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The careers of old Hollywood greats still fascinate movie fans today, and if any actor typifies the classic Hollywood star, Humphry Bogart fits the mold. Born in 1899, Bogart was a late bloomer in the industry and diligently worked his way up the ladder by starring in a number of gangster films, including the notable Public Enemy in 1931. When he reached his 40s, he cemented his glittering place in cinema history by starring in such classics as The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1943), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

Even with Bogart's tough-guy image, sharp dialogue delivery, sad eyes, and emotionally complex characterizations, there's one film that hardly anyone would imagine he'd star in — 1939's The Return of Doctor X, directed by Vincent Sherman. The casting of Bogart in this sci-fi horror B-movie may feel a little puzzling, and it would become his only appearance in a horror film. Audiences can witness...

Stars: Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Stephen Chase, John Benson, Olin Howland | Written by Theodore Simonson, Kay Linaker | Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr

Alongside The Fly and The Thing, Chuck Russell’s remake of The Blob was the third in the Holy Trinity of 1980s cover versions of 1950s sci-fi horror. Like David Cronenberg’s and John Carpenter’s films, it improved upon the original work in virtually every way.

If you’re familiar with the Frank Darabont-scripted schlocker, you’ll be aware from the first note of the ridiculously jaunty “Beware of the Blob” theme song that we are dealing with a very different amorphous beast with this, the 1958 original.

I’m a sucker for movies set over a single night, as well as small town settings, and here we have both. It’s Pennsylvania, and Steve (Steve McQueen) is at a kissing spot with his...

Whaddaya know, this new disc of the Carole Lombard / Fredric March comedy hit looks great, besting by far all previous videos and prints I’ve seen of the early (1937) Technicolor production. Hazel Flagg’s Madcap Manhattan Weekend now pops with brilliant hues. And a little digging tells us that Ben Hecht’s morbid premise is based on a real-life scandalous workplace tragedy called ‘The Living Dead Women.’

Nothing Sacred

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1937 / Color / 1:37 flat Academy / 74 min. / Street Date November 13, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly, Sig Ruman, Troy Brown, Max ‘Slapsie Maxie’ Rosenbloom, Margaret Hamilton, Olin Howland.

Cinematography: W. Howard Greene

Original Music: Oscar Levant

Written by Ben Hecht suggested by a story by James H. Street

Produced by David O. Selznick

Directed by William A. Wellman

Here’s something we didn’t expect to see. When I reviewed an older Kino disc of this title,...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Blu ray

Kino Lorber Home Video

1938 / 1.33:1 / Street Date July 10, 2018

Starring Tommy Kelly, May Robson, Marcia Mae Jones

Cinematography by James Wong Howe

Directed by Norman Taurog

Though Hemingway suggested “all modern American literature” comes from Huckleberry Finn, a case could be made for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as the great American campfire tale.

David Selznick’s picaresque film version of Mark Twain’s bucolic farce plays out through the producer’s rose-colored glasses – an elegy to “the beautiful past, the dear and lamented past.” The brisk adaptation by screenwriter John Weaver (only 91 minutes) is a laundry list of Tom’s greatest hits – his graveyard vigil with Huck Finn, the pirate escapade, the hair-raising cavern finale – all are adventures ingrained in the collective unconscious of most sentient human beings – even those who never cracked a book.

Directed by Norman Taurog, a man who specialized...

Our series on big-screen remakes continues with a cult horror film that kickstarted the illustrious career of Steve McQueen. This week, Cinelinx looks at The Blob (1958 vs. 1988). Come inside to see how these two films stack up.

The original version of The Blob was a low-budget monster film made for $110,000. The titular creature was originally supposed to be called The Molten Meteor Monster, which then was changed to The Mass, which turned into The Glob, and Finally The Blob. The film's tongue-in-cheek title song was written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David, which became a hit. The movie was directed by Irvin Yeaworth who specialized in directing motivational educational and religious films, so this was a departure for him. The film was a moderate success, grossing over $4 million, although the critics weren’t overly kind. It has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite its cheesiness, its reputation has grown over...

Army investigator John Haven is out to catch some crooks using stealth, his wits and a limitless supply of marvelous hardboiled dialogue. Dick Powell trades a trench coat for a cowboy hat, while luscious Jane Greer swaps a .38 snubnose for a dance hall dress. A great cast, a witty script and Burl Ives' singing voice make this a delightfully different noir-inflected oater. Station West DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1948 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 80 min. / Street Date January 12, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Agnes Moorehead, Burl Ives,Tom Powers, Gordon Oliver, Steve Brodie, Guinn Williams, Raymond Burr, Regis Toomey, Olin Howlin, John Kellogg, Charles Middleton, John Doucette . Cinematography Harry J. Wild Film Editor Frederic Knudtson Original Music Heinz Roemheld Written by Frank Fenton, Winston Miller Produced by Robert Sparks Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Want to discover a 'different,' fun '40s western with clever plotting?...

Hattie McDaniel as Mammy in ‘Gone with the Wind’: TCM schedule on August 20, 2013 (photo: Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel in ‘Gone with the Wind’) See previous post: “Hattie McDaniel: Oscar Winner Makes History.” 3:00 Am Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943). Director: David Butler. Cast: Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan, Eddie Cantor, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Edward Everett Horton, S.Z. Sakall, Hattie McDaniel, Ruth Donnelly, Don Wilson, Spike Jones, Henry Armetta, Leah Baird, Willie Best, Monte Blue, James Burke, David Butler, Stanley Clements, William Desmond, Ralph Dunn, Frank Faylen, James Flavin, Creighton Hale, Sam Harris, Paul Harvey, Mark Hellinger, Brandon Hurst, Charles Irwin, Noble Johnson, Mike Mazurki, Fred Kelsey, Frank Mayo, Joyce Reynolds, Mary Treen, Doodles Weaver. Bw-127 mins. 5:15 Am Janie (1944). Director: Michael Curtiz. Cast: Joyce Reynolds, Robert Hutton,...