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Until Hulu did the lord's work and brought back Glenn Gordon Caron's "Moonlighting" last year, the series that launched Bruce Willis' career and solidified Cybill Shepherd's had been languishing for seemingly ages in a digital netherworld where its fans could not access it and potential newcomers had zero chance of discovering it. This would've been unthinkable during the show's 1985-1987 heyday, when the live-wire romantic chemistry of its leads and the inventive mystery plotting of Caron and his writers -- who once plunged their "Moonlighting" protagonists into a Shakespearian reverie -- made it must-see television. "Moonlighting" was hilarious, smart and ridiculously sexy.

And just as fast as it peaked, it was gone.

While the rerelease of "Moonlighting" on Hulu confirmed that it was every bit as fresh and funny as we remembered, bringing it all back meant revisiting its untimely demise. How could a show with two dynamic...

“Beverly Hills Cop” and its young exuberant star Eddie Murphy were dominant forces on the cultural landscape as soon as the action comedy opened Dec. 5, 1984 on 1,532 screens, earning over $15 million in its first five days of release. “Beverly Hills Cop” garnered nearly $235 million domestically and another $81.6 million internationally.

The comedy even earned an Oscar nomination for its screenplay while Murphy hit superstar status thanks to his dazzling comedic turn as Axel Foley, a freewheeling Detroit cop who is the ultimate fish out of water when a murder investigation leads him to the by-the-book Beverly Hills police department. And the soundtrack album featuring the film’s composer Harold Faltermeyer’s hit “Axel F,” as well as the Pointer Sisters‘ “Neutron Dance” and Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

Three years later, Murphy returned in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” which made close to $300 million worldwide...

Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley, the main character of the "Beverly Hills Cop" film franchise, might be one of the most endearing movie characters of the 1980s. Axel is witty, charming, loyal, fun-loving, fantastic at his job, willing to buck the system when necessary, he trusts his gut, and he's overall great company. He's the type of guy everyone who watches these films would want to go on adventure with.

Martin Brest's original 1987 movie follows a Detroit police officer as he travels from Michigan to Beverly Hills to get justice for his murdered childhood friend. Murphy absolutely dominates the film with his perfect blend of comedic timing, dramatic chops, and physicality. Axel's superpower is being able to read people and situations at a glance, and instantly improvising his way through those situations to get what he needs, often in highly entertaining fashion. His demeanor and joie de vivre gives the movie a buoyancy,...

“Thank you for your service.” The words have become a cliché, but Hollywood has tried long and hard to make them matter. The industry has produced countless films about warfare and those who died for their country (whom we remember this week). But it has had a mixed record on presenting characters suffering the after-effects of putting their lives on the line. They may have survived, but lost comrades and innocence. It is their moment, too.

World War II brought the most cinematic treatment, and one of the directors who himself served — William Wyler — later had the guts to depict the challenges soldiers faced when the fighting stopped. Vietnam was likely the most troublesome to depict, it being the one we lost. Right-winger John Wayne was up first, with “The Green Berets,” gung-ho in flavor. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s that a pair of exceptional movies focused less...

On May 25, 1934, “The Thin Man” was released to rave reviews and big box office returns. The popularity of husband-and-wife sleuths Nick and Nora Charles set the standard for romantic comedies with a dash of thrill and mystery, and cemented actors William Powell and Myrna Loy as one of the greatest film teams of all time. Read on for more about “The Thin Man” 90th anniversary.

Dashiell Hammett was a well-known writer of hardboiled detective novels, but he added a light touch to his novel “The Thin Man,” and MGM quickly snatched up the film rights. Nick Charles (Powell) is a retired detective who enjoys the high life with his wealthy socialite wife Nora (Loy) and their spoiled pooch Asta (Skippy). Nick is lured back to his mystery-solving days by the disappearance of his old acquaintance, Clyde (Edward Ellis), whose daughter Dorothy (Maureen O’Sullivan) begs Nick to find out what happened to her father.

The cherished screen team of William Powell and Myrna Loy met “cute” on their first film together, the gritty 1934 “Manhattan Melodrama.” According to TCM.com, first scene in the film required her to run out a building, maneuver through a crowd of people and jump into a car. The film’s director W.S. “Woody” Van Dyke, who was nicknamed “One Take Woody” because of his efficiency, didn’t bother to introduce the actress to Powell. So, when Van Dyke called “action “Loy recalled jumping into the car and landing “smack on William Powell’s lap. He looked up nonchalantly: Miss Loy, I presume?” I said, Mr. Powell? That’s how I met the man who would be my partner in 14 films.”

It was their next film, the smart screwball comedy/mystery “The Thin Man,” which opened May 25, 1934, transformed the couple into top stars at MGM. Directed by Van Dyke...

by Baby Clyde

With their increasingly bizarre choices and lamentable decision to move recipients from the main telecast, long gone are the days when the Academy’s Honorary Awards made any cultural impact. We’re all the losers, because not only did truly deserving legends of the industry being belated rewarded give deep satisfaction to the Oscar nerds at home, from an ailing Myrna Loy and triumphant Charlie Chaplin to a sprightly Lillian Gish and a regal Deborah Kerr, they created some of the most memorable and moving moments in Academy history.

None more so than the man who celebrates his centenary yesterday, Stanley Donen. The master of the movie musical was unaccountably never nominated for a competitive Oscar during his illustrious career but took his opportunity at the 70th Annual Academy awards to give the most charming speech of all time...

“It Happened One Night,” which premiered at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 22, 1934, helped usher in the screwball romantic comedy, changed the careers of stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, director Frank Capra and screenwriter Robert Riskin and transformed the Poverty Row Columbia Pictures into a major player. And let’s not forget, “It Happened One Night” also made Oscar history winning five major Oscars: picture, director, adapted screenplay and both actor and actress. It would be 41 years before “One Flew of the Cuckoo’s Nest” would accomplish the same feat at the Academy Awards.

Based on the short story “Night Bus,” the smart, endearing road movie focuses on spoiled rotten Ellie Andrews (Colbert) who has gone against her wealthy father’s (Walter Connelly) wishes by marrying the gold-digging King Westley (Jameson Thomas). Before their wedding night, her father whisked her away to his yacht in Florida. She manages to...

Dashiell Hammett didn't invent detective fiction, he just perfected it — partially because he knew good and goddamn well of what he wrote. The high school dropout landed a gig with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and evidently saw the worst side of the profession when his employer got fat off industrial cash by assigning their operatives to muscle, if not kill labor organizers. Years later, he laced his first published novel, "Red Harvest," with the bitter conscience of a man who witnessed evil but out of self-preservation did nothing.

Much of Hammett's work stings like a day drunk's swallow of rotgut whiskey, a belt they absorb over and over again to escape the awfulness of a world they cannot change in any meaningful way. The Continental Op eradicating a cluster of cold-blooded thugs with the 20-steps-ahead cool of a chess grandmaster in "Red Harvest" is so satisfying it's provided the foundation for several brilliant films.

There are films you watched every time they pop up on TCM or streaming services. It’s like visiting an old friend. These movies put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. And one such film is “Charade,” which celebrates its 60th anniversary on Dec. 5. Deftly directed by Stanley Donen from a fun and thrilling Peter Stone screenplay, “Charade” stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn who exude a William Powell/Myrna Loy style chemistry that leaps off the screen. And let’s not forget that gorgeous Henry Mancini score, the romantic Oscar-nominated title tune “Charade,” with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and the pulsating Saul Bass title sequence.

I saw “Charade” when it was released, and I’ve probably seen it at least 15 more times. And each time seems like the first. Not many films have that kind of power. A 2010 Criterion Collection article by film historian...

Peter White, known for his role as attorney Lincoln (Linc) Tyler on soap opera “All My Children” and for his role onstage and on screen in “The Boys in the Band,” died of melanoma at his home in Los Angeles on Nov. 1. He was 86.

In “Armageddon,” White played the Secretary of Defense, while he joined the U.S. government again as Secretary of Commerce in “Dave.” With a distinguished look, Whit was particularly in demand for parts as senators, college deans and ambassadors.

The actor, a graduate of Northwestern and the Yale School of Drama, got his first major acting role as an understudy for Robert Redford in the Broadway production of “Barefoot in the Park” along Myrna Loy. That role formally introduced White to the world of Broadway.

In 1968, White starred as Alan McCarthy in the play “The Boys in the Band,” about a group of gay men who attend...

Peter White, who portrayed Linc Tyler on the ABC soap opera All My Children over four decades and starred in the original stage production and film adaptation of The Boys in the Band, has died. He was 86.

White died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles of melanoma, his All My Children castmate Kathleen Noone (Ellen Shepherd Dalton on the show) told The Hollywood Reporter.

White also played Arthur Cates, the attorney for Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham), on the first two seasons of the ABC primetime soap The Colbys in 1985-86, and he recurred as the deceased doctor dad of the characters played by Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips on the 1991-96 NBC drama Sisters.

White first portrayed Lincoln Tyler, son of stern Pine Valley matriarch Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), from 1974-80 — he was the third actor in the role, starting with James Karen — then returned...

Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment are in talks to co-produce a remake of classic 1934 comedy mystery The Thin Man.

Based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as a husband and wife who team up to solve a murder and host a dinner party attended by all the suspects. The film was a huge success upon release, even scoring several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Five sequels followed, including After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man.

The third star of The Thin Man and its sequel was Asta, the couple’s Wire Fox Terrier. At the time, the breed wasn’t overly popular in the United States, but the films quickly...

Two celebrity-led production companies — Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap and Brad Pitt’s Plan B — are in talks to co-produce a remake of the classic 1934 comedy mystery “The Thin Man.”

LuckyChap and Plan B have not engaged in any discussions yet about casting due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. However, according to sources, both companies have been intent on securing exclusive rights to the significant film series since before the WGA strike, which started in May. The two companies would produce jointly.

The rights to “The Thin Man” series just recently became available. Previously, Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp were set to direct and star, respectively, in a remake. However, Warner Brothers said at the time that the project was never greenlit and was scrapped back in 2012.

Based on the Dashiell Hammett crime novel, “The Thin Man” is a murder mystery about a husband and wife who partner up to find a missing acquaintance,...

Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment and Brad Pitt’s Plan B shingle are in talks to obtain the remake rights of the comedy-crime movie “The Thin Man,” TheWrap has learned.

According to insiders with knowledge of the project, the rights to “The Thin Man” only recently became available. LuckyChap and Plan B had been eyeing this for some time prior to the strikes. No discussions of who will star are happening in respect to the SAG-AFTRA strike; however both companies would produce together.

“The Thin Man” is a 1934 hardboiled detective novel by author Dashiell Hammett, featuring the characters of Nick and Nora Charles. It was adapted into a successful film series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy that ran from the 1930s to the 1940s.

The remake would be a modern-day retelling of the Hammett stories. Warner Brothers previously owned rights through the original movies. There had been several...

Following an extensive auction, LuckyChap and Plan B Entertainment are in exclusive talks to acquire rights to the classic Thin Man series. The rights recently became available and LuckyChap and Plan B had been eyeing this for some time pre-wga strike. No discussions of starring roles are happening out of respect to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Both companies would produce together.

The popular film series began with the 1934 film that starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as former detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora, who decide to solve a murder for the fun of it. Five sequels would follow and Hollywood has since being trying to reboot the series; Johnny Depp and Rob Marshall at one point eyed a remake at Warner Bros that never came to fruition.

Once a deal closes, the next step would be to attach a writer.

LuckyChap is coming off its smash hit Barbie,...

From left: Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (Keystone/Getty Images), Angela Lansbury in The Mirror Crack’d (YouTube screenshot), Albert Finney in Murder On The Orient Express (Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images), Denzel Washington in Devil In A Blue Dress (D Stevens/Tri Star/Kobal/Shutterstock), Daniel Craig...

A good franchise is hard to kill. Bad ones, like the seven-film torture device Police Academy, can be even harder to exterminate. But sometimes doomed series are finally put out of their misery. Up on the shelf they go, doomed to a future of languishing on lists like this one.

The murder weapon is usually money. More specifically, the lack thereof. A big enough failure means a franchise won’t get another chance to pull their act together, and the most spectacular bombs get to live on as warnings to future film students. Even more interesting are the ones that aren’t total flops, the movies that maybe made a profit, but one so small or negligible that their studios decided to put that old franchise to bed, anyway. Here are 15 movies that killed their respective franchises for good.

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Nick and Nora Charles are murder mystery elites,...

Experience the perfect blend of mystery and comedy in the world of “Thin Man” movies. In this blog post, we will guide you through the franchise chronologically and explain why these films achieved classic status during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Related: 10 Best Comedies of All Time, Ranked by Viewers

“The Thin Man” series follows the charming couple Nick Charles and Nora Charles, played by the incomparable William Powell and Myrna Loy, as they solve murders and crimes with a side of hilarity.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer to these films, you’ll soon understand why they’ve remained so beloved. So sit back, grab a martini, and let’s dive into the world of the “Thin Man” franchise.

A List of All ‘Thin Man’ Movies In Order The Thin Man (1934) After the Thin Man (1936) Another Thin Man (1939) Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) The Thin Man Goes Home...

It's been 22 years since Rob Cohen directed a shameless knockoff of Kathryn Bigelow's "Point Break," starring Paul Walker instead of Keanu Reeves, Vin Diesel instead of Patrick Swayze, and street racing instead of surfing and sky diving. And while at the time, the success of the film "The Fast and the Furious" seemed only vaguely remarkable, over the course of the last two decades it has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar franchise, full of epic car stunts, ludicrous storylines, and endless ruminations about the meaning of "family."

Yes, "Fast and Furious" has become a household name, perhaps permanently associated with the blockbuster vehicular nonsense films of Vin Diesel and company. But it was not always this way. The common expression "fast and furious" has been used many times in Hollywood, for films about race car driving, funny murder mysteries, beloved Looney Tunes adventures, and low-budget crime thrillers.

Some of...

Movie star John Wayne has quite the history when it comes to his involvement with the Oscars. He understood the politics that went on behind the scenes with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but he still sought the validation of his peers. As a result, Wayne still played the game and recognized his own works that he felt were most worthy. Wayne once introduced an iconic comedian at the 1970 Oscars, describing him as having “true grit.”

John Wayne was a regular Oscars attendee L-r: John Wayne and Barbra Streisand | Getty Images

Wayne regularly showed up to the Oscars, even though many of his critics thought that he only had the skill to play the same, single character. Nevertheless, he brought a certain star power to the show that only the Western actor could bring. His peers even erupted into thunderous applause when he had his final public speech at the 1979 Oscars ceremony.

You would have a hard time defending the limp plotting, the bland action-adventure set pieces or the Agatha Christie-light whodunit twists of the first “Murder Mystery.” And, yet, it was kind of good.

“Murder Mystery,” one of Netflix’s most-streamed films, was chock full of exotic settings and mysterious murders. But the only thing that mattered, really, was the banter between Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Though “Murder Mystery” could be said to epitomize that very modern kind of passive and painless viewing experience on streaming platforms, their married couple was a throwback to a long-ago movie era. Audrey and Nick Spitz, a pair of working-class New Yorkers turned semi-amateur detectives, might as well be Nick and Nora Charles, the 1930s cocktail-swilling crime solvers.

“Murder Mystery” and its new sequel don’t have anywhere near the sparkle of the “The Thin Man” movies, with William Powell, Myrna Loy and their wire fox terrier Asta.

Actor John Wayne starred in Western and war movies that filled his filmography. However, he didn’t initially get his start in front of the camera. First, Wayne worked at Fox in the props department on several films before getting his first leading role in Raoul Walsh’s 1930 Western adventure called The Big Trail. Here are the eight movies Wayne worked on in the props department before he was famous.

John Wayne | ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images ‘The Great K & A Train Robbery’ (1926) L-r: Dorothy Dwan as Madge Cullen and Tom Mix as Tom Gordon | Fox

A detective poses as a bandit in an undercover mission to stop a streak of train robberies from continuing. Meanwhile, he falls in love with the railroad president’s daughter.

The Great K & A Train Robbery is a silent film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by John Stone from Paul Leicester Ford’s novel.

Pairing‌ ‌wine‌ ‌with‌ ‌movies!‌ ‌See‌ ‌the‌ ‌trailers‌ ‌and‌ ‌hear‌ ‌the‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌commentary‌ ‌for‌ ‌these‌ ‌movies‌ ‌and‌ ‌many‌ ‌more‌ ‌at‌ ‌Trailers‌ ‌From‌ ‌Hell.‌ This week, we look up, up and away for a trio of flying films. Of course, there are wine pairings for each.

Test Pilot, from 1938, stars Clark Gable, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, who were three of Hollywood’s top box office draws of the day. The film was directed by Victor Fleming, who also directed another movie featuring flying, but in this one the house stays on the ground and there are no munchkins in the script. However, a farm in Kansas is involved.

The script, by the way, was based on a story by a real-life pilot who also served as a co-writer. The tale has Gable and Spencer as flyboy buddies with a woman between them. As you might expect, only one of the buddies makes it out alive.

A high-flying crowd pleaser that only the studio system could manufacture, MGM’s Test Pilot was directed by Victor Fleming, written by Howard Hawks, and starred the can’t-miss trio of Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy. Gable plays a reckless flyboy, Loy his down-home sweetheart, and Tracy his true-blue pal. The airborne pyrotechnics and earthbound romance spawned a big box office and several Oscar nominations.

The post Test Pilot appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

A brilliant negotiator, Lew Wasserman was the ex-agent who presided over the vast McA Universal media empire from his black tower. He favored black suits and austere offices and seemed to convey stress as he strolled about his kingdom.

Wasserman seemed always in a state of negotiation: He not only hammered out deals for new projects but also union and guild agreements for the entire industry and antitrust deals governing acquisitions like Decca Records. He even helped negotiate divorce settlements for the stars he once represented like Clark Gable and Myrna Loy.

Related Story Historically, The WGA Is Overdue For A Strike, With Residuals Again A Key Issue Of Upcoming Talks Related Story Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Trevor Bauer Reinstated, Team Has 24 Days To Decide His Fate – Update Related Story Sean Connery Foundation Established To Honor Actor's Legacy Through Grants In Scotland & Bahamas

Wasserman likely would have relished this Hollywood moment,...

Dore Schary’s post-MGM personal production is a class act in every respect — Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan and Myrna Loy are well cast in a story of intimate emotional cruelty. It’s from a play derived from Nathanael West’s soul-crushing novella, and despite the talent involved, it can’t shake the feeling of an overheated TV drama. The acting and characterizations are riveting. Young Dolores Hart is a beacon of light amid the gloom and misery, and in her first movie, Maureen Stapleton’s’ fireball of anxiety and malice all but steals the show. The fine cinematography is again by the great John Alton.

Lonelyhearts

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1958 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date October 25, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton, Jackie Coogan, Mike Kellin, Onslow Stevens, Frank Maxwell, Frank Overton, John Gallaudet, Don Washbrook, Johnny Washbrook,...

Still Photography on the set of “Ticket To Paradise”

Hmmm, now this is something pretty rare. The two films I’m reviewing for this weekend have a few things in common, “subject-wise”. This too concerns an estranged couple reuniting for a non-holiday event. With Raymond & Ray, it’s about two stepbrothers having to travel to their dad’s funeral, while this new release is about an estranged (long-divorced) parents having to travel to their daughter’s wedding. And it’s not a two-hour car trip, but a rather long flight to an exotic island. Oh, and the former marrieds are played by Oscar-winning Hollywood royalty, or about as close as you can get to that. Plus it’s their fourth flick acting opposite each other (fifth if you count when he directed her). So lots of moviegoers are hoping that their chemistry is still potent as they go to their multiplex box office,...

By the end of the 1940s, John Wayne was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and could thus afford to be picky about his collaborators. He had a rotating company of actors and a number of preferred directors, but from 1947 onward there was one screenwriter he valued above all others.

If you're not a Wayne devotee, you're probably unfamiliar with the work of James Edward Grant. He was an Irish-American writer who, early in his career, rose quickly through the ranks of Chicago journalists during the 1920s. At the age of 21, he was covering the Windy City's ultra-violent organized crime scene via a column titled "It's a Racket." He fired off essays and stories for top publications like The Saturday Evening Post, but wasn't above churning out pulp yarns for low-aiming magazines like Detective Fiction Weekly. Grant fit the cliche of the prolific newspaperman to a T; he was a hard-drinking,...

The death of actress-activist Marsha Hunt this week is a historical watershed and a personal loss. Marsha was one of the last living actors who began her movie career during the Great Depression in 1935. She became part of a now vanished Hollywood, initially at Paramount then at MGM, that bound contracted talent to studios with artists having little to no say over their choice of roles and careers. Nevertheless, she thrived in the studio system by becoming somewhat less than a genuine movie star and more of a consummate professional actress.

Marsha’s career was derailed by the Blacklist, a perfidious period of American history that has been endlessly chronicled and misunderstood. Never a Communist or radical, she was a forthright liberal who refused to accept her voice being marginalized by the endemic sexism and politics of the period. Marsha was the final survivor of the Committee of the First Amendment,...

Warners Bros. Discovery continue developing a feature remake of the detective mystery "The Thin Man", by author Dashiell Hammett, previously adapted into a successful series of MGM features, starring actors William Powell, Myrna Loy and 'Asta', a wire fox terrier:

"...set in Prohibition-era New York City, former 2-fisted private detective 'Nick Charles' and his elegant wife 'Nora', a wealthy socialite, spend most of their time cheerfully getting drunk in hotel rooms and speakeasies. Nick and Nora have no children, but own a clever dog named 'Asta'.

"Enjoying his carefree life...

"...Nick is drawn, mostly against his will, into investigating a crime...

"...bringing him into contact with grotesque 'Clyde Wynant', the 'Thin Man' of the title..." 

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Thin Man"...

by Cláudio Alves

A story of revisits and returns. The Criterion Channel's current Myrna Loy Collection provides us with an ideal opportunty to discuss the the Old Hollywood star. This marks her as the first performer to have three episodes in the Almost There series. So it's time to delve into two of my favorite subjects: The Thin Man franchise and the chaotic Best Actress category of 1934. For the latter, you can check out the analysis of Bette Davis' historical snub in Of Human Bondage. For the former, I once reviewed the first Thin Man movie, describing its star power and alluding to the sequels' decreasing merits, all eminently entertaining despite their drop in quality.

After reading those pieces for some added context, come back to explore the specificities of Myrna Loy's rightfully legendary turn as Nora Charles…...

Click here to read the full article.

Faye Marlowe, a 1940s starlet best known for her turn opposite the doomed Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell and George Sanders in the film noir classic Hangover Square, has died. She was 95.

Marlowe died May 5 in Cary, North Carolina, her daughter Karen Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.

In her brief Hollywood career, the dark-haired Marlowe also starred alongside Richard Conte in The Spider (1945), another excellent film noir; with Richard Crane in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946); and, as the title character, with Eddie Albert in Rendezvous With Annie (1946).

After she appeared on the stage for John Brahm, the German director gave her a key role in her first movie, Fox’s Hangover Square (1945). She played the pianist girlfriend of a mild-mannered composer (Cregar) who suffers from blackouts and becomes a serial killer in the turn-of-the century, London-set thriller scored by Bernard Herrmann.

(Cregar, who was...

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend (or regular weekend for those of you outside of the States). We’re back today with a brand new round-up of horror and sci-fi home media releases that are headed home today, and it includes quite the array of titles. One of my favorite movies of the year - Everything Everywhere All At Once from The Daniels - is being released to 4K as well as Blu-ray and DVD and if you’re looking to indulge in even more 4K entertainment, Edge of Tomorrow is also getting the 4K treatment, too.

Kino Lorber is keeping busy this week with an array of classic titles headed to Blu, including Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo, Ants! (aka It Happened at Lakewood Manor) and Terror Out of the Sky (aka Revenge of the Savage Bees), and IFC is also releasing Ruth Paxton’s...

Jean-Louis Trintignant, the thoughtful French actor who headlined such art house classics as A Man and a Woman, My Night at Maud’s, The Conformist, Three Colors: Red and Amour, has died. He was 91.

Trintignant died Friday at his home in the Gard region of southern France, his wife, Marianne, and agent told the Agence France-Presse.

Trintignant received a number of accolades throughout his 60-plus-year career, including the best actor prize from Cannes in 1969 for Costa-Gavras’ political thriller Z and a Cesar Award in 2013 for Michael Haneke’s Amour, which also won the Oscar for best foreign-language film.

With more than 130 screen and 50-plus stage credits to his name, Trintignant was a highly prolific and respected talent who could perform anything from Shakespeare to commercial French comedies, from art house favorites by Bertolucci, Kieślowski and Truffaut to popular romances and sci-fi flicks — as...

Having paid my 8.50 to see Top Gun: Maverick last weekend, my local cineplex inadvertently improved my appreciation of the film. For three minutes the sound clicked off and, minus dialogue, I was instantly caught up in the soaring jets, hyper-caffeinated cast and the durable charisma of its star. Then sound returned, the story unfolded and reality set in: This is not really a plot but a superbly crafted business plan, half video game and half military recruitment film. It’s the perfect structure for a Tom Cruise genre-bashing blockbuster.

Historians may ultimately cite the movie as a turning point — the film that reignited audiences, young and old, to pay homage to their movie palaces. FiIm critics may also single out the Top Gun sequel as a defiant reinvention of the classic war genre.

Does it measure up to the classics? Sure it does, but only Cruise would set out to...

The third incarnation of the venerable story of a blended family of twelve, Cheaper by the Dozen, starring Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union as the heads of house, plays out as predictably as one might expect heading into it, but there is an earnestness to the family dynamic at work that makes the whole business worthwhile once all is said and done.

Adapted from the novel by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, the film tells the tale of a family, the Bakers, as they navigate the waters of their now wildly frenetic life as they try to keep their family business – an all-day breakfast restaurant – running smoothly.

Of course, this is easier said than done as there are numerous obstacles to the family’s enduring happiness, the grandest of which is a move to a sleek, gated community that portends a higher station in life for the...

Exclusive: Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz will co-write and co-direct Spanish Dracula, the true story about how silent film star and Mexican actress Lupita Tovar found a second wind starring in Spanish-language versions of Hollywood films like the Universal classic Dracula. The Weitz brothers are her grandsons, and they will produce with their Depth of Field cohort Andrew Miano, along with Pancho Kohner. He is their uncle and author of The Sweetheart of Mexico, a memoir he helped his mother write about her most fascinating life.

Tovar, who moved from Mexico to Hollywood, would go on to become a wildly successful actress back home where she was known as The Mexican Rose. Their grandfather is Paul Kohner, Universal Pictures chief Carl Laemmle’s right-hand man who ran the studio’s international film production business.

Falling head over heels in love with Tovar — as did many others including John Huston and a Mexican general,...

There's so much to commend about Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House in terms of those involved that it can become difficult to talk about it as a film itself. That its production involved the legendary David O Selznick, screenwriting partnership Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, even that it was remade as Tom Hanks vehicle The Money Pit and Ice Cube vehicle Are We Done Yet? I say re-made, this was based on a novel by Eric Hodgins and indeed a copy of it appears at the end. There's also the cast - Myrna Loy as the wife of Cary Grant, the eponymous Mr Blandings - even in a supporting role the double Oscar-winner Melvyn Douglas.

It's his Bill Cole that provides the introductory voiceover over what I suppose is only archive footage because it's from 1948. Contemporary footage, and comic timing. Manhattan, New York, United States, 8 million souls...

“Nick, we’re going home and I’m not tucking you into bed, I’m tying you in.”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in Song Of The Thin Man (1947) will be available on Blu-ray January 18th from Warner Archive

At a charity gambling benefit aboard the S.S. Fortune, the tables are hot, the jazz is hotter and before you know it, a bandleader’s body is growing cold. They’re playing your song, Nick and Nora Charles! William Powell and Myrna Loy return for the sixth and final time as the married sleuths, rousting suspects out of bed for 4 a.m. interrogations while trying to fathom the bebop argot of ‘40s jazz jive. Speaking of their renowned screen chemistry, Loy once said, “It wasn’t a conscious thing. If you heard us talking in a room, you’d hear the same thing. He’d tease me, and there was...

Warners continues developing a remake of the detective mystery "The Thin Man", by author Dashiell Hammett, previously adapted into a successful series of MGM features, starring actors William Powell, Myrna Loy and 'Asta', a wire fox terrier:

"...set in Prohibition-era New York City, former 2-fisted private detective 'Nick Charles' and his elegant wife 'Nora', a wealthy socialite, spend most of their time cheerfully getting drunk in hotel rooms and speakeasies. Nick and Nora have no children, but own a clever dog named 'Asta'.

"Enjoying his carefree life...

"...Nick is drawn, mostly against his will, into investigating a crime...

"...bringing him into contact with grotesque 'Clyde Wynant', the 'Thin Man' of the title..." 

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Thin Man"...

“Oh, Nicky, you’re driving me crazy. This case is serious and all you do is fuddle around and guzzle cider.”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) will be available on Blu-ray November 23rd from Warner Archive

William Powell and Myrna Loy reunite as amateur sleuths Nick and Nora Charles in this penultimate 5th entry to the beloved, long-running series of mystery comedies that began a decade earlier. Outlaws come and go in Nick and Nora’s lives. Now it’s time to meet the in-laws. The debonair sleuths leave little Nicky Jr. at boarding school, grab Asta and head to Nick’s boyhood home of Sycamore Springs. Of course, wherever they go, murder has a way of showing up on the doorstep – a point proven in delightful classic. Nick can show off his gumshoe talents for his parents (Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson) when an artist is killed.

Mel Brooks has been set as the 2021 recipient of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s Career Achievement Award.

He’s the latest in a distinguished line of artists to receive the honor, joining the likes of John Huston, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Robert Mitchum, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Robert Preston, Roger Corman, cinematographer Conrad L. Hall and composer Ennio Morricone.

Lafca’s members will decide on other honorees December 12. They will be honored alongside Brooks early next year.

Brooks is a prolific writer, director, producer and actor with a career spanning more than seven decades, whose iconic films include The Producers (1967), The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).

Brooks began his career as a comic and writer on Sid Caesar’s variety series Your Show of Shows. Later, with Carl Reiner, he...

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Vintage magazines make a great collector’s item (or gift idea) for movie lovers, and anyone looking to capture that Old Hollywood aesthetic. But you don’t even have to leave the house to get your hands on these collectibles. If you’re not in the mood to visit a garage sale or thrift store, we put together a list of rare magazines that you can buy online.

From Photoplay to Movieland magazine, you might not be familiar with some of the publications listed but if you’re a fan of Hollywood’s Golden Era, then you’re likely to recognize some (if not all) of the screen legends captured on the covers,...

“You got all the luck. What’d you do? Swallow a horseshoe?”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in Shadow Of The Thin Man (1941) will be available on Blu-ray August 17th From Warner Archive.

A jockey who threw a race is murdered in the locker room. With that, she and hubby Nick are off to the races on another case of murder, mirth and perfect martinis. Red herrings abound.

Nick and Nora’s hopes for a pleasant afternoon at the local race track are dashed when a jockey is found shot dead in the locker room. Nick’s friend Lt. Abrams wants him to help out but Nick is enjoying the good life too much to get involved. However, he is subsequently approached by Major Scully to look into corruption and the role of organized crime in gambling. Others are killed but in the end, Nick gathers all of the suspects...

And just like that 2021 is half over. Whaaaa? We'll do the "halfway mark" listicles stuff any day now but it sure feels like the year has only just started. Surely due to how long Oscar season was delayed plus movie theaters just starting to trek back to full capacity (in some cities)...

A dozen highlights from June in case you missed 'em

• "Blue" Five great scenes in film using Joni Mitchell's music

• In the Heights Nathaniel's rave for a joyful perfect-for-summer movie musical

• Almost There: Myrna Loy this classic star was never Oscar nominated!

• Moulin Rouge! 20 appropriate ways to celebrate its big anniversary

• Gay Best Friend: Artie in Cruella Disney does it (sort of just barely) again

• Cannes an index of our coverage: sections, posters, stills, buzz, juries

• Judy Holliday Centennial a too short but fascinating career

• Emmys Watch FYCs and Predictions

• Joan vs Olivia the Old Hollywood...

Clark Gable did not intend to see action when World War II came to America. Which is not to say he ignored the war. Gable was there that day in 1940 when President Franklin Roosevelt gave his famous “Arsenal of Democracy” speech from the Oval Office. And, indeed, the first thing the movie star did when he heard about the Pearl Harbor attack was cable Fdr to offer his full support—and, tellingly, the besieged president promptly answered right back.

But then in the 1930s and early ‘40s, Gable was “the King of Hollywood;” the reigning movie star who could sell more tickets than anybody this side of Shirley Temple, and he didn’t have to sing or dance to do it either. He was a mustachioed and muscular alpha who appealed to everybody, even presidents, and was one of the few leading men who would tell Louis B. Mayer no...

On the surface, Cassie Bowden (Kaley Cuoco) is a very successful airline stewardess. The protagonist of HBO Max’s juicy, fun comedy series “The Flight Attendant” lives in New York City and has the primo routes in Europe and in Asia. But she’s also a drunk and quite frankly, a slut. And when she wakes up in bed in her hotel room in Bangkok, she discovers the man she spent the night with who had been her flight is dead with his throat slashed. It’s a delicious eight-season flight with Cuoco and the series earning nominations for the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics Choice honors. And it’s expected to be a shoo-in for multiple Emmy nominations.

Over the decades, flight attendants have been depicted in movies and on TV from a Madonna to a whore and everything in between. Of course, the most...

by Cláudio Alves

The 19th Academy Awards were, in some regard, a celebration of the war's end, a reckoning with its immediate consequences. We can see it in the embrace of European cinema, an industry rising from the ashes, with nods for films like the Italian Neorealist Rome, Open City, and the French poetry of Children of Paradise. American cinema, America itself, was also still reeling from its hard-won victory. The scars were fresh and bloody when William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives won the Best Picture Oscar. The production portrays the lives of three military men returning home after the war's end, traumatized and still recovering, adapting back to civilian life. It was the perfect champion for these postwar Oscars.

Nevertheless, not even the picture's awards success could spell away some of its performers' chronic bad luck when it came to movie awards. After decades as one of Hollywood's greatest stars,...

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“The Original Money Pit”

By Raymond Benson

Remember the 1986 comedy The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? The official credits of that film do not mention the excellent writing team of Frank Panama and Melvin Frank, who adapted Eric Hodgins’ 1946 biographical comic novel Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House into the popular 1948 “disaster comedy” starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The Money Pit is, in reality, an under-the-table remake of Blandings. It’s a pity that the original was not acknowledged, for, frankly, Blandings is much more realistic (and clever).

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House was indeed a popular film and yet during its initial run was deemed to have lost money—just like the hapless Mr. Blandings does while attempting to move out of New York City to Connecticut. The movie is funny enough, for sure, but perhaps in...