TCM Star of the Month: Jane Wyman

Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman is the January Star of the Month on Turner Classic Movies.

45 Wyman movies will be shown on Thursdays this month, beginning on Thursday, January 5th.

The series kicks off with 13 movies on the 5th, from the early part of Wyman's Warner Bros. career. Titles include BROTHER RAT (1938) and BROTHER RAT AND A BABY (1940), costarring her first husband Ronald Reagan, whom she married in 1940. There are numerous "B" films on the schedule, including her film in the Torchy Blane series, TORCHY PLAYS WITH DYNAMITE (1939).

Titles from the first evening which have been previously reviewed here are AN ANGEL FROM TEXAS (1940) with Eddie Albert and Ronald Reagan, and GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940) with Wayne Morris and Gilbert Roland.

There are 11 movies scheduled on January 12th, including Wyman's Oscar-winning role in JOHNNY BELINDA (1948). Other starring films include THE YEARLING (1946), THE LOST WEEKEND (1945), and Alfred Hitchcock's STAGE FRIGHT (1950).

Lesser films airing this date are a fun detective movie with Jerome Cowan, CRIME BY NIGHT (1944); THE LADY TAKES A SAILOR (1949) with Dennis Morgan; and a Raoul Walsh Western with Morgan which I enjoyed a lot, CHEYENNE (1947), aka THE WYOMING KID.

The 10 films on January 19th kick off with HERE COMES THE GROOM (1951), in which Wyman and Bing Crosby introduced the Oscar-winning song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" -- singing it live for the camera, incidentally.

MAGIC TOWN (1947) with James Stewart is a TCM premiere.

A key film on the 19th is PRINCESS O'ROURKE (1943); Wyman's supporting role in that led to Bily Wilder casting her in THE LOST WEEKEND, which advanced her career to a new level. It's a fine romantic comedy which deserves to be better known.

The night's films also include LARCENY, INC. (1942), THREE GUYS NAMED MIKE (1951), THE DOUGHGIRLS (1944), and HONEYMOON FOR THREE (1941). The last is an amusing romantic comedy with George Brent and Ann Sheridan.

Wyman's films with Rock Hudson and director Douglas Sirk are front and center on January 26th, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (1954) and ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1956). I especially love the latter film and highly recommend it.

Other '50s Wyman films airing that night are SO BIG (1953) with Sterling Hayden, LUCY GALLANT (1955) with Charlton Heston, and MIRACLE IN THE RAIN (1956) with Van Johnson.

The tribute ends with some of Wyman's lesser Warner Bros. appearances, including the okay-to-miss A KISS IN THE DARK (1949) with David Niven and the more pleasing MY LOVE CAME BACK (1940) with Olivia de Havilland and Jeffrey Lynn.

For more on TCM this month, please vist TCM in January: Highlights or the complete online schedule.

Happy New Year!

Road House (1948) Sunday at UCLA

The first classic film screening I plan to see this year is a special one: ROAD HOUSE (1948) at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater...in a nitrate print!

The screening is part of UCLA's ongoing "Archive Treasures" series.

I reviewed ROAD HOUSE in 2012. It stars Richard Widmark, Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, and Celeste Holm, directed by Jean Negulesco.

I understand that last summer's nitrate double bill of LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945) and NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947) at UCLA, which I was unable to attend, was a hot ticket and I anticipate a nice crowd on hand Sunday.

I'm especially thrilled as I saw CASABLANCA (1942) in nitrate at the Egyptian in November. It was the first time I'd seen a nitrate print since I was a teen in the late '70s or early '80s, and it was a phenomenal viewing experience. ROAD HOUSE is a terrific film, and I anticipate Sunday should be another wonderful time at the movies!

Tonight's Movie: A Canterbury Tale (1944)

Next up for review from my 2016 10 Classics list: A CANTERBURY TALE (1944), written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

I was an hour into watching A CANTERBURY TALE, which runs two hours and four minutes, and was asked what it was about. And I had no idea what to say! I still don't, really...but I was absorbed for the entire length of the film.

I suppose you could start by saying it's about three people -- a British soldier (Dennis Price), a Yank soldier (John Sweet), and a girl (Sheila Sim) on her way to work on a farm -- who meet at a train station. They spend time together in a little town in Kent, eventually traveling to Canterbury, where each receives a blessing. The end.

That really is the plot, unless you add in the creepy storyline about a weird chap named Colpepper (Eric Portman) who's desperate for people to come to his lectures on the area. But he's not really all that important, nor is the mystery of the village "Glue Man" who puts glue in the hair of young women who are out with soldiers in the evening. (Say what?!)

What's important is simply the quiet, hypnotic recording of the interactions of decent people. A soldier gets to know a villager, bonding over their love of wood, and receives an invitation to lunch. The soldier treats the little children with respect and sweetness. A young girl stands on a hill and looks toward Canterbury Cathedral and is momentarily transported back in time. A cinema organist has the chance to play on the great cathedral's organ.

It's about everything and nothing...moments in life, and the continuity over centuries. (In one of the most striking images, a bird from the movie's introduction, set during the time of Chaucer's story, turns into an airplane, signifying the jump forward in time.) Given that the film was released in the UK while the war still raged, I imagine it underscored what was being fought for.

I particularly enjoyed a little scene where a soldier who's developed a love of tea points out that it's the tea-drinking countries which will win the war!

Anyone who loves England, as I do, will likely enjoy this film. I stumbled across an article in which the author names A CANTERBURY TALE as his favorite film, saying it "may be the most loving and tender film about England ever made. It's a picture that's steeped in nature, in thrall to myth and history; a re-affirmation of the English character, customs and countryside..." That seems about right.

Side note: I studied Chaucer's A CANTERBURY TALE in high school and still have a copy of it. But I don't believe any of my children have read Chaucer -- they were too young for it during our homeschool years -- and I suspect that's common these days in the U.S. Strange to think they wouldn't have a frame of reference for a basic theme of the movie.

John Sweet, who plays the American soldier, was an actual U.S. soldier, and this was his only film. He's natural and likeable, and the same can be said of Price and Sim. (The less said of Portman's character the better. Maybe I'll "get it" more on a future viewing.) Sergeant Sweet passed away in 2011, age 95.

A CANTERBURY TALE was filmed in black and white by Erwin Hillier.

A CANTERBURY TALE is available in a two-disc special edition from the Criterion Collection. There are extensive extras I haven't dipped into yet, including an interview with Sheila Sim, a documentary about John Sweet, and excerpts from the 1949 U.S. release, in which Kim Hunter plays Sweet's girlfriend.

I'm still trying to figure the movie out, and probably will be for a while, but a film which keeps the viewer engrossed while watching and then thinking afterwards is doing its job. Recommended.

Tonight's Movie: Brazil (1944) - An Olive Films DVD Review

The little-known Republic Pictures musical BRAZIL (1944) has just been released by Olive Films.

Though I'd never heard of BRAZIL, I was fascinated to learn it had been nominated for three Oscars, including Best Song ("Rio de Janeiro" by Washington and Barroso) and Best Scoring of a Motion Picture.

BRAZIL is a fun little romantic comedy from the WWII "Good Neighbor policy" era, with some engaging musical numbers. (You'd never know there was a war on watching this movie, other than a tour guide office is "closed for the duration," and it takes days to book a flight out of the country.) I found it a pleasant surprise.

Virginia Bruce plays American writer Nicky Henderson, who arrives in Brazil to do research for her latest book. She intends to learn everything possible about the country -- in just two weeks!

Popular composer Miguel Soares (Tito Guizar) sees Nicky on a street and is quite taken with her; not telling her who he really is, he convinces her to hire him as her tour guide.

It gets more complicated, with Miguel taking on a second identity as his identical twin brother who can't speak English...well, I'll just stop there as far as trying to explain it!

Edward Everett Horton, a regular in the Fred & Ginger movies of the '30s, here plays a similar role as Miguel's friend. Robert Livingston plays the embassy employee who regularly escorts Nicky to Rio's nightclubs, and Richard Lane is Miguel's music publisher. The cast also includes Henry Da Silva, Frank Puglia, Aurora Miranda, and dancers Veloz and Yolanda.

Oh, and did I mention Roy Rogers? He's in Brazil for a personal appearance tour and shows up at a nightclub during Carnival to sing "Hands Across the Border."

Suffice it to say that I didn't have much in the way of expectations for this film, and I quite enjoyed it. While it's nothing particularly unique or special, it's smoothly done, moves along well, has a pretty good script, nice production values, and pleasing music. My husband was in the next room when I was watching it and commented he could tell it was good just from what he could hear of the soundtrack!

BRAZIL was directed by Joseph Santley. It was filmed in black and white by Jack Marta. The running time is 91 minutes.

The film's reissue title, seen on a poster here, was STARS AND GUITARS.

Olive's DVD is a great-looking print with excellent sound. There are no extras.

The movie is also available from Olive in a Blu-ray edition.

Kudos to Olive Films for making this movie available on such a nice DVD. Those who enjoy musicals or '40s romantic comedies will want to snap it up.

Thanks to Olive Films for providing a review copy of this DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Tortilla Flat (1942) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

TORTILLA FLAT (1942), MGM's filming of the John Steinbeck novel, is available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

Tortilla Flat is a poor community near Monterey, California. Danny (John Garfield) is one of a gang of layabout men in the town who avoid working, but things change for Danny for two reasons: he inherits two ramshackle homes and he sets eyes on a gorgeous newcomer, Dolores (Hedy Lamarr).

Dolores is attracted to Danny but she can't have a relationship with a man who won't work to support a family...suddenly Danny wants to work for a living, with his eye on buying a fishing boat. After all, what man wouldn't want to work for a wife who looks like Hedy Lamarr?!

Pilon (Spencer Tracy) thinks Danny is making a terrible mistake wanting to work and tries to sabotage Danny's new life.

TORTILLA FLAT is a film which succeeds only in fits and starts. At 105 minutes it's far too long, filled with sections which drag or are outright annoying, yet scattered throughout are moments of great beauty.

The scenes which work well are mostly thanks to Lamarr and the Oscar-nominated Frank Morgan, who plays a mysterious hermit surrounded by many dogs. This was Morgan's second supporting actor nomination, the previous one having been 1934's THE AFFAIRS OF CELLINI.

I watch a fair number of Spencer Tracy films -- most recently THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA (1951) -- and I've gradually come to a rather surprising conclusion: I don't really enjoy him that much. I tend to gravitate to his films because I've always had a particular love for MGM movies and I'm enthused about the others in the casts. Perhaps my increasing negativity is impacted in part by what I know of his personal life, yet I'm often able to put unpleasant reality aside when it comes to the film work of other actors.

At times I find Tracy's underplaying to say "look at me" in the same way as an actor chewing the proverbial scenery. And it probably doesn't help that he plays selfish characters with some regularity, whether it's the manipulative jerk he plays in this film or the obnoxious editor in one of my favorite comedies, LIBELED LADY (1936). There are exceptions to the rule, however; for instance, I think he's excellent in SAN FRANCISCO (1936).

For me the joy of TORTILLA FLAT is in watching Hedy Lamarr, a much more interesting actress than she received credit for at the time. In one of my favorite scenes, she takes over the care of a hungry baby whose mother has died, while Danny watches, eyes shining. That's followed later on by Danny's very romantic gift to her of a vacuum cleaner. She lovingly inspects it as if it's diamond jewelry. Hedy's fans, and I'm certainly one of them, will want to watch the movie in order to enjoy her performance.

Garfield doesn't have all that much to do in this one; his character is more of a pawn, caught between Dolores and Pilon. Danny's acquiescence to Pilon's manipulations is hard to watch, and it's a relief when he finally stands up for himself and seeks employment.

Like any film of the era, actors of varying ethnicities appear in ostensibly Hispanic roles, with the cast including Allen Jenkins, John Qualen, Sheldon Leonard, Akim Tamiroff, Connie Gilchrist, and Henry O'Neill. Arthur Space has an early role as a potential suitor for Dolores. Yvette Duguay, who plays the mobster's wife loved by James Arness in THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA (1951), was a little girl in the cast! Watch for familiar faces such as Louis Jean Heydt, Barbara Bedford, Willie Fung, and Walter Sande.

TORTILLA FLAT was directed by Victor Fleming. It was filmed in black and white by Karl Freund and the uncredited Harold Rosson and Sidney Wagner.

The Warner Archive DVD includes the trailer. It's a typically good-looking Archive print, with fine sound.

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 Amazon along with other online retailers.

Tonight's Movie: 7th Heaven (1927)

The next film to be reviewed from the list of 10 Classics seen in 2016 is the silent movie 7TH HEAVEN (1927).

7TH HEAVEN stars Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, who were wonderful in another silent film I saw in 2015, LUCKY STAR (1929).

In this film Gaynor plays Diane, a poor street urchin who is rescued by Chico (Farrell) when her sister (Gladys Brockwell) is at the point of beating her to death.

Later, to save Diane from being rounded up along with "bad women" like her sister, Chico tells the police that Diane is his wife. With a police inspection of his home pending, Diane moves in with Chico temporarily to protect him and his job. However, once the police are satisfied Chico has told the truth, Chico finds he doesn't want Diane to leave. The pair gradually fall deeply in love, only to have war intervene.

In other hands this story might be an over-the-top melodrama, but in the hands of director Frank Borzage and the luminous Gaynor, it's something else entirely, a lovely and inspiring work of art. Diane and Chico's transcendent love for one another crosses time and space...and in fact I'm still trying to understand the ending and whether to take it literally or as something happening on a higher plane.

There are several sequences which are pure movie magic. The first is the scene where Chico takes Diane to his upstairs apartment, climbing staircase after staircase, until they arrive at an attic apartment which seems to Diane to be pure paradise -- "7th Heaven." It's beautifully filmed and acted.

My favorite scene comes when Chico arrives home and presents Diane with a box containing a wedding dress; the brash yet somewhat inarticulate Chico initially has trouble asking Diane to marry him, letting the dress do his talking. Once the words start tumbling out, however, there is no greater romantic than Chico, who leaves Diane in no doubt of his feelings for her.

Gaynor won the Oscar for the combination of this film, SUNRISE (1927), and STREET ANGEL (1927), and having seen two of those films, the award was more than deserved. I plan to include STREET ANGEL in my 2017 "10 Classics" list.

Farrell is also outstanding as a man who is slow to come to terms with either his emotions or religion, ultimately embracing both love and faith. He and Gaynor work so well together it's easy to see why they were teamed multiple times.

Future director David Butler plays Gobin, Chico's neighbor and coworker. Marie Mosquini plays Madame Gobin. George E. Stone plays Chico's friend, the "Sewer Rat," and Albert Boul is the taxi driver. Emile Chautard is the kindly priest who gently encourages Chico's reawakening of faith.

7TH HEAVEN was filmed by Ernest Palmer and Joseph A. Valentine. The movie runs 119 minutes.

7TH HEAVEN won Oscars for Best Actress, Direction, and Writing Adaptation, with additional nominations for Best Picture and Best Art Direction.

It's available on DVD in the Murnau, Borzage and Fox boxed set. The collection is well worth the investment.

Tonight's Movie in 2016: The Year in Review

2016 was another great movie year, filled with wonderful experiences and new discoveries.

This year I saw 275 movies! That's quite a satisfactory number, although lower than last year's all-time record of 310. I'd been on track to see around 300 films until my business became unusually busy in the last two months of the year. Hopefully in 2017 I can pick up the pace a bit!

For comparison, I saw 286 movies in 2014, 277 films in 2013, 220 in both 2012 and 2009, 226 in 2011, and 211 movies in 2010.

62 of the films I saw this year were repeats, with 22 of those repeat viewings coming on a big screen. That stacks up against "repeat" numbers of 76 in 2015, 68 in 2014, 41 in 2013, 36 in 2012 and 2009, 15 in 2011, and only 13 in 2010.

75 of my 275 titles seen this year were viewed in a theater. That's down from 115 last year, but roughly consistent with 78 seen on a big screen in 2014. One of the biggest reasons for the change was that unlike 2015, I was unable to attend the 2016 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs, plus the Palm Springs Classic Science Fiction Film Festival didn't take place in 2016.

Each of the hyperlinked titles in this post links to my past reviews. As I always note in my "year in review" posts, it's impossible to list every movie seen or go into extensive detail here, but it's my hope that the linked reviews will provide inspiration and resources for readers to explore ideas for their own future viewing.

Each linked review includes a list of varied options available for watching each title, including DVD, Blu-ray, streaming, and even VHS, a format I know some readers continue to utilize along with me!

As always, the next section of this post will look at some additional stats, including films seen at festivals and lists of most-seen actors. The final section of the post is a month-by-month review of additional titles not mentioned earlier in the post.

Here's a look back at my movie watching in 2016!

...I attended three film festivals in 2016. The TCM Classic Film Festival continues to be a highlight of the year, with the chance to spend time with friends from across the U.S., Canada, and the UK along with seeing movies. I saw 15 films at this year's festival, including A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (1945), HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951), A HOUSE DIVIDED (1931), SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932), BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1946), TRAPEZE (1956), IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), BAMBI (1942), OLD YELLER (1957), and THE BAND WAGON (1953). Previously reviewed films seen at the TCM festival were REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953), MIDNIGHT (1939), ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955), and SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949).

...This year the calendar for the 18th Annual Noir City Film Festival was compressed into 10 straight days, rather than spread over three weekends. I got a lot out of my American Cinematheque membership, making the drive from Orange County to the Egyptian most nights of the festival! I managed to see 16 movies, including many wonderful first-time discoveries. The titles seen were THE BITTER STEMS (1956), ALL MY SONS (1948), TAKE ONE FALSE STEP (1949), FLESH AND FANTASY (1943), DESTINY (1944), FLESH AND FURY (1952), OUTSIDE THE WALL (1950), MEET DANNY WILSON (1951), YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN (1950), DEAD RECKONING (1947), KEY WITNESS (1947), DECEPTION (1946), THE CAPTIVE CITY (1952), and BUY ME THAT TOWN (1941), plus two previously reviewed films, RIFFRAFF (1947) and TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949) (there's more on that film here).

...I saw eight films at this year's 27th Lone Pine Film Festival: STRANGER AT MY DOOR (1956), THE PRAIRIE PIRATE (1925), 3 GODFATHERS (1948), TRAIL OF THE VIGILANTES (1940), DESERT PURSUIT (1952) and MYSTERY MAN (1945), plus the previously reviewed 3 BAD MEN (1926) and RAWHIDE (1951).

...Again this year I saw many films at UCLA, which is probably my favorite venue for enjoying classic films. The first series of the year for me was Out of the Ether: Radio Mysteries and Thrillers On Screen, where I saw three films: THE TRIAL OF VIVIENNE WARE (1932), I LOVE A MYSTERY (1945), and THE UNKNOWN (1946).

...Also seen at UCLA in 2016: TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942) and IN NAME ONLY (1939) from the series Independent Stardom on Screen: Freelance Women in Hollywood; THIS WAY PLEASE (1937) and the previously reviewed FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933) in the Marquee Movies series; THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946) along with the previously reviewed OUT OF THE PAST (1947) in the Kirk Douglas Centennial Celebration; plus THREE ON A MATCH (1932), THREE BROADWAY GIRLS (1932), I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER (1934), and the previously reviewed DAMES (1934) in the series Joan Blondell: Blonde Crazy.

...Other very special big screen experiences: Seeing CRISS CROSS (1949) at Union Station, just steps from where scenes were filmed; CASABLANCA (1942) in nitrate with a packed house at the Egyptian Theatre; and Clara Bow in the restored GET YOUR MAN (1927) and Mary Philbin in THE BLAZING TRAIL (1927) at the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theatre.

...This was a very good year for "new" films seen in a theater; I saw 13, surpassing 10 new films seen in both 2014 and 2015. Seven of the 13 films came from various divisions of Disney, which releases reliably consistent entertainment: THE FINEST HOURS (2016), ZOOTOPIA (2016), FINDING DORY (2016), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), DOCTOR STRANGE (2016), MOANA (2016), and ROGUE ONE (2016).

...The other new films seen in a theater this year were JASON BOURNE (2016), SULLY (2016), DEEPWATER HORIZON (2016), MISS SLOANE (2016), LA LA LAND (2016), and JACKIE (2016).

...At home, I added to my list of Marvel films seen with first-time viewings of THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013) and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015). I also enjoyed a number of recent action movies with our oldest daughter, some of which will be mentioned in the last section of this post.

...This was the first time in several years I didn't see an older Disney film at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. However, I did see five films in the Disney Screen series at my local Cinemark: ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (2001), MAKE MINE MUSIC (1946), FUN AND FANCY FREE (1947), COOL RUNNINGS (1993), and THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH (1977). Sadly, the Disney Screen series has now come to an end, but it was great while it lasted!

...I also had an especially wonderful big screen Disney experience attending a 75th anniversary presentation of The RELUCTANT DRAGON (1941) on the Disney lot! It was a very special afternoon including "Destination D" style panel presentations before the movie, and a party and autograph session afterwards!

...Bill Elliott was my most-seen actor of 2016, clocking in at 13 films thanks to his Western and Detective collections from the Warner Archive. I especially loved his detective movies, short and entertaining films which I found reminiscent of DRAGNET episodes. I might add that if I were to add in Elliott's pre-stardom bit roles in '30s films it would up the total considerably!

...George O'Brien (right) ranked second, with 11 films seen, and Wayne Morris was next with nine films. Tied at eight movies apiece were Pat O'Brien and Buck Jones; Jones was far and away my favorite new discovery of 2016! George Brent and Lee Tracy were seen in half a dozen films apiece while Edward G. Robinson, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, and Nelson Eddy were seen five times each.

...Further down the list, seen three or four times apiece, are names like Randolph Scott, Barry Sullivan, Richard Dix, Warren William, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Lee Bowman, Johnny Mack Brown, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Taylor, Robert Montgomery, Dick Powell, Cary Grant, Robert Benchley, Kirk Douglas, Dick Foran, Bruce Bennett, and Rory Calhoun.

...Joan Blondell, my most-seen actress of 2013, makes a return to the top of the list with seven films seen in 2016. This was thanks in part to the wonderful series honoring her at UCLA this fall!

...Tied for second were Joan Bennett and Jeanette MacDonald, seen in five films apiece. Tied at four films each: Cyd Charisse, Kay Francis, Ann Dvorak, Lauren Bacall, Glenda Farrell, and Bette Davis. A look at both the most-seen actor and actress lists underlines there was a whole lot of Warner Bros. viewing going on this year!

...Actresses also seen regularly in 2016, in three films each: Susan Hayward, Lizabeth Scott, Virginia Grey, Ruth Hussey, Cecilia Parker, Doris Day, Kristine Miller, and Ann Sheridan.

...For the sixth year in a row I made a list of 10 Classics to see for the first time. I've always successfully completed viewing my lists, but for various reasons I tend to leave watching most of them until my vacation time at year's end, with writing the reviews hanging over into early the following year! So far I've reviewed JUDGE PRIEST (1934) and SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932), with reviews to follow of 7TH HEAVEN (1927), A CANTERBURY TALE (1944), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951), TOKYO STORY (1953), THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960), YOJIMBO (1961), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), and THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964). As always, I'll be adding the links to this post as they go up!

...I find things to appreciate in most movies I watch, but once in a while I run into a real clunker. This year's Worst Picture: the anthology film MAKE MINE LAUGHS (1949), which was so "low rent" it was hard to believe it was released in theaters. My previous Worst Picture "winners" were HULLABALOO (1940) from my 2009 list, FORT BOWIE (1958) in 2011, INHERIT THE WIND (1960) in 2012, a tie between DAVY CROCKETT, INDIAN SCOUT (1950) and FLYING BLIND (1941) in 2013, FORT YUMA (1955) in 2014, and THE ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO (1936) in 2015.

...I was delighted to be able to participate in an increased number of blogathons this year! Blogathons foster a wonderful sense of community among classic film bloggers, as we gather to celebrate various aspects of classic filmdom. This year I wrote about AND NOW TOMORROW (1944) for the Loretta Young Blogathon, SCARLET STREET (1945) for the Classic Symbiotic Collaborations Blogathon, LOOPHOLE (1954) and QUANTRILL'S RAIDERS (1958) for the Allied Artists Blogathon, CANADIAN PACIFIC (1949) for the O Canada Blogathon, GUNSIGHT RIDGE (1957) for the Joel McCrea Blogathon, and THE BIG CIRCUS (1959) for the At the Circus Blogathon. I'm already signed up for the 2017 edition of the O Canada Blogathon!

...I enjoyed writing for the ClassicFlix site again this year; my columns can be found here.

...Again this year I'll be contributing a list of Favorite Discoveries to the blog Rupert Pupkin Speaks, and I'll be adding the link here once that post is up! (Update: Here is the post!)

...Below is a month-by-month look at some additional titles not already listed above which I found especially memorable viewing in 2016.

...In January I revisited the delightful PILLOW TO POST (1945), a WWII housing shortage comedy with fun performances by Ida Lupino and Sydney Greenstreet...DIAL RED O (1955) was the first of five Bill Elliott Detective Mysteries, which I really enjoyed...I revisited the special MGM musical THE GLASS SLIPPER (1955), a Cinderella tale with Leslie Caron, for the first time in years...DRAGOON WELLS MASSACRE (1957) was one of my favorite Westerns of the year, starring Dennis O'Keefe, Barry Sullivan, Mona Freeman, and Katy Jurado...I fell in love with the song "Oh, But I Do" thanks to hearing it in THE TIME, THE PLACE AND THE GIRL (1946) with Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson costarring with Janis Paige and Martha Vickers...I loved reviewing the Warner Archive's MacDonald-Eddy sets this year, including great films like SWEETHEARTS (1938) and NEW MOON (1940).

...Favorite films in February included the Westerns DOMINO KID (1957), with Rory Calhoun and Kristine Miller, and SHOWDOWN AT BOOT HILL (1958) with Charles Bronson...the Alaska-set movie ARCTIC FLIGHT (1952), with Wayne Morris and Lola Albright, was fun...the chase film MEXICAN MANHUNT (1953) was the last starring feature with a real favorite, George Brent...THE MAN TRAILER (1934) was my introduction to Buck Jones Westerns, and it was love at first watch -- the titles I've seen have all been very well done...little Sharyn Moffett was excellent in the fine family film MY PAL, WOLF (1944)...the RKO Western ROUGHSHOD (1949), with a great cast led by Robert Sterling and Gloria Grahame, deserves to be better known...SIERRA PASSAGE (1951), another film with Wayne Morris and Lola Albright, was a very well-done minor Western I liked a great deal.

...In March I really liked Forrest Tucker and Adele Mara in ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950)...I had a great time watching (or rewatching!) the movies in the nine-film George O'Brien Western set, including LAWLESS VALLEY (1938)...THE BIG CAPER (1957) was an interesting minor noir with Rory Calhoun and Mary Costa...I caught up with some unseen Harold Lloyd in March, including DR. JACK (1922)...Eleanor Powell was charming in HONOLULU (1939)...BULLET CODE (1940) is a favorite among the many George O'Brien Westerns seen, teaming him with six-time leading lady Virginia Vale...THE DESPERADO (1954) was an excellent Wayne Morris Western, costarring Jimmy Lydon and Beverly Garland...Jeanette and Nelson are movie magic in ROSE-MARIE (1936).

...There was more Wayne Morris in April, in a good supporting role in Randolph Scott's SHOTGUN (1954)...and more Jeanette and Nelson in I MARRIED AN ANGEL (1942)...THE KANSAN (1943), a very good film, was one of several Richard Dix films seen last spring...I loved revisiting Colleen Moore in the silent flapper romance WHY BE GOOD? (1929), first seen at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival...Most of my April viewing was at the Noir City Film Festival!

...May was mostly "big screen" viewings already linked above, including the TCM Classic Film Festival...Also seen in May were a pair of films with Robert Montgomery and Virginia Bruce, THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS (1938) and YELLOW JACK (1938)...SHADOW ON THE WALL (1950) is an engrossing crime film with a great cast, including Zachary Scott, Nancy Davis, Ann Sothern, Kristine Miller, and Gigi Perreau...VALLEY OF THE KINGS (1954) with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker is a fun adventure film...the visually gorgeous SUSAN SLEPT HERE (1954) with Dick Powell and Debbie Reynolds has become a real favorite...the musical propaganda film SONG OF RUSSIA (1944) may be a bit crazy seen from the vantage point of 2016, but I love the great music plus Robert Taylor and luminous Susan Peters.

...June was a great movie month, including a number of very enjoyable programmers such as SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942) with James Craig and Bonita Granville, A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE (1944) with Tom Conway and Audrey Long, GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940) with Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, and Gilbert Roland, and I WAS FRAMED (1942) with Julie Bishop...I enjoyed revisiting FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950) for the first time in many years...PRAIRIE LAW (1940) and STAGE TO CHINO (1940) were two more favorite O'Brien-Vale Westerns...I enjoyed all four of Hallmark's "Murder She Baked" series this year, starting with MURDER, SHE BAKED: A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MYSTERY (2015)...Joan Fontaine is a lot of fun in THE AFFAIRS OF SUSAN (1945), also starring George Brent and Dennis O'Keefe...the mystery CRACK-UP (1946) was one of a number of films I saw this year with Pat O'Brien; Claire Trevor and Herbert Marshall costar...and there was more Jeanette and Nelson in the delightful THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST (1938), costarring Walter Pidgeon.

...July kicked off with a four-film action movies marathon consisting of THE ITALIAN JOB (2003), THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001), THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002), and RED (2010). Since then I've also seen several more FAST AND FURIOUS movies, all of the Jason Bourne titles, and the sequel to RED...HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) was an excellent animated film...I've never seen a film directed by Yasujiro Ozu I didn't like, including THE END OF SUMMER (1961)...UTAH BLAINE (1957) was another solid Rory Calhoun Western...I liked HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) more in this year's viewing than I have in the past...thanks to a Lee Tracy set from the Warner Archive, I saw a number of Tracy films this year, including my favorite, CRASHING HOLLYWOOD (1938)...a great MGM cast headed by Barry Sullivan and Arlene Dahl makes NO QUESTIONS ASKED (1951) a fun watch...BOSS OF LONELY VALLEY (1937) was another good Buck Jones Western...THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER (1935) is a favorite '30s romantic comedy, starring George Brent and Kay Francis, with delightful Genevieve Tobin in support; they're seen at the left with Bill Elliott, who has a supporting part...GUN THE MAN DOWN (1956) was a solid James Arness Western, with excellent support from the team of Emile Meyer and Harry Carey Jr.

...There were more excellent Buck Jones Westerns in August with RIDIN' FOR JUSTICE (1932) and THE DEADLINE (1931)...You can't ever go wrong with Deanna Durbin, Kay Francis, or Walter Pidgeon, seen together in IT'S A DATE (1940)...FLAME OF THE WEST (1945) was a terrific Johnny Mack Brown Western, with a very good script and solid support from Douglass Dumbrille, Joan Woodbury, and Lynne Carver...Warren William is terrific as a mob lawyer in THE MOUTHPIECE (1932)...My first "Rough Riders" Western, starring Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, and Raymond Hatton, was ARIZONA BOUND (1941)...Lee Tracy and Gloria Stuart are an engaging team as sparring postal investigators in WANTED! JANE TURNER (1936).

...More George Brent films were on tap in September with STRANDED (1935) costarring Kay Francis and HOUSEWIFE (1934) with Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis...I continued to enjoy the Rough Riders in THE GUNMAN FROM BODIE (1941)...Howard Hawks' TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) starring Bogart and Bacall, is perfect '40s moviemaking...the "straight drama" version of STATE FAIR (1933), starring Will Rogers, Janet Gaynor, and Lew Ayres, was a favorite discovery for me in 2016...I checked another silent movie off my list when I watched Buck Jones in John Ford's JUST PALS (1920)...WOMEN FROM HEADQUARTERS (1950), starring Virginia Huston, admittedly isn't a very good movie, but I had a very good time watching it...Robert Montgomery is at his best in PICCADILLY JIM (1936), with a great cast including Madge Evans, Robert Benchley, Frank Morgan, and Billie Burke.

...Much of my October viewing took place at the Lone Pine Film Festival, and I also did a fair amount during a trip to Oregon, thanks to my portable DVD player! MEN IN WHITE (1934) was an interesting pre-Code medical drama with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy...I love Fred and Cyd's dances in SILK STOCKINGS (1957)...A YANK AT OXFORD (1938) may have needed a dozen screenwriters, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, but this Robert Taylor movie turned out well, a good exemplar of MGM quality...THE WILD NORTH (1952) is a colorful and engaging "Northerner" adventure starring Stewart Granger, Cyd Charisse, and Wendell Corey...I watched all four of Ronald Reagan's Brass Bancroft of the Secret Service mysteries, starting with CODE OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1939).

...Work began crowding out viewing time in November, but I still saw several good movies, including STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955), with Jimmy Stewart heading a super cast in a visually beautiful film...HAPPINESS AHEAD (1934) with Dick Powell is a real charmer...I enjoyed Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart in CHINA CLIPPER (1936); it occurs to me I could add this film to the year-end tally for both Bill Elliott and Wayne Morris, but I haven't included it as they were bit parts...Doris Day is superb in LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (1955), starring with James Cagney.

...December included a number of new films seen on the big screen! I also watched ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING (1942), a terrific film from the team of Powell and Pressburger...ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951) is a beautiful film with Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino...MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1997) was an interesting crime drama directed by Clint Eastwood...and I closed out the year watching Spencer Tracy, John Hodiak, Pat O'Brien, and a great MGM cast in THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA (1951).

...Coming soon: A movie posters video celebrating the films seen last year! Update: Here it is!

As this year's review comes to a close, I'd like to once again most sincerely thank each and every visitor to this blog. You are each deeply appreciated! I wish all my readers good health, happiness, and lots of classic movies in 2017!

Previously: Tonight's Movie in 2009: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2010: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2011: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2012: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2013: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2014: The Year in Review; Tonight's Movie in 2015: The Year in Review.