Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

75 Years Ago Today, Baltimore's News-Post Reported: 'Hindenburg Explodes'

On many fronts, 1937 wasn't altogether a great year. The United States was still attempting to recover from the Great Depression, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared after taking off from New Guinea, Japan occupied Beijing, the Great Hong Kong Typhoon killed 11,000 people, Italy withdrew from the League of Nations. John D Rockefeller, George Gershwin, and Jean Harlow died. In April of 1937 German warplanes from the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion destroyed the Basque town of Guernica during what was reported as the first air bombardment of an undefended town in history; more than 1,600 civilians were killed.

And, the Baltimore News-Post ran this this headline in May:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1937, Baltimore News-Post Reported: Hindenburg Explodes

Earlier that year WLS, Chicago's powerhouse of a radio station, dispatched announcer Herb Morrison and his engineer, Charlie Nelhsen, to cover the Hindenburg landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Morrison's report was to be recorded on a large acetate disk for later broadcast. Recording news and actualities was, in 1937, against all the rules of network radio broadcasting. Morrison's recorded report lead to a change of those rules, which at the time only allowed recordings to be used for sound effects in radio dramas. Morrison's report was so human and so compelling that NBC played the recording on it's network and it became the prototype for news actualities in the post war years.

Morrison was a slender, diminutive man with dark hair, dimples, and a strong chin. On the air, he sounded older than his years. He was dapper, and by all accounts he was exceedingly handsome. Prior to his dispatch to Lakehurst, the majority of his radio work had been as an announcer for live musical programming. For the Hindenburg report from Lakehurst he wore a blue serge suit and a tailored top coat.

Announcer, Herb Morrison

Today most people see, or remember, a newsreel of the Hindenburg disaster with Morrison's account as the voice-over. However, that's a later construction of how the actual reports were filed, seen, and heard.

Even in 1937 newsreels were a low-budget affair. Black and white cameras with no ability to record sound were used. And Morrison and his one-man crew were recording a transcription to a disk with no ability to add visuals. Think of what you remember seeing as one of the earliest audio-visual mashups.

Here is an actual (and yes, silent) newsreel from the time with post production, editing, and a certain amount of 'film touch-up' as performed by the releasing studio.

 

And this, from the Smithsonian, is Herb Morrison's radio report added to actual newsreel film, without any film reconstruction. The difference in film quality is all-telling.

  

According to WLS radio: Listeners in Chicago and across the country didn't hear Morrison's coverage of the disaster until the next day because his report wasn't broadcast live from Lakehurst. He and engineer Charley Nehlsen had been experimenting with field recordings on huge acetate discs. They realized the gravity of their recordings as they found themselves being followed by German SS Officers! After hiding out for a few hours, the two managed to make a clean getaway and get back across the country to WLS. The chilling account aired the next day on the station and was the first recorded radio news report to be broadcast nationally by NBC.

I've been fascinated by lighter-than-air craft, zeppelins, and blimps for as long as I can remember. In Baltimore we all see quite a few small blimps soaring over the city—Dish Network, MetLife, and yes, the Conan craft. I wondered what a zeppelin the size of the Hindenburg would have looked like flying over Baltimore. I wondered if it might have looked this:

Hindenburg Over Baltimore, MD

The Hindenburg explosion killed 35 of the 97 people on board and one person on the ground. A cause of the disaster has been widely speculated about and has created more conspiracy theories than the Kennedy assination, yet the true cause of the Hindenburg's demise has never been discovered.

Intensity, Sexuality, and Suicide - Returning to Baltimore's Theatre Project

A Fierce Longing will return to Theatre Project, Baltimore, for a limited run June 1 - 9. The play, written by John Schneider, was developed in workshop by the company members of Milwaukee's Theatre X and first performed in April, 1978. Later that year it came to Theatre Project and Performance Garage in NYC.

Directed by John C. Wilson, this is a highly visual, multi-media production that borrows stylistically from Japanese theater traditions. The play is drawn from the life and work of the Nobel-nominated Japanese novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima. A Fierce Longing chronicles his life, his work, and his turmoil. A complex man, Mishima struggled with family issues, wrestled with a St. Sebastian fetish and homosexual desires, sought fame and celebrity for his Nobel-nominated writing, and desired to honor the Emperor and the Samurai tradition through his ultra-conservative political views and formation of a militia. Ultimately, he committed seppuku, ritual suicide, in 1970.

"A Fierce Longing rocked my world when I first saw it for a variety of reasons," said director John C. Wilson. "A strong ensemble cast, mind-boggling visuals, a fascinating central character from an unfamiliar culture, and an exploration of themes of beauty, sexuality, and death all contributed to an unforgettable piece of theater. I'm reviving this play to pay tribute to one of the peak theatrical experiences of my life, and to honor the exceptionally rich history of work presented at Theatre Project over its 40-year history."

The cast includes Skyler Brungardt, Rich Buchanan, Melainie Eifert, Sam Haidar, Naoko Maeshiba, Brian Naughton, Lucie Poirier, Chad Short, and Lorrie Smith.

The opening of A Fierce Longing coincides with Theatre Project's 40th Anniversary "Homecoming Weekend."

 Events will include:

Opening Night, June 1—This will be a "Pass the Hat" performance in honor of Theatre Project's beginnings as a free theatre. Suggested donation $10.

Opening Weekend Gala, Saturday, June 2—Pre-show reception and silent auction, followed by the performance of A Fierce Longing and after-show gathering. Tickets are $40 in celebration of Theatre Project's 40th Anniversary. 

Theatre Project Open House, Sunday, June 3—This is a family friendly event that will be free and open to the public, featuring a potluck picnic and performances throughout the afternoon.

Showtimes:
June 1 @ 8pm "Pass the Hat" Opening
June 2 @ 8pm Gala Performance
June 7 @ 8pm
June 8 @ 8pm
June 9 @ 8pm

Tickets:
Gala Performance ~ $40
General Admission ~ $20
Seniors/Artists/Military ~ $15
Students ~ $10

Click for TCKTS - available at Tixato.

Entire Month’s Run of 24 Liza Minnelli Concerts Sells Out in 36 Hours!

If that doesn't seem extraordinary in these days of instant online ticketing, online seat choices, and online payments, think about this: It happened in January of 1974. It happened in the days of "line up at the box office for your paper ticket" and buy the best ticket you're offered before the box office ticket master looks over your shoulder and yells, "Next".

            A CD of the Legendary Liza Concert is being released!

Masterworks Broadway has announced the release Liza Minnelli’s historic concert album "Legends Of Broadway: Liza Minnelli Live At The Winter Garden" on April 3rd digitally at www.masterworksbroadway.com, and on May 8th at other digital retailers and all hard-copy retailers.

This long-awaited Minnelli performance recording—recorded 38 years ago—is derived from the original master engineered by Phil Ramone.

The concert recording includes performances from Minnelli’s legendary Broadway show in January 1974 as well as three recently discovered live bonus tracks that were recorded but not included on the original LP for space reasons that recordings on vinyl dictated. The bonus tracks include Stevie Wonder’s "You and I" and standards "It Had to Be You" and "My Shining Hour."

From the press release:

The story behind the recording is an interesting one. The 27-year-old dynamo had sold out an entire month’s run of 24 concerts in 36 hours, setting a house record for the Winter Garden Theater. The show itself, which opened on January 6, was simply titled Liza.

The album Liza Minnelli Live At The Winter Garden was quickly released by Columbia Records in April, but had to be withdrawn from the market due to contractual conflicts over her performance of songs from the Cabaret film score, which were available on the then-current soundtrack album. Only pirated versions of the album have circulated since. This is the first time that the entire show will come out on CD and digital release.

Like Cabaret, Liza was directed by Bob Fosse, who choreographed it with Ron Lewis. Marvin Hamlisch served as musical director, and the celebrated songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb supplied Minnelli with new songs for the shows.

"The thing about doing a show like Liza is that every song means something," Minnelli reflects. "Fred and John were so brilliant at building a show, plus I had Marvin, so we tried all kinds of different rundowns and finally came up with what you hear on the album, and thank God it worked! But you keep trying, and don’t get satisfied with anything but the best."

Here's the track-list:

1 Overture – Liza With A "Z", Ring Them Bells, I Can See Clearly Now, Maybe This Time, and Cabaret
2 If You Could Read My Mind, Come Back To Me
3 Shine On Harvest Moon
4 Exactly Like Me
5 The Circle
6 More Than You Know
7 I'm One Of The Smart Ones
8 Natural Man
9 I Can See Clearly Now
10 And I In My Chair (Et Moi Dans Mon Coin)
11 There Is A Time (Le Temps)
12 Quiet Thing
13 Anywhere You Are, I Believe You
14 Cabaret Medley – Curtain Bows, Cabaret
15 You and I (Bonus Track)
16 It Had to Be You (Bonus Track)
17 My Shining Hour (Bonus Track)

Pre-order "Liza Minnelli: Live at the Winter Garden" here.

About Minnelli: An Oscar winner for her performance in the movie version of "Cabaret," Minnelli has also earned Tony Awards for her performances in Flora, the Red Menace, The Act, Liza's at the Palace, as well as a special 1974 Tony. She also presented a tribute to her late father Minnelli on Minnelli at the Palace and has appeared in the films "The Sterile Cuckoo," "Arthur," "New York, New York" and "Stepping Out." The singer is also a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress.

Have You Heard of Ira Aldridge? - Learn About this Actor.

I like to think I'm a darn good navigator of the legitimate theatre scene—current and historical, national and regional. I was surprised, this morning, to discover an important actor named Ira Aldridge. 

I studied theatre in New York for a lot of years, yet I'd never heard the name Ira Aldridge until today. I wondered why? After some searching and reading, I realized why the actor was a mystery to me.

              Actor Ira Aldridge, 1858- via Creative Commons

I received an email alerting me to an event at The Walters Art Gallery. Here's the information:

Join Kwame Kwei-Armah, British playwright, actor, director, and new Artistic Director of Center Stage, Baltimore, in this lively discussion about Ira Aldridge, the first American of African descent to achieve fame in the theater. Kwei-Armah will preview recordings from his recent radio documentary on Aldridge, who spent much of his career on the London stage in Shakespearean roles, especially that of Othello.

                         Portrait of Ira Aldridge, as Othello

I learned from England's BBC Radio 4 that, in a 2009 documentary:

Kwame Kwei-Armah traced the life and work of Ira Aldridge, a black actor who defied racial prejudice to become one of Britain's finest Shakespearean actors.

When Aldridge first appeared on the London stage in 1825, he was enthusiastically received by the public but the critics hated him, The Times going so far as to say that he could not pronounce English properly, 'owing to the shape of his lips'.

Here was a black man daring to break into the heartland of the British 'classics', which had hitherto been the exclusive domain of white actors.

But, undeterred by the racial hostility of the press, Aldridge became a perpetually touring player, an exotic 'star', honing his skills in the provinces and across Europe. In a career spanning 30 years, he became one of Britain's finest Shakespearean players, and had more honours showered upon him than any other actor of his time.

Here's actor Eke Chukwu portraying Ira Aldridge in a short documentary promo:

 

I'm not going to attempt to write a biography of Aldridge. I just met him, after all. There are dozens of resources available online. Here are a couple:

Ira Aldridge at Wikipedia
Ira Aldridge at Cade Library, Southern and A&M
Ira Aldridge Collection at Northwestern University 

Ira Aldridge: African American Theater Pioneer
Presented by Kwame Kwei-Armah
The Walters Art Museum
Date: Sunday, February 26, 2012
Time: 02:00 PM–03:00 PM 

So, why didn't I know about Ira Aldridge? I thought back to school in the 1970s and realized that I wasn't taught anything about Africian-American Actors or their contribution to the world of theatre. And, that is the plain, sad, pitiful truth. Will I see you at the Walters on the 26th?

 

What's All the Big Fuss About Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation, marketing automation, marketing automation. You can’t go five minutes in an accredited marketing class without someone mentioning this ‘phenomenon’. Everyone is discussing the concept using ten-syllable words.

Marketing automation is certainly effective when done right, but it's not brain surgery. I learned all about it when I was a kid.

What do Cutty Sark, Santa Claus, Kentucky Bourbon, Stag Beer, and Hammond Organs all have in common? Marketing automation, of course.

And, it all begins with a little puppy just like this:

        Hankscraft Motor - The Answer to Marketing Automation

This little video is your single source for everything you need to know about marketing automation.

[By the way, I shared this video with Tom Rowe at Visit Baltimore last week and he said, "I feel like I'm watching the future."]

 

So there you go, now you have it.

You now know all you need to know about marketing automation. Feel free to pass this information along to the less informed. And when you do, be certain to have your tongue firmly implanted in your cheek.

What Was on TV New Years Day, 1956?

 

The Jack Benny Program
New Years Day, 1956 
Season 6, episode 7
Original air date: 1 January 1956

Cast: Jack Benny (Jack Benny/ The Old Year), Don Wilson (Don Wilson/ Uncle Sam), Red Sanders (Himself- UCLA Football Coach), Duffy Daugherty (Himself- Michigan State Football Coach), The Sportsmen Quartet (Themselves - Singers), Lois Corbett (Lois Wilson - Columbia), Mel Blanc (Airplane/ Mars), Charles Herbert (The New Year), Gene Twambley (Himself - Sound Man), Gurney Bell (Member - The Sportsman Quartet: uncredited), Bill Days (Member - The Sportsman Quartet: uncredited), Robert Garsen (Member - The Sportsman Quartet: uncredited), Benny Rubin (Audience Member: uncredited), Martin Sperzel (Member - The Spotsman Quartet: uncredited).

56 years ago television was such an infant. The comedy was so gentle and proper, yet somehow, it's still funny. Smart and clever.

Please Support Baltimore Heritage This Christmas. Renew a Membership or Join.

A video note from Johns Hopkins on behalf of Baltimore Heritage:

 

I renewed my membership today. Please join me in supporting the good work and educational programs of Baltimore Heritage.

Baltimore Heritage is Baltimore’s only city-wide preservation organization. By becoming a member of Baltimore Heritage, you are helping to preserve our city’s charm and distinctive character for current and future generations.We invite you to join now and become involved in our important and fulfilling work,

• Defenders Circle / $500 Includes a special Behind the Scenes Baltimore Tour, 2 tickets to annual awards reception, and member discounts on all tours.
• Heritage Patron / $250 Includes 2 tickets to annual awards reception and member discounts on all tours.
• Heritage Sponsor / $100 Includes 1 ticket to annual awards reception and member discounts on all tours.
• Family Membership / $50 Includes member discount on all tours for all family members.
• Individual Membership / $35 Includes member discount on all tours.

                301 N Charles St - Vacant and Overgrown

Baltimore Heritage members participate in the following:

• Behind the Scenes Baltimore guided tours of historic places that are not generally open to the public.
• Guided walking tours each spring in Baltimore’s diverse neighborhoods, including Marble Hill, Roland Park, Bolton Hill, and others.
• Annual awards banquet and ceremony highlighting important preservation projects and those who help Baltimore retain its charm.
• Lectures and other events on Baltimore’s Heritage.
• Newsletters and updates on preservation problems and progress.

Visit their website, http://www.baltimoreheritage.org - learn, enjoy and join. By the way, you can now pay for your membership in monthly installments that begin at only $5-per-month.

Would You or Your Children Want to Study with Some of Baltimore's Theatre Masters?

You certainly might and you certainly may. And, it's affordable and fun. More than that, the classes are taught by theatre professionals. 

Baltimore's Everyman Theatre is an extraordinary institution and Everyman offers some outstanding and cost-effective classes.

           Everyman Theatre image courtesy: Benn Holback + Assoc.

"If you haven't discovered Everyman yet, you're missing out on some of the best shows in town."
–Baltimore City Paper"

"Everyman Theatre has been upping the ante for professional theater in Baltimore."
–Baltimore Magazine

Upcoming Classes

Adult Acting Classes:

Acting 1 with Bruce Nelson
This introductory course on character development will teach actors how to create clear and dynamic characters through understanding the importance and complexity of character motivation, playing strong objectives, and script analysis. Actors will work with a variety of texts and exercises to apply learned techniques.
Dates: Tuesdays, January 10^th – February 14^th 
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Tuition:  $225
Register for Class

Acting 2 with Deborah Hazlett
Students will continue their exploration of acting by learning first to identify physical and vocal habits and then to shape and change them to inform character development. Once students experience how their bodies move through space in their daily lives and how sound and voice are produced and shaped, they can begin to make choices that redefine their habits.  This body knowledge will allow actors to fully realize and integrate the physical and vocal lives of the characters they play.
Dates: Saturdays, February 11^th – March 17^th 
Time: 10:00am – 12:30pm
Tuition: $225
Register for Class

Improv I with Bruce Nelson
Improvisation is not about being funny; it’s about being true. This beginning level course will help students learn to trust their creative instincts, improve listening skills and hone their connections through the art of Improv. A safe and supportive classroom environment will allow students to take the improv exercises and create dynamic and committed work. For the local professional looking to enhance his or her skill set, for those brand new to theatre and for any person needing to let go, live in the moment and deepen daily interactions. 
Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays, June 25^th – July 11^th (no class July 4^th)
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Tuition: $200
Register for Class

Improv II with Bruce Nelson
With the skills learned in Improv I, this second level course will continue to help students hone their creative instincts while emphasizing the importance of forming a team bond.  A safe and supportive classroom environment will allow students to detail their characterizations and more fully commit to their space work when establishing mimed stage locations and activities. Scene structure will be practiced in a way that emphasizes working with your partner, developing conflict, and finding a resolution. Constructive criticism will be encouraged as will open give and take about making scenes stronger, not necessarily funnier. Verbal and non-verbal listening will be fine-tuned as will letting go and living in the improvised moment.
Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays, July 16^th  – July 30^th 
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Tuition: $200
Register for Class

Teen Acting Classes:
Auditioning for teens with Megan Prue
This class is for teens who are interested in expanding their knowledge of the audition process as well as improving techniques for performing monologues and doing cold readings. Whether you’re interested in getting into a competitive theatre program or getting a part in your school’s play, this class will give you the skills you need to get an edge on the competition.
Dates: Mondays, January 9^th – February 13^th 
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuition: $200
For ages 13 - 18
Register for Class

Teen Acting 1 with Marianne Angelella
Everyone has to start somewhere! If you (or your teen) want to explore acting – whether as a fun extracurricular activity or as a possible career – this class is a great place to start. Learn about the building blocks of acting like character development, motivation, and objective. Students will work on their feet with text as well as participating in theatre games and other exercises to learn in a fun environment.
Dates: Wednesdays, March 14^th – April 25^th (no class April 4^th)
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuition: $200
For ages 13 - 18
Register for Class

Teen Acting 2 with Marianne Angelella
Building on the foundational work of Acting 1, this class will continue to delve into the acting process. Students will have the opportunity to participate in scene work and learn more about what it really means to be an actor.
Dates: Wednesdays, May 2^nd – June 6^th 
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuition: $200
For ages 13 - 18
Register for Class

High School Intensive
For dedicated high school students looking for a fun and extensive exploration of theatre. Learn and hone your acting skills through vocal exercises, movement, stage combat, scene study, monologue coaching and, of course, performance! This rigorous 3-week journey will challenge you, reward your talent, and feed your passion for performing.
Dates: Mondays – Fridays, July 9th – July 27th
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Tuition: $575
Register for Class

Non-Acting Classes:
Stage Management Intensive 
Do you know what it takes to be a stage manager? Let our resident stage manager Amanda Hall introduce you to the wonderful (and busy) world of stage managing. Learn how to put together a prompt book, keep track of props and actors, call cues, organize schedules, and much more in this intensive class.
Date: Saturday February 4^th 
Time: 10:00am – 12:30pm
Tuition: $50
Register for Class

Christmas Was So Simple in 1963

At least it was simple on TV.

Television audiences could vicariously spend Christmas in Mayberry, Beverly Hills, Virginia City, Dodge City, Bryant Park, Los Angeles, or Hilldale.

Some of the popular shows on television in 1963 were: Bonanza, The Donna Reed Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, Ben Casey, The Patty Duke Show, and  My Three Sons.

Number 1 in the Nielsen Ratings, as it entered its second season, was The Beverly Hillbillies. Here's the 1963 Christmas episode, Christmas with the Clampetts. It's now in public domain.

 

Oh sure, it's silly and simple comedy. But here's what I find wonderfully refreshing: It's scripted entertainment, there's not a hint of reality TV, and there's not a Kardashian anywhere in sight.

When you get all crazy with your Holiday chores and guest lists, pour a glass of eggnog and take a look back at a simpler time. Merry Christmas, all.

The Best Christmas Gift Ever: Freedom and Security. Let's All Say, "Thanks."

Our troops give us the gift of freedom and security. It's important that we remember our troops every day. It's even more important that we remember them during the Holidays.

You won't see a photo of our troops celebrating Christmas captured on a Currier and Ives print. Christmas for soldiers serving in faraway places is not pretty, it's not an image to put on a greeting card.

I wasn't really aware of what Christmas might be like for our troops until a couple of years before I turned 18. Draft age.

Our family watched Bob Hope, on his 1967 USO tour, visiting the troops at Christmastime. During the broadcast my father, who had returned home from WWII with some massive scars and a Purple Heart, reminded us that what were seeing on television was the prettiest face that could ever be put on an ugly situation, a situation that he called "that tragic mess in Indochina." Watching the broadcast was an eye-opener for me.

1967 was a bloody year in Vietnam. Over 11,000 Americans died in the military conflict that year. Enjoyable moments for our troops serving in 1967 were few and far between. There may have been none at all.

Here's the show our family watched from our living room in Kansas.

 

Bob Hope was the first big star to entertain American troops under the USO banner. He entertained at March Field in May of 1941, just 3 months after the USO was founded.

Comedian Joe E Brown was the first top-shelf name to entertain our troops on frontline bases. Brown's USO tour began in March of 1942. (Brown's own son was killed in a military plane crash in California in 1942.)

There are dozens of ways to support and remember our service members and I hope that you'll find one that touches you. There is a perfect way to support our troops through the USO. Follow this link to the USO Wishbook, and take a look around, read, and please do what you can.

Our troops are doing everything they can possibly do—including giving their lives—every single day to help us have a safe Christmas. It's our turn to give a little something. It's the least we can do.

The USO's financials are online for you to review.

Spend Tuesday Evening with Dan Rather

An Evening with Dan Rather - A SAG Foundation Live Stream Event for Everyone:

                                   Rather photo courtesy CBS

Tuesday, December 6th
8:30 PM EST / 5:30 PM PST

View Live Stream at www.sagfoundation.org/videogallery/livestream

This is a pulic live stream event. To view the Q&A you DO NOT need to log into our website or RSVP online.

Get Involved! During the event, you can email questions to the moderator at LiveStream@sagfoundation.org or tweet to @SAGFoundation or #SAGF.

Dan Rather has covered virtually every major news event in the world in the past 50 years. His resume reads like a history book, from his unparalleled reporting on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, through the civil rights movement, to Watergate, and wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. (He has covered, on scene, in person, more than twenty wars, violent insurrections, uprisings, coups and riots all over the world—including the 1965 India-Pakistan War, the Rhodesian War of Independence and the Tiananmen Square uprising for freedom and democracy in China—earning the nickname “War Zone Dan”)

From his early days as the Associated Press reporter in Huntsville, Texas, in 1950, Rather has more than earned his reputation as the “hardest working man in broadcast journalism.”

                                     Rather photo courtesy CBS

Now the anchor and managing editor of DAN RATHER REPORTS, which began broadcasting on HDNet in November, 2006, Rather served as anchor and managing editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS from March 9, 1981 to March 9, 2005, the longest such tenure in broadcast journalism history. He also served as anchor of the CBS program 48 HOURS and as a correspondent for 60 MINUTES and 60 MINUTES II.

Rather has interviewed every United States president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and virtually every major international leader of the past 30 years. He landed two world exclusive news-breaking interviews with Saddam Hussein, in 1990 and in 2003.

 

Rather has received virtually every honor in broadcast journalism, including numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards and citations from critical, scholarly, professional and charitable organizations.

This event will be moderated by Anthony DeRosa, Social Media Editor, Reuters.

About Anthony DeRosa:
Anthony is the Reuters Social Media Editor, integrating the “ambient wire” that exists on social networks, where news now breaks before anywhere else, into Reuters platforms. As part of his mission, he helps Reuters journalists and editors use social media tools to monitor news, report news, and find leads. The New York Times declared him “The undisputed King of Tumblr” based on soupsoup.tumblr.com. Mashable named it one of the best tumblrs of 2008. On Feb 23, 2010, it cracked the Technorati Top 100. Soup was recently cited as a reliable source for news on ABC, NBC, CNN and by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Connect with Anthony at twitter.com/antderosa.

Visit the SAG Foundation website at www.sagfoundation.org

Election Year 2012: Vintage Fun and Nostalgia from Voice Actor, Gary Owens

                                     Gary Owens at the RCA 44

In 1972 my old friend, Gary Owens, crafted a wonderfully zany comedy album. Put Your Head on My Finger was released through MGM Records on the Pride label and today it seems to be largely forgotten. And, that's a shame.

On the album Owens poked fun at horoscopes, politics, old vaudeville actors (my favorite bit), teenagers, funerals. You know, silly and insignificant things. 

Since it's election year, I thought you might like to hear three little clips from Put Your Head on My Finger.
[Tech note, click the bars once. Audio may take a moment to start. The clicks and jumps in the Nixon piece were intended are on the album.]

A bit about Democrats: 

Owens_Democrats

On Nixon:

Owens_Nixon

And, on the perennial candidate,
Harold Stassen:

Owens_Stassen

On a personal note, I haven't seen Gary Owens in a long time, but here is my insegrevious memory of him:

One afternoon in the early 1980s, I took a new friend of mine to a Hollywood Radio and Television Society luncheon at the newly renovated Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard and North Orange Drive.

                                     Hollywood Roosevelt

Sitting at our table with drinks in hand, my friend gazed around the room, got all excited, and said, "Wow, there's Gary Owens!"

"Would you like to meet him," I asked?

My friend's reply was a bit sour and very emphatic, "You don't know Gary Owens."

He looked back at the room and noticed Gary Owens walking toward our table. The new friend looked down at his cocktail and started to fidget with the swizzle stick.

In his deep, booming, unmistakeably articulated voice, Gary Owens said, "Stephen! It's good to see you! Come over, I'll introduce you to my friends."

At his table he said, "I'd like you all to meet Stephen Brockelman. Stephen is a very clever writer. He also made me a 3-dimensional rebus once."

I nodded at everyone, did the hellos, went back to my table and, listening to the HRTS presentation, I feasted on flattery. As I remember my friend dined on crow.

Godly and Spiritual Songs at JHU's Peabody Institute December1st and 2nd, 2011

        Renaissance Ensemble Image courtesy, Peabody Institute

Mark Cudek will direct two performances by the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble of Godly and Spiritual Songs, a program of Christmas music from the British Isles, on Thursday, Dec. 1, and Friday, Dec. 2, in Peabody's Leith Symington Griswold Hall.

Thursday night's concert will begin at approximately 8:00 pm, following the 40th Annual Lighting of the Washington Monument, which will feature a short performance by a Peabody brass group—the Bonehedz Trombone Quartet—around 7:15. Friday night's Renaissance Ensemble concert will begin at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for students with ID. To purchase tickets, call the Peabody Box Office at 410-234-4800.

For Monument Lighting details, visit godowntownbaltimore.com.

About the Early Music Program at the Peabody Institute:
The Peabody Conservatory of Music continues to expand its offerings in the historical performance of music before 1800. The Early Music Program provides instruction and performance opportunities in Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music.

Students play on period instruments and develop vocal techniques compatible with early performance practices. Our accomplished faculty brings a wealth of performing and teaching experience to developing artists.

Graduates of Peabody's Early Music Program have gone on to win prizes at international competitions, earn Fulbright and Beebe scholarships, and graduate from European conservatories with high honors. Peabody graduates have performed with Apollo's Fire, the Baltimore Consort, Hesperus, Les Arts Florissants, the New York Collegium, and the Waverly Consort. 

Coming Soon to Baltimore: David Cronenberg's 'A Dangerous Method'

 

Sigmund Freud: Tell me about the first time you can remember being beaten by your father.
Sabina Spielrein: It excited me!

A Dangerous Method, Synopsis:

On the eve of World War I, Zurich and Vienna are the setting for a dark tale of sexual and intellectual discovery. Drawn from true-life events, A DANGEROUS METHOD explores the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the beautiful but disturbed young woman who comes between them.

Sensuality, ambition and deceit set the scene for the pivotal moment when Jung, Freud and Sabina come together and split apart, forever changing the face of modern thought.

A Dangerous Method was directed by David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, Crash) from a screenplay by Academy Award winning writer Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons), who adapted his own stage play The Talking Cure for the screen.

Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go, Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) stars as Sabina Spielrein opposite fast-rising star Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, Fish Tank, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class and the upcoming Prometheus and Shame) as Carl Jung, with Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Sigmund Freud. Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Mesrine) plays Otto Gross, and Canadian newcomer Sarah Gadon plays Jung’s wife Emma.

A Dangerous Method, rated R, opens in New York and Los Angeles on November 23rd. The film's Baltimore opening is to be announced soon.

Barry Levinson's 'DINER' - From Maryland Film Festival, an Anniversary Celebration

"You know what word I'm not comfortable with? Nuance. It's not a real word. Like gesture. Gesture's a real word. With gesture you know where you stand. But nuance? I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong."
                                                        — Modell in DINER

A note from the folks at the Maryland Film Festival reminded me that it's been 30-years since I first saw Barry Levinson's timeless classic, DINER.

My first thought, "30-years, really?"

I've seen DINER a dozen or more times over the years and it's always as funny and fresh as it was the moment the first frame of Levinson's script was captured on film.

 
                          Diner, Original Trailer

To celebrate DINER's 30th anniversary, the Maryland Film Festival has put together a series of screenings of Barry Levinson's Baltimore movies. The screenings culminate in, what my cinema-loving friends are simply calling, The Event: 

The Event, a fundraiser to support the work of the Maryland Film Festival, will take place December 10th on the Johns Hopkins University campus and will bring together Barry Levinson and key members of the cast and crew of DINER, for one of the Maryland Film Festival's signature "Open Conversations."

            Diner, Production Still courtesy MGM/SLM

Here's the schedule of events:

Screenings

AVALON – 7pm, Weds 11/23 – Charles Theater
LIBERTY HEIGHTS – 7pm, Weds 11/30 – Charles Theater
DINER – 7 pm, Mon 12/5 – Charles Theater
DINER – 7 pm, Tues 12/6 – Charles Theater
TIN MEN – 7pm, Weds, 12/7 – Charles Theater
DINER – 7 pm, Thurs 12/8 – Charles Theater
THE BAND THAT WOULDN’T DIE – 7 pm, Fri 12/9 -  Hodson Auditorium, JHU Campus
DINER GUYS – 2:30 pm, Sat 12/10  - Hodson Auditorium JHU Campus
DINER  - 5 pm, Sat 12/10  - Shriver Hall, JHU Campus

The Event

Open Conversation with Barry Levinson, cast members, and special guests -
8 pm, Sat 12/10 - Shriver Hall, JHU Campus

Visit the Maryland Film Festival's website for additional information and to purchase tickets.

“A wonderful movie set in Baltimore, around Christmas of 1959. …It’s like a comedy club—they take off from each other, and their conversations are all overlapping jokes that are funny without punch lines. Conversations may roll on all night, and they can sound worldly and sharp, but when these boys are out with girls, they’re nervous, constricted, fraudulent, half crazy. Written and directed by Barry Levinson, DINER provides a look at middle-class relations between the sexes just before the sexual revolution, at a time when people still laughed (albeit uneasily) at the gulf between men and women……features some of the best young actors in the country: Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Daniel Stern, Kevin Bacon, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Reiser, and Timothy Daly.”
                                    —Pauline Kael, The New Yorker, 1982

Truman Capote's Greatest Holiday Gift to a Kid From Kansas: A Christmas Memory

We lived in Kansas in 1966.

We often watched TV together as a family and most of what we saw on television we watched on KTVH TV, a CBS station, or on KARD TV, the local NBC affiliate.

Wichita's ABC affiliate, KAKE TV, didn't have stellar color transmissions at the time, and when it did, their broadcasts looked a bit green on our RCA TV, AM/FM, Stereo Console.

On evenings in autumn and winter, my mother would assemble TV Trays in the living room. (It was the season for new TV shows, after all.) My father would light a fire in the fireplace.

On Sundays we would chow down on roast chicken, pot roast, or meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy while we watched Bonanza. Those Sunday nights were special. Dessert was always pie. After eating, my dad, would remind us, Sunday after Sunday, "The Cartwrights aren't the only family to have a fireplace."

He'd then turn off the gas jet and the fake logs would slowly go black.

One Wednesday evening in December of 1966 we abandoned our CBS and NBC loyalty to watch ABC Studio 67's inaugural broadcast of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory.

For the first time, watching a television show, I thought that I might cry. I fought back tears for the entire hour. I identified with the character, Buddy, the little boy who tried so very hard to please everyone. For the broadcast, Truman Capote narrated the story that he wrote in the mid-1950s, the story that was first published in Mademoiselle magazine. 

The Studio 67 broadcast is here in multiple parts. I hope you enjoy it and share it this holiday season. The film, starring Geraldine Page, is a treasure. {Note below the video links.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

The closing words of A Christmas Memory continue to haunt me:

But gradually in her letters, she tends to confuse me with her other friend, the Buddy who died in the 1880s; more and more thirteenths are not the only days she stays in bed: a morning arrives in November, a leafless birdless coming of winter morning, when she cannot rouse herself to exclaim: "Oh my, it's fruitcake weather!"

And when that happens, I know it. A message saying so merely confirms a piece of news some secret vein had already received, severing from me an irreplaceable part of myself, letting it loose like a kite on a broken string.

That is why, walking across a school campus on this particular December morning, I keep searching the sky. As if I expected to see, rather like hearts, a lost pair of kites hurrying towards heaven.

Actress Holland Taylor as Ann Richards, Coming to the Kennedy Center in 'ANN'

 

Everything is bigger in Texas.

For the late Texas Governor Ann Richards, that maxim held true not only for her huge character and heart, but also her wit and hairdo. Now, Emmy Award–winning stage and screen actress Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men) brings audiences ANN, a hilarious, inspiring, and no-holds-barred look at the unforgettable Governor of the Lone Star State. Taylor wrote the play as a way to take the audience on a journey, swirling together the past and present to reunite Ann Richards with old friends and introduce her to a new generation.

A veteran of the stage, Hollywood, and television whom Broadway critic John Simon calls "one of the very few utterly graceful, attractive, elegant, and technically accomplished actresses in our theater," Holland Taylor brings the audience face to face with a complex, colorful, and captivating character. According to the Dallas Morning News, when Richards's daughter Cecile learned the actress would portray her mother in a new play, she offered an instant judgment: "Perfect."

                        Holland Taylor as Ann Richards in ANN

The San Antonio Express raved, "It was as if Ann, with her silver helmet of hair, gleaming white suit, and strong swagger, were suddenly raised from the dead." More than that, Taylor channels Ann's razor-sharp wit to tell this heartfelt story of a personal hero, a leader who actually believed she could empower, expand, and enrich the lives of her constituents.

The Kennedy Center
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566
800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600 

"ANN" runs,
Dec. 17, 2011 - Jan. 15, 2012
In the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater
Link to Tickets: $54.00 - $95.00

Storied Hollywood Hills Home of Ramon Novarro, Silent Screen Lover, is for Sale

        Ramon Novarro and Greta Garbo, 'Mati Hari,' MGM 1931

I first saw the house in 1973 after moving from New York to Hollywood.

The legendary casting director, David Graham, took me on a lay-of-the-land tour of Los Angeles. One of the historic properties that he drove me by was the landmark Samuel-Novarro House in the eastern—and highly tony—area of the Hollywood Hills known as Los Feliz.

David pulled over for a couple of minutes in front of 2255 Verde Oak Drive and shared some stories with me.

As David spoke, it was apparent that regardless of how many stories the house might have, the story of the actor, Ramon Novarro, easily eclipsed them. The story of Novarro's life was bigger than the home's architect and was more interesting than the custom turquoise tile that the structure featured.

Ramon Novorro was born in the Mexican plateau city of Victoria de Durango, in 1899. He was a life-long Roman Catholic and three of his sisters, Guadalupe, Rosa, and Leonor, joined Convents and became nuns.

The conflict between his personal life, his desires, his passion, and his religion—in early twentieth-century Hollywood—were troublesome for Novarro for the duration of his career and for MGM studio head, Louis B. Mayer. Mayer offered, time after time, to set Novarro up in a sham marriage. At the time, those arrangements were called lavender marriages. Time after time, Novarro declined the concept.

                  Ramon Novarro, early publicity photograph

During his MGM career, Novarro had a much greater interest than appearing socially correct in Hollywood. His consuming interest was his personal secretary and intimate companion, Louis Samuel. Ramon Novarro originally built the Los Feliz house for Samuel as a one bedroom cottage on extremely large and very private grounds.

                                  The Samuel-Novarro House

After starring in the MGM silent classic, Ben Hur, Ramon Navarro was at the top of his game. Even by Hollywood standards, he was getting very wealthy. Novarro later learned that his trusted companion, Louis Samuel was embezzling from him.

 

Novarro took over the Samuel-Novarro House. And, in 1932 he moved in.

The house, which was designed by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lloyd Wright, has been lived in by a legion of celebrities. They include Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and a host of others. The current historical renovation of the property was commissioned by previous owner, Diane Keaton.

On the market now, the 2,690 square-foot home, currently owned by Christina Ricci, has an asking price of just a tad over $4.1 million dollars.

What happened to Ramon Novarro, you ask?

He moved out of the house in 1938. From the money he'd earned during his film career he lived well at his new home in Laurel Canyon. There were rumors that Novarro kept large sums of money in his new home because of the earlier embezzlement.

In 1968 Ramon Navarro, hired two men—a 22 year old and a 17 year old—through a California prostitution agency to have sex with him at his home. The two were brothers, Paul and Tom Ferguson.

The Ferguson brothers murdered Navarro in his home on October 22 while torturing him for hours. They were seeking the location of the hidden stash of Novarro cash. There was none.

According to Los Angeles Police reports, the brothers left the house with $20 taken from Ramon Navarro's bathrobe pocket.

Veteran's Day Celebration at Baltimore's Creative Alliance

                                             Michael Beresh

Veteran's Day Celebration at the Creative Alliance

Fri Nov 11 8pm
$16, $11 members, veterans & active duty personnel - tickets available on the Creative Alliance website

The second annual Veteran’s Day Celebration at the Creative Alliance by Highlandtown’s Veteran Artist Program includes a first time collaboration with Michael Beresh, composer and creator of Letters to Baltimore from the War.

Mr. Beresh composes fresh songs based on the stories told by members of the cast of Telling: Baltimore, a play produced by VAP and The Telling Project, accompanied by the guitar talents of Jeff Hardwick and Marq-Paul LaRose, both VAP musicians from the 2010 Veteran’s Day show, Home. A stirring evening to consider war, peace, and remembering.

About Veteran Artist Program:

VAP takes artists, who are also veterans, and propels their works and careers into the mainstream creative arts community through networking, mentorship, collaboration with professional artists, and original productions. We are based in the Baltimore-Washington area and looking forward to connecting with other like-minded organizations and expanding the network of veteran artists througout the country.

Countless veterans made the brave decision to step away from their art and be part of something larger than themselves and fight for their country. VAP provides the resources, tools, and networking necessary to take the intentional artist to the next level. We want you to be part of our work in all the artistic disciplines.

We are about collaboration in all genres of art with an emphasis on bringing together the Veteran and Artistic communities. We are about the Artist, both veteran and non-veteran, coming together to tell a story.

Leonardo DiCaprio May Win His First Oscar with 'J. Edgar,' the Film

I'm going out on a limb here. This movie, J Edgar, will either be a huge bang, or a silent bust. I'm going with award winning, although I don't see it as a big money maker.

                     J. Edgar, movie poster, 2011

I've only read small segments of the script and while it's well written, the outcome of the box-office projections tend to fall on the shoulders of a single actor and a single department. DiCaprop and makeup, in that order. That's a dicey proposition for a big star, a big director, and Warner Bros.

Leonardo DiCaprio has to be J. Edgar and the supporting cast must believe that he is.

I'm not sure that director, Clint Eastwood, is on track with the homosexuality aspect of the relationship between J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson.

However, Dame Judy Dench and Ken Howard are in the movie. That's good enough for me.

J. Edgar opens in Baltimore at
Landmark Theatres, Harbor East

Friday, November 11th

645 S. President Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 244-6636 ‎ 

 Be there, or be investigated...

By the way, I'll give J. Edgar my vote for best movie poster of the year.