I just finished a three-session film class on Alfred Hitchcock. Over six hours, we tried to digest his remarkable career. Of course, it helps to have seen most of his films and much of his television anthology series. Hitchcock is a lot of things, personality, auteur, mystery and macabre storyteller, and great observer of life. … More Hitchcock by the Decade
Cary Grant made his final film in 1966, promptly retiring from the business. He felt like it was time, refusing efforts to coax him back to the screen. His final five films were not awful, but they were not up to his prior work. With the exception of Father Goose, he seemed to walk through … More Cary Grant’s Final Five
Distinguished, debonair and a bit roguish, that would describe actor David Niven. Niven had a very long acting career on both sides of the Atlantic and even found acclaim as an author, late in life as he described his rather colorful career. Even late in life, Niven was in demand as a featured actor, even … More David Niven
This is the best of James Stewart’s family films during the 1960s. Stewart’s decade of the 1950s was radically different from what followed in the 1960s. The 1950s was Stewart’s best decade of work; not only were his films very successful, but he turned in a variety of deeply convincing and challenging performances. I believe … More Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
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)
I already claimed Rear Window as my favorite Hitchcock film, but a close second is North By Northwest. This may be Hitchcock’s best film, it certainly is a classic and arguably Cary Grant’s best film. This film ended the 1950’s on a high note for Hitchcock, in fact, it was his most successful decade, critically … More North By Northwest (1959)
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