Category Archives: Recalling …

A nod from Orson Welles was good enough

Posted on May 6, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – I never spoke to Orson Welles – who was born 100 years ago today and will be the subject of a two-month season at the BFI Southbank – but he did respond with a nod … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, News, Recalling ... | Tagged ', 'Chimes at Midnight', 'Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles', 'Orson Welles - The Great Disruptor', BFI Southbank, Orson Welles | 1 Comment

Recalling … Ernie Harwell, voice of the Detroit Tigers

Posted on May 4, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The first baseball game I ever saw was at Tiger Stadium in Detroit in 1970 and a bonus of living across the river in Windsor, Ontario, was that I was able to hear the club’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ... | Tagged Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell, Jim Coleman, Jose Feliciano, Leo Durocher, Tiger Stadium | Comments Off

Bernard Slade: From ‘Bewitched’ to Broadway

Posted on May 2, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Bernard Slade, who turns 85 today, created TV shows such as “The Flying Nun” and “The Partridge Family” but he had his greatest success with the smash hit Broadway play “Same Time, Next Year”. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television, Theatre | Tagged 'Bewitched', 'Same Time, 'The Flying Nun', 'The Partridge Family', Bernard Slade, Next Year' | Comments Off

Why Carolyn Jones did not want to kiss Elvis Presley

Posted on April 28, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – When I interviewed Carolyn Jones, who would have turned 85 today, she told me she had been sick but she did not tell me she was dying. Famous as Morticia in the 1960s TV series … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ... | Tagged 'How the West Was Won', 'The Addams Family', Carolyn Jones, Elvis Presley, John Astin, Paddy Chayefsky | 16 Comments

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

How I introduced Martin Short to Steve Martin

Posted on March 26, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The memory of how I introduced Martin Short, who is 65 today, to Steve Martin still cracks me up but I’ve discovered that I’m the only one who thinks it’s funny. It was backstage at … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Theatre | Tagged Anne Lockhart, Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Pee Wee Herman, Roxy Theatre, Steve Martin, Steven Kampmann | 1 Comment

Dashing into action to the aid of Rachel Weisz

Posted on March 5, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz, who turns 45 on March 7, is Mrs. Daniel Craig now but there was a moment, a single moment, when she only had eyes for me.

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Theatre | Tagged 'A Streetcar Named Desire', Olivier Awards, Rachel Weisz, Rob Ashford | Comments Off

20 David Niven movies you should see

Posted on March 1, 2015 by admin

By Ray Bennett David Niven, who was born 105 years ago today and died aged 73 in 1983, gave Ron Base and me the best quote of all time. The Oscar-winning British actor was on a book tour to promote … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Comment, Film, Memory Lane, Recalling ... | Tagged 'Around the World in Eighty Days', 'The Moon's a Balloon', Constance Towers, David Niven | 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