Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn by Robyn L. Coburn

Dervish Dust

The Life and Words of James Coburn

by Robyn L. Coburn

Potomac Books

Hardcover ISBN: 9781640124059

424 pages

December 2021

Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's

“I take in all the impressions and information [about the character]. And when the time comes for action, I just let it go. It’s jazz acting. It’s like when Sarah Vaughan sings a song. She sings the lyrics, but she doesn’t sing it exactly the way it was written. It bears her style. That’s the way it is with roles. Each character has a style. Once you find out the character’s style it becomes really simple.. You don’t think about it. You just let it flow.” — James Coburn

James Coburn was one of the coolest actors to ever grace the silver screen. With his tall, lanky frame, wide grin, distinctive deep voice and personable nature, you can't help but be drawn to him. He just seemed like the sort of guy that you could hang out with and come away with a really cool story or two to share. Coburn made some great movies, and some not so great ones, and he elevated each of them with his magnetic screen presence. His career was bookended with some fantastic roles as either supporting player or the central star in films like The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1965), Our Man Flint (1966), A Fistful of Dollars (1971), The Last of Sheila (1973) and The Affliction (1997), the latter of which earned him an Academy Award. Beyond acting, Coburn dabbled in screenwriting, producing and directing. He was skeptical of television but the medium brought him great exposure and an opportunity to appear in numerous shows and made-for-tv movies. Here was a man who was devoted to his craft, eager to take on new challenges and beloved by his fellow cast members. At the end of his life, he still worked tirelessly as an actor, enjoying a new wave of enthusiasm for his work after earning his Oscar. He and his second wife Paula created the James and Paula Coburn Foundation (JPCF) "with the aim of supporting several arts and medical charities" which is still active to this day. The world lost James Coburn two decades ago but what remains is a joyful legacy.

“Coburn’s intense desire to control his own career and not be part of projects that were subject to the misapplied priorities, as he saw them, of the studio bigwigs... When possible he liked being hired early so he could influence the development of the script and characters.” — Robyn L. Coburn

Dervish Dust: The Life and Words of James Coburn by Robyn L. Coburn is an excellent biography that really captures the spirit of its subject. The author is Coburn's daughter-in-law, who is married to Coburn's son James H. Coburn IV.  The book avoids the trappings of a familial biography with its straightforward approach and honest look at Coburn's life. The focus is primarily on his acting career but there are also plenty of stories about his childhood during the Great Depression, his education, his marriage to his first wife Beverly, their two children, the subsequent bitter divorce, his many romances, his second wife Paula and his debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. Among Coburn's hobbies were studying Eastern culture and medicinal practices, collecting art, smoking marijuana, training in martial arts with his friend Bruce Lee and riding his beloved Ferraris. The Coburn portrayed in the book is a complicated man who was both good natured and highly driven.

Jennifer O'Neill and James Coburn in The Carey Treatment (1972)

James Coburn with one of his Ferraris.

According to the author, Nancy Mehagian was recording conversations with Coburn in 2002 for a potential memoir. Unfortunately, Coburn died that same year. Dervish Dust is the Coburn memoir we never got to read. The author adeptly uses those recordings to channel Coburn's voice throughout the book. It gives the biography a more intimate feel. Overall, this was a compelling and informative biography. There was lots to glean from it. My only small complaint is that I wish they had used an image of James Coburn wearing his signature grin on the cover.

If you love James Coburn as much as I do, make sure you check out Dervish Dust and let me know what you think!

A big thank you to Potomac Books for sending me a copy of Dervish Dust to review.

Undercrank Productions: Little Old New York (1923)

What would you do for a million dollars? For Patricia O'Day (Marion Davies), she would go as far as live her life as a boy so that her family could inherit what was rightfully theirs. When Patricia's rich American uncle passes away, she and her father John (J.M. Kerrigan) are visited in Ireland by the uncle's proprietor. The uncle's will stipulates that the sole heir of the $1 million fortune is Patrick O'Day (Stephen Carr), Patricia's brother. Patrick has two months to travel to New York to claim the inheritance or lose it forever. However, Patrick is gravely ill and won't survive the treacherous journey over the Atlantic. 

Upon arrival, Patricia plays the part of her brother by donning a page boy haircut and boys clothes. She meets Larry Delavan (Harrison Ford, the other one!) whom everyone, including Larry himself, thought would inherit his step-father's fortune. The story follows Patricia as she plays the part of Patrick, enters high society, invests in steamboat technology, gets caught up in the world of sports gambling, faces an identity crisis and falls in love.

Little Old New York (1923) was a box office hit for star Marion Davies. The film was so popular that it beat box office sales for the previous record holder Robin Hood (1922). Based on the play by Rida Johnson Young, the film adaptation was produced by William Randolph Hearst's company Cosmopolitan Corporation and filmed at his studio on 127th Street and 2nd Avenue in New York City. A fire broke out at the studio while filming was still underway. The negatives for the film, which at that point was two-thirds complete, were miraculously salvaged. However, costumes and sets had to be recreated. 

A big marketing push for the film included a press conference with Davies, an invitation for the public to be extras in one of the scenes and having theater usherettes dress like characters in the movie (not sure if they were made to mimic Marion Davies' boy look or the other female characters wearing 19th century garb). The film premiered at Hearst's Majestic theatre in Columbus Circle and a couple months later premiered in London. Little Old New York was remade in 1940 with Alice Faye in the lead role.

Marion Davies is absolutely charming as the lead character. She uses her feminine wiles and masculine energy to adeptly play this binary role. I'm really drawn to stories about gender representation especially when they spotlight stereotypes in a way that criticizes them (whether intentional or not). I would recommend this film to fans of silents, Marion Davies and period pieces.

At 1 hour and 47 minutes, Little Old New York feels a bit too long. A natural resolution to the story could have happened much earlier in the film. Overall, the movie watched more like chapters in story of Patricia/Patrick O'Day's adventures rather than one cohesive feature film. 

Little Old New York (1923) is available on DVD from Undercrank Productions, in association with Edward Lorusso, and features a lively original score by accompanist Ben Model. According to Undercrank's website, the film is presented from a 2k digital scan made from the Library of Congress's 35mm nitrate print. The DVD is a result of a Kickstarter campaign and also includes an excerpt from Hold Fast (1916).

Shop Little Old New York (1923) DVD at the following retailers.

Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Deep Discount — Movies Unlimited

Thank you to Undercrank Productions for sending me a copy for review!

2022 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day #4 Recap

 

Waterloo Bridge (1940)

Bright and early on the final day of the festival, I headed over to the Chinese Multiplex for a special screening of Waterloo Bridge (1940). 

The film was introduced by author Sloan De Forest. I'm a big fan of her books and it was great to finally see her in person (had a great chat with her afterwards!). Waterloo Bridge (1940) stars Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor as two lovers from completely different social sets who get separated during WWI only to have a devastating reunion sometime later. It's based on a 1930 play and was adapted to screen as a pre-code in 1931. Unbeknownst to us and even to De Forest, the print being screened was the British censored version which cut out the more suggestive scenes in relation to Vivien Leigh's character.

Club TCM

A brief visit to Club TCM helped me rest and recharge for the final hours of the festival. On display were costumes from a few notable classic films. It was difficult to take pictures so I did my best to snap one of these costumes Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid wore in Casablanca (1942)

Live Read: I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

I've never been to a live read before so I jumped at the chance to attend this one. Led by Dana Gould, a group of comedians reenacted the cheesy sci-fi movie I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958). The script was read by actors David Koechner, Laraine Newman, Jonah Ray, Janet Varney and Baron Vaughn. Musician Eban Schletter performed live music and sound effects for the event. 

I wasn't sure what to expect but I did think they would show the actual movie, or at least clips of it, during the live read. Instead, it was just the actors taking turns at the mic to read the dialogue with a static background on the screen behind them.

The live read was a helluva lot of fun. I was in the second row with some friends and we had the best view in the house.

Coffy (1973)

The closing night movie was one of my top selections for the festival. There was a massive line to get in and I'm glad I made it. The event started with an interview by TCM host Prof. Jacqueline Stewart and Coffy star Pam Grier. I think Stewart only got two questions in because Grier had much to say and a lot of love to share. And what better way to enjoy this blaxploitation classic for the first time with the film's star and a lively crowd in attendance.

Closing Night Party

The closing night party is always bitter sweet. It's an opportunity to catch up with anyone you may have missed and to say goodbyes. I didn't stay long because the poolside party was quite crowded. I did get an opportunity to chat with former child star Gordon Gebert. (A big thanks to Laura who helped get his attention for me!). This was a real joy. I was able to tell him how much Holiday Affair (1949) means to me. He must have heard that a million times that evening. He was so gracious and told me stories about working with Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Burt Lancaster and Norman Lloyd.

So you may be asking, what was the best part of the TCM Classic Film Festival? The people of course! I got to spend so much quality time with good friends, acquaintances and complete strangers. The festival is like a big reunion for me and I cherish all the moments I get to spend with all of my far away friends. I didn't share much about my friends in these posts. However, I shared plenty on my social media. Make sure to head over to Twitter and look up #TCMFF @raquelstecher to see all the fun we had during the festival. I appreciate the TCM staff as well as all my amazing friends for making this a festival to remember.

I hope you enjoyed my TCMFF coverage!

Day #1 Recap

Opening Night Red Carpet Event

Day #2 Recap

Day #3 Recap

TCMFF YouTube Videos