Holiday Classics: “The Lemon Drop Kid” (1951)

Bob Hope appeared in many, many movies over his long life and career. And yet, he’s remembered more as an entertainer than an actor, his most recognizable films being the “Road” comedies he starred in opposite Bing Crosby beginning in 1940 and into the 1950s. But that doesn’t meant that Hope’s filmography is entirely unremarkable. […]

Holiday Classics: “We’re No Angels” (1955)

“We’re No Angels” was a bit of a departure for director and star Michael Curtiz and Humphrey Bogart. The light holiday comedy was their fourth collaboration, their previous projects including the gritty 1938 gangster drama “Angels with Dirty Faces” and the soon to be iconic drama “Casablanca.” But just because “We’re No Angels” was outside […]

Holiday Classics: “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)

“Miracle on 34th Street,” which opens during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and concludes on Christmas day, this the perfect movie to kick off the holiday season. So it’s a little surprising that when it debuted in 1947, it was released in theaters at the beginning of May. That was the doing of 20th Century […]

Holiday Classics: “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

Director Frank Capra once said that he never viewed his film “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a Christmas story when he took the project on—he just liked the story. But that story had roots in the quintessential Christmas story: Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Writer Phillip Van Doren Stern wrote a short story titled The […]

Cinema Classics: “42nd Street”

“42nd Street” is the definitive backstage musical. It’s also the film that likely saved the movie musical genre. In the early 1930s, a slew of poorly made musicals following the advent of talkies failed to gain a following amongst critics and audiences. “42nd Street”, directed by Lloyd Bacon and featuring spectacularly-shot musical numbers choreographed by the great […]

Cinema Classics: “Footlight Parade” (1933)

Following the huge success of their iconic musical “42nd Street”, director Lloyd Bacon and choreographer Busby Berkeley topped it the next year with a bigger, better film: “Footlight Parade”. James Cagney welcomed the opportunity to break free of his popular gangster persona and return to his song-and-dance roots as the main character, Chester Kent, a […]

TCM Film Festival Recap

I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend than at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. But unlike the previous festivals, which have been occurring in Hollywood annually since 2010, this fest was virtual, with anyone who had access to TCM or HBO Max able to enjoy its offerings. Last year’s festival, […]

Cinema Classics: “Mrs. Miniver” (1942)

Winston Churchill once claimed that the film “Mrs. Miniver” did more for the war effort than a “flotilla of destroyers.” It is certainly a wonderful film as well as a bit of a historical relic, an American-made movie giving a glimpse into what the citizens of Great Britain were up against, right before the U.S. […]

Cinema Classics: “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947)

“Gentlemen’s Agreement” is not a favorite of mine. At times, it drags. Few of the characters are very likeable. Even director Elia Kazan later said that he didn’t care for this movie, despite winning an Oscar for it—the relationships, he believed, felt forced, and the film overall lacked passion. That much is true, but “Gentleman’s […]

Cinema Classics: “La Strada” (1954)

Italian director Federico Fellini considered “La Strada” (“The Road”) to be his most personal film. The story of two people who stay together without really knowing why came to him first in the form of vague, somber feelings, with the lead female character ultimately being inspired by his wife Giulietta Masina. Masina ending up playing that […]