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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 18 september 2019
'Letters from Hollywood' is a movie nerd's dream

Associated Press tache, but I figure if people Will Rogers, declining to
"Letters from Hollywood: will pay to see certain films address a bankers group,
Inside the Private World ('The Exorcist,' for one) they circa 1926.
of Classic American Mov- will pay to see me." —"Except as a scientific
iemaking," published by These and other little joys achievement, I am not
Abrams, compiled and are to be found in "Letters sympathetic to this 'sound'
edited by Rocky Lang and from Hollywood," a collec- business. I feel, as so many
Barbara Hall tion of movie-related corre- do, that it is a mechani-
Paul Newman passes on spondence from archives, cal resource, that it is a
an offer to co-star with libraries and private collec- retrogressive and tempo-
Barbra Streisand in "Funny tions. Many of the missives rary digression in so far as
Girl," saying he can't carry deal with the nuts and bolts it affects the art of motion
a tune or dance. Col. Tom of filmmaking — screenwrit- picture acting, — in short
Parker suggests a story line ing, casting, directing and that it does not properly
for a movie starring his cli- more — along with person- belong to my particular
ent Elvis Presley in which the al reflections and an occa- work." — Actor Ronald Col-
singer plays a young man sional catty comment. man, 1928. Nonetheless, he
raised by the gypsies who Fans of classic films who was a major star in the first
had kidnapped him as a know the difference be- three decades of talking
baby — "with a good love tween a Sturges and a pictures.
angle involved." Selznick or a Kazan and a —"I've seen the picture, and
A 17-year-old Tom Hanks, Karloff will be intrigued or it's foul. It doesn't leave Mr.
writing on notebook paper, amused by private reflec- Hearst with one redeem-
pitches himself to be "dis- tions such as: ing feature. Nobody but
covered" by the director —"Now I have reformed Orson would have dared
of "The Sting," George Roy from all that foolishness of do a thing like that, and I
Hill, who happens to be the gabbing around, Its one of personally hope it will never
uncle of some of his class- the lowest forms of art there be shown on the screen."
mates. is, is after dinner speaking, — Gossip columnist Hedda
"My looks are not stunning," and besides I am an Actor Hopper on "Citizen Kane,"
writes the future two-time now, they are on the verge This cover image released by Abrams shows "Letters from Holly- its inspiration, newspaper
Oscar winner. "I am not of putting me in sex parts, wood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemak- publisher William Randolph
built like a Greek God, and (that's not six, that's SEX)." — ing," compiled and edited by Rocky Lang and Barbara Hall. Hearst and director Orson
I can't even grow a mus- Humorist turned movie star Associated Press Welles, 1941. q

Rocker Ric Ocasek, frontman of The Cars, dead at 75

By TOM HAYS "Drive," another Cars hit. Best Friend's Girl" at their
ANDREW DALTON Ocasek, who sang, played last live show in 1994, and
Associated Press guitar and wrote most of Ocasek produced albums
NEW YORK (AP) — Ric the band's songs, and Ben- for younger bands includ-
Ocasek, The Cars frontman jamin Orr, who played bass ing Weezer, No Doubt and
whose deadpan vocal de- and also sang, were ex-hip- Bad Religion.
livery and lanky, sunglassed pie buddies who formed The Cars were inducted
look defined a rock era The Cars in Boston in 1976. into the Rock & Roll Hall
with chart-topping hits like They were a decade older of Fame in 2018 after be-
"Just What I Needed," was than many of their mod- ing nominated twice be-
discovered dead Sunday ern-rock compatriots but fore. During the ceremony,
afternoon in his Manhattan became one of the most Ocasek paid tribute to Orr,
apartment. essential American bands who died in 2000 of pan-
The New York Police De- of the late 1970s and 1980s creatic cancer.
partment said that offi- with their fusion of new "It's quite strange to be here
cers found the 75-year-old wave, 1960s pop and 1970s without him," Ocasek said.
Ocasek at about 4 p.m. glam. In announcing the sepa-
after responding to a 911 Ocasek's minimalist, half- ration last year, Porizkova
call. They said there were spoken deadpan vocals In this April 14, 2018, file photo, Ric Ocasek, from the Cars, per- said that their family is "a
no signs of foul play and set made the band's sound, forms during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremo- well-built car." But she says
that the medical examiner and his long, lanky appear- ny in Cleveland. that "as a bicycle, my hus-
was to determine a cause ance formed their lasting Associated Press band and I no longer ped-
of death. image. al in unison." Ocasek had
The death comes a year The first three songs on their were in Billboard's top 10. cal, partly animated video six sons, two from each of
after The Cars were induct- 1978 self-titled first album The band's commercial for "You Might Think" along his three marriages.
ed into the Rock & Roll Hall were all hit singles and re- peak came with 1984's with the mournful video for He grew up in Baltimore,
of Fame, followed by an main widely known classics "Heartbeat City," which "Drive" brought them near- and his family moved to
announcement by model and oldies radio airplay: featured the hit singles "You constant airplay on the Cleveland when he was a
Paulina Porizkova on so- "Good Times Roll," ''My Best Might Think" and "Magic," channel in the mid-1980s. teenager. After graduating
cial media that she and Friend's Girl" and "Just What sung by Ocasek, and the The band broke up in 1988, high school he had stints at
Ocasek had separated I Needed." atypical ballad "Drive," but their influence would Antioch College and Bowl-
after 28 years of marriage. They had 10 other singles in sung by Orr. be deeply felt in the 1990s ing Green State University in
The pair first met while film- the Billboard top 40, and of They were always an MTV and beyond. Kurt Cobain the mid-1960s before drop-
ing the music video for their six studio albums, four favorite, and the whimsi- and Nirvana covered "My ping out to pursue music.q