Rock the Oscars 2019: Arkansan and Oscar Host Bob Burns

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Bob Burns was a well-known national radio and film personality during the 1930s and 1940s. He was known such as “The Arkansas Traveler” and “The Arkansas Philosopher” because he wove tales of life in the Arkansas hills with his musical performances.

On March 10, 1938, he hosted the tenth Oscar ceremony, becoming the first Arkansan to do so.  At that ceremony the big winner was The Life of Emile Zola. The first version of A Star Is Born became the first color motion picture nominated for Best Picture. It was also the first time the Irving Thalberg Award was presented.  At the time, Burns had made a few movies and was ruling the airwaves as a popular radio star.  Since the Oscars were broadcast on the radio, he was an appropriate choice to host the awards.

He earned his nickname, “Bazooka,” from an instrument he invented and named as a young man in a plumbing shop.  The instrument, which was a simple device made of spare gas fittings and a whiskey funnel, eventually lent its name to the World War II anti-tank weapon due to its similar looks and Burns’ popularity among the troops who employed it in combat.

Burns was born in Arkansas (there are conflicting sources as to where) and grew up in Van Buren. As a youth, he started playing in bands. Among the instruments he played was his Bazooka invention. Eventually he came to the attention of a radio program in California. His originally non-paying assignment as a radio comic eventually led to appearances on Paul Whiteman’s coast-to-coast radio program and regular appearances on Rudy Vallee’s shows.

He eventually starred on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall radio program with Bing Crosby while also making more movies. From 1941 to 1947 he starred in his own radio show – The Arkansas Traveler which eventually became The Bob Burns Show.  During the same time period, he wrote a column for Esquire and syndicated newspaper column.

He was feted several times when he returned to Arkansas in the 1930s and 1940s.  In 1956, Burns died of cancer and is buried in California.

ANTIQUITIES plays Riverdale 10 Cinema January 25 to 31

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One of the hits at the Arkansas Cinema Society’s August 2018 Filmland event was Arkansas made film Antiquities.

It has been picked up for distribution and will screen at the Riverdale 10 Cinema from January 25 to 31. Tickets can be purchased here.

After the first screening during Filmland sold out quickly, a second screening was added.  But there are many people who did not get to see it, or want to see it again.  Now is that chance!

After his father’s death, a young man – WALT (Andrew J. West) – moves to his dad’s hometown in order to learn more about who his father was. Walt decides to stay with his awkward aunt and her family, whose denial makes his search nearly impossible. He accepts a job in a local antique mall where his boss quickly offers him the possibility of a management position; however, a mean-spirited co-worker isn’t pleased by his new competition and proceeds to sabotage any chance Walt has. Walt then meets ELLIE (Ashley Greene), an eccentric and crude free spirit who still manages to be irresistibly charming. He finds himself completely enamored, though both are hesitant to pursue a relationship. Walt ends up not only finding out who his father really was, but learns more about himself than he ever thought possible.

The cast includes many Arkansas actors such as Mary Steenburgen, Graham Gordy, Jason Thompson, Alanna Hamill Newton, Jeff Bailey, Damon McKinnis, Joanne Riddick, the late Fran Austin, and a brief cameo by David Bazzel as well as Rett Tucker as a bingo caller.

Filmed in and around Arkansas, the movie was directed by Daniel Campbell from a screenplay by Campbell and Gordy.  Cinematography was by Gabe Mayhan.  The film was produced by Campbell, Gordy, David Jennis, Jayme Lemons, Gary Newton, Angela Prosser, and Kathryn Tucker.

Clinton School Speaker at noon today – UA Little Rock Bowen Law Professor John DiPippa on recent Affordable Care Act Ruling

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Image result for john dipippaWhile his SCOTUS previews are a highlight of Clinton School programming in the the early fall, legal scholar John DiPippa will be making a special return to the Clinton School Speaker Series in January.

In December, a federal judge in Texas said that the Affordable Care Act’s individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law therefore cannot stand. The ruling throws into doubt the future of health coverage for millions of Americans, and sets up another cliffhanger in which the fate of the law will likely once again lie with the Supreme Court.

John DiPippa is a constitutional law scholar who served as a William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer at the Clinton School and Dean Emeritus at the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. He is an Inaugural Professor of Public Service at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and teaches two core courses: The Foundations of Public Service and The Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Public Service.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.

Haco Hijacked, or 50 years ago this month Little Rock’s Mayor made an unscheduled trip to Havana

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Less than a week after being selected Little Rock’s 58th mayor, Haco Boyd made an unscheduled stop in Cuba when the Eastern Airlines Boeing on which he was flying was hijacked.

The seventy passengers, including 44 from Arkansas, were hijacked to Cuba on January 9 on a flight that was originally scheduled to go from Miami to Nassau for an insurance convention.

Shortly after takeoff, a passenger, who described himself as a student at Purdue University, sat next to a flight attendant, told her the plane was going to Cuba, and showed her a knife.

After landing in Cuba, the plane, its crew, and two passengers (Mr. and Mrs. Keith Thrash of Little Rock) were allowed to return to Miami. The Thrashes were allowed to stay on the plane due to illness.  Several hours later, another plane picked up the remaining passengers and returned them to Miami.

Eastern Airlines then flew the passengers on to Nassau without further incident. Mayor Boyd’s wife was flying with him on the plane.

Once the media found out that Little Rock’s mayor was on the plane, he became of great interest to reporters.  “They treated us real well in Havana.” Boyd told the press. “They gave us the blue plate special treatment.” Boyd said everything was “just fine, no sweat, it’s just one of those things.” He went on to describe the hijacker (who stayed in Cuba) as “a rather decent looking person, except for his nose and his mouth, which were a little weak.

Mayor Boyd was back at City Hall to preside over the January 20, 1969, City Council meeting. It appears that the reminder of his airline flights went to their appropriate destinations.  During World War II, he had been a decorated pilot for the Army Air Corps.

Little Rock Look Back: Opening of 1868 LR City Hall

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The 1868 City Hall as featured on a city report.

On January 22, 1868, a charity ball (including a supper) was the first special event held in the new Little Rock City Hall located at 120 to 122 West Markham.

The two story building featured city offices downstairs, including an engine house for the volunteer fire department. Upstairs was the council chambers and a special event space. The facility was the width of two storefronts. The upstairs was accessed by a central staircase which went from street level through an archway directly up to the second floor. The first floor had a stone exterior and the second floor was a combination of brick and woodwork.

Records do not indicate when the first city council in the new building took place. At the January 21, 1868, meeting, the body formally accepted the building and cancelled any clauses in the contract about penalties should the contractor not meet the construction deadline. But there is no indication whether that meeting took place in the new building or in the previous city hall. (The location of that prior city hall is a mystery.). The minutes from the council meetings just prior to and just after the January 21 meeting give no indication as to which building was the site for the meeting.

It IS known that March 30, 1908, was the date of the final council meeting in the 1868 City Hall. After that meeting, city offices completed their move to the edifice at Markham and Broadway, which still serves as Little Rock City Hall.

As early as November 1867, the City Council was getting requests for special events to be held in the new city hall. In November and December the council refused to take action on any requests because the building was still under construction.

The January 22, 1868, event was created to help the destitute in Little Rock. The ARKANSAS GAZETTE encouraged people to be generous and purchase tickets. Even the day before the event, the weekly version of the GAZETTE (which at the time had added daily editions in addition to its weekly issue) was assuring people there would be plenty of space in the splendid new building so there was still room for additional ticket purchases. Tickets were $5 to admit a lady and a gentleman.  (That would be the equivalent of $83.71 today. While cheap for two people to attend a Little Rock event in 2018, in the post-Civil War era, it was a definite hit to the pocketbook.)

The unnamed organization which put on the charity event was led by W. W. Wilshire (president), George W. Clark (secretary), Joseph Meyer (treasurer) and a standing committee of Dr. C. M. Taylor, Dr. P. O. Hooper, A. Adams, F. H. Moody, and E. Langley.  Donations could be made to any of the officers.  The arrangements for the event were handled by Joseph Meyer, A. Adams, J. P. Jones, Alexander George, Jr., Joseph W. Bossert, and Daniel Ottenheimer.  The reception committee was W. D. Blocher, H. C. Ashley, A. McDonald, P. W. McWhorter, T. Lafferty, and F. H. Moody.   Tickets could be purchased at the stores of J. E. Reardon, G. H. Gibbs, Joseph Meyer, Lafferty & Raleigh, S. L. Griffith, McAlmont & Stillwell, Beideman & Co., and Dodge & Co as well as at the Anthony and Commercial Houses.  (It is interesting to note how so many people at the time were publicly listed by only their first initial.)

The building stood for 56 years after City Hall vacated it.  It housed a variety of businesses over the years.  The building was torn down in 1964 as part of Urban Renewal.  Today it is the site of part of the Statehouse Convention Center.  It is directly across from the One-Eleven restaurant side of the Capital Hotel.

Rock the Oscars 2019: Dick Powell

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Oscars nominations are announced today.  In the days leading up to the ceremony, this blog will look at Arkansas to the Academy Awards.

First up is Dick Powell.  Though not born in Little Rock, he grew up here and graduated from Little Rock High School when it was on Scott Street (now the East Side Lofts).  He started earning money as a singer in Little Rock churches and masonic lodges before transitioning to nightspots which eventually led to him touring the country with dance bands.

When Hollywood beckoned, he first appeared in light musicals as a singer and dancer.  One of his first non-musical roles was in the  all-star A Midsummer Night’s Dream which earned four Oscar nominations and won two.  He starred opposite future Oscar winners Jimmy Cagney and Olivia de Havilland.  Eventually, he transitioned into film noir roles including playing Phillip Marlowe in 1945’s Murder, My Sweet.  

In 1948, Powell hosted the Oscars ceremony. Gentlemen’s Agreement won Best Picture and two other Oscars that year.  (He was not the first Arkansan to host the Oscars.  In 1938, Van Buren native Bob Burns hosted the ceremony.)  In 1959, he and his then-wife June Allyson were two of the presenters at the Oscars.  That ceremony came in at one hour and 40 minutes in length. It was under-time so the presenters and winners took to the stage floor with dancing as a way to fill time before NBC cut away and aired a documentary on target-shooting.

Powell was one of the stars of 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful.  The film won five Oscars but was not nominated for Best Picture.  It holds the record for the most wins by a film not nominated for Best Picture.

1925 Phantom of the Opera film haunts Ron Robinson Theater tonight

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The Phantom of the Opera PosterBefore it was a musical or a movie with Claude Rains, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was a 1925 silent movie starring Lon Chaney.

Tonight the Ron Robinson Theater will be screening this movie. A silent movie, it was shot largely in black and white, but there are some color sequences where filters were used to add hues to it.

Directed by Rupert Julian, the movie came out fifteen years after Gaston Leroux’s novel first appeared.  In addition to Chaney, the movie features Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis, Snitz Edwards ,Mary Fabian, and Virginia Pearson.

When the movie was first released, Universal Pictures would not allow any magazine or newspaper to publish a photo of Chaney as the phantom. They wanted the audience to be surprised by his face.

The showing starts at 6:30pm. The cost is $5.00.