That's Old News! (#3)

I found some pretty interesting articles for the month of November. Let's journey back...

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From vaudeville.org

The late, great entertainer, Florence Mills received some flack (from an unnamed reviewer) for a cabaret show in November of 1925. Read The Afro American article here.

Warning: This article is ridden with shaming and sprinkled with some colorism. 

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Legendary bandleader Blanche Calloway and Her Orchestra headlined a "big musical revue" at the Howard Theatre in early December of 1936. Click here to read more details on the show in The Afro American.

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Paul Robeson in 1942

The Pittsburgh Press recognized the great renaissance man, Paul Robeson, for his achievements in school, sports, film, and on the stage in this 1944 article.

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According to this Pittsburgh Press article written by the notorious Hedda Hopper, France Nuyen was set to star in the Raoul Walsh film, Marines, Let's Go (released in 1961). 

France Nuyen in a publicity still for Satan Never Sleeps (1962)

Ms. Nuyen doesn't appear in the credits for Marines, Let's Go--I'm curious to know why the casting fell through...

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James Wong Howe on the set of Molly Maguires in 1969

Along with being a legendary cinematographer, James Wong Howe was also one of Hollywood's most considerate and encouraging spirits. The Sun calls him "an amateur psychologist" in this 1964 article. 

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Unless noted otherwise, all of the photos above were obtained from their designated subject's Wikipedia pages. They are all being used for informational purposes only. If the rightful owner of any of these photos wishes to have them removed, please contact me, and I will do so immediately.

--Adrienne

Movie of the Week: James Wong Howe: Cinematographer (Documentary) Review

I can't really bring myself to "review" this documentary. I'd rather tell you what I thought and what I took from it, especially as someone studying Film.

James Wong Howe in 1969

First, this 30-minute documentary gives a brief account (through director Daniel Mann's narration) of James Wong Howe's childhood and early adult life. Then, the remainder of it unfolds with the words of Mr. Howe himself (through an interview with Frank McGeary) as he talks about the ins and outs of his cinematography and cinematography in general. We are also shown clips and images on the sets of some of the films he's worked on--behind-the-scenes footage from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) is shown more extensively.

Movie poster for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)

As an aspiring filmmaker, I learned so much in this 30-minute movie--so much about cinematography and storytelling. I learned about creativity and innovation. I was inspired--and who doesn't love the feeling of being inspired? 

James Wong Howe with his first Oscar for Best Cinematography (1956)

I would have loved for this documentary to have dug a little deeper into James Wong Howe's experiences on set. For example, he told an incredible story about how he was able to fix a very big problem on the set of Call of the Canyon (1923)--you'd have to see it and hear it to believe it. It would have been awesome to hear more stories like that. Alas, time didn't permit a lot of things in this documentary, but it was still great to watch.

Movie poster for The Call of the Canyon (1923)

I highly recommend watching James Wong Howe: Cinematographer for historical, educational, inspirational, and motivational purposes!

Here it is on Vimeo: 

James Wong Howe: Cinematographer

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All of the above images (with the exception of James Wong Howe with his Oscar) were obtained from Wikipedia and are all being used for informational and educational purposes only. The image Oscar image of Mr. Howe was obtained from the Academy's official website.

 If the owner(s) of any of these images wishes to have them removed, please contact me and I will do so immediately.

--Adrienne

The Influential Gabriel Figueroa

Painting, photography, cinematography--Mr. Figueroa was a man who studied and mastered it all and went on to become of the cinema's most influential cinematographers. 

A simple Google Image Search alone will show you just how powerful and simply beautiful his work was.

Mr. Figueroa worked on countless Mexican films--and some Hollywood films as well. Did you know that he was Director of Photography (DP) on The Night of the Iguana?

Click Here

to learn more about Mr. Figueroa and his awesome work. 

James Wong Howe, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer

The great cinematographer, Mr. James Wong Howe photographed some of Classic Hollywood's most popular films.

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Here are some clips/trailers from some of those great films:

Peter Pan (1924)

James Wong Howe was credited as "James Howe" for Peter Pan. Judging by the clip, this movie looks like it has been well-preserved over the years, therefore making it easier for us to observe Howe's work in it. 

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Shanghai Express (1932)

This is a fan-made video consisting of several short clips from Shanghai Express. Photographer Lee Garmes won the Best Cinematography Academy Award for this film, but Marlene Dietrich claimed that director Josef von Sternberg directed most of the cinematography--and James Wong Howe went uncredited for his work. 

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The Thin Man (1934)

This is the trailer for the hit comedy-mystery, The Thin Man (1934). There are some amazing distance and close-up shots in this trailer!

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Algiers (1938)

Here is a gorgeous clip from Howe's first Oscar-nominated work.

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Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Did you know that Howe was the Director of Photography for this Warner Brothers Classic?

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James Wong Howe won his first Oscar as Director of Photography for The Rose Tattoo (1955). 

He won his second Oscar for his work in 1963's Hud.

Hud (1963)

Check out this beautifully shot scene from Hud.


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