RIP Alvin Rakoff

 

Alvin Rakoff, Canadian Director of Laurence Olivier Starrer ‘A Voyage Round My Father,’ Dies at 97

Canadian director, writer and producer Alvin Rakoff, best known for directing Laurence Olivier in “A Voyage Round My Father,” has died at the age of 97.

The Hollywood Reporter

By Etan Vlessing

October 17, 2024

 

The cause of death was “old age,” his agent told Variety. He died on Oct. 12 at home, surrounded by his family.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, which began when television was still only available in black-and-white, Rakoff was involved in over 100 television, film and stage productions as well as writing novels. According to his representatives, he was still working into his ’90s.

Rakoff was the third of seven children born to Sam and Pearl Rakoff in Toronto in 1927. His parents owned a dry goods shop but the director grew up in poverty after the Great Depression hit in 1929. He would later recount the experience in his novel “Baldwin Street.”

After seeing his first film in a theater at the age of 6, his love of film and television was ignited. He went on to graduate with a degree in psychology from the University of Toronto before becoming a journalist. But it was watching Marlon Brando in a stage production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” that changed the course of his life. After leaving the play, Rakoff vowed to build a career in showbusiness.

He went to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) as a writer, which sent him to the U.K. when he was 25. There, he sold a script to the BBC, which at the time was the country’s only television broadcaster. He then joined the BBC’s director’s training course and the following year became the youngest producer/director. He went on to direct dozens of dramas including “Waiting for Gillian” (1954) and “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1957) which starred then unknown actors Sean Connery (in his first leading role) and Michael Caine (as a background part).

It was Rakoff who, years later, recommended Connery for the role of Bond after 007 producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli called the director to ask his opinion.

Rakoff, who was also a one-time president of the Directors Guild, won Emmy awards for “Call Me Daddy” (1967), starring Donald Pleasance and Judy Cornwell, and “A Voyage Round My Father,” which he produced and directed.

During his career Rakoff worked with stars including Peter Cushing, Henry Fonda, Michael Gambon, Ava Gardner, John Gielgud, Elliott Gould, Richard Harris and Angela Lansbury, among dozens of others.

Among those who have paid tribute to the director are Stephen Fry, who said: “Alvin Rakoff was a giant of film, theatre and TV. His Midas touch with spotting and fostering talent introduced the world to some of the last century’s greatest stars. Typically he was working on a screenplay right up to the last.”

Judi Dench commented: “I have such wonderful memories of Alvin – both being directed by him and seeing him at The Mill. A very endearing person.”

Rakoff is survived by his wife of 30 years, Sally Hughes, two children from his first marriage to the late Jacqueline Hill, five grandchildren and his sister Lorraine.

RAKOFF, Alvin

Born: 2/6/1927, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Died: 10/12/2024, Chiswick, London, England, U.K.

 

Alvin Rakoff’s western – producer, director:

Hudson’s Bay (TV) - 1959

RIP Mitzi Gaynor

 

Mitzi Gaynor, Legendary South Pacific Actress, Dies at 93: An 'Altogether Glorious Human Being'

The actress also starred in a series of Emmy-winning TV specials

People

By Victoria Edel

October 17, 2024

 

Mitzi Gaynor has died at the age of 93, her management team announced in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 17.

The actress was best known for her roles in movie musicals in the 1950s, most notably 1958’s South Pacific. She also starred in a series of Emmy-winning TV specials.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved friend and client Mitzi Gaynor. She passed away peacefully today of natural causes at the age of 93," Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda wrote on social media.

"For eight decades she entertained audiences in films, on television and on the stage," they continued. "She truly enjoyed every moment of her professional career and the great privilege of being an entertainer."

Reyes and Rosamonda called Gaynor a "vibrant and extraordinary woman, a caring and loyal friend, and a warm, gracious, very funny and altogether glorious human being. And she could cook, too!"

"... She often noted that her audiences were 'the sunshine of my life.' You truly were," they wrote.

Gaynor was born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago in 1931. Her father was a musician, and her mother was a dancer. She soon followed in her mother’s footsteps, training as a ballerina, and she was determined to make it as a star from a young age.

“My family was very supportive,” she remembered to Closer in 2024. “My family gave me every opportunity to experience theater, music and art. What a gift that was! We weren’t wealthy in monetary terms, but we were certainly wealthy in love.”

She told CBS in 2019 that when she was 11 years old and living in Detroit, a dance teacher said, “Mitzi's gonna go to Hollywood and become a star.” So their family moved out to Los Angeles to give her a shot. She was 17 when her dancing was noticed by execs at 20th Century Fox, who signed her to a seven-year contract. They didn’t like the name Mitzi Gerber, so they changed her last name to Gaynor.

Her debut came in 1950’s My Blue Heaven, a musical. She also had a supporting role in 1951’s Take Care of My Little Girl. Her first starring role came in the 1951 musical Golden Girl. Her biggest success at Fox was 1954’s There's No Business Like Show Business, in which she appeared alongside Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe and Donald O'Connor. She told Closer that she became “lifelong friends” with Merman and O’Connor during filming.

That same year, she married Jack Bean, who became her manager. Remembering how they met, she told CBS, "The doorbell rang at the Chateau Marmont. And I open up the door, and there's this man standing there. He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life, he's about 5'11". God, I loved him." They were together until his death in 2006.

In 1956, she starred in the musical Anything Goes with Bing Crosby and O’Connor; decades later she would star in the national tour of the musical as well. She also appeared in 1956’s The Birds and the Bees and 1957's The Joker Is Wild (with Frank Sinatra) and Les Girls (with Gene Kelly).

Her biggest success came in 1958’s South Pacific, based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. She starred as the lead, Nellie Forbush, and performed songs like “I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy” and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.”

The role was hotly contested, with Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day also vying for the part. Gaynor told the TV Foundation in 2012 that she felt she won out because she was happy to audition for the role, while others didn’t want to test for it.

South Pacific became the highest-grossing film of the year, and Gaynor received a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

Gaynor’s last film appearance came in 1963 (in For Love or Money with Kirk Douglas) and she began to focus on television. Between 1967 and 1978 she starred in eight TV specials that showed off her singing and dancing with huge, fabulous production numbers. She always wore four-inch heels during the shows. “My legs looked better in very high heels," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2021.

Her specials won six Emmys with 17 nominations and were also the subject of the 2008 documentary Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years. Reflecting on the specials in 2016, she told getTV, “I was so blessed to have worked with such incredible, talented and wonderful people, and also to perform for audiences whom I adore. Plus my husband produced all of these shows so most of these are the happiest times of my life.”

Gaynor was also a frequent guest on other TV variety shows. She appeared multiple times on The Donald O’Connor Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson as well as specials starring Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Danny Thomas.

One of her appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show coincided with The Beatles’ second appearance on the talk show in 1964, filmed in Miami Beach. She had top-billing on the episode, and after the taping, Paul McCartney asked for her autograph.

“I loved them,” she told East Bay Times in 2009. “They were divine. They were gentlemen, they were sweet… and it was nice to be part of history.”

Gaynor, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, also began performing in concerts beginning with a 1961 show in Las Vegas. Her early costumer for her shows was Bob Mackie, whose legendary career was just getting started. She told the Los Angeles Times in 1993 that she “just about fainted” the first time she saw his sketches, but he was so young at the time she initially mistook him for a fan.

Gaynor performed on stage for over five decades and felt most comfortable when she was in front of a crowd. “Home life is just fine, but I go on tour to get my rest,” she told The New York Times in 1982, during a 28-city tour.

GAYNOR, Mitzi (Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber)

Born: 9/4/1931, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 10/17/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

Mitzi Gaynor’s westerns – actress, singer:

Golden Girl – 1951 (Lotta Crabtree) [singer]

Three Young Texans – 1954 (Rusty Blair)

RIP Roger Browne

 

Forever Missed

October 16, 2024

ROGER BROWNE JR. 13.04.1930 – 11.10.2024

 

We share the news of the passing of our dad, Roger Browne. He lived an extraordinary life over his 94 years, and he passed peacefully on Friday, October 11, in Burbank, California, surrounded by his family. He was ready to go and we take comfort in the fact that he is now reunited with the love of his life, our mother, Jenni.

Roger collected many friends and fans over the course of his life, whether from his acting and dubbing days in Rome in the 60s and 70s, or his many years helping people as a physical therapist and raising his family in Burbank, or his acting renaissance in later years on “Elders React” and other projects. He lived many lives in one, and we know he touched the lives of so many.

He was an air force veteran, a Bruin, a Jeopardy nerd, a Dodger fan. He was an entertainer and a workout aficionado. He loved plain pasta and vanilla ice cream. He enjoyed working on his tan and was always ready with a Seinfeld quote. He was Argoman, and Dad, and Daddy, and Grandad. And despite his grumpy old man exterior, he had one of the biggest hearts we knew.

We are grateful for all those who took an interest in his life and career and who supported him throughout his life, especially in these later years. We will miss him dearly, and we hope his memory brings a smile to your heart, just as he did to ours.

BROWNE, Roger (Roger Rogers Browne Jr.)

Born: 4/13/1930, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.

Died: 10/12/2024, Burbank, California, U.S.A.

 

Roger Browne’s westerns:

Fighting Men – 1960 (Private Connors)

They Call Me Trinity – 1970 [English voice of Terence Hill)

Trinity is STILL My Name – 1971 [English voice of Terence Hill]

Man of the East – 1972 [English voice of Terence Hill

My Name is Nobody – 1973 English voice of Terence Hill]

The Genius – 1975 [English voice of Terence Hill]

RIP Joan Franco Prado

The Basque who fell in love with Las Negras and fell in love with Almeria cinema

Photographer and actor Joan Franco, who has lived in Almeria since 2000, dies at the age of 65

La Voz Almeria

By Evaristo Martinez

October 15, 2024

 

Almeria cinema is in mourning. On Friday, October 11, in his homeland, Joan Franco Prado (Vitoria, 1959) passed away. He was 65 years old and had spent the last 24 years linked to Las Negras. From there, every morning, he greeted his networks with a 'Good morning, world' and an image of the sunrise, recalls cultural manager Alejandro Reyes.

In the Nijar district he found a home and in the audiovisual people, a family. He was an actor, an extra, and played different technical roles behind the camera. "He was a great cameraman and photographer: I learned a lot from his knowledge and experience," says Diego Pérez Cano, director of 'The Interrogation', a film in which Franco was deputy director.

Manuel Olaya gave him his first role "both artistic and in production" in the short film 'Arizona, 1878'. "Unfortunately, in 'Agnella', also the last," he says about this production, premiered at the last Almeria Western Film Festival, an event in which the charismatic Basque was remembered, and a lot.

Self-taught, Franco was the official photographer of the Vitoria-Gasteiz International Jazz Festival from 1985 to 2000. He designed album covers and published in specialized magazines. In Almeria he exhibited his work at the Cyrano café.

On the screen

Since he came into contact with the Almeria audiovisual industry, he shared hours of filming with performers, extras, technicians and directors. "It was our film library," says actor Antonio Saldaña. "With a hug, bad vibes that were foreign to us dissipated. It was lucky to have him around," says another colleague, Miguel Morales.

"I met him at a casting, but I didn't go to the audition, but with a microphone from Canal Sur. Life made us work together on some projects and share many moments of cinema. On a shoot, he was the one who knew how to move and where to place everything. It's incredible what he can learn," says Carlos Juan, journalist and producer of Canal Sur. "I'm an imposter and he knew it. He was the only man I allowed to suck my face on a shoot. We will meet in another dimension to give it back to him," jokes musician and actor Javier Arnal. "He took his job very seriously. He had a big heart and gave without asking for anything in return," says Francisco Yélamos, who directed him in the short film '13 años'.

He participated in several shoots in Oasys MiniHollywood. "He was a stalwart of the park, always willing to support new projects in exchange for nothing, and giving you a smile," says José María Rodríguez Linde, manager of the town of Tabernas. And along the same lines, from the Café-Bar Ambrosio, home of the Almeria Western museum-cinema: "He was always willing to collaborate altruistically with his characteristic and sarcastic smile".

For the singer and artist Mar Venzal, he was a "free spirit" who looked at the world "through a camera". In the words of screenwriter and director Nieves Gómez, he was a "generous, humble and respectful" filmmaker, with an "incredible personality". "Every sunrise will take me to those photos that he gave us. And like the sound of the waves of the Mediterranean, it will resonate in each shoot with that affection and generosity that characterized him," says actress Anuska Martínez.

He left his mark

In addition to his dedication to the profession, those who crossed his path underline his human worth. "Our paths crossed for the first time a decade ago, on a shoot. From that day on, Joan left an indelible mark on my heart and on that of my students, always sharing his love. I admired him deeply," recalls Evelina Zukauskaite, coordinator of studies and tutor at EISO (School of Image and Sound of Almeria).

"He was always in a good mood," says chef Alejandro Farace. "Greeting the world every morning and sticking out your tongue in every selfie: you already miss him," adds prop designer Leonardo Giménez.

For actress Terry Bordiú, the Vitorian was "a light of life" and someone capable of making "every moment special". And Elsa Escribano, Tourism technician of the Provincial Council, highlights its "sensitivity" in capturing "essential moments".

"Each of my notes will carry his memory, his passion and his enthusiasm because he was simply an unforgettable person," confesses the composer David Miralles. And El Indaliano bids him farewell in verse: "It no longer dawns in Las Negras / as it used to dawn. / Joan took the brush / with which he colored / to his sky every day".

PRADO, Joan Franco

Born: 4/21/1959, Vitoria, Álava, Spain

Died: 10/14/2024, Las Negras, Andalucia, Spain

 

Joan Franco Prado’s western – cinematographer, actor:

Arizona 1878 una historia del Viejo oeste – 2019 (drunk) [cinematographer]

RIP Mario Morra

 

Mario Morra, the editor of Giuseppe Tornatore's 'Nuovo Cinema Paradiso', has died

la Republica

October 11, 2024

 

Mario Morra, editor of many films by directors such as Michelangelo Antonioni and Gillo Pontecorvo, has died. In his long career, the editing of Nuovo cinema Paradiso, the film by Giuseppe Tornatore, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film in 1989, stands out, but also that of the Battle of Algiers by Gillo Pontecorvo in 1966. He died in Castelnuovo di Porto, the town in the province of Rome where he lived. He was born in Rome in 1935 and was 89 years old.

Also a director and screenwriter, he was above all an editor for cinema and television. He began in the early 1950s and has edited over 80 films, among others, by Anonimo veneziano by Enrico Maria Salerno, Queimada by Gillo Pontecorvo, Bello, onesto, emigrato Australia ssposarebbe compaesana illibata by Luigi Zampa with Alberto Sordi and Claudia Cardinale, L'emigrante and Rugantino by Pasquale Festa Campanile, with whom he had a long collaboration, the series of films on Piedone lo sbirro di Steno starring Bud Spencer. The collaboration with Giuseppe Tornatore began in 1986 with Il camorrista and continued with Nuovo Cinema Paradiso and Sono tutti bene.

MORRA, Mario

Born: 1935, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Died: 10/11/2024, Castelnuovo di Porto, Rome, Lazio, Italy

 

Mario Morra’s westerns – film editor:

7 Guns for the MacGregors – 1966

The Long Days of Vengeance - 1967

Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid – 1969

A Man Called Amen - 1972

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears - 1973

Zorro – 1975

Apache Woman – 1976

Mexico in Flames - 1982

RIP John Lasell

 

The Dark Shadows Wiki

John Lasell (November 6, 1928 - October 4, 2024) portrayed Dr. Peter Guthrie, a parapsychologist, in February and March 1967.

Lasell was born in Williamstown, Vermont, on November 6, 1928. He began his television career in 1960 in the anthology television series Armstrong Circle Theatre. In the same year he appeared in Hong Kong and Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond. Lasell played John Wilkes Booth in the anthology television series The Twilight Zone in the episode "Back There". He played the recurring roles of Dr. Robbins in Lassie and Benjamin Wedlock in the drama television series Dan August, and made three appearances in the legal drama television series Perry Mason.

He guest-starred in numerous television programs including Gunsmoke (S7E3 as outlaw Tucker Ferrin in the episode “Miss Kitty”), Wagon Train, Rawhide, Tales of Wells Fargo, 12 O'Clock High, The Fugitive, Adam-12, Mannix, Ben Casey, The Streets of San Francisco and Shotgun Slade.[8] He appeared in five films. His final television credit was from the soap opera television series Falcon Crest.

Lasell died on October 4, 2024, at the age of 95.

LASELL, John (John Whitin Lasell Jr.)

Born: 11/6/1928, Williamston, Vermont, U.S.A.

Died: 10/4/2024, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

 

John Lasell’s westerns – actor:

Gunsmoke (TV) – 1961 (Tucker)

Shotgun Slade (TV) – 1961 (Will Doby)

Tales of Wells Fargo (TV) – 1961 (Arthur Phillips)

The Tall Man (TV) – 1961 (Ben Jardine)

Wagon Train (TV) – 1961 (Riker Culhane, Jed Polke)

Rawhide (TV) – 1965 (Captain Wayly)

RIP Elisa Montés

Elisa Montés, actress of 'Verano Azul' and mother of Emma Ozores, dies at the age of 89

Sad goodbye to Elisa Montés, sister of Emma Penella and Terelé Pávez, mother of Emma Ozores and legendary Spanish actress

el plural

By Sergio Soriano

10/9/2024

 

The world of acting says goodbye to Elisa Montés, legendary actress of Spanish film and television, who has died at the age of 89. With an extensive career behind her, Montés was known, among other works, for her unforgettable role in the series Verano Azul, where she gave life to Carmen, the mother of Tito and Bea. She is also the mother of Emma Ozores and sister of Emma Penella.

From Granada to the big screen: a life dedicated to cinema

Elisa Montés, born in 1934 in Granada, was part of a key family in the art world. Daughter of Magdalena Penella and sister of the famous actresses Emma Penella and Terele Pávez, Montés always showed a great affinity for cinema, debuting on the big screen in the 50s. Throughout her career, she worked in notable films such as Ana Says Yes, Life on a Pad and The Return of the Magnificent Seven.

With the passage of time she became a leading figure in the Spanish art scene, also participating in theater and television. During the 60s and 70s, she collaborated with great directors and filmmakers, earning the respect of the industry.

Success on television with Verano Azul

Although her film career was outstanding, for many generations Elisa Montés will always be remembered as Carmen, the mother of Tito and Bea in the series Verano Azul, one of the most iconic fictions of Spanish Television (TVE). Broadcast in the 80s and directed by Antonio Mercero, this production is still a classic that returns to the television grid every summer.

In the series, Montés played one of the mothers of the group of young vacationers that marked an entire generation. Her role in this series consolidated her image in the collective imagination of viewers.

A unique artistic and family legacy

Montés not only shone for her own performances but was part of a family saga with deep artistic roots. Daughter of the composer Manuel Penella and sister of renowned actresses, her family was always linked to art and music. However, it was her marriage to fellow actor Antonio Ozores that further accentuated her connection to the world of cinema. Together they worked in several films and had a daughter, Emma Ozores, who followed in her parents' footsteps in acting and also participated in Big Brother VIP.

A discreet return to the spotlight

Despite having largely retired from public life, Montés made a special appearance in 2017, when she was awarded the Prize of the Association of Audiovisual Festivals of Andalusia (ASFAAN) at the Almería Western Film Festival. On that occasion, he was recognized for her career and contribution to cinema. In addition, that same year she made a brief television appearance during her daughter Emma's participation in GH VIP.

MONTES, Elisa (Elisa Ruiz Penella)

Born: 12/15/1934, Granada, Granada, Andalucía, Spain

Died: 10/9/2024, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

 

Elisa Montes’ westerns – actress:

The Outlaw of Red River – 1965 (Francisca Riaño)

The Avenger – 1966 (mulatta girl)

Mutiny at Fort Sharp - 1966 (Brenda)

Return of the Seven – 1966 (Petra)

Seven Dollars to Kill – 1966 (Sybil)

Taste of Vengeance - 1968 (Julie Blake)

Captain Apache – 1970 (Rosita)