Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...This column did not appear last weekend as I took a few days off to spend vacation time in Lone Pine and the High Sierras -- so it's great timing to share this new article on Lone Pine for Atlas Obscura. I connected with the author, Tyler Malone, after we each attended the 2019 Lone Pine Film Festival, and am mentioned briefly in the article.

...Michael Curtiz biographer Alan K. Rode recently collaborated with the American Cinematheque to give an hour-long online presentation on the director which I recommend viewing. It can be seen at YouTube. And I very much appreciate Alan's kind words for me and this blog in the final minute of the video!

...Major film business news: It's the end of the Paramount consent decrees which date from the late '40s and prohibited movie studios from owning their own theaters.

...I've mentioned Milk Jar Cookies in Los Angeles here a couple of times, most recently in March, as we've made it a tradition to stop by there each year before the opening of the Noir City Film Festival. Owner Courtney Cowan has a cookbook coming out in October. It's said to include recipes for all their cookies; I'll buy it if only for the Birthday Cookie recipe!

...In other local food news, the parent company of Fatburger, one of our favorite fast-food hamburger places, just bought the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain. Reports indicate that FAT Brands will return Johnny Rockets to its original "diner" concept which was scrapped in a remodel a few years ago.

...Coming to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber in October: THE SECRET WAYS (1961) starring Richard Widmark and directed by Phil Karlson. It's based on a novel by Alistair MacLean.

...Lillian Michaelson's research library is looking for a home. After reading the article, check out the documentary HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY (2015) for more on this interesting lady and the library which assisted in the creation of so many movies.

...CineSavant Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Warner Archive Blu-ray release of PAT AND MIKE (1952), starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. I saw it many times on TV as a kid but it's been decades since I last saw it. I look forward to reviewing it here.

...A feel good story: Dennis Quaid has adopted a shelter cat which was named after him.

...I loved this post at Jeff Arnold's West: "The Westerns of John Dehner."

...For anyone who missed the news, Disney's live-action MULAN (2020) remake finally had its theatrical debut scrapped due to the coronavirus; it will instead debut on the Disney+ streaming service -- but at a hefty $30 "premium" fee. Subscribers who pay the fee will retain the ability to play the movie at will as long as they subscribe to Disney+. My level of interest in the film is middling and if I ultimately decide I'd like to see it I will buy the Blu-ray instead, which is cheaper and gives me permanent ownership. (It has crossed my mind...what if someday Disney decides not to release films on physical media anymore in order to drive subscribers to Disney+? Hmmmmm.)

...Imaginerding has a video review of the eagerly anticipated upcoming Disney history book THE DISNEY MONORAIL: IMAGINEERING A HIGHWAY IN THE SKY by Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, and Paul Wolski. Can't wait to get this one when it's released next month! (Thanks to regular reader Seth for sending the video link.)

...I didn't watch that many TV cartoons as a kid, but my second favorite, after THE JETSONS, was JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS. MeTV celebrates the series' 50th anniversary with some good background trivia on performers who worked on the show.

...I hope to see THE INTERN (2015) soon, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro. Here's a nice essay on the film, recommended by the Self-Styled Siren, Farran Nehme.

...A while back I picked up an inexpensive copy of the short-lived frontier TV series HAWKEYE (1994-95), starring Lee Horsley and Lynda Carter, but haven't checked it out yet. GetTV has some interesting background on the show.

...From TimeOut, "The Most Beautiful Art Deco Buildings in Los Angeles."

...Pink's Hot Dogs in Hollywood, founded in 1939, has reopened after closing due to the pandemic five months ago.

...A number of interesting tributes have been written in the wake of the passing of Olivia de Havilland. I shared a couple of them two weeks ago. Here are three more: "Remembering an Icon - and My Aunt" by her niece Deborah Dozier Potter; "How Olivia de Havilland and Ronald Reagan Beat the Hollywood Communists" by John Fund for National Review; and "Olivia de Havilland and the Attorney Who Helped Her Change Show Business," by attorney Bruce Ramer for The Hollywood Reporter.

...Coming in October, an expensive but attractive collection of four film noir titles from the Australian label Imprint, including the first release for home viewing of ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949). Also in the collection: FRAMED (1947), DETECTIVE STORY (1951), and THE GARMENT JUNGLE (1957). The films include commentary tracks by Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation. It looks beautiful, but hopefully we'll see ALIAS NICK BEAL have a U.S. release in the future at a more affordable price point; that said, the individual price per movie for this set is comparable with a label like Flicker Alley.

...Notable Passing: I was greatly saddened to learn that film critic Mike Clark has passed away at 73. "Movie Mike" was the longtime film critic at USA Today, from 1985 to 2009, and most recently reviewed classic film releases for the websites Home Media Magazine and its successor, Media Play News. I learned of his passing when I visited the Media Play News site to check out his latest reviews. He was also a good friend of Leonard Maltin, who wrote about Clark in 2017.

...Notable Passings: The great character actor Wilford Brimley (at left) has passed on at the age of 85. Larry Thornberry paid tribute this week at The American Spectator. I've seen many of Brimley's films but think I need to make it a point to catch ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981) for the first time...Saks Fifth Avenue fashion executive Helen O'Hagan, a close friend of Claudette Colbert who cared for the actress in her final years, has passed on at 89...Richard Fielder, who wrote the scripts for many TV shows I've enjoyed, has died at 95. His work included scripts for THE TALL MAN, THE VIRGINIAN, THE WALTONS, the TV series SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and the miniseries GEORGE WASHINGTON (1984) and NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK II (1986)...Choreographer Tony Charmoli has died at 99. His extensive TV work included King Family and Mitzi Gaynor specials...Singer-Actor Trini Lopez, whose films included THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967), has passed on at 83. His acting roles also included two guest spots on TV's ADAM-12...Longtime Hollywood Reporter social columnist George Christy has died at 93.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my August 1st roundup.

Have a great week!