t’s Christmas at Ticklish Business and our first episode sees guest Howard Casner and I compare and contrast the 1947 George Seaton feature, Miracle on 34th Street, with the 1994 … Continue Reading Ticklish Business Episode #32: Miracle on 34th Street (1947/1994)
The studio era had a way of doing things with genres that weren’t unique but, in execution, make all the difference in the world. Director Henry Koster was adept at … Continue Reading Music for Millions (1944)
“Last night I dream of Manderlay again…” The first words spoken in Alfred Hitchcock’s American debut conjure up a dreamworld that could only exist in the imagination, and yet it’s … Continue Reading Rebecca (1940)
Director John Brahms was best known for his sumptuously decorated murder mysteries, 1944’s The Lodger and 1945’s Hangover Square. Before he was getting A-list talent to go alongside his beautifully … Continue Reading The Undying Monster (1942)
In 1859 author Wilkie Collins published The Woman in White, considered the first mystery novel with an actual detective-esque structure. Imitated in numerous films since, from serious drama to animated … Continue Reading The Woman in White (1948)
Describing the Florida Keys always sounds as if a Dashiell Hammett-esque noir voice should be speaking the words aloud: “An isolated strip of land as beautiful as it is hot.” … Continue Reading Key Largo (1948)
Out of all the on-screen teams the studio system created, none endures as strongly as the teaming of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. The two made nine films together, and … Continue Reading Woman of the Year (1942)
By 1946 actor Humphrey Bogart fit into the role of detective Philip Marlowe so perfectly it might as well have been his favorite pair of shoes. Though this was Bogie’s … Continue Reading The Big Sleep (1946)
Zorro is one of those characters I’m aware of, but have never actively watched any of the myriad films or television shows featuring him and his feared “Z” mark. Best … Continue Reading The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Often imitated, never duplicated, Gone with the Wind‘s massive success in 1939 saw every studio attempt to find their own literary epic to adapt in the hopes of sweeping up awards (and … Continue Reading All This, And Heaven Too (1940)
There’s a formula to film noirs, and while not strictly enforced there are particular elements one looks for – the morally ambiguous hero, interplay between light and shadow, an evil … Continue Reading Pitfall (1948)
An actress not often associated with comedy (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane doesn’t count), Bette Davis allowed her dry wit to come into contact with a few rom-coms throughout … Continue Reading June Bride (1948)
Catching lightening in a bottle is a next to impossible journey, so it’s understandable that director Otto Preminger struggled to recapture the same romantic noir mood he evoked in Laura … Continue Reading Daisy Kenyon (1947)
In a world of gritty landscapes and dark shadows it’s often easy to forget the exotic locations many film noirs are located in. Riffraff is one such exotic adventure … Continue Reading Riffraff (1947)
Originally published October 22nd, 2015 You’d be hard pressed figuring out how Hollywood went from the rather serious minded Invisible Man series of films, starring Claude Rains, to the romantic … Continue Reading The Invisible Woman (1940)
This weekend looks at two takes on the post-matrimonial comedy. Based on the novel and play by Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman’s Honeymoon, Haunted Honeymoon suffered before a single cell of … Continue Reading Haunted Honeymoon (1940)
