Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Here's a fun story on Seneca Falls, New York, and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946). Karolyn Grimes, who played little Zuzu, attended the opening of an IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE museum in the town yesterday.

...Christmas movie reviews: SUSAN SLEPT HERE (1954) at True Classics...MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) at The Lady Eve's Reel Life...MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947) and IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE (1947) at Twenty Four Frames...LADY AND THE TRAMP (1955) at True Classics...and a revisit of last year's post on THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947) at Classic Movies Digest.

...The latest installments in the 100 greatest film noir posters countdown at Where Danger Lives are here and here. I especially like the posters for SIDE STREET and NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES. The latter is a Paramount film directed by John Farrow, starring Gail Russell, Edward G. Robinson, John Lund, Virginia Bruce, and William Demarest. Yet another title that Paramount needs to turn loose!

...The L.A. Times recently profiled Stanley Tucci, one of those actors who makes any movie better.

...Check out J.C. Loophole's answers to Amanda's Cinema Survey at The Shelf.

...John DiLeo pays tribute to the great Van Heflin at Screen Savers. A while back at this blog I wrote "Van Heflin could probably read the telephone book and make it interesting..." DiLeo mentions a number of good Heflin performances, but leaves out one of my favorites, GREEN DOLPHIN STREET (1947).

...Films of Yesterday is a nice-looking blog with short reviews of classic movies.

...Here's news on Dick Van Dyke, who has a new "musical memoir" on stage in L.A. called STEP IN TIME!

...Netflix has a new deal to stream ABC and Disney reruns online...some wonder how this will impact syndicated TV reruns.

...The L.A. Times reviews AS ALWAYS, JULIA: THE LETTERS OF JULIA CHILD AND AVIS DEVOTO.

...At Skeins of Thought, Moira pays tribute to two wonderful people, Joel McCrea and Frances Dee. She includes a gorgeous photo of the couple in their later years.

...Over at Out of the Past, Raquelle describes a fabulous experience seeing the silent film SUNRISE (1927) with a live orchestra.

...Prince William and Kate Middleton have released two official engagement portraits.

...I was hoping the new VCI release of MEET JOHN DOE would be a good print, but DVD Beaver says it's a disappointment. Nice extras, though.

...Leonard Maltin remembers Leslie Nielsen and FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956).

...A Christmas gift for someone who loves London -- this Mind the Gap doormat made me smile. I wonder how many times one sees that phrase in a single day traveling about London by Tube?

...The "War Stories" series at Another Old Movie Blog continues with
THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) and LOVE LETTERS (1945). The front stoop scene Jacqueline describes in THE MORE THE MERRIER has to be one of the great love scenes of movie history.

...The best cookbooks of the year, as chosen by the L.A. Times and New York Times. Both papers chose Dorie Greenspan's AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE; the L.A. Times list included SOUTHERN PIES. Both books look great.

...A good idea for a family Christmas tradition, advocated by noted historian David McCullough: children waking to find a wrapped book on their bed on Christmas morning. This was McCullough's family tradition, and he says, "There are few things that start the day off better, and especially on Christmas, than discovering a new book at the foot of your bed. I think my love of books began on Christmas mornings long ago and the love has never gone stale."

Have a great weekend!