#Judy Balaban

[virtualcollectionblizzardblr]

I found this on NewsBreak: Judy Balaban, High-Placed Participant in Hollywood, Dies at 91

I found this on NewsBreak: Judy Balaban, High-Placed Participant in Hollywood, Dies at 91

[johnbrownnn]

Judy Balaban, the daughter of a longtime studio mogul who dated Montgomery Clift and Merv Griffin, married Tony Franciosa and served as one of Grace Kelly’s bridesmaids at her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, has died. She was 91. Balaban died Thursday night in a hospital in Los Angeles, her friend, author and documentary filmmaker Cari Beauchamp, told The Hollywood Reporter. Balaban was a champion for civil rights, serving on the board of directors for the ACLU of Southern California for decades. In a 2010 piece for Vanity Fair that she and Beauchamp co-wrote, Balaban described using LSD (then legal) as a form of therapy in the early 1960s when her good friends Cary Grant and his third wife, Betsy Drake, were using it, too. “What I had with Cary and Betsy was a kind of soul-baringness that the culture didn’t start to deal with until years later,” she says in the story. “We continued to have that even when our lives went off in different directions.” Balaban also talked about those days during an appearance in the 2017 Showtime documentary Becoming Cary Grant. Her 1961-67 marriage to Franciosa (A Hatful of Rain, The Name of the Game) was sandwiched between her marriages to high-profile Hollywood agent Jay Kanter from 1953-61 and to actor Don Quine (The Virginian) from 1971-96. All three ended in divorce. Judith Rose Balaban was born in Chicago in October 13, 1932, to Tillie and Barney Balaban. Her father co-owned a chain of theaters before he was elected president of Paramount in 1936, and he would preside over the studio through 1964. Her brother was noted jazz musician Red Balaban, and her half-brother was Burt Balaban, a producer of films including 1960’s Murder, Inc. She and her family moved to New York when her dad took the Paramount job, and she attended high school in Washington, D.C., before returning to Manhattan to work in the fashion industry. Balaban, who was in the gossip sheets as dating Clift in the early ’50s when he was making films like A Place in the Sun, was going out with Griffin and watching him sing at a nightclub when she was introduced to Kanter. Their marriage brought her to Hollywood. Balaban became fast friends with Kelly through Kanter, who was the actress’ agent (he also represented the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando and Paul Newman during his career). The star of High Noon, Rear Window and The Country Girl called her “Judybird”; she called Kelly “Graciebird.” When Kelly and Rainier wed at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco on April 18, 1956, Balaban was there alongside fellow bridesmaids Maree Frisby, a high-school friend of Kelly’s; Sally Parrish and Bettina Thompson, classmates from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts; Carolyn Scott, a modeling companion; and actress Rita Gam, Kelly’s onetime roommate in Hollywood. All traveled to Monaco with the bride-to-be aboard the SS Constitution. (Ava Gardner, who starred with Kelly in 1953’s Mogambo, reportedly declined to be a bridesmaid.) Balaban wrote about the experience in her 1989 book, The Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, and Six Intimate Friends. She described Kelly’s dress — created by MGM costume designer Helen Rose — as “twenty-five yards of silk peau de soie, another twenty-five of light silk taffeta, ninety-eight yards of silk tulle and nearly three hundred and twenty yards of Valenciennes lace.” Balaban also appeared in 1983 and 2018 documentaries about Clift and one about Kelly in 1987 and was interviewed for Mark Cousins’ acclaimed 2011 doc series The Story of Film: An Odyssey. Survivors include her daughters, Amy, whom she had with Kanter, and Nina, whom she had with Franciosa; and a cousin, Oscar-nominated actor Bob Balaban. Victoria, her other daughter with Kanter, died in June 2020. Scott Feinberg contributed to this report. Source link

[movielovtrailers-blog]

Trailer for Becoming Cary Grant (2017)

Trailer for Becoming Cary Grant (2017)

Trailer for the documentary Becoming Cary Grant, which will premiere on the premium network Showtime. Using words from his unpublished autobiography along with newly-discovered personal footage shot with a film-maker’s eye, Cary Grant — one of Hollywood’s greatest stars —...

[cinema-is-life]

Deconstructing Harry (1997), Woody Allen

[ulrichgebert]

Harry (Woody Allen. Er ist etwas unscharf) ist Schriftsteller und schreibt Geschichten, in denen seine unmöglichen Familien- und Beziehungsverhälnisse leichter wiederzuerkennen sind, als die Beteiligten sich das wünschen. Das macht die Verhältnisse eher noch komplizierter. Seine Figuren aber lieben und verstehen ihn. In der Phantasie läßt es sich eben leichter leben als in der Realität. Einer der nicht-ganz-so-netten Woody-Allen-Filme. Mit Höllenfahrt! Und seien wir ehrlich: Wir glauben, er ist es selbst.

[princessgracekelly1956]

Paramount President Balaban’s daughter Judy (Mrs. Jay Kanter) compliments Grace Kelly on her wonderful performances in four Paramount Pictures. Locale of the meeting is the Harwyn Club. (caption & photo: Paramount World - Vol.1 No.2 July 1, 1955)

[eyeliketwowatch]

Deconstructing Harry - Ho Hum, another Woody Allen Movie

At this point I was really starting to get disenchanted with Woody Allen's films. Saw this one in the theater. Didn't much care for it, and I barely even remember what it was about. Seems to me it had Billy Crystal and Richard Benjamin in it, but other than that its all a blank.

2 stars out of 5

Released 1997, First Viewing May 1997

[nataliesnews]

Subject:

June 20 2022 report

Date:

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 11:14:01 +0300

From:

Judy Auerbach <judy.auerbach@gmail.com>

To:

Mira Balaban <mira.balaban@gmail.com>

 June 20 2022

Machsom Watch: Hebron

Judy,  Mohammed (driver, interpreter)

10:00-12:30

On right side just after the turn onto Route 60, there was new fencing to prevent Palestinians from entering into Israel. soldiers were sitting on the hill monitoring the movement of vehicles and pedestrians.   Further on there were soldiers on a hill on the left side of the road.

Mohamed reported that a week ago, Palestinians over 22 years of age could get special permission for a period of 2 months to search for work in Israel.  If they did not find work within that period, they could reapply for the special permission to be renewed.

On the left side of Route 60, there is a small sheep farm recently constructed by settlers.  In the last 3 years, they have established 15 such farms on Palestinian land – a continuation of creeping annexation.

We arrived at the home of the Jabari family in Hebron.  We sat in in the family living room.

Abu Anan (אבו ענאן), the father of the family, told us what happened to him very early on June 17. He was working their land which is located between the house the road below.  The son of the head of the Kiryat Arba  council saw Abu Anan working.  He went into his house located in the neighborhood of Giv'at ha'avot (one of the Jewish nehborhoods inside Hebron that make the H2 area -- Hebron H1-H2 protocol ), right above Abu Anan’s land and home.  He came out with a metal pipe, went up behind Abu Anan and hit him.  He then sprayed pepper gas straight into his face.  Abu Anan tried to defend himself by hitting the settler with his mobile phone.  The settler threw a rock at him hitting,  breaking his wrist and then hit him repeatedly on his head with the metal pipe.  As he was bleeding profusely from his head, Abu Anan saw more settlers running down the hill towards him. 

Abu Anan ran towards a soldier for help who called for an ambulance.  Ofer Ohana came to tell the ambulance drivers not to take Abu Anan to the hospital because he is a suspected terrorist.  He should be left on the ground to die.  Two Jewish residents from the area stopped to help him as he was lying there and called a Palestinian ambulance to take him for medical help. An hour passed between the first ambulances on the scene and the arrival of the Palestinian ambulance.

           He was taken to Ahli Hospital where his wounds were treated.  His head required 40 stitches. 

                                                              That evening, settlers came to thrown stones at the family home. Two family vehicles had their windows broken. 

                At his request, Abu Anan asked to be released after one day so he could recuperate at home with his family.  He remained in bed for 3 days.  His doctor instructed him not to return to his usual routine for 3 months.

The family has filed a complaint with the police.

[johnnymundano]

Maniac (2012)

Directed by Frank Khalfoun

Based on Maniac (1980) directed by William Lustig and written by C. A. Rosenberg & Joe Spinell

Music by Rob (AKA Robin Coudert)

Country: France/United States

Language: English

Running Time: 89 minutes

Written by Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur and C.A. Rosenberg

CAST

Elijah Wood as Frank Zito

Nora Arnezeder as Anna D'Antoni

Jan Broberg as Rita

Liane Balaban as Judy

America Olivo as Angela Zito

Joshua De La Garza as Martin Nunez

Morgane Slemp as Jenna

Sal Landi as Detective

Genevieve Alexandra as Jessica

Sammi Rotibi as Jason

Megan M. Duffy as Lucie

Bryan Lugo as Officer Burton

In this defiantly horrible horror movie child-faced Elijah Wood plays the titular maniac, Frank Zito, who lovingly restores mannequins by day and even more lovingly scalps and murders women by night. Well, Elijah Wood and your glorious self both get to play the role as the movie is (mostly) shot in first person POV. So, if you’ve ever hankered after experiencing the thrill of stalking a frightened young woman through an oddly deserted city at night, while grunting like a disturbed pig before tearing her scalp off like that irritating plastic stuff they seal over the lid on a pot of beef paste, this Maniac’s for you! People smarter than me who know that exegesis isn’t a book of The Bible would probably start yapping on about how Maniac manages to convey the true creepiness of the everyday “male gaze”. 

They would be right too, and not just about diegetic not being a drug causing the increased passing of urine. Trapped behind the eyes of Frank you too can stare too long at women on the subway until their eyes flick up and away like a terrified horse’s tail. If you are a woman you get to see how the other half leer, and if you’re a man you get to see how disturbing you are. It should come as a shock; it’s meant to come as a shock; it did come as a shock. Looking at things wondering where to stick your gristly bits was a useful male skill when dating meant dragging your mate by the hair to your cave, but now we all have phones that can play Wagner we need to dial that shit back a bit. Yes, it’s been a tricky millennium or two for men and their glands. And none of that’s self-hatred or that old fave of folk terminally confused by the times they live in, the phantom boogeyman of “Political Correctness Gone Mad”, no, it’s just a fact; Sir Kingsley Amis in his later (somewhat less than “progressive”) years memorably likened having a libido as “being chained to an idiot.” He knew his onions, did Sir Kingsley.

Frank though isn’t your common or garden guy, so watching Maniac is like being chained to a, well, maniac. Frank’s got depth mind you, he’s not just a shambling hulk attached to an edged implement, like your legions of Jason knock-offs. Frank’s a monster but he’s a very human one. Wood’s giant eyes and generally hesitant demeanour help build a thoroughly vulnerable character, in a performance that’s all the more remarkable for its effectiveness due to it’s being confined primarily to his hands and vocal overdubs. It is genuinely shocking when the viewpoint slips and you see the architect of these atrocities is a frail framed and limpid eyed scamp whose face echoes your own helpless disgust. Frank looks like his own worst enemy and so it proves. A chance encounter with Anna (Nora Arnezeder), an artist who admires his restoration skills, gives Frank a shot at love. Can Frank control his swinish nocturnal impulses and find redemption via the unfathomable magic of love? It’s a question.

Maniac works its way towards answering this question through a subtly nightmarish city setting. It looks like a normal city at first glance, but there are far too many brightly lit and echoingly empty train stations for women to be stalked in, too many unpopulated alleys for them to be driven down for it to be realistic. Maniac is set in a city still haunted by the tragedy of Kitty Genovese; the lights are on as the women scream but no one comes. Except the maniac. Because, of course, this is the city as Frank sees it. We’re not looking through love’s eyes we’re looking through a maniac’s eyes. It’s not a city; it’s a hunting ground; a killing ground. The crisp and slightly off-kilter visuals are washed in the invisible aural surf of a breathily pulsing synth score which lends events a subtly erotic tang. After all,as bad as things get (and things get very, very bad; really quite awful; there’s some stuff that…well, it’s bad) Frank’s getting off on it; a part of him likes this. It’s to be hoped that that part isn’t you. Unless you’re a Maniac.