Blog Archives

Gone London

Posted on July 28, 2015 by ronbase — 3 Comments

The London of Dickens, the London of countless Masterpiece Theatre portrayals, the black and white London of the British movies of my youth—in other words the traditional London that tourists flock here to experience, that London is fast disappearing. At…

Tagged with: Arnold Circus, Ashford, Big Ben, Brick Lane, Buckingham Palace, Carnaby Street, Charing, Chilham, Downton Abbey, Frank Sinatra, Harrods, Leeds Castle, London, Michael Jackson, Portobello Road, Ray Bennett, Selfridge's, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Tower Bridge, West End, Westminster Abbey, Wolf Hall
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London Calling

Posted on July 10, 2015 by ronbase — Leave a comment

The Greeks are finished (Eurogeddon!), the Chinese are collapsing, a strike has closed the London underground for the first time in thirteen years, everyone is shocked—shocked!—that a Conservative government would slash welfare benefits in its latest budget and, sadly, it…

Tagged with: Amy Winehouse, British Film Insitute, Ernő Goldfinger, Eurogeddon, Goldfinger, Ian Fleming, James Bond, London, Monty Python, Notting Hill, Portobello Road, Ray Bennett, Royal Burrough of Kensington and Chelsea, Trellick Tower, United Kingdom
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How I Drove Bill Murray From The Movies

Posted on October 21, 2014 by ronbase — 2 Comments

These days, Bill Murray is everywhere. In Toronto, they had a Bill Murray Day in his honor. Words like “beloved,” and phrases like “national treasure” are used to describe him. There is “Oscar buzz,” as everyone says, around his performance…

Tagged with: Bill Murray, Columbia Pictures, Dan Aykroyd, Ghostbusters, Golden Cadillac, Harold Ramis, Hotel Frontenac, Ivan Reitman, New York, Oak Bar, Park Plaza Hotel, Quebec City, Ray Bennett, Somerset Maugham, St. Vincent, The Razor's Edge, Tyrone Power
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I Tripped Lauren Bacall

Posted on August 13, 2014 by ronbase — 5 Comments

This is how I came to trip a Hollywood legend. First of all, let’s set the scene: It is opening night at Detroit’s grand old Fisher Theatre. A new musical based on the classic 1950 Bette Davis movie, All About…

Tagged with: Adolph Green, All About Eve, Applause, Bette Davis, Betty Comden, Broadway, Charles Strouse, Detroit, Fisher Theatre, Humphrey Bogart, Key Largo, Lauren Bacall, Lee Adams, Len Cariou, Margo Channing, Ray Bennett, The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, Toronto Telegram
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Good-bye Blockbuster, Hello…What?

Posted on September 27, 2011 by ronbase — 5 Comments

My local Blockbuster is closing down for good early next month. The other day I went around to the store to pick over the remains. The young staff members, surprisingly upbeat considering they are about to lose their jobs, said…

Tagged with: Apple TV, Blockbuster, Blu-ray, Carl Icahn, Cue Entertainment, DVDs, LCD screen, Ray Bennett, Rogers, Thor, X Men:First Class
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