Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The American Film Institute announced that the Life Achievement Award ceremony honoring Julie Andrews is being postponed from April 25th to early summer due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. As I'm sure my readers are all too aware, an increasing number of public events are being cancelled or postponed, including Seattle's Emerald City Con, which our daughter and son-in-law were due to attend next week. Here's hoping that next month's TCM Classic Film Festival goes on as planned. The current Noir City Film Festival in Hollywood is a welcome respite from all the recent news.

...The O Canada! Blogathon hosted by Kristina of Speakeasy and Ruth of Silver Screenings is underway this weekend! Click over to either of their sites for links on a variety of Canadian-related film topics.

...Happiest wishes and congratulations to Jacqueline T. Lynch, whose Another Old Movie Blog has just celebrated its 13th anniversary.

...Over at Mystery File, I enjoyed a new review by Dan Stumpf of the movie (and book) SHORT GRASS (1950), which I reviewed in 2013. Dan's post made me want to revisit the movie, which stars Rod Cameron, Johnny Mack Brown, and Cathy Downs.

...According to a lengthy article at Bloomberg about attempts to turn around the fortunes of Barnes & Noble, the stores will shrink DVD and CD space. I wonder what, if anything, this means for the store's twice-yearly Criterion Collection DVD and Blu-ray sales.

...Here's Margot of Down These Mean Streets on Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, and Marsha Hunt in RAW DEAL (1948).

...Leonard Maltin gives a thumbs up to Pixar's new ONWARD (2020), which has lead characters voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. I'm hoping to see it after the conclusion of the Noir City Film Festival.

...There's a campaign to have a Hollywood alley renamed the Chaplin Keaton Lloyd Alley, as all three filmmakers shot movies there. Here's more info from the great locations historian John Bengtson.

...Maddy Loves Her Classic Films is hosting a Robert Donat Blogathon this July.

...Coming this fall from TCM and Running Press: THE ESSENTIALS VOL. 2: 52 MORE MUST-SEE MOVIES AND WHY THEY MATTER by Jeremy Arnold.

...I recently caught up with a great 1994 column (reposted in 2018) by Lou Lumenick, "How VCRs Changed My Life." Lots of memories there!

...Over at A Classic Movie Blog, KC has reviewed UNDERWATER! (1955), which I reviewed last month.

...I need to catch up with John Wayne and Gail Russell in WAKE OF THE RED WITCH (1948), reviewed a few days ago by Caftan Woman for the Out to Sea Blogathon. I love the pairing of Wayne and Russell in ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947).

...Attention Southern Californians: On Saturday, March 28th, Retroformat will host two screenings of Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST! (1923) at the American Legion Post 43 Theatre in Hollywood. Live music will be provided by Cliff Retallick, and Suzanne Lloyd will narrate a presentation of her grandfather's home movies. I hope to be there! (March 14th Update: This screening has been postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic.)

...Notable Passings: Roscoe Born, who starred in several different soap operas including SANTA BARBARA, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, and ONE LIFE TO LIVE, has passed on at the age of 69...Longtime American Cinematheque volunteer Bill Smith recently passed away. He was a familiar face to anyone who attended movies at the Egyptian Theatre over the past decade. There will be a memorial service and a screening of GIRL CRAZY (1943) in his honor at the Egyptian on April 4th.

...Please note there will not be an Around the Blogosphere column the weekend of March 14th, as I will be spending the entire weekend at the Noir City Film Festival. I anticipate posting the next roundup column the weekend of March 21st.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my February 29th roundup.

Have a great week!