Mickatalinius

Mick:

You do keep me on my toes, sir. Let's give you some of the SPARTACUS trivia first. The original director was Anthony Mann, he of all those great James Stewart westerns. You were correct on the Woody Strode question. They did create a replica of him, but it looked phoney, so he did the scene himself. The replica hung round Universal prop rooms for years after. The huge battle scenes with the thousands of extras were shot in Spain. It took 6 weeks to do it, and they used the Spanish Army for most of it. Ustinov was the ONLY actor in a Kubrick film to win an Oscar. Peter Sellers was nominated for STRANGELOVE, but didn't win. After Jean Simmons had turned down the Virinia role, an actress named Sabine Bethmann (no shit) was cast in the part. She was a German actress, quite a looker, and SPARTACUS would have been her first film in English. But Kubrick canned her ass. Before Jean Simmons accepted the role, Ingrid Bergman, Jeanne Moreau, and Elsa Martinelli all turned it down. The actor who dubbed the dead Olivier's lines in the oysters and snails scene was Anthony Hopkins. Olivier's widow, Joan Plowright, picked him because she knew he could mimic Olivier. The cinematographer that took home an Oscar for doing nothing basically, was Russell Metty. Kubrick, always the perfectionist, shot 90% of the film himself. Dalton Trumbo wanted Orson Welles to play the pirate chiefton that Herbert Lom played. When they shot the close-ups in the battle scene on Univeral's back lot, we can see a "truck" tooling along in the background. Tony Curtis, in one scene as Antoninius is wearing a Rolex wrist watch. Really, Mickster, I thought you would know some of this stuff!

You really nailed all the stuff in NORTH TO ALASKA. Yup, we all got a tenth of a second thrill from Capucine's nipple. It was Fabian in it, yes. Stewart Granger is also correct. And damn rights, the director was Henry Hathaway. Kudos for pointing out Joe Sawyer as the judge. I had forgotten his Sgt. Biff O'Hara on THE ADVENTURES OF RIN TIN TIN. By the way, who played the officer at the fort? What was the name of the fort? Who played the young boy who owned Rinty? What was the year the series was on? What did Rusty yell when he wanted the dog's attention? Do you remember Sterling Holloway, Andy Clyde, Harry Dean Stanton, Leo Gordon, and Monte Blue, as well as Iron Eyes Cody on it?

Jean Simmons was in THE ROBE (1953) too, yes, but the director was not DeMille, it was the more pedestrian Henry Koster. The sequel, DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (1954), was directed by Delmer Daves.

Now as to WAGON TRAIN (1957-1965), Ward Bond's name was Major Seth Adams. Bond died in 1960 of a heart attack. He was born in 1903, so that only made him 57 years old when he kicked the bucket. He looked a lot older. By the way, in 1959, what Bob Hope film did Bond do a cameo in, playing Seth Adams? Now that I am 62, it scares me to think of Bond dying so young, likewise Bogart, Cooper, and Gable, all before they were 60. Bond's replacement, who ended up working on the series for 5 seasons was the great character actor, John McIntire, playing Christopher Hale. Who played the scout for Bond? His name and character's name. Who played the cook? Who played the scout for McIntire. Do you remember Morgan Woodward on the later years?

Yes, Duke stuck his neck out to direct and produce THE ALAMO, working on it in 1960. What capacity did director John Ford play for that film? Where did John Wayne build the set for THE ALAMO? Do you realize that it is still standing? I visited it. There is a western town near it where they filmed among other things LONESOME DOVE.

As to Paul Newman, don't I get a kudo for knowing his first TV role was in TALES OF TOMORROW? He played Billy the Kid four years before LEFT HANDED GUN on THE PHILCO TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE. Correct, sir, on THE SILVER CHALICE. Who played the bad guy in that film? Who were the two main actresses in it? Yes, I was aware of Steve McQueen, in long curly hair, as the punk, fighting on the roof top in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956), directed by Robert Wise. What was the character's name that McQueen played? He did have a line or two in it. What other young actor was in the gang in that fight? Who played the punk that Newman cared so much about, and tried to save?

I think the DeMille line was uttered by Yul Brynner in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I think the character actor who backed up Frank Sinatra was Hoagy Carmichael. The Lorne Greene trivia is tough. His real name was Lyon Himan Green. He did a ton of TV roles before he got BONANZA in 1959. Perhaps you are referring to the other TV series he had for a short time in 1956. He played Captain Grant "Mitch" Mitchell on the series SAILOR OF FORTUNE. What was Greene's character in THE SILVER CHALICE?

Absolute kudos for your Brad Dexter connecting to William Holden. I will send you another challenge later today, just giving you the pick actor or actress (target) and then tell you who you must connect to. It shoud be fun. You do the same for me.

Big Hugs, No Tongue: Glutius Buttimus, Film Emporer for Life.

Mick wrote:

Great scene with Ustinov and Mcgraw looking down on him but ah what relief when Jean Simmons appears. As a wee lad I first fell in love with her opposite young Richard Burton in The Robe, I think another one of those Cecil B Demille specials. You lost me on the Spartacus questions but I think that was Woody hanging upside down. That's something Burt Lancaster liked to do. Sheb Wooley played Pete on Rawhide and never shaved in any of his westerns. You presented me with a challenge from Marion Michael Morrison and Wardell Bond so I'll try it but give me a little time. What was Ward Bonds name on Wagon Train. He died unexpectedly during the series and the studio was lost for a short time to fill in the voids. Who came in to fill the gap in a cameo role voluntarily and saved the show until replacements were found and what part did he play?

Tell me all the Spartacus ditties, not to be confused with titties, and I believe your buddy Woody Strode, who was built like a brick shit house as you well know, played football at USC or UCLA and I think the pros probably the LA Rams.

What Jack and Paul wanted to be and talked about was to become and live like "The Natural Man", who unfortunatly is an extinct species. The director was Henry Hathaway, the year was 1960, Stewart Granger was George Pratt to young brother Billy (Fabian) working the gold mine with partner Sam Mccord (Duke Wayne) and that was the first time this 13 year old kid saw a raw nipple (Cappucine) in a movie and I never forgot anything about that movie even Joe Sawyer playing the judge at the end of the movie who was Sgt Biff Ohara on tv's Rin Tin Tin. Duke would have been broke if the Alamo hadn't been a box office hit because he used all his money his production co. Batjac money and borrowed money to make the Alamo the project he poured his heart into and wanted to do for over a decade. Followed with North To Alaska another box office hit made 1960 the banner year for Batjac and Duke and he didn't have to be paronoid about money again.

Paul Newman's first movie was a Roman ridiculous ruse for a movie The Silver Chalise with Lorne Green; what was Pa Cartwright's title before his Hollywood days? Newman hated his performance so much that he took out an ad in the trade paper, Variety, and apoligized for his performance. I remember seeing young Paul on the CBS tv show You are There so that's my guess on tv's Billy the Kid. His second movie Somebody up there likes me had young Steve Mcqueen playing a street punk in a gang knife fight for a brief moment with no lines and no credits.

Who uttered these lines from one of the fifties Cecille B Demille big productions "laughter, laughter, I'll turn there laughter into torrents of rage." What famous character actor was Frank Sinatra's back up singer for the Tommy Dorsey band? He sang in a few movies but not on tv.

Target actor Brad Dexter connecting to William Holden
1. Brad was in The Magnificent Seven with Yul Bryner
2. Yul was in Cast a Giant shadow with James Donald
3. James Donald was in Lust for Life with Kirk Douglas
4. Kirk Douglas was in Lonely are the Brave with William Schallert
5. William Schallert was in The High and the Mighty with Duke Wayne
6. Duke was in the Horse Soldiers with William Holden

Regards, Mickatalinius
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