Jane Fonda & Michael Caine as a not-so-happy couple in 1967's "Hurry Sundown." Otto Preminger's notorious race drama Hurry Sundown was badly reviewed and a box office underperformer back in 1967, but it has a few redeeming qualities. The classic set up in a small town melodrama is where the poor have something that the rich want, and dramatic fireworks ensue. In Hurry Sundown, it’s land, Katie Scarlett! Sadly, the dynamite explosions overshadow the dramatic variety. Hollywood started to address race issues in the mid-60s. But for every "In the Heat of the Night," the ..read more

  Veteran star Fred MacMurray & starlet Kim Novak in 1954's film noir, "Pushover." The tale of an authority figure going bad for big bucks and a beautiful broad is nothing new. In its time, Pushover was a B+ movie with a veteran star who was a leading man for two decades, cast opposite a newcomer starlet with no acting experience. Luckily, Pushover had a strong story taken from two novels, a snappy, adult script and direction, and those stars happened to be Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak. MacMurray was in the process from going from leading man to character roles to future fam ..read more

  (L) Joan Fontaine as conniver Christabel in 1950's "Born to Be Bad." (R) Carol Burnett from her TV show, spoofed this noir soap as "Raised to Be Rotten!" By the end of "Born to Be Bad," everyone wants to strangle Christabel, even herself! Born to Be Bad is a film noir soap opera that toys with Joan Fontaine's on-screen persona. In the role referenced in the title, Joan's seemingly demure miss recalls the cinematic bouquet of shy English roses that Fontaine played in the '40s. Here, this rose reveals her thorns, as the poor relation who’s a two-faced schemer. Fontaine ..read more

  Jackie Collins' "Hollywood Wives" was a mini-series hit for ABC in 1985. Hollywood Wives was Jackie Collins’ most popular novel, of the many that she churned out for decades. With Dynasty then riding high on TV with Jackie’s sister Joan, producer Aaron Spelling snapped up the bestseller for a 1985 ABC mini-series. Like the book, Wives got bad reviews but was a big ratings hit. I recall reading an interview with Jackie Collins, claiming that her showbiz stories were more authentic because she was part of the Hollywood scene, as opposed to outsider writers looking in. Maybe, bu ..read more

  Ann Sheridan in 1950's "Woman on the Run," her first post-WB film. Upon its release, Woman on the Run was likely considered a B+ vehicle for veteran glamour girl Ann Sheridan. Facing the ‘50s as an independent star, Sheridan was only 35, but she had been in the movies since the early ‘30s.  Notable was that Sheridan was a producer (uncredited) on this film, in an attempt to find better roles than she had of late at WB. In that sense, Ann’s instincts were good. Woman on the Run was an adult, gritty, little film noir with Sheridan playing a realistic role. At the time, Woma ..read more

  The Two Chief Inspector Barnabys: John Nettles as Tom Barnaby & Neil Dudgeon as John Barnaby. Nettles played Tom for 14 years, then Neil took over as his cousin.  "Midsomer Murders" started as a pilot on Great Britain's ITV in 1997. Midsomer is synonymous with murder, thanks to the long-running British TV series, Midsomer Murders.  As an old friend of mine once said about the equally fictional Cabot Cove of Murder, She Wrote: “I’d sure hate to live there, people drop like flies!" Binge too much and you'll be haunted by this show's eerie theme! Midsomer ..read more

  Jane Wyman is the governess who wears "The Blue Veil" from 1951. The Blue Veil is a most straightforward melodrama, a tearjerker tale of a life-long governess, of what was once called a "woman's picture." The 1951 film was released through RKO, a moderate hit in its day with mostly positive reviews, but today is mostly forgotten. This is because there’s nary a good copy to be had and is rarely shown. Whether it’s copyright or estate issues—it’s actually a Norman Krasna and Jerry Wald production—The Blue Veil deserves to be restored. Jane Wyman as Louise Mason wears the ..read more

  Charles Boyer & Irene Dunne sparkle like champagne in 1939's "Love Affair." The Leo McCarey comedy-drama, Love Affair, came out in 1939, often cited as Hollywood's golden year in cinema. The idea for Love Affair came to director/screenwriter McCarey when he was on an ocean cruise with his wife. He later collaborated with romantic writer Mildred Cram to flesh out the premise. The story was then passed on to master screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart and future director Delmer Daves. There was much improvisation on the movie set, as well. The resulting story was most collabora ..read more

Dan Dailey & Betty Grable shine as a showbiz couple in 1947's "Mother Wore Tights." The musical comedy/drama Mother Wore Tights was of Betty Grable's greatest hits and the biggest movie for 20th Century Fox in 1947, next to Forever Amber. The Betty Grable vehicle was a big break for Dan Dailey, whose mugging was perfect for this movie’s leading man character. Betty and Dan had such strong chemistry that they were re-teamed three more times. "Mother Wore Tights" was the first of four pairings of Betty Grable & Dan Dailey. Based on a popular memoir by Miriam Young ..read more

Ava Gardner & Tyrone Power as Ernest Hemingway's troubled lovers Brett Ashley & Jake Barnes in 1957's "The Sun Also Rises." The last hurrah of the studio system, as demonstrated by 20th Century Fox’s roving mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, was still firmly in thrall with the making of The Sun Also Rises. While this adaptation is basically faithful to the story, Zanuck made a big-budget, wide-screen epic, with superstars and exotic locales to draw in TV watching audiences—which went against the spirit of Ernest Hemingway's personal story. The biggest misstep was box-office stars miscas ..read more