Tonight's Movie: Birth of the Blues (1941) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

The musical melodrama BIRTH OF THE BLUES (1941), starring Bing Crosby, was released on Blu-ray last week.

The movie, originally released by Paramount Pictures, is now owned by Universal Pictures. Universal previously released this film on DVD in multiple editions, including a 2017 Universal Vault release.

Other Crosby films newly out on Blu-ray from Universal are DOUBLE OR NOTHING (1937), SING, YOU SINNERS (1938), and HERE COME THE WAVES (1944).

In BIRTH OF THE BLUES Crosby plays Jeff Lambert, with Ronnie Cosby playing the character as a child. Young Jeff's passion for playing music with black jazz musicians in New Orleans greatly disappoints his classical musician father (Minor Watson).

The adult Jeff forms a band of white jazz musicians, hoping to popularize the musical style he loves, but the band struggles to go anywhere until adding cornet player Memphis (Brian Donlevy) and singer Betty Lou (Mary Martin).

The band then starts to see success, which is complicated when they learn the nightclub where they play is a front for the racketeering actitivities of Blackie (J. Carrol Naish). The band wants to move on, but Blackie doesn't want to let them go...

The premise of the movie is more interesting than the actual execution. It has some good musical moments, including Ruby Elzy singing "St. Louis Blues," but the story is rather "blah" and the music is actually a mishmash of Tin Pan Alley and jazz; for instance, one of the best numbers is Crosby and Martin singing the non-jazzy "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie."

Jack Teagarden has an acting role as a band member, but alas, other great musicians listed at IMDb, such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, are merely seen in a closing clip montage about the success of jazz.

Donlevy's fun presence enlivens things to an extent, but while I'm a Crosby fan, his performance in this isn't especially effervescent, and he and Martin prove to be a rather bland team.

I'll add that while child actors are a particular interest of mine, Carolyn Lee as Martin's little "aunt" was unnecessary to the plot and a bit grating.

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has a nice supporting role, and some other great movie faces, including Lillian Randolph, Sam McDaniel, Mantan Moreland, Charles Lane, Warren Hymer, Horace MacMahon, Barbara Pepper, and Cecil Kellaway, can be spotted in roles of varied sizes.

The movie was directed by Victor Schertzinger and filmed in black and white by William C. Mellor. It was written by Harry Tugend and Walter DeLeon, based on Tugend's story, with uncredited work by Erwin Gelsey and Wilkie C. Mahoney.

The Blu-ray print is nice-looking, with good sound. There are no extras, but optional English-langage captions are an appreciated addition.

All in all, this is a so-so 87 minutes; I'd class it as worth a look for the cast and musical highlights, but nothing particularly special. That said, kudos to Universal for making this slice of movie musical history available for home viewing on Blu-ray.

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

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The Film Noir Foundation has confirmed the dates for this year's Noir City Hollywood Festival; it will take place the weekends of April 3-5 and April 10-12 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The 2026 festival will be somewhat shorter than the 2025 festival, running six days instead of eight; that said, the festival will feature 20 movies!

...Universal has announced plans for a "Digital Vault" which will sell digital copies of films from a variety of eras. Thanks to Lou Lumenick for the site link.

...Better news, for those of us who prefer physical media, is that Universal is continuing its recent spate of classic film Blu-ray releases. Late March titles: THIS IS THE NIGHT (1932) and GAMBLING SHIP (1933) with Cary Grant, GIVE ME A SAILOR (1938) and THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938) with Bob Hope, and VARIETY GIRL (1947), a Paramount all-star film I reviewed in 2011.

...The March streaming schedule for the Criterion Channel is now available. Themes include "VHS Forever" and a tribute to Gwyneth Paltrow.

...Coming to Blu-ray soon from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Brit Noir Collection 1, featuring CAGE OF GOLD (1950), THE RINGER (1952), and THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961). Stars of the films include names such as Jean Simmons, Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, and David Farrar. Toby Roan has more details on the films at The Hannibal 8.

...Toby also shares information about a 3D release of DRAGONFLY SQUADRON (1954), from BayView Entertainment. It has a fun cast including John Hodiak, Barbara Britton, Bruce Bennett, Chuck Connors, and Gerald Mohr.

...Coming for fall cookbook season this October: KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE: THE OFFICIAL COOKBOOK and THE OFFICIAL DISNEY PARKS HOLIDAYS COOKBOOK.

...February 21st was the birthdate of both actor Zachary Scott and dancer-actress Lucille Bremer. I invite readers to visit my past photo-filled tributes to Scott and Bremer here and here.

...I was disappointed that SHIP, a planned sequel to PLANE (2023), appears to be cancelled, as this was a case where I actually thought there was much more story to tell.

...Upcoming Blu-rays and DVDs listed on the Film Masters site: THE LITTLE PRINCESS (1938), OUR TOWN (1940), and THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO (1952). All are currently listed for release in March 2026.

...Notable Passings: As mentioned in my review of THE PAPER (1994) a few days ago, Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall has passed away at 95...Disney animator Jane Baer, whose long career included work on my favorite Disney cartoon, SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959), has died at 91...Eric Dane, who made a splash as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on GREY'S ANATOMY, has sadly passed on of Lou Gehrig's Disease, aged 53.

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

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: Crime 101 (2026)

A pair of Marvel stars, Los Angeles locations, and an interesting trailer pulled me in to see the new heist movie CRIME 101 (2026).

The movie begins with Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) pulling off a well-executed diamond heist, though not without some obvious anxiety. His getaway drive through Los Angeles is as well done as the one which opens BABY DRIVER (2017).

Mike, who is careful not to hurt anyone during robberies, angers his elderly but still threatening fence (Nick Nolte) when he turns down a dangerous job in Santa Barbara; Mike thus unknowingly opens the door to the violent Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to step into his place.

As the diamond robbery is investigated we also meet Lou (Mark Ruffalo), a cop struggling to solve a series of jewel robberies, while also dealing with an unsupportive boss (Matthew Del Negro) and a crumbling marriage (to Jennifer Jason Leigh).

And then there's also Sharon (Halle Berry), a high-end insurance saleswoman whose days as scantily clad "bait" to attract wealthy new clients are nearing an end as she heads into her mid 50s.

Ever so slowly the stories of these characters become intertwined, culminating in a grand heist sequence at the Beverly Wilshire.

The movie was written and directed by Bart Layton based on novels by Don Winslow. I found it quite entertaining, if not without several flaws, starting with an overlong run time of two hours and 20 minutes. I never became restless, but at the same time there were scenes, such as Mike's interlude with a call girl, which added nothing to character development or story. The film could easily have cut at least 10 minutes.

It's rather remarkable, given that lengthy running time, that the characters aren't especially layered. Hemsworth comes off best, wordlessly conveying his nerves and loneliness, awkwardly trying to connect with a new girlfriend (a charming Monica Barbaro) while sharing nothing about himself. Mike is half smooth operator and, we sense, half crumbling mess.

Ruffalo's disheveled Lou seems as though he's doing a poor man's COLUMBO imitation; COLUMBO got away with his appearance because he was a genius, but while Lou has better insights into the robberies than his colleagues, he's not good enough to win the respect of his peers.

We never really understand why Lou is disliked by some of the most important people in his life, including his boss and his wife. Only his partner (Corey Hawkins) is loyal, and only up to a point.

We do believe Lou wants justice, which is why he's willing to risk his career butting heads with his supervisor, but unfortunately that makes his final scenes...confusing.

I've frankly never cared for Halle Berry, but I thought she was pitch-perfect here as a woman who thought she was Going Places and suddenly realizes she's definitely not. But again, we know nothing of Sharon's background, other than she's worked hard for eleven years, albeit some of that "work" involving wearing low-cut dresses on behalf of her firm. Sharon seems to have no life outside that job. Why?

The film ultimately suffers from the lack of truly sympathetic or well-developed lead characters.

And yet, all that said...I had a good time watching it. It's one of those films which is interesting to analyze as you watch, even if the characters come up short. The action scenes are riveting, the chases are well done, and I found it entertaining start to finish, despite the long running time.

Hemsworth is intriguing as a man who wants the stability of money in the bank; he's willing to go to extreme lengths to get it, but at the same time he'll only go so far. And, unlike costar Ruffalo, Hemsworth is extremely easy on the eyes.

I also thoroughly enjoyed recognizing myriad Los Angeles locations, filmed by Erik Wilson. Although the sign was changed, I especially enjoyed recognizing a Denny's I frequently drive past on the 101 in Downtown Los Angeles.

I'll interject that while the locations are great, the movie could have been a lot more colorful. Bland, brown-tinged cinematography seems to be the trend these days. It's interesting to compare it visually to the previously mentioned, very colorful heist movie BABY DRIVER, which is now nearly a decade old.

In the end CRIME 101 is an imperfect movie, but it's also the type of solid-enough, enjoyable film which Hollywood released at a steady pace once upon a time. I enjoy watching "mid-range" movies from older eras all the time, and CRIME 101 went well with my popcorn.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated R. It has a fair amount of cursing (though less than the recently seen THE PAPER from 30 years ago!) and adult situations, though nothing particularly graphic. Violence is also present but muted. Due to a lack of admirable characters or positive lessons learned, I'd personally class this as appropriately rated, for older teens and up.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: The Paper (1994)

The sad news of the passing of the great Robert Duvall earlier this week prompted me to pull THE PAPER (1994) off the shelf.

I love a good "newspaper movie" and have been meaning to catch up with this one, directed by Ron Howard. Ironically, it turned out that along with Duvall, the movie also features Catherine O'Hara, who passed on at the end of January.

THE PAPER is akin to BABY BOOM (1987) as far as being one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences; 1994 doesn't seem all that long ago, at least to some of us, and yet the world it depicts is almost completely different: Bustling newsrooms with many employees, primitive computers, handwritten notes and columns, no cell phones, and awful-looking TV screens.

At the same time, some things are curiously unchanged despite the film being over 30 years old: The opening minutes feature a joke about Donald Trump. I sputtered with surprised laughter. (But please, no political comments!)

Michael Keaton plays Henry Hackett, an editor of a New York City tabloid, akin to the New York Post.

In the course of 24 hours Henry juggles an offer from a more staid New York Times type of paper along with breaking a big story.

Meanwhile Henry's wife Martha (Marisa Tomei), a reporter on leave from the paper, is in the final weeks of pregnancy and worrying about how much time Henry will have to devote to fatherhood -- a concern stoked by her unhappy friend Susan (O'Hara).

The cast is rounded out by Duvall and Glenn Close as Henry's bosses, Randy Quaid as a columnist, and Jason Robards as the newspaper owner; Quaid is particularly colorful. Lynne Thigpen is also great as Henry's long-suffering secretary and was probably the character I enjoyed observing the most.

It's a fast-moving and entertaining 102 minutes, although I'm compelled to mention right off the top that there was an inordinate amount of cursing in this R-rated film; the language becomes like so much pointless verbal wallpaper after a while.

I find it interesting that films of the '80s and '90s are sometimes much "harder" R's than films I watch today. The language in the R-rated SHELTER (2026), for instance, was much milder than in THE PAPER.

The plot itself was interesting, as Henry -- with more than a little help from his very pregnant wife -- figures out the real story behind a double murder.

The questions about whether Henry will be able to leave the office enough to pay attention to his family have been done before -- and indeed, Duvall's character in THE PAPER provides a cautionary tale -- but Keaton manages to make Henry likeable despite his flaws. He's well-matched by Tomei as his feisty wife.

Duvall has a couple moving moments trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Jill Hennessy) but is rather underused. (Jokes about his prostate land flat.) Close is essentially the villain of the piece, poorly managing her personal life, on multiple levels, while struggling to bring economic discipline to the paper.

Some moments made me laugh out loud, though at other points it gets a bit too manic for my taste, such as in the ridiculously chaotic scene where Henry and Alicia (Close) fight over whether to stop the presses. On the whole it was a solid watch which I enjoyed.

A few members of director Howard's family show up in this: His father Rance plays Alicia's doctor, his brother Clint is a newspaper staffer, and his wife Cheryl is a bartender.

The cast is rounded out by Spalding Gray and Jason Alexander. Classic movie fans will recognize William Prince (PILLOW TO POST) as Martha's father.

The movie was written by David and Stephen Koepp and filmed by John Seale.

I watched the movie on DVD. It's also available on Blu-ray and VHS.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: The Second Woman (1950) - A Film Masters Blu-ray Review

THE SECOND WOMAN (1950), an underappreciated seaside mystery thriller, has just been released on Blu-ray by Film Masters.

I first saw this film back in 2012 via an Alpha DVD, which I recall renting from Netflix.

Alpha, like Film Masters, specializes in public domain films. I noted at the time that THE SECOND WOMAN was better than the typical Alpha print, though it had some skips and the soundtrack was occasionally muffled.

I'm happy to say the new Film Masters print is much better than I remember Alpha's print, though specifics of my earlier viewing have been lost to memory. The Film Masters Blu-ray may not be perfect, but it's a good-looking, highly watchable print. I didn't note any of the skips mentioned in my original review of the earlier Alpha disc, and I also had no issues at all with the Film Masters soundtrack, despite my own "imperfect" hearing.

THE SECOND WOMAN begins in deliberately REBECCA-esque fashion, with the heroine's opening narration and spooky shots of a burned-out house echoing the 1940 film.

The shadow of Vivian (Shirley Ballard), who died on the eve of her wedding to Jeffrey (Robert Young), hangs over the characters, but our heroine, Ellen (Betsy Drake), is nothing like the shy young Mrs. DeWinter.

Ellen falls for Jeffrey after a "meet cute" on a train and becomes concerned as Jeffrey is beset by a series of upsetting incidents. (I should perhaps advise the faint of heart that both a dog and a horse are targets; I did a brief skip forward past the dog.) Is Jeffrey suffering a nervous breakdown and doing these things himself, as his doctor (Morris Carnovsky) suspects -- or is someone out to get him?

Ellen is a professional woman whose actuarial background informs her knowledge that so many incidents happening to a single person accidentally is all but impossible, and she sets out to rescue Jeffrey from whoever is targeting him, whether Jeffrey likes it or not.

As I noted in my review of 14 years ago, it's a refreshing switch that the heroine is not a shrinking violet in need of rescue in a seaside setting -- think, for instance, of Gail Russell in THE UNINVITED (1944) or Nina Foch in MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) -- but instead she's a force to reckon with who won't take "no" for an answer. Drake gives a fine, appealing, and quite believable performance.

Young is also convincing as Jeffrey, though as I noted in the past, it's a bit hard to see why Ellen is drawn to him. Certainly, he's smilingly charming over tea leaves on the train when they meet, but for most of the film he's taciturn, and it's entirely understandable his doctor is concerned for his mental health.

In fairness, Young's performance is such that, combined with the scribe by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith, he keeps the viewer guessing till the end of the film's 91 minutes -- so I'm not sure how much more Young could have done to convey personal appeal while simultaneously causing the audience to wonder about his behavior.

The fine supporting cast includes Henry O'Neill as Jeffrey's colleague -- and the father of his late fiancee -- John Sutton as a slimy coworker, and Jean Rogers as Sutton's ex-wife. Rogers, who I saw in INSIDE STORY (1939) last fall at Cinecon, reminded me a bit of Marjorie Reynolds in this.

The cast also includes Florence Bates, Jimmie Dodd (billed Jimmy), Jason Robards (Sr.), Steven Geray, and Cliff Clark.

Famed "dress extra" Bess Flowers is seen at Sutton's table in a fiesta sequence. It's fun to note I saw her as society matron just last night in MY MAN GODFREY (1936), filmed 14 years previously.

THE SECOND WOMAN was directed by James V. Kern. It was filmed in black and white by Hal Mohr in late 1949, with locations including Carmel and Monterey on the California coast.

The production designer, including for Jeffrey's striking cliffside house, was Boris Leven. Leven had many Oscar nominations over the course of his career, including for THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965); he won an Oscar for WEST SIDE STORY (1961). Set direction was by Jacques Mapes.

There are no extras on this disc, but it does contain English captions for those who need them, an inclusion which is always appreciated.

For a deeper dive into this film, please visit my referenced review from January 2012.

THE SECOND WOMAN is a film which deserves wider viewing, and this improved Film Masters presentation deserves support from classic film fans.

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.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: My Man Godfrey (1936) at the Egyptian Theatre

I have a long, wonderful history with MY MAN GODFREY (1936), going back to my parents taking me to see it as a child at the Los Angeles County Art Museum's late, lamented Leo S. Bing Theater.

Movies were not especially accessible in those pre-cable, pre-VHS days, but I relived the story over and over thanks to a Lux Radio Theater record album. I still own it; a photo which is a match for my own LP is below.

I also developed a special affinity for Carole Lombard, thanks in part to discovering childhood photos of her during a history internship in Redlands, California. I wrote about that experience here.

Of course, years later I would own the film on DVD, introducing the movie to my own children in that format. And a little over a decade ago I was able to enjoy it theatrically once more at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to see MY MAN GODFREY again last evening at the American Cinematheque's Nitrate Film Festival 2026. The movies are screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, one of just five theaters in the country licensed to screen these flammable prints.

The print screened, from Filmarchiv Austria, had German subtitles, but after a few minutes I was able to ignore them fairly well, except for a handful of brief moments when the captions took up most of the screen!

It was entirely worth that inconvenience in order to see the nitrate print. The silvery dress worn by Irene (Lombard) in the opening party sequence absolutely shimmered in nitrate.

I've shared here previously that I saw nitrate prints regularly in my childhood, as they were still being shown in Los Angeles area "revival" theaters in the '70s. Some of my most vivid memories are of the sparkling screen, which I only later realized was due to the nitrate prints. Seeing that shimmering gown brought back those childhood memories.

As for the film itself, what can I say? It's pure magic, with one funny situation after another, including hilarious rapid-fire dialogue...and a few touching moments as well.

Irene Bullock (Lombard) has a "meet cute" with Godfrey (William Powell) at the...city dump. After bringing him to a high society scavenger hunt as a "forgotten man," Irene then decides Godfrey is her "protege" and hires him as a butler.

In the span of 94 minutes the (nearly) unflappable Godfrey helps the entire family, including the long-suffering father (Eugene Pallette), flighty mother (Alice Brady), and snobby sister Cornelia (Gail Patrick). And he also falls for giddy Irene!

My husband, incidentally, continues to believe that a reformed Cornelia would be a better match for Godfrey, as she's clearly intelligent; I adore Lombard as Irene but it's an interesting idea!

MY MAN GODFREY is a film perhaps best less analyzed and left for each viewer's personal discovery; even with plentiful revisits, the film yields new insights and humor.

Suffice it to say it's simply movie perfection, including the supporting cast featuring Alan Mowbray, Franklin Pangborn, Mischa Auer, and Grady Sutton. Special kudos go to Jean Dixon as Molly, the maid.

As a side note, Eugene Pallette is both funny and moving; it seemed appropriate to note that his star is on Hollywood Boulevard just steps away from the theater.

How remarkable that Pallette, and the entire cast, could, in a sense, come alive again for those minutes we watched the movie. It's a very special medium.

MY MAN GODFREY was directed by Gregory LaCava and filmed in black and white by Ted Tetzlaff.

MY MAN GODFREY is available on DVD and Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. The disc even includes the Lux Radio Theater production I spent so much time enjoying on LP!

Tweet

Quick Preview of TCM in March

Here's a quick preview of TCM's schedule for late March!

The first half of March, through the 15th, is part of the 31 Days of Oscar schedule. I shared highlights from that schedule here.

TCM's regular programming franchises and the Star of the Month feature return on March 16th, running through the end of the month on March 31st.

The March Star of the Month will be George Brent, beginning on St. Patrick's Day -- an appropriate date to celebrate the Irish-born actor!  

Over 40 of Brent's films will be shown on the 17th, 24th, and 31st, carrying over into the next day.

I've seen the vast majority of the movies on the Brent schedule, which includes many pre-Codes, and it will be a great couple of weeks! Brent is vastly underrated by some, in my opinion; his films are consistently entertaining, and he's a key reason for that.

The Noir Alley films for late March will be WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR? (1965) and CAGED (1950).

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in late March will include Ray Enright, Jerry Lewis, Betty Compson, Carole Lombard, Gordon MacRae, Alfred Hitchcock, Claudia Cardinale, W.C. Fields, and Joan Blondell.

St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated with a seven-film Irish-themed linedup. Movies recently added to the National Film Registry will be celebrated on March 19th.

Additional March programming themes will include Depression-era Broadway stars, teens, foreign romances, and small towns.

I'll have a more detailed look at the late March schedule posted here in mid March.

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The March Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray titles have been announced. They include THE GAY DIVORCEE (1940), IT ALL CAME TRUE (1940), HONKY TONK (1941), and THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942). They'll be available March 31st.

...Kino Lorber Studio Classics announced an April 28th release date for THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD (1934) starring Claude Rains and Joan Bennett. It will have not one but two commentary tracks!

...Stephen Rebello's new book HITCHCOCKIAN THRILLERS: MUST-SEE FILMS IN THE STYLE OF THE SUSPENSE MASTER, which I mentioned here briefly in January, will be published by Bloomsbury February 19th.

...Glenn Erickson's latest CineSavant reviews include RED DUST (1932) from the Warner Archive Collection and the Criterion Collection's Blu-ray reissue of its great Lubitsch Musicals Eclipse set.

...Over at Riding the High Country, Colin takes a look at Audie Murphy in POSSE FROM HELL (1961) and John Wayne in THE COMANCHEROS (1961).

...My ViaVision Blu-ray with an Audie Murphy double bill, THE WILD AND THE INNOCENT (1959) and SIX BLACK HORSES (1962), has arrived! I also plan to order the set with JOE BUTTERFLY (1957) and THE TEXICAN (1966) soon.

...Looking for viewing ideas? Check out the January watch list just shared at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies, and there's also a fun, very diverse review roundup from John McElwee at Greenbriar Picture Shows.

...I had a terrific time last weekend at the D23 25th anniversary celebration for Disney California Adventure, held at the Disneyland Hotel. In late March I'll be attending another D23 event, "Walt Disney's Enchanted Adventureland," at the Disney-owned Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale.

...Notable Passings: Actress Lory Patrick, the widow of Dean Jones, has died at 92. She had a recurring role during a season of TV's TALES OF WELLS FARGO (1961-62) and had small roles in TV and movies throughout the '60s. Previously married to writer Harlan Ellison, she married Jones in 1973...Christa Lang Fuller, the widow of writer-director Samuel Fuller, has passed on at 82.

...I was greatly saddened to learn of the death of film historian John Bengtson, a prolific chronicler of silent film movie locations. The San Francisco Chronicle published a nice piece on Bengtson, and I also recommend this tribute by Lea Stans at Silent-ology. I had the honor of meeting Bengtson at a 2018 screening at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater. Michael Schlesinger was also there that evening, and it's sad they're both now gone.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my January 31st column.

Tweet

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happiest wishes to all for a very special Valentine's Day!

Countless classic Hollywood actresses posed in front of heart designs for Valentine's Day publicity portraits. This year's post features the wonderful Ann Blyth, who is currently 97.

Best wishes to Ann, and to all my readers, for a very happy Valentine's Day!

Previous Valentine's Day posts: Anne Gwynne (2014), Dorothy Hart (2015), Lynn Merrick (2016), Debbie Reynolds (2017), Marsha Hunt (2018), Dianne Foster (2019), Ann Rutherford (2020), Piper Laurie (2021), Arlene Dahl (2022), Cyd Charisse (2023), Gail Patrick (2024), and Olivia de Havilland (2025).

Additional Valentine's Day classic movie reading: Ten Movies for Valentine's Day and Ten Movie Valentines for Valentine's Day.

Tweet

TCM in February and March: 31 Days of Oscar Highlights

It's time for the annual 31 Days of Oscar movie series on Turner Classic Movies!

I previously covered highlights for the first part of February here, and now we'll be looking at 31 Days of Oscar, which runs this year from February 13th through March 15th.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held March 15th, the same day TCM's Oscars movie series concludes.

As always, every film shown during 31 Days of Oscar was either nominated for or won an Academy Award.

This year the movies are grouped around themes such as Paris, New York City, the desert, crime, and scientists, to name just a few.

A printable .pdf is currently available through March 7th, with more to come closer to March.

As I note every year, there typically are few movie surprises during this series as most of the films tend to be well known. At the same time, the vast majority of films are worthwhile; it's a great month to revisit old favorites or finally catch up with some previously unseen films.

Below are a handful of recommendations for this year's schedule. Please click on any hyperlinked title for a complete review.

...Valentine's Day features films set in Paris, including Woody's Allen's entertaining MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011). I've seen seven of the films showing that day, and it's a great lineup.

...Crime films on February 15th include the Hitchcock classics REAR WINDOW (1954) and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951). This is an especially great opportunity for those who might be newer to Hitchcock films to watch two of his best back to back.

...I loved revisiting I REMEMBER MAMA (1948) for the first time in years last year and recommend it on February 16th. Irene Dunne leads an impeccable cast, directed by George Stevens.

...The desert theme on February 17th is particularly fun. The lineup includes Bing, Bob, and Dorothy in ROAD TO MOROCCO (1942), which received two Oscar nominations.

...A lineup of films set in the theater on February 18th includes Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Ernst Lubitsch's TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942).

...A day of war films on February 22nd includes William Wellman's BATTLEGROUND (1949), which features a superb cast and remarkable outdoor filming which makes the viewer feel cold just looking at it.

...George Folsey's great Technicolor cinematography was nominated for ALL THE BROTHERS WERE VALIANT (1953), airing on February 23rd. Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, and Ann Blyth star. I especially like the score by Miklos Rozsa.

...Oscar-nominated remakes on February 25th include MGM's LITTLE WOMEN (1949), with Janet Leigh, June Allyson, Margaret O'Brien, and Elizabeth Taylor as the March sisters.

...There's a fantastic lineup of Oscar-nominated Westerns on February 28th, including favorites such as STAGECOACH (1939), SHANE (1953), and HONDO (1953).

...Moving into March, I also love the March 1st lineup, which focuses on dancing. There are many great films deserving of mention that day, so I'll limit myself to a top favorite, MGM's SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954).

...My favorite Hitchcock film, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940), airs on March 3rd. Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, and George Sanders star.

...I sometimes think Brian Donlevy's ability to swing from drama to comedy and back again is underrated. He's superb in Preston Sturges' THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940), being shown on March 5th.

...There's a strong lineup of various types of adventure films on March 7th, including one of the greatest movies ever made, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).

...Films set in New York City on March 8th include Harold Lloyd in SPEEDY (1928), which I enjoyed at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival.

...The 1933 version of LITTLE WOMEN, featuring Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Frances Dee, and Jean Parker, will be shown on March 9th.

...Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn star in the delightful comedy BACHELOR MOTHER (1939) on March 10th.

...Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald star in SAN FRANCISCO (1936) on March 11th. The earthquake sequence still thrills, and Gable and MacDonald are the essence of movie stardom.

...I just reviewed THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), one of my favorite movies, which is part of a day of films about train travel on March 12th.

...Another terrific early '50s crime film, MYSTERY STREET (1950), is on March 13th. Ricardo Montalban stars.

...Comedies on March 14th include another classic Clark Gable film, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934). He's well-represented by Oscar-nominated films in this schedule! Claudette Colbert costars.

...The series comes to an end on March 15th with films about the movie industry, including the delightful SUSAN SLEPT HERE (1954) with Dick Powell and Debbie Reynolds.

TCM has released a promo video for this year's 31 Days of Oscar festival.

For more on 31 Days of Oscar, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in February and TCM's online schedule.

I'll have a brief preview of what's coming in late March posted here soon, with more detailed information on highlights published here around March 15th.

Tweet