The First Angel

William Shakespeare, like other innovators, warned of worries that could prevent success—”Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt,” wrote the Bard in Measure for Measure. It is a certainty, of course, that...

Cesar Romero

In the 1989 movie Batman, Jack Nicholson brought his trademark sarcasm to the role of the Joker, perhaps Batman’s greatest foe.  Nearly 20 years later, Heath Ledger inhabited the role, giving a performance of a diabolical, insane, delusional villain....

The Gentleman Giant

Leader.  Visionary.  Gentleman. Leonard Goldenson.  The founder of ABC. In the early years of television, NBC and CBS had dominance, prestige, and history. ABC had Leonard Goldenson. NBC and CBS had A-list talent. ABC had Leonard Goldenson. NBC and CBS had their...

Tarzan Takeoffs in Films

Tarzan inspired film studios to invent their versions of a jungle hero.  The results range from hysterical to sober. In 1973, Disney mined Tarzan for laughs in The World’s Greatest Athlete, a benign film set on the fictional Merrivale College campus.  Faced with...