A major figure in 20th century Hollywood history has died. Norman Jewison, the man behind some of the most famous and popular movies of the 1960s, ’70s, and 80s passed away last weekend at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97 years old. The Canandian-born Jewison got his start in the entertainment industry working … Read more
Jewison’s masterpiece, probably, is “Moonstruck,” written by John Patrick Shanley. Shanley, now 73, is Bronx-born Vietnam veteran who got a degree in Educational Theater from New York University after the war. He ended up writing 23 plays, including Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Italian American Reconciliation, Doubt: A Parable, and Brooklyn Laundry, which opens … Read more
Norman Jewison, the Canadian director best known for In the Heat of the Night, Moonstruck, and more, has died at the age of 97. Norman Jewison, one of Canada’s most acclaimed filmmakers, has died at the age of 97. Throughout his long career, Jewison really did it all, ranging from musicals to dramas to romantic … Read more
One of the most important TV producers in the history of the medium has died. Norman Lear, whose work completely reshaped the American television sitcom, passed away in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was 101 years old. Born in Connecticut in 1922, Lear served in the Air Force in World War II, where he took part … Read more
3. “Cold Turkey”: Back in 1971, Roger awarded four stars to Lear’s scathing satire of the tobacco industry starring Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart. “What we need are mean comedies, filled with mean and petty people who hate and envy each other, and exhibit the basest of human motives. Comedies like that canonized W. … Read more
CBS was so nervous about the first episode of “All in the Family,” it ran what today we might call a trigger warning, saying that the show “seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show—in a mature fashion—just how absurd … Read more