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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
- “It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
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- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
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Tag Archives: Paul Newman
“Acting is like letting your pants down; you’re exposed.” — Paul Newman
It’s his birthday today. I am so glad I grew up in a time when Paul Newman was still a leading man (and he was a leading man up until the end). So I got to experience the pleasure of … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Elvis Presley, James Dean, Joanne Woodward, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Sidney Lumet
26 Comments
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
I wrote about Paul Newman’s directorial debut, Rachel, Rachel, starring Joanne Woodward, for my Substack.
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies
Tagged drama, Joanne Woodward, newsletter, Paul Newman
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Sidney Lumet: Excerpts from Making Movies
It’s Sidney Lumet’s birthday. Here are many excerpts from his classic and invaluable film-making handbook Making Movies: In Murder on the Orient Express, I wanted Ingrid Bergman to play the Russian Princess Dragomiroff. She wanted to play the retarded Swedish … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books, Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Al Pacino, Dean Stockwell, Dog Day Afternoon, Faye Dunaway, Ingrid Bergman, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Marlon Brando, Network, Paul Newman, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Running on Empty, Sidney Lumet, William Holden
15 Comments
Dynamic Duo #23
Paul and Joanne
Happy Birthday, Paul Newman
Paul Newman in “Slap Shot” Here’s the piece I wrote for House Next Door when Paul Newman passed away.
Paul Newman’s TCM Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor
He gets her right. Not a lot of people did.
Sweet Bird of Youth: “Hello There, Chance Wayne. Somebody Said You Were Back In St. Cloud, But I Didn’t Believe Them.”
New Directions has come out with new trade paperback editions of Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Night of the Iguana and The Rose Tattoo. I have received some review copies, and they are gorgeous new editions … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Theatre
Tagged Geraldine Page, Lanford Wilson, Paul Newman, Tennessee Williams
5 Comments
20 Favorite Actors
Joining the fun that’s been going on, and to quote Nathaniel who started this whole thing: “In no particular order and extremely subject to change.” For example: where the hell is Robert Mitchum? And William H. Macy? And Sean Penn … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Cary Grant, Dean Stockwell, Ewan McGregor, Gary Cooper, Gene Hackman, George Sanders, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, James Cagney, Jeff Bridges, John Wayne, Johnny Depp, Kurt Russell, Marlon Brando, Mickey Rourke, Paul Newman, Richard Widmark, Robert Duvall, Russell Crowe, Thomas Mitchell
32 Comments
The Books: “As I Am: An Autobiography” (Patricia Neal)
Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: As I Am: An Autobiography, by Patricia Neal This is one of those rare books where my response to it was, “Dear God, it’s me, Sheila. Could you please give Patricia Neal a break? Hasn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged entertainment biography, Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Paul Newman, Roald Dahl
9 Comments