Fans on Facebook have been speculating on what a hypothetical Flubber 2 would starring Adam Sandler would look like, leading to a concept poster making the rounds.
The poster seems to be referring to the 1997 Flubber movie starring Robin Williams, but that was not the only time the story of a professor and his "flying rubber" was told on screen.
Disney released the first Flubber movie, The Absent-Minded Professor starring Fred MacMurray, in 1961, and a sequel, Son of Flubber, in 1963. 1988 saw a remake of the original movie, also called The Absent-Minded Professor, this time starring Harry Anderson (and available to watch on YouTube).
Read full article on The Direct.
The poster seems to be referring to the 1997 Flubber movie starring Robin Williams, but that was not the only time the story of a professor and his "flying rubber" was told on screen.
Disney released the first Flubber movie, The Absent-Minded Professor starring Fred MacMurray, in 1961, and a sequel, Son of Flubber, in 1963. 1988 saw a remake of the original movie, also called The Absent-Minded Professor, this time starring Harry Anderson (and available to watch on YouTube).
Read full article on The Direct.
- 9/2/2024
- by Gillian Blum
- The Direct
The election of the first female U.S. president was played for laughs when Kisses for My President hit theaters six decades ago.
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt, the Warner Bros. film stars Polly Bergen as President Leslie McCloud, who navigates relations with Soviets and a dictator in Central America. Meanwhile, her husband, Thad (Fred MacMurray), struggles to accept his role. The movie’s 60th anniversary — it was released Aug. 21, 1964 — arrives during the Democratic National Convention as Vice President Kamala Harris aims to become the first female commander in chief.
THR‘s review called Kisses for My President a “topical, romantic farce”: “It considers the problems of having a female president, not only for the lady, but for her husband, who must fill the functions normally assumed by the ‘first lady.'”
At the end of the movie, Leslie learns she’s pregnant after fainting in the White House and resigns.
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt, the Warner Bros. film stars Polly Bergen as President Leslie McCloud, who navigates relations with Soviets and a dictator in Central America. Meanwhile, her husband, Thad (Fred MacMurray), struggles to accept his role. The movie’s 60th anniversary — it was released Aug. 21, 1964 — arrives during the Democratic National Convention as Vice President Kamala Harris aims to become the first female commander in chief.
THR‘s review called Kisses for My President a “topical, romantic farce”: “It considers the problems of having a female president, not only for the lady, but for her husband, who must fill the functions normally assumed by the ‘first lady.'”
At the end of the movie, Leslie learns she’s pregnant after fainting in the White House and resigns.
- 8/11/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jay Kanter, the high-powered Hollywood agent who represented Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe and served as the inspiration for Jack Lemmon’s character in the classic Billy Wilder film The Apartment, died Tuesday. He was 97.
Kanter died at his home in Beverly Hills, a spokesperson for the Independent Artist Group announced. His son Adam Kanter is a partner at Iag.
A favorite of mighty Music Corporation of America mogul Lew Wasserman, Kanter also spent seven years in England in the 1960s greenlighting European movies for Universal, produced films including the Elizabeth Taylor-starring X, Y and Zee (1972) and had a long business relationship with Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and MGM.
When Brando was slumming around Paris after breaking out on Broadway in Streetcar Named Desire in the late 1940s, Kanter‚ then an McA junior agent, received a call from producer Stanley Kramer saying he wanted to hire...
Kanter died at his home in Beverly Hills, a spokesperson for the Independent Artist Group announced. His son Adam Kanter is a partner at Iag.
A favorite of mighty Music Corporation of America mogul Lew Wasserman, Kanter also spent seven years in England in the 1960s greenlighting European movies for Universal, produced films including the Elizabeth Taylor-starring X, Y and Zee (1972) and had a long business relationship with Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and MGM.
When Brando was slumming around Paris after breaking out on Broadway in Streetcar Named Desire in the late 1940s, Kanter‚ then an McA junior agent, received a call from producer Stanley Kramer saying he wanted to hire...
- 8/7/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Garden of Allah. The Cocoanut Grove. The Brown Derby and The Luau. They were the hottest places to see and be seen during the Golden Age of Hollywood, from the 1930s to the 1960s. Anyone who dined at these glamorous venues or wishes they had will thrill to the Out With the Stars exhibit, opening Saturday at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. The exhibition showcases these starry restaurants and much more from the 20th century in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, with a special room devoted to World War II’s Hollywood Canteen.
Most of these atmospheric spots are long gone now, except a few stalwarts like Musso and Frank, the Tam O’Shanter and the Smokehouse. But in the days before social media and TMZ, making the scene at one of Hollywood’s swanky nightspots was the best way to boost your career, explains entertainment manager Darin Barnes,...
Most of these atmospheric spots are long gone now, except a few stalwarts like Musso and Frank, the Tam O’Shanter and the Smokehouse. But in the days before social media and TMZ, making the scene at one of Hollywood’s swanky nightspots was the best way to boost your career, explains entertainment manager Darin Barnes,...
- 6/28/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Billy Wilder was the six-time Oscar winner who left behind a series of classically quotable features from Hollywood’s Golden Age, crafting sharp witted and darkly cynical stories that blended comedy and pathos in equal measure. Let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Wilder was born to a family of Austrian Jews in 1906. After working as a journalist, he developed an interest in filmmaking and collaborated on the silent feature “People on Sunday” (1929) with fellow rookies Fred Zinnemann, Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer. With the rise of Adolph Hitler, Wilder fled to Paris, where he co-directed the feature “Mauvaise Graine” (1934). Tragically, his mother, stepfather and grandmother all died in the Holocaust.
After moving to Hollywood, Wilder enjoyed a successful career as a screenwriter, earning Oscar nominations for penning 1939’s “Ninotchka” and 1941’s “Hold Back the Dawn” and “Ball of Fire.” He...
Wilder was born to a family of Austrian Jews in 1906. After working as a journalist, he developed an interest in filmmaking and collaborated on the silent feature “People on Sunday” (1929) with fellow rookies Fred Zinnemann, Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer. With the rise of Adolph Hitler, Wilder fled to Paris, where he co-directed the feature “Mauvaise Graine” (1934). Tragically, his mother, stepfather and grandmother all died in the Holocaust.
After moving to Hollywood, Wilder enjoyed a successful career as a screenwriter, earning Oscar nominations for penning 1939’s “Ninotchka” and 1941’s “Hold Back the Dawn” and “Ball of Fire.” He...
- 6/17/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
General Hospital (Gh) fans are mourning the death of another alum. Betty Ann Rees passed away this past Monday, June 3 at the age of 81.
She had been in a number of movies, appeared on several primetime television shows, and did a couple of soaps, including Gh.
An actress, as well as an entrepreneur, Betty Anne had multiple sclerosis (Ms) and had a “possible stroke” before passing away.
General Hospital Alum Betty Anne Rees – Her Acting Legacy
Rees was famous for her role on the sitcom My Three Sons, playing Fred MacMurray’s secretary in the show’s final 12th season from 1971 to 1972.
She was also well known for her appearances in movies like The Unholy Rollers in 1972, as well as The Photographer and Sugar Hill in 1974.
In addition, Betty Anne guest starred on primetime television shows like the Mod Squad, Mannix, The F.B.I., The Incredible Hulk, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco,...
She had been in a number of movies, appeared on several primetime television shows, and did a couple of soaps, including Gh.
An actress, as well as an entrepreneur, Betty Anne had multiple sclerosis (Ms) and had a “possible stroke” before passing away.
General Hospital Alum Betty Anne Rees – Her Acting Legacy
Rees was famous for her role on the sitcom My Three Sons, playing Fred MacMurray’s secretary in the show’s final 12th season from 1971 to 1972.
She was also well known for her appearances in movies like The Unholy Rollers in 1972, as well as The Photographer and Sugar Hill in 1974.
In addition, Betty Anne guest starred on primetime television shows like the Mod Squad, Mannix, The F.B.I., The Incredible Hulk, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco,...
- 6/11/2024
- by Dorathy Gass
- Celebrating The Soaps
Betty Anne Rees, who appeared on My Three Sons but was better known for the films The Unholy Rollers and Sugar Hill, has died at age 81. Rees died on June 3 at home in Hemet, California, niece Kathleen Loucks told The Hollywood Reporter. The retired actor had suffered a series of falls recently and had possibly endured a stroke, and she was also living with multiple sclerosis. Born Elizabeth Anne Rees in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on April 14, 1943 — and educated at Shaker Heights High School, the University of Miami, and the Pasadena Playhouse — the actor made early appearances on the daytime soaps General Hospital and The Doctors, per THR. In the early 1970s, Rees guest-starred on the TV shows The F.B.I., Adam-12, Mannix, and Mod Squad. Then came her role in the ABC-turned-CBS sitcom My Three Sons. Rees played Janet Ingram, the secretary of Fred MacMurray’s character, in the final season.
- 6/8/2024
- TV Insider
Despite being one of the longest-running live-action sitcoms of all time, you don't hear much about "My Three Sons" anymore. The series ran for an impressive 12 seasons beginning in 1960, producing 380 episodes of wholesome sitcom scenarios during a decade of tremendous upheaval. "The real world was quite tumultuous and revolution was in the air," star Barry Livingston told CBS News in a 2009 retrospective, "and we were still eating Uncle Charley's cookies and having milk."
"My Three Sons" doesn't have the enduring legacy of more thought-provoking shows of the '60s and '70s, like "M*A*S*H" and "The Twilight Zone," nor is it typically mentioned in the same breath as all-time-great comedies like "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Despite the show's absence from most abridged versions of TV history, though, it still connected with audiences in its time: the series about a widower raising three sons as a...
"My Three Sons" doesn't have the enduring legacy of more thought-provoking shows of the '60s and '70s, like "M*A*S*H" and "The Twilight Zone," nor is it typically mentioned in the same breath as all-time-great comedies like "I Love Lucy" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Despite the show's absence from most abridged versions of TV history, though, it still connected with audiences in its time: the series about a widower raising three sons as a...
- 5/7/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The biennial D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is set to take place this year with another fun-filled weekend that concludes with the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, which honors artists and visionaries throughout the Walt Disney Company’s history who have pushed the envelope of creativity, challenged conventional wisdom, and broken the restraints of the status quo in search of new possibilities and excellence.
This year’s honorees include Kelly Ripa, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), among others. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m. Pt from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Ryan Seacrest, the host of American Top 40, as well as “American Idol” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC, will host the 2024 Disney Legends Awards Ceremony that will be filled with heartwarming tributes to each of the honorees, along with special guests,...
This year’s honorees include Kelly Ripa, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), among others. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m. Pt from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Ryan Seacrest, the host of American Top 40, as well as “American Idol” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC, will host the 2024 Disney Legends Awards Ceremony that will be filled with heartwarming tributes to each of the honorees, along with special guests,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Errol Lewis
- Soap Opera Network
During their funny host chat, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos shared some exciting news for Kelly on Live with Kelly and Mark.
After gushing over Kelly with many compliments because his snoring kept her awake all night, Mark revealed that Kelly has an unprecedented honor coming her way later in the summer.
Kelly Ripa is no stranger to award nominations from the Emmys and People Choice Awards.
In 2015, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and she won her sixth Daytime Emmy in 2019.
Kelly has been chosen for an exceptional award by the Walt Disney Company, making her a “Legend.”
Disney has shared on Instagram that they have named Kelly Ripa a Disney Legend and will receive the award during a ceremony on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Disney (@disney)
Fans cannot wait to congratulate Kelly Ripa on this honor...
After gushing over Kelly with many compliments because his snoring kept her awake all night, Mark revealed that Kelly has an unprecedented honor coming her way later in the summer.
Kelly Ripa is no stranger to award nominations from the Emmys and People Choice Awards.
In 2015, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and she won her sixth Daytime Emmy in 2019.
Kelly has been chosen for an exceptional award by the Walt Disney Company, making her a “Legend.”
Disney has shared on Instagram that they have named Kelly Ripa a Disney Legend and will receive the award during a ceremony on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Disney (@disney)
Fans cannot wait to congratulate Kelly Ripa on this honor...
- 3/20/2024
- by Pamela Roy
- Monsters and Critics
There’s nothing IndieWire loves more than directors talking about their favorite movies. So, of course, we took notice when, in late 2023, Turner Classic Movies started looping in directors to share their favorites from TCM’s lineup each month: Steven Spielberg’s TCM picks kicked things off, then Martin Scorsese waxed rhapsodic about “Madonna of the Seven Moons,” and Guillermo del Toro gushed about the greatness of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Suspicion.”
Now Chris Columbus is sharing his own TCM picks, along with some especially insightful anecdotes. Watch the video above.
Columbus starts off sharing his love of “Singin’ in the Rain”: “An amazing, almost flawless movie. You can say that about very few movies. I showed ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to my 16-month-old granddaughter who was absolutely absorbed in the musical numbers. Moreso than any Disney animated films. I go back to it once or twice a year.
Particularly...
Now Chris Columbus is sharing his own TCM picks, along with some especially insightful anecdotes. Watch the video above.
Columbus starts off sharing his love of “Singin’ in the Rain”: “An amazing, almost flawless movie. You can say that about very few movies. I showed ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to my 16-month-old granddaughter who was absolutely absorbed in the musical numbers. Moreso than any Disney animated films. I go back to it once or twice a year.
Particularly...
- 3/1/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
If Valentine cards are too lame and saccharine for your taste, then maybe you need something a little more hard-boiled for this lovers’ holiday. Perhaps, “What do I call you besides stupid?” or “We go together like guns and ammunition” are more in line with the romantic sentiments you’d like to express to your gumshoe or femme fatale. If that’s the case, then here are some lethally attractive film noir romances with the cynical bite your cold heart craves.
Marriage vows state, “till death do us part.” But in noir, that death is very rarely of natural causes. I mean, there’s a reason women in noir are referred to as femme fatales – they can be deadly.
Here’s a list of the 10 best classic American films noir to celebrate with on Valentine’s Day.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t already figured it out, I will be...
Marriage vows state, “till death do us part.” But in noir, that death is very rarely of natural causes. I mean, there’s a reason women in noir are referred to as femme fatales – they can be deadly.
Here’s a list of the 10 best classic American films noir to celebrate with on Valentine’s Day.
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t already figured it out, I will be...
- 2/14/2024
- by Beth Accomando
- Showbiz Junkies
From left: Enchanted (Buena Vista Pictures), When Harry Met Sally (Columbia Pictures), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Chemistry is perhaps the most elusive of all cinematic ingredients. Critics can point to craft in elements like directorial technique, set design, editing, and the...
Chemistry is perhaps the most elusive of all cinematic ingredients. Critics can point to craft in elements like directorial technique, set design, editing, and the...
- 2/14/2024
- by Gwen Ihnat, A.A. Dowd, David Anthony, Becca James, Caitlin PenzeyMoog, Alex McLevy, Danette Chavez, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, Cameron Scheetz, and Marah Eakin
- avclub.com
Anne Edwards, dubbed “The Queen of Biography” for her work on best-selling books about the actresses Vivien Leigh and Katharine Hepburn, as well as 14 other celebrity biographies, died on Jan. 20 in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 96 and her daughter said she passed from lung cancer at a senior living facility.
In addition to her biographies, the prolific writ.er had eight novels, three children’s books, two memoirs and one autobiography.
A child performer on radio and the stage, Ms. Edwards sold her first screenplay in 1949, when she was 22.
Her first novel, the mystery The Survivors arrived in 1968; and her first biography, of Judy Garland, in 1975.
Her “Vivien Leigh: A Biography” (1977) spent 19 weeks on The New York Times’s hardcover best-seller list.
Edwards also wrote biographies of Maria Callas, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her...
In addition to her biographies, the prolific writ.er had eight novels, three children’s books, two memoirs and one autobiography.
A child performer on radio and the stage, Ms. Edwards sold her first screenplay in 1949, when she was 22.
Her first novel, the mystery The Survivors arrived in 1968; and her first biography, of Judy Garland, in 1975.
Her “Vivien Leigh: A Biography” (1977) spent 19 weeks on The New York Times’s hardcover best-seller list.
Edwards also wrote biographies of Maria Callas, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her...
- 2/1/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
When Harry Met Sally (courtesy Columbia Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Whether it’s the tension of the countdown, the promise of romance, or simply the idea of letting go of the past and moving on into an unknown future, there’s just something about New Year’s Eve that brings on new revelations,...
Whether it’s the tension of the countdown, the promise of romance, or simply the idea of letting go of the past and moving on into an unknown future, there’s just something about New Year’s Eve that brings on new revelations,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Remembering ‘Remember the Night’: A Christmas movie classic with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray
Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray sizzled as the duplicitous lovers in Billy Wilder’s exceptional 1944 film noir “Double Indemnity.” But that classic based on James M. Cain’s novel wasn’t their first pairing. Four years earlier, they played very different lovers in “Remember the Night,” which was penned by the brilliant Preston Sturges and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The exquisite holiday film, ironically released in January of 1940, has become a Christmas favorite thanks to TCM, streaming services and DVDs.
MacMurray stars as Jack, a young New York City assistant district attorney. Stanwyck’s Lee has seen her share of bad breaks is on trial before Christmas for shoplifting a bracelet at a jewelry store. MacMurray decides to bail her out of jail for the holidays and ends up taking her back to his Indiana family farm where she is warmly welcomed by his mother and aunt. His mother (Beulah Bondi...
MacMurray stars as Jack, a young New York City assistant district attorney. Stanwyck’s Lee has seen her share of bad breaks is on trial before Christmas for shoplifting a bracelet at a jewelry store. MacMurray decides to bail her out of jail for the holidays and ends up taking her back to his Indiana family farm where she is warmly welcomed by his mother and aunt. His mother (Beulah Bondi...
- 12/11/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Locked In is a mystery thriller film directed by Alex Baranowski, from a screenplay by Rowan Joffé. The Netflix film revolves around Lina, an unhappy newlywed woman who has a hostile relationship with her mother-in-law Katherine. An affair starts a chain reaction that ends up in betrayal and murder. Locked In stars Famke Janssen, Rose Williams, Anna Friel, Finn Cole, and Alex Hassell. So, if you loved the Netflix film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Gone Girl (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s...
Gone Girl (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s...
- 11/2/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Judy Nugent, who portrayed one of the twins on the early TV sitcom The Ruggles and a girl who flies around the world in the arms of the Man of Steel on a heartwarming Adventures of Superman episode, has died. She was 83.
Nugent died on Oct. 26 “surrounded by family at her Montana ranch after a short battle with cancer,” according to a family statement shared by her daughter-in-law and Battlestar Galactica and Chicago Fire actress Anne Lockhart (the older daughter of Lassie and Lost in Space star June Lockhart).
The younger daughter of a prop man at MGM, Nugent also appeared in two films directed by Douglas Sirk: as a wise-cracking tomboy who tries to get a blinded widow (Jane Wyman) to snap out of it in Magnificent Obsession (1954), and as one of the daughters of Fred MacMurray and Joan Bennett’s characters in There’s Always Tomorrow (1956).
Nugent also...
Nugent died on Oct. 26 “surrounded by family at her Montana ranch after a short battle with cancer,” according to a family statement shared by her daughter-in-law and Battlestar Galactica and Chicago Fire actress Anne Lockhart (the older daughter of Lassie and Lost in Space star June Lockhart).
The younger daughter of a prop man at MGM, Nugent also appeared in two films directed by Douglas Sirk: as a wise-cracking tomboy who tries to get a blinded widow (Jane Wyman) to snap out of it in Magnificent Obsession (1954), and as one of the daughters of Fred MacMurray and Joan Bennett’s characters in There’s Always Tomorrow (1956).
Nugent also...
- 10/31/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The filmmaking legend and one of the last standing titans of New Hollywood, William Friedkin, died last month. Tributes have poured out around the globe in the form of heartfelt open letters from collaborators, unearthed clips from the bombastic director's interviews and home video commentaries, and just about every repertory cinema in the country programming special Friedkin retrospectives. Now, we've gotten our first look at the best thing to remember Friedkin by: his last film.
"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" is by this point a classic U.S. text, adapted and re-adapted for the stage and screen numerous times since its original 1951 publication. It originated as a novel called "The Caine Mutiny" by Herman Wouk, and it won its year's Pulitzer Prize. Wouk then adapted the novel into a play in 1953, and it became another smash hit. Charles Laughton directed Peter Fonda in the lead role once it hit Broadway. It...
"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" is by this point a classic U.S. text, adapted and re-adapted for the stage and screen numerous times since its original 1951 publication. It originated as a novel called "The Caine Mutiny" by Herman Wouk, and it won its year's Pulitzer Prize. Wouk then adapted the novel into a play in 1953, and it became another smash hit. Charles Laughton directed Peter Fonda in the lead role once it hit Broadway. It...
- 9/21/2023
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
He is best remembered as the affable dad on the long-running television series “My Three Sons” and for his good-natured characters in a string in Disney films. But Fred MacMurray had a rich and varied career that spanned over half a century.
Frederick Martin MacMurray was born on August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Il. His father was a concert violinist, and young Fred initially followed his father steps into the music business. He worked as a saxophonist and vocalist to pay his way through college, eventually moving to Los Angeles and joining the California Collegians vocal ensemble. This led him cross-country to Broadway, where he was discovered by a Paramount scout, who brought him back to L.A. and film stardom.
MacMurray is widely considered one of the most underrated actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He held his own against some of the industry’s most talented actresses, including four...
Frederick Martin MacMurray was born on August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Il. His father was a concert violinist, and young Fred initially followed his father steps into the music business. He worked as a saxophonist and vocalist to pay his way through college, eventually moving to Los Angeles and joining the California Collegians vocal ensemble. This led him cross-country to Broadway, where he was discovered by a Paramount scout, who brought him back to L.A. and film stardom.
MacMurray is widely considered one of the most underrated actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He held his own against some of the industry’s most talented actresses, including four...
- 8/25/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
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.
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.
- 4/9/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
No one took movie stardom more seriously than Steve McQueen. Once the actor became a certified box-office draw in the early 1960s on the strength of "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape," he got incredibly picky about his projects. McQueen knew his tough, taciturn type, and he rarely played against it. He was also disinclined to play anything other than the lead, and he demanded to be paid at his market value.
This proved problematic when he signed on to play heroic fireman Thomas O'Halloran in Irwin Allen's "The Towering Inferno." All-star disaster movies were quite the rage in the early 1970s, and were not looked down upon critically. George Seaton's 1970 adaptation of Arthur Hailey's "Airport" earned 10 Academy Award nominations, with Helen Hayes winning Best Supporting Actress. Three years later, Ronald Neame's "The Poseidon Adventure" racked up eight nominations, and two wins (for Best Original...
This proved problematic when he signed on to play heroic fireman Thomas O'Halloran in Irwin Allen's "The Towering Inferno." All-star disaster movies were quite the rage in the early 1970s, and were not looked down upon critically. George Seaton's 1970 adaptation of Arthur Hailey's "Airport" earned 10 Academy Award nominations, with Helen Hayes winning Best Supporting Actress. Three years later, Ronald Neame's "The Poseidon Adventure" racked up eight nominations, and two wins (for Best Original...
- 4/1/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Los Angeles is such a large and sprawling city, it doesn't have a singular identity. As can be seen from the wide variety of movies set here, neighborhoods in the east, south, and west of LA, from the beaches to the vast San Fernando Valley, all have extremely different flavors. LA is a city of transplants and immigrants, and I'm no exception, as I moved here 6.5 years ago from the UK. Most of the best-known LA movies were made by outsiders trying to get to grips with a city that in one sense is dominated by the movie industry but also has a rich cultural life outside of that.
One of the best ways to discover LA is through documentaries, such as "City of Gold" (2015), "Los Angeles Plays Itself" (2003), and "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (2001). Like most people, my perception of LA was entirely built by the movies I watched growing up,...
One of the best ways to discover LA is through documentaries, such as "City of Gold" (2015), "Los Angeles Plays Itself" (2003), and "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (2001). Like most people, my perception of LA was entirely built by the movies I watched growing up,...
- 3/26/2023
- by Fiona Underhill
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Irma la Douce"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video
The Pitch: Jack Lemmon stars as by-the-book but naïve police officer Nestor Patou who starts a new beat in Paris' red light district. Being a vigilant lawman, he decides to round up all of the sex workers and arrest them, which in turn exposes the corrupt ring within the police force that allows this to usually go on unnoticed by the cops. Nestor is swiftly fired from the force and finds himself drawn to one of the sex workers, the titular Irma la Douce (Shirley MacLaine). After he dispatches her abusive pimp, the two end up moving in together, but Nestor is rather uneasy about Irma still providing service to other men for work.
The Movie: "Irma la Douce"
Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video
The Pitch: Jack Lemmon stars as by-the-book but naïve police officer Nestor Patou who starts a new beat in Paris' red light district. Being a vigilant lawman, he decides to round up all of the sex workers and arrest them, which in turn exposes the corrupt ring within the police force that allows this to usually go on unnoticed by the cops. Nestor is swiftly fired from the force and finds himself drawn to one of the sex workers, the titular Irma la Douce (Shirley MacLaine). After he dispatches her abusive pimp, the two end up moving in together, but Nestor is rather uneasy about Irma still providing service to other men for work.
- 1/21/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Mitchell Leisen’s great Christmas-time tale has a brilliant screenplay by Preston Sturges and letter-perfect performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, threading the needle between light cynicism and well-earned sentiment. Sturges’ celebration of ‘country values’ is sincere and heartfelt, as is his affection for the supporting cast. The presentation includes two radio broadcasts plus a star-studded Paramount short subject for war bonds.
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
- 12/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Back in June, when this series covered Wild Things, I introduced neo-noirs as a response in the 70s and 80s to the noirs of the 40s and 50s. Historical film buffs will know that the Hays Code, which censored Hollywood films based on moral grounds, dictated edits to plot and character until it was abolished in 1968. This is one of the main reasons why films of the 70s began to lean into more gory, salacious and, yes, sexy material.
The 70s and 80s were ripe with remakes of film noirs because the coded violence and sexuality could finally be brought to the fore instead of hiding it in metaphor and innuendo. We’ll talk about several of these films in later entries of this column, but since it is Noirvember, why not use this opportunity to explore a text that cemented several erotic thriller conventions and tropes?
The Noir film...
The 70s and 80s were ripe with remakes of film noirs because the coded violence and sexuality could finally be brought to the fore instead of hiding it in metaphor and innuendo. We’ll talk about several of these films in later entries of this column, but since it is Noirvember, why not use this opportunity to explore a text that cemented several erotic thriller conventions and tropes?
The Noir film...
- 11/29/2022
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Grey’s Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey, along with blackish leads Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson and the late Chadwick Boseman, were honored as Legends Friday to help kick off D23 Expo: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
The ABC stars and the lead of Black Panther, along with Frozen‘s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Imagineer Robert Coltrin, the late Robert Price “Bob” Foster (who procured the land for Walt Disney World), producer Don Hahn, Imagineer Doris Hardoon and music producer Chris Montan were named Disney Legends for their “extraordinary contributions” to the studio’s legacy.
Disney D23 Expo 2022 Photo Gallery: Marvel, Star Wars, and More
Pompeo was celebrated first for her starring role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Dubbed a superhero in scrubs by host Tamron Hall, Pompeo took the stage and began with an anecdote about her daughter Stella and how she...
The ABC stars and the lead of Black Panther, along with Frozen‘s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, Imagineer Robert Coltrin, the late Robert Price “Bob” Foster (who procured the land for Walt Disney World), producer Don Hahn, Imagineer Doris Hardoon and music producer Chris Montan were named Disney Legends for their “extraordinary contributions” to the studio’s legacy.
Disney D23 Expo 2022 Photo Gallery: Marvel, Star Wars, and More
Pompeo was celebrated first for her starring role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Dubbed a superhero in scrubs by host Tamron Hall, Pompeo took the stage and began with an anecdote about her daughter Stella and how she...
- 9/9/2022
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Black Panther–well, Chadwick Boseman–is now a Disney Legend. The Walt Disney Company has announced 14 new honorees as part of their Disney Legends brand. This 35th anniversary edition of Disney Legends includes actors, animators, Imagineers, and more.
The list: Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Perhaps the standout name is Chadwick Boseman, one of just two members being honored posthumously (the other is Foster). Boseman passed away just over two years ago.
The hall of fame was established in 1987 and included just one honoree that year: Fred MacMurray, whose most notable Disney movie is The Shaggy Dog (1959), later remade with Robert Downey Jr., a member of the Class of 2019.
The honorees also join the likes of Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, George Lucas,...
The list: Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Perhaps the standout name is Chadwick Boseman, one of just two members being honored posthumously (the other is Foster). Boseman passed away just over two years ago.
The hall of fame was established in 1987 and included just one honoree that year: Fred MacMurray, whose most notable Disney movie is The Shaggy Dog (1959), later remade with Robert Downey Jr., a member of the Class of 2019.
The honorees also join the likes of Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, George Lucas,...
- 8/20/2022
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Disney’s D23 Expo will kick off next month with a presentation of this year’s class of Disney Legends, the roster of which was announced today. Per the company, “The Disney Legends Award is given to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Disney legacy.”
This year’s honorees are Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Tamron Hall will host the ceremony.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Chapek in a statement today. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.
This year’s honorees are Anthony Anderson, Kristen Bell, Chadwick Boseman, Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob” Foster, Jonathan Groff, Don Hahn, Josh Gad, Doris Hardoon, Idina Menzel, Chris Montan, Ellen Pompeo, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Tamron Hall will host the ceremony.
“For nearly a century, Disney has been entertaining and inspiring people around the world,” said Chapek in a statement today. “I can’t wait to give fans a first look at what we have in store for our hundredth anniversary, and how we’re using this occasion to celebrate all the fans and families who have welcomed Disney into their lives.
- 8/19/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
When Aesop Aquarian returned from acting class to discover an acquaintance dead of a gunshot wound in his spare room, he let it go.
Perhaps it had been a game of Russian roulette, or a suicide. At least these were the theories offered to him by his new Venice Beach housemates, members of what the public would in time call the Manson Family.
Later, when Aesop’s beloved custom Volkswagen camper van was mysteriously torched after he resettled with the group on their compound 30 miles north at the Spahn Movie Ranch, he accepted it. Maybe it was just an accident. Mercury could well have been in retrograde.
But Aesop finally bugged out, hitchhiking back to Los Angeles before dawn, after it was proposed he turn assassin in the run-up to Charlie Manson’s trial. “There was no humor in the suggestion,” explained Aesop,...
When Aesop Aquarian returned from acting class to discover an acquaintance dead of a gunshot wound in his spare room, he let it go.
Perhaps it had been a game of Russian roulette, or a suicide. At least these were the theories offered to him by his new Venice Beach housemates, members of what the public would in time call the Manson Family.
Later, when Aesop’s beloved custom Volkswagen camper van was mysteriously torched after he resettled with the group on their compound 30 miles north at the Spahn Movie Ranch, he accepted it. Maybe it was just an accident. Mercury could well have been in retrograde.
But Aesop finally bugged out, hitchhiking back to Los Angeles before dawn, after it was proposed he turn assassin in the run-up to Charlie Manson’s trial. “There was no humor in the suggestion,” explained Aesop,...
- 7/15/2022
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s back and Criterion’s got it, so be prepared for sharp-talking insights on Billy Wilder’s nearly flawless, cinema-changing ode to cold-blooded murder, Los Angeles style. Edward G. Robinson wants Fred MacMurray but Barbara Stanwyck has him wrapped around her trigger finger. James M. Cain tapped into our city’s domestic malaise — who doesn’t know somebody they’d like to trade in for some extra cash? What about the extras? The Big C has Noah Isenberg, Imogen Sara Smith, Eddie Muller, Angelica Jade Bastién. Plus, we get the legendary Wilder interviews with Volker Schlöndorff, uncut and völlig ungeklärt. Revolver under the sofa cushion, anyone?
Double Indemnity
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1126
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 31, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Tom Powers, Jean Heather, Byron Barr, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Bonanova, Mona Freeman,...
Double Indemnity
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1126
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 31, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Tom Powers, Jean Heather, Byron Barr, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Bonanova, Mona Freeman,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“Is You In There, Zombie?”
By Raymond Benson
There are a handful of Hollywood movies out there that successfully combined comedy with the horror genre. Surprisingly, truly good ones are few and far between. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is perhaps the quintessential example of the genre mashup. It provided genuine thrills and some frights mixed in with hilarious comedic bits. A more recent one that comes to mind is of course the 1984 megahit, Ghostbusters. There is no question that this Bill Murray vehicle owes a great deal to the 1940 romp, The Ghost Breakers, considered one of Bob Hope’s most beloved early pictures.
Based on the 1909 stage play, The Ghost Breaker, by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, the 1940 movie is actually a remake of previous adaptations. Both Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred E. Green made silent films of the play in 1914 and 1922, respectively,...
“Is You In There, Zombie?”
By Raymond Benson
There are a handful of Hollywood movies out there that successfully combined comedy with the horror genre. Surprisingly, truly good ones are few and far between. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is perhaps the quintessential example of the genre mashup. It provided genuine thrills and some frights mixed in with hilarious comedic bits. A more recent one that comes to mind is of course the 1984 megahit, Ghostbusters. There is no question that this Bill Murray vehicle owes a great deal to the 1940 romp, The Ghost Breakers, considered one of Bob Hope’s most beloved early pictures.
Based on the 1909 stage play, The Ghost Breaker, by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, the 1940 movie is actually a remake of previous adaptations. Both Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred E. Green made silent films of the play in 1914 and 1922, respectively,...
- 4/18/2022
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Writer-director Billy Wilder’s favorite and perhaps best movie takes the leap to 4K, revealing even more beauty in the images of Joseph Lashelle and the designs of Alexandre Trauner . . . we all feel like we’ve lived in C.C. Baxter’s New York flat. Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s ‘dirty fairy tale’ best expresses the difficulty of keeping both a job and one’s self-respect — fitting in a love life seems altogether too much to ask. It all comes down to Shirley MacLaine’s sweet smile and Jack Lemmon’s eagerness to be a ‘mensch’ — when he’s discovering that a moral compromise is like selling one’s soul.
The Apartment 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1960 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date March 15, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens,...
The Apartment 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1960 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 125 min. / Street Date March 15, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens,...
- 4/2/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" is a classic film that continues to corral new generations of fans even six decades removed from its original 1960 release. Though its central premise of an insurance clerk lending out his apartment to his bosses for their affairs was considered risque at the time, the black-and-white rom-com, starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, won Best Picture at the 33rd Academy Awards. It also won Wilder Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for the script that he co-wrote with I.A.L. Diamond.
"The Apartment" is now in the National Film Registry and the American Film Institute put it at #80 on its list...
The post The Idea For The Apartment Came From One Simple Question appeared first on /Film.
"The Apartment" is now in the National Film Registry and the American Film Institute put it at #80 on its list...
The post The Idea For The Apartment Came From One Simple Question appeared first on /Film.
- 3/16/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
If I was put on the spot to answer what the greatest film noir of all time is, I would unquestionably answer with "Double Indemnity." I would even go so far as to say it is one of the 25 greatest films ever made. Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's screenplay features a perfectly constructed crime story, building unrelenting suspense throughout the whole picture after telling you how it all goes down in the opening scene. Every character gets to rattle off reams of exquisite dialogue, and the cast, led by Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson, attack each syllable with aplomb. John...
The post The One Thing Billy Wilder Regrets The Most About Double Indemnity appeared first on /Film.
The post The One Thing Billy Wilder Regrets The Most About Double Indemnity appeared first on /Film.
- 3/15/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Tim Considine, the actor best known for the role of eldest son Mike on the long-running sitcom “My Three Sons,” died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a Facebook post from his co-star Stanley Livingston. He was 81.
Born in Los Angeles to a showbiz family –– his father, John Considine Jr. was an Oscar-nominated film producer for “Boys Town,” and his mother was the daughter of theater magnate Alexander Pantages –– Considine got his start as a child actor in the 1950s, playing characters in Disney Television’s “Mickey Mouse Club” serials. His roles included Frank Hardy in a “Hardy Boys” serial and Spin Evans in “The Adventures of Spin and Marty.” In 2000, he returned to make a cameo appearance in a TV movie reboot, “The New Adventures of Spin and Marty.” In 1959, Considine appeared alongside his future television father Fred MacMurray in the Disney film “The Shaggy Dog.
Born in Los Angeles to a showbiz family –– his father, John Considine Jr. was an Oscar-nominated film producer for “Boys Town,” and his mother was the daughter of theater magnate Alexander Pantages –– Considine got his start as a child actor in the 1950s, playing characters in Disney Television’s “Mickey Mouse Club” serials. His roles included Frank Hardy in a “Hardy Boys” serial and Spin Evans in “The Adventures of Spin and Marty.” In 2000, he returned to make a cameo appearance in a TV movie reboot, “The New Adventures of Spin and Marty.” In 1959, Considine appeared alongside his future television father Fred MacMurray in the Disney film “The Shaggy Dog.
- 3/5/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Tim Considine, one of the most popular young Disney actors of the 1950s before originating the role of the eldest brother on the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons, died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.
His death was announced by his son Christopher, and shared on Facebook by My Three Sons co-star Stanley Livingston, who played Chip Douglas to Considine’s Mike. “Tim and I have been friends for more than 70 years,” Livingston wrote, adding “He will be missed by all those who knew him. I love you Bro.”
Considine was already known to television audiences — particularly youngsters — by the time he was cast for the 1960 debut on ABC of My Three Sons. He had played Spin Evans on the mid-’50s Mickey Mouse Club serial “The Adventures of Spin and Marty,” and, later in the decade, Frank Hardy (to Tommy Kirk’s Joe Hardy) on the...
His death was announced by his son Christopher, and shared on Facebook by My Three Sons co-star Stanley Livingston, who played Chip Douglas to Considine’s Mike. “Tim and I have been friends for more than 70 years,” Livingston wrote, adding “He will be missed by all those who knew him. I love you Bro.”
Considine was already known to television audiences — particularly youngsters — by the time he was cast for the 1960 debut on ABC of My Three Sons. He had played Spin Evans on the mid-’50s Mickey Mouse Club serial “The Adventures of Spin and Marty,” and, later in the decade, Frank Hardy (to Tommy Kirk’s Joe Hardy) on the...
- 3/4/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Sometimes fact is so much stranger than fiction, fiction has no choice but to copy fact. "Double Indemnity," a 1943 novel by James M. Cain, was adapted into a film the following year by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. A classic noir, "Double Indemnity" stars Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff, an insurance salesman who conspires with his paramour Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) to murder her husband (Tom Powers) and collect on a double indemnity policy in his name. However, the film's underlying inspiration is not Cain's novel, but a 1927 murder that dominated news coverage.
In 1925 Queens, homemaker Ruth Snyder began an affair with married corset salesman Henry Judd...
The post The Real-Life Murder That Inspired Double Indemnity appeared first on /Film.
In 1925 Queens, homemaker Ruth Snyder began an affair with married corset salesman Henry Judd...
The post The Real-Life Murder That Inspired Double Indemnity appeared first on /Film.
- 2/25/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Director Sidney J. Furie discusses his favorite films he’s watched and re-watched during quarantine with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Dr. Blood’s Coffin (1961)
The Ipcress File (1965) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Appaloosa (1966)
The Naked Runner (1967)
Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
The Entity (1982) – Luca Gaudagnino’s trailer commentary
The Boys in Company C (1978)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The Apartment (1960) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
A Place In The Sun (1951) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Out Of Africa (1985)
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Annie Hall (1977)
The Bad And The Beautiful (1952)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Tender Bar...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Dr. Blood’s Coffin (1961)
The Ipcress File (1965) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Appaloosa (1966)
The Naked Runner (1967)
Lady Sings The Blues (1972)
The Entity (1982) – Luca Gaudagnino’s trailer commentary
The Boys in Company C (1978)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
The Apartment (1960) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949)
A Place In The Sun (1951) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Out Of Africa (1985)
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
Annie Hall (1977)
The Bad And The Beautiful (1952)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Tender Bar...
- 2/15/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Matt Reeves wanted to make a real neo noir with The Batman. He’s mentioned this more than once while talking about his epic reinvention of the Dark Knight, which is slated to release next month. But when he sat down to talk about the movie for the newest issue of Den of Geek magazine, Reeves revealed just how intently he studied classics of that genre, finding acute influences for everything from the degradation of Gotham City to a highly specific interpretation of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship.
It was while discussing the latter element that both Reeves and Batman actor Robert Pattinson told us about a surprising touchstone they shared for their new movie: Alan J. Pakula’s 1971 neo noir classic, Klute.
“Klute was super important,” Reeves says when talking about the early development stages of The Batman. “When I was writing, I watched a bunch of noirs… and...
It was while discussing the latter element that both Reeves and Batman actor Robert Pattinson told us about a surprising touchstone they shared for their new movie: Alan J. Pakula’s 1971 neo noir classic, Klute.
“Klute was super important,” Reeves says when talking about the early development stages of The Batman. “When I was writing, I watched a bunch of noirs… and...
- 2/14/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
To lose ourselves in a world of winks and wisecracks from quick-witted showgirls, ditzy heiresses and fast-talking career women may seem like a borderline irresponsible choice in These Troubled Times. But the blast of pure pleasure that is the Berlin Film Festival’s 27-movie tribute to Mae West, Rosalind Russell and Carole Lombard is an act of cinematic self-care with a precedent. The “No Angels” Retrospective, which co-ordinator Annika Haupts says was conceived as “mood-lightening” counter-programming during Germany’s first corona lockdown, comprises comedies that were themselves developed during America’s Great Depression. Spanning 1932 to 1943, there are ordained classics like “My Man Godfrey,” “His Girl Friday,” “Twentieth Century,” “To Be or Not to Be” and “The Women.” But there’s also a trove of less well-known treasures, united by irreverence and leading ladies whose charisma transforms the contrivances of Hayes Code-era Hollywood into escapism so effervescent it froths the blues away.
- 2/11/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
One of the great romantic movies and one of Billy Wilder’s biggest hits. Fred MacMurray, who was genuinely startled by Jack Lemmon’s improvs with his nose spray, stepped into his role on two weeks’ notice after first choice Paul Douglas died suddenly. The Lemmon-Shirley MacLaine gin game was added because MacLaine was constantly playing cards on set.
The post The Apartment appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The Apartment appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 12/24/2021
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Powerhouse Indicator moves forward to their fourth fancy box of noirs from the studio of Harry Cohn, six pictures stretching from the postwar boom to the end of the original classic noir era. This time around we have some notable directors, and a nice selection of stars — Dennis O’Keefe, George Murphy, Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun and Richard Conte. Kim Novak makes her starring debut as a femme fatale; noir icon Richard Conte shines in a movie that marks a turn into a new kind of existential, paranoid thriller. And speaking of paranoid, we again get to lighten up with another selection of theme-appropriate Three Stooges shorts.
Columbia Noir #4
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1957 / B&w + Color / 1:85 widescreen, 1:37 Academy / Street Date September 27, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / 49.99
Starring: Louis Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe; George Murphy; Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak; Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun; Dennis O’Keefe,...
Columbia Noir #4
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1948-1957 / B&w + Color / 1:85 widescreen, 1:37 Academy / Street Date September 27, 2021 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / 49.99
Starring: Louis Hayward, Dennis O’Keefe; George Murphy; Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak; Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun; Dennis O’Keefe,...
- 9/14/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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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,...
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,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Double Indemnity Welcome to this week's Stay-At-Home Seven - the UK maybe, thankfully, opening back up again but there's still plenty to catch on TV if you are staying in. As thoughts turn to hugging our loved ones this week, we've also turned our Streaming Spotlight on families.
Double Indemnity, Sony Pictures Classic (Freeview channel 51), 6.45pm, Wednesday, May 19
Featuring dialogue that rattles on with the pace of a freight train and the hand of master craftsman Billy Wilder at the tiller, this sizzler of a thriller has lost little of its grip down the decades. Fred MacMurray plays against his usual nice-guy type as salesman Walter Neff, whose path crosses that of Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) with the crackle of desire. The only fly in the ointment is Phyllis' husband and so the pair plot what they hope will be the perfect crime. Told in a flashback that suggests the.
Double Indemnity, Sony Pictures Classic (Freeview channel 51), 6.45pm, Wednesday, May 19
Featuring dialogue that rattles on with the pace of a freight train and the hand of master craftsman Billy Wilder at the tiller, this sizzler of a thriller has lost little of its grip down the decades. Fred MacMurray plays against his usual nice-guy type as salesman Walter Neff, whose path crosses that of Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) with the crackle of desire. The only fly in the ointment is Phyllis' husband and so the pair plot what they hope will be the perfect crime. Told in a flashback that suggests the.
- 5/17/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Writer, director and actress Rebecca Miller discusses a few of her favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
The Ballad Of Jack And Rose (2005)
The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee (2009)
Maggie’s Plan (2015)
Explorers (1985)
The Way We Were (1973)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Annie Hall (1977)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Knife In The Water (1962)
The Tenant (1976)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
Persona (1966)
The Magician (1958)
Hour Of The Wolf (1968)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Shining (1980)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Regarding Henry (1991)
Angela (1995)
Badlands (1973)
Casino (1995)
On The Waterfront (1954)
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Jules and Jim (1962)
The Bitter Tears Of Petra von Kant (1972)
Wings Of Desire (1987)
The Killer Inside Me (1976)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Married To The Mob (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Dune (1984)
Imitation Of Life (1934)
Imitation Of Life (1959)
Written On The Wind (1956)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
All That Heaven Allows...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
The Ballad Of Jack And Rose (2005)
The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee (2009)
Maggie’s Plan (2015)
Explorers (1985)
The Way We Were (1973)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Annie Hall (1977)
Repulsion (1965)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Knife In The Water (1962)
The Tenant (1976)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
Persona (1966)
The Magician (1958)
Hour Of The Wolf (1968)
The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Shining (1980)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Regarding Henry (1991)
Angela (1995)
Badlands (1973)
Casino (1995)
On The Waterfront (1954)
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Jules and Jim (1962)
The Bitter Tears Of Petra von Kant (1972)
Wings Of Desire (1987)
The Killer Inside Me (1976)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Married To The Mob (1988)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Dune (1984)
Imitation Of Life (1934)
Imitation Of Life (1959)
Written On The Wind (1956)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
All That Heaven Allows...
- 5/11/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Joan Weldon, the actress and singer dubbed “filmdom’s fairest exterminator” after her turn as a young scientist investigating giant, radiation-mutated ants in the 1954 sci-fi classic Them!, has died. She was 90.
Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.
A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.
On the stage, she starred for three years as ...
Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.
A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.
On the stage, she starred for three years as ...
Joan Weldon, the actress and singer dubbed “filmdom’s fairest exterminator” after her turn as a young scientist investigating giant, radiation-mutated ants in the 1954 sci-fi classic Them!, has died. She was 90.
Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.
A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.
On the stage, she starred for three years as ...
Weldon died Feb. 11 at her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her family announced.
A onetime contract player at Warner Bros., Weldon during her heyday appeared in several Westerns, including The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953) and Riding Shotgun (1954) opposite Randolph Scott; The Command (1954) with Guy Madison; Gunsight Ridge (1957) alongside Joel McCrea; and Day of the Badman (1958) with Fred MacMurray.
On the stage, she starred for three years as ...
Some movies, performances and moviemakers are so iconic that it’s easy to assume the Academy recognized them at some point, and it can be astounding to find out that some of them failed to take home a statue. Such is the case with the 33rd annual Academy Awards ceremony, helmed by iconic host Bob Hope on April 17, 1961. Whereas a deserving picture did win, a few equally memorable movies and performances were left out, a legendary director would lose his last chance at the statue and it was both the first and last year for some Oscar traditions.
Prolific writer and director Billy Wilder was no stranger to the Academy – in fact, he already had 17 nominations and three wins prior to 1960. However, this would prove to be an historic year for him, as he became the first individual to win Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Original) all in the same year,...
Prolific writer and director Billy Wilder was no stranger to the Academy – in fact, he already had 17 nominations and three wins prior to 1960. However, this would prove to be an historic year for him, as he became the first individual to win Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (Original) all in the same year,...
- 2/24/2021
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Above: Easy LivingIn football, the American film industry found a setting to prattle its American platitudes—their -isms and -ivenesses that titivate the truth. By making a mill from America’s most popular sport, which was already riddled with truisms, Hollywood strove to insulate itself with lush banalities of American exceptionalism. They glommed to the mythology and readymade drama of the gridiron. Underdogs with long odds, inner crises, and familial strife—all seem to be absolved on the football field. Yet, as Don DeLillo writes in End Zone, the regnant work of fiction on football, “whatever complexities, whatever dark politics of the human mind, the heart—these are noted only within the chalked borders of the playing field. At times strange visions ripple across that turf; madness leaks out.” The tired tropes of the sport give way to something else, something unpolished but no less telling, all braced by...
- 2/4/2021
- MUBI
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