Movies I Watched in September

This month I finally got around to watching The Three Faces of Eve as well as some Sidney Poitier films. Prior to this month I had only seen him in Lilies of the Field, The Defiant Ones, the last half of Duel at Diablo (on tv - really want to see the first half), and the very beginning of Paris Blues. He's such an incredible actor and I so I took advantage of watching several of his films while he was Star of the Month on TCM.

* means a rewatch

1. Shoulder Arms (1918) - Charlie Chaplin
2. *Merrily We Live (1938) - Constance Bennett & Brian Aherne, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke
3. Love is a Headache (1938) - Franchot Tone & Gladys George, Mickey Rooney, Virginia Weidler
4. *The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - Dana Andrews & Theresa Wright, Frederic March & Myrna Loy, Harold Russell, Virginia Mayo
5. Deadline at Dawn (1946) - Bill Williams & Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas
6. They Won’t Believe Me (1947) - Robert Young, Susan Hayward, Jane Greer
7. Highly Dangerous (1950) - Margaret Lockwood & Dane Clark
8. *A Millionaire for Christy (1951) - Fred MacMurray & Eleanor Parker, Richard Carlson
9. The Belle of New York (1952) - Fred Astaire & Vera-Ellen, Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn
10. Angel Face (1953) - Robert Mitchum & Jean Simmons 
11. The Naked Jungle (1954) - Eleanor Parker & Charlton Heston
12. The Three Faces of Eve (1957) - Joanne Woodward, Lee J. Cobb 
13. 12 Angry Men (1957) - Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb 
14. *Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) - Debbie Reynolds & Leslie Nielsen, Walter Brennan, Fay Wray
15. God’s Little Acre (1958) - Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Buddy Hackett, Tina Louise
16. All the Young Men (1960) - Alan Ladd, Sidney Poitier
17. Madison Avenue (1962) - Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Eleanor Parker, Eddie Albert
18. *Follow the Boys (1963) - Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, Richard Long, Janis Paige, Russ Tamblyn
19. Looking for Love (1964) - Connie Francis, Jim Hutton
20. The Slender Thread (1965) - Sidney Poitier & Anne Bancroft, Telly Savalas
21. A Patch of Blue (1965) - Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Hartman
22. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) - Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton, Cecil Kellaway
23. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) - James Garner & Suzanne Pleshette
24. Snowball Express (1972) - Dean Jones & Nancy Olsen
25. *You've Got Mail (1998) - Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Dave Chappelle
26. Stardust (2007) - Charlie Cox & Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong, Robert De Niro, Henry Cavill
27. *Psych the Musical (2013) - James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson
28. A Quiet Place (2018) - John Krasinski & Emily Blunt
29. The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2019) - Adam Baldwin 

Least Favorite Movie: Definitely Love is a Headache. Franchot Tone WAY overacted. Snowball Express was a little too corny for me. The Belle of New York didn't have much of a story line but I wanted to watch it for Vera-Ellen. The cast of Looking for Love had absolutely NO chemistry.

Favorite Movie: So I've suddenly become a Susan Hayward fan lol. I've seen some of her later movies but she never did anything for me but this month I watched two noirs and was really loving her! And of course I was blown away by all the Sidney Poitier films I watched as well as 12 Angry Men. I don't do horror movies but A Quiet Place wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Emily Blunt is my favorite modern actress and I love the chemistry between her and her real life & on-screen husband, John Krasinski.

Movies I Watched in August

This is an embarrassingly short movie month. I’ve just been really into watching The Bob Newhart Show lately. There weren’t a ton of films I wanted to see on TCM this month, aside from Melvyn Douglas day, and a few of the movies I had starred never showed up on the app (I no longer have the option to dvr). I did finally watch The Sting!

1. High, Wide and Handsome (1937) - Irene Dunne & Randolph Scott, Dorothy Lamour, Alan Hale
2. The Shining Hour (1938) - Joan Crawford, Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas, Margaret Sullavan 
3. There’s Always a Woman (1938) - Melvyn Douglas & Joan Blondell, Mary Astor
4. Paradise for Three (1938) - Robert Young & Florence Rice, Frank Morgan, Mary Astor, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Sig Rumen 
5. Our Wife (1941) - Ruth Hussey & Melvyn Douglas, Ellen Drew, Charles Coburn
6. Return to Peyton Place (1961) - Carol Lynley, Jeff Chandler, Tuesday Weld, Mary Astor, Eleanor Parker 
7. The Sting (1973) - Paul Newman & Robert Redford 
8. Meet Joe Black (1998) - Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Fornali
9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (2018) - Lily James
10. Mary Poppins Returns (2018) - Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel Miranda, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep

Least Favorite Movie: I actually haven’t finished it yet but so far the Guernsey movie hasn’t done anything for me. 

Favorite Movie: Paradise for Three was really cute. I was also very pleased with Mary Poppins Returns. They did a good job. The only part I didn't like was Meryl Streep's. It felt unnecessary.

I just love vintage ski outfits!

Movies I Watched In July

I watched even less movies this month, however, that is partially due to the fact that I started watching The Golden Girls (I just started season 2).

1. Annabel Takes a Tour (1938) - Jack Oakie & Lucille Ball
2. *Too Many Husbands (1940) - Jean Arthur, Melvyn Douglas, Fred MacMurray
3. *My Sister Eileen (1942) - Rosalind Russell & Brian Aherne, George Tobias
4. *Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) - Cary Grant & Ginger Rogers, Walter Slezak
5. The Last Ride (1944) - Eleanor Parker 
6. The Glass Slipper (1955) - Leslie Caron & Michael Wilding, Keenan Wynn, Elsa Lanchester, Amanda Blake
7. *Where the Boys Are (1960) - Dolores Hart & George Hamilton, Paula Prentiss & Jim Hutton, Connie Francis, Yvette Mimoux 
8. Back Street (1961) - Susan Hayward & John Gavin, Vera Miles
9. *Moonstruck (1987) - Cher
10. *Sleepless in Seattle (1993) - Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan, Rosie O'Donnell, Rob Reiner
11. Independence Day (1996) - Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Adam Baldwin 

Least Favorite Film: Definitely The Last Ride. Eleanor Parker was barely in it so it was just a run-of-mill "good cop has gangster brother" movie.

Favorite Film: I always pick a new-to-me film but...

Movies I Watched in June

This month I suddenly started a new job that required me moving in with my aunt on Long Island. I've been very busy (with work and sightseeing) and have therefore not been able to watch as many movies as I have been. I was able to get a library card here and they have a really good selection of Classic Films so I'm excited to explore that. I was also finishing up season 4 and 5 of The Last Ship (they randomly killed one of my favorite characters in the second-to-last episode...).

1. *If You Could Only Cook (1935) - Jean Arthur & Herbert Marshall
2. When You're in Love (1937) - Grace Moore & Cary Grant
3. Escape (1940) - Robert Taylor & Norma Shearer, Conrad Veidt, Bonita Granville
4. Repent at Leisure (1941) - Wendy Barrie
5. That Night in Rio (1941) - Don Ameche & Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda
6. *Footsteps in the Dark (1941) - Errol Flynn & Brenda Marshall, Allen Jenkins, Alan Hale, William Frawley
7. *Never Say Goodbye (1946) - Errol Flynn & Eleanor Parker, S.Z. Sakall
8. Trio (1950) - Jean Simmons & Michael Rennie (only watched part three)
9. Two Weeks with Love (1950) - Jane Powell & Ricardo Montalban, Debbie Reynolds
10. *On Moonlight Bay (1951) - Doris Day & Gordon McRea
11. Encore (1952) - Glynis Johns (only watched part three)
12. Pearl of the South Pacific (1955) - Virginia Mayo & Dennis Morgan
13. The Young Stranger (1957) - James MacArther, Kim Hunter, James Gregory, James Daly
14. Hooper (1978) - Burt Reynolds & Sally Field, Brian Keith, James Best, Adam West
15. InSight (2011) - Natalie Zea, Adam Baldwin, Veronica Cartwright, Christopher Lloyd
16. Apollo 11 (2019) - documentary, watched in dome theater
17. Murder Mystery (2019-Netflix) - Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler, Luke Evans

Least Favorite Film: I love Dennis Morgan and think Virginia Mayo is underrated but Pearl of the South Pacific wasn't that great. 

Favorite Film: The Young Stranger was excellent. Escape was more exciting then I expected. I of course enjoyed the segments I got to see from Trio and Encore with two of my favorite actresses (unfortunately it collided with me leaving so I didn't get to watch the full films). If you have Netflix and enjoy Agatha Christie and comedies you need to watch Murder Mystery. It was so fun!

Movies I Watched in May

source

 

This month I finally watched the first two Falcon movies. TCM always seems to show a bunch of them on the same day and I feel like I can't just watch one. Same with the Saint movies.

1. The Gay Falcon (1941) - George Sanders & Wendy Barrie
2. A Date with the Falcon (1942) - George Sanders & Wendy Barrie
3. The Sky's the Limit (1943) - Fred Astaire & Joan Leslie, Robert Ryan
4. Desire Me (1947) - Greer Garson, Richard Hart, Robert Mitchum 
5. The Big Steal (1949) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Greer, William Bendix
6. *It’s a Great Feeling (1949) - Dennis Morgan, Doris Day, Jack Carson
7. Cause for Alarm! (1951) - Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan
8. *Roman Holiday (1953) - Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert
9. The Left Handed Gun (1958) - Paul Newman
10. Never Too Late (1965) - Maureen O’Sullivan, Jim Hutton, Connie Stevens
11. *My Bodyguard (1980) - Adam Baldwin (yes, I watched it again. On dvd. Last month it was a blurry copy on youtube.
12. Smoke Jumpers (1996) - Adam Baldwin & Lindsey Frost
13. Control Factor (2003) - Adam Baldwin, Tony Todd
14. Serenity (2005) - Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin (also watched Firefly),
15. Sands of Oblivion (2007) - Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, George Kennedy
16. *Skyfall (2012) - Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Naomi Harris, Albert Finney 

Least Favorite Film: Hands down Sands of Oblivion. It had the potential to be an exciting movie with a unique premise (finding the Cecile B. Demille sets used for The Ten Commandments), but despite the cast it was just terrible. Also the CGI was really bad. Control Factor had an weird inconclusive ending. Astaire's character was obnoxious in The Sky's the Limit and it made me mad that they expect the viewer to believe that 18 year old Joan Leslie would consider marrying the 44 year old Astaire or even worse the 54 year old Robert Benchley. Sure, Joan looked like she could be in her late 20s but that's still bad. I had to watch it for Robert Ryan though ;)

Favorite Film: I really enjoyed The Big Steal. However, the real favorite this month was the first four seasons of The Last Ship (2014-2018) starring Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin (of course), Rhona Mitra, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, and Jocko Sims. It's so good!! I will admit I looked away for some of the bloody scenes but otherwise I highly recommend!

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Look out for a Blogathon announcement post this week! I accidently published it the other day - I clicked on the wrong date - in case you're one of the ones that saw it and were wondering where it disappeared to. If you commented I've put you down already :)

Movies I Watched in April

Seasons 1-5 of Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury are on Amazon Prime!!! I had watched the first season on Netflix a couple years ago and then they removed it. Hopefully Prime will add the rest of the seasons eventually!

1. Sunnyside (1919) - Charlie Chaplin
2. The Working Man (1933) - George Arliss, Bette Davis
3. The White Sister (1933) - Helen Hayes & Clark Gable, Lewis Stone
4. Riptide (1934) - Norma Shearer, Herbert Marshall, Robert Montgomery
5. Big City (1937) - Spencer Tracy & Luise Rainer
6. Maid's Night Out (1938) - Joan Fontaine & Allan Lane (voice of Mr. Ed!)
7. Too Many Girls (1940) - Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Ann Miller
8. Niagara Falls (1941) - Tom Brown, Zasu Pitts
9. I Know Where I'm Going (1945) - Wendy Hiller & Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Petula Clark
10. Thrill of a Romance (1945) - Esther Williams & Van Johnson
11. Payment on Demand (1951) - Bette Davis
12. 99 River Street (1953) - John Payne & Evelyn Keyes 
13. *South Pacific (1958) - Rossano Brazzi & Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Juanita Hall
14. *Where the Boys Are (1960) - Dolores Hart & George Hamilton, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Hutton & Paula Prentiss, Connie Francis
15. Murder Most Foul (1964) - Margaret Rutherford
16. Jack of Diamonds (1967) - George Hamilton & Marie Laforet, Joseph Cotten, Maurice Evans
17. My Bodyguard (1980) - Adam Baldwin
18. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage 
19. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage
20. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) - Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans
21. *Psych the Movie (2017) - James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Zachary Levi, John Cena

Least Favorite Movie: Big City, but only because I don't like Spencer Tracy and the storyline made me angry. I only watched it because when Luise Rainer died TCM showed most of her films and so now I only have three more of her Classic Hollywood era films to watch (Escapade, The Good Earth, and Hostages - she has some TV guest spots and movies to but I'm not worrying about those).

Favorite Movie: I really loved I Know Where I'm Going. It was a delightful movie! You can find it on youtube. It supposedly influenced Leap Year starring Amy Adams, which is a cute movie.

After watching The White Sister (1933), I really want to seek out more Helen Hayes films. She reminded me of Claudette Colbert but without the above everyone attitude.

It was so fun to see Lucy and Desi meet in Too Many Girls (1940). You can watch the scene here. And I love how they gave Desi the spotlight on the finale number where we got to see his bongo drum skills. And it was fun to spot Van Johnson in his first uncredited on-screen role. He was front and center in several scenes!

 

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I finally watched The Hobbit films. I don't like the LOTR films (Gollum creeps me out so much I look away most of the time). I was against the Hobbit films because I didn't like the way the dwarves looked. My dad has a copy of the book with illustrations from the 70s animated version and so that is how I see The Hobbit. But I was in the mood for a fantasy world film and my brother had them so we watched them. They were very enjoyable! Watching them also made me FINALLY reread the book, which I've only read all the way through once. I was happy they didn't stray too far from the text.

 

 

I started back up watching Chuck (2007-2012), which my cousin introduced to me last July, and am currently crushing on Adam Baldwin, who plays John Casey (don't judge me). Anyway, I watched his very first film, My Bodyguard (1980). It had a really good message and was heartbreaking/heartwarming. 

Movies I Watched in March

So far this year I've already watched four new-to-me movies from the 1970s! Surprising since last year I didn't watch any, not even the few favorites I have from that decade! I'm not saying it's ever going to be one of my favorite decades but I'm glad to have discovered some new films (they have all had actors I know from the Golden Age of Hollywood so... yeah).

1. The Power of the Press (1928 - Silent) - Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
2. King of Jazz (1930) - Paul Whiteman, John Boles, Bing Crosby
3. Supernatural (1933) - Carole Lombard & Randolph Scott
4. After Tonight (1933) - Constance Bennett & Gilbert Roland
5. Dancing Lady (1933) - Joan Crawford & Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Three Stooges, Fred Astaire, Nelson Eddy, Eve Arden
6. *The Richest Girl in the World (1934) - Miriam Hopkins & Joel McCrea, Fay Wray
7. Fashions of 1934 (1934) - William Powell & Bette Davis, Frank McHugh
8. The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) - Ronald Colman & Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Reginald Owen, David Niven, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor
9. No Place to Go (1939) - Dennis Morgan & Gloria Dickson
10. Susan and God (1940) - Joan Crawford & Fredric March, Ruth Hussey, Rita Hayworth, John Carroll
11. Higher and Higher (1943) - Michele Morgan & Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Hale, Mary Wickes, Victor Borge
12. Hungry Hill (1947) - Margaret Lockwood, Jean Simmons, Dan O’Hurlihy 
13. The Naked City (1948) - Barry FitzGerald, Don Taylor
14. Jour de Fete (1949 - French) - Jacques Tati
15. The Tattooed Stranger (1950) - Walter Kinsella, John Miles, Patricia Barry
16. Sudden Fear (1952) - Joan Crawford & Jack Palance, Gloria Graham
17. Blueprint for Murder (1953) - Joseph Cotten & Jean Peters, Gary Merrill
18. *Valley of the Kings (1954) - Robert Taylor & Eleanor Parker
19. *The Bellboy (1960) - Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle 
20. The Rising of the Moon (1957) - Tyrone Power (narrator)
21. The Alphabet Murders (1965) - Tony Randall, Anita Ekberg
22. The Bears and I (1974) - Patrick Wayne, Robert Pine
23. California Suite (1978) - Alan Alda & Jane Fonda, Maggie Smith & Michael Caine, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Walter Matthau

Mary Wickes had some great outfits in Higher and Higher (1943). Check out the sparkly crescent shaped fasteners in that last screenshot!

Least Favorite Film: Hungry Hill was very tiresome. I watched it for Jean Simmons but she was only in a little bit of the first half. Margaret Lockwood couldn't save the story either. Also No Place to Go. I wouldn't have finished it if I wasn't trying to watch all of Dennis Morgan's films but he was barely in it. The old man was good but I'm picky about child actors, especially when the story is centered on them. The Tattooed Stranger was a too slow, especially after watching The Naked City, which was also a police procedural film but with a much better tempo.

I desperately want this hat ♥ Susan and God (1940).

Favorite Film: Lots of great movies this month! I was so happy that TCM FINALLY showed Fashions of 1934 with William Powell. I've only been waiting like 5 YEARS! It did not disappoint. Bette Davis was kind of wasted in her role but Powell was in top form as always :) Also really enjoyed Dancing Lady and The Prisoner of Zenda.

Movies I Watched in February

February is always a light month due to TCM's annual 31 Days of Oscar. I decided to do a little counting and discovered that out of the 319 films shown this month I have already seen 122 films, I am not interested (at least at this time) in watching 126 films, I want to (eventually) see 71 films, and out of those films I watched 15 of them.

1. Sadie Thompson (1928) - Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore
2. A Free Soul (1931) - Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard
3. Morning Glory (1933) - Katharine Hepburn, Adolph Menjou, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
4. Lost Horizon (1937) - Ronald Colman & Jane Wyatt, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton
5. The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) - Gary Cooper & Merle Oberon, Patsy Kelly, Walter Brennan
6. Gulliver's Travels (1939) - Sam Parker, Tedd Pierce, Jack Mercer, Pinto Colvig
7. Brother Orchid (1940) - Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sothern, Humphrey Bogart, Ralph Bellamy, Donald Crisp, Cecil Kellaway
8. Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) - Martha Scott, Marsha Hunt
9. *Random Harvest (1942) - Ronald Colman & Greer Garson, Susan Peters
10. The Yellow Cab Man (1950) - Red Skelton, Edward Arnold, James Gleason
11. *We’re No Angels (1955) - Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil Rathbone, Joan Bennett
12. Sayonara (1957) - Marlon Brando, Red Buttons, James Garner, Kent Smith, Martha Scott
13. The Mating Game (1959) - Debbie Reynolds & Tony Randall, Paul Douglas, Una Merkel 
14. The Grass is Greener (1960) - Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Cary Grant
15. Big Red (1962) - Walter Pidgeon
16. Billy Budd (1962) - Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan, Terence Stamp
17. The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974) - Jack Lemmon & Ann Bancroft

Notes: The Cowboy and the Lady was delightful - loved the charade scene at the new house, I wasn't wild on The Mating Game though I liked Randall in it, The Grass is Greener was pretty disappointing for such a stellar cast, the kid in Big Red was kind of annoying, and Terence Stamp was great as Billy Budd.

One of the films I was excited about was Sadie Thompson (1928) starring Gloria Swanson. Swanson is one of those actresses you feel you know but have only seen in one iconic film. I recently watched the movie she made prior to Sunset Boulevard (1950), Father Takes a Wife (1941), after being away from films for 7 years. I felt I needed to see her in a Silent film. I have already seen the 1953 version with Rita Hayworth so I was already familiar with the story. It was a tad slow at first but I got really into it near the end and was a little frustrated that the climax was lost and had to be conveyed through stills and dialogue frames. Swanson gave an incredible performance and I highly encourage all of you to keep an eye out for it.

My biggest obsession of the month has been Lost Horizon (1937) and with it a new appreciation for Ronald Colman. I also discovered that Lost Horizon was based on a book of the same name written by James Hilton who also wrote the books upon which the films Random Harvest (1942) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) were based, both of which I love. And so of course I had to rewatch Random Harvest and then check out all three books from the library. I read Mr. Chips in an evening as it's very short. Lost Horizon, though it had some character changes, was every bit as good as the book (helped by the fact that I could hear Colman's voice as I read it). And now I'm reading Random Harvest. It's a little confusing as the first part has a different character as narrator and it's in a different order than the movie, but so far I'm enjoying it as well. I've discovered also that Knight Without Armour (1937) is based on a Hilton book but to read it I will have to buy it. I also learned that there are two more movies based on Hilton books that I will be keeping and eye out for. He also wrote a biography on Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, which I can surprisingly get from my library. I probably should have just done a whole post on James Hilton... :)

Movies I Watched in January

The New Year has started off with some pretty good movies! Here's my usual list and, if you keep scrolling I've written mini-reviews for some of the films (was going to do all of them as I went along but got "behind")!

1. Dust Be My Destiny (1939) - John Garfield & Priscilla Lane
2. Over the Moon (1940) - Merle Oberon & Rex Harrison
3. Midnight Shadow (1940) -  Frances Redd, Buck Woods, Richard Bates (all African American cast)
4. The Body Disappears (1941) - Jeffrey Lynn & Jane Wyman, Edward Everett Horton 
5. Keeper of the Flame (1942) - Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Daryl Hickman
6. In Our Time (1944) - Paul Henreid & Ida Lupino 
7. The Sea of Grass (1947) - Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Melvyn Douglas, Harry Carey, Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter
8. Big City (1948) - Margaret O’Brien, George Murphy, Danny Thomas
9. John Loves Mary (1949) - Ronald Reagan & Patricia Neal, Jack Carson, Edward Arnold, Wayne Morris
10. *Battleground (1949) Van Johnson, Marshall Thompson, George Murphy, Ricardo Montalban 
11. Border Incident (1949) - Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy
12. Right Cross (1950) - Ricardo Montalban & June Allyson, Dick Powell, Lionel Barrymore, Marilyn Monroe
13. The Tall Target (1951) - Dick Powell, Adolph Menjou, Marshall Thompson 
14. Macao (1952) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell, William Bendix 
15. The Caine Mutiny (1954) - Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray
16. Gaby (1956) - Leslie Caron & John Kerr
17. Operation Mad Ball (1957) - Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs
18. The Proud Rebel (1958) - Alan Ladd, David Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway
19. Cactus Flower (1969) - Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn
20. Catlow (1971) - Yul Bryner, Richard Crenna, Leonard Nimoy
21. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) - Brendan Frasier
22. The Little Mermaid (2018) - William Moseley, Shirley MacLaine, Claire Crosby

James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017) - documentary (very good!)

A few notes: the lead actress in Midnight Shadow was the worst actor in the entire movie, The Body Disappears was surprisingly delightful, Ida Lupino was a strange choice for In Our Time - it was much more a Joan Fontaine type of role, Patricia Neal's performance in John Loves Mary made me think of Eleanor Parker, finally got my brother to watch Battleground, Border Incident definitely gives one food for thought, Gaby lacked the emotional impact of Waterloo Bridge, The Proud Rebel made me weep, I LOVED Bergman in Cactus Flower - definitely doing "the dentist" at my next dance, the third Mummy movie desperately needed Rachel Weisz and once the yeti appeared I was done...

Mini-Reviews

1. The Tall Target (1951) - When it's a Caftan Woman recommendation you know it's going to be good. While aboard a train Dick Powell tries to stop an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln who is on his way to give his inaugural address. It reminded me of something that could happen on Timeless (if you follow me on twitter you're definitely aware of the twice-cancelled show saved by the fans to a satisfying conclusion wrap-up movie) but without the time travel. I thought the way it was filmed was interesting, especially the tracking shots following Powell up and down the train. Look out for Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver) as a passenger!

2. Right Cross (1950) - Last year I watched Battleground (1949) and Mystery Street (1950) for the first time and discovered that Ricardo Montalban was more than just a "Latin Lover." When I saw he was in this movie and that there was boxing involved - I'm a big fan of Rocky (1976) - I thought I'd give it a go. Up until the match at the end was pretty good - a rare on-screen inter-racial romance, a secret and probably career-ending injury, and a mind battle between racial prejudices. The main weak link for me was June Allyson as Montalban's chemistry. They had no chemistry and she just didn't quite seem right for the role, except in her scenes with real-life husband Dick Powell - no lack of chemistry in those scenes! The thing that made the film change from fair to wow for me was the final boxing match. I'm no expert but I thought it was masterfully choreographed and shot and it appears that it was actually Montalban throughout the entire scene. It was well worth a watch. Montalban looked pretty good too ;)

3. Keeper of the Flame (1942) - A public figure beloved the world over dies in a freak car accident. Spencer Tracy, an investigative reporter, comes back from covering the war in Germany to write the story of his life. He finds difficulty in trying to see the widow, Mrs. Forrestt (Katharine Hepburn), yet once inside finds the atmosphere to be very mysterious. Everyone seems to be hiding something, from Mrs. Forrestt herself to the gatekeeper. The film is engrossing, moody, full of suspicions and queer characters. Throw in a little WWII propaganda and you've got yourself a top-notch film.

It's a pity how easily people can be fooled.

4. The Sea of Grass (1947) - Another Tracy/Hepburn film. The first half was interesting, the second half was tiresome (bull-headed Tracy is my least favorite Tracy), and the end had me in tears.

5. The Little Mermaid (2018) - Knew about this film from my favorite Youtube family, the Crosbys. Their oldest daughter Claire, who has been on the Ellen DeGeneres Show multiple times, is an amazing little singer and her and her siblings are adorable. She has a very small part in this film, which had an intriguing premise but not the best acting - the villain wasn't scary at all. Shirley MacLaine was in it though! It's on Netflix.

6. Catlow (1971) - I didn't watch a single film from the 70s last year but I was intrigued with the cast of this Western: Richard Crenna (Our Miss Brooks) and Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, with Yul Brynner in the title role. The first 30 minutes felt very much like a John Wayne movie. However, there were a lot of different things going on in the movie which made it feel somewhat episodic: stolen mavericks, Indian attacks, a party with a grateful Mexican family, gold, and a bounty hunter. WARNING: There was scene in which Nimoy was completely nude, which I did not know going into the movie. However, I was able to guess when it was about to happen and, when you're watching on an ipad it's easy to cover the screen with your hands ;)

              

 

I wrote a few more reviews by hand but no longer feel like typing them up...

2018 Movie Stats

This year I watched 230 new-to-me movies and 44 movies that were rewatches.

New to me: 230 (215 pre-1970, 15 post-1970)

Rewatches: 44 (34 pre-1970, 10 post-1970)

Total: 274 (249 pre-1970, 25 post-1970)

Where I watched them:

TCM: 207 (10 rewatches)

Library: 21 (5 rewatches)

Personal DVD: 33 + 3 VHS (27 rewatches)

YouTube: 3

Netflix or Amazon Prime: 4 (all post-1970)

Other (TV, website, Redbox): 3

Theater: 0

Here are my top ten movie discoveries:

 

2/4: Roughly Speaking (1945) - Rosalind Russell & Jack Carson
2/7: Battleground (1949) - Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, etc.
2/20: Mystery Street (1950) - Ricardo Montalban, Elsa Lanchester
3/1: Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) - Robert Donat & Greer Garson
4/23: The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) - Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford
5/10: Sabotage Agent (1943) - Robert Donat & Valerie Hobson, Glynis Johns (Originally The Adventures of Tartu)
9/17: Summertime (1955) - Katharine Hepburn & Rossano Brazzi
10/29: The Ghost Goes West (1936) - Robert Donat
12/3: The Divorce of Lady X (1938) - Merle Oberon & Laurence Olivier
12/6: His Kind of Woman (1951) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell, Raymond Burr

Last year I should have included Act of Violence (1949) and Period of Adjustment (1962) in my top ten, both of which I had watched near the end of the year. I guess I couldn't kick anything off of my list.

 

Classics I finally watched:

The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Joel McCrea & Fay Wray

Wuthering Heights (1939) - Laurence Olivier & Merle Oberon, David Niven, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Flora Robson

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) - Robert Donat & Greer Garson

Mildred Pierce (1945) - Joan Crawford, Anne Blyth, Jack Carson, Eve Arden

The Red Shoes (1948) - Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook

From Here to Eternity(1953) - Montgomery Clift & Donna Reed, Burt Lancaster & Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra

Mon Oncle (1958 - French) - Jacques Tati 

South Pacific (1958) - Rossano Brazzi & Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Juanita Hall

Oceans 11 (1960) - Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Angie Dickinson 

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Harrison Ford & Karen Allen

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(1984) - Harrison Ford

Number of movies per decade:

1920s: 1 + Shorts
1930s: 62 (6 rewatches)
1940s: 94 (12 rewatches)
1950s: 67 (12 rewatches)
1960s: 24 (4 rewatches)
1970s: 0 (0 rewatches)
1980s: 7 (3 rewatches)
1990s: 6 (3 rewatches)
2000s: 4 (4 rewatches)
2010s: 8 (0 rewatches)


Number of movies per month:

January: 40 (4 rewatches)
February: 29 (3 rewatches)
March: 33 (3 rewatch)
April: 16 (4 rewatch)
May: 20 (2 rewatches)
June: 16 (0 rewatches)
July: 18 (0 rewatches)
August: 24 (2 rewatches)
September: 17 (3 rewatches)
October: 17 (9 rewatches)
November: 19 (5 rewatches)
December: 25 (9 rewatches)


Most Watched (Leading) Movie Stars:

Robert Ryan - 16 films
Deborah Kerr - 8 films
Clark Gable - 8 films
Charles Boyer - 8 films
Joan Crawford - 7 films
Joel McCrea - 7 films

Robert Donat, Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Esther Williams, Jack Carson - 6 films

Rossano Brazzi, Jean Simmons, Eve Arden, Myrna Loy, Ingrid Bergman, Ginger Rogers, Van Johnson, Marsha Hunt, Frank Morgan - 5 films


Stars I discovered/grew to love/admire:

Robert Donat
Deborah Kerr
Glynis Johns
Rossano Brazzi

 

Really discovered these three at the end of last year (had seen Kerr and Johns in other movies previously). Don't really know why I left Johns off of last years list.

 

Had seen Brazzi in several movies before but was unimpressed until this year

when I watched South Pacific which started a major (ongoing) crush.

*To see last years stats click here.

Movies I Watched in December

Lots of the usual Christmas rewatches (*) this month and a few new ones. Also FINALLY watched The Most Dangerous Game. I put it on my list every time TCM shows it but never actually watch it.

1. Private Lives (1931) - Robert Montgomery & Norma Shearer, Reginald Denny, Una Merkel
2. Penguin Pool Murder (1932) - Edna May Oliver & James Gleason
3. The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - Joel McCrea & Fay Wray
4. In Person (1935) - Ginger Rogers & George Brent
5. Page Miss Glory (1935) - Marion Davies, Patsy Kelly, Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Mary Astor, Frank McHugh
6. Three Godfathers (1936) - Lewis Stone, Chester Morris, Walter Brennan 
7. The Divorce of Lady X (1938) - Merle Oberon & Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson & Binnie Barnes
8. Woman Against Woman (1938) - Herbert Marshall, Mary Astor, Virginia Bruce
9. *Hard to Get (1938) - Dick Powell & Olivia de Havilland, Charles Winniger, Bonita Granville
10. *Remember the Night (1940) - Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck, Beulah Bondi
11. *Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan, S.Z. Sakall
12. *It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - James Stewart & Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, Beulah Bondi
13. *Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara & John Payne, Natalie Wood, Thelma Ritter
14. His Kind of Woman (1951) - Robert Mitchum & Jane Russell, Vincent Price, Raymond Burr
15. You Never Can Tell (1951) - Dick Powell, Peggy Dow, Joyce Holden, Charles Drake
16. O. Henry's Full House (1952) - Charles Laughton, Anne Baxter, Jean Peters, Jeanne Crain & Farley Granger
17. *White Christmas (1954) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes
18. The Cobweb (1955) - Richard Widmark, Lauren Bacall, John Kerr, Gloria Graham
19. Signpost to Murder (1965) - Joanne Woodward & Stuart Whitman
20. Lady L (1966) - Sophia Loren & Paul Newman, David Niven - dir. Peter Ustinov 
21. *Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) - Alan Young
22. *Home Alone (1990) - Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy
23. Almost Heroes (1998) - Chris Farley & Matthew Perry
24. *Elf (2003) - Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner

Least Favorite Film: Almost Heroes had the potential to be a hilarious movie but missed the mark.

Favorite Film: Olivier was absolutely hilarious in The Divorce of Lady X. I had only seen him in serious roles (Wuthering Heights, Fire Over England, Rebecca, and Pride and Prejudice). Three Godfathers was heartbreaking but beautiful. You Never Can Tell was a delightful film! And His Kind of Woman was sizzling!

Look for my End-of-Year Stats tomorrow!

Movies I Watched in November

This month was pretty good movie-wise. I caught some really interesting ones that aren't well known. I also finally got to see Journey to Italy. TCM showed it another time but it was dubbed in Italian with English subtitles and it was too hard to watch Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders not speaking in their distinctive voices. I also introduced the family to The Trouble with Harry. It was a hit :)

1. The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937) - Roland Young 
2. Espionage Agent (1939) - Joel McCrea & Brenda Marshall, Jeffrey Lynn
3. The Spy in Black (1939) - Conrad Veidt
4. The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) - Louis Hayworth & Joan Bennett, Warren William, Alan Hale
5. The Great McGinty (1940) - Brian Donlevy
6. The Nurse’s Secret (1941) - Lee Patrick & Regis Tommey 
7. The Spanish Main (1945) - Paul Henreid & Maureen O’Hard, Walter Slezak
8. The Cockeyed Miracle (1946) - Frank Morgan, Keenyn Wynn, Cecil Kellaway, Audrey Totter
9. Heaven Only Knows (1947) - Robert Cummings, Brian Donlevy 
10. High Wall (1948) - Robert Taylor & Audrey Totter 
11. Rancho Notorious (1952) - Arthur Kennedy & Marlene Dietrich, Mel Ferrer
12. *The Trouble with Harry (1955) - Shirley MacLaine & John Forsyth, Edmund Green & Mildred Natwick, Jerry Mathers
13. Journey to Italy (1955) - Ingrid Bergman & George Sanders
14. *Light in the Piazza (1961) - Olivia de Havilland, Yvette Mimieux, Rossano Brazzi, George Hamilton
15. Fail Safe (1964) - Henry Fonda, Dan O'Hurlihy, Larry Hagman
16. *The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) - Shirley MacLaine, George C. Scott, Alain Delon, Ingrid Bergman & Omar Shariff (I skipped the first third with Rex Harrison)
17. Evil Under the Sun (1982) - Peter Ustinov, James Mason, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg
18. *Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) - Steve Martin, John Candy
19. *Casino Royale (2006) - Daniel Craig & Eva Green, Judi Dench 

Least Favorite Movie: Didn't have any.

Favorite Movie: Of course I enjoyed Caftan Woman's recommendation of Heaven Only Knows. I wasn't expecting it to make me cry though!

Movies I Watched in October

Can you guess why I revisited this one? ;)

Well, I have TCM again (signed in with my Aunt's account). I went to visit my aunt on Long Island for an entire month and, as you can see from all the * I've mostly been watching movies I've already seen with her. A couple she remembered vaguely having seen before but I was able to introduce her to some "new" films. Her favorite seemed to be Theodora Goes Wild ;)

While on Long Island I got to visit a couple movie locations. I've already posted about visiting Jones Beach, the setting for The Girl From Jones Beach (1948), but I've updated it so be sure to check it out again! I also got to go to Old Westbury Gardens. The house there was used as James Mason's mansion at the beginning of North By Northwest (1959). That post will be coming shortly (after my blogathon).

Now to the films I watched:

1. The Old Dark House (1932) - Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart
2. The Ghost Goes West (1936) - Robert Donat
3. Make Way for a Lady (1936) - Anne Shirley, Herbert Marshall 
4. *Theodora Goes Wild (1936) - Irene Dunne & Melvyn Douglas
5. *The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) - William Powell & Jean Arthur
6. *Double Wedding (1937) - William Powell & Myrna Loy 
7. *Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) - Melvyn Douglas & Myrna Loy, Lee Bowman
8. Night Train to Munich (1940) - Margaret Lockwood, Rex Harrison, Paul Henried 
9. *Love Crazy (1941) - William Powell & Myrna Loy, Jack Carson
10. Tish (1942) - Marjorie Main, Susan Peters, Lee Bowman, Zasu Pitts
11. *The More the Merrier (1943) - Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
12. Always Together (1948) - Cecil Kellaway, Dennis Morgan & Jack Carson (cameos)
13. Born to Be Bad (1950) - Joan Fontaine & Robert Ryan, Zachary Scott & Joan Leslie, Mel Ferrer
14. *The Lemon-Drop Kid (1951) - Bob Hope & Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Darwell
15. *Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) - Louis Jourdan & Maggie McNamara, Clifton Webb & Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters & Rossano Brazzi
16. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) - Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan
17. *North by Northwest (1959) - Cary Grant & Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Least Favorite Movie: Almost all the films I watched were old favorites. Out of the new-to-me movies I watched the only one I didn't "love" was Always Together, mainly because I can't stand storylines where the wife divorces the husband without letting him explain what really happened, causing herself to look foolish when she finally learns the truth. Tish had a similar non-communication problem, though I enjoyed it more.

Favorite Movie: Again, all favorites but I greatly enjoyed The Ghost Goes West with Donat in a double role as well as Night Train to Munich. Also, why wasn't Harry Belafonte in more movies??? I watched Odds Against Tomorrow for Robert Ryan but found myself focusing on Belafonte (whose Calypso record was incidentally a favorite of my brother's and I growing up in the 90s). You can find the entire film (in two parts) on YouTube.

We listened and danced to this all. the. time.

Movies I Watched in September

Tragedy struck this month. Our TV provider  decided it would be fun to remove TCM without warning. We were already thinking of going to a cheaper package but there were a few movies this month that I really wanted to see first. So, I did not get to finish The Story of Three Loves or watch Robert Ryan in Born to Be Bad and Marsha Hunt in None Shall Escape. :'(

* means a rewatch

1. Our Blushing Brides (1930) - Joan Crawford & Robert Montgomery, Anita Page
2. Live, Love and Learn (1937) - Robert Montgomery & Rosalind Russell, Monty Woolley
3. Idiot’s Delight (1939) - Norma Shearer & Clark Gable
4. *The Uninvited (1944) - Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Gail Russell, Donald Crisp
5. The Hucksters (1947) - Clark Gable & Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner, Sydney Greenstreet, Adolph Menjou 
6. The Red Shoes (1948) - Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook
7. *Come to the Stable (1949) - Loretta Young, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe
8. Goodbye, My Fancy (1951) - Joan Crawford & Robert Young, Eve Arden
9. Torch Song (1953) - Joan Crawford & Michael Wilding, Gig Young
10. The Story of Three Loves (1953) - Moira Shearer & James Mason, Agnes Moorehead (only the first "love")
11. Living It Up (1954) - Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Janet Leigh
12. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) - Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Rossano Brazzi (just last half with Brazzi)
13. Summertime (1955) - Katharine Hepburn & Rossano Brazzi
14. The End of the Affair (1955) - Van Johnson & Deborah Kerr, Peter Cushing
15. *Houseboat (1958) - Cary Grant & Sophia Loren
16. The Bat (1959) - Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead
17. Ship of Fools (1965) - Vivian Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin

Least Favorite Movie: As I mentioned above, I only watched the last half of The Barefoot Contessa. The first 20 minutes were kind of boring so I skipped to the part with Rossano Brazzi, my current movie crush ;)

Favorite Movie: I loved Summertime (Brazzi + Italy = ♥). The first part of The Story of Three Loves was beautiful and made me finally check out The Red Shoes. I really enjoyed Ship of Fools, especially the performance by Simone Signoret. And this part with Vivien Leigh ;)

Movies I Watched in August

TCM's Summer Under the Stars was this month. On the "bigger" stars (Loy, Bacall, Gable, Crawford) I've usually already seen all but one or two of the films. This year there seemed to be a little more lesser-known films. I was excited about Dana Andrews, as I haven't seen a lot of his films despite liking the few films I have seen, and Miriam Hopkins. My surprise "discovery" was Virginia Mayo. There was also some great Clark Gable films (I haven't watched the Joan Crawford movies yet but they expire on the WatchTCM app tomorrow and I dvr'd a couple). And although Joel McCrea didn't have his own day he featured in several films.

1. Trouble in Paradise (1932) - Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins
2. Secret of the Blue Room (1933) - Lionel Atwill, Gloria Stuart, Paul Lukas, Edward Arnold
3. Roberta (1935) - Randolph Scott & Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
4. Splendor (1935) - Miriam Hopkins & Joel McCrea, David Niven
5. These Three (1936) - Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, Bonita Granville
6. Green Light (1937) - Errol Flynn & Anita Louise
7. *Test Pilot (1938) - Clark Gable & Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy
8. It All Came True (1940) - Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Una O’Conner, Zasu Pitts
9. Honeymoon for Three (1941) - George Brent & Ann Sheridan 
10. Cairo (1942) - Jeanette MacDonald & Robert Young
11. Night Song (1948) - Dana Andrews & Merle Oberon, Ethel Barrymore, Hoagy Carmichael
12. The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) - Ronald Reagan & Virginia Mayo, Eddie Braken 
13. Colorado Territory (1949) - Joel McCrea & Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone
14. Any Number Can Play (1949) - Clark Gable & Alexis Smith, Audrey Totter
15. Command Decision (1949) - Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Charles Bickford, John Hodiak
16. Adam & Evelyne (1949) - Stewart Granger & Jean Simmons
17. Please Believe Me (1950) - Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker, Peter Lawford, Keenan Wynn
18. Backfire (1950) - Gordon MacRae & Virginia Mayo, Viveca Lindfors, Dane Clark, Edmond O’Brien
19. Double Dynamite (1951) - Frank Sinatra & Jane Russell, Groucho Marx
20. Sealed Cargo (1951) - Dana Andrews, Claude Rains
21. The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) - Ginger Rogers, Carol Channing, James Arness, Clint Eastwood
22. South Pacific (1958) - Rossano Brazzi & Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Juanita Hall
23. *Three Men and a Baby (1987) - Tom Selleck, Ted Danson
24. Like Father (2018 Netflix Original) - Kristen Bell, Kelsey Grammer, Seth Rogan 

Least Favorite Movie: Honeymoon for Three was rather tiresome, mainly because the role didn't suit George Brent at all. I loved Sheridan though!

Favorite Movie: Too many to choose one but I really liked Roberta, Night Song, Adam and Evelyne, Backfire, Double Dynamite, and South Pacific (I've been singing "Some Enchanted Evening" for DAYS! Send help). If you have Netflix Like Father was really good (someone just give Kelsey Grammer an Oscar already!).

Who was your favorite star during TCM's Summer Under the Stars? Did you discover a new star?

Keep your eyes peeled for a blogathon announcement!