Tonight's Movies: Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection - A Universal Blu-ray Review

Universal has just released a fun 10-film Blu-ray set, the Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection.

It's a five-disc set containing two films per disc. While the film which introduced the Kettles, THE EGG AND I (1947), had a previous Blu-ray release in 2018, this is the first time for the rest of the movies to be out on Blu-ray.

With the exception of THE EGG AND I, all of the Ma and Pa Kettle films run 76 to 81 minutes. THE EGG AND I runs 108 minutes.

I first reviewed THE EGG AND I (1947) here in 2009 and saw it again at the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2017, introduced by Kate MacMurray.

MacMurray's father Fred costarred with Claudette Colbert in this amusing tale of Bob and Betty MacDonald, city slickers trying to make a living after moving to a farm.

The MacDonalds are unflappably accepting of their neighbors the Kettles (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride), who live with a dozen or so children in a ramshackle house.

The Kettles provide comic relief, as the strains of farm living and an attractive "other woman" (Louise Allbritton) cause problems for Betty and Bob's marriage; other than the marital struggles, which go on too long, THE EGG AND I is quite a fun film. And Marjorie Main was Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress!

For more information on THE EGG AND I, please visit my previous review.

THE EGG AND I spawned a series of nine sequels from Universal Pictures, with a Ma and Pa Kettle film released in the U.S. every year from 1949 through 1957.

Those titles, all of which are included in this set along with THE EGG AND I, are listed further down in this post, including release years, main supporting casts, directors, and running times. All of the films are presented here in 1080p prints.

Somehow I've never seen a single Kettle film, so I'm looking forward to seeing them for the first time, especially as they have the kind of fun casts I appreciate, filled with both up-and-coming young faces and recognizable character actors.

Clearly it's going to take a lot of hours to watch my way through the entire series, so for purposes of this review I've revisited THE EGG AND I, which is a beautiful Blu-ray print, and I've also watched MA AND PA KETTLE (1949) for the first time.

As MA AND PA KETTLE opens, the town council is about to condemn the Kettle home. As luck would have it, Pa wins a brand-new home in a contest, and the Kettles move in with their children, who currently number 15.

Oldest son Tom Kettle (Richard Long) meets magazine writer Kim (Meg Randall) on the train home from college. They fall for one another, although her theories about good hygiene rather clash with Tom's acceptance of his family's, er, unorthodox standard of living.

The rest of the movie covers the Kettles attempting to get to used to living in a clean, modern home, while Tom romances Kim and tries to sell his plans for a chicken incubator.

Is it a good film? Not especially...but at the same time, I liked it. I'm a fan of "B" movies, and it was a fun hour and 16 minutes to relax with on a weekend afternoon. Making the experience even better was that it was a nice crisp print with good sound.

Marjorie Main tickles me, and I enjoyed chuckling over some of the film's absurdities. I also like handsome young Richard Long, who appeared in a couple more of the films before leaving the series. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the Kettle films.

Familiar players in this one include Emory Parnell, Ida Moore, Esther Dale, Harry Antrim, Chief Yowlachie, and O.Z. Whitehead.

MA AND PA KETTLE is the name on the movie's credits, but it's also sometimes known as THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF MA AND PA KETTLE; those words appear on posters for the film.

The movie was directed by Charles Lamont. It was written by Al Lewis, Herbert Margolis, and Louis Morheim. The black and white cinematography was by Maury Gertsman.

Below is information on the additional eight Kettle films included in this set along with THE EGG AND I and MA AND PA KETTLE. I anticipate sharing additional reviews here in the future as I watch my way through this series.

MA AND PA KETTLE GO TO TOWN (1950) - Richard Long, Meg Randall, Charles McGraw, Jim Backus, 79 minutes, directed by Charles Lamont

MA AND PA KETTLE BACK ON THE FARM (1951) - Richard Long, Meg Randall, Ray Collins, 80 minutes, directed by Edward Sedgwick

MA AND PA KETTLE AT THE FAIR (1952) - James Best, Lori Nelson, 78 minutes, directed by Charles Barton

MA AND PA KETTLE ON VACATION (1953) - Ray Collins, 76 minutes, directed by Charles Lamont

MA AND PA KETTLE AT HOME (1954) - Alan Mowbray, Mary Wickes, 80 minutes, directed by Charles Lamont

MA AND PA KETTLE AT WAIKIKI (1955) - Lori Nelson, Byron Palmer, Russell Johnson, 79 minutes, directed by Lee Sholem

THE KETTLES IN THE OZARKS (1956) - Una Merkel, Ted de Corsia, 81 minutes, directed by Charles Lamont

THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM (1957) - Gloria Talbott, John Smith, Claude Akins, 81 minutes, directed by Virgil W. Vogel

The Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection comes in a plastic case sheathed in a cardboard slipcase. The first disc in the set includes a 10-minute featurette, CLAUDETTE COLBERT: QUEEN OF THE SILVER SCREEN (2008). This older featurette previously appeared in Universal DVD releases THE EGG AND I (1947) and CLEOPATRA (1934).

Optional English subtitles are included as well.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Universal for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection. It may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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More Titles Announced for the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival

Late last week the latest titles were announced for the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Newly announced titles include:

*THE MOUTHPIECE (1932), a pre-Code starring Warren William

*MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939), the Frank Capra classic starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, which was last shown at the 2018 festival.

*MAN HUNT (1941), a Fritz Lang thriller starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, and George Sanders which I'm especially hoping to see

*CABIN IN THE SKY (1943) in 35mm

*ROPE (1948) directed by Alfred Hitchcock; I saw it last year in 35mm nitrate and am wondering if that print will be shown

*ON THE TOWN (1949), a nice MGM musical follow-up to last year's screening of TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (1949)

*SHANE (1953) in a world premiere restoration; I love this film and hope to see it

*PAL JOEY (1957), starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, and Kim Novak, another world premiere restoration

*AUNTIE MAME (1958) starring Rosalind Russell, in a world premiere restoration

So far 30 titles have been announced; roughly 80 are shown at each year's fest, give or take a few titles one way or the other.

The TCM Classic Film Festival takes place in Hollywood from April 30th through May 3rd, 2026.

Additional information on the festival, including details on passes and previously announced titles, may be found at the links below.

Previously: TCM Announces 2026 Festival Dates and Theme; TCM Classic Film Festival Passes on Sale December 9th; New Titles Announced for 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival; The Latest 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival Titles.

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Tonight's Movie: Red Dust (1932) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The pre-Code classic RED DUST (1932) has recently been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

RED DUST is set on a rubber plantation in rainy tropical Indochina.

Denny Carson (Clark Gable) is the head man, supervising production and employees, providing first aid, and generally holding things together.

Viewers should anticipate that Denny's attitudes toward his native-born employees are not always "politically correct" by modern standards, but it's a rough, dangerous job -- threats include tigers and disease -- and he's the man who gets things done.

A stranded young prostitute, Vantine (Jean Harlow), ends up on the plantation after hightailing it out of Saigon due to problems with the law. She and Denny have a brief affair but it's expected she'll soon move on.

Things get quite interesting when a young engineer, Gary (Gene Raymond), and his beautiful wife Barbara (Mary Astor) arrive at the plantation, right around the same time Vantine's transportation off the plantation breaks down and she's stuck in place. Both women are swooning over Denny, while loyal Gary is oblivious...

This terrific 83-minute film is about as "pre-Code" as a movie can get. It pulls no punches about things such as Vantine's background or Denny's relations with both women. It's quite steamy, in terms of both visuals and story. In sum, it's grand fun.

John Lee Mahin's screenplay was based on a play by Wilson Collison, and at times the film shows its theatrical origins with "stagy" dialogue exchanges confined to a couple indoor sets.

That said, the movie also does a great job opening up the story at various points, throwing its characters repeatedly into massive rainstorms which are well staged, with excellent special effects.

Director Victor Fleming keeps things moving briskly; it's fascinating to note that the remake, MOGAMBO (1953), directed by John Ford, runs roughly half an hour longer.

The lead actors are all top notch; Gable is exciting, Harlow funny, and the elegant Astor does a nice job with a brittle character who loosens up thanks to Gable, only for them each to ultimately regret their association.

It's also a nice role for Raymond, who is likeable as the go-getter who adores his wife and wants to do well in his new job. It's a pleasure watching all of these actors, particularly the sizzling Gable and Harlow.

The supporting cast is rounded out by Donald Crisp, Tully Marshall, Forrester Harvey, and Willie Fung.

The movie was filmed by Harold Rosson and uncredited Arthur Edeson. The Warner Archive Blu-ray looks incredibly good, especially for a film of this vintage, with rich, inky blacks and a beautiful overall picture. The print is from a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the "best preservation elements."

For a deeper dive on this film, please also visit my 2013 review of the remastered Warner Archive DVD.

Extras consist of the trailer (in English with the onscreen words in Spanish), and a pair of shorts in two-strip Technicolor: OVER THE COUNTER (1932) with Betty Grable and WILD PEOPLE (1933). I found the trailer fascinating as it has angles of the climactic gun scene which aren't in the final film.

To clear up any potential confusion, a 1940 Gulf Screen Guild Theater radio production of the story mentioned in an early press release did not make it to the final disc, unless it's hiding under a menu somewhere and I didn't find it!

The Warner Archive Collection has also just released the above-mentioned MOGAMBO (1953), also starring Clark Gable, to Blu-ray. I'll be reviewing it in the near future.

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.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Last year the Cinecon Festival held a one-day "pop-up" event at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California. The 2nd Annual "Pop-Up" will be held in the same location on March 21, and I will be there! The schedule looks quite interesting, including TWO GALS AND A GUY (1951) with Robert Alda and Janis Paige, THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (1926) with George O'Brien and Janet Gaynor, NIGHT TIME IN NEVADA (1948) with Roy Rogers and Adele Mara, and HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949) with Edward G. Robinson, Richard Conte, Susan Hayward, and Debra Paget. Guests will include Robinson's granddaughter, Francesca, along with Gigi Perreau and Patty McCormack. Tickets are for sale here.

...To learn more about Cinecon, please visit my 2025 overview and scroll down to visit all the links for my coverage of last year's festival, which was held Labor Day Weekend in Beverly Hills.

...KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989), a Miyazaki film I loved a couple years ago, will be rereleased on IMAX March 13th. Here is the trailer. (It was a bit surprising for me to watch it as I've always watched Miyazaki films in Japanese, with English subtitles; hearing the characters speak in English was odd for me!)

...Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of TARZAN AND HIS MATE (1932).

...A festival which is rather similar to Cinecon, featuring a number of relatively obscure films, is the annual Columbus Moving Picture Show. It will take place in Columbus, Ohio, this Memorial Day Weekend from May 21st to 24th. A number of authors will introduce films or give seminars, including Scott Eyman, Richard Barrios, Steven C. Smith, Lisa Royere, and Laura Jerrolds.

...There will be a very special two-day festival at the Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs this April 24th and 25th: Into Wonderland: The Films of Mary Blair. Four films will be screened: SALUDOS AMIGOS (1942), CINDERELLA (1950), ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951), and PETER PAN (1953). If the TCM Classic Film Festival wasn't taking place the same weekend, I'd be there!

...Speaking of Disney, Imagineering legend Joe Rohde has a book coming out this September: FLOATING MOUNTAINS: THE ART OF IMAGINING THE IMPOSSIBLE. It will be published by National Geographic.

...Today I visited the Cowboys: History & Hollywood exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, California. I enjoyed it, including seeing John Wayne's hat from HONDO (1953) and Trigger, the famous horse Roy Rogers had preserved after his passing. I'll be writing about the exhibit for a future Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub, along with a little on an exhibit I saw on Black Cowboys at the Autry Museum of the American West in December. Cowboys: History & Hollywood is included with the price of admission to the Reagan Library, and it runs through April 19, 2026.

...Notable Passing: I was especially saddened to learn of the unexpected death of actor Robert Carradine at 71. He was, of course, part of a large acting family which included his father John, brothers David and Keith, daughter Ever, and niece Martha Plimpton. I knew Robert Carradine best not so much as an actor -- though my youngest daughter was a LIZZIE MCGUIRE fan! -- but as a Lone Pine Film Festival "regular" for many years. He enthusiastically joined in various events, including screenings, barbecues, and riding horseback in the annual Sunday parade, and he enjoyed spending time at the festival with friends like Diamond Farnsworth, Wyatt McCrea, and Bruce Boxleitner. Last fall his niece Kansas, David's daughter, came to the festival and entertained us with her roping skills; he was a proud uncle. He's seen here in my photo introducing John Wayne in TYCOON (1947) at the festival last October. He will be very greatly missed by many.

...More Notable Passings: Lauren Chapin, who played Kathy "Kitten" Anderson on TV's FATHER KNOWS BEST (1954-60), has died at 80. She also played the role in a pair of 1977 reunion movies...Character actor John Wheeler has died at 95...Sondra Lee, who was in the original Broadway casts of PETER PAN (1954) and HELLO, DOLLY! (1964), has passed away at 97.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my February 21st column.

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New at Classic Movie Hub: Walk the Proud Land (1956)

My latest Western RoundUp column has just been posted at Classic Movie Hub!

This month I've reviewed Audie Murphy in WALK THE PROUD LAND (1956), which is part of the Audie Murphy Collection V from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to read about this somewhat unusual Western, 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).

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Tonight's Movie: Birth of the Blues (1941) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

The musical melodrama BIRTH OF THE BLUES (1941), starring Bing Crosby, was released on Blu-ray last week.

The movie, originally released by Paramount Pictures, is now owned by Universal Pictures. Universal previously released this film on DVD in multiple editions, including a 2017 Universal Vault release.

Other Crosby films newly out on Blu-ray from Universal are DOUBLE OR NOTHING (1937), SING, YOU SINNERS (1938), and HERE COME THE WAVES (1944).

In BIRTH OF THE BLUES Crosby plays Jeff Lambert, with Ronnie Cosby playing the character as a child. Young Jeff's passion for playing music with black jazz musicians in New Orleans greatly disappoints his classical musician father (Minor Watson).

The adult Jeff forms a band of white jazz musicians, hoping to popularize the musical style he loves, but the band struggles to go anywhere until adding cornet player Memphis (Brian Donlevy) and singer Betty Lou (Mary Martin).

The band then starts to see success, which is complicated when they learn the nightclub where they play is a front for the racketeering actitivities of Blackie (J. Carrol Naish). The band wants to move on, but Blackie doesn't want to let them go...

The premise of the movie is more interesting than the actual execution. It has some good musical moments, including Ruby Elzy singing "St. Louis Blues," but the story is rather "blah" and the music is actually a mishmash of Tin Pan Alley and jazz; for instance, one of the best numbers is Crosby and Martin singing the non-jazzy "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie."

Jack Teagarden has an acting role as a band member, but alas, other great musicians listed at IMDb, such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, are merely seen in a closing clip montage about the success of jazz.

Donlevy's fun presence enlivens things to an extent, but while I'm a Crosby fan, his performance in this isn't especially effervescent, and he and Martin prove to be a rather bland team.

I'll add that while child actors are a particular interest of mine, Carolyn Lee as Martin's little "aunt" was unnecessary to the plot and a bit grating.

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson has a nice supporting role, and some other great movie faces, including Lillian Randolph, Sam McDaniel, Mantan Moreland, Charles Lane, Warren Hymer, Horace MacMahon, Barbara Pepper, and Cecil Kellaway, can be spotted in roles of varied sizes.

The movie was directed by Victor Schertzinger and filmed in black and white by William C. Mellor. It was written by Harry Tugend and Walter DeLeon, based on Tugend's story, with uncredited work by Erwin Gelsey and Wilkie C. Mahoney.

The Blu-ray print is nice-looking, with good sound. There are no extras, but optional English-langage captions are an appreciated addition.

All in all, this is a so-so 87 minutes; I'd class it as worth a look for the cast and musical highlights, but nothing particularly special. That said, kudos to Universal for making this slice of movie musical history available for home viewing on Blu-ray.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Universal for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The Film Noir Foundation has confirmed the dates for this year's Noir City Hollywood Festival; it will take place the weekends of April 3-5 and April 10-12 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The 2026 festival will be somewhat shorter than the 2025 festival, running six days instead of eight; that said, the festival will feature 20 movies!

...Universal has announced plans for a "Digital Vault" which will sell digital copies of films from a variety of eras. Thanks to Lou Lumenick for the site link.

...Better news, for those of us who prefer physical media, is that Universal is continuing its recent spate of classic film Blu-ray releases. Late March titles: THIS IS THE NIGHT (1932) and GAMBLING SHIP (1933) with Cary Grant, GIVE ME A SAILOR (1938) and THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938) with Bob Hope, and VARIETY GIRL (1947), a Paramount all-star film I reviewed in 2011.

...The March streaming schedule for the Criterion Channel is now available. Themes include "VHS Forever" and a tribute to Gwyneth Paltrow.

...Coming to Blu-ray soon from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Brit Noir Collection 1, featuring CAGE OF GOLD (1950), THE RINGER (1952), and THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961). Stars of the films include names such as Jean Simmons, Sean Connery, Herbert Lom, and David Farrar. Toby Roan has more details on the films at The Hannibal 8.

...Toby also shares information about a 3D release of DRAGONFLY SQUADRON (1954), from BayView Entertainment. It has a fun cast including John Hodiak, Barbara Britton, Bruce Bennett, Chuck Connors, and Gerald Mohr.

...Coming for fall cookbook season this October: KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE: THE OFFICIAL COOKBOOK and THE OFFICIAL DISNEY PARKS HOLIDAYS COOKBOOK.

...February 21st was the birthdate of both actor Zachary Scott and dancer-actress Lucille Bremer. I invite readers to visit my past photo-filled tributes to Scott and Bremer here and here.

...I was disappointed that SHIP, a planned sequel to PLANE (2023), appears to be cancelled, as this was a case where I actually thought there was much more story to tell.

...Upcoming Blu-rays and DVDs listed on the Film Masters site: THE LITTLE PRINCESS (1938), OUR TOWN (1940), and THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO (1952). All are currently listed for release in March 2026.

...Notable Passings: As mentioned in my review of THE PAPER (1994) a few days ago, Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall has passed away at 95...Disney animator Jane Baer, whose long career included work on my favorite Disney cartoon, SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959), has died at 91...Eric Dane, who made a splash as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloan on GREY'S ANATOMY, has sadly passed on of Lou Gehrig's Disease, aged 53.

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

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Tonight's Movie: Crime 101 (2026)

A pair of Marvel stars, Los Angeles locations, and an interesting trailer pulled me in to see the new heist movie CRIME 101 (2026).

The movie begins with Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) pulling off a well-executed diamond heist, though not without some obvious anxiety. His getaway drive through Los Angeles is as well done as the one which opens BABY DRIVER (2017).

Mike, who is careful not to hurt anyone during robberies, angers his elderly but still threatening fence (Nick Nolte) when he turns down a dangerous job in Santa Barbara; Mike thus unknowingly opens the door to the violent Ormon (Barry Keoghan) to step into his place.

As the diamond robbery is investigated we also meet Lou (Mark Ruffalo), a cop struggling to solve a series of jewel robberies, while also dealing with an unsupportive boss (Matthew Del Negro) and a crumbling marriage (to Jennifer Jason Leigh).

And then there's also Sharon (Halle Berry), a high-end insurance saleswoman whose days as scantily clad "bait" to attract wealthy new clients are nearing an end as she heads into her mid 50s.

Ever so slowly the stories of these characters become intertwined, culminating in a grand heist sequence at the Beverly Wilshire.

The movie was written and directed by Bart Layton based on novels by Don Winslow. I found it quite entertaining, if not without several flaws, starting with an overlong run time of two hours and 20 minutes. I never became restless, but at the same time there were scenes, such as Mike's interlude with a call girl, which added nothing to character development or story. The film could easily have cut at least 10 minutes.

It's rather remarkable, given that lengthy running time, that the characters aren't especially layered. Hemsworth comes off best, wordlessly conveying his nerves and loneliness, awkwardly trying to connect with a new girlfriend (a charming Monica Barbaro) while sharing nothing about himself. Mike is half smooth operator and, we sense, half crumbling mess.

Ruffalo's disheveled Lou seems as though he's doing a poor man's COLUMBO imitation; COLUMBO got away with his appearance because he was a genius, but while Lou has better insights into the robberies than his colleagues, he's not good enough to win the respect of his peers.

We never really understand why Lou is disliked by some of the most important people in his life, including his boss and his wife. Only his partner (Corey Hawkins) is loyal, and only up to a point.

We do believe Lou wants justice, which is why he's willing to risk his career butting heads with his supervisor, but unfortunately that makes his final scenes...confusing.

I've frankly never cared for Halle Berry, but I thought she was pitch-perfect here as a woman who thought she was Going Places and suddenly realizes she's definitely not. But again, we know nothing of Sharon's background, other than she's worked hard for eleven years, albeit some of that "work" involving wearing low-cut dresses on behalf of her firm. Sharon seems to have no life outside that job. Why?

The film ultimately suffers from the lack of truly sympathetic or well-developed lead characters.

And yet, all that said...I had a good time watching it. It's one of those films which is interesting to analyze as you watch, even if the characters come up short. The action scenes are riveting, the chases are well done, and I found it entertaining start to finish, despite the long running time.

Hemsworth is intriguing as a man who wants the stability of money in the bank; he's willing to go to extreme lengths to get it, but at the same time he'll only go so far. And, unlike costar Ruffalo, Hemsworth is extremely easy on the eyes.

I also thoroughly enjoyed recognizing myriad Los Angeles locations, filmed by Erik Wilson. Although the sign was changed, I especially enjoyed recognizing a Denny's I frequently drive past on the 101 in Downtown Los Angeles.

I'll interject that while the locations are great, the movie could have been a lot more colorful. Bland, brown-tinged cinematography seems to be the trend these days. It's interesting to compare it visually to the previously mentioned, very colorful heist movie BABY DRIVER, which is now nearly a decade old.

In the end CRIME 101 is an imperfect movie, but it's also the type of solid-enough, enjoyable film which Hollywood released at a steady pace once upon a time. I enjoy watching "mid-range" movies from older eras all the time, and CRIME 101 went well with my popcorn.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated R. It has a fair amount of cursing (though less than the recently seen THE PAPER from 30 years ago!) and adult situations, though nothing particularly graphic. Violence is also present but muted. Due to a lack of admirable characters or positive lessons learned, I'd personally class this as appropriately rated, for older teens and up.

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Tonight's Movie: The Paper (1994)

The sad news of the passing of the great Robert Duvall earlier this week prompted me to pull THE PAPER (1994) off the shelf.

I love a good "newspaper movie" and have been meaning to catch up with this one, directed by Ron Howard. Ironically, it turned out that along with Duvall, the movie also features Catherine O'Hara, who passed on at the end of January.

THE PAPER is akin to BABY BOOM (1987) as far as being one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences; 1994 doesn't seem all that long ago, at least to some of us, and yet the world it depicts is almost completely different: Bustling newsrooms with many employees, primitive computers, handwritten notes and columns, no cell phones, and awful-looking TV screens.

At the same time, some things are curiously unchanged despite the film being over 30 years old: The opening minutes feature a joke about Donald Trump. I sputtered with surprised laughter. (But please, no political comments!)

Michael Keaton plays Henry Hackett, an editor of a New York City tabloid, akin to the New York Post.

In the course of 24 hours Henry juggles an offer from a more staid New York Times type of paper along with breaking a big story.

Meanwhile Henry's wife Martha (Marisa Tomei), a reporter on leave from the paper, is in the final weeks of pregnancy and worrying about how much time Henry will have to devote to fatherhood -- a concern stoked by her unhappy friend Susan (O'Hara).

The cast is rounded out by Duvall and Glenn Close as Henry's bosses, Randy Quaid as a columnist, and Jason Robards as the newspaper owner; Quaid is particularly colorful. Lynne Thigpen is also great as Henry's long-suffering secretary and was probably the character I enjoyed observing the most.

It's a fast-moving and entertaining 102 minutes, although I'm compelled to mention right off the top that there was an inordinate amount of cursing in this R-rated film; the language becomes like so much pointless verbal wallpaper after a while.

I find it interesting that films of the '80s and '90s are sometimes much "harder" R's than films I watch today. The language in the R-rated SHELTER (2026), for instance, was much milder than in THE PAPER.

The plot itself was interesting, as Henry -- with more than a little help from his very pregnant wife -- figures out the real story behind a double murder.

The questions about whether Henry will be able to leave the office enough to pay attention to his family have been done before -- and indeed, Duvall's character in THE PAPER provides a cautionary tale -- but Keaton manages to make Henry likeable despite his flaws. He's well-matched by Tomei as his feisty wife.

Duvall has a couple moving moments trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Jill Hennessy) but is rather underused. (Jokes about his prostate land flat.) Close is essentially the villain of the piece, poorly managing her personal life, on multiple levels, while struggling to bring economic discipline to the paper.

Some moments made me laugh out loud, though at other points it gets a bit too manic for my taste, such as in the ridiculously chaotic scene where Henry and Alicia (Close) fight over whether to stop the presses. On the whole it was a solid watch which I enjoyed.

A few members of director Howard's family show up in this: His father Rance plays Alicia's doctor, his brother Clint is a newspaper staffer, and his wife Cheryl is a bartender.

The cast is rounded out by Spalding Gray and Jason Alexander. Classic movie fans will recognize William Prince (PILLOW TO POST) as Martha's father.

The movie was written by David and Stephen Koepp and filmed by John Seale.

I watched the movie on DVD. It's also available on Blu-ray and VHS.

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Tonight's Movie: The Second Woman (1950) - A Film Masters Blu-ray Review

THE SECOND WOMAN (1950), an underappreciated seaside mystery thriller, has just been released on Blu-ray by Film Masters.

I first saw this film back in 2012 via an Alpha DVD, which I recall renting from Netflix.

Alpha, like Film Masters, specializes in public domain films. I noted at the time that THE SECOND WOMAN was better than the typical Alpha print, though it had some skips and the soundtrack was occasionally muffled.

I'm happy to say the new Film Masters print is much better than I remember Alpha's print, though specifics of my earlier viewing have been lost to memory. The Film Masters Blu-ray may not be perfect, but it's a good-looking, highly watchable print. I didn't note any of the skips mentioned in my original review of the earlier Alpha disc, and I also had no issues at all with the Film Masters soundtrack, despite my own "imperfect" hearing.

THE SECOND WOMAN begins in deliberately REBECCA-esque fashion, with the heroine's opening narration and spooky shots of a burned-out house echoing the 1940 film.

The shadow of Vivian (Shirley Ballard), who died on the eve of her wedding to Jeffrey (Robert Young), hangs over the characters, but our heroine, Ellen (Betsy Drake), is nothing like the shy young Mrs. DeWinter.

Ellen falls for Jeffrey after a "meet cute" on a train and becomes concerned as Jeffrey is beset by a series of upsetting incidents. (I should perhaps advise the faint of heart that both a dog and a horse are targets; I did a brief skip forward past the dog.) Is Jeffrey suffering a nervous breakdown and doing these things himself, as his doctor (Morris Carnovsky) suspects -- or is someone out to get him?

Ellen is a professional woman whose actuarial background informs her knowledge that so many incidents happening to a single person accidentally is all but impossible, and she sets out to rescue Jeffrey from whoever is targeting him, whether Jeffrey likes it or not.

As I noted in my review of 14 years ago, it's a refreshing switch that the heroine is not a shrinking violet in need of rescue in a seaside setting -- think, for instance, of Gail Russell in THE UNINVITED (1944) or Nina Foch in MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) -- but instead she's a force to reckon with who won't take "no" for an answer. Drake gives a fine, appealing, and quite believable performance.

Young is also convincing as Jeffrey, though as I noted in the past, it's a bit hard to see why Ellen is drawn to him. Certainly, he's smilingly charming over tea leaves on the train when they meet, but for most of the film he's taciturn, and it's entirely understandable his doctor is concerned for his mental health.

In fairness, Young's performance is such that, combined with the scribe by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith, he keeps the viewer guessing till the end of the film's 91 minutes -- so I'm not sure how much more Young could have done to convey personal appeal while simultaneously causing the audience to wonder about his behavior.

The fine supporting cast includes Henry O'Neill as Jeffrey's colleague -- and the father of his late fiancee -- John Sutton as a slimy coworker, and Jean Rogers as Sutton's ex-wife. Rogers, who I saw in INSIDE STORY (1939) last fall at Cinecon, reminded me a bit of Marjorie Reynolds in this.

The cast also includes Florence Bates, Jimmie Dodd (billed Jimmy), Jason Robards (Sr.), Steven Geray, and Cliff Clark.

Famed "dress extra" Bess Flowers is seen at Sutton's table in a fiesta sequence. It's fun to note I saw her as society matron just last night in MY MAN GODFREY (1936), filmed 14 years previously.

THE SECOND WOMAN was directed by James V. Kern. It was filmed in black and white by Hal Mohr in late 1949, with locations including Carmel and Monterey on the California coast.

The production designer, including for Jeffrey's striking cliffside house, was Boris Leven. Leven had many Oscar nominations over the course of his career, including for THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965); he won an Oscar for WEST SIDE STORY (1961). Set direction was by Jacques Mapes.

There are no extras on this disc, but it does contain English captions for those who need them, an inclusion which is always appreciated.

For a deeper dive into this film, please visit my referenced review from January 2012.

THE SECOND WOMAN is a film which deserves wider viewing, and this improved Film Masters presentation deserves support from classic film fans.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Film Masters for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. It may be purchased via Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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