TCM Classic Film Festival Tickets on Sale December 10th

Tickets for the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival will go on sale on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

The festival will again be held in Hollywood from Thursday, April 24th, through Sunday, April 27th, 2025.

The 2025 theme is Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film. This was originally slated to be the theme for the cancelled 2020 festival, and I think it's wonderful that TCM has revived the idea.

Films to be shown as part of the Grand Illusions theme will include BRIGADOON (1954), THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1945), SUPERMAN (1978), and THE WIZ (1978).

A few additional festival titles have been announced, including SUSPICION (1941), TALK OF THE TOWN (1942), GUNMAN'S WALK (1958), and JAWS (1975).

Information on additional films, guests, and venues will be released in the future, and as always, I'll be sharing that information here as it's available.

After holding steady for the 2022-2024 festivals, passes will see a price increase this year.

The Spotlight Pass Early Bird price will be $2549, with the regular price, beginning January 11th, $2649.

The Essential pass will be $1099 for Early Bird and $1199 regular price; Classic is $849 Early Bird and $949 regular; and Palace is $399 Early Bird and $449 regular.

Please visit the festival's ticket page for information on each specific pass.

Prospective attendees should monitor the Turner Classic Movies Twitter ("X") feed along with the festival website.

I was traveling when the festival dates were initially announced, and my husband raced out of the restaurant we were in to (successfully) book our regular hotel! I hope to see many of you "at the movies" in Hollywood in 2025!

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Tonight's TV: The Alaskans (1959-60) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

THE ALASKANS (1959-60), a one-season Warner Bros. TV series starring Roger Moore, was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

This is a show I've always been curious about, and never in my wildest dreams did I think it would come out on Blu-ray. The outstanding prints are remastered from 4K scans of the original camera negatives. This show has received an excellent Blu-ray presentation.

THE ALASKANS originally aired in an hour-long time slot and is set in the port city of Skagway, Alaska, during the 1890s gold rush; many of the plots focus around, you guessed it, gold and mining.

Moore plays Silky Harris, always looking to make easy money from people passing through Skagway, along with his burly friend Reno McKee (Jeff York). You might say Reno is the brawn and Silky is the brains of the pair.

They also become friendly with saloon singer Rocky Shaw (Dorothy Provine), who periodically gets a chance to sing. Ray Danton is a semiregular as their friendly adversary, Nifty Cronin.

I'm predisposed to like this show, as I like Warner Bros. Westerns, in general, and MAVERICK, a series which Moore later joined, is my all-time favorite show. 

Many writers, directors, and actors who worked on other Warner Bros. Westerns also worked on THE ALASKANS, but - at least through the several episodes I've seen so far - the series is not on the level of WB shows such as MAVERICK, CHEYENNE, LAWMAN, or even COLT .45, which had a Warner Archive release earlier this year. (My COLT .45 review may be found here.)

I've been hoping for THE ALASKANS to "find its feet" as it goes along, but in its early episodes it suffers from ill-defined lead characters, with York's Reno being especially bland, as well as meandering plots.  

The latter is ironic as, according to Moore, some of the scripts were recycled from the top-drawer MAVERICK, but I haven't recognized a familiar story yet. Like MAVERICK and other shows of the era, the tone of individual episodes varies, with some being pure comedy and others more dramatic.

I'm posting my review short of watching the entire series, which will take the equivalent of almost a full workweek to finish! I've read a couple excellent reviews which have encouraged me to keep watching, and I'd want to do so in any event for the amazing guest casts, which include names like James Coburn, Julie Adams, Lee Van Cleef, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Karen Steele, Ruta Lee, John Dehner, Fay Spain, and other familiar faces from MAVERICK. Andrea King, a favorite Warner Bros. and Universal actress, is in the third episode which was directed by Jacques Tourneur; it was the only episode he directed.

The types of actors listed above make for great "comfort viewing," even in a less impressive show, and I do like that while the show was filmed on the backlot, it has a different "look" than the norm of the era; there's a real effort to make the show look authentic with snow on the ground, and there's also unfamiliar stock footage used.

The show's three dozen episodes are presented on nine Blu-ray discs in an attractive plastic snap case. The boxing, including cover art, is first-rate.

The episodes even include "bumpers" and other brief moments which were part of the original airings, such as Prestone sponsorship mentions at the end of each episode; other than those delightful moments, there are no extras as such.

Despite my hesitations, I encourage fans of '50s WB TV series to check out this series for themselves.  I'm hopeful that eventually there will be Blu-ray releases of other long-missing Warner Bros. series.  KINGS ROW, anyone?

Thanks to the Warner Archive and Allied Vaughn for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: Captain Carey, U.S.A (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. (1950) is now available on Blu-ray in the Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema XX collection.

Captain Carey is played by Alan Ladd, who also stars in another film in the set, the terrific APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950).

While APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER is the stronger of the two films, I also like CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. very much.

As I wrote about the movie back in 2012, it's "an effective mood piece blending war film, romance, and film noir, all underscored by the Oscar-winning 'Mona Lisa.'" Yes, this is where that great standard by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans originated!

CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. is a fast-paced 82-minute film which begins during World War II. Web Carey (Ladd) and his partner Frank (Paul Lees) are working as O.S.S. spies in Italy when they're betrayed; Web survives the raid on their hideout but has a lengthy hospitalization. Frank dies, and Web also believes the Italian girl he loves, Giulia (Wanda Hendrix), has been killed.

Years later Web returns to Italy to find out who betrayed them and was responsible for Giulia's death. To his shock, Web finds Giulia very much alive, married to an Italian baron (Francis Lederer).

Web initially plans to leave but someone attempting to give him information about the betrayer is murdered, and the former O.S.S. man is quickly on the path of solving the mystery.

Ladd and Hendrix are both very good in this, especially the always-compelling Ladd, and on the whole it's a strong film, well-directed by Mitchell Leisen. Ladd and Hendrix each convey moving emotion, and there are also some well-staged action sequences, with Ladd showing admirable agility.

The script was written by Robert Thoeren, based on the novel AFTER MIDNIGHT by Martha Albrand. The black and white cinematography was by John F. Seitz.

The supporting cast includes Joseph Calleia, Russ Tamblyn, Angela Clarke, Frank Puglia, Luis Alberni, Celia Lovsky, and Jane Nigh.

I wrote about the film in great detail in my 2012 review and invite readers to visit it for further thoughts on this film and the performances.

As noted in that review, this movie almost serves as an informal sequel to another, unrelated Ladd film, O.S.S. (1946), which coincidentally is also available from Kino Lorber. Viewers will also note plot similarities to SINGAPORE (1947), part of Kino Lorber's Dark Side of Cinema VI collection.

For more on the movie, Rachel took an enjoyable look at the film a few years ago at Hamlette's Soliloquy.

CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. is presented in a good-looking Blu-ray, with the print from an HD master of a 4K scan.  Sound quality is also very good.

Extras consist of a commentary track by Gary Gerani; the trailer; and a gallery of three additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER and CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A make this set a "must buy" for Ladd fans.

The final film in this set is MAKE HASTE TO LIVE (1954) which I plan to review at a future date.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray releases coming in January will include THE SPIRAL ROAD (1961), THAT FUNNY FEELING (1965), and TEACHER'S PET (1958). FOUL PLAY (1978) is "coming soon."

...Western film historian Henry C. Parke, a regular at the Lone Pine Film Festival, recently wrote an essay, "The Tale of Two Destrys," for the Inspiration Channel; it's about the 1939 and 1954 versions of DESTRY RIDES AGAIN. (The latter version was simply called DESTRY.)

...Powerhouse Indicator in the UK has just announced its February releases: NOW AND FOREVER (1934), PETER IBBETSON (1935), HARRIET CRAIG (1950), and QUEEN BEE (1955). All come with plentiful extras.

...Due to my travel schedule I missed previously reporting on Powerhouse Indicator's January releases: THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (1935), THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS (1941), SAHARA (1943), and EDGE OF ETERNITY (1959). Some of these films have been previously released in the U.S. by Kino Lorber; the Indicator editions have new extras.

...The new Netflix Christmas movie HOT FROSTY (2024), starring Hallmark Channel Christmas queen Lacey Chabert, has received some good reviews, including from Courtney Howard at Variety.

...Coming from Fathom Events to many U.S. theaters in mid-December, WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954). Ticket info is here.

...At The Hannibal 8, Toby Roan shares news of a new VCI release, Poverty Row Classics, with Monogram's KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941) and PRC's MISS V FROM MOSCOW (1942). The latter film sounds like my kind of thing, with Lola Lane playing a Soviet spy.

...Also coming from VCI, STREET SCENE (1931) in a Blu-ray/DVD combo set.

...Sony continues this year's string of classic film Blu-ray releases with YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM IT (1956), a remake of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) starring June Allyson and Jack Lemmon, directed by Allyson's husband, Dick Powell. It's due out November 19th, and I'll be reviewing it here.

...Leonard Maltin reviews "New and Notable Film Books" including several Disney history titles and the excellent HOLLYWOOD SIGNS.

...Sales! McFarland Books is currently offering 35% off with the coupon code HOLIDAY24 - I'm interested in David Tucker's new book on John Hodiak - and ClassicFlix is having a Winter Blowout Sale of Blu-rays and DVDs.

...The Criterion Channel's December streaming lineup includes Hitchcock for the Holidays and Pre-Code Columbia.

...Over at Trailers From Hell, CineSavant Glenn Erickson reviews Kino Lorber's Dark Side of Cinema XXII collection, with THE ENFORCER (1951), THE SCARLET HOUR (1956), and PLUNDER ROAD (1957).

...THE SEARCHERS (1956) is coming out in a Warner Archive Collection 4K/Blu-ray combo set December 17th.  Movie Zyng is offering a pre-order special of 10% off with the code DUKE. Orders using the code must be placed by November 30th. The movie will also be released as a stand-alone Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection on the 17th. Both discs will include an archival commentary track by director Peter Bogdanovich.

...At Shadows and Satin, here's Karen Burroughs Hannsberry on "Why I Love Kathie" of OUT OF THE PAST (1947).

...Notable Passings: I've not found anything online, but the latest issue of the magazine Classic Images reports that former child actress Donna Corcoran passed away in Southern California this summer at the age of 81. Her films included ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1951), SCANDAL AT SCOURIE (1953), and GYPSY COLT (1954)...The great British actor Timothy West has passed away at the age of 90. I especially remember him for EDWARD THE KING (1975), aka EDWARD THE SEVENTH. Survivors include his wife, actress Prunella Scales, and his son Samuel West, who stars as Siegfried on ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my November 2nd column.

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Tonight's Movie: Words and Music (1948) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

WORDS AND MUSIC (1948), MGM's musical tribute to the composing team of Rodgers and Hart, is now available on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.

Tom Drake and Mickey Rooney play composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart in this 121-minute biopic. They're something of a movie odd couple, with Rooney's hyperactive Hart contrasting wildly with Drake's too-bland performance as his collaborator.

The dramatic aspects of the film, with Hart suffering from unrequited love for Peggy McNeil (Betty Garrett) and Rodgers romancing and marrying charming Dorothy Feiner (Janet Leigh), are largely invented yet quite watchable hokum. Among other things, the timelines don't always make sense, so I just enjoy the film as what might be termed a reality-based fantasy.

The dramatic scenes are sandwiched between a seemingly endless parade of MGM stars performing Rodgers and Hart numbers, and these scenes are the real reason to watch the movie, especially on this visually dazzling new Blu-ray. The disc is a new 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the original nitrate Technicolor negatives, and it's a real "wow." MGM musical fans have never had it so good!

Some of the musical numbers will be familiar from THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974). Among the movie's wonderful musical moments:

*Perry Como singing "Blue Room" while Cyd Charisse dances

*Mel Torme singing "Blue Moon"

*Betty Garrett singing "There's a Small Hotel"

*Lena Horne singing "Where or When" and "The Lady is a Tramp"

*June Allyson singing and dancing "Thou Swell" with the Blackburn Twins; her footwork is impressive!

*Judy Garland singing "Johnny One Note" and dueting "I Wish I Were in Love Again" with Mickey Rooney

*Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen dancing a stunning "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"

The large cast also includes Ann Sothern, Marshall Thompson, Richard Quine, Jeanette Nolan, Harry Antrim, Dee Turnell, June Hedin, and Eileen Janssen.

WORDS AND MUSIC was directed by Norman Taurog, with photography by Charles Rosher and Harry Stradling (Sr.). The women's costumes, contributing hugely to the film's great look, are by favorite MGM designer Helen Rose.

A special note regarding Conrad Salinger's superb orchestrations, especially of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue": This film represents the "MGM musical sound" at its finest. Blu-ray sound quality is excellent.

Disc extras are largely copied over from the 2007 DVD, including a commentary track by Richard Barrios; the featurette "A Life in Words and Music"; deleted Perry Como music sequences; additional audio-only musical outtakes; the cartoon THE CAT THAT HATED PEOPLE (1948); and the short GOING TO BLAZES! (1948). A song selection menu is included for easy replay of favorite songs and dances.

Fans of MGM musicals are very fortunate to now have so many titles available in top-drawer Blu-ray editions thanks to the Warner Archive. WORDS AND MUSIC is highly recommended, and hopefully we'll see many more Warner Archive MGM musical releases continuing into the future.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Book Review: Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances

Over the years John DiLeo has become one of my favorite writers on the movies.

I've read most of DiLeo's books - past reviews are linked at the end of this post - and something I especially love about his writing is that he takes "deep dives" into cinema history, often focusing on lesser-known movies and underappreciated performances. I love revisiting films I've enjoyed via his detailed analyses, and his writing also inevitably ends up with me jotting down lists of films to see for the first time.

That's again the case in his brand-new book NOT EVEN NOMINATED: 40 OVERLOOKED COSTARS OF OSCAR-WINNING PERFORMANCES, which surveys relatively unheralded performances in nine decades' worth of films, spanning 1927 to 2015.

As indicated by the book's subtitle, each chapter focuses on the work of an actor in a film for which a costar won the Oscar. 22 of the chapters focus on movies released prior to 1970, while 18 of the performances come from 1972 and after.

DiLeo had my attention from the beginning of the book, writing about Charles Farrell in 7th HEAVEN (1927) and especially George O'Brien in SUNRISE (1927). SUNRISE is often recognized as a masterpiece, yet I've often felt that O'Brien has not received the specific praise he is due for his role in the movie. The moment when he begins sobbing in church and the entire story changes direction is a transcendent piece of cinema which has always stayed with me.

DiLeo writes evocatively about each of the 40 performances, describing them in detail; he also places the films in the context of the performers' careers.

My favorite entries included Joel McCrea in THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943), Dorothy McGuire in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945), Myrna Loy in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946), and David Tomlinson in MARY POPPINS (1964).

Performances spotlighted from more recent decades include Tommy Lee Jones in COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980), Anthony Hopkins in HOWARDS END (1992), and Tom Hanks in BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015).

While I enjoyed the entire book, which introduced me to a number of "newer" films I know little about, the first half was my favorite, given my personal preference for movies from the classic film era. 

That said, the chapters on Michael Caine in CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978), Donald Sutherland in ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980), and Glenn Close in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990) are among those which made me more interested in seeing those movies, given the author's admiration and detailed descriptions.

I can give no higher compliment than saying I find John DiLeo's writing similar to favorites Jeanine Basinger and Imogen Sara Smith, in that his top-drawer writing and enthusiasm combine to excite me about "the movies." Like all of DiLeo's previous titles, I recommend this book, which is both thought-provoking and an entertaining read.

NOT EVEN NOMINATED has been published by G. Letters & Editions. It's a compact yet hefty book with 320 heavy, glossy pages including an index; the book weighs in at about 2.5 pounds. It features well-produced black and white photos, one or two for each of the book's 40 chapters.  I also love the built-in bookmark!

Previous reviews of books by John DiLeo: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS AND COMPANY: HIS ESSENTIAL SCREEN ACTORS (2010), SCREEN SAVERS: 40 REMARKABLE MOVIES AWAITING REDISCOVERY (2010), SCREEN SAVERS II: MY GRAB BAG OF CLASSIC MOVIES (2012), TEN MOVIES AT A TIME (2018), and THERE ARE NO SMALL PARTS: 100 OUTSTANDING FILM PERFORMANCES WITH SCREEN TIME OF TEN MINUTES OR LESS (2022).

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Tonight's Movie: Appointment With Danger (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of my favorite Alan Ladd films, APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950), was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

The movie is part of the Dark Side of Cinema XX collection along with Ladd's CAPTAIN CAREY U.S.A. (1950); the other film in the set is MAKE HASTE TO LIVE (1954).

Coincidentally, MAKE HASTE TO LIVE was written by Warren Duff, who cowrote the APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER screenplay with Richard L. Breen.

I first saw APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER at the 2019 Noir City Hollywood Festival and revisited it last year at the 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

This latest viewing confirms my opinion that this is a film with great "rewatch" value, thanks to a number of factors including Ladd, a sharp and witty screenplay, and some terrific location filming.

Alan Ladd plays U.S. Postal Inspector Al Goddard, who travels to Gary, Indiana, to investigate the death of a colleague.

The cynical Al is gradually softened by his exposure to idealistic Sister Augustine (Phyllis Calvert), the only witness to the murder.

Al must work to keep his key witness alive while also trying to solve the crime.

Everything about the movie works, from the involving story to Ladd's charismatic performance to the supporting cast. As mentioned, the script is quite good; Ladd has some terrific lines. I like this movie a great deal.

As with the film I reviewed last night, DARK CITY (1950), two of the crooks are played by future DRAGNET costars Jack Webb and Harry Morgan. It's kind of wild seeing dedicated cops "Friday and Gannon" as killers.

The supporting cast also includes Geraldine Wall, Paul Stewart, Jan Sterling, Herb Vigran, David Wolfe, and Harry Antrim.

APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER runs a well-paced 90 minutes and was directed by Lewis Allen (THE UNINVITED) and filmed in black and white by John F. Seitz. The musical score was by Victor Young.

A funny aside: The opening narrator's admiring comments about the post office's efficiency, including mail carriers visiting homes and businesses "a dozen times a week," made me chuckle. Oh, for the days when your mailman dropped off mail twice a day!

The good looking Blu-ray print is from an HD master of a 4K scan. Sound is also excellent.

Extras consist of the trailer; a gallery of three additional trailers; and a commentary track by Heath Holland (Cereal at Midnight) and Max Allan Collins.

Kino Lorber is certainly making Alan Ladd fans happy this year. In addition to the two Ladd films in this Dark Side of Cinema XX set, I also have his RED MOUNTAIN (1951) and BOTANY BAY (1953) in my review stack, and his long-unavailable THE GREAT GATSBY (1949) was recently announced by Kino Lorber as "coming soon."

Update: Here is a link to my review of CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. from this set.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off.

This has been an unusually slow week for classic film news, and I have several other pieces in the works, including a preview of next spring's TCM Classic Film Festival.

For anyone who may have missed the news, I do want to call attention to the passing of music legend Quincy Jones, who has died at the age of 91.

I anticipate this column returning next weekend on Saturday, November 16th. (Update: Here is a link to my November 16th column.)

For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my November 2nd column.

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Tonight's Movie: Dark City (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Tonight I revisited DARK CITY (1950), a serviceable if not especially scintillating crime film.

I first saw DARK CITY in 2018 at the Noir City Hollywood Festival; it's now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber in the Dark Side of Cinema XIX collection.

DARK CITY starts off "Introducing Charlton Heston," starring in his first feature film. He plays Danny Haley, a bitter war veteran mixed up in a bookie racket.

Danny fleeces businessman Arthur Winant (Don DeFore) out of $5000 in a poker game, leading Winant to kill himself, as the money had belonged to his employer. Very quickly thereafter, the men involved in the fateful poker game begin dying, to the consternation of Captain Garvey (Dean Jagger) of the police department.

DARK CITY is a fairly involving film, but although I generally like Heston he's the least interesting aspect of the movie; his character is unpleasant and one-dimensional. He's simply an unpleasant guy to be around, so rude to his nightclub singer girlfriend Fran (Lizabeth Scott) that you really wonder what she sees in him.

I'd note it's the type of role which could easily have been played by Burt Lancaster, Scott's leading man in I WALK ALONE (1947) and DESERT FURY (1947).

While Heston's Danny becomes a bit tedious, between his performance and a script which doesn't offer much in the way of character shadings, the movie succeeds to the extent it does thanks to an interesting mystery and a good cast. Scott is appealing performing several nightclub numbers, dubbed by Trudy Stevens, gowned in a fabulous wardrobe by Edith Head.  Her Fran probably could have done much better for herself than sullen Danny.

Jagger manages to be much more interesting than Heston, even though he's often stuck laying out exposition to move the mystery along. Jagger reminds me of Lloyd Nolan in his ability to making something watchable out of pretty basic dialogue.

It's also fun to see Jack Webb and Harry Morgan teamed up in this as Danny's confederates, many years before DRAGNET. Webb and Morgan also appeared together the following year in APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1951) which is also available from Kino Lorber; I'll be reviewing that disc soon.  (Update: Here is the review!)

The solid supporting cast also includes Walter Sande, Mike Mazurki, Viveca Lindfors, and Ed Begley.

This 98-minute film was directed by William Dieterle and filmed in black and white by Victor Milner. The score was by Franz Waxman.

A bit of trivia: This is a rare movie which is set at Easter; the film opens with Danny buying Fran a gift for the holiday.

The Blu-ray print is from a new HD Master from a 4K scan. It looks terrific and sounds great too.

Disc extras consist of the trailer; a gallery of four additional trailers; and a commentary track by Alan K. Rode.

The other films in this set are the excellent NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950) and BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952), which I'll be reviewing at a future date.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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TCM Star of the Month: Ruth Roman

Actress Ruth Roman is the November Star of the Month on Turner Classic Movies!

Roughly 20 of Roman's films will be shown on Tuesday evenings this month. The list includes two TCM premieres, noted below.

The complete Star of the Month schedule is below. It's an entertaining collection of movies. I particularly recommend THE WINDOW (1949), TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951), and DOWN THREE DARK STREETS (1954).

Of course, Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) is always worth seeing as well!

Please click any hyperlinked title to read my extended review.

November 5th

BELLE STARR'S DAUGHTER (1948) (TCM Premiere)

CHAMPION (1949)

THE WINDOW (1949)

INVITATION (1952)

ALWAYS LEAVE THEM LAUGHING (1949)

STARLIFT (1951)

November 12th

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951)

DOWN THREE DARK STREETS (1954)

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE (1951)

YOUNG MAN WITH IDEAS (1952)

November 19th

DALLAS (1950)

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING (1956)

BARRICADE (1950)

COLT .45 (1950)

November 26th

5 STEPS TO DANGER (1947)

JOE MACBETH (1955)

THE SHANGHAI STORY (1954) (TCM Premiere)

MARA MARU (1952)

LOOK IN ANY WINDOW (1961)

For more on TCM in November 2024, please visit my posts TCM in November: Highlights and Quick Preview of TCM in November, along with TCM's online schedule.

Related post: Book Review: Ruth Roman: A Career Portrait.

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Tonight's Movie: Bathing Beauty (1944) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

MGM's delightful BATHING BEAUTY (1944) has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

This Blu-ray release of the film which made Esther Williams a star is an absolute treat, starting with the print, a 1080p master from a new 4K scan of the original nitrate Technicolor camera negatives. When Esther climbs onto a diving board in a bright pink swimsuit early in the film, it's hard not to swoon over how incredible both she and the entire movie look.

Esther plays Caroline, a college gym teacher visiting California, where she plans to marry her fiance, a songwriter named Steve (Red Skelton, reviewed yesterday in THREE LITTLE WORDS).

Steve's colleague George (Basil Rathbone) deviously breaks up the wedding for reasons of his own, prompting broken-hearted Caroline to return to her old job in the East. Steve follows her, hoping to reconcile, and in desperation ends up enrolling at Caroline's school in order to be near her. The only problem with that plan is it's an all-girls college...!

The silly story is simply an excuse for a string of wonderfully colorful musical numbers featuring the likes of Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra with Lina Romay, Harry James and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest, organist Ethel Smith, and singer Carlos Ramirez.

The movie also gives Jean Porter and Janis Paige, who play students, the chance to shine in a musical number. I'll add here to watch for future Western leading ladies Karin Booth and Beverly Tyler as students in other scenes.

Watching this film, it's very easy to see why Williams became a star. She's confident, funny, and very beautiful. The finale is one of her best swim numbers, featuring fountains and swimmers in kaleidoscopic patterns; I first knew it thanks to THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974) and have loved it ever since.

I like Red Skelton in very limited doses, and he's kept under fairly good control here by director George Sidney. The nice supporting cast includes Nana Bryant, Donald Meek, Margaret Dumont, Ann Codee, Bill Goodwin, Dorothy Adams, and Jacqueline Dalya.

The movie's gorgeous settings and colorful scenes, filmed by Harry Stradling Sr., must have been wonderful escapism for World War II audiences when this film was released in the summer of 1944. A closing card informs viewers that men and women serving in combat zones would be seeing the film free of charge.

I smiled for most of the movie's 101 minutes and very much recommend this disc for anyone who loves MGM musicals and/or Esther Williams movies.

Disc extras include the TCM PRIVATE SCREENINGS interview of Esther Williams with Robert Osborne; a trailer; the Tom and Jerry cartoon MOUSE TROUBLE (1944); the short MAIN STREET TODAY (1944; 20m) featuring Ray Collins and Henry O'Neill, directed by Edward L. Cahn.

The disc also includes a song selection menu.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: Three Little Words (1950) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The delightful MGM musical THREE LITTLE WORDS (1950) has recently been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

I've shared here in the past that MGM musicals were among the key films which made me a lifelong classic movie fan.  THREE LITTLE WORDS is a relatively unsung yet thoroughly enjoyable film I especially enjoyed as I was growing up.

In fact, a favorite memory of mine is my parents pulling me out of school just before Thanksgiving to see a matinee of this film at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Leo S. Bing Theater. Watching Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen dancing instead of being in class is a near-lifelong fond memory.

The plot is fairly basic, chronicling the long and sometimes contentious teaming of songwriters Bert Kalmar (Astaire) and Harry Ruby (Red Skelton). Vera-Ellen plays Jessie, Bert's vaudeville partner and later his wife, while lovely Arlene Dahl plays actress Eileen Percy, who falls for Harry after he gets over the inconstant Terry (Gale Robbins).

Besides the beautiful women in their lives, Bert has an obsession with performing magic tricks, while Harry adores baseball.

First and foremost, the movie provides the chance to hear a wonderful catalogue of Kalmar-Ruby songs. Highlights include:

*Astaire and Vera-Ellen's dances "Mr. and Mrs. Hoofer at Home" and "Thinking of You," choreographed by Hermes Pan; to my thinking Vera-Ellen was one of Astaire's finest partners, in both this and THE BELLE OF NEW YORK (1952), which I hope to see on Blu-ray one day.

*Gloria DeHaven portraying her own mother, Mrs. Carter DeHaven, singing "Who's Sorry Now?"

*Debbie Reynolds singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You," dubbed by the actress she was portraying, Helen Kane.

*Gloriously gowned and coiffed Arlene Dahl singing "I Love You So Much."

The movie, filmed by Harry Jackson in Technicolor, is a visual treat, with beautiful set designs and stunning gowns by MGM's great costume designer, Helen Rose.

It also sounds great, with Oscar-nominated scoring by music director Andre Previn; the distinctive "MGM sound" is heard in orchestrations by Conrad Salinger and others.

Astaire and Skelton are both moving at times as they contend with personal and partnership issues; they were each fine actors along with their better-known talents for dancing and comedy. 

When not performing musical numbers, Vera-Ellen and Dahl's functions are mostly portraying supportive spouses, but they're quite charming and nicely convey the way they "get" their husbands in few words.

The supporting cast includes Keenan Wynn, Carleton Carpenter, Phil Regan, Paul Harvey, and, in a tiny role, Beverly Michaels (WICKED WOMAN).

THREE LITTLE WORDS runs a well-paced 102 minutes. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and scripted by George Wells.

The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray print is superb. It's from a new 1080p HD master of 4K scans from the original nitrate Technicolor negatives. I've owned the 2006 DVD since it came out, and while it looked fine, my sense without doing a shot-by-shot comparison is that this Blu-ray is even better. That comes as no surprise given the consistent quality of Warner Archive Blu-rays.

Disc extras include the featurette "Two Swell Guys," imported from the DVD; the Tex Avery cartoon VENTRILOQUIST CAT (1950); the nine-minute Traveltalk short ROAMING THROUGH MICHIGAN (1950); the trailer; and a 15-minute radio promo from PAULA STONE'S HOLLYWOOD.

Like other Warner Archive MGM musical Blu-rays, the disc also includes a song selection menu, which is probably my favorite feature; the menu makes it easy to replay favorite musical numbers at will.

Recommended.

A closing note: The Warner Archive Collection also recently released MGM's Rodgers and Hart biopic WORDS AND MUSIC (1948), which I'll be reviewing in the near future.  (Update: Here is that review!)

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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