Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Fantastic DVD news, thanks to ClassicFlix: Dick Powell's fantastic film noir CRY DANGER (1951) is coming to DVD from Olive Films on October 15, 2013. The DVD will apparently be the UCLA restoration, which looks fantastic. This is an absolute must-buy for fans of Dick Powell and film noir. Powell's excellent JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947) is also being released this fall, in the TCM Vault Collection.

...THE TALL TARGET (1951) is another terrific Dick Powell film, directed by Anthony Mann. Raquel recently reviewed it at Out of the Past as part of her Warner Archive Wednesday series.

...Coming September 21st and 22nd: The Journalism in Classic Film blogathon, sponsored by Jessica at Comet Over Hollywood and Lindsay of Lindsay's Movie Musings. Jessica and Lindsay already have a great list of contributors and titles lined up!

...Vienna reviews ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT (1953) at Vienna's Classic Hollywood. Like Vienna, I've always liked that movie. It's imperfect, but I enjoy spending time with Robert Taylor, Ann Blyth, Stewart Granger, and Miklos Rozsa's terrific score.

...Lovely Ann Blyth turned 85 last Friday, August 16th. Susan King of the Los Angeles Times wrote a terrific article on Blyth, interviewing not only Blyth but Alan Rode of the Film Noir Foundation.

...Julie Newmar turned 80 on August 16th. Martin Grams, Jr. pays tribute to Newmar at ClassicFlix, which continues Beta testing its new website.

...Total feel-good cuteness: Photos of a dog caring for an abandoned kitten.

...First Showing has a trailer for THE MONUMENTS MEN (2013), starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, and Hugh Bonneville. Looks good so far.

...On my Christmas list this year: London Underground Colors Mug.

...This is fun to peruse: The Complete Hitchcock in Charts.

...Over at Immortal Ephemera, Cliff recently wrote a terrific piece on Joan Fontaine in THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943).

..."11 Things We No Longer See in Movie Theaters." (Via Scott McGee.)

...Next week TCM is launching the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York. Will has details at Cinematically Insane.

...Robby has an interesting post up at Dear Old Hollywood about Macdonald Carey's childhood home in Iowa...I also enjoyed Robby's recent post on the Santa Rosa Train Depot seen in Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) and other films.

...Among the interesting films coming from the Warner Archive: Rosemary Clooney in RED GARTERS (1954); Kay Francis in WIFE WANTED (1946); Margaret O'Brien, Marsha Hunt, James Craig, and Keenan Wynn in one of O'Brien's best films, LOST ANGEL (1943); and reissues of Bing Crosby and Coleen Gray in RIDING HIGH (1950) and Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker in THE NAKED JUNGLE (1954). THE NAKED JUNGLE is grand fun, and I'm glad it's become available again; love slowly blooms between Heston and Parker as they battle man-eating ants in the South American jungle! (Update: RED GARTERS, RIDING HIGH, and THE NAKED JUNGLE were all Paramount Pictures films, and at some point the deal with the Warner Archive ended. Those films are no longer available via the Warner Archive.)

...After reading this writeup by the Self-Styled Siren, I'm dying to see TRAIL OF THE VIGILANTES (1940), starring Franchot Tone, Warren William, and Peggy Moran, directed by Allan Dwan.

...Fall cookbook season is just around the corner. Coming in October: THE COOKS ILLUSTRATED BAKING BOOK and THE AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK.

...Speaking of baking, "Are Pastry Chefs an Endangered Species?"

...Attention Southern Californians: The World 3-D Film Expo III is coming to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood next month.

...Notable Passings: Cosmo Allegretti, a mainstay of CAPTAIN KANGAROO, has passed on at 86. Allegretti performed various characters on the beloved children's series, including Mr. Moose, Grandfather Clock, and Dancing Bear...Singer Eydie Gorme has died at 84. She's survived by her husband of 56 years, singer Steve Lawrence...Marilyn King of the King Family passed away at the age of 82. I fondly recall the King Family TV specials being on TV when I was young...The funeral took place Friday for Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands, who recently passed away at the age of 44, after spending 18 months in a state of "minimal consciousness" following a skiing accident. The BBC has video.

...I have more items saved up after taking last weekend off from writing Around the Blogosphere This Week while I was at the D23 Expo, but I'm out of room and they'll have to wait till next weekend. Have a great week!