The Stranger (1946)
The Most Deceitful Man A Woman Ever Loved ! The Stranger stars Orson Welles , Loretta Young and Edward G Robinson . Although, I think "stars" is more a matter of status as opposed to performance in this film. Sometimes, both in this movie and the way he appears to have lived, Orson Welles seemed a bit over the top. But I've often wondered if that was Welles' schtick or maybe he really was just larger than life! Not sure what brings me back I remember this movie from when I was a kid watching "Million Dollar Movie…
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
Life Minus 102 Minutes Practically the entirety of my life thus far I have heard of the wonders of Love is a Many-Splendored Thing . Fifty-six years, minus the first ten years owing to reaching some fair age of awareness makes my viewing of this movie 97 years too soon. I walked away thinking - hell, another couple hours closer to the grave. And if I had to watch this one again - I'd likely welcome the outcome! How can you mess up a movie starring Jennifer Jones? The movie boasts a cast that includes William Holden and Jennifer Jone…
The Best Year of Our Lives (1946)
A Post-War Love Story About PTSD The Best Years of Our Lives is without a doubt in my Top 10 favorite movies of all time! I mean the cast alone just fills the bill... Myrna Lo y, Fredric March , Dana Andrews , Virginia May o and Teresa Wright , whom I fell in love with in Shadow of a Doubt ! A feel-good movie about PTSD? It seems ridiculous to say a movie about the struggles of soldiers returning from war is a feel good movie, but in many ways it is! There is a level of drama, depression anxiety, dysfunction, triumph and joy that make Th…
I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
Genre Defining So, this is one of the classic Film Noir movies. In my opinion if you are going to teach someone who knows nothing about Noir, this movie has to be in the top 10. I wake Up Screaming is considered only the second Film Noir movie in the genre, and sets the mood, even more than did The Maltese Falcon .
Dark Passage (1947)
This is One of Those Movies for Me Dark Passage , while not the best picture of all time, certainly was entertaining and engaging. I suppose anytime you get Bogie and Bacall together, it's just hard to not enjoy the movie! I think the premise was fun escaped convict trying to prove his innocence and has back-alley
The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942)
So, we come to one of my favorite movies across all genre and eras - The Man Who Came to Dinner. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I know that for years I didn't know the name of the movie, and, in the days before the internet, I just couldn't find it. That all changed when I got internet service - I have no idea when that was, but this was one of the first things I searched for. I have loved every movie Monty Woolley has been in, so this movie is a shoe-in, The Man Who Came to Dinner also stars Bette Davis and Ann…
Since You Went Away (1944)
Since You Went Away is a star-studded movie set on the home-front of World War II. This is another of those movies that's like comfort food to me, along with the likes of The Man Who Came to Dinner, The More the Merrier, and a host of Christmas classics. Among the great stars in this movie are Joseph Cotten who is one of my favorites ( Niagara and Shadow of a Doubt ), and Monty Woolley ( The Bishop's Wife and The Man Who Came to Dinner ) who always makes me smirk, thinking I'll probably end up like him - crotchety and k…
Portrait of Jenny (1948)
Portrait of Jennie was a surprisingly good movie! As much as I love old movies. .. and as long as I've been watching them, I only recently learned of this one. And I'm glad I did. Joseph Cotten is one of my favorite actors ( Shadow of a Doubt being one of my top five movies), and who doesn't like Jennifer Jones ? REVIEWS: Bosley Crowther absolutely pans this movie in his March 30, 1949 New York Times review. Here's a snippet: "...the long-bow that's drawn in the sound-track and the splurge of the final …
Beware, My Lovely (1952)
Beware, My Lovely is a simple, straight-forward psychological thriller set in a beautiful house at Christmastime (which makes it a great Christmas movie for me) just after World War I. It stars Robert Ryan (who plays a great psycho) and Ida Lupino - one of the greatest of all time! REVIEWS: Here's an excellent classic review by Bosley Crowther from the September 13, 1952 edition of the New York Times. Crowther doesn't seem to give much respect for this kind of movie, "clearly contrived and designed for no other p…
I'll Be Seeing You (1944)
This is another of those movies that I first saw as a kid, sitting in my room on Lincoln St. watching Million Dollar Movie (I think) on my little rummage sale find of a black and white TV on a Saturday morning. Believe-it-or-not, I think my favorite character in this movie was Tom Tully's part as Uncle Marshall. And I absolutely loved that house, especially the fireplace... REVIEWS: Bosley Crowther had a great review of the movie in the April 6, 1945 edition of the New York Times. I particularly like where he writes, &quo…
The Talk of the Town (1942)
It Will Be the Talk of YOUR Town! The Talk of the Town is a surprisingly fun, and funny, movie! I don't know why it surprised me, certainly Jean Arthur and Cary Grant had great comedy resumes. Nonetheless it was such a pleasant surprise. A human side to law Here's a little synopsis from Leonard Maltin on TCM , "fugitive Grant hides out with unsuspecting professor Colman and landlady Arthur, and tries to convince legal-minded Colman there's a human side to all laws." Doesn't sound particularly funny but - s…
The Big Sleep (1946)
The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted ! I can still remember the first time seeing this movie. It was back in the '70s and I was just a dumb kid sitting on the living room floor eating popcorn with the rest of my family. Even back then I knew this movie was special even if I didn't understand a lot of what was being said.
Possessed (1947)
"I've Done Things I'm Ashamed of... But This Isn't One of Them!" Possessed starred Joan Crawford, Van Hefflin and Raymond Massey. At some point in the movie, it occurred to me that Massey was in Arsenic and Old Lace as Johnny, the twisted killer. I don't know - this kind of realization cracks me up - the number of movies I've watched, it's fun to be surprised! Of lakes, boats and houses possessed Anyway, this was a good movie. One of the things I liked was the lake house setting, with the house the Chris…
