Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...I was delighted to learn that the esteemed film historian Foster Hirsch has a new book due out this fall. HOLLYWOOD AND THE MOVIES OF THE FIFTIES: THE COLLAPSE OF THE STUDIO SYSTEM, THE THRILL OF CINERAMA, AND THE INVASION OF THE ULTIMATE BODY SNATCHER - TELEVISION will be published by Knopf October 10th. (Thanks to Irish on Twitter for the tip.) Hirsch books in my collection include THE DARK SIDE OF THE SCREEN: FILM NOIR, EDWARD G. ROBINSON, and ELIZABETH TAYLOR.

...Netflix is shutting down its discs-by-mail business this September and will henceforth focus solely on streaming. The owner of Redbox has indicated interest in buying that part of Netflix's business but Netflix says it will not be for sale.

...Coming to Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection this summer: THE RANOWN WESTERNS: FIVE FILMS DIRECTED BY BUDD BOETTICHER. The set, releasing July 18th, will include all of Boetticher's Westerns with Randolph Scott, excepting SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (1956) and WESTBOUND (1959). Extras will include a featurette on Scott by Farran Smith Nehme. (Would have been nice if they'd worked Scott's name into the set's title too...well, technically they did on the cover itself, though not the Criterion site listing.)

...The late Angela Lansbury's beautiful Brentwood estate has sold for $4.9 million.

...The Broadway production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA closed last weekend after a run of 35 years. Although I never saw it on Broadway, I have many happy memories of seeing it multiple times during its three-and-a-half-year Los Angeles run, and many years later I took our daughters to a touring production which I reviewed here.

...Coming to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: The MR. WONG COLLECTION, starring Boris Karloff, will be out June 20th, and FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (1943) is now announced as "coming soon." FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS stars Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman and is described as a 4K scan of the UCLA roadshow edition.

...Also coming to Kino Lorber Blu-ray in June is CLASH OF THE WOLVES (1925), a delightful Rin-Tin-Tin film I saw on the closing night of the recent TCM Classic Film Festival. Charles Farrell stars along with the famed dog star. A second film starring the canine wonder, WHERE THE NORTH BEGINS (1923), will be included as an extra.

...Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of THEY CAME TO CORDURA (1959) starring Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth...and Dennis Seuling has reviewed the company's new Blu-ray release of YOU AND ME (1938) for The Digital Bits.

...Coming to Blu-ray in June from ClassicFlix: BLONDE ICE (1948), "beautifully restored from 35mm elements." It stars Leslie Brooks and Robert Paige.

...Jeffrey Kauffman of Blu-ray.com has reviewed the new ClassicFlix release of the BLONDIE (1957) TV series

...Amazon Prime will be adding a feature allowing viewers to boost dialogue tracks over music and special effects. This has become a real issue in newer movies; for instance, I have zero problems understanding classic films seen on a big screen but now make it a practice to get a headset or closed captioning device at the theater for new films with noisy soundtracks, such as Marvel movies.

...Upcoming Warner Archive releases for late May include KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950), THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER (1963), and QUEEN CHRISTINA (1932).  Learn more at The Extras podcast.

...Variety reports that both the Egyptian and Vista Theatres in Los Angeles will finally be reopening later in the year. Also reopening soon is the Vidiots store and theater in Eagle Rock.

...Reed Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote a nice article on Luis Reyes, author of the TCM-Running Press book VIVA HOLLYWOOD! I reviewed the book here in February. I first met Luis in Lone Pine last October, and it's been a pleasure getting to know him a little in the ensuing months.

...The Criterion Channel's May lineup includes all eight James Stewart-Anthony Mann films.

...Tom Selleck's MAGNUM P.I. costar Larry Manetti recently guest-starred on BLUE BLOODS, and Daniel Levine of PopCulture interviewed Manetti.

...Daniel Levine also recently wrote about a visit to the Warner Bros. Archive.

...Over at Hollywood Comet, Jessica Pickens' recent Musical Monday reviews focused on a pair of Dick Powell films, HOLLYWOOD HOTEL (1937) and GOING PLACES (1938)...Tynan of Four Star Films has reviewed a trio of Claudette Colbert-Fred MacMurray films...At Silver Scenes, the Metzinger Sisters review a Cornel Wilde suspense film I liked, EDGE OF ETERNITY (1959), as part of the Shades of Shane Blogathon hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy...and there are several other interesting reviews linked at Hamlette's Soliloquy as part of that blogathon.

...There are a couple good classic film series on the way to Los Angeles this summer. The annual Last Remaining Seats series, hosted by the Los Angeles Conservancy in vintage L.A. theaters, will feature a half-dozen films in June. Hosts include Leonard Maltin and Kimberly Truhler of GlamAmor...Kim will also be hosting a Film Noir Style series for the American Cinematheque from May to September.  She's the author of a fine book by the same name.

...Notable Passings: Soap opera actress Elizabeth Hubbard (AS THE WORLD TURNS) has passed away at the age of 89...TV writer-creator Rita Lakin has died at 93. She created THE ROOKIES (1972-76) and FLAMINGO ROAD (1980-82).

...Please note there will not be a roundup next weekend on April 29th, when I'll be traveling. The column will return on Saturday, May 6th.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my April 8th roundup.

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The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review

Another wonderful TCM Classic Film Festival has now come to an end!

The festival opened on Thursday evening, April 13th, and closed on Sunday night, the 16th.

In between the opening and closing night festivities, festival-goers experienced just over 72 hours of marvelous films and presentations. The only difficulty was making hard choices from among so many wonderful options!

As was the case last year, screenings were held at five theaters, as well as poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. (The first of the three poolside screenings, on Thursday evening, had to be moved indoors to Club TCM due to inclement weather.) I managed to see something in every venue except the pool. I'm happy to say the shuttle vans to the Legion Theater returned this year and made getting to that theater a very pleasant experience.

I largely stuck to my planned schedule; I debated what to see on Saturday until the last minute and finally decided to see THE CRIMSON CANARY (1945) and SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948) instead of THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948). The TCM Classic Film Festival is all about difficult choices such as that!

The biggest schedule switch was Sunday, when I changed my original plans for THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956) and CASABLANCA (1942) in the big Chinese Theatre to HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943) and THE RED SHOES (1948) in the more intimate multiplex. As has occasionally happened for me in the past, those last-minute choices ended up being two of the screenings which meant the most to me; I found them both deeply moving experiences.

Also of special note for me this year was the presentation of WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951) by Craig Barron and Ben Burtt. Oscar-winning sound designer Burtt (STAR WARS) rigged up his own version of Sensurround, which he jokingly called "Bensurround," and the Legion Theater was rocking when the world began exploding and the spaceship took off! It's a good thing they warned us in advance so that we wouldn't mistake the vibrations for an earthquake.

This year I saw 15 films, although I did leave OCEAN'S 11 (2001) early due to a combination of the very late hour and poor sound quality in the area I was sitting in the cavernous Chinese Theatre. I hadn't seen that film in many years and am finishing it at home on DVD this week!

I saw four films in 35mm this year, in the Legion Theater and in Theater 4 of the Chinese multiplex, with the rest of the films shown via DCP. Four of the films seen at the festival were brand-new to me; of the seven repeat watches, four of them were first-time big screen watches.

As usual, I'll be discussing some of the films at greater length in daily recaps and/or individual film reviews as time permits. Lots more photos to come!

Previously reviewed films seen at the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival, listed in the order viewed: SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943), FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933), THE KILLERS (1946), WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951), UNFINISHED BUSINESS (1941), HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943), THE RED SHOES (1948).

I'll follow my usual routine of adding links to this paragraph as additional 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival posts go up, so that access to all of this year's coverage may be found in one place: The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day One; The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Two; The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Three; The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Four; The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day Five.

Previously: TCM Announces 2023 Festival Dates and Theme (October 18, 2022); 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements (November 11, 2022); Around the Blogosphere This Week (Russ Tamblyn announcement) (January 14, 2023); Latest 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements (January 25, 2023); New TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements (February 16, 2023); Latest TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements (March 4, 2023); TCM Classic Film Festival Announces Opening Night Movie (March 15, 2023); The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule (March 29, 2023); Coming Soon! (April 12, 2023).

Roundups containing all links to coverage of past TCM festivals: The 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, and The 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not be appearing this weekend, as I'm attending the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The column will return on Saturday, April 22nd.

For the most recent news and links, please visit my April 8th roundup.

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Coming Soon!

Today I'm off to the TCM Classic Film Festival!

Wednesday's festivities include the annual media reception.  The festival itself officially begins on Thursday, April 13th, and runs through Sunday, April 16th.

The outline of my tentative festival schedule may be read here.

Please follow me on Twitter for "as it happens" updates and photos. I also recommend visiting the Twitter hashtag #TCMFF to see a wide variety of Tweets on the event.

My in-depth coverage should begin here at the blog early next week.  (Update: All the links for my coverage of the 2023 festival may be found here.)

In addition to coverage of the TCM Classic Film Film Festival, there's much more to come, including:

*Extensive coverage of the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, which takes place in Palm Springs from May 11th through 14th.  (Update: Please visit this post for all my coverage links.)

*Photo posts on visits to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Mission Cemetery.  (Update: Links may be found here, here, and here.)

*Photo posts on the opening day of Disneyland's renovated Toontown and the upcoming Throwback Nite party.

*My contribution to the Master of Suspense Blogathon in late April. (Update: Here's my review of THE PARADINE CASE.)

*Over at Classic Movie Hub, my next post will be a new "memorial tour" of the final resting places of Western movie stars. (Update: Here's that column!)

*And, as always, look for plenty of Blu-ray, DVD, and book reviews in the coming weeks, along with classic film news roundups.

Thanks for reading!

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New at Classic Movie Hub: Tombstone (1993)

My latest Western Roundup column is now up at Classic Movie Hub!

This month I return to the subject of Wyatt Earp with a review of TOMBSTONE (1993), which I recently saw for the first time.

TOMBSTONE has a strong cast led by Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, and many more interesting actors.

Please click on this link to read my column, and thanks 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.

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Tonight's Movie: Double Crossbones (1951) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

DOUBLE CROSSBONES (1951), a comedy-adventure from Universal Pictures, was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

It's not a great film, but it's a mildly amusing 76 minutes thanks to a great cast and Universal's typically colorful production values.

The fun begins with opening narration by Jeff Chandler. Donald O'Connor plays Davey, a store clerk in the Carolinas who's sweet on Lady Sylvia (Helena Carter), ward of the governor (John Emery).

Long story short, Davey ends up an accidental pirate; meanwhile it turns out that the governor, who wants to marry Sylvia, is actually the mastermind behind a series of pirate attacks at sea.

Will Davey thwart the governor and win the fair Sylvia? What do you think?

The movie, scripted by Oscar Brodney, is on the slight side, but there's a wonderful cast, starting with Charles McGraw as a pirate frequently annoyed with Davey. Brassy Hope Emerson (WESTWARD THE WOMEN) is a lady pirate, and Will Geer is Davey's loyal pal Tom.

When Davey and Tom set free some men in debtor's prison, one of them just happens to be a young James Arness. Also in the cast are Alan Napier, Glenn Strange, Robert Barrat, Stanley Logan, and Frank Puglia.

I don't find O'Connor a particularly romantic hero, but he handles the physical antics well and manages to work in a little dancing as well.

I enjoy Helena Carter, who only made 13 films; I've now seen six, the next most recent being INVADERS FROM MARS (1953), and I'd like to see the rest. INVADERS FROM MARS was her final film. She passed on in 2000, at the age 76.

DOUBLE CROSSBONES was directed by Charles Barton and filmed by Maury Gertsman. The jaunty musical score was by Frank Skinner.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print is absolutely lovely, showing off Universal's trademark candybox Technicolor at its best.

Disc extras consist of a gallery of five trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by Lee Gambin and actor Gary Frank (FAMILY).

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

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Easter Blessings

Very best wishes for a happy Easter Sunday!

Here's a lovely photo of Marjorie Reynolds in Easter finery to help celebrate this special day.

Happiest Easter Wishes!

Previous Easter Photos: Jane Powell, Anita Louise, Doris Day, Jean Peters, Janet Leigh, Joan Caulfield, Rita Hayworth, Ann Blyth, Ida Lupino, and Laraine Day.

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Tonight's Movie: Border River (1954) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Favorites Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo star in BORDER RIVER (1954), a Universal Pictures Western just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

This was at least the third time I'd watched BORDER RIVER since my first viewing in 2011, and I continue to enjoy it. The script is modest but the pleasures of watching McCrea and De Carlo in beautiful Moab, Utah, make this quite an enjoyable 80 minutes.

Some modern viewers will be surprised that McCrea's hero, Clete Mattson, is a dedicated Confederate soldier. It's perhaps ironic that in past decades our country was less divided about our "great divide" of the 1860s.

Mattson arrives in "Zona Libre," an area between the United States and Mexico ruled by General Calleja (Pedro Armendariz), planning to trade gold bars for army supplies.

There is much intrigue, with both the general and Newland (Howard Petrie), a Union Army spy, keeping a close eye on Mattson. Mattson, meanwhile, is also more than interested in beautiful Carmelita (De Carlo), the general's mistress.

Director George Sherman keeps things moving along at a good pace, and Irving Glassberg captures beautiful Moab in lovely Technicolor.

Having been to Moab last year, it made me smile to immediately recognize Fisher Towers (seen here) under the opening credits. The movie was shot in various locations in Professor Valley and at White's Ranch, which is now Red Cliffs Lodge, along with Courthouse Wash at Arches National Park.

The BORDER RIVER supporting cast includes Alfonso Bedoya, Nacho Galindo, Ivan Triesault, Lane Chandler, and Bobby Hoy.

The Blu-ray is a beautiful print with excellent sound. De Carlo is shown to stunning effect wearing red and green gowns at various points. What a beauty!

Disc extras consist of the trailer; a gallery of four additional trailers for films starring McCrea or De Carlo; and a commentary track by Toby Roan of 50 Westerns From the 50s.

This is an enjoyable film which I can attest has good rewatch value. A very nice release from Kino Lorber which I'm sure to watch again in coming years.

Coming soon: A review of another De Carlo Universal Pictures Western released by Kino Lorber, TOMAHAWK (1951).

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

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Congratulations to my friend (and longtime TCM Fest roomie!) KC (Kendahl Cruver) of Watching Classic Movies; she has just published an eBook, THE CLASSIC FILM FAN USA TRAVEL GUIDE: OVER 500 ATTRACTIONS FOR ROAD TRIPS AND ONLINE EXPLORATION. Lots of great trip ideas in this book! (And I'm honored to have a photo I took of Lone Pine's Museum of Western Film History on the cover.) A list of online shops where it may be purchased can be found here.

...CineSavant Glenn Erickson has reviewed Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release of William Wyler's COUNSELLOR AT LAW (1933). I reviewed it myself a few days ago. We each highly recommend both the film and the disc.

...Last week I shared the great news that Kino Lorber has a second Audie Murphy Blu-ray collection on the way. Just a few days later Kino Lorber announced a third Murphy set! It will contain POSSE FROM HELL (1961), SHOWDOWN (1963), and HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1960), which I reviewed last year for Classic Movie Hub. I've also shared photos of some of the movie's locations here. Needless to say, both these sets are exciting news.

...Coming June 13th from Kino Lorber: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1978), starring Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland, and Lesley-Anne Down.

...Warner Bros. was founded on April 4, 1923. Here's Chris Yogerst on the founding of the studio for the Hollywood Reporter. His book on the studio is due out this fall.

...Last week the Film Noir Foundation announced that this year's Noir City Hollywood Festival will take place at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica from August 4th through 13th. I'll be sharing information on the schedule as it becomes available. In the meantime, be sure to check out my post on the schedule for the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival which takes place in Palm Springs next month!

...The week after hosting the Arthur Lyons Festival, Alan K. Rode will host a May 20th screening of BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948) in the "What is a Western?" series at the Autry Museum of the American West. The movie will be shown in the museum's Wells Fargo Theater. He'll also be signing copies of his new book on the film, published by the University of New Mexico Press.

...I'm hearing good things about AIR (2023), with Ben Affleck as Nike's Phil Knight and Matt Damon as a marketing employee who makes a shoe deal with Michael Jordan. Here are reviews by Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times and Leonard Maltin.  A trailer may be watched here.

...Kino Lorber is having a spring sale which will continue through April 24th.

...The Criterion Channel is four years old today! It started on April 8th, 2019.

...TV's BLUE BLOODS, starring Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, has just been renewed for Season 14.

...RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) returns to theaters later this month in honor of its 40th (gulp!) anniversary.

...Coming in August from the University Press of Kentucky: ELEANOR POWELL: BORN TO DANCE by Paula Broussard and Lisa Royere.

...Notable Passings: Actress Sharon Acker, whose films included POINT BLANK (1967) opposite Lee Marvin, has passed on at 87...Judy Farrell, who played Nurse Able in several episodes of M*A*S*H, has died at 84. She was at one time married to M*A*S*H costar Mike Farrell...Bill Butler, the cinematographer of JAWS (1974), passed away last week on April 5th, two days short of his 102nd birthday.

...Please note there will not be an Around the Blogosphere column next weekend, when I will be attending the TCM Classic Film Festival. The festival takes place in Hollywood from April 13th to 16th, 2023.  My news roundup column will return on April 22nd.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my April 1st roundup.

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Tonight's Movie: Thanks for the Memory (1938) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY (1938), starring Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

This disc is a lovely print of one of the better Hope movies I've seen. It's a lightweight yet satisfying confection with a marvelous supporting cast and a couple great tunes; it all adds up to 75 minutes of very pleasant company.

Hope and Ross play newlyweds Steve and Anne Merrick, whose marriage goes awry when Anne returns to work as a model so Steve can write his Great American Novel.

Gil struggles being at home and having Anne support him, and he also worries that Anne's ex-boyfriend Gil (Otto Kruger) is still pursuing her. Anne is loyal to Steve -- only to then suspect Steve has been carrying on with their very Southern neighbor Luella Mae (Patricia Wilder). A fine mess...

The film is lighter in tone than it sounds, with plenty of comic relief from a stellar supporting cast which includes Charles Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Hedda Hopper, Laura Hope Crews, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson.

The highlight is Hope and Ross performing Loesser and Carmichael's classic song "Two Sleepy People" midway through the movie; their performance is charming. They also do a brief talk-sing of "Thanks for the Memory" which they had previously dueted in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938).

Hope is nicely subdued, and I really liked Ross, who reminded me a bit of Florence Rice. I have a few of Ross's films on my shelves which I've yet to see and will be looking to watch more of her work.

The movie was directed by George Archainbaud and filmed in black and white byKarl Struss. I also particularly enjoyed the film's apartment set design, with big windows and a nice patio; the film's art direction was by Hans Dreier and Franz Bachelin.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is simply beautiful. This is a great way to see the movie.

Disc extras include the trailer; a gallery of 15 additional Hope trailers plus a Hope promo produced by Kino Lorber; and a commentary track by Michael Schlesinger.

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

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The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival Schedule

The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival opens in Palm Springs on Thursday, May 11th.

Passes are now on sale for this year's festival. It will run through Sunday, May 14th, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center's Camelot Theatre, located at 2300 E. Baristo Road.

Festival producer and host Alan K. Rode will present 13 films between Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon, including a "bonus" film early Saturday morning. That special presentation will be for festival passholders only. Tickets to the other films at the festival may be purchased individually by non-passholders.

This year's guests are David Ladd (son of Alan), Victoria Mature (daughter of Victor), Nicholas von Sternberg (son of Josef), and producer/director James B. Harris.

To say that I'm excited about this schedule is an understatement. There are five films I've never seen before in any format, and three more I've seen at home, but never on a big screen. The other five films I've seen theatrically, but in most cases it's been a number of years.

Opening night on the 11th will feature Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING (1956), with Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray heading a marvelous cast. The evening's guest, James B. Harris, who is now in his 90s, was the film's producer. This promises to be quite a special event. A reception will follow the screening and interview.

Friday morning, May 12th, will kick off with MGM's DIAL 1119 (1950), Marshall Thompson heading a strong cast which includes a personal favorite of mine, Andrea King.

Next comes the excellent "Western noir" BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948) with Robert Mitchum topping another great cast. The screening will be preceded by Alan Rode signing his new book on the film from University of New Mexico Press.

Friday rounds out with a pair of classics, THE NAKED CITY (1948) and THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). The latter film stars Alan Ladd, whose son David will be interviewed at the screening.

The special "early bird" passholder screening Saturday morning, May 13th, is a 35mm restoration of THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947) starring Lawrence Tierney.

It's followed by the Poverty Row cult film DECOY (1946), which somehow I've never seen, and THE BIGAMIST (1953), which was directed by and stars Ida Lupino, along with Edmond O'Brien and Joan Fontaine. THE BIGAMIST will be shown in a 35mm print from UCLA, where I saw the film half a decade ago.

Next comes Alan Ladd in APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1950), and a busy movie day concludes with Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, and Victor Mature in THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941), shown in a restored 35mm print. Director Josef von Sternberg's son Nicholas and costar Mature's daughter Victoria are special guests.

The festival wraps on Sunday, May 14th, with Barbara Stanwyck in THE LADY GAMBLES (1949), followed by SCANDAL SHEET (1952), starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed, directed by Phil Karlson. The festival concludes with the classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944).

The Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival is always a highly enjoyable experience. I look forward to it each year and very much recommend attending.

For a look at past Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival coverage, please visit these links: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Update: The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Review.

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Tonight's Movie: I"ll Cry Tomorrow (1955) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Susan Hayward was Oscar-nominated for her role as singer Lillian Roth in MGM's I'LL CRY TOMORROW (1955).

The movie was just released in a great-looking widescreen Blu-ray print by the Warner Archive Collection.

The movie tracks Roth's life from her childhood (played by Carole Ann Campbell) when she is pushed into performing by her stage mother Katie (Jo Van Fleet).

Lillian's plans to marry her childhood sweetheart David (played as a child by David Kasday and as an adult by Ray Danton) are dashed when David dies before they wed. From that point on, Lillian's professional successes are offset by a pair of bad marriages (to Don Taylor and Richard Conte) and her increasing reliance on alcohol.

Eventually a suicidal Lillian walks in the door at Alcoholics Anonymous, where she's treated with understanding by Burt (Eddie Albert) and Selma (Margo, Albert's real-life wife). Lillian still has bad times ahead as she withdraws from alcohol, but she gradually regains hope of living a normal life.

Susan Hayward is outstanding as Roth, including doing her own singing. That said, while I'm glad I finally saw her in this film, 119 minutes is a long time to watch someone's death spiral, with a relatively short section of the film focused on her eventual turnaround.

Part of the film's problem is that only her initial romantic relationship with the ill-fated David is sympathetic and interesting. The movie reunited Hayward with Richard Conte, her costar in HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949), but while their chemistry in the earlier film was off the charts, I didn't find them believable together here.

Conte's character, a fellow drinker, seemed more a tool to help illustrate Roth's continuing decline than a fully fleshed-out person. Watching Hayward's drunk scenes with both Conte and Taylor was sad and not very entertaining.

As a particular fan of both Hayward and Conte I'm glad to have checked this title off my viewing list, but I doubt I would want to see this emotionally draining film again. Albert is extremely likeable as Burt, but by the time he appeared late in the film I was exhausted!

I'll take a moment to note that like many movie biopics, I'LL CRY TOMORROW plays with the facts. Although the screenplay by Helen Deutsch and Jay Richard Kennedy was based on Lillian Roth's memoir (cowritten with Gerold Frank and Mike Connolly), it omits much of Roth's life story including additional marriages.

In some ways the film is quite polished, including Oscar-winning costumes by the great Helen Rose, yet it's odd that despite the passage of decades, the hairstyles and costumes don't change.

Setting aside the issues noted above, I'd describe I'LL CRY TOMORROW as generally well made and performed; a viewer's enjoyment will depend on tolerance for a sad, sad story.

I'LL CRY TOMORROW was directed by Daniel Mann and filmed in widescreen black and white by Arthur E. Arling.

The supporting cast includes Virginia Gregg, Veda Ann Borg, Robert Dix, Don "Red" Barry, and Tol Avery.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is excellent, with strong sound. Disc extras include the trailer; a 20-minute short starring Roth, STORY CONFERENCE (1934); excerpts from the MGM PARADE TV show; a newsreel; and a song selection menu.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Lucky Jordan (1942) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The great Alan Ladd stars as LUCKY JORDAN (1942), just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

We've been very fortunate to have some wonderful Ladd releases thanks to Kino Lorber, including CHINA (1943) and CALCUTTA (1947). I'm very glad to now also have LUCKY JORDAN available on Blu-ray.

In his first release after the star-making THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942) and THE GLASS KEY (1942), Ladd plays a gangster who is unhappy about being drafted into the army.

Lucky (Ladd) eventually goes AWOL, kidnapping a lovely canteen worker (Helen Walker) in the process. Unbeknownst to Lucky, he also inadvertently leaves with some important military secrets worth a lot of money on the criminal market.

It's a classic "boy and unwilling girl on the run" story along the lines of THE 39 STEPS (1935) or SABOTEUR (1942), except that Lucky starts out as an antihero or even possibly a villain. His experiences on the run bring about a gradual yet believable change in character.

It might not be one of Ladd's strongest films, but the screenplay by Darrell Ware and Karl Tunberg, based on a story by Charles Leonard, has some nice punchy humor and sarcasm as Ladd navigates his precarious situation. Ladd has become one of my favorite actors, which makes the film particularly enjoyable for me; good or bad, he's always compelling.

Ladd has nice chemistry with Walker, in her film debut, and some fun sharp-tongued interchanges with Sheldon Leonard as his untrustworthy rival.

Lucky's relationship with elderly Annie (Mabel Paige), a drunk he hires to pretend to be his mother, is one of the best parts of the movie, as their connection changes each of them for the better.

The cast also includes Lloyd Corrigan, Marie McDonald, Anthony Caruso, Clem Bevans, and many more familiar faces. Dorothy Dandridge is the maid at the "finishing school."

The movie runs 84 minutes. It was directed by Frank Tuttle and filmed in black and white by John F. Seitz.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is from a new HD master from a 2K scan of the 35mm fine grain. It looks and sounds very good.

Disc extras are a commentary track by Samm Deighan; the trailer; and a gallery of five trailers for other films starring either Ladd or Walker. There is also reversible cover art; both designs are shown in this review.

For a bit more on this film, please visit my review from 2011.

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

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Happiest birthday wishes to Margia Dean, who will turn 101 on April 7th. I recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Margia's niece who reports her aunt is doing well. Last year I wrote a centennial birthday tribute to Margia, which may be visited here. In April 2022 I also reviewed the Western AMBUSH AT CIMARRON PASS (1958), in which Margia costarred with Scott Brady and Clint Eastwood; that review was written for my Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub. Happy birthday, Margia!

...Jessica Pickens reviewed Robert Montgomery and Dorothy Jordan in LOVE IN THE ROUGH (1931) for her Musical Monday column at Comet Over Hollywood...Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Powerhouse Indicator UK Blu-ray release of STATE OF THE UNION (1948) starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, and Angela Lansbury...Glenn has also just reviewed Jeffrey Hunter in NO MAN IS AN ISLAND (1962) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It sounds interesting, though a bit disturbing at times..At Riding the High Country, Colin has reviewed Margaret Lockwood in BEDELIA (1946), a film which has been on my wish list...Scott Marks has reviewed the new Shout! Factory Blu-ray release of SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948) for Media Play News...and Danilo has reviewed MANHANDLED (1949) with Dan Duryea, Sterling Hayden, and Dorothy Lamour for Classic Movie Hub.

...The Warner Archive Collection has announced that May releases will include BORDER INCIDENT (1949) and CLASH BY NIGHT (1952). A volume of Looney Tunes cartoons is also on the way to Blu-ray in the near future. Additional May Warner Archive releases will be announced soon.

...Fantastic news from Kino Lorber: Audie Murphy Collection II is coming in June! The titles in this Blu-ray set are SIERRA (1950), KANSAS RAIDERS (1950), and DESTRY (1954). Toby Roan reports at 50 Westerns From the 50s that he's doing the commentary track on SIERRA.

...Karen has share thoughts on the Warner Bros. goodness airing on TCM this month at her blog Shadows and Satin...and be sure to catch her review of THE NAKED CITY (1948).

...At Another Old Movie Blog, Jacqueline reviews David Tucker's new book on Rochelle Hudson, published by McFarland.

...I recently shared my schedule picks for the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival. Other bloggers are sharing their picks, including Aurora at Once Upon a Screen, Kim at I See a Dark Theater, Chris at Blog of the Darned, Angela at The Hollywood Revue, and Annette at Hometowns to Hollywood. Anyone who's written a post on the festival schedule and is not mentioned here is welcome to leave a link in the comments!

...Speaking of film festivals, the fantastic schedule has just been revealed for next month's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs. Look for a detailed post going over the schedule here in the near future.  (Update: The 2023 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival Schedule.)

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my March 25th roundup.

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