An Interview with George Chakiris
Audiences sat up and took notice when they saw standing near Rosemary Clooney, arms crossed as she crooned “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me.” Later, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
View ArticleCarroll Baker: An interview on “Baby Doll” and Hollywood’s studio days
Carroll Baker will be attending a screening of “Baby Doll” (1956) this weekend, Saturday, Aug. 17, in Winston-Salem, NC through the RiverRun Retro film series. Following the film, Ms. Baker will be...
View Article“The next 58 years will be a breeze”: An interview with RiverRun Master of...
The RiverRun International Film Festival has been held since 1998. Originally held in Brevard, NC, the festival now takes place in Winston-Salem. Held this year from April 4 – 14, 2019, the festival is...
View ArticleSaying goodbye to Doris Day
On the first day of eighth grade in 2002, I was a changed girl. I was sporting contact lenses after wearing glasses for years, and I had a new favorite actress that changed my life over the summer:...
View ArticleOlympics to Hollywood: Bruce Bennett/Herman Brix
You may know him as actor Bruce Bennett who played Joan Crawford’s ex-husband in Mildred Pierce (1945) or perhaps as yet another actor who played Tarzan. Others know him by his birth name Herman Brix,...
View ArticleWho is “A Star is Born” about?
What Hollywood figures inspired the characters in “A Star is Born”? When I started out this post, I was ready with a relatively simple answer. In an April 2018 interview with William Wellman, Jr., at...
View ArticleFor the fallen: Performers killed during World War II
During World War II, some of Hollywood’s top stars went overseas to fight. From Clark Gable, James Stewart and Robert Taylor, each returned home to their careers, though they also were changed people...
View ArticleHollywood stars who married royalty, nobility
With the royal wedding happening this weekend, much ado has been made about Meghan Markle being an actress and marrying into royalty. Of course, she isn’t the only actor or actress to marry into...
View ArticleThe Man Who was Almost Bond: John Gavin
From Cary Grant to Rod Taylor, we have heard of many actors that were considered to play Ian Fleming’s James Bond. And one came closer than others: John Gavin. John Gavin, who passed away Feb. 9, 2018,...
View ArticleLizabeth Scott Sings!
She usually played a mysterious blond that was up to no good. Actress Lizabeth Scott, known for her husky voice and sleek, straight blond hair was often a woman with a secret in 1940s and 1950s film...
View ArticleRemembering Robert Osborne, a Friend to all Classic Film Fans
It was Thursday, April 25, 2013, and I had just flown into Los Angeles from North Carolina for my first Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival. I was excited, tired and scared. It was my first...
View ArticleWest Side Story: The Names Behind the Jets and Sharks
When I was 14 in 2002, I watched “West Side Story” for the first time and became obsessed with the movie musical, which premiered 55 years ago in New York City on Oct. 18, 1961. My dad who introduced...
View ArticleOlympic Stars that Didn’t Soar in Hollywood
During the past two weeks, Comet Over Hollywood has looked at Olympic athletes who found Hollywood fame after exhibiting their athletic prowess. Some Olympians were scouted for Hollywood but their...
View ArticleOlympics to Hollywood: Harold Sakata
You probably know him best as a James Bond henchman with a lethal bowler hat. But Harold Sakata’s career started as an Olympian. Born in Hawaii, Sakata competed on the United States team in the 1948...
View ArticleEsther Williams and the Canceled Olympics
What do you do when you’re an athlete and the Olympics are canceled? Become one of Hollywood’s top stars. At least, that’s what Esther Williams did. In 1939, 17-year-old Esther Williams was the United...
View ArticleOlympics to Hollywood: Bruce Bennett/Herman Brix
You may know him as actor Bruce Bennett who played Joan Crawford’s ex-husband in Mildred Pierce (1945) or perhaps as yet another actor who played Tarzan. Others know him by his birth name Herman Brix,...
View ArticleOlympics to Hollywood: Buster Crabbe
Johnny Weissmuller wasn’t the only swimming Olympian to play Tarzan. There was also Clarence “Buster” Crabbe. Crabbe and Weissmuller knew each other before their Hollywood days and were competitive....
View ArticleOlympics to Hollywood: Johnny Weissmuller
Today, most Olympic fans in the United States are proud of Michael Phelps, who has broken records for both swimming and amount of gold medals won in one Olympic game. But in the 1920s, the same pride...
View ArticleWhy Bernard Herrmann left the Academy
Bernard Herrmann is a name most avid film lovers know. Even someone with little film knowledge is aware of his Psycho (1960) score. You might hear film historian Robert Osborne mention his scores in an...
View ArticleBrief Encounter: Short Hollywood Marriages
Hollywood marriages are often butt of jokes since they are often extremely short or numerous. While Comet Over Hollywood previously identified more than 70 lengthy and successful Hollywood marriages,...
View Article