Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...There's a Val Lewton blogathon coming for Halloween, sponsored by Kristina of Speakeasy and Stephen of Classic Movie Man. I've signed up to contribute a post on Jacques Tourneur's THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) starring Dennis O'Keefe.

...Here's a nice profile of actor Bill Williams posted at MovieFanFare, written by Melanie Simone of the blog Talking Classics. Just last week I watched Williams and his wife, Barbara Hale, in the Western West of the Pecos (1945).

...Coming to DVD: Gene Barry as Bat Masterson.

...ON THE LOOSE (1951), available for streaming from Netflix, sounds interesting. I'm always on the lookout for a good "B" movie! The film stars Joan Evans, Melvyn Douglas, and Lynn Bari. Robby compares the Beverly Hills High School location, then and now, at Dear Old Hollywood.

...We may have different politics, but it's always a kick to see one of these WEST WING video reunions! I did love that show and the characters. Sheen's "Apocalypse Now" line gave me the giggles, and "walk and talk" always makes me smile.

...Last year I had a really good time seeing Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler in FEMALE ON THE BEACH (1955) at the Noir City Film Festival. Grand Old Movies has an amusing take on the movie. It's out on DVD from TCM.

...Colin keeps reviewing interesting movies I'd love to see at his blog Riding the High Country; the latest such film is RED SUNDOWN (1956) which stars Rory Calhoun and Martha Hyer. So far this year I've enjoyed Calhoun in FOUR GUNS TO THE BORDER (1954) and RAW EDGE (1956); I'm looking forward to checking out more of his Westerns.

...Mark Harmon receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, October 1st.

...The Pasadena Star News published an article last week on Leonard Maltin and how his movie ratings guidebook stays relevant in the age of the internet.

...A new cookbook due out at month's end: BAREFOOT CONTESSA FOOLPROOF by Ina Garten. Some of our family's favorite recipes have come from Garten's cookbooks, such as Roast Lemon Chicken with Croutons.

...At A Shroud of Thoughts, Terry muses on the seemingly perpetual problem of properly casting the role of Daisy in film versions of THE GREAT GATSBY. That was definitely an issue in the otherwise excellent 1949 version I saw with Alan Ladd earlier this year.

...This doesn't seem well thought out: Slashfilm reports that if you purchase an AVENGERS DVD with a digital copy but don't have a computer with a disc drive, there's no way to access the digital copy.

...THE WALTONS had a 40th Anniversary Reunion last night. It's rather great that, like her character Elizabeth Walton, Kami Cotler became a teacher. Proceeds from the reunion went to benefit a Los Angeles charter school where Cotler now serves as principal. Susan King has more at the Los Angeles Times.

...Cliff profiles the marvelous Greer Garson at Immortal Ephemera. Some classic film fans on Twitter all agreed we especially love Garson's RANDOM HARVEST (1942). Recommended!

...Adventures in Primetime remembers the late, great Stephen J. Cannell, who passed on two years ago.

...Happy news: Samantha Brown, longtime Travel Channel host, is expecting twins.

...Glenn Erickson's latest reviews at DVD Savant include Nicholas Ray's A WOMAN'S SECRET (1949), starring Maureen O'Hara and Gloria Grahame, and BORN TO BE BAD (1950) with Joan Fontaine. (The delicious BORN TO BE BAD will air on TCM on October 22nd, Joan Fontaine's 95th birthday.) I also especially enjoyed a review of SOUTHSIDE 1-1000 (1950), starring Don DeFore and Andrea King, since I ordered it last week; he terms it "an obscure noir winner." Sounds like my kind of movie!

...John at Greenbriar Picture Shows has another most enjoyable batch of mini movie reviews including Ida Lupino and Steve Cochran in PRIVATE HELL 36 (1954) and Marsha Hunt and Robert Sterling in I'LL WAIT FOR YOU (1941). I reviewed the latter film, a remake of HIDE-OUT (1934), back in 2009. (Speaking of HIDE-OUT, there's a gorgeous still from the film recently posted at Classic Montgomery.)

...Instapundit led me to this shot of the very first Amazon home page, back in 1995. My very first Amazon order, in July 1997, was a book on John Ford.

...Attention Film Noir Fans: You can support the Film Noir Foundation by ordering some great merchandise with the Foundation's logo, including t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases. I just ordered my son, a fellow noir fan, a black t-shirt.

...Notable Passings: This New York Times story on the late Claudine Mawby, who appeared with her sisters in a handful of films circa 1929, was quite interesting...I also enjoyed reading about the life of the Dowager Duchess of Northumberland who recently passed on at the age of 90.

Have a great week!