ROBERT OSBORNE: MAN OF THE YEAR

Photo: Robert Osborne.

Long time ago, in my first year at the law graduate school, a haunting passion with insatiable appetite devoured my thoughts and feelings. And  because of that haunting passion, quite often, I asked myself if studying law instead of cinema  was  really what I wanted it to do. You guessed it. My "first love" was the silver screen. Not, because I was fascinated by the stars but, because I was taken by the mesmerizing talents of cinematographers, the genius of the directors of photography, the light engineers, the set designers, the visions of films directors, the depth of  challenging and engaging dialogues, and of course, the  musical scores composers. I did not care much for actors and actresses whom I consider -with a very few exception of remarkable human beings like Audrey Hepburn, June Allyson, Edward J. Robinson, Peter Ustinov, Robert Redford, Ernest Borgnine, etc.,) to be vain, very show-off, extremely lucky with few merits, pretentious and greedy.

My passion for cinema was fueled by my curiosity to know what was happening behind the curtains, the scene, the screen, the untold story of a film, the character and persona of the players, the events that surrounded the creation of the film, the relationship between the movies makers, the artists and the leading players. In other words, the human aspect of cinema with all its neglected or hidden stories fascinated me. And for years, I searched the humanistic history of the movies making. Back then, it was so difficult to harvest those stories. Few studios existed in Paris, headlines rotated around world premieres, vedettes scandals, new releases, events actors and actresses attended, gossips, affairs ad infinitum, and this left me with few material, events  and inside stories surrounding  the making of a film. Sure, from time to time, a mini documentary on shooting this or that film appeared in movie theaters, but it wasn't enough, especially when the documentary appeared more like a trailer than a story behind the story. It took me years to find my grail. And finally,  I found it in Mr. Robert Osborne. Nowadays, an avalanche of film historians and critics rolls over and over on out TV sets. But only one cinema historian and story-teller extraordinaire captured my full attention: TCM's Robert Osborne.

Many other film "introducers and historians" are nothing more than a scenarioed  projection of pompous, pretentious and irritating talkers. Mr. Osborne distinguished himself by his warmth, graceful humility, friendly persona, abundance of behind the scene touching and captivating description of what happened back then, on stage, off stage, on location, in the studio and beyond. This very fine gentleman and cinema expert knows what and where are the buried or unknown, unusual and informative movies cosmos stories  and how to bring them to his audience. Stories that add more character, meaning, substance, the "un je ne sais quoi", mystique, revelations  and  cache to the film he is showing. Without Osborne's intros, the films remain simply an enjoyable entertainment, but Helas! without the soul, spirit and multidimensional chronicles that created or metamorphosed through the production stages of the film and brought to us by Mr. Osborne, the magical opened can is  simply a cinema empirical projection. In many instances, I found Mr. Osborne's intros and brief narrative historical back-flashes more fascinating and entertaining than the film itself.

This remarkable raconteur, historian and cinema story teller recreates the whole universe and the genesis of movies. He does it with effectiveness, charming style, authoritative, yet warm mannerism, and above all, with style and confidence. Mr. Osborne is the gentle encyclopedia of cinema and its human dimension. His biography as posted on the website of  Turner Classic Movies tells us that Osborne was born in Colfax, Washington (population: 2700) and graduated from the University of Washington's School of Journalism, appearing in local plays in his non-study hours. He soon went to Hollywood as an actor under contract to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. But Lucy encouraged him to pursue writing, which he considers among the best advice he's ever been given. She remained a friend and mentor to him until her death. Osborne joined the staff of The Hollywood Reporter in 1977 and six years later began writing the paper's influential "Rambling Reporter" column, which covers all aspects of the movie and television business. He also attends the Cannes Film Festival to review films for the paper and is The Hollywood Reporter's chief Broadway critic, covering New York plays and first nights. Osborne began as the on-air entertainment reporter for the nightly news on Los Angeles, KTTV in 1982. In 1987, he was signed by CBS to make daily appearances on the CBS Morning Program. From 1986-1993, he was also a regular host of The Movie Channel cable network. From 1981-83, he served as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA).

He is a frequent guest on Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America and other network shows; won a Golden Mike for excellence (for a TV special he wrote, produced and hosted titled Lana Turner Today); has twice been a CableAce nominee for his "Osborne Report" segments for The Movie Channel; and was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Host Moderator. Osborne is also the winner of the 1984 Press Award from the Publicists Guild of America. In addition to his hosting duties for TCM, Osborne has also done several specials for the network, including hour-long interviews, including the last on-camera interview done by Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, June Allyson, Ann Miller, Mickey Rooney, Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Tony Curtis.

The biography also reveals that Osborne is also a columnist-critic for The Hollywood Reporter, the daily show business trade paper. He is known as the official biographer of Oscar, thanks to a series of books he's written on the subject of Hollywood's annual Academy Awards. His latest book, the updated 70 Years Of the Oscar, was written at the special request of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been called "the most comprehensive and definitive book ever done on the subject." An expert insider wrote about Mr. Robert Osborne: "Never volunteer to play Trivial Pursuit with Robert Osborne: He's going to nail every entertainment question. The host of Turner Classic Movies and columnist for the Hollywood Reporter has not only covered Hollywood, he was also a close friend to Hollywood elite such as Bette Davis and Lucille Ball. Osborne loves his field of expertise. And it shows...In a way, Osborne built his prestigious career out of luck. He says he landed in Hollywood at the right time. "Bette Davis and the other stars were at the end of their careers. They wouldn't have had time for me in their heyday. So I got the benefit of spending time with them and hearing their stories."

Another movies savvy wrote: "Osborne  worked at the Rose Theater as a teen-ager, and broke both his arms while putting Elizabeth Taylor's name up on a marquee. "She was bad for me, too," Osborne jokes...Osborne ended up in Hollywood by chance. He had set out for New York but landed in California by way of an actress friend of his. There he met Lucille Ball and became a contract player for Desilu. He said Ball was the first to encourage him to become a writer. The stars took a liking to Osborne because he had studied them and knew their history. "They didn't have to tell me what they had done in the past. I already knew." He was comfortable around them and was invited to dinners and parties.  Osborne often escorted Davis to dinner. "She was a very proper New England lady and wouldn't go to a restaurant alone or with another woman."

So he was her dinner date...Osborne also accompanied Davis to the Academy Awards in 1977. "Bette wanted to sit in the back so that she could sneak out and smoke. She would go out to the press tent. All of these stars of the time, Travolta and others, would hover, wanting to meet her but were so awed by her. They were afraid to approach her, she was such a star. Here she was, she couldn't get a job and these stars were afraid to talk to her. And she didn't know who the hell they were." At one point Davis leaned over to him and, referring to the man sitting next to them, said, "My God, he sure is attractive. Who is he?" "That's Jack Nicholson," Osborne told her. "

OSBORNE ON THE OSCARS AND TODAY'S MOVIES AND STARS

What does he think of the today's Oscars? Mr. Osborne longs for the days when people, directors, studio executives and stars had more class, style and integrity. He told one reporter: "We've lost class. There's been this declassing of humans. People used to have honor. They never wrote about Spencer Tracy and Hepburn having an affair. You just didn't do that." Anything new or unusual about today's OSCARS? Mr. Osborne commented: "In the past, people used to know the results ahead of time. They simply knew, so they had all the reasons in the world to relax. In the golden days, one could enjoy lavish and splendid banquets. It was a great time and fun for everybody. Today, you just sit there and you don't move. Too many awards are given and more categories are created, like awards for costumes, songs, etc...and of course, today, the OSCARS welcome European and foreign films, a real novelty..." And how about today's movies and stars? Mr. Osborne explains: " Today's films are lacking. "I realize that everyone likes 'Titanic', but if they give (the Oscar) to 'Titanic' I think I'll stop writing books about the Oscars. For $200 million you think that they would have made 'Dr. Zhivago' on board a ship or 'Lawrence of Arabia' on the high seas.

Photo: Mr. Robert Osborne with the delightful Celeste Holms and actress Rita Gam.

Instead, they wrote this sappy little story...There are a few bonafide movie stars around. Emma Thompson. She's got it. She's wonderful in everything that she does." Another top star, he says, is Matt Damon. "He's a great actor." Is Mr. Osborne satisfied with the awards process, procedures and standards? "Even though, today's films are not as good as they used to be, quality-wise, the Academy Awards still point to some gems out there. And the awards are extremely important because "A film really has to stand out to get a nomination, even if it's just a special effects picture with a big box-office  draw.

The Academy members take their votes very seriously. "They see their vote as a very respected thing. They take their time and scrutinize the tapes (of the films.)" In an interview he gave, a few years ago, Mr. Osborne mentioned this: "Olivia de Havilland watched Judi Dench's performance in "Mrs. Brown" and had a few notes for the Oscar nominee. "She said that (Dench) needed to work on her eyebrows and the way she carried herself for that period." Mr. Osborne's most cherished and remembered OSCARS moments are when Charlie Chaplin's in 1972, returned to the United States to accept an Oscar for the title song in his film "Limelight." Mr. Osborne said: "He was this little, frail man that people had labeled a child molester and a communist. And as he stood there looking at the people standing up in ovation, you remembered all of the magic that he had brought to the screen. It was very moving to see this little old man just standing there on the stage." Another favorite moment is  Louis Fletcher's acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Mr. Osborne recalls: "This sweet, innocent little girl came up to accept and no one knew who she was," he said. Fletcher had played the bitter and twisted Nurse Ratchett.

"Her parents were deaf mutes so she signed her acceptance speech. It was really something to see..."On a regular basis, I watch TCM for three reasons: 1-My passion for classical movies. 2-The lyrical beauty and nostalgia those black and white films awake in me. 3-Mr. Osborne's intros to films. What a delight and inspirational moment I enjoy and feel upon watching those magnificent moving treasures. Consequently, I developed a great admiration and a deep respect for Mr. Osborne. And this resulted in writing this piece on him. But little, did I know,  and delighted I became, when members of our editorial board told me that the board chose Mr. Osborne as THE MAN OF THE YEAR in recognition to his enormous contributions to the world of cinema. Ironically enough, one day later, Ms. Ruth Sielberg, Editor-in-Chief of the International Herald Daily news  (London, Paris) called me to ask me if I would be interested in writing an article about Robert Osborne, for the Herald decided to select Mr. Osborn as their Man of the Year! I do not believe in coincidence. Coincidence exists solely in the abyss of uncreative minds. To be selected by another news agency as MAN OF THE YEAR for the same year is NOT a coincidence but, a global  and a wide-spread recognition of unusual contributions and outstanding accomplishments in any given field. And most certainly, Mr. Robert Osborne deserves our gratitude and a universal recognition. The man is a national treasure and a great asset to world cinema. La crème de la crème.