Hollywood Backstage | |
---|---|
Genre | Entertainment |
Written by | Paul Werth [1] |
Directed by | Rick Spalla Sr. [1] |
Presented by | John Willis Army Archerd |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Rick Spalla Sr. [1] |
Production locations | Los Angeles, California London, England Boulder, Colorado |
Original release | |
Release | 1964 – 1968 |
Hollywood Backstage, with various presenters including John Willis and Army Archerd, [2] is an American TV series that features a behind-the-scenes look at the glamour of the Hollywood film industry. It originally ran from 1964 to 1968 [3] and was originally titled Hollywood Star Newsreel. [2]
John Willis narrates as cameras capture historic behind-the-scenes footage of film sets, charity functions, celebrity roasts, star interviews, and various Hollywood events. These include the premieres of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), the first film to open at the Cinerama Dome; The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) at the Egyptian Theater; The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965); Viva Maria! (1965) [2] ; Battle of the Bulge (1965); Zsa Zsa Gabor attending Doctor Zhivago (1965) [4] ; The Blue Max (1966) [5] ; and Fantastic Voyage (1966) at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. [6]
Visits to film sets include Kiss Me, Stupid with Kim Novak (1964), Colorado location filming for Stagecoach (1966 film) starring Ann-Margret, Divorce American Style (1967) with Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds [2] , Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), and The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). [6]
Miscellaneous segments include Edward G. Robinson at the dedication of his wax figure at the defunct Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, CA [2] , the opening of Gazzarri's Hollywood a Go Go on the Sunset Strip, [7] and a tour of now-gone historic back lot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in Culver City, California. [6]
Interviews include Sonny & Cher, Nancy Wilson, Janet Leigh [2] , Red Buttons [5] , Lorne Greene, [6] , Trini Lopez, Robert Wagner, [6] Carolyn Jones, [8] and Mamie Van Doren riding a motorcycle with Dave Ekins. [6]
Zsa Zsa Gabor was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor.
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. Gabor voiced Duchess and Miss Bianca in the Disney animations The Aristocats (1970), The Rescuers (1977), and The Rescuers Down Under (1990). She was popular in her role on the 1965–1971 television sitcom Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character Oliver Wendell Douglas. Gabor was an actress in film, on Broadway, and on television. She was also a businesswoman, marketing wigs, clothing, and beauty products. Her elder sisters, Zsa Zsa and Magda Gabor, were also actresses and socialites.
The Sunset Strip is the 1.7-mile (2.7 km) stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly Hills at Phyllis Street. The Sunset Strip is known for its boutiques, restaurants, rock clubs, and nightclubs, as well as its array of huge, colorful billboards.
Maurice-Alexis Jarre was a French composer and conductor. Jarre is best known for his film scores, particularly for his collaborations with film director David Lean composing all of his films from 1962 to 1984. Jarre has received numerous accolades including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, and a Grammy Award.
Elke Sommer is a German actress. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in The Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark (1964), the Bob Hope comedy Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966), Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1974), and the British Carry On series in Carry On Behind (1975).
Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/Warner Bros. western series Cheyenne from 1955 to 1963.
Tom Conway was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing detectives and psychiatrists, among other roles.
Edward Byrne Breitenberger, known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie ".
Armand Andre Archerd was an American columnist for Variety for over fifty years before retiring his "Just for Variety" column in September 2005. In November 2005, Archerd began blogging for Variety and was working on a memoir when he died.
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Gazzarri's was a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. The venue was a staple of the Los Angeles music scene from the 1960s until the early 1990s. The Doors and Van Halen were featured house bands there before being signed to major record labels. It was the backdrop for Huey Lewis and the News' short form promotional music video for their 1984 hit The Heart of Rock and Roll.
Hollywood a Go Go was a Los Angeles–based music variety show that ran in syndication from 1965 to 1966. The show was hosted by Sam Riddle, with music by The Sinners and dancing by The Gazzarri Dancers. It was filmed at the KHJ-TV studios in Los Angeles. Rights to surviving footage of the show are now represented by Retro Video, Inc.
Made in Paris is a 1966 American romantic-comedy film starring Ann-Margret, Louis Jourdan, Richard Crenna, Edie Adams, and Chad Everett. The film was written by Stanley Roberts and directed by Boris Sagal.
The Sons of Adam were an American garage rock band. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, they relocated to Los Angeles and became a regular fixture on the Sunset Strip music scene during the mid-1960s. The band released several singles for the Decca and Alamo labels, which included the songs "Saturday's Son", "Feathered Fish" and "Baby Show the World". They included guitarist Randy Holden, later of The Other Half and Blue Cheer, and drummer Michael Stuart, later of Love. Although the band, with Randy Holden, played "Feathered Fish" in clubs before it was recorded, Craig Tarwater played the guitar on the studio recording since Holden had left by then.
The KCET Studios, located at 4401 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California is the longest continuously-producing studio in Hollywood. Since its establishment in 1912, the studios located at the site have been the home of motion picture producers, including Lubin, Essanay, Willis and Inglis, J.D. Hampton, Charles Ray, Ralph Like, Monogram Pictures, Allied Artists, and ColorVision. Since 1970, it has been the home of public television station KCET, but in April 2011, KCET announced that it had sold the facility to the Church of Scientology.
Drop Dead Darling is a 1966 British-American black comedy film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Tony Curtis, Rosanna Schiaffino, Lionel Jeffries and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
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Pamela Austin is an American retired actress.