Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The latest Ken Burns documentary, PROHIBITION, debuts on PBS tonight. The program might be of particular interest to classic film fans, as the subject matter affects the plots of so many movies, particularly those made in the '30s. PROHIBITION is a three-part series, and most PBS stations will typically air the episodes more than once this coming week. The series will also be out on DVD this week; it will be available from Netflix.

...Caftan Woman's "One for October" recommendation for viewing on Turner Classic Movies this month: THE SET-UP (1949), starring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter, directed by the great Robert Wise, a director of remarkable versatility. I've yet to catch up with this one, but it sounds great. It airs October 11th.

...The L.A. Times took a great look back to the decorating of Fred MacMurray's home in 1946. I love the way Lillian MacMurray decorated the family living room; I wish I could jump into the picture and curl up with a book by the fireplace. This photo, by Maynard L. Parker, is in a searchable collection at the Huntington Library.

...Tales of the Easily Distracted recently paid tribute to Hitchcock's TO CATCH A THIEF (1955). As I wrote in my 2009 post on the film, it's one of my earliest movie memories.

...New on DVD this week: THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR (1955), a film written and directed by Andrew L. Stone, about whom I've written fairly often of late. It stars one of my favorites, Jack Kelly (MAVERICK), who also appeared as the brave pilot in Stone's JULIE (1956) the following year. THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR is a Columbia Classics release sold by the Warner Archive. Even better, it's newly remastered.

...Was last Wednesday the greatest single night of any baseball season? Well, it might depend on whether or not one was rooting for one of teams which collapsed...

...I enjoy visiting the blog O.C. History Roundup, and I especially enjoyed a post on the history of the Snack Shop restaurant chain. I remember eating at Snack Shops when I was very young, before there was Coco's.

...Last weekend there was a Fashion in Film Blogathon. Among the interesting posts I enjoyed were The Girl With the White Parasol writing on A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1948), Elegant Musings on LAURA (1944), and In So Many Words... on Claudette Colbert's wardrobe in CLEOPATRA (1934).

...Reviews, reviews, and more reviews: Another Old Movie Blog reviewed ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY (1949) last week, starring Clark Gable and Alexis Smith...The Movie Projector takes a look at Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948)...Glenn Erickson reviews THE THREAT (1949), a Warner Archive release, at DVD Savant...Classic Film Freak reviews Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright in PURSUED (1947), which I was fortunate to see on a big screen last summer.

...Susan King reviewed the upcoming Spencer Tracy biography for the Los Angeles Times. It will be published on October 18th, and it sounds quite interesting. Author James Curtis has a web page. Wish I'd been able to see the author and Hepburn's niece, actress Katharine Houghton, at the Tracy-Hepburn double bill at the Egyptian today!

...Will moviegoers soon have to buy their own 3-D glasses?

...Over the past week Raquelle has had a great series paying tribute to Jack Klugman at her blog Out of the Past, including a review of 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) and a post on his show QUINCY, M.E. Although I didn't watch the show when it originally aired, I remember getting a kick out of the opening credits sequence. Given the guest stars she lists who appeared in various episodes, I may have to check it out sometime.

...Count me as definitely intrigued by the upcoming Amazon Kindle Fire, which sounds like it would (relatively!) affordably meet my wish for a portable "around the house" device, given that iPads cost 2-1/2 times as much. I'm constantly using my iPhone at home for things like looking up cast lists on IMDb while watching movies, and a bigger screen would sure be nice! The browser technology is interesting. Here's analysis about how it stacks up against other devices. Christmas is coming...

...Waitin' on a Sunny Day has just sponsored the Darling Deborah Blogathon in honor of Deborah Kerr. Be sure to check out all the fun posts, such as Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear on I SEE A DARK STRANGER (1946).

...I like the clever title of a brand-new Edinburgh based classic film blog, Holyrood or Bust. Blogger Jonathan Melville starts out with posts on Buster Keaton, the current Star of the Month at Turner Classic Movies.

...We actually passed the group involved in this flash mob marriage proposal at Downtown Disney after MouseAdventure last Sunday, but we weren't sure exactly what was going on.

...It was terrific to recently discover a new post from Mark at Cin-Eater, on a film I'm really looking forward to seeing: Joyce Reynolds, Robert Hutton, and Edward Arnold in JANIE (1944). I thought Reynolds was wonderful as Joan Fontaine's sister in THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943), and I also liked her in WALLFLOWER (1948), which teamed her again with Hutton and Arnold.

...Southern California Classic Film Alert: Last night I shared information about an upcoming tribute to Julie Adams at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Dear Old Hollywood has info on a number of other interesting screenings in the L.A. area this month, with particular emphasis on titles of a spooky nature.

...Notable Passing...Just about a month ago I linked to a 90th birthday tribute to trumpet great Uan Rasey. I'm sorry to say that Mr. Rasey passed away on September 26th. His playing can be heard on many movie soundtracks, most notably MGM films, including AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, GIGI, and BEN-HUR. (October 4th Update: Leonard Maltin has posted a lovely tribute to Uan Rasey.)

Have a great week!