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Category: 1950s

The Big Lift: Significant, Palatable Propaganda.

The Big Lift: Significant, Palatable Propaganda.

Released: April 1950 Directed by: George Seaton Cast: Montgomery Clift, Paul Douglas, Cornell Borchers, Bruni Lobel, O.E. Hasse, Dante V. Morel, John R. Mason, Gail R. Plush, Mack Blevins, William A. Stewart as Capt. William A. Stewart. Shot in 1949, at the tail end of the Berlin Airlift, The Big Lift is a propaganda film. But unlike most propaganda films, The Big Lift is uniquely palatable. It is also significant. As time marches on. The aftermath of the Second World…

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On the Remake Chopping Block: The Night of the Hunter.

On the Remake Chopping Block: The Night of the Hunter.

I recently heard there is going to be a ‘modern day’ remake of Charles Laughton’s 1955 classic, The Night of the Hunter, based on the novel by Davis Grubb. If I had been drinking coffee at the time I would have spit it out. This is yet another example of Hollywood throwing away money on a project that will in no way be better than the original, and a film nobody asked for. Trying to figure out why filmmakers want…

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Double Feature: Dragstrip Girl AND Hot Rod Girl.

Double Feature: Dragstrip Girl AND Hot Rod Girl.

Dragstrip Girl Directed by: Edward L. Cahn Released: April 1957 Cast: Fay Spain, John Ashley, Steve Terrell, Tommy Ivo, Judy Bamber, Russ Dender, Grazia Narciso, Tito Vuolo, Don Shelton, Dorthy Bruce, and Frank Gorshin as Tommy. Hot Rod Girl Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson Released: July 1956 Cast: Lori Nelson, Chuck Connors, John Smith, Mark Andrews, Roxanne Arlen, Fred Essler, Carolyn Kearney, Eddie Ryder, Del Erickson, Russell Thorson, and Frank Gorshin as Flat Top. You don’t really see double features…

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Crime of Passion: A Film with Two Great Leads, Very Little Spark.

Crime of Passion: A Film with Two Great Leads, Very Little Spark.

Directed by: Gerd Oswald Released: January 1957 Cast: Barabra Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray, Virginia Grey, Royal Dano, Robert Griffin, Dennis Cross, Jay Adler, and Stuart Whitman as Laboratory Technician. First-time viewing. Crime of Passion is a noir film that indeed begins with a crime of passion. Concludes with a crime of passion. But lacks spark, despite the performances of the two leads. Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) is a big time San Francisco columnist who is draw into…

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A Christmas Wish aka The Great Rupert

A Christmas Wish aka The Great Rupert

Released: March 1950 Directed by: Irving Pichel Cast: Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore, Tom Drake, Frank Orth, Sara Haden, Queenie Smith, Chick Chandler, Jimmy Conlin, Rupert the Squirrel. I’ve believed for a long time that squirrels are the dolphins of the backyard, and A Christmas Wish confirms that belief. Rupert the Squirrel is the most amazing squirrel I have ever seen. He not only dances, but he does a Scottish jig that would make any Highlander proud. He is an astute…

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Gun Crazy: “Thrill Crazy… Kill Crazy… ‘Deadly is the Female.’”

Gun Crazy: “Thrill Crazy… Kill Crazy… ‘Deadly is the Female.’”

Released: January 1950 Dir.: Joseph H. Lewis Cast: Peggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry Kroeger, Anabel Shaw, Harry Lewis, Nedrick Young, Russ Tamblyn. Right from childhood Bart Tare (John Dall) was crazy about guns. So much so he tried to break into a hardware store to steal a revolver. His attempt failed and earned him 5 years up the river to reform school. Bart learned his lessons the hard way, at the ripe old age of 7 he shot a baby…

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Hiroshima mon amour: ‘…the Obvious Necessity of Remembering…’

Hiroshima mon amour: ‘…the Obvious Necessity of Remembering…’

Released: 1959 Dir.: Alain Resnais First time viewing reaction. I’ve known about Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima mon amour for years but knew absolutely nothing about it. And that’s how I went into the film when I watched it for the first time Monday night. It is a beautiful, yet devastating film. I understand that the main characters, who are unnamed in the film, but are identified in cast listings as, Elle (Emmanuelle Riva) and Lui (Eiji Okada), can be interpreted as…

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Night and the City: Hollywood Noir Meets British Noir.

Night and the City: Hollywood Noir Meets British Noir.

Released: 1950 Dir.: Jules Dassin First time viewing reaction. When you mix Hollywood Noir with British Noir, add Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, and a healthy dose of Herbert Lom, you get Night and the City. A gripping non-stop story of ambition exceeding one’s grasp. Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is a hustler on the loose in London. He works hard and talks fast for what amounts to peanuts, but there is big money to be had in London and that comes…

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The Phenix City Story: Ripped From the Headlines.

The Phenix City Story: Ripped From the Headlines.

Released: 1955 Dir.: Phil Karlson Once upon a time there was a town called Phenix City, located on the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River, and for a very long time Phenix City was ruled by vice and corruption. Politicians, the police force, lawyers, judges, juries all bought and paid for by the Syndicate. Anyone who apposed the rulers of Phenix City ended up in the river, with a couple of extra holes, cause of death: accidental drowning. It had…

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The Glass Wall: The Little Film That Deserves a Larger Audience.

The Glass Wall: The Little Film That Deserves a Larger Audience.

Released: 1953 Dir.: Maxwell Shane The Glass Wall is a hard-to-find film. I have it in my collection as part of Columbia Pictures Bad Girls of Film Noir Collection Vol. 1, which unfortunately is now also hard to come by, at least in Canada anyway. I found a couple of uploads to YouTube, but the quality was sketchy, and I hesitate to recommend streaming services I don’t recognize. However, The Glass Wall is well worth keeping your eyes peeled for,…

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