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You Can’t Take It with You Directed by Frank Capra Written by Robert Riskin based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart 1938/USA Columbia Pictures Corporation First viewing Alice Sycamore: You ought to hear Grandpa on that subject. You know he says most people nowadays are run by fear read more

Okay, let’s go ahead and get a couple of things straight right off the bat. First of all, despite the fact that Frankie gets top billing, this is much more a Wolf Man movie than one revolving around the pieced together icon. Secondly, yes, I know that technically the titular star should be ref read more

For a period during the late silent era, Clara Bow, was firming seated at the dizzying heights of Hollywood’s Dream Factory. Her face drove the press pack and studio’s publicity machines and her films ensured Paramount’s financial stability for most of her short career. But her ent read more

For a period during the late silent era, Clara Bow, was firming seated at the dizzying heights of Hollywood’s Dream Factory. Her face drove the press pack and studio’s publicity machines and her films ensured Paramount’s financial stability for most of her short career. But her ent read more

So today is Grace Kelly's birthday, which I already posted about on my Facebook blog page. But then I realized today happens to be Tuesday, which anyone who follows my blog knows that I have a series called If It's Tuesday, Then It Must Be Grace Kelly. I usually post photos, reviews of her films an read more

This is our 5th edition of this type of quiz. The rules are easy: Name each film below based on our vague description. Be sure to include the question number with your response. Please don't answer all the questions so others can play, too. There is one film that is the single best answer  read more

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER–WHO IS IT SCARING NOW? Screening 1955′s Night of The Hunter as a Guest Lecturer in a Film and Literature class afforded me the opportunity to answer some personal questions I had about the iconic film, but in a Film and Literature class, I knew I had my official sch read more

Though many articles have been written about director Clarence Badger's 1927 classic It, most only seem to be scratching the surface.  So much that we take for granted today can be traced back to the legendary silent film, and a considerable amount of insight comes from understanding the storie read more

Carole Lombard and Eddie Quillan of "Show Folks" are here to remind you that a week from today, "Carole & Co." will be host for another blogathon. Hard to believe it's not that far away.Oh, you say you hadn't heard about the event? Well, it's called... ...and it works like this: Choose a film made a read more

Mr Huston, I agree completely. Heaven Knows, Mr Allison is probably one of the few films I would hasten to reference as ‘perfectly executed’. Yet, in my book it is arguably much more than that; Allison possesses a true and honest sincerity in its essential  vision. While it’s read more

I loved to sew when I was a kid. No sheet or tablecloth was safe! I was sure to snip it up and turn it into a costume for myself or my dolls. My mother was shockingly tolerant of this behavior. It could not have been easy to have a constant costume surplus and sheet shortage. (I still do a bit of read more

Welcome to 2013 - a year of scandals at A Person in the Dark. Yes, I love movies, but I confess I am a sucker for those juicy Hollywood scandals of old. October's scandal: Clara Bow and the Hired Help The irresistible Clara Bow The troubled life of Clara Bow is legendary. Behind the v read more

October marches on, and so does our countdown to All Hallows Eve. This year, rather than trying to do a full 31 film reviews or something truly time-consuming like that, most of what I’m going to be posting are favorite trailers, short films, some full-length movies, and other items just to ki read more

October marches on, and so does our countdown to All Hallows Eve. This year, rather than trying to do a full 31 film reviews or something truly time-consuming like that, most of what I’m going to be posting are favorite trailers, short films, some full-length movies, and other items just to ki read more

As a film genre, the screwball comedy arguably made its debut with Frank Capra’s classic, It Happened One Night. Long considered the finest example of the genre, this 1934 Best Picture winner has continued to endure in popularity, thanks in large part to its sharp dialogue and memorable perfo read more

I have never been sure just what “henching” is but I am fairly sure that it involves something like this. Skulking and lurking and other such sinister behavior. Capes need to come back! At least when one is henching. PS, this henchman gag is pretty much the only funny joke in the 1925 read more

Amateur singing competitions are the hottest thing on TV. But what about an amateur classic film hosting competition – sort of like an American Idol for movie buffs – with the winner earning a once-in-a-lifetime co-hosting gig opposite Robert Osborne? Sounds like the dream of pretty much every class read more

My parents introduced “The Wizard of Oz” to me when I was a baby. My sisters and I all have dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween or a book character day at least once. We also have Dorothy Barbies, dolls and my mom owns “Wizard of Oz” collectors decorative plates. Needless to say, the Pickens read more

Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night is the movie that stunned America. It swept the Oscars and, to use a gooey cliche, swept us off our feet. It was the start of the modern day romantic comedy, and without it we wouldn’t have gems ranging from You’ve Got Mail to Silver Linings Pla read more

  The basic purpose of this site is to act as an annex to my Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir, covering the movies that for one reason or another didn’t make it into the book. I’m not planning to make many exceptions to that general rule, and certainly I hadn’t expected read more