Front Row Dress Circle

Censorship - don’t you just love it? over the years censorship has played a part in either destroying the work of a film director or giving it the kind of publicity it never would have had. Today we have the rating system - back in the thirties and forties censorship played a major role in moviemaking with a long list of do’s and don’ts…some logical for the times, some utterly ridiculous when you look at them nowadays. If you ever watched the old ‘I Love Lucy‘ tv shows you will recall that Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, despite the fact that they were married both in the show and real life, were only ever filmed lying in separate single beds in their bedroom scenes. In fact once upon a time it was a stipulation that bedrooms scenes had to be shot with single beds and both actor and actress had to have one foot placed on the floor!

Here is a list of films that were banned by the censors for one reason or another:

A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Adapted from Anthony Burgess’s best-selling novel, A Clockwork Orange tells the story of Alex and his gang of violent ‘droogs’ who kill tramps and rape women. Certain scenes are very hard to watch even if you think you’ve seen it all…

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Five friends go to visit their Grandfather’s grave after hearing it was vandalised, and pick up a hitchhiker on the way. After the hitch-hiker takes a knife and slashes himself and one of the boys, they promptly get rid of him but have to stop for gas at a small sinister looking place which unbeknown to them, is the home of the bloodthirsty killer ‘Leatherface’ - you need a certain kind of mind to enjoy this one…

The Exorcist (1973) - One of the most controversial horror films of all time tells the story of a 12 year-old girl possessed by a demonic force and the two priests who try and save her soul. In the new directors-cut version watch out for the chilling ’spider walk’ scene…

Life of Brian (1979) - Brian was born in a stable next to Jesus and as a result is deemed a messiah, but he can’t seem to convince his followers otherwise. Due to its heavy religious satire, the film was not well-received by many religious activists and also features full-frontal nudity by an actress who is now the Mayoress of a Welsh town. Hilarious but definitely not one for the purists.

Last Tango in Paris (1973) - A young Parisian woman (Maria Schneider) begins a sordid affair with a middle-aged American businessman (Marlon Brando) who wants their relationship to be based only on sex. The film became notorious for its butter-lubricated sex scene which star Schneider regrets filming to this day.

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) - The film follows a group of young German soldiers who come to understand the tragedy of war and misconceptions of their enemies when they fight in World War One. Due to its anti-war and perceived anti-German messages, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party banned the film from Germany until the end of World War Two. Still packs a powerful punch even today and the closing sequence featuring a butterfly will move you immensely. The 1980’s remake does not come close to this original silent version. Lew Ayres as the young soldier was remarkable.

Caligula (1979) - The story of Roman Emperor Caligula who used violent means to get to the throne, his shocking actions during his tyrannical reign and his subsequent descent into insanity. The film was considered controversial not only for its depiction of violence, but also for the gratuitous nudity and Caligula’s sexual passion for his sister. Watch out for a younger Helen Mirren…what would Her Majesty say!

The Last House On The Left (1972) - A pair of teenage girls go to a rock concert to celebrate one of their birthdays and afterwards try to get some marijuana in the city. They are then kidnapped by a gang of psychopaths who have just escaped from prison. What follows for the two girls is unrelenting horror, scenes which are hard to watch even today - and then the killers unknowingly make a stop at the house of one of the girls parents - the tables are turned…

Freaks (1932) - A beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of the circus performers who is also a dwarf, but his friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance. Director Tod Browning took the exceptional step of casting real people with deformities, rather than using costumes and make-up. His choice shocked audiences of the time and despite the film having since achieved cult classic status, its release resulted in Browning struggling to find work. This film will stay in your mind once you see it - it is both morbidly fascinating and creepy…the final scenes will make you feel revolted. You’ve been warned…

The Evil Dead (1983) - Five friends take a trip to a cabin in the woods where they find the Book Of The Dead, which awakens a demonic force turning them into zombies. The Evil Dead was one of the first films deemed a ‘Video Nasty’ - the term for films criticized for their violent content by various religious organizations.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The very sad news is through that stage and screen legend, Bea Arthur, has died at the age of 86. The husky voiced actress was battling cancer and died at her home in Los Angeles.

Bea was first and foremost an icon of the Broadway stage before coming to television fame relatively late in life - in her fifties. She first appeared as the nemesis of that other icon, Archie Bunker, in All in the Family, before going on to star in her own spin-off series Maude. This show was groundbreaking in that Bea’s character, Maude, had an abortion due to her age. The episode caused great controversy at the time.

Bea had a razor sharp delivery and brilliant comedic timing which was used to great effect when she achieved superstardom in The Golden Girls.

Born Beatrice Frankel in New York on May 13, 1922, Bea began performing in college and appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway roles, winning a Tony Award opposite Angela Lansbury in Mame.
In the early 1970s, she appeared on the groundbreaking television comedy ‘All in the Family’ as Edith Bunker’s fiercely liberal cousin Maude.

Arthur followed Maude with The Golden Girls, an unlikely hit from 1985 to 1992 that featured four female retirees living together. The series was a surprise hit seeing as it focused on four older female characters and highlighted their social lives as well as their sex lives. Central to the popularity of Golden Girls was the comic interplay between Arthur’s character and her mother, played by Estelle Getty - who in real life was a year younger and who also won an Emmy for the show.

Getty died last July at the age of 84.

She is survived by two sons and two grandchildren, and family members have asked that in lieu of flowers donations be sent to two of her favourite causes, the ArtAttack foundation and the animal rights group PETA.

We truly have lost one of the great dramatic and comedic actresses of our time.

Trivia:

* Bea Arthur was a passionate animal rights campaigner and once appeared in an episode of ‘Judge Judy’ where she brought action against a circus animal trainer.

* She was a qualified medical technician

* She was best friends with Angela Lansbury

* She appeared as a special guest presenter at the Australian Logie Awards ceremony in the nineties. She was hosting with Daryl Somers when he informed her that the winners were voted for by the public, not the industry itself. She announced “The fans do the voting…? so this is just a popularity contest!…”

Vale Bea.

Popularity: 49% [?]

It was not just about wonky sets and bad fashion; Star Trek was responsible for many ‘firsts’ in television history as well as having the first multi-cultural cast for a show. As the latest Star Trek film is set to open to eager Trekkies let’s take a look at what the original cast are up to now and some trivia as well…

William Shatner (Capt. Kirk): Played Kirk in the series as well as the seven spin-off films. He struggled to find work after the TV series ended and fell into the type-cast trap; fell on hard times and suffered marriage breakdowns and the drowning death of his third wife. Found fame again with the show T.J Hooker and won a Golden Globe for his part in Boston Legal. Now 78, he has moved on from his Capt Kirk persona and wishes his adoring fans would too…

Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura): Nichelle was the first black American woman to feature in a major role on television in the US. Her influence was such that when she considered leaving the show mid-series she was persuaded by Martin Luther King to remain in the role as she was such an example to black women at the time. She followed his advice and went on to share the first interracial kiss on telvision with Capt. Kirk. Nichelle maintained an intense interest in all things cosmic and went on to work at NASA in recruiting women and people from racial minorities. She has even been on a mission to view Mars and Saturn. She is now 76, is divorced with one son and admitted to an affair with Trek producer Gene Roddenberry.

Leonard Nimoy (Spock): Already an established actor when he joined the cast of Star Trek, Nimoy went on to acclaim as a director and producer. He blamed the pressure of the role of Spock for his alcoholism and marriage breakdowns. He penned two autobio’s - ’I am Spock’ and ‘I am not Spock’. Now a published photographer, Nimoy is 78 and plays an older Spock in the new Star Trek film.

DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy): A veteran of the US Airforce in WW2, Kelley was an actor in Westerns prior to joining the Star Trek cast. He retired after the original series and became a poet; he was also amused to know that many young trek fans became doctors after seeing him in the show. He died of cancer in 1999 and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

George Takei (Sulu): One of the remaining cast members to retain a tense relationship with Shatner, Takei was one of the first asian actors to appear regularly on American television. He admitted to being gay and in 2008 married his partner in a civil ceremony. He has run for Mayor of LA and lost by just over 1000 votes. In 2008 he took part in the reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ which was filmed in Australia.

Walter Koenig (Chekov): With his boyish good looks, Koenig was cast as the heavily accented Russian in the hope he would attract a younger audience at a time when The Beatles and The Monkee’s were idolised by teenagers around the world. He used his Lithuanian roots to draw on for the role. He has since appeared in Babylon 5 and worked as a director/producer. He is the only cast member not to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - he is 72 and married with two children.

James Doohan (Scotty): A WW2 veteran, Doohan had a remarkable talent for accents and suggested that Scotty be played as a Scotsman because he claimed all good engineers were Scotsmen. He also devised the Klingon and Vulcan languages for the show. After leaving the show he found himself heavily typecast and found it difficult to get other roles. He appeared at Star Trek Conventions around the world and loved meeting the fans - one of whom, a 17 year old girl - he married at the age of 54. Their youngest child was born when he was 80. ‘Scotty’ died in 2005 and 7g of his ashes were sent into space - at his request.

Trivia…

* Many of the innovations in the early series actually inspired invention and have become part of everyday use today: 

- the communicator is now the mobile phone

- the PADD (personal access device) is now a tablet PC

- the phaser is now used by police as stun guns

- remember the small flat screen computer terminal used for communications in the show? today they are in common use everywhere.

- the one nifty gadget not reproduced today is of course the transporter - but give it time…

* Walter Koenig was best man at George Takei’s wedding in 2008

* Leonard Nimoy was known for taking himself and his role as Spock quite seriously. When interviewed on Australian daytime TV, ‘The Mike Walsh Show’, he took offence at Mike Walsh’s inference that Trek fans were groupies. “They are not groupies, they are serious fans!” was Nimoys offended reply…

* The Klingon and Vulcan tongues are actually spoken by the really die-hard Trek devotees.

Popularity: 52% [?]