The first Oscar ceremony in 1928 took place at the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with tickets going for five dollars (about $70 in today’s money). The ceremony lasted only about 15 minutes, and was hosted by director William C. deMille and actor Douglas Fairbanks, who was also the first president of the motion picture academy. Winners in 12 categories were announced weeks prior to the event, which was the only Oscar ceremony in history to not be broadcast on radio.
Actor and comedian Bob Hope holds the record for the most frequent Oscar host with 19 appearances either solo or as co-host. For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Billy Crystal was synonymous with the Oscars, hosting on nine occasions, always bringing out his now-classic medley of songs that interpolated the titles of the Best Picture nominees for that year. Crystal’s fellow “Comic Relief” host Whoopi Goldberg made history twice when she...
Actor and comedian Bob Hope holds the record for the most frequent Oscar host with 19 appearances either solo or as co-host. For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, Billy Crystal was synonymous with the Oscars, hosting on nine occasions, always bringing out his now-classic medley of songs that interpolated the titles of the Best Picture nominees for that year. Crystal’s fellow “Comic Relief” host Whoopi Goldberg made history twice when she...
- 11/15/2023
- by Tony Ruiz, Chris Beachum and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
In its own way, Sol Saks' 1963 sitcom "Bewitched" was a subversive work. Inspired by movies like "I Married a Witch" (1942) and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957), "Bewitched" followed the everyday, quotidian, brightly-lit travails of a typical white suburban couple named Darrin Stephens and Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery).
The twist was that Samantha was a centuries-old witch, descended from a long line of magic-users. Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha's colorful mother, would occasionally drop in, as would her father Maurice (Maurice Evans from "Planet of the Apes"), and uncle Arthur (legendary comedian Paul Lynde). The witches and warlocks on the show would often attempt to drive a wedge between Samantha and Darrin, but their love would prevail in the end.
Beginning in the show's third season, the Stephens had their first child, Tabitha (Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy). In the sixth season, they were joined by baby Adam (David Lawrence and Greg Lawrence).
Sadly,...
The twist was that Samantha was a centuries-old witch, descended from a long line of magic-users. Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha's colorful mother, would occasionally drop in, as would her father Maurice (Maurice Evans from "Planet of the Apes"), and uncle Arthur (legendary comedian Paul Lynde). The witches and warlocks on the show would often attempt to drive a wedge between Samantha and Darrin, but their love would prevail in the end.
Beginning in the show's third season, the Stephens had their first child, Tabitha (Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy). In the sixth season, they were joined by baby Adam (David Lawrence and Greg Lawrence).
Sadly,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
You never knew exactly what you would get when "The Twilight Zone" began. The series — produced and largely written by celebrated Emmy-winning writer Rod Serling — was a loose collection of fantastical tales. Some were supernatural, some were science fiction. Some were comedies, and some were scary as hell.
It should come as little surprise that the "scary as hell" episodes are among the most memorable installments of the series. William Shatner's desperate screaming that there's a man on the wing of the plane in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was instantly iconic, and repeatedly remade. Agnes Moorehead silently fighting off an invading force of tiny homicidal aliens in "The Invaders" was strange and shocking, and seemingly set the stage for future "tiny monster" horror movies like "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "Gremlins."
But perhaps no "Twilight Zone" episode is more overwhelmingly terrifying than the one about a little kid with godlike powers.
It should come as little surprise that the "scary as hell" episodes are among the most memorable installments of the series. William Shatner's desperate screaming that there's a man on the wing of the plane in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was instantly iconic, and repeatedly remade. Agnes Moorehead silently fighting off an invading force of tiny homicidal aliens in "The Invaders" was strange and shocking, and seemingly set the stage for future "tiny monster" horror movies like "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "Gremlins."
But perhaps no "Twilight Zone" episode is more overwhelmingly terrifying than the one about a little kid with godlike powers.
- 10/15/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
"The Twilight Zone" may have been an anthology series that featured a new cast of actors every single week, but it had a star. Series creator Rod Serling, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter who personally wrote 92 episodes of the 156-episode series, was also the show's headliner. Every episode began with Serling introducing the story, teasing the unexpected ironies that would befall the latest characters. His pleasingly gravelly voice and serious business suit gave him an on-air authority usually reserved for news anchors, which gave a powerful legitimacy to the strange tales that were about to unfold.
Rod Serling was indelibly linked to "The Twilight Zone" in front of and behind the camera and was a driving force behind its bizarre tales of sci-fi and supernatural. So it might stand to reason that Serling, as a producer and a frontman for the series, wouldn't play favorites with the many episodes of the show.
Rod Serling was indelibly linked to "The Twilight Zone" in front of and behind the camera and was a driving force behind its bizarre tales of sci-fi and supernatural. So it might stand to reason that Serling, as a producer and a frontman for the series, wouldn't play favorites with the many episodes of the show.
- 9/27/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
It takes about 10 minutes of wordless character- and world-building to realize no one is really going to speak in No One Will Save You. It's a gimmick, certainly, but in the hands of writer-director Brian Duffield, it's also a high-concept window into a story about guilt and isolation. Since being released directly to Hulu on September 22, the film has been trending and attracting glowing reviews from critics and horror luminaries like Guillermo Del Toro and Stephen King.
No One Will Save You: Brilliant, daring, involving, scary. You have to go back over 60 years, to a Twilight Zone episode called "The Invaders," to find anything remotely like it.
Truly unique.
King's praise references a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Invaders," in which Agnes Moorehead plays a woman who has to fend off an alien invasion while alone and isolated in a nearly dialogue-free episode.
No One Will Save You: Brilliant, daring, involving, scary. You have to go back over 60 years, to a Twilight Zone episode called "The Invaders," to find anything remotely like it.
Truly unique.
King's praise references a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Invaders," in which Agnes Moorehead plays a woman who has to fend off an alien invasion while alone and isolated in a nearly dialogue-free episode.
- 9/26/2023
- by Joe Reid
- Primetimer
One of the reasons "The Twilight Zone" endures today is its uncanny ability to tell any kind of story. Even the most classic episodes often feel like they were made for completely different reasons, and only share between them a whiff of the uncanny or supernatural. "The Night of the Meek" is one of the sweetest, kindest episodes of television ever filmed. "The Eye of the Beholder" is one of the most daringly experimental and powerful.
But sooner or later, "The Twilight Zone" always comes back around to the realm of absolute terror. Godlike children transforming hapless adults into Jack-in-the-Boxes, man-eating aliens from outer space, paranoid suburbanites ripping each other to pieces ... there's a frightening episode of "The Twilight Zone" for just about anybody.
And one of the scariest they ever filmed took place in a tiny cabin, with only one actor — one of the greatest of her generation — and she never says a word.
But sooner or later, "The Twilight Zone" always comes back around to the realm of absolute terror. Godlike children transforming hapless adults into Jack-in-the-Boxes, man-eating aliens from outer space, paranoid suburbanites ripping each other to pieces ... there's a frightening episode of "The Twilight Zone" for just about anybody.
And one of the scariest they ever filmed took place in a tiny cabin, with only one actor — one of the greatest of her generation — and she never says a word.
- 9/18/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Since the fourth season of HBO’s “Succession” focuses on finally providing an answer as to whether Logan Roy’s media empire can survive in the hands of his three youngest children, it’s only fitting for the actors who play said offspring to now be on the same tier when it comes to awards consideration. Soon after former supporting Emmy nominee Kieran Culkin joined his TV brother (Jeremy Strong) and dad (Brian Cox) in submitting as a lead this year, Sarah Snook, who portrays youngest Roy sibling Shiv, followed suit. This move means she will very likely be counted among nine other women who each procured supporting and lead Emmy bids (in that order) for a single role on a single series.
As a featured “Succession” performer, Snook earned her first two TV academy notices in 2020 and 2022. She lost on both outings to “Ozark” actress Julia Garner, who she...
As a featured “Succession” performer, Snook earned her first two TV academy notices in 2020 and 2022. She lost on both outings to “Ozark” actress Julia Garner, who she...
- 5/25/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The Bat
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1959 / 1.85: 1 / 80 Min.
Starring Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price
Written by Crane Wilbur
Directed by Crane Wilbur
Crane Wilbur’s The Bat is a murder mystery starring Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price—but the real mystery is how Hollywood managed to pair these diabolically funny entertainers in only one film. They shared little to no screen time in 1951’s The Adventures of Captain Fabian and 1957’s The Story of Mankind, but in Wilbur’s mild-mannered horror show, Moorehead and Price are toe to toe—and generate enough chemistry for a dozen lovably corny crime thrillers just like The Bat.
Despite Price’s presence it’s Moorehead’s show; she plays Cornelia Van Gorder, a prolific mystery writer in the mode of Mary Roberts Rinehart—who, not coincidentally, wrote The Circular Staircase, the source material for the The Bat. As the no-nonsense Van Gorder, Moorehead’s steely...
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1959 / 1.85: 1 / 80 Min.
Starring Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price
Written by Crane Wilbur
Directed by Crane Wilbur
Crane Wilbur’s The Bat is a murder mystery starring Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price—but the real mystery is how Hollywood managed to pair these diabolically funny entertainers in only one film. They shared little to no screen time in 1951’s The Adventures of Captain Fabian and 1957’s The Story of Mankind, but in Wilbur’s mild-mannered horror show, Moorehead and Price are toe to toe—and generate enough chemistry for a dozen lovably corny crime thrillers just like The Bat.
Despite Price’s presence it’s Moorehead’s show; she plays Cornelia Van Gorder, a prolific mystery writer in the mode of Mary Roberts Rinehart—who, not coincidentally, wrote The Circular Staircase, the source material for the The Bat. As the no-nonsense Van Gorder, Moorehead’s steely...
- 10/22/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Cinedigm announced today that The Film Detective, the classic film restoration and streaming company, will release the late 1950s horror classic, The Bat (1959), on special-edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 25, 2022.
The predator has steel claws and rips his victims to shreds! But who is he? Vincent Price (House of Wax, The Last Man on Earth) thrills in this horror classic about a downtrodden country estate that becomes the site of a horrific murder. Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched, Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte) co-stars in this picture in one of her many commanding, on-screen performances. Other co-stars include Gavin Gordon (Murder by Invitation) and Darla Hood of the Our Gang comedies in her final film role.
Prolific writer/director Crane Wilbur (He Walked by Night, Crime Wave) helms this feature, alongside an impressive gallery of weirdos who are guaranteed to give you the creeps. Which of them is the mysterious killer known as “The Bat?...
The predator has steel claws and rips his victims to shreds! But who is he? Vincent Price (House of Wax, The Last Man on Earth) thrills in this horror classic about a downtrodden country estate that becomes the site of a horrific murder. Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched, Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte) co-stars in this picture in one of her many commanding, on-screen performances. Other co-stars include Gavin Gordon (Murder by Invitation) and Darla Hood of the Our Gang comedies in her final film role.
Prolific writer/director Crane Wilbur (He Walked by Night, Crime Wave) helms this feature, alongside an impressive gallery of weirdos who are guaranteed to give you the creeps. Which of them is the mysterious killer known as “The Bat?...
- 9/28/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Twice-Told Tales
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1963 / 1.66: 1 / 120 Min.
Starring Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Joyce Taylor
Written by Robert E. Kent
Directed by Sidney Salkow
Released in October of 1963, the first review of Sidney Salkow’s Twice-Told Tales appeared in 1623: “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.” That line from Shakespeare’s King John is a nice summation of Salkow’s horror anthology, an undernourished melodrama that finds its salvation in, no surprise, the reliably entertaining Vincent Price.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used that Shakespearean quip as the title of his own collection of reprinted material, published in March of 1837. The book had a cover price of one dollar, which might have been close to the budget for Salkow’s movie—a remarkably cheap-looking production, even for Admiral Pictures. The company, headed by Grant Whytock with funding from Edward Small, specialized in cutting corners—they even worked their chintzy magic on Roger Corman’s Tower of London,...
Blu-ray
Kino Lorber
1963 / 1.66: 1 / 120 Min.
Starring Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Joyce Taylor
Written by Robert E. Kent
Directed by Sidney Salkow
Released in October of 1963, the first review of Sidney Salkow’s Twice-Told Tales appeared in 1623: “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.” That line from Shakespeare’s King John is a nice summation of Salkow’s horror anthology, an undernourished melodrama that finds its salvation in, no surprise, the reliably entertaining Vincent Price.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used that Shakespearean quip as the title of his own collection of reprinted material, published in March of 1837. The book had a cover price of one dollar, which might have been close to the budget for Salkow’s movie—a remarkably cheap-looking production, even for Admiral Pictures. The company, headed by Grant Whytock with funding from Edward Small, specialized in cutting corners—they even worked their chintzy magic on Roger Corman’s Tower of London,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Of all fantasy sitcoms over the years, have any been more fantastic than Bewitched? Created by Sol Saks, the show starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a witch hiding in suburbia, while Dick York (initially) played her mortal husband, Darrin Stephens, and Agnes Moorehead played her magical mother, Endora. And the alchemy of talent in front of and behind the camera made the series a magical success for ABC: Bewitched ended its first season as the top show on the network and the No. 2 show on television. Bewitched ended after eight seasons on March 25, 1972, and to mark the 50th anniversary of that series finale, we’re rounding up fascinating facts about the show — from casting secrets to modern-day homages. Moorehead got the part of Endora after a chance encounter with Montgomery. Montgomery ran into the Oscar-nominated actress at a Bloomingdale’s department store and asked her if she had ever considered doing television.
- 3/23/2022
- TV Insider
With Margot Robbie attached to a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" feature, there is now talk of updating Milton Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip character 'Dragon Lady', based on 'Lai Choi San', a real woman pirate from the South China Sea :
Inspired by movie characters played by actress Anna May Wong, the 'Dragon Lady' term has since been applied to describe 'powerful women'.
Caniff's 'Dragon Lady', aka 'Madam Deal', debuted in in the first "Terry and The Pirates" Sunday strip story (1934), as a beautiful seductress, who fell in love with Terry's older sidekick 'Pat Ryan'.
In the years leading up to World War II, she became a force for good.
During the 1940's, actress Agnes Moorehead played the character on radio.
In the "Terry and the Pirates" film serial (1940), Dragon Lady was played by Sheila Darcy.
Click the images to enlarge... ...
Inspired by movie characters played by actress Anna May Wong, the 'Dragon Lady' term has since been applied to describe 'powerful women'.
Caniff's 'Dragon Lady', aka 'Madam Deal', debuted in in the first "Terry and The Pirates" Sunday strip story (1934), as a beautiful seductress, who fell in love with Terry's older sidekick 'Pat Ryan'.
In the years leading up to World War II, she became a force for good.
During the 1940's, actress Agnes Moorehead played the character on radio.
In the "Terry and the Pirates" film serial (1940), Dragon Lady was played by Sheila Darcy.
Click the images to enlarge... ...
- 2/22/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Our Oscar Volley series continues with Cláudio Alves and Nick Taylor doing a deep dive on a category near and dear to their hearts...
Nick: First, quick introductions! What drew us to this category, you ask? The Supporting Actress category was one of my favorite fields to rummage through when I was initially exploring the Oscars. Tilda Swinton, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandy Dennis, Thelma Ritter, Mo’Nique, Dianne Wiest, Agnes Moorehead - all led me to new ideas about film and performance I hadn’t dreamed of before then. Watching talented actresses carve out whole worlds from the corners of their films became one of my favorite things to search for in movies.
I have a very specific memory of discovering the Supporting Actress Smackdown after watching Kramer vs Kramer for the first time only a few weeks after the podcast on 1979 dropped and listening to the discussion with rapt attention. And...
Nick: First, quick introductions! What drew us to this category, you ask? The Supporting Actress category was one of my favorite fields to rummage through when I was initially exploring the Oscars. Tilda Swinton, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandy Dennis, Thelma Ritter, Mo’Nique, Dianne Wiest, Agnes Moorehead - all led me to new ideas about film and performance I hadn’t dreamed of before then. Watching talented actresses carve out whole worlds from the corners of their films became one of my favorite things to search for in movies.
I have a very specific memory of discovering the Supporting Actress Smackdown after watching Kramer vs Kramer for the first time only a few weeks after the podcast on 1979 dropped and listening to the discussion with rapt attention. And...
- 1/31/2022
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
A thousand releases down the line, Criterion gives us a special edition of the most creatively brilliant & innovative movie in history, as the label debuts selected 4K releases. It’s a four-disc set, with three Blu-rays that hold a huge quantity of well-chosen and well-produced extras. What can be said about Kane that hasn’t been debated decades ago? Our Declaration of Principles is to just try and tell the truth: we try a ‘civilian’ approach, sketching the film’s wonderments without assuming the reader is already a true believer in the Cinema God Orson Welles. Which Welles definitely is.
Citizen Kane 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1104
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 119 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 23, 2021 / 47.96
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Gregg Toland...
Citizen Kane 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1104
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 119 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 23, 2021 / 47.96
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Gregg Toland...
- 11/30/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hello, dear readers! Before those of us in the States get ready to gobble down our Thanksgiving dinners later this week, we have a brand new batch of horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases to look forward to first. One of this writer’s favorite films of all time, Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) is getting the 4K treatment from Kino Lorber this Tuesday, and Arrow Video is resurrecting both The Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch and Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge on Blu-ray as well (this is also very exciting news in my world). Arrow is also re-releasing a handful of other titles—The Cat O’ Nine Tails, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and C.H.U.D.—and the first season of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery is headed to Blu-ray as well.
Other releases for November 23rd include Chupa, Lair,...
Other releases for November 23rd include Chupa, Lair,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 70 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Actor, producer and director Norman Lloyd, best known for his title role in Hitchcock’s “Saboteur” and as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on NBC’s “St. Elsewhere” and famously associated with Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 106.
His friend, producer Dean Hargrove, confirmed his death and said “His third act was really the best time of his life,” referring to the many historical Hollywood retrospectives and events Lloyd had participated in over the past few decades. Lloyd often said his secret to his long and mostly illness-free life was “avoiding disagreeable people,” Hargrove recounted.
Lloyd was hand-picked by Alfred Hitchcock to play the title character and villain in 1942’s “Saboteur,” and it was his character who tumbled to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in the pic’s iconic conclusion.
But the hard-working multihyphenate gained his highest profile only...
His friend, producer Dean Hargrove, confirmed his death and said “His third act was really the best time of his life,” referring to the many historical Hollywood retrospectives and events Lloyd had participated in over the past few decades. Lloyd often said his secret to his long and mostly illness-free life was “avoiding disagreeable people,” Hargrove recounted.
Lloyd was hand-picked by Alfred Hitchcock to play the title character and villain in 1942’s “Saboteur,” and it was his character who tumbled to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in the pic’s iconic conclusion.
But the hard-working multihyphenate gained his highest profile only...
- 5/11/2021
- by Laura Haefner
- Variety Film + TV
By Tim McGlynn
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
- 3/9/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Tim McGlynn
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
- 3/9/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Peering into the past through the rosiest of glasses, Pollyanna is the dream child of two dedicated nostalgists, Walt Disney and writer/director David Swift. Considering the sentimental story line—a young orphan charms a morose midwestern town with her “glad game”—the film is even-tempered and never bathetic, thanks mainly to 13-year old Hayley Mills, a natural actress if ever there was one. The wonderful little lady is surrounded by a cast of sturdy pros including Jane Wyman, Richard Egan, and a memorable turn by Agnes Moorehead as the town’s head crank.
The post Pollyanna appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Pollyanna appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 11/27/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
With Margot Robbie attached to a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" feature, there is now talk of updating Milton Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip character 'Dragon Lady', based on 'Lai Choi San', a real woman pirate from the South China Sea :
Inspired by movie characters played by actress Anna May Wong, the 'Dragon Lady' term has since been applied to describe 'powerful women'.
Caniff's 'Dragon Lady', aka 'Madam Deal', debuted in in the first "Terry and The Pirates" Sunday strip story (1934), as a beautiful seductress, who fell in love with Terry's older sidekick 'Pat Ryan'.
In the years leading up to World War II, she became a force for good.
During the 1940's, actress Agnes Moorehead played the character on radio.
In the "Terry and the Pirates" film serial (1940), Dragon Lady was played by Sheila Darcy.
Click the images to enlarge... ...
Inspired by movie characters played by actress Anna May Wong, the 'Dragon Lady' term has since been applied to describe 'powerful women'.
Caniff's 'Dragon Lady', aka 'Madam Deal', debuted in in the first "Terry and The Pirates" Sunday strip story (1934), as a beautiful seductress, who fell in love with Terry's older sidekick 'Pat Ryan'.
In the years leading up to World War II, she became a force for good.
During the 1940's, actress Agnes Moorehead played the character on radio.
In the "Terry and the Pirates" film serial (1940), Dragon Lady was played by Sheila Darcy.
Click the images to enlarge... ...
- 11/9/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
That haunting line opened Daphne Du Maurier’s treasured 1938 romantic thriller “Rebecca,” which was published in 1938. Lauded by critics, it quickly became a best-seller and has been in print ever since. And for good reason.
Du Maurier wraps readers around her little finger with this addictive tale of a timid young woman-her name is never mentioned-who meets and falls in love with an enigmatic wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, while in Monte Carlo working as a paid companion to the obnoxious American, Mrs. Van Hopper. Max and the young woman soon fall in love. They marry and he takes her home to his gothic estate Manderley run with an iron-fist by the tightly wound housekeeper Mrs. Danvers who is obsessed with the late, charismatic Rebecca, the late wife of Maxim.
Two years after its publication, “Gone with the Wind” producer David O. Selznick...
That haunting line opened Daphne Du Maurier’s treasured 1938 romantic thriller “Rebecca,” which was published in 1938. Lauded by critics, it quickly became a best-seller and has been in print ever since. And for good reason.
Du Maurier wraps readers around her little finger with this addictive tale of a timid young woman-her name is never mentioned-who meets and falls in love with an enigmatic wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, while in Monte Carlo working as a paid companion to the obnoxious American, Mrs. Van Hopper. Max and the young woman soon fall in love. They marry and he takes her home to his gothic estate Manderley run with an iron-fist by the tightly wound housekeeper Mrs. Danvers who is obsessed with the late, charismatic Rebecca, the late wife of Maxim.
Two years after its publication, “Gone with the Wind” producer David O. Selznick...
- 10/22/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
This CinemaScope musical remake of 1939’s The Women is highly watchable, especially in this flawless digital remaster. The actresses that bare their claws, compete for husbands and just plain cat-fight are a choice batch, with favorites from the ’50s the ’40s the ’30s — plus a few wildflowers that bloomed cinematically for only a few years (Dolores Gray) and one that somehow managed immortality (Joan Collins). It’s highly watchable despite, or maybe because of, its criminally outdated recipe for marital bliss. Did women really go for this fantasy — did anybody ever really live like this?
The Opposite Sex
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, Sam Levene, Alice Pearce, Barbara Jo Allen, Sandy Descher, Carolyn Jones, Jerry Antes, Harry James, Art Mooney,...
The Opposite Sex
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, Sam Levene, Alice Pearce, Barbara Jo Allen, Sandy Descher, Carolyn Jones, Jerry Antes, Harry James, Art Mooney,...
- 10/20/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 69 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).
Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...
- 10/15/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Jen and Judy have one more thing between them, but this one is no secret at all. “Dead to Me” stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini both scored Best Comedy Actress Emmy nominations Tuesday, joining a short list of co-stars to be nominated in the same year.
The two are just the seventh pair to be shortlisted together (for a total of 13 sets of nominations) since 1966, when the Emmys established the category as we know it. The most recent duo was “Grace and Frankie’s” Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 2017. The only other instance this century occurred in 2005 when “Desperate Housewives” bagged three spots for Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman. The trio broke through 16 years after another trio — “The Golden Girls'” Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White — notched the last of their four straight nominations together in 1989.
This is the sixth Emmy nomination for Applegate, who...
The two are just the seventh pair to be shortlisted together (for a total of 13 sets of nominations) since 1966, when the Emmys established the category as we know it. The most recent duo was “Grace and Frankie’s” Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 2017. The only other instance this century occurred in 2005 when “Desperate Housewives” bagged three spots for Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman. The trio broke through 16 years after another trio — “The Golden Girls'” Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Betty White — notched the last of their four straight nominations together in 1989.
This is the sixth Emmy nomination for Applegate, who...
- 7/28/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
by Nick Taylor
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
One way to search for great performances outside of Oscar's history books is merely to check in on what the great character actresses of their day were busy doing besides not getting their due. In 1947 just to cite a few examples, You couldn’t go wrong with Mary Astor, warm and sympathetic as the mother of sickly Liz Taylor in Cynthia, and even better at nimbly flipping through the morally compromised history of a saloon-owner afraid her daughter will run away with a dangerous man in Desert Fury. There’s also Elsa Lanchester as the housemaid in The Bishop’s Wife, so piquantly observant in a role that often invites stooging. But if we’re talking supporting actresses, surely the first stop for anyone seeking out the heavies of Classic Hollywood is Agnes Moorehead. Moorehead’s performances n Dark Passage and The Lost Moment were my first stops...
- 5/21/2020
- by Nick Taylor
- FilmExperience
The Bat
Blu ray
The Film Detective
1959 / 1.85:1/ 80 min.
Starring Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead
Cinematography by Joseph Biroc
Directed by Crane Wilbur
Released during the dog days of summer in August of 1959, The Bat was an air-conditioned summer treat for the eight year-old unprepared for a blood and thunder horror movie – even if this mild thriller does star that consummate killer Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead as a novelist who dabbles in murder – the more gruesome, the better.
Price plays Malcolm Wells, a small-town doctor who’s just witnessed the confession of one John Fleming, a larcenous bank president who’s embezzled a fortune from his own vault. Knowing an opportunity when he sees it, Wells promptly shoots Fleming and sets off to find the loot, hidden in a creaky mansion called The Oaks. Waiting for him is Cornelia Van Gorder (Moorehead), a specialist in pulp fiction unaware that the...
Blu ray
The Film Detective
1959 / 1.85:1/ 80 min.
Starring Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead
Cinematography by Joseph Biroc
Directed by Crane Wilbur
Released during the dog days of summer in August of 1959, The Bat was an air-conditioned summer treat for the eight year-old unprepared for a blood and thunder horror movie – even if this mild thriller does star that consummate killer Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead as a novelist who dabbles in murder – the more gruesome, the better.
Price plays Malcolm Wells, a small-town doctor who’s just witnessed the confession of one John Fleming, a larcenous bank president who’s embezzled a fortune from his own vault. Knowing an opportunity when he sees it, Wells promptly shoots Fleming and sets off to find the loot, hidden in a creaky mansion called The Oaks. Waiting for him is Cornelia Van Gorder (Moorehead), a specialist in pulp fiction unaware that the...
- 5/12/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Last year, Christina Applegate earned a surprise Best Comedy Actress Emmy nomination for her then-new show “Dead to Me,” while her leading lady co-star Linda Cardellini was left out in a cold. But the pair may have double to celebrate this year as Cardellini has just entered the top six in sixth place in our odds, setting the stage for them to be just the 13th pair of co-stars to be nominated in the category and just the third in 31 years.
Since the Emmys established genre-specific categories in 1966, these are the only times co-stars have been nominated for Best Comedy Actress in the same year:
1. Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead, “Bewitched” (1967)
2. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1978)
3. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1980) (Damon won)
4. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1981)
5. Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James, “Kate & Allie” (1984) (Curtin won)
6. Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James, “Kate & Allie” (1985) (Curtin won)
7. Bea Arthur,...
Since the Emmys established genre-specific categories in 1966, these are the only times co-stars have been nominated for Best Comedy Actress in the same year:
1. Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead, “Bewitched” (1967)
2. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1978)
3. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1980) (Damon won)
4. Cathryn Damon and Katherine Helmond, “Soap” (1981)
5. Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James, “Kate & Allie” (1984) (Curtin won)
6. Jane Curtin and Susan Saint James, “Kate & Allie” (1985) (Curtin won)
7. Bea Arthur,...
- 4/28/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
“I Love Lucy” is the subject of a heartfelt tribute from “Will & Grace” on April 9. In “We Love Lucy,” Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) each imagine themselves as Lucy Ricardo opposite Will (Eric McCormack) as her hubby Ricky. Part of the fun is seeing this trio of talent also play Fred and Ethel in various combinations.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”
Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.
- 4/9/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
We have a relatively quiet week of home media releases ahead of us this week, but the titles that are coming out are a rad bunch of films nonetheless. Scream Factory is doing the Dark Lord’s work with both the Collector’s Edition of April Fool’s Day and the HD release of Frankenstein: The True Story. If you missed it in theaters back in January, Nicolas Pesce’s The Grudge (2020) is headed to various platforms this Tuesday, and Arrow Video has put together a stellar Special Edition release of Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Noon as well.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
- 3/23/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Based on Mary Shelley’s timeless novel Frankenstein, Jack Smight's Frankenstein: The True Story is coming to Blu-ray on March 24th from Scream Factory, and ahead of its release, we've been provided with the full list of bonus features and a look at the cover art:
Press Release: Get ready to experience the horror and suspense of the timeless Frankenstein story. On March 24, 2020, Scream Factory™ will unleash the epic horror classic Frankenstein: The True Story on Blu-ray. Directed by Jack Smight and teleplay by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, this gruesome, heart-pounding thriller features an incredible cast, including James Mason, Leonard Whiting (Romeo & Juliet), David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett (An Awfully Big Adventure), Michael Sarrazin, and Agnes Moorehead. Frankenstein: The True Story retells Mary Shelley’s unforgettable story. Victor Frankenstein’s medical experiments result in the shocking discovery that he can revive the dead. But when the...
Press Release: Get ready to experience the horror and suspense of the timeless Frankenstein story. On March 24, 2020, Scream Factory™ will unleash the epic horror classic Frankenstein: The True Story on Blu-ray. Directed by Jack Smight and teleplay by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy, this gruesome, heart-pounding thriller features an incredible cast, including James Mason, Leonard Whiting (Romeo & Juliet), David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett (An Awfully Big Adventure), Michael Sarrazin, and Agnes Moorehead. Frankenstein: The True Story retells Mary Shelley’s unforgettable story. Victor Frankenstein’s medical experiments result in the shocking discovery that he can revive the dead. But when the...
- 2/13/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Going into this year’s Golden Globes, Jennifer Lopez is currently predicted to win Best Film Supporting Actress with 69/20 odds in Gold Derby’s combined predictions for her performance in this past summer’s box office hit, “Hustlers.” On paper, you’d think the Hollywood Foreign Press Association would easily do that in a heartbeat, like how they awarded Sylvester Stallone Best Film Supporting Actor in 2015 for “Creed.” However, what may not bode well for Lopez’s chances is the fact that she is the only recognition the film itself received from the Golden Globes.
To date, only seven contenders have won this award as their film’s lone nomination: Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not There”), Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”), Dianne Wiest (“Bullets Over Broadway”), Brenda Vaccaro (“Once is Not Enough”), Agnes Moorehead and Janet Leigh (“Psycho”). Can JLo overcome that important stat to become the eighth?
SEEWill Jennifer...
To date, only seven contenders have won this award as their film’s lone nomination: Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not There”), Angelina Jolie, Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”), Dianne Wiest (“Bullets Over Broadway”), Brenda Vaccaro (“Once is Not Enough”), Agnes Moorehead and Janet Leigh (“Psycho”). Can JLo overcome that important stat to become the eighth?
SEEWill Jennifer...
- 12/26/2019
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
“Marriage Story” looks like the only Oscar contender this season with a plausible shot at earning nominations in all four acting races, in large part because it’s one of the few films in the conversation with male and female co-leads. Only 15 other movies have accomplished that feat, which would make “Marriage” the 16th. But it’s even more impressive when you consider that it has only happened twice in the last 37 years.
According to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users, “Marriage Story” is a reasonably safe bet for Best Actress (Scarlett Johansson as an actress filing for divorce), Best Actor (Adam Driver as her husband fighting to retain custody of their son) and Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern as Johansson’s lawyer). That leaves Best Supporting Actor, where Alan Alda is a contender for playing Driver’s kindly but out-of-his-depth attorney, but he’s an underdog according to...
According to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users, “Marriage Story” is a reasonably safe bet for Best Actress (Scarlett Johansson as an actress filing for divorce), Best Actor (Adam Driver as her husband fighting to retain custody of their son) and Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern as Johansson’s lawyer). That leaves Best Supporting Actor, where Alan Alda is a contender for playing Driver’s kindly but out-of-his-depth attorney, but he’s an underdog according to...
- 12/18/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
In September and October 1970, Nashville songwriter, producer, music publisher and record-label executive “Cowboy” Jack Clement added independent film producer to his long list of credits, as he and a New York-Hollywood film crew descended upon the grounds of a sprawling estate in the tony Nashville suburb of Brentwood and set about making a low-budget horror flick called Dear Dead Delilah. Seen as a logical extension of his J-m-i Records label, which had launched in late summer 1971, the Motion Picture Division was formed – and its first project secured – well before Clement...
- 10/31/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
In today’s film news roundup, Fathom Events has set a one-night showing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “The Twilight Zone” and “Lazy Susan” and “Liberte” get distribution.
Anniversary Show
Fathom Events and CBS Home Entertainment have scheduled a Nov. 14 showing for “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” at more than 600 North American cinemas.
The shows will combine digitally restored versions of six episodes with an all-new documentary short titled “Remembering Rod Serling” about the life, imagination and creativity of the show’s creator. It’s the first time that original episodes of the series, which ran from 1959 to 1964, have been presented on the big screen.
Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said, “‘The Twilight Zone’ has inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, so it is a great honor to be able to bring these classic stories to the big screen, and to offer such an incisive look into the...
Anniversary Show
Fathom Events and CBS Home Entertainment have scheduled a Nov. 14 showing for “The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration” at more than 600 North American cinemas.
The shows will combine digitally restored versions of six episodes with an all-new documentary short titled “Remembering Rod Serling” about the life, imagination and creativity of the show’s creator. It’s the first time that original episodes of the series, which ran from 1959 to 1964, have been presented on the big screen.
Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said, “‘The Twilight Zone’ has inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, so it is a great honor to be able to bring these classic stories to the big screen, and to offer such an incisive look into the...
- 9/26/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
One of the strangest ‘uplifting moral tales’ of the 1950s was a huge hit, and launched Rock Hudson as a major star. Criterion’s deluxe presentation puts it on a par with world cinema, mawkish Kitsch-o-Rama and all. Comes with a restored copy of the slightly less head-spinning 1935 version, too. Co-stars Jane Wyman, Barbara Rush, Agnes Moorehead, and Otto Kruger, whose moral guidance has something to do with ‘contacting one’s power source.’ Oh, it’s about recharging my iPhone!
Magnificent Obsession
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 457
1954 / Color / 2.00:1 anamorphic widescreen / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 20, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Agnes Moorehead, Otto Kruger.
Cinematography: Russell Metty
Film Editor: Milton Carruth
Original Music: Frank Skinner
Written by Robert Blees from an original screenplay by Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason, George O’Neil from the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas
Produced by Ross Hunter
Directed...
Magnificent Obsession
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 457
1954 / Color / 2.00:1 anamorphic widescreen / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date August 20, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Agnes Moorehead, Otto Kruger.
Cinematography: Russell Metty
Film Editor: Milton Carruth
Original Music: Frank Skinner
Written by Robert Blees from an original screenplay by Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason, George O’Neil from the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas
Produced by Ross Hunter
Directed...
- 9/3/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.”
Citizen Kane comes to life on the big screen Monday August 5th as part of the ‘Classics on the Loop’ series. Showtimes are 4pm and 7pm. Admission is $7.A Facebook invite can be found Here
Citizen Kane (1941) Directed by Orson Welles Shown from left, front: George Coulouris, Buddy Swan; rear: Harry Shannon, Agnes Moorehead
Is Citizen Kane the greatest film ever made? On a technical level, it may as well be. It’s at least the most groundbreaking film ever made. On a storytelling level, it’s an amazing achievement itself in that Orson Welles used such avant-garde techniques yet maintained an engrossing story. It’s a film full of contradictions and works perfectly because of them. Its over-the-top yet subtle,...
Citizen Kane comes to life on the big screen Monday August 5th as part of the ‘Classics on the Loop’ series. Showtimes are 4pm and 7pm. Admission is $7.A Facebook invite can be found Here
Citizen Kane (1941) Directed by Orson Welles Shown from left, front: George Coulouris, Buddy Swan; rear: Harry Shannon, Agnes Moorehead
Is Citizen Kane the greatest film ever made? On a technical level, it may as well be. It’s at least the most groundbreaking film ever made. On a storytelling level, it’s an amazing achievement itself in that Orson Welles used such avant-garde techniques yet maintained an engrossing story. It’s a film full of contradictions and works perfectly because of them. Its over-the-top yet subtle,...
- 8/5/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
1995: The exorcism of Days of our Lives' Marlena began.
1997: General Hospital's Monica wanted to shoot Pierce.
2001: All My Children's Anna heard her daughter's voice.
2006: Days of our Lives' Sami met Ej Dimera."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1938: Radio soap opera Joyce Jordan, M.D. debuted on the Mutual Network. Elspeth Eric was the original actress to play Joyce, who worked at Heights Hospital. Other cast members during the show's run included Bill Johnstone and Agnes Moorehead. Note: Three decades later...
1997: General Hospital's Monica wanted to shoot Pierce.
2001: All My Children's Anna heard her daughter's voice.
2006: Days of our Lives' Sami met Ej Dimera."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1938: Radio soap opera Joyce Jordan, M.D. debuted on the Mutual Network. Elspeth Eric was the original actress to play Joyce, who worked at Heights Hospital. Other cast members during the show's run included Bill Johnstone and Agnes Moorehead. Note: Three decades later...
- 5/30/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
The House of the Seven Gables
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / 1:33:1 / 89 Min.
Starring Margaret Lindsay, Vincent Price, George Sanders
Written by Lester Cole
Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner
Directed by Joe May
In 1940’s The House of the Seven Gables, Margaret Lindsay transforms from sunny romantic to stone-faced recluse in the blink of an eye – her startling performance gives a 20th century hot foot to Universal’s 19th century melodrama.
Published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is set during the new era of enlightenment – a superstitious few may resist but the wheels of change are turning – just not fast enough for the Pyncheon family, a seemingly cursed dynasty plagued by corruption and cruelty.
Lindsay plays Hepzibah Pyncheon whose lover Clifford has been framed by his brother Jaffrey for the death of their father. A cold-blooded fop maintaining the family’s avaricious tradition, Jaffrey covets the distinctly gabled ancestral home and its hidden treasures.
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1940 / 1:33:1 / 89 Min.
Starring Margaret Lindsay, Vincent Price, George Sanders
Written by Lester Cole
Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner
Directed by Joe May
In 1940’s The House of the Seven Gables, Margaret Lindsay transforms from sunny romantic to stone-faced recluse in the blink of an eye – her startling performance gives a 20th century hot foot to Universal’s 19th century melodrama.
Published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is set during the new era of enlightenment – a superstitious few may resist but the wheels of change are turning – just not fast enough for the Pyncheon family, a seemingly cursed dynasty plagued by corruption and cruelty.
Lindsay plays Hepzibah Pyncheon whose lover Clifford has been framed by his brother Jaffrey for the death of their father. A cold-blooded fop maintaining the family’s avaricious tradition, Jaffrey covets the distinctly gabled ancestral home and its hidden treasures.
- 5/11/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
St. Louis Legends Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead in The Bat this Thursday at Schlafly Bottleworks
“In my report I shall state that death was caused by a stunning blow followed by severe laceration and hemorrhage.”
The Bat (1959) starring St. Louis Legends Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead screens Thursday March 14th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks. The film will be hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here.
Join us this Thursday for a for a shadowy tale of mystery, murder and mayhem!
A remake of a 1926 silent movie, The Bat stars St. Louis-born legends Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. Ms Moorehead plays Cornelia Van Gorder, a mystery writer staying at a remote mansion with her loyal assistant. A notorious prowler who is looking for some loot soon terrorizes the women. (He’s called the “Bat” because of his mask and clawed gloves that he uses to kill his victims with.) Meanwhile, a million...
The Bat (1959) starring St. Louis Legends Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead screens Thursday March 14th at 7:00pm at Schlafly Bottleworks. The film will be hosted by We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here.
Join us this Thursday for a for a shadowy tale of mystery, murder and mayhem!
A remake of a 1926 silent movie, The Bat stars St. Louis-born legends Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead. Ms Moorehead plays Cornelia Van Gorder, a mystery writer staying at a remote mansion with her loyal assistant. A notorious prowler who is looking for some loot soon terrorizes the women. (He’s called the “Bat” because of his mask and clawed gloves that he uses to kill his victims with.) Meanwhile, a million...
- 3/10/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fiery dame Susan Hayward carries this far-flung ‘women’s epic’ to delirious romantic extremes, as her Irish heroine defies nature and exploits admirers to claim the hunky Dutchman of her dreams. Using apartheid-ridden South Africa as a background for a cheerful white conquest wasn’t as touchy an idea in 1955 as it is now, but it should have been. Just the same, Henry King’s film is an impressive production from the early years of CinemaScope.
Untamed
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date January 22, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan, John Justin, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O’Neill, Eleanor Audley, Kevin Corcoran, Philip Van Zandt.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Barbara McLean
Original Music: Franz Waxman
Visual Effects: Ray Kellogg, Matthew Yuricich
Written by Talbot Jennings, Frank Fenton, Michael Blankfort, William A. Bacher from a novel by Helga Moray.
Untamed
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date January 22, 2019 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan, John Justin, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O’Neill, Eleanor Audley, Kevin Corcoran, Philip Van Zandt.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Barbara McLean
Original Music: Franz Waxman
Visual Effects: Ray Kellogg, Matthew Yuricich
Written by Talbot Jennings, Frank Fenton, Michael Blankfort, William A. Bacher from a novel by Helga Moray.
- 2/16/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“You know, it’s wonderful when guys like you lose out. Makes guys like me think maybe we got a chance in this world.”
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Dark Passage screens at Webster University Tuesday February 12th. The screening will be at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here. This is the third of four Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall collaborations screening at Webster in February. The final film will be Key Largo Feb 26th. Look for more coverage of this great Bogey and Bacall film series here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming weeks.
Dark Passage (1947) was the third of the four Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall pairings of the 40s. It’s the least remembered, but it’s great entertainment and Bacall and Bogart really steam up the screen. The movie starts off brilliantly,...
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Dark Passage screens at Webster University Tuesday February 12th. The screening will be at 7:30 at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here. This is the third of four Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall collaborations screening at Webster in February. The final film will be Key Largo Feb 26th. Look for more coverage of this great Bogey and Bacall film series here at We Are Movie Geeks in the coming weeks.
Dark Passage (1947) was the third of the four Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall pairings of the 40s. It’s the least remembered, but it’s great entertainment and Bacall and Bogart really steam up the screen. The movie starts off brilliantly,...
- 2/13/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nicholas Ray’s CinemaScope detour into outlaw Americana is yet another sincere artistic effort muffled by studio interference. Ray sought to examine a legend in terms of folklore and celebrity. Fox just wanted a cheap remake of its 1939 hit and undermined the director all the way. It’s a potentially great film marred by clumsy reshoots and re-edits.
The True Story of Jesse James
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date November 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange, Agnes Moorehead, Alan Hale Jr., Alan Baxter, John Carradine, Rachel Stephens, Barney Phillips, Biff Elliot, Frank Overton, Barry Atwater, Marian Seldes, Chubby Johnson, Frank Gorshin, Carl Thayler, John Doucette, Ken Clark, Anthony Ray, Gene Roth, Sumner Williams, Carleton Young.
Cinematography: Joe MacDonald
Original Music: Leigh Harline
Written by Walter Newman, based on an earlier screenplay by Nunnally Johnson
Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr....
The True Story of Jesse James
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date November 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange, Agnes Moorehead, Alan Hale Jr., Alan Baxter, John Carradine, Rachel Stephens, Barney Phillips, Biff Elliot, Frank Overton, Barry Atwater, Marian Seldes, Chubby Johnson, Frank Gorshin, Carl Thayler, John Doucette, Ken Clark, Anthony Ray, Gene Roth, Sumner Williams, Carleton Young.
Cinematography: Joe MacDonald
Original Music: Leigh Harline
Written by Walter Newman, based on an earlier screenplay by Nunnally Johnson
Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr....
- 12/22/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hollywood’s most tragic ‘mangled masterpiece’ gets a new lease on life with this special edition of what could have been Orson Welles’ greatest film, had Rko not intentionally destroyed it to sully the stature of the unlucky Boy Genius. The movie can’t be reconstructed but its reputation can be restored — the story of the demise of a powerful industrial family would have been a dramatic powerhouse, perhaps more impressive than Citizen Kane.
The Magnificent Ambersons
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 952
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 88 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 27, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Richard Bennett.
Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Film Editor: Robert Wise
Original Music: Bernard Herrmann
From the novel by Booth Tarkington
Screenplay, Production and Direction by Orson Welles
Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons is probably the most mourned ‘lost’ title in American film history.
The Magnificent Ambersons
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 952
1942 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 88 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 27, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Richard Bennett.
Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Film Editor: Robert Wise
Original Music: Bernard Herrmann
From the novel by Booth Tarkington
Screenplay, Production and Direction by Orson Welles
Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons is probably the most mourned ‘lost’ title in American film history.
- 12/18/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Agnes Moorehead, Orson Welles | Written by Orson Welles, Booth Tarkington (novel) | Directed by Orson Welles
Aka the film that Orson Welles made after Citizen Kane, and which has become synonymous with studio interference. Perhaps an hour of footage was slashed and burned, hence the 90-minute version we are left with. Though, even without the full vision of Welles, it’s a cracking piece of cinema.
On the surface The Magnificent Ambersons is a simple story of youthful jealousy and impudence. It’s the early 20th century, and the western world is on the cusp of an automobile revolution. 20-year-old George (Tim Holt) doesn’t see it as such – he just sees an opportunistic businessman named Eugene (Joseph Cotton) trying to seduce his lonely mother, Isabel (Dolores Costello).
George has no great ambitions of his own. What use are ambitions when he...
Aka the film that Orson Welles made after Citizen Kane, and which has become synonymous with studio interference. Perhaps an hour of footage was slashed and burned, hence the 90-minute version we are left with. Though, even without the full vision of Welles, it’s a cracking piece of cinema.
On the surface The Magnificent Ambersons is a simple story of youthful jealousy and impudence. It’s the early 20th century, and the western world is on the cusp of an automobile revolution. 20-year-old George (Tim Holt) doesn’t see it as such – he just sees an opportunistic businessman named Eugene (Joseph Cotton) trying to seduce his lonely mother, Isabel (Dolores Costello).
George has no great ambitions of his own. What use are ambitions when he...
- 12/13/2018
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
This article marks Part 2 of the Gold Derby series reflecting on Horror Films at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the spine-tingling movies that earned Academy Awards nominations, including the following films from the 1960s and 1970s.
Alfred Hitchcock‘s “Psycho” (1960) was met with enormous critical and commercial success upon release emerging the second-highest grossing film of the year, just behind Stanley Kubrick‘s “Spartacus.” Alas, the film was also greeted to a somewhat cool reception at the Oscars. “Psycho” did muster four nominations, in Best Director (Hitchcock’s fifth and final career bid), Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Notably absent was Anthony Perkins, unforgettable as Norman Bates. Leigh, who won the Golden Globe for her performance, was ultimately defeated by Shirley Jones (“Elmer Gantry”). The film also failed to win on any of its other three nominations.
The following year,...
Alfred Hitchcock‘s “Psycho” (1960) was met with enormous critical and commercial success upon release emerging the second-highest grossing film of the year, just behind Stanley Kubrick‘s “Spartacus.” Alas, the film was also greeted to a somewhat cool reception at the Oscars. “Psycho” did muster four nominations, in Best Director (Hitchcock’s fifth and final career bid), Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Notably absent was Anthony Perkins, unforgettable as Norman Bates. Leigh, who won the Golden Globe for her performance, was ultimately defeated by Shirley Jones (“Elmer Gantry”). The film also failed to win on any of its other three nominations.
The following year,...
- 10/22/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
The matriarchal psychodramas of the ’60s bled into the ’70s with alliteration-laden (and questioning) efforts such as Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, What’s the Matter With Helen?, and the sole directorial effort from noted horror author John Farris, Dear Dead Delilah (1972). Vinegar Syndrome has brought this entertaining Southern Gothic back from the grave with a solid new Blu-ray release that's sure to please fans of ripe, pithy dialogue and surprising splatter.
Dear Dead Delilah starts out with the reveal that teenaged Luddy has murdered her mom because she didn’t want her heading out to see any fellas; we then flash forward 25 years and a now middle-aged Luddy (Patricia Carmichael – Petticoat Junction) has been released from the sanitarium; walking around, she is hit by a stray football in a park belonging to a member of the wealthy Charles clan, and whisked back to their estate. There Luddy is introduced to the family,...
Dear Dead Delilah starts out with the reveal that teenaged Luddy has murdered her mom because she didn’t want her heading out to see any fellas; we then flash forward 25 years and a now middle-aged Luddy (Patricia Carmichael – Petticoat Junction) has been released from the sanitarium; walking around, she is hit by a stray football in a park belonging to a member of the wealthy Charles clan, and whisked back to their estate. There Luddy is introduced to the family,...
- 9/14/2018
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Classic monster movies fans, get those wallets ready, because Tuesday has plenty of awesomeness on tap for you that you’re not going to want to miss out on. Universal Studios Home Entertainment has an abundance of titles arriving on August 28th, led by their brand new Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection, as well as the Complete Legacy Collections for both the original The Creature From the Black Lagoon and The Invisible Man film series.
As if that wasn’t enough, Universal is also reissuing a bunch of other titles, including four different Child’s Play sequels, three Psycho follow-ups, and the latest from Leigh Whannell, Upgrade, featuring Logan Marshall-Green doing all sorts of badass things to a bunch of bad guys.
Scream Factory has given the cult classic Brainscan the HD treatment this week, Mvd is shining the spotlight on Bram Stoker’s Shadowbuilder with their Blu/DVD combo pack,...
As if that wasn’t enough, Universal is also reissuing a bunch of other titles, including four different Child’s Play sequels, three Psycho follow-ups, and the latest from Leigh Whannell, Upgrade, featuring Logan Marshall-Green doing all sorts of badass things to a bunch of bad guys.
Scream Factory has given the cult classic Brainscan the HD treatment this week, Mvd is shining the spotlight on Bram Stoker’s Shadowbuilder with their Blu/DVD combo pack,...
- 8/28/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
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