Tonight's Movie: Vertigo for a Killer (1970) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

My recent viewing of French film noir led me to try a new release from Kino Lorber, VERTIGO FOR A KILLER (1970).

Known as VERTIGE POUR UN TUEUR in its native France, the film interested me as it stars Marcel Bozzuffi, who appeared in SPEAKING OF MURDER (1957) and MAIGRET SEES RED (1963). One of Bozzuffi's best-known films is THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), in which he was prominent in the supporting cast.

The movie costars Michel Constantin, who was also in MAIGRET SEES RED.

VERTIGO FOR A KILLER begins with striking opening credits, and soon thereafter a beautiful shot of the exterior of a Paris Metro station.

The tranquility is soon interrupted by an attempted mob hit on Rene (Constantin), but the contracted killer, Marc (Bozzuffi), deliberately misses the shot as Rene is his friend.

The gangsters are very, very unhappy with Marc, but he gets away after killing one of the men.

Marc then "borrows" a body from a morgue and fakes a suicide with an exploded car, but the mob doesn't buy it, and it's soon on to an impressive cat and mouse chase sequence through the Nice airport.

This section of the film was very exciting, although I'm still not certain what Marc was attempting to accomplish chasing a plane, unless he wanted to be arrested to be protected from the mob.

At the airport Sylvie (Sylva Koscina) recognizes Marc from a crime magazine cover and brings him to her home, pretending she's interested in a tryst; Marc, needing a place to hide, goes along with it.

As it turns out, Sylvie has plans of her own for Marc. But who else is hiding in her home? Before all is said and done, let's just say nothing goes well for anyone involved.

This is a moderately entertaining 90 minutes directed by Jean-Pierre Desagnat, who cowrote the screenplay with a trio of other contributors. The movie starts well, with the viewer rooting for the hitman antihero as he's tracked by the ruthless gang. I rather enjoyed it until the point in the film where Marc meets Sylvie.

The movie's second half, unfortunately, gradually peters out, as the viewer tries to untangle exactly what Sylvie is up to; by the time this film fades out to shots of bodies and spaghetti Western style music, it all feels a bit pointless.

The movie was filmed by Roland Dantigny. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print, from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative, looks very good, including filming in some interesting Mediterranean locations.

Extras consist of a commentary track by Max Allan Collins and Heath Holland and a gallery of half a dozen trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Ironically, although I wasn't especially enthused about the film, I'm curious to listen to the track, which among other things might help me understand a bit more about the somewhat baffling second-half plotting. I met Heath at last year's Lone Pine Film Festival, so I feel confident the track will be worthwhile.

Although the film's final sequences left me dissatisfied, kudos, as always, to Kino Lorber for making a relatively rare film available to check out in a good-looking print.

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

Post

Tonight's Movie: Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

A few years ago I bought CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955), available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and Cohen Film Collection, when I spotted it in a sale. The impetus for my purchase was the chance to see another film starring the marvelous British actress Margaret Lockwood.

As so often happens, until now I still hadn't watched it...as the saying goes, "So many movies, so little time!" But this weekend a review by Karen at Shadows and Satin gave me the impetus to pull the disc off the shelf and give it a watch, and I'm glad I did.

In this 82-minute thriller Dirk Bogarde plays Edward "Teddy" Bare, who has been married to much older, well-off Monica, whom he calls "Moni" (Mona Washbourne), for a year.

Teddy treats Moni well, if one overlooks him hooking her on brandy, but he's just been biding his time to obtain full access to her wealth, and when he believes he's about to be cut out of her will, he kills her, staging it to look like an accident.

Alas, Teddy misunderstood what he overheard Moni tell her lawyer Phillip (Robert Flemyng) -- she actually intended to put him in the will to receive more than just her house. Due to Moni's death before executing the new will, her money will instead go to her sister Dora in Jamaica, whom Teddy has never met.

Once cleared by an inquest into Moni's death, Teddy needs to find a new "Sugar Mama" and meets Freda Jeffries (Lockwood) at a beach resort. Freda, though rather rough-mannered, is also recently widowed and wealthy. She quickly marries the man she calls "Ed" but is savvy enough to keep her money in her name only, to the frustration of her new husband.

The Bares meet Charlotte Young (Kay Walsh) when her car stalls outside their home and get to know her. She's shopping for property in the neighborhood but spends quite a bit of time with the Bares, eventually triggering jealous suspicions in Freda. Why is Charlotte spending so much time hanging around?

Charlotte, however, is not quite who she seems to be...

I really enjoyed this film, written by John Creswell based on the play MURDER MISTAKEN by Janet Green.

The first 20 minutes or so is admittedly a little uncomfortable to watch, as Teddy and Moni are so mismatched in terms of age; she's essentially a doddering old lady, and her obliviousness to his manipulations and faux affection is a bit pathetic. The viewer is on edge waiting for the proverbial "shoe to drop" where Teddy will reveal his true self and do away with her.

From the point of the inquest on, however, the movie fires on all cylinders, as Phillip is determined to find out the truth despite the inquest determining his client died accidentally; he warns Teddy that the inquest ruling will not stand if new information comes to light. The last 20 minutes or so of the film is quite a roller coaster ride, with a very satisfying ending.

Lockwood's rather crass yet smart widow is a fascinating performance, quite unlike the elegant young ladies she played in films such as THE LADY VANISHES (1938), NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940), or LOVE STORY (1944). She was only 38 when this was made but a harsh makeup job and "dating" hairstyle causes her to look a few years older.

Freda is mostly aware of "Ed's" flaws -- though even she doesn't realize his bank account is completely empty -- yet she can't help loving him anyway. She's a sensible woman except for marrying him! Lockwood lights up every scene with the unpredictability of both her character and her performance and really "makes" the movie.

Kay Walsh is lovely as Charlotte, who spends a great deal of time touring area properties with Ed and curiously wants to spend time in his home, despite Freda making her increasingly unwelcome. It's a very good part, and Walsh makes the most of it.

Bogarde was born for this creepy role. I haven't seen him in many films, in part because he always strikes me exactly as he is here, as a rather slimy persona; that, of course, makes him perfect for this role. It's enjoyable watching him be outsmarted by not one but two ladies, not to mention himself!  His character proves more than once that he's not as smart as he thinks he is.

In additional to Flemyng as the lawyer, the cast is rounded out by Kathleen Harrison as a not-too-intelligent maid. I could have done with a bit less screen time for her, but I suppose her character serves a purpose in some ways, including unwitting providing Teddy's alibi the night of the murder and showing his ability to manipulate unintelligent ladies.

CAST A DARK SHADOW was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who made several 007 films, including my favorite, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977). It was filmed in black and white by Jack Asher.

This film is on a two-film Kino Lorber/Cohen Film Collection Blu-ray disc with WANTED FOR MURDER (1946). The print is excellent, a crisp, rich black and white filled with interesting shadows. There are no extras but it does have optional English-language captions.

As regular readers know, I've been watching a great deal of British and French film noir recently, and this thriller fits right in. I enjoyed it and believe fellow fans of British mysteries will like it as well.

Post

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...An advance review copy MURDER AT THE MOVIES: A MOVIE PALACE MYSTERY by Alicia Malone of Turner Classic Movies has just arrived in my mailbox. It will be published by Running Press in October. Looks like fun!

 ...Dave Karger of TCM also has a book coming out from Running Press later this year: 50 MOVIE NIGHTS: CONTEMPORARY STARS ON THEIR FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS

...Raquel Stecher of Out of the Past has just published a new edition of her much-appreciated "New & Upcoming Classic Film Books" list. A book on Rita Johnson particularly caught my eye, and I'm also intrigued by upcoming titles on UNIVERSAL MUSICALS, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (spelled NEIGHBOUR in the title because it's a UK book), Joe McDoakes comedies, and MGM costume designer Adrian.

...Last week I shared the sad news of the passing of actor Randolph Mantooth of EMERGENCY! On Twitter, Gary Wells shared the link for an article he wrote a few years ago on the show and its importance in his life. It's a lovely read.

...Last night I recorded a recent documentary on Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, BOB GURR: LIVING BY DESIGN (2025), from public TV. Disney fans will want to keep an eye out for it. I've been very fortune to meet Bob and hear him speak a number of times over the years.

...Good news for Deanna Durbin fans! Universal is releasing FIRST LOVE (1939) and I'LL BE YOURS (1947) on Blu-ray in August. I rewatched FIRST LOVE just a few months ago and loved it all over again.

...Toby Roan has reviewed the new Warner Archive Blu-ray of COLT .45 (1950) at 50 Westerns From the 50s. My own copy just arrived and will be reviewed here in the near future.

...I enjoyed this interview Lee Jutton conducted with Eddie Muller, with topics including film noir (of course!) in general and his TCM "Summer of Darkness" series in particular.

...Coming to Blu-ray from Sony in September: A Blu-ray release of TV's BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE (1972-73) starring David Birney and Meredith Baxter, who was known as Meredith Baxter Birney after their real-life 1974 marriage. I fondly recall the time I went to see Linda Purl starring in Ibsen's A DOLL HOUSE in an Equity waiver theater in Los Angeles in the early '80s and the Birneys were sitting behind me...alas, they later divorced.

...Criterion is reissuing its Eclipse set The First Films of Samuel Fuller, originally released on DVD, on Blu-ray. I reviewed one of the films in the set, I SHOT JESSE JAMES (1949), here over a dozen years ago. I quite enjoyed it.

...At Shadows and Satin Karen Burroughs Hannsberry has just reviewed a film I need to watch soon, CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955) with Margaret Lockwood and Dirk Bogarde.  (Update: I wasted no time and have now watched and reviewed this entertaining film.)

...This weekend I watched Jeanne Crain in DANGEROUS CROSSING (1953) for the first time in many years. I'd forgotten just how entertaining it is. Recommended!

...My great thanks to Christine of ClassicFilmLA for again tipping me off to some wonderful upcoming Disney-themed events. This fall a new exhibition is opening at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale: "California Visionaries: The Lives and Legacies of Walt Disney and Hubert Eaton." It runs September 19th through February 7th. A decade ago I attended a wonderful Forest Lawn Museum exhibit of art by Eyvind Earle, who designed the look of Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959), and I hope to visit this exhibit as well. The museum offers free admission.

...And Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline gives a talk on Disney's True-Life Adventures at the Los Angeles Breakfast Club on August 5th.  As I said to Christine, I only wish it weren't such a challenge making it from Orange County to Los Angeles for Breakfast Club events; they start at 7:00 a.m.

...Notable Passings: I was very sorry about the death of Sam Neill at 78. I haven't seen a great many of his films but when I have I've always liked him, most especially in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)...Emmy-nominated soap opera actor Scott Bryce, best known for AS THE WORLD TURNS, has died at 68.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my July 11th column.

Post

Tonight's Movie: The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

The swashbuckling classic THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954) has just been released on Blu-ray by Universal Pictures.

I don't use the word "classic" lightly; like Curtis's earlier SON OF ALI BABA (1952), this film is a joy start to finish, '50s era studio entertainment at its best.

The movie played on local television often when I was young -- I seem to recall it was KHJ Channel 9 which showed it -- and the wonderful cast and combination of action, humor, and romance helped draw me into the world of classic-era movies.

It's a tired cliche to make fun of the casting of Tony Curtis as a knight, given that he was born Bernard Schwartz in New York, but we'll have none of that here. Proper accent or not, the handsome young actor is absolutely perfect as Myles of Crisbey-Dale, a peasant farmer with a mysterious past.

Myles has a run-in with the Earl of Alban (David Farrar, THE GOLDEN HORDE) after one of the Earl's men attacks Myles' sister Meg (Barbara Rush), after which Myles and Meg's guardian Diccon (Rhys Williams) sends them to Mackworth Castle.

Mackworth Castle is the seat of the Earl of Mackworth (Herbert Marshall), who unbeknownst to Myles and Meg was a close friend of their late father's. It is the Earl who holds the key to their unknown past.

Myles is trained to become a knight by the Earl's friend Sir James (Torin Thatcher, who's especially great), while Meg becomes a companion to the Earl's daughter Anne (Janet Leigh). Myles and Anne fall in love, but will she be forced to marry the Earl of Alban?

This film's 99 minutes speed by; it may not be a classic in terms of being high art, but it's highly entertaining, and that's classic enough for me.

Watch Curtis carefully, as it's clear he does many of his own stunts, including hopping on a horse without using the stirrups. He has a physicality which was well suited for the role.

Production on this film began roughly two and a half years after Curtis and Leigh married in real life, and they have a lovely chemistry here. Leigh's exquisite beauty as spunky Anne is shown off to perfection in Technicolor, filmed by Irving Glassberg.

Also lovely is Rush as Myles' sweet sister, who is courted by Myles' friend Francis (Craig Hill). The entire cast is top-notch, also including Ian Keith, Dan O'Herlihy, Doris Lloyd, and Charles Fitz Simons, the brother of Maureen O'Hara.

Deep in the cast are actors who, if not household names, would have solid careers as working actors, including Nicolas Coster, Brett Halsey, and Lance Fuller.

The movie was directed by former cinematographer Rudolph Mate. The screenplay by Oscar Brodney was based on the novel MEN OF IRON by Howard Pyle.

This movie previously had a 2010 DVD-R release in the Universal Vault Series.

The widescreen Blu-ray print of this CinemaScope film is of fine quality, with an excellent soundtrack.

There are no extras on this disc, but it does include optional English-language captions.

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

Post

Happy 71st Birthday, Disneyland!

"To all who come to this happy place, welcome!"

Those words were said by Walt Disney on July 17, 1955, and today thus marks the 71st birthday of one of my very favorite places, Disneyland USA.

As is the case most years, I was blessed to be able to spend several hours at Disneyland on its anniversary today.

Our time at the park today included visiting several favorite rides, including one of the opening day attractions, the Casey Jr. Circus Train.

We also enjoyed a few other rides, including stopping by another opening day Fantasyland attraction, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Happy 71st Birthday, Disneyland!

Previous Disneyland Birthday Posts: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 (and more here), 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Post

Laura's Miscellaneous Musings Turns 21

As is tradition here, I'm pausing for a moment to note that today, July 16th, is the anniversary of the founding of this blog.

Laura's Miscellaneous Musings began on July 16, 2005, and has been going steadily ever since!

It's been several years since I did a celebratory blog giveaway, but I have something in the works coming up in the next few days, so stay tuned.

As always, my deepest appreciation to every person who reads and supports this blog. I am very grateful. Thank you all!

Previous blog anniversaries: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Post

Tonight's Movie: Letty Lynton (1932) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

It's been a long time coming, but the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of LETTY LYNTON (1932) was certainly worth the wait.

As many classic film fans are already aware, LETTY LYNTON was tangled in rights issues for decades, since shortly after its initial release. Until earlier this year, it hadn't had a public screening since roughly the mid '30s.

I first saw the film in 2008, via a DVD-R copy of unknown provenance which was so poor that at times I was more listening to than viewing the movie. Despite that, I was still completely swept up in the film's magic.

In the years since I first watched it, hope was occasionally expressed by the Warner Archive Collection that LETTY's rights would be freed up, but it never came to pass.

Fast forward to this spring, nearly two decades after my first viewing of the movie, when it was very unexpectedly announced that the rights issues had been cleared at long last and the movie would be screened at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

I was at that screening, when Eddie Muller began his introduction exclaiming "Merry Christmas!" And it certainly did feel like Christmas being in the sold-out crowd to see the movie's first theatrical screening in roughly 90 years, in a pristine print. I've been attending the festival for many years, and that was certainly at the top of my list of favorite fest experiences.

Watching the movie at TCMFF, I loved it even more than I had during my first very rough-looking viewing. I was thrilled to watch the movie all over again today via the beautiful new Warner Archive Blu-ray. I don't exaggerate when I say that this disc is a classic film fan's dream come true, both in terms of the release being a reality and the quality of both the film and the Blu-ray print.

Joan Craword and Robert Montgomery were at the zenith of their pre-Code careers as Letty and Jerry, two gorgeous people from wealthy families who fall in love on a three-week cruise from Montevideo to New York.

Jerry doesn't know that Letty, whose upbringing was troubled, has what might be euphemistically referred to as a "past," including having had an extended romance with Emile (Nils Asther) during her travels.

Over time Emile had shown himself to be an unpleasant man, and it's even more apparent when he won't accept Letty breaking up with him; he flies to New York and is on the dock when the ship arrives with the newly engaged Letty and Jerry.

A horrified Letty manages to keep Jerry from seeing Emile and begs Emile to leave her alone, but he taunts her with letters Letty doesn't want made public and insists she must come see him at his hotel or...

To say more wouldn't be fair to the film's many first-time viewers, who are in for a delightful roller coaster ride over the film's 84 minutes. 

I will say that the climactic scene with the District Attorney (Lewis Stone) is one of the most blissfully perfect scenes of pre-Code cinema I've ever seen. Every time I watch the sequence I smile; Montgomery was a perfect knight in shining armor, and ultimately the scene is rather funny, too. Letty's maid (Louise Closser Hale) adding her two cents was a "cherry on top" moment which brought the house down at the TCM Festival screening.

As for Crawford, she is moving, romantic, and gorgeous, perfectly paired with Montgomery. Having now seen the film twice where I could actually watch every scene, I believe I can safely say this is my favorite Crawford film. I love watching Letty and Jerry, and the film epitomizes MGM '30s glamour.

The movie was perfectly directed by Clarence Brown, who had directed Crawford and Clark Gable in the outstanding POSSESSED (1931) the previous year. And like POSSESSED, the movie was shot by Oliver T. Marsh, with Crawford spectacularly gowned by Adrian. The white "Letty Lynton gown" inspired by this movie was sold by the thousands at Macy's.

The supporting cast also includes May Robson, Emma Dunn and Walter Walker.

It may be that the movie going unscreened for so many decades protected the "best preservation elements" used for the 4K scans for this 1080p HD master. To my eye it's one of the better Blu-ray prints I've seen from the pre-Code era, despite a complete original negative apparently no longer existing.

Disc extras consist of the 75-minute documentary IRVING THALBERG: PRINCE OF HOLLYWOOD (2005) plus five radio shows featuring Crawford. The radio programs are GOOD NEWS OF 1938 (1938); GOOD NEWS OF 1939 (1938); "The Train Ride" episode of THE SILVER THEATER (1939); "None Shall Part Us" with Ronald Colman and Lew Ayres on GULF SCREEN THEATER (1939); and a Lux Radio Theater production of A DOLL'S HOUSE (1938) costarring Basil Rathbone.

This film will also have a Warner Archive DVD release in the next few weeks.

LETTY LYNTON is highly 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.

Post

Tonight's Movie: The Frightened City (1961) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961) was my second film to watch from the Kino Lorber Brit Noir Collection I, following CAGE OF GOLD (1950).

THE FRIGHTENED CITY stars Herbert Lom and Sean Connery in a tale of the London crime underworld.

Lom and Alfred Marks play Waldo and Harry, mobsters who come up with the idea to unite with several other gangs to form one unified entity collecting protection money from businesses all over town.  All the gang heads will split the profits, minus ten percent going to Waldo off the top.

Former burglar Paddy Damion (Connery), in need of work due to having recently lost his longtime partner in crime (Kenneth Griffiths) to a crippling injury, is brought on as the consortium's "insurance" collector and enforcer.

Paddy also has a busy love life, sneaking around on loyal girlfriend Sadie (Olive McFarland) with Anya (Yvonne Romain); Anya, for her part, is also the mistress of Waldo and might be doing a little spying on Paddy.

When Waldo decides to move into big-time extortion of construction companies, one of the racketeers, Alf (David Davies), believes it's a disaster in the making and wants to quit the group. Paddy is asked to bring Alf in for a "business" discussion, assured that's all that's going to take place, but things don't go as Paddy expects...

I found THE FRIGHTENED CITY a reasonably entertaining 97 minutes. The main thing that stands out, of course, is Connery, in one of several roles he played the year before his first 007 appearance in DR. NO (1962).

Connery is handsome and charismatic, though his character is a bit of a jerk when it comes to how he treats the women in his life. Lom is always dependable in this type of role, as a greedy man who thinks nothing of causing business owners to suffer so that he can accumulate wealth.

The rest of the film is a straightforward mob story, nothing of particular excellence but certainly not a bad film, either. It's a rough, tough story demonstrating that ultimately, crime doesn't pay. If you like gritty films set in London -- and I do -- this will fill the bill. Having the chance to see it in a sharp-looking 4K restoration adds to the enjoyment.

The movie was directed by John Lemont and filmed in black and white by Desmond Dickinson. It was written by director Lemont, along with Leigh Vance, from Lemont's story.

Disc extras include a commentary track by C. Courtney Joyner and Bruce Scivally, plus a gallery of three trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

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

Post

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

 ...The great news keeps coming from the Warner Archive Collection. In addition to a long list of films coming out in late July and early August, another batch of Blu-rays has just been announced for August 18th. Titles include John Ford's THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957) and SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960), plus appealing films from Warner Bros. and MGM such as TORRID ZONE (1940), ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (1942), and THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943). BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938 (1937) and MONTANA (1950) are also on the list!

...The Warner Archive Collection has also announced a 4K release of OUT OF THE PAST (1947) for September 2nd; the set will have two discs, a 4K and a regular Blu-ray. I rarely cover 4K releases here, as I'm not upgrading my collection beyond Blu-rays and have no personal interest, but this is a special film which is important to many, so I'm sharing the information.

...From the great Farran Smith Nehme, for CineConnections: "Love Hurts: Romance in Film Noir."

...Due out in late July: A limited edition Blu-ray release of THE OUTFIT (1973) from Arrow Video. Glenn Erickson has a review. The movie stars Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker, but it's the supporting cast that will make a classic film fan's eyes pop: Jane Greer, Robert Ryan, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Timothy Carey, Roy Roberts, Emile Meyer, Richard Jaeckel, and Sheree North. For those keeping score, that's three players from THE KILLING (1956) alone!

...Glenn Erickson has also just reviewed the new Warner Archive Blu-ray of LETTY LYNTON (1932).

...A new telling of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE has just debuted on Netflix. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter has a review.

...Kino Lorber has just announced the upcoming release of another Lino Ventura film, THE SILENT ONE (1973), costarring Robert Hardy. Ventura is an actor I've really come to appreciate in recent months thanks to Kino Lorber's French noir releases.

...The American Cinematheque will be screening Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in SUDDEN FEAR (1952), introduced by the great film historian Foster Hirsch, at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre on July 29th.

...My sincere thanks to Christine of ClassicFilmLA for alerting me to several more interesting Southern California classic film events happening in the near future, starting with another screening with an appearance by Foster Hirsch. He'll be hosting WILD IN THE COUNTRY (1961) with Millie Perkins at the Monterey Park Public Library on August 1st.

...More from Christine: I was interested to learn that Arizona State University has a fashion design museum in Los Angeles, the FIDM. An exhibit on MGM's great costume designer Adrian will run from August to December...The Burbank Museum and the Burbank Historical Society will be hosting a screening of the documentary BEYOND GODOLPHIN: THE HANK JONES STORY (2026) on July 25th. The film is about actor Hank Jones, who appeared in a number of Disney films in the late '60s and '70s, starting with BLACKBEARD'S GHOST (1968). Although I already have plans that date, I'm quite interested in this and hope there will be a chance to see the documentary another time in the future. Thank you again for sharing all the interesting news, Christine!

...Notable Passing: Sad news for those of us who love EMERGENCY! (1972-79), actor Randolph Mantooth has passed away at the age of 80. Mantooth memorably played paramedic Johnny Gage. As I've written in my story on the 2022 50th anniversary celebration of the show and again in a Blu-ray review of the series, the L.A. County-set EMERGENCY! had a huge impact on paramedic programs becoming standard across the entire country; the show also encouraged countless numbers of people to become firefighters or paramedics. Mantooth (at right in this photo) and Kevin Tighe (left), who played his partner Roy DeSoto and became a lifelong close friend, have supported paramedic programs throughout their lives since the series, and even co-produced a documentary on paramedics.

...Notable Passing: Disney Legend Don Iwerks has passed on at 96. Iwerks was the son of another Disney Legend, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit creator Ub Iwerks, and the father of documentarian Leslie Iwerks. Don Iwerks' many achievements included developing the Circle Vision camera used to film AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL, a childhood favorite of mine at Disneyland which I'd love to have the chance to see again. He also worked on the sodium vapor process for combining live action with animation in MARY POPPINS (1964).

...More Notable Passings: Actresses Joanna Pettet and Antoinette Bower have each passed away at the age of 93. Each worked steadily, especially in TV, over decades.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my July 4th column.

Post