This is the fourth in a new series of “Getting to Know”  Pages from Ultimate Movie Rankings.com.   Our interview this time around is with UMR Hall of Famer PhilHoF17.   PhilHoF17 has been visiting UMR for 5 years now.  He is a Top 10 Commentor.   So we figured it was time to learn a little more about PhilHoF17.

Cogerson –  It has always interested me in knowing which thespian made the first impact on a person. Who was the first actor or actress that you knew by their actual name?

PhilHof17–  It may have been Charlie Chaplin, or Laurel & Hardy, but it could be that I identified them as characters rather than actors. In that case, I would go for John Wayne or Jerry Lewis.

Cogerson – Wow, that is the second UMR Hall of Famer in a row to mention Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy as an answer to this question.

Cogerson – Is there a person in your life that pushed you down the path of liking movies?  For me, it was my parents and my grandmother.

PhilHoF17–  Probably my mother, as she watched lot’s of movies on TV, but indirectly my grandma who worked at a movie theater ticket office in her youth and had a good knowledge of the classic stars from the 30s and 40s.

Cogerson – When I was younger, I was convinced that Disney’s Gus was the greatest movie of all-time.  Today, I realize, though it might be the best mule playing football movie, it is not very good.  What movies did little PhilHoF17 think were awesome when he was a kid?

PhilHoF17 –  Probably my tastes have not evolved that much since I was a kid, so I can’t think of any that I would shake my head at. I certainly don’t laugh as much at Jerry Lewis movies as I did as a boy, but that doesn’t mean I think they’re bad. 

Cogerson –  That sounds eerily familiar, Steve Lensman, was just recently sharing that same exact thought, when defending Clint Eastwood’s Clyde the Orangutan movies.

Cogerson –  Buying my first ticket to an R-rated movie was a big deal back in the day.  Do you remember the first R-Rated movie you got a ticket for?

PhilHoF17 – Halloween was the first R movie I saw in a movie theater, but there may have been some I saw before that on TV.

Cogerson – Wow again. I did not even have to change the photo, as this is the same exact answer.

Cogerson –  What are your Top 3 movies of all-time? Or share as many as you are willing to share.

PhilHoF17 –  Top 3 are The Great Escape, 12 Angry Men, and City Lights. More recent favorites are Fargo and Groundhog Day. 

Cogerson –  What are some of your other favorite movie genres?

PhilHoF17 –  No particular favorite genre actually.  It really depends on the movie. I will watch any movie from any genre. 

Cogerson – Do you have any favorite actors or actresses? I am thinking Burt Lancaster is going to get some serious consideration.

PhilHoF17–  It’s a tie between James Garner and Burt Lancaster, two very different types of actors, but each unique in his own way. 

Cogerson – I know it has been a while, but do you remember how you discovered UMR?

PhilHoF17 – I discovered it looking for box office numbers on various old films. It was amazing, I had been looking for this information for years and here it was, nicely organized per actor, adjusted for inflation, average film ratings, and host of interesting movie subject pages!

Cogerson – Do you have any memorable movie experiences?   I remember seeing Porky’s in theaters.  People were laughing so hard, I thought the walls might crumble.

PhilHoF17 – I’ll have to go back to Halloween.  I was just shy of my 14th birthday and was refused entry, but I then dumbly followed a friend and suddenly realized I was inside the movie theater. So I ended up seeing it for free. I remember it being quite an experience once I stopped being afraid of getting caught and started being afraid of what was on the screen.

Cogerson – And finally…..ever had the chance to meet any movie stars in person?

PhilHoF17 – I never mentioned that Sean Connery was my buddy? Seriously though, the answer is nope….but there’s still time!

Cogerson – I agree there is always time.  One of the mini-celebrities that has visited our websites is James Garner’s daughter, Gigi.  She actually shared our page on her dad’s tribute website she owned.  That was way back in our Hub Page days. Her dad was still alive, so I always hoped Mr. Garner had checked out our page.

 

Cogerson –  Thank you PhilHoF17 for taking the time to answer these questions.  Thank you for all the support and suggestions you have provided over the last decade.  I have always enjoyed your comments, and it has nothing to do with the fact that we agree on lots of movie subjects.  You are truly deserving of your UMR Hall of Fame status.