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Billy Watson, a child star who was one of the famed Watson Family, the only acting family that has their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died February 17 of natural causes at age 98 in a Spokane, Washington hospital.

Only one member of the family troupe, brother Garry. survives. William “Billy” Watson was remembered in an online announcement on March 1.

“He was loving and kind; he could light up a crowded room with his laughter and exuberance. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” his family said in a statement.

The Watson Family were all child actors who appeared in hundreds of films starting in the silent era. Billy’s credits included such as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Little Minister,” “The Winning Ticket,” “Kidnapped” and “Young Mr. Lincoln.” He shared screen time with such Hollywood legends as James Stewart, Will Rogers, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.

Billy Watson, a child star who appeared in some Old Hollywood film classics such as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “In Old Chicago” and one of the last members of The Watson Family of childhood actors, has died. He was 98.

William Richard Watson, or “Billy,” died on February 17 of natural causes at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, his family announced in an obituary on March 1.

“He was loving and kind; he could light up a crowded room with his laughter and exuberance. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” his family said in a statement.

Watson was the sixth of nine siblings as part of the Watson family, all nine of whom were child actors who between them appeared in hundreds, if not thousands of films between the silent era and the talkies era of Old Hollywood. They are the only family that together has...

“Grubbs,” a Keenspot all-ages webcomic that draws inspiration from “Calvin & Hobbes” and “Dennis the Menace,” is slated for an animated TV series adaptation penned by M.J. Offen. Also the head writer of the Cartoon Network and HBO Max animated series “Jade Armor,” Offen serves as showrunner and is scripting the pilot, co-producing with Keenspot’s Chris Crosby, Bobby Crosby and “Grubbs” creator Max Weaver.

The announcement comes hot off the heels of the theatrical debut of “Marry Me,” which was based on the Keenspot graphic novel of the same name from creator Bobby Crosby. The rom-com, starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, rose high on streaming charts on Valentine’s Day. Adapted by “She-Hulk” director Kat Coiro, “Marry Me” currently holds a 60% critics score and a 92% audience score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

“I see Grubbs’ potential as a troublemaker we love to see act up, like Calvin or Dennis or Bart,...

The Regent Street Cinema is one of the U.K.’s most iconic cultural venues, but as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to put a strain on the hospitality and leisure sector, the 172-year-old movie theater is in a fight for its survival.

“It is really volatile at the moment,” Sophie Doherty, Regent Street Cinema’s content and events manager, tells Variety. “It’s really hard to know from week to week what’s actually going to be released.”

Located at 307 Regent Street, a short distance from the bustle of Oxford Street’s shopping district, the theater has long been considered the birthplace of British Cinema. Though it was opened in 1848 to host live stage productions, it became the first U.K. venue to screen moving images with a short movie by the Lumiere brothers in 1896, and went on to serve as a cinema until 1980. The University of Westminster, on whose...

All sing the praises of Frank Borzage, a gentle director fully committed to the idea of romance in an imperfect world. Sally Eilers and James Dunn make a go of marriage, despite their personal flaws and difficulties with communication. It’s hard to believe that films of this vintage portray behaviors as sensitive as this.

Bad Girl

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1931 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 90 min. / Street Date December 13, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring James Dunn, Sally Eilers, Minna Gombell, Sarah Padden, William Pawley, Billy Watson.

Cinematography Chester A. Lyons

Film Editor Margaret Clancey

Written by Viña Delmar, Brian Marlow, Edwin J. Burke

Directed by Frank Borzage

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Directors don’t come any more romantic than Frank Borzage. It is said that he was one of several Fox directors, including John Ford, who were heavily influenced by F.W. Murnau, whose Sunrise was a massive hit in...

Jean Arthur films on TCM include three Frank Capra classics Five Jean Arthur films will be shown this evening, Monday, January 5, 2015, on Turner Classic Movies, including three directed by Frank Capra, the man who helped to turn Arthur into a major Hollywood star. They are the following: Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It with You, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; George Stevens' The More the Merrier; and Frank Borzage's History Is Made at Night. One the most effective performers of the studio era, Jean Arthur -- whose film career began inauspiciously in 1923 -- was Columbia Pictures' biggest female star from the mid-'30s to the mid-'40s, when Rita Hayworth came to prominence and, coincidentally, Arthur's Columbia contract expired. Today, she's best known for her trio of films directed by Frank Capra, Columbia's top director of the 1930s. Jean Arthur-Frank Capra...

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Lou Thesz probably screwed up the Thesz Press once.

Maybe, during a match with Pat O’Connor, he slipped on the jump and fell, smacking his face on the mat in front of the New Zealander’s feet. Or maybe – just maybe – he jumped too high on the attempt and his crotch caught the chin of “Whipper” Billy Watson.

All wrestlers – just like all people – screw up, no matter how good they are. Luckily for Thesz, though, back when he competed, YouTube was a distant dream. As such, any mistakes he made are lost to the annals of history. Today, when a wrestler botches a maneuver, it lasts forever – recordings and screen-grabs immediately make their way online, and the virtual chants of “you f**ked up” can proceed at the viewer’s leisure – and last for all eternity, if they so choose.

With that in mind, it’s more...

We can say what many from Bruno Sammartino’s era, whether it be fans or performers, can not – we were there when Bruno Sammartino was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and one of the most charred bridges in WWE history began its recovery. The night before WrestleMania, we will witness history.

It is a war that waged on for literally decades. Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon have traded insults in several formats, through radio interviews, television appearances, books, journalistic editorials, you name it Bruno and McMahon played it. Bruno was commonly on the attack, with McMahon reserving criticism and attempting to keep the peace.

Throughout the late nineties Sammartino, the longest reigning WWE Champion of all-time, heavily criticized the organization, its officials and the product for “selling out,” and abandoning what had made it so great during his era. He has repeatedly called the WWE product vulgar,...

Whitney Houston’s death brought tears to our eyes on Saturday, and we only know her through the radio. It’s completely understandable, then, that those closest to her are taking the news much harder; daughter Bobbi Kristina in particular is allegedly struggling with the news. “My daughter did visit with doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” dad Bobby Brown said in a statement this afternoon. “She has been released and is presently with my family including her siblings.” Bobbi Kristina was allegedly rushed to the hospital both Saturday night,and Sunday morning following news of her mother’s death. Said Brown, “Obviously the death of her mother is affecting her. However we will get through this tragedy as a family.”

While her father offered scant explanation for Bobbi’s multiple emergencies, another relative was more willing to fill in the blanks. “Everything [was] stressful,” Billy Watson, brother of...

New Village Arts (Nva) is pleased to announce the newest summer tradition for North County - the New Village Arts Summer Comedy Festival! The festival begins on July 30 and consists of one mainstage production, two off-night one-acts and an unforgettable evening of music. Featuring the work of David Ives, local San Diegan Emily Reit and the musical stylings of Billy Watson, this festival is full of events to make you think, smile and laugh out loud. Nva Associate Artistic Director Joshua Everett Johnson directs the mainstage show, David Ives' Time Flies and Ruff Yeager and Kristianne Kurner helm the off-night one acts, Emily Reit's Prom Night and David Ives' Sure Thing.

New Village Arts (Nva) is pleased to announce the newest summer tradition for North County - the New Village Arts Summer Comedy Festival! The festival begins on July 30 and consists of one mainstage production, two off-night one-acts and an unforgettable evening of music. Featuring the work of David Ives, local San Diegan Emily Reit and the musical stylings of Billy Watson, this festival is full of events to make you think, smile and laugh out loud. Nva Associate Artistic Director Joshua Everett Johnson directs the mainstage show, David Ives' Time Flies and Ruff Yeager and Kristianne Kurner helm the off-night one acts, Emily Reit's Prom Night and David Ives' Sure Thing.