The preview opening of the new exhibit Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood on Thursday night was a crowded, buzzing affair. Held at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in the historic Lasky DeMille Barn across from the Hollywood Bowl, the event showcased the items of over 20 movie collectors. Memorabilia hunters, dressed in fedoras and flirty ’40s dresses, gabbed about their latest finds with others who have a similar passion.
The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume...
The highlight of the night was when the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins (who played a little Greta Garbo in 1933’s Queen Christina), the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. Sitting at a tableau that recreated a party thrown for her by MGM in 1935, Collins elegantly thanked everyone for their well wishes. Actor George Chakiris was also in attendance, and he posed next to a costume...
- 4/5/2024
- by Hadley Meares
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Gilded Age Season 2 ended with a bang as fireworks lit up the sky over the Brooklyn Bridge, and many of the characters looked excitedly toward their future.
The faster pace and unabashed drama of the show's sophomore season attracted new fans and kept viewers guessing what would happen each week.
Race relations and labor strikes were key elements this season and added historical heft to this soapy series that is as relentlessly entertaining as Nathan Lane's accent.
Has The Gilded Age Been Renewed?
Yes! Fans of The Gilded Age received an early Christmas present when HBO announced the show's renewal for a third season on December 21, 2023.
How Did The Gilded Age Season 2 End?
The season-long "Opera War" between Bertha Russell and Mrs. Mary Astor seemed up for grabs until the last moments of the finale when His Grace, the Duke of Buckingham's arrival, cemented victory for Mrs.
The faster pace and unabashed drama of the show's sophomore season attracted new fans and kept viewers guessing what would happen each week.
Race relations and labor strikes were key elements this season and added historical heft to this soapy series that is as relentlessly entertaining as Nathan Lane's accent.
Has The Gilded Age Been Renewed?
Yes! Fans of The Gilded Age received an early Christmas present when HBO announced the show's renewal for a third season on December 21, 2023.
How Did The Gilded Age Season 2 End?
The season-long "Opera War" between Bertha Russell and Mrs. Mary Astor seemed up for grabs until the last moments of the finale when His Grace, the Duke of Buckingham's arrival, cemented victory for Mrs.
- 3/29/2024
- by Paullette Gaudet
- TVfanatic
At the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929, native Pennsylvanian Janet Gaynor made history as the first American-born performer to win an Oscar by taking the Best Actress prize for her body of work in “7th Heaven,” “Street Angel,” and “Sunrise.” Over the subsequent 95 years, 215 more thespians originating from the United States won the academy’s favor, meaning the country has now produced 68.1% of all individual acting Oscar recipients. Considering the last decade alone, the rate of such winners is even higher, at 70.3%.
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Dashing, magnetic superstar Ricardo Montalbán got his start in the 1940s, appearing in numerous notable hit films in his native Mexico, playing a variety of roles in romantic dramas, historical comedies, and other swashbuckling adventures. His natural dazzle and ineffable "it" qualities caught the eye of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1947, and he shot the English-language film "Fiesta" with Esther Williams, Cyd Charisse, and Mary Astor. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Montalbán became incredibly busy, starring in romances, dramas, and an enormous amount of American TV, including one-shot TV movies and multiple notable hit shows. He was in "Dr. Kildare," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Gunsmoke," "Hawaii Five-o," and, of course, "Star Trek," playing the charismatic tyrant Khan Noonien Singh.
A new generation of Montalbán fans was born with the debut of "Fantasy Island" in 1978. On "Fantasy Island," Montalbán played the mysterious Mr. Roarke, the manager of Devil's Island, a remote, hard-to-get-to tropical paradise...
A new generation of Montalbán fans was born with the debut of "Fantasy Island" in 1978. On "Fantasy Island," Montalbán played the mysterious Mr. Roarke, the manager of Devil's Island, a remote, hard-to-get-to tropical paradise...
- 1/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In 2020 – for the first time in seven years – the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category saw a lone nomination, meaning that a film was recognized there and nowhere else. This achievement is attributed to Kathy Bates (“Richard Jewell”), who competed for no major precursors except the Golden Globe but still managed to bump Critics Choice, SAG, and Globe nominee Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”). Perhaps unsurprisingly given the length of the streak she broke, there has yet to be a lone contender in any of her category’s subsequent lineups.
Since the introduction of the two gendered supporting Oscars in 1937, there have been 57 female lone nominees and 54 male ones, with over half of the entrants on the former roster having been added before 1977. The one who directly preceded Bates was Helen Hunt, whose inclusion in her lineup was much more heavily predicted. Coincidentally, both women had the perceived advantage of being former Best Actress champions,...
Since the introduction of the two gendered supporting Oscars in 1937, there have been 57 female lone nominees and 54 male ones, with over half of the entrants on the former roster having been added before 1977. The one who directly preceded Bates was Helen Hunt, whose inclusion in her lineup was much more heavily predicted. Coincidentally, both women had the perceived advantage of being former Best Actress champions,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
If you’re on any form of social media, you probably know that on January 1, an early incarnation of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain. This prompted the usual memes putting the beloved character in decidedly adult situations and, in just a few months, we’ll be treated to a Mickey Mouse slasher film.
For a different, more pastoral, approach to elevated fan fic — this one conducted with the approval of the Dashiell Hammett Estate, rather than public domain — look to six-episode limited series Monsieur Spade, which will roll out on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.
Hailing from the powerhouse creative duo of Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) and boasting a likably droll central turn by Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade takes Hammett’s Sam Spade and drops him into a bucolic retirement in the South of France. There, rather than reconfiguring the protagonist for an ironic excursion to the dark side,...
For a different, more pastoral, approach to elevated fan fic — this one conducted with the approval of the Dashiell Hammett Estate, rather than public domain — look to six-episode limited series Monsieur Spade, which will roll out on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.
Hailing from the powerhouse creative duo of Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) and boasting a likably droll central turn by Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade takes Hammett’s Sam Spade and drops him into a bucolic retirement in the South of France. There, rather than reconfiguring the protagonist for an ironic excursion to the dark side,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
f it was the summer of the megawatt blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” September has turned into a month of sequelitis with “The Nun 2,” “Equalizer 3” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.” Even Kenneth Branagh’s “A Hunting in Venice,” is the third installment in the actor/director’s Hercule Poirot mystery series. It’s all a bit of a snooze. That wasn’t the case 70 years ago this month.
There were some oddball films that were released September, 1953 including “Cat-Women of the Moon” with Sonny Tufts and Marie Windsor and “The Sins of Jezebel” starring Paulette Goddard. But 70 years ago, audiences were introduced to a new wide-screen format and young actress who would become one of the biggest stars of the 1950s and ‘60s and Clark Gable returning to a role he originated in 1932.
Twentieth Century Fox’s Darryl F. Zanuck unveiled the studio’s new widescreen process Cinemascope...
There were some oddball films that were released September, 1953 including “Cat-Women of the Moon” with Sonny Tufts and Marie Windsor and “The Sins of Jezebel” starring Paulette Goddard. But 70 years ago, audiences were introduced to a new wide-screen format and young actress who would become one of the biggest stars of the 1950s and ‘60s and Clark Gable returning to a role he originated in 1932.
Twentieth Century Fox’s Darryl F. Zanuck unveiled the studio’s new widescreen process Cinemascope...
- 9/19/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Four years after “Black Panther” became the first Oscar-winning film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” cast member Angela Bassett has made history as the first person to achieve academy recognition for an MCU performance. Included among the numerous actors with whom she reunites in the 2022 sequel is Lupita Nyong’o, who first played her role of Nakia four years after earning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “12 Years a Slave.” If Bassett ends up prevailing in the same category this year, Nyong’o will be the 16th woman to have acted in a film that won the same Oscar she previously received.
Until this year, “12 Years a Slave” was the only acting Oscar-nominated film Nyong’o had appeared in. Two of her cast mates in the 2014 Best Picture winner – Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender – respectively competed for the male lead and supporting prizes but eventually...
Until this year, “12 Years a Slave” was the only acting Oscar-nominated film Nyong’o had appeared in. Two of her cast mates in the 2014 Best Picture winner – Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender – respectively competed for the male lead and supporting prizes but eventually...
- 3/7/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Burbank, Calif., February 15, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, three classic and beloved films from the Warner Bros. library – The Maltese Falcon, Cool Hand Luke, and Rebel Without a Cause – will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital this April.
On April 4, The Maltese Falcon and Cool Hand Luke will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
On April 4, Rebel Without a Cause will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers. On April 18 it will be available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc will include each feature film in 4K with Hdr...
On April 4, The Maltese Falcon and Cool Hand Luke will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
On April 4, Rebel Without a Cause will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers. On April 18 it will be available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc will include each feature film in 4K with Hdr...
- 2/20/2023
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Film Noir is a universe based around mystery, the femme fatale, and the detective. Sex, lies and murder is the seductive tone that created the visually stimulating art form of cinema that began in the 1940s with The Maltese Falcon.
The film is considered the first real noir that starred Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart and set off a chain of mainstream hits of films including Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce; The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Third Man.
The Faces of Noir: Studio Portraits Featuring the Silver Screen Stars Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart & Rita Hayworth
The genre ‘Noir’ was coined by French critic Nino Frank and would define the cat-and-mouse murder mystery era of film with memorable fiendish crooks, stylish bombshells, and deadly characters who set the silver screen alight for two decades.
Films that have stood the test of time with style and substance include Alfred Hitchcock’s...
The film is considered the first real noir that starred Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart and set off a chain of mainstream hits of films including Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce; The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Third Man.
The Faces of Noir: Studio Portraits Featuring the Silver Screen Stars Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart & Rita Hayworth
The genre ‘Noir’ was coined by French critic Nino Frank and would define the cat-and-mouse murder mystery era of film with memorable fiendish crooks, stylish bombshells, and deadly characters who set the silver screen alight for two decades.
Films that have stood the test of time with style and substance include Alfred Hitchcock’s...
- 11/29/2022
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
About 43 minutes into the 1933 pre-code horror classic “King Kong,” aspiring actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) finds herself on a remote island struggling to free herself from the two stone pillars she’s tied to as an offering for the giant ape its inhabitants worship. The trees rustle, and then we see him. Kong. The camera quickly cuts to Wray, who instantly freezes, holding in her breath as if her life depended on it. The camera zooms in on the ape’s face, his eyes growing wide, then suddenly cuts back to Wray, who lets out the most iconic blood-curdling scream in cinema history.
And thus, the scream queen was born.
“I’d become Hollywood’s scream queen without even realizing it,” Wray told journalist James Bawden in a 1989 interview. After the film wrapped, Wray recorded what she called an “Aria of Agonies” — screams and moans for the editors to use as they pleased.
And thus, the scream queen was born.
“I’d become Hollywood’s scream queen without even realizing it,” Wray told journalist James Bawden in a 1989 interview. After the film wrapped, Wray recorded what she called an “Aria of Agonies” — screams and moans for the editors to use as they pleased.
- 10/13/2022
- by Marya E. Gates
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
Rock and roll lives on in the history of this Tudor-inspired 1938 home in Hollywood Hills. Previously owned by The Doors drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Densmore, the home played host to band rehearsals downstairs in a room made from the garage. Led by frontman Jim Morrison, the LA-born 1960s band could be seen rehearsing through the windows, where neighbors would often watch them playing.
Tucked away in Laurel Canyon with views overlooking Los Angeles from downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the 1,813 square foot residence sits on an 8,495 square foot lot with three bedrooms. Famous past neighbors of the canyon include old Hollywood movie stars such as Ginger Rogers, Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, and Mary Astor, as well as singers Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
Currently on the market for 2,199,000, the home is centrally located near Hollywood nightlife,...
Rock and roll lives on in the history of this Tudor-inspired 1938 home in Hollywood Hills. Previously owned by The Doors drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Densmore, the home played host to band rehearsals downstairs in a room made from the garage. Led by frontman Jim Morrison, the LA-born 1960s band could be seen rehearsing through the windows, where neighbors would often watch them playing.
Tucked away in Laurel Canyon with views overlooking Los Angeles from downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean, the 1,813 square foot residence sits on an 8,495 square foot lot with three bedrooms. Famous past neighbors of the canyon include old Hollywood movie stars such as Ginger Rogers, Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, and Mary Astor, as well as singers Carole King and Joni Mitchell.
Currently on the market for 2,199,000, the home is centrally located near Hollywood nightlife,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sydney Odman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Friday marks 100 years since the former child star’s birth. And, while she was never allowed to properly grow up on screen, her performances show range – and some standout songs
A very silly and frankly odd musical, although perhaps not quite odd enough to qualify for cult status. Judy Garland plays a girl called Pinkie who is worried about her widowed mother, played by Mary Astor – and believes she needs to get remarried to a nice man. So with her pal Buzz, she in effect kidnaps her bemused but indulgent mother in a trailer and tours around the country looking for a likely stepdad candidate – and hits on Walter Pidgeon. As so often, Garland steals it with a standout song, this one being Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.
A very silly and frankly odd musical, although perhaps not quite odd enough to qualify for cult status. Judy Garland plays a girl called Pinkie who is worried about her widowed mother, played by Mary Astor – and believes she needs to get remarried to a nice man. So with her pal Buzz, she in effect kidnaps her bemused but indulgent mother in a trailer and tours around the country looking for a likely stepdad candidate – and hits on Walter Pidgeon. As so often, Garland steals it with a standout song, this one being Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.
- 6/9/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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“You’LL Take It And Like It”
By Raymond Benson
The late Peter Bogdanovich called it “the first great detective movie.” That statement is possibly arguable, but there is no question that the 1941 version of The Maltese Falcon was the beginning of something new. Film historians will forever debate what the first film noir might have been, but Falcon is one of the contenders. The film presented a cynical, hard boiled detective in Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), utilized German expressionism in its cinematography and design, and a pessimistic tone. Falcon also truly launched Bogart into the A-list. Prior to this, Bogart usually played villains in crime pictures, third billed or ever further down the line.
The Maltese Falcon is of course based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel, originally serialized in 1929. Warner Brothers immediately bought the film rights, and an initial adaptation was made...
“You’LL Take It And Like It”
By Raymond Benson
The late Peter Bogdanovich called it “the first great detective movie.” That statement is possibly arguable, but there is no question that the 1941 version of The Maltese Falcon was the beginning of something new. Film historians will forever debate what the first film noir might have been, but Falcon is one of the contenders. The film presented a cynical, hard boiled detective in Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), utilized German expressionism in its cinematography and design, and a pessimistic tone. Falcon also truly launched Bogart into the A-list. Prior to this, Bogart usually played villains in crime pictures, third billed or ever further down the line.
The Maltese Falcon is of course based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel, originally serialized in 1929. Warner Brothers immediately bought the film rights, and an initial adaptation was made...
- 4/20/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
For almost 100 years, the motion picture academy has honored the best in film, but many times the winners aren’t always the best remembered, or the films that go on to become classics. At the 14th ceremony, “How Green Was My Valley” famously won Best Picture over “Citizen Kane,” now considered by most filmmakers, historians and cinephiles as the greatest movie ever made – and even those who disagree acknowledge its profound influence on the industry. Additionally, there were quite a few now-classic films and performances that either didn’t win, or were snubbed altogether. Let’s flashback 80 years ago to the 1942 Oscars ceremony.
SEE15 biggest Oscar Best Picture upsets, ranked
Hosted by Bob Hope, the ceremony took place on February 26, less than three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a month after beloved actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash – while returning home after selling war bonds.
SEE15 biggest Oscar Best Picture upsets, ranked
Hosted by Bob Hope, the ceremony took place on February 26, less than three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a month after beloved actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash – while returning home after selling war bonds.
- 1/27/2022
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
As the director and producer of both “House of Gucci” and “The Last Duel,” Ridley Scott is poised to score big when the 2022 Oscar nominations are announced three months from now. Reaping double Best Picture or Best Director bids would make the 83-year-old the first to pull off either feat since Steven Soderbergh did so in 2001. Even if he ends up being left out of both lineups, he could still make history if academy voters decide to recognize the work of his two leading ladies. If Jodie Comer (“The Last Duel”) and Lady Gaga (“House of Gucci”) are both chosen to compete for Best Actress, Scott will become the fifth person to direct female leads from different films to nominations in a single year.
The first of these rare occurrences dates back to the third Oscars ceremony in 1930 when Nancy Carroll (“The Devil’s Holiday”) and Gloria Swanson (“The Trespasser...
The first of these rare occurrences dates back to the third Oscars ceremony in 1930 when Nancy Carroll (“The Devil’s Holiday”) and Gloria Swanson (“The Trespasser...
- 11/9/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
A dark, steely performance from Humphrey Bogart is at the cynical heart of John Huston’s adaptation of the classic detective novel
John Huston’s adaptation of the Dashiell Hammett novel, as well as having the greatest MacGuffin of all time, is a ringing disproof of Raymond Chandler’s belief that detective stories depend on men coming through doors with guns. People arrive with guns a good deal in The Maltese Falcon, but mostly without them; Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade makes a point of telling us he prefers to be unarmed, and he has a very cool line in disarming other people. And what a superb performance from Bogart: darker, steelier and more ambiguous than his Rick in Casablanca, with all the world-weary cynicism, but none of the romantic sacrifice – just a strangely opaque manipulative streak, a need to use the women that cross his path. It’s a tough wised-up routine,...
John Huston’s adaptation of the Dashiell Hammett novel, as well as having the greatest MacGuffin of all time, is a ringing disproof of Raymond Chandler’s belief that detective stories depend on men coming through doors with guns. People arrive with guns a good deal in The Maltese Falcon, but mostly without them; Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade makes a point of telling us he prefers to be unarmed, and he has a very cool line in disarming other people. And what a superb performance from Bogart: darker, steelier and more ambiguous than his Rick in Casablanca, with all the world-weary cynicism, but none of the romantic sacrifice – just a strangely opaque manipulative streak, a need to use the women that cross his path. It’s a tough wised-up routine,...
- 9/17/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
After exploring “The Civil War,” “Baseball” and “Country Music,” award-winning documentarian Ken Burns and his frequent collaborator Lynn Novick examined the importance of being Ernest Hemingway in their three-part PBS documentary “Hemingway.” Premiering in April to strong reviews and Emmys buzz, the series weaves Papa’s biography with excerpts from his fiction, non-fiction, and personal correspondence. The series also reviews the mythology around the larger-than-life Hemingway, who penned such classic novels as “The Sun Also Rises,” “A Farewell to Arms,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea,” to reveal the truth behind the bravado.
Feature film adaptations of Hemingway’s works had mixed results. Hemingway Bff Gary Cooper excelled in 1932’s “A Farewell to Arms” and 1943’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter. John Garfield gave one of his strongest performance in 1950’s superb noir “The Breaking Point,” based...
Feature film adaptations of Hemingway’s works had mixed results. Hemingway Bff Gary Cooper excelled in 1932’s “A Farewell to Arms” and 1943’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter. John Garfield gave one of his strongest performance in 1950’s superb noir “The Breaking Point,” based...
- 5/21/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Netflix’s new anime The Way of the Househusband is a hilarious slice-of-life comedy worth checking out.
“There are few things in this world funnier than watching an otherwise extremely scary individual being forced to do something mundane. That is the exact form of comedy that Netflix’s new slice-of-life anime series The Way of the Househusband is predicated on, and it’s uproariously funny every single time.”
Read more at Thrillist.
Old Hollywood actress Mary Astor and her Purple Diary were at the center of the biggest sex scandal in the 1930s.
“In 1936, Mary Astor, star of The Maltese Falcon (1941), was the center of a Hollywood scandal so big, it knocked news of Hitler off the front page. Her estranged husband stole her private diaries, called the Purple or Lavender Diary, to use in a bitter custody battle.”
Read more at Mental Floss.
The CW’s live-action Powerpuff Girls just released some behind-the-scenes photos,...
“There are few things in this world funnier than watching an otherwise extremely scary individual being forced to do something mundane. That is the exact form of comedy that Netflix’s new slice-of-life anime series The Way of the Househusband is predicated on, and it’s uproariously funny every single time.”
Read more at Thrillist.
Old Hollywood actress Mary Astor and her Purple Diary were at the center of the biggest sex scandal in the 1930s.
“In 1936, Mary Astor, star of The Maltese Falcon (1941), was the center of a Hollywood scandal so big, it knocked news of Hitler off the front page. Her estranged husband stole her private diaries, called the Purple or Lavender Diary, to use in a bitter custody battle.”
Read more at Mental Floss.
The CW’s live-action Powerpuff Girls just released some behind-the-scenes photos,...
- 4/9/2021
- by Ivan Huang
- Den of Geek
Have you listened to the 1938 Smackdown yet? Such a lively conversation about very memorable movies, for better and worse. We've embedded it again below but some of my personal favourite bits are Steven Weber's Jimmy Stewart impression, Joanna Robinson's reaction to the "twist" in Of Human Hearts, Glow's Britney Young talking about having a very expressive face and directors asking you to tone it down, and Claudio's deep hatred of opera voices of the 1930s via The Great Waltz.
As A Special Bonus Treat
I was the guest star on "And the Runner Up" Podcast this week discussing 1938 as well though our focus on that podcast was the Best Picture battle between Boys Town and You Can't Take It With You. You can listen to that here. Kevin is such a great guy and will be one of our panelists for the 1965 Smackdown in October.
1938 Articles
The...
As A Special Bonus Treat
I was the guest star on "And the Runner Up" Podcast this week discussing 1938 as well though our focus on that podcast was the Best Picture battle between Boys Town and You Can't Take It With You. You can listen to that here. Kevin is such a great guy and will be one of our panelists for the 1965 Smackdown in October.
1938 Articles
The...
- 9/19/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Before each Smackdown, Nick Taylor considers alternates to Oscar's Best Supporting Actress roster...
Thank you to everyone who recommended performances from 1938 to look into! And a big thanks, especially, to joel6, whose suggestion inspired today's write-up.
Mary Astor made five movies in 1938. Three of them - Listen, Darling, Paradise for Three, and There’s Always a Woman - are still relatively easy to track down online. One of these missing titles, Woman Against Woman, barely seems to exist anymore. I also couldn’t find No Time to Marry anywhere, which is a shame since it sounds like an actual leading role. But the three titles one can easily find all provide a snapshot of this endlessly talented actress doing her thing across a wide range of genres and archetypes...
Thank you to everyone who recommended performances from 1938 to look into! And a big thanks, especially, to joel6, whose suggestion inspired today's write-up.
Mary Astor made five movies in 1938. Three of them - Listen, Darling, Paradise for Three, and There’s Always a Woman - are still relatively easy to track down online. One of these missing titles, Woman Against Woman, barely seems to exist anymore. I also couldn’t find No Time to Marry anywhere, which is a shame since it sounds like an actual leading role. But the three titles one can easily find all provide a snapshot of this endlessly talented actress doing her thing across a wide range of genres and archetypes...
- 9/4/2020
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
“Somewhere out there at this moment, a murder is being contemplated, and all I can do is wait for death. I start at death, and I have to work my way back to life. And when I find life, I have to destroy it.”
Lon Chaney in Inner Sanctum Mysteries Blu-ray Collection From Mill Creek Entertainment Arrives September 22nd
Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940’s, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan.
You’ll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives timeless performances in these spooky feature-length films.
Calling Dr. Death – 1943 – A doctor is not sure if he murdered his wife and has his nurse try to find the truth by hypnotizing him.
Lon Chaney in Inner Sanctum Mysteries Blu-ray Collection From Mill Creek Entertainment Arrives September 22nd
Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940’s, this collectible set is a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan.
You’ll have a hauntingly good time with horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr., as he gives timeless performances in these spooky feature-length films.
Calling Dr. Death – 1943 – A doctor is not sure if he murdered his wife and has his nurse try to find the truth by hypnotizing him.
- 8/3/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Netflix officially closed their deal to acquire the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard and will team with the venue’s nonprofit American Cinematheque. Deadline first broke the news last August of the streamer’s interest in the Sid Grauman built venue.
The American Cinematheque organization, established in 1984 will remain a non-profit, with the organization’s curation team intact, and along with Netflix will continue to expand the cinema’s movie and event programming. Netflix will invest in the theatre’s renovation and will use the revitalized space for special events, screenings and premieres during the week. The Cinematheque will continue to program and operate a second historic theater, the Aero in Santa Monica.
“The Egyptian Theatre is an incredible part of Hollywood history and has been treasured by the Los Angeles film community for nearly a century,” said Scott Stuber, head of Netflix Films. “We’re honored to partner with...
The American Cinematheque organization, established in 1984 will remain a non-profit, with the organization’s curation team intact, and along with Netflix will continue to expand the cinema’s movie and event programming. Netflix will invest in the theatre’s renovation and will use the revitalized space for special events, screenings and premieres during the week. The Cinematheque will continue to program and operate a second historic theater, the Aero in Santa Monica.
“The Egyptian Theatre is an incredible part of Hollywood history and has been treasured by the Los Angeles film community for nearly a century,” said Scott Stuber, head of Netflix Films. “We’re honored to partner with...
- 5/29/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix and the American Cinematheque are partnering on a deal to invest in the restoration of the historic, century-old Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the two groups announced Friday.
TheWrap reported in April 2019 that Netflix was in early talks to buy the Egyptian Theatre from American Cinematheque, and the deal has now closed, though it was reported at the time the deal is part of an effort to restore the cinema and not expand to brick and mortar theater operations.
Netflix will invest in the theater’s renovation and will use the space for events, screenings and premieres during the week, while the non-profit film organization American Cinematheque will continue to curate its movie program on the weekends. The announcement says that the partnership will allow American Cinematheque to expand the scope of its event programming, festivals and educational outreach.
Also Read: Netflix Saves NYC's Historic Paris Theatre From Closure...
TheWrap reported in April 2019 that Netflix was in early talks to buy the Egyptian Theatre from American Cinematheque, and the deal has now closed, though it was reported at the time the deal is part of an effort to restore the cinema and not expand to brick and mortar theater operations.
Netflix will invest in the theater’s renovation and will use the space for events, screenings and premieres during the week, while the non-profit film organization American Cinematheque will continue to curate its movie program on the weekends. The announcement says that the partnership will allow American Cinematheque to expand the scope of its event programming, festivals and educational outreach.
Also Read: Netflix Saves NYC's Historic Paris Theatre From Closure...
- 5/29/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
by Nick Taylor
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
- 5/21/2020
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
Walter Huston and May Astor in Dodsworth is currently available on Blu-ray From Warner Archive. Ordering information can be found Here
” Love has got to stop some place short of suicide. “
Based on the best-selling novel by Sinclair Lewis, this “handsome, intelligent film” (Los Angeles Times) garnered seven Academy Award ® nominations, winning one*, and is “one of the authentic masterpieces of the 1930s” (Filmex Guide). Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston) is a small-town rags-to-riches millionaire who finds that his money cannot bring him happiness. His unsatisfied wife, Fran (Ruth Chatterton), seeking glamour and sophistication, persuades him to take her on a grand tour of Europe, where she promptly deserts him for a romantic but penniless baron. Brokenhearted, Sam meets Edith (Mary Astor), an understanding widow who arouses passions he never thought he had and sets him on a collision course with his wife, unleashing a torrent of desire, betrayal and shocking revelations.
” Love has got to stop some place short of suicide. “
Based on the best-selling novel by Sinclair Lewis, this “handsome, intelligent film” (Los Angeles Times) garnered seven Academy Award ® nominations, winning one*, and is “one of the authentic masterpieces of the 1930s” (Filmex Guide). Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston) is a small-town rags-to-riches millionaire who finds that his money cannot bring him happiness. His unsatisfied wife, Fran (Ruth Chatterton), seeking glamour and sophistication, persuades him to take her on a grand tour of Europe, where she promptly deserts him for a romantic but penniless baron. Brokenhearted, Sam meets Edith (Mary Astor), an understanding widow who arouses passions he never thought he had and sets him on a collision course with his wife, unleashing a torrent of desire, betrayal and shocking revelations.
- 3/30/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s ‘Marriage Story’ circa 1936. Talk about older shows that still pack a dramatic wallop… William Wyler’s most celebrated ’30s film is this Sinclair Lewis adaptation. The Production Code frowned on disrespecting the institution of marriage, but Wyler & writer Sidney Howard keep the divorce theme intact — their well-off couple learn more about each other and simply grow apart. Industrialist Walter Huston gets pushed a little too far. His social-climbing wife Ruth Chatterton doesn’t appreciate what she’s got, while luscious Mary Astor is the Depression equivalent of a Malibu Earth Mother.
Dodsworth
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1936 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date March 24, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, David Niven, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté
Film Editor: Daniel Mandell
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by Sidney Howard from his play of the novel by Sinclair Lewis...
Dodsworth
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1936 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date March 24, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, David Niven, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya.
Cinematography: Rudolph Maté
Film Editor: Daniel Mandell
Original Music: Alfred Newman
Written by Sidney Howard from his play of the novel by Sinclair Lewis...
- 3/17/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This remake of Warners’ 1924 John Barrymore feature gives us Elizabeth Taylor in the Mary Astor role, Stewart Granger as the fashion dandy of the Restoration Period, and a scene-stealing Peter Ustinov as a lonely, needy Prince of Wales. The history is still weak, but it at least doesn’t turn Brummell into a typical swashbuckler. Compensating are English actors that can get any script up on its feet, and Liz Taylor’s blue-violet eyes. And the Oswald Morris cinematography improves greatly on the MGM house style.
Beau Brummell
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Art Direction: Alfred Junge
Original Music: Richard Addinsell
Written by Karl Tunberg from...
Beau Brummell
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Art Direction: Alfred Junge
Original Music: Richard Addinsell
Written by Karl Tunberg from...
- 3/7/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This remake of Warners’ 1924 John Barrymore feature gives us Elizabeth Taylor in the Mary Astor role, Stewart Granger as the fashion dandy of the Restoration Period, and a scene-stealing Peter Ustinov as a lonely, needy Prince of Wales. The history is still weak, but it at least doesn’t turn Brummell into a typical swashbuckler. Compensating are English actors that can get any script up on its feet, and Liz Taylor’s blue-violet eyes. And the Oswald Morris cinematography improves greatly on the MGM house style.
Beau Brummell
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Art Direction: Alfred Junge
Original Music: Richard Addinsell
Written by Karl Tunberg from...
Beau Brummell
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1954 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date March 10, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, Robert Morley, James Donald, James Hayter, Rosemary Harris, Paul Rogers, Noel Willman, Peter Dyneley, Peter Bull, Finlay Currie, David Peel.
Cinematography: Oswald Morris
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Art Direction: Alfred Junge
Original Music: Richard Addinsell
Written by Karl Tunberg from...
- 3/7/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
I’ve said it before, but it’s really wonderful that Briarpatch creator and showrunner Andy Greenwald decided to gender-swap the lead from Ross Thomas’ novel. Not only did it give Rosario Dawson a chance to headline a series, but it provided her an opportunity to play a character-type that she’s so strongly suited for. I imagine when casting a noir, Dawson would strike some as being perfect for the femme fatale, but Briarpatch proves she makes a better Bogart than a Mary Astor.
“Breadknife Weather” is an incredible showcase for Dawson. Finally being forced to emotionally confront the death of her sister, Dawson careens from anger, gallows laughter, quite reflection, disgust, and good old fashioned grief. We finally get the details about Allegra’s past in San Bonifacio, her parents’ tragic death, and her past relationship with her sister, including the last time that she saw Felicity alive.
“Breadknife Weather” is an incredible showcase for Dawson. Finally being forced to emotionally confront the death of her sister, Dawson careens from anger, gallows laughter, quite reflection, disgust, and good old fashioned grief. We finally get the details about Allegra’s past in San Bonifacio, her parents’ tragic death, and her past relationship with her sister, including the last time that she saw Felicity alive.
- 3/3/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Above: Italian 4-foglio for Dodsworth; illustrated by Anselmo Ballester.William Wyler’s 1936 masterpiece of mid-life crises and European travel, Dodsworth, will play in all its glory at Alice Tully Hall in a brand new restoration at this year’s New York Film Festival. To be introduced by playwright and director Kenneth Lonergan and Wyler’s daughters Catherine and Melanie, it will be a tony affair, as befitting this classiest of productions. Based on Nobel Prize-winning author Sinclair Lewis’ 1929 novel—which had already been adapted very successfully for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Sidney Howard—about a wealthy midwestern industrialist, Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston), who retires and takes his restless wife (Ruth Chatterton) on a grand tour of Europe, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and shot by Rudolph Maté, who had previously shot Dreyer’s Vampyr and The Passion of Joan of Arc, Dodsworth was a prestige production par excellence. And...
- 9/20/2019
- MUBI
With this year marking the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien and the 25th anniversary of Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption, Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies are teaming up to celebrate in style and bring both films back to theaters:
Press Release: Denver – July 23, 2019 – After a spectacular first six months of 2019, Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will bring seven more classic films to movie theaters in the second half of the year, beginning with Barbra Streisand starring in Gene Kelly’s lavish adaptation of Hello, Dolly!, and ending with a newly announced presentation of the MGM musical classic Meet Me in St. Louis.
For its 50th anniversary, Hello, Dolly! is back where she belongs: on the big screen, playing Sunday, August 11, and Wednesday, August 14. Winner of three Academy Awards®, Hello, Dolly! kicks off the second half of 2019’s TCM Big Screen Classics series,...
Press Release: Denver – July 23, 2019 – After a spectacular first six months of 2019, Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will bring seven more classic films to movie theaters in the second half of the year, beginning with Barbra Streisand starring in Gene Kelly’s lavish adaptation of Hello, Dolly!, and ending with a newly announced presentation of the MGM musical classic Meet Me in St. Louis.
For its 50th anniversary, Hello, Dolly! is back where she belongs: on the big screen, playing Sunday, August 11, and Wednesday, August 14. Winner of three Academy Awards®, Hello, Dolly! kicks off the second half of 2019’s TCM Big Screen Classics series,...
- 7/24/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
“It’s our last dance in St. Louis. I feel like I’m going to cry!”
The movie Meet Me In St. Louis turns 75 this year but the Tivoli Theater’s got it beat by 20 years!
75 years after its premiere, experience Meet Me In St. Louis in the beautifully restored main auditorium of the Tivoli Theatre. Surrounded by the grandeur and opulence of a bygone era, marvel at the timeless tale of the Smith girls in the lead-up to the 1904 World’s Fair. The screening is May 16th at 7pm. A Facebook invite can be found Here
On May 24, 2019, the Tivoli officially turns 95 years old. Accordingly, on May 16th, 2019, we will celebrate this milestone in a cinematic way, by showing Meet Me In St Louis (1944; this year marks 75 since its release). This film, being of special importance to the city of St. Louis (which turns 255 this year), was deemed the most appropriate film to play.
The movie Meet Me In St. Louis turns 75 this year but the Tivoli Theater’s got it beat by 20 years!
75 years after its premiere, experience Meet Me In St. Louis in the beautifully restored main auditorium of the Tivoli Theatre. Surrounded by the grandeur and opulence of a bygone era, marvel at the timeless tale of the Smith girls in the lead-up to the 1904 World’s Fair. The screening is May 16th at 7pm. A Facebook invite can be found Here
On May 24, 2019, the Tivoli officially turns 95 years old. Accordingly, on May 16th, 2019, we will celebrate this milestone in a cinematic way, by showing Meet Me In St Louis (1944; this year marks 75 since its release). This film, being of special importance to the city of St. Louis (which turns 255 this year), was deemed the most appropriate film to play.
- 4/25/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
William Wyler and a trio of fantastic actors make indelible movie history from a grim story by Henry James. How much of love is bald opportunism? How many successes married their way into money? And what’s a lovesick woman to do when a beau may not be true? This may be the key Wyler picture, with the strongest ‘staircase’ scene of them all.
The Heiress
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 974
1949 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 116 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: William Hornbeck
Original Music: Aaron Copland
Written by Ruth and Agustus Goetz from their play, from the book by Henry James
Produced and Directed by William Wyler
One of Hollywood’s finest directors, William Wyler turned out a high percentage of bona fide classics, distinguished adaptations of books and plays.
The Heiress
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 974
1949 / B&W / 1:37 flat full frame / 116 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date , 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: William Hornbeck
Original Music: Aaron Copland
Written by Ruth and Agustus Goetz from their play, from the book by Henry James
Produced and Directed by William Wyler
One of Hollywood’s finest directors, William Wyler turned out a high percentage of bona fide classics, distinguished adaptations of books and plays.
- 4/20/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The murky crimes of sordid characters come to the fore in the wide-open Nevada spaces… producer Hal Wallis’ Technicolor noir concentrates on the possessive and perverse competition for Lizabeth Scott’s luscious blonde — the mother that wants to corral her, the gangster who thinks she’s an escape and the local hunk who wears a badge. Robert Rossen’s edgy screenplay depicts its violent action on a psychological level.
Desert Fury
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1947 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 96 min. / Street Date Feb 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, John Hodiak, Wendell Corey, Mary Astor, Kristine Miller, William Harrigan, James Flavin, Anna Camargo, Ray Teal.
Cinematography: Edward Cronjager, Charles Lang
Film Editor: Warren Low
Original Music: Miklos Rosza
Written by Robert Rossen from the novel by Ramona Stewart
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Directed by Lewis Allen
As he was under contract to Hal Wallis, Burt Lancaster...
Desert Fury
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1947 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 96 min. / Street Date Feb 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, John Hodiak, Wendell Corey, Mary Astor, Kristine Miller, William Harrigan, James Flavin, Anna Camargo, Ray Teal.
Cinematography: Edward Cronjager, Charles Lang
Film Editor: Warren Low
Original Music: Miklos Rosza
Written by Robert Rossen from the novel by Ramona Stewart
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Directed by Lewis Allen
As he was under contract to Hal Wallis, Burt Lancaster...
- 1/22/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
We lost Madeline Kahn, a farceur extraordinaire, far too soon. And her list of film appearances, especially ones that fully showcase her unique comedic talents, is tragically short. But thank goodness for that marvelously mad Mel Brooks for letting her loose in a quartet of some of the most gut-bustingly funny female performances in cinematic history.
Kahn, who passed away at age 57 in 1999, would have celebrated her 76th birthday on September 29. What better way to salute her legacy on the big screen than to recall the two-time Oscar nominee’s 12 greatest movies, ranked from worst to best. Our photo gallery above includes “Blazing Saddles,” “What’s Up, Doc?” and “Young Frankenstein.”
SEEWhich 15 People Have the Egot?
12. History Of The World, Part 1 (1981)
There is a reason that there never was a “Part 2.” This slapdash episodic burlesque of eras past ranging from the Stone Age to the Spanish Inquisition finds Kahn as...
Kahn, who passed away at age 57 in 1999, would have celebrated her 76th birthday on September 29. What better way to salute her legacy on the big screen than to recall the two-time Oscar nominee’s 12 greatest movies, ranked from worst to best. Our photo gallery above includes “Blazing Saddles,” “What’s Up, Doc?” and “Young Frankenstein.”
SEEWhich 15 People Have the Egot?
12. History Of The World, Part 1 (1981)
There is a reason that there never was a “Part 2.” This slapdash episodic burlesque of eras past ranging from the Stone Age to the Spanish Inquisition finds Kahn as...
- 9/29/2018
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Dressed to KillMore from MoMA's spectacular retrospective (see part 1 of our guide here), skimming the cream from the top of the William Fox archives, a major studio whose films, apart from a few known classics by Frank Borzage, John Ford, et cetera, have been sunk in obscurity for too long. Fox opened his doors to experimental geniuses like F.W. Murnau and Erik Charell, and encouraged major talents like Ford, Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh and Borzage to spread their wings.In Borzage’s masterpiece 7th Heaven, how many viewers have any problem with the glaring fact that the garret where Janet Gaynor lives is apparently reached by two completely different stairwells, one that’s angular, for the crane shot, and one that’s spiral for the overhead angle?UpstreamThe idea is consistent with the expressionist approach at Fox. Edgar G. Ulmer claimed that the German expressionists would build a new set for every camera angle,...
- 5/21/2018
- MUBI
When is a private eye parody not a parody? Stephen Frears’ first feature strikes a delicate balance — its nearly absurd hardboiled lingo outdoes the spoofs, but the story and characters are pitched 100% straight. Albert Finney Is Eddie Ginley, surrounded by a pack of exciting, imaginatively cast actors.
Gumshoe
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / / Street Date March 19, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule, Carolyn Seymour, Fulton Mackay, George Innes, George Silver, Bill Dean, Wendy Richard, Maureen Lipman, Neville Smith, Oscar James.
Cinematography: Chris Menges
Film Editor: Charles Rees
Original Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Written by Neville Smith
Produced by Michael Medwin, Albert Finney
Directed by Stephen Frears
At first one thinks it’s a parody, and not a very good one. Then we wonder if Albert Finney is simply taking his Humphrey Bogart imitation out for a walk, as when he...
Gumshoe
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / / Street Date March 19, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99
Starring: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule, Carolyn Seymour, Fulton Mackay, George Innes, George Silver, Bill Dean, Wendy Richard, Maureen Lipman, Neville Smith, Oscar James.
Cinematography: Chris Menges
Film Editor: Charles Rees
Original Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Written by Neville Smith
Produced by Michael Medwin, Albert Finney
Directed by Stephen Frears
At first one thinks it’s a parody, and not a very good one. Then we wonder if Albert Finney is simply taking his Humphrey Bogart imitation out for a walk, as when he...
- 4/10/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The musical often feels like a relic of a long-dead Hollywood studio system, but it remains a genre that captures movies’ ability to create story worlds that move freely between reality and fantasy. The worst examples come from filmmakers who give license to music, color, and movement run amok; the best musicals transcend artifice and integrate songs that become expressions of pure character emotion. It offers endless possibilities, but success demands a complete mastery of the medium.
Very few current stars could learn the choreography of Busby Berkeley, Jerome Robbins, or Bob Fosse, and adapting a medium developed and most suited for the stage requires innovative direction. In translating the joy of a live musical to the magic of cinema, some things are easily lost in the shuffle.
Read More:The 10 Best Cinematographers of 2017, Ranked
From “A Star is Born” to “Singin’ in the Rain,” here are 20 musicals that represent the...
Very few current stars could learn the choreography of Busby Berkeley, Jerome Robbins, or Bob Fosse, and adapting a medium developed and most suited for the stage requires innovative direction. In translating the joy of a live musical to the magic of cinema, some things are easily lost in the shuffle.
Read More:The 10 Best Cinematographers of 2017, Ranked
From “A Star is Born” to “Singin’ in the Rain,” here are 20 musicals that represent the...
- 12/15/2017
- by Jude Dry, Chris O'Falt, Anne Thompson, Jamie Righetti, Jenna Marotta and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '44. A low class maid, a French baroness, a patriotic nurse, a weary shop-owner and a "Chinese" village woman battled it out for Oscar gold. We're here to re-judge that contest.
The Nominees
from left to right: Barrymore, Jones, Lansbury, MacMahon, Moorehead
Oscar was still besotted with recent nominees Jennifer Jones & Agnes Moorehead (both on their quick second nominations) but joining the party were two veterans who'd never been honored (Ethel Barrymore & Aline MacMahon) and one very fresh face who would go on to an enviably long cross-platform showbiz career, now in its 73rd year (!) -- Angela Lansbury in her film debut!
Notable supporting roles for women that the Academy passed over in 1944 were Mary Astor (Meet Me in St Louis), Shirley Temple (Since You Went Away), Dame May Whitty (Gaslight), and Joseph Hull & Jean Adair (Arsenic & Old Lace). Can you think of any others?...
The Nominees
from left to right: Barrymore, Jones, Lansbury, MacMahon, Moorehead
Oscar was still besotted with recent nominees Jennifer Jones & Agnes Moorehead (both on their quick second nominations) but joining the party were two veterans who'd never been honored (Ethel Barrymore & Aline MacMahon) and one very fresh face who would go on to an enviably long cross-platform showbiz career, now in its 73rd year (!) -- Angela Lansbury in her film debut!
Notable supporting roles for women that the Academy passed over in 1944 were Mary Astor (Meet Me in St Louis), Shirley Temple (Since You Went Away), Dame May Whitty (Gaslight), and Joseph Hull & Jean Adair (Arsenic & Old Lace). Can you think of any others?...
- 11/5/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Trouble Is My Business with Brittney Powell. Co-written by actor/voice actor Tom Konkle, who also directed, and Xena: Warrior Princess actress Brittney Powell, Trouble Is My Business is a humorous homage to film noirs of the 1940s and 1950s, among them John Huston's The Maltese Falcon and Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. Konkle stars in the sort of role that back in the '40s and '50s belonged to the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Dick Powell, and Alan Ladd. As the femme fatale, Brittney Powell is supposed to evoke memories of Jane Greer, Lizabeth Scott, Lauren Bacall, and Claire Trevor. 'Trouble Is My Business': Humorous film noir homage evokes memories of 'The Maltese Falcon' & 'Touch of Evil' A crunchy, witty, and often just plain funny mash-up of classic noir tropes, from hard-boiled private dicks to the easy-on-the-eyes femme fatales – in addition to dialogue worthy of Dashiell Hammett and, occasionally...
- 10/21/2017
- by Tim Cogshell
- Alt Film Guide
A happy discovery! This is a major late- silent-era gem on the order of Von Sternberg’s Docks of New York — a special treat that will please fans of director William Wellman — he revisited parts of it in a later talkie. It’s also a key movie in our education/adoration of the maverick actress Louise Brooks, the erotic sensation too hot and too independent for Hollywood.
Beggars of Life
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1928 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Aperture / 81 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Blue Washington, Roscoe Karns, Robert Perry, Guinn ‘Bog Boy’ Williams.
Cinematography: Henry Gerrard
Film Editor: Alyson Shaffer
Assistant Director: Charles Barton
Music: The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Written by Jim Tully and Benjamin Glazer from a novel by Jim Tully
Produced by Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor, William A. Wellman
Directed by William A. Wellman
Director...
Beggars of Life
Blu-ray
Kino Classics
1928 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Aperture / 81 min. / Street Date August 22, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Wallace Beery, Richard Arlen, Louise Brooks, Blue Washington, Roscoe Karns, Robert Perry, Guinn ‘Bog Boy’ Williams.
Cinematography: Henry Gerrard
Film Editor: Alyson Shaffer
Assistant Director: Charles Barton
Music: The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
Written by Jim Tully and Benjamin Glazer from a novel by Jim Tully
Produced by Jesse L. Lasky, Adolph Zukor, William A. Wellman
Directed by William A. Wellman
Director...
- 8/8/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ronald Colman: Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month in two major 1930s classics Updated: Turner Classic Movies' July 2017 Star of the Month is Ronald Colman, one of the finest performers of the studio era. On Thursday night, TCM presented five Colman star vehicles that should be popping up again in the not-too-distant future: A Tale of Two Cities, The Prisoner of Zenda, Kismet, Lucky Partners, and My Life with Caroline. The first two movies are among not only Colman's best, but also among Hollywood's best during its so-called Golden Age. Based on Charles Dickens' classic novel, Jack Conway's Academy Award-nominated A Tale of Two Cities (1936) is a rare Hollywood production indeed: it manages to effectively condense its sprawling source, it boasts first-rate production values, and it features a phenomenal central performance. Ah, it also shows its star without his trademark mustache – about as famous at the time as Clark Gable's. Perhaps...
- 7/21/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ricardo Cortez in 'Ten Cents a Dance,' with Barbara Stanwyck. No matter how unthankful the role, whether hero or heel – or, not infrequently, a combination of both – Cortez left his bedroom-eyed, mellifluous-voiced imprint in his pre-Production Code talkies. Besides Barbara Stanwyck, during the 1920s and 1930s Cortez made love to and/or life difficult for, a whole array of leading ladies of that era, including Bebe Daniels, Gloria Swanson, Betty Compson, Betty Bronson, Greta Garbo, Florence Vidor, Claudette Colbert, Mary Astor, Kay Francis, Joan Crawford, Irene Dunne, Joan Blondell, and Loretta Young*. (See previous post: “Ricardo Cortez Q&A: From Latin Lover to Multiethnic Heel.”) Not long after the coming of sound, Ricardo Cortez was mostly relegated to playing subordinate roles to his leading ladies – e.g., Kay Francis, Irene Dunne, Claudette Colbert – or leads in “bottom half of the double bill” programmers at Warner Bros. or on loan to other studios. Would...
- 7/7/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ricardo Cortez in 'Mandalay,' making love to Kay Francis – not long before he sells her into the 'white slave trade,' in which Francis reaches the top of her profession as a lavishly garbed Rangoon nightclub hostess known as 'Spot White.' Cortez was featured opposite a whole array of female stars during both the silent and the talkie eras. Earlier on, plots usually revolved around his heroic characters; later on, plots usually revolved around the characters of his victimized-but-heroic leading ladies, with Cortez cast as a heel of varying degrees of egotism. Besides 'Mandalay,' Ricardo Cortez and Kay Francis were featured together in 'Transgression,' 'The House on 56th Street,' and 'Wonder Bar.' (See previous post: “'Latin Lover' Ricardo Cortez: Q&A with Biographer Dan Van Neste.”) I am reminded of a humorous review of the melodramatic film Mandalay (1934), penned by Andre Sennwald in the...
- 7/7/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ricardo Cortez biography 'The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Films of Ricardo Cortez' – Paramount's 'Latin Lover' threat to a recalcitrant Rudolph Valentino, and a sly, seductive Sam Spade in the original film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 'The Maltese Falcon.' 'The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Films of Ricardo Cortez': Author Dan Van Neste remembers the silent era's 'Latin Lover' & the star of the original 'The Maltese Falcon' At odds with Famous Players-Lasky after the release of the 1922 critical and box office misfire The Young Rajah, Rudolph Valentino demands a fatter weekly paycheck and more control over his movie projects. The studio – a few years later to be reorganized under the name of its distribution arm, Paramount – balks. Valentino goes on a “one-man strike.” In 42nd Street-style, unknown 22-year-old Valentino look-alike contest winner Jacob Krantz of Manhattan steps in, shortly afterwards to become known worldwide as Latin Lover Ricardo Cortez of...
- 7/7/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jason from Mnpp here - I think that most of us have mixed (to put it mildly) feelings about Tom Cruise, who is celebrating his 55th birthday today (yes, he was Born on the Third of July). But there's no arguing that his radar for Big Mainstream Action Movie Success has seemed fairly fine tuned for all of the four decades that he's been batting in the major leagues. Well... until The Mummy this summer, which more than just being a bad movie (he's had plenty of those) felt like an actively bad choice for him particularly. The role didn't fit him and he didn't manage to make it fit him by the sheer force of smiling will that his stardom's been so foundationally built upon.
So perhaps that why now he's finally stepping back into the role that made him a star in the first place, and asking us...
So perhaps that why now he's finally stepping back into the role that made him a star in the first place, and asking us...
- 7/3/2017
- by JA
- FilmExperience
One of cinema's early comediennes, Dorothy Devore: between 1918 and 1930, the Ft. Worth-born actress was seen in nearly 100 movies, both features and shorts. Among them were 'Salvation Sue,' 'Naughty Mary Brown' and 'Saving Sister Susie,' all with frequent partner Earle Rodney. 'Comediennes of the Silent Era' & film historian Anthony Slide at the American Cinematheque Film historian and author Anthony Slide, once described by Lillian Gish as “our preeminent historian of the silent film,” will attend the American Cinematheque's 2017 Retroformat program “Comediennes of the Silent Era” on Sat., May 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the Spielberg Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Slide will be signing copies of his book She Could Be Chaplin!: The Comedic Brilliance of Alice Howell (University Press of Mississippi), about the largely forgotten pioneering comedy actress of the 1910s and early 1920s. The book signing will take place at 6:30 p.
- 5/5/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Bob Odenkirk's 30-plus-year career has included a stint as an SNL writer, a groundbreaking sketch series (Mr. Show), stand-up comedy, and, most recently, Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad prequel in which he gives a brilliant performance as "morally flexible" lawyer Jimmy McGill. And how has the 54-year-old actor's outlook changed over that three-decade span? "As a young man I was the fuckin' expert on comedy, on who was funny and who wasn't funny and who's a douchebag," he says. "I still feel those things but I don't think I'm so right.
- 4/5/2017
- Rollingstone.com
There’s nothing more fun than getting to watch classic movies the way they were intended–on the big screen!
Now, I understand plenty of people don’t want to go to a theater, spend a fortune on tickets, popcorn, and a drink just to see the glow of cell phones and hear people rudely talking while someone kicks your seat from behind, but that’s not the experience you’ll get at Landmark theaters affordable ‘Crime & Noir’ film series. St. Louis movie buffs are in for a treat as Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater will return with it’s ‘Classics on the Loop’ every Wednesday beginning April 5th at 7pm. This season, the Tivoli will screen, on their big screen (which seats 320 btw), eight crime and noir masterpiece that need to be seen in a theater with an audience. Admission is only $7.
One benefits of the big screen is...
Now, I understand plenty of people don’t want to go to a theater, spend a fortune on tickets, popcorn, and a drink just to see the glow of cell phones and hear people rudely talking while someone kicks your seat from behind, but that’s not the experience you’ll get at Landmark theaters affordable ‘Crime & Noir’ film series. St. Louis movie buffs are in for a treat as Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater will return with it’s ‘Classics on the Loop’ every Wednesday beginning April 5th at 7pm. This season, the Tivoli will screen, on their big screen (which seats 320 btw), eight crime and noir masterpiece that need to be seen in a theater with an audience. Admission is only $7.
One benefits of the big screen is...
- 3/22/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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