Claudette Colbert - Marathon - Part 2

Here is part 2 of my Claudette Colbert marathon, that includes rare and hard-to-find Pre-Codes that should be released on DVD.

The Man from Yesterday (1932):

Directed by: Berthold Viertel.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Clice Brook, Charles Boyer, Andy Devine.

When nurse, Sylvia (Claudette Colbert) is working with French doctor, Rene Gaudin (Charles Boyer) under WWI she discovers that her husband Tony (Clive Brook) has been killed, but unknown to her, he has survived, though not by much. She gets a little boy by Tony (Clive Brook) and when she falls in love with Rene (Charles Boyer), they eventually marry. Circumstances become complicated when Tony ends up in the same hospital as Dr. Rene Gaudin and Sylvia.

I found the film really engaging and interesting, though a lot of people seem to disagree. The strength of the film is Claudette Colbert and Charles Boyer's performances and their illicit chemistry, as Clive Brook always had a tendency to be too stiff and upper-lipped, however he does give a convincing performance as the gradually dying soldier.

It's no secret that Claudette Colbert and Charles Boyer are huge favourites of mine. Here's some background information to the film from the book, Claudette Colbert - An illustrated Biography by Lawrence J. Quick:

• "Claudette Colbert is credited by many film commentators with having launched the hollywood career of her fellow-countryman, Charles Boyer, who often paid tribute to her kindness and help during their first picture, The Man From yesterday, in 1932. For one thing, Boyer, who was new to Hollywood and to the English language, found himself lonely and bewildered in a Hollywood that seemed to take scans notice of him. He had done French-speaking versions of various films, and then had had a bad experience with The Magnificent Lie (1931). (...) Discouraged with the Hollywood sojourn, Boyer had returned to France, but Colbert, who admired him greatly and saw potential perhaps more clearly that anyone, insisted he be brought back for the third lead in a picture she was doing with Clive Brook. (...) Boyer, who in his French stage and film productions was accustomed to directors who worked to deepen characterization and patiently highlighted their performances' best points, found his second go-round with Viertel (= director, Berthel Viertel whom he done The Magnificent life (1931) with) a trial. (...) as Boyer remembered it, a total lack what became known in later decades as communication.
• 
  Throughout all this, Boyer found Colbert a pillar of strength; For One thing, he could lay aside his still-halting English to chat happily with her in the French they both knew as natives. When Viertel left him completely at sea regarding the proper interpretation of a scene, Colbert was always there with whispered encouragement in French, and suggestions as to how the emotional mood of the scene could be maintained. In later years, Boyer often cited Colbert's constant encouragement and advice as the reason why he came through most effectively in this picture. For the first time, Irving Thalberg at MGM, who had had him under option, and other producers began to see possibilities in him.
• He admitted in retrospect that he had found English a particularly difficult language to master. He recalled that in one scene, in which he was required to stand by Colbert's bed after she had given birth, with a newborn baby in its crib, he was completely at a loss as to the proper emotional mood to project, since Viertel had told him to "use his imagination". The most imaginative of actors, Boyer was also the most meticulous, and liked to blend his moods with the actor sharing the scene. Again Colbert came to his rescue with advice.(...)"

The Misleading Lady (1932):


Directed by: Stuart Walker.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Edmund Lowe, George Meeker.

A solid and enjoyable Pre-Code romance with a cast that clearly had fun while making it, but ultimately, the film has its flaws!

When an outgoing socialite, Helen Steele (Claudette Colbert) decides to become an actress, she tries to convince a stage producer that she is right for the part as a siren, in his upcoming play. To get the part, she promises him that she can win the love of, Jack Craigen (Edmund Lowe) and get him to propose to her within three days. She succeeds, but not without consequences and he abducts her. Meanwhile, they meet a lunatic on the run (Stuart Erwin).



Claudette Colbert is almost the sole reason why this film is worth the viewing pleasure, as she clearly is the most talented of the whole cast. Edmund Lowe who was married to Lilyan Tashman at the time and had been a leading man since the silent era, is pretty solid in his performance. However, due to his part being rather misogynistic and old-fashioned in nature, it makes his character less likable. When Jack (Edmund Lowe) abducts Helen (Claudette Colbert) he literally traps her, strips her and chains her. Claudette Colbert really gets pushed around throughout most of the film, as it is only in the beginning that she has some kind of female empowerment.

The film has its pre-code elements (especially when he strips her) and the film also has some of the later screwball elements with its sophistication, farcical situations (when he abducts her) and sex.

The figh scenes between Claudette Colbert and Edmund Lowe, reminded me of Private Lives (1931) with Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery which is a much superior film and play as well. I guess it reminded me of that film, because in both films they're fighting violently in a little cottage.

In many comedies, crazy people often believe they're Napoleon (like in, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)). That's what we see here, in the character played by Stuart Erwin.



Ultimately, the film feels too much like a stage play, as it indeed was based on a play by Charles W.Goddard and Paul Dickey. However, the cast clearly had fun making the film and it rubs off on the viewer and makes the film more enjoyable, at least it did with me. Especially, Claudette Colbert and Edmund Lowe look like they really had fun together. Edmund Lowe always seemed to have great things to say about her. Here is some quotes from the book, Claudette Colbert - An illustrated Biography by Lawrence J. Quick:

"Now there's a woman I wish I had done more films with." and on another occasion, "She was stage-trained, and she had a wonderful poise and dignity along with her sexiness - and believe you me, she was sexy. One guy I knew had an idea she was waiflike after seeing her in some picture, I think it was The Smiling Lieutenant, and I remember that when The Sign of the Cross and Cleopatra came out, I marched him to a screeningg room to view her in those. I remember him coming out and saying, 'why that dame's hot as hell!'"

When asked what he thought was the secret of her enduring success, "She's on top of things. She's in control at all times. I don't mean control in a domineering sense, just control of whatever situation is thrown at her. She always had a level head and saw through people, and I don't think she ever let any sex-pot references go to her head. Unlike some of the others who let it go to their heads, then landed on their fannies, she was level-headed, watched her roles, watched her money, knew what she wanted and went after it. I can tell you that my wife Lilyan Tashman, who worked with her (she had made The Wiser Sex with her, before Edmund Lowe made Misleading Lady with Colbert), thought she was the most professional of actresses, that she had class and breeding, yet a fey, wonderful sexy quality to her, too. Lilyan used to say, 'Don't let me catch you fooling with her off the set,' though when I made that film with her, I felt at the time she meant it as a joke; now I'm not so sure.... If I hadn't been married at the time, God knows what would have happened. Of course it took two to tango and I have no idea what Claudette's reaction would have been - she was married too, at the time."

That was it for Part 2 :)

Next up on ClassicMaiden: French film reviews, including Le Boucher (1970).

Une hirondelle a fait le printemps AKA The Girl From Paris (2001)

Country in which it was made: France.
Directed by: Christian Carion.
Story written by: Christian Carion & Eric Assous.
Cast: Michel Serrault, Mathilde Seigner, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Frédéric Pierrot.

This spellbinding French film, which saw the directing debut of Christian Carion (who later made, Joyeux Noël (2005)), is about an independent and determined woman named, Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) who lives in Paris where she works extremely hard as a teacher of computer science. While she is successful, popular and rather attractive, she still remains unhappy with her life. Her childhood dream was to become a farmer and she decides to go for that dream, even if it means going against her mother's wishes for her. She graduates as one of the top students having gone through a rather challenging training program where she had to slaughter a pig, among other things. By being a top student, she gets the opportunity to buy a farm in the beautiful Rhone Alps in France. She buys a very isolated farm from the retired elderly man, Adrien (Michel Serrault) who makes a deal with her which allows him to remain on the farm for six months.

Adrian is very suspicious of her and her high education and is just waiting for her to fail. But she is too self-confident and self-relying to ask him for help. She sells her goat cheese over the internet and converts the old cow barn, which is no longer in use, into a home for herself.

When winter arrives and Adrian discovers that he has a sick heart, he realizes that he has to tell her about the farm's history and share with her the tough lessons that he's had to learn, before it's too late. He finds it hard to approach her and his excuse for talking and being with her, is by cutting off the electricity to her barn, so she is forced to stay with him. They slowly and gradually become friends.

The actors performances are realistic, while building on the growth and emotional changes of the characters. Ultimately, the film is ideally cast. Michel Serrault is a rather well-known French actor who really brings an understated, unforced realism to his role as the elderly man. Mathilde Seigner was, essentially, tailermade for her role and brings a type of feministic quality and character strength, as well as character flaws, to her part. Regarding the rest of the cast, well, Jean-Paul Roussillon is always a wonderful addition to any film, I think. Frédéric Pierrot also needs mention, who is really convincing as the man from Sandrine's past.

Christian Carion's quiet and moving direction with its naturalistic rythm of traditional farm life, gives the film an understated and realistic, yet stunning feel. The film also has som symbolic elements; for example, it's seen with the man in the flying parashoot as it shows, symbolically, the freedom that the character of Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) seeks - the symbolic nature, of the parashoot man, becomes most clear in the winter flashback scene where Sandrine has a tough time dealing with winter and is thinking back to the summertime when she took long walks with her goats.

It's a simplistic film about a little piece of life that truly is worth the viewing pleasure.

Next up on ClassicMaiden: More from my Claudette Colbert marathon (The Man from Yesterday (1932), The Misleading Lady (1932), The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) and, The Big Pond (1930)) posted in two parts. An entry with my thoughts on the French film, Le Boucher (1970) and lastly, an entry with my Alain Delon marathon (The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), Borsalino (1970) and, Borsalino and co. (1974)). In general, more French films are coming up.

Claudette Colbert - Marathon - Part 1

Claudette Colbert, one of my favourites, did some truly great work in Pre-Codes. These two films are among the hard-to-find ones she did that should become available on DVD.

The Hole in the Wall (1929):

Directed by: Robert Florey.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Edward G. Robinson, Davud Newell, Nellie Savage, Donald Meek, Alan Brooks.

This interesting first talkie for both rising stars, Claudette Colbert and Edward G. Robinson has a fast-paced, well-acted and solid story based upon Fred Jacksons' play.

The story really begins when Jean Oliver (Colbert) is seeking revenge against the wealthy old woman who had sent her to prison, even though Jean was innocent and the wealthy woman knew it. Jean Oliver decides to pose as a spiritualist named Mmn. Mystera together with a gang of crooks led by The Fox (Robinson).

Jean's plan is to kidnap the wealthy woman's granddaughter Marcia (Marcia Kagno) as to make her into a thief, to teach the wealthy old woman a lesson. However, Jean finds that she cares too much for the little Marcia. Meanwhile, her plan becomes complicated when the love of her life, the talented police reporter Gordon Grant (David Newell) gets on their trail.

This Pre-code crime thriller mainly works because of the legendary director, Robert Florey's cynical and moody tone, his well-known talent for fast-pacing and above all, his versatile camera angles and lighting effects is visible, though some of the scenes are showing signs of stagyness which a lot of the early talkies were suffering by, due to the then sound restrictions when moving the camera. As Robinson has said, “It was a nightmare. It was a whole new technique, a revolutionary approach, for both Claudette and myself. We had to scale everything down. Nothing moved freely and continuously, as on stage. It was next to impossible to cumulatively build a performance as in the theatre. I know she felt the strain as much as I did. In early 1929 how were either of us to know that the movies of the sound era, within a year or two, would capture the fluidity and smoothness that they did.” However, even though this was the early days of talkies, director Robert Florey still shows an understanding of this very new medium with flair, and he would become a much better director as time went by and films became more advantaged in technique etc.

All the actors are rather well cast, but especially Edward G. Robinson and Claudette Colbert are a great combination showing already their talent for acting, particularly Edward G. Robinson whose realistic acting-style made him, in many ways, ahead of his time in connection to many of his colleagues. This was the first film in which he got to play a gangster as Little Caesar (1930) was just on the way.

As seen in the screencaps above, a number of scenes in the film were obviously filmed in New York City which were something of a rariety at the time, but it really gives the film a fresh and realistic feel - a film well worth the look, especially when putting the film into historical context.

Secrets of a Secretary (1931):

Directed by: George Abbott.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Betty Lawford, Mary Boland, Georges Metaxa.

In this early but effective and delightful Pre-Code drama, a heiress named Helen Blake (Colbert) goes on a cruise and ends up impulsively and quickly marrying a selfish Latin Gigolo (Georges Metaxa). Soon after, her father dies and when her new husband gets the news that her father died penniless, he takes off and leaves his new wife. She now has to work; she gets a job as the social secretary for her father's best friend's wife (Mary Boland). Meanwhile, Helen (Colbert) must struggle with her boss's mean daughter (Betty Lawford). However, when the mean daughter finds herself involved in a murder, it is the ex-socialite Helen (Colbert) who tries to help the daughter cover up the crime and the man she loves, Lord Danforth (Herbert Marshall) comes to her rescue.

Helen with the Gigolo.

The convincing story was based upon an original story by the well-known, Charles Brackett and successfully adapted to the screen by Dwight Taylor due in part to George Abbott's direction.

Her father dies, she finds out she is broke and becomes a secretary.

You instinctively know that when you have both the brilliantly charming Herbert Marshall and the equally charming Claudette Colbert, who is very beautiful and lovely here (as she always is), in the same film that it's going to be a truly enjoyable film; I found that it was indeed a truly wonderful film to sit through an watch while it was raining outside the windows of the apartment. Herbert Marshall really was the perfect romantic lead, with his low and soft voice and the British accent. With Claudette Colbert he really shines in terms of sex-appeal as they match perfectly on-screen, but then he seemed to match all his leading ladies with flair, even a polar-opposite like, Barbara Stanwyck. Colbert and him have some wonderful dialog I must say, which really made me smile.

she meets her Prince Charming.

The supporting cast is strong too, especially Betty Lawford (Cousin of Peter Lawford) who is cast perfectly as the mean and rich daughter. And of course, Mary Boland is always a delightful character actress, whose overacting was always appropriate for the kind of characters she played.

Helen helps out the broken daughter.

A highly recommended film!

That was it for part 1. Part 2 will contain reviews of, The Misleading Lady (1932) and The Man From Yesterday (1932).

Check out my previous entries on Claudette Colbert, Here or just click in the labels.

Dollhouse cancelled, and remembering Eve Arden

I'm sad, frustrated and disappointed of the cancellation of this thought-provoking and ultimately, the obvious growing brilliance of the show, Dollhouse. I'm glad we will get the rest of the season in December; I was just getting addicted and used to having a new episode of a Joss Whedon show again. Alas, it wasn't to be....

I'll miss you Dollhouse, but look insanely forward to the rest of season two...

On another sad note; I want to remember the death of the truly brilliant and wonderful comedienne, Eve Arden who died on this day, back in 1990.

On a happier note however, it's also film and TV director, Jacques Tourneur's 105th birthday today - one of the great and underrated directors. Of course, it's also the legendary, Grace Kelly's birthday today.

Coming up next on Classic Maiden: A Claudette Colbert Marathon entry and after that, an entry on the films I've watched with Alain Delon.

Robert Ryan - A 100 years

I'm a little late, but I want to take time out of my busy schedule to remember the centennial of the underrated but hugely brilliant actor, Robert Ryan whose a favourite of mine. The film that introduced me to him was also the film that introduced me to Barbara Stanwyck, my top favourite actress, and that movie was, Clash By Night (1952). It is film that still remains my ultimate favourite of his films due ro his (always) great and interesting performance and also because of, his explosive chemistry with Barbara Stanwyck.

Top 5 favourite films with him (Not in Order):

Crossfire (1947), The Set-Up (1949), The Racket (1951), Clash By Night (1952), On Dangerous Ground (1952).

It really is in Film Noirs and, to some extent, in Westerns that I prefer him, though he was in some great and memorable war films, but his characters just wasn't as interesting, acting-wise, as Film noirs and westerns allowed him.

Alain Delon (08-11-1935) - Birthday

"One of the few actors who has made the transition to icon status during his own lifetime." - The Times

Alain Delon is one of the few legendary actors we can wish happy birthday and say, that he is still alive. Back in 1935 this brilliant French actor was born in France into a broken family which he would rise above and become one of the key figures of the French New Wave with such talented and legendary French stars like Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau. His low-key, quiet and charismatic performances have made him one of the most magnetic and memorable actors of World Cinema and he remains one of the most beautiful men to set foot in front of a camera as well.

Back in 2007, I discovered Alain Delon thanks to my top favourite actor, Charles Bronson whose film style was very similar to his own. I was viewing the two of them in, Adieu L'ami aka Farewell, Friend (1968) and I wondered who this sexy and magnetic actor was; I learned his name was Alain Delon and it would start my obsession with French Cinema in every form and Alain Delon's brilliant film career. But first I had to see him in another film with Charles Bronson to really decide to seek out his films, and that film was Red Sun (1971). However, truth be told, I had owned a couple of the American films he had done, including Once A Thief (1965) without seeing them through from beginning to end, before I saw Farewell, friend (1968); It was to be in his native French that I would grow fond of him as an actor.

One afternoon I discovered to my great surprise that they were showing a film with him the current week and a film with him the next week. Considering that they rarely showed French films on our TV channels this was a great surprise and the very reason why I had never gotten into French Cinema before.

The film they were showing first happened to be the film that is often credited as being the film in which Alain Delon gave his greatest performance, Mr. Klein (1976). I was deeply taken in by the brilliance of the film which was directed by the great Joseph Losey, and with Alain Delon's in depth performance. To this day, it remains my favourite film with him, closely followed by Flic Story (1975) which a lot of people confuse with the Jean-Pierre Melville film, Un Flic (1972) because of the similar titles and the fact that Mr. Delon plays a cop in both. Unlike the stylized and noirish feel of Un Flic (1972), the story in Flic Story (1975) is based on real life events and makes it a powerful and poignant film.

After the TV Channel showed Mr. Klein (1976), the week after they showed the lesser known, Le Choc (1982) in one of the few films in which Alain Delon co-starred with Miss Catherine Deneuve whose icy blue eyes and mysterious quality he shared in his film style. This made them the perfect on-screen pair; just watch them in Un Flic (1972) and you'll know what I mean.

.... and it grew from there; I bought the UK DVD Box set, Screen Icons: Alain Delon and the Criterion DVDs of the films he did with Jean-Pierre Melville and other DVDs that had been released of his films in France and around the world. At the height of my discovery of French Cinema during 2007 and 2008, I went to Paris alone, in February 2008. It was the month in which Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008), that co-starred Mr. Delon, was premiering in French cinemas. There were posters for the film all over the city of Paris and, especially down in the Metros. I was only in Paris on that trip for three days, but one afternoon I tuned on the TV in my hotel room. To my surprise, they were airing a TV program directly live in which Alain Delon would be interviewed together with the cast of, Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008).

I waited two hours, I think, and then finally, the program was on. I couldn't tape it, so I put on my Video camera and filmed it. I still have it and it's so funny hearing my voice saying, "Oh wow". It was very exciting....

In one of the biggest hits of the 1970s in France, Dalida's duet with Alain Delon, singing the song Paroles, Paroles:

It's hard to choose between all the Alain Delon films I have had the chance to see and while I've seen a lot with him, I guess, there's still a bunch of films from his long film career that I still need to see that I have in my collection. But my top 5 list would probably look like this:
Mr. Klein (1976)
Flic Story (1975)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Le samouraï (1967)
L'eclisse (1962)

While he's given greater performances than the one in the Italian film, L'eclisse (1962), I still love him in this brilliant film and I love his chemistry with Monica Vitti in it too.

I'm in such a Alain Delon mood, so I think I'll try to see; The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), Borsalino (1970) and its sequal, Borsalino and co. (1974) throughout the week to celebrate his birthday.

With Jean-Paul Belmondo in the great, Borsalino (1970) film:

Check out my previous Alain Delon posts, here.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Directed by: Shinichirô Watanabe and opening scene by Hiroyuki Okiura.
Genre: Sci-fi, space western, crime, futuristic noir, anime.

Plot: When a deadly virus is released through a massive explosion, the Bebop crew which consist of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine and Edward, go on a bounty hunt to find out whose behind the explosion and to get the reward of 300,000,000 woolongs. But the case becomes stranger and more difficult as the virus is linked to the cold-blooded and flawed, Vincent Volaju whose terror is slowly closing in on them. At the same time, Spike encounters the woman Electra who is also looking for Vincent.

Some of you may remember that I posted my thoughts on the 26 episode anime-series, here. Interestingly, the plot of the film is set around episode 22-23 of the anime-series, I believe.

I was surprised when I watched the film that I loved it more than the TV-series, because of the fact that it combines all the great elements of the show. In the show, they had to fit in a lot of plot points into a half hour episode. Here, they can fledge-out and give the plot and the character developments much more time. My favourite moment was when Jet and Bob meet at the drive-in where High Noon (1952) is playing, though in the film it's shown in animated form.

Certainly one of or the coolest anime films I've ever seen, even though the film is more of an extended, albeit greater, episode of the show. Some viewers have complained that the pacing is a bit slow, but I rather disagree with that opinion as I really like that there's left time enough to really explore what the characters are feeling and going through emotionally; just something simple like giving enough screen time, for us as viewers, to understand the villain (Vincent) which makes him a much more human character, although we're left with a very flawed and grey character who has lost much of his memory and only really remembers by the end of the film. He's a cold-blooded murder to be sure, but we're left to understand that there's a reason why he's turned into what he has.

The trademark punk and jazz music that we're so used to from the show is apparent in this film as well, and is one of the great strengths of the film.

It was surprise, to me, that the villain (Vincent) wanted to spread the virus on Halloween, because I watched the film only a few days after Halloween, in fact; a really nice coincidence.

Trailer:

Halloween Marathon - a short overview

Halloween is the time of year I watch horror movies, like everybody else; Fiancé and I had a truly lovely Halloween, even considering our busy schedules. I'm a little late on talking about the films we watched around Halloween, but I really want to talk a little about the films, however. Here is a short overview of the films we had the time to view.

We started our Halloween marathon by watching, Dracula (1931).

Dracula (1931):

Directed by: Tod Browning.
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan.

This is a film I've seen countless of times, but to my great delight was a film Fiancé really responded to. The films' gothic and eery quality is part of what draws me to the film, as well as Bela Lugosi's essential performance as Dracula. As many Dracula movies I have seen, I have never felt as satisfied as I have felt with Bela Lugosi's version of Dracula; He is Dracula to me as he is to countless of other people around the world, I'm sure. Yet, I love the Spanish version, Drácula (1931) too, which was filmed at the same time on the same film sets. Though, the film was made with a different director and cast. The camera work in the spanish version is what is so impressive to me. However, the acting is not as great as it is in the Hollywood version.

The days up to Halloween, I viewed a documentary about Bela Lugosi called, Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula (1997) which was a great way to get into the mood of Mr. Lugosi.

The Mummy (1932):

Directed by: Karl Freund.
Cast: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan.

It's a rather simple little film, yet so effective due to its acting and imagery and its simple special effects which comes across rather convincing to this day and age. My favourite scene is the one where Boris Karloff's character shows his past through the water, to Helen Grosvenor/Princess Anck-es-en-Amon (played by Zita Johann).

I'm a huge admire of Boris Karloff's versatile film work which led me to watch some documentaries about him, 100 Years of Horror: Boris Karloff (1996) and Boris Karloff: The Gentle Monster (1995). Though my favourite documentary about him, is This is your Life: Boris Karloff (1957) where he is interviewed and he talks about his long and varied career, even though he was a much private person in real life, in fact; I love his gentle, humble and charming nature which is shown so clearly in that TV tribute. That gentle quality is what comes across in so much of the film and TV work I've seen with him.

We also watched the B-horrors, The Raven (1963) and The Comedy of Terrors (1963). What I love about these two films is that you can see how much fun the actors had while making them which Vincent Price also talks about in, Vincent Price: The Sinister Image (1988).

The Raven (1963):

Produced and Directed by: Roger Corman.
Special Effects: Pat Dinga.
Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson.

One of my favourite B-horrors of the 1960s due to its fun and charming cast first and foremost; the pairing of Vincent Price and Peter Lorre was always great - Price the extremely tall one and Lorre the little one. The scenes in which Peter Lorre is a raven is one of the many fun and great moments in the film. Both Vincent Price and Peter Lorre are favourite actors of mine, but especially Peter Lorre, who I discovered as a young teen of 13 years of age. It was wonderful growing up with the films he did with actors like Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, as well as everything else he did that I had access to.

Especially his pairings with Sydney Greenstreet remains special to me to this day, who he made such films like, The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Three Strangers (1946) and The Verdict (1946) with. Though they didn't have any scenes together in Casablanca (1942) which is a film where his role is small opposite his real life friend, Humphrey Bogart.



Peter Lorre sadly died in 1964, not long after this film was made, but thankfully, it's a memorable performance, as is its follow-up film, The Comedy of Terrors (1963); though he would make two more films before he died.

Boris Karloff has been given a really great role in The Raven (1963), as an evil magician and the scene with him and Vincent Price having a magician dual is one of the great moments in this film. The primitive (to todays standards) but extremely wonderful special effects was done by the well-known, Pat Dinga who did special effects for such films like, Return to treasure Island (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), House of Usher (1960), Master of the World (1961), Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962) and The Comedy of Terrors (1963). As you'll notice, he did special effects for a great deal of Vincent Price's films.
Notable about this film also, is a young role for Jack Nicholson who keeps up with the legendary stars quite well. A highly recommended film!

The Comedy of Terror (1963):

Directed by: Jacques Tourneur.
Special Effects: Pat Dinga.

Written by: Richard Matheson.

Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Joe E. Brown, Basil Rathbone.

What an enjoyable and fun film; It teams up Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre again, adding the brilliant, Basil Rathbone and the comedian, Joe E. Brown to the cast. The film, sadly, became the last film role for the legendary and truly wonderful comedian, Joe E. Brown who is one of my favourites and while his role is small, he's still wonderful as always.

The fun the actors had clearly shines through and it is what makes this film as enjoyable as it is, though Boris Karloff doesn't have much to do in this film due to his severe arthritis in real life, at the time. He was supposed to have played Mr. Black which ended up being played by Basil Rathbone. Instead, he played the role of the father to Vincent Price's character, Hinchley. In fact, my favourite scenes are definitely those with Basil Rathbone who has some really funny scenes; every time he says, "What.. is this place?" in the coffin and other places, I just can't control my laughter. A film with so many of my favourite actors is bound to be a special viewing pleasure, and this film just works which any film directed by Jacques Tourneur seems to. I love the details with the cat as well, especially at the end credits of the film.

Joel McCrea (1905-1990) - birthday

"I have no regrets, except perhaps one: I should have tried harder to be a better actor." - Joel McCrea.

It seems like all my favourite people have their birthdays this time of year; today would have been Joel McCrea's birthday and he remains such an underrated actor due to his understated, laid-back and subtle acting style which led him to be called a one-note actor which he wasn't. He excelled in doing both romantic/screwball comedies and westerns and which do I prefer? I really don't know, but there's definitely something special about the comedies he did with Preston Sturges. However, I'm a huge westerns fan too.

My top 10 favourite films with him (not in order):

Ride the High Country (1962), The Palm beach Story (1942), The More the Merrier (1943), Sullivan's Travels (1941), Colorado Territory (1949), The Outriders (1950), The Great Man's Lady (1942), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Buffalo Bill (1944), Union Pacific (1939). etc.

which are your favourite McCrea films?

Joel McCrea with the love of his life and wife of 57 years, Frances Dee whom he also did a couple of films with. They married in 1933 and remained happily married until his death in 1990.

I want share one of the questions Joel McCrea answers in the marvelous book, People Will Talk by John Kobal who interviews many stars in the book (including Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Joan Blondell, Ida Lupino, Ingrid Bergman, Louise Brooks and many others). The book can be bought used:

John Kobal: You grew up with the movies, didn't you?

Joel McCrea: Yes, and I saw (Rudolph) Valentino the first time when he was making Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Rex Ingram was directing and Alice Terry (Mrs. Ingram), and I rode my bicycle out to see them. They let you come right along, and I watched and I said, "gee, I won't ever be able to do that," but I'd see what the good ones were doing, what to do and what not to do. I sat righ behind Rex Ingram. Good-looking guy, all the girls liked him. Black Irish. Very attractive guy. He should have been a leading man in a lot of his own films. Anyway, I did start that way. And then, where I lived on Hollywood Boulevard was Nicholas Canyon drive, near where Ruth Roland used to make serials with horses and stuff, and I got a job for 5 dollars a day and lunch to lead six horses; we didn't have trailers in those days, and they'd bring the horses from a stable and lead them up to a location around where UCLA is now.

And I watched Charles Ray make The Girl I loved with Patsy Ruth Miller. I was only a kid, maybe twelve. And later, when I was fourteen, I bought a horse... first one I ever owned.... Bought it from George Beldam, the guy who became Rex Bell and married Clara Bow. We had gone to high school togther, and one day he said, "my father has bronchitis and I got to sell my horse. If you buy it, I'll throw in the bridle, saddle, harness and a buggy for 80 dollars." So I did. And from then on, I would ride out to these locations on horseback. And Ruth Roland would say, "Could you ride a horse out of the thing here fast? The leading man says he's never ridden a horse; he's a very good actor, but he's scared." And I said, "I'd ride anything," you know, because I was a cowboy. I was delivering papers, and William S. Hart stopped me and said, "That's the first time my dog" - a pit bull - "hasn't chased the paper boy." I've got some books signed "To the Newsboy from William S. Hart." in his handwriting.

Anyway, when I was nine years old, we moved to Hollywood from South Pasadena, where I was born, right out to 7755 Hollywood Boulevard. So I was raised in Hollywood. Which was still open territory then, all open territory.

Studios would come out, they'd say they wanted to use the front of a house. They'd pay 25 dollars, and then the girl, the leading lady, would stand at the door and say "Goodbye" and the guy would say "Goodbye," and that would be the scene, and then they didn't have to build a set. And I used to watch all of those things going on, and looking, listening, interested, never really believing that I could do it, but always thinking that if I was at the right place at the right time, it could happen. But if it didn't, life would go on. I'd still fall in love, I'd still ride a horse, I'd still see the blue sky. But my professor in drama and public speaking at Pomona College told me, "You know, you have a future. With the contacts you have from going to school with all those producers' and directors' children, you ought to give it a crack. Because you could be playing a cowboy and you'd be able to buy yourself a ranch now instead of thirty years from now." And so I did.

And Later Bob Arlington Brugh brought me a letter of introduction from my old teacher, who said that as he advised me, so had he advised this guy. I took Arlington out to MGM, where he made a test for a crime short with Virginia Bruce, and he was made, and he became Robert Taylor. About three years later, when I was playing opposite (Barbara) Stanwyck, we all went to dinner with the president of Union Pacific Railroad, Bill Jeffers, and I said to Taylor, "Now you've done Camille with (Greta) Garbo, and I helped you get started, now you can help me because you're doing better than I am!" We ended up best friends. he brought his horse, when he went into the service, out to my ranch. It was a comanche that Barbara (Stanwyck) had given him, and he's buried up on top of the hill."

Boy, did I just type up all that? heh! The interview gets better and better as it goes along. Happy birthday, Joel McCrea :)

Next Up: I don't know when I'll have time to post an entry about all the movies I've been watching and re-watching as of late; hopefully, in the weekend.

Charles Bronson - Birthday (02-11-1921) - a personal tribute

I'm taking some time out of my busy schedule to pay tribute to my favourite actor:

As you probably all know by now, my favourite actor happens to be Charles Bronson and today would have been his birthday. I always find it hard to express into words what exactly it is that I respond to in Charles Bronson. Obviously, being a woman, there is that whole hot-factor and masculinity about him. But other than that, I consider him a great presence and force-of-nature in international cinema and above all, a truly great but underrated actor. To me, he is an icon of Cinema and the essential screen tough guy.

Here was a man who did not need to speak to convey what he was feeling and thinking - you can literally read his mind through most of his films, most notably in Sergio Leone's spaghetti western, Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) where the silent's and the music is used to great effect. Sergio Leone was the director who understood best the Charles Bronson acting-style and that is why that film remains the essential Bronson film to watch, to me.

Most of the time, when the roles permitted it, he showed a tenderness with women on-screen which gave a great balance to his tough-guy persona which he is so famous for. He, especially, showed tenderness when cast opposite his second and longtime wife, Jill Ireland and while some people may be annoyed by the fact that he was cast with her so many times, it still gave great realism to Bronson's movies and to me, they were an interesting on- and off screen couple. Their greatest movie together in my mind, would be, From Noon Till Three (1976) which is a movie that shows a different side to Charles Bronson as an actor.

There's a song that reminds me of Bronson; it's called The Lonely Shepherd by Zamfir, and it is included in the Kill Bill vol, 1 soundtrack. That song is Bronson to me!

Top 10 Favorite films with Bronson:
1. Once Upon A time In The West (1968).
2. The Valdez Horses/Chino (1973).
3. Breakheart Pass (1975).
4. St. Ives (1976).
5. Hard Times (1975).
6. Chato's Land (1972).
7. Farewell, Friend (1968)
8. The Valachi Papers (1972)
9. Red Sun (1971).
10. The Dirty Dozen (1967).

and the list goes on... What is your favourite films with Bronson?

You may wonder why I left out, Death Wish (1975) of my top 10 list as it's his most well-known movie for American audiences and his most defining moment as a tough guy, but that movie is actually further down my list, as there are simply movies with him I love more; it would be nr. 11 on my list. Furthermore, I love the many TV Shows he guest-appeared on, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, of what little amount I've had the chance to view. He guested on such great shows like; Bonanza, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rawhide, Twilight Zone and many others. It's interesting to see him in his own short-lived show, Man with a Camera (1958) where he received more notice as an actor which gave him a lot of work throughout the 1960s until he broke through in Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

One of my greatest delights as a Bronson appreciator was when I watched his guest-appearance on the TV-Show, The Big Valley (1965-69) in the episode, Earthquake on the Season One DVD of the show. The reason why it was such a delight is because he has a great deal of scenes with my favourite actress, Barbara Stanwyck. You can watch some of it on youtube:

The coolest moment I've had with him was when I watched, Red Sun (1972) in which he was cast opposite the French actor, Alain Delon (whom he'd been cast with before) and Japanese legend, Toshirô Mifune. Here is my favourite scene:

And I could go on and on about Bronson....

Next up: Thoughts on my Halloween/Horror movie marathon.

DVD Release: The Barbara Stanwyck Show - Volume One

This month saw the release of the much anticipated and very rare anthology show, The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1960-61). I received it today and I'm very excited to be viewing the episodes in the set. The show is one of my favourite TV-Shows, mainly due to the fact that Barbara Stanwyck is my favourite actress (as you all know by now).

I already owned four episodes (Hitch-hiker, Little Joe, Confession and Assassin) of the show before getting this DVD set; the three of which is not included in this set but will be included in volume two.

The episodes in this Volume One DVD set:
The Key to a Killer
House in Order
The Miraculous Journey of Tadpole Chan
The Secret of Mrs. Randall
Ironbark’s Bride
Out of the Shadows
Night Visitors
Size Ten
Dear Charlie
Dragon by the Trail
The Sisters
Big Career
Confession
Along the Barbary Coast
Shock

Extras:
- “Sponsor’s Table” (Unaired Pilot Episode): Barbara used, though with a different and new introduction, the episode Sudden Silence that she filmed some years prior for the show, The Ford Theatre which was included on the Golden Boy DVD release, to convince the studio to grant her, her very own show. Hence, why there're different introductions to the two episodes, but the actual content is the same. There might be some more differences which I will know when I've viewed it.
- Barbara Stanwyck’s 1961 Emmy acceptance speech which she received for her work in this series.
- Booklet with written contributions by film historian Robert Osborne.

There has been put much love and care into the set, I think, as all the episodes has been digitally restored which impressed me when I checked the DVDs - I've been so used to the Public Domain versions.

I hope many people will support the TV-Show by buying this DVD set, because we're lucky to even have this first volume. As a fan of Barbara Stanwyck, I couldn't be happier that her work in this series has resurfaced, as I realize the rariety and importance of it.

Blithe Spirit (1945) - British masterpiece

I can thank Kendra for inspiring me to finally sit down to view this truly fantastic film which I found to be the perfect film to watch this time of year, because of its supernatural elements of summoning the death.

"If you're trying to compile an inventory of my sex life, I feel it only fair to warn you that you've omitted several episodes. I shall consult my diary and give you a complete list after lunch." - Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison)

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, drama, romance.

Directed by: David Lean.
Written by: Noel Coward.
Cast: Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond, Margaret Rutherford.

Plot: When Author Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) is trying to get background to his new crime novel, his second wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) and himself, light-heartedly invite the local medium, Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to give a séance, so that they may be amused for an evening. The result is that Ruth and Charles becomes haunted by his first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond). Madame Arcati tries to sort things out by doing different spells.

This is the second of three collaborations between David Lean as a Director and playwright Noel Coward, excluding the film they co-directed, In Which We Serve (1942). Because I had previously seen, Brief Encounter (1945) which is one of my all time favourite films, I had wanted to see Blithe Spirit (1945) for years. I still need to see, This Happy Breed (1944). In all, they collaborated four times (first, In Which We serve (1941), then This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945) and their last, Brief Encounter (1945) ).

The English playwright, Noel Coward (also a composer, singer, actor and director) can be credited as having written the plays to some of my favourite films, like Design For Living (1933) and Private Lives (1931) which both contains risqué dialog for their time, as well as having written the screenplay to, Brief Encounter (1945) which apparently was based upon his 1936 one-act play, Still Life.

Mr. Coward showed an enormous wit and class, with a complete understanding of women that comes across in his work. Having only experienced his work through films, I would like to seek out his plays and read them through.

In Blithe Spirit (1945), Mr.Coward has written a truly witty and special story, with an effective upper-class dialog that fits the characters. His dialog works so brilliantly with the enormous understanding of film and versatility in style that David Lean showed as a director. David Lean, who was one of the first directors I considered a favourite, made a long list of great films and while this is one of his earlier films, he still manages to make a masterpiece.

The film uses some of the original cast from when the play ran on the West End in London, 1941. Both the brilliant Margaret Rutherford reprises her role as Madame Acarti, and the sassy and wonderful Kay Hammond reprises her role as Elvira. To have seen the original play back in 1941, now, that would have been a fantastic experience. Unlike in the film where Rex Harrison plays the role of Charles Condomine, character actor Cecil Parker played him in the original run of the play. Lastly, the Hollywood and British film actress, Constance Cummings played the character of Ruth Condomine in the film version, while the brilliant stage actress, Kay Compton (also made films however, like, The Prime Minister (1941), Odd Man Out (1947) and The Haunting (1963) which I consider great films) played the character in the original run of the play.

From the play in 1941 (Credit: Wikipedia): Margaret Rutherford, Kay Hammond and Fay Compton.

The way the film uses Technicolor is very effective together with the special effects which makes the ghosts look believable. Britain, of course, made some of the most lustrous and beautifully atmospheric Technicolor films like, Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948), due mainly to cinematographer, Jack Cardiff who did the cinematography for the above mentioned. The cinematography for Blithe Spirit (1945) was done by the lesser known, Ronald Neame. To see the amazing contribution that British Cinema did to the artistic look of Technicolor, I would recommend viewing the documentary, Glorious Technicolor (1998) which was included in the Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) DVD.

A great strength to the film is the performances of the actors, most notably and importantly, Dame Margaret Rutherford who clearly could and should have received an Oscar Award for this truly amazing performance. Today, Margaret Rutherford is unfortunately mostly remembered for her great turn as the famous Agatha Christie character, Miss Marple in the 1960s films which was loosely based upon her crime novels about Miss Marple. I, literally, grew up with those films and I have such great memories staying up late at night and viewing them. However, she gave so many other great performances in films, including her Oscar winning performance in the V.I.P's (1963). What I love about her was her complete lack of pretentiousness and as such, she was completely free to give whatever a performance needed. All the more reason why, she can play such an outsider as successfully as she does in Blithe Spirit (1945), playing someone everyone considers odd and eccentric, because of her supernatural beliefs and her work as a medium contacting the dead. Apparently, 'Blithe Spirit' is engraved on her tombstone due to the fact that it was the role that made her famous.



To me, it was interesting to see Rex Harrison in a bit younger role, being mostly familiar with his films from the 1950s onwards. The earliest film I've seen him in, is a film dear to my heart; The Citadel (1938) with the great, Robert Donat. In Blithe Spirit (1945) he really shines in his performance looking utterly handsome. Of course, he would go on to become a very famous actor and received numerous awards, including an Oscar and a Tony award. I loved the scenes in Blithe Spirit (1945) when only he can see the ghost of Elvira (Kay Hammond), because the scenes are so comedic and fun. Constance Cummings, really respond to his timing incredibly well, as does he to her. I loved her many upper-class outbursts, because they were so different from Elvira's (Kay Hammond) down-to-earth manners and sassy appeal.

My favourite moment in the film is the ending which I won't spoil, but let's just say that this film is highly recommended and considered a must see.

In the film, when you're ghost you become quite green....

The Trailer:


The Introduction to the Madame Arcati character:

The Séance scene:

Next up: My thoughts on the Halloween/Horror movies I've watched/re-watched, including The Raven (1963).

Dollhouse - season 2, episode 4 'Belonging'

Due to lack of time, this will be a short run-through of what I thought of this episode. Make sure to check out my previous post where I reviewed, The Night Walker (1954).

My thoughts on Blithe Spirit (1945) and the films in my planned Halloween/Horror Marathon which I started yesterday by re-watching, The Raven (1963), will be coming doing this week or next weekend, due to the fact that I have a lot of homework in my education and because of the fact that I have a bit of a cold.

This promo doesn't do this episode justice.

Directed by: Jonathan Frakes.

Written by: Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon.

Created by: Joss Whedon.

Cast: Eliza Dushku, Dichen Lanchman, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Olivia Williams, Keith Carradine, Enver Gjokaj.

Plot: When Sierra (Dichen Lanchman) keeps drawing on a piece of paper, the colour black, makes Echo (Eliza Dushku), who is becoming more self-aware as a doll, contact Topher (Fran Kranz), so he can help Sierra. Sierra is forced to to face her past due to her connection to the Rossum Corporation in the face of Matthew Harding (Keith Carradine).

My thoughts:

Wow! This is without a doubt the best episode the show has produced thus far. Furthermore, one of the greatest and most brilliant episodes of any of Joss Whedon shows. If you haven't started watching Dollhouse yet, then this is the time. The show has completely found its right corner with this episode. I feel so speechless as it's one of those episodes you can just watch over and over again.

This episode explains Sierra's backstory and the performance Dichen Lanchman is able to give is absolutely amazing. Sierra and Victor (Envar Gjokaj) has some wonderfully close scenes in this episode, so of those who loves them as a couple (including myself), will be pleased by this episode. The fact that their love goes beyond imprinting is a fascinating and romantic part of the show.

I know a lot of people didn't like the character of Topher (Fran Kranz), but this episode changed all that for a lot of people, I think. This episode worked as a redemption story for him as he is growing a conscience by feeling guilt and wanting to help other people. Essentially, we're really seeing the beginnings of the story that leads to what happens in the future, in the episode 'Epitaph One."

One of the great things about this episode was how Boyd (Harry Lennix) realized that Echo is gaining memory and has learned to lie. She tells him that 'something bad is coming.... like a storm... and I want everyone to survive it. They need to wake up', and by the end of the episode Boyd has written a note to her that says, "For the storm" and has included an all access card to the dollhouse's security systems.

This show needs to stay on the air as the characters are starting to become multi-dimensional and interesting. Even Adelle's (Olivia Williams) character is getting much more interesting, as we see that she too is conflicted by what they do in the dollhouse and we see how she has to do what she gets told, by the people higher up in the ranks than her.

It's unfortunately that it took so long for the show to get this great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the show won't be cancelled after it's 13 episode run this season. I look so much forward to next weeks episode (EDIT: no new episodes until December) as we will be introduced to the character that Summer Glau (Firefly and Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is playing.

The Night Walker (1964)

I was in a Barbara Stanwyck mood and decided, before beginning my planned horror/Halloween marathon, to watch this William Castle horror movie.

The Night Walker (1964):

Genre: Horror & Thriller.
Directed by: William Castle.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, Judi Meredith, Hayden Rorke, Rochelle Hudson, Marjorie Bennett.

Plot: When a lonely but wealthy woman (Barbara Stanwyck) has recurring dreams about a younger man, her blind husband, who will not let her out of the house, becomes jealous. When her husband supposedly dies because of a fire in their house, she becomes terrorized by her dreams. She tries to convince her attorney (Robert Taylor) that her nightmarish dreams are real, but he has secrets of his own.

William Castle and the ex-couple:

Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor had started dating in 1936, they married in 1939 and divorced in 1951 but dated up until about 1952. They had always been on friendly terms and Barbara Stanwyck, while she kept her private life for herself, had never grown out of love for Bob. Bob Taylor had grown restless after the war and re-married in 1954 to German actress Ursula Theiss, even though he had considered re-marrying Barbara several times. He supposedly needed a fresh start and to become a father which was something Barbara Stanwyck couldn't give him.



Producer William Castle was aware of their well publicised romance and continuing friendship and he thought they would be a strong box-office draw if they co-starred in a film again (they did two films together in the 1930s; His Brothers Wife (1936) and This is my affair (1937) which both weren't that good).

William Castle then approached Barbara with the script of The Night Walker and while she resisted going the same horror-genre root as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, she nevertheless gave in to Castle's persuasions. Castle then asked her how she felt about being cast opposite her ex-husband. "I said it was fine with me but he'd better ask Bob. That was all there was to it. " She said later of the situation. Taylor, while initially reluctant due to his wife Ursula, eventually gladly accepted and said, "Any actor who would turn down a chance to play opposite Barbara Stanwyck, under any circumstances, would have to be out of his head. She's certainly one of the pros in the business. I'm very enthusiastic about the film. It looks like it will be a pleasant experience." It indeed became a pleasant experience without any incidents and as Barbara said, "The first day on the set, everybody was peering at us. I don't know what they expected us to do. Maybe beat each other up. But we just made the picture." Bob's wife Ursula even visited the set and liked Barbara immensely.



Writer Robert Block wrote the screenplay who had written the original novel to Alfred Hitchcocks', Psycho (1960) and while not as brilliant as that film, The Night Walker is pretty good because of its campy-like quality. William Castle, who was a Hitchcock wannabe, is famous and infamous for his really interesting gimmick-laden horrors that had over-hyped effects. While this film, to some of the experts, is nowhere near as interesting as some of his other films (Note: this is the only film of his I can claim to have seen by him. EDIT: I had forgot that I have seen House on haunted Hill (1959) too), its certainly a strong effort, due mainly, to Barbara Stanwyck's brilliant performance and her chemistry with her ex-husband, Robert Taylor.

My one complain about this film is the overuse of screaming that William Castle got Barbara Stanwyck to do, even though she had a terrific scream, I just couldn't get myself to like it, regardless of the fact that she my favourite actress. This was the last cinematic film Barbara Stanwyck would do, as she put her attention to television shows and television films. One thing that will strike you when you watch her in this film, other than her brilliant performance, is the fact that she was such a true beauty in her old age.



My favourite scenes in the film is those she has with Robert Taylor (like the scene where he's reading her hand for fun), but I also really liked the actor Lloyd Bochner who was quite good here. Furthermore, I liked the sassy performance by Judi Meredith who was very convincing in her performance - that scene where she put a towel around Barbara Stanwycks' neck was surprising to say the least.



The film is certainly a fun and ideal horror film to watch at this time of year and while it got a lot of publicity at the time, due to Stanwyck and Taylor, it was still a flop at the box office.

In the near future, I want to study the work of William Castle. Any recommendations, dear readers?

Next up: My thoughts on Blithe Spirit (1954) and my planned Horror/Halloween marathon are soon coming up as well. I'm going to watch the new dollhouse episode now :)

Gearing up for Halloween

I'm a Classic Horror fan and what better time to watch horror movies, Horror TV-Specials and read Horror-oriented Comics than at Halloween.

I really want to, finally, show my fiancé, Dracula (1931) this year. We will, hopefully, be watching horror movies the next two weekends. When it comes to horror movies, I, especially, love the old Silent Horror classics (especially from Germany) and the many horror movies to come out of USA's Universal studios doing the 1930s, in particular.

Last year at Halloween I showed fiancé; Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959) and Van Helsing (2004). The latter I showed because of its tribute to classic horror movies.

This year I want to, hopefully, find time to show him much more, as he really wants to. This is the movies I'm planning to show him:
The Raven (1935)
Dracula (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
The Raven (1963)

If there's time, then I'd like to show him, The Black Cat (1934) and The Haunting (1963) too, but that might be too ambitious. The latter is in fact, one of my favourite horror movies.
We, probably, won't have time to watch much else because of our busy schedules, but I would like to sneak in some classic TV-Horror Specials as I am a huge appreciator of them. I was thinking of showing him some that I haven't seen either too, like:

The Pumpkin who couldn't smile (1979)
Witch's Night Out (1978)
Halloween Hall O'Fame
Disney's Halloween Treat - I watched this once as a kid though and recently found it on Youtube.

Could my readers recommend me some other great Halloween Specials (maybe, from youtube.com)?

I, usually, watch Garfield's Halloween Special/Garfield in Disguise (1985), so it'll probably sneak in there this year too. Other TV-oriented horror that I like to watch, this time of year, are (for example) horror episodes from: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, The Twilight Zone (1959), Scooby Doo (1969-present), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991-1996), and a very treasured horror TV-show of mine, Count Duckula (1988).

I haven't decided which horror comics to read this year, though (other than the upcoming John Byrne comic, Angel vs. Frankenstein). I love the old Creepy comics of the ones I have. Maybe I should read some of the old Witching Hour comics? Or Swamp Thing. hmm!

What are your favourite horror-oriented comics? Recommendations?