Category Archives: Memory Lane

When Mackenzie Phillips was fired from ‘One Day at a Time’

Posted on September 26, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Mackenzie Phillips has written a memoir titled “High On Arrival” in which she says that she had an incestuous relationship with her father, John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Family members have fallen … Continue reading →

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In praise of Coffee Crisp, the great Canadian candy bar

Posted on July 2, 2009 by admin

The best candy bar in the world is (tragically) very hard to find in the U.K. Whenever I am in Canada, the one thing I always make sure to bring back to the U.K. is a bunch of candy bars … Continue reading →

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MUSIC REVIEW: ‘Filmharmonic’ at the Royal Albert Hall

Posted on May 10, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Filmharmonic concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday night kept a large crowd of film music enthusiasts entertained with scores by top composers including John Williams, Maurice Jarre, John Barry, Lalo … Continue reading →

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Films about newspapers, like newspapers, are a dying breed

Posted on April 26, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett Watching the final edition of The Los Angeles Herald Examiner roll off the presses in November 1989 remains one of the most haunting memories of my life and it’s a tragedy that more papers are going bust. … Continue reading →

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Recalling Renee on her birthday

Posted on November 21, 2008 by admin

‘Your sweet and shiny eyes are like the stars above Laredo, like meat and potatoes to me. In my sweet dreams we are in a bar and it’s your birthday, drinking salty margaritas … ‘  

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Christopher Walter always asked the right question

Posted on September 18, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett Christopher Walter sat next to me in class at Ashford Boys Grammar School in Kent. He was smart and went on to the sixth form while I went off to seek my fortune in the newspaper game. … Continue reading →

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Ye Olde Steak House: a fond farewell

Posted on September 30, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett I’ve eaten in a great number of restaurants in my life, good, bad and indifferent, but only two ever captured my heart. One is Dan Tana’s on Santa Monica Boulevard, the most enjoyable dining establishment in Los … Continue reading →

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Recalling … lunch with Richard Jaeckel in Detroit

Posted on September 19, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett The London Chop House in Detroit, Michigan, was a favorite spot for celebrity interviews on the publicity circuit, which was how I came to share a table one day in 1973 with Jo Don Baker and Richard … Continue reading →

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Like Gregory Peck, on my birthday, ‘Above all, life!’

Posted on April 5, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett Gregory Peck sent me this postcard from Paris in 1996. We shared the same birthday, April 5, and once we exchanged cards. He wrote: “This French graffiti describes perfectly how it feels to be 80 all of a … Continue reading →

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Elton John at 60 recalling happy days

Posted on March 25, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett I can recall when none of my friends wanted to see Elton John, who turns 60 today. It was 1971 and the only Elton John record anyone had heard was the ballad “Your Song.” I was working … Continue reading →

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