well as clips of his last public appearance, as a judge at a Hawaiian beauty pageant, the year before.
Conversations on Black Dance: Black Choreographers in Film, Video, Broadway 20C History Project 2015-11-09 | Alvin Ailey introduces this lively, free-ranging hour-long discussion from 1987, which covers some of the many challenges facing black dancers and choreographers who worked in musical theater, film and music videos at the time. The moderator is John Parks, a dancer and choreographer himself as well as an instructor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, which produced this program. The guests are: George Faison, the Tony Award-winning choreographer of “The Wiz”; Frances Morgan, an actress, dancer and choreographer; and Marshal Romaine, a dancer and choreographer originally from Haiti. They discuss their careers and beginnings and tell stories about some of the notable productions on which they worked and some of the stars they worked with. Frances Morgan was a high school classmate of mine who has since passed away. I kept this tape to remember her by and it’s a joy to watch this beautiful, warm and delightful young lady again in this program.
Four Star Playhouse: A Place of His Own (Charles Boyer) 20C History Project 2015-11-05 | “A Place of His Own” aired on Four Star Playhouse on October 8, 1953. Charles Boyer stars as “the Commander,” a war veteran with who was wounded in the head who lives with his brothers and sister-in-law. He dreams of having a little house with a garden, a place of his own. When his younger brother shoots a man dead, the sister-in-law implores the Commander to take the rap so as not to endanger the younger brother’s impending marriage into a wealthy family. There is a twist ending that recalls the stories of O. Henry. The supporting cast includes Jeanette Nolan, Nestor Paiva, Stacy Harris and Ellen Corby. There is a commercial for Singer Sewing Machines at the beginning and a teaser for the next episode with Ida Lupino at the end.
Four Star Playhouse: A Place Full of Strangers (Dick Powell) 20C History Project 2015-11-05 | “A Place Full of Strangers” aired on Four Star Playhouse 60 years ago, on December 8, 1955. It stars Dick Powell and Dina Merrill (making her TV acting debut), with support from Morris Ankrum, Frieda Inescort and Howard McNear. It’s an allegorical tale about the successful class of middle-aged men who’d weathered the Depression and World War II who now had to deal with the pressures of high-powered corporate life in 1950s America. Powell plays a harried businessman who flees his office one day and takes a bus to “the end of the line” where he finds a “Twilight Zone”-style limbo awaiting him. As such it definitely looks forward to such “Twilight Zone” episodes as “Walking Distance” and “A Stop at Willoughby,” although its ultimate message is a lot more reassuring than the bleak morals Rod Serling gave us.
New York (1980s promo film) 20C History Project 2015-11-03 | This 18-minute film promoting New York City as a tourist attraction was done in the early 1980s and includes such celebrity spokespeople as Mayor Ed Koch, conductor Zubin Mehta, fashion designer Bill Blass and theatrical entrepreneur Joseph Papp. My favorite sequence focuses on Broadway and features a magician-mime plus two dancers who dress as bellhops doing "Electric Boogie" dance moves. Only in the '80s. Sections are devoted to the arts, food, sports, fashion, restaurants, parks, Central Park, theatre, and, strangely enough, Atlantic City. Directed by Bruce Connors and George Pitt for Spectrum Associates. The narrator is the famous DJ/radio personality Rosko.
L.A. Riots: President Bush’s reaction 20C History Project 2015-10-19 | On Friday, May 1, 1992, President George H.W. Bush gave a live address to the nation in response to the violence in L.A. that followed the acquittal of the four police officers who beat Rodney King and it is presented here in its entirety. He expresses outrage at the violence and terror of the previous two days and vows to restore order. He describes his own reaction to the verdict and outlines the steps the Department of Justice is taking on the federal level. He also calls for rebuilding L.A. and cites the brave L.A. residents who aided the victims of violence. Introduced by Peter Jennings.
L.A. Riots: Jitters in NYC After the Verdict 20C History Project 2015-10-19 | Magee Hickey on News 4 New York (WNBC) reports from Times Square on the rumor mill that shut down numerous Manhattan businesses on Fri. May 1, 1992 as post-verdict protests geared up in NYC. Times Square on a Friday night is practically a ghost town. Steve Handelsman reports from Washington DC on Bush’s speech and the report then cuts to Los Angeles for a quick sum-up of Day 3 of the L.A. riots in the aftermath of the acquittal of the four police officers who beat Rodney King. Anchors: Sue Simmons, Chuck Scarborough.
L.A. Riots: New York After the Verdict/WNBC 20C History Project 2015-10-19 | On News 4 New York, Lou Young reports on the events in New York on Fri. May 1, 1992, following the L.A. riots, after a Times Square protest rally marched south and turned violent, first at Madison Square Garden and later in Greenwich Village where over 70 arrests were made. We see footage of protesters breaking windows and scuffling with police. This belies the oft-stated assurances by Mayor David Dinkins and various news anchors that the NYC protests were all peaceful. Anchors: Sue Simmons, Chuck Scarborough.
LA Riots Aftermath: Reaction in NYC and other cities 20C History Project 2015-10-18 | This clip from Friday May 1, 1992, starts with Judy Woodruff reporting on violence in other cities, as a reaction to the L.A. riots, on the MacNeill/Lehrer News Hour and then cuts to Fox 5 News (NY) reporting on reaction in New York in a report by Eric Shawn, including a press conference by Mayor Dinkins, and attention to the wild rumor mill that flourished in New York on that day. This is followed by another look at violence in other cities. Anchors on Fox 5: John Roland and Cora-Ann Mihalik.
Fox 5 report on LA Riots aftermath w/reaction in NYC 20C History Project 2015-10-17 | This report from New York’s Fox 5 News on Fri. evening May 1, 1992, sums up the aftermath of the L.A. riots, opening with Rodney King’s famous plea, “Can we all get along?” and Bill Ritter reporting from L.A. with an appearance by L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley. In New York, Christopher Jones reports on Friday’s solidarity protests in Times Square and arrests made there. Jeff Weiser reports from Penn Station on the protestors’ attack on Madison Square Garden. Anchors: John Roland, Cora-Ann Mihalik.
ABC News on L.A. riots aftermath (5/1/92) 20C History Project 2015-10-16 | This 15-minute ABC news segment from May 1, 1992, shows Los Angeles coming to grips with the riots that took place there on April 29 and 30 following the Rodney King police verdict. We see footage of Korean shop owners firing guns at looters as well as reaction in both well-off neighborhoods and South Central L.A., which was hardest hit. Brit Hume covers reaction in Washington with Pres. George H.W. Bush and the efforts of civil rights leaders to petition him. We see demonstrations and violence in other cities, including Atlanta and San Francisco, as well as the global reaction to the riots. A lot is packed into this segment. Hosted by Peter Jennings. The other reporters include John Martin and Judy Muller.
WABC report on Unabomber capture (4/3/96) 20C History Project 2015-10-15 | This is a report from WABC’s Eyewitness News (New York) on April 3, 1996 on the taking of Theodore Kaczynski into custody in Lincoln, Montana as a suspect in the Unabomber case, a series of bombings of targeted individuals that lasted from 1978 to 1995. The report includes a short history of the case. Jay DeDapper reports. Followed by a brief item on the “Freemen” standoff, also in Montana.
WABC report on death of Ron Brown (4/3/96) 20C History Project 2015-10-15 | This is a report from WABC News, New York, on April 3, 1996 on the crash of a plane in Croatia carrying Ron Brown, then the Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration. It looks at Brown’s background in New York and features comments from former mayor David Dinkins and the head of the New York Urban League, Dennis Walcott. President Clinton is seen paying tribute to Brown at a gathering at the Department of Commerce. Bill Beutel, Roz Abrams and David Ushery contribute to the report.
Kwitny Report on JFK Assassination (1988) 20C History Project 2015-10-14 | Investigative journalist Jonathan Kwitny devotes an hour-long show on November 1, 1988, to discussion of the Kennedy Assassination on the occasion of the then-impending 25th anniversary of the event. The emphasis is on a conspiracy theory involving the mafia, with special attention to the mob connections of Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who shot and killed accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. There is an impressive array of interview subjects including government investigators, former law enforcement and government agency personnel, and authors of books on the subject including Dan E. Moldea, David E. Scheim, John H. Davis, and Seth Kantor. Their interviews are intercut with archival news footage of Ruby, Oswald, Jimmy Hoffa, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Carlos Marcello and others. At the 39-minute mark, the discussion moves into the studio where Kwitny moderates a contentious discussion between Scheim and Davis on one side and Warren Commission staffers David W. Belin and Arlen Specter who insist that the facts do not support a conspiracy. This program aired in New York on WNYC TV.
Camille Paglia on C-Span 1998 20C History Project 2015-10-10 | In 49 minutes, Camille Paglia covers a lot of ground in this interview from C-Span’s Washington Journal, which aired live on June 4, 1998. She opposes affirmative action and bilingual education and explains why. An avowed lesbian feminist, she hammers both the “feminist establishment” and the “gay activist establishment.” She discusses Bill and Hillary Clinton and the “Rubensian” Monica Lewinsky. She recounts her Italian Catholic upbringing in upstate New York’s “snow belt” and celebrates the strong women in her family. She talks about the worlds of art and fashion and the myth of male power. She takes viewer phone calls from all sides of the spectrum. This is a lively and stimulating discussion no matter what your political views are. Missing the first few minutes.
Biography: John J. Pershing 20C History Project 2015-10-08 | This episode of “Biography” profiles General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, the foremost American military figure of the first quarter of the 20th century. He served in the Spanish-American War and led the cavalry’s pursuit of Pancho Villa into Mexico during the Mexican Revolution, but his fame rests on his tenure leading the American Expeditionary Forces in France during WWI, whose actions stopped the German advance and resulted in the Allied victory. While some archival photos are used, the bulk of the story is told through newsreel footage, including sound footage of Pershing from his retirement years. Hosted and narrated by Mike Wallace. The first few minutes of the program are missing. There are two commercial breaks, both for Time-Life Books.
Biography: Eleanor Roosevelt 20C History Project 2015-10-06 | This 1963 episode of David L. Wolper's Biography covers the life and career of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), from childhood to her funeral, all laid out in a concise 26 minutes consisting entirely of newsreel footage and archival photos. We see film footage of her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt, as well as footage of her husband, the 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a distant cousin of hers. She led a full life after his death in 1944, including being the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the program closes with footage of her 1962 funeral followed by shots of then-President John F. Kennedy signing legislation forming the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation. Directed by Alan Landsburg. Hosted and Narrated by Mike Wallace. Complete episode taped off broadcast TV with two commercial breaks, both for Time-Life Books.
Four Faces on a Mountain (Mount Rushmore) 20C History Project 2015-09-30 | This 20-minute film was made in 1973 by the National Parks Service for use as an orientation film to be shown to visitors to Mount Rushmore. It shows some of the history of the carving of the monument, supervised by master sculptor Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941), with film footage from the 1920s and 1930s, including shots of Pres. Calvin Coolidge at the 1927 dedication. However, the film’s emphasis is on the four presidents represented in the monument, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and there are segments devoted to each. Narrated by Burgess Meredith.
Four Seasons in Japan (1970s tourist film) 20C History Project 2015-09-30 | This is a film made by the Japan National Tourist Organization designed to promote tourism in Japan. Narrated in English, it’s filled with beautiful images and lovely music as it shows a variety of Japanese tourist attractions, festivals and cultural phenomena, all couched in a structure based on the four seasons in Japan—spring, summer, autumn and winter—and how they’re celebrated and marked in Japan. Not everything shown seems necessarily tied to a particular season, e.g. ceramics, Bunraku, and ukiyo-e, but it’s all nice to look at anyway.
Spire to the Sky: Empire State Building (1974) 20C History Project 2015-09-19 | This is a 12-minute promotional film made in 1974 by the Empire State Building to promote its offices, shops and attractions and assorted nearby New York City landmarks and tourist spots. As such, it offers an interesting time capsule of New York City in 1973-74. A short prologue sets up the history of the Empire State Building and the site it was built on and the progress of its construction. An actor reads the words of builder and financier John Jacob Raskob, who built the ESB.
Picasso: The Saltimbanques (1981) 20C History Project 2015-07-11 | This film focuses on one painting by Picasso, “The Family of Saltimbanques,” which has been on view at the National Gallery of Art since 1952. E.A. Carmean, Jr., then curator of 20th-century art for the Gallery, serves as on-camera guide and narrator as he probes the history of the painting, including the circumstances under which it was painted, the details of Picasso’s life at the time, not long after his arrival in Paris, and the names and vocations of the friends he made and used as models for the figures in the painting. We see earlier studies Picasso made that led up to this work and, in one remarkable sequence, we see the X-ray analysis made of the painting to determine exactly what Picasso painted over for the finished work. Directed by Robert Pierce for the National Gallery of Art.
John James Audubon: The Birds of America (1985) 20C History Project 2015-06-30 | Documentary portrait of John James Audubon (1785-1851), the famous French painter who lived and worked in America for most of his life and is known primarily for “Birds of America.” This film covers his whole life and offers beautiful shots of many of his paintings as well as location trips to the places in America where he lived and worked (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, among others). There are sequences filmed at the New-York Historical Society. John Wilmerding, then-Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Art, appears on camera to show some of Audubon’s color plates. Narrated by Larry Lewman. Directed by Steve York for the National Gallery of Art.
Leo the Lion: The Poachers 20C History Project 2015-06-28 | Episode #12. This is a particularly bleak and violent episode as Leo leads a herd of elephants on a long trek to a safe haven in his jungle past assorted perils. At one point, a berserk elephant runs wild and destroys a native village, entirely unprovoked. They must also contend with an attack by an organized band of native poachers led by an evil white hunter. Many people and elephants get killed in this episode. The artwork is quite dramatic and the brass-heavy orchestral score by Isao Tomita is quite stirring. However the rest of the soundtrack is a problem. There are stretches where there is no sound at all, even when there’s supposed to be music or sound effects. The English voice dubbing is just terrible and all the voices appear to have been done entirely by only two actors. When they have to try to replicate a crowd, it’s just wince-inducing. One stereotypically-drawn native even speaks in an exaggerated black American dialect (voiced by a white actor). It’s still worth watching, however, because of the artwork, the score and the strong storyline.
Movie Palaces, with Gene Kelly 20C History Project 2015-06-07 | This 1987 documentary offers a concise and fast-paced overview of the lavish movie palaces that once dominated urban downtowns across America in the 1920s and '30s. There’s a steady stream of archival photos and film footage showing us dozens of movie palaces in their glory days, as well as footage of some theaters that have been restored in more recent years to serve as performing arts centers. Movie organist Gaylord Carter is one of the interviewees and offers a first-hand account of what it was like to play the organ during silent movies. Gene Kelly serves as onscreen host and narrator. Directed by Lee R. Bobker, this film is a valuable document made possible by the Smithsonian Institution and the Theatre Historical Society of America. A better copy of this can be found here under the title, "The Great Picture Palaces," but it's in two parts.
J.M.W. Turner (National Gallery of Art) 20C History Project 2015-05-31 | Concise 33-minute overview of the life and career of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), described on Wikipedia as “an English Romanticist landscape painter, watercolourist, and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting. Although renowned for his oil paintings, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British watercolour landscape painting. He is commonly known as ‘the painter of light’ and his work is regarded as a Romantic preface to Impressionism.”The film shows lots of his paintings as well as numerous archival illustrations to depict the time he lived in, supplemented by location shots of the places he lived and worked and the sites he visited on his painting trips, including Wales and Italy. Effective narration by Jeremy Irons. Produced in 2007 in conjunction with an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art.
THE JADE BOW (1966) w. English subs. 20C History Project 2015-05-29 | This 102-minute film from Hong Kong, THE JADE BOW (1966, aka YUN HAI YU GONG YUAN) is a swordplay adventure focusing on two female fighters. It’s in Cantonese with English subtitles. (The subs are all readable.) It was produced by the Great Wall Film Studio and is notable as the first film to feature fight choreography by the famous team of Tang Chia and Lau Kar Leung, both of whom would soon be doing the same duties at Shaw Bros. for the next decade before striking out on their own as full-fledged directors. Chen SiSi plays the leading female role here while the lead actor is Fu Qi, who co-directed with Zhang Xinyan. Here’s a description from IMDB: "The plot of JADE BOW is pretty intricate. Rival martial arts families clash over a pair of rare manuals, one for healing and one for Buddha Palm Power. Two baby girls survive the opening battle and each is raised by a rival martial artist to oppose the other. One of the two girls, Li Shen-An, is raised by the rival of her father Meng. As grown women, both girls fall for a martial arts student named King (Fu Qi), who winds up marrying one of them. A final battle between the two aged patriarchs leads to a tragic ending for some but true happiness for others."
Maltin on Orson Welles’ It’s All True 20C History Project 2015-05-06 | In this segment from Entertainment Tonight recorded on July 11, 1988, Leonard Maltin looks at Orson Welles’ Brazilian footage from 1942 and talks with Welles’ associate Richard Wilson about the project to take the existing footage and try to reconstruct the film Welles had begun during the war. This footage would eventually be used to create the 1993 documentary, IT’S ALL TRUE. We see clips from the footage as well as interview footage with Welles from 1985, along with clips from Welles’ final film appearance, in Henry Jaglom’s SOMEONE TO LOVE (1987). Welles died on October 10, 1985. He would have turned 100 on the day I’m uploading this, May 6, 2015.
Terry Gilkyson “Everyones Crazy Ceptin Me” from Slaughter Trail 20C History Project 2015-04-11 | Terry Gilkyson was a singer, composer and lyricist who sang folk and cowboy songs and different kinds of novelty pop back in the 1950s. In the western, “Slaughter Trail” (1951), he sings several different songs on camera as well as providing the running narrative ballad that punctuates the soundtrack at frequent points. At one point early in the film, as Sergeant Andy Devine is supervising the troopers in brushing their horses, Gilkyson, as Singalong, sings “Everyone's Crazy 'Ceptin' Me” in response to Devine’s question to “Hardsaddle” (Lew Bedell), “Why did you ever join the cavalry?” It’s a comical song and a charming interlude in an otherwise mediocre western.
Terry Gilkyson “I Wish I Wuz” from Slaughter Trail 1951 20C History Project 2015-04-11 | Terry Gilkyson was a singer, composer and lyricist who sang folk and cowboy songs and different kinds of novelty pop back in the 1950s. In the western, “Slaughter Trail” (1951), he plays a cavalry trooper known as "Singalong" and sings several different songs on-camera as well as providing the running narrative ballad that punctuates the soundtrack at frequent points. “I Wish I Wuz” is a song he appears to improvise for the children on the cavalry post during a lull in the chasing of outlaws and fighting of Indians. It’s a cute and charming interlude and one wonders what kind of career Gilkyson might have had if Burl Ives hadn’t already cornered the market in recorded folksiness during the postwar era. (Gilkyson and Ives recorded many of the same songs.)
Leo the Lion: The Hide of Panja 20C History Project 2015-02-18 | The hide of Panja, Leo’s father is stolen by a corrupt merchant and then stolen again by a poor native boy. Leo and his son, Runi, enter the humans’ city in hopes of retrieving the hide. There is more interaction with humans than is usual for an episode of this series. There is one native, working for the merchant, who is drawn in an egregiously stereotypical manner and given a ridiculous American southern black accent complete with “Yessuh, boss.” The English voice dubbing on this series is just terrible and all the male voices appear to have been done entirely by only two voices. It’s still worth watching, however, because of the stark beauty of Osamu Tezuka’s art style and the sweeping score by Isao Tomita.
Leo the Lion: Rick the Lycon 20C History Project 2015-02-17 | Leo’s cubs, Runi and Ruki, come upon Rick, an African wild dog (of the genus Lycaon, hence the title), who has nearly died crossing the desert. Despite the other animals’ furious protests, they befriend him and nurse him back to health, with Leo’s consent. However, Leo remains suspicious of Rick and his motives, but keeps it to himself. When disaster strikes, Rick’s true character comes out… This was the tenth episode of Osamu Tezuka's Japanese animated series, "Leo the Lion," the English-dubbed version of "Jungle Taitei Susume Leo!" (Jungle Emperor Onward Leo!), the 1966 follow-up to "Jungle Taitei," the 1965 series shown in the United States as "Kimba, the White Lion."
Leo the Lion: The Falcons 20C History Project 2015-02-03 | “The Falcons” is a particularly harrowing and violent episode of “Leo the Lion” as we see Leo and his animals put on the defensive when a massive flock of thousands of falcons descend on the trees in their jungle and show no signs of budging. When Runi, Leo’s son, tries to engage with them peacefully, they attack him and his companions, killing two squirrels by pecking them to death. Leo punishes Runi quite harshly. When the falcon flock leaves temporarily, all the animals take to the trees to defend their turf when the falcons return…and they do.
Trudy - TV drama with Joan Fontaine 20C History Project 2015-01-17 | “Trudy” is an episode of Four Star Playhouse that originally ran on May 26, 1955. It stars Joan Fontaine as Trudy, a single woman who walks into a Chinese laundry and announces she’s getting married right there, in the laundry, at 11:00 that night. She enlists various townsmen, including the laundry owner (Steven Geray), an Irish cop (James Flavin), a German baker (Otto Waldis), and, finally, the local minister (Hans Conried) to provide various services for the ceremony, but they all suspect that there’s no groom and they’re all simply trying to please a delusional woman. If there had ever been a romantic comedy version of “The Twilight Zone,” this is the type of episode that would have been featured. While it’s all a bit far-fetched, the cast is absolutely first-rate and a delight to watch, even if the Hungarian-bred Steven Geray is a bit of a stretch to accept as Chinese laundryman Mr. Yen.
Ultraman Returns: Kickboxing Bout 20C History Project 2014-12-14 | This clip comes from the end of episode #27 of “The Return of Ultraman” (1971). It features Ultraman (played by Jiro Dan) in battle with a giant creature known as Gronken, which sports a buzz-saw hand with which it has sawed off half a statue of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. (There are three such statues and they’re seen in the background.) The monster battle is intercut with a kickboxing bout featuring a friend of Ultraman’s. As Ultraman slowly gains the upper hand with the monster, in part because of his kickboxing tactics, the friend in the ring slowly diminishes in his fight with an apparently superior opponent. The episode is in Japanese with no translation, so I’m unable to provide the context for any of this. I’m not even sure where this takes place.
Ultraman: Pigmon montage of cute monsters 20C History Project 2014-12-14 | This segment from the compilation feature, "Ultraman Zoffy: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army" (1984), spotlights Pigmon, a cute, friendly-to-humans monster featured in two episodes of “Ultraman,” He is seen here in a color clip from Ultraman #37: “The Little Hero” (1967). He then narrates a montage of four other “cute” monsters seen in black-and-white clips taken from Ultraman’s predecessor, “Ultra Q,” and from these episodes in particular: #8: Terror of the Sweet Honey [the giant mole]; #10: The Underground Super Express Goes West [the ape-like monster on the train]; #15 “Kanegon’s Cocoon” [the friendly coin-eating monster who strolls through Tokyo]; and #16: “Garamon Strikes Back” [Garamon, the Pigmon precursor, rampaging through Tokyo]. The Pigmon precursor was clearly a threat in its Ultra Q appearance, but the childlike narration provided by the monster over this whole segment softens its antics quite a bit. (That narration was composed and recorded for this compilation.) Ultraman only appears in the intro. In Japanese with no subs.
Ultraman Battles Gyango with blow-by-blow announcer 20C History Project 2014-12-14 | This clip features footage taken from Ultraman episode #11: The Ruffian from Outer Space, and features Ultraman battling Gyango, a very odd creature conjured up from some maniac’s imagination. It’s a knockdown dragout battle by a seaside resort hotel where the madman had holed up with the alien crystal ball that had enabled him to create the monster. It’s quite a battle, with lots of wrestling moves. The sports announcer doing the blow-by-blow commentary is not heard in the original episode but only in this edited clip, which is taken from the compilation feature, "Ultraman Zoffy: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army" (1984). In Japanese with no subs., but at one point the announcer uses the English term, “dirty fighter.”
Ultraman Dinosaur Battle 2 20C History Project 2014-12-13 | In this clip from the 1966 “Ultraman” TV series, giant-sized Ultraman fights a four-legged dinosaur-like monster that looks somewhat like an ankylosaurus (played by a man in a rubber suit walking on all fours). This clip was taken from the compilation feature, "Ultraman Zoffy: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army" (1984).
