Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Tonight's Movie: Artists and Models (1937) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Earlier this month I very much enjoyed Jack Benny in the comedy MAN ABOUT TOWN (1939), which is part of a new two-film set of Paramount Pictures films from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Alas, I cannot say I felt the same about the other movie in the set, ARTISTS AND MODELS (1937).

ARTISTS AND MODELS is a confusing, nearly plotless mishmash in which Benny plays Mac Brewster. Mac's struggling ad agency will be rescued by a new account in which he finds the "Townsend Girl" to advertise silver for a company owned by wealthy Alan Townsend (Richard Arlen).

The new "Townsend Girl" will also be featured as queen at an Artists and Models Ball.

Paula Sewell (Ida Lupino) and Cynthia Wentworth (Gail Patrick) are both competing to be the Townsend Girl, and somehow they also each end up engaged to Mac...while Alan loves Paula.

That's pretty much the plot, such as it is. What makes the movie hard to follow is an endless stream of disconnected musical numbers performed by the likes of Judy Canova, Ben Blue, and Connee Boswell (billed Connie).

The songs are simply dropped into the middle of the story in rather bizarre ways. They don't advance the action or, in some cases, appear as part of a show performance. An opening number is particularly annoying as it provides no understanding of the plot and essentially delays the start of the movie. It makes one wonder who at the studio was watching the footage and thought they were turning out a good film.

The one really good number, "Public Melody Number One," features Martha Raye and Louis Armstrong. Raye performs in blackface, as was common in the era, but otherwise the number stands out as quite stylishly presented. I gasped "No wonder!" upon learning that this lone number was staged by the great Vincente Minnelli.

Otherwise the beautiful Patrick is quite cute in her pursuit of Benny, and they're charming together, but despite a great cast that's about all there is to the movie. It's a rather long 97 minutes.

ARTISTS AND MODELS was directed by Raoul Walsh, which I found rather fascinating. It was filmed in black and white by Victor Milner. There were too many screenplay contributors to name.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print is from a new HD master from a 2K scan of the 35mm fine grain. It looks excellent, with good sound quality.

Extras consist of a commentary track by Eddy Von Mueller; the trailer, newly mastered in 2K; and the nine-film trailer gallery previously mentioned in my review of MAN ABOUT TOWN.

As always, I'm glad to have the chance to see even an iffy movie in the best condition possible and appreciate Kino Lorber making it possible.

I recommend getting this collection for MAN ABOUT TOWN, which I thought was quite fun, and perhaps simply considering that ARTISTS AND MODELS is an extra. If nothing else, it's worth seeing for Louis Armstrong and the early work of one of the great musical directors, Vincente Minnelli.

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

Tonight's Movie: Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (1954)

In recent months I've been very much enjoying French film noir and crime films, mainly due to new releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

I've been meaning to catch up with TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (1954), roughly translated as DON'T TOUCH THE LOOT, for a number of years, and happily it's also available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. I purchased this disc some time ago and am very glad I did.

I first became aware of this film when it was co-introduced on Turner Classic Movies in 2012 by my late friend Gina Neylon, also known by her online handle as Moira Finnie. At that time I wasn't particularly interested in foreign films, but that has happily changed over the years and my viewing has widened considerably.

I've become a great admirer of the French heist film RIFIFI (1955), and I saw some parallels between that movie and TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI, which came out a year ahead of RIFIFI.

Each film travels a path from the mundane and quiet -- very literally, in terms of RIFIFI's heist sequence -- to a woman learning critical information which in turn leads to a violent, gripping climax.

In TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI Max (Jean Gabin) and his longtime friend and partner in crime Riton (Rene Dary) have pulled off a major gold heist, but this only becomes clear to slowly. Max and Riton were so successful not even their friends know they were behind the job.

While waiting for things to calm down so they can unload their loot, Max and Riton spend time in a restaurant frequented by gangsters, run by Madame Bouche (Denise Clair), and while away time with showgirls (Dora Doll and Jeanne Moreau); in Max's case, he also has a glamous slightly older mistress (Marilyn Bufferd) waiting in the wings.

That said, Max and Riton are getting on in years; Max is ready to retire and lead a more relaxed life, and he's also concerned for his friend, having learned Riton's mistress Josy (Moreau) is unfaithful.

Josy picks up the info that Max and Riton are sitting on something big, prompting gangster Angelo (Lino Ventura) to kidnap Riton, calculating that Max is so loyal to Riton that he will trade his ill-gotten stash for his friend...

This is almost a "gangster procedural," spending much of the film focused on things such as how to stash loot, keep a safe house, and fence ill-gotten goods. Then suddenly it shifts gears into a literally explosive finale using weapons stashed away since the Occupation.

Having now seen him in several films, I've been trying to put my finger on what makes Jean Gabin so interesting. His looks are fairly ordinary and he's anything but flamboyant, yet he commands attention. There's a certain confidence to his performances, especially here, including the sense that his characters know a great deal and have deep inner thoughts. In fact, we're actually exposed to Max's thinking late in this film, as he philosophically contemplates the trouble his dear friend has caused.

Gabin's Max is admirable in many ways, particularly in his loyalty to his friends. I enjoyed watching the way he helps and guides the younger Marco (Michel Jourdan), paying his restaurant tab, finding him work, then inviting him along on mission to reclaim Riton, with the warning it will be a rough job.

At the same time, Max and friends are uncouth and disrespectful with women of a "certain kind." A particular "grabby" moment Max engages in backstage at a nightclub was rather shocking, given that we would never see anything like it in a U.S. film of this era. On the other hand, the older ladies of Max's circle, who have proven their worth, receive his trust and appreciation.

The entire cast is outstanding, with Ventura's double-crossing gangster and Moreau's beautiful, sassy (and drug-addicted) Josy making particularly strong impressions.

TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI is engaging for all of its 96 minutes. (As a side note, Kino Lorber's box has a typo indicated the film is 86 minutes.)

TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI was directed by Jacques Becker. It was filmed in black and white by Pierre Montazel and looks absolutely beautiful.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray has a commentary track by Nick Pinkerton along with a couple of interviews, the trailer, and a gallery for five additional trailers for other films available form Kino Lorber.

TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI is a film I will definitely be returning to in the future. Very much recommended.

Cowboy Exhibits at The Autry and the Reagan Library

This month's Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp column takes a look at two different museum exhibits on cowboys which I've visited in recent months.

The first exhibit, on black cowboys, was seen at The Autry Museum of the American West, and the second, Cowboys: History & Hollywood, was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Musem.

The column is jam-packed with photos of each exhibit's displays of interesting posters, props, and costumes from Westerns.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to check it out, and thanks very much for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024; April 2024; May 2024; June 2024; July 2024; August 2024; September 2024; October 2024; November 2024; December 2024; January 2025; February 2025; March 2025; April 2025; May 2025; June 2025; July 2025; August 2025; September 2025; October 2025; November 2025; January 2026 (No. 1); January 2026 (No. 2); February 2026.

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Great news from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: THE MAVERICK QUEEN (1955), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan, is "coming soon" to Blu-ray. The movie had a VHS release but to my knowledge never came out on DVD. It's described as a "brand-new HD master by Paramount Preservation from a 4K scan of the 35mm Trucolor negative." I'm very happy to hear about this!

...Last month Kino Lorber announced a Brit Noir Collection I Blu-ray set, which is due out May 26th. Kino Lorber has now announced a Brit Noir Collection II set coming in June. The titles are HOME AT SEVEN (1952), also known as MURDER ON MONDAY; THE INTRUDER (1953); and THE LONG ARM (1956), aka THE THIRD KEY. Jack Hawkins stars in all three films.

...Netflix is raising prices again.

...The Criterion Channel's April streaming lineup includes "Corporate Thrillers" and "Three Noirs by Jacques Tourneur."

...CHARADE (1963) might be the first Criterion Collection Blu-ray in my collection. It's now available on Blu-ray.

...From Leonard Maltin: "Catching Up With Blu-rays."

...Coming for fall cookbook season: FOODS OF LA FRONTERA by Pati Jinich for Harper Collins and HAVE YOU EATEN YET? FAMILY RECIPES FROM A RESTAURANT DAUGHTER by actress Ming-Na Wen for Simon & Schuster.

...The long-running CBS series NCIS has hit 500 episodes.

...Coming in September from actress-author Illeana Douglas for Lyons Press: JUNGLE RED! THE MAKING OF MGM'S THE WOMEN. Douglas previously wrote CONNECTICUT IN THE MOVIES and I BLAME DENNIS HOPPER.

...There's also a book on THE WOMEN in the works by Alison Macor, author of MAKING THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, from the University of Texas Press.

...I revisited Tyrone Power in THE LUCK OF THE IRISH (1948) for St. Patrick's Day and thoroughly enjoyed it!

...Donna Reed's former Palm Springs home, which she owned from 1955 to 1966, is on the market.

...Reviews I've enjoyed in the last few days include a look at I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU (1946) by Jessica Pickens for Comet Over Hollywood...Colin has reviewed MIRAGE (1965) at Riding the High Country...CineSavant Glenn Erickson has reviewed THE VERDICT (1946) from the Warner Archive Collection and CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (1960), aka THE BIG RISK, from the Criterion Collection. I just ordered the latter film, starring Lino Ventura, from a Criterion Collection 24-hour half-price sale last week...Kristina has written about a big favorite, THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), for her blog Speakeasy.

...Thanks to Aventuras de Tom Tyler for sharing my Classic Movie Hub review of the two-film Tom Tyler Blu-ray set!

...Henry C. Parke has covered the Cowboys exhibit at the Reagan Presidential Library for True West...look for my article and photos coming soon to my Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp column! (Update: Here's the link to my column.)

...My favorite Los Angeles French Dip restaurant, Philippe's, is getting rid of sawdust on the floor. The change, after over a century, is for insurance reasons.

...A reminder that the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray sale at Movie Zyng continues through Tuesday, March 31st. A number of additional titles have just been added to the sale.

...Notable Passings: The legendary Chuck Norris passed away at 86...Actress Judy Pace, remembered by me as Linda Sayers in BRIAN'S SONG (1971), has passed on at 83...Actress Valerine Perrine, always remembered by many of us as Miss Teschmacher in SUPERMAN (1978), seen here in a still, died at 82...Hanna-Barbera composer Ted Nichols has died at 97...Actor Ed Bernard (POLICE WOMAN, THE WHITE SHADOW) has passed at 86...Western character actor Matt Clark has passed on at 89...Character actor James Tolkan, memorable in the original TOP GUN (1986), has died at 94. He uttered the memorable line to Tom Cruise, "Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash"...Michael S. Rosenwald has written a lovely tribute to film historian and locations sleuth John Bengtson, published in The New York Times.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my March 14th column.

Monday, March 23, 2026

Tonight's Movie: The Gay Divorcee (1934) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Some films are like old friends, welcome each and every time you see them, and such is the case with THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934).

I grew up watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in THE GAY DIVORCEE with my mother on local television. As a teenager I saw it theatrically at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Bing Theater, and after a few decades was able to see it on a big screen again at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Of course, I also owned it on DVD, which enabled me to share the movie with my own children. And now I've happily revisited it again thanks to the beautiful new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray which will be officially released next week, on March 31, 2026.

The plot, from a story and screenplay concocted by a host of writers -- in turn based on a play -- is a lightweight trifle about Mimi (Rogers), who plans to engineer a divorce from her husband (William Austin) by using a paid "co-respondent," Rodolfo Tonetti (Erik Rhodes). Tonetti and Mimi will fake infidelity in order to force her husband's hand to agree to a divorce.

Mimi mistakes Guy (Astaire), a dancer she'd met on a ship, for Tonetti, and oh my, do things get complicated, in the funniest ways.

The plot really doesn't matter a whole lot; as a child I found it a little confusing, with parts of the story sailing right over my head, but I still loved the movie.

What matters is Fred, Ginger, the giddy character actors (Eric Blore! Edward Everett Horton! Alice Brady!), the gorgeous Art Deco sets, the Walter Plunkett gowns, the music, and the dances. Oh, the dances!

The numbers are all enjoyable, but the climactic "The Continental" is especially beautiful to watch; Fred and Ginger have their big dance, and then there's a marvelous extended sequence with the chorus, whose black and white costumes swirl as they dance in Berkeley-esque patterns.

I've always wondered why Ginger, who begins the lengthy number with a song, doesn't return to sing again later in the number; instead a completely different singer, Lillian Miles, jumps into the action. That part is a little strange, but since Guy and Mimi were hiding from Tonetti around that time, maybe that's the excuse.

But no matter, the entire "Continental" is simply spectacular. There's also the "Night and Day" dance duet, and Fred has a couple solos, including "A Needle in a Haystack," spread over the film. Horton has a fun comedic dance number with Betty Grable, who would also turn up in Fred and Ginger's FOLLOW THE FLEET (1936) a couple years later.

THE GAY DIVORCEE runs 107 sprightly minutes. It was directed by Mark Sandrich and filmed in black and white by David Abel.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. It looks great, particularly for a film of this vintage. Sound quality is also excellent.

Plentiful disc extras consist of the trailer; the cartoons I LIKE MOUNTAIN MUSIC (1933) and SHAKE YOUR POWDER PUFF (1934); the 21-minute short ART TROUBLE (1934) and the 32-minute short MASKS AND MEMORIES (1934), which stars Lillian Roth; a radio promo broadcast along with a 28-minute Screen Guild Playhouse radio production from 1944 starring Frank Sinatra, Gloria DeHaven, and Edward Everett Horton; and a song selection menu for quick access to the musical numbers.

THE GAY DIVORCEE is a must for anyone who loves classic films.

Previous reviews of Astaire-Rogers films: FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933), SWING TIME (1936), SHALL WE DANCE (1937).

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

Warner Archive 17th Anniversary Sale

A heads up for fans of the Warner Archive Collection!

A Warner Archive 17th anniversary sale began today at the Movie Zyng store and will run through March 31st.

The sale offers four Blu-rays for $54 with the checkout code ARCHIVE17.

Additional Blu-rays are also $13.50 each.

Over 600 Warner Archive titles are part of the sale.

It's hard to believe 17 years have passed since the first announcement of the Warner Archive Collection. Happy movie shopping!

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Tonight's Movie: Night Time in Nevada (1948) at Cinecon

One of the special screenings at the Cinecon Pop-Up Day was the world premiere of a restoration of Roy Rogers' NIGHT TIME IN NEVADA (1948).

This was very exciting, as many of Roy's movies were edited for television and the original prints weren't preserved. The print typically available of this film runs 56 minutes.

Paramount was able to put this film back together by combining a Trucolor print with a black and white print found in Great Britain. The print we watched randomly shifted back and forth from color to black and white, but all 67 minutes were there, looking great, and it was a delight to be able to see it.

Ran Farrell (Grant Withers) deliberately kills his gold-mining partner, Jim Andrews (James Nolan), wanting their big strike all to himself -- only to learn the expected gold isn't in the mine after all.

Years later Ran is rustling cattle when his daughter Joan (Adele Mara) shows up with her friend Toni (Marie Harmon) looking for information on her father. Ran conspires with a lawyer (George Carleton) to do Joan out of some money she should inherit.

Meanwhile Roy Rogers (himself) and lawman Cookie Bullfincher (Andy Devine) are trying to solve the cattle rustling, aided by a group of cowhands (the Sons of the Pioneers).

Multiple murders aside, this is your typical fun Roy Rogers film, buoyed by a solid supporting cast with appealing actors. Adele Mara is a favorite Republic Pictures leading lady, and I enjoyed the chance to see her in this. Devine is congenial and Withers almost surprisingly evil, murdering at least three characters over the course of the film.

There's also good stuntwork by Joe Yrigoyen, who did some notable "B" Western stunts in the '40s, including jumping a horse over a car in a Gene Autry film.

I especially loved the music and was a bit misty-eyed over the scenes where the Sons of the Pioneers sang. Both my late parents were fans, so I naturally thought of them, and my father especially would have loved seeing this print.

It's a fun note of trivia that Grant Withers, the villain of the piece, would later marry Estelita Rodriguez, one of Roy's leading ladies. (It's also of interest that Withers had eloped with teenaged Loretta Young in 1930, a marriage which was quickly annulled.) Withers had appeared in a couple previous movies with both Roy Rogers and Adele Mara; he was also in numerous John Wayne films.

NIGHT TIME IN NEVADA was directed by William Witney. It was written by Sloan Nibley and filmed by Jack Marta. The exteriors were shot in the Victorville area.

Although poor edited VHS and DVD prints are available, hopefully this restored full-length edition will make it to DVD or Blu-ray at some point. I enjoyed it and would like to be able to watch it again someday.

Tonight's Movie: Two Gals and a Guy (1951) at Cinecon

I had a really wonderful time at the 2nd Annual Cinecon "Pop-Up" day on Saturday, March 21st.

The event was held at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo. The packed schedule included five feature films, one half-hour TV episode, three shorts, a Wurlitzer organ demonstration -- complete with slideshow sing-along! -- and three special guests.

As a side note, it was announced that this year's full-length Cinecon Festival will take place Labor Day weekend. It will run from Thursday, September 3rd, through Monday, September 7th, at the Nuart Theatre.

The first feature film of the Pop-Up Day was a rare 35mm print of TWO GALS AND A GUY (1951). Former child actress Patty McCormack -- famous for THE BAD SEED (1956) -- was in the film and had never seen it before. Having her there to watch it with us was pretty special; she's seen in this photo. TWO GALS AND A GUY was her very first film, and she had zero memory of the experience.

I had never previously heard of TWO GALS AND A GUY. It's so relatively unseen that, as I write this, there isn't a single IMDb review of any type.

It was also the only movie of the day which wasn't good or great, but at the same time, I'm glad I saw it. As I Tweeted afterwards, "Weird film but loved seeing it." Sometimes it's valuable simply to take a deep dive into oddball movies you weren't aware existed.

The plot of this 70-minute film concerns Deke and Della Oliver (Robert Alda and Janis Paige), married musical performers who have a live TV show.

The show's sponsor (Lionel Stander) is threatening to walk away if the Olivers don't sign a new five-year contract, but Della rebels at the commitment. It seems she wants to have a baby and has even been talking to an adoption agency.

Deke sabotages the adoption attempt and an angry Della leaves the show. Deke then spots Sylvia (Paige in a dual role), a blonde lookalike for Della, and tries doing the show with Sylvia pretending to be Della, but Sylvia panics and can't remember her lines... Will Della relent and come to the rescue?

This movie was produced by Weisner Bros. and distributed by Eagle-Lion. It was clearly made on a shoestring budget, looking like the absolute cheapest Lippert Pictures film, such as the same year's Lippert film FINGERPRINTS DON'T LIE (1951). Sets were few, small, and sparsely decorated.

As the movie went on I was honestly surprised that Paige and Alda, reasonably big stars after years at Warner Bros., had agreed to appear in the film. A friend in attendance suggested one or both did it for extra money while working on Broadway, and the circumstantial evidence shows that theory could be correct.

Alda opened in GUYS AND DOLLS on Broadway in November 1950; TWO GALS AND A GUY was filmed at Fox Movietone Studios in New York and released in July 1951. Did Alda make this film concurrently with GUYS AND DOLLS?

For those who are curious, Paige didn't work on Broadway until late 1951, a few years later famously starring in THE PAJAMA GAME.

The same friend said TWO GALS AND A GUY felt like a long Joe McDoakes short, and I thought that was apt; the movie had the same minimalist, off-kilter tone. The entire film felt like the forerunner of a weak TV comedy, while at the same time having a distinct air of unreality.

That said, Janis Paige always shines, and she has a couple pretty funny moments as Yvonne, who can only dance robotically when she panics while on the air. She looks absolutely lovely, and I just wish she'd had more of an opportunity to perform musical numbers. The brief scenes where Della and Deke open and close their show were fun to watch.

Alda, on the other hand, is pretty much just a thoughtless goofball in this, nothing more, nothing less.

As for Patty McCormack, she wasn't even sure if she'd prove to be in the movie, despite being listed by IMDb. We had to wait for the very last scene, but she was most definitely in it, which was great fun. The finale was perhaps the cutest scenes in a wild movie.

The cast also includes James Gleason, Linda Preston, Arnold Stang, Morris Lieb, Rhea Scott, Myrtle Ferguson, and the singing group The Three Suns.

TWO GALS AND A GUY was written by Searle Kramer and directed by Alfred E. Green. It was filmed in black and white by Gerald Hirschfeld.

Viewers looking for a "good" movie won't find it in TWO GALS AND A GUY, but they will find a rather fascinating, bizarre, and strangely educational film I'm glad to have seen.

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will be taking the weekend off.

Today I'll be attending the 2nd Annual Cinecon "Pop-Up" Fundraiser at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo.

Around the Blogosphere This Week will return on Saturday, March 28th.

For recent links of interest to classic Film Fans, please visit my March 14th column.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's actress Nancy Gates in a St. Patrick's Day studio publicity photo.

Nancy appeared in many classic Westerns, including Budd Boetticher's COMANCHE STATION (1960), and numerous other entertaining films. I wrote much more about Nancy here.

Have a wonderful day!

Previous St. Patrick's Day Posts: 2013 (Maureen O'Hara), 2014 (Angela Greene), 2015 (actresses in green), 2016 (Maureen O'Hara), 2017 (more actresses in green), 2018 (posters for Irish-themed movies), 2019 (Maureen O'Sullivan), 2020 (THREE CHEERS FOR THE IRISH photo gallery), 2021 (GOING MY WAY sheet music); 2022 (Arlene Dahl); 2023 (Dorothy Malone); 2024 (Lori Nelson); 2025 (Peggy Knudsen).

Monday, March 16, 2026

Tonight's Movie: Mogambo (1953) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

I tend to cast a wary eye on remakes, but MOGAMBO (1953), just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive, is certainly a worthy exception to that rule.

MOGAMBO is rather unique in that it loosely remakes RED DUST (1932) -- also just released on Blu-ray and reviewed by me here -- with the identical lead actor. Clark Gable may have aged a couple decades since RED DUST, but he's lost nary a step, showing why he was the King of Hollywood.

While RED DUST is a very fine pre-Code, I noted in my Blu-ray review that its theatrical origins are quite apparent. That's not the case whatsoever in MOGAMBO, despite having the very same screenwriter, John Lee Mahin, whose work was based on a play by Wilson Collison.

Mahin and director John Ford open up the story with extensive location shooting in Africa. Gable's business is changed from managing a rubber plantation to that of big game trapper, anticipating Howard Hawks' HATARI! (1962), which I reviewed almost exactly a year ago. (I'd also note that Elsa Martinelli wasn't the first to feed baby elephants, that honor went to Ava Gardner!)

As in RED DUST, Gable's Victor Marswell contends with two distinctively different women: The apparently "loose living" Eloise "Honey Bear" Kelly (Ava Gardner) and Linda Nordley, the prim young wife of an anthropologist (Donald Sinden) researching in Africa with Vic's assistance.

Eloise loves Vic, who's attracted to Linda until his conscience finally gets the better of him. Alls well that ends well at the end of the movie's 116 minutes -- surely that's not a spoiler -- but it's a grand time getting there.

As much as I love the delightfully pre-Code RED DUST, a film dripping with steam and sass, in the end MOGAMBO is the better film. It somewhat echoes another Africa-shot MGM film, KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950), but the overall tone is Fordian, and needless to say it's all the better for it.

The spunky Eloise and her luggage, the helpful priest (a Ford staple!), and the friendly musical natives conjure strong overtones of Ford's later DONOVAN'S REEF (1963). We never worry too much about Vic destroying Linda's marriage, because it's clear he's better suited for the fiery Eloise, and their union will allow him to continue his congenial lifestyle in the great outdoors among people who care about him.

This isn't to give short shrift to Kelly's Linda, who isn't simply a simpering young woman in whom Vic awakens something new. Kelly, aided by the screenplay, gives Linda depth and a real sense of conflict; beyond that, while she may be somewhat out of place in Africa, she's also charmed and even thrilled by all the wildlife she sees.

As for Gardner, she's simply terrific as the brash Eloise, and a worthy successor to a Ford heroine such as played by Maureen O'Hara. Like Kelly's Linda, Gardner's character is allowed greater depth than her RED DUST predecessor; scenes where Eloise confesses her wild behavior was a reaction to losing the man she loved in the war, along with an actual confession scene, show the viewer different sides to her character.

I liked that the confessional scene, with the words between priest and penitent unheard by the viewer, is followed by Eloise attempting to befriend Linda and give her some wise advice. By the time Eloise reaches her happy ending, the audience knows she's a genuinely good woman and fully deserves it.

Under Ford's direction both actresses were nominated for Academy Awards, Gardner for Best Actress and Kelly for Best Supporting Actress, and the nominations were well deserved.

The supporting cast also includes Philip Stainton, Denis O'Dea, Laurence Naismith, and Eric Pohlmann.

The movie was shot in Technicolor by Robert Surtees and F.A. Young in Kenya and Tanzania. There are noticeable process and soundstage shots typical of the era, but the overall impressions of the African landscapes are stunning.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a new 1080p HD master from 4K scans of the original Technicolor negatives. While it's been quite a while since I looked at my DVD, I'm confident in saying the Blu-ray is far superior than the print I described in my 2009 review. It was a joy to watch the movie looking and sounding so great.

The fairly minimal disc extras consist of the trailer, the Tom and Jerry cartoon JUST DUCKY (1953), and the Traveltalks short LAND OF THE UGLY DUCKLING (1953). As is standard on Warner Archive Blu-rays, optional English captions are included.

Recommended.

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

TCM Star of the Month: George Brent

The 2026 31 Days of Oscar schedule on Turner Classic Movies has come to a close as of March 15th, and TCM resumes regular programming for the second half of March.

I'm very pleased that George Brent is the March Star of the Month!

Brent was previously honored as Star of the Month in May 1997. It's great that TCM is celebrating him again close to three decades on.

There may be only three Star of the Month nights in March, but the schedule is packed with 48 Brent films, beginning on Tuesday evening, March 17th.

St. Patrick's Day is the perfect day to begin the celebration of the Irish-born actor, whose birthday coincidentally is the same week, on March 15th.

The entire Brent schedule is below. As a big Brent fan, I've reviewed 30 of the month's 48 titles; please click any hyperlinked title to check out a review.

March 17th