CHARITY UPDATE : COMIC RELIEF 2021 .. FRIDAY MARCH 19TH 2021 ..

To support Comic Relief, Joan filmed an appearance in a spoof film trailer which addresses Covid-19.. You can view the trailer above..

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS!: WARNING SHOT .. PARAMOUNT .. USA 1967 ..

 PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Presents
A BOB BANNER ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION

WARNING SHOT  

starring

DAVID JANSSEN as Sgt Tom Valens
STEVE ALLEN as Perry Knowland
ED BEGLEY as Captain Roy Klodin
JOAN COLLINS as Joanie Valens
LILIAN GISH as Alice Willows
GEORGE GRIZZARD as Walt Cody
CARROLL O'CONNOR as Paul Jerez
ELEANOR PARKER as Mrs Doris Ruston
WALTER PIDGEON as Orville Ames
STEFANIE POWERS as Liz Thayer
GEORGE SANDERS as Calvin York
SAM WANAMAKER as Frank Sanderman
KEENAN WYNN as Sgt Ed Musso

Assistant Director - Howard Roessel       Director of Photography - Joseph Biroc
  Music by Jerry Goldsmith    Art Director - Hal Pereira & Roland Anderson Edited by Archie Marshek
Screenplay by Mann Rubin  From the Novel - "Warning Shot -711 Officer Needs Help" by Whit Masterson Costumes by Edith Head ..
               Produced & Directed by Buzz Kulik

(c)  1967  Paramount  100 mins  Color 

For Sgt Tom Valens life is never easy! Dedicated to the force, an impending divorce from his neglected wife Joanie and a wounded abdomen from a recent shootout! Whilst staking out an apartment complex, in the hunt for a killer, he shoots a doctor who he believes is the suspect, he is then suspended. The race is now on to clear his name and to find the pistol he was certain the doctor was brandishing. Nothing is what it seems and everyone is a vital witness! Who's got the gun? Freeze! It's a Warning Shot!!

Warning Shot was Joan's first film for a few years as she had put her career on hold to start a family and had two children between roles. She did however make guest appearances on some of Tv's popular shows. She appeared in the Ben Gazzara TV show "Run For Your Life" and the now cult classic "The Man From Uncle", with her old RADA mate David McCallum. She also appeared on the popular game shows "What's My Line" and "Password" with husband Anthony Newley. She had set her sights on starring alongside Tony and Rex Harrison in the lavish screen version of "Dr Dolittle". She really wanted to play the role of Emma Fairfax, as she was sure she could play it well. However Daryl Zanuck had other ideas, as he was now back in charge of Fox and decided on a younger actress, Samantha Eggar, who is also a good friend of Joan's.

The star of "Warning Shot", David Janssen had become synonymous with the hit TV series "The Fugitive" and he had hoped this film would have kick started his film career. Paramount had assembled an all star cast of Hollywood veterans, but with so many in the cast, they each had little screentime.Joan played the role of Joanie,the soon to be ex-wife of Janssen's character. She looks as lovely as ever in the film, but only appears in two scenes. Hollywood veteran Walter Pidgeon, who had been a star for forty years, complained at the time to the press about the female stars of that time.

" Today's glamour girls cant touch yesterdays stars, when it comes to generating feminine excitement. Today too many of our female stars dont leave much or anything to the imagination! There is no style, no class, no magic! The girls today handle themselves like a cheap display case, that has everything on show!"
Heaven help us if he was around today! This was Walter's 82nd film!

Film tie in novel cover..

Joan with David & Dani Janssen

  David enjoyed making the film, as it was a relaxing break compared to the hectic schedule of filming a weekly series. Stefanie Powers was riding high on the sucess of her TV series "The Girl From Uncle", but before the series she had considered leaving the business. Movie legend Lilian Gish only made occasional film appearances, she only accepted scripts she liked. Before this film she had appeared on Broadway in the musical "Anya". "Warning Shot" was originally made for television, but was eventually released to theatres.The film was shot on location in Los Angeles and had the police department as technical advisors. Joan had been a good friend of Janssen and his wife Dani, although David died a few years ago, she still is friendly with Dani, who is famous for her  exclusive Oscar party, where only a select group were invited.

'Warning Shot' was released in 2005 on dvd from Paramount, however this release is no longer available.. But you can view sleeve below.. 

PRESS UPDATE : THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER .. MARCH 16TH 2021 ..

 

L.A.'s Dormant Social Scene Revived....

by Chris Gardner

Liza with Joan Collins, Michele Lee, Alana Stewart & Michael Feinstein among others..

With relaxed COVID-19 restrictions sweeping across L.A. County this week — red tier guidelines, effective March 15, allow for movie theaters, gyms, museums, and indoor dining at restaurants to open doors and welcome customers with limited capacity — it seems the news has spread to the social calendar. That's the way it looked surveying the swirl of gatherings, dinner parties and post-Grammy Awards events last weekend. Upon closer examination, people are tip-toeing onto the scene with varying approaches as some parties still require testing and PPE while other groups of vaccinated individuals are gathering indoors without masks.

Liza Minnelli turned 75 on Friday and celebrated with a safe and intimate bash with close friends. Longtime collaborator and confidante Michael Feinstein posted a look inside the intimate affair which featured Feinstein on the piano while Minnelli belted out some tunes. "Grateful for vaccines that allowed a small group of us to celebrate this special lady on her special day," Feinstein wrote on Instagram. "She told us that she was turning 12, not 75."

Reached by The Hollywood Reporter, Feinstein said that he and husband Terrence Flannery hosted Minnelli's intimate gathering at their new Pasadena home. Before invites went out, Feinstein consulted experts like Dr. Lawrence Piro who also attended. "We had a back-and-forth about how many people could safely be present, always being mindful of the situation and what is sensible," he explained. "That's the keyword — using common sense in putting something together. Even though things are looking better, we are not out of the woods so that was always the underlying consideration."

With Piro's help, they settled on eight guests, a number that the singer also approved. Adding to the comfort level of the festivities was that everyone who attended had received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination, except for one guest who was tested in advance of arrival. The group, photographed above, included Minnelli, Piro, Joan Collins and husband Percy Gibson, Alana Stewart and Michelle Lee (with Minnelli's assistant, Lisa Baumgartner, pictured above, also on site).

"Even given all of that, everybody had different levels of comfort in interacting," said Feinstein of the response people have navigating social customs and practices after a year of isolation. "One guest didn't want any physical contact and she wouldn't bump elbows. The rest of us felt safe to hug and be closer in physical proximity. Yet, when I hug anybody, I still have that knee-jerk reaction of, 'Is this OK?'"

After a four-course meal, some drinks and a chocolate birthday cake with buttermilk frosting (Minnelli's choice), the group retired to the piano to play music and sing. "It felt like old times," Feinstein said. "That was such a tremendous gift and Liza said that she's missed these gatherings. It felt like we were having an old Hollywood musicale again. It was wonderful."

Feinstein added that while he is absolutely looking forward to entertaining more, plans will always revolve around safety, guests' comfort level and the all-important vaccine. "We now feel that if everyone has been vaccinated in a small group, then it's OK," he said. "I'm vaccinated and I feel this is safe [for me], and the bottom line is always doing what you feel in your gut is right for you. Everybody has to make the decision of what they feel is safe for them."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published new guidelines March 8 outlining how fully vaccinated people can safely interact. The CDC defined "fully vaccinated" as two weeks after receiving the last dose of a vaccine. (Two doses are required for Pfizer and Moderna and one dose for Johnson & Johnson). Per the new guidelines, groups of fully vaccinated people can interact indoors without masks or social distancing, and they can also meet with unvaccinated people from one other household indoors without masks or staying six feet apart if everyone in the other household is low risk for severe disease.

Men's Health Foundation CEO Dr. Tony Mills, a principal investigator on the Johnson & Johnson trial in Los Angeles, said the new guidelines are "a great gift we've been given." "I'm one of the most optimistic people you'll ever meet," he continued. "During the entire year of 2020, I wasn't seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. I kept wondering, 'Is it me? Or is the situation so dire there's no light to be seen? I see light now and I see us moving towards normalcy." Mills said he still encourages mandatory mask-wearing and monitoring COVID-19 protocols. "If everybody continues to behave correctly, we'll get there. I would encourage people to continue to be safe, take care of yourselves and take care of your family."

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : THE MAN FROM UNCLE - THE GALATEA AFFAIR .. MGM TELEVISION .. USA 1966 ..

 MGM TELEVISION

Presents

THE MAN FROM UNCLE
Starring

   ROBERT VAUGHN as Napoleon Solo

  DAVID McCALLUM  as Illya Kuryakin

  NOEL HARRISON as Mark Slate

LEO G CARROLL as Alexander Waverly

Guest Starring 

Joan Collins as Rosy / Baroness Bibi De Chasseur

in 

(Season 3 - Episode 3)

The Galatea Affair

With

Carl Esmond as Baron Freddy De Chasseur

Michael St Clair as Olaf

Paul Smith as Charlie

Richard Angarola as Mr Thirty

Christopher Essay as Wine Steward

Directed by E. Darrell Hallenbeck

(c) MGM Television .. 1966 ..

Joan with Richard Angarola

Joan played a dual role in this episode of the cult classic series "The Man From Uncle" from 1966. This now cult series starred her old RADA mate David McCallum along with Robert Vaughn, although Vaughn only turns up in the opening set-up and closing scenes to whisk Joan's character the Baroness off to lunch. In reality he was guesting on the spin off "The Girl From Uncle", starring an old friend of Joan's, Stefanie Powers. On that show her sidekick was Mark Slate , played by Noel Harrison (son of Rex).. who turns up here to fill in for Vaughn's character who contracted pneumonia in the opening scenes! It would be 30 years later, before Joan shared much screen time with Robert Vaughn when she played his wife on an episode of the hit comedy series 'The Nanny' starring Fran Drescher...

Joan offset practising a stunt with David McCallum

Solo (Vaughn) and Kuryakin (McCallum), are in Venice when they spy Baroness Bibi De Chasseur (Joan), passing on a list of the best THRUSH agents to a mystery accomplice in a gondola. After they are shot at by a THRUSH speedboat, our heroes dive into the canal, Solo catches pneumonia and can't continue with the mission and is replaced by agent Mark Slate (Harrison) .  The story sees our agents spot Rosy Shlagenheimer a nude entertainer dressed or undressed as Lady Godiva riding around a sleazy bar.. apart from her heavy Bronx accent, she is a ringer for the Baroness. Their plan is to replace the Baroness with Rosy, after they give her some classes in refinement, a mission in itself! But THRUSH discover the plan and they switch them back to fool out heroes! All in all a fun episode with Joan in good form in the dual role of the common Rosy and the classy and elegant Baroness Bibi..

Joan with Noel Harrison

"The Man From Uncle" ran on NBC from 1964 to 1968.. It feature the adventures of two agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin who work for United Network Command for Law and Enforcement  (UNCLE)...Their enemies whom they fought every week were called THRUSH, an agency set on taking over the world... The series also starred Leo G.Carroll as boss Alexander Waverly, with Barbara Moore joining the team as Lisa Rogers in season 4.  "The Man From Uncle" a definite cult classic...

  As a cult series, 'The Man From Uncle' has been released many times on dvd over the years, with a release from 2014 in the USA from Warner Brothers been an excellant one.. You can order this here!

ORDER THE MAN FROM UNCLE REGION 1 BOX SET

 

Joan with Carl Esmond & David McCallum

EVENT UPDATE : LIZA MINNELLI 75TH BIRTHDAY .. MARCH 12TH 2021 ..

 Entertainment Legend Liza Minnelli celebrated her 75th birthday yesterday, March 12th and as there are no live events which would have celebrated the milestone, a special online show premiered last night to benefit The Actors Fund. Joan recorded a special message for the 2 hour show and the event was screened for Liza at her home in Los Angeles at aa party attended by Joan along with Michele Lee, Alana Stewart and Michael Feinstein among others.. Joan shared this wonderful photos of both 'Old Friends' ..

Joan during Liza celebration online

PRESS UPDATE : DALLAS VOICE .. MARCH 12TH 2021 ..

 

‘Dynasty’ set trends, but so did the Galleria

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer

More than a decade before we had Karen Walker and Jack on Will & Grace, we had Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington and Al Corley as one of TV’s first out gay characters, Steven Carrington, on Dynasty.

But Dynasty isn’t remembered as much for its pioneering place in LGBTQ history as it is for setting the trend in fashion for the 1980s. No one would tangle with Linda Evans, Diahann Carroll or Collins. They were bold and brash and wore gowns festooned with major shoulder pads that accentuated their toughness.

In Dallas in the 1980s, people were moving north. Construction began to push the Tollway past LBJ, and the city’s new center of fashion — the Galleria mall — opened.

Among the fashions you’d find were those showcased each week on Dynasty. Elizabeth Taylor stopped by once to hawk her new fragrance, Passion, and a British hair salon called Toni & Guy opened its first U.S. location in the Galleria.

Now the Galleria has opened an exhibit featuring actual gowns worn on Dynasty, hairstyles created by Toni & Guy and a variety of hand bags, jewelry and other accessories from the 1980s.

Nolan Miller gown worn by Joan on Dynasty

Hat worn by Joan in Dynasty

Among the designers represented in the exhibit are Bob Mackie (who created gowns for Carol Burnett and Cher), Valentino, Gianni Versace and Oscar de la Renta. Add in Yves St. Laurent, Halston, Emanuel Ungaro and Geoffrey Beene for a true display of Dallas elegance in the ’80s.

Other tastemakers on display are fashions from Charlie’s Angels and a sweatshirt from Michael Jackson’s 1984 “Victory Tour.”

The exhibit features more than 50 dresses from the period and is located on the first floor in a former storefront toward the south end of the mall. Entry is free. 

The exhibit is open noon-6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday) and will remain on display through April 3.

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : RUN FOR YOUR LIFE - 'THE BORDER OF BARBARISM ' .. UNIVERSAL .. USA .. 1966 ..

       Universal Presents

Ben Gazzara as Paul Bryan

              in

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

Season 2 -Episode 3 : The Borders Of Barbarism

Guest Starring

Joan Collins as Gillian Wales

 Alf Kjellin as Josep Rustic 

 Reginald Owen as Sir Hillary Cooper  

 Joseph Sirola as Vilovic 

 Jack Goode as Sidney Cruishank 

Stephen McNally as Mike Allen

George Perina as Karl Janka 

Don Knight as Bartender 

Gabriel Curtiz as Old Pheasant 

Lawrence Montaigne as George Woodstock

Peter Forster as Henry Laudermilk

Jane Betts as Woman Border Guard

Alex Rodine as Yugoslav Policeman

Directed by Richard Benedict

(c) 1966 Universal Studios ..

        Joan guest starred in this episode entitled "The Borders Of Barbarism - (Outside it's Death).. She plays Gillian Wales, whose late father was associated with Yugoslavian Partisans during World War 2.. Paul is asked by  intelligence agent Mike Allen (Stephen McNally) to escort Gillian (Joan) to Yugoslavia to try and find out valuable information about the cold war from her late fathers friends, residing there..But danger lies in store for both of them!   

                    Ben Gazzara stars in this weekly series for Universal as Paul Bryan, a successful lawyer who is told by his Doctor that he has a form of leukemia and has two years to live. Paul decides to make the best of his time and do all the things he ever wanted to do. This forms the scenario of the show as he sets of on a series of adventures, meeting a variety of characters along the way.. The series began in
1965 and ran for three seasons until 1968 over 86 episodes..

                                       

Although it was popular series in its day, it has not been seen much since and the series is not available on dvd as yet.. Considering all the rubbish available, it's long overdue..                             

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : LA CONGIUNTURA .. COLUMBIA .. ITALY .. 1965 ..

 COLUMBIA PICTURES

Presents
A Royal Films International Presentation

LA CONGIUNTURA 

Starring
VITTORIO GASSMAN as Prince Giulliano

JOAN COLLINS as Jane

JACQUES BERGERAC as Sandro
HILDA BARRY as Dana

PIPPO STARNAZZA as Francesco
DINO CURCIO as Salerno
ALDO DE CARELLIS as Eduardo
PAOLO BONACELLI as Zenone
ADOLFO ELBENSTEIN as Enrico
MARINO MASE as Angelo
RENATO MONTALBANO as Dino
HALINA ZALEWSKA as Luisetta

Assistant Director - Dino De Palma & Guglielmo Ambrosi  Director of Photography - Sandro D'eva A.I.C
          Music by Luis Enriquez Bacalov     Screenplay by Ruggero Maccari & Ettore Scola  
                            Edited by Marcello Malvestiti    Produced by Mario Cecchi Gori
                                                            Directed by Ettore Scola

AKA :  "ONE MILLION DOLLARS" (Europe) ...  "HARD TIMES FOR PRINCES" ( USA)

(c) 1964  ..  Columbia .. 102 Mins ..

When a Roman Prince becomes attracted to a pretty English girl, he gets more than he bargained for. Jane has a vested interest in the Prince, not to mention his car! As they both tour Switzerland, Jane's criminal boyfriend are hot on their trail. But has he still got the hot's for her, or could it be the one million she is smuggling, the proceeds of a recent robbery? Cross and doublecross, with the Prince and his moll! Will he get the girl and the million dollars? On a rocky road .. It's Hard Times For Princes!!

Joan with Vittoria Gassman

This was Joan's first film in two years, although she had filmed an episode of the British TV series "The Human Jungle", before this film. After she made her previous film "The Road To Hong Kong", Joan married Anthony Newley and became pregnant with her first child, Tara. She had been offered the role
of Rina Marlowe in the big screen version of Harold Robbins best seller "The Carpetbaggers". But as much as she would have loved the role, her pregnancy took a priority. The role was eventually played by Carroll Baker and looking at the film today, a pregnant Joan swinging from a chandelier would not have been advisable! Joan left Newley in London to go on location for eleven weeks to shoot "La Congiuntra", taking infant Tara with her. The film was shot in various hotspots including Rome, Portofino and Switzerland. Joan had just moved into a new house with Newley in Elstree and spent her time between filming, looking for furniture and knick-knacks for their new home.

 

Joan loved Italy and really enjoyed the relaxed way the Italian film makers honed their craft. It was such a change from the stuffiness of the Fox film sets. She was also delighted to be making a comedy, as she always thought she was more than suited to the genre. The film eventually went on to be a big box office hit in Europe. Joan however was disappointed that the film only got a limited release in the UK and in America. The film is seldom seen today, although a DVD is available in Europe, but in an Italian language version only. 

'La Congiuntura' is a hard film to find in its' english language version 'Hard Times For Princes' & 'One Million Dollars'.. However an Italian language dvd was released in 2006 by CG Entertainment.. You can still order this edition here!

ORDER LA CONGIUNTURA ITALIAN DVD

 HERE!

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS! : THE HUMAN JUNGLE .. ABC WEEKEND TELEVISION .. UK .. 1964 ..

 ABC WEEKEND TELEVISION

Presents

Starring

Herbert Lom as Dr Roger Corder    Derek Godfrey as Dr Tate    Michael Johnson as Dr Davis..

Sally Smith as Jennifer Corder      Mary Yeomans as Nancy Hamilton   Mary Steele as Jane Harris

"STRUGGLE FOR A MIND"
Directed by Sidney Hayers

Joan Collins as Liz Cross

Kay Walsh as Mrs Cross

Clifford Evans as Mr Cross

Margaret Whiting as Angie

Liz Cross is a very troubled girl, troubles which culminate in her removing all her clothes in an underground station and she goes into shock and cant speak. She is taken to St Damian's Hospital and is placed in the care of Dr Roger Corder, Consultant psychiatrist, based in Harley Street. After some therapy and with no progress in  regaining her speech, Corder visits her home and discovers that her family are reluctant to speak about her. Her mother and sister finally agree to visit her at the hospital and it is revealed that Liz resorted to stripping in a club to earn the money to send her father away for an operation he so badly needed. But when she presents him with the cheque, he tears it up and sends her away. It appears her mother had an affair and Liz was the product of that relationship, thus the rejection by the man she knows as her father.

Joan with Kay Walsh

Joan is excellent in this episode and the supporting cast are as reliable as ever. This series ran from 1963 to 1965 and was so popular that the TV studio received hundreds of letters every week asking for advice from Dr Corder! Herbert Lom who was used to appearing on the big screen was only too happy to accept the role in this, his first TV role.  Herbert recalled...

" When I played my first psychiatrist in "The Seventh Veil", I was deeply interested in the subject because I had a friend who had recently undertaken such treatment. But then I have always had a latent feeling for the mysteries of the subconscious. I even got a doctor friend to teach me how to hypnotise myself! I felt this would help me learn my part much faster!''

This was Joan's first dramatic TV role for British television, the first of many memorable guest roles on some of the most popular series of all time...

THE STAGE JANUARY 1965

Joan relaxes between takes...

The full series of  26 episodes was released by Network in 2012 in a box set over 7 discs.. You can still order the set featuring Joan's episode 'Struggle For A Mind' at the following link!

BUY THE HUMAN JUNGLE BOX SET HERE!

Joan checks her look off set

Joan with Herbert Lom