They say High Noon is popular with presidents: Reportedly, it was the favorite movie of Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and Bill Clinton, who allegedly screened it 17 times during his tenure. Being the commander in chief of the free world is a lonely job – Clinton jokingly called the White House "the crown jewel in the federal penal system.” No wonder Oval Office occupants can relate to the Oscar-winning story of a marshal (Gary Cooper) who must confront a vengeful enemy al

“I’m John Ford and I make Westerns,” said the Maine-born filmmaker in one of the great understatements of all time. Ford didn’t just make Westerns – he was synonymous with them. But did you know that none of his seven Academy Awards were for his trademark genre? To me, that would be like Alfred Hitchcock copping Oscars for directing musicals (or any movies for that matter. The Master of Suspense went zero-for-five in his career.) In addition to scoring awards for wartime docu

Maureen O’Hara once nailed the appeal of her favorite leading man: “To the world, John Wayne is not just an actor. John Wayne is the...

William Wellman’s life was as colorful as the movies he directed. Born on February 29, 1896, Bill grew up outside Boston. He was a...

Black-and-white movies often get a bad rap as creaky relics, hobbled by lame plots, corny acting and married couples exiled to twin beds...

Decades before Cambridge whiz kids Ben Affleck and Matt Damon went Hollywood, another New Englander trekked West to make a wicked big...

Love is an occupational hazard on film sets. Sexy actors spend endless hours, passionately smooching and faux shagging, in take after...