John Ford's UPSTREAM, AMPAS, Los Angeles Sept 1

craig2010 · Post by **craig2010** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:53 pm

http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibition ... tream.html

Michael Mortilla · Post by **Michael Mortilla** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:06 pm

As I am currently scoring "Upstream" for that event, I can tell you that it's a great flick, with a fabulous cast and, of course, wonderful direction.

Back to work... I love my job!

Michael Mortilla · Post by **Michael Mortilla** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 7:41 pm

bump - Reminder...

This Wednesday.

deverett · Post by **deverett** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:10 am

Michael let me be the first to say your score was brilliant tonight, perfectly matched and executed, you are truly one of our local treasures. It would be great if Fox married your score to the additional prints they mentioned making for future screenings.

But what did Ford have against Barrymore? The whole movie was like a hilarious slam against him.

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:15 am

Agree with you, Dino, Michael was great as always. Wish you could have had a bigger ensemble, but thought it was understated and fit the moods so perfectly, a really great blend.

I enjoyed the whole evening as well, and hearing from all the archivists how everything was found, exchanged, and restored. Hope we can have more evenings like this with many of the others on the 75 list!

Jim Reid · Post by **Jim Reid** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:19 am

It was fantastic! I really loved Upstream, and the music was perfect. An evening I will not soon forget.

Post by **Christopher Jacobs** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:27 am

... and what a delightful little film it was! Who knew that John Ford was also a master at droll silent comedy at the same time making it look visually like German Expressionism? It's easily among the best of the many films dealing with struggling actors and backstage egos (along the lines of EXIT SMILING, THE MATINEE IDOL, etc.). The score was great, as well, with the amazingly talented three-piece orchestra being a nice surprise. The music followed the action (including on-screen songs) beautifully and the live sound effects were a lot of fun. A few of the pauses between cues did seem uncomfortably stretched out on occasion, but on the whole an excellent accompaniment to a very entertaining film. Here's hoping Fox does a sequel to its John Ford box set, including this score!

--Christopher Jacobs
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs
http://hpr1.com/film

Michael Mortilla · Post by **Michael Mortilla** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:02 am

Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun for me too!

Harold Aherne · Post by **Harold Aherne** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:24 am

How was Nancy Nash as the lead actress? She had a brief tenure at Fox in 1926-27, also appearing in The City, Rich But Honest and The Loves of Carmen before moving on to The Ballyhoo Buster with Jay Wilsey for Action Pictures...and that was apparently the end of her Hollywood run. The IMDB lists a Nancy Nash as a Goldwyn Girl in a couple of Eddie Cantor films, but it's hard to say whether it's the same actress.

She seems to have slipped on and off the radar pretty quickly--I can find no Broadway credits for her and the only biographical information that turns up is that she was married to a Ben Hershfield in the 40s. The Chicago Tribune had a piece about her on 26 May 1927, "Nancy Nash Bids Again for Place with Film Elite", but otherwise her press coverage wasn't all that substantial. Does anyone have further information on this mysterious lady?

-Harold

Michael Mortilla · Post by **Michael Mortilla** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:29 am

I thought Miss Nash was one if the finest actresses and most stunningly beautiful women I have ever seen. I don't say this lightly and never have been someone to be overly fanatical about any actor - but that may have changed after seeing her in this film. She was the high point in what was an exceptionally well cast and well performed ensemble piece. It also demonstrates that great directors are great directors irregardless of sound, color, or special effects and that great pictures can be made without a big name in the lead.

Frederica · Post by **Frederica** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:35 am

Harold Aherne wrote:How was Nancy Nash as the lead actress? She had a brief tenure at Fox in 1926-27, also appearing in The City, Rich But Honest and The Loves of Carmen before moving on to The Ballyhoo Buster with Jay Wilsey for Action Pictures...and that was apparently the end of her Hollywood run. The IMDB lists a Nancy Nash as a Goldwyn Girl in a couple of Eddie Cantor films, but it's hard to say whether it's the same actress.

-Harold

According to the program notes, "Ford cast Nancy Nash, whose career encompassed only five credited roles in feature films." So not a lot of info on Nancy Nash. She was cute and very charming, but didn't have much to do other than be cute and very charming.

I'm with the other reviewers. Upstream was a funny film about life in a rundown-tending-to-seedy theatrical boarding house. Earle Fox is hilarious as the least talented of the Brashingtons, a great thespian dynasty. When his Hamlet becomes the hit of the London stage ("Isn't it amazing how well the Americans can do in a foreign language like English?"), the least of the Brashingtons becomes too big for his own profile.

The film was preceded by a surviving (but short) clip of the trailer for The Strong Boy, another lost John Ford film with Victor McLaglen, and Vitagraph's The Better Man, which was run at SFSFF (and which was restored by funds garnered during the For the Love of Film Blogathon).

There was an informative post-film discussion about finding and identifying the New Zealand films, with Schawn Belston, Senior VP, Library and Technical Services at Fox Filmed Entertainment; Annette Melville, Director of the National Fil Preservation Foundation; Mike Pogorzelski, Director of the Academy Film Archive; and Frank Stark, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Film Archive.

Michael Mortilla's score was elegant and evocative, the perfect accompaniment to this wonderful little film.

They've released the full list of film titles from the New Zealand find--happy me! A Sidney Drew!

Richard Finegan · Post by **Richard Finegan** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:05 am

Frederica wrote: They've released the full list of film titles from the New Zealand find--happy me! A Sidney Drew!

--------------------------------

That list is here, along with some stills and frames from the films:

http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2010/09/the- ... d-project/

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:43 pm

I found some interesting information about her in the LA Times. In a 9/15/26 article, that James Ryan, Fox casting director, persuaded Winfield Sheehan to sign her after a screen test. She had only been three weeks in Hollywood visiting a friend, who suggested she try for a part in THE CITY, three days before she returned to resume studies at the University of Texas. Her family was from Mercedes, Texas.

She seemed to stil be under contract to Fox into the 1930s, when I found this June 27, 1933 article: "Charged by police with disturbing the peace by using 'vile and profane language' and striking several police officers with her fists when they sought to arrest her following a slight collision of her automobile with one driven by Officer R. E. Smith of the Van Nuys division, Mrs. Jay Chotiner, 23 years of age, known at times in motion pictures as Nancy Nash, pleaded not guilty and asked for a court trial. She was free after meeting $100 bail.

In the August 7, 1933 LA Times, the paper said she would have to pay the city $50 or go to jail for twenty-five days after the judge found her guilty.

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:45 pm

She was also the fourth wife of ex film producer Ben Hershfield, who claimed in January 1955 that she obtained a Mexican mail-order divorce from him which was probably illegal. He claimed she was still an actress with Fox.

greta de groat · Post by **greta de groat** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:32 pm

Frederica wrote: They've released the full list of film titles from the New Zealand find--happy me! A Sidney Drew!

--------------------------------

Richard Finegan wrote:
That list is here, along with some stills and frames from the films:

http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2010/09/the- ... d-project/

Oh goodie, a Vitagraph film with Jean too.

Harold Aherne · Post by **Harold Aherne** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:52 pm

greta de groat wrote:Oh goodie, a Vitagraph film with Jean too.

And I see Reckless Youth on the list as well, an Elaine Hammerstein film with Constance Bennett apparently in a supporting part as a chorus girl. What an extradordinary box of jewels this find is turning out to be!

I hope that we can find some information on Nancy Nash, particularly the dates of her lifespan, to complement the rediscovery of her most important film. I didn't get far with the 1930 census (Jay Chotiner was single at the time), but the 1920 data shows two women named Nancy Nash living in Texas whose ages were plausible enough to be the actress: one, aged 20, living in Kaufman and another, aged 23, living in Fort Worth. I don't know if Nancy Nash was even her original name, so both of these may be false leads (and Mercedes isn't anywhere near either of these locations).

-Harold

Richard Finegan · Post by **Richard Finegan** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 3:06 am

Harold Aherne wrote:I hope that we can find some information on Nancy Nash, particularly the dates of her lifespan, to complement the rediscovery of her most important film. I didn't get far with the 1930 census (Jay Chotiner was single at the time), but the 1920 data shows two women named Nancy Nash living in Texas whose ages were plausible enough to be the actress: one, aged 20, living in Kaufman and another, aged 23, living in Fort Worth. I don't know if Nancy Nash was even her original name, so both of these may be false leads (and Mercedes isn't anywhere near either of these locations).

-Harold

========================
Coincidence?
Comedian Ted Healy (of Stooges fame) was born in Kaufman, Texas (on October 1, 1895) and his real name was Ernest Lee Nash.
Now you've found that there was a Nancy Nash also from Kaufman, Texas.
Possible relations?

This link includes some info on Healy and Kaufman:

http://www.kaufmancounty.net/kchchistory.pdf[/quote]

Michael F. Blake · Post by **Michael F. Blake** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:18 pm

UPSTREAM was a happy, happy surprise for this Ford fan.

I really hope they can release this on DVD, with Michael's wonderful score.

Bravo, Michael! You really nailed the score and added to the evening.

Michael F. Blake

Michael Mortilla · Post by **Michael Mortilla** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:23 pm

Michael F. Blake wrote:UPSTREAM was a happy, happy surprise for this Ford fan.

I really hope they can release this on DVD, with Michael's wonderful score.

Bravo, Michael! You really nailed the score and added to the evening.

Michael F. Blake

Thank you, Michael. It is very kind of you to say that.

DKomp · Post by **DKomp** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:10 pm

The film was great, the score terrific. What a fun event, and a great lead-in to Cinecon. And like so many, I am totally in love with Nancy Nash! She had such a modern look -- and cute as lace panties (as Moose Malloy would say).

craig2010 · Post by **craig2010** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:22 pm

AFP article

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... lTZNkIMRKQ

LasVegasTodd · Post by **LasVegasTodd** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:28 pm

Nancy Nash was my great Aunt. She made up the name. Her birth name was Maude Miller. She died a couple years after I was born in the mid 1960s. I don't follow this board but you can find me on Twitter @LasVegasTodd

John Ford's UPSTREAM, AMPAS, Los Angeles Sept 1

John Ford's UPSTREAM, AMPAS, Los Angeles Sept 1

Re: John Ford's UPSTREAM, AMPAS, Los Angeles Sept 1

Re: John Ford's UPSTREAM, AMPAS, Los Angeles Sept 1