Tonight's Movie: House Calls (1978) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

HOUSE CALLS (1978), a mid-life romantic comedy featuring the unexpected pairing of Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson, is being released this week on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

This was my first time to see this film, in which Matthau plays Dr. Charley Nichols, a recently widowed doctor who is now determined to "play the field" for the first time in his life.

Charley briefly does just that, dating a variety of younger women, yet time and again he finds himself drawn to Ann (Glenda Jackson), a smart divorcee closer to his own age. Ann's teenage son, incidentally, is played by Matthau's real-life son, Charlie.

Charley initially thinks of Ann as a friend with whom he has common reference points -- and she makes amazing cheesecakes! -- but the relationship quickly, if tentatively, progresses towards romance. Charley must decide if he's ready for commitment again, while Ann, burned by an unfaithful ex-husband, must consider whether she's ready to trust Charley.

I found this movie a very nice discovery; it's a well-done, entertaining 98 minutes. While I could have done without a few bits of crass humor -- the film is rated PG -- on the whole the movie was sharply written and played.

The script was by Charles Shyer (BABY BOOM), Alan Mandel, Julius J. Epstein (CASABLANCA), and Max Shulman from a story by Shulman and Epstein. Happily too many cooks didn't spoil the proverbial broth; the screenplay is quite funny, sustaining the humor from start to finish.

The prospect of a senile hospital chief of staff (Art Carney) should be alarming, but here it's the cause of numerous (somewhat guilty) chuckles; that man should have been nowhere near a hospital!

I especially loved the deadpan reactions of Richard Benjamin as Charley's doctor friend; their repartee is delightful, and Benjamin is also quite funny dealing with the aforementioned chief of staff.

Matthau and Jackson are likeable, real, and relatable; in fact, Jackson strongly reminded me of an old family friend. Their teaming was so successful that a couple years later they costarred again, in the suspense film HOPSCOTCH (1980); HOPSCOTCH is available from the Criterion Collection, and I hope to watch it soon.

The film could have gained a bit more depth by exploring Charley and Ann's backgrounds, especially his feelings about his wife's (very) recent passing; that said, as with the chief of staff storyline, the decision was made not to take things seriously, and what did make it onscreen is very enjoyable.

There are many familiar faces in the cast, including Brad Dexter, Lloyd Gough, Candice Azzara, Gordon Jump, Thayer David, Dick O'Neill, and Taurean Blacque.

The movie was directed by Howard Zieff and filmed by David M. Walsh, with a score by Henry Mancini.

The Blu-ray print is quite good, with the color tones and style reminding me of other films of the era such as THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977). Sound quality is excellent.

Extras consist of the trailer; a gallery of seven additional trailers; and a commentary track by Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.

I liked this one a lot and will happily revisit it in the future.

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

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off while I travel.

The column will return next week, on Saturday, April 25th.

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

Additionally, those interested in news on the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival can visit the latest updates and festival schedule here.

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: This is the Night (1932) - A Universal Blu-ray Review

THIS IS THE NIGHT (1932), an unexpected comedic delight, has just been released on Blu-ray by Universal.

I had never before seen this film, which has the selling point of being Cary Grant's very first movie. I was also induced to try it by the presence of the always-reliable Roland Young and Charlie Ruggles.

I was delighted to discover THIS IS THE NIGHT to be an amusing, creative Lubitschian pre-Code comedy. It's 80 minutes of fun -- and it even comes with the option to watch a color-tinted version rather than black and white.

THIS IS THE NIGHT is also interesting in that it veers surprisingly close to being a musical at times, with cleverly staged sequences such as the orchestral opening credits, followed by a scene in which Claire (Thelma Todd) loses her dress after the chauffeur (Irving Bacon) slams the car door on it.

That scene sets the tone for the movie, in which Claire is attempting to have an affair with Gerald (Young) while her husband Stephen (Grant) is competing at the 1932 Olympics.

Yes, it defies credulity that Claire would rather carry on with Roland Young than Cary Grant, whose character is an Olympic javelin thrower, but at the same time the nutty premise is part of the fun.

Stephen comes home early, and Bunny West (Ruggles) accidentally almost gives the whole game about Claire and Gerald away to Stephen. This leads to Gerald hiring a pretend "wife," Germaine (Lili Damita), thinking Germaine is an actress.

But no, Germaine is actually a respectable woman who is starving and needs a job. As they try to convince Stephen and Claire that they're lovingly married, Gerald and Germaine find themselves falling for one another for real.

THIS IS THE NIGHT is a very good time, especially a neatly choreographed sequence when the two couples are boarding a train bound for Venice. There are also some funny pre-Code double entendres - jokes about things like javelins will make adults chuckle while sailing over the heads of younger viewers.

I've never been a fan of Damita (see my review of GOLDIE GETS ALONG), but while an actress with more charm would have boosted the picture, she's adequate here.

The attractive Grant is almost a placeholder character; the movie really belongs to Young, Ruggles, and Bacon, who are all entertaining and hilarious. This might have been the best role of character actor Bacon's career.

I really enjoyed it all, including the unique staging by Frank Tuttle and the blue-tinted nighttime sequences filmed by Victor Milner.

The screenplay was based on a trio of plays by varied writers, but it all comes together and works to provide frothy entertainment with a satisfying conclusion.

The print isn't perfect but is quite nice for a film of this vintage, and I really appreciated the option to watch the film with the color tinting. The soundtrack is also fine.

The disc has no extras, other than the option of the two different prints. It does include English subtitles.

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

Tweet

Quick Preview of TCM in May

Here's a brief look at what's coming to Turner Classic Movies next month!

Gregory Peck will be the May Star of the Month. Peck's films, including many of his best-known titles, will be shown on Friday evenings.

Peck was previously Star of the Month in October 1999 and July 2010.

I love the May "Special Theme" which celebrates the films of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu on Tuesdays. The lineup includes the TCM premiere of the recent documentary THE OZU DIARIES (2025), which will also screen at the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival.

Ozu's THE ONLY SON (1936) will also have a TCM premiere in May.

The May Noir Alley films will be DRUNKEN ANGEL (1948), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946), STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951), and HOUSE OF NUMBERS (1957).

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in May will include Glenn Ford and Edmund Goulding.

May programming themes will include '50s sci-fi, high school, biographies, tap dancing, and board games being played in movies.

As usual, Mother's Day will be celebrated on May 12th which a lineup which includes MILDRED PIERCE (1945).

The annual Memorial Day Weekend war film marathon will take place from Friday, May 22nd, through Monday, May 25th.

I may be updating this preview as additional information becomes available, and I'll have much more detailed information on TCM's May schedule posted here around May 1st!

In the meantime, enjoy Sophia Loren as she continues as the April Star of the Month.

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...The May Warner Archive Collection has announced its May Blu-ray lineup. Titles will include POSSESSED (1931), FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949), and a Monogram Matinee Volume 3 set featuring two films starring Johnny Mack Brown. Another May Warner Archive title of great interest is the release of IT'S A WISE CHILD (1931), starring Marion Davies, which I was unable to see last fall when it was shown at Cinecon.

...A 75th anniversary restoration of Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) will be out on May 5th, shortly after premiering at the TCM Classic Film Festival; unfortunately for those of us not collecting 4K high-definition releases, it is only being sold on 4K, packaged with a Blu-ray. The Digital Bits site says "The Blu-ray in the package appears to be the exact same disc released in 2011 for the 60th anniversary." Since I already own that disc, it appears this release won't be for me, but perhaps this information will benefit 4K collectors.

...Here's a Los Angeles Magazine article by Chris Nichols on Leonard and Jessie Maltin and their new book, FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT MENUS: RECIPES AND FILMS FOR UNFORGETTABLE TIMES TOGETHER.

...Coming next month from the University Press of Kentucky: RICHARD FLEISCHER: JOURNEYMAN by Jason A. Ney, with a foreword by Eddie Muller. This should be a very interesting read for many reasons, including Fleischer's family history in animation and his work in film noir and for Disney.

...The three surviving members of the CHARLIE'S ANGELS (1976-81) TV series, Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd, were recently reunited and interviewed.

...Recent reviews by Jessica Pickens at Comet Over Hollywood include THAT POWERS GIRL (1943) with George Murphy, Anne Shirley, and Carole Landis, and UP IN CENTRAL PARK (1948) with Deanna Durbin and Dick Haymes. I completely agree with Jessica's comment that Deanna is "great in every film."

...Speaking of Deanna Durbin, her terrific film THREE SMART GIRLS (1936) is coming to Blu-ray in May. Thanks to Adam for the info.

...And thanks also to Keith Buczak for alerting me to the upcoming book THE WONDERFUL WORLDS OF DISNEY: THE SCENIC ART OF WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS by Didier Ghez. It will be published by Chronicle Books in late September.

...I'm a fan of Jason Statham action films, most recently SHELTER (2026); here's the trailer for his next film, MUTINY (2026), due out in August. It's directed by Jean-Francois Richet, who also directed the very good PLANE (2023), which starred Gerard Butler.

...I always enjoy perusing the latest films viewed at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies. She's watched some favorites of mine recently!

...Coming to Blu-ray soon from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: THE ATOMIC MAN (1955), also known as TIMESLIP, starring Gene Nelson and Faith Domergue.

...Attention Southern Californians: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) will screen at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana on April 18th...There's a remarkable series of rare films directed by William Beaudine currently ongoing at the New Beverly...and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN will be shown in 35mm at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater on Sunday, April 12th.

...Please note that Around the Blogosphere This Week will not appear next weekend, on April 18th, when I'll be traveling. The column will return on April 25th and then will be off two additional weekends while I attend back-to-back film festivals.

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

Tweet

Tonight's Movie: The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The Christmas classic THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1942) has just been released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

Monty Woolley repeats his Broadway role as Sheridan Whiteside, a world-famous raconteur and radio host who finds himself spending an extended time in the Ohio home of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley (Grant Mitchell and Billie Burke) after he slips and falls in an accident.

Whiteside is an obnoxious houseguest who terrifies his nurse (Mary Wickes, also from the Broadway cast) while hosting a succession of visitors (Ann Sheridan, Reginald Gardiner, and Jimmy Durante), not to mention a crateful of penguins -- and an octopus!

Bette Davis plays Whiteside's secretary Maggie, who tolerates his childish tantrums, seeming to understand the mostly hidden positive aspects of his character, until he finally exasperates even her when he tries to break up her budding romance with a local newspaperman (Richard Travis).

This is a very entertaining film, though Woolley's Whiteside is sometimes a bit hard to take, particularly early in the film when he is simply terrible to everyone around him.

That said, the movie gradually picks up speed, becoming funnier and more engaging as it goes. Part of the credit for that goes to Gardiner, Sheridan, and Durante, who are all wonderful as Whiteside's friends.

Sheridan as a mercenary actress is hilarious, especially when she's alternating cooing and barking orders over the phone, and I've always loved the jovial Gardiner in this, wishing he had a larger role.

Another reason the movie becomes more likeable is viewers are gradually allowed to see a more human side of Whiteside, who is so kind to the servants (Edwin Stanley and Betty Roadman) that they jump at the chance to work for him when he poaches them from the Stanleys.

Once Whiteside realizes how badly he's hurt Maggie, he sets about to make things right, while also trying to encourage the Stanleys' children June and Richard (Elisabeth Fraser and Russell Arms) to pursue their hearts' desires; June wants to marry handsome Sandy (a young Charles Drake).

This is a quiet role for Davis, albeit in a funny movie; she almost seems miscast, but when she launches into Whiteside for his childish behavior it's quite a satisfying moment which makes one glad she's in the film. Travis is pleasant, if rather bland, as her beau.

Character performances don't come any better than Grant Mitchell and Billie Burke as the Stanleys; they're hilarious, as well as a bit touching. Burke's reaction to receiving a call from Eleanor Roosevelt near the end of the movie is particularly delightful.

The extensive cast also includes George Barbier, John Ridgely, Ruth Vivian, and Nanette Vallon.

The screenplay for this 112-minute film was by Julius J. Epstein from the stage play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

The movie was directed by William Keighley, with black and white cinematography by Tony Gaudio.

The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. As with most Warner Archive Blu-rays, the print is outstanding, with a fine soundtrack.

THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER comes with an impressive package of extras, including the trailer (which has glimpses of scenes not in the film); the featurette THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER: INSIDE A CLASSIC COMEDY (from the 2006 DVD release); a cartoon, THE WABBIT WHO CAME TO SUPPER (1942); the short GLEN GRAY AND THE CASA LOMA ORCHESTRA (1942), directed by Jean Negulesco, and two radio productions.

The Lux Radio Theater production, from March 1950, stars Clifton Webb and Lucille Ball along with well-known radio performers Eleanor Audley and Betty Lou Gerson. The December 1949 Hotpoint Holiday Hour radio show stars an incredible cast: Jack Benny, Charles Boyer, Rosalind Russell, Gene Kelly, Dorothy McGuire, and Gregory Peck.

For additional thoughts on THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, please visit my 2011 review.

Both THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER and the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray are 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.

Tweet

TCM Announces 2026 Festival Schedule

Today Turner Classic Movies announced the complete list of films and the schedule for the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival.

The festival takes place in Hollywood from April 30th through May 3rd, 2026.

I'll have my annual rundown on the schedule, including my personal picks, a little later in the month, though between the current Noir City Hollywood Festival and upcoming traveling I'm not yet certain when I'll have it completed.

In the meantime I'm posting the above links for anyone interested.

The most significant announcement today was the completely unexpected but very welcome news that, at long last, Warner Bros. has cleared all the rights issues for LETTY LYNTON (1934).

LETTY LYNTON has not been publicly screened in nearly a century, and hopes for Warner Bros. to clear the rights nearly 15 years ago came to naught.

Now the rights problems are behind us and the movie has been restored; it will be introduced by George Feltenstein of the Warner Archive Collection, along with star Joan Crawford's grandson Casey LaLonde.

This is incredible news, and the movie will surely be the talk of the festival. Can a Blu-ray be far behind? Let's hope.

I'll save other comments on the schedule for my next festival post. For now, a couple other brief notes:

First, if anyone missed it in last weekend's news roundup, Glenn Close will be honored with a handprint/footprint ceremony at the festival.

Second, if anyone would like to purchase merchandise ahead of the festival, it's currently available from Fandango.

Update: Casey LaLonde has explained that the movie rights were freed when the play at the center of the dispute went into the public domain as of January 1, 2026.

Tweet

Easter Blessings

Very best wishes for a happy Easter Sunday!

Here's lovely Arlene Dahl celebrating in a pair of cute studio holiday portraits.

Have a blessed Easter!

Previous Easter Photos: Jane Powell, Anita Louise, Doris Day, Jean Peters, Janet Leigh, Joan Caulfield, Rita Hayworth, Ann Blyth, Ida Lupino, Laraine Day, Marjorie Reynolds, Margaret O'Brien, and Deanna Durbin.

Tweet

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just issued a single-title Blu-ray release of MAIGRET SEES RED (1963), starring Jean Gabin. Now there's even better news: MAIGRET SEES RED will also be part of a three-film Inspector Maigret Collection releasing on Blu-ray this June. the other titles in the set will be MAIGRET SETS A TRAP (1958) and MAIGRET AND THE ST. FIACRE CASE (1959). Can't wait! At the rate I'm going, Gabin may end up being my most-viewed actor this year.

...CineSavant Glenn Erickson has reviewed the new Universal Blu-ray release THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 (1938), starring Bob Hope and a large cast, and the "Director's Cut" of THE PUPPETOON MOVIE (1987). I'm quite a fan of Puppetoons and own an earlier release of THE PUPPETOON MOVIE, which I recommend.

...Kino Lorber Studio Classics has announced that TILL WE MEET AGAIN (1944), starring Ray Milland and Barbara Britton, is "coming soon" to Blu-ray.

...Coming in November from Disney Editions Deluxe: THE ART AND HISTORY OF DISNEY TOYS by Alex Miller.

...A title I missed last fall, from Alicia Malone of Turner Classic Movies: FILM FASHION ICONS: A DECK AND GUIDEBOOK OF STYLE INSPIRATION FROM CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD. It's a boxed set with both a book and a deck of cards.

...Just out from Columbia University Press: HOW FILM BECAME HISTORY: THE RISE OF THE ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY IN 1930S AMERICA by Thomas Doherty.

...Ryan Coogler's production company is working on a Disney+ TV series based on the ANIMORPHS fantasy books, which were very popular with a couple of my kids when they were young.

...The Los Angeles Conservancy has published the schedule for this year's Last Remaining Seats movie series in Downtown Los Angeles.

...Turner Classic Movies has announced that actress Glenn Close will be honored with a footprint/handprint ceremony at the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival.

...April 4th is the birthday of lovely Rosemary Lane of the Lane Sisters.  Please visit my tribute for many wonderful photos and movie review links.

 

...Notable Passings: Actress Mary Beth Hurt has died at 79. She's survived by her husband, Paul Schrader...Actor and dialogue coach Robert Hinkle has passed on at 95. In addition to numerous small roles in feature and TV Westerns, Hinkle coached Rock Hudson on speaking with a Texas accent for GIANT (1956). His Western roles included a pair of Joel McCrea films, THE FIRST TEXAN (1956) and THE OKLAHOMAN (1957).

...I'm spending much of this weekend and next at the Noir City Hollywood Festival, so the blog may be a bit quieter than usual over the next few days! We'll see if I have time to pop in for some reviews. Here's a Variety interview on the fest with hosts Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my March 28th column.

Tweet