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Hatari! (Swahili for "Danger"...English for "Howard Hawks on Vacation in Africa")

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Apr 10, 2014

In Todd McCarthy's Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, a quote from the famous director describes his 1962 action film Hatari! as: "It's what happens when a bunch of guys get together to hunt...you can't sit in your office and describe what a rhino is going to do." This is true and it's ho read more

Walt Disney's The Sword and the Rose

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Apr 7, 2014

Mary Tudor, the younger sister of England's King Henry VIII, gets the Disney treatment in 1953's The Sword and the Rose. Glynis Johns stars as the spunky Princess Mary, who falls in love with Charles Brandon (Richard Todd), the dashing captain of the palace guards. When her romance with Brandon thre read more

We Describe the Movie...You Name It! (6)

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Apr 4, 2014

Here are the rules to this quiz: Name each film below based on our vague description. Be sure to include the question number with your response. Please don't answer more than three questions daily so others can play, too. There is one film that is the single best answer to each description read more

The Five Best Fred MacMurray Performances

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 31, 2014

A versatile performer in film and television for five decades, Fred MacMurray deserved more opportunities to display his acting talents. Still, when he got the chance to bite into a good role, he did so convincingly--whether it was in a Billy Wilder film noir or a Walt Disney family comedy. Below ar read more

Five Hunks Who Coulda Been Stars!

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 27, 2014

Earlier this week, we profiled five lovely actresses who certainly had the looks to become major stars (click here to read that post). While some of them had solid careers, stardom eluded them. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of timing in the film business. Today, we turn our sights to five handsome read more

Five Babes Who Coulda Been Stars!

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 24, 2014

Timing and looks are almost as important as talent when it comes to becoming a star of the silver screen. Editing room floors have been littered for years with actors that may have had the talent--and definitely had the looks--to earn star status. But alas, their timing was wrong for one reason or a read more

The Errol Flynn Theatre

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 20, 2014

By 1956, Errol Flynn was no longer in demand in Hollywood. He had already moved to Europe to star in international productions such as the Italian-made Crossed Swords (with Gina Lollobrigida) and the British-lensed King's Rhapsody and The Dark Avenger (aka The Warriors). He had also d read more

Family Business: Actors with a Classic Film Star Parent

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 17, 2014

I recently watched Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, which co-starred the adult children of John Wayne and Tyrone Power. So, I thought it'd be fun to write about actors that were the children of classic film stars. The challenge with this kind of post is narrowing the topic to a manageable size. read more

From the Cafe's Bookshelf: "Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies"

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 14, 2014

Fans of the Beach Party movies and other 1960s surfing flicks will find no better spring break reading than Thomas Lisanti's Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. Originally published in 2005 and reprinted as a paperback in 2012, Lisanti's book provides a comprehensive loo read more

The Beach Boys Harmonize While Kookie Stays in Orbit!

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 13, 2014

With its Beach Party series thriving at the box office in 1964, American International Pictures (AIP) was anxious to make a movie with surf music's supergroup: The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson, working with songwriting partners Roger Christian and Gary Usher, had already contributed six tunes read more

Seven Things to Know About Miss Perpetual Motion (that'd be Candy Johnson!)

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 12, 2014

1. Candy Johnson gained fame as the fast-shakin' go-go dancer in the colorful fringe outfits in four Beach Party movies made in 1963-64: Beach Party; Bikini Beach; Pajama Party; and Muscle Beach Party (shown on right with "Little" Stevie Wonder in the background). Those read more

Get Ready for a Palm Springs Weekend!

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 11, 2014

Stefanie Powers and Troy Donahue. As soon as Troy Donahue starts warbling "Live Young" over the opening credits, it's clear that you'll either find Palm Springs Weekend to be nostalgic fun or a dated disaster. I fall into the former camp; I hold a special affection for the fluffy teen pics of the 1 read more

Bikini Beach: “Where All the Chicks Are Bikini Clad”

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by sarkoffagus on Mar 10, 2014

Welcome to Bikini Beach, where the ladies adorned in bikinis are constantly distracting passing drivers, cooks, surfers and guys already spending time with girls. Frankie (Frankie Avalon), Dee Dee (Annette Funicello), and the rest of the gang are spending another summer at the beach, lying on the sa read more

The Five Best Spring Break Movies (excluding the Beach Party Series)

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 9, 2014

What? No Beach Party movies and no Gidget? We excluded the Beach Party films from this list for two reasons: (1) they have already been covered extensively at the Cafe; (2) they would dominate this list and we wanted to promote some of the other "spring break movies." As for Gidget, while it ma read more

Announcing the James Stewart Blogathon!

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 6, 2014

The Classic Film & TV Café will host the James Stewart Blogathon on April 14-17. Any blogger may participate, providing that he or she complies with the Café's family-friendly blogathon guidelines. Each film can only be reviewed by one blogger. All posts will appear on the blogger's web site. read more

The Amazing Kreskin

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Mar 2, 2014

I recently watched the 2008 John Malkovich movie The Great Buck Howard, an affectionate tale of a once-famous mentalist relegated to performing at second-rate venues. In the closing credits, writer-director Sean McGinly states that his film was inspired by the career of The Amazing Kreskin. Tha read more

Jack Nicholson Directs Goin' South

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Feb 27, 2014

Henry Lloyd Moon--a second-rate outlaw with a third-rate gang--learns the hard way that it doesn't pay to tease a posse. After crossing the border to Mexico, Moon stops to laugh at the pursuing posse. The sheriff pauses for a few minutes, then rides across the river and arrests Moon. Following his d read more

Veronica Cartwright Talks with the Café about Hitchcock, Alien, and the Beaver

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Feb 24, 2014

With a resume that includes Leave It to Beaver, The Birds, Alien, and The X Files, Veronica Cartwright has fashioned a lengthy, impressive acting career showcasing her versatility. She made her film debut at age 9 as Robert Wagner’s sister in 1958’s In Love and War. Ms Cartwright may hav read more

Seven Things to Know about The Midnight Special

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Feb 20, 2014

1. The pilot episode for The Midnight Special, hosted by John Denver, was broadcast on NBC in August 1972. Its theme was to encourage eighteen-year-olds in the U.S. to register so they could vote in the upcoming presidential election. The 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, had been read more

Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, and Peter Ustinov (Oh my!)

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on Feb 16, 2014

In the 1980s, CBS broadcast several contemporary adaptations of Agatha Christie novels for U.S. television. Peter Ustinov, who first played Hercule Poirot in the theatrical Evil Under the Sun (1982), reprised his portrayal in three made-for-TV films starting with 1985's Thirteen for D read more
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