Monthly Archives: May 2013

What I Learned From ROSEMARY’S BABY

Posted on May 31, 2013 by willmckinley

You can learn a lot from ROSEMARY’S BABY, the 1968 film adaptation of Ira Levin’s novel, available on DVD and Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection. But here’s the most important lesson: never date an actor. If only someone had warned … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, DVD Blu-Ray Review | Tagged Criterion Collection, John Cassavetes, Mia Farrow, Patsy Kelly, Peyton Place, Ralph Bellamy, Roman Castevet, Roman Polanski, ROSEMARY'S BABY, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, William Castle | 12 Comments

The Best Warner Bros. Musical Warner Bros. Never Made

Posted on May 30, 2013 by willmckinley

Confession: I have a man crush on 1930s crooner Dick Powell. Although he was pushing 30 when he made his film debut for Warner Bros., Powell seemed perpetually boyish and unspoiled by the harsh realities of Depression Era adulthood. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, DVD Blu-Ray Review, Fox Cinema Archives | Tagged "Darryl F. Zanuck", 42nd Street, Alan Dinehart, Ann Dvorak, Busby Berkeley, Dick Powell, Fox Cinema Archives, Fred Allen, GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933, Gus Kahn, Hail the Conquering Hero, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, Patsy Kelly, Raymond Walburn, Ruby Keeler, Thanks A Million, Warner Bros | Leave a comment

Screening Report: CLEOPATRA’s 50th Anniversary – Mummified on Arrival

Posted on May 24, 2013 by willmckinley

Everything about Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s CLEOPATRA (1963) is outsized – except, apparently, the audiences at Wednesday’s nationwide 50th anniversary theatrical screenings. I attended the 7 p.m. show of the digitally restored epic at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 on … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Screening Report, TCM | Tagged 20th Century Fox, AMC Loews Lincoln Square, Blu-ray, Cannes, Christopher Wilding, CineMark, Classic Movie News, CLEOPATRA, Elizabeth Taylor, Fathom Events, Fox, General Hospital, Jessica Chastain, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Kate Burton, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, LIZ AND DICK, Martin Landau, Richard Burton | 34 Comments

Rarely Seen Jack Benny Film Makes DVD Debut

Posted on May 20, 2013 by willmckinley

The title character in Sidney Lanfield’s comedy THE MEANEST MAN IN THE WORLD (1943) is not particularly mean, nor is he particularly funny. But he is portrayed by the otherwise hilarious Jack Benny, with support from radio sidekick Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, DVD Blu-Ray Review, Fox Cinema Archives | Tagged BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN, CHARLEY’S AUNT, Dennis Day, Don Wilson, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Jack Benny, Phil Harris, Priscilla Lane, THE MEANEST MAN IN THE WORLD | 5 Comments

Update #3: 10 Things I Learned at the TCM Classic Film Festival

Posted on May 11, 2013 by willmckinley

One of my favorite things about the annual TCM Classic Film Festival is meeting and interacting with the talented people who bring the channel to life. In addition to impromptu chats at screenings and during communal gatherings at the Roosevelt … Continue reading →

Posted in TCM, TCM Classic Film Festival, Warner Archive Collection | Tagged 31 Days of Oscar, AMC, Angela Lansbury, Ben mankiewicz, Bill Hader, Club TCM, commercials on TCM, David Edelstein, Eddie Muller, Film Noir Foundation, Francois Truffaut, Friday Night Spotlight, Hollywood Tour app, Illeana Douglas, Jeff Gregor, LETTY LYNTON, Meet TCM, Pola Chagnon, Richard Steiner, Road to Hollywood, Robert Osborne, Roosevelt Hotel, Scott McGee, Sean Cameron, TCM, TCM Classic Film Festival, TCM Cruise, TCM streaming application, Ted Turner, Tom Brown, Turner Classic Movies, Warner Archive Instant | 43 Comments

Screening Report: THE KID (1921) at Film Forum + Chaplin Look-Alike Contest

Posted on May 5, 2013 by willmckinley

It was just after noon on a spring Sunday, and I was chatting with a fellow cineaste outside Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca. “KID AUTO RACES? That’s Chaplin’s first short,” I said. “Well, it’s the first one where … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged Alfalfa, Bruce Goldstein, Buckwheat, Charlie Chaplin, Darla, EASTER PARADE, Film Forum, Film Forum Jr, Hal Roach, IRON MAN 3, Jackie Coogan, Jane Scovall, John Martello, KID AUTO RACES, Kiera Chaplin, KING KONG, MAKING A LIVING, Melvin van Peebles, New York City, Oona Living in the Shadows: a Biography of Oona O’Neill Chaplin, PAY AS YOU EXIT, Porky, Romyo and Jullet, Shane Fleming, Spanky, Steve Sterner, SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG, THE DONOVAN AFFAIR, THE KID, Uncle Fester, WPIX Channel 11 | 11 Comments

Happy Birthday, Robert Osborne – Live from the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by willmckinley

Every year I travel to Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival and I think to myself, “This will be the year the magic finally wears off.” And then Robert Osborne walks in, and it feels like Moses has come … Continue reading →

Posted in TCM, TCM Classic Film Festival | Tagged 80 Years of Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, Ben mankiewicz, Cher, digital conversion, Friday Night Spotlight, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, IMAX, Moses, Motion Picture Production Code, press conference, Robert Osborne, Roosevelt Hotel, Rose Theater, TCM, TCM Classic Film Festival, Turner Classic Movies | 22 Comments

Screening Report: The 1933 Pre-Code Festival

Posted on May 1, 2013 by willmckinley

On a recent Friday night, I struggled to find an empty seat at Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca where I spend most of my free time and discretionary dollars. Sold out shows are not uncommon at the cinema, … Continue reading →