4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Norman Jewison Edition

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Rest in Peace, Norman Jewison, a director who believed in the power of cinema to change the world.

4 Shots From 4 Norman Jewison Films

In The Heat of the Night (1967, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Haskell Wexler)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971, dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Oswald Morris)

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973, dir by Norman Jewison, DP; Douglas Slocombe)

The Hurricane (1999. dir by Norman Jewison, DP: Roger Deakins)

Rest in Peace, David Soul

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just heard that actor David Soul passed away yesterday, at the age of 80.

Horror fans, of course, will always remember David Soul for playing Ben Mears in Tobe Hooper’s adaptation of Salem’s Lot. Personally, I’ll remember him for his chilling performance as a vigilante motorcycle cop in 1973’s Magnum Force.

In the scene below, Soul and his fellow vigilantes confront Inspector Callahan in a parking garage. Though he doesn’t get the scene’s best line (“All of our heroes are dead,” is delivered by Kip Nevin), Soul does get to explain why he and his fellow motorcycle cops are doing what they’re doing.

It takes a good actor to believably intimidate Clint Eastwood.

David Soul, R.I.P.

Through The Shattered Lens Wishes A Happy Birthday To Steven Spielberg

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today the Shattered Lens is happy to wish the great Steven Spielberg a happy birthday!

It’s perhaps impossible to pick just one scene or just four shots to represent the career and the talent of Steven Spielberg. So, in honor of his birthday, I am going to share the moments when Steven Spielberg won his first two competitive Oscars, for directing and producing 1993’s Schindler’s List. His words are even more important today.

Richard Roundtree, R.I.P.

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Richard Roundtree has passed away. He was 81 years old and, for moviegoers in the past, present, and future, he will always be the epitome of cool, John Shaft.

Rest in peace, Richard Roundtree.

Burt Young, R.I.P.

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Burt Young has died. The actor was 83 years old.

Burt Young will, of course, always be remembered for playing the lovable drunk Paulie in the Rocky films. The later films in the franchise portrayed Paulie as being kind of a mooch and a loser and it’s easy to forget that, in the first film, Paulie was the one who supplied Rocky with a place to train and was really the first person to support Rocky in his mission to go the distance with the champ. Long before Mickey agreed to train him and Adrian agreed to live with him, Paulie believed in Rocky.

Young also appeared in several other classic films, including Chinatown and Once Upon A Time In America. Though it may not be considered a classic, he was absolutely terrifying as the abusive father in Amityville II: The Possession. Off-screen, Burt was a painter, a novelist, a playwright, and, by most accounts, a total gentleman.

Burt Young will be missed. Rest in Peace.

Great Moments In Television History #33: The Thighmaster Commercial Premieres

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Jedadiah Leland

Rest in peace, Suzanne Somers. Whether she was mouthing “I Love You” to Richard Dreyfuss in American Graffiti or playing Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company or playing the mother of a blended family on Step By Step, Suzanne Somers was long a part of our shared pop culture.

In 1991, after having been out of the spotlight for a few years, Suzanne Somers made a comeback with The Thighmaster.

Today, it’s hard to explain just how popular this commercial was in 1991. Adding to its notoriety was that many stations would not play the commercial except as a part of their late night programming. In the days before YouTube and DVRs, people would actually stay up late to catch the Suzanne Somers Thighmaster commercial. For a while, this commercial revived Somers’s career as an actress and a talk show host. Needless to say, it also sold a lot of Thighmasters.

Previous Moments In Television History:

Rest in Peace, Dick Butkus

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Shattered Lens extends its condolences to the friends, family, and fans of football player-turned-actor Dick Butkus. Butkus starred in two shows that we recently featured on retro television reviews, Hang Time and Half Nelson. Whether he was coaching basketball in Indiana or helping Joe Pesci solve a case in Beverly Hills, he definitely had his own unique style and likably gruff screen presence. RIP.

Rest in Peace, Bob Barker

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Bob Barker, a pop cultural institution if there ever was one, passed away today. He was 99 years old. And while he will probably be best-remembered for his long run as the host of The Price Is Right, he will also always be remembered for beating up Adam Sandler in my favorite golf film, Happy Gilmore.

Barker himself reportedly turned down the cameo when it was first offered to him but accepted it after he was assured that he would be winning the fight.

RIP, William Friedkin

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

We have sad news to report. The great director William Friedkin has passed away at the age of 87.

Friedkin directed two of the most influential films of all time — 1971’s The French Connection and 1973’s The Exorcist. Though his later films were often overshadowed by those two films, To Live and Die In L.A., Killer Joe, and Rampage are all fine films in their own right. His final film, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, is scheduled to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September.

Not only was Friedkin a talented director but he was also a wonderful interview subject, one who said exactly what was on his mind and without much worry about upsetting or challenging the sensibilities of his audience. His autobiography should be required reading for any serious student of American film history.

Here is the legendary car chase from The French Connection.