Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "oscar"
Bob Hope Introduces Oscar to Radio
Let’s go to the Movies Part 18
Hollywood Grows Up.
Hollywood came of age during the 1930’s and movie fans lined up in droves to watch the latest film. The industry grew in every aspect of filmmaking, silents to sound, black and white to color, and a thousand other film techniques the public was not aware of.
With every passing year during that decade writers and directors were delivering a better product.
Suddenly a funny thing happened, it was like the whole Hollywood colony took aim at and built to a crescendo, saving their very best for that last and final year of the decade -- 1939. And what a film year it was. Members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science had a wonderful and at the same time the terrible task of weeding out the good from the good.
During most years any one of 1939’s top 20 or 25 films could have won an Oscar
The nominating committee did a masterful job just to pare it down some, but not much, as they finally nominated ten films for best picture. When you read the list of films in the group that were not nominated you might have a fleeting moment and think – why they must have thrown a bunch of titles into a hat and drew out the first ten. I’m sure that didn’t happen, but what a delicious dilemma.
Here are some of the films that didn’t make the cut Gunga Din – Cary Grant, The Little Princess – Shirley Temple, Intermezzo – Ingrid Bergman’s American debut, Story of Vernon and Irene Castle – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Roaring Twenties – Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, Drums along the Mohawk – Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Charles Laughton and Young Mr. Lincoln with Henry Fonda.
America was digging its way out of the malaise and misery of those depression years and it was Hollywood that provided an all-star celebration, marking an end to the thirties.
‘Turn on your radios America.’
On the night of February 29, 1940 there's going to be a party at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove.
Bob Hope was the MC for the evening and said, ‘Hello this is Bob, coming to you from the Ambassador Hotel, and the Academy Award Ceremony, Hope -- saying good evening all you, sitting on pins and needles, hopefuls.’
That was Oscar night and what a wonderful night it was as they passed out awards for great and talented work in front of and behind the camera.
Then came the announcement for the grand prize. ‘And here are the nominees for best picture.
Dark Victory
Good Bye, Mr. Chips
Gone With the Wind
Love Affair
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice And Men
Stagecoach
The Wizzard Of Oz
Wuthering Heights.
Now open the envelope please. ‘The best picture of 1939 is;
GONE WITH THE WIND.’
Think ahead to the Belmont Stakes.
There will be no Triple Crown in 2009, but the drama continues.
Blocked at the top of the stretch -- the lost momentum doomed the chances of a clean late run for Mine that Bird’s win. However, when he got back in stride, he gave a stretch run for the ages only to come up ¾’s of a length short to finish second.
Rachel Alexandra got the win, but her owners are unsure about the Belmont.
There’s a long tradition in horse racing that directs the horses from the saddling barn to begin the post parade. The horses are led out of the barn to a walking area where they make a brief stop and one of the racing officials gives the call, ‘Riders up,’ and the jockey is given a leg up and into the saddle.
Question now is who’s the jockey that will climb aboard Mine that Bird on June 6th for the Belmont Stakes?
Last Monday morning trainer Chip Woolly announced that his choice for the Belmont was Mike Smith who rode Mine that Bird to a second place win in the Preakness. But later in the day Smith’s agent called Woolly and explained that a prior commitment to ride Madeo in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park that day had to be honored.
So there you have it – for now.
Back at Churchill Downs, trainer Chip Woolly’s first priority is keeping Mine that Bird fit and ready for the Belmont. Second is the jockey situation. He said, ‘We’re going to make a decision pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.’ Then he added, ‘Patience is probably the number one concern; is somebody patient and will they wait and see how things develop.’
And here’s my two cents for what they’re worth. I’d be looking for someone based at Belmont with patients and a jockey that knows every inch of ground on that big oval like the back of his or her hand. A jockey that knows how to win at a mile and one half on that two turn monster.
To keep up with the saga read my daily twitter reports in the sidebar of this blog or go to www.twitter.com/tombarnes39
Writers Notebook:
Writing a book is just part of the chain that eventually gets your book into the hands of the reader. Publishing and marketing are a large part of that process and to give you some ideas about marketing and sales during the next few weeks I plan to introduce you to some of those subjects by using my own reviews of the books.
Make Friends and Sell Books
John Kremer seems to live and breathe book marketing. One of his mottos is that selling is all about making friends and the more you work with 1001 Ways to Market your Book the sooner you recognize the truth in that statement. Connecting with people and networking is all about making friends.
The first time you thumb through the 700-page book you are almost overwhelmed by the daunting task ahead. Just turn a couple of pages and you’ll find the dedication. It’s only a few lines but near the bottom is a line filled with hope. John says, ‘Take your time. Do it right. And enjoy.’
Keep that in mind and do one task at a time. Then before you know it, you’ll be highlighting sections and marking page numbers for points of reference.
The book contains everything from Internet sales, websites, blogs and newsletters to bookstores and book fairs. And a whole lot more.
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 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
Hollywood Grows Up.
Hollywood came of age during the 1930’s and movie fans lined up in droves to watch the latest film. The industry grew in every aspect of filmmaking, silents to sound, black and white to color, and a thousand other film techniques the public was not aware of.
With every passing year during that decade writers and directors were delivering a better product.
Suddenly a funny thing happened, it was like the whole Hollywood colony took aim at and built to a crescendo, saving their very best for that last and final year of the decade -- 1939. And what a film year it was. Members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science had a wonderful and at the same time the terrible task of weeding out the good from the good.
During most years any one of 1939’s top 20 or 25 films could have won an Oscar
The nominating committee did a masterful job just to pare it down some, but not much, as they finally nominated ten films for best picture. When you read the list of films in the group that were not nominated you might have a fleeting moment and think – why they must have thrown a bunch of titles into a hat and drew out the first ten. I’m sure that didn’t happen, but what a delicious dilemma.
Here are some of the films that didn’t make the cut Gunga Din – Cary Grant, The Little Princess – Shirley Temple, Intermezzo – Ingrid Bergman’s American debut, Story of Vernon and Irene Castle – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Roaring Twenties – Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, Drums along the Mohawk – Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Charles Laughton and Young Mr. Lincoln with Henry Fonda.
America was digging its way out of the malaise and misery of those depression years and it was Hollywood that provided an all-star celebration, marking an end to the thirties.
‘Turn on your radios America.’
On the night of February 29, 1940 there's going to be a party at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove.
Bob Hope was the MC for the evening and said, ‘Hello this is Bob, coming to you from the Ambassador Hotel, and the Academy Award Ceremony, Hope -- saying good evening all you, sitting on pins and needles, hopefuls.’
That was Oscar night and what a wonderful night it was as they passed out awards for great and talented work in front of and behind the camera.
Then came the announcement for the grand prize. ‘And here are the nominees for best picture.
Dark Victory
Good Bye, Mr. Chips
Gone With the Wind
Love Affair
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice And Men
Stagecoach
The Wizzard Of Oz
Wuthering Heights.
Now open the envelope please. ‘The best picture of 1939 is;
GONE WITH THE WIND.’
Think ahead to the Belmont Stakes.
There will be no Triple Crown in 2009, but the drama continues.
Blocked at the top of the stretch -- the lost momentum doomed the chances of a clean late run for Mine that Bird’s win. However, when he got back in stride, he gave a stretch run for the ages only to come up ¾’s of a length short to finish second.
Rachel Alexandra got the win, but her owners are unsure about the Belmont.
There’s a long tradition in horse racing that directs the horses from the saddling barn to begin the post parade. The horses are led out of the barn to a walking area where they make a brief stop and one of the racing officials gives the call, ‘Riders up,’ and the jockey is given a leg up and into the saddle.
Question now is who’s the jockey that will climb aboard Mine that Bird on June 6th for the Belmont Stakes?
Last Monday morning trainer Chip Woolly announced that his choice for the Belmont was Mike Smith who rode Mine that Bird to a second place win in the Preakness. But later in the day Smith’s agent called Woolly and explained that a prior commitment to ride Madeo in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park that day had to be honored.
So there you have it – for now.
Back at Churchill Downs, trainer Chip Woolly’s first priority is keeping Mine that Bird fit and ready for the Belmont. Second is the jockey situation. He said, ‘We’re going to make a decision pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.’ Then he added, ‘Patience is probably the number one concern; is somebody patient and will they wait and see how things develop.’
And here’s my two cents for what they’re worth. I’d be looking for someone based at Belmont with patients and a jockey that knows every inch of ground on that big oval like the back of his or her hand. A jockey that knows how to win at a mile and one half on that two turn monster.
To keep up with the saga read my daily twitter reports in the sidebar of this blog or go to www.twitter.com/tombarnes39
Writers Notebook:
Writing a book is just part of the chain that eventually gets your book into the hands of the reader. Publishing and marketing are a large part of that process and to give you some ideas about marketing and sales during the next few weeks I plan to introduce you to some of those subjects by using my own reviews of the books.
Make Friends and Sell Books
John Kremer seems to live and breathe book marketing. One of his mottos is that selling is all about making friends and the more you work with 1001 Ways to Market your Book the sooner you recognize the truth in that statement. Connecting with people and networking is all about making friends.
The first time you thumb through the 700-page book you are almost overwhelmed by the daunting task ahead. Just turn a couple of pages and you’ll find the dedication. It’s only a few lines but near the bottom is a line filled with hope. John says, ‘Take your time. Do it right. And enjoy.’
Keep that in mind and do one task at a time. Then before you know it, you’ll be highlighting sections and marking page numbers for points of reference.
The book contains everything from Internet sales, websites, blogs and newsletters to bookstores and book fairs. And a whole lot more.
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 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
Hollywood Silents end with 'Broadway Melody'
This Week
Let's Go to the Movies
Wyatt Earp Testimony at Spicer Hearing
Writers Notebook:
Hollywood Silents 1914-1929 (Part 14)
Following the Jazz Singer's great success, Hollywood was forced to rethink the movie business, and how to deal with sound. Of course tradition dies hard and some wanted to hang onto what they had, and they said as much. 'The true art in motion pictures comes from the silent screen. We don't need those tinny noises intruding on our work.' Of course that dream would soon be crushed by reality. Sound, or talkies as they were called at the time, needed a lot of work. Technology lagged far behind vision and the transition from silent film to sound was not going to be easy.
If you had to pick the most troublesome year of that era it would be 1928. That was the year when the dreamers and visionaries finally got on the same page. And while Hollywood's future was bright the present was bleak. The scramble to get a sound system in place and technicians that were capable of transferring sound to the silver screen was not going to be easy.
In the production of the Jazz Singer Warner's had used a system called Vitaphone, which was sound recorded onto a disc and then synchronized with the film image to produce the sound.
Several films made in 1928 used the Vitaphone system Disraeli, The Lights of New York and Noah's Ark were among them.
Technically it wasn't practical and the various interested companies Westinghouse, GE, RCA and Western Electric were all working on various ways to build a sound system that could be installed, at a reasonable cost, into thousands of theaters.
The first to use a more logical system was Disney in the production of a cartoon called Steamboat Willy, which had a fully synchronized sound track with music, voices and sound effects recorded optically onto the film.
Of course it took time and a coordinated effort to put it all together on the production end as well installing the equipment into individual theaters. The audience was patient though and bought tickets to whatever Hollywood sent them.
During the development period of 1928 it was a mixed bag with some films presenting a combination of sound and silence.
MGM was first to produce a full length motion picture using sound, not just in bits and pieces but the complete film. Broadway Melody was that picture and it was a hit with the critics as well as the public.
Variety gave Melody a good review and also pointed out that during one of the dance numbers they noted excellent workmanship on camera and mike following the principal dancers along the dance floor to pick up the conversation.
Broadway Melody won the Oscar for best picture for 1928/1929.
The Love Parade was a Paramount musical with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Parade was one of the early musicals and it was a hit.
Variety said, 'In Jeanette MacDonald, ingenue prima donna from Broadway, Chevalier has an actress opposite him that all but steals the picture.'
Love Parade was nominated for best picture 1929/1930.
Fox Films explored the great outdoors with their offering in 1929 of In Old Arizona directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh starring Warner Baxter.
In Old Arizona was nominated for best picture of 1928/1929.
Alibi was a United Artist film that starred Chester Morris, one of the early gangster films that won applause from the public as well as the industry.
Alibi got a best picture nomination for 1928/1929
All Quiet on the Western Front was produced as a silent film by Universal Pictures was a big production film that ran 152 minutes. The main writers came from the New York Theater, Maxwell Anderson and George Abbott, the star was Lew Ayers.
Anderson and Abbott wrote great titles for the film, which goes to prove that good writing makes good motion pictures.
All Quiet on the Western Front, even as a silent film, won an Oscar for best picture in 1930.
(To be Continued)
'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone”
Excerpt from Spicer hearing: Wyatt Earp continues his testimony.
"When we told them to throw up their hands, Claiborne held up his left hand and then broke and ran and I never seen him afterwards until late in the afternoon. I never drew my pistol or made a motion to shoot until after Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols. If Tom McLowry was unarmed, I did not know it. I believe he was armed and fired two shots at our party before Holliday, who had the shotgun, fired and killed him.
I never fired at Ike Clanton, even after the shooting commenced, because I thought he was unarmed. I believed then and believe now from the acts I have stated and the threats I have related and other threats communicated to me by different persons as having been made by Tom McLowry, Frank McLowry and Ike Clanton that these men, last named, had formed a conspiracy to murder my brothers Morgan and Virgil, Doc Holliday and myself. I believe I would have been legally and morally justified in shooting any of them on sight, but I did not do so nor attempt to do so -- I sought no advantage when I went as Deputy Marshall to help to disarm them. I did not intend to fight unless it became necessary in self-defense. When Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols, I knew it was a fight for life and I drew and fired in defense of my own life and the lives of my brothers and Doc Holliday."
Wyatt looked up for a moment and glared toward the prosecution bench. Then in a biting tone said, "The testimony of Isaac Clanton that I ever said anything to him about robbery, or of money going on the stage, or any improper communication whatever with any criminal enterprise -- is a tissue of lies from beginning to end."
Wyatt took a sip of water. “In relation to the conversations that I had with Ike Clanton, Frank McLowry and Joe Hill, they were four or five different times and they were all held in the back yard of the Oriental Saloon. I told Ike Clanton, in one of the conversations, that there were some parties here in town that were saying to give Doc Holliday the worst of it. There seemed to be some suspicion that he knew something about the attempted robbery and the killing of Bud Philpot. I figured if I could catch Leonard, Head and Crane I could prove to the citizens that Doc knew nothing of it."
There was a din of whispers in the gallery, rehashing the rumor about Doc's involvement in the Philpot killing.
Judge Spicer banged his gavel. "Order in the court."
Wyatt said, "In following the trail of the robbers we struck it at the scene of the attempted robbery and never lost the trail and hardly a foot track from the time we started from Drew's ranch on the San Pedro until we got to Helm's ranch in the Dragoons. After following about eighty miles down the San Pedro River we captured one of the men that was supposed to be in with them -- a man by the name of King. Then we crossed the Catalina Mountains to within fifteen miles of Tucson, following their trail around the
foot of the mountains after they had crossed over and followed the trail to Tres Alamos and then to Helm's ranch. We then started out from there and got on their trail.
They had stolen fifteen or twenty head of stock to cover their tracks. Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, R.H. Paul, Deputy Sheriff Breckenridge, Sheriff John Behan and one or two others still followed the trail up into New Mexico. The trail never led south from Helm's ranch as Ike Clanton has stated. We used every effort that we could to capture those men. I was out ten days, Virgil and Morgan Earp were out sixteen days and we did all we could to catch those men. If it had not been for myself and Morgan Earp, they would not have got King, as he started to run when we rode up to his hiding place and was making for a big patch of brush on the river and would have gotten into it, if it had not been for us."
Wyatt looked up at the judge and then out at the gallery.
"That is the end of my testimony and the facts, as I know them." Then he reached inside his coat pocket and took out two legal size sheets of paper. "I would like to introduce these documents, one sent me from Dodge City since my arrest. I wish to attach to this statement and mark it Exhibit A. And the second one sent to me from Wichita County which I wish to be marked Exhibit B."
"Your Honor, prosecution objects to the addition of that exhibit to his statement, as it is not a statement of the defendant but a statement of other people made after the alleged commission of this crime." Price was livid and shaking his fist.
Judge Spicer calmly said, "Objection overruled."
The letters containing a score of character witnesses from Dodge City and Wichita was filed and officially entered into the record.
Judge Spicer was ready to adjourn for the day, but looked toward the prosecution table and questioned, "Do you folks want to cross-examine the witness?" When he got no immediate answer the judge rapped his gavel and announced, "Court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
We’ve talked about how important the subconscious mind is to our writing experience. Shakespeare, Twain and Hemingway used that part of the brain in their creative writing. Here’s another example by William Faulkner. Now he doesn’t mention the subconscious, but he points us in that direction when he tells about his method of writing a novel. ‘It begins with a character, and once he stands on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.’
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
Let's Go to the Movies
Wyatt Earp Testimony at Spicer Hearing
Writers Notebook:
Hollywood Silents 1914-1929 (Part 14)
Following the Jazz Singer's great success, Hollywood was forced to rethink the movie business, and how to deal with sound. Of course tradition dies hard and some wanted to hang onto what they had, and they said as much. 'The true art in motion pictures comes from the silent screen. We don't need those tinny noises intruding on our work.' Of course that dream would soon be crushed by reality. Sound, or talkies as they were called at the time, needed a lot of work. Technology lagged far behind vision and the transition from silent film to sound was not going to be easy.
If you had to pick the most troublesome year of that era it would be 1928. That was the year when the dreamers and visionaries finally got on the same page. And while Hollywood's future was bright the present was bleak. The scramble to get a sound system in place and technicians that were capable of transferring sound to the silver screen was not going to be easy.
In the production of the Jazz Singer Warner's had used a system called Vitaphone, which was sound recorded onto a disc and then synchronized with the film image to produce the sound.
Several films made in 1928 used the Vitaphone system Disraeli, The Lights of New York and Noah's Ark were among them.
Technically it wasn't practical and the various interested companies Westinghouse, GE, RCA and Western Electric were all working on various ways to build a sound system that could be installed, at a reasonable cost, into thousands of theaters.
The first to use a more logical system was Disney in the production of a cartoon called Steamboat Willy, which had a fully synchronized sound track with music, voices and sound effects recorded optically onto the film.
Of course it took time and a coordinated effort to put it all together on the production end as well installing the equipment into individual theaters. The audience was patient though and bought tickets to whatever Hollywood sent them.
During the development period of 1928 it was a mixed bag with some films presenting a combination of sound and silence.
MGM was first to produce a full length motion picture using sound, not just in bits and pieces but the complete film. Broadway Melody was that picture and it was a hit with the critics as well as the public.
Variety gave Melody a good review and also pointed out that during one of the dance numbers they noted excellent workmanship on camera and mike following the principal dancers along the dance floor to pick up the conversation.
Broadway Melody won the Oscar for best picture for 1928/1929.
The Love Parade was a Paramount musical with Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald and directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Parade was one of the early musicals and it was a hit.
Variety said, 'In Jeanette MacDonald, ingenue prima donna from Broadway, Chevalier has an actress opposite him that all but steals the picture.'
Love Parade was nominated for best picture 1929/1930.
Fox Films explored the great outdoors with their offering in 1929 of In Old Arizona directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh starring Warner Baxter.
In Old Arizona was nominated for best picture of 1928/1929.
Alibi was a United Artist film that starred Chester Morris, one of the early gangster films that won applause from the public as well as the industry.
Alibi got a best picture nomination for 1928/1929
All Quiet on the Western Front was produced as a silent film by Universal Pictures was a big production film that ran 152 minutes. The main writers came from the New York Theater, Maxwell Anderson and George Abbott, the star was Lew Ayers.
Anderson and Abbott wrote great titles for the film, which goes to prove that good writing makes good motion pictures.
All Quiet on the Western Front, even as a silent film, won an Oscar for best picture in 1930.
(To be Continued)
'Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone”
Excerpt from Spicer hearing: Wyatt Earp continues his testimony.
"When we told them to throw up their hands, Claiborne held up his left hand and then broke and ran and I never seen him afterwards until late in the afternoon. I never drew my pistol or made a motion to shoot until after Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols. If Tom McLowry was unarmed, I did not know it. I believe he was armed and fired two shots at our party before Holliday, who had the shotgun, fired and killed him.
I never fired at Ike Clanton, even after the shooting commenced, because I thought he was unarmed. I believed then and believe now from the acts I have stated and the threats I have related and other threats communicated to me by different persons as having been made by Tom McLowry, Frank McLowry and Ike Clanton that these men, last named, had formed a conspiracy to murder my brothers Morgan and Virgil, Doc Holliday and myself. I believe I would have been legally and morally justified in shooting any of them on sight, but I did not do so nor attempt to do so -- I sought no advantage when I went as Deputy Marshall to help to disarm them. I did not intend to fight unless it became necessary in self-defense. When Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols, I knew it was a fight for life and I drew and fired in defense of my own life and the lives of my brothers and Doc Holliday."
Wyatt looked up for a moment and glared toward the prosecution bench. Then in a biting tone said, "The testimony of Isaac Clanton that I ever said anything to him about robbery, or of money going on the stage, or any improper communication whatever with any criminal enterprise -- is a tissue of lies from beginning to end."
Wyatt took a sip of water. “In relation to the conversations that I had with Ike Clanton, Frank McLowry and Joe Hill, they were four or five different times and they were all held in the back yard of the Oriental Saloon. I told Ike Clanton, in one of the conversations, that there were some parties here in town that were saying to give Doc Holliday the worst of it. There seemed to be some suspicion that he knew something about the attempted robbery and the killing of Bud Philpot. I figured if I could catch Leonard, Head and Crane I could prove to the citizens that Doc knew nothing of it."
There was a din of whispers in the gallery, rehashing the rumor about Doc's involvement in the Philpot killing.
Judge Spicer banged his gavel. "Order in the court."
Wyatt said, "In following the trail of the robbers we struck it at the scene of the attempted robbery and never lost the trail and hardly a foot track from the time we started from Drew's ranch on the San Pedro until we got to Helm's ranch in the Dragoons. After following about eighty miles down the San Pedro River we captured one of the men that was supposed to be in with them -- a man by the name of King. Then we crossed the Catalina Mountains to within fifteen miles of Tucson, following their trail around the
foot of the mountains after they had crossed over and followed the trail to Tres Alamos and then to Helm's ranch. We then started out from there and got on their trail.
They had stolen fifteen or twenty head of stock to cover their tracks. Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, R.H. Paul, Deputy Sheriff Breckenridge, Sheriff John Behan and one or two others still followed the trail up into New Mexico. The trail never led south from Helm's ranch as Ike Clanton has stated. We used every effort that we could to capture those men. I was out ten days, Virgil and Morgan Earp were out sixteen days and we did all we could to catch those men. If it had not been for myself and Morgan Earp, they would not have got King, as he started to run when we rode up to his hiding place and was making for a big patch of brush on the river and would have gotten into it, if it had not been for us."
Wyatt looked up at the judge and then out at the gallery.
"That is the end of my testimony and the facts, as I know them." Then he reached inside his coat pocket and took out two legal size sheets of paper. "I would like to introduce these documents, one sent me from Dodge City since my arrest. I wish to attach to this statement and mark it Exhibit A. And the second one sent to me from Wichita County which I wish to be marked Exhibit B."
"Your Honor, prosecution objects to the addition of that exhibit to his statement, as it is not a statement of the defendant but a statement of other people made after the alleged commission of this crime." Price was livid and shaking his fist.
Judge Spicer calmly said, "Objection overruled."
The letters containing a score of character witnesses from Dodge City and Wichita was filed and officially entered into the record.
Judge Spicer was ready to adjourn for the day, but looked toward the prosecution table and questioned, "Do you folks want to cross-examine the witness?" When he got no immediate answer the judge rapped his gavel and announced, "Court is adjourned until nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
We’ve talked about how important the subconscious mind is to our writing experience. Shakespeare, Twain and Hemingway used that part of the brain in their creative writing. Here’s another example by William Faulkner. Now he doesn’t mention the subconscious, but he points us in that direction when he tells about his method of writing a novel. ‘It begins with a character, and once he stands on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.’
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
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
The Academy Awards and Oscar
This Week
Meet me at the Ambassador
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Writers Notebook: Story origins
Ambassador Hotel
Monday, January 11, 1927
Thirty six members of the Hollywood motion picture community, interested in promoting the film industry, gathered at the Ambassador Hotel for dinner and a meeting.
Members attending that meeting are listed in alphabetical order: J.A. Ball, Richard Barthelmess, Fred Beetson, Charles H. Christie, George Cohen, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Joseph W. Farnham, Cedric Gibbons, Benjamin Glazer, Sid Grauman, Milton Hoffman, Jack Holt, Henry King, Jesse Lasky, M.C. Levee, Frank Lloyd, Harold Lloyd, Edwin Loeb, Jeanie MacPherson, Louis B. Mayer, Bess Meredyth, Conrad Nagel, Fred Niblo, Mary Pickford, Roy Pomeroy, Harry Rapf, Joseph Schenck, Milton Sills, John Stahl, Irving Thalberg, Raoul Walsh, Harry Warner, Jack L. Warner, Carey Wilson and Frank Woods.
During the meeting Mayer, Nagel, Niblo and Beetson laid out a general plan and fielded questions from the group. At the end of the meeting L.B. Mayer announced that the present group would be known as the official founders of the Academy of Motion Pictures.
Following that meeting the group moved swiftly to put together articles of incorporation. By mid March the first officers were elected: Douglas Fairbanks (president), Fred Niblo (vice president), M.C. Levee (treasurer), and Frank Woods (secretary).
On May 4, 1927 the State of California granted the academy a charter as a non profit corporation and one week later, on May 11, 1927 a festive and official organizational banquet took place in the Crystal Ball Room of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles with three hundred guests in attendance.
Of that group of three hundred two hundred and thirty wrote checks in the amount of one hundred dollars each and were accepted as Pioneer members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From that night in May it seems that everyone in the movie industry became enthusiastic about the academy and wanted to be a part of it.
Cedric Gibbons, one of the academy founders, was tasked with designing the statue of merit that would be handed out at the Academy Awards ceremony – Oscar was born.
Here are the major awards winners for the first Academy presentation. 1927-28
Production (Picture):
"WINGS," also nominated "The Racket," "Seventh Heaven...."
Actor:
EMIL JANNINGS in "The Way of All Flesh"
Actress:
JANET GAYNOR in "Seventh Heaven"
Director: (Two Awards)
Drama Direction:
FRANK BORZAGE for "Seventh Heaven"
Comedy Direction:
LEWIS MILESTONE for "Two Arabian Knights"
Adapted Screenplay:
Benjamin Glazer (Seventh Heaven)
Original Story:
Ben Hecht (Underworld)
(To be continued)
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing final Witness – View the OK Corral
Doc shuffled through his notes and pulled the one out that said, why didn’t Tom Fitch ask a follow up question of Mrs. Bourland regarding the cowboy’s hands up status. Then he mused, Judge Spicer asked Tom’s question with absolute clarity and Mrs. Bourland’s answer put to rest the cowboy’s surrender claims. Doc wadded up the note and chuckled as he flipped it into the trash basket.
T.J. Drum called Judge J.H. Lucas, a slight bespectacled man to the stand. The judge’s office is on the second floor of the Exchange Building which fronts on Fremont Street, on the opposite side of the street from Fly's building.
Judge Lucas was in his office on the afternoon of the difficulty heard the shots being fired and rushed to the front window. “I looked down the street and saw Billy Clanton standing in front of the house just below Fly's building. He had his pistol up and I thought was firing. Then for fear of a stray bullet, I drew my head in for an instant. When I looked again, he was still standing there with his pistol and I thought fighting."
"Did you see anyone other than Billy Clanton, shooting or fighting, as you said?" T.J. Drum asked.
"No. I did not see anyone else that I thought had weapons."
"What happened to Billy Clanton?"
"I saw from his movement that he was wounded. His body seemed to bend a little and his pistol was above his head as he was in the act of falling. He caught against the window or wall and turned partly around. He struggled until he was clean down to the ground. Then the firing ceased."
"Thank you Judge Lucas, I have no further questions."
The district attorney stepped forward to cross-examine the witness. "Did you see any other person or persons with arms and engaged in shooting at the time you saw a pistol in Billy Clanton's hand?"
“I did not. I heard considerable shooting, but could not see any other parties with weapons, except Billy Clanton."
Price then turned to the Judge, “I have no further questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Spicer said, “You may step down, Judge Lucas.”
As soon as Judge Lucas stepped out of the witness box Tom Fitch announced, “Defense has no further witnesses, Your Honor.”
Judge Spicer rubbed his chin and looked at his notes for a long moment. Then he relaxed and sat back in his chair. "I plan to take some time and study the testimony. I shall adjourn this court to be reconvened Tuesday morning November 29th at nine o'clock."
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Writers write best about what they know – sounds cliche, but it’s true. You might also add this bit, there’s a tinge of autobiography and a hint of bias in all of it.
Margaret Mitchell's ‘Gone the Wind’ is an excellent example. Ms. Mitchell based her great American novels location in and around Jonesboro, Georgia where her ancestors had lived, and a number of her characters were based on either relatives or people she knew.
Ernest Hemingway drew from a real life experience when he wrote ‘The Sun Also Rises.’ Donald Ogden Stewart, Oscar winning writer, and friend of Hemingway's tells that, while in Spain together they had made it into American newspapers as, ‘bullfighting Americanos’ in Pamplona in 1924. Then when ‘The Sun Also Rises’ was published in 1926, Stewart was mystified by the praise lavished on it. It seemed to him only an accurate journalistic account of what had actually happened during their trip to Pamplona with a group of friends, including some British Royalty. (Brett Ashley in the book).
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
Meet me at the Ambassador
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Writers Notebook: Story origins
Ambassador Hotel
Monday, January 11, 1927
Thirty six members of the Hollywood motion picture community, interested in promoting the film industry, gathered at the Ambassador Hotel for dinner and a meeting.
Members attending that meeting are listed in alphabetical order: J.A. Ball, Richard Barthelmess, Fred Beetson, Charles H. Christie, George Cohen, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Joseph W. Farnham, Cedric Gibbons, Benjamin Glazer, Sid Grauman, Milton Hoffman, Jack Holt, Henry King, Jesse Lasky, M.C. Levee, Frank Lloyd, Harold Lloyd, Edwin Loeb, Jeanie MacPherson, Louis B. Mayer, Bess Meredyth, Conrad Nagel, Fred Niblo, Mary Pickford, Roy Pomeroy, Harry Rapf, Joseph Schenck, Milton Sills, John Stahl, Irving Thalberg, Raoul Walsh, Harry Warner, Jack L. Warner, Carey Wilson and Frank Woods.
During the meeting Mayer, Nagel, Niblo and Beetson laid out a general plan and fielded questions from the group. At the end of the meeting L.B. Mayer announced that the present group would be known as the official founders of the Academy of Motion Pictures.
Following that meeting the group moved swiftly to put together articles of incorporation. By mid March the first officers were elected: Douglas Fairbanks (president), Fred Niblo (vice president), M.C. Levee (treasurer), and Frank Woods (secretary).
On May 4, 1927 the State of California granted the academy a charter as a non profit corporation and one week later, on May 11, 1927 a festive and official organizational banquet took place in the Crystal Ball Room of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles with three hundred guests in attendance.
Of that group of three hundred two hundred and thirty wrote checks in the amount of one hundred dollars each and were accepted as Pioneer members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From that night in May it seems that everyone in the movie industry became enthusiastic about the academy and wanted to be a part of it.
Cedric Gibbons, one of the academy founders, was tasked with designing the statue of merit that would be handed out at the Academy Awards ceremony – Oscar was born.
Here are the major awards winners for the first Academy presentation. 1927-28
Production (Picture):
"WINGS," also nominated "The Racket," "Seventh Heaven...."
Actor:
EMIL JANNINGS in "The Way of All Flesh"
Actress:
JANET GAYNOR in "Seventh Heaven"
Director: (Two Awards)
Drama Direction:
FRANK BORZAGE for "Seventh Heaven"
Comedy Direction:
LEWIS MILESTONE for "Two Arabian Knights"
Adapted Screenplay:
Benjamin Glazer (Seventh Heaven)
Original Story:
Ben Hecht (Underworld)
(To be continued)
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing final Witness – View the OK Corral
Doc shuffled through his notes and pulled the one out that said, why didn’t Tom Fitch ask a follow up question of Mrs. Bourland regarding the cowboy’s hands up status. Then he mused, Judge Spicer asked Tom’s question with absolute clarity and Mrs. Bourland’s answer put to rest the cowboy’s surrender claims. Doc wadded up the note and chuckled as he flipped it into the trash basket.
T.J. Drum called Judge J.H. Lucas, a slight bespectacled man to the stand. The judge’s office is on the second floor of the Exchange Building which fronts on Fremont Street, on the opposite side of the street from Fly's building.
Judge Lucas was in his office on the afternoon of the difficulty heard the shots being fired and rushed to the front window. “I looked down the street and saw Billy Clanton standing in front of the house just below Fly's building. He had his pistol up and I thought was firing. Then for fear of a stray bullet, I drew my head in for an instant. When I looked again, he was still standing there with his pistol and I thought fighting."
"Did you see anyone other than Billy Clanton, shooting or fighting, as you said?" T.J. Drum asked.
"No. I did not see anyone else that I thought had weapons."
"What happened to Billy Clanton?"
"I saw from his movement that he was wounded. His body seemed to bend a little and his pistol was above his head as he was in the act of falling. He caught against the window or wall and turned partly around. He struggled until he was clean down to the ground. Then the firing ceased."
"Thank you Judge Lucas, I have no further questions."
The district attorney stepped forward to cross-examine the witness. "Did you see any other person or persons with arms and engaged in shooting at the time you saw a pistol in Billy Clanton's hand?"
“I did not. I heard considerable shooting, but could not see any other parties with weapons, except Billy Clanton."
Price then turned to the Judge, “I have no further questions, Your Honor.”
Judge Spicer said, “You may step down, Judge Lucas.”
As soon as Judge Lucas stepped out of the witness box Tom Fitch announced, “Defense has no further witnesses, Your Honor.”
Judge Spicer rubbed his chin and looked at his notes for a long moment. Then he relaxed and sat back in his chair. "I plan to take some time and study the testimony. I shall adjourn this court to be reconvened Tuesday morning November 29th at nine o'clock."
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Writers write best about what they know – sounds cliche, but it’s true. You might also add this bit, there’s a tinge of autobiography and a hint of bias in all of it.
Margaret Mitchell's ‘Gone the Wind’ is an excellent example. Ms. Mitchell based her great American novels location in and around Jonesboro, Georgia where her ancestors had lived, and a number of her characters were based on either relatives or people she knew.
Ernest Hemingway drew from a real life experience when he wrote ‘The Sun Also Rises.’ Donald Ogden Stewart, Oscar winning writer, and friend of Hemingway's tells that, while in Spain together they had made it into American newspapers as, ‘bullfighting Americanos’ in Pamplona in 1924. Then when ‘The Sun Also Rises’ was published in 1926, Stewart was mystified by the praise lavished on it. It seemed to him only an accurate journalistic account of what had actually happened during their trip to Pamplona with a group of friends, including some British Royalty. (Brett Ashley in the book).
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
Through the Years With Oscar
This Week
The Early Years of Oscar
Judge Spicer Delivers his Finding
Writers Notebook: On rewriting.
'Open the envelope please.'
With the 72nd Motion Picture Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, March 7, 2010 I'd like to revisit and comment on some of the the early Oscar years.
Year, Film and Director:
1927/28 - Wings – William A. Wellman
1928/29 - The Broadway Melody – Harry Beaumont
1929/30 - All Quiet on the Western Front – Lewis Milestone
1930/31 - Cimarron – Wesley Ruggles
1931/32 - Grand Hotel – Edmond Goulding
1932/33 - Cavalcade – Frank Lloyd
1934 - It Happened one Night – Frank Capra
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty – Frank Lloyd
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld – Robert Z. Leonard
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola – William Dieterle
1938 - You can't Take it With you – Frank Capra
Choosing the best of the best every year just to be nominated is hard enough – then selecting one from that short list is almost impossible. Thankfully that winnowing process is done by several thousand academy members voting by secret ballot.
I suspect that through the years vote buying has been a minor problem, but all in all talent has generally won the day. And looking back to the early years, to make my point, I've looked up a few of those talented recipients from 1928 through 1938. I selected only four, beginning with Ben Hecht, Google them and maybe you'll make some changes – let me hear from you.
Ben Hecht won two writing Oscars for the Underworld and The Scoundrel.
Frances Marion won two for writing The Big House and The Champ.
Frank Lloyd won a directors award for Cavalcade and was nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty.
Frank Capra won three Oscars It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't take it With you. Capra was nominated for three others.
Next week we are going to concentrate on one single year 1939. Many contend that in 1939 more great films were produced in Hollywood than any other single year ever. We'll see what you think.
In the meantime, go to Oscar.com and see what the 72nd Academy Awards will be all about.
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing: Tuesday morning, November 29th
Judge Spicer’s courtroom was filled to capacity, everyone anxious to hear, first hand, the judge’s ruling. However, the crowd was immediately disappointed when the prosecution requested and was given the opportunity to call one more witness.
Ernest Storm took the stand and District Attorney Price questioned and re questioned the witness regarding Tom McLowry as to whether he was armed or not at the time of the confrontation. Storm was not at all convincing and the defense had no questions on cross-examination.
It was early in the day when Ernest Storm stepped out of the witness box¸ however since Judge Spicer needed to consider that last piece of evidence, he recessed the court until two o’clock that afternoon.
As clock hands neared the appointed hour Tombstone residents crowded into Judge Spicer's courtroom. Will McLowry and Ike Clanton sat at the prosecution table along with District Attorney Lyttleton Price and his chief assistant Earl Smith. At the defense table Doc and Wyatt sat between Tom Fitch and T.J. Drum. The gallery was populated with more than a score of lawyers and legal experts representing both sides of the argument.
Judge Spicer entered the courtroom and even before he took his seat picked up his gavel, slammed it onto the desk top and growled, "Quiet in the courtroom! Bailiff, them that can't stay quiet, escort them out of the room."
The courtroom immediately went from a din of chatter to pin drop silence.
The judge took his time, adjusted his spectacles and deliberately put his papers in order. Then in a clear voice, he read, in meticulous order, the formal charges. Spicer then ticked off several of the prosecution’s assertions and defense rebuttals.
The issue that seemed most perplexing to the judge was basic and had to do with the fairness of the fight. Prosecution contended that the Earps and Holliday had taken advantage of the cowboys and shot them as they were trying to surrender... The defense believed the Earps and Holliday had been drawn into an ambush, set up by the cowboys, and that they had every right to defend their own lives.
Judge Spicer pointed out specific testimony in an effort to make his point. "Addie Borland saw distinctly the approach of the Earps and Holliday. This was only minutes before the altercation. This witness was directly across the street where she could observe all their movements. She could not tell who fired first, that the firing commenced at once from both sides upon the approach of the Earp party. And that no one held his hands up -- she would have seen them had they been over their heads." The judge then took a sip of water and continued. "Another unbiased witness, Sills asserts that the firing was almost simultaneous. He cannot tell which side fired first.
The defendants were officers charged with the duty of disarming brave, determined men who were experts in the use of firearms. As quick as thought and certain as death and who had previously declared their intentions -- not to be arrested nor disarmed.”
The attorneys and partisan gallery listened intently.
"The testimony of Isaac Clanton that this tragedy was a result of a scheme on the part of the Earps to assassinate him, and thereby bury in oblivion the confessions the Earps had made to him about "piping" away the shipment of coin by Wells Fargo & Co., falls short of being a sound theory. The most prominent fact in the matter, to wit, Isaac Clanton was not injured at all. If it was the object of the attack to kill him, he would have been the first to fall. But, he was believed to be unarmed. And was suffered, so Wyatt Earp testifies, told to go away and was not harmed.
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Maybe I dwell too much on rewriting, but from my point of view rewriting is the most important part of our work.
That being said, there is no consensus on how to go about the task and that will probably never change.
However, here’s one system that I find very interesting.
‘Once you’ve begun a novel, finish it before you revise a word. Don’t polish as you go. Finishing not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but you’ll really know your characters and can spot pitfalls. Make notes of necessary changes that occur to you as you write,’ says writer Jill Marie Landis.
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
The Early Years of Oscar
Judge Spicer Delivers his Finding
Writers Notebook: On rewriting.
'Open the envelope please.'
With the 72nd Motion Picture Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, March 7, 2010 I'd like to revisit and comment on some of the the early Oscar years.
Year, Film and Director:
1927/28 - Wings – William A. Wellman
1928/29 - The Broadway Melody – Harry Beaumont
1929/30 - All Quiet on the Western Front – Lewis Milestone
1930/31 - Cimarron – Wesley Ruggles
1931/32 - Grand Hotel – Edmond Goulding
1932/33 - Cavalcade – Frank Lloyd
1934 - It Happened one Night – Frank Capra
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty – Frank Lloyd
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld – Robert Z. Leonard
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola – William Dieterle
1938 - You can't Take it With you – Frank Capra
Choosing the best of the best every year just to be nominated is hard enough – then selecting one from that short list is almost impossible. Thankfully that winnowing process is done by several thousand academy members voting by secret ballot.
I suspect that through the years vote buying has been a minor problem, but all in all talent has generally won the day. And looking back to the early years, to make my point, I've looked up a few of those talented recipients from 1928 through 1938. I selected only four, beginning with Ben Hecht, Google them and maybe you'll make some changes – let me hear from you.
Ben Hecht won two writing Oscars for the Underworld and The Scoundrel.
Frances Marion won two for writing The Big House and The Champ.
Frank Lloyd won a directors award for Cavalcade and was nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty.
Frank Capra won three Oscars It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't take it With you. Capra was nominated for three others.
Next week we are going to concentrate on one single year 1939. Many contend that in 1939 more great films were produced in Hollywood than any other single year ever. We'll see what you think.
In the meantime, go to Oscar.com and see what the 72nd Academy Awards will be all about.
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing: Tuesday morning, November 29th
Judge Spicer’s courtroom was filled to capacity, everyone anxious to hear, first hand, the judge’s ruling. However, the crowd was immediately disappointed when the prosecution requested and was given the opportunity to call one more witness.
Ernest Storm took the stand and District Attorney Price questioned and re questioned the witness regarding Tom McLowry as to whether he was armed or not at the time of the confrontation. Storm was not at all convincing and the defense had no questions on cross-examination.
It was early in the day when Ernest Storm stepped out of the witness box¸ however since Judge Spicer needed to consider that last piece of evidence, he recessed the court until two o’clock that afternoon.
As clock hands neared the appointed hour Tombstone residents crowded into Judge Spicer's courtroom. Will McLowry and Ike Clanton sat at the prosecution table along with District Attorney Lyttleton Price and his chief assistant Earl Smith. At the defense table Doc and Wyatt sat between Tom Fitch and T.J. Drum. The gallery was populated with more than a score of lawyers and legal experts representing both sides of the argument.
Judge Spicer entered the courtroom and even before he took his seat picked up his gavel, slammed it onto the desk top and growled, "Quiet in the courtroom! Bailiff, them that can't stay quiet, escort them out of the room."
The courtroom immediately went from a din of chatter to pin drop silence.
The judge took his time, adjusted his spectacles and deliberately put his papers in order. Then in a clear voice, he read, in meticulous order, the formal charges. Spicer then ticked off several of the prosecution’s assertions and defense rebuttals.
The issue that seemed most perplexing to the judge was basic and had to do with the fairness of the fight. Prosecution contended that the Earps and Holliday had taken advantage of the cowboys and shot them as they were trying to surrender... The defense believed the Earps and Holliday had been drawn into an ambush, set up by the cowboys, and that they had every right to defend their own lives.
Judge Spicer pointed out specific testimony in an effort to make his point. "Addie Borland saw distinctly the approach of the Earps and Holliday. This was only minutes before the altercation. This witness was directly across the street where she could observe all their movements. She could not tell who fired first, that the firing commenced at once from both sides upon the approach of the Earp party. And that no one held his hands up -- she would have seen them had they been over their heads." The judge then took a sip of water and continued. "Another unbiased witness, Sills asserts that the firing was almost simultaneous. He cannot tell which side fired first.
The defendants were officers charged with the duty of disarming brave, determined men who were experts in the use of firearms. As quick as thought and certain as death and who had previously declared their intentions -- not to be arrested nor disarmed.”
The attorneys and partisan gallery listened intently.
"The testimony of Isaac Clanton that this tragedy was a result of a scheme on the part of the Earps to assassinate him, and thereby bury in oblivion the confessions the Earps had made to him about "piping" away the shipment of coin by Wells Fargo & Co., falls short of being a sound theory. The most prominent fact in the matter, to wit, Isaac Clanton was not injured at all. If it was the object of the attack to kill him, he would have been the first to fall. But, he was believed to be unarmed. And was suffered, so Wyatt Earp testifies, told to go away and was not harmed.
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Maybe I dwell too much on rewriting, but from my point of view rewriting is the most important part of our work.
That being said, there is no consensus on how to go about the task and that will probably never change.
However, here’s one system that I find very interesting.
‘Once you’ve begun a novel, finish it before you revise a word. Don’t polish as you go. Finishing not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but you’ll really know your characters and can spot pitfalls. Make notes of necessary changes that occur to you as you write,’ says writer Jill Marie Landis.
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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