Clockwise from top left: The Conjuring (Photo: Michael Tackett/Warner Bros.); The Shining (Screenshot: Warner Bros/YouTube); Beetlejuice (Screenshot: Warner Bros./YouTube); Poltergeist (Screenshot: MGM/YouTube)Graphic: The A.V. Club
This house … is clean. Or at least it should be. The enduring brilliance of the haunted house subgenre is its...
This house … is clean. Or at least it should be. The enduring brilliance of the haunted house subgenre is its...
- 25.10.2023
- von Matt Mills
- avclub.com
Movie star John Wayne was familiar with the type of work that went into being a stuntman. He had a deep appreciation for the folks who made the dangerous stunts come to life on the silver screen. However, Wayne had a favorite stuntman whom he deeply respected and enjoyed working with. In fact, they made a total of 32 movies together, making it clear that they had a long history together.
Who was John Wayne’s favorite stuntman? John Wayne | John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images
Wayne had one stuntman that he valued working with above all the rest – Chuck Roberson. He went from working as a police officer to serving in World War II to stuntwork. It all started thanks to a well-known stuntman named Guy Teague, he got his first job in the field at Republic Pictures.
Roberson starred in small roles as an actor, but he also went on...
Who was John Wayne’s favorite stuntman? John Wayne | John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images
Wayne had one stuntman that he valued working with above all the rest – Chuck Roberson. He went from working as a police officer to serving in World War II to stuntwork. It all started thanks to a well-known stuntman named Guy Teague, he got his first job in the field at Republic Pictures.
Roberson starred in small roles as an actor, but he also went on...
- 7.4.2023
- von Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Movie star John Wayne had dedicated fans who hated seeing any deaths surrounding the characters he played. He held an image that represented America to many moviegoers, making it hard for some to stomach watching his characters die. Nevertheless, Wayne had 8 character deaths out of his large filmography totaling over 200 motion pictures, not including 1955’s The Sea Chase, which left his character’s fate unknown.
‘Reap the Wild Wind’ (1942) L-r: Paulette Goddard as Loxi Claiborne and John Wayne as Captain Jack Stuart | FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
Cecil B. DeMille’s Reap the Wild Wind is set in the 1840s, when a group of salvagers go from profiting off shipwrecks to to causing them. All those in the American South consider King Cutler (Raymond Massey) the most dangerous, who sets his eyes on the ships of the wealthy Devereaux Company, Captain Jack Stuart (Wayne), and the company’s lawyer,...
‘Reap the Wild Wind’ (1942) L-r: Paulette Goddard as Loxi Claiborne and John Wayne as Captain Jack Stuart | FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
Cecil B. DeMille’s Reap the Wild Wind is set in the 1840s, when a group of salvagers go from profiting off shipwrecks to to causing them. All those in the American South consider King Cutler (Raymond Massey) the most dangerous, who sets his eyes on the ships of the wealthy Devereaux Company, Captain Jack Stuart (Wayne), and the company’s lawyer,...
- 15.2.2023
- von Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Though John Wayne's legacy will be forever entwined with that of his most frequent and beloved director, John Ford, the two really didn't start collaborating in earnest until well into Wayne's career. By 1947, Wayne had already appeared in over 100 films. True, eight of those were directed by Ford, but Wayne only starred in one of them: 1939's "Stagecoach," which turned him into a star.
The 1940s were a turbulent decade for Wayne. He began it on a high note, celebrating the critical and commercial love for "Stagecoach" at the Academy Awards. But as the '40s wore on, Wayne began to have serious doubts over what kind of star he wanted to be: did he want to write, produce, even direct, or just act? With World War II underway, Wayne starred in war picture after war picture -- would he ever return to the Western that proved so successful with audiences?...
The 1940s were a turbulent decade for Wayne. He began it on a high note, celebrating the critical and commercial love for "Stagecoach" at the Academy Awards. But as the '40s wore on, Wayne began to have serious doubts over what kind of star he wanted to be: did he want to write, produce, even direct, or just act? With World War II underway, Wayne starred in war picture after war picture -- would he ever return to the Western that proved so successful with audiences?...
- 8.1.2023
- von Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
John Wayne had been working steadily in movies for over 30 years when principal photography wrapped on Howard Hawkes' "Rio Bravo" in 1958, and the miles were beginning to wear on the screen legend. At the age of 52, retirement was out of the question. He'd launched Batjac Productions only six years prior, and had his heart set on at long last bringing his labor of love, "The Alamo," to life.
If The Duke had his druthers, this is the moment in his career where he would've eased off on the gas a tad and began to experience more of life outside of a film set. In terms of box office success, he'd more than earned it. Why did he have to keep knocking out two or three movies a year like he still had something to prove?
There was a reason, and it's one that keeps many celebrities working their tails off well beyond their primes.
If The Duke had his druthers, this is the moment in his career where he would've eased off on the gas a tad and began to experience more of life outside of a film set. In terms of box office success, he'd more than earned it. Why did he have to keep knocking out two or three movies a year like he still had something to prove?
There was a reason, and it's one that keeps many celebrities working their tails off well beyond their primes.
- 4.11.2022
- von Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Let’s shout our approval of this foursome of vintage noirs, all of which have been scarce since Eddie Muller was old enough to rob candy stores. Three Paramounts and one Universal give us four notable directors and a gallery of attractive stars, including a swoon-worthy array of actresses: Marta Toren, Loretta Young, Susan Hayward, Gail Russell, Frances Farmer and Marina Berti. The selection includes one of the key ‘just prior to the official style’ titles, a thriller with supernatural overtones, a ‘woman in jeopardy’ story and a gangster tale reportedly inspired by Lucky Luciano.
Kino Noir Times Four
Blu-ray
Among the Living, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, The Accused, Deported
Kl Studio Classics
1941-1950 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / Street Date November 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / Separate Purchases / 24.95 each
Starring: Albert Dekker, Susan Hayward; Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell; Loretta Young, Robert Cummings, Wendell Corey; Jeff Chandler, Marta Toren.
Directed by Stuart Heisler,...
Kino Noir Times Four
Blu-ray
Among the Living, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, The Accused, Deported
Kl Studio Classics
1941-1950 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / Street Date November 16, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / Separate Purchases / 24.95 each
Starring: Albert Dekker, Susan Hayward; Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell; Loretta Young, Robert Cummings, Wendell Corey; Jeff Chandler, Marta Toren.
Directed by Stuart Heisler,...
- 27.11.2021
- von Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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“A Mentalist Mystery”
By Raymond Benson
Anything that originated from the mind of celebrated mystery novelist, Cornell Woolrich, is worth one’s perusal, and the 1948 film adaptation of the author’s 1945 work, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, mostly measures up.
Directed with confidence and style by John Farrow, Night is a film noir that ticks a lot of boxes that define that Hollywood cinematic movement of the late 1940s and early 50s. There’s a cynical and disturbed protagonist who is haunted by the past, cinematography (by John F. Seitz) that highly contrasts light and shadows, voiceover narration, flashbacks, and, of course, crimes. It’s short (81 minutes) and it’s intriguing. The picture’s faults might be that it can be overly melodramatic at times, and there are a couple of weak casting choices that prevent Night from being a classic. It’s good enough,...
“A Mentalist Mystery”
By Raymond Benson
Anything that originated from the mind of celebrated mystery novelist, Cornell Woolrich, is worth one’s perusal, and the 1948 film adaptation of the author’s 1945 work, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, mostly measures up.
Directed with confidence and style by John Farrow, Night is a film noir that ticks a lot of boxes that define that Hollywood cinematic movement of the late 1940s and early 50s. There’s a cynical and disturbed protagonist who is haunted by the past, cinematography (by John F. Seitz) that highly contrasts light and shadows, voiceover narration, flashbacks, and, of course, crimes. It’s short (81 minutes) and it’s intriguing. The picture’s faults might be that it can be overly melodramatic at times, and there are a couple of weak casting choices that prevent Night from being a classic. It’s good enough,...
- 13.11.2021
- von [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Uninvited
Blu ray
Criterion
1944 / 1.33:1 / 99 min.
Starring Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Ruth Hussey
Cinematography by Charles Lang
Directed by Lewis Allen
The story of a lonely young woman and the ghosts in her life, Dorothy Macardle’s Uneasy Freehold was published in 1941 and brought to the screen in 1944 as The Uninvited. The film follows the same trajectory as the book: Rick Fitzgerald and his sister Pamela are two Londoners searching for more peaceful surroundings when they discover their dream home on a sea-swept cliff in Cornwall – a vacant estate called Windward House. The couple’s first swing through the place is full of promise – roomy if dusty chambers, a kitchen ripe for renovation and a sunny studio overlooking the ocean. Once they take up residence, things change. One room is inexplicably cold. And at night, in what would be a deal breaker for most new homeowners, a woman’s sobs echo through the hallways.
Blu ray
Criterion
1944 / 1.33:1 / 99 min.
Starring Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Ruth Hussey
Cinematography by Charles Lang
Directed by Lewis Allen
The story of a lonely young woman and the ghosts in her life, Dorothy Macardle’s Uneasy Freehold was published in 1941 and brought to the screen in 1944 as The Uninvited. The film follows the same trajectory as the book: Rick Fitzgerald and his sister Pamela are two Londoners searching for more peaceful surroundings when they discover their dream home on a sea-swept cliff in Cornwall – a vacant estate called Windward House. The couple’s first swing through the place is full of promise – roomy if dusty chambers, a kitchen ripe for renovation and a sunny studio overlooking the ocean. Once they take up residence, things change. One room is inexplicably cold. And at night, in what would be a deal breaker for most new homeowners, a woman’s sobs echo through the hallways.
- 4.4.2020
- von Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
[This Halloween season, we're paying tribute to classic horror cinema by celebrating films released before 1970! Check back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic horror films, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Halloween 2019 special features!]
The Uninvited is a supernatural film from 1944. Though it has garnered praise both then and now for its stunning cinematography, marvelous cast and effects work used to bring the story’s ghost to the screen, it is a film that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and would be very at home on anyone’s October viewing list.
Written by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos (based on a novel by Dorothy Macardle) and directed by Lewis Allen, the film follows siblings Rick (Ray Milland) and Pamela Fitzgerald (Ruth Hussey) on a seaside vacation where they happen upon an old abandoned house. They immediately fall in love with the property, and inquire about buying it. The owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), is more than happy to sell and offers the house at a very low price. His granddaughter, Stella (Gail Russell), is less than thrilled about the sale. The house...
The Uninvited is a supernatural film from 1944. Though it has garnered praise both then and now for its stunning cinematography, marvelous cast and effects work used to bring the story’s ghost to the screen, it is a film that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, and would be very at home on anyone’s October viewing list.
Written by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos (based on a novel by Dorothy Macardle) and directed by Lewis Allen, the film follows siblings Rick (Ray Milland) and Pamela Fitzgerald (Ruth Hussey) on a seaside vacation where they happen upon an old abandoned house. They immediately fall in love with the property, and inquire about buying it. The owner, Commander Beech (Donald Crisp), is more than happy to sell and offers the house at a very low price. His granddaughter, Stella (Gail Russell), is less than thrilled about the sale. The house...
- 22.10.2019
- von Emily von Seele
- DailyDead
By John M. Whalen
John Payne was one of those “meat and potatoes” kind of actors. Nothing fancy. No complicated method acting style. He just gave good, solid, straight off-the-page performances in dozens of films and television shows over a span of nearly 40 years. I think of him primarily as the guy trapped and fighting for survival in old black and white film noirs of the 1950s-- films like “Kansas City Confidential,” “99 River Street,” and perhaps one of the best noirs ever—“The Crooked Way.”
He made a number of interesting westerns however, including “El Paso” (1949), the first of a several he made for the Pine-Thomas Productions B-movie unit of Paramount. It was notable for the fact that it was the first Pine-Thomas movie to have a decent budget-- $1 million. It was filmed partly in El Paso, but mostly on the Iverson Ranch, which, film historian Toby Roan explains in the audio commentary,...
John Payne was one of those “meat and potatoes” kind of actors. Nothing fancy. No complicated method acting style. He just gave good, solid, straight off-the-page performances in dozens of films and television shows over a span of nearly 40 years. I think of him primarily as the guy trapped and fighting for survival in old black and white film noirs of the 1950s-- films like “Kansas City Confidential,” “99 River Street,” and perhaps one of the best noirs ever—“The Crooked Way.”
He made a number of interesting westerns however, including “El Paso” (1949), the first of a several he made for the Pine-Thomas Productions B-movie unit of Paramount. It was notable for the fact that it was the first Pine-Thomas movie to have a decent budget-- $1 million. It was filmed partly in El Paso, but mostly on the Iverson Ranch, which, film historian Toby Roan explains in the audio commentary,...
- 6.3.2019
- von [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Stars: Ruth Hussey, Ray Milland, Gail Russell, Donald Crisp, Barbara Everest | Written by Frank Partos, Dodie Smith | Directed by Lewis Allen
“Be afraid. Be afraid, for heaven’s sake.” This line may have inspired Geena Davis’s famous warning from David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Indeed, this 1944 groundbreaker provides a reference point for many a horror movie since. While The Uninvited may not chill you to the bone, it is a reminder that not everything in the horror genre prior to Jack Clayton’s The Innocents relied on spooky stageplay castles and camp.
Adapted from the novel by Dorothy Macardle and directed by feature debutant Lewis Allen, the narrative is for the most part a vehicle for exposition. In that way it’s more suited to the page or the radio play format; but the plot is intriguing enough, the performances are effective, and there are some creepy images and ideas.
“Be afraid. Be afraid, for heaven’s sake.” This line may have inspired Geena Davis’s famous warning from David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Indeed, this 1944 groundbreaker provides a reference point for many a horror movie since. While The Uninvited may not chill you to the bone, it is a reminder that not everything in the horror genre prior to Jack Clayton’s The Innocents relied on spooky stageplay castles and camp.
Adapted from the novel by Dorothy Macardle and directed by feature debutant Lewis Allen, the narrative is for the most part a vehicle for exposition. In that way it’s more suited to the page or the radio play format; but the plot is intriguing enough, the performances are effective, and there are some creepy images and ideas.
- 12.10.2018
- von Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Guilt, gloom, weird nightmares of death and persecution — and romance? The wondrous Gail Russell brings a spark of life into Frank Borzage’s weird expressionist masterpiece produced at the seldom-artistic Republic Studio. The bitter, despairing Dane Clark has just committed what a jury will likely call first degree murder, but the night can offer atonement and forgiveness, if he’ll just listen to Russell’s good advice.
Moonrise
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 921
1948 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 8, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Dane Clark, Gail Russell, Ethel Barrymore, Allyn Joslyn, Rex Ingram, Henry Morgan, Lloyd Bridges, Selena Royle.
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Film Editor: Harry Keller
Original Music: William Lava
From the book by Theodore Strauss
Written and Produced by Charles Haas
Directed by Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage’s 1948 Moonrise is a critic’s delight, especially among aficionados that like to point out the artistic margins of traditional Hollywood filmmaking.
Moonrise
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 921
1948 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 8, 2018 / 39.95
Starring: Dane Clark, Gail Russell, Ethel Barrymore, Allyn Joslyn, Rex Ingram, Henry Morgan, Lloyd Bridges, Selena Royle.
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Film Editor: Harry Keller
Original Music: William Lava
From the book by Theodore Strauss
Written and Produced by Charles Haas
Directed by Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage’s 1948 Moonrise is a critic’s delight, especially among aficionados that like to point out the artistic margins of traditional Hollywood filmmaking.
- 5.5.2018
- von Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ghosts are famous for their flexibility, spiraling through keyholes and up from the floorboards in search of their next mark. But movies about ghosts can be flexible too. Three classics of the genre, The Uninvited, House on Haunted Hill and The Innocents, demonstrate that there’s more than one way haunt a house.
These films never appeared on any triple bill that I know of, but I’d like to think they did, somewhere in some small town with a theater manager that knew a good scare when he saw it. How could the programmer resist it? Each film is united by a beautiful black and white sheen, eerie locales and their ability to scare the bejeezus out of you. But they’re also alike in their differences, coming at their specters from distinctly different vantage points.
1944’s The Uninvited, a three-hankie haunted house tale with a dysfunctional family subplot,...
These films never appeared on any triple bill that I know of, but I’d like to think they did, somewhere in some small town with a theater manager that knew a good scare when he saw it. How could the programmer resist it? Each film is united by a beautiful black and white sheen, eerie locales and their ability to scare the bejeezus out of you. But they’re also alike in their differences, coming at their specters from distinctly different vantage points.
1944’s The Uninvited, a three-hankie haunted house tale with a dysfunctional family subplot,...
- 28.10.2017
- von Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Randolph Scott's final 'Ranown' western is a minimalist masterpiece, an unusually gentle story about a great westerner on a forlorn romantic quest. It's also a showcase for the underrated Nancy Gates and Claude Akins, and a pleasure to watch in wide, wide CinemaScope. Comanche Station All-region Blu-ray Explosive Media / Alive 1960 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 74 min. / Street Date July 22, 2016 / Einer Gibt Nicht Auf / available at Amazon.de/ EUR14,99 Starring Randolph Scott, Nancy Gates, Claude Atkins, Skip Homeier, Richard Rust. Cinematography Charles Lawton Jr. Film Editor Edwin H. Bryant Music supervisor Mischa Balaleinikoff Written by Burt Kennedy Produced and Directed by Budd Boetticher
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One must be careful when ordering Blu-ray discs of Hollywood films from overseas. Foreign distributors license American movies that the studios won't release here, but sometimes they don't have access to good video masters. In a few cases the films being offered are simply being pirated.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
One must be careful when ordering Blu-ray discs of Hollywood films from overseas. Foreign distributors license American movies that the studios won't release here, but sometimes they don't have access to good video masters. In a few cases the films being offered are simply being pirated.
- 12.9.2016
- von Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Hardly truth in advertising as there's no million-eyed beast in Roger Corman's micro-budget sci-fi thriller. 'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Alien invasion movie predates Alfred Hitchcock classic Despite the confusing voice-over introduction, David Kramarsky's[1] The Beast with a Million Eyes a.k.a. The Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes is one of my favorite 1950s alien invasion films. Set in an ugly, desolate landscape – shot “for wide screen in terror-scope” in Indio and California's Coachella Valley – the screenplay by future novelist Tom Filer (who also played Jack Nicholson's sidekick in the 1966 Western Ride in the Whirlwind) focuses on a dysfunctional family whose members become the first victims of a strange force from another galaxy after a spaceship lands nearby emitting sound vibrations that turn domestic animals into aggressive killers. Killer cow First, the lady-of-the-house is pecked by a flock of chickens and,...
- 12.5.2016
- von Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Coleen Gray in 'The Sleeping City' with Richard Conte. Coleen Gray after Fox: B Westerns and films noirs (See previous post: “Coleen Gray Actress: From Red River to Film Noir 'Good Girls'.”) Regarding the demise of her Fox career (the year after her divorce from Rod Amateau), Coleen Gray would recall for Confessions of a Scream Queen author Matt Beckoff: I thought that was the end of the world and that I was a total failure. I was a mass of insecurity and depended on agents. … Whether it was an 'A' picture or a 'B' picture didn't bother me. It could be a Western movie, a sci-fi film. A job was a job. You did the best with the script that you had. Fox had dropped Gray at a time of dramatic upheavals in the American film industry: fast-dwindling box office receipts as a result of competition from television,...
- 15.10.2015
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Coleen Gray actress ca. 1950. Coleen Gray: Actress in early Stanley Kubrick film noir, destroyer of men in cult horror 'classic' Actress Coleen Gray, best known as the leading lady in Stanley Kubrick's film noir The Killing and – as far as B horror movie aficionados are concerned – for playing the title role in The Leech Woman, died at age 92 in Aug. 2015. This two-part article, which focuses on Gray's film career, is a revised and expanded version of the original post published at the time of her death. Born Doris Bernice Jensen on Oct. 23, 1922, in Staplehurst, Nebraska, at a young age she moved with her parents, strict Lutheran Danish farmers, to Minnesota. After getting a degree from St. Paul's Hamline University, she relocated to Southern California to be with her then fiancé, an army private. At first, she eked out a living as a waitress at a La Jolla hotel...
- 14.10.2015
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Coleen Gray actress ca. 1950. Coleen Gray: Actress in early Stanley Kubrick film noir, destroyer of men in cult horror 'classic' Actress Coleen Gray, best known as the leading lady in Stanley Kubrick's film noir The Killing and – as far as B horror movie aficionados are concerned – for playing the title role in The Leech Woman, died at age 92 in Aug. 2015. This two-part article, which focuses on Gray's film career, is a revised and expanded version of the original post published at the time of her death. Born Doris Bernice Jensen on Oct. 23, 1922, in Staplehurst, Nebraska, at a young age she moved with her parents, strict Lutheran Danish farmers, to Minnesota. After getting a degree from St. Paul's Hamline University, she relocated to Southern California to be with her then fiancé, an army private. At first, she eked out a living as a waitress at a La Jolla hotel...
- 14.10.2015
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Charles Brackett ca. 1945: Hollywood diarist and Billy Wilder's co-screenwriter (1936–1949) and producer (1945–1949). Q&A with 'Charles Brackett Diaries' editor Anthony Slide: Billy Wilder's screenwriter-producer partner in his own words Six-time Academy Award winner Billy Wilder is a film legend. He is renowned for classics such as The Major and the Minor, Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment. The fact that Wilder was not the sole creator of these movies is all but irrelevant to graduates from the Auteur School of Film History. Wilder directed, co-wrote, and at times produced his films. That should suffice. For auteurists, perhaps. But not for those interested in the whole story. That's one key reason why the Charles Brackett diaries are such a great read. Through Brackett's vantage point, they offer a welcome – and unique – glimpse into the collaborative efforts that resulted in...
- 25.9.2015
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Billy Wilder directed Sunset Blvd. with Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett movies Below is a list of movies on which Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder worked together as screenwriters, including efforts for which they did not receive screen credit. The Wilder-Brackett screenwriting partnership lasted from 1938 to 1949. During that time, they shared two Academy Awards for their work on The Lost Weekend (1945) and, with D.M. Marshman Jr., Sunset Blvd. (1950). More detailed information further below. Post-split years Billy Wilder would later join forces with screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond in movies such as the classic comedy Some Like It Hot (1959), the Best Picture Oscar winner The Apartment (1960), and One Two Three (1961), notable as James Cagney's last film (until a brief comeback in Milos Forman's Ragtime two decades later). Although some of these movies were quite well received, Wilder's later efforts – which also included The Seven Year Itch...
- 16.9.2015
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Directed by Lewis Allen, this elegant ghost story from 1944 is a consistently creepy yet surprisingly moving study of a dysfunctional family whose problems extend into the afterlife. Ray Milland is the skeptical but good-humored leading man and sad-eyed Gail Russell plays the troubled young woman whose mother may (or may not be) haunting her. Stella By Starlight, written especially for this film, went on to become a jazz standard, even showing up as the theme song for The Nutty Professor in 1963.
- 27.7.2015
- von Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Directed by Lewis Allen, this elegant ghost story from 1944 is a consistently creepy yet surprisingly moving study of a dysfunctional family whose problems extend into the afterlife. Ray Milland is the skeptical but good-humored leading man and sad-eyed Gail Russell plays the troubled young woman whose mother may (or may not be) haunting her. Stella By Starlight, written especially for this film, went on to become a jazz standard, even showing up as the theme song for The Nutty Professor in 1963.
- 27.7.2015
- von TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
By Raymond Benson
It’s not a title that readily pops into one’s head when recalling the great horror films throughout the decades. A British production released when Universal Pictures’ line of horror franchises had declined and Val Lewton’s minimalist Rko productions had reached their height, The Uninvited has remained fairly obscure, in the U.S. anyway, but has also consistently maintained a solid reputation as one of the great, classic haunted house pictures. In fact, The Uninvited could be the first film to treat ghosts seriously rather than as an instrument for humor.
Directed by Lewis Allen and starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and gorgeous Gail Russell in her first film role, the motion picture was released by Paramount in early 1944. Milland was a minor star at the time who would shoot to super-status the following year by winning a Best Actor Oscar for The Lost Weekend.
It’s not a title that readily pops into one’s head when recalling the great horror films throughout the decades. A British production released when Universal Pictures’ line of horror franchises had declined and Val Lewton’s minimalist Rko productions had reached their height, The Uninvited has remained fairly obscure, in the U.S. anyway, but has also consistently maintained a solid reputation as one of the great, classic haunted house pictures. In fact, The Uninvited could be the first film to treat ghosts seriously rather than as an instrument for humor.
Directed by Lewis Allen and starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey and gorgeous Gail Russell in her first film role, the motion picture was released by Paramount in early 1944. Milland was a minor star at the time who would shoot to super-status the following year by winning a Best Actor Oscar for The Lost Weekend.
- 31.10.2013
- von [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
I enjoyed watching Lewis Allen's 1944 haunted house feature The Uninvited for the first time on Criterion Blu-ray as much as I raised my eyebrows. Considered one of the first supernatural films to take the idea of ghosts seriously rather than as a punchline, it undoubtedly has an effective level of atmosphere and while it successfully takes its ghost story seriously, it also knows to balance any tension with some humorous beats and moments of romance. That said, I wasn't really buying the romance angle and making this a tale of cohabitating siblings also seemed a little... weird to me. We're introduced to Rick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) on holiday in Cornwall, England where they stumble upon a cliffside house. After their dog chases a squirrel through an open window, they ultimately barge in to fetch him, realizing the house has been empty for some time.
- 28.10.2013
- von Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
‘The Cat and the Canary’ 1939: Paulette Goddard / Bob Hope haunted house comedy among Halloween 2013 movies at Packard Theater There’s much to recommend among the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus and State Theater screenings in Culpeper, Virginia, in October 2013, including the until recently super-rare Bob Hope / Paulette Goddard haunted house comedy The Cat and the Canary (1939). And that’s one more reason to hope that the Republican Party’s foaming-at-the-mouth extremists (and their voters and supporters), ever bent on destroying the economic and sociopolitical fabric of the United States (and of the rest of the world), will not succeed in shutting down the federal government and thus potentially wreak havoc throughout the U.S. and beyond. (Photo: Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard in The Cat and the Canary.) Screening on Thursday, October 31, at the Packard Theater, Elliott Nugent’s The Cat and the Canary is a remake of Paul Leni...
- 29.9.2013
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Uninvited
Directed by Lewis Allen
Written by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos
Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp & Gail Russell
USA , 99 min – 1944.
“If you listen to it long enough, all your senses are sharpened. You come by strange instincts. You get to recognize a peculiar cold that is the first warning. A cold which is no mere matter of degrees Fahrenheit, but a draining of warmth from the vital centers of the living.”
The Uninvited is a supernatural film that is more mysterious than it is horrific. Spirits are taken to be a real possibility in the film, which after the success of Hitchcock & Selznick’s haunting, Rebecca (1940), must have been a necessity. The people who laugh at the notion of the supernatural are quickly proved wrong (as the early voice over suggests) and the film introduces ghosts with both kind and malicious intentions. Ultimately, The Uninvited’s...
Directed by Lewis Allen
Written by Dodie Smith and Frank Partos
Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp & Gail Russell
USA , 99 min – 1944.
“If you listen to it long enough, all your senses are sharpened. You come by strange instincts. You get to recognize a peculiar cold that is the first warning. A cold which is no mere matter of degrees Fahrenheit, but a draining of warmth from the vital centers of the living.”
The Uninvited is a supernatural film that is more mysterious than it is horrific. Spirits are taken to be a real possibility in the film, which after the success of Hitchcock & Selznick’s haunting, Rebecca (1940), must have been a necessity. The people who laugh at the notion of the supernatural are quickly proved wrong (as the early voice over suggests) and the film introduces ghosts with both kind and malicious intentions. Ultimately, The Uninvited’s...
- 5.2.2013
- von Karen Bacellar
- SoundOnSight
DVD Release Date: May 22, 2012
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Olive Films
The classic 1950 film drama The Lawless starring Macdonald Carey (The Great Missouri Raid) and Gail Russell (Angel and the Badman) takes on the issues of immigrant workers and racial discrimination, subjects that were rarely covered in mainstream movies at that time.
Carey plays a crusading newspaperman who seemingly is the only person willing to champion the rights of a group of oppressed Mexican-American fruit-pickers, just he tries to stop a lynch mob’s manhunt of a Latino fugitive accused of fomenting a riot.
Tackling a controversial issue in an honest, no-nonsense fashion, director Joseph Losey (The Romantic Englishwoman), helming his second feature, was later blacklisted in the United States and moved to Europe where he made the remainder of his films, mostly in the United Kingdom.
The Lawless also stars John Sands, Lee Patrick, John Hoyt and Lalo Rios.
The film...
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Olive Films
The classic 1950 film drama The Lawless starring Macdonald Carey (The Great Missouri Raid) and Gail Russell (Angel and the Badman) takes on the issues of immigrant workers and racial discrimination, subjects that were rarely covered in mainstream movies at that time.
Carey plays a crusading newspaperman who seemingly is the only person willing to champion the rights of a group of oppressed Mexican-American fruit-pickers, just he tries to stop a lynch mob’s manhunt of a Latino fugitive accused of fomenting a riot.
Tackling a controversial issue in an honest, no-nonsense fashion, director Joseph Losey (The Romantic Englishwoman), helming his second feature, was later blacklisted in the United States and moved to Europe where he made the remainder of his films, mostly in the United Kingdom.
The Lawless also stars John Sands, Lee Patrick, John Hoyt and Lalo Rios.
The film...
- 22.3.2012
- von Laurence
- Disc Dish
For the horror buff, Fall is the best time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are falling and a feeling of death hangs on the air. Here at Sound on Sight we have some of the biggest horror fans you can find. We are continually showcasing the best of genre cinema, so we’ve decided to put our horror knowledge and passion to the test in a horror watching contest. Each week in October, Ricky D, James Merolla and Justine Smith will post a list of the horror films they have watched. By the end of the month, the person who has seen the most films wins. Prize Tbd.
Ricky D (15 Viewings) Total of 29 Viewings
Purchase
Thirst (1979)
Directed by Rod Hardy
The film is best described as one long dream sequence with nods to David Cronenberg, Rosemary’s Baby and perhaps even Solyent Green. Thirst features some superb in-camera visual effects,...
Ricky D (15 Viewings) Total of 29 Viewings
Purchase
Thirst (1979)
Directed by Rod Hardy
The film is best described as one long dream sequence with nods to David Cronenberg, Rosemary’s Baby and perhaps even Solyent Green. Thirst features some superb in-camera visual effects,...
- 11.10.2011
- von Ricky
- SoundOnSight
A while back I submitted an article that listed ten great full-length films to check out on YouTube and was pleased to find that some of you Owf readers were really happy to find such an article on your favourite movie blog! So today’s Top 10 is a follow up to that piece, a sequel if you like, and below you can find ten more fantastic films that you can legally watch for free online. As we’re all undoubtedly skint in this longest, most depressing of months, hopefully one of the below can brighten your day!
10. The Woman In Green (1945)
Legendary detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful sidekick Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are called in by Scotland Yard to investigate a series of bizarre murders, where the only connection is that each victim has had a finger severed off. Believing the culprit to be a maniac, Scotland Yard...
10. The Woman In Green (1945)
Legendary detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful sidekick Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are called in by Scotland Yard to investigate a series of bizarre murders, where the only connection is that each victim has had a finger severed off. Believing the culprit to be a maniac, Scotland Yard...
- 19.1.2011
- von Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
Deborah Kerr, Gail Russell, Jacques Tati Movies: Packard May ‘10 Series schedule and synopses from the Packard Campus release: Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. "From Here to Eternity" (Columbia, 1953) In this romantic war drama, enlisted men in Hawaii fight for love and honor on the eve of World War II. Named to the National Film Registry in 2002, the film was directed by Fred Zinnemann. It stars Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra. Thursday, May 6, 7:30 p.m. "Naughty Marietta" (MGM, 1935) In this musical drama, a French princess in Colonial America gets involved with an Indian scout. Directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the film was named to [...]...
- 1.5.2010
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Gail Russell, Donna Reed, Jeanette MacDonald, Emil Jannings, Jacques Tati, Nelson Eddy, Anthony Quinn, John Wayne, and Frank Sinatra are a few of the movie personalities to be found in the May film series at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va. [Full Schedule.] Screening films include Fred Zinnemann’s multiple Academy Award-winning blockbuster From Here to Eternity (1953), which earned Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra Oscars; the first pairing of singing lovebirds Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, W. S. Van Dyke’s Naughty Marietta (1935) — which actually boasts a goosebump-inducing duet as the film’s climax; and Jacques Tati’s hilarious M. Hulot Holiday (1953). Angel and the [...]...
- 1.5.2010
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
What better way to start the New Year than by remembering the past? No, not war and assorted catastrophes, but beauty and romance. The clip above features a montage of about two dozen actresses from the studio era. See how many you can recognize. Here’s some assistance: Anne Baxter, Anne Shirley, Claire Bloom, Constance Bennett, Eleanor Parker, Frances Dee, Gail Russell, Janet Gaynor, Jean Arthur, Jean Peters, Joan Bennett, Kathryn Grayson, Laraine Day, Lilli Palmer, Linda Darnell, Lupe Velez, Madeleine Carroll, Margaret Sullavan, Maureen O’Sullivan, Miiko Taka, Norma Shearer, Patricia Neal, Paulette Goddard, Priscilla Lane, Sally Eilers, Teresa Wright. There’s also one I didn’t recognize, wearing a veil over her head. Colleen Gray? Among the included films are — some of those are [...]...
- 2.1.2010
- von Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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