Author Archives: robin
Before They Were Stars (2-for-1 Special): Michael Palin and Terry Jones in “The Complete and Utter History of Britain”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59NP28beKUk Since we just did a Shouts From the Back Row podcast on Monty Python, I think it’s only appropriate that some members of the Python troupe finally get the “Before They Were Stars” treatment. Right before they aligned themselves … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: John Cleese on “The Avengers”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngok5xbgpR8 Since we just did a Shouts From the Back Row podcast on Monty Python, I think it’s only appropriate that some members of the Python troupe finally get the “Before They Were Stars” treatment. A year before Flying Circus … Continue reading
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Charlton Heston as the Original Indiana Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVjA9PndZxE I suppose this posting exists mainly an excuse for me to make a very exciting announcement: yours truly has been hired to write an article for one of The Back Row’s biggest inspirations, Cracked.com! After numerous pitching attempts in … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Ryan Stiles as an Extra in “Rainbow War”
It’s Ryan Stiles’ birthday today, so I’ve dug up footage of his very first acting role in a Canadian short film called Rainbow War, which was created specifically for Expo 86, the 1986 World’s Fair in Vancouver. Stiles popped up … Continue reading
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Robin’s Underrated Gems: Sharky’s Machine (1981)
Many movie stars go through a phase where they make a consistent string of bad films which causes their stock to drop considerably. For Burt Reynolds, this came about during the “car chase movie” phase of his career. In 1977, … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Bradley Cooper in “My Little Eye”
Gill and I have recently seen the long-awaited Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard collaboration, The Cabin in the Woods, and we both found it to be the most clever and inventive slasher film of recent memory. However, its premise also reminded me … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Amber Heard on “The O.C.”
I know very little about The O.C., but I do know that Mischa Barton’s career has never quite been the same since she was killed off on the show, and she recently starred in a Lifetime made-for-TV movie called Offline … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Edgar Wright Teaches Kids About Splatter Effects
To celebrate Edgar Wright’s birthday today, I’ve dug up some obscure footage of him from 1994 when he appeared on a British children’s magazine show called Brill. Like many ambitious young filmmakers, Edgar spent his teen years shooting his own … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Sean Bean on Jim Henson’s “The Storyteller”
No, one does not simply celebrate Sean Bean’s 53rd birthday! But one can still do a “Before They Were Stars” feature on him. Especially when one unearths footage of Sean Bean working for Jim friggin’ Henson! The Storyteller was a … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Shailene Woodley in a LeapFrog Learning Toys Commercial
Long before she found fame on The Secret Life of an American Teenager and The Descendants, a pre-teen Shailene Woodley appeared in this commercial for LeapFrog Learning Toys. I’m sure the Quantum Pad being advertised here must have seemed state-of-the-art … Continue reading
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