"The Rifleman" TV series was originally created and developed by Sam Peckinpah, who would later go on to be a director of classic westerns and action films. Chuck Connors played the part of Luke McCain, and Johnny Crawford was Mark McCain, his son. With that aside, Johnny Crawford actually was the real star, and scene-stealer of the show. He was so believable as Mark McCain.. Even before the series was over, Johnny became an overnight teen-idol, and singing sensation with many hit records to his credit. It is not well known but Johnny was one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mousekeeters in 1955. Johnny had a very mellifluous speaking voice. It was so cool to listen to him say his lines. "The Rifleman" TV series aired from 1958 to 1963. In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring Johnny Crawford singing the very beautiful "Living In The Past". Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.
My Dear Aunt Martha and I spent the whole afternoon surfing the internet trying to find something new, and different to share on Endyr's Movie Theater. Well, Aunt Martha finally suggested that I search for some "Techno Praise" music. You see, Aunt Martha, having been a professional opera singer all of her life, still keeps tabs on all of the latest musical trends, which is something that I am really loathe to do. I had never heard of "Techno Praise" but I do trust Aunt Martha's judgment. I typed in the search term, and dozens of hits popped up. It did not take long to find this "Techno Praise" version of Mark Lowry's wonderful Christmas gem "Mary, Did You Know?". Surprisingly, it was just released recently, so it's very, very new. It is sung by a fresh new singer by the name of Johnny Hammer, and he is sensational. The power, honesty, innocence, and freshness of Johnny's performance brought tears to both Aunt Martha's, and my eyes. Johnny also has an amazing angelic presence that makes him so intoxicating to watch. I predict that this version of "Mary, Did You Know?" will turn out to be a perennial Christmas favorite. By the way, the group that Johnny belongs to is called Technopraise. Please join Aunt Martha and I in watching this amazing video by clicking on the widget below. Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.
"Porcelain Unicorn" is that one-of-a-kind film short, that manages to break the heart in the least amount of time. It won a first place prize in the "Philips’ Tell It Your Way", film-making contest, for American director Keegan Wilcox. The plot of "Porcelain Unicorn" was inspired by the real-life, traumatic World War II experiences of Wilcox's grandfather. It is a true story, and an extremely moving one at that. Trevor Teichmann is completely stunning, and captivating as the Hitler Youth who discovers a young Jewish girl who is hiding from the Gestapo. His face tells complete stories of its own. He is now involved in the filming, and production, of the theatrical version of "Porcelain Unicorn". Trevor, who is a model, has a wonderful career as a movie actor ahead of him. I can watch "Porcelain Unicorn" over and over again with complete enjoyment. The conclusion of this film is completely magical, and wonderful.
Bobby Breen, was born on November 24, 1927 in Canada, and was considered to be the finest treble voice of the late 1930s. It is astonishing, but he started to perform in night clubs at the age of four! Bobby then went on to become a leading child actor in Hollywood, and he appeared in many movie musicals in the 1930s, and 1940s. Bobby's vast repertoire included not only popular standards, but also classical music, including opera. He was an eclectic child star, and was the first to create a certain mystique in the eyes of the movie going public. It is not widely known, but Bobby is one of the people that The Beatles admired, and he is pictured on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. Bobby is in the front row, right in-between George Harrison and Marlene Dietrich. Now that was quite an honor, and goes to show you just how highly esteemed the music of Bobby Breen was, and still is, because at the time of the writing of this post, Bobby Breen is alive and well, and lives in Tamarac, Florida. In 1938, Bobby starred in "Hawaii Calls", which was the name of a very popular radio show, featuring authentic Hawaiian music that was hosted by the legendary Webly Edwards. The show was broadcast live from Waikiki Beach, by KGMB, a radio station in Honolulu, and later distributed by "electrical transcription (an early type of recording device that used acetate/aluminum disks)" throughout the continental United States. Please remember that at this time Hawaii was still a Territory Of The United States, and there was no technically reliable way to transmit a radio show "live" to the mainland. Most of "Hawaii Calls" was filmed in Honolulu, and Bobby's co-star was a Hawaiian boy who went by the name of Pua, which means flower in the Hawaiian language. Not only that, but scores of Hawaiian, and hapa haole (half Hawaiian) children, were used as extras in the film. In "Hawaii Calls", Bobby sings a beautiful operatic piece called "Macushla", accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, and also a novelty number called "That's The Hawaiian In Me" that was composed by Hawaiian entertainers, Johnny Noble and Margarita Lake. I find it interesting, though, that on the side wall of the now defunct Waikiki Theatre (it opened on August 20, 1936 and closed in November of 2002), located in Waikiki of course, there is a huge full-color movie poster of "Hawaii Calls". It makes me smile whenever I see it. In this edition of Saturday Matinee At The Movies, we are featuring the complete movie of "Hawaii Calls". Please join my Dear Aunt Martha and I, as we watch this incredible movie. Bring out the popcorn, candy and soda!
In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater we are happy to present "Alpha Beta Gamma". It is an incredible video short from Spain, starring the young actor, Adrian Huerta. What is amazing though, is that director Miguel Alcaide, has managed to tell a complete story in under four minutes. By-the-way, Adrian is so much fun to watch. I love the way he moves. He also acts with a lot of intensity. It is not obvious at first, but try to figure out what happens to the little chicken at the end of the video.
