Today at Disney's California Adventure: The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure

After starting our day at Disneyland, we head over to Disney's California Adventure.

The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure, which officially debuts on June 3rd, had its first "soft opening" trial yesterday, so we were hoping the ride would open again today. Ariel's been behind construction walls for a couple of years now, and we were anxious to try it out.

The attraction building is absolutely beautiful. The entrance "repurposes" the lovely entrance to the otherwise awful GOLDEN DREAMS film:

I've previously shared a photo of King Triton, who was brought over from Disneyland to perch atop the ride building.

Cast members blowing bubbles in front of the ride was a nice touch!

We stayed in the area for quite a while, but gradually the number of cast members out front dwindled and they stopped blowing bubbles, so we headed back to Disneyland.

We were actually riding on the parking lot tram later that afternoon when I read on the invaluable app MouseWait that the Little Mermaid ride had just opened. We took a return tram back to the park and hurried straight to the ride, where we were able to get in line!

The shells hand-seeded in the concrete throughout the line area was a wonderful touch. It reminded me of the jewels pressed into the pavement around Florida's Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

The Little Mermaid is a classic-style Disney "dark ride" which tells a story. The mural in the ride loading area immediately conjures up memories of other Disney dark rides, Peter Pan's Flight and Snow White's Scary Adventures.

The ride uses Omnimover vehicles in a clamshell design similar to The Seas With Nemo and Friends at Orlando's Epcot.

The backwards trip down into the sea also reminded me of the initial "dark ride" portion of Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris.

Overall I thought the ride was excellent. The "Under the Sea" sequence in particular was absolutely enchanting, a real creative triumph for Disney's Imagineers.

I had two minor quibbles: as the vehicle enters the final room, the focus is on the exit area visible through the far door, rather than on the scene to the right. They needed some sort of transition between the final scene and the loading area, such as the "hello" and "farewell" signs which begin and end It's a Small World.

I'm also not a big fan of electronic screens. While a screen was cleverly used when riders look up at Ariel early in the ride, I thought the fireworks in the final scene were too obviously simply fireworks on a movie screen -- sort of like a really obvious back projection in a film. I would have rather seen something "real" behind the characters.

A review at MiceChat -- scroll down for it -- echoes some of my feelings. All in all, it's a very enjoyable ride and I look forward to going on it again soon. The ride and its beautiful building are excellent additions to California Adventure.

Work continues on Goofy's Sky School (formerly Mulholland Madness), which opens Fourth of July weekend.

The ride sign has gone up!

I was surprised to discover that the Corn Dog Castle had already reopened:

And at the front of the park, the Carthay Circle Theatre continues to grow:

It's been a real pleasure over the past couple of years to see new and rethemed rides unveiled and watch California Adventure gradually become what it should have been in the first place. More good things are ahead, including Cars Land!

Today at Disneyland: Star Tours - The Adventures Continue

It was a gorgeous Southern California day today at Disneyland, with temperatures in the 70s and a light breeze.

The park's traditional summertime red, white, and blue bunting on Main Street came out for Memorial Day Weekend:

Summer flowers were out in full force today:

We arrived before "rope drop" and headed straight to the remodeled Star Tours ride. Star Tours - The Adventures Continue officially opens on June 3rd but is currently in its "soft opening" phase, when the ride is tested out with guests.

The remodel was nicely done, with many fun tributes to both the films and the previous edition of the ride. For instance, the woman who used to give the pre-boarding video spiel is now one of the passengers in the seat belt instruction video. The great variety of story options for the new ride, with 54 different possibilities for characters and story scenes, should prevent it from becoming "stale," as happened with the previous version.

Another "value added" feature is that one of the passengers is identified by Darth Vader as a Rebel spy. On our very first ride, the Rebel spy shown on screens in the Star Tours vehicle turned out to be our 16-year-old daughter! We got a kick out of that.

I have some reservations about the 3D glasses possibly making the flight simulator ride a little too real, as my stomach lurched uncomfortably for a couple moments (grin). However, I felt fine during most of the ride so hopefully that won't be an issue in the future.

We also rode Pirates of the Caribbean today so we could check out the video image of Blackbeard (Ian McShane) being used in the ride this summer in place of Davy Jones.

Coming soon: The new Mary Blair exhibit at the Disney Gallery, and our first ride on The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure at Disney's California Adventure!

Update: Today at Disney's California Adventure: The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

Update: Disneyland: The Colors of Mary Blair.

Warner Archive Memorial Day Sale

Just a heads up for my fellow classic film fans that the Warner Archive is having a 3-for-2 Memorial Day sale.

The sale includes free shipping. It runs through May 31st.

The very newest releases, including remastered prints of TOWARD THE UNKNOWN (1956), UNTIL THEY SAIL (1957), and THE HONEYMOON MACHINE (1961), are not yet on sale, but there's a huge list to choose from, including many remastered titles.

I plan to get Myrna Loy and Don Ameche in SO GOES MY LOVE (1946), which I've never seen, and am choosing from among remastered titles to fill out my order.

THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947), I LOVE MELVIN (1953), ROSE MARIE (1954), and BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (1956) are new Archive remastered prints near the top of my wish list.

I LOVE MELVIN and ROSE MARIE even have deleted musical numbers. I'm extremely happy that the Archive is now providing "value added" in the form of remastered prints and extras along with making so many titles available to fans of classic films.

TCM Alert: Inflation (1942)

I've been hoping that Turner Classic Movies would add INFLATION (1942) to their Esther Williams schedule, and I just learned that it will be shown in the early morning hours on Friday, May 27th.

INFLATION is a 17-minute WWII short starring Esther Williams and Edward Arnold. I've never seen it, and this description sounds quite interesting.

INFLATION is going to be shown Thursday night after THE HOODLUM SAINT (1946), around 12:36 a.m. Pacific time, 3:36 a.m. Eastern. Fans of Esther Williams or WWII patriotic shorts should be sure to set their DVRs!

June 2013 Update: Please visit Farewell to Esther Williams.

Tonight's Movie: No Man of Her Own (1950)

Cornell Woolrich is a name which keeps popping up in my viewing. His novels inspired BLACK ANGEL (1946) and NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948), both of which I've seen in the last few weeks. His books also were the basis for PHANTOM LADY (1944) and DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946), seen in 2009. Tonight's movie, NO MAN OF HER OWN, was based on another Woolrich book, I MARRIED A DEAD MAN, written under his pseudonym, William Irish.

Sally Benson (who wrote SHADOW OF A DOUBT) and Catherine Turney (CRY WOLF) adapted Woolrich's novel, along with uncredited work by the director Mitchell Leisen. The result is NO MAN OF HER OWN, a film noir with a superb lead performance by Barbara Stanwyck as an unwed mother who finds the love of a man and a family, only to be threatened with losing it all.

Pregnant Helen Ferguson (Stanwyck), who's been abandoned by her sleazy boyfriend (Lyle Bettger), meets a lovely couple, Hugh and Patrice Harkness (Richard Denning and Phyllis Thaxter), on a train trip. Patrice, who has never met Hugh's family, is also pregnant.

A terrible train crash kills the Harknesses, but doctors believe that Helen is Patrice. And as "Patrice" and her newborn son are enveloped by the love of the extended Harkness family, she finds herself unable to tell them the truth, all the more so because the Harknesses offer her baby boy security. All is well, and then the sleazy ex-boyfriend shows up with blackmail in mind...

John Lund plays Hugh's brother William, who gradually finds himself falling for "Patrice." The wonderful actors Henry O'Neill and Jane Cowl (ONCE MORE, MY DARLING) play Hugh and William's parents. Venerable character actress Esther Dale plays their loyal housekeeper.

NO MAN OF HER OWN is an excellent film with great atmosphere, blending dark, ominous scenes with sequences exuding warmth and love; the darkness threatens to wipe the good out of Patrice's life, and she's desperate not to hurt her new family.

Stanwyck is at her very best in this, and the rest of the cast is also excellent, down to the smallest parts. (Watch for Griff Barnett as the doctor, Milburn Stone as a police detective, and Dooley Wilson as a train porter.) The film may not be completely believable -- particularly one of the twists near the end -- but the viewer willingly suspends disbelief to enjoy a powerfully acted film.

Director Leisen and John Lund teamed multiple times, including TO EACH HIS OWN (1946), BRIDE OF VENGEANCE (1949), THE MATING SEASON (1951), and DARLING, HOW COULD YOU! (1951). (Lund was also in another Woolrich-based film, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, directed by John Farrow.) Lund is one of those actors, along the lines of George Brent or Lee Bowman, who doesn't get a lot of respect, but I've seen several of his films and I always enjoy him. I think NO MAN OF HER OWN is one of his best performances, subtly communicating his questions and his feelings for Patrice without much dialogue. He makes a marvelous romantic hero, and I don't think anyone could have played this role better.

My only quibble with the film was that the blackmailing ex-boyfriend had so much screen time in the last third of the film. It was very unpleasant watching him and what he put the characters through, although his actions also go a long way to explaining why other characters act as they do.

This is the second movie I've watched in recent days in which a woman under duress takes over another woman's identity; the other film, THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL, was released a year after NO MAN OF HER OWN. In both cases, the heroine is portrayed very sympathetically, despite her lies, and the hero is not too concerned about who she really is.

The story might have inspired the much later WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995), a lighter spin on a similar story, minus the blackmail. In fact, the year after WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, NO MAN OF HER OWN was remade as MRS. WINTERBOURNE (1996), that time crediting Woolrich's novel as the source.

This film runs 98 minutes. The cinematographer was Daniel L. Fapp. Costume design was by Edith Head.

This movie has no relationship to the 1932 film of the same name starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

NO MAN OF HER OWN is a Paramount film which isn't available on DVD or VHS. I saw it via Netflix streaming; the print streamed by Netflix was in very good shape. Hopefully this film will eventually be released on DVD, as it deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

January 2012 Update: NO MAN OF HER OWN will be released on DVD by Olive Films on March 27, 2012.

December 2012 Update: A few more thoughts on this film after seeing it in 35mm at UCLA.

May 2024 Update: This movie will be released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in June 2024.

Update: My review of the Kino Lorber Blu-ray may be read here.

Tonight's Movie: Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1944)

Last night Turner Classic Movies hosted an evening of films starring French actress Simone Simon, and one of the films turned out to be a delightful surprise: JOHNNY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, an engaging and energetic spin on the wartime housing shortage.

This movie was a terrific little comedy, with a very fresh and creative presentation -- including a mischievous gremlin -- snappy dialogue, an excellent cast, a charmingly different performance by Simone Simon, and a whale of an ending that had me laughing out loud. There's even an extra bit of magic with the use of the song "Stardust" on the soundtrack as background music in a couple of key scenes. I was a bit surprised that a film of this caliber came from the low-budget Monogram Pictures. I found it grand fun. The print shown on TCM, incidentally, was excellent.

Simon plays Kathie Aumont, a girl from Quebec who arrives in Washington, D.C., to work in a defense plant. She plans to room with her friend Sally (Gladys Blake), but Sally has married George (Grady Sutton) after a whirlwind courtship, and three's a crowd.

After a long day of apartment hunting, Kathie has a chance meeting with Johnny Moore (William Terry) and talks him into subletting her his apartment while he's in the service. Johnny forgets to mention that a number of his friends have keys to the apartment that they use when they're in town, and Kathie quickly discovers the apartment is the equivalent of Grand Central Station. Her visitors include handsome sailor Mike Burke (James Ellison) and another sailor, Jeff (Robert Mitchum), who's "rented" the key for a rendezvous with his wife.

Johnny and Mike both quickly fall in love with Kathie, and they get the wrong impression when they see Jeff visit the apartment, since Johnny hadn't given him a key. A brawl ensues, and they all end up in front of a judge. The courtroom scene is a classic, and there's a humdinger of a surprise ending. Kathie can't decide between Johnny and Mike, because she loves them both, and then we flash forward five years to learn who Kathie finally married.

Simon's pouty innocence is rather unique, and her character is also a quick thinker when it comes to snappy comebacks. I got a particular kick out of her courtroom scene, and the judge enjoys it too.

Terry, Ellison, and Mitchum are all enjoyable as the film's trio of leading men, and the rest of the cast is uniformly excellent, including Minna Gombell and Chester Clute as Kathie's landlords, Alan Dinehart as the befuddled judge, Chick Chandler as Jack, and Charles Williams as the court reporter (who has a very funny line). George Chandler, Mary Field, and Milton Kibbee are other familiar faces in the large cast. Jerry Maren, one of the Lollipop Kids in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), portrays the gremlin.

The movie was directed by Joe May. It runs 79 minutes. The film was also shown theatrically under the title AND SO THEY WERE MARRIED.

Handsome Robert Mitchum was nearing stardom when he appeared in this film. A bit of trivia: Simon's character, Kathie, has the same relatively unusual spelling as Jane Greer's character in Mitchum's later film, OUT OF THE PAST (1947).

JOHNNY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE does not appear to have had a release on DVD or VHS. I'd never heard of it before it turned up on TCM, and it was an unexpected treat. Hopefully it will be shown on TCM again before too long!

March 2012: This film is now out on DVD-R from the Warner Archive.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Tonight on CBS: the latest JESSE STONE movie, INNOCENTS LOST (2011), starring Tom Selleck. Returning cast members include Kathy Baker, William Devane, Kohl Sudduth, Stephen McHattie, William Sadler, and Saul Rubinek. This is an excellent film series with tremendous atmosphere. Those who are new to these films may want to check out my reviews of STONE COLD (2005), NIGHT PASSAGE (2006), DEATH IN PARADISE (2006), and SEA CHANGE (2007). Titles still ahead of me to watch: THIN ICE (2009) and NO REMORSE (2010).

...Season One of Selleck's series BLUE BLOODS will be out on DVD later this year.

...50 Westerns From the 50s says THE BIG COUNTRY (1958) is coming to Blu-ray next week, exclusively at Walmart. I imagine the impressive widescreen vistas in that film would look particularly nice in the Blu-ray format.

...I'm delighted by the number of remastered titles coming from the Warner Archive in recent weeks. Last week the Archive released a remastered widescreen print of UNTIL THEY SAIL (1957), the story of four sisters in New Zealand during World War II. The women are played by Joan Fontaine, Jean Simmons, Piper Laurie, and Sandra Dee. Paul Newman is the American soldier who enters Simmons' life. Robert Wise directed.

...Dear Old Hollywood has a fun post on Ronald Reagan's Hollywood office.

...Barrie Maxwell's Classic Coming Attractions column at the Digital Bits is always interesting. Barrie's latest reviews include new Tracy-Hepburn releases and a bunch of Warner Archive releases, including DEVOTION (1946), WHIPLASH (1948), and THE UNFINISHED DANCE (1947).

...If I can judge a book by its cover, the new cookbook MILK AND COOKIES should be a winner. The author is Tina Casaceli; it's from Chronicle Books.

...For anyone who missed last week's 1939 blogathon, here's a list of all the links. Posts I enjoyed over the last few days included Dorian writing on IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD at Tales of the Easily Distracted, Kevin's Movie Corner on THE RAINS CAME, ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS at Another Old Movie Blog, and Twenty Four Frames on THE CAT AND THE CANARY.

...At Via Margutta 51, Clara explains why she loves Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr in BELOVED INFIDEL (1959). She's got me convinced to add it to my viewing list! I also enjoyed her thoughts on Flynn and Stanwyck in CRY WOLF (1947), which I recently saw for the first time.

...Jim Lane's Cinedrome takes a close look at Ray Milland in ALIAS NICK BEAL (1949), including an interesting history of screenwriter Jonathan Latimer. Latimer also teamed with ALIAS NICK BEAL director John Farrow on NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) and THE BIG CLOCK (1948); the latter title, like ALIAS NICK BEAL, starred Ray Milland.

...A feel-good video: A sweet lady who recently lost her Tuscaloosa home to a tornado happened to find her cat -- who'd been missing since the tornado hit three weeks ago -- as a news camera was rolling.

...Glenn Erickson's latest reviews at DVD Savant include the Warner Archive release of STARS IN MY CROWN (1950) and an MGM Limited Edition of a Robert Preston film which sounds quite different, CLOUDBURST (1951).

...It's rather curious that the long-awaited DVD release of THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942) will be as an extra for the Blu-ray edition of CITIZEN KANE, sold exclusively at Amazon. I have to think that later on AMBERSONS will be widely available as a standalone DVD. I certainly hope so!

...I came across an interesting article by Mark Rappaport, "The Secret Life of Objects," when looking for confirmation that a dress shop set seen in THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951) was Eve's living room from ALL ABOUT EVE (1950). This piece has lots of interesting screen caps of how movie sets and props were used, reused, and used again!

...Chris Yogerst has reviewed the new book by USC professor Drew Casper, HOLLYWOOD FILM 1963-1976: YEARS OF REVOLUTION AND REACTION, at Big Hollywood.

...There's an interesting article about playwright David Mamet's journey to conservatism by Andrew Ferguson at The Weekly Standard.

...Over at Immortal Ephemera, Cliff has a nice post on WOMAN WANTED (1935), an enjoyable, creatively shot film starring Joel McCrea and Maureen O'Sullivan.

...I also very much enjoyed the Self-Styled Siren's thoughts on THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE (1941), starring James Cagney, Olivia deHavilland, and Rita Hayworth.

...Mike Clark of Home Media Magazine gives a thumbs up to Warner Archive's newly remastered edition of I LOVE MELVIN (1953) starring Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. Incidentally, Debbie's keeping up with the times -- she has a brand-new Twitter account!

...Notable Passing: Donald Krim, the president of Kino International, which is known for high quality VHS and DVD releases, has passed away at the age of 65. Among Kino's most recent releases: a set of Ingrid Bergman's early Swedish films.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: Conflict (1945)

CONFLICT is an enjoyable, relatively little-known Humphrey Bogart film in which Bogie plays a wife murderer.

Everyone thinks Richard Mason (Bogart) is happily married to Kathryn (Rose Hobart), but the reality is Richard has tired of Kathryn's coldness and nagging, and he's deeply attracted to her younger sister, Evelyn (Alexis Smith). Richard devises the perfect plan to do away with Kathryn, leaving the road clear for him to court Evelyn. There's just one problem: Kathryn's possessions begin turning up in the oddest places, and Richard starts to wonder if Kathryn's really dead.

Bogart, of course, is always fascinating to watch. It's interesting to note that he played a wife murderer twice in the mid-'40s, the other film being THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947). In fact, in both movies, Bogart is willing to kill so he can be free to marry Alexis Smith.

I especially enjoyed Smith in the smaller but key role as Evelyn. She's quite touching as she comes to realize Richard has feelings he shouldn't have for his wife's sister, and she has a couple of very well-played scenes towards the end of the movie.

I've seen Smith in four films in the last few weeks -- the others being THE CONSTANT NYMPH (1943), THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947), and WHIPLASH (1948) -- and seeing them in a short time frame makes one begin to realize just how good Smith was. She could play an icy, sharp-tongued sophisticate, an uncertain innocent, or something in between. In each of her films she plays distinctively unique characters, and the differences go beyond mere writing. In a later film, HERE COMES THE GROOM (1951), she's an awkward goofball suffering from unrequited love. Smith was an excellent member of the Warner Bros. stock company who perhaps has not received her full due over the years.

Another of CONFLICT's assets is the presence of Sydney Greenstreet as a friend of Richard and Kathryn's. Greenstreet plays a psychologist, and much of the film is devoted to trying to understand Richard's troubled state of mind. This film is yet another example of the fascination with psychology reflected in films of the mid-'40s; there's more on this topic in my recent post on SHOCK (1946). This subject would make a fascinating topic for a thesis!

Patrick O'Moore, who played Barbara Stanwyck's hero-to-the-rescue former beau in THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS, here plays the police detective working on Kathryn's "disappearance." Charles Drake plays a young man pining for Evelyn's affection. (Drake was recently seen by me in the 1955 film FEMALE ON THE BEACH, in which he had a nice role as a police lieutenant.) Grant Mitchell plays Bogart's friend and doctor, and Edwin Stanley is his butler.

This movie was directed by Curtis Bernhardt, with black and white cinematography by Merritt Gerstad. The gowns were designed by Orry-Kelly.

The screenplay by Arthur T. Horman and Dwight Taylor was based on a story by Alfred Neumann and Robert Siodmak. Siodmak, of course, would go on to direct many well-known suspense and film noir titles, which were listed in my April review of his film THE DARK MIRROR (1946).

The score by Frederick Hollander was orchestrated by Jerome Moross, who would go on to write one of the truly great film scores of all time, THE BIG COUNTRY (1958).

CONFLICT does not appear to have had a release on DVD. It was released on VHS back in 1998. (Update: CONFLICT is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive.)

2024 Update: CONFLICT is now available on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.  My review of the Blu-ray may be read here.

Tonight's Movie: T-Men (1947)

Tonight I watched T-MEN, a docu-noir which was one of several films collaborated on by director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton. T-MEN is a gripping story about United States Treasury agents working undercover to break a counterfeiting ring.

Dennis O'Brien (Dennis O'Keefe) and Tony Genaro (Alfred Ryder) are the agents posing as mobsters. O'Keefe is particularly good in a serious role which is a long way from the lightweight types he played in films such as MGM's HOLD THAT KISS (1938) a decade earlier.

The crooks they deal with are played by a gallery of superb actors, including Charles McGraw, Wallace Ford, and Jane Randolph (CAT PEOPLE). The film gradually builds to an ultra-suspenseful climax with all the members of the ring gathered on a ship.

The film is justly famous for its tough, unemotional presentation of agents risking all in the line of duty, and it's also highly regarded for Alton's stunning black and white cinematography. There's a marvelous scene early on where an agent walks into a room, reflected in a window, and that's just the beginning of a visually beautiful film depicting the "mean streets" of the Los Angeles area. The film would be worth watching if only to observe the way Alton uses black and white and sets up his shots.

Part of the fun of watching a film like this is the interesting faces who pass by. In this case they include Jim Bannon as Agent Lindsay; marvelous character actor Frank Ferguson as a Secret Service agent working at the L.A. Farmers Market; June Lockhart, who has terrific impact in her single scene as Genaro's wife; and Keefe Brasselle as a desk clerk.

The familiar voice of Reed Hadley is heard narrating the film. Hadley narrated countless docu-noir titles, including THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945), HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948), WALK A CROOKED MILE (1948), and THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK (1950).

My daughter mentioned that she didn't care for the constant narration, as it dissipated the tension and pulled her out of the story; her comment made me realize that I like the narration of the docu-noir style for exactly that reason. I appreciate the tension being lessened here and there, and I think I find the "voice of law enforcement" narrator reassuring!

The film was co-produced by Aubrey Schenck; as a side note, the first film produced by Schenck was SHOCK (1946), which I saw last week.

I watched a very good VHS print from the Kino on Video line. (I was sorry to note today that the president of Kino, Donald Krim, has passed away.) T-MEN is also available on DVD and can be rented from Netflix.

March 2014 Update: I had a wonderful chance to see this film in 35mm as part of UCLA's Anthony Mann series.

October 2017 Update: T-MEN has been reissued on DVD and Blu-ray by ClassicFlix, with many interesting extras.

Warner Archive News: Four Daughters Collection

There was an especially welcome release from the Warner Archive this past week, the Four Daughters Movie Series Collection.

The Collection consists of FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938), FOUR WIVES (1939), and FOUR MOTHERS (1941), along with an unrelated film starring the identical cast, DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939).

The films can either be purchased as a set, at a discounted rate, or individually. FOUR DAUGHTERS is a remastered upgrade of a 2009 Archive release. DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS was also remastered.

The FOUR DAUGHTERS series tells the story of musician Adam Lemp (Claude Rains) and his four beautiful daughters, played by Priscilla, Rosemary, and Lola Lane, plus Gale Page. Their love interests are played by John Garfield, Jeffrey Lynn, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran, and Eddie Albert. May Robson is the girls' aunt.

This is a wonderful series of films which I think becomes even more enjoyable as it continues. As I wrote in a 2008 review of FOUR MOTHERS: "FOUR WIVES and FOUR MOTHERS are particularly good, as sequels go, because each film feels as though it's simply picking up where the last one left off, with no jarring changes in cast, sets, or tone. The use of the same 'bits of business' from one film to the next, along with the recurring use of music, provides a strong sense of continuity."

DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS tells a different story, but served as an excuse to reunite director Michael Curtiz and all 10 lead cast members of the popular FOUR DAUGHTERS. One film historian wrote that DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS is "neither a sequel nor a remake, but a unique mixture of paraphrase and elaboration." Although I love the Lemp series as a whole, in some ways I preferred DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS to the original FOUR DAUGHTERS film.

There's more information on the history of this excellent series in my reviews for FOUR DAUGHTERS, FOUR WIVES, FOUR MOTHERS, and DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS, all of which were originally posted in 2007 and 2008.

Tonight's Movie: The Man From the Alamo (1953)

THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO is a crisply paced Western directed by the great Budd Boetticher, with Glenn Ford in the title role.

Things look bleak at the Alamo when John Stroud (Ford) leaves in order to try to protect his family and the families of his friends. He arrives home to discover his wife and son were murdered by American renegades. Stroud plans to return to the Alamo, but word comes that it has fallen to Santa Anna.

Local townspeople, led by John Gage (Chill Wills) and Lt. Lamar (Hugh O'Brian), look down on Stroud as dishonorable, but pretty Beth Anders (Julia Adams) is intrigued by him. Stroud proves his worth protecting a wagon train of women and children from the same gang that killed his family, then rides off to fight once more for Texas.

That's pretty much all there is to this compact 79-minute story. Ford, as he so often did, plays a fairly morose character, but he's quite effective, especially in those moments when he suddenly explodes in violence. He's got a couple of well-staged fight scenes.

Stroud's interplay with Lt. Lamar is interesting, especially when Stroud refuses to defend himself against Lamar's needling. Lamar later is confronted himself with the choice of duty and protecting his family, and he and Stroud reach a new understanding.

The film has a fairly typical Universal cast of the era, including lovely Julie Adams as the leading lady. (I've shared in the past that as a teenager I was fortunate enough to have a small role in a play with Miss Adams, a wonderful lady.) Neville Brand, Jeanne Cooper, Dennis Weaver, Victor Jory, Guy Williams, and Arthur Space all appear in the film.

The film's main drawbacks are a downbeat storyline -- the fast pace helps compensate for that -- and fairly low-grade production values. One never forgets for a moment that the Alamo is a movie set. The rest of the movie was filmed largely outdoors, but I felt the plains of Texas were just a little too obviously Southern California; I kept expecting to see the Ingalls family from the later TV series LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE when the wagon train went around the bend. The town setting is the Mexican street on the Universal backlot, which is still in use decades later.

The film has an effective score by Frank Skinner. The Technicolor cinematography was by Russell Metty.

THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO was released on VHS.

It's also on DVD, in a nice print, as part of the Classic Western Roundup, Volume 2. The other three titles in the set are THE TEXANS (1938) with Randolph Scott and Joan Bennett, CALIFORNIA (1946) with Ray Milland and Barbara Stanwyck, and THE CIMARRON KID (1952), another Boetticher film, which starred Audie Murphy and Beverly Tyler.

The DVD can be rented from Netflix.