Category Archives: Uncategorized

New Book on Lupe Velez Debunks the Myths of “Hollywood Babylon”

Ask the average person about Lupe Vélez and you’ll probably be met with a blank stare. But query those same folks as to whether or not they’ve heard of the classic film star who “drowned in the toilet,” and they’ll … Continue reading

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Silent Comedy from Mack Sennett on TCM – Week 3

Every Thursday in September, Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to silent comedy pioneer Mack Sennett, screening 83 short subjects and 4 feature films, most of which have undergone (or are still undergoing, as of this writing) extensive restoration and musical … Continue reading

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Silent Comedy from Mack Sennett – Starting Tonight on TCM

If you enjoy silent comedy and film history, tonight is a big night on Turner Classic Movies. Beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT), TCM will present more than seven hours of the earliest available examples of filmed comedy, from the visionary … Continue reading

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The Restoration of WINGS (1927): The Loudest Silent Movie I’ve Ever Seen

For more than 80 years, WINGS was considered the only silent film to have won an Academy Award for Best Picture. It now shares that distinction with THE ARTIST, a fact which irks many fans of silent cinema who don’t … Continue reading

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In Memoriam: Tony Martin (1913-2012)

“The Zeppo Role” was a relatively thankless part in all Marx Bros. films. After the “fourth brother” left the act following DUCK SOUP (1933), a stream of handsome young leading men took his standard part as the fresh-faced, often-crooning love interest: … Continue reading

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Maggie and Me in 3-D!

Maggie and Me in 3-D!

My girlfriend Maggie and me after a screening of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) in 3-D at Film Forum on July 27, 2012.

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From Jonathan Frid to Johnny Depp: Comparing Barnabas Collins, 1967-2012

I didn’t hate Tim Burton’s feature film reboot of Dark Shadows. Before you fans of the original 1966-1971 ABC-TV series start firing up your torches and heading toward my castle, hear me out. I didn’t say I liked it. I … Continue reading

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Jackie and Me

Jackie and Me

Classic film buddy Jackie Brady and me after a screening of INHERIT THE WIND at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on July 26, 2012

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Rouben Mamoulian’s RINGS ON HER FINGERS (1942)

Rouben Mamoulian’s RINGS ON HER FINGERS (1942)  has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year for me, classic-film-wise. I reviewed the new DVD from the Twentieth Century Fox Cinema Archives Collection for Cinema Sentries this week, and … Continue reading

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Don’t Let Us Lose the Magic of Moviegoing

In May of 1983 I saw RETURN OF THE JEDI at the Sunrise Multiplex, a six-screen theater that had recently opened on the border between Nassau County and Queens, on Long Island. I had never been to a movie theater … Continue reading

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