The Tulsa Global Alliance last week honored residents Michael and Suzanne Wallis for their decades of work promoting and contributing to the preservation of Route 66. The alliance's Global Vision Awards event's theme was "Route 66: Where the World Meets America." The Wallises were lauded for their 'outstanding contribution to Citizen Diplomacy." The author of 18 … Continue reading Michael and Suzanne Wallis honored by Tulsa Global Alliance
Category: Movies
Michael Wallis inducted to Circle Cinema Walk of Fame
Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling "Route 66: The Mother Road" and the voice of the Sheriff of Radiator Springs in the Disney-Pixar "Cars" movies, recently was inducted into the Walk of Fame at the Circle Cinema in Tulsa. Wallis received a medallion embedded on the sidewalk in front of the historic theater, which opened … Continue reading Michael Wallis inducted to Circle Cinema Walk of Fame
Filmmaker is crowdfunding a portion of his Blue Whale movie
Tulsa-based filmmaker Jonathan Rossetti wants to make a coming-of-age independent film set at the iconic Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma, and he has set up a crowdfunding campaign to hire a casting director. Rossetti launched up his campaign this month on Seed and Spark. He hopes to raise about $10,000 within two weeks. He … Continue reading Filmmaker is crowdfunding a portion of his Blue Whale movie
Angel Delgadillo appears in “We Blew It” documentary
Angel Delgadillo, known as the Guardian Angel of Route 66, makes a prominent appearance in the French-directed documentary "We Blew It," that examines the long-lasting effects of the turbulent 1960s. "We Blew It," directed by Jean-Baptiste Thoret, gets its title from a line uttered by Peter Fonda near the end of the now-classic 1969 counterculture film … Continue reading Angel Delgadillo appears in “We Blew It” documentary
Two “Women on the Mother Road” sessions slated for this month in Oklahoma
Two Route 66 towns in Oklahoma are hosting lectures and screenings from Katrina Parks' "The Women of the Mother Road" website and film documentary project this month. This first will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Carriage House in the Overholser Mansion at 405 NW 15th St. in Oklahoma City (map here). The … Continue reading Two “Women on the Mother Road” sessions slated for this month in Oklahoma
“The Leisure Seeker” gets mediocre reviews at Venice film festival
Several film critics who saw the premiere of "The Leisure Seeker," starring Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren, at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend gave it middling reviews, but it apparently will be sent to the bigger Toronto Film Festival and essentially has landed worldwide distribution rights in theaters. The bones of "The Leisure … Continue reading “The Leisure Seeker” gets mediocre reviews at Venice film festival
Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2017 cost-share grants
The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program on Thursday announced its annual cost-share grant awards, with seven grants totaling $98,137. This year's grant awards are remarkable in their breadth, including neon-sign restorations, oral-history projects, a full assessment of Route 66's bridges, a historic-property database, an educational websites and a documentary film. Since 2001, the program has … Continue reading Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program announces 2017 cost-share grants
A film portrait of Harley Russell
I doubt you'll find a more candid or heartbreaking film about Harley Russell, one-half of the Mediocre Music Makers in Erick, Oklahoma, than this one. A description of the film: Despite living in the small town of Erick, Oklahoma and bordering on the edge of insanity, a self-proclaimed ‘mediocre music maker’ attracts visitors from around … Continue reading A film portrait of Harley Russell
Movie review: ‘Cars 3’
"Cars 3" not only becomes Pixar's animated tribute to stock-car racing, but it represents a return to the emotional core of the original 2006 film. Before describing the plot about humanized cars, Route 66 aficionados should know the fictional town of Radiator Springs makes several appearances in "Cars 3," along with the town's original characters … Continue reading Movie review: ‘Cars 3’
Route 66 fan producing documentary on music scene of Springfield, Missouri
Dave Hoekstra, a big Route 66 fan for much of his 30-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times, is producing a film series about unheralded rich music scenes in the United States, including Springfield, Missouri. Titled "Song of an Unsung America," the film series delves into Springfield's importance as the site of television's "Ozark Jubilee" and … Continue reading Route 66 fan producing documentary on music scene of Springfield, Missouri