TCM in October: Highlights

It's time for a look at the October schedule on Turner Classic Movies!

Anthony Perkins will be the October Star of the Month. 13 Perkins films will be shown on Friday evenings this month. (Note that this is a smaller number of films than appeared on the initial schedule previewed in August.) There will not be a separate Star of the Month post for October.

This is the third and final October featuring TCM's "Trailblazing Women" series. Illeana Douglas hosts on Monday evenings.

This month's Sunday morning Noir Alley titles are POSSESSED (1947) on October 1st, THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947) on the 8th, SIDE STREET (1950) on the 15th, RAW DEAL (1948) on October 22nd, and NO QUESTIONS ASKED (1951) on October 29th. My picks from among these titles are THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME, with Robert Young as a self-centered sleaze romancing Jane Greer and Susan Hayward, and RAW DEAL, starring Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, and this month's centennial birthday honoree, Marsha Hunt.

October will also feature Classic Horror on Tuesdays and Dracula on Sundays. Check out the links for a complete list of titles. As always, since horror isn't my thing, I'll be focusing on the many other terrific viewing options on TCM this month.

Here's a look at just a few of the interesting titles being shown in October. Click any hyperlinked title to read the corresponding film review:

...Tyrone Power stars in one of my favorite films, THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940), late in the evening of October 2nd (October 3rd for those in the Eastern time zone). He's seen at the left with costar Linda Darnell. (October 1st Update: This title was not on the final schedule mailed out today by TCM. I'm leaving this here for anyone who might have trouble finding it and wonder what happened! All other titles in this post have been confirmed against the final schedule.)

...October 3rd has a fantastic lineup of 10 Westerns, including four Tim Holt Westerns, one Bill Elliott, and the terrific Dick Powell-Jane Greer film STATION WEST (1948).

...For sheer entertainment you can't beat the swashbuckler SCARAMOUCHE (1952), starring Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, and (stealing the show) Eleanor Parker. Richard Anderson, who recently passed away, plays Granger's best friend. It's on October 4th.

...October 5th features a tribute to director Jacques Tourneur, including some of his early short subjects and an impressive lineup of films including WICHITA (1955), EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944), STARS IN MY CROWN (1950), and OUT OF THE PAST (1947).

...I'm fond of the George Montgomery Western CANYON RIVER (1956), airing on October 7th. Also airing on the 7th: DAY OF THE OUTLAW (1959), a well-regarded film I need to see which stars Robert Ryan.

...Two good films I recently reviewed air as part of a George Hamilton tribute on October 10th: WHERE THE BOYS ARE (1960) and LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (1962). Yvette Mimieux, seen at left with Hamilton in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, appears in both movies. Both are strongly recommended.

...There are even more films directed by Jacques Tourneur showing on the evening of the 10th, CAT PEOPLE (1942), I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943), and THE LEOPARD MAN (1943). Each one is special and very much worth seeing.

...An October 11th tribute to George Pal includes THE PUPPETOON MOVIE (1987), a compilation of Pal shorts, and the documentary THE FANTASY FILM WORLDS OF GEORGE PAL (1985). The Pal tribute continues on the evening of the 12th.

...Crime films airing on October 14th: SUSPENSE (1946), starring Barry Sullivan, Bonita Granville, and the terrific ice skater/dancer Belita, and POINT BLANK (1967) with Lee Marvin, which was partly filmed at Fort Point in San Francisco; photos of Fort Point I took this summer may be found here.

...Later on the 14th: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell and Rita Hayworth in Rouben Mamoulian's BLOOD AND SAND (1941).

...William Lundigan and Dorothy Patrick star in the short "B" noir FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1950) on Sunday morning, October 15th. It's on just before the day's Noir Alley offering, SIDE STREET (1950).

...Later on the 15th is the original 20th Century-Fox version of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950), starring Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, and Jeanne Crain.

...Cecil B. DeMille's bizzare, highly entertaining pre-Code MADAM SATAN (1930) will be shown on October 16th. It's got everything from a musical number about electricity to a zeppelin disaster, and it's tremendously fun. Reginald Denny and Kay Johnson star.

...The October 17th centennial birthday of actress Marsha Hunt (seen at right) is being celebrated on TCM with an eight-film tribute. It's a wonderful lineup, including LOST ANGEL (1943), KID GLOVE KILLER (1942), THE AFFAIRS OF MARTHA (1942), and I'LL WAIT FOR YOU (1941). Happiest birthday wishes to the wonderful Miss Hunt!

...On October 18th there's a real treat in store, an evening of Romy Schneider's German-language SISSI trilogy, a series of films released 1955-57 in which she plays Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The movies were beautifully filmed in color at Austrian locations, looking and feeling something like a mash-up of live-action Disney with THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) -- with touches of Hallmark Channel and THE CROWN on the side. The evening also includes FOREVER, MY LOVE (1962), an English-dubbed compilation from the three original SISSI films, and THE STORY OF VICKIE (1954), a charming fantasy about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's romance. It's a unique evening of programming which I highly recommend.

...A day of adventure films on the 19th includes the Antarctic documentary THE SECRET LAND (1948) narrated by the trio of Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, and Van Heflin.

...I'm intrigued by THE ASTONISHED HEART (1949), starring Celia Johnson and Noel Coward. It airs on October 21st.

...The "B" crime film STAGE STRUCK (1948), starring Audrey Long, Kane Richmond, and Conrad Nagel, is terrific fast-paced fun. It will be shown on October 22nd.

...I would sure love to see the full-length version of SCARLET DAWN (1932), a Russian Revolution melodrama which lost 19 minutes after its initial release, today running just 57 minutes. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Nancy Carroll are excellent. It airs the 26th.

...An October 27th birthday tribute to Jack Carson includes a few of the movies he made with his real-life best pal Dennis Morgan, including TWO GUYS FROM MILWAUKEE (1946) and TWO GUYS FROM TEXAS (1948).

...I always like to plug the underrated, enjoyable BIG JIM MCLAIN (1952). John Wayne romances Nancy Olson and chases Commies with James Arness in Hawaii. Good fun. It will air on October 30th along with a few other Communist-themed films, including THE RED DANUBE (1949), which I'll be reviewing soon, and I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI (1951). Walter Pidgeon and Janet Leigh star in THE RED DANUBE, with Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart and Phil Carey in I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI.

...Halloween Night TCM will feature THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939), starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Happy Halloween!

Please visit the complete schedule for more on TCM in October.

Tonight's Movies: The Texas Streak (1926) and Captain Blood (1924) at Cinecon

Time for my last post wrapping up coverage of my visit to the Cinecon Festival earlier this month!

I saw two feature-length silent films at Cinecon, along with several silent shorts. The features were THE TEXAS STREAK (1926), a comedic Western, and the first film version of Rafael Sabatini's CAPTAIN BLOOD (1924). CAPTAIN BLOOD, of course, was more famously filmed in 1935, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.

THE TEXAS STREAK was the premiere screening of a new preservation from a Kodascope print. This Universal Pictures film originally ran 70 minutes but here was about 52; despite the missing footage, the story flowed smoothly and it was not apparent to this viewer that it was a shortened version.

After accidentally starting to run the film mid-movie due to a mislabeled reel, it was restarted from the beginning and all was well! The movie, starring Hoot Gibson, was shown with live musical accompaniment by Scott Lasky. It's a charming film which was a great introduction to Gibson.

Gibson plays Chad Pennington, a movie extra working in Arizona. When production wraps and the company leaves town, Chad and his pals (Slim Summerville and Jack Curtis) are accidentally left behind. Hard up for cash, Chad heads for the nearest town, where there's a battle over water rights. Although he only has a prop gun with blanks, Chad manages to restore some order and lands a job protecting surveyors.

Chad has a "meet cute" with rancher's daughter Molly Hollis (Blanche Mehaffey), when he brings an orphaned calf to her ranch and inquires if she has a "calf-eteria."

There are numerous clever visual gags in this action-packed film, and I also enjoyed the mashup of a Western with a film about making movies. The delightful ending finds Chad receiving word from Hollywood that he's going to be promoted from extra to Western movie star!

THE TEXAS STREAK was written and directed by Lynn Reynolds, with photography by Edward Newman.

I've read a couple reviews indicating a DVD from Grapevine is in good shape; I'll probably pick it up at some point so I can enjoy this title again. I think the Western fans in my life will enjoy it too!

Sunday morning I saw a Library of Congress preservation of Vitagraph's CAPTAIN BLOOD (1924), with superb digital musical accompaniment by Jon Mirsalis.

CAPTAIN BLOOD was originally 110 minutes; this 89-minute print is the longest-known existing version. Periodically there were brief "blips" of black because the studio excised footage from the original negative to use as stock footage! Despite the shorter running time, the continuity seemed perfect to me.

Captain Peter Blood was played by J. Warren Kerrigan. At first glance Kerrigan didn't strike me as handsome or young enough; he was about 44 when this was filmed but at times looked older. However, I quickly became absorbed in his performance as the doctor arrested for treason and sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, and I thought his performance was excellent.

Eventually Blood and other slaves escape and capture a Spanish galleon; meanwhile, Peter loves sweet Arabella Bishop (Jean Paige) from afar. Kerrigan and Bishop have a touching chemistry.

I had zero expectations of the movie when it began, and I found myself completely riveted; two different moments where a flag was raised, signaling a victory by Captain Blood, gave me goosebumps. You can't ask for more than that from an adventure film! It was an exciting and romantic movie, with terrific live music to match, a real festival highlight for me.

CAPTAIN BLOOD was directed by David and Albert E. Smith; Albert was married to leading lady Paige for 37 years, until his passing in 1958. The movie was filmed by W. Steve Smith Jr.

I had a wonderful time at Cinecon and enjoyed seeing some true rarities. I hope to return next year!

For now, though, it's on to the Lone Pine Film Festival in a few days!

Tonight's Movie: Wind River (2017)

WIND RIVER (2017) is an excellent wintry rural crime film starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen.

I first became aware of Renner and Olsen due to their portrayals of my favorite characters in the "Marvel Cinematic Universe," where Renner is master archer Hawkeye and Olsen plays the Scarlet Witch; while they're in more of a supporting tier among the large Marvel cast, I look forward to their scenes the most. I was thus quite intrigued when I read the actors had made a completely different new film together.

Despite my interest and having read many positive things about WIND RIVER, including a thumbs up review by Leonard Maltin, I initially put off going to see it as I was a bit concerned about whether the R-rated violence level would be a little too much for me. I finally decided to give it a try yesterday, thanks to the additional encouragement of several fellow film fans, and I'm so glad I did.

WIND RIVER is violent, yes, but it's also exquisitely beautiful. The snowy Wyoming setting (partly filmed in Utah) is evocative and unforgettable, as filmed by Ben Richardson. The movie simply looks different from most anything else one will find in theaters these days. And as someone who loves spending time in rural areas in Northern California -- though not in winter! -- the movie's setting felt relatable and somewhat familiar.

As I watched the film I was continually reminded of the great "winter noir" ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951), with the similarities going beyond the visuals; both films are about very broken men who find a measure of solace and peace through helping to solve the mystery of a young girl's death in a white wilderness. I couldn't help wondering if writer-director Taylor Sheridan had been at least partly inspired by the earlier film.

Throw in hints of William Wellman's TRACK OF THE CAT (1954), and you have a good idea what to expect from WIND RIVER. It's a movie I feel many classic film fans will appreciate, while duly forewarned regarding its violence, most of which is telegraphed in advance.

Renner plays Cory Lambert, a Fish and Wildlife employee who discovers the body of a young woman (Kelsey Asbille) in the snow while hunting a predatory animal.

FBI Agent Jane Banner (Olsen) is dispatched from the Las Vegas office to investigate, since the apparent homicide took place on federal land. She's unprepared for the environment, needing to immediately invest in snow gear, but she's also tenacious and professional. She recruits Lambert, an expert tracker, to help her search for evidence.

Together Banner and Lambert attempt to interview prickly local residents, including the deceased young woman's Native American parents. They also make a shocking discovery while searching the local mountains via snowmobile, and gradually the facts regarding what happened one horrible night come into focus.

Throughout the investigation Lambert is also dealing with resurgent memories of his own daughter's unsolved murder several years before, a tragedy which led to the breakup of his marriage. I would not be surprised if Renner ends up receiving his third Oscar nomination.

This is a starkly gorgeous film, with moments of both visual and emotional beauty or poignance punctuated by sudden bursts of violence. The final action sequence is bloody yet satisfying as justice is meted out.

Olsen is very likeable as the young agent passionate about seeing justice done. One of my favorite scenes was relatively small but fascinating, as she debates with the medical examiner over the cause of death and the repercussions of his analysis.

My only real complaint regarding the film was that Jane's FBI training regarding approaching suspects behind doors seems to have been seriously deficient! Honestly, someone should know better just from watching crime films or TV procedurals.

WIND RIVER, which runs 107 minutes, is a film I'll be returning to again in the future, as I believe I will appreciate it even more on a second viewing. A trailer is here.

More from other critics: Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says it's "something special," while Stephanie Zacharek of Time calls it "a beautiful modern Western." Brian Truitt of USA Today terms it "thoughtful and intense."

I hope other viewers will take the time to check out this most worthy film.

Today at Disney California Adventure: Halloween Time

This year Disney California Adventure is decorated for Halloween Time, for the first time since the days of Candy Corn Acres a decade ago, before the park's big remodel.

Although I enjoy the "cute" Halloween Time decor at Disneyland, I'm more ambivalent about the slightly spookier seasonal overlay at California Adventure...although the new Headless Horseman statue on Buena Vista Street is fantastic. The crowds were such tonight I couldn't get any closer for a better photo of it...hopefully next month!

Here are some photos of the new decorations, starting with the park entrance. I'm not a fan of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS...but the moon showing up in the photo is a nice "extra"!

The bats at the Carthay Circle look somewhat...messy...

...although the effect is better by dark:

The wires in the photos, for anyone wondering, are for the Red Car Trolley. A nice touch of authenticity, although they tend to get in the way of some Buena Vista Street photos!

Rock Candy Mountain in the window at Trolley Treats had seasonal candy added, a nice touch:

Cars Land is a major focal point for the new decorations, as Radiator Springs celebrates "Haul-O-Ween":

Back on Buena Vista Street, the lights at the fountain were my favorite thing, other than the Headless Horseman:

It's hard to believe it will be October this Sunday. Have a great weekend!

Previous Halloween Time Posts and Photos: September 29, 2006, September 30, 2006, October 21, 2006, September 28, 2007, October 12, 2007, October 17, 2008, October 9, 2009, October 15, 2010, the 2011 Annual Passholder Private Party (October 17, 2011); October 21, 2012, September 13, 2013, October 18, 2013, September 12, 2014, September 18, 2015, September 20, 2016, September 23, 2016, and Mickey's Halloween Party, posted on October 18, 2016.

Update: Disneyland: Halloween Time 2017.

Anne Jeffreys Dies at 94

Actress Anne Jeffreys has passed away at the age of 94.

Obituaries have been posted by sites including Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Broadway World.

I'm very glad I had the chance to see her in person at an event in 2014.

Last year I posted a detailed birthday tribute to Jeffreys, including numerous photos. I encourage my readers to visit that post today in her honor.

A week from tomorrow I'll be attending a screening of NEVADA (1944) at the Lone Pine Film Festival. The screening was planned in honor of Robert Mitchum's centennial, but for me seeing the movie will now also serve as a tribute to a wonderful actress.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Thanks to reviews by Raquel at Out of the Past and Jessica at Comet Over Hollywood I learned about a recent documentary on Rod Taylor, PULLING NO PUNCHES (2016). I hope to review it here in the near future. A trailer may be seen here. The documentary also has a page on Facebook.

...Here's another post from Jessica, on Anthony Mann's THE BAMBOO BLONDE (1946), a musical starring Frances Langford. I agree it's a charmer. It's available from the Warner Archive.

...Belated congratulations to Toby at 50 Westerns From the 50s, who achieved 2 million blog hits last month! It's also been great to have Toby's commentary tracks regularly turning up from Olive, Kino Lorber, and VCI; the latter is a brand-new release of ONE MILLION B.C. (1940). Toby's ONE MILLION B.C. commentary received an excellent review from the esteemed DVD Savant, Glenn Erickson -- whose reviews will now be found at his new site CineSavant. I just updated the blogroll at the left with the new site, while leaving the old DVD Savant link up for now as well.

...Coming to the Warner Archive next month: Alan Ladd in HELL ON FRISCO BAY (1955), costarring Edward G. Robinson and Joanne Dru. According to the Warner Archive this is the movie's first-ever home entertainment release. It will be released on both Blu-ray and DVD.

...Found available to watch on the web: THE WEB (1947) starring Edmond O'Brien, Ella Raines, and Vincent Price. Universal needs to put this on DVD in the Universal Vault Collection ASAP! I'm sure many who read this would jump at the chance to purchase it.

...Speaking of Ella Raines, some episodes of her TV series JANET DEAN, REGISTERED NURSE (1954) are currently on YouTube. Wish the show would have a DVD release!

...And speaking of medical shows, last night I started watching the TV series MEDIC (1954), starring Richard Boone, out on DVD from Shout!/Timeless Media. Having seen just one episode it's too soon for me to have an opinion, but my first impression is it's the DRAGNET of medical shows, a very straightforward "just the facts" program including some medical explanations and an extended surgery sequence. Actual doctors and nurses appear on the show alongside actors.

...Netflix currently has only 43 films available for streaming which were made before 1970, a rather shocking statistic found in a Newsweek article. Interviewees including Leonard Maltin and Nora Fiore, aka The Nitrate Diva, discuss what this means as Netflix shifts from its original mission of making a wide spectrum of movies easily available to being an original content provider. Will younger viewers who rely on streaming no longer make serendipitous classic film discoveries? (PS I used to love streaming random "B" movies and Westerns on Netflix; some can still be found on Amazon Prime, and many public domain titles formerly on Netflix have moved to my cable system's "on demand" section. On the plus side, I finally started watching the Netflix original series THE CROWN and am enjoying it.)

...Incidentally it was nice to see that Maltin also liked HOME AGAIN (2017), the new Reese Witherspoon comedy which I enjoyed. I hope more people will check it out. I've heard from a couple of readers that they enjoyed it also!

...While visiting sites on my blogroll I learned that Rupert Alistair of Classic Movies Digest has just published an e-book on Jeanne Crain, GIRL NEXT DOOR: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF JEANNE CRAIN. Alistair interviewed three of Crain's children and received access to some unique photos. I purchased it and my initial impression, strictly from flipping through it a bit -- as much as one can do on a Kindle -- is favorable, though I hasten to say I haven't yet read more than a few pages here and there.

...Thanks to Terry at A Shroud of Thoughts for a very nice 60th anniversary tribute to my all-time favorite TV series, MAVERICK, which debuted in 1957.

...For those looking for seasonal films to watch, here's John Greco of Twenty Four Frames on "Autumn Cinema - Six Films." It's been years since I've seen HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986); I forgot it was set at Thanksgiving. His mentions also include THE STRANGER (1946), reviewed here last week.

...Coming out this fall from Kino Lorber: PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948), starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten. I anticipate reviewing it here in a few weeks.

...At Flickin' Out Diana sings the praises of the underappreciated Franchot Tone. She recently watched 22 of his movies! On Twitter I made sure to recommend one of my favorite Deanna Durbin films, which costars Tone, HIS BUTLER'S SISTER (1943). Durbin and Tone made three movies together, and this one is by far my favorite -- with one of the best closing scenes ever.

...I enjoyed reading Angela's review of the 1971 book JOAN CRAWFORD: MY WAY OF LIFE at Hollywood Revue.

...Here's Emily of The Vintage Cameo on Douglas Sirk's LURED (1947), reviewed here in 2010. It stars George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn, and Boris Karloff.

...Coming next month from ClassicFlix: A restored edition of Anthony Mann's great T-MEN (1947), a film I doubt I could watch too many times. Extras include a commentary by the always-interesting Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation. (Alan's big bio of Michael Curtiz is due out from the University Press of Kentucky in November!)

...Notable Passings: Character actor Harry Dean Stanton, whose TV and film career stretched from 1954 to 2017, including this year's TWIN PEAKS revival, has passed on at the age of 91...Gin Wong, who designed many famous "Googie" buildings in the Greater L.A. area, has died at 94. The "spaceship" building at LAX is just one of his accomplishments...Producer-Director-Writer George Englund, who was once married to Cloris Leachman, passed away at 91. I fondly recall his TV-movie A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER (1978), a Depression-era film starring Eva Marie Saint and Jason Robards. It seems to have had a VHS release but I've never seen it available on DVD.

...For additional recent links on classic movies and more, please visit my September 11th link roundup.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Here Comes Trouble (1936)

Paul Kelly stars in HERE COMES TROUBLE (1936), a minor "B" film from 20th Century-Fox.

Kelly plays Duke Donovan, a good-natured engineer on a ship. When he's not directing the crew working to stoke the fires, he's brawling, attempting to romance the shipboard manicurist (Arline Judge, ROAR OF THE DRAGON), and inadvertently becoming caught up with jewel smugglers.

The latter happens when thieves (Mona Barrie and Halliwell Hobbes) decide to smuggle a valuable jewel ashore hidden in Duke's cigarette lighter, without his knowledge. They have a surprise coming when they meet up with Duke, planning to retrieve the gem, and it's not there...

Generally speaking I feel that any movie starring Paul Kelly is a film worth seeing, with the most recent example being an interesting Paramount film from the same year, THE ACCUSING FINGER (1936). However, HERE COMES TROUBLE was more than lightweight, with a close to nonexistent plot. Fortunately it was only 62 minutes!

Kelly has some nice scenes sparring with Judge, and there are a number of good character actors aboard ship, including Gregory Ratoff, George Chandler, and Edward Brophy, but this one is for dedicated "B" and Kelly fans only.

HERE COMES TROUBLE was directed by Lewis Seiler and filmed by Harry Jackson.

HERE COMES TROUBLE is available in a nice-looking DVD in the Fox Cinema Archives series.

Tonight's Movie: Love With the Proper Stranger (1963) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Two megawatt stars, Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood, star in LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER (1963), just released on Blu-ray and DVD by Kino Lorber.

As the film begins, Rocky (McQueen) is confronted by Angie (Wood), a woman he scarcely remembers, with the news that she's pregnant with his baby.

In the ensuing days the couple slowly get to know one another as they decide how to deal with their situation. Rocky is a frequently unemployed musician, irresponsible but ultimately goodhearted; it's possible that being shocked into thinking about someone else will be the making of him. Angie, meanwhile, is afraid to step out from under the shadow of her controlling mother (Penny Santon) and three brothers (Herschel Bernardi, Harvey Lembeck, and E. Nick Alexander), who want the best for her but follow her every move.

It's tremendously enjoyable watching McQueen and Wood as their characters inch toward both a relationship and newfound maturity; Angie learns how to be independent while Rocky learns that commitment isn't as scary as he'd once thought. The actors have great chemistry and are always fascinating to watch, with much of their performances being nonverbal. Wood, incidentally, received her third Oscar nomination for this film.

I like the way the film balances tackling some tough subject matter regarding the unplanned pregnancy with positive themes about growth, commitment, and responsibility leading to personal happiness. The film gets quite dark midway through, with a horrific visit to an abortionist, but it's ultimately an uplifting movie.

LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER was directed by Robert Mulligan and filmed by Milton R. Krasner. It runs 102 minutes.

I previously reviewed this film after watching a TV airing in 2010. In the years since, I watched for a DVD release to no avail; if I'm correct, this is the film's first release since VHS.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray offers a beautiful newly remastered widescreen black and white print. Fans of this film should by all means make haste to pick it up, and those who are new to the movie will want to check it out as well. It's a very good, worthwhile film featuring two true movie stars who left us all too soon.

Extras include three trailers and, more significantly, a commentary track by Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan, new names to me. I thought the track was good, covering quite a bit of ground including comparisons to Italian "neorealism," the real-life history of the geographic area where the "doctor" sequence was filmed, how the film broke new ground in regard to Production Code restrictions, and much more.

One more fun "plus" is that the Blu-ray case cover art can be removed and flipped over, providing a choice of two different cover images.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.