The other Saturday I was on Film Buff’s Forecast to talk about the passing of Michael Cimino and Euan Lloyd. A link is attached. (I’m about 1’10 in.)
Talking Michael Cimino & Euan Lloyd
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Author Archives: stephenvagg
Talking Richard Burton on 3RRR
It’s always nice to be asked back to something? The other Saturday I went into 3RRR to chat “The Richard Burton Diaries” with Paul Harris on 3RRR. A link is here.
Talking on 3RRR
The other week Paul Harris was kind enough to invite me back to Film Buffs Forecast on 3RRR to chat about Charlie Brackett and his diaries. You can listen here. (I’m one hour in.)
Rod Taylor: Pulling No Punches
A documentary on the life and times of Rod Taylor, Rod Taylor: Pulling No Punches, debuted on Foxtel last week. Full disclosure: I’m in it, and am credited as “consultant” – probably the only time in my life I’ll ever co-star with Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Rod and Tippi Hedren (among others).
There’s some great “talking heads” especially Rod himself, who was interviewed before he died. It features many of the people I was unable to talk with for my book – Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Murray Niedorf, Stephan Elliot and Rod himself. Worth checking out – the trailer is here.
Vale Rod Taylor
It’s a weird sensation when someone you’ve written a book about dies. I never actually met Rod Taylor but I would have spent, I guess, two years researching and writing about his life and career. I’m sad I never got the chance to meet him but he had a wondrous life – a working class kid from Lidcombe who got to travel the world, make a lot of money, do a job he loved, have flings with a succession of glamorous women and act in a lot of terrific films and TV shows. He also made lots of friends, got to marry his soul mate (his third time at bat but better late than never!) and from all accounts he kept active and engaged until the end. And for twenty years he was the biggest Aussie star in Hollywood – Vale Rod, and thanks for such adventures.
Talking about Rod Taylor on 3RRR
Mark Hartley and Paul Harris were kind enough to have me on Film Buff’s Forecast on Jan 31 to talk about the life and times of Rod Taylor. A link to the interview is here. It’s about 57 mins in.
See also here.
Quick Rod Taylor primer for anyone interested in watching his movies:
– If you’ve never seen a Rod Taylor movie, I urge you to check out The Time Machine (1960) and The Birds (1963). Those are the two of his pretty much every one likes, along with 101 Dalmatians (1961), for which he provided one of the voices.
– If you like glossy 50-60s rom coms about single girls worried about their virginity in New York City, you’ll enjoy Ask Any Girl (1959) and Sunday in New York (1964).
– If you like glossy all star melodramas from the 60s, it’s worth looking at The VIPs (1963) (where he plays an Aussie) and Hotel (1967)
– If you’re a fan of gritty guys on a mission action flicks, you’re going to love Dark of the Sun (1968)
– Lovers of wacky screwball comedies will enjoy The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) with Doris Day
-If you want to see what happens when MGM give Antonioni $7 million and complete creative carte blanche, see Zabriskie Point (1970) – Rod’s role is only small but its a fascinating, flawed movie
– If you don’t have a lot of time, and/or are into sci fi his best TV performance was probably “And the Sky Was Opened”, a 1959 episode of The Twilight Zone – 30 mins of paranoiac greatness
– If you’re into “little known undiscovered gems” I can recommend the war time thriller 36 Hours (1964) and the air crash mystery Fate is the Hunter (1964)
– His best Australian movie was probably The Picture Show Man (1977) but his role is only small; he has a bigger part and is easily the best thing about Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)
– His best fight scene was in Darker Than Amber (1970)
– Great role he never played: either of the two leads in a version of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
