Kenny, Bill, Anita

RIP music legend Kenny Rogers, 81. Born in Texas, he was one of eight children and the first in his family to graduate high school, where he started singing with a group that appeared on American Bandstand in 1952. He did Do-wop for a while, and had a stint in the New Christy Minstrels before breaking big as the frontman of First Edition, which later became Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Two of the band’s tracks are very notable. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town (1967) was one of the early songs on the effects of combat on a relationship, and 1968’s Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) seemed like it was about an acid trip. His popularity soared when he went solo. Overall, he was involved in 20 Top 40 singles. His 1982 duet with Dolly Parton, Islands in the Stream, and 1980’s Lady, still a radio staple, both hit number one. He was also a successful actor. There are 24 titles listed under his name at IMDb, the most notable, of course, The Gambler (1980). He was voted Top Male Vocalist in a 1989 poll conducted by People magazine. He won four Grammy’s and was nominated for several others. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Here’s a quote attributed to him: “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” Awesome, sir. Thank you.

This week’s Friday night movie fix was a winner, Wild Bill (2011). Set in London, it is the story of a man in his 30’s who has just served eight years in prison. He doesn’t want to go back, so he plans a fresh start in Scotland, a complete change from his former crazy ways. That hope is throttled when he visits his old apartment and discovers his wife has abandoned their two sons, one ten, the other a teenager who supports the two by working construction. When the system threatens to put them in foster care, Bill reluctantly stays on despite the hatred the elder directs toward him. Will he stay straight or revert to crime? Will the kids overcome the toxic environment of the neighborhood? It is compelling drama. The cast is outstanding, especially Charlie Creed-Miles as the protagonist and Will Poulter as the older boy, and Charlotte Spencer and Liz White as local girls. It doesn’t pull punches and descend to pablum. I was disappointed only that there was no close captioning. Given the accents and my faulty hearing, a lot of the dialogue escaped me. The film runs only 98 minutes and features sexual situations and violence. It was Dexter Fletcher’s first stint in the director’s chair, an awesome debut. He has followed with three other flicks, none of which I’ve seen. He has also had a long run as an actor, amassing 107 credits. He co-wrote the screenplay with Danny King, whose novel, the wonderfully titled School for Scumbags, one of his 15, is in pre-production. Wild Bill did not fare well at the box office, which is a shame. Then again, it may be better suited for the small screen. I doubt the production cost was high, so it may have turned a profit through DVD rentals and sales and streaming. 11,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.2 on a scale of ten. I would go higher. Here’s a montage of the cast minus the lovely Miss Spencer , Creed-Williams out front:

While watching the film, Movies!, channel 5–2 on over the air antennas in NYC, was running Cover Girl (1944), starring Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth. I caught snippets of the final half hour while channel hopping. It’s not my cup of tea. While researching the cast, however, I stumbled into quite a find. Anita Colby has only seven credits below her name at IMDb, but her bio is unbelievable. Here are facts about this incredible woman, edited by yours truly:
The first model to receive $100 an hour.
Turned down marriage proposals from Clark Gable and James Stewart.
Appeared on the covers of 15 magazines in a single month in 1936.
Is sometimes credited as “the first supermodel.”
Her Beauty Book, published in 1952, was translated into ten languages.
Daughter of cartoonist Daniel Francis (Bud) Counihan, who created Betty Boop.
At age 56 she married for the first time.
Inventor of a chair that converted into an inclined bed.
It is estimated that she appeared on 50,000 billboards and more than 1500 magazine covers.
In 1947 she was executive assistant at Paramount Pictures, the first woman to occupy the position.
Wow! And here’s a pic of the brainy beauty:

Nothing is more important than corona at present, but I forgo commentary on it today.

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