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Reviews
Unusual Occupations (1947)
Popular science series short subjects that ran in the old movie theaters
I'm a bit too young to remember these in the movies, but AMC on cable used to show them quite often between their feature films. They are a lot of fun to watch, particularly the "wonder" of new scientific marvels of the 30's and 40's that are now common in our daily lives. It would be terrific to see these charming vignettes of film history offered on DVD.
The mystique of blenders, choppers, toasters, convection ovens, jet planes, super highways, atomic energy experiments, automatic dishwashers, etc......things that we live with every day were the mysterious new inventions of the 30s and 40s.
Popular Science (1937)
Nostalgia at its best.
AMC used to show these short subjects from the 1930's and 1940's and I could watch them for hours. It is so entertaining and educational to see Hollywood (in the form of Paramount) marvelling at all these new-fangled contraptions that you and I take for granted. Wouldn't it be great if this series was available on DVD or VHS as a set?
The High and the Mighty (1954)
When the Copyright Dispute is Over....
For years now, IMDB has been reporting that this movie is in a copyright dispute. That may very well be why we don't have access to this "best of the best" by John Wayne. This was, in my humble opinion, the Duke's most sensitive and effective work of his distinguished career. Overall, the film, the plot, the beautiful movie theme song and the casting make this nominee for Best Picture a must-see if/when it is ever released. Whoever is holding up the resolution of the dispute: Get off the dime and make this memorable film available to the public.
The Werewolf of Washington (1973)
The top of the "Le Bad Cinema" genre.
Absolutely, positively the worst thing ever put to celluloid. Although I'm a huge fan of "Le Bad Cinema," I couldn't force myself to sit through it from beginning to end. All of the scenes appear to be rehearsal walk-thrus with the cameras rolling. The dialogue is awful, the cinematography is so dark you can barely see what's going on and there is absolutely no continuity whatsoever. Overall, it is totally lacking in any sort of production values of any sort. The management team of this flick probably went to the Ed Wood School of Film and were academically dismissed. The plot is basically simple: The White House Press Secretary briefs the press by day, then eats them by night.
To give you an example of how bad this thing is, I was watching Dean Stockwell (in the title role) talking on the phone and turning into a werewolf at the same time. I fell asleep during this scene. When I woke up, Stockwell was still on the phone turning into a werewolf.
Anyone watching this film from start to finish has something wrong with them and you should be terribly afraid of them.
The Night That Panicked America (1975)
Accurate recreation of Orson Welles' "War of the World's" radio program .
This film was a very entertaining, and historically accurate recreation of Orson Welles' radio program "War of the Worlds", which was based loosely on H G Wells' novel of the same name. It is utterly amazing that so many people believed that this radio drama was real, and the film does an excellent job of dramatizing the reactions of several people who seriously believed that the Earth was being invaded by Martians. What amazes me even more is the fact that no one has made this excellent production available for sale on video. It surely is a marketable product.
You Can't Run Away from It (1956)
Re-make of "It Happened One Night"
This was one of Jack Lemmon's first films. He is cast in the role of Peter Warren, a free-lance journalist who takes on the challenge of escorting spoiled rich girl Ellie Andrews (played by June Allyson) back to her Father (Charles Bickford) and husband. Peter and Ellie didn't plan on falling in love during their bus trip, but it happened ... just as in "It Happened One Night" starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. This re-make is remarkably faithful to the original in plot and content. I would classify it as a charming, very tame movie worth the 80 minutes or so to watch it.