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At the 27th Academy Awards, Oscar helped Edmond O’Brien win an Oscar.

O’Brien played sleazy show biz publicist Oscar Muldoon in 1954’s “The Barefoot Contessa,” which starred Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. Bogart had been crowned Best Actor of 1951 for “The African Queen,” and had also contended for the same award for 1943’s Best Picture, “Casablanca.” Gardner was coming off of her first and only nomination, for Best Actress in 1953’s “Mogambo.” “The Barefoot Contessa” was written and directed by Academy favorite Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who had won back-to-back Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for 1949’s “A Letter to Three Wives” and 1950’s Best Picture, “All About Eve.”

”The Barefoot Contessa” didn’t fare quite as well at the Oscars as “Letter” or “Eve.” Neither Bogart or Gardner received nominations, though Bogart was cited for his role in that same year’s Best Picture entry “The Caine Mutiny.

I was about 8 years old when I first met Norman Lear.

My dad, Carl Reiner, was working on Sid Caesar’s Show of Shows and Norman was writing for Colgate Comedy Hour, so they were both in New York. In those days, it was a small world of people who trafficked in sketch comedy. Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Dom DeLuise — all these guys and their families would hang out together. My family and Norman’s family used to have summer houses near each other on Fire Island, and Norman had a daughter, Ellen, who was around my age, so we used to play together.

One day Ellen and I were playing jacks — I was teaching her how, explaining the rules, showing her what to do. Norman came over to watch and he started to laugh. Apparently, I was teaching her in a funny way, which he found hysterical. And he...

Paul Reubens, who disappeared behind a tight gray suit and bright red bow tie to create and star as the awkward man-child Pee-wee Herman onstage, on a groundbreaking kids TV show and on the big screen, has died. He was 70.

His death in Los Angeles was announced Monday on his official Facebook page.

“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” a statement read. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”

Reubens created Pee-wee (named for a brand of harmonica he had when...

Paul Reubens, the actor who portrayed beloved character Pee-wee Herman that amused kids and adults of multiple generations, died on Sunday night at the age of 70. The cause of death was an unspecified cancer.

“Last night, we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy, and belief in the importance of kindness,” a post on the actor’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts read.

“Paul bravely and privately fought cancer...

What do the 76th annual Tonys have in common with the 17th annual awards?

Stephen Sondheim.

The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.

Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...

By design, the cast and characters of 12 Angry Men were the heart and soul of the movie, and the intense courthouse drama was a star-studded affair. Released in 1957 to almost universal critical acclaim, Sydney Lumet's masterpiece captured the spirit of injustice in the United States at the time, and focused it into a courtroom setting. Ranked as the second best courtroom drama of all time by the American Film Institute, 12 Angry Men deftly played out in one room and utilized the art of cinema to make each scintillating moment unforgettable.

The 12 characters presented each represented a section of society, and each had their own motivations which pulled the riveting story in different directions. The cast was stuffed with established stars and up-and-comers, and the roles played on the strengths of the individual actors to perfection. Often regarded as one of the best directorial debuts ever, Sydney Lumet's...

Since Mahershala Ali set the current record for longest Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winning performance with his one hour, six minutes, and 38 seconds of screen time in “Green Book” (2019), the screen times of subsequent featured male champions have been increasingly smaller. Although the last three trophies have consistently gone to relatively lengthy turns, each has been about 10 minutes shorter than the one before it. This year will constitute a moment of truth, since, considering the last outcome, there is potential for at least a 22-minute jump in either direction.

Last year, Troy Kotsur was honored here for his performance as the patriarch of a primarily deaf family in “Coda,” which amounts to 35 minutes and 34 seconds of screen time, or 31.31% of the film. He fell 10 minutes and 35 seconds short of matching 2021 winner Daniel Kaluuya’s time in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” whereas Kaluuya himself landed nine minutes and three seconds below...

Having already won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in “Elvis,” Austin Butler is on a solid path to triumphing on his first Oscar nomination. His film, which covers the entirety of the titular rock star’s two-decade career, boasts a talented cast that includes past Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who collected back-to-back Best Actor trophies for “Philadelphia” (1994) and “Forrest Gump” (1995). He missed out on a supporting bid for “Elvis,” but if Butler clinches the lead award, Hanks will become the 15th man to have acted in a film that won the same Oscar he previously received.

Hanks has a total of five Best Actor nominations to his name, with the three unsuccessful ones having come for his work in “Big” (1989), “Saving Private Ryan” (1999), and “Cast Away” (2001). Until Butler was recognized for “Elvis,” Hanks had never appeared in a film for which someone...

Bob LuPone, a Tony-nominated actor and the founder of the off-Broadway McC Theatre, has died. He was 76. The brother of Patti LuPone had been on a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

“The McC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague, and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection, and a whole lot of heart. We will miss him deeply and always,” read a statement from McC.

Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery

LuPone was born on July 29th, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York to Angela Louise (known as Pat), a housewife, and Orlando Joseph LuPone, a school principal.

His passion for the arts began at an early age. In the sixth grade at his North Port, Long Island elementary school, he saw his younger sister Patti dance at a PTA Dance Concert in a colorful hula skirt.

A post-James Bond Daniel Craig and Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga currently are shaking things up on Broadway in the latest revival of “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s tragedy of mayhem, power, murder and madness. The “Scottish play” has a reputation for being cursed because the Bard used real witches’ spells.

It certainly has fallen afoul of the Tony Awards over the years. Negga was nominated but Craig was snubbed. Of the 11 previous stagings of “Macbeth” since the start of the Tony Awards, only the 2008 revival merited nominations for both stars (Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood). Glenda Jackson reaped a bid in 1988 while Christopher Plummer was left in the wings.

The first recorded production of the play in New York was way back in 1768 at the John Street Theatre, which had been built the year before. Though the closing date is unknown, the theater was demolished in 1897. Lewis Hallam, who is the only known cast member,...

After standing for 32 years, Timothy Hutton’s Oscars record for longest Best Supporting Actor-winning performance was broken twice within the last decade. Christoph Waltz, whose turn in “Django Unchained” is 73 seconds longer than Hutton’s, took the title in 2013. He was then usurped in 2019 by Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”), who set the bar 21 seconds higher. Although these recent wins demonstrate the academy’s preference for longer supporting male roles, the tide has been steadily shifting since Ali’s victory.

Brad Pitt won this award in 2020 for his 55 minutes and 12 seconds of work in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He was followed last year by Daniel Kaluuya, whose screen time total in “Judas and the Black Messiah” comes to 46 minutes and nine seconds. This average annual decrease of over 10 minutes is guaranteed to continue into its third year, since each of the current supporting male contenders appears on screen for less than 37 minutes.

by Nathaniel R

Year of the Julies: Andrews and Christie dominated both the Oscars and the box office

The Supporting Actress Smackdown 1965 Episode arrives on October 9th, so you have until October 8th to watch the four movies and vote on them. Let's talk context...

Great Big Box Office Hits: 1)The Sound of Music 2) Doctor Zhivago 3) Thunderball 4) Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines 5) The Great Race 6) That Darn Cat 7) Cat Ballou 8) What's New Pussycat? 9) Shenandoah 10) Von Ryan's Express

Oscar's Best Pictures: The Sound of Music  and Doctor Zhivago (10 noms / 5 wins each) led by the two Julies, battled it out at the Oscars The other Best Picture nominees were Ship of Fools (8 noms / 2 wins), Darling (5 noms / 3 wins) another Julie Christie vehicle, and A Thousand Clowns (4 noms / 1 win). But what would have been nominated if the Best Picture race were 10 wide...

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“Adult With Sidekick”

By Raymond Benson

Perhaps what might have been an unexpected Oscar nominee for Best Picture of 1965 was A Thousand Clowns, an adaptation of the Broadway play written by Herb Gardner (who also penned the screenplay and was nominated for his work). Fred Coe had directed the stage production, which garnered Tony nominations for Best Play, Best Featured Actor, and awarded Sandy Dennis a trophy for Featured Actress. Just about everyone involved in the Broadway production went on to make the film, also directed by Coe, except, oddly enough, Dennis. Martin Balsam is also new to the film, replacing Larry Haines, and Balsam walked away with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jason Robards’ savvy brother and manager.

While Jason Robards (Jr.) as Murray Burns is the tale’s protagonist, it is indeed young Barry Gordon as Murray’s nephew,...

Update, with reactions Mark Blum, a veteran New York stage actor whose credits also include roles in the film Desperately Seeking Susan and the Netflix TV series You, has died due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 69.

His death was announced by the Off Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons. SAG-aftra confirmed the news.

“He was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man,” tweeted Rosanna Arquette, his co-star in 1985’s Desperately Seeking Susan. Arquette said she was deeply saddened by “this very very hard news…” (Read her tweet and others here.

One of the biggest shocks of this year’s Golden Globe nominations was that Sam Elliott didn’t receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in “A Star is Born.” Elliott isn’t out of contention, though, for the Oscar. There is actually quite an impressive list of actors who got left out at the Globes but went on to take the Academy Award anyway. In fact, as recently as 2006, Alan Arkin won the Oscar for “Little Miss Sunshine” while being left out by Globe nominators.

Elliott has been a huge topic of discussion in Gold Derby’s forums (as have most things related to “A Star is Born.”) While some people have complained that the performance is too short for an actual victory, other forum posters have celebrated the fact that a performance with limited screen time is in Oscar contention as opposed to the lead performances...

With just six weeks left for 2018, Gold Derby celebrates over 40 celebrities and entertainers who died in the past 12 months. Tour our photo gallery above as we feature tributes to 25 losses from this year so far.

Stan Lee, co-creator of many iconic superheroes, died on November 12 at age 95. For Marvel Comics and later many films and TV programs, his characters included Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and the Avengers.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died on October 15 at age 65. He and Bill Gates helped start the microcomputer revolution in the mid-1970s by creating the world’s largest PC software company.

Burt Reynolds died on September 6 at age 82 in Florida. He was an Oscar nominee for “Boogie Nights” and an Emmy winner for “Evening Shade.” He was one of the top box office stars of the 1970s with movies such as “Deliverance,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Longest Yard,...

Actress Barbara Harris died on August 21 at age 83. The name may not be familiar to younger readers since Harris was the rare performer who climbed to the top of the show business heap but then walked away from it all. She also had one of the most unusual awards histories of anybody.

I remember Harris vividly from my childhood when I saw her in the Disney film “Freaky Friday” opposite a young Jodie Foster. The film centered on a mother and her young daughter who both simultaneously wish they could switch places with each other for a day. By way of Disney magic, the two actually do switch bodies thus having the mother forced to deal with life in school and the daughter tending to the problems of being a housewife. I can still remember the theater echoing with the joyous laughter of children as Harris jumps on a skateboard...

In the last shot of Alfred Hitchcock’s final (and underrated) “Family Plot,” impostor-psychic-turned-kidnapper Barbara Harris looks straight at the camera and winks. It was only time in Hitchcock’s career that he broke down the fourth wall, and the gesture felt like his goodbye to his fans.

Harris died August 21 at 83 of lung cancer. Her notable roles included “A Thousand Clowns,” “Nashville,” “The Seduction of Joe Tynan,” and a supporting actor Oscar nomination for “Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?” But for Hitchcock fans, her death reminds us that 42 years have passed since the master’s last film, and fewer of his actors are still alive.

It’s nearly impossible to track every actor who appeared in his work. (Anyone from Hitchcock’s early British films would have had to be a very small child.) However, there are still a number...

Barbara Harris, the actress who starred in the 1976 film Freaky Friday, has died. She was 83.

Harris died on Tuesday from lung cancer in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the Associated Press.

Her close friend Charna Halpern, who co-founded the iO Theater in Chicago, confirmed the news on Facebook.

“My friend and an amazing famous actress Barbara Harris passed away early this morning, Halpern wrote. “My favorite memories of her were her sense of humor and how she made me laugh.”

“If you haven’t seen her movies-watch Family Plot and A Thousand Clowns,” she added. “Those are two of my favorites.

Actress Barbara Harris, who capped Robert Altman’s masterpiece Nashville with a strangely haunting musical performance, won a Tony Award for 1967’s The Apple Tree and co-founded Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe, died today in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was 83.

The cause of death was reported by the Chicago Sun Times as lung cancer.

Harris was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for 1971’s Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, but might best be remembered by children of the era for her role in 1976’s original Freaky Friday, Disney’s body-switch comedy in which Harris and a young Jodie Foster did the switching.

That same year, Harris appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s dark comedy Family Plot, an indication of her range. Later audiences would see her as the tender-hearted, understanding mother in Peggy Sue Got Married or appearing alongside John Cusack and...

Barbara Harris, an Oscar-nominated actress who made memorable turns in such classics as “Nashville,” the original “Freaky Friday” and “Grosse Pointe Blank,” died Tuesday of lung cancer at age 83, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Harris, who sang the opening number in the very first show at Chicago’s famed Second City in 1959, had a long and successful career in both theater and the movies.

She won a Tony Award in 1967 for her lead performance in the musical “The Apple Tree” opposite a young Alan Alda, and an Oscar nomination playing a vulnerable aspiring actress in the 1971 comedic drama “Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?”

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2018 (Photos)

She made memorable impressions in a series of small roles, from a singer calming an agitated crowd in Robert Altman’s 1975 classic “Nashville” to the dementia-afflicted mother of John Cusack’s hitman...

Actress Barbara Harris, known for roles in films like the original “Freaky Friday” and multiple stints on Broadway, died on Tuesday at age 83, the Chicago Sun Times reported. The actress was in Scottsdale, Ariz. when she died of lung cancer.

Harris launched her career when she co-founded the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, Ill., later participating in the now world-renowned group’s first ever show. But her Second City performances were just the beginning of Harris’ flourishing career on the stage.

In 1967, Harris scored a best actress Tony award for her chameleon performances as Eve, Passionella, and Princess Barbara in “The Apple Tree.” She was also nominated for two other Tony awards, including a best featured actress nod for her Broadway debut in “From the Second City” and another best actress nod for her work as Daisy Gamble in 1965’s “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.”

Onscreen,...

(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...

Image Source: Getty / Matthew Eisman If you've seen the trailer for the adaptation of Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything, than you've no doubt found yourself googling its star Nick Robinson. While the 22-year-old actor's charisma and looks are comparable to fellow Ya star Ansel Elgort, there's another reason why he looks so familiar. In his short nine years of acting, he's actually been in a handful of well-known movies and shows. Since you'll probably be seeing his face everywhere after the film's release on May 19, we've gathered a few fun facts about him to jumpstart your newfound obsession. 1. He's From Washington Nick was born in Seattle on March 22, 1995. At age 11, he made his professional acting debut in a local production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and eventually signed with The Savage Agency in La two years later. Unfortunately, the Writers Guild of America strike was in full swing at the time,...

'Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?' with Dustin Hoffman. Long-titled movie 'Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?': Messy filmmaking with one single bright spot To call Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? a curiosity is to perhaps infer quality buried in its quirk, or virtue obscured by its capriciousness. That's not the case, really, as this largely existential film is an absolute mess with only one bright spot of redemption (more on her later). Directed by Ulu Grosbard, Who Is Harry Kellerman… – with its long-winded, desperate title – is a curiosity along the lines of a relic, a work that somehow speaks of its time. Unfortunately, it really does not speak coherently, even if the film is unmistakably post-Woodstock, pre-Watergate, and all-American, with errant themes of success,...

Marin Hinkle, best known for playing Jon Cryer’s disapproving ex-wife on “Two and a Half Men,” will take her withering looks to the Off-Broadway stage in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s upcoming revival of “Dinner with Friends.” In addition to spending nine seasons on the CBS sitcom smash, Hinkle has extensive theater credits including Broadway productions of “Electra” and “A Thousand Clowns” and such Off-Broadway shows as “Graceland” and “Miss Julie.” “Dinner With Friends” won the Pulitzer when it premiered in 2000. It’s a wry and witty look at two couples who are close friends, but are forced to grapple with the.

Martin Balsam: Oscar winner has ‘Summer Under the Stars’ Day on Turner Classic Movies Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner Martin Balsam (A Thousand Clowns) is Turner Classic Movies’ unusual (and welcome) "Summer Under the Stars" featured player today, August 27, 2013. Right now, TCM is showing Sidney Lumet’s The Anderson Tapes (1971), a box-office flop starring Sean Connery in his (just about) post-James Bond, pre-movie legend days. (Photo: Martin Balsam ca. early ’60s.) Next, is Joseph Sargent’s thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). Written by Peter Stone (Father Goose, Arabesque) from John Godey’s novel, the film revolves around the hijacking of a subway car in New York City. Passengers are held for ransom while police lieutenant Walter Matthau tries to handle the situation. Now considered a classic (just about every pre-1999 movie is considered a "classic" these days), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was...

Cary Grant and Randolph Scott marriages (See previous post: “Randolph Scott and Cary Grant: Gay Lovers?“) The English-born Cary Grant was married five times: Charles Chaplin’s City Lights leading lady Virginia Cherrill (1934-1935), Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton (1942-1945), Grant’s Every Girl Should Be Married and Room for One More co-star Betsy Drake (1949-1962), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Heaven Can Wait Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Dyan Cannon (1965-1968), and Barbara Harris (1981-1986). Note: Cary Grant’s last wife was not the Barbara Harris of Nashville, Family Plot, and A Thousand Clowns fame. Cary Grant died at age 82 after suffering a stroke on November 29, 1986, while preparing for a performance of his one-man show, A Conversation with Cary Grant, in Davenport, Iowa. (Photo: Cary Grant and Randolph Scott ca. 1933.) The Virginia-born Randolph Scott was married twice: wealthy socialite Mariana duPont Somerville (1936-1939) and Patricia Stillman, from 1943 to his...

New York — A character actor who had minor roles in "Tootsie," "Taxi Driver" and dozens of other films has died. Willy Switkes (Swit'-kehs) was 83.

His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday at a hospice in Rockville, Md.

Willy Switkes was a native of Washington, D.C., and a longtime New York City resident. He appeared in Broadway productions of "The Cherry Orchard" and "A Thousand Clowns" and was an understudy to Buster Keaton during a 1960 tour of "Once Upon a Mattress." His other films include "The French Connection" and "Bananas."

His characters often were unidentified, such as his "man at cab" credit for "Tootsie," in which he's thrown from a taxi after trying to cut in front of title character Dustin Hoffman.

A character actor who had minor roles in Tootsie, Taxi Driver, and dozens of other films has died. Willy Switkes was 83.

His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday at a hospice in Rockville, Md.

Willy Switkes was a native of Washington, D.C., and a longtime New York City resident. He appeared in Broadway productions of The Cherry Orchard and A Thousand Clowns and was an understudy to Buster Keaton during a 1960 tour of Once Upon a Mattress. His other films include The French Connection and Bananas.

His characters often were unidentified, such as his...

Bonnie Franklin, the pert, redheaded actress whom millions came to identify with for her role as divorced mom Ann Romano on the long-running sitcom One Day at a Time, has died.

She died Friday at her home in Los Angeles due to complications from pancreatic cancer, family members said. She was 69. Her family had announced she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September.

Franklin was a veteran stage and television performer before One Day At a Time made her a star.

Developed by Norman Lear and co-created by Whitney Blake – herself a former sitcom star and single mother raising future...

The 85th Academy Awards are at last upon us, and unfortunately we only have a few more days to think about the eternal hotness of some of the men they honor. As a companion piece to our Hottest Best Actor countdown, I present to you an important follow-up: The 10 Hottest Best Supporting Actor performances. Heath Ledger, Javier Bardem, and Christian Bale were too inhumanely grotesque to warrant inclusion, I'm sort of sorry to say. But who wasn't? Check 'em out below. 

10. George Clooney in Syriana

Get this: Syriana is the one movie on this list I haven't seen. Should I feel bad about that? George's win always struck me as compensation for the fact that he wasn't going to win the directing Oscar for Good Night and Good Luck (which he noted in his awful speech), but maybe it's a great performance. Also: I am not attracted to him in any way,...

Since its inception in 2007, Los Angeles' revival house Cinefamily has slowly become one of the city's most diverse and exciting places, hosting screenings of cult classics and current releases alike with special events galore. They've made a habit of digging up gems and developing a themed week around them (such as the stand-up comedy “A Thousand Clowns” with Jason Robards), but recently, during a week devoted to artist/designer Saul Bass' storied career, they managed to change film history.

According to Cinefamily's executive director, Hadrian Belove, archivists working at the Academy of Arts and Sciences stumbled upon an excised reel of Bass' 1974 directorial debut, “Phase IV” -- simply an item of speculation up to today -- while compiling footage for his retrospective. A science-fiction film about two scientists' relationship to an homicidal ant colony and its behavior, the project came in Bass' career after his iconic main title contributions...

Given the success of Warner’s Archive program, we’re thrilled to see other studios scouring their vaults for content aimed at the discerning cinephile. Here’s a release showcasing the latest coming from MGM via Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Los Angeles (April 14, 2011) – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is bringing even more classics to DVD in April through its unique “manufacturing on demand” (“Mod”). The newest group of films will be part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection and available through online retailers. The vast catalog ranges from 1980’s Defiance to 1965’s four-time Academy Award® nominated A Thousand Clowns.

Enjoy your favorite movies from across the decades including:

1950′s

● Davey Crockett, Scout (1950): A U.S. military scout is assigned to stop Indian attacks on a defenseless group of wagon trains making their way West. Stars George Montgomery, Ellen Drew, Noah Beery Jr. Directed by Lew Landers.

● Cloudburst...

Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman in Barry Levinson's Academy Award winner Rain Man (1988). Hoffman won the Best Actor Oscar that year; Cruise wasn't even nominated. Biggest Oscar Snubs #8e: Non-Nominated Actors – From Charles Farrell to Rock Hudson Jean Simmons, Elmer Gantry (1960) Robert Mitchum, The Sundowners (1960) Fredric March, Inherit the Wind (1960) Fred MacMurray, The Apartment (1960) Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier, Fanny (1961) Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, West Side Story (1961) Laurence Harvey, Summer and Smoke (1961) Alec Guinness, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Paul Newman, Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) Joan Crawford, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Cleopatra (1963) Brandon DeWilde, Hud (1963) Susannah York, Tom Jones (1963) Alan Bates and Irene Papas, Zorba the Greek (1964) Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins (1964) Vivien Leigh, Ship of Fools (1965) Jason Robards and Barbara Harris, A Thousand Clowns (1965) Laurence Harvey and [...]...

TV and movie star Tom Selleck has his sights set on Broadway - almost a decade after he made his theatre debut in New York.

The actor was a big hit in A Thousand Clowns in 2001 and he has been keen to get back onstage ever since - but his film and TV career and his sideline as an avocado farmer in California have kept him too busy.

He says, "I'll probably do a Broadway play soon. There's a lot of possibilities but it requires time which I'm happy to say I don't have right now.

"As much as I enjoyed doing my first Broadway play, my first play of any kind back in 2001, I haven't had a chance to go back."

At least Selleck is in the right city nowadays - he plays a New York City police chief in new TV series Blue Bloods, which will debut in America this autumn.