Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on May 15, 2021

Tomorrow marks the celebration of National Classic Movie Day and, as is tradition, we're hosting a blogathon to highlight this annual May 16th event. This year, we're asking classic movie bloggers to list one favorite film from each decade from the 1920s through the 1970s (or, one film per decade...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on May 10, 2021

Ann-Margret and Pat Boone.This bright 1962 remake of the Rodgers-Hammerstein musical State Fair (1945) was clearly intended to attract the young adult audience. Top-billed Pat Boone had scored a #1 hit song with "Moody River" the previous year. Co-star Bobby Darin was still churning out hit singles   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on May 3, 2021

1. In So Far, So Good: A Memoir, Burgess Meredith wrote: "Well, everybody was taking parts in Batman — from Frank Sinatra to Otto Preminger, everyone. It was the trendy thing to do back then. The Penguin stuck to me because the character was vivid." Actually, Sinatra never played a...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 26, 2021

A befuddled Lou Peckinpah.Following the success of his romantic comedy The Goodbye Girl (1977), Neil Simon returned to the zany spoof formula of Murder By Death (1976). Indeed, The Cheap Detective could have been a sequel to Murder By Death with Peter Falk reprising his role of Sam Diamond--a knock-   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 19, 2021

Jack Nicholson as Bobby Dupea. The years have not been kind to Five Easy Pieces (1970), which earned four major Oscar nominations and was hailed by Roger Ebert as a "masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity." In retrospect, it's a meandering film that boasts two stellar performances and an iconic sce   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 12, 2021

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a film that starred Olivia de Havilland 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...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on April 5, 2021

Gene Hackman as Coach Norman.Second chances, the popularity of small town sports, and teamwork are the themes that underlie Hoosiers, a surprise 1986 boxoffice hit.Gene Hackman stars as Dale Norman, a formerly disgraced college basketball coach hired at Hickory High School. The team has only seven p   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 29, 2021

To celebrate National Classic Movie Day on May 16th, we are hosting the 6 Films--6 Decades Blogathon. Per its title, each participating blogger is invited to list one favorite film from each decade from the 1920s through the 1970s. (If you prefer, you could also list one film per decade...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 22, 2021

1. Born as Julia Chalene Newmeyer in 1933, she was billed as Julie Newmeyer in her first major screen role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). She played Dorcas and was paired with Jeff Richards as one of the seven Pontipee brothers. Richards, a former professional baseball player, was...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 15, 2021

Jack Lemmon and Glenn Ford. The incredibly versatile Delmer Daves directed three of my favorite Westerns from the 1950s, a decade in which the genre flourished. Each film is decidedly different from the other. The Hanging Tree (1959) is a tale about self-forgiveness and the power of love. 3:10 to...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 8, 2021

Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner.1. The King and I (1956) - Yul Brynner's Oscar-winning per-formance as King Mongkut of Siam anchors this clash of cultures (a popular R&H theme) and unlikely, ever-so-subtle love story. Deborah Kerr provides strong support as Anna Leonowens, a British widow who accep   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on March 1, 2021

Gwangi: The star of the movie! Made in 1969, The Valley of Gwangi is one of those movies that seems to improve with age. Its far-out “cowboys vs. dinosaur” premise has always held a certain appeal. However, repeat viewings have allowed me to truly appreciate the little touches that made   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on February 22, 2021

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a Humphrey Bogart 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 February 15, 2021

1. William Hopper auditioned for the TV series Perry Mason--for the role of Perry! You can view his screen test opposite Ray Collins as Lieutenant Tragg on YouTube. The part went to Raymond Burr, of course, and Hopper was cast as private investigator Paul Drake. He was nominated for an...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on February 8, 2021

James Stewart and Carroll Baker.The words “epic” and “”sprawling” are typically used to describe MGM’s 164-minute, 1962 all-star Western. At the risk of sounding mundane, that’s still an apt description. Filmed in the widescreen process Cinerama, How the Wes   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on February 1, 2021

James MacArthur as Rudi. I'm hoping that Disney+ will eventually provide an outlet for some of the studio's lesser-known live action films, such as The Sword and the Rose, The Fighting Prince of Donegal, and Third Man on the the Mountain. The subject of this review, Third Man on the...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on January 25, 2021

As you peruse our list, note that these are our picks for the five best inspirational sports movies. There are many other fine movies about sports (A League of Their Own), sports figures (Brian's Song, The Pride of the Yankees), and sports-related stories (Field of Dreams). The aim of the...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on January 18, 2021

Here are the rules: We will provide an "alternate title" for a film that aired on the ABC Movie of the Week 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...   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on January 11, 2021

Michael Redgrave as Crocker-Harris. After 18 years at a prestigious English boys' school, Andrew Crocker-Harris has accepted a less-stressful position teaching at an institution for "backward boys." Once a promising scholar, Crocker-Harris's career stalled many years ago and he's now plagued by ill   read more

Classic Film & TV Cafe Posted by Rick29 on January 4, 2021

Banacek with his trademark cigar.George Peppard starred as free-lance, Boston-based insurance investigator Thomas Banacek in a pilot movie and 16 episodes of Banacek. The series aired as part of the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie in 1972-74. He was assisted in each episode by his friend, bookstore owne   read more