Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on December 2, 2024

Gene Hackman.The Conversation (1974). Francis Ford Coppola directed this overlong, but engrossing look into the life of an intensely private surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) whose recording of a seemingly innocent conversation has tragic results. Hackman’s character strives to distance himse   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on November 18, 2024

Rock and Jane in front of the picture window.All That Heaven Allows (1955). My second favorite Douglas Sirk film (after Imitation of Life with Lana Turner) stars Jane Wyman as Cary Scott, a wealthy widow in a New England town who falls in love with Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson), a...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on November 4, 2024

We thought we'd try out a new game this month! For each numbered item below, we have listed three characters from the same TV series. Your task is to name the TV series! Most of these are easy; we tried not to go for obscure characters (at least for this...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on October 20, 2024

Fred Astaire as a ChowderSociety member.When I watch a film adaptation, I try to evaluate it on its own merits--as opposed to comparing the movie to its literary source. I am struggling with that, though, as I write this review of Ghost Story (1981), a simplified version of Peter Straub's...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on October 7, 2024

Quid (Stacy Keach) with his harmonica.Directed by Hitchcock admirer Richard Franklin, Roadgames (1981) follows truck driver Patrick Quid (Stacy Keach) as he traverses the desolate highways of rural Australia after witnessing what may have been the aftermath of a murder. You see, there's a serial kil   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on September 23, 2024

This is our second edition of this new game. Please let us if you enjoy playing it. For each movie below, we have listed three performers that appeared in it (not necessarily as a star). Your task is to name the movie! As always, please answer no more than questions...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on September 9, 2024

Dick Powell as Marlowe.My favorite fictional detectives are the erudite, snobbish Philo Vance and the sarcastic, sly Philip Marlowe. Both have been the subject of numerous films, but with middling results. Marlowe has been played by an unusual assortment of actors that includes Humphrey Bogart, Robe   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on August 26, 2024

Mandy Miller as Mandy.Mandy (aka Crash of Silence) (1952). The lives of Christine and Harry Garland are thrown into turmoil when they discover that their young daughter, Mandy, is congenitally deaf. The parents grapple with their own misconceptions and differing views on how to best support Mandy. S   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on August 12, 2024

Kim Novak and William Holden.Picnic (1955). Joshua Logan, who directed the stage version William Inge's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, also directed this screen adaptation. Set in a small Kansas town, the story revolves around Hal Carter (William Holden), a charming drifter who arrives in town seeking   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on July 28, 2024

This month, we're hosting a different game at the Café! For each movie below, we have listed three performers that appeared in it (not necessarily as a star). Your task is to name the movie! As always, please answer no more than questions per day so more people can play...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on July 15, 2024

Publicity still with Mamie Van Doren & Tony Curtis.All American (1953). Tony Curtis headlines as Nick Bonelli, a star quarterback who transfers to a different university to pursue his interest in architecture after his parents die in a car crash. He faces various challenges and conflicts at his   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on July 1, 2024

Stewart as Biegler pleads his case.Anatomy of a Murder is the best courtroom drama ever made.Otto Preminger’s enthralling motion picture requires multiple viewings to be fully appreciated. When I first saw it, I focused on the riveting story, which treats the viewer much like the jury. We list   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on June 17, 2024

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a James Stewart film and ask you to name the actual film. Most of these are pretty easy. Please answer no more than three questions per day so others can play. You may have an answer other than the...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on June 3, 2024

John Wayne as "Whistling" Dan Roman.The High and the Mighty (1954). When a passenger airliner en route from Honolulu to Los Angeles experiences engine problems, the pilot faces a critical decision: Does he attempt a dangerous landing in the ocean and hope the Coast Guard can rescue the passengers? O   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on May 11, 2024

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a film and ask you to name the actual film. Most of these are pretty easy. Please answer no more than three questions per day so others can play. You may have an answer other than the intended one--just...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 29, 2024

Love Is a Ball (1963). I thought I had seen every 1960s romantic comedy until the blandly-titled Love Is a Ball popped up on the cable channel Screenpix. It stars Charles Boyer as Etienne Pimm, a matchmaker who is part Pygmalion and part con artist. He specializes in pairing titled,...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 15, 2024

Yvette Mimieux with one of the chimps. We've been on a Disney movie run at the Cafe, revisiting some of the studio’s lesser-known live action films. There have been some pleasant surprises (Emil and the Detectives) and a few major disappointments (Dick Van Dyke wasted in Never a Dull Moment).   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 1, 2024

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a film and ask you to name the actual film. Most of these are pretty easy. Please answer no more than three questions per day so others can play. You may have an answer other than the intended one--just...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 18, 2024

Donald Sutherland and Jane Fonda.Klute (1971). When a businessman suddenly disappears and obscene letters are found among his work papers, the man's wife hires private detective John Klute to conduct an investigation. Klute (Donald Sutherland) quickly learns that the mystery centers around part-time   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 4, 2024

James Shigeta as Detective Joe Kojaku.The Crimson Kimono (1959). Writer-director Samuel Fuller's once-controversial cult film revolves around two police detectives, one Caucasian and one Japanese, who try to solve a complicated murder case involving a stripper in the Japanese quarter of Los Angeles.   read more