Category Archives: Television

A birthday card from Paris from Gregory Peck

Posted on April 5, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Gregory Peck and I were born on April 5 and when he turned 80 he sent me a card from Paris on which he wrote, “This French graffiti describes perfectly how it feels to be 80 … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged 'Old Gringo', 'The Blue and the Gray', Abraham Lincoln, April 5, Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Orbit Video, Ruth Gordon, TV Guide Canada | Comments Off

Canadian actress Alberta Watson dies

Posted on March 23, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Canadian actress Alberta Watson has died aged 60. I knew her long ago as Susan. To meet Susan Watson in 1977 was to fall in love. She was 21, beautiful and a force of nature. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, News, Television | Tagged Alberta Watson | Comments Off

When Mr. Spock invited me on a day out

Posted on February 27, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett It was the familiar voice of Mr. Spock on the phone although Leonard Nimoy, who died today aged 83, at the time was soon to publish his defiant memoire, “I Am Not Spock”.

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television, Theatre | Tagged 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Star Trek', Leonard Nimoy | Comments Off

Why vet and author James Herriot never got rich

Posted on February 24, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett The stories of veterinarean James Herriot, who wrote “All Creatures Great and Small” and died 20 years ago today aged 79, remain immensely popular and they attract many tourists to Yorkshire but they did not make him … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged 'All Creatures Great and Small', James Herriot | 2 Comments

Why Jon Stewart should listen to Johnny Carson

Posted on February 13, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett Count me among those who will hate to see Jon Stewart walk away from “The Daily Show” and I wish he could have heard what Johnny Carson told me about his own temptations to quit “The Tonight … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, Interviews, Television | Tagged 'Rosewater', 'The Daily Show', 'The Tonight Show', 'Today', Jane Pauley, Johnny Carson, Jon Stewart, NBC | 1 Comment

The time I asked Robert Wagner about mortality

Posted on February 10, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett “What the hell kind of question is that?” It’s 1985 and I’m sitting with Robert Wagner, who turns 85 today, in his luxury trailer on the Warner Bros. lot where he was making the shortlived TV series … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged 'Colditz', 'Hart to Hart', 'To Catch a Thief', Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner | Comments Off

Warrior Andy McNab loves a good story like ‘Mamma Mia’

Posted on February 2, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett Things you might know about Andy McNab: He was a highly decorated SAS soldier; he wrote the bestselling “Bravo Two Zero” about his time in combat in the Gulf War; and he writes action thrillers, the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Interviews, Television | Tagged 'Brute Force', 'Tour of Duty', Andy McNab | Comments Off

Peter Cook’s pact with the devil for Dudley Moore

Posted on January 9, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett There’s a general view that comic genius Peter Cook, who died 20 years ago today, was a bitter and unhappy man who resented the film success of his former partner Dudley Moore. That’s not how he appeared … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Television, Theatre | Tagged 'Beyond the Fringe', 'Good Evening', 'Not Only ... But Also', 'Two for the Road', Dudley Moore, Peter Cook | Comments Off

Rock Hudson and the Hollywood AIDS scare

Posted on November 17, 2014 by admin

Rock Hudson, who would have been 90 years-old today, had a more significant impact on Hollywood when he died than in a long acting career that included “Giant” (pictured), 1960s comedies with Doris Day and TV series “McMillan & Wife”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, Television | Tagged AIDS, Rock Hudson | 2 Comments

TIFF 2014: A tale of three Equalizers

Posted on September 7, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett File under “it’s a small world”: I’m at my old pal Ron Base’s place in Milton for a Sunday brunch chatting with another guest, Hans Gerhardt, who ran the Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto when it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Television, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged 'Sanibel Sunset Detective', 'The Equalizer', Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Hans Gerhardt, Michael Sloan, Ron Base, Sutton Place Hotel, TIFF, Toronto Inernational Film Festival | Comments Off