Sir Michael Caine turns 83 today. That’s pretty impressive. Here he is getting the business from Timothy and Don Calfa in the amiable detective homage Peeper (1976).
He’s got a Twitter account. Whattaya know?
Tag Archives: don calfa
Pic of the Day: “Peeper” revisited
Today’s pic brings us around once again to Peeper (1975), the amiable homage to 1940s detective yarns directed by Peter Hyams and written by Keith Laumer and W.D. Richter. Bad guys Sid and Rosie (Don Calfa) take care of some business while Ellen Prendergast (Natalie Wood) looks on and another fellow just hangs around.
I had an ulterior motive for choosing a pic from Peeper – it’s Don Calfa’s birthday today! Two summers ago he shared some fabulous memories of working with Timothy in this film with Romeo Carey and I. Stay tuned! And happy birthday, Calfa.
Pic of the Day: “Peeper” revisited
It’s way past time we took another gander at Sid, the hulking torpedo of Peter Hyams‘ genial homage to the hard-boiled detective flicks of the 1940s, Peeper (1976). Here he oversees his sidekick Rosie (Don Calfa) working over our hero, Leslie Tucker (Michael Caine).
As previously mentioned, Romeo Carey and I got a great interview with Calfa two summers ago at his memorabilia-packed little home in the California desert. Stay tuned for that – it’s coming, honest!
Quote of the Week
Timothy Carey and Dan [sic] Calfa, whose faces are more readily recognisable than their names, portray “heavy heavies” as [producer Irwin] Winkler describes them, whose deathly chores are only temporarily interrupted by excursions through Beverly Hills to view the homes of Veronica Lake and other favourites of the era.
– John Austin, “On the Hollywood Set: Caine – a ‘Bogey Man’ in FAT CHANCE [PEEPER]”, Photoplay Film Monthly, January 1975 (Vol. 26 No. 1)
Pic of the Day: “Peeper” revisited
It’s been barely a month since the last Peeper pic, but as today is my dear husband’s birthday, he gets to choose today’s pic. And he decided he wants to see Timothy all snazzy and stylish in a suit and fedora, so how could we not turn to Peeper (1976) once again? Bumbling torpedoes Sid and Rosie (the great Don Calfa) prepare to interrogate a hapless ship steward, in a scene filmed aboard the majestic Queen Mary.
I truly lucked out in the husband department. Happy birthday anniversary, sweetie!
Happy Birthday Don Calfa!
We here at the TCE are thrilled to wish a very happy 74th birthday anniversary to the great Don Calfa! Romeo Carey and I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing him last summer, at his memorabilia-packed home deep in the California desert. He shared some amazing memories of working with Timothy in Peeper (1975), and of his friendship with Tim in general. Here are the two of them in a scene filmed aboard the Queen Mary.
Calfa is very much like Tim in that he brings his unique presence and flair to every role, no matter how large or how small. He’s a big part of what makes it so much fun to go to the movies. Happy birthday, Don!
Pic of the Day: “Peeper” revisited
Today our pic takes another look at Peter Hyams‘ Peeper (1975), the amiable tribute to private eye flicks of the 1940s. Even after a bit of brightness/contrast tweaking, it’s still pretty dark. But trust me, Timothy and Don Calfa are in a bit of a Mexican standoff with Michael Caine and a worried-looking Natalie Wood.
Calfa told us during our interview with him last summer that after each take in which Tim had to man-handle Natalie, such as this one, he would wash his hands. Always the perfect gentleman!
The Tweet’s Lady of Pasadena Report.
Well, it’s been an amazing trip so far. Saturday night Romeo Carey, my husband and I headed out to the desert and met up with the splendiferous Don Calfa, who showed us through his memorabilia-packed double-wide trailer and happily shared his memories of working with Timothy in Peeper (1975) and their subsequent friendship. He is a card and a character, and I’m happy to now be able to call him my friend.
Sunday afternoon brought us together with the delightful Joey Sinko, who generously assisted Romeo in filming our interview with the legendary Seymour Cassel. I am happy to lay at least one oft-told rumor to rest: There was no animosity between he and Timothy during the Minnie and Moskowitz (1971) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) shoots. They were simply two inveterate scene-stealers who sometimes got on each other’s nerves. It happens even in the best of families. “I loved Timothy. He was wonderful,” said Seymour. And I’ve made another friend.
Monday my husband and I attended the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Utterly amazing in every way! There wasn’t a whole lot there in the way of Tim, but what was there was choice. I was especially intrigued by a page from the original script of The Killing (1956) that featured a scene with Tim’s character, Nikki Arcane, that did not appear in the finished film. I wonder if this was actually filmed and then not used, or if it ever even got filmed?
Tonight we are heading down to El Monte to visit Tim’s studio, so stay tuned for more reports as they come! This is Tweet’s Lady of Pasadena signing off for now. Toodle-oo!
Quote of the Week
Timothy Carey was a poet.
– Don Calfa, during our interview yesterday.
Romeo Carey and Don Calfa at Don’s place, June 1, 2013. Friends til the end.
Pic of the Day: “Peeper” revisited
Today’s pic is another from Peeper (1975), Peter Hyams‘ comical take on the hard-boiled gumshoe genre of the 1940s. Bumbling torpedoes Sid and Rosie (Don Calfa) question a cruise ship attendant without trying to appear overly conspicuous.
Calfa told me a very amusing story about filming this scene with Timothy aboard the Queen Mary in the broiling hot summer of 1974. You’ll just have to wait til the book comes out, heh heh!
The Timothy Carey Experience 