Penelope (Natalie Wood) is a bored housewife who steals things for fun. Her inattentive husband runs a bank, which goes a long way toward explaining her kooky scheme to rob her husband’s bank of $60,000. She confesses this to her psychiatrist (Dick Shawn) and attracts the attention of a police officer (Peter Falk), and…
All posts in 2011
Already Missing the Daily Mirror
Larry in 2010, recipient of the Courageous Citizens Award. I am heartbroken by this news: The LA Times has put the axe to The Daily Mirror blog. For those who never went, The Daily Mirror was a massive daily blog featuring articles scanned from the archives of the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Every day you…
SLatIFR’s Summer Quiz
Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule is famous for many things: The reviews, the insight, the super spicy nachos, and of course the movie quizzes. I’ve been wanting to do one of these for a long while, but was always stymied on or before question #20 on the list, because I know a lot…
No More Ladies (1935) redux
Somehow, I ended up with a pile of great promotional photos for No More Ladies, so here they are. How’s that for an introduction? “I gots some pictures. Look at them, dammit!” This collar haunts me in my nightmares. Personally, I wouldn’t be caught dead near food in that gown. Or inks or liquids or…
Everybody Loves Kay Francis
Please don protective eyewear, as you cannot stare directly into the glamour without jeopardizing your vision.
Holiday Pictures
Holiday pictures, as in pictures to send you off on your government-approved three day holiday. Valid in the U.S. only. The rest of you will just have to enjoy a regular weekend. I’m still cleaning out my Whoops I Forgot To Post This folder, so here we go. Hollywood Hotel: Housewife: Courtesy Film Noir Photos.…
The Bette Davis Project #16: Wagon Train: “The Elizabeth McQueeny Story”
Bette Davis guest starred in three episodes of “Wagon Train,” and BBFF Ivan tipped me off to a rerun of her second appearance in “The Elizabeth McQueeny Story”. This 1959 episode featured Ward Bond in the lead as wagon master Seth Adams leading a wagon train to, er, somewhere in the west. I don’t really…
The Bette Davis Project #15: The Star (1952)
The Star (1952) tries so hard to be the All About Eve of film, to mix real life with cinematic license, but it never quite succeeds at its lofty intentions. It’s possible The Star was conceived as pastiche, but I truly doubt it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthwhile film, because it is campy…
Hedda Hopper #2
And now, those publicity stills of Hedda I promised you: Photograph by Victor Georg. This and other photos can be found at Allure — check it out! Irene Dunne, Louise Beavers, Hedda Hopper. From The Daily Mirror. Early 1930s publicity glamour photo, from Stirred, Straight Up, With a Twist. Hedda Hopper and Sam Goldwyn. Hedda…
Hedda Hopper #1
At some point during my many hours of watching older films, I realized Hedda Hopper had been in an enormous amount of movies. I knew she had been an actress, but I learned that fact back in the day when almost nothing she appeared in was available for the general public. Curiosity piqued by her…