For many film buffs, the classic Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street is their go-to holiday film. Subsequently, the movie depicts the best and worst of humanity and is essential viewing during the Christmas season. Altogether, the original film has spawned four remakes. However, they’ve all stayed true to the original script.
‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947)
The film’s original plot follows Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a worker at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. However, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) realizes the man who will play Santa Claus is drunk. Later, he tells Doris, and she hires Kris to be the Macy’s store Santa Claus.
Her divorce disillusions Doris and her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). However, their neighbor, lawyer Fred Gaily (John Payne), is surprised Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.
When Susan meets Kris, she believes he’s Santa Claus. Fred believes Kris and clashes with Doris.
‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947)
The film’s original plot follows Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a worker at Macy’s Department Store in New York City. However, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) realizes the man who will play Santa Claus is drunk. Later, he tells Doris, and she hires Kris to be the Macy’s store Santa Claus.
Her divorce disillusions Doris and her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). However, their neighbor, lawyer Fred Gaily (John Payne), is surprised Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus.
When Susan meets Kris, she believes he’s Santa Claus. Fred believes Kris and clashes with Doris.
- 12/24/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens and Christopher Plummer as Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ (Photo by Kerry Brown / Bleecker Street)
Once again, the holidays – or is it holidaze? – are upon us, bringing with it a flurry of Christmas movies.
You have your endless parade of cartoons, specials, Christmas-themed episodes of your favorite TV shows, bad holiday comedies (1996’s Jingle All the Way and 2007’s Fred Claus come to mind), and Christmas-set horror movies (1984’s Gremlins). Then there’s the cheesy yet feel-good Lifetime and Hallmark films. And how can we forget the 24-hour marathon of 1983’s A Christmas Story (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day?
If those don’t do it for you, maybe these lists of Christmas movies will.
Classic Christmas Movies
You can’t go wrong with these classics, which can lighten the hearts of even the most ardent cynics.
Once again, the holidays – or is it holidaze? – are upon us, bringing with it a flurry of Christmas movies.
You have your endless parade of cartoons, specials, Christmas-themed episodes of your favorite TV shows, bad holiday comedies (1996’s Jingle All the Way and 2007’s Fred Claus come to mind), and Christmas-set horror movies (1984’s Gremlins). Then there’s the cheesy yet feel-good Lifetime and Hallmark films. And how can we forget the 24-hour marathon of 1983’s A Christmas Story (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year), beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day?
If those don’t do it for you, maybe these lists of Christmas movies will.
Classic Christmas Movies
You can’t go wrong with these classics, which can lighten the hearts of even the most ardent cynics.
- 12/9/2023
- by Kurt Anthony Krug
- Showbiz Junkies
It was musical Monday for WGA picketers on day 56 of the Writers Guild strike, with Death Row Records representing in front of Sunset Bronson Studios, site of one of Netflix’s many Los Angeles-based offices.
Death Row boss and WGA supporter Snoop Dogg was unable to attend today due to prior commitments in the recording studio but he sent along Death Row Gm John Payne and label executive K Dubb who spoke to Deadline about why they were in attendance.
“The reason why I’m here is personal and business,” said Payne. “This means a lot to me and we’re all in the same gang when it comes to this. Without these people and their pens, there would be no TV shows and there would be no place for us to put our music. I see all these expensive cars going in (to Netflix) and [the writers] have on old shoes.
Death Row boss and WGA supporter Snoop Dogg was unable to attend today due to prior commitments in the recording studio but he sent along Death Row Gm John Payne and label executive K Dubb who spoke to Deadline about why they were in attendance.
“The reason why I’m here is personal and business,” said Payne. “This means a lot to me and we’re all in the same gang when it comes to this. Without these people and their pens, there would be no TV shows and there would be no place for us to put our music. I see all these expensive cars going in (to Netflix) and [the writers] have on old shoes.
- 6/27/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The spirit of Santa Claus has been uplifted through actors like Ed Asner ("Elf"), Kurt Russell ("The Christmas Chronicles"), and Tim Allen ("The Santa Clause"), but few come as close to capturing the inherent kindness of Edmund Gwenn in "Miracle on 34th Street." When talks of a "Miracle on 34th Street" remake were coming through the pipelines, I imagine it must have been near impossible to think of anyone who could recapture the same magic as Gwenn, especially since it landed the actor an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He even took part in the actual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1946.
Against all odds, the John Hughes-produced reimagining of the classic story about a kind-hearted figure bringing cheer to a department store at Christmas couldn't have chosen a better successor than that of Sir Richard Attenborough. The 1994 film may not be as critically lauded, but it secured the...
Against all odds, the John Hughes-produced reimagining of the classic story about a kind-hearted figure bringing cheer to a department store at Christmas couldn't have chosen a better successor than that of Sir Richard Attenborough. The 1994 film may not be as critically lauded, but it secured the...
- 12/1/2022
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
Halloween has drifted off like a ghost in the night, and most of us have recovered from the piles of food we ate at Thanksgiving. That means it's time to build snow sculptures, hang up the twinkling lights and stockings, and watch some holiday classic films like 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street." Oddly enough, it was released in June of that year because 20th Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck thought people saw more films in the summer, according to the Turner Classic Movies website. Despite the warm breezes blowing as ticket holders waited to check out this story of a man who might very well be Santa Claus, it wasn't filmed in the summer. In fact, the scene at the big parade was filmed during the actual 1946 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in November.
The cast had to sneak in some shots during the real...
The cast had to sneak in some shots during the real...
- 12/1/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
It would be easy to play Santa Claus as a holiday caricature who boasts "ho ho ho" at the top of his lungs, but Edmund Gwenn's Academy Award-winning performance (Best Supporting Actor) in "Miracle on 34th Street" shows a much more tender side of the Christmas mascot. He speaks to children as though they were his equal. Scenes like Kris Kringle heartily speaking Dutch to a young orphaned girl (Mary Field), illustrate how greatly this performance has transcended the decades.
With Gwenn stealing the show, it can be easy to overlook the film's wealth of memorable performances. You have names like Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, Gene Lockheart, and Maureen O'Hara bringing this timeless tale of yuletide cheer to life. It's John Payne, however, who is arguably tasked with the second most responsible role in Fred Gailey, the New York City lawyer who advocates on behalf of Kringle in court.
With Gwenn stealing the show, it can be easy to overlook the film's wealth of memorable performances. You have names like Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, Gene Lockheart, and Maureen O'Hara bringing this timeless tale of yuletide cheer to life. It's John Payne, however, who is arguably tasked with the second most responsible role in Fred Gailey, the New York City lawyer who advocates on behalf of Kringle in court.
- 11/30/2022
- by Matthew Bilodeau
- Slash Film
Powerhouse Indicator’s first foray into the Universal library yields six noir thrillers, all crime-related and all different: the list introduces us to scheming businessmen, venal confidence crooks, black-market racketeers, a femme fatale, a gangster deportee and baby stealers. The B&w features are enriched with some of the best actors of the postwar years, and the titles themselves are a litany of vice and sin: The Web, Larceny, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Abandoned, Deported and Naked Alibi.
Universal Noir #1
Region B Blu-ray
The Web, Larceny, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Abandoned, Deported, Naked Alibi
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1954 / B&w / Street Date November 14, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £49.99
Starring: Ella Raines, Edmond O’Brien, Vincent Price, William Bendix; John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Dan Duryea, Shelly Winters, Dorothy Hart; Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster, Robert Newton; Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr; Marta Toren, Jeff Chandler, Marina Berti, Richard Rober; Sterling Hayden,...
Universal Noir #1
Region B Blu-ray
The Web, Larceny, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Abandoned, Deported, Naked Alibi
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1954 / B&w / Street Date November 14, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £49.99
Starring: Ella Raines, Edmond O’Brien, Vincent Price, William Bendix; John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Dan Duryea, Shelly Winters, Dorothy Hart; Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster, Robert Newton; Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr; Marta Toren, Jeff Chandler, Marina Berti, Richard Rober; Sterling Hayden,...
- 11/5/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“The Never Ending Murder,” an investigative true crime docu-series about the disappearance of 18-year-old British woman Nicola Payne (pictured above right), has been picked up by Signature Entertainment.
Signature have acquired the global rights to the series, which was made by Fulwell 73, StudioPOW and Picnik Entertainment, and will be selling international rights at upcoming major markets.
The series will be released in the U.K. and Ireland in 2023.
“The Never Ending Murder” re-examines Payne’s disappearance in 1991 in Coventry, U.K., which led to one of the West Midlands Police Force’s largest ever investigations. The series includes interviews with family and friends, including her father John Payne (pictured above left) and eldest brother (and family spokesperson) Nigel Payne, as well as those closely involved with the case, including retired detective Malcolm Ross and Martin Slevin, both of whom were lead investigators at one time.
Mark Radice directs while Venita Kidza produces.
Signature have acquired the global rights to the series, which was made by Fulwell 73, StudioPOW and Picnik Entertainment, and will be selling international rights at upcoming major markets.
The series will be released in the U.K. and Ireland in 2023.
“The Never Ending Murder” re-examines Payne’s disappearance in 1991 in Coventry, U.K., which led to one of the West Midlands Police Force’s largest ever investigations. The series includes interviews with family and friends, including her father John Payne (pictured above left) and eldest brother (and family spokesperson) Nigel Payne, as well as those closely involved with the case, including retired detective Malcolm Ross and Martin Slevin, both of whom were lead investigators at one time.
Mark Radice directs while Venita Kidza produces.
- 10/17/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Kino’s Noir boxes offer interesting noir-adjacent crime and mystery pix. This seventh return to the well of darkness brings up the organized crime ‘meller’ Chicago Confidential with Brian Keith and the more ambitious The Boss, starring John Payne and written by Dalton Trumbo. The third show The Fearmakers is a real oddity. Starring Dana Andrews and directed by Jacques Tourneur, it’s a political conspiracy tale about manipulating opinions with fraudulent polls. It sounds a lot like the fractured state of modern America, 65 years later. With commentaries by Jason A. Ney and Alan K. Rode.
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema VII
The Boss, Chicago Confidential, The Fearmakers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956-1958 / B&w / Street Date June 7, 2022 / 249 min. / available through Kino Lorber / 49.95
Starring: John Payne, Gloria McGehee, Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, Dana Andrews, Marilee Earle.
Directed by Byron Haskin, Sidney Salkow, Jacques Tourneur
Kino treads the dark...
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema VII
The Boss, Chicago Confidential, The Fearmakers
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1956-1958 / B&w / Street Date June 7, 2022 / 249 min. / available through Kino Lorber / 49.95
Starring: John Payne, Gloria McGehee, Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, Dana Andrews, Marilee Earle.
Directed by Byron Haskin, Sidney Salkow, Jacques Tourneur
Kino treads the dark...
- 5/31/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“To Grift Or Not To Grift”
By Raymond Benson
This film noir pot boiler, released in 1948 and directed by George Sherman, borders the fine line between being truly awful and stunningly good. Luckily for us, it’s the latter. Larceny surprised this reviewer with its tale—albeit a melodramatic one—of a quartet of con men who make their livings by grifting wealthy people out of investments, phony real estate scams, or whatever. Kind of like what’s happening today with e-mail phishing and robocalls, right?
The picture stars John Payne as Rick Maxon, one of the con men who might be having second thoughts about the company he keeps and the people who become his victims—especially if they’re beautiful women who easily fall for his charm and good looks. Payne was a handsome and low-key actor who worked constantly from the late 1930s through the 1950s, and...
By Raymond Benson
This film noir pot boiler, released in 1948 and directed by George Sherman, borders the fine line between being truly awful and stunningly good. Luckily for us, it’s the latter. Larceny surprised this reviewer with its tale—albeit a melodramatic one—of a quartet of con men who make their livings by grifting wealthy people out of investments, phony real estate scams, or whatever. Kind of like what’s happening today with e-mail phishing and robocalls, right?
The picture stars John Payne as Rick Maxon, one of the con men who might be having second thoughts about the company he keeps and the people who become his victims—especially if they’re beautiful women who easily fall for his charm and good looks. Payne was a handsome and low-key actor who worked constantly from the late 1930s through the 1950s, and...
- 7/13/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It happens every time: we want to cruelly betray somebody, but Love keeps getting in the way. When evil Dan Duryea sics con-man louse John Payne on the saintly war widow Joan Caulfield, three other women come tagging along as well, ’cause Payne is just too attractive. The swindle in George Sherman’s unsure noir gets uglier and then loses its way in the third act, with clunker dialogue and a climax that dissolves when it should resolve. Look out for super femme input from Shelley Winters, Dorothy Hart and Patricia Alphin. It’s an early featured role for Winters, and she doesn’t hold back.
Larceny
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 89 min. / Street Date July 13, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Dan Duryea, Shelley Winters, Dorothy Hart, Richard Rober, Dan O’Herlihy, Nicholas Joy, Percy Helton, Walter Greaza, Patricia Alphin, Gene Evans.
Cinematography:...
Larceny
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 89 min. / Street Date July 13, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Dan Duryea, Shelley Winters, Dorothy Hart, Richard Rober, Dan O’Herlihy, Nicholas Joy, Percy Helton, Walter Greaza, Patricia Alphin, Gene Evans.
Cinematography:...
- 6/15/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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You don’t have to be obsessed with nostalgia to appreciate the aesthetic of a vintage movie poster — but it definitely helps. Vintage movie posters are multi-functional as far as gift giving goes. They’re perfect for movie lovers, they’re collectible, and they add a bit of character to any room. Whether you’re shopping for a gift for your home or office, or buying a present for someone else, we gathered up a short list of Old Hollywood movie posters to purchase online.
The round up of posters feature Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Ed Begley Sr., and other unforgettable faces from Hollywood’s Golden Age. High quality...
You don’t have to be obsessed with nostalgia to appreciate the aesthetic of a vintage movie poster — but it definitely helps. Vintage movie posters are multi-functional as far as gift giving goes. They’re perfect for movie lovers, they’re collectible, and they add a bit of character to any room. Whether you’re shopping for a gift for your home or office, or buying a present for someone else, we gathered up a short list of Old Hollywood movie posters to purchase online.
The round up of posters feature Marilyn Monroe, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Ed Begley Sr., and other unforgettable faces from Hollywood’s Golden Age. High quality...
- 5/24/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
“Why isn’t the original Miracle on 34th Street on TV this year? We need to see movies that offer hope.”
“Where is Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O’Hara??”
More from TVLineCobra Kai Season 3: The Story Behind [Spoiler]'s Surprising DepartureReal Housewives: Monique Samuels Leaving Potomac Ahead of Season 6Power Book II: Ghost Recap: Monsters, Money and One Angry Monet
Many a TVLine reader is on the hunt for the 1947 classic Christmas movie, about a jolly old man who just might be the real Santa Claus. Alas, unless you subscribe to Disney+, you’re likely to only get coal.
“Where is Miracle on 34th Street with Maureen O’Hara??”
More from TVLineCobra Kai Season 3: The Story Behind [Spoiler]'s Surprising DepartureReal Housewives: Monique Samuels Leaving Potomac Ahead of Season 6Power Book II: Ghost Recap: Monsters, Money and One Angry Monet
Many a TVLine reader is on the hunt for the 1947 classic Christmas movie, about a jolly old man who just might be the real Santa Claus. Alas, unless you subscribe to Disney+, you’re likely to only get coal.
- 12/25/2020
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
If you ever sit down to watch 20th Century Fox’s original trailer for Miracle on 34th Street, a few things might appear strange. Right off the bat it’s unique—unprecedented even—to market a new release without any real footage from the film. Other than a few seconds of the movie’s opening titles and an actual shot from the picture’s final seconds, audiences were told nothing about Miracle on 34th Street other than it was “hilarious!” “exciting!” and, dare they say it, “groovy!”
There was of course a reason for this: 20th Century Fox, and more specifically studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, had absolutely no faith in the feel-good holiday movie and didn’t even want the audience to know it was a holiday movie. Zanuck’s insistence that the film open in New York City on June 4 probably added to their skittishness toward the subject matter.
There was of course a reason for this: 20th Century Fox, and more specifically studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, had absolutely no faith in the feel-good holiday movie and didn’t even want the audience to know it was a holiday movie. Zanuck’s insistence that the film open in New York City on June 4 probably added to their skittishness toward the subject matter.
- 12/20/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Rhonda Fleming, whose long career embraced filmdom’s Golden Age and the early days of television, died Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif. at age 97. No cause was given, but her death was confirmed by her secretary.
Fleming was known as the “Queen of Technicolor” for her stunning red hair and green eyes, which lit up appearances in such films as Out of the Past and Spellbound. Overall, she appeared in more than 40 films, working with directors Alfed Hitchcock, Jacques Tourneur and Robert Siodmak, among other film greats.
Her best-known films included the 1948 musical fantasy A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court with Bing Crosby, the 1957 Western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the noir Slightly Scarlet, alongside John Payne.
Fleming was the costar to some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including four films with Ronald Reagan before he entered politics. She worked with Glenn Ford, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster,...
Fleming was known as the “Queen of Technicolor” for her stunning red hair and green eyes, which lit up appearances in such films as Out of the Past and Spellbound. Overall, she appeared in more than 40 films, working with directors Alfed Hitchcock, Jacques Tourneur and Robert Siodmak, among other film greats.
Her best-known films included the 1948 musical fantasy A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court with Bing Crosby, the 1957 Western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the noir Slightly Scarlet, alongside John Payne.
Fleming was the costar to some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including four films with Ronald Reagan before he entered politics. She worked with Glenn Ford, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster,...
- 10/17/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Rhonda Fleming, star of the 1940s and ’50s who was dubbed the “Queen of Technicolor” and appeared in “Out of the Past” and “Spellbound,” died Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif., according to her secretary Carla Sapon. She was 97.
Fleming appeared in more than 40 films and worked with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock on “Spellbound,” Jacques Tourneur on “Out of the Past” and Robert Siodmak on “The Spiral Staircase.”
Later in life, she became a philanthropist and supporter of numerous organizations fighting cancer, homelessness and child abuse.
Her starring roles include classics such as the 1948 musical fantasy “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” alongside Bing Crosby, 1957 Western “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” and the noir “Slightly Scarlet” alongside John Payne.
Her co-stars over the years included Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson and Ronald Reagan, with whom she made four films. Other notable roles included Fritz Lang...
Fleming appeared in more than 40 films and worked with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock on “Spellbound,” Jacques Tourneur on “Out of the Past” and Robert Siodmak on “The Spiral Staircase.”
Later in life, she became a philanthropist and supporter of numerous organizations fighting cancer, homelessness and child abuse.
Her starring roles include classics such as the 1948 musical fantasy “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” alongside Bing Crosby, 1957 Western “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” and the noir “Slightly Scarlet” alongside John Payne.
Her co-stars over the years included Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson and Ronald Reagan, with whom she made four films. Other notable roles included Fritz Lang...
- 10/17/2020
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- Variety Film + TV
Producer-star Richard Widmark may have thought he was inventing a new kind of spy film but his adaptation of an Alistair MacLean novel just grinds the Cold War grist, mixing good atmosphere with unconvincing action derring-do. The handsome production makes good use of Austrian and Swiss locations and the unfamiliar cast is a big assist. German star Sonja Ziemann gets the plum role, but Hollywood’s discovery is the lovely Senta Berger.
The Secret Ways
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Richard Widmark, Sonja Ziemann, Charles Regnier, Walter Rilla, Senta Berger, Howard Vernon, Hubert von Meyerinck, Oskar Wegrostek, Stefan Schnabel, Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel, Ady Berber, Jochen Brockman, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Herbert Fux.
Cinematography: Max Greene
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: Johnny Williams
Written by Jean Hazelwood from the novel by Alistair MacLean
Produced by Richard Widmark
Directed by Phil Karlson...
The Secret Ways
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1961 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Richard Widmark, Sonja Ziemann, Charles Regnier, Walter Rilla, Senta Berger, Howard Vernon, Hubert von Meyerinck, Oskar Wegrostek, Stefan Schnabel, Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel, Ady Berber, Jochen Brockman, Reinhard Kolldehoff, Herbert Fux.
Cinematography: Max Greene
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: Johnny Williams
Written by Jean Hazelwood from the novel by Alistair MacLean
Produced by Richard Widmark
Directed by Phil Karlson...
- 10/10/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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.***"Would you recognize Milton Berle without his mother? No!" So says the man himself, Milton Berle, in Over My Dead Body (1942), a fairly shoddy reminder that Berle was, for now-inexplicable reasons, a movie star in the early forties. But while some talent from radio and vaudeville slid into cinema with the ease of the proverbial buttered eel, Berle somehow got lodged halfway down cinema's throat, for reasons which may tell us something about classical Hollywood filmmaking, and something about this particular clown.Fox tested Berle on...
- 4/14/2020
- MUBI
Van Johnson steps into adventure-guy shoes more suitable for Humphrey Bogart in this European-shot thriller. Daring Martine Carol provides the sex appeal as the mystery dame who entices Johnson to smuggle a man out of Red Albania. The movie is practically a proto- James Bond film: it’s directed by Terence Young, includes Sean Connery and Anthony Dawson in the cast list, and features a fight in a gypsy camp. But Herbert Lom steals the show from them all as a monocle-wearing, oversexed gypsy bandit who can’t abide Commies. Oh, and the disc has special treat in store for discerning, high-toned art-movie intellectuals: this is the film’s hotter Continental version.
Action of the Tiger
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 14, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Van Johnson, Martine Carol, Herbert Lom, Gustavo Rojo, José Nieto, Helen Haye, Anna Gerber, Anthony Dawson, Sean Connery,...
Action of the Tiger
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 14, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Van Johnson, Martine Carol, Herbert Lom, Gustavo Rojo, José Nieto, Helen Haye, Anna Gerber, Anthony Dawson, Sean Connery,...
- 4/4/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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
The DJs on the Sirius Xm satellite music service are especially informative on the channel dedicated to rock songs of the 1960s. You can not only learn fascinating tidbits about the rock artists of the day but also some ancillary information about other aspects of pop culture. For example, DJ Dave Hoffel played the 1963 Four Seasons hit "Big Girls Don't Cry" and informed listeners of its interesting origins. Seems the group had been watching a 1955 Western titled "Tennessee's Partner" starring John Payne, Ronald Reagan and Rhonda Fleming. In one scene, Payne slaps Fleming in the face, expecting her to break down in tears. Instead, she remains dry-eyed and tells him "Big girls don't cry!". So there you have it: Rhonda Fleming was the inspiration for a hit song by the Four Seasons.
- 1/19/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Most of us know Betty Grable from the famous pin-up copied by the cover artwork for this release; by 1944 Ms. Grable was Fox’s biggest earner, and the Armed Force’s most popular daydream babe both back home and at the front. This movie pulled in the multitudes, even though Betty doesn’t even play a model suitable for pin-up duty! But just imagine: in almost any town during wartime with a war industry somewhere nearby, movie theaters played around the clock, with sold-out audiences, to accommodate swing shift defense workers.
Pin Up Girl
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1944 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date June 18, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, Joe E. Brown, Eugene Pallette, Dorothea Kent, Dave Willock.
Cinematography: Ernest Palmer
Choreography: Hermes Pan
Original Music: Song Score Ð James V. Monaco (Music)/Mack Gordon (Lyrics); Charles Henderson, Emil Newman (Musical Directors)
Written by Robert Ellis,...
Pin Up Girl
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1944 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 84 min. / Street Date June 18, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95
Starring: Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, Joe E. Brown, Eugene Pallette, Dorothea Kent, Dave Willock.
Cinematography: Ernest Palmer
Choreography: Hermes Pan
Original Music: Song Score Ð James V. Monaco (Music)/Mack Gordon (Lyrics); Charles Henderson, Emil Newman (Musical Directors)
Written by Robert Ellis,...
- 7/23/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the extensive filmography of director Allan Dwan, there’s perhaps no more glorious period of his filmmaking than his DeLuxe color film noir period of the 1950’s. Following on the heels of the tawdry Slightly Scarlet, which featured red-heads Arlene Dahl and Rhonda Fleming squaring off with John Payne, Dwan inverts the ménage a toi for The River’s Edge utilizing another red-head, Debra Paget, positioned between the amorous interests of Anthony Quinn and Ray Milland in one of his most sinister on-screen personas. Like a cross between Joseph Pevney’s Fox Fire (1955) and the classic The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), a beautiful woman finds herself indebted to her husband while languishing in a rural backwater, this time a New Mexican ranch.…...
- 4/16/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Verily, Blu-ray 3-D is better than most theatrical 3-D! Paramount’s fourth and last 3-D production went out to theaters only in 2-D, so for all practical terms this Kino/3D Archive restoration is a depth-format premiere. Expect a kissing scene or two: lusty Fernando (¿Quién es más macho?) Lamas and demure Rhonda Fleming succumb to the sweaty allure of the tropics. He pushes the sex appeal more than she does! Together they take a 3-D trek to where the headhunters roam, into a jungle to secure a golden treasure.
Jivaro
3-D Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1954 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date March 26, 2019 / 34.95
Starring: Fernando Lamas, Rhonda Fleming, Brian Keith, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Denning, Rita Moreno, Marvin Miller, Morgan Farley, Pascual García Peña, Nestor Paiva, Gregg Barton.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Film Editor: Howard Smith
Original Music: Gregory Stone
Written by Winston Miller, story by David Duncan
Produced by William H. Pine,...
Jivaro
3-D Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1954 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date March 26, 2019 / 34.95
Starring: Fernando Lamas, Rhonda Fleming, Brian Keith, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Denning, Rita Moreno, Marvin Miller, Morgan Farley, Pascual García Peña, Nestor Paiva, Gregg Barton.
Cinematography: Lionel Lindon
Film Editor: Howard Smith
Original Music: Gregory Stone
Written by Winston Miller, story by David Duncan
Produced by William H. Pine,...
- 3/9/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By John M. Whalen
John Payne was one of those “meat and potatoes” kind of actors. Nothing fancy. No complicated method acting style. He just gave good, solid, straight off-the-page performances in dozens of films and television shows over a span of nearly 40 years. I think of him primarily as the guy trapped and fighting for survival in old black and white film noirs of the 1950s-- films like “Kansas City Confidential,” “99 River Street,” and perhaps one of the best noirs ever—“The Crooked Way.”
He made a number of interesting westerns however, including “El Paso” (1949), the first of a several he made for the Pine-Thomas Productions B-movie unit of Paramount. It was notable for the fact that it was the first Pine-Thomas movie to have a decent budget-- $1 million. It was filmed partly in El Paso, but mostly on the Iverson Ranch, which, film historian Toby Roan explains in the audio commentary,...
John Payne was one of those “meat and potatoes” kind of actors. Nothing fancy. No complicated method acting style. He just gave good, solid, straight off-the-page performances in dozens of films and television shows over a span of nearly 40 years. I think of him primarily as the guy trapped and fighting for survival in old black and white film noirs of the 1950s-- films like “Kansas City Confidential,” “99 River Street,” and perhaps one of the best noirs ever—“The Crooked Way.”
He made a number of interesting westerns however, including “El Paso” (1949), the first of a several he made for the Pine-Thomas Productions B-movie unit of Paramount. It was notable for the fact that it was the first Pine-Thomas movie to have a decent budget-- $1 million. It was filmed partly in El Paso, but mostly on the Iverson Ranch, which, film historian Toby Roan explains in the audio commentary,...
- 3/6/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
“Real Life Rock Top Ten” is a monthly column by cultural critic and Rs contributing editor Greil Marcus.
1. Dirty Denim, “Meant to Be,” from Dirty Denim Demo Tape (7″ Ep). This is the most arresting thing I’ve heard come out of the radio — in this case, Kalx, the University of California station in Berkeley — since Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Train’s “Hey Soul Sister.” A four-woman band from San Francisco starts up, as if Sleater-Kinney, or more accurately the Corin Tucker-Sarah Dougher-sts spin-off Cadallaca, had...
1. Dirty Denim, “Meant to Be,” from Dirty Denim Demo Tape (7″ Ep). This is the most arresting thing I’ve heard come out of the radio — in this case, Kalx, the University of California station in Berkeley — since Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Train’s “Hey Soul Sister.” A four-woman band from San Francisco starts up, as if Sleater-Kinney, or more accurately the Corin Tucker-Sarah Dougher-sts spin-off Cadallaca, had...
- 1/18/2019
- by Greil Marcus
- Rollingstone.com
If the mystic wanderings of Van Morrison’s 1968 masterpiece Astral Weeks have any geographic setting at all, it’s their creator’s native Belfast, and, of course, the viaducts of his dreams. But as Ryan H. Walsh’s excellent recent book Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 reveals, Morrison actually conceived the album in — of all places — Boston, Massachusetts, where he was essentially hiding out after leaving behind the record deal that yielded “Brown Eyed Girl” the previous year. On our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Walsh broke down the...
- 11/30/2018
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
Turner Classic Movies continues with its Gay Hollywood presentations tonight and tomorrow morning, June 8–9. Seven movies will be shown about, featuring, directed, or produced by the following: Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, Farley Granger, John Dall, Edmund Goulding, W. Somerset Maughan, Clifton Webb, Montgomery Clift, Raymond Burr, Charles Walters, DeWitt Bodeen, and Harriet Parsons. (One assumes that it's a mere coincidence that gay rumor subjects Cary Grant and Tyrone Power are also featured.) Night and Day (1946), which could also be considered part of TCM's homage to birthday girl Alexis Smith, who would have turned 96 today, is a Cole Porter biopic starring Cary Grant as a posh, heterosexualized version of Porter. As the warning goes, any similaries to real-life people and/or events found in Night and Day are a mere coincidence. The same goes for Words and Music (1948), a highly fictionalized version of the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musical partnership.
- 6/9/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Gloria DeHaven, famous for starring in a parade of Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and '50s, has died. She was 91. DeHaven died Saturday in hospice care in Las Vegas after suffering a stroke a few months ago, reports Reuters. The actress made her screen debut in Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times as Paulette Goddard's younger sister. She went on to star in a bevy of musicals - many of them for MGM - in the 1940s and '50s including Two Girls and a Sailor , Step Lively with Frank Sinatra (who had his first onscreen kiss with...
- 8/1/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
Do you like your noir heroes bitter and bruised, and your noir dames daring and resourceful? Phil Karlson's gem of a thriller pits two-fisted John Payne against murderous hood Brad Dexter, with Peggie Castle the unfaithful, unlucky wife who decides to run off with the wrong guy. And star Evelyn Keys is a pulp noir adventuress to admire, with a roving eye of her own. 99 River Street Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1953 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 83 min. / Street Date June 21, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, Peggie Castle, Jay Adler, Jack Lambert, Glenn Langan. Cinematography Franz Planer Film Editor Buddy Small Original Music Arthur Lange, Emil Newman Written by Robert Smith, George Zuckerman Produced by Edward Small Directed by Phil Karlson
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
99 River Street is a top noir title in all respects -- a great cast, a literally hard-hitting...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
99 River Street is a top noir title in all respects -- a great cast, a literally hard-hitting...
- 6/29/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
After falling into the public domain, Phil Karlson’s 1952 film noir Kansas City Confidential became unfairly lumped into B-grade bracket, a disservice considering the title’s odd narrative and eventual influence on contemporary filmmakers. Karlson, who would eventually turn to mainstream efforts starring the likes of Dean Martin and Elvis Presley in the 1960s and 1970s, contributed several enjoyable minor noir efforts in the 1950s. These would include 1952’s Scandal Sheet with Donna Reed and Broderick Crawford, Kim Novak casino heist effort 5 Against the House, and that same year’s Tight Spot with a peculiar role for Ginger Rogers. But none have enjoyed the staying power of this particular heist drama, now restored with its most accomplished transfer yet.
Kansas City delivery man Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is at the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s nabbed by the cops as the driver of a heist involving...
Kansas City delivery man Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is at the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s nabbed by the cops as the driver of a heist involving...
- 2/2/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Coleen Gray in 'The Sleeping City' with Richard Conte. Coleen Gray after Fox: B Westerns and films noirs (See previous post: “Coleen Gray Actress: From Red River to Film Noir 'Good Girls'.”) Regarding the demise of her Fox career (the year after her divorce from Rod Amateau), Coleen Gray would recall for Confessions of a Scream Queen author Matt Beckoff: I thought that was the end of the world and that I was a total failure. I was a mass of insecurity and depended on agents. … Whether it was an 'A' picture or a 'B' picture didn't bother me. It could be a Western movie, a sci-fi film. A job was a job. You did the best with the script that you had. Fox had dropped Gray at a time of dramatic upheavals in the American film industry: fast-dwindling box office receipts as a result of competition from television,...
- 10/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Kansas City Confidential
Written by George Bruce and Harry Essex
Directed by Phil Karlson
U.S.A., 1952
From across the street in a quiet hotel room, a man (Preston Foster) attentively observes the coming and goings of security guards that transport hundreds of thousands of dollars to and from the bank across the street. A plan is brewing in his mind, a plan that will require the assistance of three pawns, all known criminals. They are: small time gambler Pete Harris (Jack Elam), cop killer Boyd Kane (Neville Brand) and Tony Romano (a young, moustache-free Lee Van Cleef). Each is invited to the man’s room on separate occasions, presented a plan to steal the doe from the guards and make a getaway. Everyone is to wear masks so that no one participant can rat on any other in the event that things go awry. For the masked convicts themselves,...
Written by George Bruce and Harry Essex
Directed by Phil Karlson
U.S.A., 1952
From across the street in a quiet hotel room, a man (Preston Foster) attentively observes the coming and goings of security guards that transport hundreds of thousands of dollars to and from the bank across the street. A plan is brewing in his mind, a plan that will require the assistance of three pawns, all known criminals. They are: small time gambler Pete Harris (Jack Elam), cop killer Boyd Kane (Neville Brand) and Tony Romano (a young, moustache-free Lee Van Cleef). Each is invited to the man’s room on separate occasions, presented a plan to steal the doe from the guards and make a getaway. Everyone is to wear masks so that no one participant can rat on any other in the event that things go awry. For the masked convicts themselves,...
- 8/21/2015
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Coleen Gray ca. 1950. Coleen Gray dead at 92: Leading lady in early Stanley Kubrick film noir classic Actress Coleen Gray, best known for Stanley Kubrick's crime drama The Killing, has died. Her death was announced by Classic Images contributor Laura Wagner on Facebook's “Film Noir” group. Wagner's source was David Schecter, who had been friends with the actress for quite some time. Via private message, he has confirmed Gray's death of natural causes earlier today, Aug. 3, '15, at her home in Bel Air, on the Los Angeles Westside. Gray (born on Oct. 23, 1922, in Staplehurst, Nebraska) was 92. Coleen Gray movies As found on the IMDb, Coleen Gray made her film debut as an extra in the 20th Century Fox musical State Fair (1945), starring Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews. Her association with film noir began in 1947, with the release of Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death (1947), notable for showing Richard Widmark...
- 8/4/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Olivia de Havilland picture U.S. labor history-making 'Gone with the Wind' star and two-time Best Actress winner Olivia de Havilland turns 99 (This Olivia de Havilland article is currently being revised and expanded.) Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland, the only surviving major Gone with the Wind cast member and oldest surviving Oscar winner, is turning 99 years old today, July 1.[1] Also known for her widely publicized feud with sister Joan Fontaine and for her eight movies with Errol Flynn, de Havilland should be remembered as well for having made Hollywood labor history. This particular history has nothing to do with de Havilland's films, her two Oscars, Gone with the Wind, Joan Fontaine, or Errol Flynn. Instead, history was made as a result of a legal fight: after winning a lawsuit against Warner Bros. in the mid-'40s, Olivia de Havilland put an end to treacherous...
- 7/2/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright-Samuel Goldwyn association comes to a nasty end (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright in 'Shadow of a Doubt': Alfred Hitchcock Heroine in His Favorite Film.") Whether or not because she was aware that Enchantment wasn't going to be the hit she needed – or perhaps some other disagreement with Samuel Goldwyn or personal issue with husband Niven Busch – Teresa Wright, claiming illness, refused to go to New York City to promote the film. (Top image: Teresa Wright in a publicity shot for The Men.) Goldwyn had previously announced that Wright, whose contract still had another four and half years to run, was to star in a film version of J.D. Salinger's 1948 short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut." Instead, he unceremoniously – and quite publicly – fired her.[1] The Goldwyn organization issued a statement, explaining that besides refusing the assignment to travel to New York to help generate pre-opening publicity for Enchantment,...
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Maureen O'Hara movies: 2014 Honorary Oscar for Hollywood legend (photo: Maureen O'Hara at the 2014 Governors Awards) In the photo above, the movies' Maureen O'Hara, 2014 Honorary Oscar recipient for her body of work, arrives with a couple of guests at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2014 Governors Awards. This year's ceremony is being held this Saturday evening, November 8, in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. For the last couple of years, Maureen O'Hara has been a Boise, Idaho, resident. Before that, the 94-year-old movie veteran -- born Maureen FitzSimons, on August, 17, 1920, in Dublin -- had been living in Ireland. Below is a brief recap of her movies. Maureen O'Hara movies: From Charles Laughton to John Wayne Following her leading-lady role in Alfred Hitchcock's British-made Jamaica Inn, starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara arrived in Hollywood in 1939 to play the gypsy Esmeralda opposite Laughton in William Dieterle...
- 11/9/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Claudette Colbert movies on Turner Classic Movies: From ‘The Smiling Lieutenant’ to TCM premiere ‘Skylark’ (photo: Claudette Colbert and Maurice Chevalier in ‘The Smiling Lieutenant’) Claudette Colbert, the studio era’s perky, independent-minded — and French-born — "all-American" girlfriend (and later all-American wife and mother), is Turner Classic Movies’ star of the day today, August 18, 2014, as TCM continues with its "Summer Under the Stars" film series. Colbert, a surprise Best Actress Academy Award winner for Frank Capra’s 1934 comedy It Happened One Night, was one Paramount’s biggest box office draws for more than decade and Hollywood’s top-paid female star of 1938, with reported earnings of $426,944 — or about $7.21 million in 2014 dollars. (See also: TCM’s Claudette Colbert day in 2011.) Right now, TCM is showing Ernst Lubitsch’s light (but ultimately bittersweet) romantic comedy-musical The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), a Best Picture Academy Award nominee starring Maurice Chevalier as a French-accented Central European lieutenant in...
- 8/19/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A perennial this-time-of-year favorite, Miracle on 34th Street features a kind, old gentleman (Edmund Gwenn) who insists he is the real Santa Claus, getting a job at Macy’s and bringing holiday cheer to a single mother and her daughter. During the course of the film, the store psychologist has it in for Kris Kringle and sends him to Bellevue. This leads into a high-profile hearing in which a young lawyer named Fred Gailey (John Payne) sets out to prove that Kris Kringle is the one and only Santa Claus. As the hearing reaches the final day, on Christmas Eve no less, when Gailey presents three letters simply addressed “Santa Claus” to the judge. This is to prove that the U.S. Postal Service believes Kris to be the real deal. When the prosecutor demands more then three letters, and the judge insists that Gailey put the exhibits on his desk, almost...
- 12/16/2013
- by Kevin Carr
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Stylish film noir star known for her role in Lady in the Lake
I was kissed by Audrey Totter. At least, I share that experience with anybody who has seen Lady in the Lake (1947), when Totter plants her lips on the subjective camera, the surrogate for Robert Montgomery as Philip Marlowe. The film, directed by Montgomery, and based on the Raymond Chandler novel, was shot so that the whole story is seen literally through Marlowe's eyes.
The role of the gold-digging tigress magazine editor Adrienne Fromsett, who hires the private eye to find the missing wife of her publisher, was a breakthrough for Totter, who has died aged 95. Previously, she had been in a dozen movies, her hair colour and accent varying so much from film to film that she dubbed herself "the feminine Lon Chaney of the MGM lot".
Montgomery chose Totter for the part because of her versatility as a radio actor.
I was kissed by Audrey Totter. At least, I share that experience with anybody who has seen Lady in the Lake (1947), when Totter plants her lips on the subjective camera, the surrogate for Robert Montgomery as Philip Marlowe. The film, directed by Montgomery, and based on the Raymond Chandler novel, was shot so that the whole story is seen literally through Marlowe's eyes.
The role of the gold-digging tigress magazine editor Adrienne Fromsett, who hires the private eye to find the missing wife of her publisher, was a breakthrough for Totter, who has died aged 95. Previously, she had been in a dozen movies, her hair colour and accent varying so much from film to film that she dubbed herself "the feminine Lon Chaney of the MGM lot".
Montgomery chose Totter for the part because of her versatility as a radio actor.
- 12/16/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) kicks off its 20th anniversary celebration by joining forces with Macy’s to bring the holiday spirit to New York with a special screening of the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947).
The movie will be screened for fans outside Macy’s Herald Square beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 and will run throughout the day. TCM host Robert Osborne will introduce the final screening at 7:45 p.m. In addition to the screening, TCM will also offer classic film fans in the Big Apple 20 days of free admission to the TCM Classic Film Sightseeing Bus Tour, beginning Dec. 1.
“Miracle on 34th Street is one of the most beloved holiday films of all time, a celebration of the magic that envelops New York City during this special time of year,” said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of digital, affiliate, lifestyle and enterprise commerce for TCM,...
The movie will be screened for fans outside Macy’s Herald Square beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 and will run throughout the day. TCM host Robert Osborne will introduce the final screening at 7:45 p.m. In addition to the screening, TCM will also offer classic film fans in the Big Apple 20 days of free admission to the TCM Classic Film Sightseeing Bus Tour, beginning Dec. 1.
“Miracle on 34th Street is one of the most beloved holiday films of all time, a celebration of the magic that envelops New York City during this special time of year,” said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of digital, affiliate, lifestyle and enterprise commerce for TCM,...
- 11/18/2013
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Model and movie star whose life story was the inspiration behind the film Funny Face
In 1944, the 21-year-old Richard Avedon, just starting out as a professional photographer after leaving the Us merchant marine, walked into a bank in Manhattan, New York, and saw a 19-year-old clerk called Dorcas Nowell. It was love at first sight. He called her Doe because of her deer-like eyes, and they soon married. Doe Avedon, who has died aged 86, was the first muse of the man who was to become America's leading fashion and portrait photographer.
Richard Avedon, who had begun to get work as a photographer for the fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar, made his wife into a top model, against her own inclinations. Although Doe gradually backed out of the limelight as a model – one of the last photos Richard took of her was posing in a fur-lined Christian Dior coat and hat at...
In 1944, the 21-year-old Richard Avedon, just starting out as a professional photographer after leaving the Us merchant marine, walked into a bank in Manhattan, New York, and saw a 19-year-old clerk called Dorcas Nowell. It was love at first sight. He called her Doe because of her deer-like eyes, and they soon married. Doe Avedon, who has died aged 86, was the first muse of the man who was to become America's leading fashion and portrait photographer.
Richard Avedon, who had begun to get work as a photographer for the fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar, made his wife into a top model, against her own inclinations. Although Doe gradually backed out of the limelight as a model – one of the last photos Richard took of her was posing in a fur-lined Christian Dior coat and hat at...
- 12/27/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Model and actress Doe Avedon Siegel, best known for her marriages to photographer Richard Avedon and to Dirty Harry movie director Don Siegel, died Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 86. Born Dorcas Nowell (on April 7, 1928) in Westbury, New York, she was discovered by Avedon, who married her in 1944. (Avedon herself told journalists she began her acting career while working as a waitress.) A highly romanticized version of their courtship was turned into a would-be play by Leonard Gershe, Funny Face, which finally was produced as a Paramount musical in 1957, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn under the direction of Stanley Donen. By then, the Avedons had been divorced for six years. Doe Avedon's stage debut took place in 1948, in the Broadway production of N. Richard Nash's The Young and Fair, which also featured Julie Harris, Rita Gam, and future Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge. For her efforts, Avedon was...
- 12/21/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Disney Junior, the learning-focused block for kids aged 2-7 on Disney Channel will usher in the holiday season with the launch of two brand new short-form series – A Poem Is… and Tasty Time with Chef ZeFronk. Beginning December 19, these shorts will play out multiple times daily on Disney Channel.
Arnab Chaudhuri, executive director content and creative, Walt Disney Television International India, says, “The launch of these new series further demonstrates Disney Junior’s dedication to programming that highlights the importance of great, heartfelt storytelling with learning components, including poetry and life skills. Both A poem is… and Tasty Time with ZeFronk are wonderful additions to the already robust offerings from Disney Junior and showcase how Disney’s content strives to entertain and inspire learning while embracing positive values.”
A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films including Dumbo,...
Arnab Chaudhuri, executive director content and creative, Walt Disney Television International India, says, “The launch of these new series further demonstrates Disney Junior’s dedication to programming that highlights the importance of great, heartfelt storytelling with learning components, including poetry and life skills. Both A poem is… and Tasty Time with ZeFronk are wonderful additions to the already robust offerings from Disney Junior and showcase how Disney’s content strives to entertain and inspire learning while embracing positive values.”
A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films including Dumbo,...
- 12/17/2011
- by BollySpice Editors
- Bollyspice
We’ve all been there. It’s holiday time, you’re stuck at home with extended family you see but once a year, conversation topics have run thin and you cannot stuff your face with anymore Christmas cookies to keep from having to fill the awkward lulls. Before you go into diabetic shock, why not let a movie do the talking (and entertaining) for you? The question then becomes – what is a good movie to sit down to watch with grandma that won’t have a sudden sex scene or slasher moment that will not only horrify an older movie watcher, but will probably also scar you for life? (As the commercial showing grandma getting a True Blood DVD set proves, amorous vampires and fairies may not be for all ages). Have no fear – I have compiled a list of family-friendly fare that will not only wile away a few hours, but...
- 12/16/2011
- by Allison Loring
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
It broke over the weekend that Los Angeles County police have re-opened the investigation into the drowning death of actress Natalie Wood in 1981, due to more information that has come to light as part of a "48 Hours Mystery" special on the incident, which was originally ruled an accidental drowning.
The latest twist in the saga is Marilyn Wayne, a California resident who was sailing nearby the Splendour, the yacht on which Wood, her husband Robert Wagner and her co-star Christopher Walken were boating. Wayne claims in a sworn statement to police that she and her boyfriend at the time John Payne, heard a woman screaming for help, reports ABC News.
"A woman's voice, crying for help from drowning awakened John, and he awakened me. 'Help me, someone please help me, I'm drowning' we heard repeatedly. Alarmed, I called out to my son, who also heard the cries, and looked at...
The latest twist in the saga is Marilyn Wayne, a California resident who was sailing nearby the Splendour, the yacht on which Wood, her husband Robert Wagner and her co-star Christopher Walken were boating. Wayne claims in a sworn statement to police that she and her boyfriend at the time John Payne, heard a woman screaming for help, reports ABC News.
"A woman's voice, crying for help from drowning awakened John, and he awakened me. 'Help me, someone please help me, I'm drowning' we heard repeatedly. Alarmed, I called out to my son, who also heard the cries, and looked at...
- 11/22/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Relativity Media has been working on "Goliath" film, a new take on the "David vs Goliath" Biblical tale that has Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still) attached to direct from a script by John Payne and Patrick McKay. Twitch has now learned that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in talks to play Goliath and Taylor Lautner (Twilight) is in talks to play the role of David. The latter is not much of a surprise since "Twilight" producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are also involved. The story is set in motion when the fierce warrior Goliath is sent to track down a foretold king of the Israelites. A young shepherd David is thrust into an epic chase and adventure fighting for his own life, the lives of his loved ones and eventually the lives of his people. The story climaxes in a battle...
- 9/1/2011
- WorstPreviews.com
Ann Sothern, Linda Darnell, Jeanne Crain, A Letter to Three Wives Linda Darnell, the gorgeous leading lady of numerous 20th Century Fox productions of the '40s, is Turner Classic Movies' "Summer Under the Stars" player this Saturday, August 27. TCM, which has leased titles from the Fox library, is showing 14 Linda Darnell movies, including no less than 9 TCM premieres. [Linda Darnell Movie Schedule.] Right now, TCM is showing writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's A Letter to Three Wives (1949), winner of Academy Awards for Best Direction and Best Screenplay. This curious comedy-drama about a husband who leaves his wife for another woman — but whose husband? Linda Darnell's, Jeanne Crain's, or Ann Sothern's? — also earned Mankiewicz the very first Directors Guild of America Award and a Writers Guild Award (which Mankiewicz shared with Vera Caspary) for the Best Written American Comedy. The husbands in question are Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, and Jeffrey Lynn.
- 8/28/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Linda Darnell Linda Darnell on TCM: A Letter To Three Wives, No Way Out Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Zero Hour! (1957) When a flight crew falls ill only man who can land the plane is afraid of flying. Dir: Hall Bartlett. Cast: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Sterling Hayden. Bw-81 mins, Letterbox Format. 7:30 Am Sweet And Low Down (1944) Dir: Archie Mayo. Cast: Benny Goodman, Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie. Bw-76 mins. 9:00 Am Rise And Shine (1941) The college president head cheerleader and a gambling gangster try to keep a flunking football star in the game. Dir: Allan Dwan. Cast: Jack Oakie, George Murphy, Linda Darnell. Bw-88 mins. 10:45 Am Brigham Young (1940) Two young Mormons struggle to survive their people's journey to a new home in the West. Dir: Henry Hathaway. Cast: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Dean Jagger. Bw-113 mins. 12:45 Pm Two Flags West (1950) A bitter...
- 8/27/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Chicago – Diabolical twins, obsessed journalists and jail-breaking thugs are heading their way to the Music Box Theatre. The Film Noir Foundation’s third installment of “Noir City: Chicago” features no less than sixteen restored 35mm prints of must-see cinematic rarities. Ten of these noir classics have yet to land a DVD release, thus making this festival all the more essential for local cinephiles.
The week-long festival kicks off Friday, Aug. 12, and includes criminally overlooked performances from Hollywood legends such as Humphrey Bogart, Anne Bancroft, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Burt Lancaster. Acclaimed noir historians Alan K. Rode (“Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy”) and Foster Hirsch (“Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir”) will be presenting the pictures while offering their wealth of historical and filmic insight.
Among this year’s most priceless treasures is “Deadline USA,” starring Bogart as...
The week-long festival kicks off Friday, Aug. 12, and includes criminally overlooked performances from Hollywood legends such as Humphrey Bogart, Anne Bancroft, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Burt Lancaster. Acclaimed noir historians Alan K. Rode (“Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy”) and Foster Hirsch (“Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir”) will be presenting the pictures while offering their wealth of historical and filmic insight.
Among this year’s most priceless treasures is “Deadline USA,” starring Bogart as...
- 8/11/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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