Movies 'Til Dawn BLOG

TOM HATTEN, NICE GUY

Before there was that pile of stiffs who introduce classic films on TCM, there were local hosts who performed the same function in individual markets (cable not having yet been invented…sort of). If you were growing up in LA in the 70s and 80s and you loved classic films, you

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TWO COMMERCIALS WITH BURT BACHARACH

Welcome to 2019. What better way to start the year off than with an embarrassing old commercial for Martini & Rossi (booze, if you’re not familiar with it) starring Angie Dickinson–then the smoking hot spokesdame for the brand–and a clearly uncomfortable Burt Bacharach at the piano. Burt can’t seem to

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A TOUR OF MANHATTAN IN 1939–IN LIVING COLOR

This vivid, color film reel of various New York City locales in 1939 is, sadly, something of a mystery as the person who posted it on Youtube declined to comment on it or allow comments (due to racist sentiments apparently). Still, it’s quite a find. In three minutes we get

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CURLY HOWARD: THE FINAL CURTAIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFvVeu8LQXAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghwQT4bKWCk Those of us who follow the NFL (which, for those of you who don’t, stands for the National Football League) have heard a lot in recent years about the effects of repeated bashings on the head, which often leads to a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopity (or CTE if

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STOOGE SLAP-A-THON

Above witness a seemingly interminable four minute marathon of Three Stooges slaps, kicks, pokes etc. culled mainly (for some mysterious reason) from movies made in the 1935-36 window. And when I say interminable, I mean: in·ter·mi·na·ble/inˈtərmənəb(ə)l/adjective endless (often used hyperbolically).“we got bogged down in interminable discussions”synonyms:(seemingly) endless, never-ending, unending, nonstop, everlasting, ceaseless, unceasing, incessant, constant, continual, uninterrupted, sustained;

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PARIS ’28

Ninety years and two and a half weeks ago, on November 25 1928, a party was given in Paris. It was a strange and lovely event, with tango dancing, a fashion show, a period costume competition, a lovely female vocalist and a movie camera. The last was there to document

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DEAD END: LEARN TO SPEAK OLD NEW YORK-ESE

Here are excerpts from the 1937 film adaptation of Sidney Kingsley’s ‘Dead End’, directed by William Wyler. This little grouping of scenes has apparently been assembled by an acting coach who uses it to teach his students an old-time New York East Side accent. It’s kind of a gas to

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HARLAN ELLISON V. FRANK SINATRA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHf_DtcxhpE The wonderful and wildly prolific writer Harlan Ellison died this past week at the age of 84 (click here for his fascinating NY Times obit). In 2006 my producing partner David Zellerford and I had the pleasure of interviewing him at his home in the hills above the San Fernando Valley

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1926 SUBWAY STIKE

In June 1926 the New York City Subway workers went on strike for higher pay, shutting down the IRT and forcing crowds of New Yorkers to mill about waiting for busses, trolleys and other forms of transportation which were suddenly overloaded with riders who usually used the trains. Strike breakers

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