RYAN O'NEAL & SHELLEY LONG HAVE 'IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyD9zs32iKcVByOgVk_7wqFAqLrqt4MHLtmELHyFApLbd093a7e1UGoNsGJxZ7zbhbYZgI_PKHBNUDxQBMhzwMHyBJZtywsICM-EVZ_T73tWIeOjcESMXtMjO4QgEQ4ZO19M0EdVSOzH3LxxPFSLVMr5jNfAp5yZC_ybyTy3Nk_nmKG1dSMuprR4Le6Vi/s2136/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-06%20at%201.39.54%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="2136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyD9zs32iKcVByOgVk_7wqFAqLrqt4MHLtmELHyFApLbd093a7e1UGoNsGJxZ7zbhbYZgI_PKHBNUDxQBMhzwMHyBJZtywsICM-EVZ_T73tWIeOjcESMXtMjO4QgEQ4ZO19M0EdVSOzH3LxxPFSLVMr5jNfAp5yZC_ybyTy3Nk_nmKG1dSMuprR4Le6Vi/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-06%20at%201.39.54%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES Year: 1984 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ryan O'Neal was the original Leonardo DiCaprio, both starring in what turned out surprise hits, LOVE STORY and TITANIC respectively, after which avoiding blond sex symbol status to link with a creative director, and, along with auteur films by Stanley Kubrick and Walter Hill, O'Neal's Martin Scorsese was Peter Bogdanovich, who he'd later satirize in the romantic comedy (and partial road movie) IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Hiding behind a cute frame story involving O'Neal as film professor turned director with wife Shelley Long, channeling Bogdanovich's first wife/creative partner Polly Platt, who, following a quirky hitchhiking whirlwind romance and later, after a divorce, face a similar court battle with daughter Drew Barrymore ("I'm divorcing my parents"): otherwise randomly appearing throughout an underrated gem that both celebrates and parodies the 1970's Renaissance Era...</p><p><span></span></p>

allen garfield, david graf, drew barrymore, eighties, hollywood satire, luana anders, road movie, romantic comedy, ryan o'neal, sam wanamaker, sharon stone, shelley long

RYAN O'NEAL & SHELLEY LONG HAVE 'IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES'

Title: IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES Year: 1984 Rating: ****1/2 Ryan O'Neal was the original Leonardo DiCaprio, both starring in what turne...

PETER O'TOOLE DIRECTING STEVE RAILSBACK AS 'THE STUNT MAN'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6o3dZkypjlho0RUMVh2I1_g0UPLeg9ksAVBbNr1nFwrDoUoF_Gpv2Xw-0d-3bosnPZPOlZMvU4n5olLqk1YKJUYCPsgw3ezPIEVE8hAbgtPAa03NrCiWyKYEjZQs-lyNsGBKLKHIJydb2uqblogO-H0uolCpSqZIQxsn6piTPxnToHzPIhh7-bMbYEA1/s1465/lighter.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6o3dZkypjlho0RUMVh2I1_g0UPLeg9ksAVBbNr1nFwrDoUoF_Gpv2Xw-0d-3bosnPZPOlZMvU4n5olLqk1YKJUYCPsgw3ezPIEVE8hAbgtPAa03NrCiWyKYEjZQs-lyNsGBKLKHIJydb2uqblogO-H0uolCpSqZIQxsn6piTPxnToHzPIhh7-bMbYEA1/s16000/lighter.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Iconic devilish imagery of Peter O'Toole from THE STUNT MAN Year: 1980 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's no surprise director Richard Rush took a decade to make THE STUNT MAN since it adheres to his early creatively-maneuvered camerawork — visually making every scene matter and every moment count... </p><p>Only in this case, instead of 90-minute drive-in flicks, it's an epic labor-of-love Hollywood satire starring Peter O'Toole as a flamboyant, borderline psychotic director who desperately hires a Vietnam-vet criminal as his titular STUNT MAN...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkKNoFCgpiVgJyEgd8RqovVMIUCEg1ITHB-ZYjw_DzVqDIKhpK3y6_LlphqpbzsHi4fcGlhH6h4AeJ-ZpyJkhFVdLlE50wZo_WH6pgeH2mNFqj_Wn1W2GeS2TLoO-I8YxJg6ktwe2dDS0EUtBaXIJPW2CmWiEiqJFxC_TwQICOkUV4Frp_lNa4079TqnB/s2174/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-01%20at%201.37.01%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="2174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkKNoFCgpiVgJyEgd8RqovVMIUCEg1ITHB-ZYjw_DzVqDIKhpK3y6_LlphqpbzsHi4fcGlhH6h4AeJ-ZpyJkhFVdLlE50wZo_WH6pgeH2mNFqj_Wn1W2GeS2TLoO-I8YxJg6ktwe2dDS0EUtBaXIJPW2CmWiEiqJFxC_TwQICOkUV4Frp_lNa4079TqnB/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-09-01%20at%201.37.01%20PM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Peter O'Toole in THE STUNT MAN</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Herein second-billed Steve Railsback is the true lead, which is good and bad since, during the more dramatic, expository sequences mostly involving vulnerable ingenue (as a vulnerable actress) Barbara Hershey, he still bares campy residual from playing Charles Manson in HELTER SKELTER... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And is far more naturally-suited to intense physical action, either by his character Cameron, initially chased by cops in a fast-paced prologue — or taking on the spontaneous fall guy gig...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, adam roarke, allen garfield, barbara hershey, charles bail, eighties, hollywood satire, peter o'toole, richard rush, steve railsback

PETER O'TOOLE DIRECTING STEVE RAILSBACK AS 'THE STUNT MAN'

Iconic devilish imagery of Peter O'Toole from THE STUNT MAN Year: 1980 Rating: **** It's no surprise director Richard Rush took a de...

STEPHEN BOYD, ELKE SOMMER AND TONY BENNETT IN 'THE OSCAR'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz4PUXTiWbz63TnFScznxDXPq1siZkkYBj5X5cpDYU5wCYBkyDSQbI3TzytMU8UEEV-pEzRdOSJMV39dL3V_Pn_dFPB4XOIyQxpXhpVbQ2K_NkjyiKByjoLk33zrYcU4fLjxF5MI6y37uXUz3FhzzcupE2wSCin8JKtzhvDe4ZYQnyPHLchep9U8RXvlq/s871/oldest.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="871" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz4PUXTiWbz63TnFScznxDXPq1siZkkYBj5X5cpDYU5wCYBkyDSQbI3TzytMU8UEEV-pEzRdOSJMV39dL3V_Pn_dFPB4XOIyQxpXhpVbQ2K_NkjyiKByjoLk33zrYcU4fLjxF5MI6y37uXUz3FhzzcupE2wSCin8JKtzhvDe4ZYQnyPHLchep9U8RXvlq/s16000/oldest.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Stephen Boyd with Eleanor Parker or Jill St John in THE OSCAR Year: 1966 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of the most gloriously uncompromising Hollywood-set melodramas, THE OSCAR stars real life semi-star Stephen Boyd, whose chiselled looks and menacing countenance — beginning as the cheating gladiator in BEN HUR — made him more a leading villain than hero, and he plays both here...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Starting as a backroom lowlife alongside passive yet equally-tough sidekick Tony Bennett and lush Jill St. John, he sneakily becomes an actor by manipulating the likes of New York stage director Eleanor Parker connected with Hollywood agent Milton Berle and studio chief Joseph Cotten...</p><p><span></span></p>

elke sommer, ernest borgnine, harlan ellison, hollywood satire, jean hale, jill st john, joseph cotten, melodrama, milton berle, rex holman, sixties, stephen boyd, tony bennett

STEPHEN BOYD, ELKE SOMMER AND TONY BENNETT IN 'THE OSCAR'

Stephen Boyd with Eleanor Parker or Jill St John in THE OSCAR Year: 1966 Rating: *** One of the most gloriously uncompromising Hollywood-set...

REVIEW CRUISING THROUGH 'ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierViQkA7CjN-ie-R-rUPHjZaU9AYiDXojRL_rxStIspYAGyzZoAtP309hQ0GIiAIZz4qn1g0NtdZIhfTn5FDxxnJNhyPr9doMjUDondR5hmsIF2tdlliDDekfLv_KdRq6krqMynuUzShQ2qIMbciZSoxncwwR2QTzw_ruDy_iBGBqkguUx-m9fMsccqz9/s2048/brighter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierViQkA7CjN-ie-R-rUPHjZaU9AYiDXojRL_rxStIspYAGyzZoAtP309hQ0GIiAIZz4qn1g0NtdZIhfTn5FDxxnJNhyPr9doMjUDondR5hmsIF2tdlliDDekfLv_KdRq6krqMynuUzShQ2qIMbciZSoxncwwR2QTzw_ruDy_iBGBqkguUx-m9fMsccqz9/s16000/brighter.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Make an important note while <i>experiencing</i> Quentin Tarantino's entirely different kind of revisionist-history revenge picture: It not only centers around real life counter-culture figures Sharon Tate; Charles Manson and Family (including main slayer Tex Watson and skanky moll Squeaky Fromme); a love-lorn Steve McQueen; a rich, contented Roman Polanski; and pixie hairstylist Jay Sebring... <br> <br> There's also the last of the victims, Donald "Shorty" Shea, a would-be stuntman who thought the hippie horde was taking advantage of his friend/employer George Spahn at the formerly-active Spahn Movie Ranch: the infamous location where Manson and his followers made their very own drug-fueled, Beatles-blaring, conspiracy-plotting, paranoiac playground, ultimately setting stage for the "Helter Skelter Murders" that infamously included an eight-month pregnant Tate...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

2019, al pacino, brad pitt, bruce dern, counter-culture, dark comedy, exploitation, hangout, hollywood satire, leonardo dicaprio, madisen beaty, margot robie, new, quentin tarantino, thriller

REVIEW CRUISING THROUGH 'ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD'

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Rating: **** Make an important note while experiencing Quentin Tarantino...

ROGER MOORE IN 'THE SAINT' WITH JACKIE COLLINS & BRIAN WESKE

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89vsyJRIoazWk5tC-5hkoxHjU7FR6LICxEOQpsq6RLeDDyyTl36FlZ0wax9rDaTuUnmILaXz3eki6NXOyNcUpdr-tRBaEiQKOn4seWtva35hz0-4ULmHJqxa2v0wiAip9jd7d3bIVucy_00L4Hjm91SMi6xh_oBF3nwpVWRnzjE1x3NZvUDN2EftE3w/s1883/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-02%20at%2011.05.22%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1883" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89vsyJRIoazWk5tC-5hkoxHjU7FR6LICxEOQpsq6RLeDDyyTl36FlZ0wax9rDaTuUnmILaXz3eki6NXOyNcUpdr-tRBaEiQKOn4seWtva35hz0-4ULmHJqxa2v0wiAip9jd7d3bIVucy_00L4Hjm91SMi6xh_oBF3nwpVWRnzjE1x3NZvUDN2EftE3w/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-02%20at%2011.05.22%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Roger Moore is THE SAINT episode STARRING THE SAINT Year: 1963 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In most TV-series about unique human beings there's usually one that tweaks the 4th wall in having the concept of a film studio wanting to make a motion picture about the series itself, which for the viewer isn't a series at all, often feeling intrusive or contrived but THE SAINT season two's STARRING THE SAINT is one of the iconic British show's best episodes, and features two polar opposite bombshells... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>One being Joan's sister, future scandal writer Jackie Collins as a lavish actress and Moore's love interest, and sophisticated secretary Monica Stevenson who... along with has-been actor Alexander Davion seeking the Saint role, troubled director Alfred Burke wanting out of a contract and a frustrated writing team including LOLITA actor Jerry Stovin... continuously weathers her nefarious producer boss, played with sublime menace by Ronald Radd...</p><p><span></span></p>

alexander davion, alfred burke, brian weske, british neo noir, british tv, hollywood satire, jackie collins, jerry stovin, monica stevenson, mystery, roger moore, ronald radd, sixties, the saint

ROGER MOORE IN 'THE SAINT' WITH JACKIE COLLINS & BRIAN WESKE

Roger Moore is THE SAINT episode STARRING THE SAINT Year: 1963 Rating: **** In most TV-series about unique human beings there's usually ...

BURT REYNOLDS DRIVES 'HOOPER' WITH JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs5o3Ov_wtQzeFl3a7D3bjVZFmstyAegVDzN5jUVDBN04NSd0BYOnTMXtCzGRjWrI5dYaXfJIplp8rY2cjLZGuJ5fDRlt1kZuY84-_tnJiNOzdbY0OsGX0LnSv3iufnt76jtNgo0AWkMcYBAk9VP4FTLaSe7Rr_j4sszGDM_PwwwYdyuI6rT6q2mI5Q/s1769/1%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1769" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUs5o3Ov_wtQzeFl3a7D3bjVZFmstyAegVDzN5jUVDBN04NSd0BYOnTMXtCzGRjWrI5dYaXfJIplp8rY2cjLZGuJ5fDRlt1kZuY84-_tnJiNOzdbY0OsGX0LnSv3iufnt76jtNgo0AWkMcYBAk9VP4FTLaSe7Rr_j4sszGDM_PwwwYdyuI6rT6q2mI5Q/s16000/1%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Burt Reynolds and Jan-Michael Vincent in HOOPER Year: 1978 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the time HOOPER hit theaters, star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham were already reeling from the blockbuster success of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, a car-chase movie with a lot of stunts — so it made sense to have their next literal vehicle be a tribute to stuntmen...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Plus the fact Burt liked doing his own, and Needham was a genuine Hollywood fall guy for decades, making this a doubled-down labor-of-love that mostly strays from the intentional silliness of SMOKEY... with a few exceptions...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, adam west, brian keith, burt reynolds, car, hal needham, hollywood satire, james best, jan-michael vincent, sally field, seventies

BURT REYNOLDS DRIVES 'HOOPER' WITH JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT

Burt Reynolds and Jan-Michael Vincent in HOOPER Year: 1978 Rating: ***1/2 By the time HOOPER hit theaters, star Burt Reynolds and director H...

JAMES CAGNEY'S GRAND NATIONAL 'SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT'

<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAvfkUucK9w2XhBk8RzLtEEUqOP8aFUVcYRWusDGnFi7-aHhe4cyB-9YIzyVmlycsSPADxSyhN_AA37BCI8b-a8qbyGn080eP2xpWVY7-H-5eg-pfGUK-EVmwih0fbPAAfBAyZDg47MoOSc2rwbFeBP6WnHOJMtQcWr4t6c7tQUWwGaA-WAAlFXhy7g=s701" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="701" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAvfkUucK9w2XhBk8RzLtEEUqOP8aFUVcYRWusDGnFi7-aHhe4cyB-9YIzyVmlycsSPADxSyhN_AA37BCI8b-a8qbyGn080eP2xpWVY7-H-5eg-pfGUK-EVmwih0fbPAAfBAyZDg47MoOSc2rwbFeBP6WnHOJMtQcWr4t6c7tQUWwGaA-WAAlFXhy7g=w400-h323" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Something to Sing About Year: 1937 Rating: ***1/2</u><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The better of the two and the last picture Cagney did with the independent Grand National Pictures after GREAT GUY before returning to Warner Bros where he got to play by his own rules is SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT, showcasing Cagney's dynamic ability as a song and dance man with his own East Coast big band swing show...  </p><p></p><p>This is one of the earliest makings of a movie-within-a-movie to poke fun at the phony shenanigans centering on the hypocrisy and downside of Hollywood... </p><p>A shallow place Cagney's character wants nothing to do with the further he progresses on set in a star-making role as a smooth, romantic, crooning leading man. And for Universal Horror Fans it's great seeing Dwight Frye, in his second Cagney picture: Frye played Renfield in DRACULA, stealing the movie from Bela Lugosi himself, and Dr. Frankenstein's loony, hunchback assistant (who isn't named Igor) in FRANKENSTEIN and here a suspiciously feminine" makeup artist — something you probably wouldn't see so upfront and obvious during the Hays Code. But the real standout is Philip Ahn, a kind of stereotypical Chinese assistant who eventually shows he knows more than he lets on...   </p><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihADTVhCQyGi17PFWnjacMwp1xPbmJdmQj70LvfnQLFP1PEmn14nED7nQETkRkDWomeDHGvtum9UjWNyAtsI-P9nDfDNdym9hzP5x7o2-1TURo8Z3ruqQGZ1sY433LjTfYC6fHknZGRKta6QNdaUyJmRiQL2-x9XVGvk--IzkfaL0bHKvp6XH5qLTT1A=s823" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="823" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihADTVhCQyGi17PFWnjacMwp1xPbmJdmQj70LvfnQLFP1PEmn14nED7nQETkRkDWomeDHGvtum9UjWNyAtsI-P9nDfDNdym9hzP5x7o2-1TURo8Z3ruqQGZ1sY433LjTfYC6fHknZGRKta6QNdaUyJmRiQL2-x9XVGvk--IzkfaL0bHKvp6XH5qLTT1A=w400-h228" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Cagney goes big for Grand National Pictures</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The plot shadows an earlier Cagney programmer from Warner titled LADY KILLER where he plays a con man/thief on the lam, winding up an Extra on a studio lot and then becomes an overnight star on the big screen... </p><p></p><p>Only here he has practically no fun at all, leading to a dragged-out finale about this dream job turned nightmare nearly ruining his marriage...  </p><p></p><p>In a film without a genuine antagonist, I LOVE LUCY landlord neighbor William Frawley is a sneaky agent who plays up to the media that his client is having a possible affair with the movie's movie starlet, who can't hold a candle to singing actress Evelyn Daw: that marriage, according to his contract and to appease female fans, has to be kept secret. Like any lighthearted romantic comedy, the initial breezy setup is the most fun while the task of fulfilling a buried plot detours slowly into a dead end. Still though, as a whole, the movie works just fine.</p><p><span></span></p>

dwight frye, hollywood satire, james cagney, musical, philip ahn, thirties, william frawley

JAMES CAGNEY'S GRAND NATIONAL 'SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT'

Something to Sing About Year: 1937 Rating: ***1/2 The better of the two and the last picture Cagney did with the independent Grand National ...

JAMES CAGNEY 'LADY KILLER' MAE CLARKE & MARGARET LINDSAY

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-PjgA3mYV5jPxIn_fnZrnop3pdu4MegL-nV2kZexaRe8e8_FiOtClOnTVMk3bvBjCQXaq8BtlVP4TseDOc5Z4ot2xp7sPlyUR1kbF1b4ZMfQlh85lPsWyuFTfGnm2czCRa3TnUsxFyx62s5mQDeBLNsdQJGYaNdcpJC1lGamr3icmXvr23015p1CmAQ=s1079" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1079" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-PjgA3mYV5jPxIn_fnZrnop3pdu4MegL-nV2kZexaRe8e8_FiOtClOnTVMk3bvBjCQXaq8BtlVP4TseDOc5Z4ot2xp7sPlyUR1kbF1b4ZMfQlh85lPsWyuFTfGnm2czCRa3TnUsxFyx62s5mQDeBLNsdQJGYaNdcpJC1lGamr3icmXvr23015p1CmAQ=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: LADY KILLER Year: 1933 Cast: James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Mae Clarke Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>James Cagney plays a shifty usher at a movie theater, so his character’s already geared towards the lights, camera and especially action (and distraction from the very start. But he’s quickly derailed, conned by PUBLIC ENEMY siren Mae Clarke into a rigged card game involving Douglass Dumbrille and his gang of crooks... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But Cagney's Dan Quigley, after catching on, instead of getting angry, or even, or both, he joins and eventually leads the group into nightclub ownership and then a bigger heist that lands them in real dough, and real trouble...</p><p><span></span></p>

comedy, crime, douglass dumbrille, hollywood satire, james cagney, mae clarke, margaret lindsay, thirties, warner archives

JAMES CAGNEY 'LADY KILLER' MAE CLARKE & MARGARET LINDSAY

Title: LADY KILLER Year: 1933 Cast: James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Mae Clarke Rating: **** James Cagney plays a shifty usher at a movie th...

ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND ROCK HUDSON IN 'THE MIRROR CRACK'D'

<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE90_RmM97TL6PXg0Gfl2IwoGp5BwLBgeqoWlxbUh8biH4tU_CLoIvEs4yGl-th2PnFGiwv2g1f8LIGVTOQE0gVHv-8jANJoSGscnmzTyxm7hi4-pIVVmmIhDH-NxsnLBJ0HvQliW0daj1SsctRRlycRn2zGb4YmiAoJ3SIZ9UouB6AlLAHoIjnx_Z6JxG/s1415/0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE90_RmM97TL6PXg0Gfl2IwoGp5BwLBgeqoWlxbUh8biH4tU_CLoIvEs4yGl-th2PnFGiwv2g1f8LIGVTOQE0gVHv-8jANJoSGscnmzTyxm7hi4-pIVVmmIhDH-NxsnLBJ0HvQliW0daj1SsctRRlycRn2zGb4YmiAoJ3SIZ9UouB6AlLAHoIjnx_Z6JxG/s16000/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE MIRROR CRACK'D Year: 1980 Director: Guy Hamilton Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The most breezily enjoyable of the John Brabourne/Richard Goodwin adaptations of Agatha Christie whodunits, THE MIRROR CRACK'D resembles an upper scale TV-movie more than a lower budgeted big screener, so it looks terrific but without having to prove too much... </p><p></p><p></p><p>And, filmed in England, it's the most British of all the British productions including MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and DEATH ON THE NILE before and EVIL UNDER THE SUN after, cases solved by Hercules Poirot while this belongs to Christie's other famous snoop, Miss Marple, here played by Angela Lansbury...</p><p><span></span></p>

agatha christie, british, eighties, elizabeth taylor, ensemble, geraldine chaplin, guy hamilton, hollywood satire, kim novak, maureen bennett, mystery, rock hudson, tony curtis, wendy morgan

ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND ROCK HUDSON IN 'THE MIRROR CRACK'D'

Title: THE MIRROR CRACK'D Year: 1980 Director: Guy Hamilton Rating: ***1/2 The most breezily enjoyable of the John Brabourne/Richard Goo...

THE BIG PICTURE

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZR2qp_Udr4KGaUXgSqjSxXYAQnZTDu235-D5yuZzO76WCM-2ekpAB6k9JKoyev8Y7Owtu2jG_Ug1mWfAbqmysmIL2e2o-4RzBHQ4ziTCx4DB807CHhyg6ZxjJHeIZ9KwdJIcWHzdji8/s1600/0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588096218292135730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZR2qp_Udr4KGaUXgSqjSxXYAQnZTDu235-D5yuZzO76WCM-2ekpAB6k9JKoyev8Y7Owtu2jG_Ug1mWfAbqmysmIL2e2o-4RzBHQ4ziTCx4DB807CHhyg6ZxjJHeIZ9KwdJIcWHzdji8/s200/0.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 158px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">title:</span> THE BIG PICTURE<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">year:</span> 1989<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">cast: </span>Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, Martin Short<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">rating:</span> ***<br /><br />Christopher Guest's first directorial effort isn't a mockumentary, but the ambitions are similar: going "backstage" in Hollywood with an award-winning student filmmaker, played with astute naivete by Kevin Bacon, given an opportunity to write and direct a real movie. The late J.T. Walsh is a vapid studio head constantly altering Bacon's dream-film storyline, and since his idiotic alterations often seem more logical than our hero's pretentious concept, it's never clear if Guest's satirizing the young artist or the big bad executive - or who we should agree with. Bacon's arc from promising hopeful to a selfish young protegee is great, but once he falls by the wayside, losing his job and girlfriend, lackluster melodrama ensues. But Guest's creativity shines throughout, mixing surreal perspective with an insider's view of Hollywood THE PLAYER would get credit for later on. And Martin Short's flamboyant agent character provides a memorable scene, as does a music video by fictional band "Pez People," written and performed by Guest and fellow Spinal Tapper Michael McKean.<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FF5qtoNC2l0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/usTosO6TJ7U" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe>

christopher guest, comedy, eighties, emily longstreth, hollywood satire, kevin bacon

THE BIG PICTURE

title: THE BIG PICTURE year: 1989 cast: Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, Martin Short rating: *** Christopher Guest's first directorial...