Entertainment News from Athens, Tributes to Greek Artists

Το 2ο μερος του αφιερωματος μου στους Ελληνες που βρεθηκαν στο Hollywood στην αρχη το 20ου αιωνα και εργαστηκαν στην βιομιχανια του θεαματος. παραγωγοι, σκηνοθετες, ηθοποιοι, χορευτες, και φυσικα επιχειρηματιες κινηματογραφων. ακουστε το podcast και για να μαθετε τις καταπληκτικες ιστοριες τους

Ποιοι ηταν οι πρωτοι Ελληνες που βρεθηκαν στην αρχη του 20ου αιωνα στον χωρο του κινηματογραφου και εγιναν ηθοποιοι, σκηνοθετες, παραγωγοι, στο Hollywood? Ακουστε το podcast για μια ιστορικη αναδρομη στην ιστορια αυτων των πρωτοπορων ανθρωπων.

Ενα τραγουδι που θα μας ταξιδευει παντα στις πιο αθωες μας στιγμες, κυκλοφορησε το 1972 σε στιχους του Λευτερη Παπαδοπουλου και μουσικη του Μανου Λοίζου και το οποιο εχει πραγματι μια περιεργη ιστορια που μας παει πισω στο 1922. Ακουστε την ιστορια του

100 years of Greek winners and nominations at the Academy Awards. Directors, Choreographers, Designers, Actors, and many more categories are featured in this tribute to all the Hellenes that have received an Oscar or were nominated for an Oscar over the years. Listen to the podcast and be find out who they are:

Spyros Panagiotis Skouras was a Greek - American motion picture pioneer and film executive who was president of 20th Century Fox from 1942-1962. A rags to riches life story of a shepherd that became the most influential Greek in business, politics and a true patriot. His story is not widely known, take the time to listen how this larger than life man saved three million Greeks from famine and disease during WW2 while at the same time he was making successful Hollywood movies.

Irene "Rena" Vlahopoulou 28 July 1917 – 29 July 2004 was a Greek actress and singer. She starred in theatre, musicals, and Greek cinema productions, including The Gambler and The Countess of Corfu. Vlahopoulou was born on the island of Corfu, the fifth of nine children. She was a talented dancer and actress and a qualified mezzo-soprano. Over the course of her fifty-five-year career she appeared in 105 theatrical plays between 1939 and 1994, and twenty-six films between 1951 and 1985. Listen to the podcast and learn more about the Greek female version of Charly Chaplin as she was known.

Aris San was a Greek musician, singer and entrepreneur. He popularized Greek music in Israel in the late 1950's and 60's. Aris led a mysterious life as a non Jewish Greek singer who formed close ties with generals and politicians. He became a megastar, club owner and lover of many movie actresses. He is mostly remembered for the magic he could play with his guitar and his lucid vocal style. His life should be made into a movie, it has all the qualities for a hit musical, drama, thriller. Listen to the podcast and find out more about this eclectic musician who has even a music award named after him in Israel.

Georgia Vassiliadou born 1 January 1897, to a family with ten children. She was a Greek actress that played mainly in comedies of cinema and on stage. Her real name was Georgia Athanasiou, but she changed it to Vassiliadou when she decided to get into singing and acting.  In 1922 she began her studies at the Gennadius School and  in 1923 she appeared in various operas. She worked in major theatrical groups of the time with Kyveli, Marika Kotopouli, Dimitris Myrat, performing various roles. Alekos Sakellarios offered her a role in 1939 in The Girls of the Marriage, which marked the beginning of a second, but better known career - this time as a comedian, the "most beautiful ugly" of Greek cinema, as she was called. Listen to the podcast and find out more about this legendary actress that is still loved and remembered to this day.

Despo Diamantidou born 13 July 1916 in Athens, she was a Greek actress of theater and cinema. She was the granddaughter of engineer Spyridon Kritsilis, who served many times as a Member of Parliament. She spoke four foreign languages (English, French, Italian and Russian), which helped her translate a number of foreign plays. In the spring of 1967, Despo Diamantidou participated in a theatrical tour in the USA, staging the play "Illya Darling" (theatrical adaptation of the film "Never on Sunday") at the Broadway Theater in New York. During her stay there, the April coup d'état took place in Greece. Diamantidou decided not to return to Greece under these conditions and remained "in exile" in the United States until the transition to democracy, having returned to Greece only late in the summer of 1974. While in the USA she participated in Woody Allen's 1975 film The Peacemaker, playing the mother of the protagonist.  A milestone in her career was her participation in the 1960 film Never on Sunday by American director Jules Dassin starring Melina Mercouri. Listen to the podcast and find out more about this remarkable woman that was characterized by her husband as a real free spirit but a real lady that opened the way and empowered female actresses to be independent.

Vasilis Tsivilikas was a Greek comedy actor with significant appearances in the Greek film industry, television and especially theater. His first theatrical performance was in 1965 at Nea Ionia. Two years later Karolos Koun invited him to Theatro Technis. In the early 1970s he got involved with satire plays and in the mid-1970s with prose.  The 70's was also the decade he first appeared on the Big Screen. The first movie he appeared in was I theia mou, i hipissa by Alekos Sakellarios. Tzivilikas loved the energy exchange between audience and actor, while on stage. His acting career spanned over 50 successful years of which he only brought laughter and joy to his faithful followers. Listen to the podcast and find out more about this, unforgettable,  loved and successful artist: 

While the the World Cup is taking place in Qatar this year causing much criticism and controversy, I took the liberty and made this podcast to get us in the spirit of the game.  The tradition of football chants vary from country to country and team to team, in this episode we explore the creative side of the sport, the songs and stories behind the Greek soccer team chants.  Not being fanatical or biased towards a specific team, pure entertainment in mind as we journey into the stadiums chanting famous songs with different lyrics from the poets of the popular game. Credits to the Greek music band walkman the band – Walkman the band-WEDDING BAND   for re creating & singing beautifully many of the audio clips in this tribute. (2905) Walkman The Band - YouTube

In this episode of One Story, One Song we search for the truth behind a very popular Greek rebetiko song titled "Ta Nea tis Alexandras" (Alexandras News) it was recorded in 1961 by Vangelis Perpiniadis.  The real story remained unknown for more than 60 years but a facebook post by Argyro Moustakas Vretou after a spike in murders against women (Femicide) in Greece, tell a different story.   The real news of Alexandra was recorded & released based on her statement as a short film and the song sang by singer Semeli Papavasileiou and lyrics adjusted by lyricist Demitra Athanasopoulos. Listen to the podcast as we try and bring attention to the social crimes against women that are more relevant now than ever.  

Elias Kazan was a Greek American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter actor and author. He was described by the New York Times a one of the most honored and influential directors of Broadway and Hollywood history.  Born in Constantinople his family came to the USA in 1913.  Listen to the podcast and find out the extraordinary journey of the man that became known as the "actor's director" under his direction received 24 Academy Award nominations and received nine Oscars. Elias Kazan changed the history of Cinema: 

She was born Amalia Hatzaki in Heraklion, Crete in 1919, initially she was a javelin throwing athlete, later she studied law in Athens. However, she took exams and graduated with honors from the Drama School of the Royal Theatre. She played in many films on the Big Screen Cinema as well as on stage and on television, she is fondly remembered as the partner of famous Greek actor Vassilis Logothetidis. Listen to the podcast and learn more about this beautiful, cultured woman that has left her mark in the Greek movie scene.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, a trip down memory lane from 1919 till 2021 as we explore the films that were made about the destruction on Smyrna in 1922. We pay our respects and remember this tragic part of our history while learning some trivia facts about the making of these historic and classic films. Listen to the podcast: 

Andreas Barkoulis August 4, 1936 – August 23, 2016 was a Greek film, theatre and television actor. He was one of the emblematic Jeune Premier of Greek cinema. He performed on stage and the big screen participating in more than 100 films, including "An Italian woman in Greece" "Jenny, Jenny"and many more, he was so popular with the young girls that the expression "Girls Barkoulis is here" became known for any handsome man entering a room. He travelled and lived in the USA for a few years, there he became a popular singer.  Listen to the podcast and find out more about this unique artist with a big heart: 

5 Greek modern hits that have become classics and will always remind us of the hot summer days that Greece is so famous for. 5 Songs and their stories, how they were made and why they became so popular, listen to the podcast and find out more

‎Margarita‎‎ Sakellariou was born on ‎‎November 22,‎‎ ‎‎1934‎‎ in ‎‎Sitia,‎‎ ‎‎Crete‎‎.‎ Rita marries at 14, becomes a mother twice and divorces. She works with her mother at various Fertilizer factories hoping for a better future, until 1954 when she was heard singing by a group of wondering musicians. ‎She is considered the "queen" of folk song and is recognized as one of the "great" ladies of Greek song in general.‎ Listen to the podcast and find out more about the remarkable life of this legendary singer.

Mihalis Giannatos was born in 1941 in Constantinople, Turkey. He was a Greek actor and was fluent in five languages: ‎‎Greek‎‎, ‎‎Turkish‎‎, ‎‎French‎‎, ‎‎Italian‎‎ and ‎‎Spanish‎‎. This helped him a lot in his career, particularly in his participation in major foreign productions such as‎ Midnight Express (1978), Munich (2005) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) a Touch of Spice (2003). During his long film career, he appeared in over 100 films, television series and performances. He was one of the favorite actors of ‎‎Theodoros Angelopoulos‎‎, in whose films he always participated after the film ‎‎Megalexandros‎‎ in 1981. ‎‎Listen to the podcast and find out more about this talented actor

Manos Hatzidakis (23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely considered to be one of the greatest Greek composers and one of the most globally recognised. His legacy and contribution are widespread among the works of contemporary Greek music, through the second half of the 20th and into the 21st century. He was also one of the main proponents of the "Éntekhno" form of music (along with Mikis Theodorakis). In 1960, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song Never on Sunday from the film of the same name. Listen to the podcast and learn all about this fascinating personality and absolute star: