Tag Archives: Burt Lancaster

When Burt Lancaster wrote me a letter …

By Ray Bennett LONDON – When the Burt Lancaster film ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ (below) came out in 1962, I wrote about it in the Gravesend Reporter, where I was doing my training in Kent, England. Fascinated by the prisoner’s story, … Continue reading

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The night Jeanne Moreau and I had square bottoms

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Standing alone in the middle of the stalls before a concert in Ghent, I saw the petite figure of a woman enter the hall and stroll to the seat directly in front of me. She … Continue reading

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Lancaster, Curtis and La Lollo fly high in ‘Trapeze’

By Ray Bennett LONDON – One year before Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis made cynical music together in Alexander Mackendrick’s “Sweet Smell of Success”, they spent some time flying through the air for Carol Reed in “Trapeze”. The 1956 circus … Continue reading

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Paul Newman dies

By Ray Bennett LONDON – One of the frequent disappointments in meeting film stars is realizing how much their charisma and star power depend on the power of the movie screen. In my experience, only a few stars retain that aura … Continue reading

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Paul Schofield dies

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The great actor Paul Scofield, 1966 Oscar-winner for “A Man For All Seasons,” has died. He was 86. Reuters says he died peacefully at a hospital near his home in southern England, quoting his agent … Continue reading

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