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By Lee Pfeiffer

By 1974 John Wayne was in the twilight of his long, distinguished film career that had spanned six decades. Although the genre that we associate him most with, the Western, was still in vogue, the trend among audience preferences had clearly shifted to urban crime dramas. Surprisingly, Wayne had never played a cop or detective - unless you want to count his role in the lamentable "Big Jim McLain", a 1952 Warner Brothers propaganda film that served as a love letter to Sen. Joseph McCarthy. In that turkey, Wayne played an investigator for Huac, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee that served as McCarthy's private police force, presumably searching out commie infiltrators. All they ended up doing was ruining the lives of left-wing people in the arts and academia. Wayne, for his part, remained unapologetic for his support of Huac even after McCarthy's popularity plummeted and he ended his career in shame and disgrace.

Natalie Wood: Hot Hollywood star in the ’60s - TCM schedule on August 18, 2013 See previous post: “Natalie Wood Movies: From loving Warren Beatty to stripping like Gypsy Rose Lee.” 3:00 Am The Star (1952). Director: Stuart Heisler. Cast: Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood, Warner Anderson, Minor Watson, June Travis, Paul Frees, Robert Warrick, Barbara Lawrence, Fay Baker, Herb Vigran, Marie Blake, Sam Harris, Marcia Mae Jones. Bw-90 mins. 4:30 Am A Cry In The Night (1956). Director: Frank Tuttle. Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Brian Donlevy, Natalie Wood. Bw-75 mins. 6:00 Am West Side Story (1961). Director: Robert Wise. Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, John Bert Michaels, David Bean, Robert Banas, Anthony ‘Scooter’ Teague, Harvey Evans aka Harvey Hohnecker, Tommy Abbott, Susan Oakes, Gina Trikonis, Carole D’Andrea, Jose De Vega, Jay Norman,...

For DocuWeek I had the chance to screen the enlightening film Dirt: The Movie! Here's a little interview with directors Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow for your reading pleasure.

Heidi: Before we start, let me say that I am really glad I got to see your film. I keep up on eco-issues, I own two hybrids, feed my kid organically as often as possible, am a vegetarian, all that, but your film was an incredibly fresh and eye-opening take on so many issues.

Sure, I knew about the disappearance of the bees, about water issues, and deforestation, but I'd never even thought about the dirt. So thank you for the education.

First Question: What initially inspired you to make this film? 

Bill: Thanks for the questions and your interest and appreciation of our film. The start of my answer would have to be in two parts: 1. My mother, Dorothy Cullman,...

According to the typically preposterously effusive Sundance catalogue entry, Bill Benenson and Eugene Rosow's documentary Dirt! The Movie, based on William Bryant Logan's book Dirt, The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth "posses[es] both a cosmic perspective that reaches into the vastness of time and space, and the kind of warm, earnest energy that inspires small revolutions inside human hearts." We like cosmic revolutions! When Benenson and Rosow answered the 4 Questions We Ask Everybody, they namechecked Buster Keaton, quoted Margaret Atwood, and made a lot of "dirty" puns. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, "It's like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!" pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. Benenson: We worked with Dirt ...

According to the typically preposterously effusive Sundance catalogue entry, Bill Benenson and Eugene Rosow's documentary Dirt! The Movie, based on William Bryant Logan's book Dirt, The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth "posses[es] both a cosmic perspective that reaches into the vastness of time and space, and the kind of warm, earnest energy that inspires small revolutions inside human hearts." We like cosmic revolutions! When Benenson and Rosow answered the 4 Questions We Ask Everybody, they namechecked Buster Keaton, quoted Margaret Atwood, and made a lot of "dirty" puns. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, "It's like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!" pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. Benenson: We worked with Dirt ...

Thirteen writers have been selected as finalists for the 23rd annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A total of 5,224 scripts were submitted for this year's competition, which is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000 or received a fellowship or prize that includes a first look clause, an option or any other quid pro quo involving the writer's work.

The Academy's Nicholl Committee will award as many as five $30,000 fellowships.

The finalists are Jeremy Bandow, "Hive"; Griffin Broadway, "An Arabian Tale"; Nancy Froeschle and Stephen Trow, "The Greater Glory"; Patricia Ann Hale, "The Home of Positive Thinking"; Christina D. Hammonds Reed, "Heart Problems"; Ken Kristensen and Colin Marshall, "Out of Breath"; Jason A. Micallef, "Butter"; Eric Nazarian, "Giants"; Lee Patterson, "Snatched"; and Becky Peterson and William Bryant, "Ross.