As TSL celebrates what would have been the 109th birthday of director Richard Fleischer, I wanted to share an interview that the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast was able to conduct with Fleischer’s son Bruce, as well as his son-in-law, Max Reid. There’s a lot of good information about Richard Fleischer and his movies. Fleischer wasn’t a huge fan of Bronson’s personality, but he did make one of his best movies (MR. MAJESTYK), so I’m forever grateful.
Category Archives: Interviews
Happy 86th Birthday to the excellent actor, Robert F. Lyons!!
Every so often in life something incredible happens when you least expect it. First, a little background… back in 2021, Charles Bronson celebrated his 100th birthday in heaven. At that point in my life, I had mostly celebrated my love of Bronson movies by myself. But back in 2021, I saw a news article that stated that Bronson fans around the world were celebrating his 100th birthday on social media using the hashtag #Bronson100. Following the hashtag on Twitter, I discovered a group of people who were doing a “live tweet” of the Bronson classic DEATH WISH 3! That night I met Doug Dietz, Chris Rauch, Lisa Marie Bowman, and many others who just wanted to celebrate Bronson like I did. These folks have become so important in my life! As I continued to search the world of social media for all things Charles Bronson, this time on Facebook, I came across the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON PODCAST, run by a man from the Philadelphia area named Eric Todd. I made my request to join the page and was happy when they let me in. Soon I was sharing my love of Bronson, and they even asked me to be part of the podcast!! I guess they thought it would be nice to have someone on the podcast who sounded like the biggest hick in America. After all these years, I had found my people!! Eric and my friends in the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON PODCAST Facebook group have become some of my very best friends. We would talk about Bronson and his movies on the show, but we thought it would always just be a bunch of Bronson geeks talking shop. And then another strange thing happened, we started reaching out to actors and actresses who had worked with Bronson and asked if they would come on the show. Lo and behold, many of them started saying YES! Soon Juan Fernandez (KINJITE: FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS), Jordan Rhodes (MR. MAJESTYK, THE INDIAN RUNNER), and Jan Gan Boyd (ASSASSINATION) had joined us for an episode!! It was so fun hearing their firsthand stories of working with Bronson. Which brings us back to Robert F. Lyons…
Robert F. Lyons was a hot young actor in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He was incredible in his debut film PENDULUM (1969) as the psychopath Paul Martin Anderson opposite George Peppard. Soon he was stealing scenes in movies like GETTING STRAIGHT (1970) with Elliot Gould and SHOOT OUT (1971) with Gregory Peck. Before long he was headlining his own films like the creepy THE TODD KILLINGS (1971) and the oddly titled DEALING: OR THE BERKELEY-TO-BOSTON FORTY-BRICK LOST-BAG BLUES (1972). As great as Robert F. Lyons is in these roles, his career as a leading man didn’t take off and he was soon back to character parts on movies and TV. He continued to play some really interesting parts along the way, like the awful Harrison Hancock in the Jesse Vint redneck action film BLACK OAK CONSPIRACY (1977) and the doomed vigilante Skeeter Norris in the TV horror film DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1981). It was in the early 80’s when Robert F. Lyons, his friends call him Bobby, began working with Charles Bronson. It was also in the early 80’s when I discovered Charles Bronson. From 1982 to 1986, Bobby worked with Bronson in three of his classic Cannon films, first in DEATH WISH II (1982), followed by TEN TO MIDNIGHT (1983), and finally in MURPHY’S LAW (1986). I truly became Bronson’s biggest fan around the same time DEATH WISH 3 and MURPHY’S LAW were hitting home video. Lyons plays Bronson’s trusted partner Art Penney in MURPHY’S LAW, and I’ve watched the film at least 100 times in my life. Over the years, 10 TO MIDNIGHT has developed into my personal favorite Bronson / Cannon Films movie. If you’ve seen the film, Bobby’s in the interrogation scene where Bronson confronts the killer with his masturbation device and he’s also in the courtroom scene (spoiler alert!) where Bronson has to admit he planted the evidence against the killer. These are very memorable scenes in Bronson’s “slasher” film. Bobby, Charlie, and Jill Ireland got along great during these years, the same years I was becoming obsessed with my lifelong movie hero. In some ways, he was part of that obsession!
Later in his career, Bobby appeared on top notch TV shows like COLD CASE and CRIMINAL MINDS. He’s had a phenomenal, five-decade career as a working actor and teacher. Well, in 2024, Bobby agreed to join Eric Todd and me for an episode of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON PODCAST. Knowing how much I love Robert F. Lyons, Eric, who’s the host of the show, let me introduce him at the beginning. Introducing Bobby Lyons and being part of an interview with him is one of those incredible and unexpected things that have happened in my life. He’s the nicest guy, and he spent a couple of hours with us discussing Bronson, his movies, and everything else that came up. It’s one of the greatest nights of my life, and I’m sharing that podcast episode below! Please forgive me for totally fanboying out, but that’s just how it is. Happy Birthday Bobby Lyons! You’re in my film-watching Hall of Fame!
Brad’s “Interview of the Day” – Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin discuss the movie DEATH HUNT (1981), as well as their careers!
This is an interesting interview that Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin did together when they were promoting their movie DEATH HUNT. The interviewer is Bobbie Wygant, a film critic and talk show host who worked in Fort Worth, TX, at television station KXAS-TV for over 70 years. She was especially known for the multitude of celebrity interviews that she completed over the years. She passed away just last year at 97 years of age. Here, Bronson and Marvin begin discussing their current film, DEATH HUNT, and then they move on to discuss their early films and other actors they worked with like Gary Cooper and Spencer Tracy. It’s fascinating stuff, and both actors come across as perceptive and insightful. If you like to know the men behind the famous faces, this is a fun little interview to watch.
Brad’s “Interview of the Day” – Chow Yun-Fat on the set of PRISON ON FIRE II!
In my review of the Chow Yun-Fat film PRISON ON FIRE, I made the remark that Chow starred in 11 films in 1987 alone. In this interview from the set of PRISON ON FIRE II in 1991, Chow is asked to describe what it’s like working in an industry where the stars make so many films. It’s also interesting to hear his take on his favorite kinds of roles. This interview is conducted in English, which is pretty cool since he would be coming to America by the end of the decade to make films in Hollywood. As a note, for some reason the camera is on Chow’s legs for about the first 40 seconds, but luckily they pan up to his face for the rest of the interview. Enjoy!
**Update** on CHARLES BRONSON – More than a Vigilante – THE MUSICAL! Take a listen to “Bronson Don’t Sing!”
A few months ago, I told you about a young man named Henry Brooks, who has written a musical about the life of Charles Bronson. Every person who follows this site closely knows how much I love Charles Bronson. It makes me so happy that Henry has shared his talents in a way that is respectful of Charles Bronson, while also providing a fun and serious look at his life and movie career. I promised Henry that I would do what I could to share this project. Heck, I’d love to see it on Broadway some day! The album is produced by Stephen Glickman (Big Time Rush), with Steven Weber (Wings) and Lisa Loeb (Stay: I Missed You) contributing their talents as Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. There are so many good songs on the album, but I think my personal favorite song is called “Toshiro and I,” which is Henry’s amusing take on Bronson’s film with Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, RED SUN. Henry’s personal favorite songs are “Bronson Don’t Sing,” and “Leave the Mine Behind.” I can’t argue, they’re great songs, but there are many others as well. There are a total of 16 songs on the album, and the songs take Bronson from the coal mines all the way to being the most popular movie star on the planet.
I’ve linked to YouTube versions of the songs below! Take a moment to subscribe if you get the chance. You can also find the album on Spotify and Apple Music. Physical copies of the album should be available in the very near future. I can’t wait to add the Vinyl release to my collection!
A couple of months ago, the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast interviewed Henry Brooks for the 2nd time, but this time we discuss the completed concept album. We’ve dedicated a significant amount of time to Bronson Awareness and Education, and we’re honored to do our part to help spread the word on this important project!
CHARLES BRONSON – More than a Vigilante – The Musical!
A young man named Henry Brooks has written a musical about the life of Charles Bronson. I’m sharing this post to make sure you are aware of it. It’s a memorable take on certain key moments and movies in Bronson’s life and career. The album is produced by Stephen Glickman (Big Time Rush), with Steven Weber (Wings) and Lisa Loeb (Stay: I Missed You) contributing their immense talent to this interesting project as Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. As a lifelong fan of Bronson’s, I love seeing a younger generation embrace his unique talent. I think my personal favorite song on the album is called “Toshiro and I,” which is Henry’s amusing take on Bronson’s film with iconic Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, RED SUN. There are many other good songs as well, with “You Oughta be an Actor,” “There’s Never Been So Few,” “Death Wish,” and “Couldn’t Beat the Cancer” all sticking out to me. There are a total of 16 songs on the album, and the songs take Bronson from a boy working in the coal mines all the way to a man mourning the loss of his beloved wife.
I’ve linked to YouTube versions of the songs below! Take a moment to subscribe if you get the chance. You can also find the album on Spotify and Apple Music. In the next couple of months, it should be available to purchase for your collection. I for one will be buying the album on vinyl as soon as I can!
I’m including a link to the episode of the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast where we discuss the project with Henry Brooks. We’re so happy to help spread the word on this exciting project!
Happy Birthday to actress Jan Gan Boyd, Charles Bronson’s co-star in ASSASSINATION (1987)!
I wanted to take a moment and show some appreciation for actress Jan Gan Boyd on her birthday. Jan has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old since she co-starred with Charles Bronson in the 1987 Cannon film ASSASSINATION.
In a nutshell, the plot of ASSASSINATION revolves around secret service agent Jay Killian (Bronson), who finds himself in the position of trying to protect an extremely strong-willed first lady (Jill Ireland) from assassins trying to kill her. Jan plays Charlotte “Charlie” Chang, a member of the team assigned to protect the first lady, who has an extra special relationship with Killian. And while ASSASSINATION is not one of Charles Bronson’s best movies, I always liked Jan in the film. She had spunk and attitude, and her relationship with Bronson’s character is definitely unique in Bronson’s 80’s filmography. Believe it or not, Killian and Charlie had casual sex, and she survived the end of the movie to talk about it! As a matter of fact, her exchange with Killian the next morning leads to one of the great moments of Bronson dialogue:
Charlie Chang: “Killy, why don’t you move in here permanently?”
Jay Killian: “I don’t want to die of a terminal orgasm!”
I guess lines like that bond actors for life and Jan stayed friends with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland all the way up to each of their deaths.
Jan got her start in the movies through her abilities as a trained dancer when she co-starred with Michael Douglas in the 1985 film, A CHORUS LINE, directed by Richard Attenborough. I think she’s one of the best characters in the film. And 1987 was a very busy year for Jan. After filming ASSASSINATION with Bronson, she would co-star with Martin Kove in the film STEELE JUSTICE, and then with David Soul in HARRY’S HONG KONG. She would spend the next few years of her career doing guest spots on shows like CHEERS, SISTERS, and SILK STALKINGS. It was at this point that she took a break from her career to get married and raise a family. Over the last few years, she has started to get involved in voice-over work, as well as appearing on shows like “Dance Dish,” where she discussed her time as a dancer and her work on A CHORUS LINE.
On a personal note, I must say that Jan Gan Boyd is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met. My partner Eric Todd and I got the opportunity to interview her for an episode of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast a couple of years ago. She told us some of the best stories about Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland, as well as what it was like to work with them on ASSASSINATION. She truly loved them in real life, and it was so fun sharing that time with her. As a matter of fact, over on our TWICB Facebook page, every January is now Jan-Gan-uary! I’ve attached a link to the podcast episode if you would like to hear more from Jan about her career and her work with Bronson, Michael Douglas, and Richard Attenborough.
WHY NOT ME (by Lindsay Ireland) – Introducing Bradley’s Book Reviews!
I don’t read that often for recreational purposes. When I do read, it’s usually books about my favorite actors, actresses, directors, or movies in general. But every now and then, a book will pique my interest, and I’ll pick it up. Back in the late spring of 2024, my partner on the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast, Eric Todd, made me aware of a book called WHY NOT ME, a memoir from Lindsay Ireland, the niece of Jill Ireland and Charles Bronson. Eric had made contact with Lindsay and the two had some preliminary discussion about her appearing on the podcast. Eric told me that she shared stories of her own life, which included her spending summers as a child on the Vermont ranch of her famous aunt and uncle. As a lifelong Bronson fan, it seemed the book could offer some valuable insight into the life of my movie hero. I figured I could spend some time trudging through Lindsay’s personal life if it allowed me to get those valuable nuggets of information on Bronson and Ireland. I went ahead and bought WHY NOT ME and took it with me when my wife, Sierra, and I were on a relaxing weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I settled in on the balcony of the New Orleans Hotel, which overlooks a section of the beautiful downtown area and started reading. Here’s a quick summary of the book taken directly from Amazon:
“Lindsay Ireland enjoyed an idyllic childhood. She spent her summers in Vermont with her movie-star relatives where she rode horses, played detective with her cousin, and drank ice-cold lemonade. After the summer months, Lindsay returned to her loving family where her biggest worry was getting good grades in school. Then one day Lindsay noticed blood in her stool. Suddenly instead of carefree afternoons swimming in a lake or dressing her Barbie doll, Lindsay spent months in a sterile hospital room receiving intravenous fluids and, eventually, a life-saving ostomy surgery. At age eleven, Lindsay was diagnosed with her first autoimmune disease, and her life was never the same. In this candid memoir, Lindsay evolves from a girl living with an autoimmune disease into a young woman struggling to love a body that has continuously failed her, and, eventually, into a mother and wife who has fought to make herself visible despite her invisible illnesses.”
As alluded to above, I was interested in WHY NOT ME because I wanted to read Lindsay Ireland’s stories about Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland. And I was certainly in awe as Lindsay spoke of her times with her Uncle Charlie, Aunt Jill and her cousins in Vermont. Reading about my movie hero from her perspective was something I appreciated tremendously. But what really blew me away with this book is how connected I became to Lindsay’s personal life events, struggles and triumphs. Lindsay funneled her memories and writings through a lens of “the power of perspective.” It’s through this perspective that Lindsay speaks of how important her family has been to her over the years as she’s faced the fear of serious health issues in both her childhood and again as an adult. She spoke of the importance of making a good match with a therapist, and how that has helped her over the years. She spoke of how important it has been for her to learn to speak of the difficult things in her life, even if they make her uncomfortable. Lindsay’s strength in writing is her ability to share her own insecurities, the ways that she has been able to overcome them, and then make you believe that you can overcome them to! I was able to relate to so many of the things she shared, and I can see how much my own life could have improved if I had done these things earlier.
The one thing that probably stuck with me the most, however, is when Lindsay spoke of how hard it was when she was dealing with some very difficult issues in her life, yet she felt unseen and unheard, even from those people who loved her, wanted the best for her and had good intentions. This is where I decided I need to make the most improvement in my own life. It seems we can get so caught up in our own feelings and concerns that the needs of others, even those we love, can be neglected. Sadly, I know that there are times that I don’t show the concern, empathy or compassion that I should to other people. After finishing WHY NOT ME, I am determined to make sure that the people I love never feel unseen or unheard, especially my wife. I fail at times, mainly because I can be a smartass, and my wife might even roll her eyes or tease me if she reads this, but I truly never want her to feel unseen or unheard again.
If you want to hear more directly from Lindsay, or maybe even hear me or my buddy Eric bare our own souls, I’ve attached our podcast episode again for your viewing / listening pleasure!
Kickin’ The Willy Bobo With…LISA MARIE BOWMAN
Earlier this week, Derrick Ferguson interviewed me for his blog Ferguson Ink! I discussed my favorite movies, my reviewing philosophy, and a lot of other things! Please read this interview and also check out Derrick’s sites, Ferguson Ink and The Ferguson Theater, as well as his patreon site! Thank you!
How to Get Ahead in Hollywood by REALLY, REALLY Trying!
What allows for some artists to succeed?
I have known many artists and being able to support oneself with one’s art is a rare thing, demanding respect and investigation. A friend told me that even the piano singer at a hotel singing “Summer Winds”, if he is supporting himself solely with his art, he is a rare success in the echelon of the .0001% of artists. It is with that understanding and respect that I bring you Gentle Reader to my discussion with Director – Guy Bee.
Guy Bee’s IMDB page reads like a TV Fan’s dream resume. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0066218/
Guy came to Hollywood via Florida to California in 1987; he obtained a job working for a camera and camera equipment leasing company. As Guy put it, “I came in early and stayed late.” He managed their books, meaning he logged the equipment that was checked in and out, he cleaned an repaired the equipment, and drove the company truck. Guy’s diligence impressed his boss who offered to let him go to a Steadicam workshop because he wanted him to keep track of the equipment that was leant to the workshop, allowing Guy to attend a free Steadicam workshop. As Guy leased this equipment he, would meet more and more Directors and Producers. This led to a string of short projects while he continued to work at the leasing shop, which slowly built up his reel (segments showing his camera work) on VHS TAPE.
Guy states that “You live and die by the reputation that you can handle anything without being rattled.” This philosophy set the stage for Guy’s shot at Directing. By working diligently and establishing relationships with the cast, crew, directors, and producers of “Third Watch”, Guy was given his first professional directing opportunity, which would grow into 13 episodes of directing. His success as a director on “Third Watch” led to “Alias” which led to one of my favorite shows of ALL TIME: “Jericho”. “Jericho”, for the uninitiated, is the story of a Kansas town holding together in the wake of Nuclear War. Guy described the show as – “Every scene was important and the stakes were always high. There was no ‘C Story’.” Guy directed three episodes of this show that was gone too soon.
Protips? Flexibility. “If you’re behind because of lighting or someone’s late, you still have to figure out how to get it done in time”. Why? Budgets! Once you cross 12 hours of shooting, everyone’s rates go up. “It takes seven days prep for eight to nine days of filming.” These principles took him to three of my favorite shows: “Supernatural”, “Arrow”, “The Magicians”, and “iZombie”.
The question I had was how was he able to keep working and have one show feed into the next? “[He] never turned down work.” On “Supernatural”, he met Erik Kripke, Kim Manners, Bob Singer, and Sera Gamble and each of these producers led him to other episodes and new shows.
Where does he do the bulk of his work? Not in Hollywood. Why? “New York is busy because the tax incentives have made it sexy to shoot there.” This dates me a bit, but is there a true hiatus anymore? “Everything has changed. Filming used to be from July through April. Now, with basic cable, it’s year round production.”
Protips: I have an artsy daughter- what have I learned from Guy that I can impart to her to help her support herself in the arts?
Be versatile. Guy has more than one skill. If she were interested in filmmaking, I would advise her to not just be a writer. I’m a writer and it’s fallow … A LOT. If she wanted to be a writer, I would tell her that she should also understand how to put together budgets for stories she’s writing. Similarly, Guy has skills as a camera operator, which led to and helped him as a director- the skills were synergistic.
Build relationships. I would tell my daughter to be totally reliable and pleasant to work with (I apologize for ending with a preposition). Guy worked on every project with diligence, never complained, and never turned down work, enabling him to continue working in the arts without a day job.
Through the Shattered Lens 