B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - THE DEATH OF RITCHIE (TV 1977)

Looks like a lot of fun to me, I don't know. Seriously and for those that don't know, The Death Of Ritchie is one of the most iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade. I was roughly 15 when it aired and i can tell you that both Robby Benson and teens taking drugs were very hot topics at the time. The film is based on a true story where a father who couldn't control his teen's behavior from drug abuse was forced to take the law into his own hands. The father here is good ole Ben Gazzara and he is at his Gazzara best with a ferocious intensity, his scenes with Benson as father and son a perfect chemistry. At the time more emphasis was on Benson as a model but his performance here is really amazing. Streams free on Tubi, Freevee, Roku and Plex, if this was being rated on the standard scale I would give it five stars, 'nuff said. 2.75 stars/2.75

Sunday, June 6, 2021

REMEMBERING THOMAS JEFFERSON BYRD (1950-2020) - TONY NOMINATED VET ACTOR APPEARED IN 7 SPIKE LEE FILMS, MURDERED LAST YEAR IN ATLANTA

Amid all the hubble bubble of last year's pandemic, election and protests, it may have been hard to notice we also lost a great actor who was gunned down in Atlanta, shot in the back multiple times by someone almost one-third his age. Very little is known about what happened or the cause of the altercation except that the two had some sort of  argument or conflict inside a store hours earlier. The 30 yr old suspect was eventually arrested. 

Funny as shit in Red Hook Summer, downright scary in Clockers, Byrd starred in a total of seven Spike Lee movies and was also a Tony-nominated Broadway vet. Tonight we pay tribute to his great work and while he may be gone, thanks to a little something we call cinema, we can pay him a visit in a lot of different ways. Vaya Con Dios, Mr Byrd!

CLOCKERS
RED HOOK SUMMER
GET ON THE BUS

No comments:

Post a Comment