If you've used up all the available Douglas Sirk melodramas, why not try The Restless Years (1958), directed by Helmut Kautner (pronounced "Koit-ner")? It's a small town tale, focusing mainly on the teenage populace, but spreading out to follow their interaction with parents and teachers."This is a dirty, little, gossipy small town. And I ought to know because I was born here. People here are jut like a herd of sharks that turn on a crippled one and kill it." So says salesman James Whitmore to his son, a fresh-faced John Saxon, and he appears to be right, giving the film the social criticism dimension that Sirk's films likewise weave beneath their emotionally turbulent tales.The producer is the flamboyant Ross Hunter, who needs to be considered a kind of co-auteur of many Sirkian tales, only he should be credited for the dumber, soapier elements, his writers and directors for the irony and subtext,...
- 12/20/2018
- MUBI
Before he became the flag bearer for cinema violence, Sam Peckinpah made his reputation with this unique western, a marvelous rumination on ethics, morality and personal responsibility. MGM all but threw it away in the summer of 1962 but it immediately became a critical favorite.
Ride the High Country
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley, Ron Starr, Edgar Buchanan, R.G. Armstrong, Jenie Jackson, James Drury, L.Q. Jones, John Anderson, John Davis Chandler, Warren Oates.
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
Art Direction Leroy Coleman, George W. Davis
Film Editor Frank Santillo
Original Music George Bassman
Written by N.B. Stone Jr.
Produced by Richard E. Lyons
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
MGM’s western Ride the High Country put Sam Peckinpah on the map with critics and the foreign cinema literati — although it didn’t do big box office when new,...
Ride the High Country
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 92 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley, Ron Starr, Edgar Buchanan, R.G. Armstrong, Jenie Jackson, James Drury, L.Q. Jones, John Anderson, John Davis Chandler, Warren Oates.
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
Art Direction Leroy Coleman, George W. Davis
Film Editor Frank Santillo
Original Music George Bassman
Written by N.B. Stone Jr.
Produced by Richard E. Lyons
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
MGM’s western Ride the High Country put Sam Peckinpah on the map with critics and the foreign cinema literati — although it didn’t do big box office when new,...
- 4/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...
- 3/15/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Lee Pfeiffer
Probably no genre illustrates the rapid advance of cinematic screen freedoms than the biker movie. The genre debuted in 1953 with Marlon Brando in "The Wild One". The film, which chronicled the virtual takeover of a small California town by a wild motorcycle gang, was considered extremely controversial at the time. The biker film remained largely dormant until the release of Roger Corman's "The Wild Angels" in 1966, which became a surprising boxoffice and media sensation. Only a year or two before, teenage audiences were being fed a steady diet of white bread rock 'n roll films that bore little resemblance to real life. Suddenly, the biker film blatantly presented raging hormones, gang wars, drug use and group sex without apology. Young people patronized these films in droves. With social constraints falling by the minute, the biker films- cheaply made as they were- spoke to the emerging generation...
Probably no genre illustrates the rapid advance of cinematic screen freedoms than the biker movie. The genre debuted in 1953 with Marlon Brando in "The Wild One". The film, which chronicled the virtual takeover of a small California town by a wild motorcycle gang, was considered extremely controversial at the time. The biker film remained largely dormant until the release of Roger Corman's "The Wild Angels" in 1966, which became a surprising boxoffice and media sensation. Only a year or two before, teenage audiences were being fed a steady diet of white bread rock 'n roll films that bore little resemblance to real life. Suddenly, the biker film blatantly presented raging hormones, gang wars, drug use and group sex without apology. Young people patronized these films in droves. With social constraints falling by the minute, the biker films- cheaply made as they were- spoke to the emerging generation...
- 11/4/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Charlton Heston movies: ‘A Man for All Seasons’ remake, ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ (photo: Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur) (See previous post: “Charlton Heston: Moses Minus Staff Plus Chariot Equals Ben-Hur.”) I’ve yet to watch Irving Rapper’s melo Bad for Each Other (1954), co-starring the sultry Lizabeth Scott — always a good enough reason to check out any movie, regardless of plot or leading man. A major curiosity is the 1988 made-for-tv version of A Man for All Seasons, with Charlton Heston in the Oscar-winning Paul Scofield role (Sir Thomas More) and on Fred Zinnemann’s director’s chair. Vanessa Redgrave, who plays Thomas More’s wife in the TV movie (Wendy Hiller in the original) had a cameo as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 film. According to the IMDb, Robert Bolt, who wrote the Oscar-winning 1966 movie (and the original play), is credited for the 1988 version’s screenplay as well. Also of note,...
- 8/5/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Rex Bell Jr, son of silent-film superstar Clara Bow (right) and cowboy actor Rex Bell, died of cancer on Saturday, July 9. He was 76. A former Republican Lieutenant Governor and Clark County (Las Vegas and surrounding areas) district attorney who believed in long sentences and more and bigger prisons, Bell Jr didn't have much of a career in films. He appeared in only a couple of run-of-the-mill A. C. Lyles Westerns in the mid-'60s, Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) and Young Fury (1965). At that time, Paramount producer Lyles used faded stars — and children of faded stars — in his series of B Westerns: Stage to Thunder Rock features Barry Sullivan, Marilyn Maxwell, Lon Chaney Jr, Wanda Hendrix, and John Agar; in addition to Chaney and Agar, Young Fury has Virginia Mayo, Rory Calhoun, Richard Arlen, Merry Anders, and Jody McCrea, son of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee. Clara Bow died at the...
- 7/12/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
American actor Jody McCrea has died of cardiac arrest. He was 74.
McCrea, who appeared in over 90 films during his career, died on 4 April in New Mexico - where he worked as a cattle rancher.
The son of movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee, he began acting on the 1960 TV western Wichita Town with his father.
He became best-known for acting in the Beach Party movies of the decade, in which he co-starred with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.
McCrea also acted in numerous film and television productions before his retirement in 1970 - including 1962 movie The Broken Land, co-starring Jack Nicholson, and small screen appearances on Wagon Train, Vacation Playhouse and The Greatest Show on Earth.
His wife, Dusty, died in 1996.
McCrea, who appeared in over 90 films during his career, died on 4 April in New Mexico - where he worked as a cattle rancher.
The son of movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee, he began acting on the 1960 TV western Wichita Town with his father.
He became best-known for acting in the Beach Party movies of the decade, in which he co-starred with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.
McCrea also acted in numerous film and television productions before his retirement in 1970 - including 1962 movie The Broken Land, co-starring Jack Nicholson, and small screen appearances on Wagon Train, Vacation Playhouse and The Greatest Show on Earth.
His wife, Dusty, died in 1996.
- 4/20/2009
- WENN
By Wrap Staff
Jody McCrea, best known for his roles as a muscle-bound surfer in the "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s, died on April 4 in New Mexico, of cardiac arrest. He was 74.
McCrea was the son of movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee.
In addition to the "Beach Party" comedies "Muscle Beach Party," "Bikini Beach," "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini," he appeared in a variety of Western-themed movies and...
Jody McCrea, best known for his roles as a muscle-bound surfer in the "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s, died on April 4 in New Mexico, of cardiac arrest. He was 74.
McCrea was the son of movie stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee.
In addition to the "Beach Party" comedies "Muscle Beach Party," "Bikini Beach," "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini," he appeared in a variety of Western-themed movies and...
- 4/20/2009
- by harley lond
- The Wrap
Jody McCrea, the son of Joel McCrea, passed away earlier this month. He was primarily known for his roles in cult films. In this excerpt from his book, Cinema Retro columnist pays tribute to McCrea's career.
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Tall, strapping, square-jawed Jody McCrea who became a favorite of teenage audiences during the Sixties for his amusing performances as “Deadhead” in the series of Beach Party (1963) movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello passed away on April 4 of this year. As the dumb surfer in the bunch, Deadhead could be counted on to say something idiotic in his slow drawl. Though McCrea was always assured a laugh based on how the role was written, it is to his credit that Deadhead came off as sweetly naïve rather than a complete moron.
Jody McCrea was born on September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles. His father was western star...
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Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Tall, strapping, square-jawed Jody McCrea who became a favorite of teenage audiences during the Sixties for his amusing performances as “Deadhead” in the series of Beach Party (1963) movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello passed away on April 4 of this year. As the dumb surfer in the bunch, Deadhead could be counted on to say something idiotic in his slow drawl. Though McCrea was always assured a laugh based on how the role was written, it is to his credit that Deadhead came off as sweetly naïve rather than a complete moron.
Jody McCrea was born on September 6, 1934 in Los Angeles. His father was western star...
- 4/18/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Tom Lisanti
To get in a warm weather mood with summer not approaching fast enough, here is a look at Hollywood surf movies from a different and albeit biased perspective. Gay men are always looking for gay subtext in movies and TV, and I am no exception. Am I reading more into these films? Probably—but it was sure a lot of fun doing the research.
The Sixties beach movie craze began with Gidget (1959) starring Sandra Dee and James Darren, a fictionalized look at teenager Kathy Kohner’s surfing escapades in Malibu during the mid-Fifties. It was groundbreaking as the movie contributed to the mass dissention of surfers on the beaches of Malibu and started a series of surf-theme films such as Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Ride the Wild Surf. The surf movie soon morphed into the beach-party film, whose heyday was from 1963 through 1965, where surfing was only used...
To get in a warm weather mood with summer not approaching fast enough, here is a look at Hollywood surf movies from a different and albeit biased perspective. Gay men are always looking for gay subtext in movies and TV, and I am no exception. Am I reading more into these films? Probably—but it was sure a lot of fun doing the research.
The Sixties beach movie craze began with Gidget (1959) starring Sandra Dee and James Darren, a fictionalized look at teenager Kathy Kohner’s surfing escapades in Malibu during the mid-Fifties. It was groundbreaking as the movie contributed to the mass dissention of surfers on the beaches of Malibu and started a series of surf-theme films such as Gidget Goes Hawaiian and Ride the Wild Surf. The surf movie soon morphed into the beach-party film, whose heyday was from 1963 through 1965, where surfing was only used...
- 4/13/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
According to his official website, Jody McCrea, the actor-son of Frances Dee and Joel McCrea, died in in Roswell, New Mexico, of cardiac arrest on April 4. He was 74. Born on Sept. 6, 1934, in Los Angeles, Jody McCrea was the oldest of McCrea and Dee’s three sons. Frances Dee was best known for playing sweet young things in the 1930s, e.g., Little Women and The Gay Deception (though her most remarkable performance at that time was the nymphomaniac in Blood Money), and for the atmospheric I Walked with a Zombie in 1943. Joel McCrea starred in dozens of dramas and comedies in the 1930s and 1940s, including the classics The Palm Beach Story (1942) and The More the Merrier (1943), but in the 1950s spent most of his on-screen time riding horses and wearing cowboy hats, usually in B+ productions. Jody McCrea began his acting career in the short-lived 1959 television series Wichita Town,...
- 4/7/2009
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Our 'Wild Bunch'...
Christopher Lee, Richard Kiel, Raymond Benson, Caroline Munro, Lee Pfeiffer, Jon Heitland, Dave Worrall, Gareth Owen, Tom Lisanti, David Savage, Matthew Field, Tim Greaves, Jaz Wiseman, Mark Cerulli, Robert Fairclough, Michael Siegel, Darren Allison, Gary Giblin, Martin Gainsford, Roger Nash, Laurent Perriot, Peter S. Haigh, Robert Sellers, Stephen J. Spignesi, Michael Lewis, Bill Duelly, Jerome Wybon, Tony Earnshaw, Michael Dainard, Dean Brierly, Christian H.Thompson, Vic Armstrong, Madeline Smith, Steve Saragossi
Tom Lisanti
Tom Lisanti is the author of five books on Sixties Cinema. His latest two releases are Glamour Girls in Sixties Hollywood and Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. Among his interviewees are such Sixties cult movie actors as Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Aron Kincaid, Francine York, Jody McCrea, Lana Wood, Diane McBain, Chris Noel and Peter Brown. Tom credits his fascination with film to frequent family outings to the...
Christopher Lee, Richard Kiel, Raymond Benson, Caroline Munro, Lee Pfeiffer, Jon Heitland, Dave Worrall, Gareth Owen, Tom Lisanti, David Savage, Matthew Field, Tim Greaves, Jaz Wiseman, Mark Cerulli, Robert Fairclough, Michael Siegel, Darren Allison, Gary Giblin, Martin Gainsford, Roger Nash, Laurent Perriot, Peter S. Haigh, Robert Sellers, Stephen J. Spignesi, Michael Lewis, Bill Duelly, Jerome Wybon, Tony Earnshaw, Michael Dainard, Dean Brierly, Christian H.Thompson, Vic Armstrong, Madeline Smith, Steve Saragossi
Tom Lisanti
Tom Lisanti is the author of five books on Sixties Cinema. His latest two releases are Glamour Girls in Sixties Hollywood and Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. Among his interviewees are such Sixties cult movie actors as Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Aron Kincaid, Francine York, Jody McCrea, Lana Wood, Diane McBain, Chris Noel and Peter Brown. Tom credits his fascination with film to frequent family outings to the...
- 1/1/2006
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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