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A Sinister Study: THE BLACK CAT (1934)
This marks the first of eight films that paired Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Both big names in Hollywood coming off of their huge successes of DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. But while Karloff would...
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A Case for Campy or Creepy-THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
We’re in for a real treat. Many consider, and I’m in full agreement, that James Whale’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) to be the best of the Universal classic monster films. The question is WHY?...
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Falling For a Psychopath: ANGEL FACE (1953)
There’s something engrossing in the character study of a beautiful psychopath. In Otto Preminger’s ANGEL FACE (1953), we get up close with an alluring monster. Don’t be too disappointed that only few...
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WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)
We’ve reached the end of our cinematic journey of Universal Classic Monsters. As we focused on Universal Pictures’ transition into sound production films and their successes in the genre of horror, we...
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A Western Rarity: SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960)
With this Ford film, we’ll continue the themes from rugged wilderness and racism as discussed in my coverage of THE SEARCHERS, into similar territory in SERGEANT RUTLEDGE. We will take a closer look...
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A Christmas Miracle Comes for Trudy Kockenlocker
Many a cinephile enjoy debating what films merit the definition for a holiday movie. Ever since Preston Sturges directed THE MIRACLE of MORGAN’S CREEK (1944), the controversy surrounding the film was...
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Surviving Holiday MayhemWith These Ladies of Screwball Comedy
Dan (Ralph Bellamy): “I certainly learned about women from you.”Aunt Patsy (Cecil Cunningham): “Here’s your diploma.” (As she hands him Lucy’s break-up letter) In The Awful Truth (1937), Ralph Bellamy...
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Christmas in Connecticut – Holiday Classic or Feminist Screwball?
For classic film fans, the holiday season represents a time to wax nostalgic over those classic films that pop up this time of year. Everyone has his or her own must-see favorites. Perhaps you prefer...
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Ford’s Cinematic Send Off: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
(The following was included as part of my John Ford Film Study course which I taught in the winter/early spring semester of 2023. This is the last film featured in this Ford series. Please enjoy…) For...
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CARY GRANT, a Film Study of the Man and the Myth
In the Golden age of Hollywood, few names are as infamous as Cary Grant. He was the very definition of dapper sophistication on the big screen. He could do drama, comedy, and was the most desired of...
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John Garfield- The Final Bow
Recently, as I was tuning into TCM, I stumbled across THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Even though I’ve watched it countless times, I rarely pass up the opportunity to indulge in this cinematic...
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A Cary Grant Pre-Code-THIS IS THE NIGHT
More than likely, if you are a Cary Grant fan, your first introduction came via films like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or another Hitchcock classic, or perhaps one of his earlier films co-starring Kate...
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Cary Grant Steps Out in MY FAVORITE WIFE
In my last entry, we discussed Cary Grant’s first feature-length film, Frank Tuttle’s THIS IS THE NIGHT. That year, Cary starred in many Paramount films, under the first year of his contract. Today’s...
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The Fate of Freedom, Ford, and YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
As we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day under polarized politics that grows increasingly similar in tension to an era over one hundred sixty years ago when our union was splintered in turmoil,...
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Beautiful Tearjerker: PENNY SERENADE (1941)
Get your hankies ready. Today, we’re discussing George Stevens’ PENNY SERENADE. This is the third feature film pairing of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. While audiences had seen both Dunne and Grant in...
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A Spooky Study: ARSENIC and OLD LACE
Today we’ll meet Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, a very different sort of ‘challenged married man’ than we met in his prior film, PENNY SERENADE. In contrast, Frank Capra’s ARSENIC and OLD LACE is...
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Cary Grant Builds Trust Issues in NOTORIOUS (1946)
By the Autumn of 1945, Cary Grant, along with our global allies, surely breathed a collective sigh of relief. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and...
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A Film Study: BETTE DAVIS
Welcome! In this series we will explore the legendary actress Bette Davis through an introduction of her life and a selection of her films. By examining her life, we gain a glimpse into understanding...
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A Haunting Hometown: CARNIVAL of SOULS (1962)
A charming, small town in ‘Middle America.’ A simple way of life where neighbors are friendly, polite, but cautiously on guard of strangers that behave strangely. In Herk Harvey’s only feature...
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Bette Davis Defies Gender Conventions in EX-LADY (1933)
As we begin our filmography of Bette Davis films, we’ll start with a Pre-Code from 1933, Robert Florey’s EX-LADY. For those of you who have not taken my Pre-Code course or those who simply need a...
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