June 14, 2010
I'll Be So Ladylike, They Won't Notice I've Come!
I'm headed south to Texas for the next few weeks, and the only reason a person should ever do that is if said person is going to visit family (or teach a little girl how to spell w-a-t-e-r). Not a fan of heat here! We're already having unbelievable temps here in the Ann Arbor area.
A sad Texan prayed once:
"I wish it would rain -- not so much for me, cuz I've seen it -- but
for my 7-year-old." Unless you've ever burned your hand opening a car
door, or gotten branded by a seat belt, or driven with two fingers in
July....... you just don't understand!
Reid writes with the following:
I thought you would be interested to know that Anne's 1986 film 'night, Mother is receiving its first-ever U.S. DVD release on August 3rd, 2010. Here is a link to pre-order:
I was wondering if you could also mention that some fans are concerned that the DVD does not include a widescreen presentation of the film. If anyone would like to request that a widescreen version be added to the disc, they should do ASAP via this form. Thanks!
How could they possibly, possibly release this film without a widescreen option?? Thank you so much for letting us know.
And thanks to Jody for this wonderful piece of DVD news -- Anne's earliest TV appearances:
The documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg will be released by Docurama Films in a special two-disc special edition DVD set on August 24. Aviva Kempner has directed the film.
The documentary focuses on Gertrude Berg, who wrote, starred in and produced the first successful American sitcom, The Goldbergs, tracing her rise to stardom from her childhood in New York to her early radio days to her work on the sitcom, which earned Berg the first Best Actress Emmy in history. The sitcom ultimately inspired the Broadway musical Molly in 1973.
In addition to the documentary, the DVD set includes interviews with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, actor Ed Asner, producers Norman Lear and Gary David Goldberg, and NPR correspondent Susan Stamberg, as well as early career appearances of Anne Bancroft and Steve McQueen. The bonus features have over two hours of additional material including an audio commentary with Aviva Kempner, episodes of The Goldbergs, Gertrude Berg's guest appearances with Edward R. Murrow and on Ed Sullivan, additional scenes and interviews, a Gertrude Berg recipe, and an essay from the director. source
A great interview with Mel here.
At the Kennedy Center, he sat in the seats of honor alongside President and Mrs. Obama and Bruce Springsteen.
"[The president] was really very sweet. He actually put his arm around me at intermission and said, 'I'm very sorry for your loss. Your wife [Anne Bancroft] was a great actress.' It really was a very lovely moment, very personal."
More of fannetastic Mel here.
His next big project for the stage, he said, is a full-on musical adaptation of “Blazing Saddles,” his irreverent 1974 take on Westerns. If his son, “Zombie Survival Guide” author Max Brooks, has his way, Brooks will also pull together an autobiography.
“Max keeps prodding me,” Brooks said. “He's such a good writer. What I might do, really, is get one of those old-fashioned Walkman tape recorders and think and talk and have somebody put it on paper. It might get very interesting.”
If he does get around to doing it, the memoir might touch on his long marriage to actress Anne Bancroft, who died in 2005 just shy of their 41st anniversary.
“I miss her a lot,” he said. “And you know, they say, ‘Maybe you'll meet somebody.' Meet somebody? You're crazy. A woman is a pain in the neck. You're got to be so lucky to find someone you can both kiss and have a cup of coffee with. Spare me. I'm doing fine.”
Did you see this one? One of Anne's earliest performances (as Anne Marno) -- a small role as Maria Cassini in The Man Who Had Influence for Studio One... from 1950!
We'll have a fine time on Annie's birthday this year (don't we always?):
September 17, Friday – Roddy McDowall and Anne Bancroft both celebrate birthdays today, so TCM will split the day in two to honor two distinguished performers. The Roddy portion kicks off at 6am with Man Hunt (1941), followed by The White Cliffs of Dover (1944; 7:45am) and Holiday in Mexico (1946; 10am). Anne takes over at 12:45pm with The Girl in Black Stockings (1957), followed by The Pumpkin Eater (1964; 2:15pm) 7 Women (1966; 4:15pm) and Young Winston (1972; 5:45pm). (Well, I didn’t say it was an even split.) All times are EST. source
And don't forget TCM's special junior classics lineup -- a great way to spend the summer introducing classic movies to the next generation! Here.
The Hirshhorn began their Summer Camp Apesploitation series with Gorilla at Large. Kelly Gordon, associate curator, said:
I caught Gorilla at Large on TV and was entranced. And let’s face it, you want to see Anne Bancroft and Raymond Burr in ANYTHING, no?
Why, yes. Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Succinctly put!
One of the best assessments of Mrs. Robinson I've ever read here. I agree with Fritz completely.
Today's photo at the top courtesy of Playfilms Productions.
I've decided to keep the candles for Anne going all year long. If you ever want to light a candle for her, the group I created exclusively for her candles is at this link. The candles only stay lit for a couple of days, but I find it very comforting myself to do this from time to time. I hope to see you there sometime!
If you would like to share memories or thoughts about any of Anne's performances, I'd love to include them here for fellow fannes to enjoy.
If you enjoyed your visit & would like to help keep this site going:
June 6, 2010
Annie
"I thought the sky looked so beautiful the other day... and then I realized it was because you are up there."
Don't forget to leave a flower for Anne on this page, and a candle for Anne here. I'll be watching The Turning Point tonight, as I have not seen that one in awhile.
Anke in Germany wrote:
As you are such a well informed Anne admirer -- do you happen to know whether there is something like an Anne Forum around somewhere? It really seems like there are a lot of Anne fans out there (rightly so of course) -- a place to communicate and exchange would be really neat. :)
I would love to see such a forum, because the fAnnes I've met in the past several years have proven to be some of the greatest people to know! If anyone finds a forum worth linking to, let me know. If I only had the time, I'd create it myself, but good forums require good moderators with plenty of time on their hands.
Hedy gives us a heads-up:
I just wanted to mention (if you're not already aware of it) that there is a free podcast called "Patty Duke Remembers Anne Bancroft." I listened to a bit of it this evening and she does talk about AB quite a bit.
April 28, 2010
How Old Is Spring, Miranda?
Some
sad news and some happy news. It is my sad duty to report that Anne's
mother, Mrs. Mildred A. DiNapoli Italiano, passed away peacefully in her
sleep on April 18. She was 102 years of age, which is truly amazing. But
then, what an amazing woman she was! Her love and influence continue to be
felt by numbers of people too great to count.
On the happier side of things: Mr. Mel Brooks was honored last week with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 23. It's located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard. A terrific video report is here. Another nice link with great pics is here.
Check out Annie's 3 gorgeous guys, Max, Henry and Mel! Three generations of fannetasticity.
courtesy prphotos.com
A nice recent interview with Mel, by the way, here.
The answer to
the last Complete the Line:
"No one knew about
Agnes' pregnancy. No one. Not even AGNES!"
Trivia for today: did you know that Anne's character Ursula the Countess in The Hindenburg had a real-life counterpart? Her name was Margaret Mather. Obviously, many details were changed for the film, but read this fascinating entry from one of the best Hindenburg sites out there, Faces of the Hindenburg. Yes, I've read every entry at that site! Love the movie and have always been fascinated by the actual incident.
The German Air Force is not at all like it used to be; but then again, nothing is.
Today's photo
at the top is courtesy of Time. The title quote is from a poem of
Ogden Nash, "A Lady Who Thinks She Is Thirty" (link).
Anne enjoyed Nash's work.
February 19, 2010
Quick update: Great news! The Film Society of Lincoln Center is hosting a huge celebration of Annie's work at its Walter Reade Theater from March 8-11! Read all about it here. They're calling it "Fierce and Fabulous: Anne Bancroft." Patty Duke, Mike Nichols, Neil Simon, and Marsha Norman will appear in person. Check out the film schedule, it sounds dreamy! Sure wish I could go.
Also: I caught this snippet of info and I know nothing more about it, so let me know if you come across anything. Boston's own music man, David Testa, is preparing the premiere of Fatso!, a musical adapted from Anne's film. According to this source, "he had the privilege of scoring and adapting this new production with Ms. Bancroft several years ago. David anxiously awaits the fully staged 2010 spring North Shore Premiere." Spectacular!
February 12, 2010
Quick update: TCM is having an interesting "Oscar Fever" special for 31 days, beginning today. For those of you who have been trying to catch my personal favorite, The Pumpkin Eater, today's your chance! Each film in the lineup will feature a common actor from the previous film. For example, The Graduate will follow The Pumpkin Eater, which will be followed by William Daniels in Reds. Check out the clever lineup, and have fun!
