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The Iron Petticoat movie poster, starring Bob Hope and Katherine Hepburn

The Iron Petticoat

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The Iron Petticoat (1956) starring Bob Hope, Katherine Hepburn — €“ a Cold War comedy that’s short on the comedy

Synopsis of The Iron Petticoat

Set in the midst of the Cold War, Soviet pilot Vinka Kovelenko (Katherine Hepburn) defects to the West, despite her devotion to Communism, due to having been overlooked for a promotion due to her being a female.   American Air Force Major Chuck Lockwood (Bob Hope) is tasked with bringing her to embrace Capitalism.   Despite being engaged to an English heiress, Lockwood and Kovelenko begin falling in love. Stuck in the middle of the conflict between East and West.

Between Two Worlds

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Between Two Worlds (1944) starring John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Sidney Greenstreet

Imagine a movie about eight people, seemingly chosen at random, riding on a cruise ship, heading to an unknown destination.   It’s a movie about the interaction between these seeming strangers, and what happens as they near their destination — and it’s absolutely riveting.

Nightmare Alley

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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

The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug

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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

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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

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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.

The Three Musketeers

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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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