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The late great Peter Falk was born on September 16, 1927, and his detective drama “Columbo” is as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be.

It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys..

SEE30 best TV detectives ranked

From the first official installment of “Columbo” – entitled “Murder by the Book” and featuring Jack Cassidy as the...

Carrie Courogan titled her new book about Elaine May, the legendary writer, director, and comic, “Miss May Does Not Exist.” But for some, it might feel like May’s feature films don’t necessarily either – particularly “The Heartbreak Kid.” The 1972 comedy – a box office hit upon its release and future Oscar nominee – is out of print on physical media, never cycles through the surfeit of available streaming platforms, and rarely screens at repertory theaters. So it was little surprise to find an enthusiastic crowd inside New York’s Metrograph theater on Wednesday night for a 35mm members-only showing of “The Heartbreak Kid” pegged to the recent release of Courogan’s book. (The print was loaned out by the Academy Film Archive.)

Based on the short story by Bruce Jay Friedman and written for the screen by Neil Simon, “The Heartbreak Kid” focuses on Lenny Cantrow (a sublime Charles Grodin), a...

Those who fought in World War II are considered the Greatest Generation. And executive producers Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman paid homage to these young men who risked life and limb during the global conflict in their award-winning 2001 HBO series “Band of Brothers” and 2010’s “The Pacific.” And now they’ve taken to the not-so-friendly skies in their latest World War II series, Apple TV +’s “Masters of the Air.”

Created by John Shiban and John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” is based on the 2007 book: “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the War Against Nazi Germany,” the series starring Austin Butler focuses on the 8th Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group stationed in England. It was known as the “Bloody Hundredth” because of the high causalty rate.

Watching the series, one can’t help but remember the numerous bombardier films produced by Hollywood...

Saturday marks 96 years since the great Peter Falk was born (9-16-27), which strikes us as a great reason to revisit a detective drama as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be. We’re wishing him a Happy Birthday, even though he left us on June 23, 2011.

It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys.

It's hard to believe it's been 70 years since Fred Zinneman's "From Here to Eternity" came out. Not that we were all there of course, but time has been really kind to the all-star, Best Picture-winning drama. Unlike many of the rah-rah war films emerging from America during and post-World War II, "From Here to Eternity" argues not that war is hell — since most of the movie takes place during peace time — but that men, even in the army, are subconsciously determined to make life hell whether there's a war on or not.

Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra star as soldiers stationed in Hawaii immediately prior to World War II, whose stubborn pride and barely contained insecurities lead directly to many avoidable tragedies. Clift plays Private Prewitt, a formerly promising boxer who refuses to box again after accidentally blinding a fellow soldier, and endures criminal abuse just because...

Butch Patrick turns 70 today, but he still exhibits the same youthful exuberance he brought to The Munsters as Eddie Munster from 1964 to 1966. From child actor to the classic series’ de facto delegate, I had the pleasure of speaking with Patrick about his unconventional career, The Munsters‘ legacy, and more at NorthEast Comic Con’s Collectibles Extravaganza.

Patrick stumbled into acting. While accompanying his little sister to a print modeling shoot, the photographer asked to take his photo as well. “He took some pictures of me afterward, and he put one in his window. About a month later, a producer and a director were walking by. They were casting a movie, and they still needed the youngest son of Eddie Albert and Jane Wyatt. I wound up getting the movie. It was a great little B-movie called The Two Little Bears.”

He continues, “I went for an interview and got hired,...

Could you imagine anyone other than Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor portraying Manhattan transplants Lisa and Oliver Douglas on Green Acres? While the series ended its illustrious run in 1971, Lisa and Oliver are still considered one of the most iconic TV couples ever. Gabor and Albert’s natural chemistry is largely credited with making the show great. Despite that, Albert and Gabor were not CBS executives’ first choices for their roles. In fact, Albert was only offered the job after another actor passed on it.

Eddie Albert only landed the role of Oliver Douglas after another actor declined the job

Eddie Albert was amazing as Oliver Douglas, the Manhattanite who dreamed of living a simpler life and made it happen, despite his wife’s objections. The way he portrayed Oliver’s exasperation with his wife, Lisa, and the eccentric residents of their nondescript farming town, Hooterville, helped the series succeed.

Romantic comedies have been around since the beginning of the film industry, but they’ve had a bit of an up-and-down run over the years. From their heyday in the 1990s to Netflix’s recent efforts to bring them back into mainstream popularity, we thought it was time to take stock and make a list of the ten best romantic comedies ever.

Related: 10 Best Comedies of All Time, Ranked by Viewers

We compiled a top 10 list and crunched numbers until we arrived at our ultimate list. As you’ll see below, this is an eclectic mix that includes everything from black-and-white classics to modern blockbusters. Each one fits the American Film Institute’s definition—a genre in which “the development of a romance leads to comic situations”—but more importantly, they’re all funny movies with romantic happy endings.

10 Highest-Rated Romantic Comedies on IMDb The Artist (2011) – 7.9 The Shop Around the Corner...

Jaclyn Smith is an American actress and designer. She is best known for her role in Charlie’s Angels, her Kmart fashion and skincare lines.

Jaclyn Smith Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education

Jaclyn Smith was born on October 26, 1945 (Jaclyn Smith: age 77) in Houston, Texas. Her parents were Margaret Ellen and Jack Smith (of Russian-Jewish heritage). In 1964 she graduated from Mirabeau B. Lamar High School and went to study psychology and drama at Trinity University. After one year she transferred to Balanchine School of American Ballet.

Her first acting roles consisted of modeling for commercials and ads, including Listerine and Breck Shampoo in 1971. A few years later she joined her future co-star Farrah Fawcett as a spokesmodel for Wella Balsam Shampoo. Her first movies consisted of Goodbye, Columbus (1969), The Adventurers (1970), Probe (1972) and Bootleggers (1974) before starting her role as Kelly Garrett in Charlie’s Angels.

In her exclusive interview with uInterview, Smith discussed...

This expensive production was dismissed as a flop, and literary critics scorned it for diluting the famed novel by Theodore Dreiser. But it plays well now: William Wyler gives star Laurence Olivier what may be his best film acting role ever. Jennifer Jones’ title part suffers from script changes that censor and sentimentalize Dreiser’s intentions, but the film remains a shattering tragedy. Eddie Albert co-stars in one of his first dramatic roles; this encoding includes a scene dropped from the original release.

Carrie (1952)

Region Free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] #200

1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 121, 118 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.95

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert, Basil Ruysdael, Ray Teal, Barry Kelley, William Reynolds, Mary Murphy, Charles Halton, William Baldwin, Dorothy Adams, Jacqueline de Witt, Don Beddoe, Royal Dano, Margaret Field.

Cinematography: Victor Milner

Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson

Costume Design: Edith Head

Film Editor: Robert Swink...

Fifty years ago, Angela Lansbury opened the 45th Academy Awards ceremony, with a song-and-dance number that paid homage to a day on a movie set. Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston and Rock Hudson shared Oscars hosting duties on March 27, 1973, a historical night of Academy controversies, record-making, and memorable moments. Enjoy our Oscar flashback 50 years to the ceremony on NBC.

It began with Heston running late due to a flat tire; he was scheduled to deliver the voting rules in a “Ten Commandments” manner. Asked to fill in at the last minute was Clint Eastwood, who humorously claimed, “They pick the guy who hasn’t said but three lines in 12 movies to substitute for him.” Fortunately, Moses showed up and saved Dirty Harry about midway through the speech.

SEEOscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie

Five completely different types of films were represented in the Best Picture category,...

Actress Jaclyn Smith, best known for her iconic role as Kelly Garrett in Charlie’s Angels, recently sat down with uInterview founder Erik Meers to discuss how she got her start on the show for our Icon Interview series.

“I had done Switch with Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert and I had a semi-regular role and oddly enough, Rj had an interest in Charlie’s Angels and Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts who were the producers of hour pilot said we like the girl on Switch, even though they wanted a redhead because it was to be a blonde, a brunette and a redhead thinking it covered all the bases and women in the world which was a little crazy,” Smith said describing how she ended up being cast. “Even though I didn’t have red hair, I got the part. I went in a read among a lot of other actresses,...

Anthony Asquith’s unusual look at wartime espionage garnered good notices in 1958, perhaps from reviewers rebelling against the trend toward ruthless screen violence. Star Paul Massie is fine as an emotionally-stricken Allied assassin who balks at carrying out his mission; the acting support from Irene Worth and Leslie French is superb. Screenwriter Paul Dehn was an ace at sharp, no-nonsense thrillers, but this story is soft around the edges — it seems to be explaining non-chivalric warfare to your sweet old grandmother. Which reminds us, Lillian Gish has a small role, too.

Orders to Kill

Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1958 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 112 93 min. / Street Date September 20, 2022 / available from Amazon / 34.99

Starring: Eddie Albert, Paul Massie, Lillian Gish, James Robertson Justice, Leslie French, Irene Worth, John Crawford, Lionel Jeffries, Sandra Dorne, Lillabea (Lillie Bea) Gifford, Anne Blake, Sam Kydd, Ann Walford, Denyse Alexander, Ralph Nosseck.

Cinematography: Desmond Dickinson

Art Director: John Howell

Film...

Hello, everyone! August 23rd is a quiet day for horror and sci-fi home media releases, but that doesn’t mean that this week’s offerings aren’t pretty darn great all the same. Scream Factory has put together a killer Collector’s Edition 4K release for Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers and Kino Lorber has put together reissues of their Blu-ray box sets for seasons one and two of The Outer Limits, which genre fans will definitely want to pick up.

Cheers!

Dog Soldiers: 4K Collector’s Edition

A group of soldiers dispatched to the Scottish Highlands on special training maneuvers face their biggest fears after they run into Captain Ryan – the only survivor of a Special Ops team that was literally torn to pieces. Ryan refuses to disclose his mission even though whoever attacked his men might be hungry for seconds. Help arrives in the form of a...

Click here to read the full article.

Faye Marlowe, a 1940s starlet best known for her turn opposite the doomed Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell and George Sanders in the film noir classic Hangover Square, has died. She was 95.

Marlowe died May 5 in Cary, North Carolina, her daughter Karen Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.

In her brief Hollywood career, the dark-haired Marlowe also starred alongside Richard Conte in The Spider (1945), another excellent film noir; with Richard Crane in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946); and, as the title character, with Eddie Albert in Rendezvous With Annie (1946).

After she appeared on the stage for John Brahm, the German director gave her a key role in her first movie, Fox’s Hangover Square (1945). She played the pianist girlfriend of a mild-mannered composer (Cregar) who suffers from blackouts and becomes a serial killer in the turn-of-the century, London-set thriller scored by Bernard Herrmann.

(Cregar, who was...

Multiple Emmy Award-winning actress and animal rights activist Betty White, who most famously starred in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, has died, just days short of her 100th birthday. White passed peacefully Thursday night at her home, her agent Jeff Witjas confirmed to Deadline.

“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas said in a statement. “I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2021: A Photo Gallery

Although White is most notably known for playing sweet and naive Rose in The Golden Girls from 1985-1992, her career began more than four decades prior in her adopted home of Los Angeles.

Retro-active: The Best From The Cinema Retro Archives

Review – Naked City: The Complete Series

Rlj Entertainment / 6,063 minutes

By Harvey F. Chartrand

Naked City was like no other TV series before or since – Michel Moriarty, star of Law and Order, once told this reviewer.

Inspired by Jules Dassin's 1948 film of the same name, Naked City centers on the detectives of the NYPD’s 65th Precinct, but the criminals and New York City itself often played as prominent a role in the dramas as the series regulars. Like the film it was based on, Naked City (1958- 1963) was shot almost entirely on location. The first season ran as a half-hour show under the title The Naked City, starring James Franciscus and John McIntire playing, respectively, Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon—the same roles essayed by Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald in the film.

The Naked City also starred Harry Bellaver as Det.

It’s been said that American women of the 1950s admired Marilyn Monroe, but they wanted to be Audrey Hepburn, who projected an entirely different appeal. Hepburn had talent, grace, a dazzling smile and the strength to overcome any obstacle. Paramount now rounds up their Audrey Hepburn holdings to release this seven-picture ode to the great actress, the sentimental favorite. Several are near-perfect entertainments, great films everybody should see. All are handsomely remastered in HD, in their proper aspect ratios. I’d consider this definite holiday gift-giving material.

Audrey Hepburn 7 – Movie Collection

Roman Holiday, Sabrina, War and Peace, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Paris When It Sizzles, My Fair Lady

Blu-ray

Paramount Home Entertainment

1952-1964 / Color + B&w / Street Date October 5, 2021

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Mel Ferrer, Fred Astaire, George Peppard, William Holden, Rex Harrison.

Directed by William Wyler, Billy Wilder, King Vidor, Stanley Donen, Blake Edwards,...

This week's Best Movie You Never Saw is 1984's cult classic Dreamscape, starring Dennis Quaid as a psychic recruited by his former mentor (Max Von Sydow) for a top-secret program involving the infiltration of dreams. Little do either of them know, the government agent (Christopher Plummer) financing the program intends to use it to assassinate the nightmare-plagued U.S president (Eddie Albert). Kate Capshaw, coming off of Indiana Jones and the…...

There’s only one actor on earth who could sell a line like “There’s no deceit in the cauliflower,” and he passed away today.

It’s been said that “The Graduate” could have made Charles Grodin a star, had the actor only accepted the role that eventually went to Dustin Hoffman. Such “what ifs” are impossible to judge, but I like the way it actually worked out, with Grodin’s breakthrough (and best) performance coming five years later, as callow newlywed Lenny Cantrow, who meets his ideal mate at the most inopportune of times — on his honeymoon — in Elaine May’s “The Heartbreak Kid.”

Before either of them became film directors, May and “The Graduate” helmer Mike Nichols were a hit comedy duo, and I’m fairly certain the two saw the same qualities in Grodin, who had a goofily handsome quality in his 30s that made him ideally...

Nevertheless, she persisted.

Elaine May, who turns 89 on Wednesday, has enjoyed a late career resurgence, earning a Tony Award for her work in Kenneth Lonergan’s play “The Waverly Gallery” and directing an acclaimed documentary on her friend and frequent collaborator Mike Nichols for American Masters. Even “Ishtar,” her much derided 1987 flop, clawed its way into the black by the early aughts, as emails from the Sony hack revealed.

And yet, it’s impossible not to feel as though movie lovers and comedy fans have been robbed of decades of great work because the entertainment industry never quite knew what to make of May. Her struggles to remain true to her unbending artistic compass in a bottom-line-driven industry derailed her directing ambitions. May’s resume is slender, consisting of just four features, but what’s there is choice. There are three masterworks, “Mikey and Nicky,” “The Heartbreak Kid” and “A New Leaf,...

This show has everything going for it, in fact, it has Too much going for it: tragic drama, silly comedy, bland heart-tugs and saucy romance. Everybody’s working across purposes, with ‘stunt’ guest star Bobby Darin preening for awards attention. Angie Dickinson, Tony Curtis and Eddie Albert are terrific but are acting in different movies; and Gregory Peck seems out of his depth altogether. Does it keep our attention? You bet. Does it work? I’m not so sure.

Captain Newman, M.D.

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 126 min. / Street Date January 5, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Bobby Darin, Eddie Albert, Robert Duvall, Bethel Leslie, Dick Sargent, James Gregory, Larry Storch, Jane Withers, Vito Scotti, Gregory Walcott, Ann Doran, Martin West, David Winters.

Cinematography: Russell Metty

Film Editor: Alma Macrorie

Music: Frank Skinner

Written by Richard L. Breen, Phoebe & Henry Ephron from...

Robert Aldrich promised no-holds barred rough-tough dramas, and his first two Associates & Aldrich productions certainly hit hard. This play adaptation shows its director’s strength (no-flinching full shock impact) and weakness (theatrical overplaying) in full measure, but the unrestrained performances of Jack Palance and Eddie Albert are unforgettable. The main event can’t have pleased the Pentagon: shooting one’s own officer in combat. Plus, Lee Marvin and Richard Jaeckel get in early innings for their future work in Aldrichs’s The Dirty Dozen.

Attack

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date December 1, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin, William Smithers, Buddy Ebsen, Robert Strauss, Richard Jaeckel, Jon Shepodd, Peter van Eyck, Jimmy Goodwin, Steven Geray, Strother Martin.

Cinematography: Joseph Biroc

Film Editor: Michael Luciano

Original Music: Frank Devol

Written by James Poe from the play Fragile Fox by Norman Brooks...

Perfection is a word used too frequently to describe a movie. But in the case of the 1953 romantic comedy “Roman Holiday,” perfection is not hyperbole. Directed by William Wyler and nominated for 10 Academy Awards, “Roman Holiday” is a gem of a fairy tale.

Audrey Hepburn plays Princess Ann, a young sheltered monarch from a European country bored to tears on a goodwill trip who decides to escape her guardians while in Rome. She ends up falling in love with a handsome American reporter (Gregory Peck). He recognizes the princess on the lam and initially befriends her to get her story only to fall for the winsome young woman. Eddie Albert plays Peck’s carefree, womanizing friend who is a photographer.

“Roman Holiday,” which just made its Blu-Ray debut, was a change of pace for Wyler, who was best known for his dramatic work, having already won Oscars for 1942’s “Mrs. Miniver...

She still loves game shows. She still answers questions with Rose Nylund’s exclamation points. She’s won six Emmys and hosted three different series titled “The Betty White Show” during her eight decades in television.

At 98, Betty White has many gifts, including her unique perspective on the evolution of television. The Los Angeles native starred in her first experimental TV broadcast in Hollywood a few months before NBC pulled off its broadcasting feat at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Queens. Her long list of accomplishments include co-starring in three enduring sitcoms: CBS’ “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” NBC’s “The Golden Girls” and TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland.”

In a recent email correspondence with Variety, White shared observations on her career, starting with her days as the record-spinning sidekick on the five-hour daily talk show “Hollywood on Television,” hosted by popular disc jockey Al Jarvis, for...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Paramount has released a superb, newly restored Blu-ray edition of William Wyler's delightful classic "Roman Holiday" starring Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn (in her star-making role) and Eddie Albert. Paramount Home Video recently held a press conference with film historian Leonard Maltin and the studio's Head of Archives Andrea Kalas, who detailed the painstaking time and effort that went into making the film look better than ever. She explained the during filming, the laboratory in Rome caused damage to the original negative. With the crude technology of the era, the final release prints were not able to eradicate all of the flaws. Today, however, the situation is far better and "Roman Holiday" has never looked so good. The movie was one of the first major Hollywood productions to be shot entirely abroad and the on-location aspect in Rome allows the film to capture the flavor and delights...

As the “year from Hell” Aka 2020 continues to drag on and on, we can all agree that the oppressive tension of our current state could be deflated by a good dose of humor. In other words, we can all use a “big laugh”. Really. And so, amongst the somber “indie” premieres streaming on-demand, comes a flat-out, “Lol” comedy that leans heavily on satire. And just what is it taking on? Well, you wouldn’t think this topic would lend itself to laughs at this date. No, it’s not set in the arenas of death and disease. nor the “racial struggle’ (but it does get a few “jabs” in). Hard to fathom, but this farce is set squarely in the world of politics. And before you groan or sigh, a big bonus is the reuniting of two giants of topical TV comedy who have not worked together in nearly 15 years...

Tom Lester, the actor who played the guileless, brighter-than-he-seemed farmhand Eb Dawson on CBS’ 1960s sitcom Green Acres, died Monday in Nashville of complications from Parkinson’s disease, his family announced. He was 81.

Born Thomas William Lester in Laurel, Mississippi, Lester set out for Hollywood after graduating from the University of Mississippi. He studied acting with teacher and Petticoat Junction actress Lurene Tuttle, soon coming to the attention of the show’s creator Paul Henning, who was casting another rural comedy within The Beverly Hillbillies-Petticoat Junction universe.

More from DeadlineNotable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2020: Photo GalleryMatthew Seligman Dies Of Covid-19: David Bowie Bassist And Camera Club Member Was 64Ranjit Chowdhry Dies: 'The Office' And 'Prison Break' Actor Was 64

The show was Green Acres, an alternately hokey and surreal comedy starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a sophisticated...

Tom Lester, best known for his role as the smart-aleck farmhand Eb Dawson on the ’60s sitcom “Green Acres,” died Monday in Nashville, Tenn. from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Lester, who was 81, was the last surviving actor of the original “Green Acres” cast.

His death was confirmed by his brother Michael on Facebook and in local media reports.

Born Sep. 23, 1938 in Jackson, Miss., Lester grew up working on his grandfather’s farm. He earned a degree in chemistry at the University of Mississippi and taught in Oklahoma for a few years before making the move to Hollywood. Lester landed his role in “Green Acres” in 1965, beating out the competition because he was the only actor who could actually milk a cow.

He went on to star in “Green Acres” until the show’s end in 1971, also appearing in the two related series “Petticoat Junction” and “Beverly Hillbillies.” Lester and co-star Eddie Albert,...

Here are many more movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Steven Canals, Larry Karaszewski, Gareth Reynolds, and Alan Arkush with special guest star Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Kung Fu Mama a.k.a. Queen of Fist (1973)

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul (1974)

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

In The Mood For Love (2000)

Hunger (2008)

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Fargo (1996)

Night of the Lepus (1971)

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Soylent Green (1973)

Silent Running (1972)

Canyon Passage (1946)

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

The Professionals (1966)

Ride Lonesome (1959)

Carrie (1952)

The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

Hello Down There (1969)

The Brass Bottle (1964)

The Trouble With Angels (1966)

Pollyanna (1960)

Tiger Bay (1959)

The Parent Trap (1961)

Endless Night (1972)

The Family Way (1966)

Take A Girl Like You (1970)

Freddy Got Fingered...

” The most important thing to remember is: to protect your quarterback – Me!”

Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974) will be screening at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, Il at 7pm Tuesday, January 28th. Admission is $2.

Hollywood veteran director Robert Aldrich gave Burt Reynolds one of his biggest hits – and best roles – in this seriocomic tale of prison life and football. On the surface, the character of Paul Crewe is fairly despicable – he is a smartass, a drunk, and a violent malcontent not above mistreating women. But Reynolds not only makes us like Crewe, he makes us actually root for him to find redemption. With Eddie Albert and Ed Lauter as the villains, and wonderful character performances from Richard Kiel, Michael Conrad, Bernadette Peters, and many others, Yard doesn’t gloss over its portrayal of prison society. The hard life often explodes in violence, racial tensions abound, and then there’s the warden’s secretary.

Sam Bobrick, the creator of NBC’s Saved By The Bell whose writing career stretched back to Captain Kangaroo, The Flintstones, classic episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and included the Broadway play Norman, Is That You?, died Friday, Oct. 11, at Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles following a stroke. He was 87.

His death was announced by his daughter Stephanie Bobrick in a Facebook post. “Our dearly beloved Sam Bobrick, extraordinary playwright, husband, father, grandfather, pug father, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, and all around outstanding person passed away peacefully today, October 11, 2019, surrounded by family and friends. He was as hilarious as he was kind and will be missed by all who knew him.”

In a remembrance on the Medium website, Bobrick’s friend, producer and actor Adam Carl, wrote that Bobrick recently suffered a massive stroke.

Bobrick’s death comes less than a month after NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming...

Who wants to meet Eddie Munster? Lucky St. Lous-area fans of The

Munsters will have the chance this Sunday when he makes an appearance at Cosmic Comics (132 West Main Street in downtown Belleville). He’ll be there from 12-4pm and will be bringing along his Munster’themed autos ‘Dragula’, and ‘The Munsters Coach’ That’s Mother’s Day, so take your Mom to meet Eddie! A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here

Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to Los Angeles to test for the role of Eddie Munster at CBS Studios. “I went in and an hour later I came out with the job” he recalls. Although a cute little kid, he could play brat parts easily.

John Travolta will celebrate his 65th birthday on February 18, 2019. The actor has had a long and varied career, though it has often been marked by extremely high highs and extremely low lows.

Travolta started his career in the musical theater on Broadway with appearances in two shows. He first appeared in the original production of “Grease” in the supporting role of “Doody.” (He would later go on to star in the lead role of Danny Zuko when the film version was made.) His second Broadway appearance would be in a show called “Over Here,” which starred the Andrews Sisters and featured Travolta alongside other newcomers Marilu Henner and Treat Williams.

SEEOscar Best Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

Travolta than moved to Los Angeles and found work in guest appearances on television. He made his film debut in a low budget horror film called “The Devil’s Rain,...

John Travolta will celebrate his 65th birthday on February 18, 2019. The actor has had a long and varied career, though it has often been marked by extremely high highs and extremely low lows.

Travolta started his career in the musical theater on Broadway with appearances in two shows. He first appeared in the original production of “Grease” in the supporting role of “Doody.” (He would later go on to star in the lead role of Danny Zuko when the film version was made.) His second Broadway appearance would be in a show called “Over Here,” which starred the Andrews Sisters and featured Travolta alongside other newcomers Marilu Henner and Treat Williams.

Travolta than moved to Los Angeles and found work in guest appearances on television. He made his film debut in a low budget horror film called “The Devil’s Rain,” which starred such veteran actors as Eddie Albert, Ernest Borgnine,...

Updated with Megan Mullally’s response tweet: Remember wayyyyy back before Donald Trump was the President of the United States? He sure does, and his current and former jobs crashed into each other today. As Potus, he tweeted that he’ll be signing a farm bill “in 15 minutes.” So — of course — the TV-obsessed Leader of the Free World included a clip of him and Megan Mullally singing the Green Acres theme during the 2005 Emmy Awards.

Check it out here, but beware of the sound level:

Farm Bill signing in 15 minutes! #Emmys #Tbt pic.twitter.com/KtSS17xvIn

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

And here is Mullally’s understandable response:

if you guys need me, i’ll be in a hole in the ground

— Megan Mullally (@MeganMullally) December 20, 2018

Say what you will about then-citizen and The Apprentice host Trump’s vocal prowess — he certainly is … uninhibited — but our objection isn’t...

Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! As everyone here in the States prepares for the grand feast later this week, we have a new round of horror and sci-fi home media releases to indulge in before it’s time for turkey and stuffing. Scream Factory is doing the dark lord’s work this Tuesday with their Collector’s Edition releases of both Candyman and Urban Legend, and they’re even showing Urban Legends: Final Cut some love as well. Season 2 of The Outer Limits comes home this week, the recent sci-fi actioner Kin arrives on multiple formats, and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is getting a 4K upgrade to boot.

Other notable releases for November 20th include the Steelbook editions of both Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey and Streets of Fire, Luciferina on Blu-ray and DVD, and Malicious on DVD.

Candyman: Collector’s Edition

This gut-wrenching thriller follows a...

Earlier this year, Kino Lorber released The Outer Limits Season 1 on Blu-ray, and if you've been eagerly looking forward to their second season Blu-ray, then your wait is nearly over, as they'll release the remaining 17 episodes of the series on a four-disc set on November 20th, and we have a look at the full list of special features, including audio commentaries and a new booklet essay by David J. Schow.

The Outer Limits Season Two Blu-ray: "Newly Re-Mastered in HD! The entire first season – 17 Episodes. A four-disc set that controls over 15 hours of transmission from the 1964-1965 series. Guest stars include William Shatner, Adam West, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Duvall, Robert Culp, Eddie Albert, Patrick O’Neal, Dabney Coleman and Robert Webber.

Special Features:

• 17 Episodes and 2 Alternates Episodes - All Newly Mastered in HD

• The Unknown – the alternate cut of “The Forms of Things Unknown” intended a pilot for a show...

Burt is gone, but his movies live on! This weekend, the Skyview Drive-In in downtown Belleville, Il, will pay tribute to the late superstar Burt Reynolds with a double feature of two of his best films!

At 8pm is Smokey And The Bandit

Ever wonder what the second highest grossing film of 1977 was, after Star Wars?Redneck bad boys were all the rage in ’77. Cars were still made in Michigan and Cb radios were the hot technology with phrases like “10-4 good buddy” familiar expressions and Smokey And The Bandit captured that side of American culture as well as any film.The plot of Smokey And The Bandit was merely an excuse for the many car chases and gags that comprised the thin story, which is about Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and his buddy Cledus (aka: “Snowman”. – Jerry Reed) attempting to win a bet. They have to drive from Georgia to Arkansas,...

It is ironic that Neil Simon, who died today at 91, got his inspiration to become a comedy writer from the movies into which he constantly escaped to forget the circumstances of his poor depression-era childhood. Even though he grew up in Washington Heights, much closer to Broadway than Hollywood, it was always the movies of the likes of Chaplin , Keaton and others that stuck with him and led to one of the most sterling careers ever for a writer. Yet by far his greatest success and appreciation came as one of the most successful playwrights of all time, a record of accomplishment that included a whopping 17 Tony nominations and three wins, a Pulitizer Prize for drama, and even as the rare playwright to have a theatre named after him. “I always feel more like a writer when I’m writing a play because of the tradition of the theater … there...

Excitement is building over the pilot for cop series reboot Cagney & Lacey, which is set to star Grey Anatomy’s Sarah Drew as Christine Cagney and Blindspot’s Michelle Hurd as Mary Beth Lacey, a pair of New York City police detectives who couldn’t be more different. One of the people feeling that excitement is actress Sharon Gless, who played Cagney against Tyne Daly’s Lacey in the original series from the 1980s. “First of all, imitation is the highest form of flattery, so it’s quite flattering if they want to do it again," Sharon says in this exclusive chat from her Florida home. "It’s certainly time. I haven’t seen any of what they’re doing, but my feeling is that if you do Cagney & Lacey in this day and age, you could make it much darker than we were allowed to in the ‘80s.

The Super Bowl closes out an exciting season of NFL football this Sunday with a strong match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. So for fans to bide their time in the many months before another kick-off, it’s time to turn your attentions to the greatest football films of all time. There are all kinds of football-based films out there to enjoy — from dramas to comedies, and even an award-winning documentary — and we’ve collected the top 12 here in our photo gallery, ranked from worst to best.

In paring down the list, we had to answer the question: “Just what is a football movie?” We didn’t include “The Blind Side,” for example, because though its central character plays football, the film is primarily about many other things. And while Act 3 of Robert Altman‘s “M*A*S*H” is made up of what is arguably the...

The poster tagline states, “Heaven help us all when The Devil’S Rain!”, and if that grammatical train wreck doesn’t break your brain, I promise you the following 86 minutes will. The Devil’s Rain (1975) is a glorious curiosity, a personal favorite, and thanks to Severin Films’ spectacular new Blu-ray release, one of the best reissues I’ve ever seen.

Meet The Prestons: Mark (William Shatner – Kingdom of the Spiders), his mom (Ida Lupino – Junior Bonner), and their ranch hand John (Woody Chambliss – Gargoyles) all await the return of Mark’s dad, and when he finally shows up, his eyes are missing and he starts melting in the rain (how bad is the humidity in the desert, anyway?). It turns out a fella by the name of Corbis (Ernest Borgnine – Deadly Blessing) is looking for a very special book in the Preston family’s possession, a ledger of souls for...

Happy (almost) Halloween readers! With October 31st falling on the weekly home entertainment release day, that means we have extra reasons to get excited this Tuesday. Scream Factory has put together two absolutely incredible collector’s edition Blu-rays for George A. Romero’s underrated modern classic Land of the Dead as well as Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, which fans are going to want to add to their own personal collections.

For those of you who may have missed it in theaters, The Dark Tower comes home on Halloween, and Lionsgate has given the cult classic Slaughter High the Vestron Video treatment for their brand new Blu. Blue Underground is also keeping busy this week with a pair of Collector’s Edition sets, too—The Lift and Down—and the complete series of Orphan Black makes its home release bow on Halloween, too.

Other notable Halloween...

This short article is in the spirit of the crowded ad-mat advertising blurbs that, once upon a time, would show up in the newspaper for horror related features. The particular composite above is a fantasy, but since all films back then were for General Audiences, a stack like it is entirely credible. Here, it’s an excuse for a trio of personal Savant anecdotes, vividly remembered from fifty-odd years ago.

Not Bad! Charlie Largent assembled this convincing triple bill ad paste-up,

customized for San Bernardino in 1964.

Don’t listen to Gen X’ers or Millennials, kids: the Real era to be an adolescent moviegoer was in the 1950s and 1960s, when downtown movie palaces had regular Saturday kiddie matinees, just as seen in the nostalgic Joe Dante movie. Theaters in most towns functioned as ad hoc babysitters, with kids dropped off in clumps. In many cases the oldest squab in...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for over 25 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place seven times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is November 6th from 9:00a to 3:00p and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster from the beloved ’60s TV show The Munsters will be there! Butch was born on August 2, 1953 in Los Angeles California. He made his acting debut in 1961 at the age of eight opposite Eddie Albert in the film “The Two Bears”. While living in Illinois with his grandmother, Butch was flown to...

Nick Aldwinckle Sep 4, 2017

Our latest round-up of horror and genre DVDs and Blu-rays...

So: with season two of Stranger Things fast approaching, a remake of Stephen King’s It set to mildly trouble a whole new generation and, erm, the on-going threat of nuclear armageddon, it seems everything eighties is 'in' at the moment. And, you know what? That surely must include Dennis Quaid, right? Well, maybe not, unless you count this year’s canine reincarnation/multiple hound-homicide horror A Dog’s Purpose, which we don’t in these parts. Anyway, Quaid’s back in Blu-ray form with the recent repackaging of his 1984 quirky fantasy thriller Dreamscape.

Nicely sandwiched between the release of Jaws 3-D and Enemy Mine, surely two of the most Quaidessential (sorry) films of the decade, Dreamscape sees our hero take on the mantle of a cheaper Harrison Ford, burdened with psychic powers that he must use...

(See previous post: “Gay Pride Movie Series Comes to a Close: From Heterosexual Angst to Indonesian Coup.”) Ken Russell's Valentino (1977) is notable for starring ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev as silent era icon Rudolph Valentino, whose sexual orientation, despite countless gay rumors, seems to have been, according to the available evidence, heterosexual. (Valentino's supposed affair with fellow “Latin Lover” Ramon Novarro has no basis in reality.) The female cast is also impressive: Veteran Leslie Caron (Lili, Gigi) as stage and screen star Alla Nazimova, ex-The Mamas & the Papas singer Michelle Phillips as Valentino wife and Nazimova protégée Natacha Rambova, Felicity Kendal as screenwriter/producer June Mathis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), and Carol Kane – lately of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame. Bob Fosse's Cabaret (1972) is notable as one of the greatest musicals ever made. As a 1930s Cabaret presenter – and the Spirit of Germany – Joel Grey was the year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner. Liza Minnelli...

Here's a brief look – to be expanded – at Turner Classic Movies' June 2017 European Vacation Movie Series this evening, June 23. Tonight's destination of choice is Italy. Starring Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue as the opposite of Ugly Americans who find romance and heartbreak in the Italian capital, Delmer Daves' Rome Adventure (1962) was one of the key romantic movies of the 1960s. Angie Dickinson and Rossano Brazzi co-star. In all, Rome Adventure is the sort of movie that should please fans of Daves' Technicolor melodramas like A Summer Place, Parrish, and Susan Slade. Fans of his poetic Westerns – e.g., 3:10 to Yuma, The Hanging Tree – may (or may not) be disappointed with this particular Daves effort. As an aside, Rome Adventure was, for whatever reason, a sizable hit in … Brazil. Who knows, maybe that's why Rome Adventure co-star Brazzi would find himself playing a Brazilian – a macho, traditionalist coffee plantation owner,...