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It’s a hot soap from ’65, when movies promised raging passion but delivered cheap teases and hypocritical judgments. It’s Suzanne Pleshette’s only starring role, but it doesn’t exploit her bright personality, her sense of humor. John O’Hara’s tale hasn’t much pity for a promiscuous young wife who breaks the rules. Does nymphomania make her a social menace, or is she victimized by a script determined to put the blame on Mame? Costarring Ben Gazzara, Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves.

A Rage to Live

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 197

1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date December 28, 2022 / Available from [Imprint] / aud 34.98

Starring: Suzanne Pleshette, Bradford Dillman, Ben Gazzara, Peter Graves, Bethel Leslie, Carmen Mathews, Linden Chiles, James Gregory, Ruth White, Mark Goddard, Sarah Marshall, George Furth, Virginia Christine, Aneta Corsaut, Frank Maxwell, Almira Sessions.

Cinematography: Charles Lawton Jr.

Costume Designer: Howard Shoup

Art Director: James Sullivan

Film Editor: Stuart Gilmore...

It’s Labor vs. Capital, in basic terms! Sean Connery is the tough, embittered miner looking to strike back against the bosses, and Richard Harris the underdog who sees a way out by becoming an agent provocateur for the Pinkertons. An admirable true-life history lesson, Walter Bernstein & Martin Ritt’s downer of a drama didn’t grab the public’s imagination. But there’s no better vision of the time and place, thanks to James Wong Howe’s realistic, nearly monochromatic cinematography.

The Molly Maguires

Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 172

1970 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 124 min. / Street Date October 26, 2022 / Available from Viavision / au 34.95

Starring: Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay, Anthony Zerbe, Philip Bourneuf, Anthony Costello, Bethel Leslie, Brendan Dillon.

Cinematography: James Wong Howe

Art Director: Tambi Larsen

Costumes designed by: Dorothy Jeakins

Film Editor: Frank Bracht

Original Music: Henry Mancini

Written by Walter Bernstein suggested by a book by Arthur H. Lewis

Produced by Walter Bernstein,...

This show has everything going for it, in fact, it has Too much going for it: tragic drama, silly comedy, bland heart-tugs and saucy romance. Everybody’s working across purposes, with ‘stunt’ guest star Bobby Darin preening for awards attention. Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis and Eddie Albert are terrific but are acting in different movies; and Gregory Peck seems out of his depth altogether. Does it keep our attention? You bet. Does it work? I’m not so sure.

Captain Newman, M.D.

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 126 min. / Street Date January 5, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Bobby Darin, Eddie Albert, Robert Duvall, Bethel Leslie, Dick Sargent, James Gregory, Larry Storch, Jane Withers, Vito Scotti, Gregory Walcott, Ann Doran, Martin West, David Winters.

Cinematography: Russell Metty

Film Editor: Alma Macrorie

Music: Frank Skinner

Written by Richard L. Breen, Phoebe & Henry Ephron from...

1974: Another World aired a one-hour special.

1983: Peter Reckell debuted on Days of our Lives.

1991: The Dallas series finale aired on CBS.

2013: Jeanne Cooper's final Y&R scene aired."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...

1968: On The Doctors, Ralph Anderson (Al Hinckley) held Matt (James Pritchett), Althea (Elizabeth Hubbard) and Nick (Gerald Gordon) hostage in Matt's office. As Maggie (Bethel Leslie) banged on the door, a gunshot went off.

1974: Another World broadcast for one hour for the first time in honor of its 10th anniversary.

1968: Dark Shadows' Professor Stokes explained the Dream Curse.

1987: Atwt's Craig and Sierra enjoyed their new baby.

1987: Knots Landing's Peter Hollister was murdered.

1992: Another World's Carl shocked Bay City with his return."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...

1968: On The Doctors, Karen (Laryssa Lauret) rushed to talk with Matt (James Pritchett) after Steve told her about the hostage situation with Ralph Anderson. Maggie (Bethel Leslie) wasn't phased when she walked in on Karen's conversation with Matt. "For once, I'm not concerned about Karen Werner's continental charms,...

1966: David found Victoria on Dark Shadows.

1982: Holly's preliminary hearing began on Gh.

1988: Gl's Ben wanted to know if Aunt Mo was his new mommy.

1999: AMC's Alex had big news for David."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different 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...

1964: On Another World, on the night before Pat Matthews' (Susan Trustman) murder trial was to begin, she still refused to take the truth serum despite a last-minute plea from her father, Jim (Shepperd Strudwick).

1966: On Dark Shadows, David Collins (David Henesy) discovered Victoria Winters...

1968: Dark Shadows' Professor Stokes explained the Dream Curse.

1987: Atwt's Craig and Sierra enjoyed their new baby.

1987: Knots Landing's Peter Hollister was murdered.

1992: Another World's Carl shocked Bay City with his return."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1968: On The Doctors, Karen (Laryssa Lauret) rushed to talk with Matt (James Pritchett) after Steve told her about the hostage situation with Ralph Anderson. Maggie...

1974: Another World aired a one-hour special.

1983: Peter Reckell debuted on Days of our Lives.

1991: The Dallas series finale aired on CBS.

2013: Jeanne Cooper's final Y&R scene aired."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"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...

1968: On The Doctors, Ralph Anderson (Al Hinckley) held Matt (James Pritchett), Althea (Elizabeth Hubbard) and Nick (Gerald Gordon) hostage in Matt's office. As Maggie (Bethel Leslie) banged on the door,...

1966: David found Victoria on Dark Shadows but left

without helping her. 1982: Holly's preliminary hearing got

underway on Gh. 1988: Gl's Ben wanted to know if "Aunt Mo" was

his new mommy. 1999: AMC's Alex had big news for David."History is a vast early warning system."

― Norman Cousins

"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...

1964: On Another World, on the night before Pat Matthews' (Susan Trustman) murder trial was to begin, she still refused to take the truth serum despite a last-minute plea from her father, Jim (Shepperd Strudwick).

1966: On Dark Shadows, David Collins (David Henesy) discovered Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) in the secret room...

Warren Leslie Dies at 84; Wrote Book That Rankled Dallas

Warren Leslie, who in 1964 raised hackles in Dallas, his adopted hometown, when he contended in a book that a climate of right-wing extremism had primed the city to become the scene of a national tragedy — the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — died on July 6 at his home in Chicago. He was 84.

Mr. Leslie left Dallas soon after “Dallas Public and Private” was published and returned to New York, where he worked for Revlon and started his own public relations firm while helping to write scripts for the soap opera The Secret Storm, whose head writer for a time was his sister, the actress and writer Bethel Leslie.

New Dark Shadows Comic Book Announced

Dynamic Comics have announced that they will be launching a monthly Dark Shadows comic book, featuring new stories following on from where the original show left off.

Remakes can be curious entities, at times nothing so much as pallid retakes of the original effort.

However, in the case of the CBS miniseries "In Cold Blood", once again based on Truman Capote's pioneering true-crime masterpiece, the attempt yields something new and powerful. Though different in approach from the riveting black-and-white feature film that Richard Brooks directed in 1967, CBS' four-hour presentation with Anthony Edwards, Eric Roberts and Sam Neill is a spare yet resonant telling of evil at large.

With a minimum of dialogue and exposition, the latest "In Cold Blood" reveals itself an unadorned picture of bloody transgression and serrated sin loose in the heartland. By the artful absence of what is not said or shown, a kind of dramatic negative space, CBS' "In Cold Blood" hits with demanding force.

Here two losers become killers, pursued by those who are legally and ethically doing their job of policing. We meet those responsible for a case of murder in 1959, wherein a Kansas family was slaughtered while the rest of their farming community slept. And so we witness events leading up to this horrible slaying as well as the subsequent hunt by the Kansas Bureau of Investigations.

As judiciously scripted by Benedict Fitzgerald and discerningly directed by Jonathan Kaplan, we are fully plunged into the dark, unquiet world of death and violence where delusive dreams and unquenchable longing takes four lives.

Moreover, Edwards and Roberts, as the drifting killers plagued by sooty vagaries and grubby whims, make uncomfortably pressing the dumb nature of errant evil; the blank, dead-end ways of two men adrift in their own lives, cut off from the larger context of cause and effect. Perry Smith (Roberts) and Dick Hickock (Edwards) found one another while serving prison time.

Now out of the slammer, they are looking to pull off what Hickock sees as the big crime (he calls it "a cinch, a perfect score"), the two having sloppily schemed to rob well-off farmer Herb Clutter (Kevin Tighe), who supposedly has stashed his cash in a home safe. There will be no witnesses. Clutter and his kin are to be murdered once the money is gotten.

As Hickock and Smith roam the gamy side of the American Dream, Clutter and kin stand as the very model of homegrown purity and honor, churchgoers who have achieved much. Clutter is an inward but good man who works hard providing for his ill wife Bonnie (Gillian Barber) and their kids (Robbie Bowen, Margot Finley). But like all perfect families, there are imperfections under the patina.

And then all does comes to grief when, on a still Sunday in November, Smith and Hickock enter the Clutters' home, only to find there is no safe, no hidden money. The family is cruelly executed, and Hickock and Smith make off with $41. After passing some bum checks they head south to Mexico. Now KBI's Alvin Dewey (Neill), a methodical and deliberate man and a friend of the Clutters, dedicates himself to capturing the killers. As Dewey states at a press conference, "However long it takes, I'm going to know what happened in that house."

Insistent and unrelenting, this TV version of a wicked, bloody act is often difficult and disagreeable to watch; a rendering coolly and edgily conjured by production designer Mark Freeborn and crisply etched into memory by director of photography Peter Woeste's haunting and lyrical compositions.

Here the American scene looms with barren, empty remove, imbued with the tenebrous worry and moody loss of something painted by Edward Hopper. Bedrooms and roadside hash joints are like the peeling, forgotten chambers of the heart, dimly known and seldom ventured fully into. As well as the visuals, Hummie Mann's haunting score creates a penetrating presence of suffering and surrender, abandonment and desertion without absolution or relief.

IN COLD BLOOD

CBS

Pacific Motion Pictures

and Hallmark Entertainment

Executive producer Robert Halmi Sr.

Producer Tom Rowe

Associate producers George Horie, David W. Rose

Director Jonathan Kaplan

Writer Benedict Fitzgerald

Based on the book by Truman Capote

Music Hummie Mann

Production designer Mark Freeborn

Art director Scott Dobbie

Editor Michael Ornstein

Director of photography Peter Woeste

Casting Julie Selzer

Canadian casting Lynne Carrow

Cast: Anthony Edwards, Eric Roberts, Sam Neill, Leo Rossi, Kevin Tighe, Louise Latham, Gwen Verdon, Bethel Leslie, L.Q. Jones, Gillian Barber

Airdates: Sunday, November 24 and

Tuesday, November 26, 9-11 p.m.