News

Michael Preece, the script supervisor turned director who called the shots on multiple episodes of series including Hunter, Dallas and Walker, Texas Ranger, died Thursday. He was 88.

Preece died of heart failure at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles, his daughter, Gretchen Preece-Newman — wife of two-time Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman — told The Hollywood Reporter.

Preece directed 19 episodes of NBC’s Hunter from 1984-90 during the show’s first six seasons; 62 installments of CBS’ Dallas from 1981-91 (seasons four through 14), plus the 1997 reunion telefilm War of the Ewings; and 70 episodes of CBS’ Walker, Texas Ranger during its nine-season, 1993-2001 run.

Preece also worked on The Bionic Woman, Barnaby Jones, Fantasy Island, Flamingo Road, T.J. Hooker, The New Mike Hammer, Riptide, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, MacGyver, 7th Heaven and many other series before calling it a career in 2007.

Michael Conway Preece was born in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 1936. His mother, Thelma, founded...

If you're ever fortunate enough to interview a great filmmaker, or simply find yourself occupying the same space as one and want to make the moment meaningful before it passes, you'll always get a genuine answer when you ask them to name the movie that made them fall in love with the medium. This may not be true in years to come, when creators who grew up during the downtick in theatrical exhibition and the explosion of TikTok craft art meant to be digested in 30-second morsels on your smartphone, but right now it is a near certainty that your favorite director got bit by the cinema bug while sitting in a darkened theater — and that's a memory they can access as fast as their first kiss (do not ask them about that).

Steven Spielberg can tell you all about Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth," while...

Dirty Honey have announced their first live album, Mayhem and Revelry Live, arriving February 21st, plus a four-part tour documentary.

Ahead of the release, the band offered up the live version of “When I’m Gone,” along with an accompanying concert video that captures the raucous hard-rock energy of the band’s stage show.

The clip and live album/documentary were recorded over the course of Dirty Honey’s 2023/2024 “Can’t Find The Brakes Tour.” The album totals 16 tracks and is set for release on vinyl, CD, and digitally. Side A of the vinyl pressing will feature recordings from the North American gigs on the tour, with recordings from the UK/European leg on Side B.

“We are very proud to present to you this collection of live performances from around the world,” said guitarist John Notto in a press release. “Like my favorite live albums I listened to constantly as a kid,...

John Wayne made a secret appearance on famed Western series Wagon Train - though his voice still gave him away. There's a persistent rumor John Wayne turned down Gunsmoke, one of the longest-running TV shows in history. While major stars regularly cross over from movies to television now, this was almost unheard of back in the 1950s, and an actor of Wayne's stature would never have even considered fronting a TV show. Still, Wayne recorded an intro to Gunsmoke as a favor to leading man James Arness.

Aside from Gunsmoke, another of the major Western shows from this period was Wagon Train. Running for eight seasons, this followed the misadventures of the titular wagon train as it made its way to California and encountered guest stars like Charles Bronson, Leonard Nimoy and Bette Davis along the trail. Wagon Train itself was partly inspired by John Wayne's first major film The Big Trail...

Tommy Morgan, a harmonica soloist who contributed to hundreds of movie and TV shows including “Roots” and “Dances With Wolves,” died June 23. He was 89.

Morgan played on film soundtracks and record dates going back to the early 1950s. His estimated 7,000 recording sessions, according to statistics on his website, suggest that more people have heard his harmonica work than that of any other player of the instrument.

That’s Morgan’s harmonica on Quincy Jones’ “Sanford and Son” theme, Mike Post’s “Rockford Files” theme and the scores for numerous shows including “Maverick,” “The Waltons,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “China Beach,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Family Guy.”

He played on the Emmy-winning score for “Roots” and its sequel, “Roots: The Next Generations.” And his bass harmonica was the signature sound of Arnold Ziffel, the pig on “Green Acres.”

In addition, Morgan played on dozens of classic films including “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,...

Writer, director and actor Michael Showalter joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

The Baxter (2005)

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

Runaway Daughters (1994)

Clueless (1995)

Bagdad Cafe (1987)

Coda (2021)

The Long Goodbye (1973) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Sugarbaby (1985)

City Slickers (1991)

Attack! (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Paris, Texas (1984) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Pretty In Pink (1986)

Escape From New York (1981) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary

Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986)

The Warriors (1979)

The Thing (1982) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Christine (1983)

Crossing Delancey (1988)

Annie Hall (1977) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

The Fugitive (1993)

The Big Sick (2017) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Between The Lines...

Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.

Museum of the Moving Image

What do The Earrings of Madame De…, How the West Was Won, and an avant-garde series have in common? They’re all inspired 2001: A Space Odyssey and play in a program this weekend, as does a 70mm print of Kubrick’s film alongside the museum’s incredible new exhibit.

Although it often appears quite low in rankings of Quentin Tarantino’s films, The Hateful Eight is a gripping revisionist Western mystery with breathtaking visuals. Cinematographer Robert Richardson shot the movie on antique Ultra Panavision 70 lenses, the same lenses used to shoot epics like Ben-Hur and How the West Was Won, to bring out the details in the actors’ impeccable performances. Every member of the film’s ensemble was perfectly cast, and the plot is compelling and masterfully crafted. It’s an incredible movie. Here are The Hateful Eight’s 5 Funniest (& 5 Most Shocking) Moments.

Related: The Hateful Eight: 5 Ways It's Better As A Netflix Miniseries (& 5 Ways It's Worse)...

Rudy Behlmer, author of “Memo From David O. Selznick” and nearly a dozen other film-history books, died Friday at his home in Studio City, Calif. He was 92.

Behlmer was among the most widely respected historians of Golden Age Hollywood, in part because of his insistence upon researching “primary source material” and not relying on faulty memories or exaggerated press accounts of the time.

“Memo From David O. Selznick,” which Behlmer edited from thousands of Selznick’s private letters, telegrams and memoranda, was a best seller in 1972. Behlmer first interviewed the “Gone With the Wind” producer for a 1963 article for “Films in Review,” one of dozens of magazine pieces he wrote over the decades.

Other books followed: “Hollywood’s Hollywood: The Movies About the Movies”, “Inside Warner Bros. 1935-1951” (1985), “Behind the Scenes: The Making Of…” (1989) and “Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck” (1993).

Behlmer’s first book, co-written with fellow film historians Tony Thomas and Clifford McCarty,...

Stunt double Ben Bates, best known for his work substituting for Gunsmoke star James Arness for more than 25 years, died Oct. 4 in Sun City, California, according to his family. He was 84. Bates’s long career included doubling spots for the television series How the West Was Won (for which he was also a stunt coordinator), McClain’s Law, Bosom Buddies, The Fall Guy and Matt Houston. He also appeared in the film The Legend of the Lone Ranger and the TV movies The Alamo: Thi…...

Ben Bates, who served as the stunt double for James Arness, the star of Gunsmoke, for more than 25 years, died Oct. 4 in Sun City, Calif., his family announced. He was 84.

In addition to stepping in for Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS Western, Bates doubled for the actor on the TV series McClain's Law and How the West Was Won (on which Bates also served as stunt coordinator) and in the TV movies Red River and The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory.

In 2001's James Arness: An Autobiography, Bates said that each...

Peter Hansen, who for decades played General Hospital legal eagle Lee Baldwin, died on Sunday at age 95.

Prior to his esteemed Gh run (where in 1965 he replaced Ross Elliott as the eventual adoptive father to Scott and husband of Gail), Hansen appeared on such series as The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Sea Hunt and Gomer Pyle: Usmc. His TV credits also include How the West Was Won, Coach, Golden Girls and the Gh spinoff Port Charles.

For his work as Gh‘s Lee, a recovering alcoholic and onetime Port Charles mayor, Hansen earned two Daytime Emmy nominations,...

A version of this article originally appeared on EW.com.

Actor Peter Hansen, known for his role as lawyer and addiction counselor Lee Baldwin on General Hospital, has died at the age of 95.

Hansen died Sunday in Santa Clarita, California, the General Hospital twitter account confirmed Tuesday.

Though he made over 100 film and television appearances, Hansen was best known for his role as the stalwart Lee Baldwin on General Hospital and its spin-off Port Charles. He appeared on the weekday soap opera from 1965 through 2004, making his last appearance at Lila’s (Anna Lee) funeral in 2004 and retiring from the screen thereafter.

Van Williams, star of the 1960s action sci-fi series The Green Hornet, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 82.

Born Van Zandt Jarvis Williams on Feb. 27, 1934 in Forth Worth, Texas, the actor passed away Nov. 29 of kidney failure in Scottsdale, Arizona where he lived with his wife of 57 years, Vicki Flaxman Richards.

Williams grew up on a ranch outside Fort Worth and later studied animal husbandry and business at Texas Christian University. When he and his father wrangled over ranch policy, Van lit out for the wide open spaces of Hawaii in 1956. It was there, while working as...

The Civil War didn’t end at Appomattox, but still rages in the hearts and minds of Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” a salty hothouse whodunit that owes as much to Agatha Christie as it does to Anthony Mann. Though Tarantino toys with many of the lawless frontier genre’s classic tropes, it’s arguable whether this deliciously long-winded mystery — “molasses-like,” to use his own term — qualifies as a Western at all. It might more aptly be considered an ongoing North-vs.-Southern, seeing as how . The gratuitous bloodletting and hefty running time should appeal primarily to cinephiles, building word of mouth in the week between Christmas Day and Dec. 31, when it makes a killing in wide release.

Last year, Tarantino announced a career plan that would see the director retiring (or perhaps turning his attention to television) after 10 films, and in light of his own self-imposed limit, the helmer...

As the In Memoriam segment at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards proved, the last 12 months have been a death-filled year. So much so, in fact, that a number of notable deaths were omitted from the segment. Among those missing from the list: Yvonne Craig, whose television roles included Batgirl on the 1960s series “Batman” and died in August at age 78, pro-wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who died at 61 in July. Another prominent omission: Acting legend Christopher Lee who, while primarily known as a film actor, had dozness of television credits to his name, including “How the West Was Won,”...

Earlier this month, sci-fi fans were stunned when storyboard artist Eric Canete indicated on Twitter (where else, these days?!) that Disney Xd's Tron: Uprising - an animated sequel/prequel set between the two movies Tron and Tron: Legacy - would not be getting a second season.

As an online kerfuffle began to bubble about the show's cancellation, producer Edward Kitsis stepped in and clarified: "I don't know what the future [of Tron: Uprising] is now. I know at the present, I can say we need more viewers. The problem is, not enough people are watching it.

"At this point, I don't believe its fate has been decided. So if people keep watching, then there's still a chance. Please watch. Tell your friends."

Among the voice actors in Tron: Uprising is genre legend Bruce Boxleitner, reprising his role as Tron. So what does he have to say about the TV series, and will he...

Nicol Williamson as Merlin in Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981, UK):

Turning in by far the best acting in Boorman’s epic, Williamson sets the bar for all other interpretations of the Merlin character. Best known as an acclaimed stage actor with a history of incredibly unprofessional behavior, this is Williamson’s most memorable film role and will have you chanting the “charm of making” in no time.

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982, USA):

As an android seeking to prolong his short life, Hauer’s unique screen presence is perfectly utilized in director Scott’s atmospheric science fiction milestone. Hauer brings a sort of “alien” quality to the character Roy Batty and really makes this role a truly superior piece of casting.

Other notable Rutger Hauer performances: Nighthawks (Bruce Malmuth, 1981, USA), The Hitcher (Robert Harmon, 1986, USA).

Ricardo Montalban as Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Nicholas Meyer,...

Retro-active: The Best Articles From Cinema Retro's Archives

Bradford Dillman: A Compulsively Watchable Actor

By Harvey Chartrand

In a career that has spanned 43 years, Bradford Dillman accumulated more than 500 film and TV credits. The slim, handsome and patrician Dillman may have been the busiest actor in Hollywood during the late sixties and early seventies, working non-stop for years. In 1971 alone, Dillman starred in seven full-length feature films. And this protean output doesn’t include guest appearances on six TV shows that same year.

Yale-educated Dillman first drew good notices in the early 1950s on the Broadway stage and in live TV shows, such as Climax and Kraft Television Theatre. After making theatrical history playing Edmund Tyrone in the first-ever production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night in 1956, Dillman landed the role of blueblood psychopath Artie Straus in the crime-and-punishment thriller Compulsion (1959), for which he...

As we enter our 8th year of publishing, we'd like to thank each of our loyal readers for helping us keep the dream alive. It's not easy maintaining a magazine in the age of the internet, but we continue to thrive thanks to our many readers throughout the world. A very special thanks to those of you who subscribe to Cinema Retro. Frankly, there is no greater way of helping us out (unless you have a few million bucks laying around that you'd like to donate). Every subscription goes a long way to ensuring that we'll be able to maintain the high standards you've come to expect- with a minimum amount of advertising. We've also been able to maintain our pricing without a single increase in eight years, despite soaring costs for printing and mailing. Every issue will continue to be a limited edition collector's item. In fact with the...

James Arness, who played the iconic Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS' "Gunsmoke" for twenty seasons, has died. He was 88. The 6-foot-7 actor, who also starred in the 1950s sci-fi classics "Them!" and "The Thing From Another World," passed away of natural causes Friday in his home in Brentwood. His death comes 14 months after his brother, "Mission: Impossible" actor Peter Graves, died of a heart attack at age 83. Arness' official website posted a letter from the actor on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously. The letter stated: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends. I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of 'Gunsmoke,' 'The Thing,' 'How the West Was Won' and all the other fun projects I was...

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.

Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he said.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of 'Gunsmoke,' The Thing, 'How the West Was Won' and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years.

Earl Huntoon, a property master on TV shows including "Gunsmoke," died Oct. 14 in Pioneer, Calif. He was 85.

Huntoon, a gun expert who worked primarily on Westerns and cop shows, was on the "Gunsmoke" crew for five years until the show was canceled in 1975.

His credits also include TV shows "The Rockford Files," "Matlock," "CHiPs," "Hardcastle & McCormick," "The Waltons," "Fame" and "Hogan's Heroes," the 1985 miniseries "North and South" and the 1962 film classic "How the West Was Won."

Huntoon was a member of Local 44 for 23 years before retiring.

Fantasy Island star Ricardo Montalban has died at the age of 88.

The Mexican actor passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The cause of death is unknown.

Montalban is most famous for his role as Mr Roarke in the 1970s and 80s show, but he also made numerous other TV, movie and theatre roles throughout a long and successful career.

He appeared as villain Khan Noonien Singh in the first ever season of Star Trek, as well as the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

He was awarded with an Emmy in 1978 for his role in How The West Was Won and was nominated for a Tony Award for his part in the musical, Jamaica.

Montalban's wife of 63 years, Georgiana died in 2007. The couple is survived by its four children.