That said, here are some of our November picks available for FREE STREAMING all month long on the CMH Channel. All you need to do is click on the movie/show of your choice, then click ‘play’ — you do not have to opt for a 7-day trial.
In celebration of November Birthdays, we’re featuring Joel McCrea (born Nov 5, 1905)) with two picks from 1932: thriller/adventure The Most Dangerous Game also starring Fay Wray, and adventure/romance Bird of Paradiseopposite Dolores del Rio. We’re also celebrating Alice Brady‘s birthday (born Nov 2, 1892) with the 1936 screwball comedy My Man Godfreyalso starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. Plus movies from birthday boys Richard Burton (Nov 10, 1925), Roy Rogers (Nov 5, 1911), Pat O’Brien (Nov 11, 1899) and more!
We’re also celebrating Film Noir this month with some iconic noirs including Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker (1953) starring Edmond O’Brien, Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street (1945) starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett, and Whistle Stop (1946) starring George Raft and Ava Gardner! And more…
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For those of you who aren’t familiar with the service, Best Classics Ever is a new mega streaming channel built especially for classic movie and TV lovers. The idea of the channel is to make lots of classic titles accessible and affordable for all. That said, Classic Movie Hub is curating titles each month that our fans can stream for free on the Classic Movie Hub Channelat Best Classics Ever. If you’d like access to the entire selection of Best Classics Ever titles, you can subscribe to everything for $4.99/month(Best Stars Ever, Best Westerns Ever, Best Mysteries Ever, Best TV Ever) or for an individual channel for $1.99/month.
You can read more about Best Classics Ever and our partnership here.
“Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel” We have FOUR Books to Give Away this month!
“A glorious meditation on and exploration of one of Hollywood’s most fascinating characters…”―Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author
It’s time for our next book giveaway contest! CMH will be giving away FOUR COPIES of Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel, courtesy of University Press of Kentucky, from now through Nov 28.
In order to qualify to win one of these prizes via this contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, Nov 28 at 6PM EST. However, the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of winning, because we will pick a winner on four different days within the contest period, via random drawings, as listed below. So if you don’t win the first week that you enter, you will still be eligible to win during the following weeks until the contest is over.
Nov 7: One Winner
Nov 14: One Winner
Nov 21: One Winner
Nov 28: One Winner
We will announce each week’s winner on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub, the day after each winner is picked around 9PM EST — for example, we will announce our first week’s winner on Sunday Nov 8 around 9PM EST on Twitter. And, please note that you don’t have to have a Twitter account to enter; just see below for the details.
Harry Dean Stanton in the US Navy, photo courtesy of Jim Huggins Jr and University Press of Kentucky
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And now on to the contest!
ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, Nov 28, 2020 at 6PM EST — BUT remember, the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win…
1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post
2)ThenTWEET (not DM) the following message*: Just entered to win the “Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel” #BookGiveaway courtesy of @KentuckyPress & @ClassicMovieHub You can #EnterToWin here: http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/harry-dean-stanton-hollywoods-zen-rebel-book-giveaway-november/
THE QUESTION: What is one of your favorite Harry Dean Stanton movies and why? And if you’re not too familiar with his work, why do you want to win this book?
*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
NOTE: if for any reason you encounter a problem commenting here on this blog, please feel free to tweet or DM us, or send an email to clas…@gmail.com and we will be happy to create the entry for you.
ALSO: Please allow us 48 hours to approve your comments. Sorry about that, but we are being overwhelmed with spam, and must sort through 100s of comments…
Harry Dean Stanton (seated, center) in a production of The Last Mile at the Pasadena Playhouse, October 1953 courtesy of Pasadena Playhouse Archive Collection and University Press of Kentucky
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About the Book: Harry Dean Stanton (1926–2017) got his start in Hollywood in TV productions such as Zane Grey Theater and Gunsmoke. After a series of minor parts in forgettable westerns, he gradually began to get film roles that showcased his laid-back acting style, appearing in Cool Hand Luke(1967), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Alien (1979). He became a headliner in the eighties―starring in Wim Wenders’s moving Paris, Texas (1984) and Alex Cox’s Repo Man (1984)―but it was his extraordinary skill as a character actor that established him as a revered cult figure and kept him in demand throughout his career. Joseph B. Atkins unwinds Stanton’s enigmatic persona in the first biography of the man Vanity Fair memorialized as “the philosopher poet of character acting.” Harry Dean Stanton is often remembered for his crowd-pleasing roles in movies like Pretty in Pink (1986) or Escape from New York (1981), but this impassioned biography illuminates the entirety of his incredible sixty-year career. Drawing on interviews with the actor’s friends, family, and colleagues, this much-needed book offers an unprecedented look at a beloved figure.
A Big Thank you to Best Classics Ever for putting together this Viewing Party and Chat, and for providing the annual subscription prize. BCE is a classic movie streaming service where ‘classic’ fans can stream LOTs of classic films and classic TV episodes every month. You can read more about BCE and our partnership with them here.
Haunted House Re-Do: The Ghost Breakers (1940), Scared Stiff (1953) and more!
There’s something exhilarating about haunted houses. I’m not
talking about the type that thrill-seeking teens spend their parents’
hard-earned cash on every October or even the creepy, old historic homes that
could tell a few ghostly tales. Spooky turns into fun when a haunted house is at
the center of a classic comedy.
A raven-haired beauty with shining eyes throws open a window in the middle of an intense thunderstorm, as the wind gusts at her face, the lightning crackles across the sky. She smiles excitedly at us exclaiming, “exciting, isn’t it?” In an instant, beautiful Paulette Goddard has me hooked. From the beginning of George Marshall’s The Ghost Breakers (1940), I immediately connected to Goddard’s Mary Carter as a street-smart woman with a fearless sense of adventure.
Paul Lukas, Paulette Goddard and Bob Hope, The Ghostbreakers
Mary is destined for more adventure than she could have ever dared to dream – in Cuba, where her recently inherited family manor awaits her. As she prepares to ship out, even before she leaves her hotel, drama follows close behind her, along with obstacles and eerie warnings. Down the hall from her room, a man has been killed. Bob Hope as “Larry” aka Laurence Lawrence steps into a mistaken identity as the shooter and finds himself fleeing the police dragnet, even though he is innocent of the crime. It is fated on this stormy night that Mary and Larry will not only cross paths, but they will become intimately intertwined in a spine-tingling adventure that reveals Mary’s family secrets from beyond the grave. All along the way, we are treated with quick, witty quips from Bob Hope and his sidekick, Willie Best as Alex. The duo serve perfectly as comic tonic to balance out any frightening moments that race the heart and frazzle the nerves.
Bob Hope and Willie Best
While this film is often cited as the original blueprint for a haunted house theme for classic horror comedies, it is not the first, nor the last, version. Based on the 1909 play “The Ghost Breaker” by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, it was first adapted into film in 1914. This silent film by Paramount, under the Famous Players-Lasky banner, was directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar C. Apfel, and starred H.B. Warner and Rita Stanwood.
Again, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed via Paramount, the film was remade in 1922. Another silent film version, this one was directed by Alfred E. Green and starred Wallace Reid and Lila Lee. It is now considered a lost film.
The third swing at bat in 1940 had the most staying power, as a talkie with Hope, Goddard and Best. In addition to the rapid wit, the haunted manor offers every opportunity for what a haunted house should bring – a spooky atmosphere, zombies, ghosts, secret escape doors, coffins, a creepy dungeon, and more. Even hidden treasure! There’s a solid cast:
Bob Hope as Larry Lawrence
Paulette Goddard as Mary Carter
Richard Carlson as Geoff Montgomery
Paul Lukas as Parada
Willie Best as Alex
Pedro De Cordoba as Havez
Virginia Brissac as Mother Zombie
Noble Johnson as The Zombie
Anthony Quinn as Ramon Mederos / Francisco Mederos
Tom Dugan as Raspy Kelly
Paul Fix as Frenchy Duval
Lloyd Corrigan as Martin
Uncredited (in order of appearance)
Jack Norton as Drunk
Emmett Vogan as Announcer
Robert Elliott as Lieutenant Murray
James Flavin as Hotel porter
Max Wagner as Ship porter
Paul Newlan as Beggar
Blanca Vischer as Dolores from Cuba
Douglas Kennedy as Intern
Robert Ryan as Intern
This popular ghost tale was broadcast on radio twice – each time with Bob Hope reprising his lead role – in 1949 and 1951. Hollywood is notorious for remakes. Just when you’d think the story had reached its limit on remakes, it was made yet again in 1953.
With the popularity of the comedy teaming of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1950s, the two made a cameo appearance in Hope and Crosby’s road vehicle, Road to Bali (1952). Martin and Lewis were approached to star in an updated Ghost Breaker. Initial concerns were obvious – why remake a film that’s been done countless times, especially when the last film was done so perfectly by Bob Hope? Ultimately, they agreed to do it – with a favor in return – of a cameo by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
Another reason Martin and Lewis agreed to star in the remake was due to George Marshall. Since he successfully directed the 1940 film, their confidence was bolstered when they learned he would be directing the 1953 version, Scared Stiff . Filling the romantic lead of Bob Hope, Dean Martin fit nicely as “Larry.” Replacing the physical comedy antics of Willie Best, Jerry Lewis provided plenty of cowardly slapstick for “Alex.” In place of Paulette Goddard, equally beautiful and talented Lizabeth Scott stepped into the “Mary Carter” role for the 1953 film.
Another key difference that Scared Still (1953) provides is the signature musical numbers. Based on the format that launched their film careers, Martin and Lewis include a nightclub number with Dino delivering a crooning tune with a hilarious interruption from Lewis worked into the musical number.
Jerry Lewis and Carmen Miranda, Scared Stiff
In comparison of both the 1940 and 1953 films, they each deliver the same frightful yet funny escape. To the modern lens, you must be prepared for some racially insensitive dialogue in the 1940 script, as was more openly common in that timeline. It is also typical to expect a Willie Best role to reinforce many racist stereotypes of the overly frightened and jittery African American male coward. The unique difference I see with Best’s role in The Ghost Breakers, from his other roles is that, instead of a servant or subservient portrayal, Best is nearly treated like an equal partner to Hope. It may not appear that way to a modern audience, but the fact that Lewis slid right into the same role also reinforces this.
While The Ghost Breakers and Scared Stiff, and its other versions, are considered by many to be classics of the haunted house theme of the silver screen, they were hardly the first nor the last to take on this trope of horror. The concept of being entertained by haunted houses and ghost stories has been an appeal from very early in film history.
Some examples include:
–“The Haunted House” (1908) is a silent short film, directed by Segundo de Chomón, with charming use of special effects like stop-motion.(https://youtu.be/Zo2EKNRIQlE )
–“The Haunted House” (1921), is a two-reel silent comedy starring the brilliant Buster Keaton, who also co-wrote and directed (https://youtu.be/PfBz2rhIR4g )
Buster Keaton in The Haunted House
-James Whale’s “The Old Dark House” (1932) is a spooky Pre-Code starring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, and Charles Laughton. (https://youtu.be/QON5i4GQ7ho )
The Old Dark House
-Hal Roach’s “Haunted Spooks” (1920) is a silent
comedy short starring Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis. ( https://youtu.be/D-CXQspZtMs )
-Yet another Hal Roach production is “The Laurel-Hardy
Murder Case,” a Pre-Code comedy directed by James Parrot and starring
Stanley Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who spend the night in a spooky old house.
Horror films began in the silent era, before the genre was officially defined, and grew increasingly in popularity into the talkies to modern-day. From the creepy and atmospheric to the silly and slapstick, haunted houses remain frequently center stage.
When not performing marketing as her day gig, Kellee Pratt teaches classic film courses in her college town in Kansas (Film Noir, Screwball Comedy, Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, and more). She’s worked for Turner Classic Movies as a Social Producer and TCM Ambassador (2019). An unapologetic social butterfly, she’s an active tweetaholic/original alum for #TCMParty, member of the CMBA, and busy mom of four kids and 3 fur babies. You can follow Kellee on twitter at @IrishJayhawk66 or her own blog, Outspoken & Freckled (kelleepratt.com).
Television lost one of its authentic geniuses a few months ago, on June 29, when Carl Reiner died at the age of 98. Given his advanced age, this shouldn’t have been surprising, and yet it was. He seemed in good health and, as recent as the morning of his death, he was tweeting to his multitude of fans. One of his last tweets showed him, with his daughter Annie, at his good friend Mel Brooks’ 94th birthday party.
Reiner’s television career started when he was a writer and on-screen straight man to Sid Caesar on Caesar’s classic Your Show of Shows (1950-1954) and then Caesar’s Hour(1954-1957). At the time, Reiner didn’t receive credit for his writing work but was recognized with two Emmy Awards for his work as a supporting actor. Once Caesar ended his television shows, Reiner became the head writer and a performer on The Dinah Shore Show.
Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca on the groundbreaking Your Show of Shows
(While working with Caesar, he developed a friendship with fellow writer Mel Brooks. Brooks was more brash than the cerebral Reiner, but they forged a close lifetime friendship. The two of them developed a sketch that they loved to perform at parties in which Brooks played a 2000 year old man, with Reiner interviewing him about the events of his life. Friends loved the routine and urged the pair to develop it into an act. Eventually they performed it on television and produced five comedy albums of The 2000 Year Old Man.
Reiner and Mel Brooks performing their famous “2000 Year Old Man” routine, 1960
The same year as his success with The 2000 Year Old Man, Reiner wrote several scripts that he planned for a television series called “The Head of the Family.” In it, he would star as the head writer of a fictional TV variety show hosted by a very talented, but extremely egotistical comedian, named Alan Sturdy — a composite of several of the comedians that Reiner knew and had worked with. Reiner’s character (Robert Petrie) would work with two other writers, Buddy and Sally. The show would also focus on the domestic life of the Reiner character and his wife, Laura, and son, Richie. The idea was that Petrie’s domestic life would give him ideas to use for sketches on “The Alan Sturdy Show.” A pilot was filmed, but ultimately not picked up.
Enter actor and producer Sheldon Leonard, who viewed the pilot and thought the premise of the show was good, and that the script was solid and very funny. The only problem he found was in the casting of Reiner in the lead role as Robert Petrie. Leonard met with Reiner and suggested re-casting all of the parts including his own. They eventually found a rubber-limbed Broadway actor named Dick Van Dyke – and the rest is history. With a new cast — including Van Dyke as Rob, Mary Tyler Moore as Laura, Rose Marie as Sally, Morey Amsterdam as Buddy, Richard Deacon as producer Mel Cooley, and Larry Matthews as Richie — a new pilot was shot and The Dick Van Dyke Show began its run.
Reiner was the head-writer, producer, and occasional actor on The Dick Van Dyke Show, playing the tyrannical show host Alan Brady. For the first few seasons, he was mostly heard, and not seen, as Brady. If he was seen, it was from the back (so his face was never shown) – until the fourth season when some shows would feature his character.
The Dick Van Dyke Show would run for five years (1961-1966) and 158 episodes. It was one of television’s most honored series, earning 25 Emmy Award nominations and winning 15 of them, including 5 awards for Reiner in the fields of writing and outstanding series.
Reiner would do audience warm-up before the taping of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Here he is with Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, 1962
Over the next two decades, Reiner would write and/or direct several films including The Comic (1969), with Dick Van Dyke giving a superb performance as a troubled silent screen comedian, and Where’s Papa (1970) starring George Segal — and then he had his biggest hit with Oh God! (1977) starring George Burns as a God with a knack for Vaudeville one-liners. He then turned his attention to the movie career of Steve Martin, directing several of the comedian’s most popular films: The Jerk (1979), film noir spoof Dead Men Wear Plaid (1982), The Man with Two Brains (1983) and All of Me (1984). Reiner also co-wrote both Dead Men Wear Plaid and The Man with Two Brains.
Beginning in 1979 Reiner began a creative partnership with comedian Steve Martin. Here they are on the set of their first film The Jerk
Reiner would continue making occasional films, both as an actor, including the updated Oceans Eleven movies, and as director, his final film being That Old Feeling (1997) with Bette Midler. He also would appear in guest roles on television series including Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, Two and a Half Men, Parks and Recreation, Hot in Cleveland – and would reprise the character of Alan Brady in an excellent episode of Mad About You (1995), winning an Emmy Award for his appearance. He also appeared in the 2004 special, The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited, wrote several books and was active in political affairs. In all, Reiner would be awarded 11 Emmy Awards, out of 18 nominations, and a Grammy Award. He would also be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame (1999) and win the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2000).
When he died, several friends
and colleagues paid tribute to him:
DICK VAN DYKE: “Kind, gentle, compassionate, empathetic and
wise. His scripts were never just funny,
they always had something to say about us.”
MEL BROOKS: “Carl was a giant–unmatched in his contributions to
entertainment, he created comedy gems.”
STEVE MARTIN: “Goodbye to my greatest mentor in movies–and life.”
GEORGE CLOONEY: “Carl Reiner made every room he walked into funnier,
smarter, kinder. He made it all seem
effortless.”
ALAN ALDA: “His talent will live on for a long time, but the loss
of his kindness and decency leaves a hole in our hearts.”
His son, actor/director Rob
Reiner, tweeted, “Last night my dad passed away. As I write this my heart is
hurting. He was my guiding light.”
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Here are my picks for the Five Best Episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, written by, or featuring, Carl Reiner.
1) “Coast-to Coast Big Mouth” (9/15/1965): Laura appears on a TV game show and accidentally reveals that Alan Brady is bald. A tour-de-force episode for both Mary Tyler Moore and Carl Reiner. The scene between the two of them in Brady’s office is a classic, with Brady saying to the assorted toupees surrounding his desk, “Fellas, there she is. There’s the little lady who put you out of business.” Brady then asks Laura what he should do with all of his now useless hair pieces, and Laura replying that there must be “needy bald people.” This episode won an Emmy Award for writing for the comedy team of Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. TV Guide selected this episode as #8 in its list of the 100 Greatest TV episodes.
Reiner as Alan Brady on the classic Dick Van Dyke Show episode “Coast-to-Coast Big Mouth
(2) “October Eve” (4/8/1964): Shortly after her marriage to Rob, Laura commissions a demure painting of herself wearing a favorite outfit of Rob’s, but the painter, Sergei Carpetna, paints her as he ‘sees’ her — in the nude — and several years later when he is an established painter, the painting is on display at an exhibition. “October Eve” is an obvious play on the famous 1911 painting “September Morn” by French artist Paul Émile Chabas. Reiner has a lot of fun playing the avant-garde Carpetna who calls everybody “peasants” if they don’t agree with his bohemian ideas.
3) “Never Bathe on Saturday” (3/31/1965): This is the final solo script that Reiner wrote for the “Van Dyke Show” and it’s one of his best. Told in flashback, Rob and Laura go on a romantic weekend getaway that quickly goes wrong when Laura gets her big toe stuck in the faucet of a bathtub, and Rob has some hilarious encounters with the maid and house detective as he tries to get into the locked bathroom. This is a great take-off on French bedroom farces.
4) “Baby Fat” (4/21/1965): Alan Brady talks a reluctant Rob into ghost writing a lackluster comedy script by the great Harper Worthington Yates (who I always believe is based on Tennessee Williams). The scenes between Rob and Alan in the theatre dressing room – where Alan introduces Rob to Yates as his tailor (so Yates won’t find out his script is being rewritten) – are priceless.
5) “Where Did I Come From?” (1/3/1962): A screamingly funny first season episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show has Rob telling the story of the day Richie was born. A nervous Rob tries to prepare for the birth of their son by sleeping in his clothes and practicing how to get out of bed quickly to get Laura to the hospital. Eventually Rob goes to work in wrinkled clothes, which he sends out to the dry cleaners, when the call comes that Laura is in labor. He leaves the office, having to borrow Buddy’s pants, which are too big and short for him. This episode shows the very funny Van Dyke at his comedic best.
Western RoundUp: Lone Pine (Virtual) Film Festival
Every October for the past half-dozen years I’ve spent Columbus Day weekend at the Lone Pine Film Festival in Lone Pine, California.
In a Western RoundUp column last fall I shared a look at some favorite moments from the 2019 festival, which was the 30th edition of this wonderful celebration of Western films and locations.
This year, like pretty much everything else in 2020, the “in-person” festival had to be put on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Rather than canceling the festival entirely, the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine took the plunge and organized a robust “Western Watch Party” to take place online from October 9th through 11th; during the weekend the festival was extended an additional day, running through the 12th.
For a $45 fee in support of the
nonprofit museum, virtual fest attendees could choose among 51 video selections
via the Vimeo platform. Unlike some virtual events, the Lone Pine Film
Festival options could be watched in any order desired, rather than having to
conform to a specific time schedule.
Viewing selections ranged
timewise from brief movie introductions and interviews, some only a few minutes
long, to a number of full-length feature films shot in the Lone Pine
area.
Interviews from past festivals that were related to the films were included as “extras,” and festival volunteers also created original content, notably three “virtual tours” of locations in the Alabama Hills just outside Lone Pine.
The festival also included the premiere of a restored 45th anniversary 4K print of Roy Rogers‘ last feature film, Mackintosh and T.J. (1975), along with Zoom discussion panels on the movie which included cast members Andy Robinson and Billy Green Bush as well as Roy’s eldest daughter, Cheryl Rogers Barnett.
During the course of the “virtual fest” weekend, I spent many happy hours immersed in all things “Lone Pine,” watching interviews, all of the virtual tours, and a half dozen “B” Westerns. My viewing included:
Welcomes from the festival staff and volunteers, as well as Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies, who has been a moderator at multiple Lone Pine Fests in recent years. As my viewing kicked off, I also enjoyed hearing “Cowboy Poet” Larry Maurice recite “A Special Place” in honor of Lone Pine and the festival.
Gene Autry and Peggy Stewart in Trail to San Antone (1947). It was preceded by an introduction filmed in the museum with the Buick convertible which has a memorable “role” in the movie. The film shows off a number of Lone Pine locations, including Anchor Ranch.
Trail to San Antone (1947)
Don Kelsen’s “virtual tour” of Trail to San Antone locations.
A tour of Yellow Sky (1948) locations with historian Chris Langley, along with brief clips of director William Wellman’s son, William Wellman Jr., discussing his childhood experiences on location in Lone Pine.
“Randolph Scott in Lone Pine,” narrated by regular Lone Pine tour guides Ross Schnioffsky and Warren Davey, which also included spectacular drone footage of the Alabama Hills shot by Don Kelsen.
A vintage 1994 interview with Robert Mitchum and longtime Los Angeles Times film critic Charles Champlin. Mitchum could be a difficult interview at times but here he was relaxed and forthcoming discussing his career, including his early experiences in Lone Pine.
A short 1995 interview with “Mrs. Hoppy,” Grace Bradley Boyd, who discussed meeting her husband, William Boyd, and his decision to focus his career solely on playing Hopalong Cassidy. They took a financial gamble acquiring the rights to the character, which paid off handsomely. Mrs. Boyd was sharp, glamorous, and an engaging speaker.
The Phantom of The Range (1936) starring Tom Tyler and West of Nevada (1936) starring Rex Bell. Both were directed by Robert Hill, who unlike many directors shot “B” Western scenes on the streets of Lone Pine, in addition to the more familiar Alabama Hills. Having been to Lone Pine many times, I found the “town” shots especially fascinating.
The Phantom of The Range (1936
West of Nevada (1936)
Gunsmoke Ranch (1937), a “3 Mesquiteers” film directed by Joseph Kane, starring Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, and Max Terhune. Richard Bann shared in his introduction that Terhune’s ventriloquist dummy is now on display at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles. I also enjoyed the chance to see child actor Sammy McKim in a prominent role; he grew up to be a Disney Imagineer and artist, named a “Disney Legend” in 1996.
Gunsmoke Ranch (1937)
Additional Westerns starring Ken Maynard and Tex Ritter, Hell Fire Austin (1932) and Riders of The Frontier (1939).
Riders of The Frontier (1939)
Hell Fire Austin (1932)
Having enjoyed both the “real” and “virtual” editions of the festival, I was curious to learn more behind-the-scenes information about the virtual festival. A few days after it concluded I had the opportunity to chat with Shawn Lum, the director of the Museum of Western Film History, who shared some very interesting insights, including thoughts on how this year’s experience could influence the future.
The Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California
Ms. Lum was enthused about how
the festival was received, saying it went smoothly and was a “thrilling
result, trying to adapt to a pandemic when we’ve had 30 successful years of
in-person festivals.” She was pleased that they came up with a plan they
were capable of executing which attracted strong interest.
There were 215 paid registrants,
more than double the museum’s initial goal; the majority of viewers were from
the Los Angeles Basin, but there were participants from far-flung places
including the UK, Australia, and Norway.
The numbers were close to evenly
divided between those who had been to the Lone Pine Festival in person and film
fans who were new to the festival; being able to reach beyond local travelers
via the virtual event was a key takeaway from the weekend.
Digital data gathered by the museum showed that participants were extremely engaged, watching an average of 16 hours and 26 minutes of content per person over the course of the weekend. It added up to 5,871 independent views of the material, evenly distributed between Friday and Sunday, with a smaller amount of views for the “add-on” day Monday. 87% of participants in a post-festival survey rated their experience as “excellent” or “very good.”
It sounded as though the
festival’s biggest challenge was that while there’s a great demand this
particular year for virtual programming, studio licensing programs haven’t yet
caught up to be able to fill that need, so the festival relied chiefly on
public domain content.
Some of the original content
produced for the festival, such as the virtual tours, will likely be available
online in the future, but decisions are still pending as far as how and when
that could happen.
In terms of the future, the expectation is that when it’s safe to have an “in-person” festival again it will happen, hopefully in the fall of 2021, but going forward the museum staff and board are also interested in exploring pairing events on the ground in Lone Pine with some sort of virtual programming.
Ms. Lum commented on the significance
of actually being in Lone Pine, seeing in person how the landscape impacted
filming and what it was like for the people who worked there, while at the same
time the virtual event allowed the festival to reach new audiences.
She concluded that the virtual
festival “makes us want to explore our options. We feel good about
having done it and want to work with this new model.”
I’m thrilled that film fans who
have never been to Lone Pine in person were able to experience it in a new way,
and I’m also hopeful that the virtual festival will encourage some first-time
visitors to attend future events. It will be very interesting to see what
the long-term influences are from 2020 as plans unfold in future years.
Until we meet again in Lone Pine!
…
— Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub
Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.
Although it’s not as celebrated as noir classics like The Maltese Falcon (1942) or Sunset Blvd.(1950), director John Berry’s Tension (1949) is one of my go-to picks for the genre because it packs so much punch to appreciate into 95 minutes of keenly depicted obsession, betrayal, and duplicity. Back when I taught a film unit on noir to college freshmen, I often used this picture for our introductory group viewing, and it always proved a hit with the class. Every scene offers the audience both obvious and subtle elements to contemplate, and the solid cast includes Richard Basehart, Cyd Charisse, Barry Sullivan, and Lloyd Gough – all embodying classic noir types. But there’s one reason that Tension always seduces the viewer, and that’s Audrey Totter as the delightfully vicious femme fatale who drives her husband to murderous extremes of jealousy and hate.
Claire Quimby (Totter) uses and abuses her long-suffering husband, Warren (Basehart), and despises him with every glaring look.
Richard Basehart plays the much-abused husband, a milquetoast pharmacist named Warren Quimby who works the night shift to save up money for a nice little home in the suburbs with his attractive wife, Claire (Totter). Unfortunately for Warren, Claire doesn’t want a house in the suburbs; she wants fur coats and the high life in the heart of the city, and she’s perfectly happy to ditch Warren for the more accommodating Barney Deager (Lloyd Gough). Infuriated by Claire’s betrayal and humiliated when Barney beats him up, Warren decides to murder Barney and cover up his involvement by using a fake identity. He reinvents himself as Paul Sothern and carefully makes his plans. But his budding friendship with a pretty new neighbor, Mary (Cyd Charisse), makes him wonder if the faithless Claire is really worth all this trouble. When Barney ends up murdered by someone else, Warren has to figure out how to avoid taking the wrap for a crime he intended to commit, but didn’t.
Claire gives another of her piercing glares to her boyfriend, Barney Deager (Lloyd Gough), until he flatters her desire for compliments and a fur coat.
All of the characters in Tension are entertaining, especially as the third act springs its various twists and traps, but Totter gives an absolutely engrossing performance as the cause of it all. Her Claire Quimby is pure raging id without a scrap of remorse or decency in her. She’s lazy, vain, wasteful, petty, crass, vindictive, and calculating. She has a cold-blooded, serpentine quality about her that apparently fascinates men but is also deeply repulsive. Even the way she eats – and wastes – a sandwich at the drugstore lunch counter sets the alarm bells ringing. André Previn’s score represents her with slinky theme music that declares her nature every time she turns up, but unfortunately, Warren can’t hear it to take the hint that his wife is no good. Fans of Totter’s performances in The Lady in the Lake (1946), The Unsuspected (1947), and The Set-Up (1950) will love Totter’s take on the femme fatale in Tension, especially because it puts her uniquely expressive eyes to such lethal use. Claire Quimby shoots daggers with those eyes, right into poor Warren’s soul.
His wife’s infidelity drives mild-mannered Warren Quimby (Basehart) to contemplate murder… and contact lenses.
The femme fatale is a provocative and problematic standard of the classic noir genre, often equal parts liberation fantasy and misogynistic nightmare, and she means different things depending on who’s watching her. She claims her sexuality but uses it as a weapon to destroy the men who would possess or control her. She wants nice things but is willing to commit terrible sins to get them. She usually ends up dead or at least headed for jail by the final scene, but she makes a lasting impression on the male characters and the audience that transcends her fate. Claire Quimby is a particularly hellbent version of this type; she lacks the moments of complexity or humanity that soften other fatal women like Brigid O’Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) or Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944). Claire’s hatred for domesticity and maternity is made explicit when she rudely rejects the little house in the suburbs that Warren has bought for them; Claire wants nothing to do with that quiet, constricted, dowdy life. She’s the kind of villain who would make fur coats out of puppies if she were smart enough to think of it. But her relentlessly evil nature is what makes her so much fun. Sometimes you just want to watch a wrecking ball tear down a house, and that’s the kind of entertainment Claire Quimby provides. Leave nuance and the whispers of better angels to other dames, and forget about that good-bad girl twist. Claire Quimby is all bad, all the time, and Audrey Totter seems to revel in playing her.
Claire (Totter) isn’t impressed with Warren’s gift of a house in the suburbs and threatens to drive away without him after blaring the horn over his attempts to talk.
Warner Brothers offered a DVD of Tension as part of a 2007 box set, Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4, that also includes Where Danger Lives (1950) on the same disc. Unfortunately, the box set is now hard to get and quite expensive, but you might be able to find the single DVD double feature from online retailers for less than $20. The DVD includes commentary from Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward and a featurette as well as a theatrical trailer.
Silents are Golden: A Closer Look At – Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu –one of the most iconic and influential horror films ever made. One of the finest examples of the genre known as German Expressionism. A masterpiece by one of early cinema’s most skilled directors. And, of course, a prime example of…copyright infringement?
Nosferatu (1922)
Yes, Nosferatu is indeed all of the above and more. Arguably, the story behind the origin and making of this seminal film is almost as interesting as what we see onscreen.
It all began with Albin Grau, an artist, architect, and occultist who was a member of the German magical order Fraternitas Saturni (no kidding). During World War I, he served in the German army, and was deeply affected by the horrors he had witnessed (later in life he called WWI a “cosmic vampire”). He was also affected by an unusual incident where he met a Serbian farmer who claimed his father had been an actual vampire and had to be killed with a stake through the heart. This startling tale stuck in Grau’s memory, and he felt it was somehow connected with the bloodlust of war. Perhaps the theme of vampirism could be explored further one day.
The shadow of Nosferatu creeps on the stairs
After the war, Grau returned to his occult activities and made a fortunate acquaintance: film director F.W. Murnau. Murnau, a rather serious, icy individual, had been obsessed with theater and films since his boyhood. He was also a fellow veteran of WWI, having worked in the German army’s Flying Corps as a gunner, and he had survived no less than eight plane crashes with only minor injuries. Murnau told Grau that he dreamed of making a film version of Bram Stoker’s famed novel Dracula. Grau loved the idea – no doubt feeling it was destiny – and decided to work with Murnau to bring his dream to life.
Grau already had connections in the German film industry, having designed posters and such for many of the small studios prevalent at the time. Along with businessman Enrico Dieckmann, he founded the equally small Prana-Film studio – “prana” being a Hindu term for “force of life,” and the studio logo being a version of the yin yang symbol.
Prana-Film logo
With a working studio and a skilled director all ready to go, there was only one problem – Prana-Film didn’t have the rights to Dracula. Grau and Dieckmann, perhaps acting from a blend of recklessness and poor legal advice, decided to simply “adapt” the novel by changing the characters’ names. For this task, they hired talented screenwriter Henrik Galleen, who had worked on The Golem(1920) and specialized in dark, Gothic tales. He obliged by changing Dracula’s name to Count Orlok, Jonathan Harker’s name to “Hutter,” Renfield to “Knock,” and so on, and switching the locations from England to Germany. He also came up with some creative additions, such as having the vampire travel with plague-carrying rats and making sunlight fatal to vampires. And significantly, he substituted the word “vampire” for “Nosferatu.”
Why “Nosferatu”? Galleen had studied Bram Stoker’s research notes and found a travel article that mentioned a bloodsucking “nosferatu” of Romanian folklore. Impressed with the sinister sound of the word, he decided to use it. What Galleen didn’t know is that “nosferatu” doesn’t actually appear in the Romanian language. It’s likely that the word “nesuferitu,” meaning “the devil” or “unclean,” had gotten mistranslated at one point. But despite this, “Nosferatu” turned out to be a perfect fit for the strange new film.
Gustav von Wangenheim haunted by Count Orlok’s shadow
Gustav von Wangenheim, an actor in Max Reinhardt’s Berlin theater, was chosen to play Hutter, and Greta Schröder, another Reinhardt alumni, was cast as Hutter’s wife Ellen. But the most interesting casting choice by far was Max Schreck as Nosferatu. A hardworking but obscure actor who had appeared on stages all over Germany (and, yes, worked with Max Reinhardt), Schreck specialized in grotesque characters. His surname even meant “fright” in German, believe it or not. Although he would be in hundreds of stage and screen roles, details about his life are largely unknown even today, and Nosferatu would be his most famous film.
Gustav von Wangenheim and Max Schreck
Nosferatu was filmed in the late summer of 1921, taking advantage of the cheapness of location shooting in the German port cities of Wismar and Lübeck. The famous scenes of Count Orlok’s new home were filmed at the historic Salzpiecher (salt storehouses) in Lübeck. Built during the 16th-18th centuries, these buildings are still standing and appear exactly the same as they did in the 1922 film.
Grau was responsible for the Expressionist look of the film, as well as the design of its haunting posters and other advertising materials (he also added real occult symbols onto a paper Count Orlok is shown reading). Once Nosferatu was in the can, the studio embarked on an expensive promotional campaign and hosted an equally expensive grand premiere on March 4, 1922, at the Berlin Zoological Garden (guests were encouraged to wear early 19th-century clothing).
One of Grau’s posters for the film.
Unfortunately
for the reckless filmmakers, Bram Stoker’s widow Florence got wind of the new
picture and quickly sued Prana-Films for copyright infringement. It took
several years, but in 1925 she won her case, whisking away what was left of the
studio’s money after its pricey ad campaigns and fancy premiere. She also
attempted to have all copies of Nosferatu
destroyed, although fortunately for history some prints managed to be
preserved.
Prana-Films
had originally planned to get started with three motion pictures: Hollenträume (Dreams of Hell), Der Sumpfteufel (The Devil of the Swamp), and
finally, the Nosferatu, eine Symphonie
des Grauens (Nosferatu, A Symphony of
Horror). But in the end, Nosferatu would
be their only picture. But what a picture it was–a film that stills admires
and chills to this day, considered by some to be one of the greatest works in
all German cinema.
Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterlyand has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.
“To monster kids of all ages everywhere. (You know who you are.)”
If you recognize yourself in that dedication (and you probably do if you are reading Monsters and Matinees), that would make Skal happy.
Monster kids is the
affectionate name given to those who grew up during the monster movie craze of
the 1950s, a time when they also discovered movies from their parents’
generation on TV.
“I’m part of the original generation of monster kids, a phrase we’ve all coined to describe when these films were first released to TV and seen by a new generation.” Skal said in a recent telephone interview to talk about the book, a collaboration with Turner Classic Movies, and the ever-growing horror genre.
“Our parents had seen them in movie theaters in the 1930s and ‘40s; in the ‘50s and ‘60s we were rediscovering them. Unlike today there was no home video, no streaming. You would see these films when a TV station would show them to you.”
David J. Skal’s new book on horror films is in collaboration with Turner Classic Movies. (Photo by Jonathan Eaton)
The fact that they
were not easy to see created a mystique around the movies – the same films we now
get to watch with regularity on Turner Classic Movies.
“I dreamed of the
day home video machines would be available,” Skal recalled, adding since they
couldn’t see the movies often, they experienced the films in other ways. “You
experienced these films virtually – there were fan clubs and magazines like
Famous Monsters that were filled with pictures. You could read the stories and
re-experience the films – it reinforced the appreciation and love of these
films in a very unique way.”
That deep passion,
Skal said, results in “an instant camaraderie around people who came of age in
those days and ever since.”
Skal, a historian, critic and the noted author of such extensive horror books as Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen, said there was a lot of back and forth with TCM and Running Press on the book’s content. (An enjoyable experience, he added, because there were so many film fans involved.)
“Years ago, it would
have been easy to do a comprehensive horror book, but not now,” Skal said. “Horror
has become a major, major field with all of these subgenres – everything from
realistic psychological horror to total fantasy to supernatural and everything
in between.”
Originally, he was
going to focus on movies with a Halloween theme – an early title for the book
was Halloween Favorites – then decided to go broader with horror films
to watch all year.
David J. Skal pairs the films Creature from the Black Lagoon, left, and The Shape of Water in his new book for TCM, Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond.
The book title speaks of 31 movies, but readers get twice that number as Skal pairs each film with a shorter entry on another in a double feature format. For Them! (1954), he recommends Earth vs. The Spider. He pairs Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) with the earlier Invaders from Mars(1953). A double feature of Creature from the Black Lagoonand The Shape of Water (2017) is a natural.
Skal suggests we watch the highly regarded Cat People(1952) with a film you may not know: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). Seen in the Women Make Film documentary series on TCM, the Persian-language film’s “noirish visuals bring to mind the camerawork of Val Lewton, …” Skal writes.
The articles on the 31 main movies each have credits, plot and an overview with nuggets of the type of anecdotal information film buffs love.
“One of the reasons
I was interested in doing the book, is that I’ve been writing books about
horror movies for 30 years now. I’ve done a lot of research I haven’t been able
to use. There are anecdotes and insights I haven’t put into a book before and I’m
happy to have them here,” Skal said.
One of the nuggets David J. Skal shares in Fright Favorites is the fact that the black and white movie Them! was supposed to be filmed in 3-D and color.
Anecdotal information includes the fact that Nosferatuwas based on vampire legends that Albin Grau, the film’s producer and production designer, heard during World War I (creepy); the ongoing copyright battles over Dracula between Mrs. Bram Stoker and filmmakers; and the series of cost-cutting measures that trimmed the 3-D and color from Them!.
With film being such a visual medium, Skal also spent a great deal of time compiling photos and it shows. There are gorgeous, glossy pics on nearly every page. Many are photos we haven’t seen before and if we have, the quality isn’t anywhere near what it is in Fright Favorites.
“I love digging for
photos. I spent almost as much time finding the right photos for the book as I
spent writing it and I love it,” Skal said.
Classic movie fans will appreciate the fact that Skal believes the basic building blocks of horror were set in stone many years ago. That’s one reason why Bela Lugosi, Skal said, is “A Dracula for all time.”
We easily recognize the four themes Skal names as the building blocks of horror:
The supernatural monster/the returning dead (think Nosferatu, Dracula, Black Sunday).
The freak or misshapen thing that challenges our boundaries of horror (Freaks).
Now take those themes and add, subtract and mix elements together for endless possibilities that keep the genre evolving.
“It’s been said in
literature and drama there are only six basic plots. There aren’t many more
plots to scare us, but there are infinite ways to put them together and take
them apart. It seems to be one of our favorite pastimes,” Skal laughed.
The vampire has taken on many faces over the past century including that of Count Orlok in Nosferatu.
A vampire, for example, can be the rat-like Count Orlok in Nosferatu, the suave European count in Dracula, Barbara Steele’s vengeful vampire-witch in Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, the cowboy vampires in Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark and the rowdy teen gang in the dark comedy The Lost Boys.
(Go ahead and try this
with your favorite horror theme or creature – it’s fun.)
Fright Favorites
also has its share of family films and comedies which have their place in
horror.
“Laughing and screaming are very similar responses – they are ways to release tension,” Skal said, mentioning the horror-comedy gems Abbott and Costello Meet Frankensteinand Young Frankenstein.
Universal horror friends get together in the hilarious Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Writing Fright Favorites
was special for Skal because it allowed him to reach people who “are not
academics but dearly love these films, maybe for reasons they don’t even
understand,” he said.
He especially
appreciates hearing from fans who thank him for validating their interest in
horror movies.
“That is heartwarming. It’s funny that monsters can be creatures of such affection given what they are – objectively they are hideous things,” Skal said. “We dismiss monsters as kitsch at our peril – they are more substantial and far more interesting than many people expect.”
While the book is written with the idea that horror movies can – and should – be watched all year long, October is a favorite time for expanded Halloween and horror film viewing. Again this year, TCM has packed October with horror movies (nearly 100). Friday night programming is exclusively horror and Monday nights are devoted to Star of the Month Peter Cushing. Other horror films are sprinkled throughout the month. Here’s a look at the schedule.
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– Toni Ruberto for Classic Movie Hub
You can read all of Toni’s Monsters and Matinees articles here.Toni Ruberto, born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., is an editor and writer at The Buffalo News. She shares her love for classic movies in her blog, Watching Forever. Toni was the president of the former Buffalo chapter of TCM Backlot and now leads the offshoot group, Buffalo Classic Movie Buffs. She is proud to have put Buffalo and its glorious old movie palaces in the spotlight as the inaugural winner of the TCM in Your Hometown contest. You can find Toni on Twitter at @toniruberto.
We all know about these often-seen and much-loved noirs. But what about the unsung features? The ones that nobody talks about? The ones that many noir lovers have never even heard of, let alone seen? In this month’s Noir Nook, I’m taking a look at two more noirs that deserve to be tracked down and viewed.
John Hodiak and Margot Woode in Somewhere in the Night (1946)
In this feature, John Hodiak stars as an amnesia victim who wakes up in a military hospital after WWII, unaware of his identity, with his only clue a disturbing note in his wallet that says in part, “I’m ashamed for having loved you. And I shall pray as long as I live for someone or something to hurt and destroy you.” Called “George Taylor” by hospital personnel, the man learns that he’s been left a cool five grand and a gat by a man named Larry Cravat, and he sets out to find the man, in the hopes that he can unlock the hazy key to his past.
The cast includes Richard Conte, as Taylor’s former partner; Lloyd Nolan, who plays a crafty detective who’s also trying to track down Larry Cravat; and Nancy Guild (who reminds me of Ella Raines), as a nightclub performer with the proverbial gold heart, who helps Taylor in his quest.
Other Stuff:
The film was directed and co-written by Joseph Mankiewicz, who would win back-to-back Oscars just a few years later for writing and directing All About Eve (1950) and A Letter to Three Wives (1951).
The same year that Somewhere in the Night was released, John Hodiak and Lloyd Nolan both starred with Lucille Ball in the MGM drama Two Smart People.
Nancy Guild – whose studio promoted her by proclaiming that her last name “rhymes with wild” – made her big-screen debut in Somewhere in the Night. She would appear in just five more films before retiring from the big screen in the early 1950s. She later wrote for Architectural Digest and made a brief comeback in 1971, with a small part in the Dyan Cannon-James Coco dramedy, Such Good Friends.
One of the film’s minor roles is a woman who Taylor first encounters
in a hotel corridor. She’s played by an actress named Margo Woode. I’ve never
seen her in anything before or since, but she’s a standout here, and it seems a
shame she didn’t go further in pictures. Look for her.
Dick Powell and William Conrad in Cry Danger (1951)
Dick Powell takes yet another solid step toward obliterating his crooner past in this film. Here, he plays Rocky Mulloy, who’s just been released from prison after serving just five years for a robbery and murder he didn’t commit. His life sentence was cut short after he’s given an alibi by an ex-Marine, and he sets out to secure the freedom of his pal, Danny, who is still imprisoned for the crime.
Others in the cast are Richard Erdman, as the ex-Marine who fosters Rocky’s early release; Rhonda Fleming, who plays the wife of Rocky’s friend; and William Conrad, as an oily mobster who was the mastermind behind the $100,000 robbery for which Rocky and Danny were convicted.
Other stuff:
Richard Erdman – whose alcohol-loving character delivers one of my favorite noir lines (“Occasionally, I always drink too much.”) – was born in 1925 and died in 2019 at the age of 93. He’d continued to work in TV up until just a few years before his death, playing in a recurring role as Leonard on Community from 2009 to 2015, and making his last appearance in Dr. Ken in 2017.
Cry Danger marked the directorial debut of Robert Parrish, who’d previously edited such noirs as A Double Life (1947), Body and Soul (1947), and Caught (1949).
Playing the wife of one of the witnesses at Rocky’s trial was Joan Banks, who made her big-screen debut in Cry Danger and went on to have a successful TV career with appearances in a variety of series, from I Love Lucy to Bewitched. She was also married to Frank Lovejoy from 1940 until the actor’s death in 1962.
After the film’s release, one critic praised it as “a very tidy
package of fictional extravagance.” (I’m not sure I know what that means, but I
like it.)
You can catch both of these features on YouTube. Check ‘em out some snowy night by the fire. You won’t be sorry.
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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub
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