Blake Edwards
1922 - 2010Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures. He used his writing skills to begin producing and directing, with some of his best films including: Experiment in Terror, The Great Race, and the hugely successful Pink Panther film series with the British comedian Peter Sellers. Often thought of as primarily a director of comedies, he was also renowned for his dramatic work, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Days of Wine and Roses. His greatest successes, however, were his comedies, and most of his films were either musicals, melodramas, slapstick comedies, and thrillers.
In 2004, he received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen.
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me
Bruce Ricker
Johnny Mercer, Bill Charlap
Admired and praised by the likes of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer has been described as "one of our great folk poets" and "the most perfect American lyricist". Throughout his extraordinary career, he collaborated with hundreds of composers to write legendary movie songs such as "Hooray for Hollywood", "Jeepers Creepers" and "Moon River". Mercer then went on to co-found Capitol Records in 1942 and became a successful Broadway producer of St. Louis Woman and L'il Abner.
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me
Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
Gene Feldman, Suzette Winter
Audrey Hepburn, Billy Wilder
Audrey Hepburn was one of movies best-loved stars, blessed with beauty, talent, an elegant sophistication, and an enduring aura of youthful innocence. As Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, she spoke for the world's suffering children and families, earning an affection and admiration that only increased with news of her untimely death. From the star herself we learn of her career, family, and friends.
Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Blake Edwards
Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard
Holly Golightly is an eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. But when young writer Paul Varjak moves into her apartment building, her past threatens to get in their way.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Party
Blake Edwards
Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet
Hrundi V. Bakshi, an accident-prone actor from India, is accidentally put on the guest list for an upcoming party at the home of a Hollywood film producer. Unfortunately, from the moment he arrives, one thing after another goes wrong with compounding effect.
The Party
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Lewis Milestone
Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin
Three childhood friends, Martha, Walter and Sam, share a terrible secret. Over time, the ambitious Martha and the pusillanimous Walter have married. She is a cold businesswoman; he is the district attorney: a perfect combination to dominate the corrupt city of Iverstown at will. But the unexpected return of Sam, after years of absence, deeply disturbs the life of the odd couple.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
A Shot in the Dark
Blake Edwards
Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer
When rich Mr. Benjamin Ballon’s Spanish driver is found shot dead, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is the first official on the scene. All evidence suggests Maria Gambrelli, the maid, to be the murderer. But Clouseau, being attracted to the beautiful girl, is convinced that she is hiding something. So, he has her released from jail and secretly tries to follow her. Things do not work out the way the inspector wants and people keep ending up murdered, and every time, innocent Maria seems to be the killer. But with someone important wanting Clouseau and nobody else to cover this case, his tolerance-challenged boss Charles Dreyfus is close to losing his mind when casualties keep turning up. And Clouseau keeps on causing trouble without knowing it…
A Shot in the Dark
They Were Expendable
John Ford
Robert Montgomery, John Wayne
Shortly after Pearl Harbor, a squadron of PT-boat crews in the Philippines must battle the Navy brass between skirmishes with the Japanese. The title says it all about the Navy's attitude towards the PT-boats and their crews.
They Were Expendable
The Great Race
Blake Edwards
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis
Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the mustached and black-attired Professor Fate vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of Fate's own invention.
The Great Race
And the Oscar Goes To...
Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein
Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
And the Oscar Goes To...
