favorite movie #25: logan’s run

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #25 - Logan’s Run (1976) - I remember seeing Logan’s Run in a movie theater with my family. Michael York was such a dish. And there was nudity! (Must have been uncomfortable for my mom and dad with my brother and me there - oops!) Jenny Agutter and her ankh choker. Farrah Fawcett in a bit part. Peter Ustinov and all those cats. I’ve always loved science fiction that played with our future. This was an early filmed dystopia. I loved it so much I read the novel, which was quite different from the film.

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film favorite: logan's run

farrah

jay bernstein, starmaker

Anyone who has ever considered a job in show business — whether in front of or behind the camera - should read Starmaker: Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, the Rat Pack and 600 More Stars Who Fired Me. Most people may not be familiar with its subject, Hollywood publicist, agent, producer Jay Bernstein, but they will undoubtedly be more than familiar with his stellar client list, which includes the biggest stars of the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s.

Stars such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Landon, Stacy Keach, Linda Evans, William Shatner and others counted him as their manager and factotum. Countess others were in his orbit. He seems to have known everyone in Hollywood at some time or another, but not all of his encounters were friendly. The book has been published posthumously (Bernstein died in 2006), culled from interviews he gave, and at times it is clear that he was still smarting from some of his career slights. And Bernstein was all about career. He admits himself, many times, that his work was his life, and he was available 24/7 for his client roster. It actually came as a shock to discover on Wikipedia that he had married and had a child (apparently late in life) as they don't figure in his narrative at all.

Jay Bernstein, with Farrah Fawcett, in her heyday, from his website

Bernstein may not be the most likable character — he carried a loaded .38 at all times and a walking stick, clearly designed to intimidate — but he does tell some interesting stories. We may think we are savvy to the Hollywood publicity machine, but Bernstein isn't afraid to let the reader know that a lot of what we think we know about the stars is frankly, BS. Sinatra was far from his favorite person. One might go so far, and Bernstein does, as to call him a jerk. Bernstein recounts Sinatra's crazy, entitled behavior while the Rat Pick was filming Sergeants 3, and how that led to a close working relationship with Sammy Davis, Jr. Tom Jones, an acknowledged sexy superstar singer, got a lot of help from Berstein. Who do you think orchestrated all of those panties thrown on stage at the start of his career? There are many other stories in Starmaker like these, and fans of Hollywood myth and lore will have a field day.

Bernstein also recounts how he helped '70s iconic beauties like Farrah Fawcett and Suzanne Somers get their start, and how he revitalized Linda Evans' career as "a mature beauty" later on. It is clear that Farrah was his ultimate star, his shining career moment, and he gives her appropriate due. Bernstein is also a proud chauvinist, which just gives another clear view of what actresses have always, and still are, up against.

He takes credit for so many things that are done on a regular basis these days but were rare when he was in power — like stars moving from one television network to another, or from film to television and vice-versa. There is much hyperbole, and even more wound-licking to be found in Starmaker, but it is also, undeniably a fast-paced, extremely entertaining read.

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Her poster was part of my childhood. I don't think it was on my brother's bedroom wall, but I do remember distinctly when we were alerted to "crack the code" and spell out S-E-X in the curls of her amazing hair.

I of course grew up on Charlie's Angels and realized immediately how simultaneously silly and empowering for females the show really was. Completely absurd - the Angels always seemed to solve every mystery by rifling through file cabinets to find that one bit of evidence - it also depicted women as beautiful and kick-ass. Not a common thing on T.V. at that time. So Aaron Spelling wasn't all bad (Love Boat). It's hard to believe she was just on one season.

I remember going to see Logan's Run at the movies and being excited that she was in it - and disappointed that it was such a teeny part. But then Michael York caught my attention...I also remember some crazy mini-series with Sam Elliot (who I LOVE) where he is her murderous spouse that was pretty good.

But mostly Farrah was an icon for me via her relationship with Ryan O'Neal, which seemed solid for most of my dating years - a relationship lived out in the public sphere that showed there was life and love beyond, beside marriage. During my parents' divorce and my own ambivalent feelings about that institution, this was invaluable.

It sounds like she had a tough go of it at the end, and I'm very sorry for that, and for her family. One article I read said that as an infant she actually had to have a tumor removed from her intestine. Is it possible that such an event could be a blueprint for her later-in-life illness? A sobering thought. But she appears to have lived quite a full life, loved by many. That's something to be proud of, as it's really all that matters in the end. R.I.P. Angel.