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The 1927 Effect
Conventional wisdom will tell you that the arrival of talkies killed off silent film, especially silent comedy. (This is, for example, the premise of The Artist, and a couple of generations earlier...
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Snapshots of the Fall
The art house film calendar that I program goes to press in two days and, although I’m still waiting for some confirmations, I’m sharing the rough-draft with TCM readers, along with some brief thoughts...
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Griffith and Gish Lost at Sea
As an unabashed fan of movie stars from all eras, I am enjoying TCM’s marvelous lineup for this year’s Summer Under the Stars. And, no screen actor could be more deserving of a day than Lillian Gish,...
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The Grim Outdoors: River of No Return (1954)
In the numerous attempts to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death, 20th Century Fox has made the most welcome one, releasing impeccably restored editions of seven of her...
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Acting in the Movies, a Journey
I started acting in grade school when I was cast in my first play in the first grade. I can’t remember the play exactly but I’m pretty sure it was about the billy goats and the troll. I was a billy...
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I Only Make Passes at Boys Who Wear Glasses
Some women like men who drive fast cars; others prefer men with an athletic build while some find a uniform irresistible. Me? I appreciate a good pair of spectacles. During a recent trip to the eye...
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Tell me a movie!
I was having lunch in Manhattan last week with my friend Kevin Maher, a writer-director-producer, comedian, and B-movie horror fan, who never misses a Blobfest and was in the envious position this year...
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The $30,000 Question
Last week I began a cycle of talking through how the transition to talkies affected the development of American screen comedy, and to continue in this vein we need to take a moment to talk through what...
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Kay Francis to the Max
Tuesday, August 21st marks Kay Francis day on TCM’s Summer Under the Stars and the lineup of films should not only please her avid fans but also introduce newbies to this elegant underrated actress of...
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Vincente on Vincent
Today, the films of Anthony Quinn are spotlighted as part of TCM’s Summer Under the Stars. Lust for Life, one of my favorite movies featuring the earthy, expressive actor, airs this evening. However,...
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City of Entropy: Neighboring Sounds (2012)
The once legendary resort, like everywhere else that one visits now, regardless of the country or continent, was hopelessly run down and ruined by traffic, shops and boutiques, and the insatiable urge...
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When Life Gives You Jack Lemmon…
Last week I wrote a piece on how I came to love the classic actors (roughly, those whose careers started in the forties or before) over the modern actors (roughly, those who came into prominence in the...
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Goodnight Phyllis, We Love You.
She was brash, she was bold and she was damn funny. Phyllis Diller took a road less traveled and in the process she helped pave the way for many female comedians who followed in her footsteps including...
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The whimper is the bang
Miguel Angel Vivas’ SECUESTRADOS (2010), which is available on DVD in this country as KIDNAPPED (IFC Films), is a nasty piece of work inspired by the vogue in Spain for “express robberies” … home...
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F.W. Murnau’s comedy masterpiece, Sunrise
F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise is one of those reliable standbys certain to show up in most critics’ Best Of lists. Thanks, Greg, for noting that Sight and Sound placed it 5th in their latest silly list. It...
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Snapshots of the Fall: Part II
In my last post I provided a look behind the curtain for the first five weeks of film programming for my fall film calendar. This week we look at the remaining 24 titles that round out the schedule. It...
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Warren William: “[He] “Was an Old Man Even When He Was a Young Man.”
Earlier this month, the Morlocks participated in a blogathon in which we explored the films of Toshiro Mifune, the legendary Japanese movie star who was part of TCM’s Summer Under the Stars. While I...
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The Old & the New: Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Against a backdrop of retina-bursting blue, the 22-year-old Ann-Margaret waves goodbye to the classical Hollywood musical in Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Director George Sidney seems prescient in expanding...
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If Memory Serves… Play Misty for Me
Editor’s Note: As with all “If Memory Serves…” posts, spoilers abound, as the whole movie is discussed. Clint Eastwood’s first directorial feature was unlike any movie he’d ever appeared in, except...
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Spy Games: Frank Tashlin & Doris Day Go Undercover
In the late ‘60s Doris Day starred in two spy spoofs directed by Frank Tashlin, THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT (1967) and CAPRICE (1968). At the time Day was 43-years-old and one of Hollywood’s biggest stars...
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