Cravenomena

Time and politics play funny tricks on our cultural memory. In this world, it is possible to be among the best-known stars of one generation -- only to be completely forgotten by the next. If you doubt that, consider the case of Mantan Moreland. Chances are, you have never heard of Moreland -- unless you're one of the handful of obsessive film fans who remember him as "Birmingham Brown," playing opposite of Sidney Toler and Roland Winters in the CHARLIE CHAN potboilers of ... Read More

I was a teenage Straight Man. Okay... so I am once again sacrificing truth upon the altar of a good lead. But admit it: "I was a middle-aged Straight Man" doesn't have quite the same zing, now does it? Among his many vocations, Craven has worked as a professional actor and, on several occasions (all of them, he admits, long after his teenage years), he has been cast as the Straight Man in a comic duo. Many Broadway musicals over the years ... Read More

Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away... Hey! -- Ancient proverb Pee-yoo. Batman stinks. As if he needed further proof that he was secretly born on another planet and walks alone bemusing what strange creatures these mortals be, Craven has listened to the accolades and kudos heaped upon THE DARK KNIGHT, Christopher Nolan's latest entry in Warner Bros.' Bat-Franchise, mystified, nonplussed and wondering if the hosannah-singers saw the same movie he did. Even granting that Heath Ledger's final performance ... Read More