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Top 10 Oscar-Less Dames and Their Oscar-Worthy Roles
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Feb 14, 2013
This wonderful season of accolades, applause and awards is my favorite time of the year. I rejoice in the Golden Globes, swoon over the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and become absolutely enraptured by the granddaddy of them all – the Oscars. But I can’t help but notice that, while Hollywood seems read more
TCM Pick for February — Pre-Code
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Feb 12, 2013
Greta Garbo. Joan Crawford. John and Lionel Barrymore. Wallace Beery. Lewis Stone. Jean Hersholt. Who could pass up this star-studded cast? Not me, that’s for sure – and that’s why Grand Hotel (1932), airing on Friday, February 15th, is my TCM pick of the month. The plot: The film takes a look read more
List o’ the Week: Noir I Don’t Care For (Part 1)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Feb 4, 2013
The poster, I like. The movie, not so much. This edition of the “list o’ the week” may represent even more of a sacrilege than my previous failure to fall head over heels for Arsenic and Old Lace – this week, I list those film noir features that, frankly, left me cold. There aren’t many – read more
Happy birthday, Victor Mature!
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Jan 28, 2013
Victor, you beefcake . . . On January 29, 2013, Victor Mature – that “King of Beefcake”, that “Beautiful Hunk of a Man” – would have turned 100 years old (or 98 or 101, depending on which source you believe). Although he was known to legions of fans for such Biblical epics as Samson and read more
TCM Pick for January: Film noir
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Jan 27, 2013
Hold everything! Stop the presses! With barely one day to spare, just under the wire, I present to you my TCM film noir pick for January – Armored Car Robbery! Directed by Richard Fleischer, this fast-paced feature has a great cast, plenty of action, memorable dialogue, and one of my favorite noir read more
TCM Pick for January: Pre-Code
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Jan 5, 2013
It was a tough call, y’all. With Loretta Young featured in close to 20 pre-Codes on TCM this month, it was a no-brainer that my pick for January would be a Young vehicle – but which one? Do I go with a sentimental choice, like Employees’ Entrance, which I first purchased on VHS years ago? read more
List o’ the Week: Movies I’ve Tried and Failed to Watch
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Jan 4, 2013
My first “List o’ the Week” for 2013 is a short list, but a list, nonetheless. It’s similar in concept to my initial outing, which identified well-known movies that I’ve never seen. This week, I list three films that have been highly recommended, and that I have tried – more than once – read more
A Wealth of Pre-Code Riches in January!
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Jan 2, 2013
Airing Thursday, January 3rd. Jumpin’ Jehosaphat! Turner Classic Movies is fairly busting at the seams with pre-Code gems in January! In a week or so, I’ll be offering up my pre-Code pick of the month, but there’s such a wealth of features airing throughout January, I thought I’d take this opportuni read more
It’s a TCM Noir-a-thon!
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Dec 17, 2012
Heburn and Taylor in the shadow of Mitchum in “Undercurrent.” If you’re hankerin’ for a noir fix, you can’t go wrong this week, when Turner Classic Movies serves up 24 hours of back-to-back-to-back noir goodness! Featuring noir veterans Robert Mitchum and Barbara Stanwyck, the dark read more
TCM Pick of Month: Pre-Code
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Dec 8, 2012
Christmas, my birthday, and Barbara Stanwyck – December is an awesome month! And with the sufeit of Stanwyck features airing on TCM this month, it only stands to reason that my pre-Code pick would be one of hers. There were numerous pics from which to choose, but it was pretty easy to single out Nig read more
List o’ the Week: Movies I’ve Never Seen
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 24, 2012
The Champ? Never seen it. While sitting at the car dealer the other day, waiting for my 17-year-old Love Bug to get new brakes (Hour Three, I believe it was), I had an idea for a new feature here at Shadows and Satin – the List o’ the Week. (You were expecting something more innovative? Believe read more
TCM Pick of the Month: Film Noir (1)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 21, 2012
With the abundance of great film noir airing on TCM this month, you’d have thought I would have a problem selecting a single film to recommend for November’s pick. Not so! Despite such gems as The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, and Born to Kill, I didn’t think twice about offering for your considera read more
Coming Soon to TCM: Back-to-Back Noir Goodness!
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 12, 2012
While pouring through TCM’s November Now Playing Guide, in search of my noir pick of the month, I stopped short when I discovered the dark and shadowy riches that will be airing on two consecutive days mid-month: Wednesday, November 14th and Thursday, November 15th. It’s a veritable film noir read more
TCM Pick for November: Pre-Code
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Nov 3, 2012
There was something special about Constance Bennett. I don’t know what it was. Maybe it was her air of sophistication. Or the way she pronounced the word “can’t” like “cahnt.” Or her perfectly coiffed blonde bob. Or the way her face somehow seemed to be the perfect embodiment of the 1930s. read more
Character Assassination: The Killers (1946)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Oct 20, 2012
If you haven’t seen this movie, see this movie. Directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Garner, The Killers starts out with the murder of a gas station attendant known as “The Swede,” and spends the rest of its time showing us the hows, whys, and wherefores of the crime. read more
Happy Birthday, Mr. Rooney!
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Sep 22, 2012
Star of noir? You bet! Quick – think of your favorite film noir actor. Who comes to mind? Robert Ryan? Charles McGraw? Dan Duryea? Robert Mitchum? What about Mickey Rooney? No? Perhaps you only picture Mickey Rooney as the singing, dancing, hey-kids-let’s-put-on-a-show fella from numerous MGM musica read more
TCM Pick for September: Film Noir (1)
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Sep 13, 2012
I sometimes like to use my TCM pick of the month to single out a film that’s not exactly in the mainstream – a film like, say, Shield for Murder or Nora Prentiss. But on other occasions, I just can’t help selecting a well-known, often-seen, much-loved film like this month’s goodie – The read more
Gene Kelly: Profile of a Dance Master
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Aug 20, 2012
“Gene Kelly created his own style. He was the most athletic, the most exciting, the most masculine, the most commercial dancer of his time. He created a technique. He was his own technique.” – Kenny Ortega, producer, director, choreographer One of the most successful dancers to ever tap, twirl, read more
TCM Pick for August: Pre-Code
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Aug 19, 2012
On Tuesday, August 21st, Turner Classic Movies will air 24 hours of films featuring one of my favorite pre-Code actresses – Kay Francis. And surprisingly, despite the surfeit of excellent features from which to choose, it didn’t take me long to decide on my pick of the month: Mandalay (1934). Releas read more
The 2012 SUTS Blogathon: White Heat – A Character Assassination
Shadows and Satin Posted by shadowsandsatin on Aug 14, 2012
How do I love White Heat? Let me count the ways. The unforgettable performance by James Cagney. The awesome lines. Raoul Walsh’s taut direction. The Max Steiner score. The explosive (if you will) ending. But most of all, I love the engrossing, fully realized characters, each offering a distinct set read more