Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Oral arguments in Olivia de Havilland's lawsuit regarding the depiction of the actress in TV's FEUD miniseries will take place on March 20th at the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California. The unusual setting is so that as many law students as possible can watch the hearing on what could be a precedent-setting 1st Amendment case. de Havilland answered questions via email for an interesting new New York Times article on the case. This is the 101-year-old de Havilland's second time in the legal history books, the first being the de Havilland Law of over 70 years ago.

...Speaking of important legal cases, the California law prohibiting IMDb from publishing actors' ages has been struck down as a violation of the First Amendment. The attempt to criminalize the publication of birthdates was a head-shaker to begin with and fortunately common sense has prevailed.

...I haven't watched the Oscars in many years, and instead I'll spend this evening celebrating my love of movies by...watching a movie! Rather along those lines, here's a look at 90 films which it's hard to believe weren't nominated for Best Picture. The list particularly reflects a reluctance to recognize comedies and musicals, with titles including SWING TIME (1936), THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940), TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942), MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952), and THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964). Though not mentioned, from today's vantage point it's also hard to believe that THE BAND WAGON (1953) wasn't nominated.

...Sincere congratulations to my fellow blogger Jacqueline who is celebrating her 11th anniversary blogging at Another Old Movie Blog. Jacqueline's well-written, detailed posts always add to my appreciation of films I've seen and cause me to want to see those I haven't!

...Coming to DVD May 1st: The William Castle Western Collection, an eight-film set including George Montgomery in MASTERSON OF KANSAS (1954) and BATTLE OF ROGUE RIVER (1954). I'm so glad I didn't purchase those in the Sony Choice/Columbia Classics line, as this set will be much more cost effective. Thanks to Toby at 50 Westerns From the 50s for the news.

...Coming to Blu-ray from ClassicFlix soon: Sterling Hayden and Ruth Roman in 5 STEPS TO DANGER (1957) which I reviewed in 2014.

...I found this article on the woman whose voice is heard giving directions at many airports around the world quite fascinating.

...At Jazz Profiles Steven A. Cerra wrote an interesting biography of composer-arranger Robert Farnon, whose work included scoring CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER R.N. (1951), starring Gregory Peck, and CIRCLE OF DANGER (1951), starring Ray Milland. He was the uncle of Charmian Carr of THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) fame.

...The latest news on MoviePass: The CEO explains that a number of subscribers erroneously had their accounts terminated during a recent crackdown attempting to put a halt to violations of terms of use. He's also adding 100 new customer service employees which by all accounts are very much needed. In other news, there are questions about whether MoviePass is attempting to steer users toward certain films.

...Coming this week from the Warner Archive, a group of films starring Faye Emerson, including HOTEL BERLIN (1945), MURDER IN THE BIG HOUSE (1942), and the very enjoyable DANGER SIGNAL. I reviewed DANGER SIGNAL, which costars Zachary Scott, Rosemary DeCamp, Mona Freeman, and a host of other familiar faces, back in 2011, and I hope to take a fresh look at it soon via the Warner Archive DVD.

...I enjoyed a post by Toni at Watching Forever on embracing movie remakes. As frustrated as I sometimes get by Hollywood's lack of creativity filming a story again, there are certain classic stories I love to watch in their different versions. For instance, I currently have four different versions of LITTLE WOMEN on my DVD shelves; I love each one for different reasons, and I suspect I'll be adding the new BBC version when it's available, with Angela Lansbury as Aunt March!

...Eva Marie Saint has given a moving interview about the loss of her husband, Jeffrey Hayden, in December 2016. The 93-year-old Saint is expected to present an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards.

...Notable Passings: Director Lewis Gilbert has passed away at the age of 97. He directed three James Bond films, including my favorite, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977), and he also directed the very good SINK THE BISMARCK! (1960)...Nanette Fabray has died at 97. Though mostly remembered for her extensive work in television, she will always be remembered by musicals fans for her role in the classic THE BAND WAGON (1953). Survivors include a son and her niece, actress Shelley Fabares, along with Fabares' husband, actor Mike Farrell...Farrell's M*A*S*H costar David Ogden Stiers has passed on at 75. Stiers also provided voices for several classic Disney films including BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) and POCAHONTAS (1995).

...For more recent links on classic movies and more, please check out my February 19th link roundup.

Have a great week!