Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "charlie-chaplin"
Hollywood, Oscar and Doc Holliday
This Week
Academy Awards
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Writers Notebook: Sherwood Anderson
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer might have had more enemies than friends in Hollywood, but like him or hate him you have to recognize him as a visionary. Mayer had seen Hollywood's dark side with scandals and turf wars. And he was part of a group that mobilized the Hays Office in an effort to keep Hollywood on a moral high ground. And while the Hays office did a good job in the area of morality Mayer felt the film industry needed something more than morality police.
Following the great success of the Jazz Singer and sound becoming a reality Mayer thought an organization was needed to mediate labor disputes and improve the industry's overall image. And in an effort to promote his idea, he assembled a small group that included actor Conrad Nagel, director Fred Niblo, and the head of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, Fred Beetson to sit down and discuss the matters. That group tossed some ideas around and before setting up any rules for action they decided to expand the group and get more input.
Over a period of weeks they expanded the group and began to set up rules and by-laws that would establish the kind of membership that would be open to people that were involved in one or the other of the five branches of the industry actors, directors, writers, technicians and producers.
Membership had grown to thirty six and they included L.B. Mayer, Conrad Nagel, Fred Niblo, Fred Beetson, Mary Pickford, Sid Grumman, Jesse Lasky, George Cohen, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Cedric Gibbons and Irving Thalberg. (I hope to find the other founding members and I will post their names ASAP.)
Mayer invited all the current members to a formal banquet at the Ambassador Hotel on the evening of January 11, 1927 for a dinner and meeting. That evening he announced to those present, and later put it into a press release, what he called the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and membership was open to those who had contributed to the motion picture industry. Everyone in the room that evening became a founder of the Academy. It wasn’t until later, when Mayer's lawyers were writing up the charter, that the name changed to "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
Douglas Fairbanks, was elected as the first president of the Academy. And as one of his first acts, he added an activity that would bestow awards of merit and achievement. No one back then saw it as anything more than just an award. However, they were on the brink of forming something historical. A year later the voting system for the Awards was established, and the nomination and selection process began.
There have been many great moments in the Academy Awards history and one of them happened during the 1972 Oscar ceremony.
Back Stage with Duke Howard:
"I was there"
'The year 1972, it was the "44 Academy Awards."Charlie Chaplin was about to receive his second Oscar. This one was to be a honorary awarded to be presented to him for his great contribution of making motion pictures an art form of the 20thCentury.
I was back stage working as a stage hand out of the Stage Hands Local 33 when I watched a prop man bring out a comfortable padded chair and place it center stage behind the main curtain.
Then Charlie was brought out on stage by Cybill Shepherd. If I remember correctly, she was holding his arm as they walked out on stage. I was wondering what they were saying to one another. She seated him, and there he was sitting on the stage of the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion. My thoughts at the time was what is he thinking? I would have loved to be able to hear his thoughts as he sat alone on this barren stage. It had been a long time for Charlie who had been in exile. This was 43 years after his first Academy Award. Was he thinking about how he was going to be received by the motion picture audience? He had been such a controversial figure during his years as a film maker, but what a genius. Would he be accepted and how?
The Curtain was pulled back and Charlie to finally faced his peers. As he slowly walked with trepidation out on stage, the applause began to build and people stood. They all applauded and it seemed to go on forever. The warm feeling for this genius was mutual and overwhelming. From what I have been told it went on for 5 minutes, and it was the longest standing ovation in Academy Award History. I wish I could have seen Charlie's face and I don't remember what he said to the audience. Being backstage had its disadvantage, but after they closed the curtain, I could see he was animated with Cybill when she helped him off stage, so he was happy and elated.
Charlie was blown away by the unexpected reception he received. I am glad I was there to see this great moment in the life of an icon'
Duke Howard
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Excerpt – Spicer Hearing
At precisely two o’clock Judge Spicer rapped his gavel and the noise in the room subsided. The judge peered over the top of his spectacles and announced, "The court would like to have the last witness return to the stand. Mrs. Addie Bourland please take the stand and keep in mind that you are still under oath."
"I object, Your Honor,” the district attorney said as he got to his feet, “this is highly irregular."
Judge Spicer chuckled. "Objection overruled. The court has another question or two for this witness."
Spicer took his time, sorted through his notes and said, "Mrs. Bourland, you said in your examination that you were looking at the parties engaged in that fatal affray in Tombstone on the 26th of October last. Now, at the time the firing commenced, please state the position in which the party called the cowboys held their hands when the firing started. That is, were they holding up their hands, or were they firing back at the other party?"
"Prosecution objects to the further examination of the witness, Addie Bourland.” Price stood tall and flailed his arms about. "Her testimony has been read and signed off on by both defense and prosecution, neither of which has requested any further testimony from this witness."
"You have no objection to the truth coming out do you, Mr. Price?" Judge Spicer snapped.
The bluster disappeared and Price said, "No, Your Honor."
"Then let me finish some of the court's business. Objection overruled."
Judge Spicer took off his spectacles and looked out toward the gallery. "Following recess, I decided to walk to the scene of the shooting and once there, I recognized the proximity of this witness's vantage point. I decided further questions were in order so that I might clear some things up in my own mind. I talked to Mrs. Bourland and scanned the scene of the shooting. Then I asked her several questions and requested her to return to this court. Now that is where the matter stands.”
Then the judge turned and spoke directly to the witness. "You said in your examination that you were looking at the parties engaged in the affray. At the time the firing commenced. Please state the position in which the parties called the cowboys held their hands. That is, were they holding up their hands or were they firing back at the other party?"
"I did not see anyone hold up their hands. They all seemed to be firing. They were firing at each other. From the time the firing commenced."
Spicer looked at Price and said, "Now Mr. Prosecutor, go ahead and cross-examine, if you have any questions."
"Thank you, Your Honor." Price walked to the witness and in a taunting tone said, "Didn't you say this morning, that you did not see who fired the first shot?"
"I did say so."
"Did you say this morning, there were two shots fired close together?"
"I did not," Mrs. Bourland rebutted sharply.
"Did you say there were any shots fired at all?"
"I did.”
"Did you say this morning that when the first two or four shots were fired, you were excited and confused and got up from the window and went into the back room?"
"I did not say how many shots were fired when I went into the back room."
"What conversation did you have with Judge Spicer, if any, with reference to your testimony to be given here since you signed your testimony this morning?"
"He asked me one or two questions in regard to seeing the difficulty, and if I saw any men hold up their hands. And if they had thrown up their hands whether I would have seen it. I told him I thought I would have seen it."
"Did you testify this morning that those men did not throw up their hands?"
"Yes, sir. I did."
"I have no further questions."
Spicer looked toward the defense table, "Any questions?"
"We have no questions, Your Honor." Tom Fitch said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Bourland,” Judge Spicer said, “I believe that will be all now. You may step down."
Writers Notebook:
Honor your character’s integrity.
To paraphrase Sherwood Anderson: Your characters should be as real as living people. You should be no more willing to sell them out than you would to sell out your friends or the woman you love. To take the lives of those people and bend or twist them to suit the needs of some cleverly thought out plot to give your readers a false emotion is as mean and ignoble as it is to sell out living men or women… And that is the truth.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter,blogspot.com
Academy Awards
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Writers Notebook: Sherwood Anderson
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer might have had more enemies than friends in Hollywood, but like him or hate him you have to recognize him as a visionary. Mayer had seen Hollywood's dark side with scandals and turf wars. And he was part of a group that mobilized the Hays Office in an effort to keep Hollywood on a moral high ground. And while the Hays office did a good job in the area of morality Mayer felt the film industry needed something more than morality police.
Following the great success of the Jazz Singer and sound becoming a reality Mayer thought an organization was needed to mediate labor disputes and improve the industry's overall image. And in an effort to promote his idea, he assembled a small group that included actor Conrad Nagel, director Fred Niblo, and the head of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, Fred Beetson to sit down and discuss the matters. That group tossed some ideas around and before setting up any rules for action they decided to expand the group and get more input.
Over a period of weeks they expanded the group and began to set up rules and by-laws that would establish the kind of membership that would be open to people that were involved in one or the other of the five branches of the industry actors, directors, writers, technicians and producers.
Membership had grown to thirty six and they included L.B. Mayer, Conrad Nagel, Fred Niblo, Fred Beetson, Mary Pickford, Sid Grumman, Jesse Lasky, George Cohen, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Cedric Gibbons and Irving Thalberg. (I hope to find the other founding members and I will post their names ASAP.)
Mayer invited all the current members to a formal banquet at the Ambassador Hotel on the evening of January 11, 1927 for a dinner and meeting. That evening he announced to those present, and later put it into a press release, what he called the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and membership was open to those who had contributed to the motion picture industry. Everyone in the room that evening became a founder of the Academy. It wasn’t until later, when Mayer's lawyers were writing up the charter, that the name changed to "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
Douglas Fairbanks, was elected as the first president of the Academy. And as one of his first acts, he added an activity that would bestow awards of merit and achievement. No one back then saw it as anything more than just an award. However, they were on the brink of forming something historical. A year later the voting system for the Awards was established, and the nomination and selection process began.
There have been many great moments in the Academy Awards history and one of them happened during the 1972 Oscar ceremony.
Back Stage with Duke Howard:
"I was there"
'The year 1972, it was the "44 Academy Awards."Charlie Chaplin was about to receive his second Oscar. This one was to be a honorary awarded to be presented to him for his great contribution of making motion pictures an art form of the 20thCentury.
I was back stage working as a stage hand out of the Stage Hands Local 33 when I watched a prop man bring out a comfortable padded chair and place it center stage behind the main curtain.
Then Charlie was brought out on stage by Cybill Shepherd. If I remember correctly, she was holding his arm as they walked out on stage. I was wondering what they were saying to one another. She seated him, and there he was sitting on the stage of the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion. My thoughts at the time was what is he thinking? I would have loved to be able to hear his thoughts as he sat alone on this barren stage. It had been a long time for Charlie who had been in exile. This was 43 years after his first Academy Award. Was he thinking about how he was going to be received by the motion picture audience? He had been such a controversial figure during his years as a film maker, but what a genius. Would he be accepted and how?
The Curtain was pulled back and Charlie to finally faced his peers. As he slowly walked with trepidation out on stage, the applause began to build and people stood. They all applauded and it seemed to go on forever. The warm feeling for this genius was mutual and overwhelming. From what I have been told it went on for 5 minutes, and it was the longest standing ovation in Academy Award History. I wish I could have seen Charlie's face and I don't remember what he said to the audience. Being backstage had its disadvantage, but after they closed the curtain, I could see he was animated with Cybill when she helped him off stage, so he was happy and elated.
Charlie was blown away by the unexpected reception he received. I am glad I was there to see this great moment in the life of an icon'
Duke Howard
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Excerpt – Spicer Hearing
At precisely two o’clock Judge Spicer rapped his gavel and the noise in the room subsided. The judge peered over the top of his spectacles and announced, "The court would like to have the last witness return to the stand. Mrs. Addie Bourland please take the stand and keep in mind that you are still under oath."
"I object, Your Honor,” the district attorney said as he got to his feet, “this is highly irregular."
Judge Spicer chuckled. "Objection overruled. The court has another question or two for this witness."
Spicer took his time, sorted through his notes and said, "Mrs. Bourland, you said in your examination that you were looking at the parties engaged in that fatal affray in Tombstone on the 26th of October last. Now, at the time the firing commenced, please state the position in which the party called the cowboys held their hands when the firing started. That is, were they holding up their hands, or were they firing back at the other party?"
"Prosecution objects to the further examination of the witness, Addie Bourland.” Price stood tall and flailed his arms about. "Her testimony has been read and signed off on by both defense and prosecution, neither of which has requested any further testimony from this witness."
"You have no objection to the truth coming out do you, Mr. Price?" Judge Spicer snapped.
The bluster disappeared and Price said, "No, Your Honor."
"Then let me finish some of the court's business. Objection overruled."
Judge Spicer took off his spectacles and looked out toward the gallery. "Following recess, I decided to walk to the scene of the shooting and once there, I recognized the proximity of this witness's vantage point. I decided further questions were in order so that I might clear some things up in my own mind. I talked to Mrs. Bourland and scanned the scene of the shooting. Then I asked her several questions and requested her to return to this court. Now that is where the matter stands.”
Then the judge turned and spoke directly to the witness. "You said in your examination that you were looking at the parties engaged in the affray. At the time the firing commenced. Please state the position in which the parties called the cowboys held their hands. That is, were they holding up their hands or were they firing back at the other party?"
"I did not see anyone hold up their hands. They all seemed to be firing. They were firing at each other. From the time the firing commenced."
Spicer looked at Price and said, "Now Mr. Prosecutor, go ahead and cross-examine, if you have any questions."
"Thank you, Your Honor." Price walked to the witness and in a taunting tone said, "Didn't you say this morning, that you did not see who fired the first shot?"
"I did say so."
"Did you say this morning, there were two shots fired close together?"
"I did not," Mrs. Bourland rebutted sharply.
"Did you say there were any shots fired at all?"
"I did.”
"Did you say this morning that when the first two or four shots were fired, you were excited and confused and got up from the window and went into the back room?"
"I did not say how many shots were fired when I went into the back room."
"What conversation did you have with Judge Spicer, if any, with reference to your testimony to be given here since you signed your testimony this morning?"
"He asked me one or two questions in regard to seeing the difficulty, and if I saw any men hold up their hands. And if they had thrown up their hands whether I would have seen it. I told him I thought I would have seen it."
"Did you testify this morning that those men did not throw up their hands?"
"Yes, sir. I did."
"I have no further questions."
Spicer looked toward the defense table, "Any questions?"
"We have no questions, Your Honor." Tom Fitch said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Bourland,” Judge Spicer said, “I believe that will be all now. You may step down."
Writers Notebook:
Honor your character’s integrity.
To paraphrase Sherwood Anderson: Your characters should be as real as living people. You should be no more willing to sell them out than you would to sell out your friends or the woman you love. To take the lives of those people and bend or twist them to suit the needs of some cleverly thought out plot to give your readers a false emotion is as mean and ignoble as it is to sell out living men or women… And that is the truth.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter,blogspot.com
Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog
I do a variety blog and post every Wednesday. I am an actor, writer and hurricane hunter and my subjects are generally written about those fields. During Hurricane Season I do at least one story every
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