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Photo courtesy Blue Fox Entertainment

Photo courtesy Free Bird Table & Bar

Photo courtesy HBO

Our City Tonight

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 12:25 PDT, Fri June 21, 2024

Spotlight on MORE GREAT VIEWING & A SUMMER COCKTAIL

THE HOME VIEW – The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

1957’s The Conqueror was a large-scale film produced by Howard Hughes, then owner of the Hollywood studio, RKO. It told the story of Genghis Khan, and had an all-star cast including Susan Hayward, Lee Van Cleef, Agnes Moorehead, Pedro Armendariz, William Conrad and, in what would become legendary miscasting, John Wayne as Khan the Conqueror. Though Wayne was at the height of his star power, even he couldn’t save this laughably bad film. What isn’t laughable, is what happened after that film wrapped. Over the next four decades, many of the film’s stars, the director, Dick Powell (who had been a movie star in Hollywood for nearly 3 decades), the crew and people of St George, Utah, fell victim to cancer. What was long suspected as the cause is the basis for this fascinating – and at times, infuriating because of what was allowed to happen – documentary called The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout. Seasoned writer/director, William Nunez, deftly tells the story of how nuclear fallout from nearby atomic bomb testing led to such devastating consequences. There is deception, denial, inquiries, then reluctant acknowledgment by a U.S. government who had been so negligent and reckless in what was an horrific environmental disaster that shattered so many lives. This is a must-see documentary. The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout is available for home viewing starting June 28.
bluefoxentertainment.com

THE SUMMER COCKTAIL – Blackberry Silver Margarita

Free Bird Table & Bar has been a wonderful addition to the food scene in Richmond since opening up a few years back, offering customers a menu that blends the warmth of the American South with Pacific Northwest charm. They also create delicious cocktails (we enjoy sampling them during their superb, daily happy hour, 3-6 p.m.) Continuing our spotlight on summer cocktails, we asked Free Bird General Manager, Steve Lobsinger and Manager, David Figueroa, for a suggestion. Their latest offering for us: Blackberry Silver Margarita, a refreshing and smokey version of a classic margarita, and a great cocktail to sip on a warm patio day. Like all our cocktail spotlights, you can enjoy them at the location (in this case Free Bird) or create them at home. Start with Patron Silver Tequila, Blackberry Syrup, fresh lime, fresh blackberries, salted rim add bar smoker with wood chips of choice. This wonderful cocktail is part of many new cocktails on the Free Bird summer menu.
5991 Alderbridge Way, Richmond. executivetablegroup.com

THE HOME VIEW – STAX: SOULSVILLE U.S.A.

There have been many documentaries made over the last two decades that have told the story of a city and the musical sounds it created. Gifted artists, musicians, songwriters, who grew up in a certain area, bringing their experiences to the music for the rest of the world to enjoy. Think of documentaries that told the story of Motown Records and the city that nurtured it, Detroit. Or the rock-folk sounds which bubbled to the surface in Laurel Canyon, California and flourished throughout the 1970’s. Nashville, Harlem, New Orleans, and Seattle, all come to mind – as does Memphis, Tennessee and, for a brief time, that city’s shining musical beacon, STAX Records. What began in 1957 as a small family-owned record store and recording studio, STAX would eventually become one of the most influential producers of soul music, with fans all over the world. It also launched the careers of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Sam & Dave, and the under-appreciated, Carla Thomas. Now comes a long-overdue, 4-part series called STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., which takes fans on a musical journey that will have you tapping your feet and singing along to many now-classic songs. This record company was around less than twenty years before powerful corporate greed got involved, but for a time, STAX Records flourished in creating a signature sound that defined an era. Now available on HBO/Crave. hbo.com and staxrecords.com