Off we go... I don't know why I thought 1936's Dodsworth was based on a Charles Dickens novel. Maybe it's because the name sounds very British. But no, the novel was written by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1929, and includes Lewis's favorite recurring character, the ever-dependable, ever-surprising midwestern town of Zenith (Some English BA I … Continue reading Little Edith Cortright
Miss Angela Cruises the Nile
Hello, Ms. Fletcher... Angela Lansbury's career was nothing if not well-rounded, and one of my favorite roles of hers is that of flamboyant authoress Salome Otterbourne in 1978's Death On the Nile. Oh, this movie is fun. But we'll get to that. And no, I haven't seen the remake yet, although I'd really like to. It all … Continue reading Miss Angela Cruises the Nile
No Room Is Truly Empty
The 1948 film, Enchantment has been on my Amazon watchlist so long that I kind of block it out, but this year I decided to take a chance on it. Put it this way: What seems familiar can still surprise us. Enchantment opens in London during the Second World War, with a towncar pulling up to a … Continue reading No Room Is Truly Empty
We Can Take It
Rule, Britannia, Britannia rules the waves... It's no secret that early in the Second World War the United Kingdom was among the few free nations fighting against the Nazis. By 1944 people were exhausted and pep talks were in order, one of which came in the form of the Carol Reed film, The Way Ahead. … Continue reading We Can Take It
Dinner And A Murder
The dinner-turned-murder-mystery scenario is a pretty durable one, and in some cases it comes off better than in others. 1976's Murder By Death is one of the most memorable in my opinion, and we're going to dive on into it. Murder By Death was written by Neil Simon, and opens, literally, with the opening of a trunk. It's … Continue reading Dinner And A Murder
Taking Up Room 