Actress Rita Hayworth chats with director Vincent Sherman, right, between takes of the movie "Affair In Trinidad" in Hollywood, in this March 1952 file photo. Sherman, who directed Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford during his heyday as a leading Hollywood filmmaker in the 1940s and '50s, has died. He would have been 100 on July 16, 2006.
Vincent Sherman, who directed and romanced Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford during his heyday as a leading Hollywood filmmaker in the 1940s and '50s, has died. He would have been 100 on July 16.
His death Sunday night of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital was announced Monday by his son, Eric Sherman.
"Vince was in good condition until two months ago," said actress Francine York, his companion for the last nine years. "In January he had appeared on a documentary about Humphrey Bogart, and he told a lot of good stories. He was the last of the gentlemen, a real Southern gentleman."
Sherman, whose film career was seriously damaged by Hollywood's communist "red scare," later became a successful director of such television series as "The Waltons," "Doctors Hospital," "Baretta," "Trapper John, M.D." and "77 Sunset Strip."
He had begun as an actor, appearing on Broadway and in a handful of movies, among them 1933's "Counselor at Law," in which he had a small but memorable role as a young anarchist opposite John Barrymore. He also wrote several screenplays, including "Crime School," which starred Bogart and the Dead End Kids.
Because of his ability to evoke powerful performances from strong-willed female stars he also directed Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan and Patricia Neal Sherman became known as a woman's director, a title he hated. He was quick to point out that he also directed Errol Flynn in "The Adventures of Don Juan," Paul Newman in "The Young Philadelphians," Bogart in "All Through the Night," Richard Burton in "The Ice Palace" and Ronald Reagan in "The Hasty Heart."
Sherman also gained a reputation for romancing many of his famous actresses, and he wrote about them in his 1996 autobiography, "Studio Affairs."
Though both were married at the time, he and Davis had an affair that began during the filming of 1943's "Old Acquaintance" and continued through "Mr. Skeffington," which was released the following year. His dalliance with Crawford lasted through three movies, and another with Hayworth happened during "Affair in Trinidad," after she had divorced Aly Khan.
Sherman's wife, Hedda, tolerated his extramarital adventures, and their marriage lasted 53 years. She died in 1984.
During the early 1950s, his thriving career foundered as he was dropped without explanation by Warner Bros. A federal agent had told the studio Sherman was suspected of communist ties.
"I wasn't a communist," he remarked in 1997, "but I knew people like John Garfield who'd been blacklisted, and I stood beside them."
Other studios shunned him, and he was caught in "a Kafkaesque situation."
After five years, he became employable again but never recovered his knack for skillful melodrama. His last major feature was a lame western comedy, "The Second Time Around," with Debbie Reynolds and Andy Griffith in 1961.
"My strong points were my relationships with actors; I got good performances from people," he said in a 1997 interview. "My weak points were in accepting assignments when I should have said no."
Turning to television, he worked well into the 1980s.
Born Abram Orovitz to one of the only two Jewish families in Vienna, Ga., in 1906, Sherman learned at an early age to defend himself against the taunts of his schoolmates.
After graduating from Oglethorpe University, he sought an acting career in New York, joining the left-wing Group Theater. Since ethnic names for actors were unfashionable, he changed his to Vincent Sherman. Squarely built with black hair and a ruggedly handsome face, he quickly began appearing on Broadway.
In the late 1940s Warner Bros. hired Sherman under an acting-writing-directing contract, and he was assigned to the studio's B-picture unit, adapting old movies into remakes.
He broke out as a director in 1942 with a gripping melodrama "The Hard Way."
Although he would go on to direct many important projects, he never rose to the level that would afford him consideration for an Academy Award.
"Of the 30 pictures that I made, I really liked only 10 or 12 of them," he said in 1997. "The rest were what we called bread-and-butter pictures."
Besides his son, Sherman is survived by a daughter, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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Spears' Ex-Guards Must Settle OT Claims
Britney Spears
Three former security guards who say Britney Spears owes them overtime pay must settle their claims through arbitration, a judge ruled Monday.
Silas Dukes, Lonnie DeShawn Jones and Randy Jones sued in March, claiming they were hired by two of Spears' companies to provide security for the 24-year-old pop star and her home at $2,400 to $3,350 per week.
The guards' attorney, Stephen Madoni, said the ruling could put his clients at a significant disadvantage because two of three arbitration meetings will be held in New York instead of California, which he said has more favorable laws. Madoni claimed that the three never agreed to arbitrate wage claims and that arbitration would take away court protections for the men. He plans to appeal.
Attorney William J. Briggs II, who represents the companies, said the original agreement between the guards and the companies called for wage disputes to be arbitrated.
The two companies, Britney Brands Inc. and Britney Touring Inc., are incorporated in New York and California.
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CBS News Says Dan Rather Leaving
Broadcast journalist Dan Rather speaks about at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, March 9, 2006. Rather is reportedly considering an offer from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the HDNet cable channel.
Dan Rather, the hard-charging anchorman who dominated CBS News for more than two decades but whose final months were clouded by a discredited story on the president's military service, is leaving CBS after 44 years, the network announced Tuesday.
The 74-year-old Rather has complained of being virtually forgotten at CBS Corp. since his exit as anchor last year, six months after the story on President Bush's military service aired. He has said he is considering an offer to do a weekly show at the HDNet high-definition network.
"There will always be a part of Dan Rather at CBS News," said Sean McManus, CBS News president. "He is truly a `reporter's reporter,' and he has helped to train several generations of broadcast journalists. His legacy cannot be replicated."
Rather, whose final CBS News report aired on "CBS Sunday Morning" this weekend, will be the subject of a prime-time special on his career this fall, CBS said.
The network also said it had made a contribution to Rather's alma mater, Sam Houston State University.
The Texan has worked at CBS News since 1962, covering stories ranging from the Kennedy assassination to the 2001 terrorist attacks. He was the "CBS Evening News" anchor who replaced Walter Cronkite in 1981 until signing off with the admonition "courage" on March 9, 2005.
Rather apparently hadn't even seen the report questioning Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service before introducing it on the air in September 2004. When CBS News couldn't substantiate the story following questions about its sources, Rather became a symbol of the incident even as he escaped official blame.
Since then, Rather's on-air appearances have been infrequent. He contributed eight stories to "60 Minutes" this season, about half the airtime of most full-time correspondents there. His most recent "60 Minutes" story, a profile of Whole Foods Market, aired June 4.
In interviews last week, Rather made clear the professional divorce was imminent. He told The New York Times that he wanted to stay with "60 Minutes," but that CBS News had offered him a contract with no specific affiliation to any program.
For more than two decades, Rather dominated broadcast news along with NBC's Tom Brokaw and the late Peter Jennings of ABC. They were the faces seen every evening and whenever big news broke.
Rather always considered himself a reporter first, and the habit of news anchors to travel to the scenes of big stories is largely his legacy. His interview with Saddam Hussein in 2003 was the last given by the Iraqi leader before he was toppled.
With his intense on-air demeanor, Rather also had his detractors, and his broadcast was a distant third in the evening news ratings at the time he stepped down. CBS News' ratings have rebounded under short-term successor Bob Schieffer; Katie Couric will take over the broadcast in September.
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Elton John Sues Over Penthouse Value
Elton John performs during his summer tour at the Riverside, Chester Le Street, Durham, England, on June, 10, 2006. John has filed a lawsuit against the Fulton County tax assessors office, saying the county overvalued his Atlanta penthouse condominium.
Elton John has filed a lawsuit against the Fulton County tax assessors office, saying the county overvalued his penthouse condominium.
The tax assessors office placed a value of $4.6 million on John's 12,000-square-foot condo on Peachtree Street in Atlanta's trendy Buckhead neighborhood.
But that value is $900,000 too much, the 59-year-old singer's experts say.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Wendy Shoob has ordered the two sides to try to resolve the dispute through mediation.
If he prevails, John would save $16,000 a year in taxes. If he loses, he can expect to pay $77,250 a year.
Craig Klayman, a tax consultant hired to represent John in his lawsuit, said money is not the issue.
"I just don't see how the county can justify that number," Klayman said. "It's just too high looking at what everybody else is valued at."
Fulton County residents have long complained that tax values bear little relationship to actual sales values. A critical audit released last year noted inconsistent values.
The audit eventually led to the resignations of three of the five assessors. The chief appraiser also stepped down.
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Nicole Kidman Has 'Boring' 39th Birthday
Australian actress Nicole Kidman poses for photos during a promotional event at the Bund in Shanghai, China, Saturday June 17, 2006.
Nicole Kidman, who is expected to wed Keith Urban this weekend, said she planned a "boring" 39th birthday with family Tuesday.
Kidman emerged from a luxurious harborside mansion to greet about 20 reporters and photographers who had brought flowers and sang "Happy Birthday" to her over the intercom.
"Thank you for the flowers and the singing," she said, before posing for photographs. "It's nice to be home."
Asked how she planned to spend her birthday, Kidman replied: "Not much, dinner at home with mum boring."
Kidman said she was embarrassed by all the attention.
Later, she sent bottles of water and a case of beer out to the media with an attached note saying: "Enjoy! Nicole and Keith," the Australian Associated Press reported.
Kidman and Urban are reportedly staying in separate residences in the days prior to their wedding, which is expected to be a black-tie event involving a tight circle of friends and family.
Guests have been told to keep their schedules free from Friday to Monday, as they will be given only 24 hours notice as to the time and location, local media said.
It will be Urban's first marriage, but the second for Kidman, who was divorced from Tom Cruise in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.
Her two children, Isabella, 13, and Connor, 11, are expected to arrive later this week, the Australian Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Kidman won an Oscar for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in 2002's "The Hours." Urban, who is based in Nashville, Tenn., won a Grammy this year for best male country vocal performance for "You'll Think of Me."
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