Penthouse marked an important turning point in the career of Myrna Loy. Not only did the 1933 film, a deft mix of romance, comedy and mystery, allow Loy to display her considerable charm and sophistication onscreen in a major role, it was also her first teaming with director W.S. Van Dyke, who just a year [...]

(This is also at the DVD Times site. Same content both places. I just wanted to have it here too.)
When Warner Home Video opted last year to drastically change its business model in terms of classic film releases in R1, the impact was most felt by those who had loyally been purchasing the studio’s box [...]

It’s always nice to discover a previously unseen film with the power to surprise and enthrall you. Ernst Lubitsch is one of my favorite directors, easily on a short list of five or ten, but a lot of his movies aren’t available on DVD in R1. So while I’ve seen most of Lubitsch’s work after [...]

Before The Lady Eve, there was The Mad Miss Manton. Released by RKO in 1938, this was the first teaming of Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, done about three years before Preston Sturges immortalized the pair in celluloid bronze. Stanwyck and Fonda later made a third picture together, called You Belong to Me, but few [...]

The Beast of the City plays out as an above-average crime picture made for MGM where the good guys and the heroes are, finally, one and the same. It’s also Pre-Code, allowing for just a touch of insinuation into illegal urges among the protagonist law enforcers. Released in 1932 (and carrying an opening decree by [...]

Film Forum in New York City is having another of its wonderful series of classic Hollywood movies, most of which are being shown in double features and many of the films haven’t been released on DVD. The title this time is “Breadlines and Champagne,” with a theme focusing on movies released around the time of [...]

Back in December, cable channel and haven of quality older films Turner Classic Movies did something a bit strange. In conjunction with online retailer Movies Unlimited, TCM put together a package of six films originally made for RKO studios in the 1930s and released them exclusively through its website, both together in a box and [...]

Since we last met I’ve found myself binging on all the previously unseen Carole Lombard films I could find. This isn’t as easy a task as one might think since too many of her films are unavailable on DVD (thanks Universal and Sony). The first option this past week should have been Film Forum, which [...]

The centennial of Carole Lombard has been celebrated quietly, but nonetheless in many of the best places (though unfortunately not on DVD). Turner Classic Movies made her Star of the Month in October, Lombard’s birth month, and Film Forum in NYC has recently begun a nice tribute of 23 films, several not on DVD. Seeing [...]

Humphrey Bogart and William Holden have very little in common. They both won an Oscar. Both men were obviously accomplished actors and movie stars. Each was married to an actress. But the most obvious thing they’ve shared for over fifty years now is Billy Wilder’s Sabrina, where the two played the brothers Larrabee. There’s no [...]