Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Coming to DVD on November 9, 2010: BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE (1956), originally known in the UK as PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE, written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The film stars John Gregson, Anthony Quayle, Ian Hunter, Bernard Lee, Patrick Macnee, and Peter Finch.

...Dave Kehr takes a look at two 1935 Kay Francis-George Brent films directed by Frank Borzage, STRANDED and LIVING ON VELVET, in the New York Times. He indicates at his blog that the Warner Archive DVD-Rs appear to be unremastered prints.

...Kehr also recently reviewed the new DVD release of PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (1951), starring Ava Gardner and James Mason.

...50 Westerns From the 50s called my attention to the upcoming book ARIZONA'S LITTLE HOLLYWOOD by Joe McNeill, which covers films made on location in Sedona, Arizona. Movie locations are a particular interest of mine, and this book sounds great.

...Jacqueline blogged about EXECUTIVE SUITE (1954), an interesting film with an all-star cast, at Another Old Movie Blog.

...Starting next Monday, Martha Stewart is taking over eight hours of programming each weekday on the Hallmark Channel.

...Sad: this month the last major factory making traditional incandescent GE light bulbs closes. I've heard so many bad things about expensive (made in China) CFL bulbs that I think we'd better start stocking up on incandescents.

...This looks like an interesting reference: TELEVISION WESTERN PLAYERS OF THE FIFTIES by Everett Aaker. It's a 2007 book from McFarland.

...This video of what happened when a cruise ship was hit by high waves sure doesn't make me anxious to go on a cruise any time soon.

...Restaurant chains are getting into the food truck craze: coming soon are trucks from Fatburger, Subway, and Sizzler.

...President Obama saying "I've got a whole bunch of better ways to spend that money," rather than letting taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned dollars, reminds me of a classic WEST WING moment, where Donna responded to a similar comment by Josh by refusing to return his change from lunch, saying that she had better ideas than he did on how to spend his money.

...New cookbook: AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE: MORE THAN 300 RECIPES FROM MY HOME TO YOURS. It's written by Dorie Greenspan, author of the excellent 2006 book BAKING: FROM MY HOME TO YOURS. AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE isn't due out until October, but Amazon already has it in stock.

...Java's Journey has a brief overview on the topic of classic movies adapted for radio. I've greatly enjoyed collecting a few hundred Lux Radio adaptations on CD over the past year. The "alternate castings" are often quite fascinating, and it's also a wonderful way to hear more work by favorite actors. The commercials and news bulletins are also a very interesting "time capsule." I squeeze in listening to some of them while walking or traveling, but I wish I had time to fit in even more.

...STRANGE BARGAIN (1949), reviewed at WHERE DANGER LIVES, sounds like a lot of fun. I've got the MURDER SHE WROTE DVD with the "sequel" episode in my Netflix queue so I can watch it after I catch up with the movie.

...Rupert returns to Classic Movies Digest with a review of FALLEN ANGEL (1945). I really enjoy this film, which stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Alice Faye. I first saw it in 2006 and watched it again just a few months ago.

...Two more weeks till Destination D: Disneyland '55 at the Disneyland Hotel. The official schedule was just released for the sold-out seminar-style event. Presentations will include the 55th anniversary of the Mouseketeers, the 1964 New York World's Fair, long-gone attractions at Disneyland, and a concert of Disney theme park music with an appearance by composer Richard Sherman.

Have a great weekend!