by Bob Martin | Jul 26, 2012 | Actors, Art
Sherman Hemsley
There was a time when African Americans were seldom seen on television. Early on, they were basically backdrops, like the guy in the train station shinning someones shoes while the main characters rushed by to catch the train. This was a time when one of the most influential recording artists in the United States, (Nat King Cole) would have to wait until the last 4 minutes of the Ed Sullivan Show (I’ve heard that Sullivan would have preferred that no blacks performed on his show) to perform or in the case of the iconic Jerry Lewis Telethon, African Americans like Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others could only be seen “After Midnight” (J.J. Cale), usually around 2AM.
With the exception of Amos ‘n’ Andy, Sanford and Son, Julia and I Spy, early TV in the States was pretty much void of Asian, Latino/Hispanic and the most populous minority, African Americans. We did not exist in prime time. The before mentioned shows had in common a lack of depth and no back story that I can remember. There was little acknowledgement of the true adventure of the African in America, nothing about their hard won contributions or accomplishments that made America be what it became.
Tyler Perry
George Jefferson, as portrayed by Sherman Hemsley, got a lot of heat. (Similar in a way to Tyler Perry). “The Jeffersons” was seen as degrading and a return of the Minstrel Shows. Some of what was overlooked was that the series was a sitcom and Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Gracie Allen, and Dick Van Dyke all played the buffoon and none of them got any heat. The “Jeffersons” in my recollection was the first African American portrayal of an intact African American family on TV, who had achieved the “American Dream” with a well written undertone of “I did it my way”. George Jefferson was black, uppity and funny. This must have been startling to its white viewers, and there were many.
Unfortunately, Sherman Hemsley will never get the credit he deserves for just taking the job and giving it his best. Peace to his family and friends.
by Bob Martin | Feb 22, 2012 | Actors, Art, Film
ASA Butterfield
Must admit, Oscar nominated film,”Hugo” was a delightful surprise and it should not have been!
On first learning that Martin Scorsese had succumbed to the 3D craze I wrongfully expected a film totally dependent on visual gimmicks.
Scorsese has always been a masterful story teller and “Hugo” is no exception and it is the story that makes this film so wonderful. The visuals are exceptional, the casting choices thoughtful and yes, I really enjoyed this movie.
Avoid reviews with deep analysis and just see the movie with an open mind. I left the theater knowing more then I knew before about the history of film and curious to learn more.
by Bob Martin | Dec 14, 2011 | Actors, Art, Film
Yolande Moreau
There are actors who are able to lend their body and face to the character they are portraying. Yolande Moreau does just that for me in Séraphine a little gem of a movie about “Séraphine de Senlis” (Séraphine Louis).
Moreau is so compelling that I found myself understanding her many challenges as if they were my own, struggling to fit, what is called the normal world, into the abstraction of her mind.
For most people being fully understood and understanding others is difficult, for an artist it may be many times more difficult.
Once more, Séraphine is a beautiful small film.
by Bob Martin | Nov 21, 2011 | Actors, Art, Live Performance, Poem
This Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Black Poet Ventures present “Cool Like That” : A Tribute To the Genius of Miles Davis”
by Bob Martin | Nov 1, 2011 | Actors, Art, Film, Movies
Michael Caine has had one of the most consistent acting careers, having been featured in over 100 films and more if you include TV, walk ons etc. He has been working his craft for sixty plus years and we might expect that he would be tiring, or wanting to phone in his performance. That has not been the case. His are always consistent and good, at times “great”- he is a good hire for any director
Michael Caine in The Quiet American-photo by Phil Bray
This weekend, catching up on the many films that I had never seen, I took a look at Harry Brown, which recalled for me Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in the Ipcress Files, both reluctant warriors.
Harry Brown co-stars Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer in what might be considered your standard revenge thriller or even “let’s” take back our neighborhood story, which it is sort of, but what makes this movie different is Michael Caine’s performance and the soundtrack. So a hand should be given to the director Daniel Barber, for taking a classical theme and making it more interesting.
Two of Michael Caine’s movies that stand out for me are Hannah and Her Sisters the perfect movie and the Quiet American. Others that I am still fixated with and will watch over and over are “The Hand” and “Dress to Kill”. There are probably another 40 films that he has made that I enjoy watching and find something new and different about his performance, Michael Caine, good guy.
by Sandy | Oct 1, 2011 | Actors, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Dance, Dancers, dvd, Film, Movies
If you like the theater and/or you dance sing, act – you know about the audition process and how nerve wracking it can be.
“Every Little Step” is a very entertaining documentary about that very same weeding out process – whittling from thousands, down to the very few special people who were chosen for the final tryouts to be in the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line”. This legendary 1975 Broadway musical about dancers and their lives was conceived and directed by the late Michael Bennett. (Although in order to make the final cut, these young hopefuls had to be triple threat material – dancer/singer/actor.)
The film gets the viewer involved and invested early on so that you start to root for them all to win the few prized spots in the show.Their passion and hard work is awe inspiring.These performers love what they do regardless of the disappointments. As one young lady said, “If you don’t have something to ‘fall back on’ you won’t fall back – you just keep going.”
“Every Little Step” – Excellent!
“What I did For Love” (by Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Lawrence Kleban):
“Kiss the day goodbye
Point me t’ward tomorrow
We did what we had to do.
Won’t forget, can’t regret
What I did for love…”
