January 2016. Aspiring filmmaker David Crowley, his wife Komel and five year old daughter Raniya are found dead in their Minnesota home. The words “Allahu Akbar” are written on the wall in Komel’s blood. (Allahu Akbar is Arabic for “Our God is the greatest”, meaning also “Our God is better than your God.”) A Koran and notebook were laid open to the phrase – “Submit to Allah”.
“Gray State” (trailer above) was a proposed film about a future One World Government. This New World Order becomes a dictatorship where all personal freedom is lost. Citizens are branded with a triangular-shaped chip. Director/writer/producer Crowley maintained: “We’re already in a police state.” The gray state was the next phase.
Coincidently, David was also a former Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran. His wife was Pakistani.
The Michael Entertainment Group showed interest in expanding the video into a thirty million dollar theatrical film.
Whether David Crowley was on the verge of success or just another wannabe filmmaker remains to be seen. What doesn’t add up is this…
Due to circumstantial evidence police concluded that David Crowley went insane and killed his family. The investigation lasted one year; however, this murder/suicide scenario came to fruition in the first 24 hours. The news media walked in lockstep with the police.
A .40 caliber gun was used, yet the neighbors heard no gunshot. Was a silencer used and if so, was this a professional hit?
The biggest question: Why was “Allahu Akbar” written in blood on the wall? Crowley was not a Muslim.
Is the obvious being overlooked?
Eventually, “Gray State” was completed as a documentary retitled “Gray State: The Rise” and is on Vimeo.
“The Domino Principle” (1977) is a theatrical film starring Gene Hackman as Roy Tucker, a prisoner released by authorities and recruited to be an assassin.
It’s a known fact the FBI and the CIA use men from prison with nothing to lose for their covert mission (“Wetwork” if you will.) These trained killers are promised release in exchange for whatever it is the gov’t wants them to do.
Roy Tucker’s mission: to shoot and kill an unnamed man from a helicopter. Who is this man? The movie gives several clues. The California flag flies outside the estate of the intended victim. And Tucker was previously imprisoned for killing a man named “Riggen”. Back in ’77, a few film critics criticized the movie for hinting that the intended victim of this assassination plot was probably the Governor of California. (Reagan was the governor from 1967 – 1975, but the film was made in ’76, just one year after.)
Four years after the release of “The Domino Principle” Pres. Ronald Reagan (former Governor of California) was shot and nearly killed by John Hinkley Jr. The Hinkley family happened to be friends with the Bush clan (known members of the Brotherhood), but let’s not talk about that.
At the time of its release, “The Domino Principle” received bad reviews, especially because the storyline wouldn’t name who the mysterious “they” were. Mickey Rooney’s character “Spiventa” (who is in on it), knows who “they” are. They’re involved with finance, with control, with making things happen.
It’s not surprising the MSM would attack such a film. Truthtellers are often ridiculed. Besides, the MSM is mostly controlled by the one-eyed monster.
Director Stanley Kramer knew well enough not to name “them”. Those who do (Stanley Kubrick of “Eyes Wide Shut”) died before its release, allowing Warner Bros. to edit the final cut.
The top ten highest grossing films (adjusted for inflation) are:
Gone with the Wind
Avatar
Titanic
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Avengers: EndGame
The Sound of Music
E.T.
The Ten Commandments
Dr. Zhivago
Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
Only two actors have won posthumous Academy Awards: Peter Finch for “Network” (1976) and Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight” (2009.)
Three films have tied for the most Oscar wins: “Ben-Hur”, “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”.
“La La land” (2016) was awarded the Best Picture Oscar by mistake. “Moonlight” won.
Director Alfred Hitchcock was nominated , but never won an Academy Award. In 1968, he won the Irving G. Thalberg Award, which is given out during the ceremonies, but is not an Oscar.
“Midnight Cowboy” (1969 Best Picture Oscar winner) was originally rated X. It was changed to an R rating without editing.
The majority of silent films have been damaged or destroyed due to poor storage, nitrate stock and a lack of care.
Elvis Presley made 33 movies. The last won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary. “Elvis in Concert” (1972.)
“Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1959) contains only a few minutes of Bela Lugosi’s last performance. It had been intended for another film to be directed by Ed Wood.
The first fart joke was in “Cold Turkey” (1971) from Edward Everett Horton who died soon thereafter.
The role that never was: Elvis in “A Star is Born”
Throughout the years, Elvis Presley was offered a variety of movie roles that were turned down by his manager, Col. Tom Parker. These include: The Rainmaker, Thunder Road, West Side Story, Bye-Bye Birdie, Walk on the Wild Side and Midnight Cowboy.
In 1975, Barbra Streisand and Jon Peters would offer the lead role of John Norman Howard in her remake of “A Star is Born”. Elvis agreed to do it. What happened?
Col. Tom Parker never wanted Elvis to outgrow him. That is why he deliberately put him Grade-B musicals with Grade-B actors. Maximum profit, low cost hamburger.
To kill the “Star is Born” deal, Col. Parker made outrageous demands… $1 million upfront, $100,000 in expenses, star billing and the right to choose the songs and change the script. The Colonel wanted all drug references removed. He didn’t want Elvis’s character seen taking dope. “The death of irony.” The character of John Norman Howard is basically Elvis himself. A mega-star whose career is on the decline because of drugs, booze and self-indulgence. Just prop Elvis up in front of the cameras and let him be himself. Did Elvis recognize this fact?
The producers offered the Colonel a percentage of the profits which would have made him and Elvis many millions of dollars. Parker, of course, turned them down.
Elvis and the Colonel near the end.
Furthermore, the Parker would put it in Elvis’s head that Streisand-Peters went to him first (instead of the Colonel), to take advantage of him. This played on Elvis’s worst fears, to be thought of as a “hillbilly rube”. The Colonel had spent twenty years controlling “his boy”. He knew how to push his buttons. It’s especially sad considering the King was already forty years old.
Ego had everything to do with it. Col. Tom Parker was offended beyond belief that Barbra Streisand would offer a movie deal to Elvis without consulting him. This, above all else, destroyed it.
Streisand-Kristofferson sing “Evergreen”
Kris Kristofferson replaced Elvis. The movie went on to be #2 at the box officer for 1976, winning an Oscar for “Best Song” (“Evergreen”) and Golden Globes for Kristofferson and Streisand.
Barbra Streisand accepts her Golden Globe. Paul Williams (co-winner) accepts for his work on the songs.
If the Colonel had been any kind of a manager, he would have encouraged, even forced, Elvis to do this role. It would have presented the challenge he needed. Instead, Elvis would return to his Howard Hughes-style of existence. In those last two years, he did a few more records and a disastrous TV-special shown posthumously of a crumbling rock star who blew it.
Actress Jane Fonda (two-time Oscar winner for “Klute” and “Coming Home”) has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. At age 84, Fonda intends to fight the disease with six months of chemotherapy.
Jane Fonda (1972) speaks with North Vietnamese soldiers. She later apologized for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Besides acting, Jane protested and helped America lose the war in Vietnam. Currently, she advocates for gov’t controls on climate change.
For those who’ve seen the helicopter video of Anne Heche being transported from the house, ask yourself, why is her face covered up as if she’s already dead? Where are the oxygen tanks? As a paramedic, the first thing I’d do is put her on a Venti-mask giving her pure oxygen. Instead, she’s covered up like a corpse.
And now for the big surprise – Heche, who can’t breathe, springs up like a Jack-in-the-Box and then is shoved back down into the ambulance… the last time we’d ever see her. (Victim was “sedated” by ambulance workers.)
Initial reports stated that “Anne Heche” is in stable condition.” What happened after that? Were “they” forced to say it because of the video showing Ms. Heche obviously alive? What if the big surprise hadn’t happened? Would the MSM have declared her dead at the scene of the car crash? [See “Wag the Dog” when the media creates the news.] What made Anne Heche go from stable to critical condition in one day?
There’ve been some erroneous reports of the late actress appearing in a documentary about Jeffery Epstein. She did appear in a TV-movie for LIfetime called “The Girl in Room 13”, wherein her daughter is forced into prostitution (sex trafficking.)
The burned-out wreckage of the car probably makes it impossible to examine it for sabotage. It’s my belief the “Mini-Cooper” was programmed, controlled-remotely to reach speeds of 100 mph and wouldn’t stop.
The MSM writes these facts off as “conspiracy theories” when the reality is they know more about what really happened than they’re allowed to say.
The FBI has proven actor Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on the gun (similar to a single-action Colt 45) which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust”.
Halyna Hutchins
Set of church where shooting took place
Earlier, Baldwin maintained in an interview that he did not pull the trigger. His version: the gun’s hammer snapped back while Ms. Hutchins instructed him on how to hold the weapon. He had been handed the loaded weapon by assistant director Dave Halls who said it was safe to use.
Armorer Hannah Reed, a newbie with little experience on handling guns for films, was caught on video (without a lawyer) explaining what happened. Her attitude explains it all – the lax, lazy, inattentive behavior which helped lead to this tragedy. Who’s to blame? Alec Baldwin was the producer and responsible for hiring Reed. All done to save money.
The movie “Rust” itself is a total loss, it will never be released. Baldwin is no longer an A-list Hollywood actor and has been demoted to podcasts and comments on Twitter.
Indicative on how the system works, no one was arrested or served jail time. Hutchins family, I expect, will settle for some kind of cash settlement. Tell me, what is the value of a human life?
“Ring” security camera video shows Heche’s Mini-Cooper hurtling down street toward fatal crash.
Anne Heche as seen in minor accident before her death.
Destroyed home located in Mar Vista, Los Angeles.
August 12, 2022. Actress Anne Heche has died from brain injuries sustained while driving her car through a house on August 5, 2022. She was fifty-three. Cocaine and fentanyl were found in her bloodstream.
Mainstream media reports were, from the start, some of the worst I’ve ever heard: exploitive, shameful and repetitive. How many times did we hear she would be charged with felony DUI? Anne Heche is dying, idiots.
On August 5, Ms. Heche was fleeing from a minor accident inside a parking garage when she went thirty feet into the rented home of Lynne Mishele. Most importantly, a witness asked Ms. Heche if she was all right. What did he do to save her life? Heche’s Mini-Cooper did not immediately go up in flames. There was a window of opportunity. It is reported the resident’s two dogs and pet tortoise were saved. Not Anne Heche.
Anne Heche with Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres, Heche’s former lesbian lover for three years commented: “I don’t want anybody to be hurt.” Faint praise from the washed-up, has-been comedienne whose show was cancelled.
Touching true story of Ginny an abandoned dog (part Siberian Husky-part Schnauzer) who brings redemption to the life of her owner Philip Gonzalez.
The author is a former Vietnam vet who has numerous brushes with death and finds himself alone with bouts of depression after an industrial accident. Left with piercing headaches and only partial use from one arm, his neighbor Sheilah Harris recommends buying a dog – something, anything, to pull himself out of his misery.
At the animal shelter, he is encouraged to adopt Ginny, a mutt who has just given birth to three pups. At first, Philip is not impressed. On a trial walk-around-the-block, he looks at Ginny. There is an instant connection. He realizes this is the dog for him.
“RADAR OF THE HEART”
It doesn’t take long for Philip Gonzalez to discover that Ginny has a mind of her own. She has a special knack for searching out and finding cats who are disabled, abused, or abandoned. Gonzalez finds his life’s purpose, aided by his trusted companion dog. He feeds hundreds of street cats. Other cats he takes home, giving them a new lease on life. His menagerie of disabled cats includes: Topsy, who is brain-damaged and can’t walk. She gets around by rolling. Betty Boop, with no hind feet. She hops around like a rabbit. Madame is deaf and Blondie has FIV. The “Chairman” was found by Ginny in a box full of broken glass.
On Ginny’s and Philip’s quest for rescuing cats all is not well. There are some cat-haters out there who try to kill or poison them. One is in fact killed and Philip, one good arm or not, tried to beat the living daylights out of the coward.
Through a magazine article, the pair find celebrity, appearing on TV, leading to book publication and its follow-up “The Blessing of the Animals”.
The sequel. Ginny poses with Blondie.
This is recommended reading for those who care about those furry friends we share our planet with.
Actor Peter Sellers was famous for saying he had no personality of his own. Somehow, he stepped into his vast array of characters like a chameleon. That’s what he wanted us to think.
Based on the novel “I Want to Eat You” by Ernest Gebler.
The motion picture “Hoffman” (1970) may come closest to the real Peter Sellers, if there was one.
PLOT. “Hoffman” is the story of a 40ish man who blackmails a 20ish girl into living him with him for a week. Sellers as Hoffman has obsessed over “Miss Smith” (Sinead Cusak) for some time. In a telling scene, he mentions how he once asked her out, after which she told the other girls in the office who laughed at him in the elevator. Hoffman has agreed to respect her during their forced time together in exchange for an “erotic encounter”. Miss Smith is aghast at the prospect of living with a strange man. But then, why does she? To save her boyfriend/fiancé who isn’t worth saving?
Will they or won’t they?
In Peter Sellers real life, he self-obsessed about his image, grew weary of playing the bumbling fool and wanted to be taken seriously as an actor. It didn’t help that he was suffering, most likely from manic-depression.
He would rise to the heights of fame, then plummet to a long string of box-office failures.
The multi-dimensional Peter Sellers played three roles in “Dr. Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964)
“The Bobo” (1967.) A commercial and artistic flop.
In “Hoffman”, we see the melancholy Sellers who tries to convince the girl (and us) of who he really is. It’s surprising he would take such a role and not surprising he would ignore it, later on, not wanting to talk about it. It’s simply too close to the truth, too close to finding out who the real Peter Sellers was and he didn’t want it. Consequently, he attempted to buy the original negative and destroy it. Fortunately, EMI’s contract forced it to be released.
The tragedy of the lonely man.
Audiences didn’t respond well to “Hoffman”. They weren’t ready for an “unfunny” sad comedy. It is barely known of except by Sellers fans.
Throughout Peter Sellers career, comedy remained foremost – the safe choice. In the end, there was a comeback with “Being There” (1979), a deserved Best Actor Oscar nomination, which he should have won. Death came from a heart attack in the following year.
Peter Sellers as Chance the gardener “Chauncey Gardiner” in “Being There”
“Hoffman” is available on a new 2022 Blu-ray disc, (and as a DVD) on “The Peter Sellers Collection.”
The grim black and white photo of Dustin Hoffman wearing broken glasses has become an iconic image among 1970’s silver age scholars.
Movie critics frequently pontificate about director Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch” (1969) as being his best film. Why ignore “Straw Dogs”? (1971.) Is it because it hits too close to home?
PLOT. Mathematician-intellectual David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) moves to the hometown of his bride, Amy (Susan George.) It doesn’t take long to see that he’s out of his depth there among the townspeople, mainly the men who were formerly intimate with his wife.
Mr. Sumner (as they call him) can’t do any handiwork, so they are at work building him a garage. There’s tension at the bar, where they give him looks, snicker and wait for him to make any kind of mistake.
Amy walks around with no bra, tempting them and as we find out, it was her idea to move back to Cornwall. Was it to provoke them…and her husband?
Mr. Sumner spends his days on mathematical equations while his sexy wife and her pussycat roam about the house. Outside the workmen watch Amy who shows off through a window, topless.
The cat (symbolic of Amy?) is strangled, left hanging by a light cord in the closet. Amy says correctly, “They wanted you to know they could get into your bedroom.” (Namely, at her.) But Mr. Sumner doesn’t rise to the occasion. Instead, the men lure him off for a “snipe” hunt, leaving him alone in the moors. Two of them, Charlie Venner (Del Henney) and Norman Scutt (Ken Hutchison) take the opportunity to rape his wife. (More on this later.)
Afterward, a fed-up Mr. Sumner fires them – all too late. Amy mockingly calls him “tiger”. (And doesn’t tell him about the rape.)
SHOWDOWN
The Sumners attend a church social. Amy wants out – two of her rapists happen to be in attendance. On the way home, Mr. Sumner accidentally runs into Henry Niles (David Warner), the village idiot, who has just accidentally killed a girl. (Sally Thomsett as Janice Hedden.) Taking Niles to his home, the men are aware of what’s happening. Their intentions are to lynch Niles. This is where Mr. Sumner finally draws the line.
IRONY
As the story twists and unfolds, it is uncompromising and unapologetic for its point of view. That’s the big difference between the 1971 version and the 2011 version. (Why they remade it, I’ll never know.)
Peckinpah’s bloody finale can’t be topped. It is all we could hope for . . . and more.
The Rape. Graphic, ugly and mean. Actress Susan George is perfect for this role and she plays it to the hilt.
Dustin Hoffman. Throughout the years, we’ve all seen Hoffman in a variety of roles. (Two-time Oscar winner for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) and “Rainman” (1988.) But the Academy deliberately ignored “Straw Dogs” because, well, they’re chicken-shit. It’s simply too raw for home consumption. They can nominate him for “The Graduate” and “Midnight Cowboy”, among others. Not “Straw Dogs”. That’s why I can’t take the Oscars seriously. Not then and not now.
Like it or not, there are times when we have to prove ourselves. It may not be through an orgy of violence like “Straw Dogs”. But it will happen. You can’t escape it. You can’t get by with being nice and civilized. Not anymore.
Technically, “Straw Dogs” is brilliant. Special mention must be given to cinematographer John Coquillon. Any serious cameraman would kill for shots like this.
Hoffman’s face becomes flat, an expressionless death mask.
Coquillon, along with Jerry Fielding (music) were frequent Peckinpah collaborators. For me, this is Fielding’s best work. Sly and sinewy, it gets under your skin.
While “Straw Dogs” may sound dour and depressing, it has its own sense of humor. Example: Hoffman as Sumner holds a rifle on one of the men, Scutt (one of his wife’s rapists) which misfires. Scutt laughs until Sumner starts beating him to death.
Jim Norton as Chris Cawsey wears a clowns nose and circle around the house on a little bike giggling during the carnage.
When the men are fired from working on the garage, they’re offended.
DVD/BLU-RAY
“Straw Dogs” is currently available on the Criterion Collection.
Actor Charlton Heston brought the idea of “Make Room, Make Room” (original title) to MGM and all the elements would come together. In 1973, MGM Studios was nearing its end of production and ready to move to Las Vegas as the MGM Grand. This would be their last major film shot on their famed back lot before it was sold off for real estate.
PLOT. Police Det. Thorn investigates a murder leading to a government conspiracy silencing those who know what’s in their new wonder food known as Soylent Green. (Based on a novel by Harry Harrison.)
What’s radically different about Soylent Green? Back then and still, most science-fiction is about outer space travel, aliens or an advanced technology. Instead, this predicts a crumbling civilization, over-population and the desperation of people trying to stay alive.
THE FUTURE IS NOW
Shot in late 1972-early 1973, some fifty years before 2022, what predictions have come true?
We are beginning to see rampant inflation and food shortages. (In the movie, a jar of strawberries costs $150.)
“People are still the same” reads the poster ad. Truer words were never spoken. Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson), a voice from the past says, “People were always rotten. But, the world was beautiful.”
Police State. Many people don’t want to admit this is true, but it is. Gov’t police have absolute authority. Riot control police use “people scoops” – trash trucks – to herd rioters who go wild when they’re told there’s no more Soylent Green. [A supposed combination of soybeans-lentils-and high-energy plankton farmed from the sea!]
Some cast extra were masks.
Economy becomes socialist.
CAST
Charlton Heston as Detective Robert Thorn
Leigh Taylor-Young as Shirl
Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth
Chuck Connors as Tab Fielding
Brock Peters as Hatcher
Paula Kelly as Martha
Joseph Cotton as William R. Simonson
ACTING
This would be legendary actor Edward G. Robinson’s last performance and it is memorable.
Heston commented: Robinson told him before filming their last scene together that he had terminal cancer. Heston admits “those were real tears” during filming.
Edward G. Robinson celebrates his 100th and final role. He was working on his autobiography at the time. Published posthumously as “All My Yesterdays”.
Leigh Taylor-Young is cast as “Shirl”, Simonson’s furniture girl. (She comes with the apartment.) Best acting moment: when confronted by a new tenant who asks her “Are you fun?”
Chuck Heston was the catalyst for “Soylent Green”. It is one of his best roles.
Sol prepares Thorn a rare treat: “beef stew”.
MUSIC
The score is composed by Fred Myrow. It’s most favorably utilized during the opening still frame photo sequence where mass-production, from the industrial revolution is shown to be the cause for our polluted world.
DIRECTOR
Director Richard Fleischer provides a commentary on the DVD, along with Leigh Taylor-Young.
Fascinating bio-pic of Elvis Presley as told from the point-of-view from his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Previously, we had the excellent TV-film “Elvis” (1979) as portrayed by Kurt Russell (Directed by John Carpenter.) The difference between the two is the grim shadow Col. Parker hangs over Elvis’ career.
The movie is surprisingly accurate as to whom this illegal Dutch immigrant is: a “carny” who learned to bluff and bamboozle everybody, eventually managing the most famous singer of the Twentieth Century.
Elvis himself was the first white singer who sang black – as shown by the various singers who influenced him. Also, gospel.
The Colonel (played with sinister glee by Tom Hanks) doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the music. He sees a walking money machine.
Elvis with parents
Gladys Presley, Elvis mother, rightly predicts: “If Elvis signs with the Colonel, he’ll be dead by forty.” But Elvis and his father Vernon sign their deal with the devil.
1956-1958. The halcyon years where every song went gold, every movie became a hit, until he’s drafted in the Army. Again, (a little known fact the movie gets right), Elvis is conned into joining the Army by the Colonel. The plan is to clean up “El’s” image – make him a clean wholesome boy every mother would love. The problem is: you’ve just destroyed the rebel.
While in the Army, Gladys dies and the seed is sown for Elvis’ eventual self-destruction. He never gets over it.
Olivia Dejonge as Priscilla
Soon after, he meets Priscilla Beaulieu, the fourteen year old Army brat, he’ll be forced to marry in 1967.
The 1960’s. Elvis becomes a movie star doing three motion pictures per year. The quality of these pictures declines in the mid-60’s and with the emergence of the Beatles – the King is temporarily dethroned.
1968. NBC and TV director Steve Binder give Elvis a chance to save himself with a one hour TV special. With nothing to lose, he takes it and it galvanizes “El” into a new and exciting phase in his career. (Col. Tom will fight Elvis and Binder for control over this special; a rare time the Colonel will lose.)
1969. Thus begins the Elvis Vegas show era that started off as a good thing until the grind drove Elvis to drugs. Wife Priscilla gets fed-up with being left alone and files for divorce. Again, this sets off a chain-reaction. Elvis goes deeper and deeper into the world of narcotics.
1973. Elvis’ last hurrah. Because the Colonel can’t travel (no passport), he arranges a satellite special broadcast to 1.5 billion people. It is a crowning achievement in the King’s career.
The final years. With no more challenges, no more movies, Elvis is left alone with nothing except going on tour, more drugs, more girls, more bad food, turning him into what we now call the “fat Elvis”.
In a rage, Elvis finally fires the Colonel, who promptly turns around demanding $8 million for his expenses dating all the way back to 1956. Elvis can’t pay, won’t file for bankruptcy and the two remain together until the bitter end.
Elvis concludes with “Unchained Melody” as sung in “Elvis in Concert”, his last TV special.
Post script. The Colonel is sued by the estate of Elvis Presley (Priscilla and Lisa-Marie Presley) for misappropriation of funds – i.e., grabbing half and more of Elvis’ money. It’s true again, as depicted in the film, Elvis was virtually enslaved by the International Hotel to perform for five years in exchange for paying off the Colonel’s gambling debt. Not mentioned is how the Colonel sold off Elvis’ back catalog of RCA songs (1956-1973) squandering a fortune for a quick payoff.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley.
Butler captures the charisma and the talent of the kid from Tupelo who would set the world on fire with his music. He gets the many gestures and expressions, the quirks, the smiles and the anger that dominates the last years, succumbing into a dark cloud of depression.
Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker. Hanks is on the left. Parker is on the right.
Tom Hanks (an Elvis fan) wears a mountain of makeup and prosthetics, shapeshifting into the Colonel. What Hanks gets right is the craftiness, the sly as a fox “snowman” as he is nicknamed. (Wasn’t his whole life one big snow-job?) What he doesn’t get right is the meanness. The Colonel bullied others to get his own way using poor Elvis even after he died – selling his records repeatedly by repackaging them. It is rumored the Colonel (aka Andreas Cornelis Van Kuijk) committed murder in his home country of Holland and then hopped a ship to the U.S. to avoid prosecution.)
Director-co-writer-producer-Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann pulls out all the stops making “Elvis” big, extravagant and over-the-top. It’s what makes “Elvis” work. You can’t get more to what the American dream is than Elvis and the unintended consequences.
Elvis fans may be disturbed by seeing the “King” turned into a pawn by the Colonel, but that’s the way it really was. If it makes any difference, by 1977, Elvis was pretty much doing what he wanted – refusing to record (his last record is a patchwork of recordings from different years.) And in the end, Elvis pulled the plug on himself, whether on purpose or by accident, he ended it his way.
Many have read or heard of Hollywood films that were cursed: examples being “Rebel Without a Cause”, “The Crow”, “The Exorcist” and so on.
But what about “Atuk”, an intended movie that remains unfilmed? “Atuk” was meant to be a comedy about an Eskimo encountering the modern world, but there’s nothing funny about what happened to the actors who all died unexpected, strange or violent deaths. All had intentions in starring as “Atuk”, except for Phil Hartman, who read the screenplay as given to him by Chris Farley.
John Belushi was interested in “Atuk” until his speedball overdose on March 5, 1982. Age 33.
Sam Kinison was killed in a car crash on April 10, 1992, age 38.
John Candy died from a heart attack while filming “Wagon’s East”. Age 43.
Phil Hartman read the script for “Atuk”. He was shot to death by his wife Brynn, who then killed herself. Phil was 49.
Chris Farley died from an overdose in his Chicago apartment on December 18, 1997. Age 33.
“A Clown’s Prayer” was recited at Farley’s funeral
Larry Blyden was best known for hosting the game show “What’s My Line?” (1972-1974.) The following year, he was killed while vacationing in Africa. What really happened?
Larry Blyden hosting “What’s My Line?”
Briefly, let’s examine the career of Mr. Blyden. After serving as a Marine in WWII, he worked as a radio announcer, them moved to New York to study acting. His first major roles were on Broadway in “Mister Roberts” and “Flower Drum Song” (Tony nomination.) In 1972, he would win a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. Blyden also appeared in guest roles on television series and feature films. Starting in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, he began hosting game shows, the most famous being “What’s My Line?” (cancelled 1975.)
His last featured role was for “Absurd Person Singular”. Blyden was set to host a new game show called “Showoffs”, when he left for Marrakesh, Morocco. On a hunt for rare antiquities, he was driving through Agadir, where he was reportedly attacked by bandits and nearly beaten to death. Due to the more primitive conditions in the region, doctors were unable to save his live. He died following surgery.
Larry’s manager released the “official” story as injuries sustained in a car accident (for the peace of mind of his wife and two children.) He was buried in Houston, Texas.
Director John Landis is set to film his segment for “Twilight Zone – The Movie” titled “Time Out”. It is the final sequence for a tough shoot. In this episode, Vic Morrow as Bill Connor, a racist bigot who suddenly finds himself in the shoes of the people he hated. (Or, as he calls them, “Kikes, niggers and gooks.”) For the grand finale, Bill saves two Vietnamese orphans from a U.S. bombing attack on their village.
In the intended scene, Morrow is to carry two child actors across shallow water while various explosions going off around him. Overhead in the multi-colored sky is a helicopter. What could go wrong?
Vic Morrow (“Combat”)
Actor Vic Morrow, 53, is no stranger to such type of filming. For years, he starred in the TV-series “Combat!” (1962-1967), his most famous role. But in the intervening years, the veteran actor has fallen back in B-films and supporting TV roles. This film is his big chance as an A-list actor. He is so anxious to prove himself, a stuntman is not being used.
Myca Dinh Le, 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, 6,
The children Myca Dinh Le, 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, 6, aren’t supposed to be there, according to California’s Child Labor Laws. Violations include: Children working after hours near explosions and without the presence of a teacher or social worker. Plus, they’re being paid secretly.
John Landis publicity still for the “Twilight Zone”
At the time, director John Landis is part of “New Hollywood”, hot after the success of “National Lampoon’s Animal House”, “The Blues Brothers” and “An American Werewolf in London”. He is under contract with producer Steven Spielberg who is directing the second segment titled “Kick the Can”.
Witnesses say Vic Morrow has some trepidation… and yet he doesn’t listen to his sixth sense. If “Twilight Zone” is a hit, he’ll be famous again. (As is turned out, for all the wrong reasons.)
It is said, cans of paint are placed near the explosives to create a more vivid effect…and they do.
As filming commences, Morrow can be seen struggling thru the water as he carries the two kids, one under each arm. In the background, huts explode into balls of flame. The low-flying helicopter’s rotary blades are causing a wind storm. Landis instructs the pilot to fly lower. Indeed, the sky turns into a hue of beautiful colors as the mock-up village explodes around them.
The wind is making it nearly impossible for Morrow. In the water, he accidentally drops one of the children. (Renee.) Just then, two massive explosions go off; the air blast literally knocks the helicopter out of the sky. It turns over, crashing down into the water.
Filming abruptly comes to a halt.
“Where are Vic, Myca and Renee?”
The crew rush into the water. A headless, floating dummy can be seen floating in the water. Except, it’s not a dummy. It’s Vic Morrow. Decapitated.
During the accident, the blade crushed Renee Chen and sliced the heads off Morrow and Myca Le.
In a scene worthy of “The Twilight Zone”, the incomplete footage goes unused, except for news broadcasts.
The trial lasted nine months (1986-1987.) Director John Landis and others were acquitted on the charge of manslaughter. Essentially, it was ruled an accident.
John Landis on trial
The “Time Out” segment remains without the Bill Connor character redeeming himself by trying to save the children. Instead, he’s taken away by Nazi’s in a cattle car.
“Twilight Zone – The Movie” (1983) received mixed reviews. Advance publicity from the fatal accident helped garner $42,000,000. The movie itself cost ten million.
Proponents of the Elvis Presley suicide theory have a strong case. It’s the timing of when it happened, a few weeks after the release of “Elvis – What Happened?”, a tell-all paperback written by his former bodyguards who swear their boss took drugs.
Elvis was preparing for a new tour, beginning in Maine. He believed audience might turn on him or ask questions about the book.
Elvis’ relationship with fiancée Ginger Alden was faltering. Many within his inner circle thought she really didn’t love him.
Ginger Alden with Elvis
Elvis’ ballooning weight was becoming known throughout the mainstream media.
His depression about his failed marriage and the death of his mother. (Elvis’ father said she basically worried herself to death about her son.)
Continued lawsuits involving investments in a racquetball court franchise and assault & battery charges for the actions of his over-zealous bodyguards.
Elvis poses with daughter, Lisa-Marie
Elvis greatest joy – his nine year old daughter Lisa-Marie was staying at the house temporarily. But, all he could do was spoil her with gifts, allowing her to do anything she pleased.
Lisa-Marie, 1977
Elvis’ stepbrother David Stanley claims two days before his death, he told him the next time he saw him he would be “in a higher place and on a different plane.” David didn’t know what he meant until August 16.
Elvis with stepbrother David Stanley.
On that fateful day, the suicide theory contends Elvis saved up his medications – called “attacks” – and then took all three doses at once, causing a fatal reaction. His only chance for living, Ginger Alden, slept in the adjoining bedroom, unknowing.
It’s hard to say whether Elvis would’ve have wanted to go out like that. (Dead by his toilet.) At the time, his future was constant tour dates. As can be seen in “Elvis in Concert” (1977), his heart was no longer in it. He refused to record in the studio. There were no more movie deals. What was left?
Elvis: sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Rumor: The leader of the Memphis Mafia Joe Esposito supposedly confessed shortly before his death that he burned Elvis’ suicide note. If true, the note stated the reasons for why he did it…that it was because of his inability to quit taking drugs, his weight and Priscilla, the little girl he met in Germany who broke his heart.
Dorothy Stratten with Peter Bogdanovich on the set of “They All Laughed”.
August 14th 1980. Playboy’s centerfold of the year Dorothy R. Stratten has less than one day left to live. After a night of making love with director Peter Bogdanovich, she takes one last swim in his pool. He was not aware of her plans to meet husband Paul Snider.
Paul Snider, Dorothy Stratten’s husband.
Paul Snider was at his wit’s end. All his life, he struggled to achieve success and had it snatched away from him.
His car shows…
the mail-order scams…
the women he pimped out…
the Chippendale dancers…
They were all stolen or taken away by men with more money and power. And now it was happening all over again. It was Paul’s idea for Dorothy to pose for Playboy and against all odds, she made it – where millions of other women had failed. People described her as having a luminosity. But without her husband, she’d still be working for the B.C. Telephone.
Playboy’s founder Hugh Hefner with Dorothy Stratten
Hugh Hefner, Playboy’s founder had plans. He would make her a star – the next Marilyn Monroe. The magazine’s cartoon feature “Little Annie Fanny” would become a theatrical film – starring Dorothy.
Little Annie Fanny
Peter Bogdanovich also had plans. He hired a lawyer for Dorothy. Divorce proceedings against her husband were in the works. Eventually, they would marry and he would star her in all his future films. She already had a small, yet significant role in “They All Laughed” (co-starring John Ritter.) Dorothy said she wanted to be in a sad love story, not realizing she was living in one.
John Ritter, Dorothy Stratten and Peter Bogdanovich on the set of “They All Laughed”.
“They All Laughed” would mirror characters from real life – Ritter as Bogdanovich, Dorothy as herself.
With all those around her pulling the strings, what did Dorothy Stratten want? She didn’t like posing nude, but tolerated it to please Paul. It had made her famous and brought her to the brink of fame.
Tonight Show appearance with Johnny Carson.
On that last morning, Dorothy told Peter she might be pregnant with his baby. He shrugged it off and lived to regret it.
Dorothy told her little sister Louise not to tell anybody where she was going – that she’d be back later and they’d go shopping.
Dorothy with Louise Stratten
Louise saw her older sister drive off in her 1967 Cougar. (Paul drove the STAR 80 Mercedes.) Dorothy was weeping.
On the way to see Paul, Dorothy spoke with her business manager. He advised her that she didn’t owe her husband anything. But, Dorothy was adamant that he get some money out of their divorce.
2-story house where Paul Snider lived with his wife Dorothy Stratten. Located near the Santa Monica freeway, the sounds of traffic drowned out the noise of the shotgun blast.
No one knows for sure what happened on 10881 W. Clarkson Road in Los Angeles, except through forensic examinations. “Star 80” (1983), Bob Fosse’s account theorizes that he (Snider) thought he could win his wife back. If so, why did he buy a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun thru the classified ads? Fueled by cocaine, he lost control of what sanity he had left and blew half of Dorothy’s face off. He made attempts to call Bogdanovich who could not be reached by phone. Obviously he planned to kill him too. When that idea failed, Paul blew his brains out, leaving behind a room of splattered gore. The end of America’s new playmate.
Re-created scene (not an actual crime scene photo) of the Snider-Stratten murder-suicide.
It would not be until much later that evening when Peter would find out by a phone call from Hefner. Dropping the phone, his colleagues asked what was wrong.
“She’s dead,” he mumbled.
“What?!”
“Dorothy’s dead!” he screamed, pounding his head into the floor.
Peter Bogdanovich would attempt to put back the pieces of his life by marrying Dorothy’s sister Louise. This would end in divorce in 2001. After a handful of films, the most successful being “Mask” (1985) and TV appearances on “The Soprano’s”, he died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on January 6, 2022.
Because of Paul Snider’s actions, he remains the villain of the story. But, even Bogdanovich called his suicide “a humane act”. Hefner called Snider “a small-time hustler”. But, didn’t Playboy start off as small, taking many years to grow? Didn’t both of these men – knowing Dorothy was married – try to take her away from her husband? Play with fire, you’re gonna get burned. Corner a rat and that rat will fight back.
The murder of Dorothy Stratten didn’t happen in a vacuum. It happened because of lust, greed and power, She remains a causality of a struggle for the perfect female.
Dorothy Stratten’s film “Galaxina” was released the week she died.
Bowling for Columbine (2002). Anti-gun propaganda won a Best Documentary Oscar for socialist Michael Moore. Infamous interview with Charlton Heston who was tricked into it by Moore. Heston realizes he’s been had and walks off. (Since then, gun sales have soared.) Moore tries to blame the NRA for the school shootout at Columbine High School.
An angry Charlton Heston argues for the 2nd Amendment in “Bowling for Columbine”.
Heaven’s Gate (1980.) The film that bankrupt United Artists. Mangled-up mish-mash of hyroghlyphics – Undecipherable in whichever version you watch (the original is a staggering 219 minutes, the shortened version known as “The Johnson County War” is 149 minutes.) All-star cast includes Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges and Joseph Cotten (his last film.) Has gained a weird cult following from masochists.
Logo for the nearly defunct “United Artists”
Django Unchained (2012). Ugly, violent, Quentin Tarentino-directed, black slave revolt epic. Really a remake of “The Legend of Nigger Charlie” (1972), except the director didn’t have the guts to admit it. Ruined by a bad script and star Jamie Foxx who gives the worst performance of his career.
Yes, there really was a movie called “The Legend of Nigger Charlie” and it bares a startling resemblance to “Django Unchained”.
Parasite (2019). Worst movie to ever win a Best Picture Academy Award. Won only for “woke” Hollywood reasons. Cockroach metaphor was done better by Kafka (“The Metamorphosis”.)
The Main Event (1979). Reteaming Ryan O’Neill and “Babs” Streisand from “What’s Up, Doc?” seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t. Unfunny comedy about a perfume expert (Streisand’s nose, get it?) and a has-been athlete played by O’Neill, who are teamed to box. Whatever.
Can’t Stop the Music (1980). Disco fag extravaganza helped bring an end to that music era. Co-stars Bruce Jenner which explains a lot. Village People soundtrack.
Self-explanatory still from “Can’t Stop the Music” with Valerie Perrine and Bruce Jenner.
Ghostbusters (2016). (Feminist Version) Sullied the name of the 1984 comedy classic. This new re-boot isn’t funny, the direction is clumsy, the screenplay is no better than an SNL skit and the lesbo-sub-theme isn’t necessary. A waste of time and money. You have to ask yourself why.
The original “Ghostbusters” did it first and better.
Charlie’s Angels (2020.) (Feminist Version) Notice a trend here? Yeah, I don’t like feminist propaganda. They couldn’t resist destroying the “Charlie’s Angels” jiggle franchise.
Bridesmaids (2011.) The movie that proved women could be every bit as disgusting as men. Farting, puking, dirty jokes, exposing yourself – it’s all here and more. Stars that fat pig slob Melissa McCarthy.
Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973). Comic genius Peter Sellers made a string of bad movies. This is the worst. Barely released spoof of old pirate flicks. The director had a nervous breakdown afterward.
“Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today, it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul, it was worth it for having been allowed to walk where I’ve walked, which was to hell on earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, in it and above.” (poem by Gia Carangi)
Gia Carangi
First of the 1970’s American super models, appearing on the covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Died from AIDS thru transmission from a contaminated needle.
Life dramatized in the HBO film “Gia” (2000), starring Angelina Jolie.
The “woke” Hollywood Academy Awards got a surprise March 27, when actor Will Smith attacked comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith by comparing her hair (or lack thereof) to Demi Moore’s in “G.I. Jane”.
Mrs. Smith suffers from alopecia.
Demi Moore (“G.I. Jane”)
Well, this is what you get when you turn the Oscars into the BET Awards.
Whose side am I on? Chris Rock, because it was a nothing joke. But, Smith wants to look tough. Everybody knows he’s like Tarzan; he swings both ways. Their marriage is a farce. His wife’s been fudgin’ the scooter pie.
Fuck the Oscars. It’s solid gold trash. No one wins unless it furthers the cause.
Will Smith after-Oscars party. Too much nose candy?
Some afterthoughts.
Since the occurrence, it’s become evident that Jada Pinkett Smith was the instigator of the incident, because of her hurt pig-dog feelings. Apparently, she’s been goading her faggot husband for some time, saying that he’s not a man. This act of violence was meant to solidify his manhood. Mrs. Smith, who wins the prize for being the biggest Hollywood phony of them all, said afterward that it is time for the healing to begin. (This is the one who caused it.)
Also, it seems someone from the Academy asked Mr. Smith to leave and he refused. Why wasn’t he forced out? That’s what would happen to you or me.
Incredibly, Smith won an Academy Award for Best Actor, received a standing ovation from the audience of sheeple, then apologized to the Academy (not Chris Rock) for attacking their presenter.
Women (feminists) who should know better, have said they were pleased that a husband stood up for his woman. That’s fine, if it had been a real insult, which it was not. (Can you tell the difference between G.I. Jane and Mrs. Smith?) As much as some things change, most of them remain the same.
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