The Americanization of Emily (1964) is a wonderfully satirical, dark comedy about a “dog robber” in the US Navy serving during WWII. Starring James Garner as Charlie, a self-proclaimed coward, the film tells the story of this unscrupulous officer who prefers to avoid heroism in lieu of self-preservation. Although deemed unpatriotic by some critics, The…
This post is our contribution to the final CMBA blogathon of the year, a veritable feast of guilty pleasures ranging from pre-Code flicks through the fabulous excesses of the 1980s. To see the wonderful contributions from other CMBA members, check out the list on their site! The celebration starts today and continues through Tuesday. For this…
Posting has been somewhat irregular this week, what with life’s many interruptions (in my case, this includes babysitting four children, five cats, and five dogs, in addition to everything else on my overflowing plate). Hopefully, next week we’ll be getting back in the swing of things. For today’s Saturday Morning Cartoons entry, we’re once again…
The delightful 1945 romantic fantasy The Enchanted Cottage was first recommended to me by one of my favorite grad school professors (hi, Dr. Riley!). There were only three of us in this particular class, and we were flung together for three long hours every Wednesday afternoon, so a sense of easy camaraderie developed. There were many times…
Brandie’s choice: Julia Misbehaves (1948) Airing at 1:45PM EST Walter Pidgeon began his career in silent films, but it was his melodious voice (in combination with his charming good looks) that made him a star. His screen pairings with Greer Garson–a staggering eight of them–varied from romance to costume dramas to historical dramas, and most…
Brandie: God’s Little Acre (1958) Airing at 4:00PM EST Robert Ryan, movie tough guy extraordinaire, is the focus of today’s Summer Under the Stars lineup over on TCM. Though best known for roles in such classic Westerns as The Professionals (1966) and The Wild Bunch (1969), and war films such as The Dirty Dozen (1967),…
Brandie’s choice: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Airing at 6:15PM EST The Robin Hood to beat all Robin Hoods (sorry, Kevin Costner), Errol Flynn embodies the role like no one before or since. He brings a swagger, a verve, a winking machismo that suits the character to a tee. And he makes this version…
One of the most subversive, entertaining films of the 1940s, To Be or Not to Be, directed by the wonderful Ernst Lubitsch, is a masterwork of satirical, comedic madness. To Be stars Jack Benny in what is arguably the best role of his career, as Josef Tura, the hammier part of a Polish husband-and-wife acting…
True Classics 