TCM in June: Highlights

It's time for a close look at the June schedule on Turner Classic Movies!

The June Star of the Month will be Gary Cooper. 24 films and a documentary will be shown on Wednesday evenings this month, beginning on June 4th.

I'll have a separate Star of the Month post available here in the near future.  (Update: Please visit my post TCM Star of the Month: Gary Cooper.)

The June Noir Alley films will be THE UNDERCOVER MAN (1949) on June 7th and 8th, CRACK-UP (1946) on June 14th-15th, PALE FLOWER (1964) on June 21st and 22nd, and SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948) on June 28th and 29th.

It's of note that THE UNDERCOVER MAN was written by Sydney Boehm, the screenwriter behind not one but two films I've reviewed this weekend, MYSTERY STREET (1950) and UNION STATION (1950).

On Friday evenings, the TCM Spotlight theme will be "The Art of the Con," featuring films such as THE LADY EVE (1941), MR. LUCKY (1943), and THE MUSIC MAN (1962).

Also look for Alicia Malone hosting "Summer Romance," showing a classic romantic comedy each Sunday in June.

Below are a few more highlights from this month's schedule. Please click any hyperlinked title for a full-length review.

...A centennial tribute to Tony Curtis on June 3rd will include SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957), which I very much recommend.

...There's a marvelous run of films directed by Vincente Minnelli on June 6th. All seven films are worthwhile, but I especially recommend the undervalued YOLANDA AND THE THIEF (1945), a film I've always loved. Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer perform one of my all-time favorite dance numbers, "Coffee Time," seen in this photo.

...One of my favorite silent movies, GIRL SHY (1934), will be shown on Silent Sunday Nights on June 8th. Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston are a charming couple.

...Monday, June 9th, the schedule alternates films starring offscreen sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland. I've seen all but one of the films and enjoyed them all; I particularly recommend Fontaine in THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943), seen here, and de Havilland in HARD TO GET (1938). The latter film introduced the Warren-Mercer standard "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," sung by Dick Powell.

...Another outstanding day of programming is Judy Garland's birthday on June 10th. Every film is a gem; my favorites are MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) and THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946). But they're all deserving of attention!

...There's a wonderful day of suspense films on June 12th. I've seen every film in the lineup and they're all worthwhile, including THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), THE STRANGER (1946), and HIGH TIDE (1947), to name just a few.

...Father's Day on June 15th features Edward G. Robinson as Margaret O'Brien's father in OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945). Be sure to also catch that day's "Summer Romance," the comedy MIDNIGHT (1939). MIDNIGHT is an all-time favorite.

...There's a full day of romances on June 16th, including the short "Streamliner" movie NIAGARA FALLS (1941), a film rarely seen on TCM, plus fun films like a pair of "summer resort" movies, HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938) and TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE (1950).

...Errol Flynn's June 20th birthday will be celebrated with a lineup including CRY WOLF (1947), which I just enjoyed seeing theatrically at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs.

...One of my all-time favorite films, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954), will be shown on June 22nd. Also showing is the cute SEVEN SWEETHEARTS (1942) with Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt, and more.

...Another all-time favorite comedy, MERRILY WE LIVE (1938), is on June 23rd.

...One of my favorite days of the month is June 24th, with a lineup of extremely short movies. Titles include FOG OVER FRISCO (1934), which is 68 minutes; ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950), which runs 67 minutes; and THE AFFAIRS OF DOBIE GILLIS (1953), which is 72 minutes.

...TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944), starring June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Van Johnson, and Tom Drake, is a charmer, including some great big band music performers. It's on June 26th.

...You won't find a better adventure film than KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950), showing on June 29th. Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr star.

...The month wraps up on June 30th with the great RED RIVER (1948), starring John Wayne and a top cast, directed by Howard Hawks.

For more on TCM in June 2025, please visit my posts Quick Preview of TCM in June and TCM Star of the Month: Gary Cooper, along with TCM's online schedule.

Happy summer!

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Tonight's Movie: Union Station (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

This is my weekend for favorite 1950 police procedurals!

Earlier this weekend I revisited MYSTERY STREET (1950), with Ricardo Montalban as a police detective; it was cowritten by Sydney Boehm.

Boehm, inspired by a story by Thomas Walsh, was also the solo screenwriter behind another longtime favorite, UNION STATION (1950), which I watched today. UNION STATION was recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber as part of the Dark Side of Cinema XXIV collection.

William Holden plays Lt. William Calhoun, stationed at Chicago's Union Station along with Inspector Donnelly (Barry Fitzgerald) and several other officers.

Joyce Willecombe (Nancy Olson), a sharp-eyed secretary, is riding on a Chicago-bound train when she notices a pair of men acting strangely; the men race their car to the station to board the train but once aboard take seats at opposite ends of the compartment. Most concerning: One of the men (Lyle Bettger) is concealing a gun.

The conductor (Harry Hayden) is skeptical when Joyce quietly informs him of her observations, but he does connect her with Lt. Calhoun when the train pulls into Chicago, on the off chance something nefarious is going on.

After Calhoun opens a suitcase Beacom (Bettger) stows in a locker, it becomes clear that the two men have kidnapped Lorna (Allene Roberts), the blind daughter of Joyce's wealthy employer (Herbert Heyes), and they're holding her for ransom. The race is on to save Lorna's life.

I first saw this film in 2009, thanks to Turner Classic Movies, and I had the chance to revisit it theatrically at last year's 2024 Noir City Hollywood Festival. It's held up to multiple repeat viewings over the years, a dynamic, fast-paced 81 minutes with excellent leads and a great setting.

Holden and Olson, who worked in four films together, are charming leads in a good story. They're backed by a host of interesting supporting actors; in addition to those mentioned above, the cast includes Jan Sterling (who coincidentally was in MYSTERY STREET), James Seay, Parley Baer, Byron Foulger, Trevor Bardette, Robert Cornthwaite, Dick Elliott, Douglas Spencer, Queenie Smith, Kasey Rogers, and more.

UNION STATION was directed by Rudolph Mate and filmed in black and white by Daniel L. Fapp.

UNION STATION is one of several Paramount Pictures films recently released by Kino Lorber which was previously released on Blu-ray and/or DVD by the now-defunct Olive Films. It's boxed in this set with the previously reviewed JENNIFER (1953) plus THE CROOKED CIRCLE (1957), which will be reviewed at a future date.

The excellent Blu-ray print is from an HD master by Paramount Pictures from a 4K scan. Sound quality is also strong.

Disc extras for UNION STATION include the trailer; two additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber; and an engaging commentary track by Alan K. Rode.

Rode covers all aspects of the film and its production, including sharing stories from Nancy Olson, whom he's interviewed on multiple occasions. The movie was filmed at Union Station in Los Angeles, and Rode mentions the series of screenings he hosted in the station of movies which filmed there; I was in attendance at the 2016 screening he hosted of CRISS CROSS (1949)!

For some additional thoughts and background on this film, please click over to my 2009 review. The film, disc, and set are all recommended.

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

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A Birthday Tribute to Joan Caulfield

Actress Joan Caulfield was born in New Jersey on June 1, 1922.

A modeling career led to the cover of Life Magazine at age 19, followed by success on Broadway.

Caulfield had come to the attention of producer-director George Abbott, who cast her in his stage production of BEAT THE BAND (1942), followed by a leading role in the Broadway hit KISS AND TELL (1943).

From Broadway it was soon on to Hollywood and Paramount Pictures, where she made her debut in a small part as herself in DUFFY'S TAVERN (1945), followed by MISS SUSIE SLAGLE'S (1946) with Veronica Lake and Sonny Tufts. She's seen here with Tufts:

I found her leading lady role opposite Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in BLUE SKIES (1946) bland...

...but she was great fun in DEAR RUTH (1947) with William Holden.

I feel Caulfield comes off to best effect in movies which make use of her comedic talents; in addition to DEAR RUTH, she's very good in films such as MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1946) with Bob Hope or THE PETTY GIRL (1950) with Robert Cummings. Caufield and Cummings are seen here in the latter film:

I also enjoy her in more serious roles as the damsel in distress in the excellent crime films THE UNSUSPECTED (1947) and LARCENY (1948). She's seen here with Shelley Winters and John Payne in LARCENY:

Beginning in the early '50s most of Caufield's acting roles came on television, returning to films for the occasional Western, such as CATTLE KING (1963) opposite Robert Taylor:

Her last acting appearance came in a 1987 episode of MURDER, SHE WROTE called "Trouble in Eden."

Offscreen Joan Caulfield was married twice and had two sons, one from each marriage. She died in Los Angeles on June 18, 1991, at the age of 69. Her ashes are said to have been scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

Joan Caulfield films reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: BLUE SKIES (1946), MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1946), VARIETY GIRL (1947), DEAR RUTH (1947) (also here), THE UNSUSPECTED (1947), WELCOME STRANGER (1947), LARCENY (1948) (also here), DEAR WIFE (1949), THE PETTY GIRL (1950), CATTLE KING (1963).

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Tonight's Movie: Mystery Street (1950) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The excellent film noir/police procedural MYSTERY STREET (1950) has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

I first reviewed the movie here back in 2008, calling my first viewing "a wonderful surprise."

While the movie may no longer be a surprise after all these years, it's still quite wonderful, a compelling 93 minutes with all of the filmmakers at the top of their games.

A Boston "B" girl named Vivian (Jan Sterling), who's clearly "in trouble," disappears from a bar late one night...months later a bird watcher finds bones on Cape Cod which are eventually identified as the missing woman.

Ricardo Montalban plays police detective Peter Moralas, who works on the case with Detective Sharkey (Wally Maher). More significantly, Moralas collaborates with Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett), a forensic specialist at Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine; together they reconstruct not only the victim's identity but that she was pregnant and the method of the killing.

Did hapless Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson), drunkenly grieving his wife's (Sally Forrest) miscarriage the night Vivian disappeared, commit murder? Or was it someone else?

Vivian's former landlady (Elsa Lanchester) and friend (Betsy Blair) may hold clues...

This is one of a couple early police procedurals produced at MGM; MYSTERY STREET was preceded several years earlier by KID GLOVE KILLER (1942), the first feature film directed by Fred Zinnemann. Both are highly entertaining looks at the state of forensic medicine in the '40s. MYSTERY STREET had the bigger budget of the two films, allowing for extensive location shooting in the Boston area.

Montalban is wonderful, making the viewer wish he'd had similar roles or even a mystery series teamed with Bennett. (A side note: In my prior review I spelled his character's name the way it sounds, Morales, but the film actually has it as Moralas. Glenn Erickson noted issues with the spelling at the end of his own review.) Bennett is likewise pitch perfect as the scientist on the case.

Since first seeing the film I've come to appreciate many more cast members; for instance, in 2008 I knew little about actress-dancer Sally Forrest. Since then I've seen her in several movies, including a trio of good films directed by Ida Lupino. Incidentally, the centennial of Forrest's birth was a few days ago, on May 28th.

Forrest does well in an emotional role, especially in a scene where she's going over receipts from her pregnancy. It's an interesting note that a pair of pregnancies with very different tragic endings are a theme underpinning the film's mystery.

This is one of a couple key roles played by Lanchester in noir films of the era, another being THE BIG CLOCK (1948). In each film she plays two very different characters -- one good, one bad -- yet in each case she provides some amusing comic relief.

Betsy Blair (the offscreen Mrs. Gene Kelly in that era) registers well as a spunky waitress who, in a nice bit of background, has knowledge of guns thanks to having once dated an MP.

In the years since my first viewing I've also come to appreciate familiar character faces such as John Maxwell and Robert Foulk, who play detectives. It was great to recognize them here; their roles are small, yet they add a marvelous touch of "realness" to the background at Moralas's office, as well as the handball court where he works out.

MYSTERY STREET came fairly early in the career of director John Sturges, though he'd directed a few feature films previously, including THE SIGN OF THE RAM (1948) and THE WALKING HILLS (1949). The film's mood and pacing are just right. The film was written by Sydney Boehm and future director Richard Brooks, based on a story by Leonard Spigelgass.

One of the film's key elements is the beautiful cinematography of the great John Alton, much of it done on location in Boston. As is always the case with Alton's films, the movie provides remarkable visuals.

The gleaming black and white Blu-ray print is from a new 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the "best surviving preservation elements."  It's an outstanding print.

Extras consist of the trailer; a commentary track, originally recorded for a 2007 DVD release, by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward; a brief featurette on the film, MURDER AT HARVARD (2007); and a pair of MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons, LITTLE QUACKER (1950) and TOM AND JERRY IN THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL (1950).

In 2008 I wrote "This is one of those fine little movies you might never have heard of which is out there just waiting to be discovered." I hope more viewers will discover -- or rediscover -- it thanks to this Blu-ray release, which is highly recommended.

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

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Thanks to my friend Constance for making me aware of the book GIANT LOVE: EDNA FERBER, HER BEST-SELLING NOVEL OF TEXAS, AND THE MAKING OF A CLASSIC AMERICAN FILM. It was written by Julie Gilbert and published last December by Pantheon Books (Penguin Random House). I'd add that I read a number of Ferber books at one point in my life, and GIANT was by far by favorite.

...Another new book I just learned about is ANATOLE LITVAK: THE LIFE AND FILMS, published by McFarland Books in February. It was written by Michelangelo Capua, whose other books include JEAN PETERS: HOLLYWOOD'S MYSTERY GIRL.

...At Classic Movie Hub, Annette Bochenek has written about the background and former homes of one of my favorite child actresses, Marcia Mae Jones.

...This week Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray releases of MGM's MYSTERY STREET (1950) and LILI (1953).

...An upcoming book of interest: This September Taschen will publish WALT DISNEY'S CHILDREN'S CLASSICS, an anthology of stories based on Little Golden Books. It's edited by Charles Solomon, who wrote the 2014 book THE ART OF THE DISNEY GOLDEN BOOKS, published by Disney Editions. (Via Keith Buczak.)

...Attention Southern Californians: On August 2nd UCLA will screen DARK WATERS (1944) in 35mm. It's a relative rarity starring Merle Oberon and Franchot Tone, directed by Andre DeToth. There will also be an interview with Mayukh Sen, author of the recently published LOVE, QUEENIE: MERLE OBERON, HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST SOUTH ASIAN STAR.

...A few days ago I wrote a tribute to actress Kathleen Hughes, who has just passed away. Her friend Alan K. Rode has now written a tribute which was published by Variety.

...Notable Passing: Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H (1972-83) has died at 87. I met her briefly and received her autograph on a memorable occasion: An Academy screening of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Her TV costar Jamie Farr, who was in the film, was a special guest that night along with another actor from the movie, director Paul Mazursky. It was the last week M*A*S*H was filming, and she and Alan Alda came to be with Farr that evening. The TV show itself admittedly hasn't worn particularly well with me, but I will always remember how gracious she was, particularly as it was clearly an emotional week for Swit and her TV colleagues.

...More Notable Passings: Actress Valerie Mahaffey has passed away at 71. I particularly remember her for her Emmy-winning guest role as Eve on NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1991-95)...James McEachin, a busy working actor for decades, has died at 94. Besides voluminous TV credits, he appeared in four Clint Eastwood movies...Taina Elg, the last surviving cast member of the four main leads from MGM's LES GIRLS (1957), has passed on at 95. Her passing comes less than a year after her costar Mitzi Gaynor's death in October 2024. She's seen here with costar Gene Kelly...Actress Ena Hartman has died at 93. She appeared on TV's DAN AUGUST (1970-71) and was a stewardess in AIRPORT (1970).

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 24th column.

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New Western RoundUp Column: Pioneertown

This month's Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub chronicles my visit to Pioneertown earlier this month.

Pioneertown was founded in California's Yucca Valley in 1946 by Roy Rogers, Russell Hayden, Dick Curtis, the Sons of the Pioneers, and more.

It was developed as a hybrid Western filming location and town with modern amenities for those working there. There was even a bowling alley for bowling fan Rogers to use in his off hours.

Among the movies filmed at Pioneertown were many Gene Autry and Cisco Kid films, along with numerous '50s TV Westerns produced by Autry.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub for photos and more on the town's interesting history, and thanks very much for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024; April 2024; May 2024; June 2024; July 2024; August 2024; September 2024; October 2024; November 2024; December 2024; January 2025; February 2025; March 2025; April 2025.

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Quick Preview of TCM in July

Here's a quick peek ahead at what's coming in July on Turner Classic Movies.

The July Star of the Month will be a "theme" month focused on "Ladies of the '80s" instead of a single star.

Look for films starring actresses such as Kathleen Turner, Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffith, Jessica Lange, Julia Roberts, and more on Tuesday evenings beginning July 8th.

The TCM Spotlight theme for July will be Greek mythology. The series will feature titles such as DOWN TO EARTH (1947), HELEN OF TROY (1956), JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981), and more on Wednesdays beginning July 9th.

The July Noir Alley films will be THIS SIDE OF THE LAW (1950), THE GANGSTER (1947), INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949), and RIFIFI (1955).

It was a pleasant surprise to spot the 20th Century-Fox film DAY-TIME WIFE (1939), starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell, on the schedule. It's not a title regularly shown on TCM.

It's also great to see the 20th Century-Fox film DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939) scheduled for Independence Day.  The July 4th schedule will also include (of course) YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942).

July programming themes will include bankers, musicals, the ocean, the Cold War, Washington D.C., murder mysteries, the British monarchy, movies with the word "strange" in the title, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in July will include Farley Granger, Warren William, Clarence Brown, Christopher Reeve, Robert Montgomery, Leslie Goodwins, William Dieterle, Barbara Stanwyck, Doris Day, Natalie Wood, Audie Murphy, and Gregory Peck.

There will be a memorial tribute for director David Lynch on July 11th.

I'll have more on the July schedule here around July 1st. In the meantime, enjoy Gary Cooper as the Star of the Month in June!

Update: For more on TCM in July 2025, please visit my post TCM in July: Highlights.

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Tonight's Movie: Donovan's Reef (1963) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Revew

One of my favorite John Wayne films, DONOVAN'S REEF (1963), has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

This is one of a couple early '60s Wayne "hangout" films released by Kino Lorber this year; previously they brought Howard Hawks' HATARI! (1961) to Blu-ray and 4K, and now it's time for John Ford's DONOVAN'S REEF.

DONOVAN'S REEF is a film which makes me smile almost from the moment it starts. As my friend Toby Roan said to me a couple days ago, it's "one of those movies where the joy on the set makes it to the screen." The viewer can't help but feeling a lift watching this movie.

Wayne plays Michael Patrick "Guns" Donovan -- I probably don't need to tell Wayne fans he has sons named Michael and Patrick -- who lives on a tropical island. As the movie begins, Guns' longtime "frenemy," "Boats" Gilhooley (Lee Marvin) shows up on the island just in time for their annual December 7th birthday brawl.

Boats' arrival is soon followed by the arrival of Amelia Dedham (Elizabeth Allen), the Bostonian daughter of the island doctor (Jack Warden). It's a long story, but father and daughter have never met, nor is Amelia aware that after her mother's death her father married an island princess, giving her three half-siblings (Jacqueline Maloof, Cherylene Lee, and Jeffrey Byron).

Young Byron, I'll throw in here, was the son of Ford regular Anna Lee and was Ford's godson.

The doctor is away when Amelia arrives, and his friends are concerned a Bostonian like Amelia won't take to the idea of Polynesian half-siblings, so they pretend the children belong to Guns. Everyone eventually learns that notion was every bit as prejudiced as they expected Amelia would be.

There's not a lot more to the film, which is just a wonderful excuse to spend 109 minutes with the cast, also including Cesar Romero, Dorothy Lamour, and Dick Foran. I pretty much start laughing as soon as Romero and Lamour appear on screen, it's just so much fun having them along for the ride.

Lamour had worked with Ford decades previously, on THE HURRICANE (1937). She may not have the biggest part, but you can tell she cut her comedic chops with Hope and Crosby, as she makes the most of every moment. When Amelia spots Lafleur (Lamour) looking at a wedding gown and asks her if she's "contemplating matrimony," the obviously no-longer-very-young Lafleur replies in deadpan fashion, "What young girl my age doesn't contemplate matrimony?" To which Amelia politely replies, "How true."

There are so many delightful little bits, from Romero's constant scheming to the Christmas Eve pageant to Amelia's Christmas gifts to Boats and Lafleur (a model train set and a wedding gown, naturally!).

And the music! I think of the melody as the "C&H Sugar" jingle, but every time the islanders launch into song when greeting a boat, my eyes mist up happily. Those moments simply definite "feel good movie" for me.

The entire cast, especially Wayne, is in peak form. And Foran, in what I think of as the "Ward Bond" part (Bond had died in 1960), even gets to sing a few bars.

I feel the only thing that would have made the film more perfect was Maureen O'Hara as the female lead; this was released soon after she played a proper Bostonian in THE PARENT TRAP (1961). But as Toby also pointed out to me, Allen is actually quite good. She's just not Maureen.

Mike Mazurki plays a role which once upon a time would have been played by Victor McLaglen; McLaglen had died in 1959. The cast also includes Marcel Dalio, Patrick Wayne, Edgar Buchanan, and Jon Fong. If one looks closely Ford regulars such as John Qualen and Mae Marsh can be spotted.

The movie was filmed in Technicolor by William H. Clothier. The screenplay by Frank Nugent and James Edward Grant was inspired by stories by James Michener and Edmund Beloin

Kino Lorber's beautiful print is a new HD master from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative.

This is presented as Kino Lorber Special Edition with a cardboard slipcase. There are two separate new commentary tracks, one by Ford historian Joseph McBride and one by Lee Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein. There's also a 21-minute short, THE GROWLER STORY (1957), directed by Ford, featuring Ward Bond and Ken Curtis, narrated by Dan Dailey. The disc is rounded out by the movie trailer plus a gallery of six additional trailers.

Kino Lorber has also released DONOVAN'S REEF in a 4K edition.

I love and recommend this film, especially in this beautiful print. Enjoy!

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

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Book Review: The Art of Classic Crime and Mystery Movies

One of the most beautiful books I've had the pleasure to read in the last few years is THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES.

This brand-new book, releasing from Schiffer Publishing on May 28th, 2025, was written and edited by film historian Ed Hulse.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Hulse speak at the Lone Pine Film Festival, so when I learned about the subject matter of his new book I was immediately interested.

The front cover advertises "The Genre in 800 Eye-Popping Posters," and that's certainly an accurate description. The book is a work of great visual beauty, thanks to all the posters in contains, but it's much more than that.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, ranging from "The Silent Era" to "Sherlock on the Silver Screen" to "The Emergence of Film Noir." Most of the films are from what I would define as the classic era, from the early years of film and up through the '60s, but there are also a few posters for '70s movies. A small handful of even later posters accompany the author's afterword.

Along with an introduction at the beginning of the book, each chapter has a thorough intro by Hulse, as well as shorter sidebars throughout the book on a variety of topics, such as "Sleuthing Spouses," "Those Dizzy Detecting Dames," "Cornell Woolrich," and "Formative Noir."

Hulse presents solid history, with his own critical insights scattered throughout; for instance, I loved his mention that THE PREVIEW MURDERY MYSTERY (1936), which has become a real favorite of mine, was "directed with great panache by Robert Florey."

As that mention hints, many of the posters included are for relatively lesser-known but highly enjoyable films such as GIRL MISSING (1933), DANGEROUS TO KNOW (1938), HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940), and DANGEROUS BLONDES (1943). I also found myself jotting down some unfamiliar titles I'd like to track down thanks to some of the posters!

Of course, posters for well-known classics of all kinds are included as well. The book is an excellent mixture of the familiar and the more obscure; the knowledgeable commentary on a wide variety of films, combined with beautiful art, makes the book a winner for film fans with any level of knowledge on the subject.

This title is also perfect to serve as a literal coffee table book; perhaps some of those who pick it up to thumb through it will find themselves intrigued and start down the path of the watching the movies seen in glorious color in the book's pages.

THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES is 320 pages including index. It contains 800 color and black and white photos printed on glossy paper. It has a foreword by Glenn Kenny.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Schiffer Publishing for providing a review copy of this book.

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