continued from Home Page...
What impressed me most about Roy was that he carried himself so lightly. Here was the son of Roy O. Disney, Walt’s older brother and lifelong partner. He grew up riding his bicycle around the Burbank studio. His first job was working as an assistant editor on Jack Webb’s Dragnet TV series—because it was filmed on the Disney lot. In time he left the nest and struck out on his own, but he made a dramatic return in the 1980s, a piece of Disney history I needn’t repeat.
Roy struck me as a man who followed Theodore Roosevelt’s famous advice to speak softly and carry a big stick. He knew who he was, but he was approachable and down-to-earth; he didn’t act like a billionaire, or the scion of an American dynasty. (He almost didn’t have to announce himself, since he looked so much like his famous uncle Walt.)
Disney fans owe him a lot. Not only did he rescue the animation department from possible demise in the 1980s, but he served as enabler and cheerleader for a new generation of artists as the studio reclaimed its reputation with such films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. (The full story of this renaissance, and the clash of egos that accompanied it, is told in Don Hahn and Peter Schneider’s new documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, which is now scheduled for theatrical release in March.)
An emblematic Dali moment from Destino
 |
In recent years he pursued a variety of passion projects. Because he had worked on the True-Life Adventure series in the 1950s as a young man, he bemoaned the fact that the company had ignored them in recent years. He used his clout to get approval to have them all restored in 35mm, then insisted they be released on DVD. He was the driving force behind the production of Fantasia 2000, and it led in turn to the completion of Destino, an animated short which Salvador Dali had begun under Walt Disney’s patronage a half-century earlier. It was Roy who investigated the chain of ownership of valuable Dali art in the Disney vault and discovered that the studio did had full rights to the oil paintings and sketches once the film was completed. He set out to do just that, and the resulting animated short earned an Academy Award nomination. I interviewed him prior to several screenings at the Telluride Film Festival in 2003 and he took great pride in having served as godfather to this fascinating endeavor. I can’t imagine it ever recouped its cost, but that wasn’t what motivated Roy.
The folks at Walt Disney Home Video have scheduled and canceled Destino’s DVD release several times. I interviewed Roy on-camera for a behind-the-scenes piece and hosted a featurette on other unfinished Disney projects; the folks at EMC West produced a 90-minute documentary on Disney and Dali. Let’s hope someone green-lights its release in 2010, if for no other reason than to honor Roy Disney.
 So how did I luck into a moment of serendipitous spontaneity with Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, and Morgan Freeman? Allow me to explain. As any media veteran will tell you, participating in movie press junkets is not a lot of fun. On the one hand, you get to spend a little time with the world’s most famous movie stars, as well as talented directors and filmmakers. On the other hand, you’re often forcibly reminded that you are merely one tiny cog in a giant machine, as these people are being led through a hundred or more interviews over a two or three-day stretch. Fortunately, Entertainment Tonight has enough clout to arrange for its own room at the junket hotel, so as a reporter you’re not being hustled in and out by someone with a stopwatch. The stars get a break from the confinement of their cocoon and, if you hit it off, they might open up for an extra minute or two with you. And believe me, every minute counts in the world of junkets.
 So there I was, having my allotted chat with Clint Eastwood. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with him over the years, and we have a nice relationship. That makes conversation easy. About ten minutes into our chat, my director gave me a “wrap it up” signal, and I waited for Clint to complete his answer before saying good-bye. Just then I heard some rustling behind me, and then a male voice called out, “Just stop talking!” It was Matt Damon, who had arrived with Morgan Freeman for their interview and couldn’t resist busting in on his Invictus director. Our cameras kept rolling as the two stars walked in and bantered for a few precious minutes. (Then I had my turn with Matt and Morgan, who were terrific—focused and articulate.) If you’d like to see how this all paid off, click HERE.
My daughter snapped pictures while all of this was happening, and afterwards we took a lot of deep breaths, drinking in the magical experience we’d just enjoyed. Then we took an elevator down to the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel...and ran into Peter Jackson. Some days you just get lucky.
___________
GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATER update: after posting my story (below) about hosting Robert Downey, Jr.’s hand-and-footprint ceremony I got a nice note from Stacey Behlmer, who (as Stacey Endres, then unmarried) co-wrote the definitive book on the history of the theater, Hollywood at Your Feet. She had a few notes and corrections to pass along: “I can't vouch for the ceremonies that took place after [our book] was published, but it did rain on a couple of the earlier ceremonies: James Mason was one and the Anne Baxter/Gregory Peck dual ceremony was another. Baxter actually drew an umbrella, a heart, and the sun in the cement and inscribed something about DEAR SID RAIN OR SHINE I LOVE YOU.”
Regarding the undocumented Charlie Chaplin ceremony of 1928, she notes, “It would be terrific if an image ever appeared showing the Chaplin ceremony but then Robert (Cushman) and I never found one, nor images for the ceremonies for Fredric March, Janet Gaynor, Edward Arnold, etc., and those squares are still in the forecourt.” And regarding Robert Downey’s reaction to the job at hand last Monday, “A number of the other celebrities in the forecourt complained over the years that writing in cement was difficult!”
 Robert Downey, Jr. put his hand and footprints in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Monday, and I was honored to serve as master of ceremonies for the event. I also got an insider’s view of a ritual the public never sees, when the honoree is given an opportunity to practice writing his name in cement on a “test slab” placed on the refreshment counter inside Grauman’s lobby. Robert quickly realized he had his work cut out for him: it isn’t easy to do! (When he approached the task for real, he was irked that photographers repeatedly asked him to look up and explained—to no avail—that he was trying to concentrate!) This was the 200 th induction to take place in the famous theater forecourt on Hollywood Boulevard since 1927—and the first, according to the historians on hand, to occur in the rain.
 As a result, the entire area was tented, keeping the photographers and TV crews dry, along with Warner Bros. executives associated with Downey’s latest film, Sherlock Holmes, including his wife Susan, who is one of its producers, and a modest group of family and friends (including Robert’s mother and his Iron Man director Jon Favreau). In spite of the downpour, an impressive turnout of fans huddled behind barriers across the street—where I doubt they could see much of anything, although loudspeakers enabled them to hear what was going on—and cheered on the star. When the event was over, Robert spontaneously strolled across Hollywood Boulevard to chat with those loyal fans, and I’m sure he made a lot of people very happy.
Cover of the original program for Charlie Chaplin's premiere engagement of The Circus at
Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1928
 |
Robert told me that the whole thing was an out-of-body experience for him, but he seemed pleased and honored to participate in the process. It’s ironic that the man who portrayed Charlie Chaplin so well in Richard Attenborough’s 1992 movie is now commemorated at the Chinese Theater—but Chaplin himself is not. (Apparently, Chaplin did put his hands and feet in cement for Sid Grauman in January of 1928, when his film The Circus premiered with great fanfare at the picture palace, but some time later—during the 1940s, when he was plagued by scandal, or the 1950s, when he was barred from the United States—the square was quietly removed. Adding to the slight air of mystery, there don’t seem to be any surviving photos of his ceremony!)
In any case, Robert Downey, Jr. has earned this accolade; he is one of the brightest talents on the screen, and his work of late has been especially good. For more of my snapshots, click HERE.
___________
 Incidentally, if the economic downturn hasn’t hit your household, or you’re looking for an investment in the collectibles field and have $1,799.00 to spare, you might consider purchasing a detailed replica of the Nautilus submarine designed by Harper Goff for Walt Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It’s four feet long, and it’s sure to be a conversation-starter! According to the press release from eFX Collectibles, “This four-foot replica of the Nautilus offers features not incorporated in any previous model of the iconic submarine. Produced at approximately 1/45th scale, the replica features finely detailed interior views of the wheelhouse and Capt. Nemo’s salon, as well as LED lights to illuminate those rooms and the circular salon observation window. In addition to a removable skiff, the Nautilus incorporates a freely rotating propeller and pivoting rudder, and includes a custom display stand. Each Nautilus will have a numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity, and production will be strictly limited to 500 pieces worldwide.”
The Nautilus is the first of three Disney collectibles that eFX has created to launch its Disney line. Two additional replicas will be available for ordering soon: a heart-shaped box such as the one seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and an 18-inch-tall “photo puppet” replica of the Muppets’ Rizzo the Rat, complete with letterman’s jacket and baseball cap. For more information go to the eFX website.
____________
 George Clooney, most observers agree, is the closest thing we have to an old-fashioned Movie Star. He’s got the looks, the talent, the smarts, and the attitude. At Monday night’s premiere of Up in the Air he forsook waiting photographers and TV crews in Westwood to cross the street and spend time with his fans—a great deal of time. He normally “works” the press line, as well, but he breezed right through on Monday; fortunately he came over to say hello to me and lingered long enough for me to get in some quick questions and answers for Entertainment Tonight. You can see the results HERE. It was a pleasure to talk to his colleagues and costars, as well, including newcomer Anna Kendrick (who’s also in a little vampire movie right now called New Moon) and the talented Vera Farmiga, whose stock (like Kendrick’s) is surely going to soar because of her sensational performance in Up in the Air. Four years ago, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted her our Best Actress honor for her chilling performance as a drug-addicted suburban mother in Down to the Bone. Since then she’s done fine work in such little-seen films as Breaking and Entering and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. But playing opposite Clooney—and matching him step for step—is going to expand her audience, I’m sure. This also marks Jason Reitman’s third bull’s-eye in a row, following Thank You For Smoking and Juno. I’ll have a full review when the movie opens on Friday.
  If you’re thinking about gifts for the holidays, I’d like to mention a few presents I’ve bought myself lately. (I’ll be posting my annual movie book roundup within the week.) First, if you haven’t seen the latest confection from animator Nick Park, you owe it to yourself and your family to purchase a DVD of Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death. After twenty years these wry characters have lost none of their appeal, and Park remains a consummate filmmaker as he devises new adventures for the uniquely British duo. Once you’ve enjoyed their latest half-hour film, which originally aired on the BBC, you may want to do as I did and purchase two absolutely wonderful resin figurines of the duo “in character” from the Robert Harrop company in England. Wallace (at right) is wearing a toque and stirring a mixing bowl, while his deadpan dog Gromit (left) is hefting a tray of buns. I bought mine on eBay and was amazed at how quickly they crossed the Atlantic. Now I smile every time I look at them.
____________
I also couldn’t resist the new Jessica Rabbit “mini-maquette” from the folks at Electric Tiki. It shows the sexy character in a country-girl outfit that she was supposed to wear in the short-subject Roller Coaster Rabbit, as the cartoon’s director Rob Minkoff explains on the package. I see that it’s already sold out on the Sideshow Collectibles web site, its official distributor, but as usual various dealers are offering it at slightly higher prices than its original $124.99 cost on eBay. If you love Jessica you might want to spring for this—and then pre-order the next one in the series as soon as it’s announced.
____________
I love music, but I must confess I don’t keep up with—or relate to—most of today’s hit-makers. That’s why it was such fun for me to watch Me and Orson Welles, which is heavily scored with swing and big-band records of the 1930s. (I even lit up when, in the midst of the new movie The Blind Side I recognized the opening vamp to Les Paul and Mary Ford’s recording of “How High the Moon.”) If you share my feelings, and haven’t ever had the opportunity to hear Vince Giordano and his Night Hawks in performance, here’s the next best thing, a wonderful video recently posted on The New York Times website. And if you’re in New York City over the holidays, be sure and make a reservation at Sofia’s to see the band on Monday nights.
|
