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Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
I’m reviewing all five films in the Forbidden Hollywood volume two box set: Review of Night Nurse Thou Shalt Not is a 2008 TCM documentary and DVD supplement on the Forbidden Hollywood volume two...
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Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood (2005)
Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood was on my TCM Top Twelve back in May. Here we are at the tail-end of July and I finally watched it and boy is this one of the better documentaries I’ve seen in a...
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The TCM Top Twelve for October
W TCM in October is just behind Summer Under the Stars as my favorite time of year because of all the Halloween films they do! Classic horror is the theme this year and there’s so many excellent...
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Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary: Tales From the Lot (2013)
And I finally get to a TCM Top 12 film reviewed in the month it airs! Can’t say that will happen again, but I feel very pleased with myself. In honor of Warner Brothers 90th Anniversary, as well as...
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Kim Novak: Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival (2013)
She “wasn’t cut out for a Hollywood life;” those are the words of screen legend Kim Novak, who sat down for an intimate interview with TCM host Robert Osborne. Kim Novak: Live From the TCM Classic...
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The House on 92nd Street (1945)
The House on 92nd Street is commonly listed as a must-see entry in the film noir canon. I deign it a perfect example of a period piece in that it’s incredibly dated. I understand the intent of the...
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Don’t Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Richard D. Zanuck Story (2013)
Audiences privileged enough to go to the TCM Classic Film Festival back in April were able to experience the bittersweet première of this documentary. Producer Richard D. Zanuck, alongside his...
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Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)
This post is in honor of the William Castle Blogathon being put on by The Last Drive-In. You can read other contributing pieces here. Last Halloween, this 2007 documentary made my TCM Top 12. It may...
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Private Screenings: Robert Osborne (2014)
TCM is set to celebrate their 20th anniversary and their Private Screenings series, hosted by TCM’s resident historian/host/granddad/awesome person ever, Robert Osborne has run for about as long as...
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And the Oscar Goes To… (2014)
To introduce TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar a documentary directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman was commissioned showcasing the history of the Academy Awards. And the Oscar Goes To… is a serviceable...
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Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood (2000)
Regulars to the site know of my tendency to discuss the roles of women in cinema, and the classic film era simultaneously marginalized and provided opportunities for women in Hollywood. Frances...
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Alias Nick and Nora (1991/2005)
Our final tribute to Nick and Nora Charles is a pair of documentaries included with the Complete Thin Man box set. (I assumed the final disc, Alias Nick and Nora, was a documentary discussing the...
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Haxan (1922)
Halloween is upon us and that means witches rule the week (outside of a few backdated reviews I hope to get up). Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages is the oldest documentary I’ve watched and one of...
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Sinatra: All or Nothing At All (2015)
My experience with the works of Frank Sinatra are amateurish. I’ve watched a few of his films and I know his hits (haven’t listened to any of the deep cuts). In honor of his centennial, a wellspring of...
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Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2014)
Certain stars are larger than life, and with that reputation comes a tendency for documentaries and biographies to glamorize or deify their subject, placing them in a league above men entirely. Chuck...
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Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
To many, Tab Hunter’s name doesn’t inspire any recognition. But for those who enjoy obscure and studio era cinema, Hunter’s both an intriguing outcast who made quite the career comeback through the...
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Women He’s Undressed (2015)
ZZ Top once sang “Every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.” Costume designer Orry-Kelly was Hollywood’s most sharp-dressed man, whose techniques swathed several legendary leading ladies in their...
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Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2015)
In a world of CGI and franchise starters, we’ve lost sight of the hard work that used to go into filmmaking, like when a poster image was hand-drawn by an artist. The story of Harold and Lillian...
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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)
As classic film fans will tell you, the new wave of Hollywood secrets coming out today are nothing if you know about studio era history. Certain stars troubles were well-known, if not open secrets in...
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Making Montgomery Clift (2018)
The tragedy and sadness of Montgomery Clift’s life is well-documented. As a montage in Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon’s documentary, Making Montgomery Clift, shows, the actor with the...
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