Category Archives: Comment

20 David Niven movies you should see

Posted on March 1, 2025 by admin

By Ray Bennett David Niven, who was born 115 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 →

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The astonishing range of Gene Hackman

Posted on January 30, 2025 by admin

By Ray Bennett With most movie stars it’s not very difficult to sort out a Top 10 of your favourite films but Gene Hackman’s exceptional 40-year career has included so many terrific performances in such a wide range of films … Continue reading →

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Thinking of my Dad on New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 31, 2024 by admin

By Ray Bennett My late older brother Roland phoned from England on New Year’s Eve to tell me that our Dad, Alexander Bennett, had died. I thought it was 35 years ago but another year has slipped by and I … Continue reading →

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When I mixed up Frankie Avalon with another former teen idol

Posted on September 18, 2024 by admin

By Ray Bennett ‘It wasn’t exactly Elvis in Las Vegas’. That was the lede in our story after my colleague Ron Base and I interviewed Frankie Avalon, who turns 84 today,  when he performed in cabaret at a seedy nightclub … Continue reading →

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That time when Lauren Bacall gave me a smacker

Posted on September 16, 2024 by admin

By Ray Bennett ‘You know how to whistle, don’t ya? Just put your lips together and blow.’ Whenever I watch the movie ‘To Have and Have Not’, that provocative line Lauren Bacall (photo below) says to Humphrey Bogart always gives … Continue reading →

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Marlon Brando: the man behind the myth

Posted on April 3, 2024 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The myth surrounding Marlon Brando, who was born 100 years ago today, has centred not only on his brilliant acting in films such as ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (with Vivien Leigh above),  ‘On the Waterfront’, … Continue reading →

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Gregory Peck on Abraham Lincoln: ‘A secular saint’

Posted on February 12, 2024 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Oscar-winning actor Gregory Peck was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln, who was born 215 years ago today. In 1982, he fulfilled a dream when he portrayed the U.S. president in the TV mini-series ‘The … Continue reading →

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Dave Robb, a fine reporter and great friend

Posted on November 16, 2023 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — A friend of mine is gravely ill and so, risking his wrath, I want to write this now rather than later. David Robb is the best reporter I’ve ever known and I’ve been fortunate to … Continue reading →

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When Burt Lancaster wrote me a letter …

Posted on November 2, 2023 by admin

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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Charlie Rich belongs in the Country Music Hall of Fame

Posted on October 24, 2023 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — Charlie Rich is the biggest star in country music not to be admitted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is time that was corrected. Charlie, who died in 1995 aged 62, was one … Continue reading →

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