The Boy And The Bard

In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring "The Boy And The Bard" starring Trevor Standish.  All I can say about this movie is WOW!  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

Jake Heston Miller │ Oliver

 

 

 

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic new production of "Oliver" at the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, located in southwest Washington D. C.  What made the show very interesting was that it had a theater-in-the-round configuration.  As you can tell from the photos above, it is a very small theater, and holds about 680 people.  The play is performed in the center floor surrounded by four sections of seats.  The play and the action is really in-your-face, as you are so close to the actors.  The seating is quite intimate, so you really feel that you are a part of the play.  Nine year old Jake Heston Miller plays Oliver, and is the star of the show.  His singing is outstanding, and he has a stage presence that is superb for his very young age.  Jake studies voice with professor Elysabeth Muscat at the Peabody Institute, which is part of the John Hopkins University in Maryland, so his vocal training is top-of-the- line classical.  Professor Muscat is the dean of voice studies at Peabody.  When Jake sang "Where Is Love", my eyes filled with tears.  His rendition was so moving that my heart just melted.  Jake's voice is strong and has unusual depth for a one so young.  By-the-way, he is a straight "A" student in the fourth grade, and enjoys playing tennis.  He lives in Warrenton, Virginia.  I was on vacation in Washington D. C. with a friend, and our main itinerary was to visit the Washington D. C. Mall, but quite by chance I saw an advertisement in the paper for "Oliver", and we decided that it was a must see even though the tickets were quite pricey at $122.00 each, but it was more than worth it, and was money well spent.  Getting to  Arena Stage was easy from downtown Washington D. C.  We took the Metro at Union Station, and got off at the Waterfront Metro stop, which is very close to the theater.  "Oliver" runs from October 30, 2015 to January 3, 2016 at the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, so if you are in the Washington D. C. area, it is worth seeing.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

The Vanishing Legion │ Frankie Darro

 

Here is a blast from the past, a golden oldie if you will.  Frankie Darro was the greatest child actor of the 1930s, to the 1940s.  What made him so unique though was that he did all of his own stunts.  He came from a circus family.  His parents did a high flying trapeze act, so Frankie learned to be rather adept from a very young age at performing aerial acrobatics.  Most of you will probably remember Frankie as the voice of Lampwick in Walt Disney's "Pinocchio".  In 1931 he starred in a serial called "The Vanishing Legion".  This serial is two-hundred and twenty minutes long, and Frankie is in about 95% of all the scenes.  In other words he owns this serial.  He also starred in "The Phantom Empire".  In the video clip presented below, notice how Frankie does a flying leap to get on his horse.  It is quite remarkable.  Get ready for some amazing action with Frankie Darro by clicking on the video widget below.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

Robot Monster │ Gregory Moffett

In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring "Robot Monster".  It's a movie that is so bad, that it is good.  In fact, "Robot Monster" has been voted to be the worst science-fiction movie ever made.  I can heartily agree with that, but what makes the movie so cool is Gregory Moffett who stars as "Johnny".  He adds a freshness and life to an otherwise dull plot.  I find it amazing though, that Elmer Bernstein, the late-great master film composer, wrote the music for "Robot Monster".  Bring out the popcorn, soda, and candy for some incredible Sci-Fi entertainment.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

 

Special Intermission Featurette │ Valentin, Rémi, Madeleine, Enzo, and Oliana

 In this special edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring one of the most beautiful songs in the whole world.  It's called "L'Envie d'aimer (The Desire To Love), and it is from the incredible French musical, "Les Dix Commandements (The Ten Commandments)".  This song was composed by Pascal Obispo, and Lionel Florence who have had several number one hits in France, and Patrice Guirao.  "L'Envie d'aimer" is one of the biggest selling singles of all time in France, and was also a hit in other Western European countries.  Valentin, Rémi, Madeleine, Enzo, and  Oliana who were the finalist from the first season of Ecole des Stars, were invited back to the program to perform this magnificent encore during the finale of the show.  I can listen to this song over and over again and it still brings tears to my eyes.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

Klaatu │ A Routine Day

In this edition of Endyr's Movie Theater I am featuring an incredible animation short from the superb Canadian musical group called Klaatu.  The song is called "A Routine Day" and it will knock your socks off.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Endyr's Movie Theater, wherever you may be.

Johnny Crawford │ The Rifleman

"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.