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Nov 15, 20232 min read
Anatomy of a Classic
The Best Years of Our Lives opened on November 21, 1946 and became an instant classic. Critics lavished praise. Moviegoers mobbed...
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Oct 30, 20222 min read
Films of 1962: Days of Wine and Roses
Walter Matthau was Jack Lemmon’s frequent co-star and best friend. Lemmon gave the eulogy at Matthau’s funeral, and a year later, was...
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Oct 14, 20222 min read
Films of 1962: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Brain vs. brawn. Good guys vs. outlaws. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance may focus on a fatal duel, but it’s definitely not a typical...
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Sep 29, 20222 min read
Films of 1962: To Kill a Mockingbird
As a writer, I’ve always marveled at people who adapt books for the screen. On the upside, the scriptwriter gets the benefits of an...
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Sep 14, 20222 min read
Films of 1962: The Miracle Worker
When I was a child, my mother’s Aunt Irene would sometimes visit us. Irene was deaf, but she communicated by reading lips and speaking in...
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Jul 30, 20223 min read
Films of 1952: High Noon
They say High Noon is popular with presidents: Reportedly, it was the favorite movie of Ronald Reagan, G.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, who...
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Jun 14, 20223 min read
Films of 1947: Body and Soul
I’ve seen more classic boxing movies than matches in my lifetime. Golden Boy, The Set-Up, Champion, The Harder They Fall, Rocky, Raging...
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Mar 30, 20222 min read
Films of 1942: Mrs. Miniver
Troops, tanks, bullets, bombs. They’re all essential wartime tools. But in 1942, world leaders acknowledged that a mere movie called Mrs....
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Mar 14, 20223 min read
Films of 1942: Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart told Orson Welles that he was shooting “the worst picture I’ve ever been in.” Ingrid Bergman pleaded with director...
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Jan 31, 20222 min read
Films of 1932: Most Wanted "Fugitive"
Studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age were often typecast, just like their actors. MGM specialized in high-gloss escapism. Universal...
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Jan 15, 20222 min read
Films of 1932: Grand Hotel
In 1932, MGM invented a new concept in filmmaking. At the time, studios rarely assigned more than two big names to the same script. They...
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