100 TV Shows #77 The A-Team #78-Banacek

[karaokegal]

Unfortunately I can't use 77 Sunset Strip in this spot, because like Route 66, it was before my time and I know it only through zeitgeist and osmosis.

So instead...a show that I only watched for one man, and a post that will be more or less a love letter to him and my favorite of his movies.

The A-Team

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Banacek

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So there it was, 1983. I'm

Comments

[joanne_c]

That photo of George is mesemerising. More on the rest later (though I have to mention that I know Ben Gazzarra through his Audrey association best, ironically enough, and the mention of him and George gives me OT3 thoughts now). Also Ben's character in the movie Bloodline (where he met Audrey) was Rhys Williams, much to my amusement on re-reading the book a year or so back. Yes, he was Welsh too.

[karaokegal]

Elaine Stritch's Ben Gazzarra story is awesome and hilarious too. Gotta love Hollywood casting, get a New York Italian to play a Welshman.

[joanne_c]

Well, Audrey's character in the book was supposed to be in her twenties, and she was a little out from that by that point, so I'm not sure if accuracy was very much in the minds of the casting people (but then again, James Mason and Michelle Phillips were pretty much just right for their characters, so I'm going to figure star power for Audrey and probably chemistry for Ben

[karaokegal]

Bloodline may be the only Sidney Sheldon book I ever read...I don't retain much, but even then I may have been looking for the "Ben/Audrey" scenes, following my weird obsession with "They All Laughed."

I also have a bit of a James Mason thing, but that mostly has to do with is younger self, his voice, and OMG LOLITA!

I wonder if Ms. Kristel's memoir is still in print or available on Kindle? She lived through some very interesting times and presumably knew (in all senses of the word) some of the sexier men. I'd love to hear Ian McShane dirt.

[joanne_c]

Sidney Sheldon is one of my favourite writers. I have re-read his books so many times and I always find something new and interesting. In fact, long before White Collar, he wrote my very favourite con man turned semi-good (but not like Neal did). Bloodline is about my fourth favourite I think. I started reading his books after seeing the mini-series of Master Of The Game with Dyan Cannon, Ian Charleson and Harry Hamlin. I can see that, and I really want to see They All Laughed someday (Bloodline the movie was not very good - I think Sheldon's books work better as mini-series).

Oh god, yes to James Mason. Have you ever seen The Wicked Lady? He's so delicious in that and in other things. I have never actually seen/read Lolita but I want to very much. It interests me, just so much to watch, so little time.

Ms Kristel's memoir was out of print - I got it through interlibrary loan - but Kindle may be possible. It was actually really interesting to read about her life in and of itself and the Ian stuff was great.

[karaokegal]

Kubrick's Lolita isn't perfect, but it's about a zillion times better than the more recent version. The perfect thing would have been if Kubrick could have done his in an era that would let him be more explicit...but still with James Mason, because as much as I love Jeremy Irons, James Mason IS my Humbert Humbert.

[joanne_c]

I wonder sometimes if the older versions can work better even without the explicit nature, if they are more of the time the book was written/took place. But sometimes it doesn't work at all, too.