The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Dinner and a Movie
 
Marigolds and Adalya

By Steve Herte

I sincerely hope this week’s snowstorm is the last one this winter, and am doubly glad I do not live in Boston. I have an invitation to the Spring Gem Show in Manhattan, an event I haven’t attended in a couple of years. I’ve always seen it as a kind of a harbinger of warmer weather, for it makes me think of those new irises, tulips and hyacinths hiding under a foot of frozen water. Perhaps that was part of the reason why I chose a movie that takes place in a warm area of the world. It also helped to find a restaurant where it was also warm. Enjoy!

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight, 2015) – Director: John Madden: Writer: Ol Parker (s/p). Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere, Danny Mahoney, David Strathairn, Celia Imrie, Tamsin Grieg, Dev Patel, Ronald Pickup, Diana Gardcastle, Subhrajyoti Barat, Fiona Mollison, Zachary Coffin, Jayesh V. Kardak, Tina Desai, Rajesh Tailang, Lillete Dubey, Poppy Miller, & Shazad Latif. Color, 122 minutes.

Sonny Kapoor (Patel) and Muriel Donnelly (Smith) travel from Jaipur, India, to San Diego to meet with Ty Burley (Strathairn) to secure funding to buy a second hotel in Jaipur when the first is filled (except for one room) and nobody is moving out. Ty is more taken with Muriel’s rough-edged salesmanship than Sonny’s colorful exuberance, but he agrees to send an inspector to see how things are going at the first hotel. Since Ty actually said that he’ll send a “guy,” Sonny assumes the inspector will be male.

When both Lavinia Beech (Greig) and Guy Chambers (Gere) arrive at the hotel simultaneously, Sonny concludes that Guy is the “guy” and he falls over himself trying to impress Mr. Chambers. This seriously distracts him from a very important upcoming event: his marriage to the lovely Sunaina (Desai). That is, until the charming Kushal (Latif) arrives to choreograph the wedding dance, and Sonny’s convinced Kushal’s real mission is to steal Sunaina from him.

Mr. Chambers takes one look at Sonny’s mother (Dubey) and is very interested. She can’t see why and Sonny is shocked. He’s even more shocked when he learns that Kushal has already bought the hotel he has planned to be his second location.

Meanwhile, the other hotel guests are seeking livelihoods in Jaipur. Evelyn Greenslade (Dench) has become successful as a fabrics merchant, and her company wants to put her in charge of that department. They send her to Mumbai to work at her bargaining skills. Douglas Ainslie (Nighy) has his eyes set on Evelyn, but is working as a tour guide (with the assistance of a young boy and an ear mic). Madge Hardcastle (Imrie) is hoping to marry a rich Raja and has two of them wooing her, while Babul (Tailang) – who really cares for her – drives her back and forth.

Norman Cousins (Pickup) and Carol Parr (Hardcastle) are working on an exclusive relationship. Douglas’ wife Susan (Mollison) arrives unexpectedly when he’s anticipating his daughter Jodi (Miller), who is giving a speech in Mumbai. He wants Evelyn to meet Jodi, but is now faced with Susan’s request for a divorce. She, in turn, is bowled over that they can’t give adultery as the reason for the divorce.

This beautiful and charming sequel is equal to the first in stunningly colorful cinematography, witty and delightful writing and excellent acting by a seasoned cast. “You need teamwork to make a dream work,” says Sonny. And it shows. The interaction between Judi Dench and Maggie Smith is priceless and Dev Patel’s over-the-top enthusiasm is infectious. Interpersonal relationships between characters are performed flawlessly and the audience is easily caught up in them. The wonderful mix of traditional Indian music and Bollywood dance scenes add to the joy of this film. It’s a definite recommendation for anyone’s “must-see” list.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Martini glasses.

Adalya

55 Irving Place (between 17^th and 18^th Streets), New York

www.adalyanyc.com

When I confirmed my reservation at this Irving Place hotspot I didn’t know it was a hotspot. Given a choice of sitting at the bar or at a table, I chose a table. Given a second choice of a high-topped table or a regular table I chose a regular table. I thought I had everything arranged as I entered the blue canvas door and met the two young ladies at the Captain’s Station.

As I was led to a stool at a high-topped table one can only imagine my disappointment. I made it clear that I was led to believe I had a normal table and they made it obvious that I should take it or leave it. There was nothing they could do. I considered leaving and seeking another restaurant but then, remembering a Seinfeld episode referring to car rentals, I threw up my hands, folded my coat over one of the stools, slid the one near me closer to the wall and perched on it. The wall was surprisingly warm. It’s the first time in three weeks I’ve been warm in a restaurant. Maybe things were looking up.

My server, Elis, took my water preference and, after presenting me with the single-card wine and drink list and menu (also a single card), asked if I would like a cocktail. I chose the “Cellar Door” – a mixture of Tequila, Mexcal, Lime, Cassis and Ginger Beer. Served in a tall glass and looking like a simple cola it had a surprising kick and the ginger beer added a spicy tang to the liquor ingredients.

When Elis returned I asked his advice. There were several small plates available as appetizers or tapas. After he explained that most of the dishes contained in the two categories before “large dishes” were generally small, I then knew what I wanted. I ordered three courses and chose a 2010 Corvus Karga Turkiye Kuntra, a smooth cabernet sauvignon from a vineyard on a small island near Gallipoli. The manager was ecstatic at my choice and offered his knowledge about the origin of the wine. It was delicious.

My appetizer was “Shakshouka” – a Tunisian/Israeli dip with peppers, onions, tomato sauce, spice, and fried eggs in an iron skillet accompanied by toasted baguette slices. When Elis told me the pan was very hot I believed him, and proved him right with the first bite.

Having had it before, I love and looked forward to the “Grilled Halloumi Salad.” Not really a salad in the American sense, just two beautifully grilled wedges of tasty, slightly salted cheese and cooked Kabocha squash – a Japanese variety of winter squash with a taste and color akin to turnip – in cider vinaigrette. The two flavors were meant to be together. Oh, and yes, there were tiny little sprouts to add green to the “salad.” Elis told me it was his favorite dish.

I must admit that, having seen striped bass on the menu online I was a little disappointed that it was missing but Elis sang the praises of the codfish – over onions, peppers, carrots, and capers in a “limequat” (an interesting hybrid) reduction sauce. The normally smelliest fish in the ocean was not as odorous, was golden on top and flaky white inside, with a pleasing flavor. But the carrots amazed me in being of a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness.

The really amazing part of the meal came at dessert. There were only two and the chocolate cake lost out to the rosemary olive loaf with pistachio gelato. Think bread pudding with olives, a salty-sweet confection perfect for the end of a Mediterranean meal.

I asked if they had Turkish coffee but alas, no. The American coffee was sufficiently dark though and Elis brought Sambuca as an on the house after-dinner drink. I didn’t want to tell him that using three coffee beans is traditional (there were only two). I just enjoyed it.

I should have realized that any restaurant on Irving Place would be packed on a Friday night because of the famous music venue of the same name, and Adalya was no exception. The constant traffic in and out kept the place jumping – quite the opposite of my last restaurant experience. I was happy no one occupied the three other stools at my table (since I couldn’t have a regular table). I was delighted with the meal and even more delighted that I was not physically affected by dining while sitting on a back-less stool. Maybe I’m younger than I think.

For the Dinner and a Movie archive, click here.

TCM TiVo Alert for March 8-14

TCM TiVo ALERT

For

March 8–March 14

DAVID’S BEST BETS:

LITTLE BIG MAN (March 12, 5:30 pm): This is a history of the many legends of the Wild West as told by Jack Crabb, a 121-year-old man who supposedly lived through them. Dustin Hoffman is positively brilliant in the lead role, showing amazing versatility playing the character in a variety of scenarios and at different ages. The makeup is fantastic, and while Hoffman is the star of this 1970 film, he has a solid supporting cast including Martin Balsam as a snake oil salesman and Chief Dan George, who plays his Indian "father." It's a great combination of comedy and drama told through a very liberal telling of historical events. 

IN COLD BLOOD (March 14, 3:30 am): A groundbreaking true-crime film, In Cold Blood is a solid big-screen adaption of Truman Capote's book of the same name . Like the book, the film  is largely based on the true story of two hoods who kill a family of four in Kansas for money, that isn't there. Told in flashbacks and exquisitely  filmed in black and white, this 1967 movie, done in documentary style, is gripping and fascinating, even though we know the outcome almost immediately. It conveys the coldness that some people have toward others in society. It's also shows that Robert Blake, who plays one of the killers, could act when given an interesting role.

ED’S BEST BETS:

THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (March 8, 4:30 pm): Burt Lancaster is at the top of his form as Winchell-esque columnist J.J. Hunsecker, a man that can make or break someone with a flourish of his pen. Tony Curtis is Sidney Falco, a botton-feeding press agent who will do anything to get his client’s names in Hunsecker’s columns. Besides the lead performances (and Curtis is a revelation as Falco), there’s Elmer Bernstein’s great jazz score and some wonderful camera work by James Wong Howe that seems to capture the essence of New York City nightlife in the late ‘50s. A classic no matter how one slices it.

DEAD END (March 14, 12:00 am): I first saw this film as a teenager on The Late, Late Show and never forgot it. It’s a pretty intense look at the gap between the rich and the poor in New York City, even though it‘s romanticized through the Hollywood filter. Two things about the movie stand out. The first is Humphrey Bogart as Baby Face Martin, a wanted gangster who comes back to visit his old neighborhood. At this point in his career, Bogie’s still playing hoodlums, but at least this time he gets to play one with more than one dimension, and he clearly makes the most of it. Check out the scene where he meets the old love of his life Francie (Claire Trevor) and watch his face go from hopefulness to sheer revulsion when she tells him what she’s been doing for a living while he was away. The second thing about the film that stands out is the performance of the Dead End Kids. In prior films concerning juvenile delinquents, such as The Mayor of Hell and Wild Boys of the Road, there was always the underlying hope that these poor kids could be redeemed by the system. What makes this film so refreshing is that these kids are totally unredeemable; the system is there to crush them, not rehabilitate them. Joel McCrea is the ostensible star of the film, a boyhood chum of Martin who has grown up to be an unemployed architect. He’s torn between Dreena (Sylvia Sidney) his boyhood sweetheart, and the alluring Kay (Wendy Barrie), a rich woman who wants him to give this all up to come away with her. It’s a film that still moves the viewer today and one to catch.

WE DISAGREE ON . . . KID GALAHAD (March 10, 6:15 pm)

ED: C+. Elvis as a boxer! What will they think of next? But imagine an Elvis film where Ol’ Liver Lips isn’t even the main focus. Elvis is Walter Gulick, a sweet guy who has just finished his time in the army and has returned to his hometown with hopes of becoming an auto mechanic. Instead he becomes a sparring partner, and later a boxer with a series of big fights. The problem with the film is that Gig Young is the main focus. He’s Willy Grogan, a sleazy fight promoter who exploits his fighters, has a gambling addiction, and is rotten to girlfriend Lola Albright. It’s almost impossible to root for a guy like this. The film is watchable, thanks to the efforts of its director, B-movie maestro Phil Karlson, who brings a lot of energy to the fight scenes. Also adding to our enjoyment is the performance of Charles Bronson as a curmudgeonly trainer, sort of on the same level with Burgess Meredith in the Rocky films. Oh yeah . . . Elvis sings, of course. For the Elvis fan it’s happy, happy, joy, joy. For the non-Elvis fan it can be tough slogging, as the film has no crossover appeal.

DAVID: B+. This 1962 film is certainly not a classic, but it's a fine romantic comedy that is amusing and comes across as a spoof of a genre in which a guy from nowhere makes it big when he gets a lucky break. It's actually as good as the 1937 version of the film and that's impressive as the original starred Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Wayne Morris, the latter in the role Elvis played 25 years later. Ed is correct that Presley fans, particularly those like myself, who enjoy his films – even the bad ones though not the really, really bad ones – probably like this more than non-Elvis fans. However, Presley does a fine job in the title role. It's actually one of his best performances. Yes, the bar was set low when you consider some of the garbage Elvis was in, but he's very good in this. I disagree with Ed about Gig Young as the low-life fight promoter. There's a certain attraction to his character who has very few redeeming values, but still captures the audience's attention with a fine performance. Charles Bronson is very good as Elvis' trainer. There aren't any memorable songs, but the soundtrack is pleasant. If you understand you're watching Elvis and not Olivier, you'll enjoy it. 

For the complete list of films on the TCM TiVo Alert, click here.

Still Alice

Dinner and a Movie
 
Alice Still Lives on A Spice Lane

By Steve Herte

Last Monday was Helene’s birthday, and at karaoke I tried to sing songs strictly from a list I made of songs she liked to sing. This included doing two songs I’ve never tried in public before: “Your Kiss Is On My List” by Hall and Oates, and “Invisible Touch” by Genesis. Thank goodness for YouTube. I got to hear them over an over and was confident of the two melodies by Tuesday evening. The week passed quickly and I was glad not to have to shovel snow (at least for a few days) and I’m still glad I don’t live in Boston, though I love the town.

Choosing a movie for Friday was more difficult than I thought. I was hoping that Grand Budapest Hotel would stick around one more week, but it didn’t. Having seen the incredibly stupid first Hot Tub Time Machine, I was not going to put myself through the second. Though I like Will Smith, I’ve been “Con-manned” to death. That shot that movie. The trailers for The Lazarus Effect were too creepy (there’s a time and a place for horror) and there was very little else.

Having seen Birdman (Best Picture) and The Theory of Everything (Best Actor), I finally decided it was time to see the movie of the Best Actress, knowing ahead of time that it would be a sad film. I figured that my 139th Indian restaurant would dispel the sadness of the movie. Enjoy!

Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics, 2014) – Directors: Richard Glatzner and Wash Westmoreland. Writers: Richard Glatzner and Wash Westmoreland (s/p), Lisa Genova (novel): Cast: Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth, Shane McRae, Hunter Parrish, Alec Baldwin, Seth Gilliam, Kristen Stewart, Stephen Kunken, Erin Drake, Daniel Gerroll, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Maxine Prescott, & Orlagh Cassidy. Color, 101 minutes.

Alice Howland (Moore) is an eminent linguistics professor who is used to being in control and presenting her expertise in lectures and teaches at Columbia University. Her husband John (Baldwin) is a medical research doctor who is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, to work at the Mayo Clinic. Her children, Anna Howland-Jones (Bosworth) currently pregnant with twins, Tom (Parrish) and Lydia (Stewart), an actress who prefers not to go to college, are all devoted to her and John.

When things like her forgetting a significant word during a lecture and student evaluations coming back stating that her classes are a waste of time, Alice consults a neurologist, Dr. Benjamin (Kunken). After several cognition and medical tests he diagnoses her with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a rare illness for someone as young as she and, not only that, this is made rarer still by being genetic. Alice’s boss, Eric Wellman (Gerroll) is the first to learn of this when he notices lapses in her performance. But together they agree that she should keep working until she’s severely hampered by the disease.

The degenerative effects increase as Alice suddenly gets totally lost during a routine daily run and later forgets where the bathroom is in her own summer home. She tries various memory tests using the chalkboard in the kitchen and questions on her SmartPhone to keep her memory sharp but eventually realizes that it will only get worse. She makes a video of herself on her laptop orchestrating her own suicide by describing the location in her bedroom of a bottle of potent sleeping pills. “If you are seeing this, you’ve probably been unable to answer any of the questions…”

Before the disease gets too far she accepts one last lecture before the Alzheimer’s Association. She devises a clever scheme using a yellow highlighter to underline the words she’s just said to keep her from repeating them. At one point she drops the pages to the floor and the audience gasps quietly. “I wish I could forget that just happened,” she says as she gathers them up and continues. The speech is clearly the most poignant moment of the movie and she receives a standing ovation.

But the disease is relentless. She wakes up in the middle of the night and goes down to the kitchen frantically searching for her phone and John lovingly convinces her to come back to bed. In nearly the next scene, she and John and her daughters are in the kitchen and John finds the phone. “I was looking for that last night,” she says. “That was over a month ago,” says John almost in a whisper to her daughters.

Bring a box of tissues to this film. Julianne Moore justly deserves her Oscar for Best Actress. Alec Baldwin is eclipsed by her performance but plays the part of an anchor very well. He’s what holds the story together. Kristen Stewart also plays a moving part. The look on her face after performing beautifully in a Chekov play and her own mother doesn’t recognize her tells it all. I need not tell parents that their children will be bored by this movie, but you yourself cannot help but be moved. Even if Moore wasn’t as brilliant, the musical soundtrack gives clear indication when the disease is getting the upper hand. It’s a well-constructed, well-written and well-acted piece of theater. And how can you fault a movie whose last word is “Love?”

Rating: 4½ out of 5 Martini glasses.

A Spice Lane

216 3^rd Avenue (18^th Street), New York

www.aspicelanenyc.com

The garish, oversize bright blue sign over the front window virtually screams the name of this little Indian restaurant. There are two doors to keep out the cold adjacent to each other but they’re a little difficult maneuver past because of the angle and then you’re inside. It’s a cozy, sparsely decorated space with nine bare-topped tables and a liquor-less bar at the back (all the permissions are not in yet). The ceiling is painted like a blue sky with clouds and sports two small, unlit crystal chandeliers. The lighting is mainly from ceiling spots. The walls are a matte gold hung with tasteful, colorful Indian art.

The overall appearance is similar to a take-out place, and indeed, all traffic while I was there was take-out. I asked my server (one of two) if the dining crowd comes later. “9:00 usually.” This was at 7:00 pm. I could not help but think that curtains might make the place feel more comfortable and more like a restaurant.

My server presented me with the neat, folded and laminated menu along with a glass of water. Constantly aware that the two were waiting solely on me, I tried to absorb everything on the menu without taking an inordinate amount of time. The menu didn’t make it easy. I love Indian food and there were many dishes available that I have not tried. There were Vegetable Appetizers, Meat Appetizers, Soups, Salad and Kathi Roll (like an Indian burrito – very interesting), South India Specialties, Tandoori Specialties, Rice/Biryani, Seafood, Pure Vegetarian Curries, Meat Curries, Daily Specials, Tandoori Breads, Beverages and Homemade Desserts. The selection of vegetable appetizers alone was daunting. The other server brought the basket with crisp pappadum (a cracker-like bread) and three condiments: Tamarind chutney, mint chutney and onion chutney.

With the gracious help of my first server, I was able to order a three-course meal. My appetizer was one I’ve never ordered, aloo chat – broiled diced (actually quartered red-skin) potatoes and chickpeas seasoned with tangy masala (spice), fresh lime juice, mint, tamarind and fresh coriander chutney. It is a cold appetizer but with wonderful flavor and only mildly spicy. The only drawback was the difficulty spooning it from the serving platter onto the square plate in front of me. The potatoes were cooked thoroughly and the chickpeas were just right, on the crunchy side.

My first server asked if I wanted a drink besides water and I chose something else I’ve never tried before, salted lassi. It’s a yoghurt drink served in a tall glass ice-cold and it serves the purpose of putting out the fire caused by the spicier dishes. It’s also an acquired taste, first timers. It doesn’t taste a bit like salt as we know it.

My green soup arrived while I was still working through the appetizer, but it didn’t matter as the former was steaming-hot and the latter was cold. Since it was not described on the menu I was intrigued by the title. It was indeed a beautiful shade of asparagus green but the first taste was of broccoli. It was spicier than the appetizer but still, not too much and the lassi moderated the two effectively.

Still trying to take my time and enjoy the meal, I found that I was eating faster than normal under the watchful eyes of two men who had no one else to attend. Meanwhile, the bicycler take-out employees came back and forth, adding a chill from the front doors when they didn’t both close. I kept hoping for other patrons, but none showed. I didn’t even see people passing on the street.

I finished both the soup and the appetizer and it was time for the main course, Tamil fish curry – fish filets lightly fry-cooked in a medium-spicy, rich brown sauce with green chilies, lemon grass, curry leaf, coconut, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, and tamarind. Just the aroma of the dish was wonderful. The first bite was heavenly. I spooned it over the perfectly cooked Basmati rice and took a slice of the onion kulcha, a flat bread stuffed with onions, and enjoyed it. A small bowl of raita (a cucumber yoghurt sauce) came with the meal.

The quiet in the restaurant was only broken by the little, radio-like music coming from the non-bar and a strange, intermittent female voice repeating something incomprehensible. I felt a little awkward wearing a tie and dining like a Moghul in a place so small, Spartan and unpopulated; a very new experience for me.

I found out that A Spice Lane has been around for eight months now and has developed a regular clientele, as I was getting very sated. I finished the fish curry and had them pack up the remainder of the rice, bread and raita and ordered my favorite Indian dessert, gulab jamun – golden fried cheese balls (malted milk) in honey syrup. They were hot, sweet and tender, a perfect ending to one of the fastest meals ever. (I was out the door by just after 8:00 pm.)

“Write us a nice review,” said my first server as he proffered the business card and take-out menu, and I promised I would. When the building department gives the green light on the construction of a bar – they assured me the liquor license was already approved – and when the weather warms up a little more, I may return for some of their more exotic dishes. I’ll have to bring friends for most tastings. Their prices are excellent; it won’t cost that much. But they really still need curtains.

For the Dinner and a Movie archive, click here.

Leonard Nimoy: In Memoriam

Live Long and Prosper

By Ed Garea

Leonard Nimoy, who won a global following as Mr. Spock, the human-Vulcan first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie versions of Star Trek, died on February 27 at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, attributing the cause to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nimoy had announced last year that he was suffering from the disease, stating that it came from years of smoking, which he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.

Although he had been acting in television and films since 1951, it was the character of Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek that made Nimoy a household name in popular culture as he brought to life a character who was cerebral, resolutely logical, and imperturbable, known by his pointed ears, his unique salute and blessing, “Live long and prosper.” 

Born Leonard Simon Nimoy in Boston on March 26, 1931, the second son of Ukrainian immigrants Orthodox Jewish immigrants Max Nimoy, a barber, and Dora Spinner Nimoy. He was raised in the city’s predominantly Italian West End and sang in his synagogue choir.

He got the acting bug early, beginning at age 8 at a local theater and in high school productions. After graduation, he relocated to California to study drama at the Pasadena Playhouse. His start in the movies came with a bit part in the 1951 production of Queen For a Day, based on the popular radio (and later television) show. He also scored an unbilled part as a ball player in the 1951 movie, Rhubarb, a comedy about a cat that inherits a baseball team.

He scored the title role in the 1952 low-budget production, Kid Monk Baroni, as the disfigured leader of a street gang who becomes a boxer to escape his life in the “Little Italy” section of New York. Drafted into the Army in 1953, Nimoy began training for the infantry before being reassigned as an entertainment specialist, directing and hosting radio, television and stage shows for the Army’s Special Services branch.

After his discharge, he returned to California, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse and working as a soda jerk, movie usher, and cabdriver in between acting jobs, mainly in television, as he was cast in guest spots in such shows as Luke and the Tenderfoot, Navy Log, The Man Called X, Highway Patrol, Harbor Command, and Broken Arrow. What few movies he appeared in during this period have become cult classics. In 1952, he was Narab, a Martian invader in the Commando Cody serial for Republic Studios, Zombies of the Stratosphere. His turn at the end to helping the forces of Earth against his planet somewhat foreshadowed his turn as Mr. Spock. He played Chief Black Hawk in Old Overland Trail (Republic, 1953), one in a series of oaters starring Rex Allen. He was the Army sergeant at the telex in 1954’s Them! After that, his only movie role in the ‘50s was as Professor Cole in the 1958 low-budget version of Robert Heinlein’s novel The Puppet Masters, titled the Brain Eaters.

As the ‘60s rolled around so did the quality of the television shows in which Nimoy worked. He began receiving guest shots on such shows as The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Sea Hunt, M Squad, Bonanza, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, Death Valley Days, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., where he worked with future Star Trek shipmate and later close friend, William Shatner. In between assignments, Nimoy taught Method acting at his own school. But in 1963, a guest shot on the police drama, The Lieutenant, led to his big break.

The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, was impressed with Nimoy’s performance and called his agent about a part in a new science-fiction show he was developing. Although the character was not yet fleshed out, Roddenberry told Nimoy’s agent that it would be extra-terrestrial, as the show was set in the 23^rd century, and the space ship’s crew members were not just international crew, but interplanetary as well. The name of the show would be Star Trek.

Nimoy shot the pilot, which introduced his character of Mr. Spock and that of Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. NBC rejected it and plans were made for a second pilot with a somewhat different cast. Because Hunter had already committed to another project when the second pilot was to be filmed, Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk.

As the character of Spock was unknown territory, Nimoy was given free rein to create. He incorporated his childhood memories of the kohanim blessing from his religious upbringing and created the Vulcan split-fingered salute, along with the salutation, “Live long and prosper,” which was an accompanying blessing to the prayer from Numbers 6:24-26.

Another of Spock’s trademarks was the result of improvisation. After reading in the script that Spock was to knock another character out cold with the butt of his phaser, Nimoy worked out a better solution: the Vulcan nerve pinch, claiming that Spock studies would have included knowledge of anatomy to be used in self-defense.

The character of Spock connected with the public and Nimoy was reported to have been receiving about 10,000 letters week, most of them from women. He also received an Emmy nomination for each season the show aired. After the show was canceled after a three-year run, however, Nimoy seemed pleased and highly reluctant to play the character again. He was the only member of the cast who did not sign up for a projected sequel in the ‘70s (abandoned for other reasons), and after much soul-searching, finally agreed to be part of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. The reason for this reluctance, he said in interviews, was the poor quality of writing on Star Trek, especially in its third – and last – season. But Nimoy was also reluctant to attend the Trek fan conventions that become wildly popular in the ‘70s. Fans were also dismayed by the title of his 1975 book, “I Am Not Spock,” which was taken by many as Nimoy’s rejection of, and distancing from, the character of Spock. Perhaps it was the very real fear of being permanently typecast, though he did have a successful run in Mission Impossible, which he signed on for right after Star Trek finished its initial television run, as Paris, an IMF agent who was a ex-magician and make-up expert.

But it seemed that Nimoy had a change of heart about Spock after the character was killed off in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (supposedly at his insistence). Given the chance to direct the next Trek installment, he seemingly made peace with the character, allowing it to be reborn in the course of the movie. He also directed Star Trek IV (1986) and Star Trek VI (1991), both of which he helped write, and guest-starred as Spock on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

When director J. J. Abrams revived Star Trek in 2009, with an all-new cast, he included a cameo part for Nimoy as an older version of Zachary Quinto’s Spock. Nimoy also appeared in the 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.

Of his work outside Star Trek, Nimoy received kudos for his work in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and the 1982 TV movie A Woman Called Golda, where he played Morris Meyerson, the husband of Golda Meir, played by Ingrid Bergman. He also directed the successful 1987 comedy, Three Men and a Baby.

From 1977 to 1982, Mr. Nimoy hosted the popular syndicated series “In Search Of ...,” which explored such mysteries as the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, and U.F.O.s. In addition, he narrated Ancient Mysteries on the History Channel, took on a recurring role on the science-fiction series Fringe and was heard, as the voice of Spock, in an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Nimoy also performed on stage, appearing in such works as Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Caligula, Twelfth Night, and My Fair Lady in regional theater, and Full Circle and Equus on Broadway. In 1975, he toured with and played the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Sherlock Holmes, and in 1981, he starred in Vincent, a one-man show based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh.

If all this wasn’t enough, during and following Star Trek, Nimoy also released five albums of musical recordings. His first was titled Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space. His second album, Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy, features him singing as Spock. On the final three albums he sings popular folk sings and covers of works such as “Proud Mary” and “I Walk the Line.” Though the critics panned his recordings, fans ate them up, perhaps enjoying the campy performances.

He also published several books of poetry and photography, and came to terms with himself in his 1995 tome, “I Am Spock,” in which he said he hoped the book would place to rest the ugly and unfounded rumors about his relationship to the character. For the record, he said that he liked and admired Spock.

Regarding his personal life, Nimoy returned to college, earning his M.A. in Spanish from Antioch College in 1978. The school later awarded him an honorary doctorate.

His first marriage to actress Sandi Zober lasted from 1954 to 1987 and produced two children, Julie and Adam. In 1989, he married actress Susan Bey (cousin of director Michael Bay).

Cinéma Inhabituel for March 1-15

A Guide to the Rare and Unusual on TCM

By Ed Garea

Last month was “31 Days of Oscar” on TCM and we picked an Oscar winning or nominated film for each day of the month. But the theme still has three days to go in March, and so we shall begin this month with the continuation of last month’s format.

March 1: During the first three days of March, TCM is screening some relatively recent movies beginning at 8:00 pm. But tonight, there’s nothing really worth our while. The one that might be, Chicago (2002, at 10:15 pm), is one we somehow managed to miss over the years. But we will finally be watching this night. So we have chosen an older movie from the morning’s pickings, and that is 1937’s Shall We Dance, which airs at 8:15 am. Next to Top Hat, we at The Celluloid Club feel this is the best Astaire-Rogers musical, with top-flight dance numbers and great songs from George and Ira Gershwin, including “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “They All Laughed,” and the title track, “Shall We Dance?” Nominated: Best Music, Original Song (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”), 1938.

March 2: Although the highlight of the evening is the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy, our recommendation is the science fiction classic from 1954 Them! (1:30 pm). This is an excellent combination of noir mystery, science fiction, and Red scare, with James Whitmore, James Arness, Joan Weldon and Edmund Gwenn fighting a war against ants mutated into giants by lingering radiation from the White Sands A-bomb testing. Nominated: Best Effects, Special Effects, 1955.

March 3: It’s an embarrassment of riches this night beginning at 8:00 pm. But as we’ve already mentioned The Artist and The Queen in our Best Bets for the TiVO Alert, we will choose The King’s Speech (2010, 10:00 pm). It’s the story of King George VI of England (Colin Firth), his unexpected ascension to the throne, and the speech therapist hired to correct his chronic stutter in order that he may speak succinctly to his subjects. Geoffrey Rush is memorable as the teacher and Colin Firth is marvelous as the monarch, with Helena Bonham Carter almost walking away with the film in her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth. WON: Best Picture, Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper) Best Writing, Original Screenplay (David Seidler). NOMINATED: Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Best Cinematography (Danny Cohen), Best Film Editing (Tariq Anwar), Best Costume Design (Jenny Beavan), Best Music, Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Best Sound Mixing (Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen & John Midgley), Best Art Direction (Eve Stewart, Judy Farr), 2011.

STAR OF THE MONTH

The Star of the Month for March is Ann Sothern. She’s a most interesting choice, because in “A” films she was a supporting player. She only headlined B-movies. Yet much of those B-movies are much beloved by film fans everywhere, as is Sothern herself, who had great on-screen presence no matter what film she was cast in, A or B. She’s probably best known for her portrayal of the brassy showgirl with a heart of gold. In a role originally intended for Jean Harlow, Maisie (1939) began a series that lasted until 1947. Fans couldn’t get enough of Sothern as Maisie, as she seemed to be born for the role. When the film roles dried up, Sothern turned to television, playing the meddlesome Susie in Private Secretary (1953-57). After the show was cancelled, Sothern starred in The Ann Sothern Show (1958-61), and is also famed as the voice of the 1928 Porter in My Mother the Car (1965). She kept busy in the ‘70s and ‘80s working mostly in television and made-for-television movies. In 1987, she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as the neighbor of Lillian Gish and Bette Davis in The Whales of August (1987).

March 4: It’s an entire evening of Ann Sothern. However, we’re recommending Grand Exit (1935), at 8:00 pm. While it’s not her first credited film (that would be Let’s Fall in Love for Columbia in 1933), it is the earliest TCM is showing. Others worth catching are Trade Winds (1938), with Frederic March as a private eye who falls in love with Joan Bennett, the murder suspect he is trailing (Ann is great is March’s secretary), and Super Sleuth (1937), where Ann stars with Jack Oakie, at 4:15 am.

March 11: This night is devoted to Sothern’s “Maisie” films, beginning with the first in the series, Maisie (1939), airing at 8:00 pm. Even though the film was originally tailored for the talents of Jean Harlow, we would swear it was made for Sothern, as she fits the character perfectly. The other films airing this night are all roughly of the same quality, but we recommend Maisie Was a Lady (1941), showing at 12:30 am, and Ringside Maisie (1941), which airs right after at 2:00 am.

FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT

The Friday Night Spotlight for March is devoted Roadshow Musicals, which we’re thinking is tied to Matthew Kennedy’s excellent study, Roadshow!: The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s. It promises to be an interesting marathon of sorts of mediocre to downright awful musicals.

March 6: This night is probably your best chance to watch a good musical, as three of them are airing: Funny Girl (8 pm), Sweet Charity (10:45 pm), and Fiddler on the Roof (1:30 am).

March 13: Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang (8:00 pm), Oliver! (10:45 pm), and Goodbye Mr. Chips (1:30 am). See what we mean about the quality declining?

OUT OF THE ORDINARY

March 5: We begin the day at 10:15 am with a wartime rah-rah morale film that became viewed in an entirely new light after the war. Tender Comrade (RKO, 1944) is the story of a group of women defense workers who share a house to save expenses while their husbands are away at war. Leading the group is alpha female Ginger Rogers. It’s not really a good movie, as the poorly-written script lets the actors down and the film itself is caught up in patriotic jingo with a healthy measure of suds near the end. But in the postwar hysteria, when Washington imagined there was a Commie under every bed, this ludicrous film is rolled out and becomes Exhibit A in the case of its writer, Dalton Trumbo, who had Red leanings, and its director, Edward Dmytryk, also suspected of Red leanings. That this film could be regarded as Communist propaganda is one of the great mysteries of the time. The other great mystery is how someone like Trumbo, who wrote this drivel and whose screenplays are masterpieces of dreck, could be considered a great writer. The movie is interesting as a time capsule and how a talented cast could almost overcome a shoddy screenplay and indifferent direction.

At 12:15 pm is one of the enduring masterpieces of film, A Matter of Life and Death (1947), from co-directors/writers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. David Niven gives a performance for the ages as a pilot who was supposed to die, but through a mix-up in Heaven, not only is he alive, but he has just met the love of his life (Kim Hunter). Niven reasons that because the mix-up was not his fault, he should be given a second chance, and Heaven convenes for a trial to determine his fate. This is a beautifully moving film; each shot looks as though it was painstakingly and immaculately composed. (The cinematography by Jack Cardiff alone is reason enough to watch.) Add to this an intelligent script with the message about the power of love, and just how important life is, the excellent performances by the cast, and razor sharp direction and editing, and we are watching one of the most compelling pictures ever made.

The highlight of an evening devoted to Helen Hayes sees her starring with Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy, and the Barrymore brothers in the excellent, underrated Night Flight from MGM in 1933, airing at 10:00 pm. The film is about a fateful 24 hours in the life of an airfreight service run by martinet John Barrymore. A doctor in Rio De Janeiro awaits the receipt of life-saving serum from Santiago, Chile, for his desperately ill patient, a young boy. Rough weather makes the flight of the serum a life-threatening event in itself, and the question becomes one of whether the serum will arrive, and if it does, how many lives will be sacrificed getting it there. The all-star cast lives up to the billing, and rarely do any of the members share scenes with each other. It one definitely with catching if you haven’t yet seen it - and even if you have.

March 7: At 12:30 am, TCM is airing Jean Cocteau’s compelling film, Orpheus (1950), starring Jean Marias, Edouard Dermit, and Marie Dea as Eurydice in Cocteau’s take on the classic Greek fable. Maria Casares is fascinating as the Princess of Death, with whom the poet Orphee becomes obsessed in this modernized updating. Also take note of the superb score by Georges Auric. Even though it comes across a little heavy-handed at times, Cocteau still pulls of a hypnotic visual treat that we simply cannot imagine being made today. If ever a film deserved the title of Masterpiece, it is this one.

March 8: Tune in for a triple feature by French director Agnes Varda. We begin at 2:00 am with two short documentaries: Du cote de la cote (1958), a humorous tour of the French Riviera, followed by Diary of a Pregnant Woman, a 16-minute short of the impressions of the rue de Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter of Paris through the eyes of pregnant writer-director Varda. It’s a mix of gritty realism and surrealistic scenes containing vignettes on the feeling of nature, pregnancy, anxiety, and desire, among others, as we focus on the various visitors and denizens of the area. At 3:00 am is her 1965 feature Le Bonheur, starring Jean-Claude Drouot as Francois Chevalier, a carpenter happily married to Therese (Claire Drouot), with two children, Pierrot and Gisou (Olivier and Sandrine Druuot). One day he meets telephone operator Emilie (Marie-France Boyer) with whom he falls in love. But Francois decides that he not only wants Emilie as a lover, but also as a part of his family, which ultimately leads to tragic consequences. It’s a beautifully shot movie; its pastel colors showing the influence of Varda’s husband, Jacques Demy. It was also quite audacious when released in 1965, and, as I learned when seeing it last year for the first time since 1973, it has lost none of its shock value.

March 10: Here’s a rarely seen film, and with good reason, some might say. Symphony of Six Million (RKO, 1932) stars Ricardo Cortez as Dr. Felix Klauber in a sudsy film based on a Fannie Hurst story. He’s one of a family of German immigrants who live in a poor Jewish neighborhood in New York, and he dreams of growing up to be a doctor. Once out of medical school he works at a local clinic for the poor and is beloved by patients and colleagues  alike. But his brother Magnus (Noel Madison) tells him he could be doing a lot better on Park Avenue, as he can provide for the family with a practice there. So Felix opens a practice and becomes wealthy prescribing placebos for rich hypochondriacs. Blinded by his financial success, he ignores his family, and worse, his crippled childhood sweetheart, Jessica (Irene Dunne), who teaches at the Braille Institute for the Blind. Long story short, he loses his father while performing brain surgery on the old duffer. This drives him into a depression and he givers up medicine. But when his girlfriend’s condition worsens and requires an operation, he is the only one they can turn to. It’s worth seeing for Cortez’s performance and the fact that it’s not shown very often. As to the subject matter, try The Citadel (MGM, 1938) instead for an intelligent handling of the same type of material - and without the schmaltz.

March 11: A real treat is in store at 11:30 am as TCM airs the original 1940 version of Gaslight, with Anton Walbrook as the insane criminal trying to drive Diana Wynyard insane in order to get his hands on hidden jewels. We’re used to the 1944 MGM remake with Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman, but this one’s better, even down to the performances.

GUY KIBBEE

March 6 is the anniversary of Guy Kibbee’s birth (March 6, 1882), and TCM is honoring him with a morning and afternoon of his films, five of which are Pre-Code. Of the day’s offerings, we are most attracted to Crooner (1932, 8:30 am), starring David Manners as a struggling bandleader who becomes a singing sensation when a drunken patron hands him a megaphone to sing through; The Merry Frinks (1934, 11:00 am), starring Guy and Aline MacMahon as the heads of an eccentric family; and Three Men on a Horse (1936, 5:15 pm), an underrated comedy with Frank McHugh as a timid poet who has the uncanny ability for picking winning horses.

KARLOFF

March 11: Karloff is disgraced hypnotist Marcus Monserrat in the 1967 thriller The Sorcerers (6:30 pm). Seeking a way back to respectability, he develops a technique for mind control based on a mesmerizing light machine. Using a bored, swinging London teen (Ian Ogilvy) as a volunteer, he and his domineering wife, Estelle (Catherine Lacy), gain total control of him and are able to experience everything he does. But Estelle becomes totally enchanted with the control she has over Ogilvy and the vicarious pleasures such control provides. Soon she’s willing the mod zombie to steal and murder. The offbeat subject matter and Karloff, as usual, make it worth a peek.

BATMAN!

On March 7 TCM begins showing Batman, the 1943 serial from Columbia starring Lewis Wilson as the Caped Crusader and Douglas Croft as Robin. As it was made in 1943, it shows the influence of the war. In this 15-chapter serial, Batman and Robin are fighting Dr. Tito Daka, a Japanese mastermind of an espionage-sabotage cell. He has a radium powered death ray that pulverizes walls, and can turn men into zombies that do his bidding. The costumes are a bit ill fitting, but this serial is pure entertainment and has been cited by critics as one of the best serials ever made. So park the brain for a few minutes, tune in, and enjoy. All episodes air at 10:00 am.

PSYCHOTRONICA AND THE B-HIVE

March 4: The morning and afternoon is devoted to psychotronic horror and sci-fi movies. The gem in the bunch is The Last Man on Earth (1:30 pm), a 1964 Italian production based on the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, and starring Vincent Price as the only survivor of a plague that has turned everyone else into zombified vampires. It’s been remade three times over the years, but none of the remakes managed to capture the quality of the original.

Bad Movie Lover’s Alert! Among the day’s offerings are three films that qualify for the title of “So Bad It’s Good.” First up at 8:45 am is the immortal The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962), the tender and moving tale of mad scientist, Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers), whose fiancée, Jan (Virginia Leith) is decapitated during an accident on their drive to his country home. So he wraps her head and carries it to his lab, where he keeps it alive in a pan until he can find a suitable body by turning into a lounge lizard. The highlight of the movie is the scenery-chewing antics of deformed henchman Kurt (Leslie Daniel), whose philosophical conversations with Jan’s head are hysterical. The movie had long enjoyed a cult status that was only enhanced when it was shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Since that episode aired, heroine Jan has been known as ”Jan in the Pan,” and was played in sketch breaks by cast member Mary Jo Pehl. For years, only a censored version was shown on television, due to the so-called violent ending when the creature in the closet, a failed earlier experiment, gets out to wreak his revenge on Kurt and the Doc.

Next up at 3:00 pm is Jack Hill’s 1967 atrocity, Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told, the story of the inbred Merrye family, whose members suffer from a genetic disease that causes them to mentally regress from the age of around 10 or so, even as they develop physically. The family’s ever-loyal chauffeur (Lon Chaney, Jr.) looks out for them and covers up their indiscretions, even murder. But trouble ensues when greedy distant relatives and their lawyer arrive to dispossess the family of its home, with predictable results.

Finally, at 6:00 pm is the sci-fi classic Night of the Lepus (1972), where rabbits artificially enlarged by bad science (and miniature sets) go on a rampage that threatens an Arizona town. Read our article on it here.

March 5: For those interested in a good horror tale, we recommend RKO’s 1943 The Seventh Victim (9:00 am), an offbeat chiller from producer Val Lewton and director Mark Robson about a young girl’s search for her missing sister, a search that takes her into the lap of an anonymous cult of Satanists in Greenwich Village in New York City that would like to remain anonymous. It’s an intelligent and definitely offbeat chiller, revealing the existence of evil in a place where one wouldn’t think it would exist.

March 7: At 10:30 am, the “Carry On” films make their return to TCM. This day it’s Carry on Spying (1964), a spoof of not only the James Bond films, but also Carol Reed’s classic noir, The Third Man. A top secret chemical formula has been stolen by STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans), and so it’s up to agent Desmond Simpkins (Kenneth Williams), and his three trainees: Charlie Bind (Charles Hawtrey), Harold Crump (Bernard Cribbins), and Daphne Honeybutt (Barbara Windsor) to retrieve it before humanity as we know it is destroyed. It’s the usual Carry On series antics, so we know what to expect. And we love it.

March 13: Friday the 13^th just wouldn’t be the same without a Bowery Boys film, we guess. And TCM is airing one of their more coherent films this day, The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1964, 3:30 pm). Unlike many of their less successful ventures, this one is actually written by two gents known for comedy, Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds, with the latter directing. Ullman and Bernds had previously teamed on a number of Three Stooges shorts, so they knew their way around. In this entry, Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) seek to rent a vacant lot so the neighborhood kids will have a safe place to play. Unfortunately for them, the property belongs to the Gravesend family, an odd bunch, two of whom require heads for their transplant experiments, one who seeks food for her man-eating plant, and one who is a vampire. We can just take it from there. Two of the Gravesends are played by Ellen Corby and John Dehner, who went on to carve out good careers in television, particularly Corby, who became famous as Grandma Walton. It’s a cut above the usual silliness, and at 65 minutes is definitely worth catching.

March 14: It’s another “Carry On” film, and it might just be the best of the bunch. Carry On Cleo (1964, 10:30 am) is an obvious take off on Liz and Dick’s Cleopatra, only this one is of a much, much lower budget and stars Sidney James as Marc Antony and Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar. Two Britons, Hengist Pod (Kenneth Connors) and Horsa (Jim Dale) are captured by the invading Romans and taken back to Rome. Pod spends his time creating useless inventions, but Horsa proves himself quite a warrior and is assigned as part of the bodyguard for Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie). The upshot of all this is that Hengist and Horsa end up foiling Antony and Cleo’s plot to take over Rome and are rewarded with their freedom. With Charles Hawtrey as Seneca.