Cinecon Classic Film Festival Opens in Los Angeles September 3rd

The 2026 Cinecon Classic Film Festival will take place at the Landmark Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles from September 3rd through 7th, 2026.

This year's 62nd festival will be a bit longer than last year's, opening on a Thursday evening, rather than Friday, and concluding on Labor Day, the 7th.

This year's location at the Nuart Theatre is also a change in venue; the last two years the festival was held at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. More thoughts on the location are at the end of this post.

After attending Cinecon in Hollywood from 2017-2019, I had a terrific time returning to the festival last year, attending two days of the 2026 festival. Last March I also attended a Cinecon "Pop-Up" one-day festival held at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo.

This year's Cinecon honorees are Nancy Kwan, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Lainie Kazan, and Barbara Eden, who are all scheduled to appear in person; additionally, Pat Boone will be on hand to honor Eden. Movies Boone made with both Eden and Kwan are on the schedule.

I was fortunate to see both Eden and Boone speak at a Noir City Hollywood screening of THE YELLOW CANARY (1963) last April. I was also lucky enough to meet Kwan and have her sign my copy of her memoir at last year's Cinecon.

Looking back quite a ways in time, I also saw Anna Maria Alberghetti star in THE SOUND OF MUSIC at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach in 1985!

Cinecon chiefly focuses on rare, relatively hard-to-find films. The full schedule may be reviewed here.

This year my husband and I plan to spend Labor Day at Cinecon. The films I'm excited about seeing that day include:

*REUNION IN RENO (1951) starring Mark Stevens, Peggy Dow, Frances Dee, and Gigi Perreau, who will be a guest

*THE SECOND GREATEST SEX (1955) starring Jeanne Crain, George Nader, Mamie Van Doren, and Tommy Rall

*CHASING DANGER (1939) starring Preston Foster and Lynn Bari

*WOMAN OF THE NORTH COUNTRY (1952) starring Rod Cameron, Ruth Hussey, John Agar, and Gale Storm

*THAT'S MY GAL (1947) starring Lynne Roberts and Don "Red" Barry

There are many other interesting films on the rest of the schedule, including:

*THE STARS ARE SINGING (1953) with Rosemary Clooney and Anna Maria Alberghetti

*THE MAIN ATTRACTION (1962) with Pat Boone and Nancy Kwan

*MANHATTAN HEARTBEAT (1940) with Robert Sterling and Virginia Gilmore

*ALL HANDS ON DECK (1961) with Pat Boone, Barbara Eden, and Dennis O'Keefe

*UNDER TWO FLAGS (1936) with Ronald Colman, Claudette Colbert, and Rosalind Russell

Now for some additional venue information: The main reason I'm not attending additional days this year is I would need to attend those on my own, and given that the Nuart doesn't have its own lot, I have concerns about how the parking will play out.

One of the parking lot options is a mile round-trip from the theater, and I also have concerns about whether walking to a lot that far away at the end of the day would be safe. One might be able to team up with other attendees, but there are no guarantees unless one knows other guests and can plan in advance.

It's also very problematic that there are limits on parking lot times which don't match up with the festival's hours, necessitating full-day attendees to move their cars at some point.

I could potentially end up spending quite a bit on festival passes and driving up from Orange County only to find I can't park in the hotel lot nearest the theater and am stuck with an option further away which doesn't even allow enough hours to cover a full day at the festival. Worst-case scenario, I'd find myself needing to move my car at some point from a lot which is a one-mile round-trip walk from the theater.

I understand it's a challenge for Cinecon to book theaters which will keep the festival at an affordable price, and I also want to encourage attendance at what is always a great festival, but the potential logistical and safety issues merit a frank look by prospective attendees along with the excellent schedule.

That said, my husband I look forward to attending together on the 7th.  Hopefully parking will go smoothly on the holiday and we'll have another great Cinecon day!

Visit the Cinecon site for additional information, as well as links to purchase full festival or day passes at the Eventbrite ticket site.

Previously: Cinecon 53 (2017), Cinecon 54 (2018), Cinecon 55 (2019), Cinecon Classic Film Festival Opens in Beverly Hills August 29th (Cinecon 60 2024 Preview); Cinecon Classic Film Festival Opens in Beverly Hills August 29th (Cinecon 61 2025 Preview).

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Tonight's Movie: A Man Could Get Killed (1966) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The lighthearted spy thriller A MAN COULD GET KILLED (1966) is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

Although I've always been quite a fan of James Garner, this is one of his titles which hadn't really been on my radar, so I was glad to catch up with it.

The movie was written by Richard Breen and T.E.B. Clarke from the novel DIAMONDS FOR DANGER by David Esdaile Walker. The story and tone are in the style of the numerous lighthearted spy films of the '60s, such as BLINDFOLD (1966) and ARABESQUE (1966), to name just two such movies of the same year as A MAN COULD GET KILLED.

James Garner plays William Beddoes, an American bank employee who upon his arrival in Lisbon on business is mistaken for a spy by a British embassy official (Robert Coote). It's believed that the spy is on the case of a fortune in stolen diamonds.

Beddoes is shocked when the car he was intended to travel in blows up before he gets inside, and he's increasingly exasperated as no matter how hard he protests, no one he deals with believes he's simply a bank employee and not a spy. He picks up quite a large entourage following his every move, including a caravan of inept spies from various countries.

Beddoes is soon entangled with Aurora (Melina Mercouri), who aggressively pursues him for reasons of her own.

Beddoes also deals with an American named Steve (Tony Franciosa), posing as a Portuguese smuggler; Steve is also mixed up with a woman, Amy (Sandra Dee), who recognizes him as her childhood crush...but now she's no longer a child.

Honestly there are so many characters, including some with mistaken or phony identities, that it's a bit of a challenge to follow the story.

However, thanks to the Lisbon locations and bright color cinematography of Gabor Pogany, it's an attractive-looking film, and Garner and Dee in particular make it a mildly entertaining 97 minutes. It's not a great film, but it's pleasant enough company even with a murky plot.

Both Garner and Dee were masters of the art of reacting, and their funny responses to dead bodies and other shenanigans keep the movie amusing enough to stick with it despite the too-large cast and flimsy story.

Mercouri is rather over the top in her role, though she gradually grew on me a bit, just as she does on Beddoes. Franciosa, on the other hand, is a little too colorless in an underwritten part as the would-be smuggler who seems happy enough to be trailed everywhere by Dee.

Given the movie's featherweight story, there really isn't much more to say about the performances, other than Coote does a nice job in an extended supporting role. The cast also includes Roland Culver and Cecil Parker.

One side comment: There's a much bigger age gap between Franciosa and Dee than there is between Garner and Mercouri, but despite that the age difference seemed more pronounced to me between the latter actors, with Mercouri clearly several years Garner's senior.

The movie was directed by Ronald Neame and Cliff Owen, who shared credit after Neame took over the film from Owen during production.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray looks and sounds great.  Optional English captions are provided, as is the case on all Kino Lorber Blu-rays.

Extras consist of the movie's trailer; a gallery of five additional trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber; and two commentary tracks, one by Troy Howarth and Steve Mitchell, and the other by Max Allan Collins and Heath Holland. I'm looking forward to learning more about this film thanks to the commentaries.

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

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The Warner Archive Collection has announced Blu-ray releases for September and October. The biggest news for me was a complete series release of my favorite TV show, MAVERICK (1957-62), in October; it will be a 32-disc set.

 

...Among the other titles coming from the Warner Archive this fall are SKYSCRAPER SOULS (1932), MARKED WOMAN (1937), BOYS TOWN (1938), BUNDLE OF JOY (1956), PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES (1960), and DEAR HEART (1964). Also on the way is the animated series THE QUICK DRAW MCGRAW SHOW: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1959-61).

...The Criterion Channel September streaming lineup includes collections themed around "Girl Bands" and "Starring Madonna." I may actually need to finally watch JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS (2001) -- the animated series (1970-71) was a childhood favorite -- and the well-regarded DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN (1985).

...Speaking of Criterion, the Criterion Collection will release THE RIGHT STUFF (1983) on Blu-ray and 4K in late November 2026.

...New from the University Press of Kentucky: JAZZED: JACK COLE AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN DANCE by dance expert Debra Levine.

...Columbia House music club, in business since 1955, is finally closing up shop.

...Leonard Maltin has a quartet of film books he recommends.

...COYOTE VS. ACME (2026) opens in a few days at long last, and the buzz is positive, such as this review by Pete Hammond at Deadline.

...Glenn Erickson has a bunch of new reviews up at Trailers from Hell, including the Warner Archive Blu-ray releases of RANDOM HARVEST (1942), CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER (1950), and CRIME WAVE (1954).

...Notable Passings: Biographer Emily Leider has passed away at the age of 88. She was the author of books on Mae West, Rudolph Valentino, and Myrna Loy. I fondly recall making my way to the Egyptian Theatre on a rainy afternoon in 2011 to see MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1936) and hear Leider give a talk on Myrna Loy, along with signing my copy of her book MYRNA LOY: THE ONLY GOOD GIRL IN HOLLYWOOD...Actor-Singer Jon Cypher has passed on at 94. Known for his recurring role as Chief Daniels on HILL STREET BLUES (1981-87), he also had a special place in TV history starring as Prince Charming opposite Julie Andrews in the live TV production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA (1957), seen here. A fun bit of trivia is Cypher later appeared for a time on TV's GENERAL HOSPITAL, where Stuart Damon, who played the same role in the 1965 TV version of CINDERELLA, starred for decades...Peggy Webber, whose long acting career included collaborations with Jack Webb on both radio and TV, has died at 100...Actor Ben Jones, known for TV's THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (1979-1985), has passed away at 84. He also represented Georgia in Congress.

...More Notable Passings: Oscar-nominated director Mark Rydell (ON GOLDEN POND) has died at 97. Rydell was also an actor early in his career. In 2008 I had the pleasure of seeing him on a panel discussing memories of John Wayne at USC; he directed Wayne in THE COWBOYS (1972). I liked his film THE RIVER (1984)...Actress Phyllida Law, the mother of Emma and Sophie Thompson, has passed on at 94...Hayden Panettiere of REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) and TV's HEROES (2006-2010) has sadly passed away at 36...Japanese actress Keiko Kishi (sometimes billed as Kishi Keiko) died at 93. Her films included EARLY SPRING (1956), directed by Yasujiro Ozu, and Sidney Pollack's THE YAKUZA (1975) with Robert Mitchum, seen here.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my August 8th column.

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Tonight's Movie: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

It's been a busy couple of weeks, including attending the D23 Expo, so I'm only now reviewing SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (2026), which I saw earlier this month.

BRAND NEW DAY is the fourth of Tom Holland's Spider-Man films of the past decade, following SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017), SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019), and SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021).

It's hard to believe it's been half a decade since the last film, and after the long wait -- including something of a cliffhanger ending -- I was particularly excited to see it. Right from the start I loved Tom Holland's welcome to the theater, in the style of some of Tom Cruise's introductions, saying "We made it for you."

As Marvel fans know, the previous film concluded with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casting a spell to make the world forget Peter Parker (Holland), aka Spider-Man.

Those who have forgotten Peter include the love of his life, MJ (Zendaya, now the real-life Mrs. Holland), and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).

Peter leads a lonely existence in his apartment, though he emerges regularly to fight crime as Spider-Man. Indeed, that's really all he has in his life at this juncture.

As Spider-Mann, Peter has a professional relationship of sorts over the phone with a New York police detective (Liza Colon-Zayas) and he sometimes interacts with his "frenemy" Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), aka the Punisher, but Peter is now very much a loner.

As MJ and Ned graduate from MIT and move back to New York, Peter sees them and yearns to reach out, but he's also dealing with serious problems in the form of a telepath (Sadie Sink) who hops from body to body while causing mayhem.

Spider-Man reaches out to Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) for information regarding the telepath, but while she's able to provide a bit of useful information, Peter's problems are growing: His superpowers are acting very strangely. Perhaps Peter can get ideas from Professor Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), though Bruce no longer has any idea who he is...

Needless to say there's much more to the story, but I'll leave off with that as I don't want to be spoiler-y given that the film was just released.

Holland is excellent as an older, sadder Peter/Spider-Man; he's quite endearing in the role. The viewer aches for his losses and loneliness -- viewers will remember that he also lost Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) in the last film -- and wants to see him happy.

The movie presenting Spider-Man and Frank as having a backstory was confusing, inasmuch as Frank has never before appeared in a Spider-Man film; apparently he and Peter became acquainted during the years since the last film. Thanks to my daughter, at least I knew who the Punisher was before seeing the film!

The movie also makes great use of Yelena; Pugh is seen only briefly but has some very funny line deliveries about dealing with "big potato stuff" while Spider-Man is dealing wtih "small potato stuff."

I was particularly impressed with the way Aunt May is creatively woven into the story in ways that are both natural and moving; May is ultimately a significant key to the plot.

One of the film's strengths is an excellent theme about isolation and the human need for others; indeed, Holland improvised a line Peter delivers at Aunt May's gravesite, "You'd be happy to know that I've decided I'm not going to do this alone anymore."

Given that we often heard during lockdowns that moviegoing was dead and in the future everyone would stay home and stream, there's sweet justice in a movie about the perils of human isolation earning absolutely staggering box office returns.

One of my only criticisms of the film is that although I liked the film's final scene, the audience is left hanging regarding Peter's relationships with MJ and Ned, which was unsatisfying after waiting five years.

Other than that, my main critique of the movie is that the telepath's villainy, taking over bodies, feels like a cheat, rather how I feel about the multiverse concept in general; nothing means anything if nothing is guaranteed to be real and anything can happen anywhere. There's a scene midway through the film with Peter, MJ, and the telepath which I frankly found cruel to viewers.

Otherwise, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is pure entertainment. It was quite long, at 145 minutes, yet the time flew by. It was wonderful to spend time with characters we've come to care about deeply, and hopefully it won't be another five years before the next movie!

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and filmed by

Brett Pawlak.

The movie was scored by Michael Giacchino, who I had the pleasure of seeing interviewed by soundtrack historian Jon Burlingame at the D23 Expo a few days ago. Giacchino has described removing notes from the usual Spider-Man theme to give it a more "lonely" sound.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. It has the usual "classic Marvel" level of non-graphic violence mixed with positive themes about caring for others.

A trailer is here.

As a postscript of sorts, I especially enjoyed this film as, despite my enjoyment of Marvel films over a great many years, as seen below, I skipped all of the releases from 2021 to 2025, which uniformly looked dark and unappealing. Marvel has returned to form with THUNDERBOLTS* (2025), THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (2025), and SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY.

Unfortunately, if the latest trailer is a good indicator, the upcoming AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY (2026) looks like a very dark return to the style of films such as DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022) and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (2023) which were among the titles I skipped. If a leaked DOOMSDAY plot point I read was accurate, I won't be seeing it, but I'm still hopeful it was a false rumor. We'll find out in December.

Previous Marvel reviews: IRON MAN (2008), IRON MAN 2 (2010), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), THOR (2011), THE AVENGERS (2012), IRON MAN 3 (2013), THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), AGENT CARTER (2015), ANT-MAN (2015), AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), DOCTOR STRANGE (2016), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017), SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017), THOR: RAGNAROK (2017), BLACK PANTHER (2018), AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018), CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019), BLACK WIDOW (2021), SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (2021), SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021), THUNDERBOLTS* (2025), and THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (2025).

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off while I attend Disney's D23 Expo.

 The Expo is taking place this year from August 14th through 16th, and I'll be attending all three days.

 The column will return next weekend, on August 22nd.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my August 8th column.

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Off to the 2026 D23 Expo!

Somehow two years have rolled by since the 2024 D23 Expo, and here we are again! Incredibly, it's time for the 2026 Expo.

We had a wonderful time earlier today at the second-ever D23 Day at Disneyland. We especially loved the "Legends Cavalcade," a brief parade featuring a number of Disney Legends.

I was excited to see Ming-Na Wen for the first time!

It was very special to have the chance to meet up with a few Twitter friends today, as well.

This is the ninth D23 Expo. I've been attending since the very first expo in 2009 and will be at the Anaheim Convention Center again for each of the next three days.

There are many great panels on the schedule, including a 20th anniversary celebration of ENCHANTED (2007), a 75th anniversary tribute to ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951), a 55th anniversary panel on BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (1971), and much, much more.

We have reservations for the Saturday evening "Rewind Concert" featuring Disney greats Jodi Benson and Susan Egan, which looks as though it will be similar to a concert we saw at the Hollywood Bowl a couple summers ago.

For "as it happens" photos over the weekend, please follow my Twitter account.

Previously: Off to the 2015 D23 Expo!, Off to the 2017 D23 Expo!, Off to the 2019 D23 Expo!, Off to the 2022 D23 Expo!, Off to the 2024 D23 Expo!

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A Visit to Forest Lawn Cypress

There are several Forest Lawn cemetery locations in Southern California, including the beautifully maintained Forest Lawn Cypress, in North Orange County.

Unlike the Forest Lawn locations in Los Angeles County, there are only a few entertainment-related personages buried in Cypress, but they are of significant interest.

Cowboy star Ken Maynard is buried there, as I also noted in a 2025 Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub.

Maynard's career began in the silents and ran through the mid '40s, with a couple films added on in the early '70s. Maynard's younger brother was the lesser-known cowboy actor Kermit Maynard.

Jack Sheldon did it all: He was a trumpet player, singer, and actor. He was Merv Griffin's sidekick on his TV show, and he also sang beloved songs such as "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" on SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK.

My husband didn't know Jack Sheldon personally but they had friends in common, and in early 2020 he attended Sheldon's funeral at Forest Lawn to honor a great musician.

John Philip Ford worked as an assistant director and director of "B" Westerns and TV series under the name Philip Ford. He was the son of actor-director Francis Ford, born in Maine when his father was still a teenager.

That also means, of course, that John Philip Ford's uncle was the great director John Ford.

Additional photo posts on the final resting places of historic Hollywood figures: A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 1, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale, Part 2, A Visit to the Forest Lawn Museum, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2014), A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Musicians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Comedians, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - The Actors, A Visit to Westwood Village Memorial Park - Writers, Directors, and More, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 1, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 2, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 3, A Visit to Desert Memorial Park, Los Angeles National Cemetery, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 1 (2017), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2 (2017), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 3 (2019), A Visit to Forest Lawn Cathedral City, A Visit to Oakwood Memorial Park, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 1, A Visit to Hillside Memorial Park, Part 2, A Visit to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (2019), A Visit to Woodlawn Cemetery, A Visit to Valley Oaks Memorial Park, A Visit to Valhalla Cemetery, A Visit to Pacific View Memorial Park, A Visit to Glen Haven Memorial Park, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale (2020), A Visit to Calvary Cemetery, A Visit to Home of Peace Memorial Park, Visits to Sedona and Las Vegas Cemeteries, A Visit to Forest Lawn Glendale (2022), Visits to Orange County Cemeteries (Holy Sepulcher Cemetery and El Toro Memorial Park), A Visit to Inglewood Park Cemetery, A Visit to Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, A Visit to Palm Springs (Coachella Valley Public Cemetery), A Visit to Marysvale Cemetery, A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 1 (2022), A Visit to Holy Cross Cemetery, Part 2 (2022), A Visit to Rose Hills Memorial Park, A Visit to San Fernando Mission Cemetery, A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 1 (2023), A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Part 2 (2023), Memorial Service for Edmund Gwenn (2023), A Visit to Evergreen Cemetery, A Visit to Carpinteria Cemetery, A Visit to Santa Barbara Cemetery, and A Visit to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills: Perry Mason Edition.

Articles on the final resting places of Western stars and filmmakers from my Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub: May 2019, February 2022, November 2, 2022, November 29, 2022, April 2023, November 2023, March 2024, July 2024, February 2025, November 2025, and April 2026.

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Tonight's Movie: Crime Wave (1954) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

One of my all-time favorite films, CRIME WAVE (1954), has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

I first reviewed CRIME WAVE here in 2013. I have rewatched it regularly over the years, most recently at the 2024 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

I love everything about this film, which centers on a reformed ex-con named Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson).

Lacey now has a pretty wife, Ellen (Phyllis Kirk), and a job as an aircraft mechanic. That all goes awry when a pair of criminals (Ted de Corsia and Charles Bronson, billed Buchinsky) Steve knew in prison barge into his apartment; he's forced to help them with a planned bank robbery, or Ellen may be killed.

Sterling Hayden plays Detective Lt. Sims, who constantly rides on Lacey's case -- but when the chips are down, perhaps he has a better understanding of Lacey's true character than he lets on.

The movie zips by in 75 minutes (per the Blu-ray running time, which is slightly longer than what's listed at IMDb). The screenplay by Crane Wilbur, based on an adaptation of a Saturday Evening Post story, is tight and entertaining, directed with verve by Andre De Toth.

The performances are all excellent, with Hayden doing his patented '50s "cranky cop" characterization. His perpetually irritated, toothpick-chewing Sims is not too dissimilar here from his ZERO HOUR! character a couple years later, but he's great fun.

The movie's revelation is Nelson, best known as a musical performer and later as a director of both films and TV. He's attractive and believable as a rough-edged good guy, and he has great chemistry with Kirk as his tough wife. Notably and believably, the movie convention of twin beds was not used in this film.

There are also interesting characters sketched by James Bell, Nedrick Young, Jay Novello, Dub Taylor, Hank Worden, and Timothy Carey, along with the previously mentioned cast.

What really sets the film apart, however, is the black and white cinematography by Bert Glennon and the fantastic use of locations in Glendale, Los Angeles, and the surrounding area.

Everything about the photography is eye-catching, especially the lighting of the nighttime scenes at the gas station or the overly bright fluorescent lights in the police station. This is a movie which looks so good that it could probably be enjoyed with the sound off, if it came to that.

And the locations! I recognized even more places on this viewing than I had in the past, including Chinatown in Downtown Los Angeles and Grand Central Aircraft Co., which was at Grand Central Airport in Glendale. I've been to a couple of events at the airport site, now owned by Disney, and was there most recently this past April.

I also noticed a police car driving past Bob's Big Boy in Burbank, seen here in a screen shot.

I especially love the Christmastime filming, in November and December of 1952, around Glendale's Bank of America, as well as the finale on the rainy Glendale sidewalks. Perfection.

The sheer amount of location filming is particularly impressive given that the film was shot in a scant 15 days. It's worth noting that the movie wasn't released until March 1954, over a year after the shooting wrapped.

CRIME WAVE was shown in Britain as THE CITY IS DARK, which explains some posters and stills using that title. During production the film was also known as DON'T CRY, BABY.

The Blu-ray print, from a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, is absolutely stunning. The movie has always looked great, but now it looks spectacular. It's absolutely marvelous. Sound quality is strong.

Extras include the original DVD commentary by Eddie Muller and James Ellroy; an archival six-minute 2007 featurette, also from the DVD, titled CRIME WAVE: THE CITY IS DARK (2007); the cartoon BABY BUGGY BUNNY (1954); the short GADGETS GALORE; and the trailer.

CRIME WAVE is most 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.

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Blog Giveaway Finale!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Blog Anniversary Celebration Giveaway!

 

Several entries answered all five MAVERICK questions correctly.

My husband printed out the email addresses of the entrants who got all answers correct, and I drew the winning email address out of a bowl. The winner, Devan, has been notified and responded with her address, so the prize will be headed her way this coming week.

For the curious, here are the correct quiz answers:

Q. In which episode are the immortal words uttered: "If you can't trust your banker, who can you trust?"

A. "Shady Deal at Sunny Acres"

 

 

Q. Which MAVERICK writer also wrote the screenplay for TOO LATE FOR TEARS?

A. Roy Huggins

 

 

Q. The first episode of MAVERICK aired on 22 September 1957, "War of the Silver Kings." Who directed this episode?

A. Budd Boetticher

 

 

Q. Paul Francis Webster wrote the lyrics for the MAVERICK theme song entitled, "Ballad of the Mavericks." In which John Wayne movie did he write lyrics for a song?

A. RIO BRAVO.

 

 

Q. Which actress appeared in the most episodes of MAVERICK between 1957 and 1962?

A. Kathleen Crowley

 

 

I've been blessed to acquire a surfeit of movies over the years and plan to share some of the bounty in a future giveaway focused on John Wayne. Stay tuned!

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