Tonight's Movie: The Falcon Strikes Back (1943)

Six months after George Sanders exited the FALCON series in THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942), Tom Conway took over the franchise starring solo in THE FALCON STRIKES BACK.

Conway, who was Sanders' older brother in real life, had been introduced as Tom Lawrence, the brother of Sanders' Gay Lawrence, in THE FALCON'S BROTHER. This time around Tom picks up where Gay left off, waking up with a hangover and immediately involved with three beautiful women: perky reporter Marcia Brooks (Jane Randolph), first met by Tom in THE FALCON'S BROTHER; resort manager Gwynne Gregory (Harriet Hilliard, better known as Harriet Nelson); and the mysterious Mia Bruger (Rita Corday).

Tom becomes entangled with a ring to steal war bonds; along the way he's involved with a group of volunteer knitters and conducts an investigation at the elegantly rustic Pinecrest Hotel.

Harriet Hilliard looks especially lovely as the hotel manager who may or may not be a crook. It's always a treat to see her from the earlier part of her career, before she was better known as Ricky and David's mother!

THE FALCON STRIKES BACK is an especially good entry in the series, 66 well-paced minutes filled with colorful characters and an attractive setting. The hotel makes an especially pleasing backdrop for the mystery; I'd love to know where the exterior swimming pool scenes were shot. (It's also fun to spot the smooth editing in of Rita Corday's diving double.) Tom Conway plays the Falcon as though it's been his part from Day One, and the whole formula works very well.

It's interesting to note this title was directed by Edward Dmytryk, who would soon show his talent on Grade "A" films such as MURDER, MY SWEET (1944), TILL THE END OF TIME (1946), and CROSSFIRE (1947).

The Velma Dawson Puppets add an unusual bit of color to the film; Dawson was the creator of the Howdy Doody marionettes. It's interesting to note that one of the puppets is of Disney's Goofy; RKO, which made the FALCON series, released Disney films in that era.

Jane Randolph returned to the series for the second and final time as Marcia Brooks. Marcia fills the same type of role Wendy Barrie played in the first two films, dazzled by the Falcon's kisses and jealously fending off other women, while occasionally serving as his Gal Friday. In between making THE FALCON'S BROTHER and THE FALCON STRIKES BACK, Randolph and Conway costarred with Kent Smith and Simone Simon in the Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur classic CAT PEOPLE (1942).

Rita Corday would go on to appear in four more FALCON films, in a variety of roles. Despite a significant number of credits under the name Rita Corday, in 1947 she was billed in Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s THE EXILE (1947) under the name Paule Croset. Then in the '50s she began acting under yet another name, Paula Corday.

Jean Brooks, who plays the Spanish-speaking girl asking the Falcon's help at the end of the movie, would also appear in four more FALCON films, playing a different role in each one!

Cliff Clark and Edward Gargan return as long-suffering Inspector Donovan and the hapless Detective Bates, while Richard Loo succeeds Keye Luke, the most recent actor to have played the Falcon's houseboy, Jerry. Loo is quite delightful in an expanded role, showing up undercover at Pinecrest to help solve the mystery. Cliff Edwards picks up the part of the Falcon's right-hand man, Goldie Locke, from Allen Jenkins, who played the role in the first three films; Don Barclay's Lefty of THE FALCON'S BROTHER is absent.

One almost needs a scorecard to follow the revolving cast members and characters throughout the series -- although, truth to tell, it doesn't really matter very much, except to those of us who like to keep track of such things! Each film is a self-contained story which can be enjoyed by anyone new to the series.

The earlier films in the Falcon series, preceding THE FALCON'S BROTHER, were THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), and THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942).

THE FALCON STRIKES BACK is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive in The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Volume I.

It can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Tonight's Movie: Breakaway (1956) - A Kino Lorber DVD Review

This month Kino Lorber has released a new five-film DVD set, British Noir III.

The collection is a follow-up to the original British Noir set, as well as British Noir II, released last year; I wrote about the latter set and reviewed the film THE INTERRUPTED JOURNEY (1949).

The films in the new set consist of:

*THE FRIGHTENED LADY (1940), also known as THE CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY or THE SCARF MURDER MYSTERY, starring Marius Goring and Penelope Dudley-Ward.

*BRASS MONKEY (1948), which stars American actress Carole Landis in her final role.

*THIRD TIME LUCKY (1949) starring Glynis Johns and Dermot Walsh.

*TALL HEADLINES (1952), aka THE FRIGHTENED BRIDE, starring Mai Zetterling, Michael Denison, and Dennis Price.

*BREAKAWAY (1956), the movie being reviewed tonight, which stars Tom Conway and Honor Blackman.

I chose BREAKAWAY to watch first because of my fondness for Tom Conway and his Falcon Mysteries.

I learned that BREAKAWAY was the second film in which Conway played private investigator Tom "Duke" Martin. The previous year he played the role in the mystery BARBADOS QUEST (1955), also known as MURDER ON APPROVAL. I need to track that one down!

At least four cast members of BARBADOS QUEST appeared in different roles in BREAKAWAY, including familiar TV faces John Colicos, who was the villain of the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978-79) show, and John Horsley, who guested in countless British series.

The BREAKAWAY plot is a bit of a mishmash about a chase to find a secret formula which prevents metal fatigue. There's a dying inventor, a kidnapping, a rescue, and in the middle of it all is the suave, calm Duke Martin (Conway), who seems unruffled even when bad guys are holding a gun on him.

The film is strictly "by the numbers," with little character development, although fans of Conway or Blackman will probably find it a mildly pleasant 72 minutes, as I did.

The DVD print is variable, with some lighter scenes. The purpose of a set like this isn't beautiful restorations, but getting relatively obscure films into the hands of those who would like to see them, and from that standpoint it's very appreciated. Although some scenes are faded, there's no major damage such as distracting skips, and the soundtrack is solid. There are no extras or subtitles for this film.

BREAKWAY was directed by Henry Cass and filmed in black and white by Monty Berman.

I'll be reviewing additional films from this set in the future, and I also intend to circle back to Volume II to watch more films. So many movies to watch, so little time...

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this DVD.

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Tonight's Movie: The Falcon's Brother (1942)

THE FALCON'S BROTHER was George Sanders' fourth and final film starring as Gay Lawrence, the "Falcon."

The title character of this entry, Tom Lawrence, was played by Sanders' real-life brother, Tom Conway. The Lawrence brothers work to stop the murder of a South American diplomat, after which the series was handed over to Conway. Conway would star in nine more FALCON films before ending his run in the series in 1946.

THE FALCON'S BROTHER is a pretty good exemplar of the FALCON series. The story gets off to a fast start with Gay meeting his brother Tom's ship, only to be told his brother is dead in his stateroom. Gay pretends that the body he's shown is Tom in front of the police, but quickly informs his new chauffeur Lefty (Don Barclay) that the dead man is not Tom. Thereafter, the first order of business is for Gay and Lefty to locate Tom and figure out what's going on.

The mystery gets a bit complicated at times, but it's wound up nicely in 63 minutes. Tom does the majority of the leg work on the case, as Gay is laid up for a while after being hit by a car. I must say that although I knew it was Sanders' last film as the Falcon, I was surprised by the manner in which Gay was written out.

Jane Randolph (CAT PEOPLE) is perky as a newspaper reporter trailing Tom, and Keye Luke is also on hand as Gay's houseboy, who occasionally drops his educated English and uses pidgin to confuse the police. Both actors have winning personalities and bring a nice energy to the film in their scenes.

Edward Gargan returns as dim-witted Detective Bates, partnered this time around with Cliff Clark as Inspector Donovan.

One of the scenes which caught my notice involved Jane Randolph's character being refused entrance to a nightclub because she did not have a male escort with her. Such movie moments are brief but provide an interesting peek at how times have changed over the decades since the film was made. One can only imagine the fuss in the media, not to mention the lawsuits, if such a law were enforced in this day and age.

THE FALCON'S BROTHER was directed by Stanley Logan and photographed by Russell Metty. The editor was Mark Robson, who shortly thereafter became a director himself, starting out with Val Lewton films. Robson directed a Robert Sterling Western I really like, ROUGHSHOD (1949), as well as several Dana Andrews films. As a matter of fact, Robson directed the movie I just watched on New Year's Eve, EARTHQUAKE (1974).

The previous films in the Falcon series were THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), and THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942).

THE FALCON'S BROTHER is available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive in The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Volume I.

It's also available on Region 2 DVD.

This film can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

New on DVD: The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Vol. 2

There's great news for fans of RKO's FALCON mysteries: The six remaining films in the series are now being released by the Warner Archive in The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Vol. 2.

Preorders are now being accepted for the set, which ships February 19th.

The titles in the set are THE FALCON OUT WEST (1944), THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944), THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD (1944), THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO (1945), THE FALCON'S ALIBI (1946), and THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE (1946). Tom Conway stars in all six films as Tom Lawrence, aka "the Falcon."

Guest stars in the films in Volume 2 include Barbara Hale (the leading lady in two films), Jane Greer, Martha Vickers, Jean Brooks, Rita Corday, Lyle Talbot, Robert Armstrong, Steve Brodie, and Myrna Dell, among others.

I find this series very enjoyable light entertainment, sort of a forerunner to favorite TV detective shows which came along in the ensuing decades. As of the fourth film, Tom Conway had taken over the series from his real-life brother, George Sanders, and Conway seems to be having a terrific time as the suave Falcon. The series is in great hands with Conway in the lead role, and indeed, he starred in the majority of the FALCON films.

According to Leonard Maltin's CLASSIC MOVIE GUIDE, THE FALCON'S ALIBI is basically a remake of the very first film in the series, THE GAY FALCON, which starred Sanders. Maltin likewise indicates that THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE remakes the second Sanders film, A DATE WITH THE FALCON.

THE GAY FALCON and A DATE WITH THE FALCON were previously released, along with five other FALCON films, in the Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Vol. 1.

Reviews of the Falcon series to date: THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942), THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942), THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943), THE FALCON IN DANGER (1943), THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS (1943), THE FALCON OUT WEST (1944), and THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944).

Update: Here's a review of THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD (1944).

Tonight's Movie: Cat People (1942)

The third film seen from my list of 10 Classics for 2013, following SAFETY LAST! (1923) and LITTLE CAESAR (1931), was the Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur horror classic CAT PEOPLE.

CAT PEOPLE was one of the bigger successes from my "classics lists" of the past couple years; I loved it! Although I usually stay away from horror films, this one was just my style, managing to be very spooky without being graphic or truly horrific. I was fascinated by the stylish way the filmmakers put over the story of a woman who turns into a killer cat, without ever actually showing her transformation. It may be a scary film, but it's also visually beautiful, which isn't what one tends to expect when it comes to horror. This film was quite special, and I know I'll be wanting to watch it again in the future.

Irena (Simone Simon), a Serbian immigrant, meets Oliver (Kent Smith) in a zoo, and they marry after a whirlwind courtship. Unfortunately, Irena strongly believes in a legend from her native village, that she will turn into a dangerous cat if she becomes passionate or angry. Poor Oliver learns on their wedding night that Irena is unwilling to consummate their marriage as she fears the potentially deadly consequences of passion. (Needless to say, this is all handled quite delicately, given that the movie was released in 1942. Less is more.)

Initially Oliver is very patient, but when Irena can't get over her fear he sends her to Dr. Louis Judd (Tom Conway), a psychiatrist. Dr. Judd's not able to help much either, and after weeks of frustration and rejection, Oliver realizes that he is actually in love with his coworker, Alice (Jane Randolph), and she with him. This awakens Irena's jealousy, which is not a good thing...

I've heard for years how well-done this film is, and happily it did not disappoint. There are some wonderful set pieces, including Alice's scary swim in her apartment building's pool and her very creepy walk home late at night. The latter scene where Alice is stalked is reminiscent of the sequence in Lewton's THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) where the young girl walks home from the store in the dark, and it also made me think of Betsy's walk through the jungle to the voodoo ceremony in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943). Both these films, like CAT PEOPLE, were directed by the very stylish Jacques Tourneur.

My favorite scenes included Irena, having recently had one of her episodes, crying in shame and frustration in her bathtub, and I especially loved the scene where Oliver and Alice are stalked by a lethal cat which seemingly comes out of nowhere. I loved how that sequence was resolved; apparently homicidal cats and vampires are afraid of the same thing!

Simon is effective as a lovely but strange young woman; her performance is certainly different from her funny role in the wacky JOHNNY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1944), a favorite '40s comedy.

I also enjoyed Jane Randolph, who manages to make the "other woman" likeable; she and Simon are initially both sympathetic characters, but as Simon's Irena grows increasingly distant and disturbed, the audience's sympathy gradually swings to Randolph. Randolph's background included serving as a live-action model for the ice skating sequence in BAMBI (1942). She appeared with Tom Conway in a couple of the FALCON films, THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942) and THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943). She was also in IN THE MEANTIME, DARLING (1944) with Jeanne Crain.

Jack Holt and Alan Napier have small roles as Oliver's coworkers. Teresa Harris, who plays the cafe waitress in CAT PEOPLE, also appeared in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE.

The superb black and white cinematography was by Nicholas Musuraca (OUT OF THE PAST), and the editing was by future director Mark Robson. The film runs 73 minutes.

CAT PEOPLE was written by DeWitt Bodeen. He didn't write many screenplays, but they were of a very high quality, including THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1945), I REMEMBER MAMA (1948), and MRS. MIKE (1949). Growing up, I learned a great deal of film history from back issues of Films in Review, to which Bodeen was a regular contributor; he specialized in profiling actors from the silents and pre-Code days.

Bodeen also wrote a loose sequel, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944), which was directed by Robert Wise and Gunther von Fritsch and again produced by Lewton. Like CAT PEOPLE, it starred Simone Simon, Kent Smith, and Jane Randolph.

CAT PEOPLE is available on a relatively inexpensive "double feature" DVD, along with CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944), or in the big Val Lewton Horror Collection boxed set. The DVD can be rented from Netflix or ClassicFlix.

The movie can be rented for streaming from Amazon Instant Video. It was also released on VHS.

Finally, a reminder for any bloggers interested in writing about CAT PEOPLE this month: You're invited to send me the link to your post, either via the comments or email, and I'll include the link at the end of this post, as well as Tweet whenever the post is updated with a new link.

Leticia, a classic film fan in Brazil who writes at Critica Retro (Retro Critic), has a very interesting post comparing the 1942 version with its 1982 remake. (There's a handy translation widget at her blog, by the way!) I'd completely forgotten that CAT PEOPLE was remade; although I never saw it, I remember it being released, and it's hard to believe that was 30 years ago! I was interested to learn from Leticia's post that Tom Conway played Dr. Louis Judd in another Lewton film, THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943); I'll plan to see that one along with CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE. Thanks for joining me enjoying CAT PEOPLE this month, Leticia!

Tonight's Movie: The Falcon's Adventure (1946)

Tonight I watched the 13th and final RKO FALCON film, THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE (1946), and I have to say I was quite sorry to see this congenial movie series come to an end. At least I still have the Saint and Boston Blackie!

This time around Tom Lawrence, aka the Falcon (Tom Conway), and righthand man Goldie (Edward Brophy) come to the rescue of Louisa Braganza. Louisa falls prey to kidnappers who want her uncle's formula for creating industrial diamonds.

THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE is one of the less scintillating entries in the series, but it's still a pleasant 61 minutes. The good cast includes a small role as a cop for Jason Robards Sr., who has such a distinctive voice; Ian Wolfe as an elderly man caught up in the intrigue (Wolfe was only about 50 but began playing old men at a young age!); and Myrna Dell and Steve Brodie among the bad guys.

The other night I said I felt like this was "the year of Steve Brodie" because he is turning up so frequently in my viewing. Here he was again tonight! A glance at his nearly 170 screen credits reveals I've seen a majority of his films of the '40s, in particular, and most of his '40s titles which I've not yet seen are in my collection.

Although THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE concluded RKO's long-running series starring George Sanders or his brother Tom Conway, technically there were three additional Falcon films. John Calvert played a new character named Michael Waring in movies released by an independent production company in 1948 and 1949.

There was also a 1954-56 TV series with the Mike Waring character which starred Charles McGraw, which is rather fascinating as the rough-hewn McGraw is so different from the urbane Sanders and Conway.

THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE runs 61 minutes. It was directed by William Berke.

This film is available on DVD in a very nice print in the Warner Archive's The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection, Vol. 2. I highly recommend both volumes as solid, well-crafted entertainment. I find that one of these short mysteries, which typically run about an hour, can be just the ticket for late-evening viewing when there's not time to dig into a longer or weightier film, and they often have very interesting casts. The leading ladies of the Falcon series include Barbara Hale, Jane Greer, Harriet Hilliard (Nelson), Wendy Barrie, and Jane Randolph (CAT PEOPLE).

THE FALCON'S ADVENTURE has also had a release on Region 2 DVD in Europe.

Reviews of the earlier films in the series: THE GAY FALCON (1941), A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942), THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942), THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942), THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943), THE FALCON IN DANGER (1943), THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS (1943), THE FALCON OUT WEST (1944), THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944), THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD (1944), THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO (1945), and THE FALCON'S ALIBI (1946).

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...A very happy 80th birthday to the effervescent Ruta Lee, who was born Ruta Kilmonis in Montreal on May 30, 1935. Lee played Ruth in my favorite film, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954), and she also guest starred opposite James Garner in one of my very favorite MAVERICK episodes, "Comstock Conspiracy." Her personal website is here. She's seen here in a SEVEN BRIDES publicity still with Matt Mattox.

...Kristen Lopez interviews Eddie Muller on TCM's "Summer of Darkness" at her blog Journeys in Classic Film.

...The Warner Archive has a bunch of terrific "B" film noir titles coming out this month, including Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford in TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945), which I've previously reviewed here; Conway and Martha O'Driscoll in CRIMINAL COURT (1946), reviewed here; and Barbara Hale and Bill Williams in THE CLAY PIGEON (1949), reviewed here. These films were directed by Anthony Mann, Robert Wise, and Richard Fleischer, respectively. I expect to be taking a fresh look at these movies when the DVDs are out and will be reviewing them here!

...At Speakeasy Kristina reviews Joan Bennett and James Mason in the superb film THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1949). For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, this is one to try to catch sooner rather than later!

...John McElwee's review of PARIS MODEL (1953) at Greenbriar Picture Shows cracked me up. After listing the film's many flaws, he said they make it "an absolute must-see!" Sounds like fun, especially as its cast includes Paulette Goddard, Tom Conway, and Barbara Lawrence.

...I recently came across a DVD Beaver review of Marguerite Chapman and Lee Bowman in THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN (1946). That's a film I hope to catch sooner rather than later.

...Toby's written about the "Whistler" films with Richard Dix at The Hannibal 8. I've never seen a Whistler film and hope to rectify that this year!

...Last week Amazon launched free same-day delivery for Amazon Prime members in a number of areas. Place a $35 order by noon, have it by 9:00 p.m. that night!

...Actress Nancy Gates has an official website.

...There's lots of great stuff at KC's A Classic Movie Blog recently, including extensive coverage of the Seattle International Film Festival plus reviews of Warner Archive DVDs. Be sure to check it out!

...I've been meaning to catch up with Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie in HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL (1952). This post at Classic Movie Ramblings makes the film look like a visual treat...another one I'd like to see soon!

...I covered the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs extensively last month. Here's an alternate look at the festival, written by Jeremy Arnold for Turner Classic Movies. And another enthused report was filed by "Kingrat" at Silver Screen Oasis.

...Turning to another film festival, my pal Stephen has posted some great tips for the TCM Classic Film Festival at his blog Classic Movie Man. It was a lot of fun getting to watch movies with Stephen at the festival!

...Here's a fun article on sisters who worked as stand-ins for Heather Menzies and Angela Cartwright on THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965).

...This week's YouTube find: ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950) with Forrest Tucker and Adele Mara. Adrian Booth (aka Lorna Gray) and Bruce Cabot costar.

...Clint Eastwood is making a film on Captain Sullenberger and the "Miracle on the Hudson." Personally I like my husband's idea that Harrison Ford should star...

...Notable Passings: Actress Betsy Palmer (THE TIN STAR) has passed on at the age of 88. Toby has a nice tribute at 50 Westerns From the 50s...Earlier this year I noted that actor Wally Cassell, seen at left, had recently turned 100. Wally's passing in April was just recently reported...and actually, according to his wife of 68 years, Marcy McGuire, Wally was 103! What a wonderful life he seems to have had.

...Next time I'm in Palm Springs I'm going to try to make time for a cemetery visit and pay my respects to George Montgomery, William Powell, and Frank Sinatra.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Painting the Clouds With Sunshine (1951) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE (1951), a Warner Bros. musical available from the Warner Archive, was a delightful surprise.

Most reviews I've seen of this movie are only middling, but I have to say this one was totally up my alley. Bright and colorful, with a fantastic mid-20th Century look, and one great song and dance after another. Other than a handful of inexplicable scenes with Wallace Ford, I think I smiled all the way through the movie's 87 minutes. It's even got Tom Conway! My fellow musicals fans should give this one a look.

The movie is a spin on the popular theme of three beautiful girls looking for wealthy husbands. When singer Abby (Lucille Norman) discovers her fiance Vince (Dennis Morgan) hasn't kept his promise to stop gambling, Abby heads from Hollywood for Las Vegas along with Carol (Virginia Mayo) and June (Virginia Gibson). In Vegas the girls are booked to perform at the Golden Egg, owned by Uncle Felix (S.Z. Sakall).

Abby has a rebound romance with dancer Ted (Gene Nelson), who's been keeping a big secret. Abby's still in love with Vince, though, and June is pining for Ted. Meanwhile Carol tries to keep Ted's patrician Uncle Ben (Conway) from breaking up Ted's romance with a lowly performer.

The story is merely an excuse to connect the musical numbers, which are simply terrific. The "Mambo Man" dance with Mayo, Nelson, and Gibson benefits not just from great dancing but clever set design, as the floor lights up in different colors. I loved it!

There was more fantastic dancing with Nelson and Mayo in the steamy "Birth of the Blues," and the final dance with Nelson and Gibson on the Warner Bros. backlot was pure joy.

Throw in Morgan and Norman dueting on "Jealousie" and several other songs, and it's a recipe for fun. Tom Conway joins the cast in singing the final number and has a charming "What the heck am I doing here?" grin on his face.

And the visuals! The set design is terrific, from the interior of the girls' travel trailer to the pink walls of a hotel bedroom to the classic neon signs in Vegas. Anyone who loves '50s design will enjoy watching this film.

It's been great to have the opportunity to catch up with more of Virginia Mayo's '50s films via the Warner Archive, most recently in the brand-new Archive release of THE BIG LAND (1957) and also in an older Archive DVD, SHE'S BACK ON BROADWAY (1953). As a matter of fact, Nelson and Gibson were also in BROADWAY.

PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE was directed by Warner Bros. stalwart David Butler and filmed in Technicolor by Wilfred M. Cline.

PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE was one of the Warner Archive's very first releases, but as I've commented here before, one of the great things about the Archive is that "burned on demand" films never go out of print! The DVD looks fantastic. There are no extras.

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

Tonight's Movie: Sky Murder (1940)

Last night's movie was SKY LINER (1949), and tonight's movie was the similarly titled -- and similarly themed -- SKY MURDER (1940).

SKY MURDER is the final film in the Nick Carter mystery series starring Walter Pidgeon. SKY MURDER follows NICK CARTER, MASTER DETECTIVE (1939) and PHANTOM RAIDERS (1940), which were both directed by up-and-coming director Jacques Tourneur.

SKY MURDER, on the other hand, was directed by MGM "B" film specialist George B. Seitz, best known for directing many entries in the long-running Andy Hardy series.

This time around Senator Monroe (George Lessey) and wealthy Cortland Grand (Edward Ashley) try to recruit Nick to investigate a Fifth Column group. Nick declines, but then when Nick is flying home on Grand's private plane, Andrew Hendon (Tom Conway) is murdered on the plane in mid-flight.

Is beautiful young Pat Evans (Kaaren Verne, billed Karen here) a murderess? And what's the connection to the Fifth Column group?

The plot is a bit silly at times, chiefly due to Joyce Compton as a giddy detective with memory problems, but it's amusing enough and the 72 minutes zips past.

For a classic film fan, much of the fun in watching SKY MURDER is simply spotting the various faces as they come and go. For instance, this was one of Tom Conway's first films, playing one of the bad guys. Then there's a group of six young ladies who have considerable screen time in the first half of the film, and one of them is Virginia O'Brien in an early role. And he's not billed, but isn't that George Reeves as the would-be murderer at the end of the movie?

Donald Meek is on hand once more as Carter's improbable assistant, the "Bee Man." Chill Wills, Grady Sutton, Byron Foulger, Cy Kendall, and Tom Neal are among the other familiar faces along for the ride. Joan Crawford's brother, Hal Le Sueur, plays Al, the ill-fated copilot.

It's too bad that the busy Pidgeon only made three Nick Carter films, but right about this time his stardom was moving into higher gear and a series of prestigious pictures was immediately ahead, including MAN HUNT (1941), HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), and BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (1941), which launched his highly popular teaming with actress Greer Garson.

In fact, in the next two years after SKY MURDER, Pidgeon was in back to back Best Pictures, John Ford's HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY followed by William Wyler's MRS. MINIVER (1942), Pidgeon's second film with Greer Garson.

The three Nick Carter films are available from the Warner Archive in the Nick Carter Mysteries Triple Feature set.

This film can also be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

Tonight's Movie: A Night of Adventure (1944)

Tom Conway and a solid cast star in A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE (1944), a breezy 65-minute RKO "B" movie.

Conway plays star defense attorney Mark Latham, who is continually ignoring his lovely wife Erica (Audrey Long) due to work.

When Mark deserts her in the middle of an important dinner, Erica moves out to think over the future of their marriage. She also becomes friendly with artist Tony Clair (Louis Borell), who wants to marry her.

When Tony is charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend Julie (Jean Brooks), Erica asks Mark to defend him. Mark has just two problems; the first is that he might be successful in obtaining the freedom of the man who might finish off the marriage he wants to save, and the second is that Mark knows exactly how Julie died, because he was in Tony's apartment at the time, but he doesn't want to admit it.

I'm fond of both Conway and Long, so I found it very enjoyable watching them work together as husband and wife.

RKO "B" films are great "movie comfort food," with their familiar casts and nice sense of style. Edward Brophy, who plays Mark's aide Steve, played a similar role in Conway's Falcon series, and Jean Brooks was in a number of Falcon films as well.

Also in the cast, playing a key witness, is a young Nancy Gates. Mark's barely-seen secretary, Miss Elliott, is played by Elaine Riley, who passed on earlier this year.

The cast is rounded out by Addison Richards, Russell Hopton, Emory Parnell, Jason Robards Sr., and Claire Carleton.

A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE was a remake of HAT, COAT AND GLOVE (1934) which starred Ricardo Cortez. It was directed by Gordon Douglas from a screenplay by Crane Wilbur.

The movie was shot in black and white by Frank Redman. The film was produced by Herman Schlom, who also produced SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942), reviewed this past weekend.

A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE is not available on DVD or VHS, but has been shown on Turner Classic Movies. Hopefully at some point in the future this RKO film will be available from the Warner Archive, which has previously released Conway's crime films TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945) and CRIMINAL COURT (1946) and Long's mystery STAGE STRUCK (1948).

TCM in July: Highlights

Happy July and Happy Summer!

It's now time for a detailed look at July schedule on Turner Classic Movies.

This post is being published a bit later than usual due to a heavy workload ahead of the holiday weekend. There are lots of fun things ahead this summer on TCM!

July will feature a "theme month" for the Star of the Month programming, featuring "Singers as Stars." Films with a wide variety of singers, with backgrounds in jazz, rock, country, big bands, and more will be featured on Monday evenings.

The TCM Spotlight on Tuesdays features American independent filmmakers.

The July Noir Alley films will be ANGEL FACE (1953) on July 4th and 5th, BLUES IN THE NIGHT (1941) July 11th-12, DARK PASSAGE (1947) on the 18th and 19th, and THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1956) on July 25th and 26th.

Eddie Muller's Summer of Darkness, featuring some of the greatest film noir titles of all time, continues on Friday evenings this month. Every title is a classic -- by all means, tune in!

Also of note: John Carpenter has curated and is cohosting evenings of horror films on July 16th and 23rd, and Alicia Malone hosts "Summer Romance" again this month on Sundays.

Here's a look at just some of the interesting programming ahead in July.

...Late on July 3rd is the TCM premiere of AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984), the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward remake of OUT OF THE PAST (1947). Jane Greer, star of the original film, is in the supporting cast, along with Paul Valentine, who played Joe in the original.

...The Musical Matinee franchise features 1776 (1972) on Independence Day. Other musicals airing on the 4th are (of course!) YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) and THE MUSIC MAN (1962).

...The Sunday lineup on July 5th includes the very good marital melodrama CASS TIMBERLANE (1947), starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, and Zachary Scott.

...July 6th, the first evening of the "Singers as Stars" series, includes a film I've never seen, NEW ORLEANS (1947), featuring Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.

...The first Spotlight series evening on American Independent filmmakers on July 7th includes THE HITCH-HIKER (1953), directed by Ida Lupino.

...July 9th features movies set in hot weather, including HEAT LIGHTNING (1934), starring Aline MacMahon, Preston Foster, Glenda Farrell, and Ann Dvorak, among others. A very worthwhile film.

...Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery, and Ann Harding star in WHEN LADIES MEET (1933) on July 11th. Can't beat that cast!

...There's more Robert Montgomery on July 12th, when he's teamed with Bette Davis in the entertaining JUNE BRIDE (1948).

...July 13th presents a day of films with screenplays by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, including one of my favorite MGM musicals, the colorful GOOD NEWS (1947).

...TCM honors Jill Clayburgh on July 15th, premiering three of her films including the entertaining STARTING OVER (1979), costarring Burt Reynolds and Candice Bergen.

...Ginger Rogers receives a birthday salute on July 16th. The eight films shown include HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938), a perfect summertime film, and one of my favorites from her collaboration with Fred Astaire, CAREFREE (1938).

...There's more Ginger on July 17th as party of a lineup about babies and children, with her classic BACHELOR MOTHER (1939).

...Dave Karger's Musical Matinee features Margaret O'Brien in MGM's THE UNFINISHED DANCE (1947) on July 18th. It's an interesting movie with a good supporting cast, including Cyd Charisse, Karin Booth, Danny Thomas, and Elinor Donahue.

...I've never seen the Julie Andrews-Walter Matthau version of LITTLE MISS MARKER (1980), so my DVR will be running when the film makes its TCM premiere on July 19th. Also showing that night: the 1934 Shirley Temple version of the story.

...July 20th features films directed by the great Clarence Brown, including the classic MGM Americana THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943).

...A day of films with the word "lucky" in the title on July 21st includes Ginger Rogers and Ronald Colman in LUCKY PARTNERS (1940). Ginger fans have many chances to enjoy her in July!

...The Val Lewton classic THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) will air on July 23rd. It stars Dennis O'Keefe and Jean Brooks. There's more Lewton that evening, including CAT PEOPLE (1942). Both THE LEOPARD MAN and CAT PEOPLE were directed by Jacques Tourneur.

...It's always a good time to watch THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)! It airs on July 25th.

...Deborah Kerr and Trevor Howard star in I SEE A DARK STRANGER (1946), also known as THE ADVENTURESS, on July 26th.

...One of my favorite days on the schedule is a dozen "B" films written by Robert E. Kent. Lots of fun stuff to explore, some of the films under an hour long. I called one of the films, BULLET SCARS (1942), a "peach of a 'B' movie," and called I WAS FRAMED (1942) "pleasant." The day also includes an all-time favorite "B," TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945), starring Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. Tune in June 27th!

...I had the pleasure of revisiting Val Lewton's I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. It stars Frances Dee and Tom Conway, directed by Jacques Tourneur. Conway appears in multiple films on TCM this month, including CAT PEOPLE and TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is on July 29th.

...There's a strong day of Edward G. Robinson films on July 30th, including THE STRANGER (1946) with Orson Welles and Loretta Young.

...The month concludes on July 31st with a day of pre-Code crime films including the delightful PENTHOUSE (1933), starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy.

For more on TCM in July 2026, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in July along with TCM's online schedule.

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