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...
top of page
- Oct 30, 2022
- 2 min
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...
3 views0 comments
- Oct 14, 2022
- 2 min
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...
10 views0 comments
- Sep 29, 2022
- 2 min
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...
7 views0 comments
- Sep 14, 2022
- 2 min
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...
7 views0 comments
- Jul 30, 2022
- 3 min
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...
5 views0 comments
- Jun 14, 2022
- 3 min
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...
4 views0 comments
- Mar 30, 2022
- 2 min
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....
7 views0 comments
- Mar 14, 2022
- 3 min
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...
5 views0 comments
- Jan 31, 2022
- 2 min
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...
7 views0 comments
- Jan 15, 2022
- 2 min
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...
4 views0 comments
- Sep 14, 2021
- 2 min
Hidden Gems (Drama)
Behold a trio of lesser-known titles that may have eluded your classic film radar, but they’re definitely worth a look: The Set-Up (1949)...
5 views0 comments
bottom of page