By the Beautiful Sea
By the Beautiful Sea – music by Harry Carroll, song lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge (1914)
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Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley (1947), starring Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray
Movie review of the classic film noir, Nightmare Alley, possibly Tyrone Power’s best role as a carny hustler who becomes a mentalist, then a spiritualist, then begins his downfall as guilt eats away at him
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Li’l Abner
Movie review of Li’l Abner — the musical comedy movie, inspired by the Broadway play, that in turn was inspired by Al Capp’s famous comic strip about the inhabitants of Dogpatch
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The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug, by Peter Jackson
I saw The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug last Saturday with my wife, and I really wanted to love this movie–but I didn’t. If I hadn’t read the book, I would have thought it a typical adventure fantasy movie – not terrible, but not great, either.
The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind (1957) starring Vincent Price, Ronald Colman, Cedric Hardwicke, the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo), and many more
In a nutshell, The Story of Mankind has humanity on trial for its’ very existence. The Devil himself (played delightfully by Vincent Price) is the prosecutor. The Spirit of Mankind (Ronald Colman) is the advocate. Cedric Hardwicke as the Celestial Judge. Evidence is presented as a series of vignettes of various stars presenting famous historical moments. Some moments are serious, and others more silly. The Marx Brothers appear in their final film. However, they never show up together. Each brother has their own distinct scene.
Panama Hattie
Panama Hattie (1942) starring Red Skelton, Ann Sothern, Rags Ragland, Virginia O’Brien
Synopsis
In Panama Hattie, the brassy but gold-hearted proprietress of a Canal Zone hotel, where she performs, is used to a rough-and-tumble crowd of sailors. But she falls for a wealthy socialite soldier, and doesn’t know how to handle herself.
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The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (1939), starring Don Ameche and the Ritz Brothers
I’ve known of the Ritz Brothers for some time, although I’ve not seen many of their movies. Previously, the only one of their movies that I saw was The Gorilla (with Bela Lugosi). And I wasn’t impressed with their comedy. The Three Musketeers, however, has totally changed my opinion of the Ritz Brothers.
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Prehistoric Women
Prehistoric Women (1967) – Hammer Films
Hammer Films, having made One Million B.C., had all of these leftover sets — what to do with them? Make a very campy, rather silly, “Cavegirls in trouble” film, of course. It’s campy in the style of the 1960’s Batman TV series, only with lots of girls in skimpy fur bikinis. Seriously.
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Miracles for Sale
Miracles for Sale (1932) starring Robert Young, Florence Rice, Henry Hull, Gloria Holden Robert Young is probably best remembered for his eponymous television role as… Read More »Miracles for Sale