Whatever Happened to the Black Film?

May 8, 1981 --  Dale Pollock writes: Whatever happened to the black film? It seems to reside these days in the person of Richard Pryor, the comedian-turned-film star, who is one of the few black performers capable of attracting the vital "crossover" white audience that ensures a movie's financial success.

Man Paralyzed in Shooting Over a Can of Beer, March 21, 1981

March 21, 1981: Times reporter Bill Farr (d. 1987) has the story of Josephus Jackson, who was partially paralyzed from being shot in the back by a liquor store clerk over a 55-cent can of beer. Richard Craig Scott was sentenced to a year in jail after being charged with a misdemeanor because the district attorney’s office refused to file felony charges. Then-Dist. Atty. John K. Van de Kamp agreed with Judge David Horowitz that the case should have been handled as a felony but defended the decision not to file charges  as “a good faith error.”   Farr, who died of cancer at the age of 52, is probably best known for going to jail for refusing to reveal sources during the Manson family trial. ALSO The Manson family on the Daily Mirror

In Walter (Cronkite) We Trust, March 14, 1981

March 14, 1981: Howard Rosenberg, The Times Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic, watches Dan Rather’s debut in taking over from Walter Cronkite on the “CBS Evening News” and he is not a happy man. Art Seidenbaum and I overlapped at The Times, but I was a rookie and he was one of the senior writers at the paper, so I never introduced myself when I would see him in the hallway or (usually) smoking a cigarette somewhere. I regret that now because I enjoy reading him and he sounds quite approachable. The book he's reviewing, Bill Henderson's "His Son: A Child of the Fifties" may not be remembered now (it ranks 9.3 millionth at Amazon), but Art's insights are well worth reading.

Confessions of a Story Editor, March 6, 1981

March 6, 1981:  Pulitzer Prize-winning TV columnist Howard Rosenberg talks to a story editor about lining up people for a canceled show called "That's My Line." Z (Rosenberg's source) was one of six story editors -- two ex-Hustler magazine staffers, two Los Angeles free-lancers, a former National Enquirer writer and a dentist's wife -- whose jobs were to find people who did the wild things that could be filmed, then pitch them for the show. "When Steve Weisberg was 9, his mother was afraid that his face might freeze into the shape of a Hudson car. Inspired, the little rubber-faced tyke progressed until now, at age 26, his living is made imitating old car grilles."

Military Snaps to Attention for Reagan

Feb. 27, 1981: Military officers are back in uniform around Washington after an informal switch to civilian clothes, apparently prompted by a remark in 1955 by President Eisenhower that “the place looked like an armed camp.” The change was due to another presidential quip, this time from Ronald Reagan, who supposedly asked: “How do I know you’re a general if you don’t wear a uniform?”   Keeping reading for Charles Champlin’s review of Georges Simenon's "The Little Doctor" and musings on murder mysteries.

What Next for Richard Chamberlain After 'Shogun?'

Feb. 24, 1981: Young persons…. There was once a sensationally popular TV miniseries called “Shogun,” based on James Clavell’s novel set in feudal Japan, that aired in September 1980 and starred Richard Chamberlain, the former heartthrob of the 1960s TV series “Dr. Kildare.” The story of John Blackthorne and Lord Toranaga (Toshiro Mifune) quickly became a touchstone of popular culture. In writing about “Shogun,” Times TV critic Cecil Smith reported that "Nielsen numbers show that more than half the people in the country are caught up in it."  Several months later, Times writer Roderick Mann catches up with Chamberlain, who says he’s interested in another miniseries: “The Thorn Birds.”

Grammys Hit a New Low in Conservatism

Feb. 22, 1981: “The nominees this year represent a new low in Grammy conservatism,” Robert Hilburn says. "The gap in attitude between NARAS members -- the people who are in the business of making music -- and critics, who spend their time thinking about and responding to music, is conveniently underscored in the Village Voice's annual poll of the nation's leading pop and rock critics. The results of the Village Voice best album poll: 1. The Clash, "London Calling" 2. Bruce Springsteen's "The River" 3. Talking Heads "Remain in Light" 4. "Pretenders" 5. Public Image, Ltd's "Second Edition" 6. Captain Beefheart's "Doc at the Radar Station" 7. Elvis Costello's "Get Happy!!" 8. Stevie Wonder's "Hotter Than July" 9. Prince's "Dirty Mind" 10. Gang of Four's "Entertainment" ALSO Rock Shuts Out Disco at Grammys

Alcala Appeals Conviction for Murder of Girl

Feb. 14, 1981: Rodney James Alcala appeals his death sentence in the killing of Robin Samsoe, 12, of Huntington Beach. Alcala, a former typist in The Times composing room, was convicted of kidnapping Robin after approaching her and a friend and offering to take their picture. ALSO Rodney James Alcala on latimes.com