Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Turner Classic Movies has announced that the 2025 recipient of the Robert Osborne Award will be George Stevens Jr. TCM also announced several programming plans for the coming year, including honoring Dick Van Dyke as Star of the Month for his centennial next December.

...Raquel Stecher has posted a list of new and upcoming classic film books at her blog Out of the Past. Raquel puts a lot of work into these lists, which are always very long and interesting to scroll through. VERA MILES: THE HITCHCOCK BLONDE WHO GOT AWAY by Christopher McKittrick for University Press of Kentucky is a title which particularly caught my eye.

...Also of note from the above list: THE ART OF CLASSIC CRIME AND MYSTERY MOVIES, edited by Ed Hulse, who has been a part of past Lone Pine Film Festivals, and DASHING TO THE END: THE RAY MILLAND STORY. The latter is by Eric Monder for the Hollywood Legends biographical series published by the University Press of Mississippi.

...Leonard Maltin also has a survey of "New and Notable Books" at his site.

...Thanks to Keith on Twitter for making me aware of the upcoming book THE ONLY WOMAN ANIMATOR: BESSIE MAE KELLEY AND WOMEN AT THE DAWN OF AN INDUSTRY. It's by Mindy Johnson, author of the important (and beautiful!) history INK & PAINT: THE WOMEN OF WALT DISNEY'S ANIMATION.

...Continuing with a books theme, I was recently contacted by Running Press regarding two upcoming books by TCM hosts. Alicia Malone has written TCM IMPORTS: TIMELESS FAVORITES AND HIDDEN GEMS OF WORLD CINEMA, while Eddie Muller has a "revised and expanded edition" coming out of his classic book DARK CITY DAMES: THE WOMEN WHO DEFINED FILM NOIR. I anticipate reviewing both books here. Having read books by both authors in the past, including the original DARK CITY DAMES, I'm confident they'll be enjoyable reads.

...Thanks to reader Ashley for letting me know about the upcoming MGM Blu-ray release of OUTPOST IN MALAYA (1952) starring Claudette Colbert. It's due out later this month.

...Blu-ray release dates announced over the last few days by Kino Lorber Studio Classics: The John Wayne films DONOVAN'S REEF (1963) and SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949) will be released in Special Editions on April 15th; both films will also be available on 4K...THE CRUEL SEA (1953) and FOUL PLAY (1978) will both be out on April 22nd.

...Toby of 50 Westerns From the 50s shares the news that a double feature Blu-ray disc of PANHANDLE (1948) and APACHE RIFLES (1964) is now available. While I haven't yet seen APACHE RIFLES, which stars Audie Murphy, I'm a big fan of PANHANDLE.

...Glenn Erickson's latest Blu-ray reviews at Trailers from Hell include TEACHER'S PET (1958) with Doris Day and Clark Gable, just released by Kino Lorber Studio Classics, and THE SPANISH MAIN (1945) with Paul Henreid and Maureen O'Hara, now out from the Warner Archive Collection. I'll be reviewing both titles here soon.

...I was fascinated to learn that an Oscar nominee for Best Short Documentary for this year's Academy Awards is THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA (2024). It's a 34-minute film on double bass player Orin O'Brien, who blazed a trail when she was the first woman hired to play in the New York Philharmonic in 1966. What makes the film of particular note for classic film fans is that Orin is the daughter of actors George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill. A review by Paul Emmanuel Enicola may be read here. THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA is currently available to stream on Netflix.  I expect to watch it soon.

...The 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival dates have been announced. The 26th edition of the festival will take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center from May 8th through 11th. I highly recommend attending!

...There's also a screwball comedy film series coming to Palm Springs from March through June, with speakers introducing the movies including Scott Eyman, Molly Haskell, Steven C. Smith, Olympia Kiriakou, and Mark Vieira, among others.

...Notable Passings: Actress Jan Shepard has died at the age of 96. As it happens, I was fortunate to meet her at the 2019 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs, seen here. She was at the festival for a screening of KING CREOLE (1958), in which she played the sister of Elvis Presley, and gave a very interesting interview...The great figure skater and skating commentator Dick Button has passed away at 95.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my January 25th column.

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