‘Play Misty for Me’: Rabid fan Jessica Walter makes life terribly difficult for disc jockey Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood + ‘Harry Potter’ = ‘The Decline of Western Civilization’? The Packard Campus connection Besides Harry Potter (more on the bespectacled wizard further below), movies set in…
-
-
TCM presents the life story of (a not gay) John Nash, starring Russell Crowe: In the phony ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman wash the gay away. ’31 Days of Oscar’ on TCM: From fake biopic & passionate bromance to the…
-
Olivia de Havilland in ‘The Heiress.’ Olivia de Havilland vs. Warner Bros. (See previous post: “Olivia de Havilland Turns 99: Warner Bros. Legal Fight Changed U.S. Labor Law.”) In 1942, Olivia de Havilland reportedly turned down the colorless leading lady role in Raoul Walsh’s Gentleman…
-
Ben-Hur 1959 with Stephen Boyd and Charlton Heston: TCM’s ’31 Days of Oscar.’ ’31 Days of Oscar’: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Ben-Hur’ in, Paramount stars out Today, Feb. 1, Turner Classic Movies is kicking off the 21st edition of its “31 Days of Oscar.” While…
-
Ernst Lubitsch movies: Subtle, sophisticated ‘Touch’ all but gone from contemporary filmmaking. Ernst Lubitsch movies: The forgotten, passé ‘Touch’ Ernst Lubitsch and William Cameron Menzies were Turner Classic Movies’ “stars” on Jan. 28, ’16. (This is a fully revised and expanded version of a post…
-
William Cameron Menzies. William Cameron Menzies movies on TCM: Murderous Joan Fontaine, deadly Nazi Communists Best known as an art director/production designer, William Cameron Menzies was a jack-of-all-trades. It seems like the only things Menzies didn’t do was act and tap dance in front of…
-
Abe Vigoda dead or alive? The Godfather actor became a pop celebrity in the U.S. following greatly exaggerated reports of his death. ‘The Godfather’ actor Abe Vigoda dead at 94: Early 1980s death notices were greatly exaggerated Actor Abe Vigoda, little-known internationally despite a supporting…
-
A history of sound in film: Hal Roach looks on as technicians install Vitaphone equipment in his studio screening room, ca. 1928. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) A history of sound in film: Q&A with former UCLA Preservation Officer & ‘A Century of Sound’…
-
Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman: The ‘Notorious’ British (Hitchcock, Grant) and Swedish (Bergman) talent. British actors and directors in Hollywood; Hollywood actors and directors in Britain: Anthony Slide’s ‘A Special Relationship.’ ‘A Special Relationship’ Q&A: Britain in Hollywood and Hollywood in Britain First…
-
Michel Galabru and Louis de Funès in the comedy ‘Le gendarme et les gendarmettes’: No ‘affection’ for his movies. ‘La Cage aux Folles’ actor Michel Galabru dead at 93: Embodiment of ‘traditional family values’ in international box office hit Michel Galabru, best known internationally for…
-
Ben-Hur movie: Ramon Novarro starred in the silent version, at the time the most expensive film production and the biggest worldwide blockbuster in history. ‘Ben-Hur’ movie: Semi-biblical epic starring Ramon Novarro became most expensive and most successful blockbuster in history Christmas 2015 is just around…
-
Sight and Sound: Directed by Marcel L’Herbier, L’Inhumaine features Jaque Catelain and Georgette Leblanc in a great-looking (Fernand Léger sets) mix of science-fiction and sex melodrama. Marcel L’Herbier silent ‘L’Inhumaine’: Sight and sound integration For me, the real jewel in the crown of the San Francisco Silent Film…
-
Marion Cotillard naked and doomed: Psycho shower scene scream that turned Janet Leigh into a film icon. Marion Cotillard naked & screaming in ‘Psycho’ shower scene A few years ago – more exactly, in Feb./March 2008 – Vanity Fair published a series of images honoring…
-
‘7 Faces of Dr. Lao’ with Tony Randall delivering a ‘bravura performance’: Things are not as they seem. ‘7 Faces of Dr. Lao’ movie: ‘Things are not as they seem’ Director George Pal’s 7 Faces of Dr. Lao surprises on multiple levels: its witty screenplay…
-
Marjorie Lord actress ca. early 1950s: Mother of Oscar-nominated performer. Actress Marjorie Lord: Best remembered for long-running hit TV series ‘Make Room for Daddy’ Stage, film, and television actress Marjorie Lord, best remembered as Danny Thomas’ second wife in the TV sitcom Make Room for…
-
Joan Crawford in ‘Mildred Pierce’: Best Actress Oscar winner enjoyed a triumphant comeback. ‘Mildred Pierce’ 1945 movie review: Very entertaining ‘soap opera’ Time has a way of making some films seem grander than they really are. A good example is Mildred Pierce, the 1945 black-and-white…