Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not appear this weekend, as I'm on the TCM Classic Cruise.

For anyone who missed it, be sure to check out my post on the cruise's guests and schedule.

The column will return next Saturday, October 24th.

For the most recent classic film links, please visit my October 3rd column.

Tonight's Movie: Gideon's Day (1958)

GIDEON'S DAY (1958), known in the U.S. as GIDEON OF SCOTLAND YARD, is just the kind of film I like: A "day in the life" police procedural featuring Jack Hawkins in almost every scene.

GIDEON'S DAY is one of the least-known films from director John Ford, but while there's nothing particularly Fordian about it -- other than the presence of Ford regular Anna Lee -- that's not really a negative. It's an engaging, well-made 91 minutes which I quite enjoyed.

The movie was written by written by T.E.B. Clarke based on the novel by J.J. Maric, aka John Creasey. As the movie begins, Chief Inspector George Gideon (Hawkins) breakfasts with his family, including his wife Kate (Lee), oldest daughter (Anna Massey, in her film debut), and two younger children (Malcolm and Mavis Ranson).

He's then off to work, though not without receiving a driving ticket on the way, followed by a long, arduous day at work. Honestly, Gideon does so much and goes so many places I'm not sure how he did it all in a single day, but whether or not it was physically possible, it was quite entertaining!

One of the things I appreciated was that when Gideon came home after his long day, which included being threatened with being shot, his wife doesn't complain that he's come home late and missed seeing his daughter's concert or visiting relatives; instead she's delighted to see him and sets about getting him a meal. Her warm reaction conveyed an appreciation for his dangerous, hard job, and that him getting home safely at day's end was the most important thing.

I also speculated that the gap in the Gideons' children's ages may have been due to his wartime service, and if that were the case, it would doubly explain why she was so glad to see him.  She had perspective.

As a growing fan of Jack Hawkins (THE CRUEL SEA) I thoroughly enjoyed him in this as the engaged, hyper-competent police inspector. He faces a wide variety of challenges during the day, but other than dealing with his parking ticket and trying to remember to pick up salmon for his wife, he keeps his cool and is quite likeable.

Andrew Ray, as the young constable who tickets Gideon and later dates his daughter, has what I'd call a "Patrick Wayne part" as the earnest young man trying to do the right thing who nonetheless manages to irritate his superior.

I'm always glad to see Dianne Foster; as I've shared before, her son is an oral surgeon who has treated most of my family over the years. It's interesting to me that she was in the cast despite the movie being set in England. Foster also worked with Ford that year on THE LAST HURRAH (1958). She only has a couple of scenes here but she's quite striking and does a good job.

The movie, made at MGM British Studios, was filmed by Freddie Young and the uncredited Charles Lawton Jr. At times the film's pastels almost have a Trucolor look. It's an attractive film, particularly Inspector Gideon's kitchen.

The movie was released on DVD in the U.S. as part of the 5-film TCM Vault John Ford: The Columbia Films Collection; it has an introduction by Leonard Maltin plus stills and poster galleries, but no optional subtitles.

This year I upgraded to the Powerhouse Indicator Blu-ray, which although released in the UK is Region A. The disc shares with the TCM version Maltin's introduction and some image galleries, but it has several more extras, including the choice of watching the movie with U.S. or UK titles, plus a number of featurettes; the featurettes include a brief yet informative piece on the film's London and other locations.

Unlike the TCM Vault DVD, the Indicator Blu-ray disc has optional English subtitles, which was a selling point for me along with the additional extras and upgraded print quality.

GIDEON'S DAY may perhaps be the least "Ford-like" film I've yet seen, but I liked it quite well and will definitely return to it again in the future.

The 2026 TCM Classic Cruise

This week I'll be on my first-ever TCM Classic Cruise, which takes place October 13th through 18th, 2026.

The cruise will take place aboard the Disney Wonder, which sails out of San Diego, making stops in Ensenada and at Catalina Island.

Despite being a lifelong Southern Californian, I've never visited Catalina, so I'm looking forward to that. Our activities include a tour of the Avalon Theater and Casino.

I will probably remain on the ship rather than visiting Ensenada, enjoying the ship and the afternoon movies that day.

There are a number of interesting guests scheduled for the cruise, including Beau Bridges, Jane Alexander, Dyan Cannon, and Tina Sinatra; special effects artist Dennis Muren; Gisele Galante Chulack, the daughter of Olivia de Havilland; film historians Leonard Maltin and Bruce Goldstein; and longtime Disney animator Andreas Deja.

I saw Deja give a great presentation at the 2012 Destination D event in Anaheim.

Like the TCM Classic Film Festival, the cruise screens a number of movies simultaneously, with guests having to make hard choices.

Some of the interesting screenings on the cruise include:

*The MGM "B" movie WITHIN THE LAW (1939), starring Ruth Hussey

*Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956) with James Stewart and Doris Day

*APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER (1951) starring Alan Ladd

*Gisele Galante Chulack at THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) and THE HEIRESS (1949)

*Dyan Cannon at THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973) and HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1978)

*Andreas Deja at THE LION KING (1994) and WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988)

*Dennis Muren at THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

*Beau Bridges at THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS (1989)

*Jane Alexander at NIGHT CROSSING (1982), a Disney film I haven't seen since it came out - Bridges costars, so I wonder if he might come too

*Tina Sinatra at FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) and PAL JOEY (1957)

*JUDGE HARDY'S CHILDREN (1938) and LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938)

*TWO GUYS FROM MILWAUKEE (1946)

*THE TALL T (1957)

*ISLE OF MISSING MEN (1942)

*CAPTAIN KIDD (1945)

*STATE FAIR (1945)

*MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940)

*GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

...and even more!

Granted, some of these films will be shown poolside, so I'll need to see whether movies can be truly seen and enjoyed in that format, but even if I decide against seeing movies poolside, there will be more than enough options to keep me busy.

It should be a grand five days at sea!

Tonight’s Movie: The Majestic (2001)

Last month I was fortunate to make my second trip to Alaska, spending nine days cruising the Inside Passage and more, including a day in Victoria, British Columbia.

I was also fortunate to have a good friend on board, and during sea days Molly and I had the chance to enjoy a couple of movies together thanks to her large iPad. We watched a favorite comedy, THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942), and later in the trip she introduced me to THE MAJESTIC (2001).

Jim Carrey stars in THE MAJESTIC. I don't believe I'd ever seen a Carrey film before, as most of his titles simply don't hold appeal, but I was intrigued by Molly's description of the plot and the fact that the cast included veteran actors such as Martin Landau and James Whitmore. As it turned out, Carrey was also quite good in what is mostly a dramatic performance.

My enjoyment of the film deepened when, in the early going, I recognized the small town where it was set as Ferndale, California, which we visited on a road trip in the summer of 2025. It's a beautiful town filled with Victorian homes, seen in my photo here, and I'll share some additional photos of Ferndale at the end of this post.

Bringing things full circle, Ferndale was the hometown of Guy Fieri, the chef behind a hamburger stand on our cruise ship! It really can be a small world.

Returning to THE MAJESTIC, which is set in the early '50s, screenwriter Peter Appleton (Carrey) finds his career crashing and burning due to suspected Communist ties, related to a girl he dated in college.

Peter gets drunk and then literally crashes out near a small town, coming to with no memory. The local doctor (David Ogden Stiers) expects Peter's memory will eventually return, but in the meantime there's a bigger story going on: Everyone in town believes Peter is the long-lost son of elderly Harry Trimble (Martin Landau), whose soldier son Luke went missing during World War II.

Peter moves in with Harry, who receives a new lease on life and is inspired to reopen his closed-up movie theater, The Majestic. Peter also slowly begins a romance with Luke's fiance Adele (Laurie Holden).

Months happily pass by, and then one day The Majestic shows a film which Peter wrote; as he finds himself curiously familiar with the dialogue, memories of his true life start flooding back...

I was very pleasantly surprised by THE MAJESTIC, though I shouldn't have been, given that my tastes are so similar to my friend Molly's! It was a true "feel good" movie in the manner of Frank Capra. 

The most negative I could say about the film is that some of its 152 minutes should have been cut for a tighter pace, but on the whole I quite liked this film, which was written by Michael Sloane and directed by Frank Darabont.

I particularly enjoyed Landau, in a sweet-natured performance as Luke's father; Gerry Black as the theater's longtime head usher; and Holden as Luke's fiancee, who has become an attorney. Holden was a new name to me, although she has appeared in a number of well-known TV series.

The cast also includes Hal Holbrook, Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn, Brent Briscoe, Ron Rifkin, and Amanda Detmer.

The movie was filmed by David Tattersall and scored by Mark Isham.

THE MAJESTIC is available on DVD and Blu-ray.  I recommend that those who aren't familiar with this film check it out.

To conclude, here are a few more photos of lovely Ferndale, taken in June 2025.

Click on any photo to enlarge it for a closer look.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not appear this weekend, as I'm attending the Lone Pine Film Festival.

The column will also not appear next weekend, when I'll be on the TCM Classic Cruise.

I have a few posts prescheduled for while I'm offline, so please check back from time to time for new content.

Around the Blogosphere This Week will return on Saturday, October 24th.

For my most recent classic film links, please visit my October 3rd column.

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Repost: Tonight's Movie: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

NOTE: A few days ago I attended the "Encore" theatrical screening of AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), which included a couple new "tag" scenes for the upcoming AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY (2026).

As I wrote at the end of my review of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY (2026), I'm not certain whether I'll be seeing DOOMSDAY, and the new scenes weren't the pull for my seeing ENDGAME again. 

Rather, I wanted to revisit what I consider a singularly brilliant conclusion to the Marvel movies which had gone before.  I deeply enjoyed revisiting all 181 minutes of this film, and I want to encourage any Marvel fans to do likewise.

And so, at last, we come to the conclusion of this era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), which I saw yesterday, was a remarkable capstone to the 20 Marvel films previously reviewed here since July 2015. (The total is upped to 21 previous reviews if TV's AGENT CARTER is included.) I can't imagine a better way to have ended the series.

This review will necessarily be relatively brief and detail free so that, as the Twitter hashtag says, I #DontSpoiltheEndgame.

When last we saw our heroes in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), arch villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) had just erased half of humankind with what is now called "The Snap." I wrote of INFINITY WAR: "How I ultimately feel about this film will have quite a bit to do with my reaction to Part 2 when it's released in May 2019. It's really all one big story, and it's far from over at this juncture."

The story is now completed, and I am more than satisfied. In rather a remarkable feat, the movie simultaneously wraps up not just INFINITY WAR but ideas lingering from past films. I was particularly grateful for the exquisite last scene; Marvel really did right by its fans.

The movie is simultaneously elegiac and funny, successfully straddling a variety of tones; it has a wealth of quotable lines which I suspect are already entering the popular culture lexicon. It allows for moments both big and small, with quiet, intimate scenes between closely connected characters, as well as epic sequences certain to gladden the heart of any Marvel fan. It's probably the fastest 181 minutes I'll ever spend in a movie theater, and it's very possible I'll go back and do it all over again, there is so much to take in and appreciate about this film.

Pretty much everyone who's anyone in the MCU is in this film, and the lengthy closing credits feel like a curtain call for the actors who've participated in the series over the past decade, with special credits tributes to the original six Avengers, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Each of these six actors shines in this film -- and who could have foreseen when watching the original THOR (2011) the extent to which the god of Thunder would become such hilarious comic relief?

I agree with Leonard Maltin, who wrote, "It is escapist entertainment of a very high order, and an achievement that has no true precedent in the history of motion pictures. No series...from Tarzan to James Bond, has ever attempted to incorporate so many moving parts in one conclusive film."

AVENGERS: ENDGAME was directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and filmed by Trent Opaloch. The score was by Alan Silvestri.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13. As with most Marvel films, the violence is of the non-gory variety, though there are moments which could potentially upset young children. There is also some limited yet notable swearing. The many positive themes include love of family and friends, the value of kindness to others, teamwork, and placing others above one's own priorities.

I'm so glad I was persuaded to begin watching the Marvel films nearly four years ago, as they have given me so many hours of movie pleasure, and I particularly appreciate that the filmmakers honored their viewers by working hard to maintain the quality to the very end, and then some. Watching AVENGERS: ENDGAME felt a bit like unwrapping the biggest present on Christmas morning, and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted.

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), and CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019).

Update: My review of the coda to AVENGERS: ENDGAME, SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019).

Update: AVENGERS: ENDGAME is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

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Eva Marie Saint Dies at 102

Alas, the time has come to say goodbye to the great Eva Marie Saint.

Saint has passed away today at the age of 102.

As I shared in my centennial birthday tribute, I was very fortunate to see her in person multiple times over the years, including on stage with Henry Fonda in THE FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER. I'm very grateful to have had those experiences; she was a delightful person in every way.

Eva Marie Saint had a wonderful long life, including not only a great career but a happy marriage and family. Still, it's never easy when one of the classic movie greats passes from the scene. I take comfort in knowing that her work will live on for as long as movies exist.

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Quick Preview of TCM in November

Here's a brief peek ahead at what's coming to Turner Classic Movies in November!

Burt Lancaster will be the November Star of the Month, with his films screening on Tuesday evenings.

The TCM Spotlight theme will be band leaders.

The November Noir Alley films will star off with a repeat of the Halloween Val Lewton triple bill on November 1st: THE LEOPARD MAN (1943), THE SEVENTH VICTIME (1943), and CAT PEOPLE (1952).

Over the following four weekends the Noir Alley films will be BREAKDOWN (1952), SLANDER (1957), NORA PRENTISS (1947), and THE GREAT FLAMARION (1945). BREAKDOWN, starring William Bishop, is a TCM premiere.

Filmmakers celebratesd with multi-film tributes in November include Ann Rutherford, James Stewart, Sally Field, Jose Iturbi, Edward Sedgwick, and Mike Nichols.

That's all the information I've been able to gather about the November to this point, but it's a tantalizing look ahead!

I'll have much more about the November schedule posted here around November 1st. In the meantime, enjoy Myrna Loy as the October Star of the Month!

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Warner Archive Collection November Blu-ray Releases

Today the Warner Archive Collection announced their late November releases.

Titles coming to Blu-ray on November 24th:

*BOMBSHELL (1933)

*THE DEVIL'S BROTHER (1933)

*DOUBLE WEDDING (1937)

*BACHELOR MOTHER (1939)

*BABES IN ARMS (1939)

*MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940)

*JOHNNY EAGER (1941)

*THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947)

*THE BELLE OF NEW YORK (1952)

*THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER (1953)

*THE YOGI BEAR SHOW (1961-63)

There are a number of "must have" discs here!  I also want to make readers aware that MovieZyng often has discounts on pre-orders.

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Tonight's Movie: The Human Comedy (1943) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943), one of MGM's most beautiful pieces of '40s Americana, was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

William Saroyan won the Best Original Story Oscar for this "slice of life" tale about a small California town. The movie was nominated for four other Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a well-deserved Best Oscar nomination for Mickey Rooney.

Howard Estabrook and the uncredited Herman J. Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay based on Saroyan's story; Saroyan fleshed out his story into a novel which was published around the same time the movie came out.

The book was part of my 9th grade curriculum here in California, and I was sorry when schools later dropped the optimistic tale in favor of a number of darker books. Although it wasn't part of the homeschooling curriculum I used with my own children, I omitted one of the books they were scheduled to read and gave them THE HUMAN COMEDY to read instead. The copy on our bookshelf looks like this one.

In the film version Rooney plays Homer Macauley, a high schooler who takes a part-time job delivering telegrams after his brother Marcus (Van Johnson) goes to serve in the war.

Homer's father (Ray Collins) has passed away, and Homer is helping to support his mother (Fay Bainter), sister Bess (Donna Reed), and little brother Ulysses (Jackie Jenkins).

Over the course of the movie's 117 minutes we also get to know Marcus's sweetheart Mary (Dorothy Morris), who lives next door; Homer's boss Tom (James Craig) and the telegraph operator (Frank Morgan); Tom's fiancee Diana (Marsha Hunt) and her parents (Katharine Alexander and Henry O'Neill); Ulysses' neighborhood friend Lionel (Darryl Hickman); and a trio of soldiers in town on leave (Barry Nelson, Don DeFore, and Robert Mitchum).

The movie, sensitively directed by Clarence Brown, is about everything and nothing; one of my favorite sequences finds Lionel and Ulysses simply wandering a library in wonder. The closest film I can compare it to is Powell and Pressburger's wartime paean to England, A CANTERBURY TALE (1944), which came out in the UK a year after THE HUMAN COMEDY debuted in the United States.

There are those -- probably the same types who struggle to enjoy RANDOM HARVEST (1942) -- who find THE HUMAN COMEDY too sentimental or too positive about our country, but don't count me among them. It's a moving story about a highly functional family, despite having difficulties to bear, and in depicting this family and their town the film also shows what was -- is -- fine about our country and why our nation was fighting. And no one did this type of film better than MGM.

It particularly must be said that this was Rooney's finest hour, in an understated, perfect performance as young Homer. Delivering telegrams forces Homer to grow up quickly, given that they often contained bad news during the war years.  Rooney plays the role in a quiet way which never hits mawkishness despite the situations in which Homer finds himself.

The entire cast is excellent. In addition to those mentioned above, the supporting cast includes John Craven, Mary Nash, Ann Ayars, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Morris Ankrum, Alan Baxter, Frank Jenks, Clem Bevans, and Rita Quigley.

The movie was filmed in black and white by Harry Stradling (Sr.).

The Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the "best preservation elements" available. Both the Blu-ray print and sound quality are excellent.

Disc extras consist of the trailer; an 11-minute Passing Parade short, DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT (1943); the cartoon BLITZ WOLF (1942); and two radio productions, a 1943 Screen Guild Theater broadcast with Rooney and MOrgan and a 1949 Screen Director's Playhouse broadcast with Rooney, Francis X. Bushman, and director Clarence Brown. Optional English language captions come standard on Warner Archive Blu-rays.

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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Tonight's Movie: The Teckman Mystery (1954) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Over the past year or more Kino Lorber Studio Classics has released several sets of both French and "Brit" Noir, providing classic film viewers with interesting films which many of us in the U.S. are watching for the first time.

As mentioned yesterday, French Noir III is coming soon, and since July Kino Lorber has released Volumes III and IV of Brit Noir.

As I continue to enjoy digging into these films, I've now watched THE TECKMAN MYSTERY (1954), which is part of Brit Noir Collection IV.

Echoing LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945), which finds Gene Tierney recognizing Cornel Wilde as the author of the book she's been reading on a train, THE TECKMAN MYSTERY begins with Margaret Leighton realizing that her seatmate on a plane, Philip Chance (John Justin), is the author of her current read.

THE TECKMAN MYSTERY goes one step past that in coincidences; it turns out that Leighton's character, Helen Teckman, is the sister of Chance's next writing subject. Is their meeting "chance," to use a play on the hero's name, or perhaps not?

Chance tells Helen that his publisher wants him to write a biography of Martin Teckman, a recently deceased test pilot, as the previously assigned writer has been hit by a car and seriously injured.

Chance arrives home from his flight to discover his flat has been ransacked, and shortly thereafter the body of a man (George Coulouris) he's interviewed for the new book turns up in his apartment as well.

Things become increasingly concerning and strange, but fortunately Scotland Yard is on the case, in the form of Roland Culver and Duncan Lamont.

Meanwhile Chance begins to develop a romance with Helen...but should he?

Though perhaps overloaded with initial coincidences, the script by Francis Durbridge and James Matthews starts out in intriguing fashion, as Chance continues to be confronted with perplexing situations.

I did think the film went on too long at 90 minutes, but I enjoyed the police procedural aspects -- Culver and Lamont were my favorite characters -- as well as the London locations. A climactic sequence was filmed at the Tower of London, which, having been there, I found great fun.

At times the movie is reminiscent of Hitchcock, to the point where my husband, near movie's end, inquired if Bernard Herrmann had scored it. (The composer was Clifton Parker.) And indeed, the climax seems to echo Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) and SABOTEUR (1942), while anticipating his VERTIGO (1958).

Drawing these types of connections with other films is part of the pleasure for me, even if the movie was a bit too lethargic.

The cast is good, particularly the previously mentioned Culver and Lamont, and I enjoyed seeing Margaret Leighton (THE HOLLY AND THE IVY) in a new-to-me film.

Justin's Chance seems curiously unbothered by the odd situations in which he finds himself, in a dashing "minor Cary Grant" sort of way which is interesting in itself.

It's of note that the movie was directed by a woman, Wendy Toye. The cinematographer was Jack Hildyard.

The good-looking, crisp black and white print is from a 4K restoration. Sound quality is solid as well.

Extras consist of a commentary track by Daniel Kremer plus a gallery of five trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Previous reviews from Volumes I and II include CAGE OF GOLD (1950), THE LONG ARM (1956), and THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961).

Look for additional reviews from all four sets here in the future!

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

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