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…… Continue reading First time at the rodeo: The Lusty Men (1952)
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…… Continue reading High Barbaree (1947): No beginning and no end
I used to wish for Lena Horne to get a day on TCM for Summer Under the Stars. But then I realized that she couldn’t; she had only starred in five films after all. And five just isn’t enough for a 24 hour marathon. But this year, TCM has granted my wish. I’ve seen 12…… Continue reading Lena Horne’s Summer Under the Stars debut
For those who don’t know, Ricardo Montalban is one of my movie husbands. Handsome, suave, distinct voice, devout Catholic, a faithful husband who adored his wife Georgie unto death. He’s just the ideal. I know that for many, he’s Khan from Star Trek. Having never watched the series, he’s forever the dreamy Old Hollywood star…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Ricardo Montalban double feature
Sidney Poitier occupies a very unique place in Hollywood history. As one of the few black actors to gain prestige during the Golden Era, he’s a heroic figure. He paved the way for so many talented men and women who came after him. And that’s noteworthy because neither his career nor his life were sacrificed…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones (1958)
It’s Eleanor Parker day on TCM today, and my recommendation is The Woman in White (1948). My love for this film simply can’t be overestimated. It airs at 2 am, which is the perfect time for a film as eerie as this one. Based on the 1859 novel by Wilkie Collins, this mystery film also…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Eleanor Parker in The Woman in White (1948)
“The beauty of that man. He’s so still. He’s moving and he’s not moving.” -Lee Marvin Robert Mitchum was both actor and movie star, and he didn’t care about either. Possibly Hollywood’s best beloved bad boy, he once served time in jail on a marijuana charge. It only enhanced his glamorous bad boy persona. In…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Robert Mitchum at 100
Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with Gene Kelly. I, who had been courted by Fred Astaire, found my loyalties shifting. Yes, I can and do love both. Their different styles deserve to be celebrated, and both contributed to the Hollywood musical in innumerable, undisputed ways. But I’m a Gene Kelly girl now.…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Gene Kelly in Inherit the Wind (1960)
“What has Gable got for me? Or Mrs. Johnson’s blonde boy Van?” Once upon a time, these lyrics from “Prehistoric Man” in On the Town applied to me. I thought Van Johnson was about the most boring boy next door MGM ever imagined. But Van, reaching out from the grave, didn’t want me to merely change…… Continue reading Summer Under the Stars: Van Johnson in Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
