Coming to DVD: East of Eden (1981)

The 1980s have been called the Second Golden Age of television. Along with outstanding weekly dramatic series, the decade featured a steady stream of excellent long-form "limited series," spread over a few nights or weeks.

One of the very best miniseries was EAST OF EDEN, a complete telling of the Steinbeck novel. It originally aired over three nights when I was in college, and my friends and I were absolutely riveted by it. The 1955 version starring James Dean is an acknowledged classic, but the 1981 version is a classic in its own right.

Jane Seymour won the Golden Globe for her depiction of the evil Cathy, who wreaks havoc in the lives of brothers played by Timothy Bottoms and Bruce Boxleitner. The Emmy Awards lost a lot of credibility for me when they overlooked Seymour's performance.

Sam Bottoms, who sadly just passed away at the age of 53 due to brain cancer, played Cal, the troubled son previously played by James Dean. In a nice bit of casting, real-life brothers Timothy and Sam Bottoms played father and son in the miniseries.

The superb cast also included Lloyd Bridges, Karen Allen, Anne Baxter, Warren Oates, Howard Duff, Soon-Tek Oh, and Hart Bochner.

A neat bit of trivia: The beautiful Lee Holdridge score was used by Michelle Kwan for some of her championship performances. You can see a video of her skating to the music here.

EAST OF EDEN is finally coming to DVD on March 3, 2009. This one is a must-see if you love great storytelling.

Tioga Road Then and Now

Last summer when we left Yosemite, we took the Tioga Road to Highway 395 and the park's Eastern entrance/exit:


Tioga Road just closed for the season. Click the title of this post for a snowy comparison photo.

This is the latest Tioga Pass has closed in nearly 30 years.

Yosemite's Tioga Pass entrance is at an elevation of 9,945 feet.

Today at Disneyland

Our oldest daughter spent some time at Disneyland tonight...here's one of her beautiful photos of Sleeping Beauty Castle decorated for Christmas (click to enlarge):


Those are the lights of the Carrousel showing across the castle drawbridge.

We're having some rainstorms here this week but we hope to visit again later this week.

New Book: Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master

There seem to be a number of interesting new books of late which will be of interest to fans of classic movies.

Last week saw the release of Michael Sragow's VICTOR FLEMING: AN AMERICAN MOVIE MASTER, about one of MGM's best-known directors. Two of Fleming's films were released in 1939: GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ. (In reality, Fleming wasn't the only director to work on those films, but that's another story...) The book is 656 pages.

Highly regarded film historian Jeanine Basinger -- whose book THE STAR MACHINE is one of my favorite film books -- reviews Sragow's book for the New York Times and says it's a "thoroughly researched, detailed book."

Historian Scott Eyman says that the book is "impeccably researched."

Reviews can also be read in the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post.

Sounds like this is one more book for my growing 2009 reading wish list!

60 Minutes Profile of USC's Pete Carroll

My dear friend Michele alerted me to a marvelous 60 MINUTES profile of USC football coach Pete Carroll which aired last weekend.

You can watch the whole story at the CBS News website (click the title of this post). It's about 12 minutes long, and I guarantee it will leave you feeling inspired. I greatly admire the upbeat, positive way Carroll approaches not only football, but life.

Pete Carroll is one reason among many that we're proud our daughter is a Trojan.

Previously: USC Coach Pete Carroll Walks the Walk; A Great Thanksgiving Read.

New Book: In Spite of Myself: A Memoir

It's an interesting coincidence that 2008 has seen the release of memoirs by the two stars of THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965): Julie Andrews' book HOME: A MEMOIR OF MY EARLY YEARS was released last spring, and Christopher Plummer's IN SPITE OF MYSELF was published last month.

Plummer's book weighs in at a whopping 656 pages. Based on this interview at the TCM website, the book should be very entertaining. I was intrigued with the breadth of Plummer's knowledge on various film-related topics, whether it's Capra's early film PLATINUM BLONDE or his deep appreciation of choreographer Michael Kidd.

Another good Plummer interview can be read at the Connecticut Post Online.

Another book for my very long wish list!

Barney's Last White House Christmas Video

It's time for Barney's very last White House Christmas video. This year Barney decorates in red, white, and blue, with a little help from some U.S. Olympians.

Click on the title of this post and look for the "Barney Cam" logo on the right side of the page.

Previously: 2005 and 2007.

Tonight's Movie: Angels Over Broadway (1940)

ANGELS OVER BROADWAY is an exceedingly strange film about three people -- a hustler (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), a chorus girl (Rita Hayworth), and an alcoholic playwright (Thomas Mitchell) -- who rescue a suicidal man (John Qualen) one rainy evening in New York.

The film's action takes place in a single night, as the threesome work to find a way their new friend can obtain $3000 to replace funds he'd embezzled.

The movie has some interesting moments, most involving Fairbanks and Hayworth, plus a good ending, but the meandering plot is buried in mountains of ostensibly profound dialogue, and Mitchell and Qualen have too much screen time. Mitchell can be a fun actor, but it's a bit tiresome watching a talkative drunk for an entire movie.

Rita, who turned 22 the month the movie was released, was beautifully filmed in black and white, and Fairbanks is fun as a fast-talking con man, but there's not much more to be said about the movie. It's peculiar enough that I was actually wondering at some moments how it got the go-ahead for release by Columbia. Fortunately the film is short (79 minutes) and the pace picks up in the second half of the movie.

The movie has its advocates -- Stephen Scheuer gives it 3-1/2 stars and terms it "fascinating viewing" -- but I'm more inclined to agree with Leonard Maltin, who describes it as "too offbeat for most viewers" in his 2-1/2 star review.

ANGELS OVER BROADWAY's Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, who codirected with the film's cinematographer, Lee Garmes. Cinematographer Garmes occasionally produced or directed films; by chance, he produced last night's movie, BEYOND TOMORROW (1940). ANGELS OVER BROADWAY was produced by Hecht and Fairbanks.

ANGELS OVER BROADWAY can be seen on TCM. It's also available on DVD.

Worth checking out once if you share my enjoyment of Hayworth or Fairbanks -- maybe other viewers will like it better! -- but otherwise I'd rank this one pretty low on a "movies to see" list.

Tonight's Movie: Beyond Tomorrow (1940)

BEYOND TOMORROW is a nearly forgotten Christmas fantasy which I saw tonight for the first time. The movie had many wonderful elements, although I felt the plot took a wrong turn about two-thirds into the movie.

The film stars three terrific character actors -- Harry Carey Sr., Sir C. Aubrey Smith, and Charles Winninger -- as wealthy but lonely business partners who decide to throw their wallets out the window on Christmas Eve in hopes of landing an honest soul or two as a dinner guest.

Two of the wallets are picked up by a charming, homesick Texan, Jim (Richard Carlson) and a teacher at a children's clinic, Jean (Jean Parker). They return the wallets and spend a memorable Christmas Eve with their new friends; over time the couple fall in love and become surrogate children to the three older men, bringing joy into the men's lives.

The happy times are not destined to last, and after the three partners' unexpected deaths, they return as ghosts to help Jim and Jean solve their problems.

Although much about the film is delightful, including Jim and Jean's enchanting romance, I didn't care for the problems which developed after Jim became a radio star. I also found some of the fantasy elements slightly disturbing; younger viewers might be frightened by a sequence involving Harry Carey's character. The film has a touching ending, but I really wished the heavy-handed last third of the film had measured up to what came before. The initial scenes have a wonderfully uplifting Christmas spirit which is truly magical. The movie is part unknown Christmas classic and part disappointment.

I've enjoyed Richard Carlson in a number of films over the last year or two, especially THE YOUNG IN HEART (1938). He was enjoyable in this as the drawling Texan. I assume his singing voice was dubbed, but it would be fun to know for sure. Sweet Jean Parker played Beth in the original LITTLE WOMEN (1933), a Christmastime perennial. Together Carlson and Parker make a lovely young couple.

You just can't beat the three character actors who also star in the film; Smith and Carey, in particular, are favorites of mine. (A bit of trivia: while Parker appeared in the original LITTLE WOMEN, Smith would play Grandfather Laurence in the 1949 release of the story; LITTLE WOMEN was his last role, filmed before he died in December 1948.) The supporting cast includes Maria Ouspenskaya, Helen Vinson, Alex Melesh, and Rod La Rocque. Hank Worden has a one-scene part as a hospital visitor.

BEYOND TOMORROW was filmed in black and white and runs 84 minutes. It was directed by A. Edward Sutherland. The film was produced by cinematographer Lee Garmes, who produced three other films during his long career. As a cinematographer Garmes filmed many classic movies, including David O. Selznick productions such as GONE WITH THE WIND, SINCE YOU WENT AWAY, DUEL IN THE SUN, and the fantasy PORTRAIT OF JENNIE.

A card at the start of the print shown on Turner Classic Movies indicated that the film had been restored in 2005. Even so, the print was fairly dark and rough. The film is available on DVD and video, but it should be noted each of these releases predates 2005. If what TCM showed was a restored version, it makes one wonder just how watchable the older releases are.

The trailer is available at the TCM site.

TCM Remembers 2008

This year's edition of TCM Remembers, paying tribute to filmmakers who have passed away this year, is available on YouTube.

Moira Finnie has the link at her site -- click the title of this post.

The shots of Cyd Charisse, Charlton Heston, and Richard Widmark continue to cause a bit of a lump in my throat...I especially admired all three of them.

It would be nice if they could find a way to edit in Van Johnson...

Previously: TCM Remembers 2007.

Update: Van Johnson has been added to the tribute.

20 Favorite Actresses

J.C. Loophole of The Shelf tagged me for a fun game currently circulating among classic movie blogs: name your 20 favorite actresses.

Click the title of this post for J.C.'s list...then click over to check out the list by The Siren, who had tagged J.C. You can find several more links at each site...it's fun to compare the various lists.

This was harder than it looks...I think I generated a second list of 20 just trying to decide who to put in the last four or five places on my list! I followed the Siren's basic criteria in that I would watch any of these actresses in pretty much anything she ever made. It's been fun mulling over this list at the back of my mind while engaged in other tasks today, like Christmas shopping.

My list isn't in any particular order, although I'll say the first 8 names on the list are the very first names that immediately came to mind, without giving it a second thought.

My Favorite Top 20 Actresses:

Loretta Young:


Gene Tierney:


Maureen O'Hara:


Jeanne Crain:


Linda Darnell:


Ginger Rogers:


Myrna Loy:


Carole Lombard:


Doris Day:


Cyd Charisse:


Jean Arthur:


Irene Dunne:


June Allyson:


Kay Francis:


Claudette Colbert:


Hedy Lamarr:


Ida Lupino:


Rosalind Russell:


Maureen O'Sullivan:


Eleanor Parker:


Looking at the above list, I guess you could generally say I like girls next door and screwball comediennes, along with a few more glamorous actresses. I'd note that many of these women had multiple talents: some could sing and/or dance in addition to excelling at both drama and comedy...the list also includes a pair of actresses who were groundbreakers as TV pioneers (Loretta Young, Ida Lupino) and as a female director (Lupino again)...and a rather remarkable inventor (Hedy Lamarr).

Some of the names lingering just outside my Top 20: Deborah Kerr, Esther Williams, Grace Kelly, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Jane Powell, Ava Gardner, Marsha Hunt, Priscilla Lane, Julie Andrews, Donna Reed, Norma Shearer, Deanna Durbin, Jennifer Jones, Betty Grable, Greer Garson, Eve Arden, Margaret O'Brien...well, you get the the idea! A top 40 list would have been a lot easier (grin). And I have a feeling I must be forgetting someone important...

So...when do we list the Top 20 Favorite Actors?

It would be fun to see lists by Carrie at Classic Montgomery, Moira at Skeins of Thought, Carrie at Classic Ramblings (I can guess your No. 1 choice!), and Missy at Missyisms, if any of you are inclined to play! It's a busy time of year, so no pressure. :)

If anyone else wants to participate, feel free to post your list or a link in the comments!

Update: Check out the big roundup at Film Experience!

Monday Update: Here's a great list from Jacqueline at Another Old Movie Blog. It's nice to know there are so many Cyd Charisse fans out there. :)

Tuesday Update: Here are links to more lists from the Self-Styled Siren.

I'd also like to add a welcome to new readers who have stopped by to check out my list!

Tuesday Late Update: Here's Carrie's list at Classic Montgomery. More great choices! Ruth Hussey would probably be in my "Top 40" list along with Priscilla Lane...

Thursday Update: More fun lists: Asleep in New York, Out of the Past, Hollywood Dreamland, and Cine Classics.

December 22nd Update: Here's Carrie's list at Classic Ramblings. A wonderful list. (And finally, someone else picked Eleanor Parker!)

December 28th Update: Here's a very interesting list from the Bookworm Room.

I have now posted a similarly styled list of 20 Favorite Actors.

Farewell to the Boy Next Door

Sad news today: Van Johnson, one of MGM's biggest stars from the early '40s to the mid '50s, has passed away at the age of 92.

One of my very favorite Johnson movies is one of the films that made him a star: TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944), costarring June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, and MGM's less well known "boy next door," Tom Drake. This is just about my younger daughter's favorite movie so the video has gotten a lot of play in our house over the years. Johnson and Allyson were a well-matched team and made several other films together.

The post Civil War film THE ROMANCE OF ROSY RIDGE (1947), with another frequent costar, Janet Leigh, was another extra-special movie which deserves to be better remembered.

Another favorite is THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943), an exquisitely lovely depiction of life in a small town during WWII. This MGM film was based on William Saroyan's novel; Van played Marcus, the brother who goes to war, leaving behind siblings Donna Reed, Mickey Rooney, and Butch Jenkins. The superb cast also included James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Fay Bainter, Frank Morgan, Dorothy Morris, Ray Collins, and, in a bit role, Robert Mitchum.

Other Johnson films reviewed here: THE WAR AGAINST MRS. HADLEY (1942), EASY TO WED (1946), THE DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950), and CONFIDENTIALLY CONNIE (1953).

As an MGM fan from way back, I've seen Johnson in many other films, including A GUY NAMED JOE (1943), THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944), STATE OF THE UNION (1948), IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME (1949), PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE (1952), and BRIGADOON (1954). Johnson also appeared with Humphrey Bogart in THE CAINE MUTINY in 1954 and brightened YOURS, MINE AND OURS (1968) as Henry Fonda's pal.

Johnson titles I still have ahead of me to see for the first time include WEEK-END AT THE WALDORF (1945), BATTLEGROUND (1948), and COMMAND DECISION (1949).

More from The Washington Post.

Van Johnson was a significant part of what made MGM the greatest studio of its era. The work he leaves behind is a wonderful legacy.

Update: TCM will preempt its evening line up on Tuesday, December 23rd, to pay tribute to Van Johnson.

Today at Downtown Disney

Today after lunch I took the younger children Christmas shopping at Downtown Disney:


Downtown Disney's tree, with a hotel in the background:


Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen has pretty seasonal decorations:


It's a lovely December day in California, but rain is expected soon:


I like Disneyland's logo for the Christmas season:


Have a good weekend, all!

Sean Hannity Will Not Have TV Partner

Fox News Channel has made it official: HANNITY & COLMES will become HANNITY on January 12th.

I'm not entirely happy with this decision. While I didn't like it when the show descended into an out-and-out shoutfest, on the whole it has been an entertaining format. I would have liked to see Sean paired with someone like Kirsten Powers or Juan Williams.

I'm especially unthrilled that they are talking about transferring one of Sean's silliest radio segments, the "Hate Hannity Hotline," to TV. Please don't...

The new show will feature three in-studio guests each evening.

Larry Elder Leaving KABC Radio

My husband just heard surprising news on the radio: tomorrow will be Larry Elder's last day broadcasting on KABC Talkradio.

"The Sage From South Central" has been a staple of L.A. afternoon drive time since the early '90s.

Gary Lycan of the Orange County Register suggests that the current economic climate meant that KABC could not afford to keep Elder on board.

This is sad news. I tended to flip back and forth between Elder and Hugh Hewitt when listening to the radio in the afternoon.

Larry Elder is also the author of some thought-provoking books, including THE 10 THINGS YOU CAN'T SAY IN AMERICA. His website is here.

We'll miss you, Larry!

Gary Sinise Receives Presidential Citizen Medal

Actor Gary Sinise received the Presidential Citizen Medal today in an Oval Office Ceremony.

The Presidential Citizen Medal is the second-highest medal which can be given to a civilian, after the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sinise is the cofounder of Operation Iraqi Children, which was created in 2004 to collect and distribute school supplies to children in Iraq. Sinise's partner in this endeavor is Laura Hillenbrand, author of SEABISCUIT.

Sinise wrote an article for Guideposts explaining how the project got started, and he also discusses his commitment to supporting members of our military.

Everything I've read about Sinise indicates he's a terrific guy. My lucky daughter got to watch him at work a few months ago when CSI: NEW YORK filmed on the USC campus. That was especially fun for her since APOLLO 13 is one of her favorite movies.

Robert Prosky of Hill Street Blues Dies

Speaking of HILL STREET BLUES...

Robert Prosky, who played Sergeant Jablonski on HILL STREET BLUES, has passed away at the age of 77.

Prosky helped fill the huge void left on HILL STREET when Emmy-winning actor Michael Conrad, who famously said "Let's be careful out there" near the start of each episode, died of cancer a couple years into the show's run.

Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. was once appointment television, thanks to Prosky and his creative colleagues. Now it's just the time slot for a daily variety show. Times sure do change.

NBC Gives Up 10:00 TV Hour

The entertainment business has changed a lot, but it was still something of a shock to learn that NBC has pretty much erased the 10:00 hour from its primetime TV lineup.

Instead of the dramas which typically air in the 10:00 p.m. hour, NBC is essentially moving THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno to 10:00 p.m. (There will still be a TONIGHT SHOW at 11:30, hosted by Conan O'Brien.)

Gone are the days when shows like HILL STREET BLUES and L.A. LAW aired in the 10:00 p.m. time slot.

Primetime network TV seems to be going the way of newspapers... gradually fading away. The TV networks, like newspapers, persist in producing too much junk, and these days it's easy for readers and viewers to find more interesting ways to spend their time.

New Book: The All-American Christmas Cookbook

The latest retro cookbook from Georgia Orcutt and John Margolies is THE ALL-AMERICAN CHRISTMAS COOKBOOK: FAMILY FAVORITES FROM EVERY STATE. The book was published this fall by Chronicle Books.

Orcutt and Margolies are also the authors of COOKOUT USA: GRILLING FAVORITES COAST TO COAST, COOKING USA, and BLUE RIBBON USA.

The authors specialize in mixing their recipes with beautiful vintage graphic designs, including postcards, maps, advertisements, magazine covers, and the like.

The new book is described as a "state-by-state tour" of Christmas recipes, which includes "beautiful vintage artwork from holidays past."

Pray for These Men

I was greatly moved by the story of the San Diego area man who lost his entire family -- wife, daughters, and mother (correction: mother-in-law) -- when the F/A-18 crashed into his house yesterday.

In his deep grief the bereaved man has thought of someone else -- the surviving Marine Corps pilot, who ejected just before the crash: "Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident. He is one of our treasures for the country."