A Man and A Mouse: 05/01/2020

Sunday, May 24, 2020

How Gary Cooper Broke Into The Movies

How I Broke Into The Movies is a book published in 1930. It contains 60 articles on the title theme, written by movie stars of the day. Each star has a portrait on the left page and text they've (purportedly) written on the right page with the star's hand-written signature at the bottom for validity. The previous articles I've published are:
How Marion Davies Broke Into The Movies

How Gloria Swanson Broke Into The Movies

How Colleen Moore Broke Into The Movies (also announced the WORLD INTERNET PREMIERE of the Moore's 1925 silent film Ella Cinders newly scored by me with jazz music of the 1920s)

How Clara Bow Broke Into The Movies

How Joan Crawford Broke Into The Movies

I will continue publishing articles until the book is digitized at which time I will post it to my account on archive.org. Here is the WORLD INTERNET PREMIERE of How I Broke Into The Movies written (in his own words) by Academy Award winner Gary Cooper whose career spanned 36 years from 1925 to 1961.

How I Broke Into The Movies Gary Cooper picture
Right click to view the full-size image.

How I Broke Into The Movies by Gary Cooper
Right click to view the full-size image.

Some interesting Cooper links

A Farewell to Arms 1932: This pre-Code drama is based on A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, directed by Frank Borzage and stars Gary, Helen Hayes and Adolphe Menjou.
Gary's FBI File
Meet John Doe 1941: Frank Capra's wonderful piece of romantic Americana pits him against Barbara Stanwyck with Walter Brennan, Spring Byington and James Gleason.
Stream any of 75 Cooper films: HERE
For Whom The Bell Tolls radio drama: Gary and Ingrid Bergman recreate their film roles in this radio presentation of the Ernest Hemingway novel
Gary in The Virginian 1929
Gary in Beau Sabrer 1928

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Ellen Foley, Debbie Allen and Mimi Kennedy

In 1976 the BBC series Rock Follies, already a success in the United Kingdom, crossed the Atlantic and became a success on PBS stations in the United States. The scripted series of six episodes told the story of The Little Ladies, three women (played by Evita's Julie Covington, Alberto VO5's Rula Lenska and the Royal Shakespeare Company's Charlotte Cornwell) trying to hit it big in the rock music. It was a hit in the United States and there was (seemingly) an attempt to replicate that success with American talent when Kenny Solms and Gail Parent created a 4-episode variety show called 3 Girls 3.

3 Girls 3 starred three then-unknowns Debbie Allen, Ellen Foley and Mimi Kennedy whose overnight success as the stars was the show's premise. In the context of the show, the little ladies played themselves with Allen the dancer, Foley the singer and Kennedy the comic - although all three sang, danced and performed in sketches. The first episode aired in March, 1977 right after its broadcasting network, NBC, decided to cancel it. The three remaining episodes aired during the summer of 1977. All four episodes in their entirety can be found on Mimi Kennedy's YouTube Channel. There's also some interesting videos on Kenny Solms YouTube channel. I've posted some lovely performances by one of my favorite singers, Ellen Foley, and some other musical moments from the show.