Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you. Given what today is, I thought I would make a post with a Star Wars theme. My dearest Vanessa Marquez was the biggest Star Wars fan I ever knew, and she had an extensive collection of Star Wars merchandise. Quite naturally, she was th … | Continue reading
Legendary guitarist Duane Eddy died on April 30 2024 at the age of 86. The cause was cancer. He was known for such hits as "Rebel Rouser" and "Peter Gunn." Duane Eddy was born on April 26 1938 in Corning, New York. He grew up in Phoenix. He started playing guitar by the time he w … | Continue reading
A scene from Jason and the Argonauts (1964) Tuesday nights in May on Turner Classic Movies are devoted to the special theme The Art of Artifice, in which TCM celebrates production design, special effects, and the various techniques used to make the fictional worlds of movies seem … | Continue reading
As of today, May 1 2024, Blood In Blood Out (1993) is available for streaming on Hulu. For many movies this would not be big news, but in the case of Blood In Blood Out it marks the first time it is available for streaming. In many ways, it is remarkable that the movie is availab … | Continue reading
(This post is part of the Third Agnes Moorehead Blogathon hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood) There can be no doubt that Agnes Moorehead was one of the greatest character actresses of all time. While she is best known today as Endora on the classic television sho … | Continue reading
Mike Pinder, a founding member of The Moody Blues and the band's long-time keyboardist, died on April 24 2024 at the age of 82. He had been suffering for many years from dementia.Mike Pinder was born on December 27 1941 in Erdington, Birmingham. As a young adult he joined the ban … | Continue reading
Mike Pinder, a founding member of The Moody Blues and the band's long-time keyboardist, died on April 24 2024 at the age of 82. He had been suffering for many years from dementia. Mike Pinder was born on December 27 1941 in Erdington, Birmingham. As a young adult he joined the ba … | Continue reading
It was 70 years ago on this date, on April 26 1954, that Seven Samurai was released in Japan. It is regarded as Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, as well as one of the greatest movies ever made. As for myself, it is my favourite movie ever made. Indeed, I consider it the greatest mov … | Continue reading
It was 70 years ago on this date, on April 26 1954, that Seven Samurai was released in Japan. It is regarded as Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, as well as one of the greatest movies ever made. As for myself, it is my favourite movie ever made. Indeed, I consider it the greatest mov … | Continue reading
Terry Carter, who played Private Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show, Sgt. Joe Broadhusrt on McCloud, and Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica, died yesterday, April 23 2024, at the age of 95. Terry Carter was born John Everett DeCoste in Brooklyn, New York on December 16 1928. He … | Continue reading
Sherlock Jr. (1924) remains one of Buster Keaton's most famous movies. It also remains one of the most famous silent movies of all time. Its special effects were revolutionary for the time, and still hold up today. Indeed, the effects in Sherlock Jr. look better than much of the … | Continue reading
The thriller genre emerged in the early 20th Century. Over the years the genre developed its own clichés and tropes, so that it is rare one sees anything original when it comes to thrillers regardless of the medium. When something in the thriller genre, whether it is a novel, mov … | Continue reading
It was 100 years ago today that composer Henry Mancini was born in Maple Heights, Ohio. After serving in the United States Army Air Forces, he became a pianist and arranger for the re-organized Glenn Miller Orchestra (Glenn Miller had gone missing in a plane over the English Chan … | Continue reading
It was thirty years ago today, on April 14 1994, that Turner Classic Movies was launched in a ceremony at Times Square in New York City that included founder Ted Turner, original host Robert Osborne, and such classic film stars as Arlene Dahl, Jane Powell, Celeste Holm, and Van J … | Continue reading
Tomorrow will be the 30th anniversary of Turner Classic Movies. It was earlier this month that Turner Classic Movies, as one of their TCM Originals, released a video recounting the beginnings of TCM from those who were with the channel at the very beginning. The video was produce … | Continue reading
Although I have always wanted to, I have never gotten to attend the TCM Classic Film Festival. I especially wanted to attend last year, when they screened Stand and Deliver (1988). Despite this, every year I enjoy going through the schedule to see what I would want to watch if I … | Continue reading
Legendary cartoonist and comics historian Trina Robbins died at the age of 85 yesterday, April 10 2024, following a stroke. She was at the forefront of underground comics in the late Sixties and Seventies, and the first woman to ever draw Wonder Woman in a DC comic book. She was … | Continue reading
It as fifteen years ago today that Parks and Recreation, perhaps better known as Parks and Rec, debuted on NBC. Its first season of six episodes received mixed reviews, with many comparing it negatively to the American version of The Office. For its second season it was retooled, … | Continue reading
It has been a long week, so I will leave you with a song tonight. Here is one of my favourites, "California Girls" by The Beach Boys. | Continue reading
Louis Gossett Jr. who appeared in the movies A Raisin in the Sun (1961) and An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and the mini-series Roots, died on March 29 2024 at the age of 87. Louis Gossett Jr. was born on May 27 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. He was class president at Abraham Linc … | Continue reading
Lynn Loring, an actress who appeared on the TV shows Search for Tomorrow, Dobie Gillis, and The F.B.I., and a one-time MGM/UA executive, died on December 23 2023 at the age of 80. Her family recently disclosed her death. Lynn Loring was born Lynn Zimring on July 14 1943 in New Yo … | Continue reading
Ron Harper, who starred on the TV shows 87th Precinct, Wendy and Me, Garrison's Gorillas, and Planet of the Apes, died on March 21 2024 at the age of 91. Ron Harper was born on January 12 1933 in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. He earned a scholarship to Princeton University. It was … | Continue reading
Legendary actress Barbara Rush, who appeared in such films as When Worlds Collide (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1954), The Young Philadelphians (1959), and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), and on such TV shows as Peyton Place and Seventh Heaven, died yesterday, March 31 2024, at … | Continue reading
Here at A Shroud of Thoughts we realize that some people appreciate some cheesecake to go along with their Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Here then is this years collection of pinups. Mary Carlisle is dressed as the Easter Bunny and ready to deliver eggs! Marla English is als … | Continue reading
(This post is part of the Mismatched Couples Blogathon hosted by Cinematic Catharsis and Reelweedgiemidget Review) Detectives Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin first appeared in the novel Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout in 1934. Ultimately Rex Stout would write 32 more novels and 41 novell … | Continue reading
Legendary character actor M. Emmet Walsh, he appeared in movies from Blade Runner (1982) to Blood Simple (1984) to Knives Out (2019), died on March 19 2024 at the age of 88. The cause was cardiac arrest. M. Emmet Walsh was born on Mach 22 1935 in Ogdensburg, New York. He grew up … | Continue reading
I want to thank everyone who took part in this year's 10th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon and for making it a success. We had several entries this year. The posts covered shows from the Fifties to Nineties. They also covered a wide array of genres, from anthology show … | Continue reading
The 10th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon is here. It is honestly hard to believe that the blogathon has been going on this long. As in past years, this year's blogathon features several entries on episodes from classic television shows. For those of you who are partici … | Continue reading
(This post is part of the 10th Annual Favourite TV Show Episodes Blogathon hosted by A Shroud of Thoughts) I don't think most people would consider the Nurses episode "The One After the Earthquake" that remarkable. It is certainly not on the same level as, say, the Dick Van Dyke … | Continue reading
As television shows go, Farscape may not be well-known among the general public, but among sci-fi fans, it is often counted among the greatest science fiction series of all time. The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is widely available on streaming. There ha … | Continue reading
People have been complaining about Google search results for years. Some would even say that the search results delivered by Google have steadily declined from what they were years ago. Whether the quality of Google search results have truly declined over the years is a matter fo … | Continue reading
Steve Lawrence, the popular crooner, actor, and comedian who was one half of the duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, died on March 7 at the age of 88 from Alzheimer’s disease. Steve Lawrence was born Sidney Liebowitz on July 8 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was … | Continue reading
It was 35 years ago today that Stand and Deliver (1988) made its television debut on American Playhouse on PBS. At the time it may have seemed strange that a feature film that had only been released to theatres a little over a year earlier would be shown on PBS. What some at the … | Continue reading
Eric Carmen, lead vocalist of The Raspberries and a successful solo artist as well, died yesterday, March 11 2024, at the age of 74. Eric Carmen was born on August 11 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in Lyndhurst, Ohio. He took to music from an early age. He was only three yea … | Continue reading
Yesterday was my birthday, so I did not watch the Academy Awards. Instead, I watched Stand and Deliver (1988) and Twenty Bucks (1993), as it is the only way I can spend my birthday with my dearest Vanessa now. I did watch this year's on-air In Memoriam online today, and I can see … | Continue reading
One of the things I dislike about Turner Classic Movies' 31 Days of Oscar is that it means going without Noir Alley for a whole month. Fortunately, it is returning on Saturday, March 16 2024 with the classic French neo-noir Le Samouri (1967). On March 23 Where Danger Lives (1950) … | Continue reading
Faye Dunaway in Network From Monday, March 11 2024 though Friday, March 15 2024, TCM Spotlight is focused on Women at Work. For five nights, Turner Classic Movies will showing movies centred around women in the work place. They are showing a wide array of films, from the Pre-Code … | Continue reading
Comedian Richard Lewis died on February 27 2024 at the age of 76. The cause was a heart attack. Richard Lewis was born on June 29 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood in 1965, and received a Bach … | Continue reading
Ramona Fradon, co-creator of the superhero Metamorpho with writer Bob Haney and a comics artist known for her work on Aquaman and Brenda Starr, died on February 24 2024 at age 97. Ramona Fradon was born Ramona Dom on October 2 1926 in Chicago. Her father was Peter Dom, a commerci … | Continue reading
As my regular readers know, I have been a Monkees fan ever since CBS reran the show on Saturday mornings in the Seventies. Among my favourite Monkees songs is "You Just May Be the One," written by Michael Nesmith.. The original version of "You Just May Be the One" was recorded on … | Continue reading
Anne Whitefield, perhaps best known for playing Major General John Waverly's (Dean Jagger) daughter Susan in White Christmas (1954), died on February 15 2024 at the age of 85. Anne Whitfield was born on August 27 1938 in Oxford, Mississippi. Her father, Richard N. Whitfield, was … | Continue reading
Over fifty years after its debut on February 8 1974 on CBS, Good Times remains popular. It was also a historic show. Good Times was the first television show centred on a Black nuclear family, with a father, mother, and children. Previously Julia had focused on a widow with a you … | Continue reading
Bright Road (1953) is historic for giving Dorothy Dandridge her first lead role in a feature film. It is also historic as the film debut of Harry Belafonte. A little over a year later Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte would be reunited in Carmen Jones (1954), the film with wh … | Continue reading
Lanny Flaherty, best known for playing Big Al in the cult classic Blood In Blood Out (1993), died on February 18 2024 at the age of 81. Lanny Flaherty was born on July 27 1942 in Potomoc, Mississippi. In the Sixties he served in the United States Army as a Military Policeman in G … | Continue reading
The Jax Brewing Company was a regional brewing company based in Jacksonville, Florida. It was historic as the very last brewery to open before Prohibition. They are also believed to be the first brewery to sell beer in six packs around 1945 or 1946. This would not be the last tim … | Continue reading
> It Happened One Night (1934) remains one of the most famous screwball comedies of all time. It could well be the most famous Pre-Code screwball comedy. It has been referenced in numerous movies and even television shows ever since. It was ninety years ago today, on February 22 … | Continue reading
(Update: Google got the photo corrected. In fact, they used the same photo I used for this post, which is one of the promotional photos of Vanessa for the first season of ER.) Today I learned that a new 4K Blu-ray of Stand and Deliver (1988) is being released on March 26 2024. Qu … | Continue reading
Right now I feel like C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) in The Apartment (1960). No, I am not having to lend my house out to executives from an insurance company for their trysts. And, no, I am not in love with an elevator operator. I have had a head cold since last week and right now I … | Continue reading