Tag Archives: Stockard Channing

Back to School Cinema: GREASE

Posted on by

greaseGrease is the word! This 1978 film rode the wave of 1950s nostalgia and became a cultural phenomenon.  Based on the long-running Broadway musical, the film version capitalized on the success of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John by pairing them and making film history.

The film was directed by Randal Kleiser based on the original play by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.  The cast included 23 year old Travolta, 28 year old Newton-John, 26 year old Jeff Conaway, 33 year old Stockard Channing and cast members ranging from 20 to 31 including Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Didi Conn, Jamie Donnelly, Eddie Deezen and Annette Charles.  Only Lorenzo Lamas and Dinah Manoff were teenagers, at 19, from the principal cast.

A dash of old Hollywood – or at least TV from the 1950s rounded out the adult cast with Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Dodie Goodman, Alice Ghostley and Joan Blondell. Frankie Avalon had a cameo as the very contemporary looking Teen Angel.

Because of the success of Saturday Night Fever, a BeeGees written title song was added.  Other songs were written for Newton-John by John Farrar, her main songwriter.  One of those, “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” nabbed the film’s only Oscar nomination.  Sha-Na-Na was added to perform 1950s standards and Grease songs at the school dance in the film.

Though the film has its flaws, it was wildly successful and stands up today as still a very fun film.  Just hearing the opening strains of “Summer Nights” is likely to send people into singing “Tell me more, tell me more….”  In the 1970s, Grease was evocative of a simpler time.  Now, 37 years after its initial release, the film stands as a reminder of a simpler time – the summer it came out.

HOME OF THE BRAVE is feature of 7th Day of 2014 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival

Posted on by

LRFF Home_of_the_Brave_PosterLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site commemorates the 57th anniversary of the desegregation crisis in September with the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival featuring special guests, panel discussions, and a special commemoration to honor local educators and civil rights activists. All events at local venues are FREE and open to the public

Thursday, September 25, 6:00 p.m. –Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (501 West 9th Street)
Home of the Brave

(Director: Paola di Florio) – Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Paola di Florio directs Home of the Brave, a documentary about the impact of Viola Liuzzo’s murder. A Detroit housewife and mother of five, Liuzzo was a civil rights activist who went to Alabama to help with voter registration in 1965. She was in town during the pivotal march organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which ended in violence at the Edmund Pettus Bridge near Selma.

While trying to transport the tear-gassed marchers in her car, she was shot by three members of the Ku Klux Klan. Suspects Eugene Thomas, Collie Leroy Wilkins Jr., and William Orville Eaton were found guilty of civil rights violations and later acquitted. The film also explores the FBI investigation in the aftermath of her death, as well as the reaction in the Liuzzo home.  The film is narrated by Stockard Channing.

The ceremony will be moderated by Dr. Victor Snyder, former seven-term U.S. Congressman (D-AR, 2nd district).

The film will be followed by remarks from Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe and Sally Liuzzo-Prado, daughters of Viola Liuzzo.

Presenting Sponsor –Little Rock Film Festival

Premier Sponsor –Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Supporting Sponsors: arfilm|Arkansas Production Alliance, Central High Museum Inc., City of Little Rock, Conyers Institute of Public Policy, Jefferson National Parks Association, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, Little Rock School District, Marriott Little Rock, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Moses Tucker Real Estate, Riverdale 10 Movies, National Park Service, Sue Smith Vacations/Vacation Valet, North Point Toyota, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, Philander Smith College, Whole Hog Cafe –North Little Rock, Arkansas Education Television Network, and Arkansas Motion Picture Institute

Tales from the South tomorrow night: Tin Roof Project featuring Ann Talman

Posted on by

The first week of each month, Tales from the South features one person sharing their life story. They call it Tin Roof Project.  November features actress Ann Talman.  Born in West Virginia, she has had a film and stage career since the 1980s.

Talman has costarred with Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller, Maureen Stapleton, Nathan Lane, Kate Burton, Elisabeth Shue, Frances Conroy, John Mahoney, Stockard Channing, Swoosie Kurtz, Henderson Forsythe, Rue McClanahan, Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Tilley, Jennifer Coolidge, Kristen Johnston and Amy Ryan — just to name a few.

Music is by the Salty Dogs and blues guitarist Mark Simpson

Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $5, not including dinner.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.