Attending to details so that the bigger picture can emerge.
When Lew C. Wallace was writing “Ben-Hur,” he knew that a thrilling Roman chariot race would give his novel a socko finish. But no lives were at risk until 50 years later when MGM actually staged that race for its … Continued
In 1925, Joseph M. Newman walked wide-eyed onto the most important movie set in Hollywood history. The 16-year-old newcomer from Utah had been hired as an office boy by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. But on that Saturday morning of October 17 he reported … Continued
On May 10 in Baltimore I attended the Alloy Orchestra’s concert screening of Rudolph Valentino in “The Son of the Sheik.” This was the version that debuted last fall at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. In Baltimore it was … Continued
In 1968, Ramón Novarro was murdered just a mile or so from where I was living, yet it pretty much escaped my notice. Looking back, you might think it would have commanded media headlines for days — the bloody murder … Continued