Sunday, October 21, 2018

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Coming next spring from Robert Matzen: DUTCH GIRL: AUDREY HEPBURN AND WORLD WAR II. Matzen has previously combined interests in Hollywood, aviation history, and WWII to author the superbly researched FIREBALL: CAROLE LOMBARD AND THE MYSTERY OF FLIGHT 3 and MISSION: JIMMY STEWART AND THE FIGHT FOR EUROPE. The Hepburn book has a foreword by Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti. I'll be reviewing it here closer to its April publication date.

...Marsha Hunt, Norman Lloyd, June Lockhart, and Barbara Perry were honored by the Screen Actors Guild yesterday. Hunt turned 101 last Wednesday, and Lloyd turns 104 in early November. Perry, who is 95, played John Barrymore's unappreciative stepdaughter in COUNSELLOR AT LAW (1933), which I saw in a nitrate 35mm print at UCLA last summer.

...On October 30th the Warner Archive Collection will release the delightful comedy WALLFLOWER (1948) on DVD. Joyce Reynolds, Robert Hutton, and Janis Paige star along with a great supporting cast. I reviewed this film back in 2010 and hope to take a fresh look at it soon via the new Warner Archive disc.

...More great Warner Archive news: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) is coming to Blu-ray in November! The terrific film made my list of Favorite Film Discoveries of 2016; I don't typically like "monster" movies but this '50s sci-fi film is pure joy from start to finish. Check out my review. I'm excited to see it again on Blu-ray!

...A DOWNTON ABBEY film is coming in the fall of 2019.

...It's almost time for Christmas movie season on the Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channels! For lists of this year's many premieres -- 37 between the two channels! -- visit the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries sites. And stayed tuned to the excellent It's a Wonderful Movie website for regular updates, photos, and more. (Hallmark Christmas movie fans may also want one of these cute T-shirts.)

...For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, here's the latest trailer for MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018), opening December 19th. I'm not quite sure what I think about the whole thing - the original film holds a special place in my heart as the first theatrical film I ever saw -- but Emily Blunt looks good in the title role, and it's great to see Dick Van Dyke return as Mr. Dawes Jr., over half a century after starring in the original MARY POPPINS (1964).

...Coming soon from Alicia Malone of Turner Classic Movies: THE FEMALE GAZE: ESSENTIAL MOVIES MADE BY WOMEN. It will be published by Mango with a November 15th release date.

...Gal Gadot and Armie Hammer will star with Kenneth Branagh in DEATH ON THE NILE (2019), due out at Christmas next year. As he did on MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017), Branagh will both direct and star as detective Hercule Poirot.

...New from actress Reese Witherspoon: WHISKEY IN A TEACUP: WHAT GROWING UP IN THE SOUTH TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE, LOVE, AND BAKING BISCUITS. I've flipped through this one and it's beautifully produced.

...I'm enjoying Andy Wolverton's reports from the Noir City D.C. Festival at his blog Journeys in Darkness and Light. Start with Part 1, and at this writing there are three more installments.

...Recently added to my Kindle: BAKING POWDER WARS: THE CUTTHROAT FOOD FIGHT THAT REVOLUTIONIZED COOKING by Linda Civitello.

...The Art Deco Long Beach (California) Airport, seen in many classic films, is in the middle of a years-long remodel. The historic early '40s terminal building familiar from films such as A STOLEN LIFE (1946), THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER (1947), and EXECUTIVE SUITE (1954) will become a rental car facility.

...I'm thrilled that Kino Lorber is releasing the 1976 TV-movies YOUNG PIONEERS (1976) and YOUNG PIONEERS CHRISTMAS (1976) on DVD next month. Those films were very special to me when they first aired, and I'll be reviewing the new releases here! Linda Purl, Roger Kern, and Robert Hays star.

...More great Kino Lorber news: As I shared late last year, Kino Lorber is bringing the Ray Milland Western A MAN ALONE (1956) out on Blu-ray and DVD. A November 6th release date has been announced, and it will have a commentary track by Toby Roan of 50 Westerns From the 50s. I wrote about my love for this film back in 2009, and I'll be taking a fresh look at it when the Blu-ray is out! Kino Lorber is also releasing Milland's LISBON (1956), costarring Maureen O'Hara and Claude Rains.

...Check out "The Singing Voices Behind the Stars," on singers who dubbed nonsinging actresses, by Jessica Pickens for Classic Movie Hub.

...Olivia de Havilland is appealing her defamation case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Lara Fowler of the Backlots blog has covered this case extensively; her latest report from early October may be found here.

...Great Disney news: An eight-part documentary based on last year's coffee table book INK AND PAINT: THE WOMEN OF WALT DISNEY'S ANIMATION by Mindy Johnson will debut next year when Disney launches its new streaming service. The new streaming channel will also have some interesting Marvel programming...hopefully some of Disney's older, rarely seen films will also be available.

...Attention Southern Californians: Down and Dirty in Gower Gulch, a festival of Poverty Row films preserved by UCLA, opens at Raleigh Studios next weekend on October 27th. The six film series runs through December 8th, with all screenings taking place at Raleigh. Opening night speakers at THE VAMPIRE BAT (1933) include Victoria Riskin, daughter of the film's leading lady Fay Wray, and Illeana Douglas, granddaughter of the film's Melvyn Douglas. Former child actress Cora Sue Collins will be present at THE SIN OF NORA MORAN (1933) on November 3rd. The series also includes MAMBA (1930) which I saw at the 2017 UCLA Festival of Preservation.

...Notable Passings: Sound editor Nicholas Korda, son of director Zoltan Korda and actress Joan Gardner, has passed away at 73. Nicholas Korda's many credits include E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1981)...Actress Vanessa Marquez, best known for STAND AND DELIVER (1981) and E.R. (1994-97), died in late August at the age of 49. She regularly participated in #TCMParty discussions about classic films on Twitter. She had been in poor health in recent years and sadly died after being shot in an incident in which she pointed a BB gun at police summoned for a welfare check...Stuntman Jack N. Young has passed on at 91. He worked on many classic Westerns, including John Wayne's SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1959) and RIO BRAVO (1959). He also worked regularly with James Stewart, Clark Gable, and Richard Widmark...Actress Laurie Mitchell of QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958) recently passed away at 90. Warner Archive has just released QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE on Blu-ray...For more recent show business deaths, please visit last month's post Notable Passings.

...For additional recent links on classic movies and more, please check out my August news roundup.

Have a great week, and GO DODGERS!

2 Comments:

Blogger Seth said...

Quite a roundup this week. I'm very excited to hear that THE THING... is coming to Blu-ray. I finally saw it on TCM when it aired a couple Saturdays ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

BAKING POWDER WARS sounds interesting, and perhaps there's a classic movie connection; wasn't Vincent Price's grandfather involved in the baking powder industry?

9:51 PM  
Blogger Laura said...

Thank you so much for the feedback, Seth! I belatedly realized that although I had read this I hadn't answered!

Great news about THE THING, isn't it? I'm really excited to watch that film again as I was so taken with it, and it should look great!

That was great info on Vincent Price's family, I did a quick Google which confirmed your memory -- my husband has Victoria Price's memoir of her father on his bookshelf but I've not read it, perhaps there is more info there!

Best wishes,
Laura

11:32 PM  

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