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Weekend Newsreel: May 19, 2006 Compiled by the FilmBuffOnLine staff
Passport To Ealing Comedies: The British Film Institute has created an on exhaustive online guide to the classic comedies produced by Ealing Studios hosted by British chat show presenter Jonathan Ross. The virtual tour covers the history of the British studio that produced such comedy classics as Passport To Pimlico, The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts And Coronets. The guide is interactive to a point that allows viewers to skip past sections they are not interested in, though a BFI spokesman warns, “Those who do not share Jonathan's enthusiasm for the films find themselves victims of his wit. This approach gives a much more intimate, conversational feel for web visitors who feel as if he is talking directly to them.” You can access the tour through the BFI’s Screenonline website here.
Disney War Art On Exhibit: The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio is currently hosting an exhibit World War II-era combat insignia designs featuring various animated characters from the Walt Disney Studio. Like all of the other Hollywood film studios, Disney contributed greatly to the war effort. In addition to producing propaganda shorts for regular theatrical distribution and specialty training films for the Armed Forces (most of which have been collected into the Disney Treasures DVD release “On The Front Lines: The War Years“), the studio also allowed its animated characters to used in various military units’ insignias, even going so far as to set up a five-man crew of artists to create over 1,200 insignia designs over the space of five years. The designs were used for units from bombing squadrons to naval vessels to chaplain’s corps to training schools. The exhibit contains not only original artwork drawn by the Disney studio unit but actual unit patches and photographs of planes bearing Disney designed nose art. For those unable to visit the exhibit before it closes on June 11, they have posted an extensive on line gallery of photos here.
3-D Film Expo Returns: The second World 3-D Film Expo has announced their lineup for their September festival at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. Among the 35 feature films and 20 short films that will be screening at the 10 day event include such classics as House of Wax (1953), the musical Kiss Me Kate (1953), Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial ‘M’ For Murder (1954). The fest will also be premiering two films that were originally filmed in 3-D but initially released in the standard 2-D format- Diamond Wizard and Jivaro (both 1954). For more information and a complete schedule, visit the festival’s website here.
In Remembrance Cy Feuer- The head of Republic Studios’ music department in the 1930s and `40s has passed away at age 95. Frankie Thomas- The 1930s juvenile actor who appeared in the Nancy Drew mystery series has passed away at age 85. Jay Presson Allen- The screenwriter responsible for the screen adaptations of the novel Marnie for and the musical Cabaret has passed away at age 84.
Opening This Week May 19
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