Lillian Gish is, unquestionably, one of the most significant stars of the silent film era. But one of her greatest performances from the era was in the last silent film she appeared in: The Wind, released in 1928. The Wind was an adaptation of Dorothy Scarborough’s novel by the same name, first published in 1925 ..read more

There’s no doubt that Greta Garbo and John Gilbert had two of the most remarkable acting careers of the 1920s. Individually and as an on-screen duo, they starred in some of the most significant movies of the era and 1928’s A Woman of Affairs stands out as a highlight of both of their silent filmographies ..read more

In just a few days, the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival will be getting underway. Which means I’ve spent the past couple of weeks obsessing over the schedule, trying to figure out my plans. As always, there are lots of scheduling conflicts to work out, and even though I mostly have my plans figured out, there are a few blocks where my plans will all come down to how I’m feeling when the time comes. As it stands now, here’s what I plan to see during the festival. Opening Night For opening night, my tradition is to sit in the bleachers to watch the guests arrive on the red carpet, then skip the f ..read more

Out of all the stars dubbed “box office poison” by the Independent Theater Owners Association in May 1938, the label has become most strongly associated with Joan Crawford. For the most part, being called “box office poison” ultimately became a footnote in the careers of the stars included on the list. Some moved on from Hollywood, but others stars successfully moved past it and entered into new phases of their careers. But Joan is the only star on the list who, decades later, had an unflattering film made about them which included an infamous scene of them having a breakdown over being named ..read more

If you were a movie fan in late 1941 and early 1942, heading out to the local theater had to feel like a gift from Hollywood — particularly if you were fond of comedies. Between December 1941 and January 1942, Ball of Fire and Sullivan’s Travels both hit the big screen for the first time. And for those who were feeling the Christmas spirit — even a little bit after the holidays — there was The Man Who Came to Dinner. The Man Who Came to Dinner premiered in Atlantic City on Christmas Eve 1941 and went into wide release in January 1942. Before it was a hit movie, it was a hit Broadway comedy wr ..read more

Shortly after Little Caesar made a star out of Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney had his own star-making turn in another gangster classic: The Public Enemy. There’s much to say about The Public Enemy in terms of its place in the gangster genre, James Cagney’s performance as Tom Powers, and its importance to Warner Brothers Studios in general. But what often isn’t discussed is the book it was based on. Book & Movie Differences The Public Enemy is a bit unusual in the world of book-to-film adaptations in the sense that most of these adaptations involve books that have been published. The Pub ..read more

The gangster film genre has roots dating back to the silent era, but in 1931, Warner Brothers brought it to new heights with the release of two movies: Little Caesar and The Public Enemy. Of the two, Little Caesar was released first, making a star of Edward G. Robinson and turning him into a gangster film icon. But before Little Caesar became a classic gangster film, it was a book published by W.R. Burnett. Book & Movie Differences For the most part, Little Caesar is a pretty respectable adaptation of the book. It doesn’t follow the book exactly, but the key events are there, like the New ..read more

If you were to ask people to name a movie about a gangster, you’d very likely get a lot of responses about Scarface. For a lot of people, they’d be thinking of the 1983 movie starring Al Pacino, but the 1932 version starring Paul Muni was also very influential. Both movies were based on the 1930 book Scarface by Armitage Trail, which was inspired by the life of Al Capone. So how do these movies compare to the original book? Book & Movie Differences Neither the 1932 or the 1983 version of Scarface is a particularly faithful book-to-film adaptation. The version starting Paul Muni is a very ..read more

Over the years, there has been no shortage of books being turned into movies. However, I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!, along with its subsequent film adaptation, 1932’s I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang have the distinction of being widely credited with bringing about social change by leading to the end of the chain gang system. I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! was the autobiographical story of Robert Elliott Burns, a World War I veteran who was unable to return to the job he had before the war and had few other job prospects after the war. While moving around looking fo ..read more

Following the success of They Drive by Night, Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino hit the big screen together again, once again directed by Raoul Walsh, in 1941’s High Sierra. High Sierra occupies an interesting space in the world of gangster films. Not only does it star an actor very famous for playing lots of gangsters and tough guys, it was based on a book written by someone who was very influential on the gangster/crime film genre. High Sierra was based on W.R. Burnett’s book by the same name, published in 1940. In addition to High Sierra, Burnett wrote the novels Little Caesar and The Asphalt ..read more