Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the internet...

...Here's a fantastic-looking brand-new book from McFarland which I know will be of interest to many of my readers: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: A PICTORIAL HISTORY by Lou Sabini, featuring photographs by Nicholas Scutti. Ford and Wayne biographer Scott Eyman wrote one of the forwards. It's a bit pricey but an absolute must have as a new look at one of the finest war films ever made. (Thanks to Elisabeth for letting me know about it!)

...TCM and Fathom Events are sponsoring a number of special nationwide screenings in the coming months, with every film shown on a Wednesday and a Sunday. Titles include JAWS (1975), ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), and MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947). There's a complete list of titles and dates in this TCM press release.

...Tickets for this year's Lone Pine Film Festival are due to go on sale June 25th. The festival will be held October 9-11 in Lone Pine, California. Scheduled guests as of this date include Wyatt McCrea (Joel's grandson), Cheryl Rogers Barnett (Roy and Dale's daughter), Petrine Day Mitchum (Robert's daughter), and "B" Western heroine Peggy Stewart. Screenings will include Fatty Arbuckle in THE ROUNDUP (1920) which is believed to be the first Western shot in the Alabama Hills. We've already made our hotel reservations at the historic Dow Villa Motel! Check out my extensive coverage of last year's festival with this post. I hope some of my readers will make plans to be there this Columbus Day weekend!

...Coming in July from VCI: Lovely Barbara Britton in BANDIT QUEEN (1950). Details can be found at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

...Fans of TCM's "Summer of Darkness" festival can purchase a t-shirt from the TCM Shop, as well as other film noir themed items.

...I stumbled across this interesting post with family photos of actress Joan Leslie, who turned 90 earlier this year. Those who haven't read it when I've linked to it in years past will want to be sure to also catch this interview with Mike Fitzgerald at Western Clippings.

...Cliff posted a most informative bio of actress Helen Vinson at Immortal Ephemera.

...If you missed it last Saturday -- or simply want to enjoy it again -- here's a replay of American Pharoah winning the Belmont Stakes -- and the Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1978.

...Coming in July: The 1947 Blogathon, hosted by Karen at Shadows and Satin and Kristina at Speakeasy. It will run July 13-15. There's already an impressive list of contributors lined up! (I highly approve of this banner featuring one of my favorite John Wayne films!)

...Royalty Watch: If you missed them, here are the adorable photos of Prince George with his new baby sister, Princess Charlotte. They were taken by their mother Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

...Here's an interesting article on Hollywood Boulevard institution The Musso and Frank Grill. Open for a century as of 2019, it's only had three executive chefs in all that time!

...Coming September 18th: EVEREST (2015), a telling of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster chronicled in Jon Krakauer's instant classic INTO THIN AIR. Here's the trailer. I saw the 1998 IMAX documentary and a TV-movie version; this telling looks like it might be a little too intense for me, but we'll see. The cast includes Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright, Clive Standen, Sam Worthington, and Emily Watson.

...Notable Passing: French actor Pierre Brice, who starred as Apache chief Winnetou in a number of "Euro Westerns" beginning in the 1960s, has died at the age of 86. Toby pays tribute at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

...Attention Southern Californians: My favorite weekend in UCLA's current William Wellman series is coming up this Saturday and Sunday, June 13th and 14th. Saturday afternoon there's a screening of the adventure film ISLAND IN THE SKY (1953), with John Wayne leading one of the best movie casts ever assembled, and Sunday evening it's time for two fantastic Westerns, WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951) and YELLOW SKY (1948). William Wellman Jr. will be at both screenings signing copies of his new book WILD BILL WELLMAN: HOLLYWOOD REBEL which I've started reading and found hard to put down! It's a terrific piece of Hollywood history as well as a loving tribute to the author's parents.

Have a great week!