Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Ray Milland and Jane Wyman star in Billy Wilder’s “The Lost Weekend”

The Lost Weekend is a 1945 American drama directed by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman. The screenplay was written by Wilder and Charles Brackett based on the novel by Charles R. Jackson. The cinematography is by John F. Seitz, and the music is by Miklos Rozsa.

New York writer Don Birnam (Milland), is packing for a weekend vacation with his brother Wick (Philip Terry). Don, who is an alcoholic, is desperately trying to get out of traveling out of town. When his girlfriend Helen St. James (Wyman) arrives with gifts and two tickets to an afternoon concert, Don suggests that Wick go to the concert instead of him. Don’s goal is to get drunk and forget about the weekend trip.

So begins a downward spiral into severe alcoholism, where Don will do anything for a drink.

Will Don be able to claw his way back to sobriety and a stable life with Helen?

 

Ray Milland and Jane Wyman

Billy Wilder (1906 - 2002) was an Austrian-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He won six Academy Awards for his writing and direction and was nominated twenty-one times over a career that spanned five decades. Wilder started his career as a writer, penning the screenplays for Ninotchka (1939), Ball of Fire (1942), Double Indemnity (1945), The Lost Weekend (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1951)  Boulevard (1951), Sabrina (1955), Some Like it Hot (1960), and The Apartment (1961). As a director, he won Academy Awards for directing The Lost Weekend (1946) and The Apartment (1961). Wilder directed fourteen different actors in Oscar-nominated roles. He is considered one of the most versatile directors from Hollywood’s Classical period.

Ray Milland (1907 – 1986) was a Welsh-American movie star and film director. He won a Best Actor Oscar for portraying an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945). Milland played bit parts at M-G-M and Paramount. While at Paramount, he was loaned to Universal to for a lead in the Deanna Durbin movie Three Smart Girls (1936). The success of the film led to him being cast in leading roles. He became one of Paramount’s biggest stars, remaining there for almost 20 years. Other films starring Milland include The Major and the Minor (1942), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), where he had top billing over John Wayne, the horror classic The Uninvited (1944), The Big Clock (1948), and Dial M for Murder (1954). Later in his career, he starred as Ryan O’Neal’s father in Love Story (1970).

Jane Wyman (1917 – 2007) was an American actress. Wyman starred in movies and television and won a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948). She received four nominations for Best Actress between 1946 and 1954. She had a huge success with the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981 – 1990), where she play the conniving family matriarch Angela Channing. Other Wyman films include The Lost Weekend (1945), The Yearling (1946), Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1955), and  Pollyanna (1960).

 

Ray Milland

The Lost Weekend trivia

  • Billy Wilder claimed that the liquor industry offered Paramount $5 million not to release the film.
  • Ray Milland checked himself into Bellevue Hospital with the medical staff’s approval so he could experience what a drunk ward was like.
  • Ray Milland didn’t give an acceptance speech when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He acknowledged the applause and left the stage.
  • Billy Wilder read The Lost Weekend on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles. He thought it would be the perfect material for his next film.
  • Ray Milland was advised not to take the role, fearing it would damage his career. Many leading men of the day turned the role down.
  • Jane Wyman was loaned to Paramount for her role as Helen St. James. Wyman called it a “miracle.” Her performance received good notices and she went for supporting player to major movie star.

 

Click HERE to join the online discussion on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.

 

Discussion questions

  1. How do you think audiences in 1945 reacted to this film?
  2. Does the impact of this film hold up in 2025?
  3. Was Ray Milland believable as an alcoholic?
  4. Did he and Jane Wyman have good on-screen chemistry?
  5. Was the film’s portrayal of alcoholism realistic?
  6. Did anything about the film surprise you?

Sunday, May 11, 2025

2025 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival—Planning V. Reality: What Did I See? #TCMFF

Every year, I try to plan what movies I’m going to see at the TCM Film Festival. It’s tough keeping to the schedule you planned out beforehand, but there are challenges. Below are the films I planned on seeing and what I actually saw. The reality of what I ended up seeing is in red.

Thursday April 24

7-8 p.m. Teacher’s Pet (1958) – I’ve never seen this film, and I’m excited to see it on the big screen with an audience. And for this night only, it doesn’t conflict with any other movie I’d like to see. I actually kept to schedule on this one. I was determined to see this film. I had never seen it before, and I wasn’t disappointed. Day and Gable were great, and so was Gig Young, nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his performance; it was well deserved. It was entertaining, and it looked great on the big screen.

Gig Young, Doris Day, and Clark Gable

10 p.m. – 12 a.m. If I can stay awake, I may see Hud (1963) in the Egyptian Theatre. It’s been years since I’ve seen this film, and never in the theater, so this could be fun. Well, I wasn’t able to stay awake. I wasn’t too disappointed, but I would have liked to have seen it with an audience at the Egyptian.

Friday April 25

9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Thunderball (1965) starring Sean Connery as James Bond. Screening in the Chinese Multiplex House, and Luciana Paluzzi will be at the post-screening. Cinderella (1950) is screening at the El Capitan Theatre at 10 a.m. I’m tempted to go see it because I haven’t seen it since my older sister took me to see it when I was a kid, and the El Capitan is a really beautiful theater. I’ll probably end up seeing the Bond film. Odd decision between Thunderball and Cinderella, but that’s how it goes at the TCMFF. I ended up seeing Thunderball, and I was glad I did. It was a beautiful DCP presentation. The color was perfect; it looked brand new. It was a James Bond film I hadn’t seen before, so it was a real treat to see it on the big screen (you might be seeing this phrase often). Bond bad girl Luciana Paluzzi was interviewed after the film by Eddie Muller. Paluzzi, who is 87 years old, was a delight. She looked amazing and had wonderful stories about the director, Terrence Young, and Sean Connery. She and Connery remained lifelong friends after the film wrapped.



12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. This is a toss-up. The Time Machine (1960) and Babe (1995) are both scheduled at the same time. The Time Machine is in the small Chinese Multiplex Theatre 4. I didn’t follow my plans at all. I chose Servant’s Entrance (1934), starring Janet Gaynor and Lew Ayres. The supporting cast included Ned Sparks and Walter Connolly. I had never heard of this film, a screwball comedy, but it packed out the Egyptian. The movie is a forgotten gem that includes an amazing animated dream sequence by Disney animators, three years before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I was glad I saw this film; it may be my favorite from the whole festival.



3 p.m. – 5 p.m.; 3:15 p.m. -5 p.m.; 3:30 – 5:15 p.m. Three movies that I would like to see, but I have to choose one. In order of show times, it’s: Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Enchanted Cottage, and Edge of the City (1957). Which movie would you choose? I ended up seeing The Enchanted Cottage. I had seen Bringing Up Baby on the big screen just a few months ago, and Edge of the City was playing in Theatre Four, which is the smallest of the multiplex theatres, and it’s a challenge to get in sometimes. So, I decided to see The Enchanted Cottage. I hadn’t seen that movie in decades, so it felt like new to me. It was a restored DCP presentation, and looked beautiful in glorious black and white!

Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire

6:30 p.m. The Lady Eve (1941) is a movie I have to see on the big screen with an audience. It’s one of my favorite Preston Sturges films, and it stars two legends of the screen: Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. There wasn’t a chance I was going to miss this one. It was wonderful seeing it on the big screen for the first time with an audience primed to enjoy it, and we did!

9 p.m. – 11:15 p.m. Now, Voyager (1942); 9:15 – 10:45 p.m. Lili (1953). Another toss-up and two completely different movies. I may just flip a coin on this one. It might be tough getting into Lili since it’s screening in Theatre 4. Well, I decided on Lili. I remember seeing Lili when I was young. They used to play it at children’s matinees. I think they thought the puppets made it perfect for kids, but it’s a film that deals with some adult themes. The film was shown in 35mm.



Saturday April 26

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Ben-Hur (1959) is being presented in a world premiere restoration in the Chinese Theatre. I can’t think of a better theatre to see this Academy Award-winning epic. If I see this film, that means I’m giving up a chance to see two other movies. I would like to see Daisy Kenyon (1947) at the Egyptian Theatre in a nitrate print. I opted to see Ben-Hur at the Chinese in a world premiere restoration that was absolutely glorious. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie as clear and perfect as this one. The color was so vibrant and clear, it was like seeing it for the first time. The chariot race on the screen at the Chinese was thrilling. As many times as I’ve seen Ben-Hur, the chariot race never gets old.



3:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. To Be or Not To Be (1942) is screening at Theatre 4 so it could be tough getting into this one, but I’m going to try. This Ernst Lubitsch comedy is one of the best of the era. I got in and it was great. The audience was totally into it, and made it all the more enjoyable.

9 p.m. – 11:15 p.m. A Guy Named Joe is a movie I wanted to see as soon as it was announced. The film stars Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, with a star-making turn by a young Van Johnson. It’s in Theatre 4, so I’ll have to get in line early. I was determined to get into this movie, so I skipped the group of movies that started at 6:15 p.m. I ended up being number two in line. I shouldn’t have worried because the theatre wasn’t filled?! I could have seen any one of the movies before it and gotten in. I was glad I saw it on the big screen, regardless. I thought a film starring Tracy and Dunne would have been a bigger draw, but there was a lot of competition during that slot. Oh, by the way, I was number two in line.

Sunday April 27

Sunday can be a crap shoot with the TBA movies being revealed. As of this moment, I don’t know what I want to see. Nothing is a must-see for me, although there are some movies I’d like to see on the big screen, like Splendor in the Grass (1961) at 11:45 a.m. in Theatre 1. I may go see the silent version of Beau Geste (1926) in the Egyptian Theatre at 7:30 p.m. I ended up seeing at 9 a.m. All This and Heaven Too (1940) in Theatre Four (my luck getting into this theatre was extraordinary). I did go to see Splendor in the Grass in Theatre 1. Wood’s daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, with her daughter were interviewed before the film by Alicia Malone. Natasha’s daughter had never seen the movie before, so she was seeing it for the first time on the big screen with an audience. She never met her grandmother. At 5:30 p.m., I went to see Moonlight and Pretzels (1933). This pre-code musical was a hoot. A low-rent imitation of 42nd Street (1933), was so bad it was good. The audience ate it up, and so did I. Some memorable numbers from the movie included “Dusty Shoes.” Check it out below!



The last movie I saw was Beau Geste (1926) starring Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton, Ralph Forbes, with Victor McLaglen and William Powell. This silent film was making its world premiere restoration at the Festival. Shown in the Egyptian theatre with a small orchestra and a foley artist who provided sound effects. It was quite amazing to experience a silent film the way audiences would have when it was first released.

All in all, I saw 13 movies in four days, which comes to 3.25 movies a day. In past Festivals, I’ve seen as many as 16 movies. This year, I took out some time for lunch and dinner, something I neglected in past years.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney find out “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) is an American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, and the cinematography was by Joseph LaShelle.

Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a tough New York City cop who was demoted due to excessive force in the line of duty. During a routine investigation with a witness to a crime (a possible murder), things go terribly wrong. When Dixon questions Ken Paine (Craig Stevens), a drunk Paine becomes angry and starts a fight. Defending himself, Dixon punches Paine who falls and hits his head, killing him instantly. In a panic, because of his recent demotion and fearing his career would be over if he told his superiors, Dixon disposes of Paine’s body. 

Paine’s estranged wife, model Morgan Taylor (Tierney), is brought in for questioning because she too was a possible witness to the murder. Morgan’s husband used her as “bait” to lure a Texas tycoon to a floating crap game at mobster Tommy Scalise’s (Gary Merrill) apartment. The tycoon ends up dead and it looks like Scalise was trying to pin it on Paine. When circumstantial evidence gets Morgan’s father (Tom Tully) arrested for the murder of his son-in-law, Dixon finds himself with a moral dilemma, complicated by his attraction to Morgan.

Will Dixon come clean and face the consequences, or will he let Morgan’s father take the fall?


Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made major stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947). After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).


Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man, starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958, he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television, guest-starring on shows like The Twilight ZoneCheckmateThe Barbara Stanwyck ShowBen Casey, The Love BoatIronside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).



Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. She was spotted by 20th Century-Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and he offered her a movie contract. Zanuck said that Tierney was the most beautiful woman in the movies. Tierney proved that she could carry a film not completely based on her beauty in films like Laura (1944) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) for which she was nominated for her first and only Best Actress Academy Award. Other important films include The Razor’s Edge (1946), Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Iron Curtain (1948), Whirlpool (1949), and The Mating Season (1951). In the late 1940s, she struggled with mental illness which negatively affected her career. After 1955’s The Left Hand of God, Tierney was off the screen until Advice & Consent (1962). She appeared in two films after that, but her career in film effectively ended in 1964 after a guest appearance in The Pleasure Seekers.


Where the Sidewalk Ends trivia:
  • This was the last film that director Otto Preminger directed under contract to 20th Century-Fox.
  • It reunited Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, and Preminger, who all worked on the classic film noir Laura (1944). 
  • Andrews and Tierney starred in five films together; this was their last.
  • Designer Oleg Cassini, who was married to Gene Tierney at the time, has a small role as a fashion designer in the film. While the two were married, Cassini designed many of the film costumes for Tierney.
  • Craig Stevens, who played Ken Paine went on to fame on the small screen in the television series Peter Gunn.
  • Otto Preminger made more films with Dana Andrews than any other actor; the two made five films together.

Why watch this film?
The film has a reputation as one of the first, if not the first, of the “bad cop” films. Dana Andrews delivers a great multi-layered performance as Dixon. Otto Preminger was a master of the film noir genre, and this is one of his best.
It’s the last time Andrews and Gene Tierney appeared together on film.


Click HERE to join the online discussion on May 12, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.




Discussion questions:
  1. What did you make of  Dixon’s character? Were you rooting for or against him?
  2. How do you think the director handled the subject matter? Was it believable?
  3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
  4. The film had some amazing character actors. Did you have a favorite?
  5. Was the chemistry between Andrews and Tierney believable?
  6. Did the film end the way you expected it to? Did you find it satisfying?

Friday, April 18, 2025

Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, and William Bendix star in “Detective Story”

Detective Story (1951) is an American drama directed by William Wyler and starring Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, and William Bendix. The supporting cast includes Cathy O’Donnell, George Macready, Lee Grant, and Joseph Wiseman. This was the film debut for both Grant and Wiseman.

The film takes place over one day at a New York City police station. Kirk Douglas plays a tough detective who, in his pursuit of criminals, leads him to discover a secret that could destroy his marriage and career.



Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Movie Archive

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Click HERE to join the online discussion on May 5, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker

Detective Story trivia

  • The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Eleanor Parker and Best Supporting Actress for Lee Grant.
  • Alan Ladd was originally offered the role of Detective McLeod.
  • The film is based on the Broadway play that ran for 581 performances. Ralph Bellamy starred as Detective McLeod.
  • Joseph Wiseman and Lee Grant recreated their stage roles.
  • Cathy O’Donnell and Gladys George were directed by William Wyler in The Best Years of Our Lives.

Discussion questions

  1. Do you think the play transferred to film successfully?
  2. Eleanor Parker is on screen for just over 20 minutes but it was enough for her to get a Best Actress nod. Do you think she deserved it?
  3. What did you think of Kirk Douglas’s performance as the detective?
  4. The movie has an amazing supporting cast. Did any one performance stand out to you?
  5. Did anything about the film surprise you
  6. Would you recommend this movie to a friend?

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

2025 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival: What movies will I see?

Turner Classic Movies Film Festival Plan – Subject to change

Planning for the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF) is always tough. The way movies are scheduled means you have to make tough choices. Often, you are disappointed that a movie that you really love is scheduled at the same time as another movie you really love.

Here is my schedule (subject to change) at this moment in time.

Thursday April 24

7-8 p.m. Teacher’s Pet (1958) – I’ve never seen this film, and I’m excited to see it on the big screen with an audience. And for this night only, it doesn’t conflict with any other movie I’d like to see.

Clark Gable and Doris Day in Teacher's Pet

10 p.m. – 12 a.m. If I can stay awake, I may see Hud (1963) in the Egyptian Theatre. It’s been years since I’ve seen this film and never in the theater, so this could be fun.

Friday April 25

9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Thunderball (1965) starring Sean Connery as James Bond. Screening in the Chinese Multiplex House, and Luciana Paluzzi will be at the post-screening. Cinderella (1950) is screening at the El Capitan Theatre at 10 a.m. I’m tempted to go see it because I haven’t seen it since my older sister took me to see it when I was a kid and the El Capitan is a really beautiful theater. I’ll probably end up seeing the Bond film. Odd decision between Thunderball and Cinderella, but that’s how it goes at the TCMFF.

12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. This is a toss-up. The Time Machine (1960) and Babe (1995) are both scheduled at the same time. The Time Machine is in the small Chinese Multiplex Theatre 4.

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.; 3:15 p.m. -5 p.m.; 3:30 – 5:15 p.m. Three movies that I would like to see, but I have to choose one. In order of show times it’s: Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Enchanted Cottage, and Edge of the City (1957). Which movie would you choose?

6:30 p.m. The Lady Eve (1941) is a movie I have to see on the big screen with an audience. It’s one of my favorite Preston Sturges films, and it stars two legends of the screen: Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.

Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve

9 p.m. – 11:15 p.m. Now, Voyager (1942); 9:15 – 10:45 p.m. Lili (1953) Another toss-up and two completely different movies. I may just flip a coin on this one. It might be tough getting into Lili since it’s screening in Theatre 4.

Saturday April 26

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Ben-Hur (1959) is being presented in a world premiere restoration in the Chinese Theatre. I can’t think of a better theatre to see this Academy Award-winning epic. If I see this film, that means I’m giving up a chance to see two other movies. I would like to see Daisy Kenyon (1947) at the Egyptian Theatre in a nitrate print.

3:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. To Be or Not To Be (1942) is screening at Theatre 4 so it could be tough getting into this one, but I’m going to try. This Ernst Lubitsch comedy is one of the best of the era.

9 p.m. – 11:15 p.m. A Guy Named Joe is a movie I wanted to see as soon as it was announced. The film stars Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, with a star-making turn by a young Van Johnson. It’s in Theatre 4, so I’ll have to get in line early.


Sunday April 27

Sunday can be a crap shoot with the TBA movies being revealed. As of this moment, I don’t know what I want to see. Nothing is a must-see for me, although there are some movies I’d like to see on the big screen, like Splendor in the Grass (1961) at 11:45 a.m. in Theatre 1. I may go see the silent version of Beau Geste (1926) in the Egyptian Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Choosing which movies to see is tough, and if past years are any guide, I’ll change my mind when I get to LA.

Friday, April 11, 2025

Olivia de Havilland enters “The Snake Pit”

The Snake Pit (1948) stars two-time Best Actress winner Olivia de Havilland.

De Havilland is Virginia Cunningham, an aspiring writer and newlywed. Early in their marriage, she begins to wonder about her husband’s love for her. She becomes confused and disorientated, necessitating her commitment to a state mental institution. Her experiences in the institution are harrowing. The movie had a profound impact on the public, and many states reevaluated and changed their treatment of mental patients.

De Havilland heads an impressive cast that also includes Leo Genn as a sympathetic psychiatrist and Mark Stevens as her long-suffering husband. The cast is populated by some of the best-known character actresses of the era, including Beulah Bondi, Ruth Donnelly, and Natalie Schafer. The Snake Pit was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (de Havilland), and Best Director (Anatole Litvak).

The movie is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Mary Jane Ward. Ward had a nervous breakdown and spent eight months at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, New York. During her care, she was subjected to scalding baths and electroshock therapy, similar to what the Virginia Cunningham character experiences in the film.

Backstory
Director Litvak demanded that all the character actresses in the film be seasoned professionals. He wanted to be sure they could stand up to a talent like de Havilland. There are dozens of recognizable faces in The Snake Pit, making it a classic movie buff’s delight.


Celeste Holm (left) and Olivia de Havilland in The Snake Pit


Anatol Litvak (1902 – 1974) was a Russian-American film director. He got his start in film in Germany, but as Hitler rose to power, he moved to France and worked in the film industry there. Seeing that the rise of the Nazis wasn’t going to work in his favor, he emigrated to the United States. He had an early success with Mayerling  (1936), leading to a contract to direct at Warner Brothers. There he worked with the studio’s top stars, including Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Paul Muni, Ida Lupino, Charles Boyer, Ann Sheridan, James Cagney, and John Garfield. Some of Livak’s films include Tovarich (1937), The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938), Castle on the Hudson (1940), City for Conquest (1940), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).

Olivia de Havilland (1916 – 2020) was a British-American actress and two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner. De Havilland’s career spanned more than five decades. She was one of the leading actresses of the 1940s and was the last major surviving star from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Some of de Havilland’s classic films include The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), Hold Back the Dawn (1941), To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).


Click HERE to watch the film at the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on April 21, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.


The Snake Pit trivia

  • Thirteen states amended their laws concerning mental health institutions.
  • The book on which the movie was based by Mary Jane Ward was a runaway bestseller.
  • Antatole Litvak and Olivia de Havilland visited several mental institutions for three months prior to filming.
  • De Havilland won the New York Film Critics award in a unanimous decision. It was the first and only time this has happened.
  • Ginger Rogers and Ingrid Bergman supposedly turned down the role of Virginia. Olivia de Havilland was producer Daryl F. Zanuck’s first choice for the role.

Discussion questions

  • What did you think of Olivia de Havilland’s performance? Was she convincing and worthy of her Best Actress nomination?
  • The supporting cast is uniformly excellent. Did any one performer stand out to you?
  • Mark Stevens played de Havilland’s husband; what did you think of his performance?
  • British actor Leo Genn played Dr. Kik. Was his performance believable?
  • Was there a scene that was especially impactful to you?
  • Did anything about the film surprise you?


Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Peter Cushing and Andre Morell star in “Cash on Demand”

Cash on Demand (1961) is a British neo noir crime drama directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Peter Cushing and Andre Morell.

Two days before Christmas, Gore Hepburn (Morell), a phony insurance investigator, pulls a con on a bank by making the manager think that his family has been kidnapped.

Thinking he has no choice, bank manager Harry Fordyce (Cushing) helps Hepburn steal £93,000, hiding his actions from the rest of the bank staff.

Will Hepburn be able to pull off the con, and will Fordyce regain his reputation as an honorable banker?



Quentin Lawrence (1929 – 1979) was an English film and television director. Most of his work was for ATV.

Peter Cushing (1913 – 1994) was an English actor whose acting career spanned over six decades. He appeared in over 100 films and also performed on television, radio, and the stage. He gained fame playing lead roles in horror films produced by Hammer Productions. Cushing gained international fame playing Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977).

Andre Morell and Peter Cushing

Andre Morell (1909 – 1978) was an English actor. He worked in the theatre, film, and television. He is best known for his roles in several BBC Television productions. He had film roles in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Ben-Hur (1959). Morell played Dr. Watson in the 1959 Hammer Productions The Hounds of the Baskervilles.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on April 14, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. This film was made on a very tight budget but is considered one of the best B films to come out of the U.K. Did it seem like a low-budget feature to you?
  2. Peter Cushing plays an honorable bank manager in the film. What did you think of his performance?
  3. Andre Morell is the bad guy. Is he convincing as someone who could pull off such a con?
  4. Did anything about the film surprise you?
  5. Was the ending believable, satisfying?

 





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