Free Republic

Ted Turner built a media empire in Atlanta that included Turner Classic Movies. Turner’s favorite classic movie was “Gone with the Wind.” He loved the movie so much that he bought the entire catalogue of movies from MGM Studios and pre-1948 Warner Brothers so he could air them and preserve them. “My favorite ex-husband created Turner Classic Movies,” ex-wife and close friend Jane Fonda said last week at the 2026 TCM Film Festival in Los Angeles. Fonda talked about Turner’s love of classic movies and how he wanted to preserve them for future generations. “On our very first date, he...

Audrey Hepburn remains closely associated with Breakfast at Tiffany's, but the film's lead role was first offered to Marilyn Monroe. Now, Hepburn's oldest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, 65, is offering insight into why he thinks Monroe ultimately turned it down. Truman Capote, who wrote the original novella, had drawn inspiration from the blonde bombshell— something Ferrer believes may have made the role less appealing. “I can understand why Marilyn said no, because she probably felt like she was going to be playing herself,” Ferrer told the outlet. “It's not very interesting, but if you take someone like Audrey Hepburn, which...

Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, on December 13, 1925. He was raised in Danville, Illinois. At one time, he considered being a minister because of his mother’s religious influences, but a high school drama class would ignite in him a love of entertainment. In his senior year, Van Dyke dropped out of Danville High and joined the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He served as a radio operator before being transferred to Special Services to entertain the troops.