I wasn't planning to watch any of the horse movies in May, though I love horse racing, but we wound up watching most of Smoky (1946). Maybe it was Burl Ives singing all those folksongs whenever the writers couldn't figure out what to do next. "The Streets of Laredo" and "The Foggy Fog...

I'm a fan of Above Suspicion . Joan Crawford playing a normal woman! That's what they call casting against type. Just about any leading lady could have played the part, and it's interesting to see Joan as a conventional heroine. To me, Joan and Fred MacMurray make a surprisingly charming couple, eve...

Remember how in the 70s Jane Fonda would get radicalized during the course of a movie like COMING HOME and THE CHINA SYNDROME ? Well, just imagine a movie that depicts the radicalization of--no, it couldn't possibly be, but it nonetheless is-- Joan Crawford . That movie is REUNION IN FRANCE (1942) a...

Moira, the print shown on TCM back in February completely changed my mind about this film because it is breathtakingly beautiful. The lighting is gorgeous.

Oh, Maven, I'm so glad you saw it and felt the same way I did at the festival. Loved your review! So TCM announces this obscure film. Has to schedule a second showing at the festival. People start talking about it. Other people check it out on Netflix etc. Now it's part of the conversation about cla...

Mike, thanks for filling us in on the historical background. That explains the big shift from A Generation to Ashes and Diamonds . It looks like a number of Wajda's later films are available on DVD, so I'll have to set aside some bucks and go exploring. Moira, I hadn't thought of the cabinet door as...

The print for Ashes and Diamonds was outstanding, probably the one from the Criterion Collection. I saw this either in college or soon after college (which was, um, a few years ago), and liked it every bit as much on second viewing over the weekend. Zbigniew Cybulski has been called the Polish James...

I didn't like Open City as much as I'd hoped to. Unfortunately the TCM print wasn't very good, which no doubt lessened the impact of the film. The only other Rossellini film I've seen is The Rise of Louis XIV , which is worth seeing, and part of Viaggio in Italia , but I'm still waiting for the &quo...

Dewey, congratulations on what sounds like a great series. Thank you, Lynn, and ChiO for your terrific posts. It's clear that your audience loves what you do for them.

Yes, Todd Fisher was named for Mike Todd.

This Monday was the last episode of The Chicago Code on NBC. The whole season was built around the good cops mounting an undercover operation against a corrupt alderman--corruption in Chicago? never!--wonderfully played by Delroy Lindo. Every moment he was on screen was believable. This wasn't an ac...

Because I'm interested in films about the WWII made while the war was going on, I checked out Underground (1941), a Vincent Sherman film which celebrates German resistance fighters, especially those who broadcast underground radio. The biggest name in the cast is Jeffrey Lynn, who must have either 1...

Thanks, Mike. All of these films now go to my wish list.

Thanks so much for posting this excellent article. It's interesting to see how Network developed. Could Natalie Wood have pulled off the role of Diana? Because Natalie seems so fragile and vulnerable, that might have made the part richer--if she could have made the scheming believable.

Moira, thanks for expanding my knowledge of Wise's filmography. I agree completely about Jean Simmons in Until They Sail . Billy Wilder was right about The Set-Up , which has the "budget noir" look--lots of shadows and close-ups, perfect for the subject matter. Odds Against Tomorrow is one...