We’re almost halfway through my 50’s film noir class, and one major theme has emerged, that of the great number of directors and screenwriters, their Hollywood careers shut down by the Communist blacklist, who flocked to noir as an outlet to both make money and vent their feelings about our troubled country. Some of them, like writer Dalton Trumbo, … Continue reading BLACKLIST BLUES: Two by Losey, One by Dassin
Author: Brad
SCREAM QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 17 and 18
There are only two really fine episodes of Ellery Queen left, and one of them is presented here. It’s well known that when Fred Dannay and Manny Lee moved their detective from his metaphorically international wanderings and planted him in Hollywood for a few novels, something went a little off. Here, we find Ellery in Hollywood, and … Continue reading SCREAM QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 17 and 18
DID ENID BLYTON INVENT Q-ANON?: The Twyford Code
As voracious a reader as I have been since the age of six, I didn’t pick up a book by Enid Blyton until my fifties, when I discovered her fifteen-book series about The Five Find-Outers, privileged children who, from 1943 to 1961, spent each school holiday solving mysteries and calling their leader “Fatty.” My British … Continue reading DID ENID BLYTON INVENT Q-ANON?: The Twyford Code
TWO QUEENS FOR A DAY: Ellery Queen Episodes 15 and 16
Two complex puzzles this time around with a double large roster of guest stars, some of whom get ill-served by the crowded plots. I love a good courtroom drama, and I blush at stuck-in-its-time racism; you’ll find both here. Just a quick note: this project serves to remind me that binge-watching a series has its … Continue reading TWO QUEENS FOR A DAY: Ellery Queen Episodes 15 and 16
LES FEMMES FORTES: Caged and The Hitchhiker
For my second week in Elliot Lavine's 50's film noir class, we're presented with a dynamic double-bill: a film full of women where few hold any power, and a film with only men - and, for once, a woman in charge. Marie Allen (Eleanor Parker) enters prison Before the “women in prison” film devolved into … Continue reading LES FEMMES FORTES: Caged and The Hitchhiker
ACES TRUMP A PAIR OF QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 13 and 14
Kind of a low point in the series for me here. Just sayin’ . . . Jim Hutton as Ellery Queen with Tom Reese as Sergeant Velie EPISODE THIRTEEN: THE ADVENTURE OF THE SUNDAY PUNCH (Written by Larry Alexander ; original airdate 1/11/76) The Cast: The big name in this guest cast is Lloyd Nolan … Continue reading ACES TRUMP A PAIR OF QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 13 and 14
QUEEN’S GAMBIT: Ellery Queen Episodes 11 and 12
With this installment, we reach and pass the halfway mark in our single season of Ellery Queen, and I can only express my disdain for NBC, which moved the show around from time slot to time slot and save a little invective for shows like The Streets of San Francisco, which played opposite our hero, drained ratings, … Continue reading QUEEN’S GAMBIT: Ellery Queen Episodes 11 and 12
BURLESQUE QUEENS OF THE NILE: EQ Episodes 9 and 10
EPISODE NINE: THE ADVENTURE OF VERONICA’S VEILS (Written by Robert Pirosh; original airdate 11/13/75) The Cast: A gem of a cast in a burlesque background, beginning with George Burns who, even though he only has a cameo, rates top billing! Burns spent most of his hundred years performing. He was “discovered” when, as a seven-year-old … Continue reading BURLESQUE QUEENS OF THE NILE: EQ Episodes 9 and 10
COOKIES FULL OF ARSENIC: Film Noir of the 50’s, Week One
“I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me . . . “ No, my friends, I haven’t forsaken books on this blog about them. It’s just that January has been a month for movies and TV. Maybe it’s the rain. Maybe … Continue reading COOKIES FULL OF ARSENIC: Film Noir of the 50’s, Week One
THE QUEENS OF HEARTS: Ellery Queen Episodes 7 and 8
EPISODE SEVEN: THE ADVENTURE OF COLONEL NIVIN’S MEMOIRS (Written by Robert E. Swanson; original airdate 10/23/75) The Cast: Another cast consisting primarily of television actors, many with a rich pedigree in the medium. I have a special fondness for Rene Auberjonois because, like Paul Shenar from “Miss Aggie’s Farewell,” he was a founding member of … Continue reading THE QUEENS OF HEARTS: Ellery Queen Episodes 7 and 8
Ah Sweet Mystery! 