Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Great news for those who love SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954) as much as I do: As I mentioned in my June preview of the Turner Classic Movies schedule, SEVEN BRIDES has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive. Even better, the release contains both the familiar 2.55 CinemaScope release and the rarely seen 1.77 alternate widescreen version, which was shot separately from the CinemaScope. I compared these versions in the 2005 DVD set and it's absolutely fascinating to see how shots were reframed for the alternate version; there are also different inflections in some of the line readings, etc., so the alternate version is especially fun for someone who knows the movie well. I can't wait to check out the Blu-ray picture! I'll have a review here at a future date. Meanwhile CineSavant Glenn Erickson's review is up!

...Speaking of Glenn Erickson, a hearty congratulations to a good friend of this blog, Vienna of Vienna's Classic Hollywood, for the great plug she received in Erickson's May 26th CineSavant column. Well deserved! It was also fun to see a photo and mention of our friend Woody Wise, the projectionist at the Lone Pine Film Festival, in the May 29th column. (The columns don't seem to have individual permalinks so scroll down to the appropriate dates.)

...On my list of books to check out, recommended by fellow Western fans: THE HAPPIEST TRAILS by John Brooker, which came out last year. It's a collection, just under 600 pages, of interviews and articles on various facets of the "B" Western. Sounds like my kind of book, and something other Western fans will want to check out as well.

...My friend Blake Lucas has published a two-part piece on director Douglas Sirk and Universal films at MUBI. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. I especially enjoyed the way he placed Sirk's films in the context of other Universal films.

...Belated congratulations to one of my favorite bloggers, Caftan Woman, on the 10th Anniversary of her blog!

...I made an interesting purchase in the Memorial Day sale at the TCM Shop: The 1955 TV production of THE MERRY WIDOW, starring Anne Jeffreys. Looking forward to checking it out!

...At Once Upon a Screen Aurora recently posted a great roundup of Robert Montgomery radio shows available for online listening.

...David Schechter of Monstrous Movie Music recently let me know about two new articles on Coleen Gray at a site called The Chiseler: One was written by David and the other by Jim Knipfel.

...Silent film accompanist Ben Model has written an interesting piece on a long-lost Lubitsch film, ROSITA (1923), starring Mary Pickford, which recently screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. One of my readers was also at that screening and enjoyed it so I'm very much hoping UCLA will be able to show it as part of their Lubitsch series this summer! I'm anxiously awaiting that schedule.

...I really enjoyed this piece on the costume design of the film BROOKLYN (2015) and how the fashions help illustrate the evolution of the lead character played by Saoirse Ronan.

...An interesting article on Thrifty Ice Cream, which I remember getting for a nickel as a child...let's hope new owner Albertson's doesn't stop making Thrifty and just slap that brand name on their own product.

...Cute story: It turns out that noted former child actress Gigi Perreau taught drama to Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex. Perreau was in Windsor for the royal wedding carriage procession last month, and Markle recognized her as she passed by.

...Coming to Region 1 DVD at long last: Season 1 of THE HIGH CHAPPARAL, from Shout! Factory. (In recent years I collected the series thanks to a Region 2 set released in Europe.) I shared some thoughts on this series back in 2012; it holds up today far better than some other '60s TV Westerns (BONANZA, I'm looking at you!) in part due to its ground-breaking treatment of Hispanics and Indians, its extensive location shooting in Arizona, and its examination of "a mixed ethnicity step-family with relationship challenges."

...The County Galway train station seen in THE QUIET MAN (1952) has been restored after decades and is due to open this summer.

...I was sorry to learn that the TVShowsOnDVD website, an invaluable resource over many years, has come to an end.

...A must-have later this year: FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU: THE DISNEY CHRISTMAS CARD by Jeff Kurtti. It's due out in September.

...In a recent column, "Hooray for B Movies," Leonard Maltin reviews four films which have all been reviewed here in recent months, including HIGHWAY DRAGNET (1954) from Kino Lorber and three Faye Emerson titles from the Warner Archive. I highly recommend the book he mentions on "B" MOVIES by Don Miller; in fact, I believe I first learned of the book from Mr. Maltin years ago! (Speaking of which, here is a Maltin column on new film books.) Maltin also links to an interesting 12-minute video on "B" movies by Dave Kehr of the Museum of Modern Art.

...Attention Southern Californians: Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, June 6th, for THE SHERMAN BROTHERS: A HOLLYWOOD SONGBOOK, a tribute which will be held at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on June 20th. John Stamos hosts, with scheduled participants including Lesley Ann Warren, Michael Giacchino, Pete Docter, and Leonard Maltin.

...Notable Passing: William Phipps, the voice of Prince Charming in Disney's CINDERELLA (1950), has passed away at 96. Phipps appeared in numerous crime films and Westerns of the '40s and '50s, including playing Tim Holt's friend in RIDER FROM TUCSON (1950). He was also in CROSSFIRE (1947) and THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953).

...I recently enjoyed a very interesting article on film projectionist John Harvey, who passed away last month.

...For more links on classic movies and more, please check out my March 25th link roundup.

Have a great week!