"The Hollywood Greats" (1977)TV series

Directors:

Angus Cameron
Elaine Donnelly

Writer:

Barry Norman (writer) (1977-1979)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | unknown

Release Date:

4 August 1977 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Documentary series profiling various Hollywood stars of yesteryear and more recent times.

Plot Keywords:

Non Fiction

Cast

Barry Norman	...	Himself - Presenter / ... (7 episodes, 1977-1979)
Jonathan Ross	...	Himself - Presenter / ... (6 episodes, 1999-2006)
Roger Moore	...	Himself (5 episodes, 1999-2004)
Lauren Bacall	...	Herself (4 episodes, 1977-2005)
Tony Curtis	...	Himself (4 episodes, 2002-2006)
Robert Wagner	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977-2005)
George Cukor	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977-1978)
Joseph L. Mankiewicz	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977-1978)
Dore Schary	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977-1978)
Howard Hawks	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977)
Joe Hyams	...	Himself / ... (3 episodes, 1977)
Stanley Kramer	...	Himself (3 episodes, 1977)
Angie Dickinson	...	Herself (3 episodes, 2003-2005)

Also Known As:

Hollywood Greats (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

40 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

"The Hollywood Greats" originally ran from 1977 to 1979 with Barry Norman as writer/presenter. The show was resurrected (as "Hollywood Greats") in 1999 with Jonathan Ross as host.

trivial documentaries on film's great and good

Two very separate runs of 'Hollywood Greats' were aired, with twenty years between them. In the late 1970s Barry Norman (then presenter of the BBC's 'Film 1973' etc. and son of director Leslie Norman) took a look at some of the best loved actors from the 'golden era'.

A quick look at the book which accompanied the series reminds me that amongst the first group of subjects were Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland and Ronald Colman. Much in the vein of the later series 'Living Famously' (which focused on movie stars alongside other key people in popular culture) the approach taken was a snapshot of the subject's life punctuated by a look at their films.

When the series returned with Jonathan Ross at the helm in 1999 it seemed more peripheral, although the subjects were interesting - Gene Kelly, Judy Garland (again!), and Richard Harris. There's always a place for the short profile documentary and the 'Hollywood Greats' strand was/is as good as any other.