TCM in January: Highlights

Happy New Year to all my readers!

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

The January Star of the Month will be Jean Arthur. 22 of Arthur's films will be shown on Thursday evenings over the course of the month.

For much more about the Star of the Month series, including the complete schedule and numerous review links, please visit my post TCM Star of the Month: Jean Arthur.

January's Noir Alley films will start with the TCM premiere of THE SECOND WOMAN (1950) on January 3rd and 4th. Later in the month Noir Alley will feature CRIME OF PASSION (1957) on the 10th and 11th, DIABOLIQUE (1955) on January 17th-18th, SHIELD FOR MURDER (1954) on the 24th and 25th, and TALK ABOUT A STRANGER (1952) on January 31st and February 2nd.

The TCM Spotlight on Friday nights features films with flashback sequences.

Also of note: TCM premiered the first episode of the serial HOLT OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1941), starring Jack Holt, on December 27th. Look for more episodes of this serial every Saturday morning in January. This is the first time this serial has ever been shown on TCM.

Here's a look at just a few of the interesting things ahead in January. Please click any hyperlinked title to read a complete review.

...New Year's Day will feature eight films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, including half a dozen thin man films. Also on the schedule is I LOVE YOU AGAIN (1941), which I just reviewed earlier this week.

..."Flashback Fridays" begin on January 2nd with a prime time lineup including CITIZEN KANE (1941) and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952).

...There's some great '50s sci-fi airing January 3rd: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (12951) and EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956).

...HOMECOMING (1948) is a little-known, very good WWII film starring Clark Gable, Lana Turner, and Anne Baxter. It's on January 4th.

...TCM pays tribute to songwriter Sammy Cahn on January 5th and 12th. The lineup on January 5th includes THE TENDER TRAP (1955), which has a couple wonderful presentations of the title song. Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds star along with Celeste Holm and David Wayne.

...TCM pays tribute to Louis Hayward on January 7th with a six-film prime time lineup including the TCM premiere of THE BLACK ARROW (1948), costarring Janet Blair.

...The January 9th schedule is one of the many reasons I love TCM: The lineup is devoted to Johnny Mack Brown, and five of the day's 11 movies will be TCM premieres!

...I really enjoy NO MORE LADIES (1935), airing on January 12th. It stars Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and Franchot Tone. Marvelous MGM glamour!

...January 13th features a day of film noir, including the rather creatively named FLAXY MARTIN (1949), starring Virginia Mayo, Zachary Scott, and Dorothy Malone.

...Director Lloyd Bacon is honored on January 14th with an eight-film lineup including EVER SINCE EVE (1937). EVER SINCE EVE stars Marion Davies and Robert Montgomery; I found it quite enjoyable.

...January 15th is the 89th birthday of Margaret O'Brien! TCM celebrates with seven films and a short. I have a special fondness for LOST ANGEL (1943), which was on TV often when I was young. James Craig and Marsha Hunt costar.

...The charming THE AFFAIRS OF MARTHA (1942), showing on January 18th, was one of the favorite films of star Marsha Hunt; I spoke about it with her at the Egyptian Theatre in 2011. She costars with Richard Carlson and a marvelous cast of character actors.

...I really enjoyed Walter Matthau in THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974) a few years ago. It's on January 21st as part of an evening of films set in 1970s New York.

...Favorite Robert Taylor is the focus on January 23rd. I've enjoyed all of the seven Taylor films being shown that day and especially recommend the film noir HIGH WALL (1947). Audrey Totter costars.

...Diane Keaton will receive a memorial tribute on January 25th, with the lineup including one of my personal favorites, BABY BOOM (1987).

...January 28th will be a tribute to the late Rob Reiner, including the TCM premiere of THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987).

...Another good Robert Taylor film is PARTY GIRL (1958), costarring Cyd Charisse and directed by Nicholas Ray. It will be shown January 29th.

...The "flashback" movies on January 30th include Preston Sturges' THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940), starring Brian Donlevy.

...The month ends with a January 31st showing of John Wayne in John Ford's THE SEARCHERS (1956), which many of us consider one of the greatest movies ever made.

For more on TCM in January 2026, please visit Quick Preview of TCM in January, TCM Star of the Month: Jean Arthur, and TCM's online schedule.

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Tonight's Movie: Fargo (1996)

The weather today is as "wintry" as it gets in California, with lots of rain, which made it the perfect afternoon to try the snowy FARGO (1996) for the first time.

Although I've heard many positive things, I've been a bit leery of this film due to its R rating. At the same time, I've been intrigued by the fact that so many people I respect have enjoyed it, and the nice things I've heard about Frances McDormand's character made me especially curious.

It was indeed a very "R" film, but I quite enjoyed it, thanks to both McDormand and the evocative snowy scenery. (In that regard, this film would make a great double bill with WIND RIVER.) It was violent yet not overly graphic, and its 98 minutes move briskly.

As the movie begins, car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is contracting with two scary types, Carl and Gaear (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare), to kidnap his wife (Kristin Rudrud - who IMDb says was born in Fargo!).

Jerry has gotten himself into a bad financial bind and has a scheme in mind in which his wife's wealthy father (Harve Presnell) will pay a ransom for her, which he'll split with the bad guys. (You see, the father-in-law doesn't like Jerry and won't just lend him money...) Jerry stipulates no violence...but absolutely nothing goes as planned.

Before we know it, not one, not two, but three bodies are found in the snow next to a highway thanks to Carl and Gaear. A (very pregnant) police chief from Brainerd, Minnesota, is soon on the case. More bodies pile up as the calm, intelligent Marge works her way through the clues...

Marge is a truly wonderful character, marvelously played by McDormand (MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY), who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. She's clearly good at her job and also has a warm relationship with her supportive husband (John Carroll Lynch). I loved Marge's unfazed positivity.

Marge is also very funny in a quiet sort of way. Her reactions when she interviews two hookers (Larissa Kokernot and Melissa Peterman) are hilarious. (I just realized writing this that Peterman is also one of the key comedic characters in Hallmark's HAUL OUT THE... movie series.) Marge really makes the movie.

Marge's lifestyle, skill, and overall wholesome character provide a needed contrast from the film's many absolutely deranged -- or at least angry -- characters. She quickly sizes up situations and handles crime scenes matter-of-factly.

A scene with Marge having an awkward meeting with an old friend (Steve Park) initially puzzled me, until I realized it might have been the linchpin for Marge realizing bad happens in unexpected places, causing her to revisit Jerry at his work to ask more questions.

The only time Marge seems truly sad and understandably troubled is near the end, contemplating the pointless loss of life over money.

I think my only criticism of Marge is that she should have called for backup near the end, but the scene certainly shows her bravery!

I don't typically enjoy Macy but that works out here, as he's very good indeed in an Oscar-nominated performance as a desperate man.

Like Marge in the film, I found myself contemplating how someone could sink so low, as Jerry's stupidity ultimately leaves his young son (Tony Denman) without a family. Macy is pitch perfect in his desperation, especially in a scene where he struggles to avoid providing information to someone on the phone.

FARGO was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, although Ethan did not receive any onscreen directing credit. Some of the dialogue is quite great, including the lines "Blood has been shed" and Marge saying she's "investigating some malfeasance."

The movie was filmed by Roger Deakins. Many of the film's visuals are quite memorable, including shots of a giant statue of Paul Bunyan outside Brainerd.

Little details also resonate, whether it's the wall phone and Smiley the Pig cookie jar in Jerry's kitchen or Marge and Norm wearing a sweater and a sweatshirt to bed, underlining how cold it is. The set and wardrobe designers deserve applause.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated R for violence, language, and a couple brief raunchy moments; it deserves the rating. In terms of the violence, for the most part the film isn't overly graphic; indeed, the scenes which bothered me most were disturbing but not bloody, focused on the kidnapped wife's terror.

The trailer is on YouTube.

I watched FARGO on a remastered Blu-ray. It's available in several different formats.

As an aside, FARGO inspired the much later crime anthology series FARGO (2014-24).

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

Here's lovely Peggy Dow celebrating the New Year over 75 years ago.

Dow's film career was relatively short, as she made the decision to retire for marriage and motherhood, but it's packed with gems. She and her husband raised five sons, and she is now 97 years old.

Best wishes for a very happy, healthy 2026!

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, Janis Paige, and Debra Paget.

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TCM Star of the Month: Jean Arthur

Happy New Year!

Turner Classic Movies will be kicking off New Year's Day by spending the evening celebrating the January Star of the Month, Jean Arthur.

Arthur was previously the Star of the Month in January 1997 and January 2007.  Arthur is a favorite of many of us, and she's certainly a great actress to help break up the winter doldrums!

22 of Arthur's films will be shown spread across Thursday evenings in January.

Below is the complete Star of the Month schedule.  Please click on any hyperlinked title to read a complete review.

January 1st

MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936)

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938)

THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD (1936)

January 8th

EASY LIVING (1937) (more here)

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT (1937)

THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING (1935)

TOO MANY HUSBANDS (1940)

PUBLIC HERO NO. 1 (1935)

January 15th

THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942)

ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939)

IF YOU COULD ONLY COOK (1935)

MORE THAN A SECRETARY (1936)

January 22nd

THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES (1941) (A very short entry from my first month blogging - I plan to update it soon)

THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943)

A FOREIGN AFFAIR (1948) (more here)

THE IMPATIENT YEARS (1944)

January 29th

SHANE (1953) (more here)

THE PLAINSMAN (1936)

ARIZONA (1940)

THE SILVER HORDE (1930)

DANGER LIGHTS (1931)

For more on TCM in January 2026, please visit TCM in January: Highlights, Quick Preview of TCM in January, along with TCM's online schedule.

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Tonight's Movie: It's Love I'm After (1937) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER (1937) is one of several romantic comedies recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection. They've been perfect lighthearted viewing for this season of the year.

IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER was a new film for me, and while it took a little bit for it to get rolling and for me to get into the rhythm, I ultimately found it an enjoyable watch.

Leslie Howard plays Basil Underwood, a somewhat hammy Shakespearean actor who has a combative romantic relationship with his actress girlfriend, Joyce Arden (Bette Davis).

Into the picture comes Marcia West (Olivia de Havilland), a wealthy young theater fan who's more than a bit obsessed with Basil, to the dismay of her handsome fiancee Henry (Patrick Knowles).

Henry's father once saved Basil from financial calamity, so Basil owes Henry a favor, and he agrees to pay a visit to Marcia's home and act like a total cad so that she'll get over her infatuation.

Things don't work out quite as planned...and meanwhile Joyce is fuming that Basil has put off their wedding once again in order to take part in Henry's scheme.

The movie starts off a bit slowly, with Basil and Joyce battling amidst enacting a scene from ROMEO AND JULIET, followed by a juvenile-acting de Havilland being a bit tiresome as she fawns over Basil in his dressing room.

Gradually the movie picks up steam as the viewer is sucked into its giddy style. The movie has a number of plus factors, with a hilarious performance by Eric Blore, who leads a top-notch supporting cast.  There's also a witty script with a few laugh-out-loud funny lines.

The screenplay was written by Casey Robinson, based on a story by Maurice Hanline. The film could have stood to be slightly shorter than its 90 minutes but on the whole it was fun, particularly when Blore is onscreen.

I enjoyed watching a cast who had worked or would work together on other, better-known projects. This was a reunion for Howard and Davis following OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1934) and THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936), while de Havilland would of course work with Howard in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) a couple of years later.

de Havilland would also soon work again with her leading man, Patric Knowles, who played Will Scarlett to her Maid Marian in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938). They also appeared together in FOUR'S A CROWD (1938).

It's hard not to enjoy a comedy with Spring Byington and Bonita Granville heading the supporting players. Also in the cast are George Barbier, E.E. Clive, Veda Ann Borg, and Irving Bacon.

Archie L. Mayo directed, with black and white photography by James Van Trees and uncredited Tony Gaudio. The mansion seen in the film is the Jewett estate in Pasadena.

As an aside, there's a subtle holiday background which makes this film especially timely to watch right now.  It begins on New Year's Eve, and de Havilland's family home is decorated with wreaths and a Christmas tree. 

The Blu-ray is a typically outstanding Warner Archive Blu-ray, free of scratches and other issues. Sound quality isn't quite perfect but is solid.

The minimal extras on this release consist of the trailer and two Porky the Pig cartoons from the same year this film was released, PORKY'S BUILDING (1937) and PORKY'S BADTIME STORY (1937).

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: I Love You Again (1940) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

A couple of days ago I reviewed MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934), in which William Powell and Myrna Loy costarred with Clark Gable.

The Warner Archive Collection has also just released another Powell and Loy film, I LOVE YOU AGAIN (1941).

Unlike MANHATTAN MELODRAMA, I LOVE YOU AGAIN is a comedy, and quite a giddy one at that, but the Loy-Powell chemistry shines just as brightly as in the earlier film.

As this goofy film begins, staid, uptight businessman Larry Wilson (Powell) falls off a cruise ship...it's a long story. Larry is then accidentally hit over the head with an oar, and suddenly Larry's penny-pinching persona is revealed to be due to several years of amnesia. Larry, it turns out, is really a conman named George Carey.

When George/Larry returns home, new best friend Doc (Frank McHugh) in tow, he discovers his wife Kay (Loy) is on the verge of divorce. She's tired of the humdrum, fiscally tight Larry, though her mother (Nella Walker) defends him. And given Kay's unimpressive choice for her next husband (Donald Douglas), mother probably knows best.

Soon, though, Kay notices that Larry is unexpectedly a little more...exciting...even willing to spend a signficant amount of money to buy her a beautiful negligee. Kay is baffled. What happened to her boring husband?

A swindler from Larry/George's past (Edmund Lowe) shows up to complicate things, but Larry/George has decided marriage to Kay and smalltown life looks quite appealing...he just won't be the same tightwad Larry used to be.

My records show I saw this movie a good many years ago, but it's the fairly rare film where absolutely nothing seemed familar. It was a time in my life when I was parenting an infant, so that probably explains my own "amnesia" of sorts. No matter, as consequently I had the treat of seeing a Powell-Loy film for the "first time," as it were.

The screenplay by Charles Lederer, Harry Kurnitz, and George Oppenheimer was from a story by Maurine Watkins and Leon Gordon, based in turn on a novel by Octavus Roy Cohen. It's clever and fairly easy to follow, despite the complicated plotting regarding Larry's two personas.

There are some laugh-out-loud funny moments, with the most hilarious scene being Powell and McHugh in bed together hiding from the cops. Scenes with Powell faking his way through things he's forgotten from his most recent "life" are also quite amusing.

Was anyone on film ever quite as charming as Myrna Loy in a comedy? Her reactions and line readings are quite simply delightful, and she looks marvelous in gowns by Dolly Tree.

I also appreciated Powell's reunion with Frank McHugh, his costar from ONE-WAY PASSAGE (1932) many years before.

My one complaint about the film is that I would have ditched the prolonged slapstick sequence with Larry and a group of Scouts, although it does play into the storyline for the finale. This sequence is overly long and in turn makes the film too long at 99 minutes. The movie needed no Scouts and more Myrna Loy. Other than that, no complaints!

The film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke and filmed by Oliver T. Marsh.

The cast also includes Pierre Watkin, Charles Arnt, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Robert "Bobby" Blake, Morgan Wallace, Charles Halton, Harry Hayden, Paul Stanton, Gladys Blake, and Ray Teal.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the "best available preservation elements." Picture and sound quality are excellent.

Disc extras consist of the trailer; the Traveltalks short CAVALCADE OF SAN FRANCISCO (1940); a cartoon, THE MILKY WAY (1940); and best of all, the Lux Radio Theater production of this story with Myrna Loy and Cary Grant.

I love getting to enjoy "alternative casting" of films via these Lux Radio productions, and I'm looking forward to hearing Cary Grant in this; he should be great in it. It was broadcast nearly a year after the movie was released, on June 30, 1941.

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: Kansas City Confidential (1952) - A Film Masters Blu-ray Review

I've put off watching KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952) at home for years, hoping that my first viewing of this noir classic would be in a theater.

Somehow, despite its excellent reputation, the movie has never made the schedule at any of the film festivals I attend regularly. The recent release of the film on a terrific new Limited Edition Blu-ray from Film Masters made up my mind to watch it at home at long last.

And the best part is, I enjoyed the movie so well that I would happily watch it again if I have the opportunity to see it theatrically one day.

Many film noir fans will already be familiar with this movie. The first thing I have to say, even before discussing the plot, is simply "What a cast!"

The film stars a trio of favorites, John Payne, Coleen Gray, and Preston Foster. Gray and Payne, who made two other films together in this era, were an offscreen item for a time.

Then there's a Hall of Fame trio of bad guys in Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef, and Jack Elam. The cast is rounded out by the always-entertaining Dona Drake, who helps to lighten the tension as a gang of thieves converge on the Mexican resort where she works.

The plot concerns a "perfect crime" engineered by ex-cop Tim Foster (Foster). He carefully times plans for a bank heist, while also deliberately causing confusion by using a getaway van which looks exactly like the one Joe Rolfe (Payne) uses for daily deliveries to the florist next door to the bank.

Foster recruits three very bad men (Brand, Van Cleef, and Elam) to pull off the heist; they're all masked so they can't recognize one another. After the robbery is successfully completed, Foster informs the disappointed men they're each going to a separate foreign city and that he'll wire them where to meet him to pick up their share of the loot after things have calmed down a bit.

Little do the three robbers realize there's an entirely fresh game afoot once they are finally summoned by Foster to a Mexican resort...

Meanwhile Rolfe, the innocent delivery truck driver, has been harrassed by the police and decides to purse the bank robbers to clear his name. Thanks to a tip arranged by an old war buddy, Rolfe eventually finds himself at the same Mexican resort as the robbers.

The wild card is when Helen (Gray), Foster's law student daughter, surprises him at the resort and is immediately attracted to Rolfe. Things get very complicated, especially for Helen's dismayed father.

The screenplay was written by George Bruce and Harry Essex from a story by Rowland Brown and Harold Greene. IMDb indicates that director Karlson and John Payne also made uncredited contributions to the script.

The movie packs a lot of plot into its 99 minutes, but it's easy to follow and quite fascinating unpeeling the story layers; for instance, at one point Payne's character causes Brand and Van Cleef to think he's the third man, while at the same time Foster's character knows he's not.

The movie has typically brisk, tough direction by Phil Karlson, with the rough interactions of the five men only occasionally broken up by appearances from Gray and Drake.

It's of note that Gray appeared in not one but two movies about the "perfect heist" by masked robbers, the other being THE KILLING (1956).

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL was filmed in black and white by George E. Diskant (ON DANGEROUS GROUND).

Catalina Island stands in for Mexico; since I'm going to visit Catalina on the TCM Cruise next fall I enjoyed seeing it, and I'll be looking to watch more movies shot on the island in the months leading up to the trip.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL has long been in the public domain. Although I'd not seen the film before, I've occasionally seen brief clips in poor prints. The Film Masters Blu-ray looks really good, especially considering the film's checkered print history; I was quite pleased with it and recommend this disc along with the film itself.

The Film Masters Limited Edition has two extras: A Blu-ray commentary track by Jason A. Ney, plus a glossy booklet in the case which contains an essay on Jack Elam, written by Don Stradley. The plastic case comes in a cardboard slipcover.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Film Masters for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased via Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Tonight's Movie: Blind Spot (1947)

Last month Turner Classic Movies featured its first-ever showing of the Columbia Pictures "B" film BLIND SPOT (1947).

The film was hosted by Eddie Muller on TCM's Noir Alley franchise.

As Muller pointed out in his introduction, BLIND SPOT has some overtones of the marvelous BLACK ANGEL (1946) from Universal Pictures, as each film features a leading man whose alcoholism causes him to forget key details surrounding a murder.

Both movies also feature the striking actress Constance Dowling; she was the murder victim in BLACK ANGEL and a secretary who could be either good or bad in BLIND SPOT.

The BLIND SPOT plot concerns Jeffrey Andrews (Chester Morris), a respected yet low-selling author with a serious drinking problem and zero cash in his wallet.

The drunken Andrews goes to beg his publisher, Henry Small (William Forrest), for some money, but is turned down, other than a $20 bill offered out of pity and annoyance.

With the encouragement of Lloyd Harrison (Steven Geray), a more successful author who nonetheless also has a fraught relationship with the publisher, Andrews spins a murder mystery yarn for Small in hopes of a book advance.

Shortly thereafter Small is found dead, and Andrews is arrested by Detective Lt. Fred Applegate (James Bell) as the most likely suspect.

Andrews unfortunately can't remember most of the events surrounding his visit to the publisher. As Andrews attempts to reconstruct what led to Small's death, he's aided by the publisher's secretary Evelyn (Dowling), who appears to have been roughed up by her boss the night of the death, and Harrison, who convinces Applegate to let Andrews out of jail.

Whether or not Evelyn and Harrison are true friends is a question mark, as they each have reasons to have wanted Small dead...and what's with the fact that Small's body was found in a room with the door bolted from the inside?

This was a flawed yet interesting film. One of the film's difficulties is simply that it's hard to watch the drunken Morris for a substantial amount of time.

Morris's character is truly watchable only after his arrest forces him to go on the wagon, at which point he swears off booze. Whether or not it's realistic for such a heavy drinker to go "cold turkey" is an open question, but it came as a relief.

The other problem with the film is a more personal one, in that I have never really enjoyed Geray. I can't quite put my finger on why, I simply don't find him a likeable actor.

On the plus side, the film has quite an interesting plot, written by Martin Goldsmith -- whose novel inspired DETOUR (1945) -- based on a story by Barry Perowne. The prickly-yet-steamy relationship between Andrews and Evelyn is especially fascinating.

Morris and Dowling, who had recently worked together on BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1946), have excellent chemistry as he tries to decide whether to kiss or kill the beautiful blonde. I really enjoyed their scenes.

Dowling, incidentally, was the sister of actress Doris Dowling, who was Alan Ladd's unfaithful wife in THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946).

BLIND SPOT runs a quick 73 minutes. It was directed by Robert Gordon and filmed in black and white by George Meehan.

Southern Californians will note that a shot of the 1930 Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles is used for the publisher's office.

The cast includes Sid Tomack, Paul E. Burns, Frank Mayo, and Harry Strang.

To my knowledge, BLIND SPOT is not available in an authorized DVD or Blu-ray edition.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Coming from Lyons Press in February: DAUGHTERS OF DARING: HOLLYWOOD COWGIRL STUNT WOMEN by Chris Enss.

...Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood recently interviewed Jeremy Arnold, author of CHRISTMAS IN THE MOVIES. Her site has both an article and a link to a YouTube conversation with Jeremy.

...Filming begins at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina next month for a spinoff of the A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS (2023). I reviewed A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS last January and really enjoyed it. Jonathan Frakes returns as the Biltmore's mysterious employee, costarring with Niall Matter and Holland Roden.

...The January 2026 streaming lineup on the Criterion Channel will include collections of "Nordic Noir," films written by Dorothy Parker, and movies with a theme of "starting over."

...Angela of The Hollywood Revue has written an article on "The Complicated Copyright History of It's a Wonderful Life."

...Ignite Films will be releasing multiple editions of the noir classic THE BIG COMBO (1955) this March.

...Film Masters will be releasing THE SECOND WOMAN (1950) on Blu-ray and DVD in January. I reviewed an Alpha release of this film, which stars Robert Young and Betsy Drake, in 2012. Incidentally, the movie will soon have its TCM premiere, showing on the Noir Alley series January 3rd and 4th.

...Beginning in 2029, the annual Academy Awards will air...on YouTube?! Not that I watch the Oscars anymore anyway, but that certainly seems like a death knell, though I'm sure the Academy thinks they will reach the younger generation that way.

...Warner Archive will be releasing multi-film Blu-ray collections of films starring Spencer Tracy and Fred Astaire, as well as a set of films based on Broadway musicals, in February 2026.

...Attention Southern Californians: Kim Luperi, coauthor of the new book PRE-CODE ESSENTIALS, will introduce a screening of the pre-Code classic EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE (1933) at the American Cinematheque's Los Feliz 3 Theatre on January 4th. Ticket info is here.

...Looking further down the calendar, Angela Aleiss, author of a new book on the Western BROKEN ARROW (1950), will introduce the film at the Autry Museum of the American West next May 9th. It will screen as part of the museum's ongoing What is a Western? series. Also screening in the months leading up to BROKEN ARROW: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965), STAGECOACH (1939), and HIGH NOON (1952).

...Notable Passings: I was terribly saddened to learn of the recent passing of longtime Disney Imagineer Eddie Sotto. Eddie was a Twitter acquaintance for many years, and such a "regular guy" interacting with all of us that I didn't quite realize at first just what a key figure he'd been at Disney theme parks. Among other things, he designed the Disneyland Paris Main Street U.S.A., including its beautiful arcades; I shared photos here after our trip back in 2009. He was also responsible for onboard audio on Space Mountain in Disneyland here in Anaheim, and for so much more, including projects at Knott's Berry Farm.

Eddie also loved classic films, and I was thrilled to meet him at Noir City Hollywood last spring; what's more, he gave me a sketch of Disneyland's Mark Twain he'd done earlier that day. I will always treasure it. Eddie is seen here with Eddie Muller and the original painting from THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944). Please read about his remarkable career here and here. Beyond his accomplishments, he was an incredibly nice man who was generous with his time, chatting and sharing ideas with Disney theme park fans.

...It's been a sad year for fans of GENERAL HOSPITAL, as Anthony Geary, who played the iconic role of Luke Spencer, has died at 78. GENERAL HOSPITAL stars Leslie Charleson, Denise Alexander, Chris Robinson, and Tristan Rogers, who played Luke's best pal Robert Scorpio, have all passed on this year. Geary is seen here sharing a scene with Rogers...Annette Dionne, the last of the Dionne Quintuplets, has died at 91. She and her sisters played themselves in three films in the 1930s...Gil Gerard, who starred as TV's BUCK ROGERS from 1979-81, has passed away at the age of 82...Actress May Britt, who was married to Sammy Davis Jr. for several years in the '60s, has died at 91.

...Hopefully I have replied personally to each individual, but I'd like to express again my thanks to all for the many kind comments and messages I received regarding my mother's passing. I appreciate it very, very much.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my December 13th column.

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