Requiescat in pace - Bill Hayes

Bill Hayes, longtime cast member of the daytime drama Days of Our Lives, passed away at 98 years of age.  Remarkably, fans of the show will note he worked right up until the end -- appearing at the annual Christmas episode with his wife and castmate Susan Seaforth Hayes (reportedly, they were introduced to each other by castmate Macdonald Carey).  (The program left broadcast television in 2022 but continues streaming on NBC's Internet "Peacock" channel.)

Mr. Hayes very kindly allowed me to interview him on Ann Blyth for my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. in 2014.  (Has it really been ten years?)  He was charming, funny, and gracious.  I enjoyed talking with him very much and listening to his memories of his career in theatre and television.

He first appeared with Ann Blyth in the summer theatre production of Brigadoon in 1968 at the St. Louis Municipal Opera (MUNY), and in 1985 they appeared opposite each other in Song of Norway at the Long Beach Civil Opera.  In 1992, they formed a cabaret act and sang together at New York's exclusive Rainbow & Stars room atop Rockefeller Center and continued to play other dates across the country in the early 1990s.

His contribution to my book was invaluable, and I'll carry the warm memory of my chat with this dear man always.  My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.  As Ann Blyth is still with us, this is, undoubtedly, her loss as well.

For more on Bill Hayes' long career, have a look at this article in The Hollywood Reporter.

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Our greatest gift from the Greatest Generation was freedom from fascism. Relive, and celebrate, how evil was faced, discussed, dramatized...and fought. Classic films were the weapon.

Get your copy of Hollywood Fights Fascism here at Amazon in print or eBook, or here at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of other online shops.

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Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. and Movies in Our Time - Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century and Hollywood Fights Fascism and Christmas in Classic Films. TO JOIN HER READERS' GROUP - follow this link for a free book as a thank-you for joining.

Singing on set...and goodbye to a beloved star.

I wanted to share with you this great video on YouTube by Mark Milano on his Broadway Classics channel, posted recently on Facebook.  It's a compilation of movie scenes where singing was live and not lip-synched to audio playback, as was and is the usual custom for film.  I was pleased to see the Jane Wyman and Bing Crosby duet of "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" among them from Here Comes the Groom (1951).  This was mentioned on my previous post on that movie here.

Other gems are when Ethel Waters sings "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" in Member of the Wedding (1952), and Julie Andrews singing "Jenny" in Star! (1968) in an acrobatic circus skit.  

Have a look at the video on YouTube here.

Also, we mark the passing of Glynis Johns, whose 100th birthday we noted in October in this previous post.  Well done, Sister Suffragette, on a long life and splendid career.

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Our greatest gift from the Greatest Generation was freedom from fascism. Relive, and celebrate, how evil was faced, discussed, dramatized...and fought. Classic films were the weapon.

Get your copy of Hollywood Fights Fascism here at Amazon in print or eBook, or here at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of other online shops.

  ************

Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. and Movies in Our Time - Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century and Hollywood Fights Fascism and Christmas in Classic Films. TO JOIN HER READERS' GROUP - follow this link for a free book as a thank-you for joining.

Public Domain Day - 2024

Happy Public Domain Day!

Time for our annual look at the films being released into public domain as of January 1st.  For 2024, we find ourselves in the toehold of the sound era with movies from 1928:

The Crowd, which we covered here in this previous post.

The Cameraman with Buster Keaton

The Man Who Laughs - Conrad Veidt at his creepiest

The Wind - Lillian Gish (a movie I keep meaning to cover.  Maybe this year.)

The Last Command - for which Emil Jannings won the first Best Actor Oscar.

Street Angel - with Janet Gaynor

The Circus - Charlie Chaplin, of course.

Speedy - Harold Lloyd's last silent feature

Should Married Men Go Home?  - first teaming of Laurel and Hardy.

And...believe it or not... we get Disney cartoons escaping from the tight hold of the Disney vault - the iconic Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy.

For more on films, books, and music now entering public domain, have a look at this article by Jennifer Jenkins on the website: Duke Center for the Study of Public Domain.

Here's a look at our past posts on movies entering public domain:

Another Old Movie Blog: Public Domain Day - 2023

Another Old Movie Blog: Public Domain Day - 2022

Another Old Movie Blog: Public Domain Day - 2021

Another Old Movie Blog: Public Domain Day - 2020

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Our greatest gift from the Greatest Generation was freedom from fascism. Relive, and celebrate, how evil was faced, discussed, dramatized...and fought. Classic films were the weapon.

Get your copy of Hollywood Fights Fascism here at Amazon in print or eBook, or here at Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and a variety of other online shops.

  ************

Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. and Movies in Our Time - Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century and Hollywood Fights Fascism and Christmas in Classic Films. TO JOIN HER READERS' GROUP - follow this link for a free book as a thank-you for joining.