Tribute: Harry Morgan

Posted on December 7, 2011 at 5:48 pm

Harry Morgan, who died today at age 96, is best remembered as the crusty but fair Colonel Potter in the later years of the television series M*A*S*H. But I remember watching him as the next-door neighbor on reruns of the 1950’s sitcom December Bride and as St. Joe Friday’s sidekick Bill Gannon on Dragnet. He had a remarkable career over more than half a century going back to The Shores of Tripoli. He appeared in musicals — he was a carny outsmarted by a farm boy in “State Fair” and co-starred with Elvis Presley on the riverboat saga, “Frankie and Johnny.” He was in westerns, including the classics High Noon and The Ox-Bow Incident. He was the judge in the Scopes trial story Inherit the Wind. He appeared in war stories, comedies, and costume dramas, opposite stars like James Garner, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Marlon Brando, Debbie Reynolds, and Janet Leigh.

In the M*A*S*H series, Colonel Potter had a picture of his wife on his desk. That photo was of Morgan’s wife of 45 years. The drawing of a horse that hung on the wall behind his desk was drawn by Morgan’s son. May his memory be a blessing.

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Your Week with Marilyn — Monroe’s Best Films

Posted on November 27, 2011 at 9:37 pm

“My Week With Marilyn” is a new film based on the memoirs by Colin Clark about his time as a third assistant director (basically a gofer) on the set of a movie she made in England with Sir Laurence Olivier. You can have your own week with Marilyn Monroe, the most popular sex symbol in movie history, by watching some of her films. I recommend:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Monroe plays a gold-digging showgirl in this colorful and energetic musical. Her signature song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” inspired Madonna’s “Material Girl” video.

Some Like It Hot The American Film Institute’s pick for the funniest American movie of all time is Billy Wilder’s gender-bending masterpiece about two male musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) who disguise themselves as women and join an all-female band so they can hide from mobsters. Monroe plays the band’s lead singer who has a weakness for saxophone players. It gets better and funnier every time you see it.

Let’s Make Love Yves Montand plays one of the wealthiest and most successful men in the world. When he hears that a small off-Broadway musical satiric revue makes fun of him, he goes to the theater to complain. But the director thinks he has shown up to audition and when he sees Monroe (in sheer practice tights and leotard) is in the cast, he pretends to be an actor. She sings a sizzling version of “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.”

Bus Stop Many people think Monroe’s best performance as an actress is in this poignant story of a cowboy in love with a bar girl. She sings a heartbreakingly (intentionally) trashy “That Old Black Magic.”

The Seven Year Itch Monroe’s most iconic pose comes from this film about an innocent flirtation between a man who stays in New York while his family is on vacation and his free-spirited upstairs neighbor.

The Prince and the Showgirl When Monroe wanted to be taken more seriously as an actress she formed a production company to finance this film, co-starring and directed by Sir Laurence Olivier. It is more interesting to watch to compare their incompatible acting styles than it is to try to care about the slight story, but definitely worth seeing if you plan to watch “My Week With Marilyn.”

How to Marry a Millionaire Monroe co-stars with Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable in this romantic comedy about three blonde models with a plan to find wealthy husbands.

Happy Birthday, Josh Duhamel!

Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:37 am

I’m a big fan of North Dakota native Josh Duhamel, a gifted actor who always creates a real character even when the script does not give him much to work with. Celebrate his birthday today with a look at Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, where he plays a superficial movie star who dimly but genuinely comes to appreciate the innocent goodness of his biggest fan. Or try Ramona and Beezus, where he joins his “Tad Hamilton” co-star Ginnifer Goodwin as the neighbor who re-kindles a romance with the girls’ aunt. Or the first Transformers, where he plays a dashing military hero. If you find yourself in Minot, ND, you can visit his restaurant, 10 North Main. Here’s wishing Josh a wonderful day and year — and “Happy Birthday,” sung by his wife!

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James Garner

Posted on November 9, 2011 at 8:00 am

James Garner is one of my all-time favorite actors and I am delighted that he has published a new book about his life, The Garner Files: A Memoir. Garner got his start in the theater playing a juror in “The Caine Mutiny” on Broadway, which gave him an invaluable lesson in focus and the best seat in the house to observe brilliant acting every night. He specialized in playing laconic but honorable men and is best remembered for his television work: The Rockford Files and Maverick. But I am a big fan of his movies, especially the two he did with Julie Andrews: Victor/Victoria and The Americanization of Emily and two he made with Doris Day: The Thrill of it All! and Move Over Darling (a remake of Cary Grant’s “My Favorite Wife”). His pair of comic westerns, Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff are a lot of fun. He is an adept dramatic actor as well, in films like The Great Escape and The Notebook. This new book is a great opportunity to revisit his performances.

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Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai!

Posted on November 1, 2011 at 8:51 am

Often described as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” former Miss World Aishwarya Rai has made movies in Hindi, Tamil, English and Bengali, including the Bollywood-ized “Bride and Prejudice.” Her first child with her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan, is due this month and we wish her and her family all the best.

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