"Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" 1977 is our podcast episode 200. We pay tribute to the movie genius of George Lucas who created the magnificent science fiction space adventures of the Star Wars films. His films changed the movie entertainment business. Mr. Lucas spent years building the scope and beauty of these films and always pursued his dream of reaching movie screens throughout the world. The challenges were daunting and he did not waver in his belief that the films must capture the fu...
May 27, 2021•50 min•Ep. 200
Happy May the 4th! Head over to Patreon at patreon.com/classicmoviereviews and check out our two-part review of “Star Wars” available early for Patrons. We also have special bonus content and behind the scenes videos available for Patrons. Check it out and help support the show! May the 4th be with you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now back to our regularly scheduled programming… "Elevator to the Gallows" 1958 is a French crime film directed by Louis Malle. The musical score by Miles Davisis improvise...
May 04, 2021•34 min•Ep. 199
"The Mark of Zorro" is a 1940 film based on The Curse of Capistrano written in 1919 by Johnston McCulley. This film is the wrap-up in our tribute to Basil Rathbone. The film follows on the success of the 1920 silent movie "The Mark of Zorro" starring Douglas Fairbanks. Rouben Mamoulian directed the 1940 film and it garnered an Academy Award nomination for the musical score by Alfred Newman. Leading this swashbuckler is Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega/Zorro the hero that brings about the downfall ...
Apr 29, 2021•47 min•Ep. 198
We continue our salute to Basil Rathbone with "Son of Frankenstein" from 1939. In this adventure Mr. Rathbone is Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who travels to the family ancestral castle. His mission is to redeem his father's reputation. Joining the Baron is his wife Baroness Elsaplayed by Josephine Hutchinson and their young son Peter played by Donnie Dunagan. Director Rowland V. Lee puts together a film that is among the best of the Universal horror movies. Baron von Frankenstein encounters diffi...
Apr 22, 2021•49 min•Ep. 197
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" 1939 is the second and last of the Sherlock Holmes films from 20th Century Fox. However, good news for us Holmes fans because Universal Studios produced another twelve Holmes films from 1942 through 1946. In this adventure Holmes played by Basil Rathbone and Professor Moriarty played by George Zucco meet outside the Old Bailey where Moriarty has been acquitted of murder. Holmes located the evidence of guilt, but arrived too late to alter the verdict. Next Mori...
Apr 09, 2021•47 min•Ep. 196
The Hound of the Baskervilles" 1939 is the first of two movies made by 20th Century-Fox as part of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes films released from 1939 through 1946. Universal Studios produced the remaining twelve films. Basil Rathbone plays Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce is Dr. Watson in all fourteen movies in the series. For many movie fans Mr. Rathbone and Mr. Bruce are the definitive characters from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle detective mystery novel. We agree with this assessment. All four...
Mar 13, 2021•48 min•Ep. 195
"Lady from Chungking" 1942 made at the height of World War II provides a star level role for Anna May Wong as Kwan Mei. Director William Nigh has ample experience putting together small budget movies. The film centers on Kwan Mei the leader of an underground group of farmers and villagers fighting against the Japanese occupation of China. She is also working to rescue two downed Flying Tigers pilots so they can return to action. This is a strong role for Anna May Wong and a good example of a Wor...
Mar 03, 2021•33 min•Ep. 194
"Shanghai Express" 1932 brings us the drama and danger facing several travelers on the train from Peking to Shanghai during the civil war in China. Director Josef von Sternberg builds an engaging film that has solid production values and the look of a more recent adventure movie. Our featured actor Anna May Wong is Hui Fei who plays a pivotal role that involves rebel leader Henry Chang played by Warner Oland. In addition to civil war the film centers on the love story between Marlene Dietrich as...
Feb 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 193
"The Toll of the Sea" from 1922 is the first lead role for Anna May Wong who was 17 and the second feature movie to use Technicolor film. Director Chester M. Franklin presents the tragic love of Lotus Flower played by Ms. Wong for Allen Carver an American played by Kenneth Harlan. Because of their love for each other they marry "Chinese fashion". Mr. Carver promises to take her to the United States. Lotus Flower's friends warn her that he will never take her to America. As predicted Mr. Carver l...
Feb 13, 2021•53 min•Ep. 192
Masterfully directed by Ernst Lubitsch, "To Be Or Not To Be" successfully rides a fine line between satire, comedy, drama, romance and action. The script, written by Melchior Lengyel and Edwin Justus Mayer is one of the best in all of film. It stars Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Stanley Ridges, Sig Ruman, Tom Dugan and many more excellent actors. The movie feels timely while at the same time as presenting scenes that feel almost documentary and historic...
Feb 06, 2021•52 min•Ep. 191
Jimmy Kustes joins us for our discussion of "Some Like It Hot" 1959. In an earlier podcast Jimmy discussed his 2019 film "Body Swap" available on vimeo.com/on-demand . In "Some Like It Hot" Director Billy Wilder creates a romantic - dramatic comedy involving two men who play in a jazz band and accidentally witness a gangland murder in Chicago. These two escape the gang by disguising themselves as women and joining an all female band the Society Syncopators headed to a musical gig in Florida. Off...
Jan 24, 2021•57 min•Ep. 190
"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" 1948 is a delightful comedy based on Eric Hodgins's 1946 book of the same name. Cary Grant as James Blandings and Myrna Loy as Muriel Blandings team up following their worktogether in "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer“ 1947. Director H.C. Potter crafts this funny tale as the Blandings decide to leave their Manhattan apartment for the countryside of Connecticut. What follows is a series of miss steps as the Blandings forge ahead in the pursuit of their dream...
Jan 16, 2021•52 min•Ep. 189
"Holiday Affair" 1949 is an enjoyable film for the holiday season. There is excellent writing by Isobel Lennart, believable characters, solid production values and first-rate direction by Don Hartman. Actually these elements combine to make this a movie worth watching any time of the year. Among the believable characters is Robert Mitchum as Steve Mason the future builder of boats, Janet Leigh as Connie Ennis the loving mother of Timmy Ennis her 6 1/2 year old son played by Gordon Gebert, Wendel...
Dec 25, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 188
Thank you to Arthur Sculco for his selection of "The War of the Worlds" 1953 as well as three other films we recently reviewed "Soylent Green", "2001 A Space Odyssey" and "The Time Machine". Director Byron Haskin and Producer George Pal adapted the 1898 H.G. Welles novel to create an exciting and timeless science fiction film. Dr. Clayton Forrester played by Gene Barry is a well-known scientist from Pacific Institute of Science and Technology who finds himself in the middle of a large-scale inva...
Dec 25, 2020•56 min•Ep. 187
Based on H.G. Wells' story, "The Time Machine" from 1960 is a first rate science fiction movie. Director George Pal is a master of creating films that nourish the imagination. Arnold Leibovit's documentary The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal captures the innovative talent of the Academy Award winning Mr. Pal. H. George Wells played by Rod Taylor has constructed a beautiful time machine and is prepared to travel into the future. George is tired of the present time and wants to use the fourth di...
Dec 25, 2020•50 min•Ep. 186
Director Stanley Kubrick created the masterpiece film "2001: A Space Odyssey" 1968. Among the influences for the film are Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sentinel" 1951, "Universe" 1960 the documentary from the National Film Board of Canada and the 1964 New York World's Fair movie "To the Moon and Beyond". Mr. Kubrick assembled a stellar group of people and took several years to make this exceptional movie. The film has inspired filmmakers and been a significant force as reflected in subsequent movies. ...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 185
"Body Swap" is a romantic comedy about a woman and man whose bodies are switched by accident with a defective office paper shredder. Ouch!!! This is a funny and engaging film. Tim Morton is the Director of this professionally produced film featuring excellent performances by Ella Jordan as CJ, Casey played by Jimmy Kustes, Casey's brother Roy played by Gunner Willis, Kayte Giralt as Lisa, Wendy played by Erica Manni and a host of supporting cast members. The film is on Vimeo On Demand at bodyswa...
Dec 04, 2020•33 min•Ep. 184
"Soylent Green" 1973 is an intense film depicting a grim and dangerous world of the future. The movie has multiple levels of drama and intrigue including murder, famine, overpopulation and authoritarian rule over people. Director Richard Fleischer creates a vision of despair as oceans die and the environment deteriorates. Mr. Fleischer has built another excellent film in his long line of movies including "The Narrow Margin" 1952 - Episode 75 and "Fantastic Voyage" 1966 - Episode 13. Charlton Hes...
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 183
"El vampiro" (The Vampire) from 1957 is an engrossing version of the vampire story. Director Fernando Mendez had a successful career with more than thirty films in the movie industry of Mexico. Mr. Mendez and Producer Abel Salazar created this entertaining movie. The story centers on Marta played by Ariadne Welter as she travels to her childhood village and encounters vampires that dominate the local scene. German Robles as the vampire Count Karol de Lavud has a strong influence over people in t...
Nov 19, 2020•30 min•Ep. 182
In "Curse of the Demon" a.k.a. "Night of the Demon" 1957 we explore the dark and satanic dominion of Dr. Julian Karswell played by Niall MacGinnis as he sets about making believers of those who doubt his powers. The Director Jacques Tourneur displays his exceptional experience as he creates this entertaining film using suspense, music, cinematography, special effects and talented actors. The movie reminds us of Mr. Tourneur's "Cat People" from 1942. Dana Andrews plays Dr. John Holden the Psychol...
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 181
Distributed in the United States by Crown International Pictures "The Silent Star" 1960 is a science fiction film based on Stanislaw Lem's 1951 novel The Astronauts. The Director is Kurt Maetzig who made several films in East Germany. The movie was also released in several versions and titles such as "First Spaceship on Venus". In this well produced film there is a diverse crew representing India, Japan, the USSR, Africa, the USA and other countries. They travel to Venus and unravel the mystery ...
Nov 06, 2020•49 min•Ep. 180
From 1967 "Viy" or (Spirit of Evil) is a film from the USSR and Communist Party era. It was the first horror film officially released during Soviet rule and was distributed by Mosfilm the film studio established in 1920. Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov were the two Directors. Leonid Kuravlyov as Khoma Brutus is the seminary student who encounters the witch Pannochka played by Natalya Varley. Both lead actors continue to have careers in the Russian Federation. Included in the large cast ...
Oct 22, 2020•46 min•Ep. 179
"The Conversation" 1974 is a mystery drama from Francis Ford Coppola. As Screenwriter, Producer and Director Mr. Coppola created an excellent film that was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture. It lost the Best Picture award to "The Godfather II" another film from Mr. Coppola. Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul a well-known surveillance professional. During an assignment he discovers a possible murder plot involving a couple and a CEO. In the past Harry's recordings may have resu...
Oct 20, 2020•51 min•Ep. 178
Peter Hyams was the Screenwriter and Director of Capricorn One 1978. NASA is about to launch the first crew to Mars. Three Astronautics are strapped in the spacecraft. However, Dr. James Kelloway a NASA executive played by Hal Holbrook knows the craft's life support system will fail killing all onboard. The three Astronauts are ordered off the spacecraft and forced to fake the mission. Dr. Kelloway's massive cover-up is meant to deceive the President, Congress and public. James Brolin as Colonel...
Oct 09, 2020•55 min•Ep. 177
In "Three Days of the Condor" released in 1975 Joe Turner played by Robert Redford finds himself in a nightmare of murder, double crosses, a secret plan for involvement in a foreign country to protect oil supplies and a cynical view of democratic processes. Director Sydney Pollack, Producer Stanley Schneider and the screenwriting team of Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel have created a convoluted mystery that captures aspects of the 1970's political scene. Faye Dunaway plays Kathy Hale who is...
Oct 03, 2020•51 min•Ep. 176
*** This episode contains adult themes and dialog *** "Klute" 1971 is the first installment in Director Alan Pakula's paranoid trilogy. The other two films are "The Parallax View" 1974 and "All the President's Men" 1976. "Klute" is a neo film noir murder thriller with dark and foreboding elements. The film takes us into the life of Bree Daniels prostitute and aspiring model/actress played by Jane Fonda. As Bree, Ms. Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film explores Bree's life and ...
Sep 25, 2020•55 min•Ep. 175
"Mad Monster Party" 1967 is a stop motion film from Rankin-Bass Productions. This delightful musical comedy brings us movie monsters Frankenstein, Count Dracula, the Mummy, Quasimodo, the Werewolf, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, "It" and more as they plan and plot on the Isle of Evil. Baron Boris von Frankenstein voiced by Boris Karloff has perfected the weapon of total destruction. The Baron wants to gather the monsters on the Isle to tell them of the weapon and his upcoming retirement as head of the...
Sep 17, 2020•50 min•Ep. 174
From 1947 "My Favorite Brunette" is a fast paced film noir parody that showcases the comedic talents of Bob Hope. The film is a part of a long list of films featuring Mr. Hope. "The Ghost Breakers" 1940 that we reviewed in our Podcast 127 and "My Favorite Blonde" 1942 are only a sample of the many comedies from Bob Hope. Bob Hope plays child photographer and detective "wannabe" Ronnie Jackson, Dorothy Lamour is the beautiful Baroness Carlotta Montay who hires Ronnie thinking he is a real detecti...
Sep 11, 2020•50 min•Ep. 173
"The Green Man" from 1956 is a drama-comedy film based on the play Meet a Body . Directed by Robert Day and Basil Dearden the movie tells the story of the freelance assassin Harry Hawkins played by Alastair Sim. Hawkins specializes in the use of explosives to accomplish his assignments. Alastair Sim is ideally cast in the role as he goes about his murderous work that culminates at the seaside hotel "The Green Man". A special thank you to guest Arthur Sculco who selected another excellent film fo...
Sep 04, 2020•48 min•Ep. 172
"On the Waterfront" 1954 is from Columbia Pictures. Director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg created this crime drama and love story starring Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy and Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle. The movie centers on corruption, extortion and racketeering on the waterfronts of New York Harbor and the growing love between Terry and Eva. The film's story is partly modeled after real people and events involved in corruption investigations. A critical and financial success the ...
Aug 28, 2020•56 min•Ep. 171
