Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...As seems to be the case most weeks, I have exciting Kino Lorber Blu-ray news to share: THUNDER IN THE EAST (1952) is "coming soon," starring Alan Ladd, Deborah Kerr, and Charles Boyer. I've never seen it and am really looking forward to this one.

...A March 26th release date has been announced for Kino Lorber's Dark Side of Cinema XVIII. The set has a trio of films from 1955: CRASHOUT (1955), FINGER MAN (1955), and CITY OF SHADOWS (1955). As usual, each film will have a commentary; Alan K. Rode of the Film Noir Foundation does the honors on CRASHOUT, with the other tracks by Jason A. Ney and Gary Gerani.

...The February Criterion Channel lineup includes a terrific 12-film "Gothic Noir" series.

...Director Jason Reitman is part of a group which may be taking over the Fox Theater in Westwood. The theater first opened in 1931.

...As a fan of Hallmark's MURDER, SHE BAKED mysteries I'm disappointed that leading man Cameron Mathison (GENERAL HOSPITAL) has departed. Lead actress Alison Sweeney will now be playing opposite Victor Webster as a new character. I like Webster a lot but wish they had just recast Mathison's part.

...The Australian company Viavision Imprint has a third volume of its Tales of Adventure series coming. Films included are TEN TALL MEN (1951), THE HEROES OF TELEMARK (1965), SANDS OF THE KALAHARI (1965), and LOST COMMAND (1966).

...Attention Southern Californians: The Egyptian Theatre will be hosting a nitrate film festival from February 16th through 24th. We have tickets to see Jeremy Arnold introduce WINCHESTER '73 (1950) at the festival.

...Season 4 of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL comes to DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. on March 12th.

...Notable Passings: There were a couple losses this past week which I found especially sad. First we learned of the death of Carl Weathers, best known as Apollo Creed in the ROCKY movies. ROCKY (1976) was a key film in my teen years which I saw in a theater multiple times, and Weathers as the arrogant yet likeable Creed was a big part of the film's success. In recent years he played Greef Karga on THE MANDALORIAN and also directed a couple episodes. Weathers was 76...Later that day the news broke of the passing at age 94 of one-time Oscar nominee Don Murray, known for BUS STOP (1956), ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962), and TV's KNOTS LANDING (1979-82). In 2017 I saw him speak at a screening of two of his films, THE BACHELOR PARTY (1957) and BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL (1965). I had the honor of shaking his hand after his interview and when I thanked him for coming he thanked me. He was a real class act, as historian Alan K. Rode Tweeted. Murray's son Christopher, whose mother was actress Hope Lange, also shared a moving Tweet.

...More Notable Passings: Director and stop-motion animator Mark Gustafson (GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO) has passed away at 64...Actor William O'Connell, whose work included appearances in several Clint Eastwood movies, has died at 94...Amanda Davies, the daughter of ONE LIFE TO LIFE icon Erika Slezak and the granddaughter of character actor Walter Slezak, died suddenly at 42. A couple decades ago Davies played a younger version of her mother on ONE LIFE TO LIVE...Broadway great Chita Rivera, seen here, has passed on at 91. Rivera, of course, created the role of Anita in the original Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY...Another Broadway great, Hinton Battle, has also died, age 67.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my January 27th column.

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