Elvis Presley
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
November 26, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game that can be played anytime and anywhere by anybody. Perfect light enjoyment for holiday conversation during travel, turkey, or dessert.
The purpose is to connect an actor or actress to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less by using movies as the connectors.
For example, William Holden can be connected in three steps. Holden was in Network with Faye Dunaway. Dunaway was in Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. Nicholson was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Television icons can also be used as starting points because their resumes include movies. Mary Tyler Moore was in Change of Habit with Elvis Presley and Ed Asner. Presley plays a doctor and Asner plays a cop. Asner also plays a cop in Fort Apache, The Bronx with Paul Newman. Newman was in The Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks. Hanks was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Dick Van Dyke was in Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews. Andrews was in 10 with Dudley Moore. Moore was in Arthur with Liza Minelli. Minelli was in New York, New York with Robert de Niro. de Niro was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Alan Alda was in Same Time, Next Year with Ellen Burstyn. Burstyn was in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood with Sandra Bullock. Bullock was in Speed with Keanu Reeves. Reeves was in The Devil’s Advocate with Charlize Theron. Theron was in That Thing You Do! with Tom Hanks. Hanks was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Lucille Ball was in Yours, Mine, and Ours with Henry Fonda. Fonda was in Mr. Roberts with Jack Lemmon. Lemmon was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Sid Caesar was in Grease with John Travolta. Travolta was in Moment By Moment with Lily Tomlin. Tomlin was in Nine to Five with Dabney Coleman. Coleman was in North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte. Nolte was in Cape Fear with Robert de Niro. de Niro was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Bob Hope was in Spies Like Us with Chevy Chase. Chase was in Caddyshack with Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield was in Back to School with Sally Kellerman. Kellerman was in M*A*S*H with Tom Skerritt. Skerritt was in Singles with Kyra Sedgwick. And Kyra Sedgwick is married to Kevin Bacon.
david@davidkrell.com
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game that can be played anytime and anywhere by anybody. Perfect light enjoyment for holiday conversation during travel, turkey, or dessert.
The purpose is to connect an actor or actress to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less by using movies as the connectors.
For example, William Holden can be connected in three steps. Holden was in Network with Faye Dunaway. Dunaway was in Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. Nicholson was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Television icons can also be used as starting points because their resumes include movies. Mary Tyler Moore was in Change of Habit with Elvis Presley and Ed Asner. Presley plays a doctor and Asner plays a cop. Asner also plays a cop in Fort Apache, The Bronx with Paul Newman. Newman was in The Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks. Hanks was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Dick Van Dyke was in Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews. Andrews was in 10 with Dudley Moore. Moore was in Arthur with Liza Minelli. Minelli was in New York, New York with Robert de Niro. de Niro was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Alan Alda was in Same Time, Next Year with Ellen Burstyn. Burstyn was in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood with Sandra Bullock. Bullock was in Speed with Keanu Reeves. Reeves was in The Devil’s Advocate with Charlize Theron. Theron was in That Thing You Do! with Tom Hanks. Hanks was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Lucille Ball was in Yours, Mine, and Ours with Henry Fonda. Fonda was in Mr. Roberts with Jack Lemmon. Lemmon was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Sid Caesar was in Grease with John Travolta. Travolta was in Moment By Moment with Lily Tomlin. Tomlin was in Nine to Five with Dabney Coleman. Coleman was in North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte. Nolte was in Cape Fear with Robert de Niro. de Niro was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Bob Hope was in Spies Like Us with Chevy Chase. Chase was in Caddyshack with Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield was in Back to School with Sally Kellerman. Kellerman was in M*A*S*H with Tom Skerritt. Skerritt was in Singles with Kyra Sedgwick. And Kyra Sedgwick is married to Kevin Bacon.
Harry Morgan
November 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Before he was Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan was one of Hollywood’s cornerstone character actors. He shared the silver screen with legends.
Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.
High Noon with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.
The Glenn Miller Story with Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.
The Shootist with John Wayne.
Frankie and Johnny with Elvis Presley.
Support Your Local Sheriff with James Garner.
Dragnet with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd. In Dragnet, Morgan reprises his role of Bill Gannon from the television series of the same name in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Gannon has climbed the ranks to become a police captain.
Morgan played Pete Porter in the television series December Bride and its spinoff -- Pete & Gladys. He also played Judge Bell in the trio of 1990’s Incident tv-movies starring Walter Matthau -- The Incident, Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore, Incident in a Small Town.
But Harry Morgan’s role of the authoritative, compassionate, and wise Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H is likely the role most identified with Morgan. Potter is Morgan’s signature character.
Morgan had big shoes to fill. When M*A*S*H producers killed off Colonel Henry Blake in the spring of 1975, the creative decision sparked shock, dismay, and even outrage. Who ever heard of a show killing a major, beloved, and valuable character? Blake’s death offered no chance for a spinoff, return appearance, or revival.
While McLean Stevenson’s popularity soared as the affable, bumbling, and concerned Colonel Blake who was also one of the guys, Harry Morgan won the respect of fans by playing Colonel Potter with dignity, understanding, and a voice of experience.
Potter led Hawkeye, B.J. and the rest of the M*A*S*H 4077th, but he never talked down to them. He was a Regular Army style solider but he ignored the rules and regulations if they interfered with treating wounded soldiers.
Potter was a combat veteran who became a doctor. But he never forgot the courage of soldiers in the field.
In a vicious ocean of injury, violence, and death, Morgan’s Colonel Potter was the calm oasis of experience, wisdom, and compassion.
Harry Morgan actually made a pre-Potter appearance on M*A*S*H. In the third season premiere -- The General Flipped At Dawn -- he plays General Steele, a half-crazed general. Morgan received an Emmy nomination for his guest appearance in this episode that kicked off the 1975-76 season.
For his role as Colonel Potter, Morgan received eight nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He won once. He also received an Emmy nomination for Best Director.
Harry Morgan continued playing Colonel Potter in the sequel After M*A*S*H. The show is set in a stateside Veterans Administration hospital in Missouri. Jamie Farr and William Christopher joined Morgan to continue their roles as Max Klinger and Father Mulcahy respectively.
After After M*A*S*H, Morgan mostly enjoyed guest appearances on television shows -- The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Grace Under Fire, Third Rock from the Sun, and The Simpsons.
On The Simpsons, Morgan once again reprised his role of Bill Gannon.
david@davidkrell.com
Before he was Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan was one of Hollywood’s cornerstone character actors. He shared the silver screen with legends.
Inherit the Wind with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March.
High Noon with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.
The Glenn Miller Story with Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.
The Shootist with John Wayne.
Frankie and Johnny with Elvis Presley.
Support Your Local Sheriff with James Garner.
Dragnet with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd. In Dragnet, Morgan reprises his role of Bill Gannon from the television series of the same name in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Gannon has climbed the ranks to become a police captain.
Morgan played Pete Porter in the television series December Bride and its spinoff -- Pete & Gladys. He also played Judge Bell in the trio of 1990’s Incident tv-movies starring Walter Matthau -- The Incident, Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore, Incident in a Small Town.
But Harry Morgan’s role of the authoritative, compassionate, and wise Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H is likely the role most identified with Morgan. Potter is Morgan’s signature character.
Morgan had big shoes to fill. When M*A*S*H producers killed off Colonel Henry Blake in the spring of 1975, the creative decision sparked shock, dismay, and even outrage. Who ever heard of a show killing a major, beloved, and valuable character? Blake’s death offered no chance for a spinoff, return appearance, or revival.
While McLean Stevenson’s popularity soared as the affable, bumbling, and concerned Colonel Blake who was also one of the guys, Harry Morgan won the respect of fans by playing Colonel Potter with dignity, understanding, and a voice of experience.
Potter led Hawkeye, B.J. and the rest of the M*A*S*H 4077th, but he never talked down to them. He was a Regular Army style solider but he ignored the rules and regulations if they interfered with treating wounded soldiers.
Potter was a combat veteran who became a doctor. But he never forgot the courage of soldiers in the field.
In a vicious ocean of injury, violence, and death, Morgan’s Colonel Potter was the calm oasis of experience, wisdom, and compassion.
Harry Morgan actually made a pre-Potter appearance on M*A*S*H. In the third season premiere -- The General Flipped At Dawn -- he plays General Steele, a half-crazed general. Morgan received an Emmy nomination for his guest appearance in this episode that kicked off the 1975-76 season.
For his role as Colonel Potter, Morgan received eight nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He won once. He also received an Emmy nomination for Best Director.
Harry Morgan continued playing Colonel Potter in the sequel After M*A*S*H. The show is set in a stateside Veterans Administration hospital in Missouri. Jamie Farr and William Christopher joined Morgan to continue their roles as Max Klinger and Father Mulcahy respectively.
After After M*A*S*H, Morgan mostly enjoyed guest appearances on television shows -- The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Grace Under Fire, Third Rock from the Sun, and The Simpsons.
On The Simpsons, Morgan once again reprised his role of Bill Gannon.
Elvis
October 01, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Elvis.
More than thirty years have passed since he went to rock and roll heaven in 1977.
And just the mere mention of his name opens a lockbox of tremendous memories.
His movements.
His movies.
His portrayals.
Elvis Presley moved on stage like no other performer before him, swiveling his hips to the delight of teenage girls, the jealousy of their boyfriends, and the fright of their parents.
Elvis’ movies may have been formulaic.
Sing a few songs. Charm a few girls. Win the heart of the female lead.
But he surrounded himself with veteran actors who shouldered the load. In lesser hands, the movies would have been unwatchable instead of simply enjoyable.
Angela Lansbury in Blue Hawaii.
Gary Merrill and James Gregory in Clambake.
Gale Gordon and William Schallert in Speedway.
Portrayals of Elvis on television also add to the King’s legacy by interpreting, explaining, and depicting certain aspects of his life.
Okay. So you may not remember some of them. But they deserve a second look, if for no other reason than a sense of completion in looking at Elvis’ career.
We’ve all seen the black and white footage of Elvis dancing and singing Jailhouse Rock in the 1957 movie of the same name, a precursor to the dance videos that would appear during the early days of MTV twenty-five years later.
But did you see Elvis and the Colonel, a 1993 tv-movie starring Rob Youngblood as Elvis and Beau Bridges as Colonel Tom Parker, the manager and mastermind behind a highly significant part of Elvis' career?
How about Elvis and the Beauty Queen, a 1981 tv-movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist as the King's girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and Don Johnson as Elvis? Zimbalist and Johnson made terrific contributions to NBC's revival as a television network powerhouse in the 1980's. She starred in Remington Steele and he made pastels fashionable in Miami Vice.
In 1988, Dale Midkiff portrayed Elvis in Elvis and Me, a four-hour miniseries told from wife Priscilla Presley's point of view. It was based on the book of the same name that Priscilla wrote with Sandra Harmon.
In 2005, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers played Elvis in another four-hour miniseries simply titled Elvis.
Michael St. Gerard filled the shoes of a young Elvis when he played the aspiring King of Rock and Roll on the cusp of breaking into the record business. Elvis was an ABC television series that showed the rarely explored early years of Elvis Presley. The show had a brief run in 1990.
St. Gerard's portrayal was not limited to the small screen, however. He played Elvis in a non-speaking role in the 1988 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire.
But the one that started it all was a two-and-a-half tv-movie that aired on February 11, 1979, just two-and-a-half years after the King's death. Kurt Russell starred in Elvis, a highly anticipated tv-movie. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, Elvis captured the imagination of fans still reeling from the King's death on August 16, 1977. John Carpenter directed Elvis. Coincidentally, Elvis' character in the movie Change of Habit was named John Carpenter.
Kurt Russell actually appeared in one of Elvis' movies. In It Happened at the World's Fair, he kicks Elvis in the shins. But the connection between the two men do not end there. In the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, Kurt Russell plays an Elvis impersonator.
Finally, the 1980's revival of The Twilight Zone gave a twist on Elvis' life, legacy, and allure. In the episode The Once and Future King, an Elvis fanatic and impersonator named Gary has an agent named Sandra. She tells him that she met Elvis during one of his Las Vegas stints when she was 18. After avoiding an accident, Gary somehow travels back in time and meets Elvis in 1954 Memphis. The meeting happens right before Elvis is supposed to record That's All Right, Mama, also known as That's All Right, his initial record.
Elvis believes that Gary is really Jesse Aron Presley or a reincarnation of him. Jesse was Elvis' twin brother who died at birth. When Gary tells Elvis about That's All Right, Mama and the massive success awaiting him, Elvis is simply not interested. He thinks the music that Gary plays is the devil's music. When argument between Gary and Elvis escalates to a violent level, Elvis dies in the fight.
There's only one way out for Gary. Become Elvis. Gary buries him and assumes his identity.
Confession time occurs at the end of the episode set some time during the early 1970's in Las Vegas. Elvis is talking to a groupie. He reveals that he tried to perform the songs and acting roles as closely as he could remember from the original Elvis.
The groupie is Sandra, Gary's agent in his previous life.
The meeting takes place just as she described earlier with Elvis talking for hours and showing signs of paranoia. Only this time, she met with Gary.
Or was it really Elvis?
david@davidkrell.com
Elvis.
More than thirty years have passed since he went to rock and roll heaven in 1977.
And just the mere mention of his name opens a lockbox of tremendous memories.
His movements.
His movies.
His portrayals.
Elvis Presley moved on stage like no other performer before him, swiveling his hips to the delight of teenage girls, the jealousy of their boyfriends, and the fright of their parents.
Elvis’ movies may have been formulaic.
Sing a few songs. Charm a few girls. Win the heart of the female lead.
But he surrounded himself with veteran actors who shouldered the load. In lesser hands, the movies would have been unwatchable instead of simply enjoyable.
Angela Lansbury in Blue Hawaii.
Gary Merrill and James Gregory in Clambake.
Gale Gordon and William Schallert in Speedway.
Portrayals of Elvis on television also add to the King’s legacy by interpreting, explaining, and depicting certain aspects of his life.
Okay. So you may not remember some of them. But they deserve a second look, if for no other reason than a sense of completion in looking at Elvis’ career.
We’ve all seen the black and white footage of Elvis dancing and singing Jailhouse Rock in the 1957 movie of the same name, a precursor to the dance videos that would appear during the early days of MTV twenty-five years later.
But did you see Elvis and the Colonel, a 1993 tv-movie starring Rob Youngblood as Elvis and Beau Bridges as Colonel Tom Parker, the manager and mastermind behind a highly significant part of Elvis' career?
How about Elvis and the Beauty Queen, a 1981 tv-movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist as the King's girlfriend, Linda Thompson, and Don Johnson as Elvis? Zimbalist and Johnson made terrific contributions to NBC's revival as a television network powerhouse in the 1980's. She starred in Remington Steele and he made pastels fashionable in Miami Vice.
In 1988, Dale Midkiff portrayed Elvis in Elvis and Me, a four-hour miniseries told from wife Priscilla Presley's point of view. It was based on the book of the same name that Priscilla wrote with Sandra Harmon.
In 2005, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers played Elvis in another four-hour miniseries simply titled Elvis.
Michael St. Gerard filled the shoes of a young Elvis when he played the aspiring King of Rock and Roll on the cusp of breaking into the record business. Elvis was an ABC television series that showed the rarely explored early years of Elvis Presley. The show had a brief run in 1990.
St. Gerard's portrayal was not limited to the small screen, however. He played Elvis in a non-speaking role in the 1988 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire.
But the one that started it all was a two-and-a-half tv-movie that aired on February 11, 1979, just two-and-a-half years after the King's death. Kurt Russell starred in Elvis, a highly anticipated tv-movie. Produced by Dick Clark Productions, Elvis captured the imagination of fans still reeling from the King's death on August 16, 1977. John Carpenter directed Elvis. Coincidentally, Elvis' character in the movie Change of Habit was named John Carpenter.
Kurt Russell actually appeared in one of Elvis' movies. In It Happened at the World's Fair, he kicks Elvis in the shins. But the connection between the two men do not end there. In the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, Kurt Russell plays an Elvis impersonator.
Finally, the 1980's revival of The Twilight Zone gave a twist on Elvis' life, legacy, and allure. In the episode The Once and Future King, an Elvis fanatic and impersonator named Gary has an agent named Sandra. She tells him that she met Elvis during one of his Las Vegas stints when she was 18. After avoiding an accident, Gary somehow travels back in time and meets Elvis in 1954 Memphis. The meeting happens right before Elvis is supposed to record That's All Right, Mama, also known as That's All Right, his initial record.
Elvis believes that Gary is really Jesse Aron Presley or a reincarnation of him. Jesse was Elvis' twin brother who died at birth. When Gary tells Elvis about That's All Right, Mama and the massive success awaiting him, Elvis is simply not interested. He thinks the music that Gary plays is the devil's music. When argument between Gary and Elvis escalates to a violent level, Elvis dies in the fight.
There's only one way out for Gary. Become Elvis. Gary buries him and assumes his identity.
Confession time occurs at the end of the episode set some time during the early 1970's in Las Vegas. Elvis is talking to a groupie. He reveals that he tried to perform the songs and acting roles as closely as he could remember from the original Elvis.
The groupie is Sandra, Gary's agent in his previous life.
The meeting takes place just as she described earlier with Elvis talking for hours and showing signs of paranoia. Only this time, she met with Gary.
Or was it really Elvis?