Monthly Archives: December 2020

Western RoundUp: Can’t Help Singing

Can’t Help Singing: A Western Musical! Last December I ended the year here writing on a dark topic, “Noir-Tinged Westerns,” so I thought this December I’d write about something completely different, a color Western musical! That musical is Can’t Help … Continue reading

Posted in Films, Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Silents are Golden: Silent Superstars – The One and Only Douglas Fairbanks

Silents are Golden: Silent Superstars – The One and Only Douglas Fairbanks With his endless energy, impressive athletic skills, muscular physique, and winning smile, Douglas Fairbanks was the all-American role model that the early 20th century needed. His films were good, … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Lea Stans, Silents are Golden | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Visit to the Lucy-Desi Museum, Lucille Ball Memorial Park and More: A Pictorial (Guest Post)

A Visit to the Lucy-Desi Museum and moreSpecial Guest Post by Lucy fan, Lucy Ortiz When I was born, my parents decided to name me after the I Love Lucy show. As an adult, I realized I had some things … Continue reading

Posted in Classic Movie Travels, Guest Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Retro TV: My Christmas Eve Programming

My Christmas Eve Programming I’m going to pretend that I’m a programmer for a Classic TV station (you know like Antenna, Me-TV and Decades) and I’ve been given the awesome assignment of planning the Christmas Eve schedule. Let’s say Christmas … Continue reading

Posted in Classic TV, Posts by Charles Tranberg, Retro TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Monsters and Matinees: Make your Own Horror Film Festival at Home

“Have a Festival of Horror” proclaims the full-page magazine ad from 1973. It was in the quarterly magazine called The Film Journal and it literally meant to have a film festival, as in  “hey, buy these movies on 16mm film.” … Continue reading

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Noir Nook: Five Things I Love About Martha Ivers

Noir Nook: Five Things I Love About Martha Ivers When you think about femme fatales in film noir, who are the first dames to come to mind? Phyllis Dietrichson from Double Indemnity, certainly, and Kathie Moffat from Out of the … Continue reading

Posted in Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Silver Screen Standards: White Christmas (1954)

Silver Screen Standards: White Christmas (1954) I’m not really a Christmas person. My overwhelming mood through the holiday season tends to be a combination of anxiety and depression that only lifts when we reach December 26, at which point I … Continue reading

Posted in Posts by Jennifer Garlen, Silver Screen Standards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Where Is the Music Coming From?”: Max Steiner and The Birth of Modern Movie Music (Exclusive by Author Steven C. Smith)

Max Steiner and The Birth of Modern Movie MusicExclusive Guest Post by Author Steven C. Smith An international crisis triggers record unemployment. Hollywood executives panic, as movie theaters shut their doors. And one studio faces likely closure, putting all its … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Guest Posts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Classic Movie Travels: George Murphy

Classic Movie Travels: George Murphy – NY, NJ and CA Hollywood musicals feature a wide array of performers who excelled in singing and dancing. George Murphy was one of many actors who excelled as a popular musical star, appearing in … Continue reading

Posted in Classic Movie Travels, Posts by Annette Bochenek | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Unmissable Marlene Dietrich Films

Five Unmissable Marlene Dietrich Films The joy of programming a season of Marlene Dietrich films is that she’s wonderful in everything – she had such electric charisma. But I had to whittle my list of favorite Dietrich performances down to … Continue reading

Posted in BFI, Posts by Pamela Hutchinson | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments