“Well, here I was and I didn’t know what to do any more than if I was sitting down in front of a dish of poi.” Yes, Book Club has been something of a trial to me. I love my fellow members of the club, but the books have been more “miss” than “hit.” The … Continue reading BOOK CLUB REPORT #11: The Rat Began to Unnerve the Brits
“SLAUGHTER AND BE GAY”: Hitchcock and Farley Granger
My opinion of actor Farley Granger changed forever last year when our film noir class watched 1948’s They Live by Night(aka Thieves Like Us). It was only Granger’s third film, his first with top billing, and he is revelatory here. I wrote previously about that film, about his heartbreaking performance and the disappointing trajectory his career would take … Continue reading “SLAUGHTER AND BE GAY”: Hitchcock and Farley Granger
A DIVINE SYNERGY: Hitchcock’s Notorious
“Of all your pictures, this is the one in which one feels the most perfect correlation between what you are aiming at and what appears on the screen . . . “(Francois Truffaut to Alfred Hitchcock) Notorious is the shining light of Alfred Hitchcock’s output in the 1940’s and his first true masterpiece. Oh, Rebecca won the Oscar, Foreign Correspondent is … Continue reading A DIVINE SYNERGY: Hitchcock’s Notorious
MUST-SEE TV: Only Murders in the Building
I have been known to complain slightly about bad mystery series on TV. And so it gives me great pleasure to announce that a really good one dropped on Hulu a couple of months ago. Only Murders in the Building was created by actor Steve Martin and John Hoffman and stars Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short … Continue reading MUST-SEE TV: Only Murders in the Building
THE INVISIBLE HOST (And the Many Mysteries Surrounding It)
Here’s the first mystery . . . How does it happen that, on this day of all days, two men on opposite sides of the Atlantic decided to spend part of their Sunday writing a review of this book? That the Puzzle Doctor In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel got his review out before mine can … Continue reading THE INVISIBLE HOST (And the Many Mysteries Surrounding It)
READING BETWEEN THE LINES: Spellbound and Suspicion
Fans of classic crime fiction – and I count these among the majority of my visitors – are unlikely to make a favorite double bill out of today’s two Alfred Hitchcock films. Yes, both are adapted from mystery novels by Golden Age writers: Spellbound from Francis Beeding’s The House of Dr. Edwardes and Suspicion from Before the Fact by Francis Iles, pseudonym for … Continue reading READING BETWEEN THE LINES: Spellbound and Suspicion
RISING (FROM THE UNDEAD) CLIMAX: Murder on the Way – The End
It’s the moment that you’ve both all been waiting for: the chance to see me (and hear Flex and Herds, fellow sleuths and hosts of the Aussie podcast Death of the Reader) prove our mettle as armchair sleuths – or fall on our faces before the annoying superiority of blogger, podcaster and two-time book editor JJ McJJ of The … Continue reading RISING (FROM THE UNDEAD) CLIMAX: Murder on the Way – The End
MAGUFFIN AT SEA: Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat
During the 1940’s, Alfred Hitchcock did his bit to help the war effort by filming several propaganda films, two of them – Aventure Malgache and Bon Voyage - at the behest of the British War Ministry. In addition, four of the dozen feature films were connected in some way with the war. Of these, only one, Notorious (1946) can be called … Continue reading MAGUFFIN AT SEA: Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat
“MURDER ON THE WAY” PLAY-ALONG: Chapters 6 – 9
“The whole thing was as unbelievable as Episode Six of The Perils of Pauline.” Greetings, ghoul lovers! If you were with me at this same time last week, you know that I am playing along with Flex and Herds, the genial and tack-sharp hosts of Death of the Reader, the Australian podcast dedicated to reading and unpacking … Continue reading “MURDER ON THE WAY” PLAY-ALONG: Chapters 6 – 9
CLAP HANDS, HERE COMES CHARLIE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood in 1939 under most auspicious circumstances. Fifteen years of work in his native England had produced over two dozen films, including future classics such as The Lodger (1927), The 39 Steps (1935), and The Lady Vanishes (1938), establishing the 40-year old as Europe’s premiere director. The three films mentioned, along with Blackmail (1929), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) … Continue reading CLAP HANDS, HERE COMES CHARLIE: Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt
Ah Sweet Mystery! 