Jean Allison, the familiar character actress who appeared on dozens of TV shows, from Have Gun — Will Travel, Bonanza, Hawaiian Eye and The Rifleman to McCloud, Adam-12, The Waltons and Highway to Heaven, has died. She was 94.
Allison, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, died Feb. 28, her family announced.
Allison made her big-screen debut as a woman menaced by a psychopath (Michael Higgins) in the United Artists drama Edge of Fury (1958), and her film résumé also included The Devil’s Partner (1960), Paul Sylbert’s The Steagle (1971), Robert Benton’s Bad Company (1972) and Paul Schrader’s Hardcore (1979).
Born in New York on Oct. 24, 1929, Allison attended Marymount High School in Tarrytown, New York, and Adelphi College, also in New York.
While appearing on stage in the Patricia Joudry drama Teach Me How to Cry, she was spotted and signed by agent Doovid Barskin. Her first TV gig came in 1957 on CBS’ General Electric Theater.
Allison, a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, died Feb. 28, her family announced.
Allison made her big-screen debut as a woman menaced by a psychopath (Michael Higgins) in the United Artists drama Edge of Fury (1958), and her film résumé also included The Devil’s Partner (1960), Paul Sylbert’s The Steagle (1971), Robert Benton’s Bad Company (1972) and Paul Schrader’s Hardcore (1979).
Born in New York on Oct. 24, 1929, Allison attended Marymount High School in Tarrytown, New York, and Adelphi College, also in New York.
While appearing on stage in the Patricia Joudry drama Teach Me How to Cry, she was spotted and signed by agent Doovid Barskin. Her first TV gig came in 1957 on CBS’ General Electric Theater.
- 3/8/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Until recently, the literary pedigree of a motion picture could clear a path to an Oscar nomination and often a win. Best Picture champs such as “No Country for Old Men” (2007), “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) and “The English Patient” (1996) all began their lives on the page in works by Cormac McCarthy, F.X. Toole and Michael Ondaatje, respectively. This year, “White Noise,” Noah Baumbach‘s Netflix film based on Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel, is angling for such a Best Picture nomination.
The tradition dates back to the earliest days of the Academy Awards when classic novels were regularly adapted for the screen. The 1930s saw “All Quiet on the Western Front” (by Erich Maria Remarque), “Mutiny on the Bounty” (by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall) and “Gone With the Wind” (by Margaret Mitchell) walk off with the top prize. The subsequent decade was also fortunate for novelists, as adaptations of “Rebecca...
The tradition dates back to the earliest days of the Academy Awards when classic novels were regularly adapted for the screen. The 1930s saw “All Quiet on the Western Front” (by Erich Maria Remarque), “Mutiny on the Bounty” (by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall) and “Gone With the Wind” (by Margaret Mitchell) walk off with the top prize. The subsequent decade was also fortunate for novelists, as adaptations of “Rebecca...
- 11/30/2022
- by Robert Rorke
- Gold Derby
In film theory, the term "verisimilitude" means the appearance of truth. It's easy to feel like the 2004 Clint Eastwood film "Million Dollar Baby" is based on a true story. It is far from what you'd expect out of Hollywood. It is dark, gritty, raw, and depressing. Downright exhausting, really. But it's also beautiful in the way it captures hope, determination, and the sweet science behind the sport of boxing in a different light.
The movie is based on a short story from the book "Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner" by F.X. Toole (the pen name of former boxing cornerman...
The post Hilary Swank Kept a Dangerous Secret From Clint Eastwood During Million Dollar Baby appeared first on /Film.
The movie is based on a short story from the book "Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner" by F.X. Toole (the pen name of former boxing cornerman...
The post Hilary Swank Kept a Dangerous Secret From Clint Eastwood During Million Dollar Baby appeared first on /Film.
- 5/3/2022
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
Happy Birthday to one of We Are Movie Geeks favorite stars. Clint Eastwood was born on this day in 1930, making him 90 years old today. Last year’s Richard Jewell proved that he actor and two-time Oscar winning director hasn’t let his age slow him down a bit.
We posted a list of his ten best films as an actor on his last birthday, but this list is what the Geeks at We Are Movie Geeks think are his best out of 38 feature films as a director.
10. Mystic River
Mystic River (2003) told the story of three childhood friends, Jimmy, Dan & Sean, who drifted apart after a terrible tragedy & grew up in the same city. Destiny pitted them again & it’s brutal tragedy again. Jimmy’s 19 year old daughter murdered & Dave is the strong suspect. Sean is a cop trying to solve the crime before something unusual done by uncontrollable with situational fix.
We posted a list of his ten best films as an actor on his last birthday, but this list is what the Geeks at We Are Movie Geeks think are his best out of 38 feature films as a director.
10. Mystic River
Mystic River (2003) told the story of three childhood friends, Jimmy, Dan & Sean, who drifted apart after a terrible tragedy & grew up in the same city. Destiny pitted them again & it’s brutal tragedy again. Jimmy’s 19 year old daughter murdered & Dave is the strong suspect. Sean is a cop trying to solve the crime before something unusual done by uncontrollable with situational fix.
- 5/31/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
'Million Dollar Baby' movie with Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood. 'Million Dollar Baby' movie: Clint Eastwood contrived, overlong drama made (barely) watchable by first-rate central performance Fresh off the enthusiastically received – and insincere – Mystic River, Clint Eastwood went on to tackle the ups and downs of the boxing world in the 2004 melo Million Dollar Baby. Despite the cheery title, this is not the usual Rocky-esque rags-to-riches story of the determined underdog who inevitably becomes a super-topdog once she (in this case it's a “she”) puts on her gloves, jumps into the boxing ring, and starts using other women as punching bags. That's because about two-thirds into the film, Million Dollar Baby takes a radical turn toward tragedy that is as unexpected as everything else on screen is painfully predictable. In fact, once the dust is settled, even that last third quickly derails into the same sentimental mush Eastwood and...
- 10/7/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Hollywood loves using books as source material - this year's Best Picture category at the Oscars features "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Argo," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Les Misérables," all of which began as books.
But did you know that Oscar winner "Million Dollar Baby" began as a series of short stories written by a boxing trainer who went by the pen-name F.X. Toole? Or that "Shawshank Redemption" and "Stand By Me" were both originally Stephen King novellas in the same collection?
Check out the slideshow below to see these and other unexpected movies that first appeared in print.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!
But did you know that Oscar winner "Million Dollar Baby" began as a series of short stories written by a boxing trainer who went by the pen-name F.X. Toole? Or that "Shawshank Redemption" and "Stand By Me" were both originally Stephen King novellas in the same collection?
Check out the slideshow below to see these and other unexpected movies that first appeared in print.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!
- 2/20/2013
- by Leigh Silver
- Huffington Post
J. Edgar opens in theaters this Friday and it is the 33rd film directed by Clint Eastwood. Beginning with the thriller Play Misty For Me in 1971, Eastwood has directed westerns, action films, comedies, and dramas. From the very early days of his career, Eastwood had been frustrated by directors insisting that scenes be re-shot multiple times and perfected, and when he began as a director in 1971, he made a conscious attempt to avoid any aspects of directing he had been indifferent to as an actor. As a result, Eastwood is renowned for his efficient film directing and to reduce filming time and to keep budgets under control.
As seen through the eyes of Hoover himself, J. Edgar explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice, often...
As seen through the eyes of Hoover himself, J. Edgar explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice, often...
- 11/9/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following up 2009′s instant classic, the brutal French prison film, A Prophet, was never going to be an easy task for director and co-writer Jacques Audiard, but casting Marion Cotillard as the lead should definitely help. According to Variety, the Academy Award-winning actress (La Vie en Rose) will star in Rust and Bones, an adaptation of Craig Davidson’s collection of eight short stories, which range in topics from a married couple that dabbles in dog fighting to a man losing a leg to a killer whale.
The book’s dark and certainly twisted subject matters are nothing new for Audiard and Thomas Bidegain,...
The book’s dark and certainly twisted subject matters are nothing new for Audiard and Thomas Bidegain,...
- 9/8/2011
- by Kevin Sullivan
- EW.com - PopWatch
When one F.X. Toole adaptation grabs a bunch of Oscars, what will happen to the next one?
Million Dollar Baby -- winner of Best Movie, Director, Supporting Actor, and Lead Actress -- was adapted from Toole's short story collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, and now The Hollywood Reporter posts that Pound for Pound is getting the big-screen indie treatment with the starring help of Billy Bob Thornton.
A full -- but unfinished -- posthumous novel this time around, Pound follows Dan Cooley, an ex-boxing contender who has outlived both his wife and children, and focuses on his grandson, who then gets killed. "As Cooley vacillates between booze-fueled suicidal thoughts and fantasies of homicidal vengeance, Hispanic teenager Eduardo 'Chicky' Garza y Duffy begins his troubled ascent in the amateur boxing world." In classic sports movie form, they will be able to offer each other redemption.
It's going to be...
Million Dollar Baby -- winner of Best Movie, Director, Supporting Actor, and Lead Actress -- was adapted from Toole's short story collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, and now The Hollywood Reporter posts that Pound for Pound is getting the big-screen indie treatment with the starring help of Billy Bob Thornton.
A full -- but unfinished -- posthumous novel this time around, Pound follows Dan Cooley, an ex-boxing contender who has outlived both his wife and children, and focuses on his grandson, who then gets killed. "As Cooley vacillates between booze-fueled suicidal thoughts and fantasies of homicidal vengeance, Hispanic teenager Eduardo 'Chicky' Garza y Duffy begins his troubled ascent in the amateur boxing world." In classic sports movie form, they will be able to offer each other redemption.
It's going to be...
- 8/22/2009
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Here are some short but interesting film news that appeared in the trades and on the Web today:
• Billy Bob Thornton is in talks to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing flick based on F.X. Toole's novel. Writing and directing the project is Ron Shelton. The film focuses on two men whose lives intersect. Thornton would be playing a retired, widowed boxer who slips into depression after his grandson is killed in an accident. The other one is a young Latino fighter struggling with life as well.
• Billy Bob Thornton is in talks to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing flick based on F.X. Toole's novel. Writing and directing the project is Ron Shelton. The film focuses on two men whose lives intersect. Thornton would be playing a retired, widowed boxer who slips into depression after his grandson is killed in an accident. The other one is a young Latino fighter struggling with life as well.
- 8/22/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in the boxing drama “Pound for Pound,” based on a book by F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became the hit “Million Dollar Baby.” The film follows the two stories of an aged former fighter who struggles with depression, age, and the death of his son, as well as the struggles and rise of a young Latino boxer, and how their two lives eventually intertwine. Ron Shelton is writing and directing, with Elie Samaha executive producing. Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via Greif Company. “Pound For Poud” is hoping to begin shooting in the beginning [...]...
- 8/22/2009
- by Costa Koutsoutis
- ShockYa
So you liked Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, but thought it was a little too much of a downer? Well then here's a movie for you. Billy Bob Thornton is in talks to star in Pound for Pound, an adaptation of another novel by F.X. Toole, who also wrote Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, the book that served as the basis for Million Dollar Baby. Pound for Pound was published posthumously based on a manuscript that he had written when he died in 2002. Here's the good news: Paul Haggis isn't involved in the film, which is being financed independently. Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump, Play It to the Bone) will write the screenplay and direct. The story revolves around a retired boxer whose grandson is killed in a car accident, and a teenage Latino fighter who is struggling to overcome hardships in his life. Producers...
- 8/21/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
If there's one genre that has consistently reeled in audiences, but remained mostly unchanged for decades, it's the sports drama. Athletes facing adversity and overcoming obstacles to an inspirational soundtrack never fails to warm our hearts. While the most common of these sports tales is that of the struggling football team, perhaps the second most popular sports arena lies within the boxing ring. THR reports that Billy Bob Thornton will be the next actor going the rounds in Pound for Pound, an indie boxing drama from F.X. Toole, the same author responsible for the book that was adapted into Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. The story focuses on the intersection of two character's lives: a widowed former boxer (Thornton), recently depressed from the loss of his grandson in a fatal car accident and a young up-and-coming Latino boxer who comes from a very rough background. With regards to the similarities ...
- 8/21/2009
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
According to the trades, Billy Bob Thornton has signed on to star in Pound for Pound, a boxing drama based on a novel from F.X. Toole. Ron Shelton (Dark Blue, Tin Cup) is attached to write and direct. The project centers on the parallel lives of a retired and widowed boxer beset by depression after his grandson is killed in a car accident and an up-and-coming teenage Latino fighter from a difficult background. The lives of the two intersect in unexpected ways. Thornton will play the retired boxer, while producers are out to cast on the younger role. Toole, the pen name for the late boxing cutman Jerry Boyd, gained fame two years after he died when the stories in his collection "Rope Burns," became the basis for the Clint Eastwood-Paul Haggis drama "Million Dollar Baby." The 2004 movie earned $207 million worldwide and was nominated for seven Oscars and won four,...
- 8/21/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Memo to radio host Jian Ghomeshi: it's now safe to call Billy Bob Thornton an actor again, he's back to making movies. No more mashed potatoes without gravy. Thornton has signed on to the adaptation of the novel Pound For Pound from F.X. Toole, pen name of late boxer and author Jerry Boyd who also wrote the stories that inspired Million Dollar Baby. Billy Bob will play a widowed former boxer whose loss of his grandson triggers a depression, just as he meets a young up-and-coming Latino...
- 8/21/2009
- by Tony Lang
- JoBlo.com
Boxing Billy Bob sounds like a sequel to Boxing Helena with an all male cast. I.d give anything for that to end up being the title of Billy Bob Thornton.s next movie, which according to THR will be a boxing movie based on a novel from the author of Million Dollar Baby. The book is called Pound for Pound, so odds are that will be the title, but I.m going to keep right on rooting for Boxing Billy Bob. The book.s author, F.X. Toole died before completing it, and was then released posthumously even though somewhat unfinished. It.s about a widowed boxer and contender named Dan Cooley, dealing with depression as his only remaining relative, his grandson, is killed in a car accident. In parallel the book tells the story of an up and coming Latino fighter whose life intersects with Cooley.s in ...
- 8/21/2009
- cinemablend.com
Million Dollar Billy Bob?
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing drama based on a novel from F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became "Million Dollar Baby."
Ron Shelton will write and direct the indie film, which Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via their Greif Company banner. Elie Samaha will exec produce.
The project centers on the parallel lives of a retired and widowed boxer beset by depression after his grandson is killed in a car accident and an up-and-coming teenage Latino fighter from a difficult background. The lives of the two intersect in unexpected ways. Thornton will play the retired boxer, while producers are out to cast on the younger role. The project aims to shoot in the first quarter of 2010.
Producers say that despite the dark undertones, there remains an optimistic note to the pic. "Unlike 'Million Dollar Baby,...
Billy Bob Thornton is attached to star in "Pound for Pound," a boxing drama based on a novel from F.X. Toole, the author of the book that became "Million Dollar Baby."
Ron Shelton will write and direct the indie film, which Leslie Greif and Herb Nanas are producing via their Greif Company banner. Elie Samaha will exec produce.
The project centers on the parallel lives of a retired and widowed boxer beset by depression after his grandson is killed in a car accident and an up-and-coming teenage Latino fighter from a difficult background. The lives of the two intersect in unexpected ways. Thornton will play the retired boxer, while producers are out to cast on the younger role. The project aims to shoot in the first quarter of 2010.
Producers say that despite the dark undertones, there remains an optimistic note to the pic. "Unlike 'Million Dollar Baby,...
- 8/20/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Following the premiere of its first scripted drama series Mad Men two weeks ago, AMC has inked a slew of development deals in the scripted arena, including a basketball project from 300 producer Mark Canton and former NBA player Rick Fox and a boxing-themed dramatic serial titled Cutman that is based on a series of short stories by F.X. Toole, the author behind Million Dollar Baby.
Also on the slate are a Vietnam War-themed miniseries titled The Things They Carried from Fox Television Studios, based on the book by Tim O'Brien, and an untitled political thriller set in a prestigious Washington think tank.
"All of these are distinct in their own way," said Rob Sorcher, executive vp programming and production at AMC. "Once we put out 'Mad Men' and (last year's miniseries) Broken Trail, I think the creative community quickly understood what we were trying to do, and they embraced our mission, which is to really come out with programming that (is) a future classic -- the kind where viewers say, 'I want to own the DVD of that.' "
As for the two sports-related projects, Sorcher said the AMC audience tends to watch a great deal of sports programming when not watching the network.
Also on the slate are a Vietnam War-themed miniseries titled The Things They Carried from Fox Television Studios, based on the book by Tim O'Brien, and an untitled political thriller set in a prestigious Washington think tank.
"All of these are distinct in their own way," said Rob Sorcher, executive vp programming and production at AMC. "Once we put out 'Mad Men' and (last year's miniseries) Broken Trail, I think the creative community quickly understood what we were trying to do, and they embraced our mission, which is to really come out with programming that (is) a future classic -- the kind where viewers say, 'I want to own the DVD of that.' "
As for the two sports-related projects, Sorcher said the AMC audience tends to watch a great deal of sports programming when not watching the network.
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