Tonight's Movie: Canal Zone (1942)

Chester Morris plays an aviation instructor teaching inexperienced pilots to ferry bombers in the CANAL ZONE (1942).

CANAL ZONE is an interesting little slice of WWII history, released just three months after Pearl Harbor. As new Lockheed bombers arrive in the Canal Zone, Morris's "Hardtack Hamilton" trains new recruits how to safely fly the planes to their final destinations in the Pacific. There's constant pilot turnover, as roughly two-thirds of the men join the military once they make their deliveries to the war zone.

John Hubbard plays pilot Harley Ames, a playboy looking for some fun and adventure. Harley's pretty obnoxious, but he's a good enough pilot that Hardtack keeps him on, after making him spend some time doing low-level chores and mechanical work. Unfortunately Harley still has too big a head on his shoulders, making bonehead flying moves which have tragic repercussions. Eventually, though, Harley may have a chance at redemption.

CANAL ZONE is by no means great drama, but I really enjoy this type of "B" movie which gives a bit of insight into the early days of the war, including the way films were used to rally support for the war effort. I'm also always interested in seeing aviation films so I found CANAL ZONE an enjoyable film.

Beyond favorite Chester Morris, the film's cast includes an actor who's recently become of interest, Forrest Tucker -- who looks impossibly young! The film also features character actor fave Louis Jean Heydt, who has a single scene, plus Lloyd Bridges, Larry Parks, Harriet Hilliard (Nelson), and Hugh Beaumont. I'd be hard-pressed not to have fun watching a movie with a cast like that!

I found it an entertaining 79 minutes, directed by Lew Landers, who almost always seems to turn out "B" movies I enjoy. There's quite a list of Landers movie reviews at the end of this post, and I encourage my readers to check out more of his work. Landers worked frequently with Chester Morris, and their aviation drama FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937) might my favorite of all the Landers films I've seen to date.

I haven't been able to find out where the CANAL ZONE air field scenes were filmed, but based on the mountain range in the background, I strongly suspect these scenes were filmed around Bishop, California, the same location used by John Ford for AIR MAIL (1932) a decade earlier.

CANAL ZONE is available on DVD from Sony Choice in an impressively sharp print. I rented it from ClassicFlix.

Films directed by Lew Landers which have previously been reviewed at this site: NIGHT WAITRESS (1936), WITHOUT ORDERS (1936), FLIGHT FROM GLORY (1937), THEY WANTED TO MARRY (1937), THE MAN WHO FOUND HIMSELF (1937), DANGER PATROL (1937), BORDER CAFE (1937), DOUBLE DANGER (1938), CRASHING HOLLYWOOD (1938), CONDEMNED WOMEN (1938), SKY GIANT (1938), SMASHING THE RACKETS (1938), TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939), PACIFIC LINER (1939), CONSPIRACY (1939), STAND BY ALL NETWORKS (1942), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), THUNDER MOUNTAIN (1947), DYNAMITE PASS (1950), DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950), THE BIG GUSHER (1951), and MAN IN THE DARK (1952).

TCM Star of the Month: Sterling Hayden

The May Star of the Month on Turner Classic Movies is fascinating actor-sailor-writer Sterling Hayden.

21 Hayden films are on TCM's May schedule, spread over four Wednesday evenings. Click any hyperlinked title below for the related review.

The series kicks off tonight, May 6th, with a fantastic lineup of half a dozen film noir and crime titles.

The evening begins with Hayden's first collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, THE KILLING (1956). It's a fascinating film which experiments with "non-linear" storytelling. I was fortunate to see it at the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, with costar Coleen Gray in attendance. Elisha Cook Jr. and Marie Windsor lead a terrific supporting cast.

That's followed by John Huston's classic THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950) and then one of my favorite film noir titles of all time, CRIME WAVE (1954). Hayden plays a tough toothpick-chewing cop trying to figure out if parolee Gene Nelson has gone bad again. Nelson is marvelous in a non-dancing role, and there's also superb L.A. location shooting. Don't miss it.

I also really loved Hayden as a smalltown sheriff in the suspense drama SUDDENLY (1954), which I saw at the Noir City Film Festival a couple of years ago. Frank Sinatra costars as a would-be Presidential assassin.

The evening concludes with CRIME OF PASSION (1957), costarring Barbara Stanwyck, and the enjoyable 5 STEPS TO DANGER (1957), which finds Hayden taking an unexpected road trip with damsel in distress Ruth Roman.

May 13th is a diverse lineup leading off with the camp classic ZERO HOUR! (1957), also starring Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell. Sections of dialogue were lifted from ZERO HOUR! verbatim for the satire AIRPLANE! (1980). ZERO HOUR! is delightful fun.

Also on the schedule next week: the pirate film THE GOLDEN HAWK (1952) with Rhonda Fleming; the Mexico-set crime film TEN DAYS TO TULARA (1958); and the Korean War film BATTLE TAXI (1955).

On May 20th Sterling Hayden goes West with a lineup of six Westerns, starting off with the crazy but fascinating JOHNNY GUITAR (1954), also starring Joan Crawford. Don't miss this colorful Nicholas Ray film.

TOP GUN (1955) is a very enjoyable film following the traditional Western formula of a gunslinger returning to his hometown and finding his unique skills are needed to deal with a murderous gang threatending to take over the town. Look for the young Rod Taylor shooting it out with Hayden.

That's followed by KANSAS PACIFIC (1953), TERROR IN A TEXAS TOWN (1958), and THE IRON SHERIFF (1957).

The evening closes out with a film I just reviewed last Sunday, ARROW IN THE DUST (1954), which was previously reviewed here. I like it a lot; it's on late so I recommend anyone who wants to enjoy a nice solid Western with an excellent Hayden performance should be sure to set a recorder or catch it later on the Watch TCM app. The movie costars Coleen Gray, who would reunite with Hayden in THE KILLING a couple years later.

The series concludes on May 27th with five diverse titles: THE STAR (1952) with Bette Davis; SO BIG (1953) with Jane Wyman; THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) with Elliot Gould; LOVING (1970) with George Segal and Eva Marie Saint; and Stanley Kubrick's DR. STRANGELOVE (1964).

As an addendum, good Sterling Hayden movies to seek out which aren't being shown on TCM this month: The hard-to-find TAKE ME TO TOWN (1953) with Ann Sheridan; the film noir NAKED ALIBI (1954) with Gloria Grahame; and the gritty Lesley Selander Western SHOTGUN (1955) with Yvonne DeCarlo and Zachary Scott.

Additional Hayden films reviewed here previously which aren't airing on TCM this month: FLAT TOP (1952) and DENVER AND RIO GRANDE (1951). The latter film is showing on Encore Westerns Channel in May.

For more on TCM in May, please visit TCM in May: Highlights.

Tonight's Movie: Cyclone on Horseback (1941)

It had been quite a while since I've watched a Tim Holt Western, so it was great to relax this evening with the 60-minute CYCLONE ON HORSEBACK (1941).

Although I generally prefer the postwar Tim Holt films costarring Richard Martin, I also really enjoy Ray Whitley, who made a number of prewar RKO Westerns with both Holt and George O'Brien. Whitley was a fine Western singer and also has a nice screen presence, and he's a real asset to films such as CYCLONE ON HORSEBACK.

In this entry Tim, Ray, and Lee "Lasses" White play Stan, Smokey, and Whopper, who contend with several devious, greedy men in a small Western town who are trying to disrupt Jeff Corbin's (Dennis Moore) contract to string telephone wires across the mountains.

When Jeff is shot, his sister Mary (Marjorie Reynolds, last seen here in BAD MEN OF TOMBSTONE) persuades Stan and his men to finish stringing the wire themselves.

That's a simplistic description of a movie which has a lot more story than some "B" Westerns, as plotting by various characters results in horses, bonds, and money constantly changing hands, while there are also horseback chases and gunfights aplenty.

A particularly exciting action scene has Stan and Mary tossing burning dynamite sticks out of a wagon while they're begin chased. Another action sequence ends with Mary being dumped into a muddy pond; I suspect that might not have been Reynolds' favorite day on the shooting schedule!

Holt and Reynolds, who were around 22 and 23 when this was filmed, have a nice feisty sparring relationship which is fun to watch. The same year they also starred in DUDE COWBOY (1941). The following year Marjorie would costar in HOLIDAY INN (1942) with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

Whitley has the chance to sing a trio of tunes he cowrote with Fred Rose, including "Blue Nightfall," sung around the campfire. Musical moments like that bring something a little extra-special to a lower-budget Western such as this one.

CYCLONE ON HORSEBACK was directed by Edward Killy. It was shot on Southern California movie ranches by Harry J. Wild. Somewhat unusually for the Holt Westerns, the exterior scenes in the camp were shot in a soundstage.

CYLONE ON HORSEBACK is available on DVD in a fine print as part of the Tim Holt Western Classics Collection Vol. 4.

Tonight's Movie: Flight for Freedom (1943) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

FLIGHT FOR FREEDOM (1943) is one of a trio of Rosalind Russell movies recently released by the Warner Archive.

Another film from the Russell "wave," THE VELVET TOUCH (1948), was reviewed here last weekend. Still ahead to review is the biography SISTER KENNY (1946).

FLIGHT FOR FREEDOM, while not a biography, was clearly inspired by Amelia Earhart, whose plane had disappeared in 1937. The movie, released in early 1943, mixes a pre-WWII spy angle into the story, coming up with an espionage-related reason for the famous pilot's disappearance.

Russell plays aviator Tonie Carter, who has always loved flying but who pushes herself to attain world records after a whirlwind romance with self-centered fellow pilot Randy Britton fizzles.

Randy is played by Russell's costar in TAKE A LETTER, DARLING (1942), Fred MacMurray, while Herbert Marshall plays a plane designer who is Toni's longtime confidante and supporter.

This 102-minute film is watchable enough, with a trio of good lead actors, but it never really catches fire like it should. Russell and Marshall are pleasant, while MacMurray wavers between being a romantic hero and a jerk.

Meanwhile, Tonie is busy setting records and ultimately deciding to sacrifice herself for her nation, resulting in an ending which is unfortunately more dreary than inspiring. It leaves the viewer thinking rather along the lines "I sat through this movie for this?" In the end it's a case of good actors in a disappointing story.

The supporting cast includes Walter Kingsford and Eduardo Ciannelli.

It was directed by Lothar Mendes and filmed by Lee Garmes and the uncredited Frank Redman. Adrian, who had created Russell's gowns when she was previously at MGM, designed the gowns for this RKO film.

The Warner Archive DVD is a good-looking black and white print. There are no extras.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...New on Blu-ray from Twilight Time: Pat Boone and Shirley Jones in APRIL LOVE (1957). A remake of HOME IN INDIANA (1944), it can be purchased from Screen Archives Entertainment.

...As I write, there are currently some low, low prices at the TCM Shop. For instance, the John Ford Columbia Collection is just $14.99, and Conversations With Robert Osborne is $4.99.

...The children's "curtain" playclothes from THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) were auctioned off on April 30th.

...Happy birthday to French actress Danielle Darrieux, who turned 98 on May 1st. Darrieux films previously reviewed here include the delightful THE RAGE OF PARIS (1938), costarring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., as well as RICH, YOUNG and PRETTY (1951) and FIVE FINGERS (1952).

...Lots of great reviews at so many sites lately! Here are just a few: Caftan Woman on Bing Crosby and Joan Blondell in EAST SIDE OF HEAVEN (1939)...Leonard Maltin and Glenn Erickson on the new 42ND STREET (1933) Blu-ray...The new Criterion release THE RIVER (1951), also reviewed by Glenn Erickson, looks interesting...Mike Clark reviewed RIDE THE PINK HORSE (1947) for Home Media Magazine. Like me, he found it played better the second time around. And it was great to see his positive words on Robert Montgomery's ONCE MORE, MY DARLING (1949), which I think is one of the funniest romantic comedies of the '40s...Ivan reviewed the new Olive Films release of STRANGER AT MY DOOR (1956), which stars Macdonald Carey, for ClassicFlix...Cliff reviewed Spencer Tracy and James Stewart in THE MURDER MAN (1935) at Immortal Ephemera...and Toby reviewed Robert Mitchum's THUNDER ROAD (1958) on Blu-ray at The Hannibal 8.

...I'm really delighted that LAWMAN (1958-1962) is being released from the Warner Archive. This favorite Warner Bros. Western stars John Russell, Peter Brown, and (beginning with Season 2) Peggie Castle. It's currently an exclusive at Critics' Choice Video so I expect it to turn up at the WB Shop in a few weeks.

...Over at ClassicFlix, Westerns expert Boyd Magers has written about another Warner Archive TV Western release, THE DAKOTAS (1962-63).

...Twitter users visit movie theaters more often than the average American.

...A movie on the 1985 "New Coke" disaster? Could be fun.

...Out this week: THE OFFICIAL JOHN WAYNE WAY TO GRILL, written with the participation of Wayne's son Ethan.

...Attention Southern Californians: Here's a list of outdoor movie screenings to enjoy this summer in the Los Angeles area.

...And if you're in London this summer, you can see movies in the Charing Cross Tube station! That's unusual...

...I certainly would have loved to be at this weekend's nitrate festival put on by George Eastman House. I have fond memories of the shimmering nitrate prints seen in L.A. revival houses in the '70s.

...Notable Passings: Director-Writer Richard L. Bare died in Newport Beach, California, on March 28, 2015. He was 101 years old. Bare created the long-running Joe McDoakes series of movie shorts, and he directed countless Warner Bros. TV episodes for shows such as MAVERICK, CHEYENNE, and LAWMAN...Richard Corliss, the film critic at Time Magazine for the past 35 years, recently passed away at 71. Last year he wrote the book MOM IN THE MOVIES...Actress Jayne Meadows, the widow of Steve Allen and the sister of the late actress Audrey Meadows, died on April 26th at the age of 95. Early in her career Meadows was memorable in films such as LADY IN THE LAKE (1947), seen at the left, and THE LUCK OF THE IRISH (1948)...Actress Suzanne Crough, who played little Tracy Partridge on THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY (1970-74), has passed away suddenly at 52...Screenwriter-novelist Don Mankiewicz has died at 93.

...Lovely news from London yesterday, the birth of a baby girl to William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. There are lots of great color photos at the Daily Mail site. A name is expected to be announced in a day or so, after the baby meets her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. (Update: The baby's name has been announced: She is Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge.)

...It continues to be unusually busy around here these days, hence no roundup last weekend. For more recent links, be sure to visit the April 19th roundup!

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Arrow in the Dust (1954) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

ARROW IN THE DUST (1954) is a very satisfying Sterling Hayden Western which was just released by the Warner Archive.

When I reviewed this film three years ago it was a pan and scan VHS tape I'd recorded off TV. What a pleasure to have a nice widescreen copy of this film thanks to the Warner Archive! I liked the movie even more the second time around.

Sterling Hayden plays Bart Laish, a one-time West Pointer who has become a cavalry deserter. While on the run he comes across the remains of a cavalry unit massacred by Indians; the lone survivor is Bart's cousin, Major Andy Pepperis (Carleton Young). The dying Andy pleads with Bart to save a wagon train further up the trail which is likely to be attacked by the Indians.

The initially reluctant Bart, being a good man at heart, has a crisis of conscience and agrees to Andy's request. Bart decides the most effective way to save the train will be to impersonate his cousin and take command of the troops accompanying the wagon train.

A savvy Indian scout (Tom Tully) who knew the real Andy is on to Bart's charade, and an army corporal (Jimmy Wakely), given to singing a tune called "Wandering Stranger," may also know the truth. They keep silent as Bart clearly knows what he's doing, taking firm command while using his military training and frontier skills to save the train. It may also prove to be a transformative experience for Bart personally.

I think it helped this time that I knew the movie's flaws going in; for instance, there's not much back story for why Bart starts out as a deserter, and I also would have appreciated more development of his romance with a doctor's daughter, the independent Christella (Coleen Gray, later Hayden's costar in THE KILLING). I'm a fan of short movies but this 79-minute film might have benefited from another five or ten minutes to flesh out the lead characters.

The other main drawback is the film giving "day for night" shooting a whole new meaning, as it's broad daylight, yet we're told it's after midnight! And it must be said that some of the stock footage looks pretty poor.

With a list of the movie's flaws out of the way, what's left is something really quite enjoyable, directed by the terrific Lesley Selander, who can always be counted on to turn out a solid Western.

Hayden is excellent in the leading role as a man torn between self-preservation and honor. The fact that he's been a deserter and a loner is interesting, because he plays a man who is clearly comfortable taking charge and making difficult decisions, weighing which choices have the best chance to save the most lives. Hayden's character and performance are a big part of what makes the movie so enjoyable.

The great character actor Tom Tully is also especially good as the tough scout who's on to Bart's charade. Those who are more familiar with Tully in gentler roles, such as the kindly, slightly awkward uncle in I'LL BE SEEING YOU (1944), may not recognize him at first, as almost the first thing his grizzled character does is draw a knife on Bart. Satisfied with Bart's response, he casually slips the knife into the back of his shirt -- clearly a dangerous man who has probably killed more people than we want to know!

Former Monogram "B" star Jimmy Wakely is a wonderful addition, crooning a haunting song which suggests he may know more about Bart's background than he's letting on. Except for a cameo as himself in THE MARSHAL'S DAUGHTER (1953), Wakely had been offscreen for half a decade before this film, and it was his last feature film. It was a great part to go out on.

Coleen Gray is fine as the spunky young woman who drives her own wagon and tends the wounded. As mentioned, I would have liked her having more to do, but within the confines of the role she's fine. I shared more thoughts on Gray in my 2012 review.

Among the supporting cast, standouts include Keith Larsen as the man who becomes Bart's second-in-command, while Lee Van Cleef can't be missed as a villain who briefly gets in Bart's way.

The screenplay by Don Martin was from a novel by L.L. Foreman. The movie was filmed in Technicolor by Ellis Carter. Speaking of which, I adore the multicolored Technicolor logo which is part of the movie's poster, as seen on the DVD cover above.

As mentioned previously, some of the stock or second unit footage doesn't look very good -- a couple stock shots are almost orange! -- but I believe that may be an inherent flaw in the original source material rather than the DVD. For the most part the DVD looks very sharp, and the widescreen print is a real step up for those of us who have previously only had access to a pan and scan. There are no extras.

Western fans, and fans of Sterling Hayden, will want to add ARROW IN THE DUST to their collections. I'm sure I'll be revisiting it from time to time in the years to come. Recommended.

June 2015 Update: For more on this film, please visit Toby's review at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from Amazon and other online retailers.

Tonight's Movie: 42nd Street (1933) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

I've been hearing great buzz about the new Warner Archive Blu-ray edition of 42ND STREET (1933), and after watching it tonight I'm happy to report that it is indeed spectacular.

42ND STREET, first reviewed at this site via VHS in 2008, is the first and one of the best in the memorable string of Warner Bros. musicals with dance direction by Busby Berkeley. If at times it seems to have every "show must go on" cliche in the book, just remember -- this is the movie which invented the cliches!

42ND STREET is the quintessential backstage musical, where the leading lady (Bebe Daniels) breaks her ankle right before the first preview and the ingenue (Ruby Keeler) is told by the ill director (Warner Baxter), "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"

Everyone in the star-packed cast has time to shine: Dick Powell as "one of Broadway's better juveniles," who's sweet on Peggy (Keeler); George Brent as the one-time vaudeville partner and lover of Dorothy (Daniels); Ginger Rogers as "Anytime Annie" ("She only said no once, and then she didn't hear the question"); Una Merkel as Lorraine, constantly batting her eyes at the director's righthand man (George E. Stone); plus Guy Kibbee, Allen Jenkins, Ned Sparks, Charles Lane, Robert McWade, and lovely chorine Toby Wing.

Supposedly Dennis O'Keefe, seen last night in COVER UP (1949), is one of the chorus boys, but although I was looking carefully I didn't spot him. Maybe someone else can point out where to find him!

Other Berkeley musicals have more spectacular numbers, but the geometric patterns in "Young and Healthy" are pleasing to the eye, and it can't be denied that when the chorus starts tapping to the title number, the heart starts pounding! It's a sublime moment where the perfect song, by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, meets the right choreographer and cast; for many of us it's one of those scenes which symbolizes its era.

42ND STREET was directed by Lloyd Bacon. It runs 89 minutes.

Warner Archive's Blu-ray looks and sounds marvelous. Check out Bebe Daniels' dress in the party scene, for instance; it absolutely shimmers. For those of us who love the movie, it's pure joy seeing it look so wonderful, and for those who haven't seen 42ND STREET, what a great introduction!

The disc includes some featurettes which were on the previous DVD release, as well as cartoons and a newsreel.

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

Tonight's Movie: Black Patch (1957) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

BLACK PATCH (1957), a Western starring and produced by George Montgomery, was just released by the Warner Archive.

Montgomery plays the title character, otherwise known as Marshal Clay Morgan of Santa Rita. Clay's old friend Hank Danner (Leo Gordon) shows up in town with his wife Helen (Diane Brewster, who later costarred with Montgomery in KING OF THE WILD STALLIONS). Clay and Helen were once in love, but Clay was too traumatized by his Civil War experiences and the loss of his eye to return home to her.

After absorbing the news that Hank and Helen have married, Clay is further stunned when he must arrest Hank for bank robbery. Then things really go downhill when Hank tries to escape...

The screenplay by costar Leo Gordon starts out in very strong fashion, with memorable character introductions aided by Edward Goldman's stark black and white photography. An emotional middle-of-the-night scene where Helen leaves her hotel room -- and husband -- in her bathrobe to see Clay is beautifully staged and powerfully scored by Jerry Goldsmith, his very first feature film.

There are some other well-done moments such as the scene where Clay goes to see Hank at the hotel just after Hank has arrived in town and been reunited with Helen. The simple fact that Hank takes a while to answer the door and then is seen putting on his shirt subtly makes clear to viewers what kind of reunion Hank has just enjoyed with his wife...and then suddenly there stands her old love in the doorway. There's some great three-way tension between Montgomery, Gordon, and Brewster, as they all care for one another, but the old positive feelings of love or friendship are mixed with hurt and jealousy.

Unfortunately shortly after Hank breaks out of jail the script takes its eye off the lead characters and significantly shifts focus to bird-brained young Carl (Tom Pittman), who is obsessed with Helen and guns, and other town villains such as saloon owner Frenchy (Sebastian Cabot). In its stranger moments the film suddenly seems closer to TOUCH OF EVIL (1958) than a George Montgomery Western!

The combination of the focus on unappealing characters while Montgomery is nowhere in sight for far too much screen time results in a disappointing Western which had had the potential to be far more interesting. Montgomery is superb as the tormented Clay, giving one of his most deeply felt portrayals; it would have been great if the script had focused on issues such as Clay coming to terms with his past and making peace with Helen. The viewer cares a great deal about Clay, yet instead spends most of the second half of the film with the people who are making his life miserable.

Lynn Cartwright, who was Mrs. Leo Gordon, plays the saloon girl Kitty. I recently had the wonderful experience of briefly meeting Gordon and Cartwright's daughter, who works at the Hollywood Museum, and I was able to tell her how much pleasure her father's work has brought me over the years. He was certainly a multitalented man.

The supporting cast also includes House Peters Jr., Jorge Trevino, Strother Martin, and Ned Glass. Look for Dan Blocker in a brief role as a blacksmith.

BLACK PATCH was directed by Allen H. Miner. It runs 82 minutes.

The Warner Archive DVD is a fine-looking crisp print. There are no extras.

Update: For more info on this movie, including some production background, please visit Toby's post at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the WBShop.

Tonight's Movie: Cover Up (1949)

COVER UP (1949) is a tremendously enjoyable Christmastime mystery, with a sharp script cowritten by the film's star, Dennis O'Keefe.

O'Keefe, using his pen name Jonathan Rix, wrote the film with Jerome Odlum. O'Keefe worked as a writer on a few other films, including his starring film THE DIAMOND WIZARD (1954).

The movie is filled with cozy small-town ambiance, a sweet romance, good dialogue, and some wonderful wry bits of humor, especially involving a sourpuss housekeeper (Doro Merande) and a wordless deputy sheriff (Dan White).

O'Keefe plays insurance investigator Sam Donovan, who meets lovely Anita (Barbara Britton) while traveling to her hometown to check out the suicide of the most unpopular man in town.

Sam finds everyone in town exceedingly close-mouthed about the death, which he begins to suspect is murder. Even the sheriff (William Bendix) refuses to offer much help. And is it a coincidence that Anita's father (Art Baker) once owned a Luger, the same kind of gun which killed the deceased?

Sam may not make much headway with the case, but as he lingers in town he and the sparkling Anita, whom he dotingly calls "Sugar," find themselves trading increasingly passionate goodnight kisses.

And then on Christmas Eve Sam has an idea to solve the case once and for all...

I loved this film from beginning to end; it's a real charmer. I'm surprised that I don't recall Turner Classic Movies running this one at Christmas, as the movie is set against the backdrop of a small-town Christmas, complete with shopping, decorating, and a tree lighting in the town square. (One odd thing: the tree which Anita and the housekeeper Hilda decorate on Christmas Eve was already decorated earlier in the movie! Maybe they were just adding more to it?) TCM's article on the film calls it "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) brushed with noir dust."

The more I see of Dennis O'Keefe, the more I like; in this he's got a great combination of determination and charm. Knowing O'Keefe was also a talented writer only adds to the admiration I feel for him. He and Britton have very believable chemistry and make a most appealing couple.

My only complaint about the film was that at 82 minutes, it was too short! I would have really liked an epilogue with the family celebrating Christmas and a bit more resolution to a very satisfactory romance.

Ann E. Todd plays Anita's cute younger sister; you can read more about her life and career in my review of STRONGER THAN DESIRE (1939). The cast also includes Virginia Christine, Russell Arms, Helen Spring, Paul E. Burns, and Ruth Lee. Hank Worden pops up briefly as the town undertaker.

COVER UP was directed by Alfred E. Green and filmed by Ernest Laszlo. I've been trying without success to learn where the movie was filmed; if it was done on a backlot, it makes a convincingly realistic small town, which seems genuinely cold and windy.

COVER UP is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The DVD print is for the most part excellent; some of the shots of Barbara Britton are stupendously beautiful, although there are a few scenes, especially near the end, which are more faded or have a faint line on the screen.

For more on this film, please see Caftan Woman's post from last December.

I'm always glad to find a new Christmas movie, and I'll be pulling this one out again in future Decembers!

Tonight's Movie: Back in Circulation (1937)

Take Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, and a great supporting cast, put them in a newsroom and on the familiar streets of the Warner Bros. backlot, and you get the enjoyable BACK IN CIRCULATION (1937).

BACK IN CIRCULATION may not be any great shakes as movies go, but it's one of those films which fans of "old movies" like to have on the TV on a lazy afternoon, with lots of faces who feel like old friends going through their familiar paces.

Joan plays Timothea "Timmy" Blake, crack reporter for the Morning Express. Timmy's editor Bill Morgan (O'Brien) can always rely on Timmy to get the job done, whether it's working her way behind police lines at the scene of a train wreck or uncovering evidence that the wealthy older husband of lovely Arline Wade (Margaret Lindsay) was poisoned.

Movie newsrooms were nothing new for O'Brien, the star of THE FRONT PAGE (1931), but he's strictly in supporting mode here, as it's Joan's film all the way. She impersonates a doctor, seduces a slimy playboy, teases the pack of newsmen who follow in her wake, and displays a mean right hook which can knock a man cold. There's also a fun running gag about her constantly slamming the newsroom door.

Timmy's right-hand men are photographer Murphy (Eddie Acuff, later of the DR. KILDARE series) and newsman Buck (Regis Toomey). In a nice connection, Toomey would play Margaret Lindsay's husband nearly a decade later in HER SISTER'S SECRET (1946).

Look for Frank Faylen, Milton Kibbee (brother of Guy), and future PERRY MASON star William Hopper among the newsmen who are always just a bit late to the story. The cast also includes John Litel, Craig Reynolds, George E. Stone, Ben Welden, Granville Bates, and Edward Gargan (brother of William).

BACK IN CIRCULATION was directed by Ray Enright and filmed in black and white by Arthur L. Todd. The Warren Duff screenplay was based on a story by Adela Rogers St. Johns. The film runs 81 minutes.

BACK IN CIRCULATION is not on DVD -- perhaps it will turn up in the future from the Warner Archive -- but it's been shown on Turner Classic Movies. The trailer is available on the TCM website.

Today at Disneyland: Feels Like Summer

It was in the high 80s on a beautiful visit to Disneyland this afternoon. Click any photo below to enlarge for a closer look.

Due to attending film festivals, I haven't been able to spend much time in the parks the last few weeks, so it was wonderful to spend a few hours unwinding there today!

As can be seen here, it was a lovely day with gorgeous blue skies. Here are the flowers at Town Square...

...and the flowers around the "Partners" statue at the Hub:

Sleeping Beauty Castle is all spruced up for the 60th Anniversary celebration which begins in a few more weeks!

A slightly different angle of the Castle, showing off more of its Diamond Anniversary "bling":

Spring flowers near Fantasy Faire, looking toward the direction of the Castle:

And Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree!

A couple of rides, a visit with the goats at Big Thunder Ranch, a nice lunch at Rancho Del Zocalo...all added up to a great relaxing afternoon!