Love light gleaming In The Good Old Summertime (1949)

Miklos Laszlo's 1936 Hungarian play Parfumerie has achieved lasting cultural and artistic significance despite being a relatively unknown piece of work. You most likely know it by its other names: The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and You've Got Mail (1998). There's also a Broadway musical, She Loves Me, that premiered in 1963 and has …

Van Johnson’s remarkable ease in Easy to Wed (1946)

Van! Van! Van!: my constant refrain. Easy to Wed is a remake of the 1936 film, Libeled Lady, which starred such heavyweights as William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, and Jean Harlow. I actually like this version better than the original, but I can only draw favorable comparisons between each cast. Van and Esther Williams …

The magnetic force of Burt Lancaster

TCM’s yearly Summer Under the Stars festival is now underway, with each day in August dedicated to a different star for 24 hours. Today’s star is Burt Lancaster, him of the countless teeth that were usually bared in a jolly or menacing smile; it could even be both at times.  One of his films airing …

Dear Olivia

Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (July 1, 1916 - July 26, 2020) "Just heard about Olivia. I hope you're doing alright. I love you and I'm thinking of you." That was the text I got from my best friend on Sunday. Instinctively I knew who she meant, but I didn't want it to believe it. …

The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower

  I reviewed Paris When It Sizzles (1964) over on Fairy Hepburn but I have more to say. The movie has such a bad reputation for no reason at all. This is not going to be a nuanced take. Maybe some people find the film enjoyable and flawed, but I'm not one of those people. …

Halloween movies: double feature

I've been working on a twitter thread of spooky movies that are similar to each other. And I decided to post them here, with synopses of all the films. Frankenstein (1931) | Frankenweenie (2012) Tim Burton's 2012 feature is one of my favorites, and though different in tone to James Whale's masterpiece, the films are …

First time at the rodeo: The Lusty Men (1952)

Nicholas Ray's The Lusty Men shares traits with some of his finest films; it's tough, bleak, tender, and unexpectedly poetic. The devastation of this one film is swift and total. It's one of the films being shown as part of Susan Hayward's 24 hour marathon for Summer Under the Stars. Indisputably one of the greatest …

High Barbaree (1947): No beginning and no end

June Allyson is TCM's star of the day, one of the last as August draws to a close. A perpetually sunny screen personality, most of the movies in today's lineup reflect that. The one exception is my recommendation, High Barbaree, her second film with best friend and frequent co-star Van Johnson. It is my favorite …

Egads! Van the Cad in The Bride Goes Wild (1948)

A misleading title, preposterous storyline, improbable romance, seriously questionable if not outright morally reprehensible behavior, and ants - The Bride Goes Wild has all that and more! While it’s probably my least favorite Van Johnson and June Allyson pairing, it’s still highly enjoyable to watch. This of course is due to Van and June’s chemistry, …