Iconic actress Maureen O’Hara had a long successful film career. She is known for her pairing with John Wayne in five films, but she was a great co-star with many of Hollywood’s great leading men. During the years 1961-1963, she appeared in four of her best roles and most memorable films. She portrayed many fiery, … More Maureen O’Hara (1961-1963)
If you have seen the Night At the Museum films, Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Philomena (2013) or Stan & Ollie (2018), you have seen English actor Steve Coogan. Usually he plays some sort of stuffy, abrasive character, but in The Trip to Greece, he plays a fictionalize version of himself. Coogan and … More The Trip to Greece (2020)
I like Weird Al. I get him. He’s a clever and funny guy. You either like him or you do not. Alfred Yankovic started calling himself Weird Al in college as a way to give himself some distinction. He started college at age 16 and admitted to be a big nerd. He got picked on … More Weird Al
Cary Grant, Tony Curtis and Blake Edwards in a comedy about a pink submarine. It’s silly, with a hint of sex, and darn enjoyable. In the 1950s, it was challenging to mix adult fare with family entertainment and make it work. Operation Petticoat accomplishes it. Today, it seems rather tame, but at the time, mixing … More Operation Petticoat (1959)
James Garner was the king of silly, suggestive films of the mid 1960s. In the first half of the decade, Garner had starred in the comedies Boys Night Out, The Thrill of It All, The Texas Wheeler Dealers, Move Over Darling and The Americanization of Emily. He could be a debonair and a cad at … More The Art of Love (1965)
Films of 1967 nominated for Best Picture. Back then, five films are nominated. Four really good films were nominated, the fifth is a mystery. Here are other studio and foreign films from 1967: In Like Flint Hombre Barefoot in the Park You Only Live Twice The Dirty Dozen Up the Down Staircase The Flim-Flam Man … More Best Film Nominees (1968)
Dick and Mary. A better team of actors? You would have to go back to Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, or William Powell and Myrna Loy to find that kind of chemistry. For five years, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore played Rob and Laura Petrie. Rob and Laura were like JFK and Jackie … More Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore
Here is a fifty year old film staring Jack Lemmon and Catherine Deneuve that very few people remember. Is this a classic film? No. It was one of Lemmon’s very stylish 1960s films that were a bit edgy and an effort at satirizing pop culture and morality. Hits and misses. Lemmon’s box office success and … More The April Fools (1969)
Two late night interview show hosts of different generations. Both of the Johnny Carson linage. Tom Snyder covered a lot of bases: radio personality, news anchor, late night interview. By the time he accepted the invitation to follow Johnny Carson at midnight, Snyder had carved out a long news career. Ha anchored news shows in … More Conan and Tom Snyder
A more 1980s film? Certainly there are many films that reflected the decade, but I argue Harry and Sally could have been made practically anytime with the “can men and women be friends” theme. Each decade would have different nuances, but thematically, it works regardless of the time. What made it such a 1980s cultural … More When Harry Met Sally: Revisited
