Crawdaddy's "Random Thoughts" about Home Video, Film & TV (2 Viewers)

[Robert Crawford]

Eddie talking about "Psycho" and he makes some good points.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I never was a big fan of "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (1956) starring Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine and Sidney Blackmer. I think the premise of the movie never appeal to me, but this will give me a chance to finally watch my 2018 WA Blu-ray. Anyhow, it's the last American film directed by Fritz Lang.

TCM's Noir Alley 2020 schedule:

03-07-20: Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
03-14-20: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
03-21-20: Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
03-28-20: Crime Wave (1954)
04-04-20: Address Unknown (1944)
04-11-20: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
04-18-20: Witness to Murder (1954)
04-25-20: Wicked Woman (1954)
05-02-20: Fallen Angel (1945)
05-09-20: Mildred Pierce (1945)
05-16-20: The Crimson Kimono (1959)
05-23-20: Cornered (1945)
05-30-20: A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
06-06-20: The Underworld Story (1950)
06-13-20: Murder by Contract (1958)
06-20-20: Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
06-27-20: The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
07-04-20: The Sign of the Ram (1948)
07-11-20: Bodyguard (1948)
07-18-20: Three Strangers (1946)
07-25-20: The Breaking Point (1950)

 

[Robert Crawford]

I never was a big fan of "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (1956) starring Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine and Sidney Blackmer. I think the premise of the movie never appeal to me, but this will give me a chance to finally watch my 2018 WA Blu-ray. Anyhow, it's the last American film directed by Fritz Lang.

TCM's Noir Alley 2020 schedule:

03-07-20: Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
03-14-20: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
03-21-20: Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
03-28-20: Crime Wave (1954)
04-04-20: Address Unknown (1944)
04-11-20: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
04-18-20: Witness to Murder (1954)
04-25-20: Wicked Woman (1954)
05-02-20: Fallen Angel (1945)
05-09-20: Mildred Pierce (1945)
05-16-20: The Crimson Kimono (1959)
05-23-20: Cornered (1945)
05-30-20: A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
06-06-20: The Underworld Story (1950)
06-13-20: Murder by Contract (1958)
06-20-20: Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
06-27-20: The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
07-04-20: The Sign of the Ram (1948)
07-11-20: Bodyguard (1948)
07-18-20: Three Strangers (1946)
07-25-20: The Breaking Point (1950)

Man, Eddie's comments were outstanding as I learned a couple of things about the filmmakers that I didn't know beforehand. The PQ on the Warner Archive Blu-ray was pretty damn good as usual. Again, I still have issues with this movie, but i won't get into them until others have posted their thoughts.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I had a double feature viewing yesterday as I watched on the TCM app "The Unsuspected" (1947) directed my Michael Curtiz and starring Claude Rains, Joan Caufield, Audrey Totter, Contance Bennett and Hurd Hatfield. A favorite murder mystery movie of mine from my younger days. Claude Rains really chewed up his lines of dialogue in this movie, what a ham. God, he's such a favorite actor of mine with that great speaking voice. The plot is about a young woman murdered in the home of a radio mystery personality while his broadcast is being heard over the radio. Part of the plot centers around Rains's rich niece, who's house the murder took place in and was reportedly killed in a ship catastrophe as well as a man claiming to be her dead husband suddenly showing up unexpectedly to the chagrin of her less wealthy relatives. Totter as always was very good in this movie. She was one sexy babe. Constance Bennett was quite funny in her Eve Arden type of role, but man did she age between this film and "Topper". Would love to have this Warner movie on Blu-ray.

 

[bujaki]

Man, Eddie's comments were outstanding as I learned a couple of things about the filmmakers that I didn't know beforehand. The PQ on the Warner Archive Blu-ray was pretty damn good as usual. Again, I still have issues with this movie, but i won't get into them until others have posted their thoughts.

Thea did it!

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. A very tricky story to pull off and, frankly, this film doesn't. The 'complication' and the 'twist' ending were, to me, also entirely predictable. Perhaps it was Andrews' subtle performance, but it was always clear that was the direction this was going, otherwise, what's the point of even making this picture? It would have been cliche beyond cliche. And really, Lang shoots it like a standard television episode of Perry Mason instead of using any stylistic film tricks at all. He really was just phoning this one in, in my opinion. Interesting to see, but I don't need to ever see it again.

 

[Matt Hough]

I always enjoy watching this movie, and I find the plot novel even if the resulting film is rather mundane and lacking style. Suspense could have been ratcheted up a few levels, too, though I think the twist is very good but, again, almost thrown away. Eddie always makes watching worthwhile.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I always enjoy watching this movie, and I find the plot novel even if the resulting film is rather mundane and lacking style. Suspense could have been ratcheted up a few levels, too, though I think the twist is very good but, again, almost thrown away. Eddie always makes watching worthwhile.

I didn't like the "twist" ending the first time I watched this movie many years ago. It still doesn't work for me because too much of the movie is just implausible to me.

Spoiler

First off, a guy is getting away with murder and then he's going volunteer to place himself in the cross hairs of the police investigating that murder.

There are other stuff that I never bought with this film including the staging of the final film sequence. It's' an okay movie, but, not as good as the other Lang/Andrews movie filmed that same year.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched "Kim" (1950) on the TCM app. I haven't watched this movie since the DVD came out back in 2003. It's a good movie, but of course, the white washing of the movie's casting does bother me more today than when I first saw the movie back in my childhood. With that said, it's still an enjoyable movie to watch as I think Flynn was great as "Red Beard" along with Dean Stockwell as Kim. A good supporting cast with Robert Douglas finally playing a "good" guy role. This is another "Technicolor" movie that needs a lot work before being released on Blu-ray which probably is never coming.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Noir Alley

#NoirAlley will be off on Saturday and Sunday due to #TCMFF: Special Home Edition but tomorrow night there's a trio of film noirs starring Star of the Month Jane Russell:

HIS KIND OF WOMAN ('51) at 8pm ET
MACAO ('52) at 10:15pm ET
THE LAS VEGAS STORY ('52) at 12am ET

We'll see you back in the shadows on April 25.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Updated TCM's Noir Alley 2020 schedule:

03-07-20: Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
03-14-20: I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
03-21-20: Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
03-28-20: Crime Wave (1954)
04-04-20: Address Unknown (1944)
04-11-20: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
04-25-20: Wicked Woman (1954)
05-02-20: Fallen Angel (1945)
05-09-20: Mildred Pierce (1945)
05-16-20: The Crimson Kimono (1959)
05-23-20: Cornered (1945)
05-30-20: A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
06-06-20: The Underworld Story (1950)
06-13-20: Murder by Contract (1958)
06-20-20: Underworld U.S.A. (1961)
06-27-20: The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
07-04-20: The Sign of the Ram (1948)
07-11-20: Bodyguard (1948)
07-18-20: Three Strangers (1946)
07-25-20: The Breaking Point (1950)

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Never mind that there'll be no Blu ray. We always have the book, which I re-read only a couple of years ago and found it astonishingly good.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yeah, I was kind of surprised Eddie didn't mention on air that they would be off the following weekend.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I was kind of surprised Eddie didn't mention on air that they would be off the following weekend.

He didn't mention next week's movie which kind of reminded me about next weekend.

 

[Robert Crawford]

On the TCM app I watched "The Irish in Us" (1935) starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Olivia De Havilland, Frank McHugh and Allen Jenkins. It's a comedy about three brothers Cagney, O'Brien and McHugh living at home with their widowed mother. With his brothers being a cop and fireman, Cagney's character has ambitions to being a boxing manager with Allen Jenkins playing his latest so-called boxing discovery. A young Olivia de Havilland still only 18 years old, plays the young woman that comes between the two brothers played by Cagney and O'Brien. Reportedly, the cast ad lib much of their lines with McHugh playing comic relief as the third brother. It's an enjoyable comedy that has some pretty funny moments.

 

[Robert Crawford]

All be watching Angel Face at lunch (if possible), but I agree completely about The Lady Eve. I love the film and would love to have a high def disc.

Criterion is releasing "The Lady Eve" on July 14th!

 

[Matt Hough]

Criterion is releasing "The Lady Eve" on July 14th!

Yes, I got the e-mail and saw the announcement. Couldn't you hear me cheering?

 

[Robert Crawford]

[URL='https://twitter.com/EddieMuller']Eddie Muller
@EddieMuller[/URL]
·
Apr 14

It's not in person, but it'll be fun. All TCM hosts will be actively engaged, with new on-air material as well as social media interaction. Kudos to TCM for improvising well during this crisis. TCM Film Festival Home Edition Starts Thursday https://kpbs.org/news/2020/apr/13/tcm-classic-film-festival-home-edition-starts-thur/… via
@KPBSnews



TCM Classic Film Festival Home Edition Starts Thursday
For a decade, TCM Classic Film Festival has been gathering the faithful in Hollywood for a celebration of movies. This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival has had to move progra...
kpbs.org

 

[Robert Crawford]

 

[Robert Crawford]

This morning's viewing was "Destry Rides Again" (1939) starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. My quick review can be found here.