Will David Cronenberg’s opera fly?
July 2nd, 2008 by Scott Marks
Daniel Okulitch performs in a scene from David Cronenberg’s first opera, THE FLY
David Cronenberg, the father of modern horror, has an opera debuting in Paris tonight that’s creating quite a buzz.
Mr. Cronenberg will direct a new version of The Fly with Placido Domingo conducting a score by Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore.
Shore, a childhood friend of Cronenberg’s, first teamed with the director on The Brood (1979). This marks the duo’s fifteen collaboration. According to The Associated Press, the composer “who also wrote the film’s original music, said he started picturing The Fly as an opera as soon as the movie was released.”
Shore said he sampled only two themes from his 1986 work.
Another Cronenberg crony, Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) wrote the melodramatic libretto. The Fly marks not only Cronenberg’s operatic debut, but also the LA Opera debut of Marty’s production designer of choice, Dante Ferretti.
The opera will have its world premiere Wednesday at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet and its U.S. premiere Sept. 7 at the Los Angeles Opera.
The plot is said to follow the film’s basic storyline, only the setting has been shifted from the 80s to the 50s, the time of the original version’s release. The AP’s Angela Doland writes, “ The retro set design is evocative of 1950s horror flicks. And there’s something thrilling about the old-school special effects—terrifically gruesome costumes, a singing teleport machine and a giant fly scaling an opera set.”
When asked what attracted him to a story of a man forced to vomit on his food before consuming it, world class tenor Placido Domingo said, “Why not? I couldn’t resist.”
Tags: Dante Ferretti, David Cronenberg, David Henry Hwang, Director, Howard Shore, LA Opera, Opera, Placido Domingo, THE FLYFiled Under News
Dig A Hole: Character actor Henry Beckman, Hollywood cop
July 1st, 2008 by Scott Marks
Clockwise: Cmdr. Paul Richards in Flash Gordon (1955), Peyton Place’s George Anderson (1964) and as Alf Skully in Check It Out (1985)
Character actor Henry Beckman, a prolific 50s and 60s television staple, died June 17 in Barcelona, Spain. He was 86.
Mr. Beckman appeared in hundreds of TV shows, movies and commercials in the U.S. and Canada. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he served in the Canadian military during WWII and survived the Normandy invasion. After the war he married Cheryl Maxwell, a one-time actress and Broadway producer. She remained his bride up until the time of her death in 1998.
His first television appearance was in the Pretend I Am A Stranger episode of The Philco Television Playhouse (1951). Following their 1955 marriage, Henry and Cheryl eventually purchased The Dukes Oak Theatre in Cooperstown, New York. Two years after that, they sold the theatre and moved to Hollywood where Henry pursued an on-camera career.
His first recurring television role was as Cmdr. Paul Richards on six episodes of the ultra-cheapo TV version of Flash Gordon (1955). His two longest running TV hits were roles as George Anderson on Peyton Place and Colonel harridan in “McHale’s Navy.
Mr. Beckman was known for playing heavies or small roles that required regional dialects or foreign languages. Great gunsel that he was, Henry was at his best when he wore a badge and answered his call on the Hollywood squad roll. He played just about every type of hard-line lawman one could imagine: a Motorcycle Cop (Niagara), a Beat Cop (The Twilight Zone, Tashlin’s The Man from the Diner’s Club, I Dream of Jeannie, Sweet Charity), Lieutenants (My Favorite Martian and the mind altering Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre), Sheriffs (Mannix, The Rockford Files, Quincy), Detectives (Hitchcock’s Marnie, The X-Files), a Narc (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) even the D.A. in an episode of The Monkees!
In 1977, Henry and Cheryl were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal for “contributions to Canadian culture and the esteem in which they were held by their peers”. (I wonder what the Queen thought of his performance in David Cronenberg’s The Brood?) His work in Canada earned two Canadian film awards in best-supporting actor category including a Genie in 1978 for Blood and Guts.
1979 the journeyman actor wrote and published How to Sell Your Film Project, a guide on how to make and market independent films.
Beckman also wrote film scripts, and was a member of the Writer’s Guild of Canada, the Screen Writers Guild of America, SAG, AFTRA, ACTRA and the Director’s Guild of Canada.
He is survived by two sons, Brian and Stuart.
Tags: Bob Hope, Character Actor, Cop, David Cronenberg, Henry Beckerman, Henry Beckman, Movies, Nova Scotia, Obituary, TVFiled Under Obituaries
New Photos Added: Humphrey Bogart, Johnny Depp, David Cronenberg, THE LADIES’ MAN, Jaclyn Smith, Michael Curtiz, Jerry Lewis, etc.
May 4th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Milton Berle - Ad for The Milton Berle Private Archive Collection
Humphrey Bogart - 12 Photos
Celebrity Endorsements
Wilford Brimley for Quaker Oatmeal
Tommy Lasorda for Slim-Fast
Jaclyn Smith for Max Factor 2nd Nail, 1988
Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby & William Holden in The Country Girl
David Cronenberg - 12 Photos
Michael Curtiz - 2 Photos
Johnny Depp - 3 Photos from John Waters Cry-Baby
The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon - 9 Parade Magazine covers and 3 Ads
The Ladies’ Man - Lobby Card Set
Jerry Lewis - 8 Photos
George Lucas, Enemy of Cinema - 1 Photo directing American Graffiti
S.C.T.V - 1 Photo
Tags: Actor, Ad, Ads, Bing Crosby, David Cronenberg, Endorsement, Grace Kelly, Jerry Lewis, John Waters, Johnny Depp, MDA, MDA Telethon, Milton Berle, Photo, Photos, SCTV, THE COUNTRY GIRL, The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, THE LADIES' MAN, Tommy Lasorda, Traci Lords, William Holden
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Fun Facts: The Honeymooners Jane Keane, the Curly Joe DeRita of Trixies, claimed that toast of the town Ed Sullivan sexually assaulted her.
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