Arlene Francis
Thorsten Schütte’s film is a sharply edited and energetic celebration of Zappa through his public persona, allowing us to witness his shifting relationship with audiences. Utilizing potent TV interviews and many forgotten performances from his 30-year career, we are immersed into the musician’s world while experiencing two distinct facets of his complex character. At once Zappa was both a charismatic composer who reveled in the joy of performing and, in the next moment, a fiercely intelligent and brutally honest interviewee whose convictions only got stronger as his career ascended.
This film was not intended to stand by itself, but was designed as the cinematic aspect of Welles' Mercury Theatre stage presentation of William Gillette's 1894 comedy about a New York playboy who flees from the violent husband of his mistress and borrows the identity of a plantation owner in Cuba who is expecting the arrival of a mail order bride. The film component of the performance was ultimately never screened due to the absence of projection facilities at the venue. Long-believed to be lost, a workprint was discovered in 2008 and the film had its premiere in 2013.
Recut of the miniseries "Billy, How Did You Do It?": In 1988, Oscar-winning German filmmaker Volker Schlondorff ("The Tin Drum") sat down with legendary director Billy Wilder at his office in Beverly Hills, California and turned on his camera for a series of filmed interviews. The conversation went on for two weeks. The results were aired on German TV in 1992 and debuted on U.S. television when it was shown on Turner Classic Movies in 2006. We are presented with a generous smattering of film clips, rare photographs and artwork, but mostly Wilder just sits in his office and talks with the off screen Schlondorff, moving easily between English and German.
A New York accountant (Ron Silver) sets out to grant his dying mother's last wish--to meet film star Greta Garbo. Sidney Lumet's bittersweet 1984 comedy also stars Anne Bancroft, Catherine Hicks, Carrie Fisher, Harvey Fierstein, Howard Da Silva, Steven Hill, Hermione Gingold, Dorothy Loudon and Betty Comden.
A retrospective of the classic game show, What's My Line, in which a four-member celebrity panel attempted to identify a contestant's occupation through yes or no questions. In addition, each episode featured a celebrity mystery guest that the panelists tried to identify the guest while blindfolded. The show ran from 1950-1967 and prominently featured John Daly, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, and Dorothy Kilgallen. This documentary looked back on the show 25 years after it premiered.
The story of the film centres around urban housewife Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) and her husband, a successful gynaecologist and devoted family man, Gerald (James Garner). Beverly is offered the opportunity to star for a television commercial advertising soap. After a shaky start, she gets a contract for $80,000 per year to appear on the weekly TV commercials.
C.R. MacNamara will do anything to get a promotion within the Coca-Cola company, including looking after boss W.P. Hazeltine's rebellious teenage daughter, Scarlett. When Scarlett visits Berlin, where C.R. is stationed, she reveals that she is married to a communist named Otto Piffl -- and C.R. recognizes that Otto's anti-establishment stance will clash with his boss's own political views, possibly jeopardizing his promotion.
Produced by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the film used actors to recreate the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and compare working conditions of the early 20th century to that of the 1950s.
Two families, related by friendship and love, face up to the consequences of greed and avarice in the post-war years.
Part of the March of Time series, this episode (Volume 12, Number 2) focuses entirely on the beauty industry in the USA. With spending of over $1 billion (in 1945) on cosmetic products, it has evolved into a major commercial enterprise. Packaging has proved to be a very important factor in sales and some $50 million per year is spent on advertising. The FDA look out for harmful products and Federal Trade Commission keeps an eye out for misleading claims. Spas and country resorts, where you can rest and relax, are gaining popularity for those who can afford it as are slenderizing salons and gymnasiums. Hairstyling has become an even bigger business. It's not only women who spend money on beauty products as some $300 million per year is spent by men.
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance
In 19th Century Paris, the maniacal Dr. Mirakle abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship. He constantly meets failure as the abducted women die. Medical student Pierre Dupin discovers what Mirakle is doing too late to prevent the abduction of his girlfriend Camille. Now he desperately tries to enlist the help of the police to get her back.
