Fess Parker 1924 - 2010

Lately I've been pretty nostalgic for movies and shows I loved as a kid, mostly, so I can brainwash my son into loving the same stuff his old man was into. Hey don't blame me every parent does it! One of those things was Davy Crockett. I was home over Christmas and my Mom found my old coonskin cap I got from Disney World when I was like 6 or so. I gave it to my son and now he only wears it when he watches the Buckskin pioneer. On a regular basis we sing the King of the Wild Frontier song and let me tell you he knows every word by heart. So it was kind of sad to hear that the actor who played one my beloved heroes as a kid had died.Nathan watching Davy Crockett

Fess Parker, known for his roles as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, died of natural causes, he was 85 years old. My wife found out about this while driving to the store with the little one in tow. She caught him singing the Davy Crockett song, at first she thought it was a little out of the blue, usually when he is with my wife he sings songs in Hebrew. So that's when she realized that the show on NPR she was listening to was doing a tribute to Fess Parker. They were interviewing folk who grew up as kids in the 50's and 60's and they were sharing their memories of Davy Crockett and of course singing the famous tune. (If you haven't seen the original Disney classic, you might have gotten a taste of it, if you listened closely, in Back to the Future when Marty enters the cafe for the first time in 1955.)Davy Crockett was my first glimpse at the history of this country and how legends were made. It also revealed the courage of a young country looking to expand while showing compassion to the native people whose land this truly was. Was Davy Crockett the real life savior of the Native Americans? That isn't so clear, it is a legend after all. But Fess Parker's Davy Crockett teaches a valuable lesson to kids of all shapes and sizes that all people deserve to be treated as human beings no matter who they are or what they look like. And if you give your word you better damn honor it.Mr. Parker, You will always be remembered and Davy Crockett will be watched by current and future Marvins this I can guarantee.

Published in the NY Times!

So I was at home with my wife and son this past Tuesday when I got an e-mail from a writer named James Barron from the New York Times. At first I thought it was possibly spam but I checked his references on-line and saw he was clearly legitimate and I even remembered reading a few of his articles in the past. So I called him up. He told me he had read my post on the Bucket about putting my Grandfather's ashes in Yankee Stadium. He was writing a story about it and wanted to quote that story. So of course I said sure!! It is a great tribute to my Grandfather and other Die Hard Yankee fans that will forever remember Yankee Stadium as more than just another ballpark. I have pasted the link to the article below!

NY Times article by James Barron - "With Stadiums Going, Going, Ashes May Be Gone"

My Grandpa, Ned Marvin

Remembering Paul Newman

There are those actors in Hollywood that no matter what you see them in, it could be the biggest piece of crap ever, but that actor just seems to shine right through it like it was effortless. That was Paul Newman. Now bear with me, I know it may sound strange, but it is certainly a compliment. If you take the very best actor/actress from the beginning of their career to the end of it you will find a whole host of terrible films. I haven't seen all of Paul Newman's films as of yet but I have seen very many, I've seen some good and some bad and it doesn't matter because every time I see those blue eyes and that cocky grin a smile sets on my face and there is no way I'm leaving the room until the movie is finished. That my friend is more than just a movie star, that is a legend.This past Friday September 26th 2008 Paul Newman lost his battle to lung cancer at the age of 83. Paul Newman was a professional and a humanitarian, I've had his Newman's Own Italian dressing and as well as being quite good it also makes you feel good buying it because you know that 100% of the proceeds go to charity. These things are obviously important because it defined Paul Newman's character and his personality but it was his skill as an actor to bring the diversity, humor, thoughtfulness and pure emotion to every role he took on. The oldest of his films that I have seen so far, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), where he played smart ass Brick Pollitt. Now when I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof I had already seen about a dozen Newman films and I couldn't say I loved the film but I certainly enjoyed his back and forth with Elizabeth Taylor. He just had that great connection with his co-stars that it would enhance the performances around him making it so much better. Next on my list was Exodus (1960), I love author Leon Uris, my favorite book was Mila 18, but Exodus came first and nobody played a bad ass soldier type better than Paul Newman as Ari Ben Canaan. The Israeli Freedom Fighter determined to give his life to bring his people to the promised land. I loved the movie but man, what an abrupt ending. Next up was the Hustler (1961), Fast Eddie Felson, the pool shark always getting himself into trouble. I really dug the Hustler but honestly I think I liked Fast Eddie even more in the sequel directed by Martin Scorsese 25 years later called The Color of Money (1986). Paul Newman won the Oscar for Best Actor, it was the one and only time he would win the top prize. But throughout his career he was nominated a total of 9 times for the golden man. He had memorable turns in films like Hud (1963) and of course Cool Hand Luke (1976). Now I know I haven't seen Hombre (1967) in it's entirety but I'm getting it on Netflix very soon. (My Dad loved Hombre, so don't tell him I haven't seen it fully yet.)Now from '69 right up through the 90's I'd have to say was the man's golden period. Starting with what has to be one of my favorite films of all time Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) written by one of my favorite writers William Goldman and the icing on that cake was Paul Newman as Butch. I could probably quote that entire damn movie, his lines especially, in my sleep. "I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals." Perfect, just perfect the chemistry between Newman, Redford and Katharine Ross. It still amazes me that this movie tanked at the box office when it first came out, what the hell were people thinking? When I was a kid I wanted to be many things a cop, a cowboy, Han Solo and especially Butch Cassidy. Sure it was great to be the crazy hero running after the enemy with guns blazing, but Butch and Sundance were clever, they did the same thing with style and brass balls. Not to mention they took on the entire Bolivian army, that is bad ass.From Butch we go to the lecherous Judge Roy Bean and his drunken escapades with a giant Grizzly Bear. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) was an amusing tale about the real life Judge who controlled a small western town with an iron fist. Then there was the thriller The Mackintosh Man (1973) which was ok, not Newman's best. In '73 he made my second favorite from the Newman collection The Sting. He reunited with Reford to make this con-job caper that is always a joy to watch. Newman plays washed up grifter Harry Gondorff as he tries to pull a fast one on Robert Shaw. I must have seen that one at least fifty times. Newman was also in The Towering Inferno (1974), The Drowning Pool (1975), and the funny Hockey comedy Slap Shot (1977).Newman showed up in a Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) as grumpy Sidney J. Mussburger, it was so good it was almost Cheneyesque-- yeah, yeah sure, sure. He should have won his second oscar in Nobody's Fool (1994) but he lost to Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George). Then you have Twilight, (1998) a murder mystery of sorts and Road to Perdition (2002) where he plays a gangster father figure, who is so endearing and charming, that when he does some pretty awful things later in the film you still find yourself feeling for him. Newman was a one of kind; actor, race car driver, humanitarian, father and a husband and so much more, he will be greatly missed.I also did not get a chance two months ago to do my tribute to Issac Hayes and Bernie Mac who unfortunately died just days apart. Bernie Mac died August 9th due to complications from pneumonia. Issac Hayes died August 10th from a stroke. They were both legends, Bernie Mac in comedy and Issac Hayes as a musician. Just hearing the soundtrack to Shaft puts a smile on my face. Bernie Mac was always reliably funny from one of his early appearances on Friday (1995) to the Ocean's 11 flicks and his small role as Bobby Bolivia in Transformers (2007), he will surely be missed. I really am looking forward to seeing their final performances in the upcoming Soul Men also starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Sports: The Last Game at Yankee Stadium

Sunday afternoon was a monumental event in Yankee history. I watched in part sadness and pride as ESPN so graciously gave Yankee Stadium it's due after 85 years of history. The game was truly secondary as we saw Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage, Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, David Cone, Don Larson, David Wells and many more don their uniforms and take their positions in the field one last time. We saw some of the children and wives of Legends who were no longer with us, like David Mantle who wore his Father's number 7 walked out onto the field, it was almost as if the Mick were there himself. The culmination of seeing all of these great players from almost every generation of Yankee lore was quite a sight to behold.Andy Pettite took the mound and only gave up three runs in 7 innings. The quote of the day was from the man whose house this is after hitting the first home run in Yankee Stadium, in 1923, "God only knows who will be the last player to hit a home run." The answer---Jose Molina. It almost was Johnny Damon when he hit a three run homer early in the game. You might be saying, who is Jose Molina, but if you are a true Yankee watching him this season, it really shouldn't be a surprise at all. For a back up catcher he has been clutch behind and in front of plate all season. Thankfully Pettite got the win against Baltimore 7-3, otherwise it would have been, um, awkward.

As I write this though I have learned the sad news that even with Mike Mussina's 19th win tonight, the Red Sox have eliminated my boys from the running and have clinched the Wild Card. So when the lights went dark late Sunday night, it would now seem, inevitable that it will be for the last time.Yeah, I could leave it all depressing like that but I would prefer to give Yankee Stadium the send off it deserves from Yankee fans all over the country. So if you have a memory of Yankee Stadium in it's 85 years of glory feel free to tell us about it in our comments section below.

Paramount Vantage R.I.P

I know the shit hit the fan a few months ago but it took a little while to finally settle in my brain. Not long after I left the Mountain, Paramount made a big move to consolidate Vantage into the parent company. Of course Paramount wasn't the only studio to let loose on their Indie division. New Line, owned by Time Warner, and their Indie division Picturehouse laid off about 450 people. It's a tough time to be working in the movie biz as of late, especially distribution. As frustrated and disappointed as I am with Paramount for what happened I can't help but feel proud of what we accomplished in my year and a half.

When I started in November of 2006 Paramount Classics was put on the back burner while Vantage was picking up steam. John Lesher, who was given the reins of Vantage, was attempting to rebuild the Indie label. The first hit was An Inconvenient Truth with Al Gore that, for just a college lecture, made more money and acclaim than anyone ever anticipated. It won best Documentary as well as best song for the Oscars that year by beating not one, not two but three Dreamgirls songs. Take that big Paramount. Next up was Babel which did OK at the box office but did really well at the Golden Globes by winning the top prize, the Best picture award. Babel was nominated for 7 nominations at the Globes. Babel was also nominated for 7 Oscars but won only one for original score by Gustavo Santaolalla. (If you check the movie reviews on the site you can see my review for Babel.) It was a great film and an excellent follow up to An Inconvenient Truth.



In 2007 we hit a bit of a snag with quirky films like Black Snake Moan and Year of the Dog. I personally liked Black Snake Moan but it tanked at 9 million. In all fairness it was a tough film to market because of the weird tone of the film; was it a B movie, was it a drama, was it a comedy? I felt that it was all of the above but it was just too strange for the mainstream. This was Craig Brewer's follow up to his hit Hustle and Flow. Next up was Mike White's Year of the Dog. It was reviewed well but again it just wasn't for a mainstream audience and tanked. As the Summer of 2007 approached I got a chance to see a great bio-pic that was heart wrenching and hard to watch. On top of that I felt I learned some interesting, little known, facts about Pakistan in the film. We had a huge star, Angelina Jolie, and overall we had a good film to boot. The tricky part was trying to sell it to an audience that already knew the fate of Daniel Pearl. As good a film as A Mighty Heart was it just didn't resonate with people despite good reviews and Angelina Jolie. We were 0-3 at the start of 2007 and it was frustrating. If you've read any of my reviews I'm usually pretty black and white I don't hem and haw about a lot of technical things I usually like a flick or I don't, everything comes from the gut. It was troublesome to me to really enjoy 2 out of 3 films in early 2007 and then to have them all bomb, it was tough.

As Summer 2007 was coming to a close we again thought we had a marketable film, this time for the kids. I mean how many people flocked to March of the Penguins it made like 1oo million bucks which is insane for a documentary, especially a documentary of this type. Arctic Tale, narrated by Queen Latifah about a family of walruses and Polar Bears and their struggle to survive in the Arctic tundra. We gave out a bunch of those plush toys and marketed the shit out of it. I guess the kids really love Penguins cause after our movie came out they sure as shit didn't like Walruses and Polar Bears. We released Margot at the Wedding in October/November, it was a modest indie that did ok, but not big bank. It was directed by the indie darling Noah Baumbach. As many would say it was a very "New York" type of film. The trifecta we were waiting for was Into the Wild,(Note: Into the Wild was released before Margot.) There Will Be Blood and the Kite Runner. You could technically include The Coen Brother's No Country For Old Men which we shared with Miramax. Our three films I thought were the creme of the crop for Vantage, our crowning achievement. I still believe that too.

Into the Wild was one of my favorite films of that year. Now the statement I'm about to make may sound funny to you especially if you know the true story of Chris McCandless, but after seeing this film I really wanted to get my backpack and go hiking again. Yes, I realize the guy died of starvation in some beaten up old bus out in the middle of nowhere but that really isn't the point of the film. It was beautifully shot and directed and I got to tell you that Emile Hirsch owned the role. I'm not a big Sean Penn fan but I really did love the hell out that movie. It did well at the box office, not well enough in my eyes or probably in the eyes of Paramount but it was a damn good film. Now I must do a little bitching here I couldn't believe that Into the Wild got snubbed so badly at the Globes and the Oscars. There were only two Noms at the Oscars for editing and for Hal Holbrook in the supporting actor category. You mean that incredible score by Eddie Vedder wasn't even included? Nope. WTF? I think they nominated three songs from that Enchanted movie, I tried to watch the musical numbers--- they were just horrible. At least the Globes had the sense to give Eddie the nomination and the win, but they didn't have it in their hearts to give any other noms. Ok, end of rant.There Will Be Blood was the best film of the year period. It most certainly was the Godfather of the oil industry. Daniel Day Lewis was exceptional as always, but it was P.T. Anderson who really stepped it up and made the best film of his career. Daniel Day did get the Oscar and we did have a funny if not odd marketing campaign where Daniel Day Lewis' Oil Man makes the pronouncement that he drinks our milkshake. It was fairly effective, I know some of the publicity guys and gals delivered shakes to some of the press people to keep the Oscar buzz alive. Our other film No Country For Old Men took the other top prizes like Best Picture and Director.

The Kite Runner was a good film by Marc Forster and the novel had a huge fan base, but for the film, we had a real problem. The Parents of the childen in the film were concerned about repercussions against them regarding some of the scenes that included the rape of a child. So Paramount did the right thing and delayed the opening of the film to later in the year when the kids were out of school. They felt once school was over the kids could leave to the Arab Emirates and be protected in case of some backlash, and thankfully everything worked out well in this regard. Although it's hard to say whether or not this move hurt the film, but regardless of the popularity for the book, the movie tanked. You're probably saying to yourself I am sensing a pattern here.In early 2008 How She Move and Son of Rambow fell through the roof in domestic sales. Son of Rambow was a quirky comedy about kids trying to make their own film about their favorite hero Rambo. The only probelm for American audiences, they were British and it took place in the 80's. It did real well in it's native England but I think culturally it was difficult to relate to an American audience. How She Move was a dance movie that didn't shake it's money maker at anyone.

And that pretty much sealed our fate and put Vantage where it is today, in a pine box. I really enjoyed my experiences there and will always have fond memories of the people that I worked with. I learned alot at Vantage and I will always will be grateful for the opportunities it provided. But I just wanted to iterate how great many of the films were and even though they didn't make a lot of money I think they will be remembered down the road even if Vantage is not.

Bobby Murcer

Last week we lost another Yankee great, Bobby Murcer. Starting in 1965, Bobby was a Yankee playing with greats like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Thurman Munson. He left the Yankees for a few seasons but came back in 1979. Murcer was a 5 time MVP. When he retired in the early 80's he, like Phil Rizzuto, went into Sportscasting in the booth for the New York Yankees where he has been for two decades.When Yankee Catcher Thurman Munson died in early August of 1979, Bobby Murcer, a good friend to Thurman gave one of the eulogies at the service. Later that day he and his fellow Yankees hopped a plane back to New York to play the Baltimore Orioles. Billy Martin wanted Murcer to take the day off, but Bobby would have none of that. He was determined to play for Thurman and that he did. After the Yankees were down 4 - 0 Bobby took the game into his hands and hit a 3 run homer in the 7th. He then hit a 2 run single in the ninth making another great Yankee comeback one of the most memorable in history. Bobby never played with that bat again he instead gave it to Thurman's widow Diana.Bobby lost his battle to Brain Cancer on July 12. He was gracious and friendly as many Yankee and former Yankee can attest and his voice will be sorely missed.

Tributes: George Carlin, Stan Winston and Tim Russert

It is remarkable how, in just the last two weeks, these three moguls of their professions have left this earth forever. The Kings of Comedy, Special Effects/makeup and Journalism are all gone. It evokes the age old stigma that bad news always comes in threes.

George Carlin was the master of language, mostly bad language, but that isn't the point. His joke about the 7 dirty words is simple yet revolutionary; Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker and tits. Yeah, I said 'em, so what? Carlin wouldn't have had any it any other way, he challenged the rules of society with his stand-up and for that he should be recognized. His rants on religion and death will be missed and I am sure I'm not the only one who really enjoyed his presence in flicks like Bill and Ted and as an out of touch priest in Dogma.

"I'm getting old. And it's ok, because thanks to our fear of death in this country I won't have to die - I'll pass away. Or I'll expire, like a magazine subscription. If it happens in the hospital they'll call it a terminal episode. The Insurance company will refer to it as "negative patient care outcome." And if it's the result of malpractice they'll say it was a "therapeutic misadventure."- George Carlin, 1937 - 2008

I couldn't believe it when I heard it, Stan Winston is dead. I have marveled at this man's body of work since I was a little kid and only later recognized the man behind the craft when I was in high school studying film for myself. His credits for special effects and makeup include: Pearl Harbor, Constantine, Artificial Intelligence: AI, Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, The Wiz, Batman Returns, The Thing, All of the Terminator films, Iron Man, All of the Jurassic Park films, Galaxy Quest, Monster Squad, Both Predator films, Amazing Stories (TV) and Aliens. Stan Winston was an old school creator of the same school as Ray Harryhausen, (Clash of the Titans, 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts) but in my belief, he has surpassed Harryhausen in every way. His dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were so real looking, that for a moment, he made it possible for Dinosaurs to roam the earth once more. And most recently when I saw the Iron Man suit for the first time. The one that Stan Winston built to be worn by Robert Downey Jr., it was gorgeous he completely transported me from the comic to the screen in an effortless fashion. He has an incredible body of work and it saddens me to think we will never be able to see what he would have come up with next.

Stan Winston 1946 - 2008

Meet the Press will never ever be the same. Many who know me, know my love of politics and everything that goes with it. I am passionate and I am always hungry for more information about what is going on in my country and in the world. All of this is possible because of a journalism that transcends party, ideology or any kind of bias. It is because of journalists like Tim Russert who work tirelessly to ask the right questions, to be tough but fair and to tell the truth to power that make them invaluable to help discover our future leaders. I always knew when I watched Meet the Press that Tim Russert was prepared and ready to take his guests to task for their political decisions but he would always do it with the greatest respect. He will be greatly missed by this political junky.- Tim Russert 1950 - 2008

Memorial: Charlton"Chuck" Heston

From his memorable role as a Mexican in Touch of Evil to his bad ass cameo roles in Wayne's World II, True Lies, Tombstone and Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. Chucky, like no one else was able to define iconic by large and small roles for over fifty years in Hollywood. I myself enjoyed his booming overly choppy voice in the Ten Commandments telling Pharaoh where he could stick it if he didn't release his people. Or his cursing of the damned dirty apes that touched him while imprisoned on the Planet of the Apes. These are some of the classic and oftentimes unintentionally humorous portrayals that Heston has played over the years. He died Saturday at the age of 83 of complications with Alzheimer's.

We also cannot forget that Chuck marched with the King in the 60's as a strong advocate for the Civil Rights Movement. Sometime in the 70's or so he flipped to the other side because of his love of firearms which brought about that batshit crazy speech a few years ago where he proclaimed "From My Cold Dead Hands!" It was at that moment that I knew that even though Chucky was on one hand a great actor with some very memorable roles he was also a bad ass-- and let me tell you -- he scared the shit out of me and there was no way I would even try to rip that gun from his hands. Cold, dead or otherwise.



















So I raise a glass to you Chuck, Rest in Peace.

Goodbye Scooter

This morning legendary Yankee Shortstop Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto died at age 89. I unfortunately was not even a twinkle in my Momma's eye when Scooter played for the Yankees from 1941 to 1956. In that time Rizzuto kicked ass with his fellow Yankees winning a total of seven world series championships and appearing in nine total championship games. They won five in a row from 1949 to 1953. In 1994 Scooter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.After retiring from Baseball Rizzuto continued his career as an announcer, and it was at this time, that I got to see the living legend in action. He was warm and funny and was always trying to keep the audience interest in the game. As anyone who watches baseball knows that there are lulls in the game and it's up to a good announcer to keep the people watching. Scooter always did that well. I always enjoyed watching Yes baseball when Rizzuto would guest announce. You could always tell when it was him, with that nasally Brooklyn accent. You knew you were going to get a good show. So we raise one to you Philly, one of the great shortstops, a true hero for the little guy, as you only stood a mere 5'6, "Holy Cow". Yet you towered over your opponents. You were a great Yankee and you will be missed.Left to right; Phil Rizzuto, Joe Dimaggio, Yogi Berra and Gerry Coleman.
July 8, 1950

My Cousin Michael Busch, who like me is a great Yankee fan had this to say about Rizzuto:

There is mourning in the House that Ruth Built (also in Rizzuto-Berra Bowling Lanes between the Parkway and Rt. 46 - yes, the Scooter and the Yogi built and owned it): the Yankee Scooter has died.