Recalling Little Richard, rock’n’roll’s greatest

Posted on December 5, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – The first recording I ever bought was a 78rpm double-A side single of ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Tutti Frutti’ by Little Richard, who was born 90 years ago today. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Memory Lane, Music, Recalling ... | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Recalling Little Richard, rock’n’roll’s greatest

Jerry Lee Lewis was no rock’n’roll hero to me

Posted on November 5, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – Now that he has been laid to rest, it’s time to offer some balance to the hysterical reaction to the death of Jerry Lee Lewis. Given that today an artist can be cancelled on the basis of rumours of misbehaviour, it was staggering to see a man’s reckless life not just forgiven but heralded because he had a couple of hit records fifty-five years ago.  Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, Memory Lane, Music, Recalling ..., Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Recalling … a great afternoon with Deidre Hall

Posted on October 31, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – One of the true  queens of the soaps, ‘Days of Our Lives’ star Deidre Hall, who turns 75 today, sent me a very nice note after I interviewed her in 1981 for a cover story in Canadian TV Guide. 

‘Dear Ray, I’m very proud of our “product”. It’s not surprising that a story that fine would come out of an interview that fine. Love, Deidre.’

I interviewed many stars of daytime dramas for the magazine but Hall, warm, friendly and candid, was one of the most enjoyable. We spent a lovely afternoon at her pretty home in Studio City where she lived alone between marriages.  Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Recalling … a great afternoon with Deidre Hall

There’s always a Ray in the movies

Posted on October 24, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – From ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ to ‘Ghostbusters’ to ‘Field of Dreams’ and now ‘Raymond & Ray’, there’s always a Ray in the movies and television. Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, Film, Television | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s always a Ray in the movies

Recalling … Jackie Collins, ‘me too’ before ‘me too’

Posted on October 4, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – Novelist Jackie Collins, who was born 85 years ago today, wrote about the problems women faced in Hollywood long before the ‘me too’ movement came along.

Younger sister of Joan Collins, she was known for sexy blockbusters such as The Stud’, ‘The Bitch’ snd ‘The World Is Full of Divorced Women’ and her tinseltown series including ‘Hollywood Wives’, ‘Hollywood Husbands’ and ‘Hollywood Divorces’. Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ... | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Recalling … Jackie Collins, ‘me too’ before ‘me too’

Sacheen Littlefeather: Apache with a great sense of humour

Posted on October 3, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON  – Sacheen Littlefeather, who has died of cancer aged 75, was known as a very serious social activist on behalf of  Native Americans but she had a great sense of humour, especially regarding her upbringing and a brush with Playboy Magazine. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, News, Recalling ... | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sacheen Littlefeather: Apache with a great sense of humour

When Nancy Ames invited me to her show …

Posted on September 30, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – American singer Nancy Ames, who turns 85 today, once said she was my biggest fan. It began when I went to interview her for The Windsor Star in Canada and fell in love. Continue reading →

Posted in Memory Lane, Music, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on When Nancy Ames invited me to her show …

A visit by the Queen was mostly fleeting memories …

Posted on September 8, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – In June of 1973, Queen Elizabeth II made a tour of Canada and The Windsor Star newspaper sent me to cover her visit at the nearest city where she would be seen, London , Ontario.

The Queen, along with the Duke of Edinburgh, was in the rain-soaked city for precisely 140 minutes to meet local dignitaries, receive a bouquet of flowers and a gift from the city, inspect an honour guard, sign the guest book, lunch with 500 local bigwigs, stroll through a roped-off section of Victoria Park (where the sun came out) and wave goodbye.

This was my story … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory Lane, Recalling ... | Tagged , | Comments Off on A visit by the Queen was mostly fleeting memories …

Recalling Rory Calhoun: car thief, jailbird, movie star

Posted on August 8, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – Rory Calhoun was a colourful old-time film star whose real-life story was as action-packed as any movie. Born 100 years ago today, he stole cars, spent time in prison and worked as a logger, miner, cowboy, forest-fire fighter and, briefly, as a professional boxer before he turned to acting. Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Interviews, Memory Lane, Recalling ..., Television | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Recalling Rory Calhoun: car thief, jailbird, movie star

When two ‘hippy’ reporters crossed the U.S. border

Posted on August 4, 2022 by admin

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – With the death on August 2 of my former Windsor Star colleague Bill Twaddle, aged 74, I’m reminded of a memorable escapade we had fifty-odd years ago.

Inspired by Woodstock, many venues in Canada and the U.S. in the early Seventies staged rock festivals including one at Goose Lake just outside Jackson, Michigan, and another at Motorsport Park, known as Mosport near Bowmanville, Ontario.  

There were reports from border crossing points across the province of young Canadians and Americans beng turned back into their own country by customs and immigration officers.  Continue reading →

Posted in Memory Lane, Music, Recalling ... | Tagged , , | Comments Off on When two ‘hippy’ reporters crossed the U.S. border