Historically, the relationship between Hollywood and European comic books has been fraught with mutual distrust and cultural dissonance. Not to disparage Steven Spielberg — one of our national treasures — but his 2011 adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin was a bit of a disaster. And when La Femme Nikita director Luc Besson fulfilled a childhood fantasy in 2017 by bankrolling Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets out of his own pocket, the most expensive independent movie ever made landed with the thud of a global box office bomb.
But there’s hope on the horizon. European comic books — specifically, the Franco-Belgian school spearheaded by the Tintin character and his creator Hergé — are both a multimillion Euro industry and a sumptuous art form with dozens of successful franchises waiting to be developed. N
ow that the offerings of Marvel and DC are beginning to feel a tad fatigued, to say the least,...
But there’s hope on the horizon. European comic books — specifically, the Franco-Belgian school spearheaded by the Tintin character and his creator Hergé — are both a multimillion Euro industry and a sumptuous art form with dozens of successful franchises waiting to be developed. N
ow that the offerings of Marvel and DC are beginning to feel a tad fatigued, to say the least,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Ernesto Lechner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Betta St. John, who portrayed the lovely island girl Liat in the original Broadway production of South Pacific and starred as a princess alongside Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the MGM romantic comedy Dream Wife, has died. She was 93.
St. John died June 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Brighton, England, her son, TV producer Roger Grant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The California native played one of the survivors of an airline crash, who is chased by a crocodile in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) — the first Tarzan film in 15 years and the first one in color — and then returned for Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Both films starred Gordon Scott as the King of the Jungle.
St. John also starred with Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth and Robert Taylor in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie and Vincent Price in the 3-D adventure Dangerous...
St. John died June 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Brighton, England, her son, TV producer Roger Grant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The California native played one of the survivors of an airline crash, who is chased by a crocodile in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) — the first Tarzan film in 15 years and the first one in color — and then returned for Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Both films starred Gordon Scott as the King of the Jungle.
St. John also starred with Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth and Robert Taylor in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie and Vincent Price in the 3-D adventure Dangerous...
- 7/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Western has been on life support for decades. One of the most popular and bankable genres in the silent film era, it experienced a decline in the 1930s, only to come back and dominate once again in 1939 with films such as the John Wayne-starring "Stagecoach" and James Stewart-led "Destry Rides Again." It would remain popular for several decades after that, producing more stars of the genre, including Clint Eastwood, before fizzling out once again by the 1970s. Since then we've seen Westerns pop up sporadically here and there, with some, including 1992's "Unforgiven," and 2010's "True Grit," enjoying significant success. Even in the last decade, we've seen some outstanding modern takes on the Western. But on the whole, the genre just isn't what it once was.
In the early 2000s, when Warner Bros. greenlit "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," they were hoping...
In the early 2000s, when Warner Bros. greenlit "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," they were hoping...
- 2/16/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Before James Stewart became one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood history, he was -- believe it or not -- a struggling contract player at MGM. During the golden age of cinema, the small-town boy from Pennsylvania had found his way to Los Angeles, where he was churning out films as part of the studio system. It wasn't until Stewart stunned audiences with his turn as Senator Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra's 1939 comedy-drama "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" that his star seriously began to rise.
Considering how much work Stewart put into the part, the praise he received was well-deserved. Aside from breaking his rule regarding rushes for the great Capra, the actor also ingested mercury dichloride to give himself a sore throat and make his performance in the famous 24-hour filibuster scene more believable. Amazingly, after wrapping the movie, Stewart was far from "licked," as Senator Smith would say.
Considering how much work Stewart put into the part, the praise he received was well-deserved. Aside from breaking his rule regarding rushes for the great Capra, the actor also ingested mercury dichloride to give himself a sore throat and make his performance in the famous 24-hour filibuster scene more believable. Amazingly, after wrapping the movie, Stewart was far from "licked," as Senator Smith would say.
- 1/26/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Despite the increase in pop-culture amnesia, there are actually a lot of great rom-coms that predate the Reagan era
For many pop-culture websites, which we will not name here, the history of cinema apparently begins somewhere around the release of “Star Wars” (1977), with almost everything that preceded it to the big screen being sloughed off as quaint, forgettable and irrelevant.
It’s the sort of thing that people who love movies and movie history can often ignore with the roll of an eye, but when one site recently trumpeted its list of the 50 Best Rom-Coms of All Time — which featured exactly one movie made before 1980 and zero prior to 1970 — we could sit by no longer.
Here is an alphabetical list of 50 classic romantic comedies that merely scratches the surface of great movies made during ye olden times of 1979 and earlier:
“The Awful Truth” (1937): Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star...
For many pop-culture websites, which we will not name here, the history of cinema apparently begins somewhere around the release of “Star Wars” (1977), with almost everything that preceded it to the big screen being sloughed off as quaint, forgettable and irrelevant.
It’s the sort of thing that people who love movies and movie history can often ignore with the roll of an eye, but when one site recently trumpeted its list of the 50 Best Rom-Coms of All Time — which featured exactly one movie made before 1980 and zero prior to 1970 — we could sit by no longer.
Here is an alphabetical list of 50 classic romantic comedies that merely scratches the surface of great movies made during ye olden times of 1979 and earlier:
“The Awful Truth” (1937): Cary Grant and Irene Dunne star...
- 4/18/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The third installment in Otava Heikkilä's Letters for Lucardo graphic novel series, Letters for Lucardo: The Silent Lord is now being crowdfunded by Spike Trotman and Iron Circus Comics, and we've been provided with an exclusive preview from the new graphic novel to share with Daily Dead readers!
Below, you can check out exclusive preview pages and details on the crowdfunding campaign for Letters for Lucardo: The Silent Lord, and to learn more about how to support this new graphic novel, visit Iron Circus Comics' official website!
Press Release: Crowdfunding pioneer Spike Trotman and Iron Circus Comics are helming their second-ever independent crowdfunding campaign for Letters For Lucardo: The Silent Lord, the third installment in the groundbreaking and popular LGBTQ erotica horror series from Otava Heikkilä. In this highly anticipated third installment of the erotically charged graphic novel series, the story takes a dark and foreboding turn as aristocratic vampire...
Below, you can check out exclusive preview pages and details on the crowdfunding campaign for Letters for Lucardo: The Silent Lord, and to learn more about how to support this new graphic novel, visit Iron Circus Comics' official website!
Press Release: Crowdfunding pioneer Spike Trotman and Iron Circus Comics are helming their second-ever independent crowdfunding campaign for Letters For Lucardo: The Silent Lord, the third installment in the groundbreaking and popular LGBTQ erotica horror series from Otava Heikkilä. In this highly anticipated third installment of the erotically charged graphic novel series, the story takes a dark and foreboding turn as aristocratic vampire...
- 4/5/2022
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
By Fred Blosser
In “Union Pacific” (1939), an epic Western produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille for Paramount Pictures in flavorful black-and-white, Union Army veteran Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) is hired as a troubleshooter by the fledgling Union Pacific Railroad just after the end of the Civil War. In the 2021 corporate world, his job description probably would say “Head of Security.” Butler is an engineer by profession, but he’s traded his slide rule (or whatever engineers used in those days) for a pair of six-shooters. The Union Pacific is laying track westward from Nebraska to connect in Utah with the Central Pacific, as the latter proceeds eastward from California. Jeff’s duty is to make sure the Union Pacific stays on schedule, and that means no malingering or sabotage by the track crew. If the Union Pacific falls behind, the Central Pacific becomes top dog.
Jeff’s main problem...
In “Union Pacific” (1939), an epic Western produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille for Paramount Pictures in flavorful black-and-white, Union Army veteran Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) is hired as a troubleshooter by the fledgling Union Pacific Railroad just after the end of the Civil War. In the 2021 corporate world, his job description probably would say “Head of Security.” Butler is an engineer by profession, but he’s traded his slide rule (or whatever engineers used in those days) for a pair of six-shooters. The Union Pacific is laying track westward from Nebraska to connect in Utah with the Central Pacific, as the latter proceeds eastward from California. Jeff’s duty is to make sure the Union Pacific stays on schedule, and that means no malingering or sabotage by the track crew. If the Union Pacific falls behind, the Central Pacific becomes top dog.
Jeff’s main problem...
- 8/3/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
8 random things that happened on this day, December 29th, in showbiz history
1933 Ernst Lubitsch's pre-Code threesome romantic comedy Design for Living starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and Gary Cooper opens for the last weekend of the year as does the musical romantic comedy Flying Down to Rio starring Dolores del Rio. The latter film is best remembered for being the first onscreen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in (gasp) supporting roles.
1939 'Hollywood's Greatest Year' concludes with opening weekend for the Jimmy Stewart/Marlene Dietrich western Destry Rides Again, the classic period romantic drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2 Oscar nominations), and the musical Swanee River (1 Oscar nomination)...
1933 Ernst Lubitsch's pre-Code threesome romantic comedy Design for Living starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and Gary Cooper opens for the last weekend of the year as does the musical romantic comedy Flying Down to Rio starring Dolores del Rio. The latter film is best remembered for being the first onscreen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in (gasp) supporting roles.
1939 'Hollywood's Greatest Year' concludes with opening weekend for the Jimmy Stewart/Marlene Dietrich western Destry Rides Again, the classic period romantic drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2 Oscar nominations), and the musical Swanee River (1 Oscar nomination)...
- 12/29/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Destry Rides Again
Blu ray
Criterion
1939 / 1.33:1/ 95 min.
Starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart
Cinematography by Hal Mohr
Directed by George Marshall
America’s favorite boy next door meets the Weimar Republic’s preeminent vamp in George Marshall’s Destry Rides Again. James Stewart plays Tom Destry, the self-effacing straight-shooter who cleans up a lawless backwater burg without firing a shot – almost. Marlene Dietrich is Frenchy, a world-weary chanteuse who rules the roost at the town’s only waterhole, the Last Chance saloon. Their relationship is more heated than the volatile town itself but after the final punch is thrown their bond is deeper than any typical Hollywood romance.
Marshall’s comic horse opera was released by Universal in 1939 and like so many of that studio’s horror films of the era, it opens with a slow pan over a moonlit graveyard with more than its fair share of tombstones. Instead...
Blu ray
Criterion
1939 / 1.33:1/ 95 min.
Starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart
Cinematography by Hal Mohr
Directed by George Marshall
America’s favorite boy next door meets the Weimar Republic’s preeminent vamp in George Marshall’s Destry Rides Again. James Stewart plays Tom Destry, the self-effacing straight-shooter who cleans up a lawless backwater burg without firing a shot – almost. Marlene Dietrich is Frenchy, a world-weary chanteuse who rules the roost at the town’s only waterhole, the Last Chance saloon. Their relationship is more heated than the volatile town itself but after the final punch is thrown their bond is deeper than any typical Hollywood romance.
Marshall’s comic horse opera was released by Universal in 1939 and like so many of that studio’s horror films of the era, it opens with a slow pan over a moonlit graveyard with more than its fair share of tombstones. Instead...
- 5/23/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Editor’s note: Filmmaker Nancy Kelly made her feature directorial debut in 1990 with the Western drama “Thousand Pieces of Gold.” A new 4K restoration by IndieCollect can currently be seen in virtual theaters via Kino Marquee. On the occasion of its new release, Kelly (along with IndieCollect’s Sandra Schulberg) wanted to share her reflections on her career both before and after its release.
Three years before I discovered Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s novel “Thousand Pieces of Gold,” I was making my living as a ranch hand. What was it that impelled me — from a working class background in a Massachusetts textile town — to pack up and head West? I had never even ridden a horse before, but I wanted an adventure. It was an impromptu decision that changed my life forever.
The cowboys didn’t know what to make of me — not much. But I broke my own horse,...
Three years before I discovered Ruthanne Lum McCunn’s novel “Thousand Pieces of Gold,” I was making my living as a ranch hand. What was it that impelled me — from a working class background in a Massachusetts textile town — to pack up and head West? I had never even ridden a horse before, but I wanted an adventure. It was an impromptu decision that changed my life forever.
The cowboys didn’t know what to make of me — not much. But I broke my own horse,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Nancy Kelly
- Indiewire
All good things come to an end and that includes Season 18 of Bravo’s “Project Runway.” Gold Derby editors Daniel Montgomery and Susan Wloszczyna dissect the events that occurred on “Finale Part 1,” when the last four designers standing — Victoria Cocieru, Sergio Guadarrama, Geoffrey Mac and Nancy Volpe-Beringer — each showed three outfits from their collections to the judges with mixed results.
Daniel, ever the optimist, has a feeling that all four will likely get to take part in New York Fashion Week and show their collections. Susan, far more a realist, believes that Sergio might just be left behind. She just wasn’t into his whole theme about the ice caps melting. “It’s like, just make beautiful clothes and that will do enough to improve the state of the environment.” As for Sergio’s attempt to grow leather in a bathtub in his home by using fermented kombucha, Daniel was...
Daniel, ever the optimist, has a feeling that all four will likely get to take part in New York Fashion Week and show their collections. Susan, far more a realist, believes that Sergio might just be left behind. She just wasn’t into his whole theme about the ice caps melting. “It’s like, just make beautiful clothes and that will do enough to improve the state of the environment.” As for Sergio’s attempt to grow leather in a bathtub in his home by using fermented kombucha, Daniel was...
- 3/9/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna and Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Above: Shit-heels at the diner.As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.And now they've quietly disappeared William Fox's name from the company: guilty by association with Rupert Murdoch, even though he never associated with him.***The Lindbergh Baby Case enthralled not just the world's journalists; in the funny pages, Dick Tracy was soon on the case, in a fiction-reality crossover soon brought to a halt by the tragic discovery of the murdered tot's remains. But movies continued to exploit the theme of baby-napping, and for some reason George Marshall, a useful Fox journeyman, was most associated with this particular sub-sub-sub-genre.Marshall had worked with Laurel & Hardy and is best known today for Destry Rides Again. Despite these strong comic associations,...
- 3/4/2020
- MUBI
Ann Basart, who appeared in dozens of films as a child billed as Ann E. Todd in the 1930s and ’40s and was a regular on 1950s sitcom The Stu Erwin Show, has died. She was 88. Basart died February 7 in Northern California; she had struggled with dementia for seven years, but no formal cause of death was given.
Born Ann Todd Phillips on August 26, 1931, in Denver, she was raised by her maternal grandparents in Southern California, where they steered her into acting. From 1938-51, she racked more nearly 40 movie credits including Destry Rides Again, Brigham Young, How Green Was My Valley, All This and Heaven Too, Kings Row and The Jolson Story.
During her film career, Basart appeared opposite such top stars of the era as Ingrid Bergman, Shirley Temple, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Marlene Dietrich. A distant cousin of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, she added...
Born Ann Todd Phillips on August 26, 1931, in Denver, she was raised by her maternal grandparents in Southern California, where they steered her into acting. From 1938-51, she racked more nearly 40 movie credits including Destry Rides Again, Brigham Young, How Green Was My Valley, All This and Heaven Too, Kings Row and The Jolson Story.
During her film career, Basart appeared opposite such top stars of the era as Ingrid Bergman, Shirley Temple, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck and Marlene Dietrich. A distant cousin of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, she added...
- 2/17/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Ann E. Todd, a child actress in the 1930s and '40s who appeared in such films as Intermezzo, All This, and Heaven Too and Three Daring Daughters, died Feb. 7 of complications from dementia, her family announced. She was 88.
Todd also worked alongside Basil Rathbone in Tower of London (1939), with Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again (1939), with Edward G. Robinson in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), with Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941) and with Ronald Reagan in Kings Row (1942).
Todd, whose father and future husband were composers, portrayed a young pianist and the daughter ...
Todd also worked alongside Basil Rathbone in Tower of London (1939), with Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again (1939), with Edward G. Robinson in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), with Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941) and with Ronald Reagan in Kings Row (1942).
Todd, whose father and future husband were composers, portrayed a young pianist and the daughter ...
- 2/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ann E. Todd, a child actress in the 1930s and '40s who appeared in such films as Intermezzo, All This, and Heaven Too and Three Daring Daughters, died Feb. 7 of complications from dementia, her family announced. She was 88.
Todd also worked alongside Basil Rathbone in Tower of London (1939), with Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again (1939), with Edward G. Robinson in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), with Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941) and with Ronald Reagan in Kings Row (1942).
Todd, whose father and future husband were composers, portrayed a young pianist and the daughter ...
Todd also worked alongside Basil Rathbone in Tower of London (1939), with Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again (1939), with Edward G. Robinson in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), with Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's How Green Was My Valley (1941) and with Ronald Reagan in Kings Row (1942).
Todd, whose father and future husband were composers, portrayed a young pianist and the daughter ...
- 2/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Great McGinty
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940/ 1:33:1 / 82 min.
Starring Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff
Cinematography by William C. Mellor
Written and Directed by Preston Sturges
If the story of a unscrupulous crook who rises to great political power hits a little too close to home these days, consider that in 1940’s The Great McGinty the mobster in question is a fundamentally decent gent who sacrifices his career to do the right thing. When the jig is up he high-tails it to the border, penniless but with a clean conscience. Current events require that Preston Sturges’ bittersweet political satire be filed under Fairy Tales.
The movie opens in a rowdy little dive in South America where the once and future lowlife Dan McGinty has made his new home, lording over the bar while dispensing equal amounts booze and wisdom. One poor fellow wanders in who could use a little of both.
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940/ 1:33:1 / 82 min.
Starring Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff
Cinematography by William C. Mellor
Written and Directed by Preston Sturges
If the story of a unscrupulous crook who rises to great political power hits a little too close to home these days, consider that in 1940’s The Great McGinty the mobster in question is a fundamentally decent gent who sacrifices his career to do the right thing. When the jig is up he high-tails it to the border, penniless but with a clean conscience. Current events require that Preston Sturges’ bittersweet political satire be filed under Fairy Tales.
The movie opens in a rowdy little dive in South America where the once and future lowlife Dan McGinty has made his new home, lording over the bar while dispensing equal amounts booze and wisdom. One poor fellow wanders in who could use a little of both.
- 2/15/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The Anthony Mann – James Stewart crowd-pleaser now comes to Region A Blu-ray. With its bright Technicolor hues, it’s the wagon train movie fans remember first after Red River. Stewart is a good guy with a dark background who tries to atone by helping some settlers. The thorn in his side is an unreformed former outlaw played by Arthur Kennedy in high style. Also shining bright is everyone’s favorite Universal contract player, Julie (Julia) Adams.
Bend of the River
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 91 min. / Street Date April 16, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by...
Bend of the River
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 91 min. / Street Date April 16, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by...
- 4/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
I was recently challenged to list my top 10 favorite movies of all time, which proved an impossible task; however, I can easily name my favorite Decade for filmmaking: the 1930s. Movies truly evolved during this decade, with the final one of 1939 becoming the greatest year ever for films: “Gone with the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Stagecoach,” “Ninotchka,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Wuthering Heights” and so many more! Since that special year is celebrating its 80th anniversary, let’s take a look back.
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
The film industry was still in its youth as the decade rolled in with “talking pictures” becoming the new standard. Besides mastering the technical aspects of that, they were still learning how to develop a story, how to act for the camera as opposed to stage acting, and how to engineer special effects. At the same time,...
SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
The film industry was still in its youth as the decade rolled in with “talking pictures” becoming the new standard. Besides mastering the technical aspects of that, they were still learning how to develop a story, how to act for the camera as opposed to stage acting, and how to engineer special effects. At the same time,...
- 3/19/2019
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
A clutch of film buffs and staff writers at my favorite newspaper, the Washington Post, devoted considerable time, thought and space to a weekend article challenging 1939’s claim to the title of “Best Movie Year Ever.” Prompted by the number of critics appending “great” to 2018, the Post decided to look back and single out the greatest years in film, and after a brainstorming session, its writers settled on 1939 and six subsequent years — 1946, 1955, 1974, 1982, 1999, and 2007 — and assigned a sponsor to each one.
It was a cute idea and a fool’s errand if anyone’s ever been sent on one. It also produced fun reading, even if 1939 need not worry about its place in film history. There were unique reasons for 1939 (and ‘40 and ‘41) turning out so many enduring movies.
Hollywood had been recently and grudgingly unionized, giving directors in particular more power over their studio assignments. The country was in a dark mood,...
It was a cute idea and a fool’s errand if anyone’s ever been sent on one. It also produced fun reading, even if 1939 need not worry about its place in film history. There were unique reasons for 1939 (and ‘40 and ‘41) turning out so many enduring movies.
Hollywood had been recently and grudgingly unionized, giving directors in particular more power over their studio assignments. The country was in a dark mood,...
- 12/31/2018
- by Jack Mathews
- Gold Derby
“Light, Shadow, And Marlene”
By Raymond Benson
I love it when The Criterion Collection produces a lavish boxed set containing multiple features, an abundance of supplements, and a thick and illustrated booklet. What better collection is there than one featuring the six Hollywood films made between 1930 and 1935 by Josef von Sternberg and starring the exquisite Marlene Dietrich? Hats off to producer Issa Clubb for overseeing what could be one of Criterion’s better products.
These adventure-romances showcased a star who immediately defined the word “exotic”—a German-born, English-speaking, beautiful, sultry, seductress who could act, sing, and dance. Like Greta Garbo, who had arrived in Hollywood during the silent era, Marlene Dietrich exhibited a European mystery to American audiences of the early Depression years. Her self-styled gender-bending wardrobes and mannerisms, her sometimes ambiguous but often overt sexuality, and her allure of “knowing something we didn’t” made her an overnight star…...
By Raymond Benson
I love it when The Criterion Collection produces a lavish boxed set containing multiple features, an abundance of supplements, and a thick and illustrated booklet. What better collection is there than one featuring the six Hollywood films made between 1930 and 1935 by Josef von Sternberg and starring the exquisite Marlene Dietrich? Hats off to producer Issa Clubb for overseeing what could be one of Criterion’s better products.
These adventure-romances showcased a star who immediately defined the word “exotic”—a German-born, English-speaking, beautiful, sultry, seductress who could act, sing, and dance. Like Greta Garbo, who had arrived in Hollywood during the silent era, Marlene Dietrich exhibited a European mystery to American audiences of the early Depression years. Her self-styled gender-bending wardrobes and mannerisms, her sometimes ambiguous but often overt sexuality, and her allure of “knowing something we didn’t” made her an overnight star…...
- 7/6/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The second Anthony Mann / James Stewart western displays excellent direction and impressive Technicolor location photography high in the high mountains of Oregon. A matinee staple, it delivers everything — Stewart’s mostly good hero and Arthur Kennedy’s mostly bad hero spar and tangle and eventually fight to the death near the timber line. Handsome Rock Hudson receives prime billing for flashing his ‘Dazzledent’ smile.
Bend of the River
All-Region Blu-ray
Explosive Media (Germany)
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 91 min. / Meuterei am Schlangenfuss, Where the River Bends / Street Date August 10, 2017 / Amazon.de Eur 17,99
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg
Directed by Anthony...
Bend of the River
All-Region Blu-ray
Explosive Media (Germany)
1952 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 91 min. / Meuterei am Schlangenfuss, Where the River Bends / Street Date August 10, 2017 / Amazon.de Eur 17,99
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Jay C. Flippen, Stepin’ Fetchit, Henry Morgan, Royal Dano, Chubby Johnson, Frances Bavier, Howard Petrie.
Cinematography: Irving Glassberg
Film Editor: Russell Schoengarth
Original Music: Hans J. Salter
Written by Borden Chase from the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg
Directed by Anthony...
- 1/13/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Philip French’s screen legends: No 21
‘I am not a myth,’ she said - one of her least convincing statements. Born in Berlin, the daughter of a military family, she broke on to the international scene with the coming of sound as the nightclub performer Lola Lola, humiliating and destroying schoolteacher Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel (1930), a role on which she was to play variations for the rest of her life. The film was directed in Berlin by Joseph von Sternberg, the Hollywood aristocrat born into a working-class Jewish family in Vienna. Both self-creations, their conspiratorial Svengali-Trilby relationship continued back in the Us with six exotic, erotic melodramas at Paramount, in which exquisite decor accompanied the subversion of social decorum. Most of the films were produced before the Hollywood code was strictly enforced. Blonde Venus (1932), for instance, begins with Marlene and five other fräuleins bathing in the nude observed by six American hikers.
‘I am not a myth,’ she said - one of her least convincing statements. Born in Berlin, the daughter of a military family, she broke on to the international scene with the coming of sound as the nightclub performer Lola Lola, humiliating and destroying schoolteacher Emil Jannings in The Blue Angel (1930), a role on which she was to play variations for the rest of her life. The film was directed in Berlin by Joseph von Sternberg, the Hollywood aristocrat born into a working-class Jewish family in Vienna. Both self-creations, their conspiratorial Svengali-Trilby relationship continued back in the Us with six exotic, erotic melodramas at Paramount, in which exquisite decor accompanied the subversion of social decorum. Most of the films were produced before the Hollywood code was strictly enforced. Blonde Venus (1932), for instance, begins with Marlene and five other fräuleins bathing in the nude observed by six American hikers.
- 12/27/2017
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
Just last month, industry-only staged reading of the 1962 musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale, based on the best-selling Jerome Weidman novel on Tuesday, June 6th. The musical has a score by Harold Rome Fanny, Wish You Were Here, Destry Rides Again, book by Jerome Weidman Fiorello, revised book by John Weidman Assassins, Pacific Overtures, Contact, music direction by David Chase Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and direction by Trip Cullman Six Degrees of Separation, Significant Other.
- 11/3/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
There will be an industry-only staged reading of the 1962 musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale, based on the best-selling Jerome Weidman novel on Tuesday, June 6th. The musical has a score by Harold Rome Fanny, Wish You Were Here, Destry Rides Again, book by Jerome Weidman Fiorello, revised book by John Weidman Assassins, Pacific Overtures, Contact, music direction by David Chase Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and direction by Trip Cullman Six Degrees of Separation, Significant Other.
- 6/5/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The film industry goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, and most experts still maintain that 1939 is the greatest single year in movie history. At no other point in the long chronicle of the film industry has Hollywood had such an ability to draw in and hold and audiences. Cinelinx looks at 1939.
In 1939, Americans bought an incrediblel 80 million movie tickets per week. There were 365 films released by the major studios in the United States during 1939. That’s an average of one film each a day. If you went to the theater every day, you’d never have to see the same movie twice. And the best part is that most of them were good.
The American Film Institute, along with such critics as Pauline Kael, Siskle & Ebert, Leonard Maltin and others have dubbed 1939 as the cinema's best single year ever. Looking back, its hard to argue with that opinion.
In 1939, Americans bought an incrediblel 80 million movie tickets per week. There were 365 films released by the major studios in the United States during 1939. That’s an average of one film each a day. If you went to the theater every day, you’d never have to see the same movie twice. And the best part is that most of them were good.
The American Film Institute, along with such critics as Pauline Kael, Siskle & Ebert, Leonard Maltin and others have dubbed 1939 as the cinema's best single year ever. Looking back, its hard to argue with that opinion.
- 1/23/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
"It's a good thing you're in New York and I'm in Los Angeles then," Mel Brooks says, before howling with laughter. He's just been informed that, as preparation for getting the 90-year-old filmmaker on the phone, the interviewer he's speaking to has consumed a large amount of black coffee and baked beans — the same combination that fuels the notorious, and extremely noisy campfire sequence in Blazing Saddles. "Actually, three thousand miles between us might not be enough — it depends on the coffee. There are easier ways to get in the mood to talk to me,...
- 8/31/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers...
With Judy Garland now such an established hit, MGM worked overtime to make the most of its musical star. This meant that while Arthur Freed and the Freed Unit "made" her by crafting her star image (and arguably used her to her best advantage), Judy couldn't work with them exclusively. She was too valuable a commodity for that. So, MGM also put her under the watchful tutelage of another producer well-known for his musical mojo: Joe Pasternak.
The Movie: Presenting Lily Mars (1942)
The Songwriters: Walter Jurmann (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter, Spring Byington, directed by Norman Taurog
The Story: Had Judy's fateful short with Deanna Durbin turned out differently only six years previous, she might have met Joe Pasternak earlier. For most of the 1930s, Pasternak was a top producer at Universal Studios,...
With Judy Garland now such an established hit, MGM worked overtime to make the most of its musical star. This meant that while Arthur Freed and the Freed Unit "made" her by crafting her star image (and arguably used her to her best advantage), Judy couldn't work with them exclusively. She was too valuable a commodity for that. So, MGM also put her under the watchful tutelage of another producer well-known for his musical mojo: Joe Pasternak.
The Movie: Presenting Lily Mars (1942)
The Songwriters: Walter Jurmann (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter, Spring Byington, directed by Norman Taurog
The Story: Had Judy's fateful short with Deanna Durbin turned out differently only six years previous, she might have met Joe Pasternak earlier. For most of the 1930s, Pasternak was a top producer at Universal Studios,...
- 5/4/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
'Play Misty for Me': Rabid fan Jessica Walter makes life difficult for disc jockey Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, 'Harry Potter' and 'The Decline of Western Civilization': Packard Campus movies Movies set in the world of music and/or radio are among the April 2016 highlights at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper, Virginia. Packard Campus Recorded Sound Curator Matt Barton selected the documentaries and narrative features in this particular program, which, according to the Theater's press release, includes “several rarely projected films in original release prints from the Library's holdings.” Radio/music titles include: Clint Eastwood's 1971 feature film directorial debut, the thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Jessica Walter as a woman obsessed with both a late night disc jockey (Eastwood) and the song “Misty,” jazzily played by Errol Garner at the piano. Also in the cast: Donna Mills, frequent Eastwood director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry,...
- 3/17/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
It's fitting that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne both have the same birthday week. (Wayne, who died in 1979, was born May 26, 1907, while Eastwood turns 85 on May 31). After all, these two all-American actors' careers span the history of that most American of movie genres, the western.
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
Both iconic actors were top box office draws for decades, both seldom stretched from their familiar personas, and both played macho, conservative cowboy heroes who let their firearms do most of the talking. Each represented one of two very different strains of western, the traditional and the revisionist.
As a birthday present to Hollywood's biggest heroes of the Wild West, here are the top 57 westerns you need to see.
57. 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010)
Indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and her frequent leading lady, Michelle Williams, are the talents behind this sparse, docudrama about an 1845 wagon train whose Oregon Trail journey goes horribly awry. It's an intense...
- 5/26/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Anthony Mann
As much as any other filmmaker who found a niche in a given genre, in the 10 Westerns Anthony Mann directed from 1950 to 1958 he carved out a place in film history as one who not only reveled in the conventions of that particular form, but also as one who imbued in it a distinct aesthetic and narrative approach. In doing so, Mann created Westerns that were simultaneously about the making of the West as a historical phenomenon, as well as about the making of its own developing cinematic genus. At the same time, he also established the traits that would define his auteur status, formal devices that lend his work the qualities of a director who enjoyed, understood, and readily exploited and manipulated a type of film's essential features.
Though he made several fine pictures outside the Western, Mann as an American auteur is most notably recognized for his work in this field,...
As much as any other filmmaker who found a niche in a given genre, in the 10 Westerns Anthony Mann directed from 1950 to 1958 he carved out a place in film history as one who not only reveled in the conventions of that particular form, but also as one who imbued in it a distinct aesthetic and narrative approach. In doing so, Mann created Westerns that were simultaneously about the making of the West as a historical phenomenon, as well as about the making of its own developing cinematic genus. At the same time, he also established the traits that would define his auteur status, formal devices that lend his work the qualities of a director who enjoyed, understood, and readily exploited and manipulated a type of film's essential features.
Though he made several fine pictures outside the Western, Mann as an American auteur is most notably recognized for his work in this field,...
- 1/26/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
The title star's conscience may have been Jiminy Cricket, but his voice in the 1940 Walt Disney animated feature Pinocchio belonged to 10-year-old Dick Jones, who made millions of fellow youngsters cry when his screen character was reunited with his father and then turned into a real boy. Jones, not only the voice of Pinocchio but the veteran of 40 movies before he landed that role, died Monday night after a fall in his San Fernando Valley, California, home, his son, Rick Jones, told the Los Angeles Times. He was 87. Inducted in 2000 as a "Disney Legend" at the studio that produced the beloved movie (which,...
- 7/9/2014
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Some years ago I showed the 1939 classic Destry Rides Again to my class at USC; most of the students had never seen it. Following the screening I introduced Dick Jones, who appeared in the film and was featured in the penultimate scene with James Stewart. We talked about the fact that he worked with Stewart that same year in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and also spent some time at the Walt Disney studio recording the dialogue for Pinocchio. I turned to the class and said, pointedly, “He was the voice of Pinocchio.” This was greeted by a chorus of oohs and ahhs and immediately changed the tenor of the evening. Pinocchio gave Dick a kind of immortality, but if it affected him he...
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- 7/9/2014
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Today on Trailers from Hell, Josh Olson takes a look at Don Siegel's savage 1958 thriller "The Lineup," the big screen adaptation of the 1950s TV series starring Warner Anderson. Warner Anderson, star of the long-running early fifties TV show "The Lineup," repeated his role in 1958's big screen version but the real stars of director Don Siegel's brutal thriller were Eli Wallach and Robert Keith as a pair of sociopathic crooks and, of course, Siegel himself who masterminded several lethal set pieces including the hair-raising climax (involving a chase on an unfinished freeway). Seasoned TV writer Stirling Silliphant ("Route 66," "Naked City") was responsible for the screenplay and cinematographer Hal Mohr ("The Wild One," "Destry Rides Again") lensed the appropriately gritty black and white San Francisco landscapes.
- 5/23/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Warner Anderson, star of the long-running early fifties TV show The Lineup, repeated his role in 1958's big screen version but the real stars of director Don Siegel's brutal thriller were Eli Wallach and Robert Keith as a pair of sociopathic crooks and, of course, Siegel himself who masterminded several lethal set pieces including the hair-raising climax (involving a chase on an unfinished freeway). Seasoned TV writer Stirling Silliphant (Route 66, Naked City) was responsible for the screenplay and cinematographer Hal Mohr (The Wild One, Destry Rides Again) lensed the appropriately gritty black and white San Francisco landscapes.
The post The Lineup appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Lineup appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 5/23/2014
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Yesterday’s announcement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that the The Wizard of Oz will be celebrated at this year’s Oscars was met with widespread enthusiasm. After all, it’s one of Hollywood’s most beloved films, multiple generations have grown up singing its tunes, and it’s celebrating its 75th anniversary.
But The Wizard of Oz wasn’t the only classic movie to come out in 1939. That prolific Hollywood year also boasted Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Ninotchka (“Garbo laughs!”), Gunga Din, William Wyler...
But The Wizard of Oz wasn’t the only classic movie to come out in 1939. That prolific Hollywood year also boasted Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Ninotchka (“Garbo laughs!”), Gunga Din, William Wyler...
- 1/29/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW.com - PopWatch
Entertainment Geekly is a new weekly column which examines contemporary pop culture through a geek lens and simultaneously examines contemporary geek culture through a pop lens. So many lenses!
The superhero movie is the defining product of contemporary Hollywood. Last year, Avengers made $1.5 billion and roadmapped a multi-spinoff franchise structure that basically allows a single studio to make two successful sequels per year. This summer, Hollywood released four super hero movies. Two of them were pretty good and two of them were pretty bad. But financially speaking, Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel were megahits, the kind of monstrous...
The superhero movie is the defining product of contemporary Hollywood. Last year, Avengers made $1.5 billion and roadmapped a multi-spinoff franchise structure that basically allows a single studio to make two successful sequels per year. This summer, Hollywood released four super hero movies. Two of them were pretty good and two of them were pretty bad. But financially speaking, Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel were megahits, the kind of monstrous...
- 8/29/2013
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Johnny Depp is terrific as Tonto in an action-packed, if overlong, movie that focuses on the crime-fighting duo's early years
As soon as the western genre was established in the second decade of the last century, comedians headed to the frontier. From Chaplin and Keaton via the Marx Brothers to Abbott and Costello, the comic stars got their laughs by appearing far from home on the range among humourless tough guys riding tall in the saddle. As the B-western developed, its poker-faced, straight-shooting heroes had to be accompanied by comic sidekicks such as the ubiquitous George "Gabby" Hayes or Fuzzy Knight. At the same time there developed the comedy western, a relaxed, easy-going affair – James Stewart as the peaceful new sheriff refusing to carry a gun in Destry Rides Again, for instance, or shy cowpoke Gary Cooper being mistaken for a gunslinger in Along Came Jones.
In the 1960s, the...
As soon as the western genre was established in the second decade of the last century, comedians headed to the frontier. From Chaplin and Keaton via the Marx Brothers to Abbott and Costello, the comic stars got their laughs by appearing far from home on the range among humourless tough guys riding tall in the saddle. As the B-western developed, its poker-faced, straight-shooting heroes had to be accompanied by comic sidekicks such as the ubiquitous George "Gabby" Hayes or Fuzzy Knight. At the same time there developed the comedy western, a relaxed, easy-going affair – James Stewart as the peaceful new sheriff refusing to carry a gun in Destry Rides Again, for instance, or shy cowpoke Gary Cooper being mistaken for a gunslinger in Along Came Jones.
In the 1960s, the...
- 8/10/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Eleanor Parker 2013 movie series continues today (photo: Eleanor Parker in Detective Story) Palm Springs resident Eleanor Parker is Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month of June 2013. Thus, eight more Eleanor Parker movies will be shown this evening on TCM. Parker turns 91 on Wednesday, June 26. (See also: “Eleanor Parker Today.”) Eleanor Parker received her second Best Actress Academy Award nomination for William Wyler’s crime drama Detective Story (1951). The movie itself feels dated, partly because of several melodramatic plot developments, and partly because of Kirk Douglas’ excessive theatricality as the detective whose story is told. Parker, however, is excellent as Douglas’ wife, though her role is subordinate to his. Just about as good is Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Lee Grant, whose career would be derailed by the anti-Red hysteria of the ’50s. Grant would make her comeback in the ’70s, eventually winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her...
- 6/25/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Deanna Durbin: Three Husbands with Universal Pictures background [See previous post: "Deanna Durbin: Highest Paid Actress in the World."] By the time the 26-year-old Deanna Durbin’s film career was over, the movies’ personification of girl-next-door wholesomeness had been married twice: Durbin’s union with Universal Pictures assistant director Vaughn Paul ended in 1943. Two years later, she married another Universal employee, 43-year-old German-born writer-producer Felix Jackson, among whose screenwriting and/or producing credits were the James Stewart / Marlene Dietrich Western hit Destry Rides Again (1939), the well-regarded Ginger Rogers / David Niven comedy Bachelor Mother (1939), and several Deanna Durbin star vehicles, including Mad About Music, Hers to Hold, and Lady on a Train. Jackson, in fact, produced nearly all of her post-Joe Pasternak films of the mid-’40s, the one exception being The Amazing Mrs. Holliday. The last Jackson-Durbin collaboration was the 1947 critical and box-office misfire I’ll Be Yours, which came out as their marriage was crumbling. Deanna Durbin would...
- 5/6/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Deanna Durbin ‘saves’ Universal (photo: Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls) [See previous post: "Deanna Durbin: Remembering One of Hollywood's Top Stars."] During the Great Depression most Hollywood studios were in dire financial straits, until, as the story goes, one (or more) lucky star(s) made them once again solvent. Mae West is credited for "saving" Paramount; Shirley Temple "saved" Fox; the Busby Berkeley, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell combo "saved" Warner Bros.; and the curious mix of King Kong, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers "saved" Rko. So, did Deanna Durbin truly save Universal from bankruptcy? Well, Charles Rogers’ investment company came to the financial rescue of Universal in 1936, but the success of Durbin’s movies surely helped the new management get the studio back on its feet. For instance, according to author David Shipman, Three Smart Girls cost $300,000 — its budget doubled after studio bosses realized they had a hit in their hands — and earned Universal a hefty $2m. (An unspecified...
- 5/4/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
When they say, "They don't make 'em like that anymore," this is what they're talking about. "How the West Was Won," released in America 50 years ago this week (on February 20, 1963) was probably the most ambitious western ever made, an epic saga spanning four generations, 50 years, two-and-a-half hours, five vignettes, three directors (well, actually four), the widest possible screen, and an enormous cast of A-listers, including James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Karl Malden, Carroll Baker, and Spencer Tracy. It's hard to imagine any movie, let alone a western, being made on such a grand scale today, when it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Naturally, in a production that massive, there was a lot of chaos behind the scenes. Even fans of the movie may not be aware of the off-camera feud between Peck and his director, the technical challenges imposed by the untried widescreen format,...
- 2/20/2013
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Andy Griffith, who died this morning at 86, was an easygoing star, the sort of performer that you were always glad to see. He had comic, dramatic and musical chops, and showcased them in nightclubs, on Broadway, on the radio, on TV (The Andy Griffith Show, Matlock) and in films (notably A Face in the Crowd, which starred Griffith as folksy demagogue Lonesome Rhodes). He got a Tony nomination as best actor in a musical for 1960’s Destry Rides Again, won a 1997 Grammy for Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. But for a beloved artistic polymath, Griffith never took himself too seriously. No muss, no fuss.Born June 1, 1926, in Mt. Airy, N.C., Griffith got a music degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, taught school for a while, recorded a 1953 monologue titled...
- 7/3/2012
- by Matt Zoller Seitz
- Vulture
Television icon Andy Griffith, best known as the sage town sheriff in the ’60s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and as a cantankerous defense attorney on 1980s-’90s drama Matlock, died today in Roanoke Island, N.C. He was 86 years old. Friend and former University of North Carolina president Bill Friday confirmed the news to Witn News, an NBC affiliate in Washington, N.C.
Born an only child in Mount Airy, N.C., Griffith spent his boyhood listening to music. He aspired to be an opera singer before turning his attention to acting after college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Born an only child in Mount Airy, N.C., Griffith spent his boyhood listening to music. He aspired to be an opera singer before turning his attention to acting after college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
- 7/3/2012
- by Tanner Stransky
- EW - Inside TV
The sheriff of Mayberry has passed away. Legendary actor Andy Griffith died Tuesday morning at his home in Dare County, N.C. at the age of 86. Griffith had a remarkable life-long television career starting with playing the lovable sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from 1960-1968. Of course, the show launched the career of Ron Howard, who played Griffith's son Opie. Howard took to Twitter to pay tribute to Griffith. "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life. I'm forever grateful. Rip Andy," Howard tweeted.
Griffith found success later in life on the legal drama Matlock, which was on air for 11 years.
In addition to acting, Griffith was a director, producer, and Grammy-award winning Southern-gospel singer. He received a Grammy Award for 1997's "I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns." Griffith also had a career on Broadway. He earned...
Griffith found success later in life on the legal drama Matlock, which was on air for 11 years.
In addition to acting, Griffith was a director, producer, and Grammy-award winning Southern-gospel singer. He received a Grammy Award for 1997's "I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns." Griffith also had a career on Broadway. He earned...
- 7/3/2012
- by Chris Ortiz
- Reelzchannel.com
C.S. Hanson: Charles Winn Speaks Directed by Lynn M. Thomson Living Arts Theater Company Cherry Lane Studio Theater
In Charles Winn Speaks,actor Christopher Kipiniak certainly speaks and speaks and speaks. The play consists of four acts, played with no intermission: two long monologs, followed a scene with another character, followed by a brief concluding monolog. In short, Charles Winn does a whole lotta speaking, and for the most part, engagingly so.
Christopher Kipiniak rattles on as Charles Winn, mostly solo for a full ninety minutes in his authentic Russian accent. Classic film aficionados would know this accent from the Russian actor Mischa Auer, who played supporting roles in films which ranged from Hellzapoppin' to Destry Rides Again. When he would appear on the screen, I would endure his grating voice until the stars of the film took over (luckily he was never the star). When it was apparent...
In Charles Winn Speaks,actor Christopher Kipiniak certainly speaks and speaks and speaks. The play consists of four acts, played with no intermission: two long monologs, followed a scene with another character, followed by a brief concluding monolog. In short, Charles Winn does a whole lotta speaking, and for the most part, engagingly so.
Christopher Kipiniak rattles on as Charles Winn, mostly solo for a full ninety minutes in his authentic Russian accent. Classic film aficionados would know this accent from the Russian actor Mischa Auer, who played supporting roles in films which ranged from Hellzapoppin' to Destry Rides Again. When he would appear on the screen, I would endure his grating voice until the stars of the film took over (luckily he was never the star). When it was apparent...
- 10/9/2011
- by Jay Reisberg
- www.culturecatch.com
Among the most entertaining of non-”auteur” star vehicles——made at a time when stars often were not only good actors but unique personalities as well——is the first pairing of America’s innocent James Stewart (as he was always billed in pictures, never Jimmy) and Europe’s worldly Marlene Dietrich, out in the Wild West of 1939’s Destry Rides Again (available on DVD). The picture is a perfect example of what made the old studio star system in its heyday work so well: Both stars’ parts are expertly styled for what these actors can do best, and because their innate personas have such appeal…...
- 9/28/2011
- Blogdanovich
Among the most entertaining of non-”auteur” star vehicles——made at a time when stars often were not only good actors but unique personalities as well——is the first pairing of America’s innocent James Stewart (as he was always billed in pictures, never Jimmy) and Europe’s worldly Marlene Dietrich, out in the Wild West of 1939’s Destry Rides Again (available on DVD).
- 9/28/2011
- Blogdanovich
Wpxi captured these fight scenes from The Dark Knight Rises, featuring Christian Bale as Batman and Tom Hardy as Bane. Watching them we can see not only how Christopher Nolan's fight sequences are done, but also why they can come alive only in the editing room. I'm not at all into violence, but in terms of raw ferocity, the fight sequence between Marlene Dietrich and Una Merkel in George Marshall's 1939 Western Destry Rides Again would put Batman and Bane to shame. As per The Huffington Post, the clip above shows a brawl between Gotham City Police and Arkham Asylum inmates. The snowflakes aren't real, of course. We're in the height of one of the worst summers on record. In addition to Bale and Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises stars Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Juno Temple, and Matthew Modine. The third...
- 8/9/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This week, Austin gets a kids' movie, a Spielbergian movie about kids, and a nice Woody Allen movie for the grownups. Which do you think you'll see? Or are you planning to catch up on movies that opened in the past few weeks?
Maybe you'd prefer to see Austin-shot film The Happy Poet (Jenn's review), which Cinema East is showing this Sunday night on the French Legation Museum lawn. The Paramount has canceled its Charlie Chaplin movies tonight due to the Republic of Texas rally (boo, hiss) but you can still watch Modern Times and a collection of Chaplin shorts on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Plus, on Tuesday and Wednesday they are showing one of my favorite Westerns, Destry Rides Again, in an inspired double with Johnny Guitar.
Movies We've Seen:
Midnight in Paris -- Debbie was happily surprised by the latest Woody Allen movie, as you can see in her review,...
Maybe you'd prefer to see Austin-shot film The Happy Poet (Jenn's review), which Cinema East is showing this Sunday night on the French Legation Museum lawn. The Paramount has canceled its Charlie Chaplin movies tonight due to the Republic of Texas rally (boo, hiss) but you can still watch Modern Times and a collection of Chaplin shorts on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Plus, on Tuesday and Wednesday they are showing one of my favorite Westerns, Destry Rides Again, in an inspired double with Johnny Guitar.
Movies We've Seen:
Midnight in Paris -- Debbie was happily surprised by the latest Woody Allen movie, as you can see in her review,...
- 6/10/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
With one cool shot, the Us president brought down both Osama bin Laden and Republican claims to the mantle of western hero
Westerns have never been seen as Democrat movies. But this is based on a misunderstanding. The western genre of American film is generally thought of as morally crude, politically reactionary and so on, but in reality it was always more complex. From Fort Apache with its depiction of military folly to The Searchers, a dark tale of racism and otherness, the master of the western film, John Ford, always explored ambiguous themes and invested his films with deep intelligence.
Many other classic westerns portray characters who abhor violence – although they always use it in the end: Destry Rides Again and Shane both have heroes who are reluctant to take up arms. In these and other westerns it is only the bad guys who shoot for the sake of...
Westerns have never been seen as Democrat movies. But this is based on a misunderstanding. The western genre of American film is generally thought of as morally crude, politically reactionary and so on, but in reality it was always more complex. From Fort Apache with its depiction of military folly to The Searchers, a dark tale of racism and otherness, the master of the western film, John Ford, always explored ambiguous themes and invested his films with deep intelligence.
Many other classic westerns portray characters who abhor violence – although they always use it in the end: Destry Rides Again and Shane both have heroes who are reluctant to take up arms. In these and other westerns it is only the bad guys who shoot for the sake of...
- 5/3/2011
- by Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
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