Category Archives: Interviews

Royal Opera House is ready for its close-up

By Ray Bennett When the BBC’s new Director General, Tony Hall, takes up the job in April, the broadcaster will get not only a former BBC News Chief Executive but also the man who has brought financial stability to one … Continue reading

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Gregory Peck on Abraham Lincoln: ‘A secular saint’

By Ray Bennett In 1982, Gregory Peck achieved a lifetime ambition to portray his idol Abraham Lincoln onscreen. It was a cameo appearance in the CBS miniseries “The Blue and the Gray”, which became the subject of a special issue … Continue reading

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Why Rose Kennedy got mad with Sammy Cahn

From the archives, here’s a story from The Windsor Star, Nov. 21, 1975, after an interview in Detroit with the great lyricist Sammy Cahn. By Ray Bennett Sammy Cahn is a walking musical box. Open him up and songs and … Continue reading

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Learning about American English from Alistair Cooke

By Ray Bennett The BBC has made more than 900 of Alistair Cooke’s radio reports, Letter From America, available online and I am reminded of the one time I got to talk to him. Cooke was one of my heroes … Continue reading

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John Williams on Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Hitchcock and more

By Ray Bennett John Williams celebrates his 80th birthday this year with two concerts at The Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and another at the Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 19. He is celebrated rightly for his … Continue reading

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Two jovial madcaps taking over Detroit

By Ray Bennett Jimmy Edwards sauntered into the Detroit hotel lobby an inch or two behind a magnificent white moustache, cane in hand and a Moss. Bros. light brown bowler atop his portly frame. “I wouldn’t be seen dead looking … Continue reading

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Why Andy Griffith could never be ‘A Face In The Crowd’

By Ray Bennett Andy Griffith made his big screen debut in Elia Kazan’s 1957 drama “A Face In The Crowd” as a charismatic media sensation named Lonesome Rhodes who exploits his sudden popularity for political gain. In the second excerpt … Continue reading

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Q&A: Norman Jewison

By Ray Bennett GHENT, BELGIUM: Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison has had an outstanding career as director and producer of major Hollywood films such as “The Cincinnati Kid”, “In The Heat Of The Night”, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, “Fiddler On The … Continue reading

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Going back to ‘Back To The Future’

Michael J. Fox was a big hit as Marty McFly, but he wasn’t first choice for the role By Ray Bennett Universal will mark the 25th anniversary of “Back To The Future” with a Blu-ray Disc release including its two … Continue reading

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Jackie Collins’ ‘Paris Connections’ in new release plan

By Ray Bennett Take veteran top-level Hollywood producers, add the UK’s leading supermarket and mix with some of the most popular novelists in the world and you have Amber Entertainment, which founder Ileen Maisel describes as a new paradigm for … Continue reading

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