Imagine, if you will, a sleepy small town. The people who live there are hard-working, stubborn, and most of all, suspicious of outsiders. Enter one Bob Majors, a newspaperman from New York. Majors is a man of progress and change, but he's about to come up against a social wall the likes of which he's never seen. It's the kind of obstacle that can only be found in ... well, not "The Twilight Zone."
You might have read that description in the voice of famed "Twilight Zone" creator-narrator Rod Serling, but it's actually the premise of a totally different show in which Serling appeared — reportedly in his first non-narrator acting role — for just one episode in the early 1960s. The series was "Ichabod and Me," a poorly-received and short-lived series whose history is chronicled in David C. Tucker's book "Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television." The sitcom...
You might have read that description in the voice of famed "Twilight Zone" creator-narrator Rod Serling, but it's actually the premise of a totally different show in which Serling appeared — reportedly in his first non-narrator acting role — for just one episode in the early 1960s. The series was "Ichabod and Me," a poorly-received and short-lived series whose history is chronicled in David C. Tucker's book "Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television." The sitcom...
- 1/20/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Mafia-related murders. An improbable constellation of 20th-century icons. Belated accessibility to the public after decades of obscurity. Are we talking about the JFK assassination or Winter Kills, William Richert’s 1979 film inspired by it?
Adapted from Richard Condon’s 1974 novel, the film flamed out on its initial release for many of the usual reasons: a troubled production, the short-sightedness of critics, and a willingness on the part of the filmmakers to potentially confuse, alienate, or offend audiences of the day. But even if you don’t go in with a conspiratorial mindset, one viewing of this riotously entertaining, chillingly perceptive film could leave you wondering if some larger force is at play, protecting the targets of this should-be New Hollywood classic by keeping it in the dark after all this time.
The history of Winter Kills is nearly as lurid and tangled as the conspiracy it depicts. Unable to secure...
Adapted from Richard Condon’s 1974 novel, the film flamed out on its initial release for many of the usual reasons: a troubled production, the short-sightedness of critics, and a willingness on the part of the filmmakers to potentially confuse, alienate, or offend audiences of the day. But even if you don’t go in with a conspiratorial mindset, one viewing of this riotously entertaining, chillingly perceptive film could leave you wondering if some larger force is at play, protecting the targets of this should-be New Hollywood classic by keeping it in the dark after all this time.
The history of Winter Kills is nearly as lurid and tangled as the conspiracy it depicts. Unable to secure...
- 8/8/2023
- by Brad Hanford
- Slant Magazine
Click here to read the full article.
William Richert, the maverick writer-director behind the Jeff Bridges-starring conspiracy thriller Winter Kills and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which gave River Phoenix his first leading role, has died. He was 79.
Richert died Tuesday at his home in Portland, Oregon, his wife, Gretchen, told The Hollywood Reporter. She would not disclosed the cause of death but said he chose to use Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act.
Richert’s résumé also included co-writing The Happy Hooker (1975), starring Lynn Redgrave as celebrity madam Xaviera Hollander, and a pair of Ivan Passer-directed films: Law and Disorder (1974), starring Carroll O’Connor and Ernest Borgnine, and Crime and Passion (1976), starring Omar Sharif and Karen Black.
A black comedy take on the mystery surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination, Winter Kills (1979) featured Bridges fronting an all-star cast that also included John Huston, Elizabeth Taylor,...
William Richert, the maverick writer-director behind the Jeff Bridges-starring conspiracy thriller Winter Kills and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, which gave River Phoenix his first leading role, has died. He was 79.
Richert died Tuesday at his home in Portland, Oregon, his wife, Gretchen, told The Hollywood Reporter. She would not disclosed the cause of death but said he chose to use Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act.
Richert’s résumé also included co-writing The Happy Hooker (1975), starring Lynn Redgrave as celebrity madam Xaviera Hollander, and a pair of Ivan Passer-directed films: Law and Disorder (1974), starring Carroll O’Connor and Ernest Borgnine, and Crime and Passion (1976), starring Omar Sharif and Karen Black.
A black comedy take on the mystery surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination, Winter Kills (1979) featured Bridges fronting an all-star cast that also included John Huston, Elizabeth Taylor,...
- 7/24/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Back in 1953 CBS premiered “Topper,” a fun fantasy sitcom based on the 1937 film of the same name about a stuffy banker (Leo G. Carroll) who buys the former estate of a young couple (Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys). The two had died in an avalanche along with the St. Bernard who tried to save them. But no sooner does Carroll’s Topper move into the estate with his wife that he discovers the couple and the dog haunt the house and he happens to be the only one who can see and interact with the spirits. The series, which ran for two seasons (a young Stephen Sondheim wrote a few scripts) was Emmy nominated for Best Comedy Series in 1954. And “Topper” has lived on in syndication, DVD and now on streaming services ever since.
And nearly seven decades later, CBS returned to the paranormal last fall with another spirited fantasy comedy “Ghosts,...
And nearly seven decades later, CBS returned to the paranormal last fall with another spirited fantasy comedy “Ghosts,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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
Anne Jeffreys, the elegant actress who was Dick Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart in the movies and starred opposite her husband Robert Sterling as "the ghostess with the mostess" on television's Topper, has died. She was 94.
Entertainment reporter and local Oscar host for Los Angeles' Kabc, George Pennacchio, tweeted Wednesday night that Jeffreys died. Details of her death were not immediately available.
Jeffreys later played the snobby socialite Amanda Barrington on General Hospital during a long association with the soap opera and appeared as David Hasselhoff's mom on Baywatch.
A real trouper, Jeffreys replaced Patricia Morison and starred as...
Entertainment reporter and local Oscar host for Los Angeles' Kabc, George Pennacchio, tweeted Wednesday night that Jeffreys died. Details of her death were not immediately available.
Jeffreys later played the snobby socialite Amanda Barrington on General Hospital during a long association with the soap opera and appeared as David Hasselhoff's mom on Baywatch.
A real trouper, Jeffreys replaced Patricia Morison and starred as...
- 2/3/2017
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By John M. Whalen
Howdy, pardners. It’s western movie roundup time at Cinema Retro today. Here are a handful of oldie westerns recently released on DVD by the Warner Archive- and which are now available in the Cinema Retro Movie Store. And a rootin’, tootin’, downright interesting bunch of movies they are.
Station West
First up, “Station West” with Dick Powell and Jane Greer. Ever wonder what would happen if private dick Philip Marlowe traveled back in time to the old west and tried to solve a murder case? That’s essentially what you have with Station West, an offbeat western filmed in black and white that plays like film noir, except all the men wear wide-brimmed Stetsons instead of Fedoras, and shoot Colt Peacemakers and Winchesters instead of snubbed nosed .38s. To further mix up the western and detective genres Jane Greer, the most fatale of all femme fatales,...
Howdy, pardners. It’s western movie roundup time at Cinema Retro today. Here are a handful of oldie westerns recently released on DVD by the Warner Archive- and which are now available in the Cinema Retro Movie Store. And a rootin’, tootin’, downright interesting bunch of movies they are.
Station West
First up, “Station West” with Dick Powell and Jane Greer. Ever wonder what would happen if private dick Philip Marlowe traveled back in time to the old west and tried to solve a murder case? That’s essentially what you have with Station West, an offbeat western filmed in black and white that plays like film noir, except all the men wear wide-brimmed Stetsons instead of Fedoras, and shoot Colt Peacemakers and Winchesters instead of snubbed nosed .38s. To further mix up the western and detective genres Jane Greer, the most fatale of all femme fatales,...
- 6/3/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Jean Arthur films on TCM include three Frank Capra classics Five Jean Arthur films will be shown this evening, Monday, January 5, 2015, on Turner Classic Movies, including three directed by Frank Capra, the man who helped to turn Arthur into a major Hollywood star. They are the following: Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can't Take It with You, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; George Stevens' The More the Merrier; and Frank Borzage's History Is Made at Night. One the most effective performers of the studio era, Jean Arthur -- whose film career began inauspiciously in 1923 -- was Columbia Pictures' biggest female star from the mid-'30s to the mid-'40s, when Rita Hayworth came to prominence and, coincidentally, Arthur's Columbia contract expired. Today, she's best known for her trio of films directed by Frank Capra, Columbia's top director of the 1930s. Jean Arthur-Frank Capra...
- 1/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Cary Grant movies: 'An Affair to Remember' does justice to its title (photo: Cary Grant ca. late 1940s) Cary Grant excelled at playing Cary Grant. This evening, fans of the charming, sophisticated, debonair actor -- not to be confused with the Bristol-born Archibald Leach -- can rejoice, as no less than eight Cary Grant movies are being shown on Turner Classic Movies, including a handful of his most successful and best-remembered star vehicles from the late '30s to the late '50s. (See also: "Cary Grant Classic Movies" and "Cary Grant and Randolph Scott: Gay Lovers?") The evening begins with what may well be Cary Grant's best-known film, An Affair to Remember. This 1957 romantic comedy-melodrama is unusual in that it's an even more successful remake of a previous critical and box-office hit -- the Academy Award-nominated 1939 release Love Affair -- and that it was directed...
- 12/9/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Claudette Colbert movies on Turner Classic Movies: From ‘The Smiling Lieutenant’ to TCM premiere ‘Skylark’ (photo: Claudette Colbert and Maurice Chevalier in ‘The Smiling Lieutenant’) Claudette Colbert, the studio era’s perky, independent-minded — and French-born — "all-American" girlfriend (and later all-American wife and mother), is Turner Classic Movies’ star of the day today, August 18, 2014, as TCM continues with its "Summer Under the Stars" film series. Colbert, a surprise Best Actress Academy Award winner for Frank Capra’s 1934 comedy It Happened One Night, was one Paramount’s biggest box office draws for more than decade and Hollywood’s top-paid female star of 1938, with reported earnings of $426,944 — or about $7.21 million in 2014 dollars. (See also: TCM’s Claudette Colbert day in 2011.) Right now, TCM is showing Ernst Lubitsch’s light (but ultimately bittersweet) romantic comedy-musical The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), a Best Picture Academy Award nominee starring Maurice Chevalier as a French-accented Central European lieutenant in...
- 8/19/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
If you're like us, you can't wait for the first day of every month, because you know that Netflix is going to add a ton of new movies and TV shows. You refresh your account over and over again at midnight, hoping that those titles listed in the "Recently Added" section update with something new and exciting rather than the same ol' titles you've been staring at for the last four weeks.
Well, lo and behold, we've gathered the most exciting movies and TV shows being added to America's most popular streaming service, straight from Netflix themselves.
"Rocky" fans will be pumped to know that the first five boxing flicks (sorry, "Rocky Balboa" fans) will be added August 1, joining other '70s, '80s, and '90s movie favorites "Face/Off" (slow-motion doves!), "Mad Max" (apocalyptic leather!), "Spice World" (spice up your life!), "The Birdcage" (Calista Flockhart was in this,...
Well, lo and behold, we've gathered the most exciting movies and TV shows being added to America's most popular streaming service, straight from Netflix themselves.
"Rocky" fans will be pumped to know that the first five boxing flicks (sorry, "Rocky Balboa" fans) will be added August 1, joining other '70s, '80s, and '90s movie favorites "Face/Off" (slow-motion doves!), "Mad Max" (apocalyptic leather!), "Spice World" (spice up your life!), "The Birdcage" (Calista Flockhart was in this,...
- 7/30/2014
- by Tim Hayne
- Moviefone
In an age of films concerned about zombies, alien invasions, and the coming of the apocalypse, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea might seem a little innocuous. But although the title suggests aquatic fun, it’s really about saving the planet from imminent destruction. That’s something today’s audience can connect with, or at least admire.
They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. The same is true with a movie. You can’t judge it by its poster, the DVD packaging, or even the title. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a great example of this phenomenon. The title alone conjures up images of a deep sea adventure, exploring uncharted territory, meeting fascinating and exotic creatures. While nearly the entire film does take place at sea, it really isn’t any of those things that the title or artwork otherwise suggest.
They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. The same is true with a movie. You can’t judge it by its poster, the DVD packaging, or even the title. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a great example of this phenomenon. The title alone conjures up images of a deep sea adventure, exploring uncharted territory, meeting fascinating and exotic creatures. While nearly the entire film does take place at sea, it really isn’t any of those things that the title or artwork otherwise suggest.
- 9/4/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
If you’ve hunted around for movie bargains, you’ve probably seen some of Mill Creek Entertainment’s 50-Movie Packs on DVD. Apart from other great releases by Mill Creek, these packs are phenomenal boons to cinephiles looking to collect older titles.
There are three new packs available, and I want to not only let you in on a discount code, but I have one of the packs available for you to win.
I know a lot of people may be quick to overlook these packs, and not every movie included stands out as a major value, but there are some great titles in each of them, and fans of the genres will be pleasantly surprised by what they get out of the deal. I have to admit that there is something about seeing a 50-movie pack, especially when it doesn’t cost a couple of hundred dollars, or more,...
There are three new packs available, and I want to not only let you in on a discount code, but I have one of the packs available for you to win.
I know a lot of people may be quick to overlook these packs, and not every movie included stands out as a major value, but there are some great titles in each of them, and fans of the genres will be pleasantly surprised by what they get out of the deal. I have to admit that there is something about seeing a 50-movie pack, especially when it doesn’t cost a couple of hundred dollars, or more,...
- 5/10/2012
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
The Whales Of August (1987) Direction: Lindsay Anderson Cast: Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Vincent Price, Ann Sothern, Harry Carey Jr, Mary Steenburgen, Frank Grimes, Margaret Ladd, Tisha Sterling Screenplay: David Berry; from his own play Oscar Movies, Highly Recommended Bette Davis, Vincent Price, Lillian Gish, Ann Sothern, The Whales of August According to my math, the careers of the three leading ladies — Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, and Ann Sothern — in Lindsay Anderson's The Whales of August total 191 years. And that is without taking into consideration their co-stars, among them Vincent Price and Harry Carey Jr. That's an awful lot of acting experience for one film. The Whales of August begins with the leisurely, early morning routines of two sisters living together in a small cottage on the coast of Maine in late summer. Sarah Webber (Lillian Gish) greets the day by working in the garden, dusting the house, and fixing breakfast for her blind sister,...
- 1/27/2012
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
With the entire original run of The Twilight Zone available to watch instantly, we’re partnering with Twitch Film to cover all of the show’s 156 episodes. Are you brave enough to watch them all with us? The Twilight Zone (Episode #111): “Printer’s Devil” (airdate 2/28/63) The Plot: A newspaper owner facing competition from the online blogosphere a USA Today-type paper gives up on life and his career until a kindly man with a cigar offers him some help. But of course as we all know, “kindly” in The Twilight Zone means something completely different from what we’re used to. The Goods: Douglas Winter (Robert Sterling) is the editor/owner of the Dansburg Courier, a small player in the big world of newspaper journalism that’s currently facing bankruptcy in the face of competition and hard economic times. He’s been fighting the trend for a while, but the final bell toll comes with the sudden...
- 11/29/2011
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Howard Keel on TCM Pt.2: Rose Marie, Pagan Love Song, Callaway Went Thataway Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Desperate Search (1953) A man fights to find his children after their plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. Dir: Joseph Lewis. Cast: Howard Keel, Jane Greer, Patricia Medina. Bw-71 mins. 7:15 Am Fast Company (1953) The heiress to a racing stable uncovers underhanded dealings. Dir: John Sturges. Cast: Howard Keel, Polly Bergen, Marjorie Main. Bw-68 mins. 8:30 Am Kismet (1955) In this Arabian Nights musical "king of the beggars" infiltrates high society when his daughter is wooed by a handsome prince. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray. C-113 mins, Letterbox Format. 10:30 Am Rose Marie (1954) A trapper's daughter is torn between the Mountie who wants to civilize her and a dashing prospector. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Fernando Lamas, Bert Lahr, Marjorie Main.
- 8/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Forties TV and movie hunk Robert Sterling has lost his battle with shingles and died at his Brentwood, California home. He was 88. The ghostly star of TV's Topper was born William Hart in 1917 in Pennsylvania, the son of baseball star William S. Hart. After working briefly as a clothing salesman, Sterling made his mark as a movie star and changed his name, so as not to be confused with silent screen actor William S. Hart. He really hit his stride in 1941, when he starred in five of the year's top films, including Two-Faced Woman, in which he starred alongside Greta Garbo, and The Penalty. He wed actress Ann Sothern in 1943 and they had a daughter, Tisha - but the marriage wasn't destined to last and Sterling divorced his first wife in 1949. In 1951, he wed his second wife, actress Anne Jeffreys, who was with the actor when he died yesterday. Sterling and Jeffreys had three sons and teamed up to become a US TV institution in the mid 1950s as the stars of movie spinoff Topper, in which the couple played ghosts. Sterling retired from acting in the 1970s so he could concentrate his efforts as a computer businessman. He returned to the limelight briefly in the 1980s as a guest star in TV series Hotel and Murder, She Wrote.
- 6/1/2006
- WENN
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