Over at Past Offenses this month, Rich Westwood is hosting a celebration of the best mysteries of 1943. Anybody who wants to can select a book or film from that year and put something together. I’m grateful to Rich for providing a forum for folks to share their views and opinions, and I’m especially glad … Continue reading IT’S ALL RELATIVE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
Films
THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
When Rich at Past Offenses chooses a particularly challenging year for his monthly “Crimes of the Century” invitational – where bloggers from all over send in posts of great mysteries of the time – I am grateful that he includes films as well as books. This is particularly true when we’re dealing with the late … Continue reading THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
FOUR FILMS TAKE US OUT OF THE DARK
The end of a year brings a great many things, two of which loom large for me. First, it’s time to reflect on the past twelve months, and, on a personal level, 2016 can’t end soon enough. The New Year looms uncertainly as the nation embarks on the frightening adventure that is President Trump. And … Continue reading FOUR FILMS TAKE US OUT OF THE DARK
PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
This month, over at Past Offenses, Rich is gathering bloggers together to celebrate the mystery fiction and cinema of 1960. It’s not a year particularly suited to my tastes, and as I trolled the lists to find something, the only title that called out to me was the Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho. I wrote briefly about … Continue reading PSYCHO (1960): The Finest Cut of All
COSTUME IN CRIME: The Cinema Version
As the Tuesday Night Bloggers devote the month of October to the subject of Costume in Crime, it would be remiss of me not to discuss some of the great costumed characters in the world of cinematic mysteries, many of them based on literary heroes and villains. I mentioned last week how unbelievable it might … Continue reading COSTUME IN CRIME: The Cinema Version
THIRTEEN BY HITCHCOCK: A Fan Pays Homage to the Master
For the August 13 post of her fine blog, Confessions of a Mystery Novelist, Margot Kinberg did something that still makes me hang my head in shame: she remembered Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday! More than that, she honored him with a salutary post. one which you can – and should – read here. Although it accounted … Continue reading THIRTEEN BY HITCHCOCK: A Fan Pays Homage to the Master
A PORTRAIT OF “LAURA”
“I shall never forget the weekend Laura died . . . “ Otto Preminger’s Laura was one of the top films of 1944 (the year being celebrated all month over at Rich Westwood’s blog Past Offenses). It centers around a lovely girl named Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) who, at the start, has been horribly murdered … Continue reading A PORTRAIT OF “LAURA”
MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD: Hildegarde Withers on Page and Screen
In switching from a monthly author to theme-based posts, I fear the Tuesday Night Bloggers got it a little backward. You see, in May we explored travel and vacations , all whilst I was still slaving away at my teacher’s desk. Now it’s June, when summer vacation starts for haggard educators (oh, and kids, too!), … Continue reading MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD: Hildegarde Withers on Page and Screen
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GORY: Christie and Hitchcock Ride the Rails
I recently read an article about what a boon the self-driving car will be to all of us who like to multi-task as we travel. “Driving is the biggest waste of time,” the proposers of this dubious technology cry, “because the only thing you accomplish is getting from one point to another!” I only hope … Continue reading THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GORY: Christie and Hitchcock Ride the Rails
EVOLUTION OF A COURTROOM MYSTERY: Witness for the Prosecution
They’re celebrating all mysterious things from 1957 over at Rich’s wonderful blog, Past Offenses, so I thought I’d join the party with some thoughts on Witness for the Prosecution, Billy Wilder’s film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s short story. Discussion will follow which necessitates spoiling the central gimmick of the story. Now, I can’t really imagine anyone … Continue reading EVOLUTION OF A COURTROOM MYSTERY: Witness for the Prosecution
Ah Sweet Mystery! 