JOHN
LEGEND GOES ABOVE-GROUND TO REVIVE ‘UNDERGROUND’
John Legend, who has been
relatively quiet on the subject since UNDERGROUND was cancelled this May after
its second season, has come out swinging. Legend exec-produced the series about
runaway slaves and abolitionists, and by all reports it was a hit, the biggest ratings
success WGN America has had with original programming. But WGN America is owned by Tribune Media,
which was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group. They’re geared to less
expensive reality programming, and the UNDERGROUND per-episode price tag is $4.5
million. Legend also claims that
Sinclair has a policy of acquiring TV stations and shifting their news policies
to the far right.
The series, while it was
aired by WGN America, is produced by SONY, and has been shopped to a number of
other possible venues, including BET and OWN, without success. In attempt to
stir up interest, Legend has taken to social media, saying the following:
John Legend as Frederick Douglas
in UNDERGROUND
In the wake of the events
in Charlottesville, America has had a conversation about history and memory,
monuments and flags, slavery and freedom. We’ve had a debate about the Civil
War and how we remember the Confederate leaders who provoked the War in order
to perpetuate the evil institution of slavery. How do we tell the stories of
this era? Who is celebrated? Who is ignored? Do we give hallowed public space
to those who fought to tear the country apart so that millions would remain in
shackles? Or do we celebrate those who risked their life in the pursuit of
freedom and equality.
As storytellers,
producers and creators of content for film and television, we have the power to
take control of the narrative. As an executive producer of the
critically-acclaimed television series Underground, we’ve been
proud to celebrate those like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass who were
true American heroes whose legacy we can be proud of. Their words and their
actions helped make it possible for my ancestors to be free. I’m honored and
humbled by the opportunity to make sure they are not forgotten. Along with the
stories of historical luminaries, our series features fictionalized characters
and plot lines directly inspired by the courageous real narratives of the first
integrated civil rights movement in the United States, the movement to abolish
slavery.
In its first two
seasons, Underground was undeniably a hit series, setting
ratings records for WGN America, receiving rave reviews and sparking
conversation in the media. It was screened at the White House and the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was
acknowledged by the NAACP, NABJ, and many other highly respected institutions,
and generated widespread engagement on social media as a trending topic during
every new episode… yet here we are, still fighting for a future for the series.
How did we get here? WGN
America was bought by media conglomerate Sinclair Communications. Sinclair has
pursued a strategy of buying up local networks and moving their news coverage
to fit their far-right agenda. In addition, they’ve bought Tribune Media, the
parent company of WGN America and immediately turned away from high-quality
original dramas such as Underground and Outsiders in
favor of cheaper unscripted entertainment.
We know there is still an
appetite for high-quality scripted dramas on network and cable tv and streaming
services. We also know that, in this particular moment in history, there is an
urgent need to tell the powerful story of the Underground Railroad. Even today
– in the 21st century – we rely on a sort of underground network of individuals
and organizations willing to put themselves at risk to help those who are not
yet seen as equals in the eyes of the United States government. When our
elected officials tell undocumented individuals who boost our economy, who
strengthen our workforce, and who see the U.S. as the only home they have ever
known, that they are at risk of deportation, those individuals are forced to
live in the shadows. They may be sent to a land they can’t remember, that they
fled in fear, or in some instances where they have never even set foot. Who
will tell their stories when they are made to feel unsafe when they go to work,
drop their kids off at school, seek medical help, or report a crime? Putting a
spotlight on these types of stories creates an opportunity for recognition,
understanding, discussion and learning, bringing a humanity and context that
allows people to experience our past and present in a way that is not possible
in other media.
For all of these reasons
and more, the cast, producers and our studio Sony Pictures remain committed to
a future for Underground because of a belief that this story
is important and invaluable… and it remains our hope that not only is there a
future for this show, but for many others like it.
Let’s #SaveUnderground so
that we can continue to inspire and educate the American people about these
true American heroes.
ZORRO’S
CASA IS UP FOR BIDS! SOLD!
Casa Verdugo in 1910
No, this is not some
clever plot by the Alcalde to force ‘the fox’ into the open. The home in
Glendale, California where Zorro creator Johnston McCulley lived in the late
1930s and ‘40s, just closed escrow this week for $1.85 million. Built in 1907
in the Mission Revival style, the house on North Louise Street was recently
designated historic by the City of Glendale, and Realtor Shannon Cistulli tells
me there has been a proposal to declare the neighborhood an historic district,
and name it after the home, which has long been known as Casa Verdugo.
Postcard of Casa Verdugo's Indian Room
The home was famous long
before McCulley moved in, and was in fact named after a neighboring house. Legendary
land speculators Huntington and Brand wanted to attract tract buyers to Glendale.
They acquired a historic adobe mansion called Casa Verdugo, named after the
original land-grant owners, and made it the end-of-the-line of their Redcar
system. This was the time of an international literary obsession with Helen
Hunt Jackson’s RAMONA, and visitors to Southern California were desperate for a
taste of the early Spanish culture. A fine Mexican chef and restaurateur, Piedad
Yorba de Sowl, was induced to give up her Los Angeles restaurant and turn Casa
Verdugo into an elegant and very high-end eatery. It flourished.
Casa Verdugo today
Piedad and her husband
acquired a neighboring tract of land and built their own home there. The
restaurant was such a success that Brand and Huntington got greedy (I know, it’s
hard to believe), refused to renew Sowl’s lease, and decided to run the
restaurant themselves. Piedad turned her neighboring home into a restaurant and
it became the new Casa Verdugo – she was foresighted enough to have registered
the name, and successfully sued Brand and Huntington when they tried to reopen
the adobe restaurant under that same name. In the first year of operation as a restaurant
at the new location, it was a filming location for THE MANICURE LADY (1911), a
one-reel comedy produced by D. W. Griffith’s BIOGRAPH company, directed by and
starring Mack Sennett, with Vivian Prescott and Eddie Dillon. (I haven’t seen it, but it’s been shown on
TCM.)
Visiting the ZORRO TV set. L to R Guy Williams,
Johnston McCulley, Henry Calvin, ?
When Piedad relocated the
restaurant yet again – it would have six different addresses over the years –
the place became a home again, and eventually Johnston McCulley’s home. Best
known as a novelist, McCulley’s works, especially related to Zorro, would be
frequently filmed, first notably in 1920, with Douglas Fairbanks in THE MARK OF
ZORRO, and in many versions, here and abroad thereafter. His only credited
screenplay was for the 1941 Hopalong Cassidy film DOOMED CARAVANS, but his
stories for the movies included 1937’s ROOTIN’ TOOTIN’ RYTHYM for Gene Autry, as
well as films for Bob Steele and Johnny Mack Brown. His story for the Duncan
Renaldo Cisco Kid film SOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE (1945) led to a writing
collaboration with Renaldo, DON RICARDO RETURNS (1946); McCulley wrote the
story and, using a pseudonym, Renaldo both co-wrote the screenpay and
co-produced. Interestingly, DON RICARDO was shot in part at the historic Leonis
Adobe, which still stands and is open to the public.
SERVICES
FOR BEN BATES, JAMES ARNESS STUNT DOUBLE, MONDAY 10/9
Actor and stuntman Ben
Bates, stunt double for James Arness in GUNSMOKE, has died. A former rodeo
cowboy and one-time Marlboro man, Bates became best known within the industry
when in 1972 he took over stunt-doubling duties for Arness, a job he would
continue on Arness’ later series and movies, including HOW THE WEST WAS WON,
THE ALAMO: 13 DAYS TO GLORY, RED RIVER and MCCLAIN’S LAW. He also played Ranger
Post in 1982’s LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER, and Arcane Monster in THE SWAMP THING.
His viewing will from 10 a.m. until noon,
at the Miller Jones Mortuary, 26770 Murrieta
Road, Sun City, CA 92586, 951 672-0777, followed by services at the church
directly across the street at 1 p.m. A
second service will be held in Texas this Friday, but we don’t have details
yet. Close friend Julie Ann Ream adds, “Anyone
wishing to contribute, no matter how small, to a 'Cowboy Wreath' which will be
at the service in Texas, please contact me here or via e mail @ julieannream@yahoo.com. Your name will
also be added to the card that will be going to his family. Val loved the idea
that it will rest with Ben at his final resting place.”
HOLLYWOOD
SNAPSHOTS – THE FORGOTTEN INTERVIEWS, by Michael B. Druxman
The only digest-sized
magazine people are familiar with today is Readers
Digest – all the others have expanded, like TV Guide, or disappeared. But from 1936 until the mid-1970s, Coronet Magazine offered general
interest stories in a pocket-sized magazine. In the ‘70s, publicist,
screenwriter, playwright, and film director Michael B. Druxman wrote a monthly
column for Coronet called Yesterday At The Movies, interviewing
stars from the golden age of Hollywood.
Druxman has gathered the
best of these interviews for HOLLYWOOD SNAPSHOTS, and they mostly are people
who rarely spoke on the record. Druxman is a skilled and knowledgeable
journalist, and all of the interviews reveal thoughtful insights into the
subjects’ lives, and often character. Among
the stars discussing their careers are Jack Oakie, Claire Trevor, Paul Henried,
Ann Miller, John Carradine, Howard Keel, Gale Sondergaard, several of the Our
Gang kids, even the notoriously reticent Mary Pickford. Also included are interviews that never saw
the light of day, including one with David Jansen that never ran, and a talk
with Yvonne DeCarlo for The Enquirer,
which they killed because she didn’t talk enough about her diet.
Best of all, without the
inflexible word count required by the magazine, Druxman provides each with an
introduction, providing a context to when and how and where the interview took
place – he talked with Gale Sondergaard at The Brown Derby! Often there are moments that would have been
unkind to include at the time, such as the actor’s wife who asked Druxman not
to reveal how much her husband drank during their chat. And after each piece he
includes quotes that there just wasn’t room for – often among the best stuff!
Druxman has written
several non-fiction books about filmmaking, as well as one-man shows based on
great stars, including Clara Bow, Orson Welles, Clark Gable, Al Jolson and
Errol Flynn. Culled from the research
for these projects, the second half of the book includes an array of quotes
from actors, producers, writers, and editors he interviewed. Among the
directors alone are Herb Ross, Edward Dmytryk, George Sidney, Gordon Douglas, Raoul
Walsh, and Howard Hawks. HOLLYWOOD SNAPSHOTS is published by BearManor Media, for $19.95 in paper and
$29.95 in hardback.
…AND THAT’S A WRAP!
Happy Trails,
Henry
All Original Contents
Copyright October 2017 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights Reserved
