Clik here to view.
The Eyes of Vonetta McGee
It’s her eyes I remember best. They were large and brown. Exotic, to me anyway. Haunting. Or haunted. Either way, they burned right through you but not in a witchy, malevolent way. They were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Curiouser and Curiouser Casting Choices
When Blake Edwards was pondering who should play Mr. Yunioshi, Holly Golightly’s Japanese neighbor, in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961), did he call central casting and ask for suggestions? Or did he come...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sweet Dreams are Made of This: Reflecting on Sturges and Sullivan
I rarely attend films on opening night, but made an exception for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, knowing that it would be one of those films, like The Usual Suspects, whose ending can be telegraphed in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Children of Invention: ‘Home Alone’ for a New Economy
Movie-goers are bemoaning the lack of decent Hollywood movies in the cineplexes this summer. Not only are the studios releasing fewer films than in past years, but most of those that end up on the big...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Joseph H. Lewis and So Dark the Night (1946)
“Do you miss it – directing? -I miss it only when I see things on the screen that make me want to vomit.” Peter Bogdanovich interviewing Joseph H. Lewis, Who the Devil Made It I should let this magical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Different View of Hollywood
Photographer Julius Shulman may not be a household name but you’ve probably seen his work or at least its influence in Hollywood films. Shulman spent much of his life photographing architectural...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Incredibly Strange Film Fiends Who Had Kids and Became Mixed-Up...
My posse has changed over the past few years. Now that I’m a father of two kids under 5 years old, I don’t get out to many rep screenings or conventions and I turn down most invitations to sneak peeks...
View ArticleClik here to view.
He Blowed Up Real Good
Remember Big Jim McBob (Joe Flaherty) and Billy Sol Hurok (John Candy) as the hayseed hosts of “Farm Report” on the legendary SCTV comedy series? These farmer-turned-film-reviewers loved movies where...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“He brought nightmares to Hollywood.”
Although Shadow of a Doubt (1943) precedes what is typically considered “Hitchcock’s Golden Age” it was a personal favorite for the director. Teresa Wright puts in an exceptional performance as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mickey Rooney: The Long and Short of His Career
A few days ago, Morlock Jeff offered a list of movies that suffered from at least one horribly miscast actor whose performance and character distracted from the rest of the film. The list was topped by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Introducing Olive Films
Like a herd of cattle ready to run down a restive kidnapper, Olive Films bursts into stores today with a phalanx of five DVDs licensed from Paramount Pictures: Union Station (1950), Appointment With...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Before They Were Stars
Tippi Hedren modeling a Jacques Fath dress in 1954 I love to waste time flipping through old women’s magazines. There’s something strangely appealing about the vintage advertisements and forgotten...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Incredibly Strange Film Fiends Who Had Kids and Became Mixed-Up Horror...
This is part 2 of a discussion that began last week. Our participants continue to be Jeff Allard, Dennis Cozzalio, Greg Ferrara, Paul Gaita, Nicholas McCarthy and yours truly, Jack the Ripper. DENNIS...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beware of Japanese Cats
Every national cinema has their own homegrown subgenres and mythology when it comes to Horror films and I think Japan has some of the most unique and bizarre creatures of all such as the hopping...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the Trail of Woody Strode
August marks TCM‘s annual Summer Under the Stars festival, and the Morlock’s have been given their marching orders: pick one overlooked star deserving of a week-long tribute. In 2008 it was Fred...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Woody Strode and the Western: Reflections on History and Myth
Difficulties exist in any discussion of African American actors in westerns prior to the 1960s. Given the general stereotyping of black actors as servants or entertainers in secondary roles during the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Woody Strode and Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
When John Ford decided to cast Woody Strode in the title role of Sergeant Rutledge, Warner Bros. pleaded with him to cast a better known actor like Sidney Poitier or Harry Belafonte. Ford replied,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Woody Strode’s Italian Connection
In the late ’60s many aging American actors were finding it hard to get good roles in Hollywood. The old studio system was collapsing and younger audiences wanted to see films featuring new faces and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I’ll Find Ya: Woody Strode in THE PROFESSIONALS
“These men were innocent of prejudice, not because they were morally pure, or because prejudice did not exist in their world, but they lived in and with the peoples of that world in a natural way, so...
View ArticleClik here to view.
BLACK JESUS: Woody’s Benediction
The closest Woody Strode ever got to playing the leading role in an American film was SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960), in which he portrayed the title character but was fourth billed after Jeffrey Hunter,...
View Article