April 21, 2013

Film Historian Includes Lorre in Planned Documentary Series

Manny Pacheco needs the help of classic film fans.

The author of the Forgotten Hollywood series of books, weekly radio show, and blog is now planning his most ambitious project – a series of Forgotten Hollywood documentaries.

The proposed series would tell the story of American issues such as diversity, disability, political climates and social responsibilities, through the eyes of character actors from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s

The subject of the pilot episode is Lionel Barrymore, whose fight against disability influenced President Franklin D. Roosevelt and helped to create the March of Dimes campaign. Margaret O’Brien, an MGM child star of the 1940s who appeared with Barrymore in Three Wise Fools (1946), will give an on-camera interview about the actor she considered her “studio grandfather”.

Proposed series entries include Child Actors of the Depression, Hollywood’s Connection with the Manhattan Project, The Evolution of the Modern Horror Genre, and Whistle Blowers of the McCarthy Era. Featured character actors include Freddie Bartholomew, Leo Gorcey, Lon Chaney Jr., Ward Bond, Adolphe Menjou, Sydney Greenstreet.

And Peter Lorre.

Interested in helping to make this series a reality? Please visit the Forgotten Hollywood Series page on Indiegogo and click the “Contribute Now” button. Any amount is welcome and appreciated, and all contributors will get screen credit at the end of the pilot.

Special perks for the various donation levels include autographed copies Forgotten Hollywood, CDs of the radio series, and assorted memorabilia, such as classic film posters and DVDs. Generous contributors can receive producer credit.

The project is currently in Week 15 of the 17-week campaign.

Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are Chapter 1 in Manny Pacheco’s Son of Forgotten Hollywood, second in the Forgotten Hollywood series. The book may be purchased at a number of locations, all listed on the Forgotten Hollywood website.

No comments: