Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not appear this weekend, as I am traveling.

The column will return next weekend on Saturday, July 5th.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my January 21st column.

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New at Classic Movie Hub: A "B" Western Sampler, Vol. 4

This month I celebrate my seventh anniversary writing the Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp column!

In my latest column it's time for my annual "B" Western sampler, featuring reviews of four films I watched while on my recent road trip vacation.

The movies starred John Wayne, Bill Elliott, Johnny Mack Brown, and Bob Steele, with some rather interesting leading ladies.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to check it out, and 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; December 2024; January 2025; February 2025; March 2025; April 2025; May 2025.

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Criterion Half-Price Summer Sale at Barnes & Noble

The annual half-price summer sale at Barnes & Noble is now underway!

The sale will last until July 27th.

My picks this summer will include MIDNIGHT (1939) and THE BIG HEAT (1953).

Happy shopping!

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Tonight's Movie: The Cimarron Kid (1952) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

There's lots of great Audie Murphy viewing ahead thanks to Kino Lorber, which has just released a pair of very welcome Murphy Blu-ray collections, Volume IV and Volume V.

Focusing first on Volume 4, the set consists of three titles, THE KID FROM TEXAS (1950), THE CIMARRON KID (1952), and DRUMS ACROSS THE RIVER (1954).

The first two titles listed above are "outlaw" movies, my least favorite Western subgenre, as there are inevitably many deaths and most often an unhappy ending.

The fact that THE CIMARRON KID, the first film I've watched from this set, has a less sour ending than the average outlaw film was one of the factors which left me feeling better about the movie than most of its type.

Murphy plays Bill Doolin, who as the film opens has been paroled from prison and is on a train heading to a ranching job.

Circumstances surrounding a holdup of his train lead to the erroneous conclusion by some that Bill is part of the robbery gang, which causes him to flee the train and join up with the robbers, his old friends the Daltons.

With no better options, Bill joins the gang, and after many of the men are killed in a bank holdup, he becomes the leader of the much smaller group of survivors, who include Bitter Creek (James Best) and Bitter Creek's loyal girlfriend Cimarron Rose (Yvette Duguay, billed here as Dugay).

Bill also meets Carrie (Beverly Tyler), the daughter of a former outlaw (Roy Roberts), and they fall in love. But Carrie's pleas to Bill to quit the crime racket fall on deaf ears, though he dreams of someday ranching in Argentina...

THE CIMARRON KID, which was energetically directed by Budd Boetticher, is a colorful and entertaining 84 minutes despite the film more than meeting my expectation of many character deaths.

This was still fairly early on in Murphy's career, and while his acting was developing steadily he's still not quite there yet in terms of the charisma and nuanced performances he would give as soon as the next year or two. That said, he's interesting and sympathetic despite a fairly one-note character, as written by Louis Stevens from a story by Stevens and Kay Lenard. There was something special about Murphy from the start, and within a fairly short time frame he lived up to his full potential as a Western star.

Beverly Tyler, who'd begun at MGM in the '40s with films like THE BEGINNING OR THE END (1946), alternated TV work with a handful of Westerns in the '50s. I've previously enjoyed her in THE BATTLE AT APACHE PASS (1952) and TOUGHEST GUN IN TOMBSTONE (1958). Tyler acted until 1961, then married Jim Jordan, the son of Jim and Marian Jordan (radio's famed "Fibber McGee and Molly"), in 1962. They were married until his death in 1998; Tyler died in 2005.

Tyler is quite good here as the spunky Carrie, particularly in a rare comedic scene where she and Bill pretend they're buying an engagement ring. She also looks lovely in Technicolor!

Duguay comes close to running away with the movie as the feisty, loyal girlfriend of one of the gang. One of the things this film has going for it is that neither of the leading women are passive wallflowers; for good or ill, they take things into their own hands to help their men, whether the men want it or not.

Duguay's Cimarron Rose acts as a spy, scouting out facts on the ground for the men, and a fateful telegram she sends uncovers a betrayal. Duguay began as a child actress, playing Maria Montez as a young girl in ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES (1941); her other adult films included FRANCIS COVERS THE BIG TOWN (1953). I first knew her from a 1958 MAVERICK episode; she retired just two years later. She died in 1986.

The deep supporting cast is headed by Leif Erickson, who's enjoyable as a sympathetic marshal. In addition to the actors mentioned above, the cast also includes Hugh O'Brian, Noah Beery (Jr.), John Hubbard, Frank Silvera, Frank Ferguson, Gregg Palmer, William Reynolds, and Rand Brooks. Look for Ann Robinson in a small role.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray shows off the Technicolor cinematography of Charles P. Boyle to good effect. This is a pleasing Blu-ray print, and the movie's great look is part of the impetus to watch.

Extras consist of a commentary track by Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke; the trailer, newly mastered in 2K; and a gallery of four additional trailers for other Audie Murphy films available from Kino Lorber.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

ROCK, PRETTY BABY (1956) was a highly enjoyable discovery thanks to Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

I'd never heard of this movie from Universal Pictures, which was just released on Blu-ray, but was intrigued when I saw that names like Henry Mancini and Bobby Troup were behind the music.

I was also interested in the cast, which includes names like Fay Wray and Shelley Fabares.

John Saxon plays teenage Jimmy, who heads up a popular rock 'n roll combo looking to move up the ladder of musical success.

Jimmy's father (Edward Platt), a doctor, is concerned about Jimmy's "obsession" with music, preferring that Jimmy study medicine. Naturally, this causes some conflict, although in the end Jimmy's dad is a reasonable man who wants the best for his son.

Jimmy is encouraged when he meets pretty Joan (Luana Patten), daughter of a musician (Douglas Fowley); Joan has a passion for music herself and plans to study arranging. Through Joan's connections Jimmy's combo is able to enter a TV contest hosted by Johnny Grant.

There are bumps in Jimmy's relationships with both Joan and his father along the way, but as one expects, it all works out in the end...

I found ROCK, PRETTY BABY to be quite a fun 89 minutes. It's certainly not "art," per se -- more like an elevated OZZIE AND HARRIET episode -- but it definitely entertains. The script by Herbert Margolis and William Raynor is nicely constructed and moves the story along at a good clip, directed by Richard Bartlett, and the soundtrack is constantly hopping with bouncy music.

Although Sal Mineo is top billed, this is really John Saxon's movie. I'm fond of him, including his role in the later THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE (1958), and I liked him in this as the dedicated young man wrestling with the problems of growing up.

I also really enjoyed seeing Luana Patten, playing a fairly unique character. Joan isn't just a pretty face but Jimmy's equal, sharing his love or music and working on arrangements for the band. Joan also has the gumption to stand up for herself and not be pushed into doing things she doesn't want to do in order to "go along with the crowd." In short, she's an admirable young lady.

Patten, who was 18 when she made this, was a longtime Disney star, beginning with SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946) a decade earlier. Her five-film Disney association, which included a film I love, SO DEAR TO MY HEART (1948), continued until the year after this movie, concluding with JOHNNY TREMAIN (1957).

Patten was born and died in Long Beach, California, where I was born myself; sadly, she was only 57 when she passed away in 1996.

It's also fun to see Shelley Fabares as Jimmy's little sister; this was a couple years ahead of Fabares' appearance in the ANNETTE (1958) serial on THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, not to mention THE DONNA REED SHOW (1958-64).

The inclusion of Johnny Grant, a longtime Southern California fixture, gives the movie a "Los Angeles" vibe. The cast also includes Sal Mineo, George "Foghorn" Winslow, Rod McKuen, and Walter Reed.

In addition to the enjoyable songs by Mancini and Troup, Sonny Burke wrote the title tune. McKuen cowrote one of the songs with Troup; another song was written by Phil Tuminello.

The Blu-ray print is from an HD master from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. There's nothing particularly notable about the cinematography by George Robinson, but it's a nice, crisp print which is a pleasure to view.

Extras include a commentary track by David Del Valle; the trailer, newly remastered in 2K; and a gallery of five additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

I'm very appreciative of Kino Lorber making a relatively unknown film like ROCK, PRETTY BABY available for discovery by new audiences. I liked it and will enjoy it again in the future.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Crack in the World (1965) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The engaging science fiction film CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965) has just been released by Kino Lorber Studio Classics as a Special Edition Blu-ray.

This spring was the film's 60th anniversary. I hadn't seen the movie since 2010, and especially after the last few years, the story of scientists selfishly doing a bad thing -- hoping that it will work out for good, despite warnings to the contrary -- resonated for me more than ever.

Dana Andrews plays Dr. Stephen Sorenson, who plans to harness energy from the earth's core for the benefit of the world. Unfortunately, when he sets off a nuclear explosion to crack through the earth's mantle and access magma, many thousands of people promptly die in earthquakes. If only he'd listened to Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore), who warned him of this folly...

But wait, there's more! Dr. Sorenson also has a deadly illness, which he hides from his much younger wife Maggie (Janette Scott). Maggie loves her husband, but Dr. Sorenson has lingering jealousy that she was once an item with the younger, handsome Dr. Rampion.

So just as Dr. Sorenson is effectively killing the world, he's also killing his marriage by pushing his wife away due to his terminal illness.

Can handsome young Dr. Rampion save the world from Dr. Sorenson's mess while also winning back Maggie? Stay tuned...

The plot is absurd for many reasons -- as I wrote in 2010, my daughter who studied geohazards was overcome with gales of laughter at various points -- yet for all of the silliness, it's somehow also a very good movie!

The overall story is quite unique, and viewers can always count on Andrews to give a part his all. The plot may be wild at times, including Sorenson's sudden need for dark glasses (?) and gloves, but Andrews plays it absolutely sincerely. Everything in Sorenson's world is dying, and Andrews is quite interesting in the role.

Scott is sweet as the young bride who genuinely loves her husband and can't understand why he's refusing to contemplate having a baby. She's genuinely hurt when he begins shutting her out, and it's understandable when she begins to turn back to her earlier love, Dr. Rampion. Maggie and Rampion are sympathetic characters, as evidenced by their reactions when they learn the truth about her husband's condition.  

The special effects are quite good, and the movie as a whole is visually engaging. I quoted RHSmith from the now-defunct TCM Movie Morlocks site in my review over 14 years ago, and what he said about the film is so charming I want to repeat it here, although there's no longer a link for it: "This is just a neat movie...It has Walkie Talkies and binoculars and Jeeps and helicopters and trains and laboratories full of gauges and dials and beakers full of colorful liquids, it has warheads and flame retardant suits and explosions and lava and just everything." And it's all great fun to look at!

This is quite an entertaining 96 minutes, directed by Andrew Marton and filmed by Manuel Berenguer. It was written by John Manchip White and Julian Zimet from White's story.

The very nice-looking Blu-ray print is from a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

Kino Lorber's Special Edition release of this film includes a cardboard slipcase and reversible cover art; a commentary track by Gary Gerani; on-camera discussions with Tim Lucas and Stephen R. Bissette which run 70 minutes in total; and two trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Sci-fi fans in particular will want to check this one out. It's great fun, and I recommend it.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Rhapsody in Blue (1945) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The Warner Archive Collection has just released an important new restoration of the George Gershwin biopic RHAPSODY IN BLUE (1945).

This new 161-minute print, restoring 12 newly discovered minutes, as well as the rarely seen 11-minute roadshow overture, debuted in April at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

I was unable to fit it in my festival schedule and am thrilled it's now been released on Blu-ray so it can be widely seen.

It's somewhat amazing to me, given that I'm a big fan of musicals, that I'd never seen RHAPSODY IN BLUE before. It was never a short film, and it's even longer now, but I found it enjoyable from start to end.

Despite the length, this tribute to composer Gershwin (Robert Alda) is somewhat light on plot, though it does include the usual '40s musical bio nonsense of working in not one but two make-believe romances for Gershwin; Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland) is a musical star and Alexis Smith an elegant divorcee he meets in Europe. (It's a fun side note that just a year later, Smith would play Cole Porter's wife in NIGHT AND DAY.)

Instead, after a brief look at Gershwin's childhood, the film mostly focuses on the steady progression of his career, which provides hooks for the performances of a great many songs from the Gershwin musical songbook, along with his concert compositions.

The most striking numbers for me were perhaps Gershwin's best-known pieces, "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris." Alda's performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" was dubbed by Gershwin's good friend Oscar Levant, who appears in the film as himself. I especially loved the presentation of "An American in Paris" to a montage of Paris sights, as well as taxi drivers; it was perfect.

Several cast members play themselves, including not only Levant, but Al Jolson, George White, Hazel Scott, Rouben Mamoulian, and Paul Whiteman. Anne Brown, who played Bess in the original Broadway cast of PORGY AND BESS, sings a haunting rendition of "Summertime."

Morris Carnovsky and Rosemary DeCamp play Gershwin's parents, with Herbert Rudley and Julie Bishop as Ira and Lee Gershwin. As was so often the case, DeCamp played a character older than her actual age; she was only a little over three years older than her movie son, Alda.

Alda, in his film debut, does a nice job as the driven Gershwin, who seems to sense he's on a limited timeline; Gershwin was only 38 when he passed away due to a brain tumor. Alda manages to keep Gershwin likeable despite his constant focus on his career, often ignoring the (admittedly mythical) women in his life.

The multitalented Levant brings his usual wry humor to the film, which is welcome in what is otherwise a fairly serious musical drama. The cast also includes Charles Coburn, Albert Bassermann, Mickey Roth, and Darryl Hickman.

The movie was directed by Irving Rapper and filmed in black and white by Sol Polito. The screenplay was written by Howard Koch and Elliot Paul from a story by Sonya Levien; it was also worked on by uncredited writers including Clifford Odets and Robert Rossen.

The excellent restored Warner Archive Blu-ray print is a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate negative and "nitrate lavender" (that latter term was new to me).

Disc extras include the previously mentioned roadshow overture, which is set up to play before the film; the trailer; and a song selection menu, a nicety which is always greatly appreciated.

Classic film fans, and film history in general, owe a debt to the Warner Archive Collection for not only releasing beautiful Blu-ray prints, but in some cases restoring long-missing footage. In addition to RHAPSODY IN BLUE, other examples of Warner Archive releases with restored "found" footage include THE MAN I LOVE (1946) and THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947).

Recommended.

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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Quick Preview of TCM in August: Summer Under the Stars

It's time for a look ahead at this year's Summer Under the Stars lineup on Turner Classic Movies!

The full list of stars to be honored on TCM this August is now available.

Many of the titles to be shown have also been announced, although there are also a number of "TBA" gaps which will be filled in over the next few weeks.

Here's the list for August 2025:

August 1: Lana Turner

August 2: Christopher Plummer

August 3: Audrey Hepburn

August 4: Howard Keel

August 5: Claude Rains

August 6: Judy Garland

August 7: Ruby Dee

August 8: James Garner

August 9: Elizabeth Taylor

August 10: Clark Gable

August 11: Glenda Farrell

August 12: Pedro Armendariz

August 13: Shirley MacLaine

August 14: Sterling Hayden

August 15: Janet Leigh

August 16: Charles Bronson

August 17: Jennifer Jones

August 18: James Gleason

August 19: Hedy Lamarr

August 20: James Cagney

August 21: Patricia Neal

August 22: Frank Sinatra

August 23: Gina Lollobrigida

August 24: Henry Fonda

August 25: Shirley Jones

August 26: Tom Courtenay

August 27: Joan Crawford

August 28: Donald O'Connor

August 29: Alexis Smith

August 30: Kirk Douglas

August 31: Irene Dunne

O'Connor's day is a centennial celebration; he was born in Chicago on August 28, 1925. It's the first time he's been honored with a Summer Under the Stars day.

Additional names having a Summer Under the Stars day for the very first time are Plummer, Dee, Armendariz, Bronson, Gleason, Lollobrigida, and Courtenay.

In the meantime, July is right around the corner; the July Star of the Month will be a little different than the norm, with a themed "Ladies of the '80s" month.

Look for full details on Summer Under the Stars, as well as a schedule link, to be posted here around August 1st.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

...I'm back from a wonderful vacation! In the coming weeks I hope to share photos of some of the interesting movie locations we saw while on our road trip.

...August Blu-ray releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics will include HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1931), THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (1940), and a pre-Code double feature set with two films starring Sylvia Sidney. And "coming soon" will be the four-film French Noir Collection 2. The first French Noir Collection will be released at the end of July.

...Jim Hemphill of Indiewire has an article on silent film historian-organist Ben Model and his new book THE SILENT FILM UNIVERSE.

...A few weeks ago I reviewed THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES by Ed Hulse. While on vacation earlier this week I discovered that last year Hulse also wrote THE ART OF THE CLASSIC WESTERN MOVIE POSTER, which is now in my collection.

...This fall the Criterion Collection will release the animated Oscar winner FLOW (2024) in a variety of formats.

...The annual Barnes & Noble half-price Criterion Collection sale is reported to be set for June 27th.

...A new Westerns channel is coming to U.S. TV this fall.

...Here's Michael Lyons of Cartoon Research on the 30th annivesary of Disney's POCAHONTAS (1995).

...Jane Russell was born June 21, 1921. In honor of her birthday I'm posting the link to my 2021 review of Christina Rice's excellent Russell bio.

...Attention Southern Californians: The American Cinematheque's 70mm festival returns to the Egyptian and Aero Theatres July 3rd through August 4th. The schedule is here.

...Notable Passings: Another sad GENERAL HOSPITAL passing: Chris Robinson, who played Dr. Rick Webber in over a thousand episodes, has passed away at the age of 86. Robinson's costars Leslie Charleson and Denise Alexander passed away earlier this year, in January and March, respectively. Robinson is seen here with Charleson and Stuart Damon (on right), who passed in 2021...Pippa Scott, who will always be Lucy Edwards in THE SEARCHERS (1956) for me, has died at 90. Three cast members from THE SEARCHERS remain with us: Vera Miles, Patrick Wayne, and Lana Wood...Lynn Hamilton, a semiregular as Verdie on one of my favorite TV shows, THE WALTONS, has died at 95...Harris Yulin, a busy working actor for decades, has died at 87...Actor Jack Betts has died at 96.

...Please note that Around the Blogosphere This Week will not appear next week on Saturday, June 28th, when I'll again be traveling.  

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my June 7th column.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking this weekend off while I'm on my summer vacation.

The column will return on Saturday, June 21st.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my June 7th column.

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