Tonight's Movie: Showdown at Abilene (1956)

SHOWDOWN AT ABILENE (1956) is a "darn good Western," a great exemplar of the '50s films put out by Universal. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

With the Civil War ended, Confederate veteran Jim Trask (Jock Mahoney) heads back to his hometown of Abilene. Jim discovers his sweetheart Peggy (Martha Hyer), thinking he was dead, is engaged to his old friend Dave (Lyle Bettger).

Although he has trouble firing a gun due to a friendly fire incident during the war, Jim accepts his old job as sheriff when he's pressured into taking it by Dave. Jim feels responsible to Dave because Dave lost his right hand in a childhood accident with Jim...and there are other reasons as well.

This is a well-written Western (screenplay by Berne Giler) with strong characterizations. Longtime stuntman Mahoney handles his role as the mentally tortured yet honorable Jim with confident ease. His background in stunt work shows as on two different occasions he takes a flying leap off a veranda or elevated sidewalk; the lack of edits, with Mahoney clearly handling both scenes himself, greatly increases the excitement of these action sequences. Very well done!

Bettger is always such a slimy villain, but he brings quite a bit of nuance to his role. Dave's on the verge of having it all -- money, nice house, pretty wife -- but he also could lose it all very quickly. The scene where his world crumbles is rather moving, even though he clearly has done some very bad things and doesn't deserve audience sympathy. It's the mark of good acting that Bettger makes the viewer feel for him.

Rounding out the cast in a nice, understated performance as Jim's deputy is David Janssen. Given that the previous sheriff (Ted de Corsia) was a no-good guy, it's unclear at first if the deputy will be friend or foe to Jim, and it's enjoyable to watch their respectful relationship gradually develop.

Martha Hyer, a leading lady in so many Westerns, does a fine job here as well; her first two scenes with Jim, as they are reunited after the war, are filled with regret and longing. I feel compelled to add she has quite a nice hairstyle in this; she's like a chameleon in her films, often looking quite different from movie to movie, and in Columbia's WYOMING RENEGADES (1954) she had a peculiar platinum blonde hairstyle which might have been a wig. She looks lovely here.

SHOWDOWN AT ABILENE runs a perfectly paced 80 minutes. It was directed by Charles Haas and shot by Irving Glassberg.

A bit player of note: Pauline Moore, who was Ann Rutledge in John Ford's YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939), is a townswoman. She was off the screen after 1941, then returned to movies and TV for a few projects in the mid to late '50s.

Western fans will like this one. Unfortunately it's not on VHS or DVD. Thanks for John Knight for making it possible for me to watch it.

Tonight's Movie: Iron Man (2008)

This month's immersion into the Marvel world continues! Having watched CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011) and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014), tonight I watched the first film in the series, IRON MAN (2008).

Robert Downey Jr. plays industrialist Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark from the film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. (Gerard Sanders plays Howard in newsreel footage and stills seen in IRON MAN; Howard was played by Dominic Cooper in CAPTAIN AMERICA and the TV series AGENT CARTER. Apparently John Slattery of HOMEFRONT and MAD MEN will play Howard in some of the films.) Wealthy inventors Howard and Tony Stark both seem to have been influenced by Howard Hughes; Tony is incredibly brilliant, but also a womanizing, unserious egomaniac -- until fate intervenes.

Tony is nearly killed in the Middle East; this part was rather humorous for me, as the scenes were shot in the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine, California. I had a bit of hard time suspending disbelief due to my familiarity with the area, but it was also fun to see the location used in a newer movie.

Tony ends up held prisoner by terrorists, with another captured scientist implanting a weird device in the wounded Tony's chest to keep his heart going. The terrorists want Tony to build a weapons system, but instead he creates the first Iron Man, enabling him to blow the bad guys to smithereens and escape.

Tony's return home is greeted with joy by his loyal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and his close friend, Rhodey (Terrence Howard). After seeing his company's weapons misused in the Middle East, Tony wants out of the weapons manufacturing business, to the consternation of his partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

Meanwhile Tony slowly creates a new, even more elaborate Iron Man in his Malibu basement...just in time to realize someone close to him wants to kill him.

I found the evolution of Tony Stark in the film, from privileged brat to serious man with a mission, to be very well handled and believable. The casting of Downey was interesting for multiple reasons; Downey, like Stark, overcame his past and turned his life around, and it was also refreshing to have someone in his 40s cast as a superhero, with an age-appropriate leading lady.

The film's biggest flaw was that it was too long at 126 minutes; some of the sequences, such as Tony's time in a Middle Eastern cave or being tormented by his nemisis late in the film, go on and on and on. I think the film could have been trimmed down by a few minutes for a brisker pace.

I did like the prolonged development sequences where Tony interacts with his robot Jarvis (voiced by Paul Bettany); I suspect one of the reasons the development sequences were lengthy was to better ground the film in a sense of reality, and from that standpoint they work.

My other main criticism was I felt a lack of chemistry between Tony and Rhodey; the scene where Rhodey is in a situation room following Iron Man's flight and talking to him on his cell phone could have had much more humor and drama. It should have been an exciting high point as Rhodey realizes where his friend is and deals with it; instead it was just kind of flat. That was partly a fault of how the scene was written, but I also didn't feel the characters (or actors) clicked. I was thus quite interested to learn that Rhodey was recast in subsequent films with Don Cheadle (OCEAN'S 11).

On the other hand, I loved the relationship of Tony and Pepper and really enjoyed their banter and unspoken attraction. Good stuff, and I look forward to seeing what might develop there in future films.

I understand I'll also be meeting Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) of SHIELD in future films. As I mentioned in my review of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, I do enjoy the "soap opera"/movie series aspects of these films, with long-running characters in interconnected stories.

The three Marvel movies seen to date have a nice old-fashioned sensibility, with heroes maturing and ultimately becoming selfless as they take on unexpected responsibilities for the good of the world. There are also strong roles for women and, for the most part, a lack of disturbing violence. And there was even an appearance by Lone Pine, seen in so many favorite Westerns and other classic films! I'll be back for more.

IRON MAN was directed by Jon Favreau, who also appears onscreen in the series as Hogan. It was filmed by Matthew Libatique.

As was the case with the CAPTAIN AMERICA movies, the music is sadly forgettable.

Parental Advisory: IRON MAN is rated PG-13 for intense action sequences and one very brief suggestive scene. There are a lot of explosions but no graphic violence.

IRON MAN is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Tonight's Movie: The Saint Takes Over (1940)

THE SAINT TAKES OVER (1940) is a strong entry in RKO's mystery series starring George Sanders.

Following the dull THE SAINT'S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1940), the series is back in good form with THE SAINT TAKES OVER. The story gets off to a brisk start as Simon Templar (Sanders), aka the Saint, rescues Ruth Summers (Wendy Barrie) from a card cheat while traveling on a New York-bound ocean liner.

The Saint returns to New York to help his old friend Inspector Henry Fernack (Jonathan Hale), who was framed when a ring of mobsters planted shady money in his safe. Henry has lost his job and the Saint is determined to solve the crime and get Henry's job back.

THE SAINT TAKES OVER is a briskly paced and entertaining episode with enjoyable interplay between the Saint and Fernack. The movie is also brightened by Paul Guilfoyle as a milk-drinking gunsel who switches over to the Saint's side. Guilfoyle returns as the same character in Sanders' final Saint film, THE SAINT IN PALM SPRINGS (1941).

Wendy Barrie has a relatively small role in the film, but she makes an impact in her final scenes. Barrie has the unusual distinction of having been the leading lady in three different Saint films, playing a different character in each movie! She was also in THE SAINT STRIKES BACK (1939) and the next film in the series, THE SAINT IN PALM SPRINGS (1941). Barrie and Sanders then moved on to the Falcon series, where she played Helen Reed in the first two films, THE GAY FALCON (1941) and A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1942).

This was one of three SAINT films directed by Jack Hively. The screenplay of this 69-minute film was by Lynn Root and Frank Fenton, and the cinematographer was Frank Redman.


THE SAINT TAKES OVER is available on DVD in the Warner Archive's George Sanders Saint Movies Collection. I've previously reviewed the first three films in the set, THE SAINT STRIKES BACK (1939), THE SAINT IN LONDON (1939), and THE SAINT'S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1940).

THE SAINT TAKES OVER has also been released on Region 2 DVD. It had a VHS release as a TCM double feature paired with THE SAINT'S VACATION (1941) starring Hugh Sinclair.

Tonight's Movie: Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)

The colorfully titled WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED (1953) was released by Olive Films on DVD and Blu-ray earlier this year. Having read a number of good things about this Republic Western, I'd really been looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint.

Joan Leslie plays the title character, but that near-lynching comes at the end, and I'll leave it to viewers to discover for themselves how the movie acquired its title.

As the movie begins, Sally (Leslie) is a proper young woman whose parents have passed on, so she is on a stage to the rough frontier town of Border City to join her brother (Reed Hadley). Along the way her stagecoach is overturned by Quantrill's Raiders, led by Charles Quantrill (Brian Donlevy) and his wife Kate (Audrey Totter), along with Cole Younger (Jim Davis) and Jesse James (Ben Cooper).

Sally finally makes it to Border City, only to discover her brother doesn't own a respectable hotel, he's a saloon owner -- who hasn't seen her in so long he doesn't recognize her and thinks she's seeking employment in his establishment! Needless to say, all of this comes as a shock to Sally, but there are more surprises in store.

Said brother had once planned to marry Kate, who was kidnapped by Quantrill and has become his wife -- and one mean gal. Kate stirs up trouble, and Sally's brother ends up dead. Sally, who is broke, has no choice but to continue to run her brother's saloon, try to pay off his debts and then hope to sell it.

At least there's a mighty handsome mine manager, Lance (John Lund), to make staying in Border City a little more pleasant.

The bare bones of the plot may not sound that interesting, but the unpredictable lead female characters make the movie; they're played with enthusiasm by a pair of favorite actresses.

Joan's Sally may be every inch a lady of quality, but she's also a crack shot, as Lance learns in an amusing scene. (It reminded me a bit of the two women who demonstrate their shooting skills to Robert Taylor near the start of WESTWARD THE WOMEN.) Faced with cold, hard reality, Sally dresses up like a saloon gal to run the business, and she doesn't hesitate to brawl with Kate when necessary, even though she's embarrassed afterwards. Best of all, when she hears Kate has it in for her Sally doesn't sit and wait but goes gunning for Kate.  A shootout between two ladies sure isn't something you see in your average Western.

The evolution of Sally and Kate's relationship from the point of their shootout is fascinating, with Totter superb in a scene where she recounts to Sally how she ended up as a wild Quantrill. Kate's relationship with her husband is interesting; he's a tough man who could stop her in her tracks, but he pretty much lets her stir up trouble as she pleases, being rather entertained by it, then calmly cleans up whatever mess she's made as a result. As he says, he can't decide if she's exciting or something a little more unpleasant. It's a smaller role but Donlevy is well cast.

For that matter, with the women front and center John Lund's role is relatively small too, but I always enjoy him, finding him appealing and quite underrated. As a side note, I couldn't help thinking how his character could make the movie a target in this current era of hyper political correctness; he's the hero -- and he's a Confederate soldier. Ban movies and TV shows with Confederate flags, and soon you'll be sliding down the slope toward taking out what we might see today as films with "inappropriately heroic" characters. Where will it stop? A bit of food for thought, but anyway...

Jim Davis makes an impression as Younger, who takes a fancy to Sally and decides he's going to kidnap a wife just like Quantrill did. Otherwise, just as with the leads, it's the supporting women who make the biggest impressions, including Nina Varela's bossy town mayor and the trio of saloon gals who befriend Sally, played by Virginia Christine, Ann Savage, and Marilyn Lindsey (whose first film was WESTWARD THE WOMEN).

The supporting cast includes James Brown, Ellen Corby, Minerva Urecal, Gordon Jones, Nacho Galindo, Frank Ferguson, and Jimmy Hawkins.

WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED was written by Steve Fisher, whose name has come up very frequently in viewing of late, most recently in JOHNNY ANGEL (1945).

The movie was directed by Allan Dwan and filmed in black and white by Reggie Lanning. It runs 90 minutes.

The Olive Films DVD is a nice crisp print, as is typical for Olive releases.

WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED is quite different from your average Western, and I found it a lot of fun. Recommended.

Tonight's Movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Having enjoyed Marvel's CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011) on the Fourth of July, I was interested in trying the next film in the series. I saw it a little sooner than I expected I'd be able to, since my husband discovered our cable system offered it in free HD streaming.

As was explained at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Captain America (Chris Evans) was frozen for decades (hey, it's based on a comic book!) and is now fighting crime in our modern era. And he's got plenty of crime to fight, since HYDRA, the villains he fought during WWII, have infiltrated and taken over the crime-fighting organization SHIELD. This means it's almost impossible to tell the bad guys from the good guys.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the head of SHIELD, tells Steve, aka Captain America, not to trust anyone, but Steve does put his trust in the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and the Falcon, aka Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), as well as Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). It's up to them to save Nick Fury -- and the world!

Along for the ride are a rather haggard-looking Robert Redford playing a higher-up at SHIELD and Emily Van Camp (BROTHERS AND SISTERS) as Steve's next-door neighbor, an innocent-looking nurse; each could be friend or foe.

The climatic battle sequence in particular is a little too heavy on the CGI look, but most movies are guilty of that these days, and CAPTAIN AMERICA at least has characters with heart to go with the fake-looking action sequences. (Honestly, at times CGI is more phony than old-fashioned back projections.) Steve is a genuinely good person, as illustrated by his moving visit to an aged and ill Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), not to mention his dealings with an old friend turned enemy.

Some of the appeal of the Captain America films is that they present very strong female characters in Agent Carter and the Black Widow. I really enjoyed Steve's verbal jousting with the sassy Black Widow, and, being new to Marvel films, I was amazed to learn there isn't a stand-alone Black Widow movie. At least Agent Carter got a TV series! My daughter sent me the link to a very creative title sequence someone created for a mythical Black Widow movie; it's James Bond-ish and perfect!

The CAPTAIN AMERICA movies may be super high tech, but I'm also amused by how much they remind me of GENERAL HOSPITAL (where no one ever really dies!) as well as my beloved '40s "B" mystery series, with continuing characters solving a new problem in each film.

Once again, the film's biggest flaw is that CAPTAIN AMERICA is shortchanged in the music department. It's a crime these movies were released with the cinematic equivalent of Muzak for background scores. Soaring theme music would have added a lot.

I've enjoyed the two CAPTAIN AMERICA films enough that I'll keep going and try another. I'm told by my family that before I back up to watch Captain America and the Black Widow appear in THE AVENGERS (2012) I need to watch IRON MAN (2008) first...

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER was directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. It was filmed by Trent Opaloch. The movie runs 136 minutes.

Parental Advisory: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is rated PG-13 for intense action sequences.

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Lucky Star (1929) at UCLA

Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor were longtime costars, but until this evening I hadn't seen one of the dozen films they made together. That changed tonight thanks to a screening of LUCKY STAR (1929) at UCLA. It was part of the Frank Borzage series which will be playing at UCLA for the next several weeks.

There was only one issue with tonight's screening of this wonderful film: the last reel hadn't been shipped to the theater! Needless to say, it was quite a disappointment when the movie abruptly shut off, especially as I was enjoying it tremendously.

Fortunately the movie is currently on YouTube, and so I was able to watch the last 10 minutes of the movie as soon as I got home without having to wait to catch it on a DVD!

Other than that unexpected issue, seeing LUCKY STAR was simply a magical experience, all the more so thanks to live piano accompaniment by Cliff Retallick; he did a terrific job.

Gaynor plays Mary, a poor young farm girl who gradually establishes a friendship with Tim, a wheelchair-bound WWI veteran. Mary's mother (Hedwiga Reicher) pushes her to marry the smooth-talking Martin Wrenn (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams), thinking he'll save Mary from their hand-to-mouth lifestyle, but Wrenn has no intent of marrying Mary once he gets her off to the big city. And Mary doesn't want to marry Wrenn at all, as she has gradually come to realize that her heart is with Tim.

That's a bare bones synopsis of a richly detailed film. It delicately traces the evolution of Mary and Tim's relationship, beginning just before Tim goes off to war, when Mary is a young kid. Mary is no angel, and their initial encounter includes Tim giving her a lickin' for lying. As they get to know each other after the war, Tim gradually makes over Mary, giving her care and attention she's never had at home, and as Tim says at the end, ultimately Mary changes him as well.

One could admit that the ending stretches credulity while also saying it's completely perfect, in keeping with the film's fairy tale tone.

Gaynor and Farrell are, in a word, luminous. I've enjoyed Gaynor in a few other films, including the silent classic SUNRISE (1927), but I'd only seen Farrell in THE BIG SHAKEDOWN (1934). He's simultaneously handsome and deeply moving. I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the many films pairing Gaynor and Farrell.

LUCKY STAR is completely absorbing, with its fairy tale feel accentuated due to most of the film being confined to two main sets, Mary's farmhouse and Tim's house. The sets look soundstage-fake at first, yet eventually that's forgotten as the viewer becomes completely wrapped up in the characters and their world, which is necessarily a small one due to disability and lack of money. The sets simultaneously manage to be both unrealistic and beautifully evocative; at times the characters look as though they're walking through paintings. The movie was filmed by Chester Lyons and William Cooper Smith.

The cast includes an impossibly young Paul Fix as a delivery truck driver, with Jack Pennick part of the WWI sequence. Delmar Watson plays Mary's little brother.

LUCKY STAR was believed lost for many years until a print was found in Holland in the late '80s. The silent version had been distributed to foreign markets, while a "talkie" version which was shot simultaneously and screened in the U.S. continues to be on the "lost" list. It would be fascinating to see the movie with dialogue, although one has to think it would not have quite the same magical haze with the characters speaking.

For those who'd like to read more, Janet Maslin reviewed the then recently rediscovered film for the New York Times in 1991, calling it "a vibrant piece of film history and an innocent delight."

LUCKY STAR has been shown on Turner Classic Movies. It's available on DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

CALLING DR. GILLESPIE (1942) continues MGM's long-running Dr. Kildare series, minus Dr. Kildare. It's part of the six-film Dr. Gillespie Movie Collection, available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

Over the last few months I've enjoyed watching the nine films in the Warner Archive's Dr. Kildare Movie Collection, with Lew Ayres as Dr. Kildare. Ayres' role in the series ended with DR. KILDARE'S VICTORY (1942).

After DR. KILDARE'S VICTORY and FINGERS AT THE WINDOW (1942), which costarred his KILDARE leading lady, Laraine Day, Ayres was off the screen for the duration of WWII, returning in THE DARK MIRROR (1946). Although initially there was a flap about Ayres declaring himself a conscientious objector, he ultimately served in the war as both a medic and as a chaplain's assistant.

Meanwhile back at Blair General Hospital, the series would continue without Ayres for another six films, spread over half a decade. All of the films continued to star Lionel Barrymore as crochety Dr. Leonard Gillespie, with the first of the films being CALLING DR. GILLESPIE.

In this entry Dr. Gillespie is mentoring a young surgeon (Philip Dorn) who's interested in changing his practice to psychiatry. Dorn, who might be best-known as Papa in I REMEMBER MAMA (1948), is on the dull side in this, but the film is brightened by the presence of the young Donna Reed, not to mention many of the Kildare series regulars.

Reed plays Marsha Bradburn, a young lady at a girls' boarding school run by Gillespie's old friend Emma Hope (Mary Nash). Marsha receives permission from her father to become engaged to Roy Todwell (Phil Brown), but when Roy learns Marsha's father insists she finish school before the wedding, Roy promptly picks up a rock and kills his dog. It's a startling and disturbing moment.

Roy veers back and forth between normalcy and increasingly prolonged periods of insanity, leading Dr. Gillespie and his colleagues to do a lot of exclaiming about him potentially being a "homicidal maniac"! (Some of the psychological theories espoused in the film are "interesting," to say the least.) Eventually Roy ends up on the loose in Blair General Hospital, gunning for Dr. Gillespie. Needless to say, Marsha's engagement doesn't turn out so well.

It's a relatively silly episode in the series history, but I nonetheless found it entertaining company. Reed is sweet and lovely, and it's always enjoyable spending time with the Blair Hospital regulars, who in this entry include Alma Kruger, Nell Craig, Walter Kingsford, Nat Pendleton, Marie Blake, Eddie Acuff, and Barbara Bedford.

One of the really fun scenes occurs at the very end, when Dr. Gillespie attends Marsha's graduation. The incredibly gorgeous young woman sitting next to Marsha is Ava Gardner, one of over two dozen bit roles she played in her early years at MGM.

CALLING DR. GILLESPIE was directed by longtime series director Harold S. Buquet, returning to the series after taking time off from DR. KILDARE'S VICTORY. It was filmed by Ray June.

The Warner Archive DVD has a couple of scenes which are noticeably speckled, but for the most part the print and sound quality are perfectly fine. The disc includes the trailer.

The next four films in the series feature Van Johnson as a young doctor, with James Craig a doctor in the final film; Keye Luke also appears as a doctor in the remaining five Dr. Gillespie films. Look for more Dr. Gillespie series reviews here in the future.

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

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Lovely and talented Lola Albright turns 90 on Monday, July 20th. Albright was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1925. Her film career began in the chorus of MGM musicals such as THE PIRATE (1948) and EASTER PARADE (1948), and she quickly moved up to leading roles in films such as THE GOOD HUMOR MAN (1950) and WHEN YOU'RE SMILING (1950). She did a great deal of TV work, most notably PETER GUNN. Albright films previously reviewed here include THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK (1950), THE SILVER WHIP (1953), TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS (1955), and THE TENDER TRAP (1955).

...The wonderful Gloria DeHaven, a Los Angeles native, turns 90 on Thursday, July 23rd. DeHaven sparkled in many MGM musicals including TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944), SUMMER HOLIDAY (1948), SUMMER STOCK (1950), and THREE LITTLE WORDS (1950), as well as the delightful Fox musical I'LL GET BY (1951). DeHaven films reviewed here include SUSAN AND GOD (1940), SCENE OF THE CRIME (1949), THE DOCTOR AND THE GIRL (1949), and DOWN AMONG THE SHELTERING PALMS (1953). DeHaven's first husband was John Payne, with whom she had two children.

...Speaking of John Payne, over at Riding the High Country Colin has reviewed the enjoyable RAILS INTO LARAMIE (1954), costarring Dan Duryea and Mari Blanchard.

...TCM presents DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) nationwide on July 19th and 20th. Check online for the closest theaters and times.

...Congrats to our friend Bob Joles who was one of two winners in TCM's "Noir Summer" Twitter script contest. Bob's entry: "As I listened to the monotonous staccato of rain on my window, she walked in. An hourglass figure with time on her side."

...TCM has also announced the guests for this November's TCM Cruise aboard the Disney Magic. The list includes, in part, Leslie Caron, Eva Marie Saint, Ruta Lee, Louis Gossett Jr., Roger Corman, Eddie Muller, Illeana Douglas, Kate MacMurray, and Alex Trebek.

...Kathy Garver of the TV series A FAMILY AFFAIR has a book coming out in a few weeks, SURVIVING CISSY: MY FAMILY AFFAIR OF LIFE IN HOLLYWOOD. Rick has a very nice interview with Kathy at the Classic Film and TV Cafe.

...The detailed, deeply researched Immortal Ephemera has long been one of my favorite classic film sites. Did you know you can subscribe to Cliff's Classic Movie Daily and receive updates each weekday with tips on the day's TCM listings, birthdays, DVD news, and more? (And thanks to Cliff for his kind words on the occasion of my blog's 10th anniversary!)

...At her blog Out of the Past, Raquel has a set of fun posts on her classic film memorabilia. Visit Part 1 and Part 2.

...Leonard Maltin reviews three "new and notable" film books, including BEHIND THE SCENES OF THEY WERE EXPENDABLE: A PICTORIAL HISTORY which will be reviewed here in the near future.

...Leonard also has a very interesting review of MAN OF CONQUEST (1939), which stars Richard Dix, Gail Patrick, and Joan Fontaine. It was just released on DVD by Olive Films.

...The final Maltin link for this week: Leonard is very enthused indeed about the newly released Marvel/Disney film ANT-MAN (2015). As someone who's just started to check out these movies, I may have to try it. Look for my review of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014) in the next few days.

...At I See a Dark Theater, Kim looks back at the 2014 screening of the restored RAMONA (1928) at UCLA. That's something I would have really enjoyed seeing! Dolores Del Rio and Warner Baxter starred.

...I'm rather taken with Miracle Mile, glowing art seen at the right which will be on exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art the first week of September.

...Home Media Magazine presents a report on a Comic Con panel on the future of physical media, moderated by Bill Hunt of The Digital Bits. As a film collector who's only dabbled in Blu-ray occasionally, comments like this caught my interest: "DVD got really successful, far more successful than anybody knew it would be. It turned people from collectors to consumers. They bought stuff just to buy stuff and that boosted all the sales numbers. Then you go to Blu-ray which became much more collector driven, so the people who didn’t want to buy every single title weren’t buying every single title, so the studios looked at that as not as successful, when the reality is it’s as successful as Laserdisc was 20 years ago, even more so." Also: "Blu-ray should never have been marketed as a mass product. It should have been more of a collector format that could support the numbers that it would ultimately do because as all of us can attest, we would pay."

...Kristina has all the links for last week's 1947 blogathon at Speakeasy. Lots of great posts!

...If you missed last week's link roundup, it can be found here!

...I also recently posted a big roundup of news on Disney movies, books, theme parks, and the upcoming D23 Expo.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: The Clay Pigeon (1949) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

THE CLAY PIGEON (1949) is a nifty little suspense thriller just released on DVD in the Warner Archive Film Noir Collection.

I first saw this film three years ago and enjoyed returning to it tonight. It's a lightning-fast tale which manages to pack a lot of plot and characterization into a scant 63 minutes.

Bill Williams plays Jim Fletcher, who comes out of a coma at the Long Beach Naval Hospital only to learn that he's going to be court-martialed for an act of treason committed while he was imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp.

Jim's prison memories have been completely wiped out; terrified at being accused of something horrible he doesn't remember, he escapes from the hospital. Jim hopes his old war buddy, Mark, can help him out and meets Mark's wife Martha (Barbara Hale). Jim has another ugly shock coming when he learns Mark is dead and he's responsible.

Jim and the initially unwilling Martha go on the road looking for answers, which might be found with another old war buddy, Ted (Richard Quine). It's quite a challenge, with both the navy and strange men with guns following Jim around Los Angeles. And Jim has an even bigger shock coming when he's sitting in a Chinese restaurant and suddenly spots the Japanese guard who beat him!

The theme of a couple on the run is something I seem to have been watching a lot of in the last few weeks, including PACIFIC BLACKOUT (1941) and another Warner Archive release, TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945). It's fun to watch the real life Mr. and Mrs. Williams on screen together; married in 1946, they have a comfortable, appealing rapport costarring in this film. They previously appeared together in WEST OF THE PECOS (1945) and A LIKELY STORY (1947).

The movie has another familiar film noir theme, a veteran with a big problem. Veterans seem to have had an especially rough time in film noir land! I could doubtless make a very long list of film noir veterans who find life back in the States perhaps more dangerous than what they experienced in the war.

THE CLAY PIGEON has some great atmosphere, with settings including a coastal trailer park and L.A.'s Chinatown, filmed in black and white by Robert de Grasse.

There's an especially nice scene where Jim hides in the apartment of a war widow. She's played by Mary Marco, who (billed as Maria San Marco) played Keye Luke's bride Jeannie in SLEEP, MY LOVE (1948). It's an interesting thematic touch that while Jim has been tormented by a Japanese man, both during the war and after, his life is saved by a Japanese-American woman.

The cast of THE CLAY PIGEON also includes Martha Hyer as a receptionist who gives Jim a key piece of information and Ann Doran as a bitter nurse.

THE CLAY PIGEON has excellent behind the scenes talent, written by Carl Foreman and directed Richard Fleischer. Fleischer seems to be warming up for his noir classic THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), which was set almost entirely on a train headed for Los Angeles; the climax of THE CLAY PIGEON also takes place on a train, this time headed out of L.A.

The Warner Archive DVD is a fine print of this RKO film. 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 the Warner Archive Collection Store at Amazon and from other online retailers.