Phil Karlson’s The Scarface Mob was originally made as a two-part pilot for the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse anthology series before the 80-minute episodes were re-cut for theatrical release. Given the sterility of so much dramatic television in the 1950s, it’s hard to imagine Karlson—best known for hard-hitting noirs like Kansas City Confidential and The Phenix City Story—seeing the format as suitable for his style. But Desi Arnaz, a huge admirer of the latter film, promised Karlson no studio interference. And while The Scarface Mob’s story presents a clear battle between good and evil in the form of Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) and Al Capone’s (Neville Brand) Chicago bootlegging empire, Karlson’s gritty brutality finds its way on-screen as the film conflates the maniacal ruthlessness of both men’s actions.
Stack’s performance went a long way in cementing Ness’s legacy in the public imagination.
Stack’s performance went a long way in cementing Ness’s legacy in the public imagination.
- 4/12/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
"A Time For Killing" (also called "The Long Ride Home") isn't one of the best Westerns of all time, nor is it the most memorable, but the 1967 film still comes up in conversation thanks to its unique status as the very first movie role Harrison Ford was ever credited in. Ford played a young, sideburn-wearing Union soldier in the film, which followed the exploits of a group of captured Confederate soldiers on a mad dash for Mexico — none of whom realize the war has officially ended.
Aside from Ford's debut as Lieutenant Shaffer (for which he was credited as Harrison J. Ford), "A Time For Killing" is most noteworthy for its status as an abandoned Roger Corman flick. Corman started making "A Time For Killing" after already churning out cult classics like "A Bucket of Blood" and "The Little Shop of Horrors," but the low-budget filmmaker was replaced by "99 River Street...
Aside from Ford's debut as Lieutenant Shaffer (for which he was credited as Harrison J. Ford), "A Time For Killing" is most noteworthy for its status as an abandoned Roger Corman flick. Corman started making "A Time For Killing" after already churning out cult classics like "A Bucket of Blood" and "The Little Shop of Horrors," but the low-budget filmmaker was replaced by "99 River Street...
- 4/7/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, has faced criticism for the control he exercised over the singer. According to members of Elvis’ entourage, he also exercised control over them. They claimed Parker was able to put them in a state of hypnosis and used it to control their behavior.
Elvis’ manager used hypnosis on the singer’s entourage
Parker had the ability to hypnotize people, a skill he used frequently on members of Elvis’ entourage.
“He had a thing where he would hypnotize me and get me to do crazy things,” bodyguard Sonny West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “Now, I wasn’t in a trance and I knew what I was doing, but I did them just the same, some really nutty things that always had people in stitches. I would just do whatever he told me. I was hypnotized.”
Colonel Tom Parker...
Elvis’ manager used hypnosis on the singer’s entourage
Parker had the ability to hypnotize people, a skill he used frequently on members of Elvis’ entourage.
“He had a thing where he would hypnotize me and get me to do crazy things,” bodyguard Sonny West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “Now, I wasn’t in a trance and I knew what I was doing, but I did them just the same, some really nutty things that always had people in stitches. I would just do whatever he told me. I was hypnotized.”
Colonel Tom Parker...
- 4/6/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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