Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

Here's Debra Paget to help ring in the New Year.  The lovely actress-dancer turned 91 last August.

Best wishes for a very happy, healthy 2025!

Previous classic film New Year's photos: Joan Leslie, Anita Louise, Dorothy Patrick, Mona Freeman, Joan Caulfield, Esther Williams, Ann Blyth, Doris Day, Ann Miller, Loretta Young, Dorothy Lamour, and Janis Paige.

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TCM in January: Highlights

Happy New Year wishes to all my readers!

It's time for a detailed look at the January 2025 schedule on Turner Classic Movies.

The January Star of the Month on TCM is George Raft, beginning on Tuesday, January 7th. I'll have a complete look at this month's Raft films posted here early next week. (Update: Please visit my post TCM Star of the Month: George Raft.)

This month's Noir Alley films will be SUSPENSE (1946) on January 4th and 5th, DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946) on the 11th and 12th, WITHOUT PITY (1948) on January 18th and 19th, and WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950) on the 25th-26th. As I mentioned in my earlier January preview, I especially enjoy SUSPENSE, featuring the dazzling skating of noir's ice queen, Belita.

The TCM Spotlight on Friday nights has a "movie dreams" theme, including films such as THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), I MARRIED AN ANGEL (1942), CABIN IN THE SKY (1943), and SPELLBOUND (1945). Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy are seen here in the charming I MARRIED AN ANGEL, which I found better than its reputation; it airs on January 24th.

Here's a look at a few of this month's interesting titles. As always, please click on any hyperlinked title to read my complete review.

...New Year's Day features a series of concert movies followed by an evening of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! films (from 1974, 1976, and 1994) featuring great moments from MGM musicals.

...It's great to start a new year off with laughter, and January 2nd features several screwball comedies. The fun lineup include THREE LOVES HAS NANCY (1938), LOVE ON A BET (1936), and THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1938) along with better-known titles. Relax and enjoy wonderful stars including Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, Janet Gaynor, Wendy Barrie, William Powell, and Jean Arthur, plus a host of great character "faces."

...A Marion Davies birthday tribute on January 3rd includes EVER SINCE EVE (1937), which I really enjoyed over a decade ago. Robert Montgomery costars.

...THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT (1957) is a charmer about the employees who work at a nightclub owned by Paul Douglas and Anthony Franciosa. Jean Simmons and Joan Blondell are among the cast. It was directed by Robert Wise. It's on January 5th.

...I'm excited about a primetime six-film tribute to Julie Adams on January 6th. It includes a TCM premiere, TARAWA BEACHHEAD (1958), in which she costarred with her longtime husband Ray Danton.

...A day of films with "seven" in the title on January 7th (of course!) includes the fun MGM musical SEVEN SWEETHEARTS (1942) starring Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, and Marsha Hunt.

...The 90th anniversary of Elvis Presley's January 8th birthday will be celebrated with a 24-hour tribute which includes my favorite, VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964).

...A day of Dane Clark films on January 10th includes EMBRACEABLE YOU (1948), a Warner Bros. film which is shown on TCM relatively rarely and is not otherwise available for home viewing. Geraldine Brooks costars in a film I described as "an unexpected treasure...anchored by Clark's sensitive performance."

...FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933) is probably my favorite of the three great 1933 Warner Bros. musicals featuring choreography by Busby Berkeley. Numbers like "By a Waterfall" are simply mind-blowing. It will be the "Musical Matinee" hosted by Dave Karger on January 11th.

...January 13th features a 10-film birthday tribute to the great Kay Francis! I've seen all but one of the movies and it's a marvelous day to stay home with TCM running. The movies are all enjoyable; favorites include MARY STEVENS, M.D. (1933) and THE KEYHOLE (1933).

...January 14th features a day of films scripted by Frances Marion capped by the documentary WITHOUT LYING DOWN: FRANCES MARION AND THE POWER OF WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD (2000). The late historian Cari Beauchamp served as a producer; the documentary was based on her book.

...The early British films of Alfred Hitchcock will be featured on TCM across two evenings, January 15th and 22nd. Each evening will featuring a screening of a new documentary, BECOMING HITCHCOCK: THE LEGACY OF BLACKMAIL (2024), along with several Hitchcock movies made between 1929 and 1940.

...A day of "farm" movies on the 16th is one of my favorite January lineups. It includes favorites such as THE PURCHASE PRICE (1932), THE ROMANCE OF ROSY RIDGE (1947), HIDE-OUT (1934), and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954).

...Classic swashbucklers on January 17th include favorites SCARAMOUCHE (1952) and THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1952). (Yes, the 1937 ZENDA is the best, but the 1952 version was the first one I saw and I love it too.)

...The second night of early Hitchcock films on January 22nd includes two of my all-time favorites, THE LADY VANISHES (1938) and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940). FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT wasn't made in England but has the same "feel" as Hitchcock's British output, and I suspect it was included for that reason.

...On January 24th Lawrence Tierney stars as DILLINGER (1945), a crackerjack gangster movie costarring Anne Jeffreys. "Stylish" and "zippy" were among the adjectives I used when I reviewed it.

...A day of fantasies on January 28th includes a big favorite of mine, Rene Clair's IT HAPPENED TOMORROW (1944), starring Dick Powell and Linda Darnell.

...January 29th is another great day, with a daytime birthday tribute to director Ernst Lubitsch followed by a prime time tribute to dancing great Cyd Charisse. The Charisse lineup includes favorites THE BAND WAGON (1953) and PARTY GIRL (1958).

...It's Jeanette MacDonald day all day on January 30th! The seven films include two of my very favorite MacDonald movies, SWEETHEARTS (1938) and NEW MOON (1940).

For more on the TCM schedule for January 2025, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in January and TCM Star of the Month: George Raft, along with TCM's online schedule.

Best wishes for 2025!

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Tonight's Movie: Botany Bay (1953) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

2024 has been a terrific year for Alan Ladd films, with Kino Lorber Studio Classics releasing a number of his movies on Blu-ray.

The releases have included SAIGON (1947), CHICAGO DEADLINE (1949), APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950), CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A. (1950), and THUNDER IN THE EAST (1952). Some of these releases were the first time the films have been available in authorized editions in the U.S.

Kino Lorber recently released two more Ladd titles, BOTANY BAY (1952) and RED MOUNTAIN (1951). I'll be reviewing RED MOUNTAIN at a future date; this time around I'm reporting on my first-ever viewing of BOTANY BAY.

Ladd plays Hugh Tallant, an American medical student arrested as a highwayman in England. It's a complicated story, but despite having a pardon on the way, Tallant is shipped off with other prisoners to a penal colony in New South Wales, Australia.

Tallant makes numerous attempts to escape, especially as the ship's captain (James Mason) is a cruel sort, but he's thwarted at every turn.

Sally (Patricia Medina), an actress who's among those being exiled to New South Wales, is rather glad Hugh ends up staying around.

BOTANY BAY was written by Jonathan Latimer based on a novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Nordhoff and Hall wrote many adventures and seafaring tales, including THE HURRICANE and MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

I'd class this 93-minute film as a mid-range movie; it's not bad, yet given the talent of the filmmakers, including director John Farrow, it should have been better. Despite a fairly compact 93-minute running time, the film tends to dawdle when it should have been more exciting.

Screenwriter Jonathan Latimer wrote a number of excellent screenplays, including favorites such as NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) and THE BIG CLOCK (1948), but BOTANY BAY never really catches fire. A big part of the problem is that the story is too repetitive. Mason is nasty, Ladd tries to escape, rinse and repeat multiple times.

The movie is certainly worth seeing for Ladd fans - and I'm definitely one - and I also enjoyed Medina's lively performance as a spunky woman who correctly calculates how to fend off the married captain's advances while still receiving preferential treatment. BOTANY BAY is simply not a title I'll be returning to with the same frequency as a number of other Ladd films I've enjoyed more.

BOTANY BAY was filmed in Technicolor by John F. Seitz. As far as I could tell, the scenes surrounding the ship were filmed in a water tank rather than on location. I've been unable to discover where in California the New South Wales scenes were filmed but hope to possibly learn more from the commentary track by Heath Holland (Cereal at Midnight).

Incidentally, I read that the koalas seen in the film were shipped to the U.S. from Australia and given a home at the San Diego Zoo once production wrapped.

The musical score was composed by Franz Waxman.

The supporting cast includes Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Dorothy Patten, Murray Matheson, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Jonathan Harris, Malcolm Lee Beggs, Ben Wright, and Patrick Aherne, who was the older brother of the better-known actor Brian Aherne.

The Blu-ray print and sound quality were good. Like the movie, the print was somewhere in the middle; the Technicolor isn't especially stunning yet overall it's in very good shape, without any noticeable major flaws or problems.

In short, this Blu-ray is a fine way to check out this film, which has previously been relatively hard to see in the United States. To my knowledge this is the movie's first official release for U.S. home viewing. (Update: Thanks to Walter for letting me know the movie had a VHS release in the mid '80s. I found an Amazon listing for it!)

In addition to the aforementioned commentary track, the disc includes trailers for five other films which are also available from Kino Lorber.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The excellent documentary MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER (2024) was released on Blu-ray last month by Kino Lorber and Cohen Media Group. The documentary is part of the "Contemporary Classics" line.

The film presents the history of the celebrated collaboration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who wrote, directed, and produced numerous classics, including personal favorites of mine, A CANTERBURY TALE (1944), I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945), and THE RED SHOES (1948).

The entire film is narrated by Martin Scorsese, who knew Michael Powell and was one of the documentary's executive producers. Scorsese appears on camera and blends the story of Powell and Pressburger's lives and collaborations with his own responses to each film and their impact on his life and filmmaking.

The documentary grabs viewer attention from the opening credits, which feature evocatively edited "otherworldly" moments from Powell and Pressburger's films.

One of the documentary's strengths is showcasing how imaginatively the team used film, telling unusual stories in unique ways, including the use of sound effects, dance, and alternating color with black and white within the same film. 

They also notably used non-actors in some films, such as U.S. Army Sergeant John Sweet in A CANTERBURY TALE (his only film) and ballerina Moira Shearer in THE RED SHOES and THE TALES OF HOFFMAN (1951).

Scorsese delves into each film at length and shares many rich, interesting insights. Indeed, my only criticism is that, at two hours and 11 minutes, this film might have been more effective as a miniseries, giving the viewer time to reflect on a handful of films at a time.

An ambitious viewer might even want to alternate watching sections of the film with the actual movies; I think so much would be learned that it would be the equivalent of a film school course! I recommend the documentary for both those who already appreciate this creative team and those who are new to their movies.

MADE IN ENGLAND was directed by David Hinton and filmed by Ronan Killeen.

Disc print and sound quality are excellent. The disc includes a trailer.

This documentary is also available on DVD.

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

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Tonight's Movie: The Tall Target (1951) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

THE TALL TARGET (1951), a favorite film from director Anthony Mann and star Dick Powell, has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

The Warner Archive previously released this film on DVD in 2009. Having the movie available on DVD at that point was most welcome, as it was rarely seen; now,15 years later, we can enjoy a beautiful Blu-ray print which is surely as good as this film might ever look.

I first met this film via Turner Classic Movies back in 2008, then had the pleasure of revisiting it in 35mm in 2014 thanks to an Anthony Mann series at the UCLA Film & Television Archive's Billy Wilder Theater.

That beautiful theatrical print really helped me appreciate the movie's "lamplit" black and white cinematography of Paul C. Vogel in greater detail. For those who don't have the opportunity to see THE TALL TARGET on a big screen, this new Blu-ray is surely the closest approximation.

THE TALL TARGET is a brisk 78-minute film written by Art Cohn and George Worthington Yates from a story by Yates and Geoffrey Homes (aka Daniel Mainwaring, OUT OF THE PAST).

The movie tells the story of a New York police detective named John Kennedy (Powell) and his desperate quest to save Abraham Lincoln (Leslie Kimmell) from assassination prior to his inauguration in 1861. The movie is loosely inspired by a true story.

I'll insert a side note here that, as many before me have commented, it seems more than a little strange that a 1951 movie about a potential Presidential assassination features a hero named John Kennedy. Cue the Twilight Zone theme...

Back to the movie: Virtually the entire film takes place on a night train speeding south from New York toward Baltimore, where Lincoln is due to give a speech -- though a directive from higher-ups means the train isn't moving as quickly as the engineer (Victor Kilian prefers).

Kennedy is already on the alert for threats to President-Elect Lincoln when he discovers early in the trip that his friend and colleague, Inspector Reilly (Powell's real-life close friend Regis Toomey), has been murdered. It thus appears that not only is Lincoln in danger, but Kennedy's life is also at risk.

This is an exciting, fast-moving, atmospheric story which grips the viewer's attention from the opening credits, in which the words roll up the screen bottom to top, accompanied by the sounds of trains rather than music.

As I wrote back in 2008: "Lanterns swinging in the fogs as the train pulls in for its stops, telegrams sent and received at train stations, and the engine speeding through the night, as seen from the engineer's perspective, all contribute enormously to the presentation of a rather unique film." When I revisited it in 2014 I commented "the dim lamplight of this 'up all night' story seems authentic and looks quite stunning."

I'll add here that at times the film also uses unusual yet perfectly chosen camera angles, especially given the cramped spaces on the train. It's a film which merits close viewing attention for multiple reasons.

Powell, in his "noir era," is as good as expected as the worried cop. He's not quite as sarcastic as some of his more hardboiled portrayals, but he's effective in this period piece as a sincerely concerned man trying to make sure the newly elected Lincoln lives to see his inauguration.

The story has a certain sobering irony, of course, yet the viewer feels grateful for our nation that Lincoln lived as long as he did past 1861.

Among the large supporting cast I particularly enjoy Will Geer as the shawl-covered train conductor who manages to be both businesslike and helpful.

The film is packed with familiar faces, including Paula Raymond, Marshall Thompson, Adolphe Menjou, Ruby Dee, Leif Erickson, Tom Powers, Barbara Billingsley, Will Wright, Percy Helton, Florence Bates, Jeff Richards, Richard Rober, Jonathan Hale, Ken Christy, Charles Wagenheim, and Frank Sully.

Sound quality is as good as the Blu-ray's print; I highly recommend this release, which combines an excellent film with outstanding presentation.

Disc extras consist of the trailer; a half-hour radio show, MR. PRESIDENT (1949), starring Edward Arnold; and a pair of Tom & Jerry cartoons released the same year as THE TALL TARGET, JERRY'S COUSIN (1951) and SLICKED-UP PUP (1951).

As a final side note, fans of this film and the 1952 train mystery THE NARROW MARGIN will enjoy reviewer Glenn Erickson's list of the films' extensive similarities.

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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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Coming from the University Press of Mississippi in February: ANIMATING THE VICTORIANS: DISNEY'S LITERARY HISTORY by Patrick C. Fleming.

...The latest list of 25 films added to the National Film Registry has been announced. I found the list, heavily slanted toward films dating from the '60s and onward, to be disappointing this year, especially given that older movies are in greater need of preservation. ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) are among the handful of pre-'60s titles on the list.

...Colin reviews the Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall classic for Howard Hawks, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944), at Riding the High Country. This was one of the movies which kickstarted my love for classic films at a young age, and I really enjoyed reading his appreciation of the film.

...Coming soon from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965), from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. Dana Andrews stars.

...Over at Speakeasy, Kristina has an interesting look back at her year of viewing. Her mention of DESPERATE SEARCH (1952), with Howard Keel, Jane Greer, and Patricia Medina, has me interested in revisiting it for the first time in over a dozen years.

...Charles Tabesh of Turner Classic Movies has been awarded the 2024 Silver Light Award by the Association of Moving Image Archivists.

...The latest disc reviews by CineSavant Glenn Erickson for Trailers From Hell including THE TALL TARGET (1951), THE SEARCHERS (1956), and PANIC IN YEAR ZERO! (1962). Incidentally I've now watched the very beautiful TALL TARGET Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and will be reviewing it here in the near future.  (Update: Here is my review!)

...I enjoyed Toby's reflections on the bounty of film viewing we can currently enjoy. Visit his post at 50 Westerns From the 50s, and be sure to also read the very enjoyable discussion which follows in the comments.

...The 110-year-old Ojai Playhouse in Ojai, California, is due to reopen as a movie theater after being closed for the past decade. Thanks to Christine for passing on the article. You can read more about this historic theater at Cinema Treasures.

...Actor Lee Bowman was born 110 years ago today, on December 28, 1914. Please enjoy my 2022 tribute to this underrated actor, which is packed with photos and movie review links.

...Attention Southern Californians: Film historian Jeremy Arnold will host a screening of the enjoyable "B" film THE PREVIEW MURDER MYSTERY (1936) at the American Cinematheque's Los Feliz 3 Theatre on Sunday afternoon, January 12th. The movie will screen in 35mm. Hope to see some of my readers there!

...Notable Passings: Actress Olivia Hussey has passed away at the age of 73. I particularly remember her not from one of her better-known films, but from TV's THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1984)...Model and actress Dayle Haddon has died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at a home owned by her daughter and son-in-law, Hallmark Channel actor Marc Blucas. Haddon, who was 76, was in a number of movies, including Disney's THE WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE (1973)...Geoffrey Deuel, who played Billy the Kid in the John Wayne film CHISUM (1970), has died at 81. He was the younger brother of the late ALIAS SMITH AND JONES (1971-72) star Peter Deuel...Writer-Director-Producer Charles Shyer has passed on at 83. His credits included a particular favorite of mine, BABY BOOM (1987), which he directed from a script he co-wrote with his one-time wife, Nancy Meyers.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my December 21st column.

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Quick Preview of TCM in February: 31 Days of Oscar

The annual 31 Days of Oscar festival, which features films which have been nominated for or won Academy Awards, returns to Turner Classic Movies in February.

The series will begin on TCM on Saturday, February 1st, and run through Monday, March 3rd.

There are a few titles yet to be announced, but the majority of the schedule is now available to peruse.

This year the films will be grouped in a variety of ways, from nomination categories such as Best Picture or Best Song to films featuring teachers, boxers, royalty, reporters, or eccentric characters (think HARVEY).  (Update: A kind TCM employee has informed me that the prime time theme each evening is "Oscar-worthy performances," using the various character "types" to showcase them.)

As usual, the regular TCM franchises such as Noir Alley and Silent Sunday Nights will take a break during February.

The 2025 Academy Awards ceremony will be shown on ABC on Sunday, March 2nd, just before 31 Days of Oscar ends.

I'll have more details on the complete 31 Days of Oscar schedule posted here around the end of January. In the meantime, the January Star of the Month will be George Raft.

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New Titles Announced for 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival

Season's greetings to all my readers!

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is calming down, I expect to be posting on a more regular basis in the coming days.

First up: Last week Turner Classic Movies announced a handful of new movie titles for the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival. The festival will be held April 24th through 27th, 2025.

The newly announced titles include:

*BEAU GESTE (1926), a world premiere restoration of the silent classic starring Ronald Colman, with live music provided by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

*THE DIVORCEE (1930), a pre-Code classic starring Academy Award winner Norma Shearer, along with Chester Morris and Robert Montgomery

*THE BIG COMBO (1955), an unforgettable crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and filmed in black and white by John Alton, starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, and a deep cast

*EDGE OF THE CITY (1957) starring Sidney Poitier and John Cassavetes

Early bird ticket pricing for next year's festival will end the afternoon of January 10th, 2025. Please visit last month's post for information on ticket pricing and previously announced titles, as well as links to the official TCM Classic Film Festival website.

Previously: TCM Classic Film Festival Tickets on Sale December 10th.

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Christmas Day Wishes

Best wishes to all my readers for a very happy Christmas!

These photos of the lovely Barbara Britton were taken to promote war bonds for Christmas 1943.

A few years later Britton costarred in COVER UP (1949), a wonderful yet relatively unsung Christmas movie which has found wider audiences in recent years thanks to DVDs and Turner Classic Movies.

She's seen above in COVER UP with Dennis O'Keefe, and below with O'Keefe and costars Helen Spring, Art Baker, and Ann E. Todd.

Merry Christmas to all!

Previous Christmas Day photo posts: 2012 (the Lockhart Family), 2013 (Priscilla Lane), 2014 (Martha Hyer), 2015 (Andra Martin), 2016 (Betty Grable), 2017 (Loretta Young), 2018 (Alice Faye), 2019 (Marsha Hunt), 2020 (Ann Blyth), 2021 (Ann Rutherford), 2022 (Deanna Durbin), and 2023 (Audrey Totter).

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Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas! 

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New Western RoundUp Column: Westerns Celebrating 75 Years

I'm happy to say that my newest Western RoundUp article for Classic Movie Hub has just been published.

My new column focuses on Westerns celebrating their 75th anniversaries in 2025, discussing why 1950 was a significant year for the Western genre.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to check it out, and, as always, thanks very much for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024; April 2024; May 2024; June 2024; July 2024; August 2024; September 2024; October 2024; November 2024.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Kino Lorber has announced a March 4th release date for the Dark Side of Cinema XXIV collection, which will contain UNION STATION (1950), JENNIFER (1953), and THE CROOKED CIRCLE (1957). I especially look forward to a new commentary track on UNION STATION by Alan K. Rode.

...The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of THE SPANISH MAIN (1945) has been pushed back slightly, from December 17th to December 31st. This month's other WAC Blu-ray releases, MR. LUCKY (1943), NORA PRENTISS (1947), and THE TALL TARGET (1951), have arrived and will be reviewed here in due course.

...The January streaming lineup at the Criterion Channel will include a collection titled "Love in Disguise," including LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932) and MIDNIGHT (1939), along with nine other great films.

...Kristina of Speakeasy and Gill of RealWeegieMidgetReviews will be hosting a Journey to Italy blogathon at the end of January.

...The recently rebooted Hallmark streaming service, Hallmark+, will begin streaming films the day after they appear on Hallmark Channel in 2025.

...In her Classic Movie Hub column Noir Nook, Karen Burroughs Hannsberry writes about things she's thankful for in the film noir genre.

...Notable Passings: Diane Delano, who played Officer Semanski on NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1991-95), has passed on at 67...Jill Jacobson, who played P.I. Erin Jones on FALCON CREST (1985-87), has died. Depending on the source, she was 70 or 71.

...With Christmas quickly approaching, it's a relatively slow news week. The annual Christmas movie marathon is now underway at Turner Classic Movies; the complete schedule, including review links, may be found here. I'd like to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas!

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my December 14th column.

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TCM Remembers 2024

The annual TCM Remembers tribute video was released today by Turner Classic Movies.

As always, TCM has done a superb job honoring so many people whose work will live on thanks to the wonder of film.

The video may also be watched on YouTube or Twitter.

Past TCM tribute posts: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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Quick Preview of TCM in January

Here's a quick preview of what's coming to TCM in January 2025!

George Raft will be the January Star of the Month. Around 20 Raft films will be shown on Tuesday evenings over the course of the month.

There are a number of good Raft films on the schedule; I particularly like NOCTURNE (1946).

The TCM Spotlight on Fridays will focus on movies with dream sequences, including THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), SPELLBOUND (1945), and THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (1947).

The January Noir Alley titles will be SUSPENSE (1946), DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946), WITHOUT PITY (1948), and WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950).

WITHOUT PITY is an Italian film with which I'm unfamiliar. Of the titles I've seen I especially enjoy SUSPENSE, starring film noir ice queen Belita, seen here. Her skating numbers are sensational.

Alfred Hitchcock will be showcased on the evenings of the 15th and the 22nd. There will be memorial tributes to Teri Garr and Kris Kristofferson on the 9th and 13th, respectively.

Other filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in January include Marion Davies, Ernst Lubitsch, John Cassavetes, Julie Adams, Dane Clark, Bette Davis, Elvis Presley, Charles Bronson, Judy Holliday, Kay Francis, Conrad Veidt, Mark Sandrich, Cyd Charisse, Jeanette MacDonald, and Gene Hackman.

New Year's Day will feature concert films followed by a trio of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! movies.

Additional January programming themes include screwball comedies, the number seven, farm films, swashbucklers, time travel, Mounties, '40s MGM musicals, Tennessee Williams adaptations, and the Hildegarde Withers mystery series.

There are still several blank spots scattered throughout the schedule. I'll have full programming details here around New Year's.

Related post: Book Review: The George Raft Films.

Update: For more on TCM in January 2025, please visit TCM in January: Highlights.

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