Articles

The Old Corral: A Brief History of Native Americans in Cinema

Cowboys and Indians; that was what I played with my friends when I was a boy (in the dark, distant 1950s). Indians were the eternal foe of the brave cowboy. They were fearsome and brandished tomahawks or shot arrows from their bows (usually plastic ones), but they fell beneath the might of our cap-gun Colts. Of course we knew there were some good Indians. After all, we all followed The Lone Ranger, and Tonto was good alright (poor Jay Silverheels, always getting the dirty work to do and sayin...

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Silent Cinema: A Not-So Quiet Trip to the Beach

Beach movies may be intimately associated with bikinis and post-war nostalgia but the fact is motion pictures have been going on vacation to the ocean from the very beginning; surf, sand, swimsuits and an excuse for a bit of fun. Who can blame filmmakers for taking advantage of the setting?To get into the summer spirit, here are a selection of silent films that take full advantage of their beach setting, a combination of famous and obscure, comedies and dramas. Best of all, they a...

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100 Years of Olivia de Havilland

One of the great stars of American cinema, two-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland, celebrates her centennial birthday on July 1, 2016.Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo. Her sister, Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine, was born the following year, in October 1917.The girls relocated with their mother to Northern California when they were very young. Olivia was spotted in a college production by director Max Reinhardt, who cast her in his stage and film versions o...

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TV TIME: Guide for the Expectant Dad

As Father's Day approaches, prospective fathers look to classic television for pointers on how to handle their upcoming blessed events. I admit that despite a misspent youth filled with reruns, when it was my turn to witness the miracle of life, I did not run around in a panicked frenzy, drive to the hospital without the mother, and hand out cigars to everyone in sight. But the rest of you might not want to take that chance, so let's dive into TV history to see how other new dads prepare for ...

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Dark Cinema: Introducing Phillips Holmes

Phillips Holmes is a name seldom mentioned today in classic film circles, and if you're not a pre-Code fan, you may have never heard of him at all. He led a fascinatingly tragic life and during the pre-Code era of 1930 to 1934, he was seen in no fewer than 30 features on the big screen.An appealing performer with a slight build and handsome, classical features, Holmes was nothing if not versatile -- his pre-Code films offer up a wide variety of roles, from sweethearts to scoundrel...

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TV TIME: Movies from Classic TV Shows

Hollywood loves taking television properties and turning them into feature film franchises. If the studios think audiences will go to a theater to pay for what they've already seen on the small screen, then they will make it happen. In the 1950s and 1960s, they took shows already on television, or were just recently taken off the air, and made movies with much of the same talent. It might look like a cash grab, but the films hold up quite well.McHale's Navy/McHale...

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A Trip to the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival

After months of anticipation, it's hard to believe the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival is over! The festival ran this year from April 28th to May 1st and was a truly remarkable weekend filled with memorable experiences.There are so many things happening simultaneously at the festival; I wish I could do it all over again, choosing some of the marvelous things I had to regretfully leave off my schedule. Somehow each festival is better than those which came before, quite a feat for TC...

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Garbo: Portrait of an Icon

Greta Garbo never appeared in a mystery, but she didn't need to because she herself was a mystery fans have tried to solve for the past 90 years. Early in her career, she shunned most of the rites of Hollywood stardom: premieres, press interviews, autographs, all were anathema to Garbo. On-screen, her sonorous voice and searching eyes hinted at an intense inner life. But of what did it consist? She was linked to her line from Grand Hotel: 'I want to be alone,' and after leaving Holly...

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Dark Cinema: The Lure of Luther Adler

Film noir is practically overflowing with famous actors who made the era's anti-heroes come to life. Who can forget Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet (1944)? Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)? Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past (1947)?But these big name performers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the talent pool represented by the films of the noir era. Sadly, many of the lesser-known actors are seldom mentioned today -- even by classi...

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TV TIME: Mother's Day 'Mommy Awards'

We thank our mothers for all they have done for us, but we should also thank the women who 'raised' us: those mothers we watched on TV all day. Join ClassicFlix as we honor these fine females with our premiere awards celebration for distinguished achievement in vintage television motherhood in the first annual Mommies.Outstanding Achievement in Overcoming Adversity: Alice Mitchell in 'Man of the House' (Dennis the Menace) - At the beginning, we get a star...

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Make Your Own TCM Classic Film Festival

The TCM Classic Film Festival returns to Hollywood beginning April 28, 2016 and running through Sunday, May 2nd. For many classic film fans, the TCM Classic Film Festival is one of the highlights of the movie year. I've written about the festival here previously, most recently in 2015.The TCM festival is a one-of-a-kind experience, a chance to enjoy movies on the big screen, with filmmakers and historians present to add context to each film screened. Attending is a terrific goal f...

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Rediscovered: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Roscoe Arbuckle is remembered less for his comic artistry than for the 1921 scandal that brought his acting career to an abrupt halt. Arbuckle's films were pulled from U.S. theaters in the crucial year when he, the other reigning male comedy stars, Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd, were transitioning from shorts to features, becoming a study in frustration and unrealized potential.Roscoe's friends got him directing jobs, and he also wrote gags and complete scenarios for other comics. In ...

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Dark Cinema: The Best Bits of Blondell

If you are of an age to remember an old Blue Bonnet margarine commercial from the 1960s, you'll know 'everything's better with Blue Bonnet on it.'Well, I apply that same line of thinking to one of my favorite pre-Code actresses: 'Every film's better with Joan Blondell in it.'Blondell appeared in more than 30 features from the pre-Code era including such classics as The Public Enemy (1932), but even in films that weren't classic, Blondell was a shining...

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Silent Cinema: Lost and Found Films of the Silent Era

An enormous percentage of all silent films have been lost. There are some silent films everyone is looking for (London After Midnight, for example) but most films have faded quietly away, unmourned.Let's cheer things up a bi by talking about silent films that were feared lost for decades but were rediscovered or reconstructed and are now available for all to enjoy!The Dramatic RescuesThis was a rediscovery that made headlines aroun...

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April Fools' Comedies Worth Chuckling Over

With April Fool's Day approaching, what better time of year to take a look at some favorite comedies? Here's a list of ten of the comedies I enjoy most. Some of these films aren't well known, but they're each wonderfully entertaining and deserving of discovery.If You Could Only Cook (1935) - This is a Depression-era charmer starring Jean Arthur as an unemployed young woman who meets dashing Herbert Marshall on a park bench. She assumes from his dejected attitude h...

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TV TIME: Top-Rated TV Episodes, Part 2

Last time, we began an exploration of the highest-rated television episodes of the classic era, as reported by Wesley Hyatt in his excellent book Television's Top 100: The Most Watched American Broadcasts 1960-2010. This month we continue our journey in chronological order. As mentioned in Part 1, to avoid repetition, each series only gets one entry in Hyatt's book. Also, for the purposes of this piece, we are excluding specials, movies, and sporting events.The Ed Sul...

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The Ultimate Star: Joan Crawford

There is no better example of a movie star than Joan Crawford. Crawford was a leading lady by 1926 and was still playing leads at the end of the '60s.Today it is easier than ever to see her films. Over 60 of her 82 features are in print, including six of her silents and virtually all of her films in sound.Crawford watching is addictive. She makes a loud screen statement in every scene and dares you to look away. Some rules of engagement:1. Expect a star per...

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Classics 101: Cartoonified - Forgotten Animation Studios of the 1930s

Beyond the well-known Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, and Max Fleischer cartoons with their all-star lineups of Mickey, Donald, Bugs, Daffy, Tom & Jerry, Betty Boop, and Popeye, there exists a strange parallel universe of B-level animated cartoons from the 1930s. Nobody could ever mistake these for Disney (or even Fleischer or Warner Bros.) cartoons, yet they have a certain rudimentary charm and a bouncy sense of fun that makes them fondly regarded by cartoon fans (like us).Some of...

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Joan Bennett: Striking and Intelligent

Joan Bennett's film career, which spanned decades, is interesting in that it was divided into several distinct chapters, marked by changes in her appearance and the types of roles she played. What never changed, however, was the keen intelligence she brought to each part, along with her striking beauty.Joan was born February 27, 1910, into an acting family which included her father, theatrical star Richard Bennett, and her older sister, Constance; Constance Bennett was, of course,...

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Dark Cinema: Good Girls in Bad Company

The ladies of film noir, typically, are no ladies. More often than not, they're duplicitous dames, mercenary molls, and corrupt cuties, not a lady in the bunch.Still, for every rule, there's an exception, and there are numerous noirs featuring femmes who most decidedly do not fall into the 'bad girl' category -- I like to think of them as good girls in bad company. My favorite gals of this group just happen to also appear in three of my favorite noirs: Leave Her to Heaven...

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