Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2026 -- October 12, 2026

mayorshengthao

My Italian-American mother would not like this, but I'm going to stop calling it Columbus Day and start calling it Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Sadly, she is no longer aware of what day it is.

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day to everyone.

Here the City of Oakland and former Mayor Sheng Thao acknowledge that their city, like much of the Bay Area, is built "On Occupied Ohlone Land."

Hypnotized -- The Two Black Crows -- October 11, 2026

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Halloween is coming. I like to watch a few scary movies during the month of October. Hypnotized scared the heck out of me. 

George Moran and Charles Mack performed in blackface as The Two Black Crows. They were successful in vaudeville, records and radio. They were not successful in movies. 

Educational Pictures signed the act to do a feature and a series of short films. Comedy pioneer Mack Sennett directed.  Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, famous for its logo, released the film. I came across Hypnotized, which I had read about years ago, on YouTube.

Moran (the little guy) and Mack (the big guy) work as the crew for a low-grade circus owned by Charlie Murray. Marjorie Beebe, also in blackface, appeared as a maid. Wallace Ford and Maria Alba were performers. She was supposed to be Hungarian, but she spoke with her usual Spanish accent.

Maria Alba -- listal.com

The scenes in the circus are disjointed, but Wallace Ford, who loves Maria Alba, finds out that he holds a winning ticket in a sweepstake but has to go to London to collect. The whole circus, which is leaking money, winds up on the ocean liner with him. Moran appears to disappear at that point. I never noticed him on the ship.

A crooked hypnotist, played by Ernest Torrence has hypnotized both Mack and Ford. He wants the sweepstake money. All sorts of hard to follow things happen. 

This was a terrible movie, and not just because of the blackface. I suspect that there was supposed to more to the movie than they shot or released. 

To add insult to injury, the next thing that came up on YouTube was the cut-down two-reel version. It omitted the circus scenes entirely, so Moran did not appear at all. It was more disjointed than the feature.

White Zombie -- October 10, 2026

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Halloween is coming.

One of my favorite horror movies is White Zombie, produced and directed by the Halperin Brothers. Bela Lugosi as Murder Legendre chewed the scenery to shreds. The sets, many borrowed from Universal movies, had great atmosphere. Madge Bellamy gave her best performance in a talkie.

Where can I get a "Zombie Grip?"

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The Kennel Murder Case -- October 8, 2026

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Tuesday night we watched a favorite movie, The Kennel Murder Case. I was surprised to notice that I never wrote about it, or the main character, Philo Vance, in this blog. I am probably one of the few people alive who has read any of S S Van Dine's Philo Vance novels. I did not read The Kennel Murder Case. 

Director Michael Curtiz made The Kennel Murder Case in 1933. It was shot with many unusual angles. My wife loves the dogs, but the cat had no comment. 

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I liked the way Vance explained the murder by using two beautifully detailed models of the Archer house and the apartment house next door. Using diagrams or models was a regular feature in Van Dine's Vance novels.

Eva Marie Saint RIP -- October 7, 2026

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Actress Eva Marie Saint has died at 102 years old. My sympathy to her family and friends. 

Her character took the best train ride ever with Cary Grant in Alfrred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. She was completely different in On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando.I admired her performance in The Manchurian Candidate. 

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Paramount + Warner = Skydance?! -- October 6, 2026

ABC7 San Francisco

It looks as if Paramount has finally succeeded in taking over Warner Brothers. They have agreed to stay in California for some number of years and to spend some amount of money every year for a while. I worry about the Ellison family of oligarchs having control over so much of our media. They have already crippled CBS News. They seem to be working on Turner Classic Movies.

@officialdirtsheetradio

Tracy and Loy -- 05-October-2026

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We dialed by TCM and they were showing Libeled Lady. My wife liked the way Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy worked together. She asked if they had been in another movies together. I thought there was at least one, but I could not remember the title. The imdb told me they included Test Pilot, which I have seen and Whipsaw, which I don't think I have seen.

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The Flowers of Saint Francis -- October 4, 2026

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In honor of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, here is a poster for Roberto Rosselini's Francesco, giullare di Dio (Francis, Jester of God, released in the US as The Flowers of Saint Francis).  Inspired by the Fioretti di San Francesco and La Vita di Frate Ginepro, Rosselini made a neo realist religious film.  Francis is played by Franciscan Brother Nazario Gerardi.  Rosselini was not a practicing Catholic, but he appreciated the church's ethical teachings and the anti-materialism of Francis.

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Sam Neill RIP -- July 16, 2026

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Actor Sam Neill has died. He was good in everything I have seen. I may be one of the few people who never saw any of the Jurassic Park movies, but I'll bet he was good there too.

Update 04-October-2026. I never hit publish.

Orphée -- July 15, 2026

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Thanks to TCM online, I finally got to see Jean Cocteau's Orphée. François Périer as the chauffeur, Heurtebise, gave a nice, understated performance, full of longing for Eurydice. Almost everything in the upper world and the underworld seemed mundane. Orphée's passage into the underworld was beautiful and troubling. And then the trial looked like a trial in the upper world, but the judges didn't have robes, hats or wigs. I was not impressed by the passing through the mirror effects, but I would watch it again.

Napoleon -- July 14, 2026

San Francisco Chronicle, 27-December-1981

In honor of Bastille Day, here is an ad for Francis Ford Coppola's 1981 revival of Napoléon vu par Abel Gance. We went to see Abel Gance's Napoleon, with a score by Coppola's father Carmine, at the Opera House. When I read Kevin Bownlow's The Parade's Gone By, I thought I would never get to see the Polyvision triptychs in a theater. Kevin Brownlow led the project to produce this restoration.

Motorcycle Day/Summer of Darkness -- July 11, 2026

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Since I got out of the hospital, I have been watching a lot of movies on TCM. On Friday we started with Motorcycle Day and moved on to Summer of Darkness, which is happening every Friday.

1:30pm PDT

The Wild One (1953)

1 hr 30 mins|Drama|TV-14

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I have always found The Wild One to be an odd movie. If it had been made a few years later, the score might have used rock'n'roll. Some of the actors seemed to be chewing large chunks of scenery. On the other hand, Brando showed all of his charisma. Lee Marvin was a force of nature. 

László Benedek directed. 

3:00pm PDT

The Born Losers (1967)

2 hrs|Action|TV-14

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I loved "Billy Jock," the Mad Magazine (July 1974) of Billy Jack. Many years later I saw Billy Jack on television I was not surprised how much it resembled the Mad version. 

Yesterday I saw Born Losers, the first Billy Jack movie. The acting was mostly wooden. The leader of the bikers was a good villain. His Number One was played by William Wellman, Jr. There were lots of girls in bikinis. There was lots of violence. I don't think I'll watch it again unless I am very bored.

Directed by TC Frank (Tom Laughlin).

5:00pm PDT

Viva Knievel! (1977)

2 hrs|Action|TV-PG

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We may have lasted as long as ten minutes. 

7:00pm PDT

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (1951)

1 hr|Documentary|TV-G

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The longest preview of coming attractions I have ever seen. I always thought Dore Schary had a funny name.

8:00pm PDT

They Live by Night (1949)

2 hrs|Crime|TV-PG

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Great movie. I forgot how many helicopter shots they used. Cathy O'Donnell was moving. We switched back and forth between this and the Giants-Rockies game.

This was the first movie that Nicholas Ray directed.

9:45pm PDT

Looney Tunes: Rhapsody Rabbit (1946)

10 mins|Comedy|TV-PG

Missed it. I am happy that TCM has been showing Warner Brothers cartoons.

10:00pm PDT

Gun Crazy (1950)

1 hr 45 mins|Crime|TV-PG

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Another great movie. I'll watch it any time. 

Playwright Day (?) -- June 10, 2026

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Since I got out of the hospital, I have been watching a lot of movies on TCM. I guess Thursday was Playwright Day. We watched two movies based on plays by Tennessee Wiliams and one by Maxwell Anderson.

12:15pm PDT

Key Largo (1948)

2 hrs|Action|TV-G

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I don't know how many times I have seen Key Largo. I watch it every chance I get. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall work together so well, especially when she has her head down and the hurricane is over. Claire Trevor played an older woman. When she sings a song, it is heart-breaking. Lionel Barrymore is a grumpy old man, not much acting required. Edward G Robinson has my favorite lines, which I frequently quote:

Frank McCloud (Bogart): He knows what he wants. Don't you, Rocco?

Johnny Rocco (Robinson): Sure.

James Temple (Barrymore): What's that?

Frank McCloud: Tell him, Rocco.

Johnny Rocco: Well, I want uh ...

Frank McCloud: He wants more, don't you, Rocco?

Johnny Rocco: Yeah. That's it. More. That's right! I want more!

James Temple: Will you ever get enough?

Frank McCloud: Will you, Rocco?

Johnny Rocco: Well, I never have. No, I guess I won't.

And I love the end, where Humphrey Bogart talks to the Coast Guard and then with Lauren Bacall.

John Huston directed,

2:00pm PDT

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

2 hrs 30 mins|Drama|TV-PG

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I don't know how many times I have seen A Streetcar Named Desire. My favorite time was with my Fiancée at the Parkside Theater on Taraval. It was a nice 35mm print. I was surprised when she said she would not have cast Vivien Leigh as Blanche. Elia Kazan directed a somewhat bowdlerized version of the play by Tennessee Williams. 

4:15pm PDT

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

2 hrs|Drama|TV-14

This was the first time I saw Night of the Iguana all the way through. I can't picture how it would have worked as a stage play. I liked the conclusion.

John Huston directed.

Geprge Arliss Day -- July 9, 2026

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Since I got out of the hospital, I have been watching a lot of movies on TCM. Wednesday was George Arliss day. I don't think I had seen any of these movies before. My wife was impressed with his comic touch. 

1:45pm PDT

A Successful Calamity (1932)

1 hr 15 mins|Comedy|TV-G

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A Successful Calamity was a fun movie, although I thought many people reacted too nicely to the news that Arliss had gone broke. Also, Mary Astor seemed rather young to be married to him. John G Adolfi directed.

3:00pm PDT

Central Park (1932)

1 hr|Comedy|TV-G

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I am always happy to see Joan Blondell, but I did not see a trace of George Arliss. Like most Warner Brothers/First National B movies, Central Park moved rapidly. The plot was screwy, but I enjoyed it. Guy Kibbee was a cop losing his vision. Wallace Ford was a homeless, jobless guy who was trying to get an even break. Henry B Walthall had a small but important part. The tiger cubs were cute. John G Adolfi directed this one too.

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4:00pm PDT

The King's Vacation (1933)

1 hr 30 mins|Drama|TV-G

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I did not get much out of The King's Vacation. It was a slow one. I did like the part where the exiled king refused to have anything to do with a coup to bring him back, because he agreed with the rebels. Another one directed by John G Adolfi. Maybe it was really John G Adolfi Day.

5:15pm PDT

The Working Man (1933)

1 hr 30 mins|Comedy|TV-G

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I enjoyed The Working Man. Bette Davis played a supporting role. I don't like the way Arliss is leering at her on the poster. The plot was preposterous, but it held my interest.  Guess who directed.

Perhaps Central Park was nestled among the George Arliss movies because it was directed by John G Adolfi.

Happy Independence Day 250 -- July 4, 2026

Motion Picture Magazine, August, 1928

Happy Fourth of July to all.

Actress Myrna Loy, one of my favorites, ignores the sign prohibiting fireworks.

The Barber of Seville -- June 25, 2026

sfopera.com

On Saturday we went to a matinee performance of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. I liked the stage design, which was minimal, the performances and the sports car at the end. We both had trouble sitting through the whole thing. The couple in front of us left at the intermission. 

All the King's Men (2006) -- June 2, 2026

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Today is election day.

"If you don't vote, you don't matter." -- Governor Willie Stark (Sean Penn)

Marilyn Monroe 100 -- June 1, 2026

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Actress Marilyn Monroe would have 100 years old today. She had a tough life, but she gave many wonderful performances. I have always known who she was, but I didn't see many of her movies until I was in college. 

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In The Story Millions Wanted Her to Make -- April 1, 2026

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A MAE MORE GLORIOUS THAN YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN

IN THE STORY MILLIONS WANTED HER TO MAKE

Produced in Paramount's big-picture

tradition ... in every way worthy of

your No. 1 star! With all the warmth,

tenderness and beauty of this story

loved the world over .. and the Mae

who revealed a new and deeper appeal

in "Belle of the Nineties" ... touch-

ing the full depths of your heart in the

picture you'll always remember her for!

MaeWEST inHEIDI

with
JEAN HERSHOLT
and
ARTHUR TREACHER - HELEN WESTLEY
PAULINE MOORE - THOMAS BECK
MARY NASH - SIDNEY BLACKMER
MADY CHRISTIANS - SIG RUMANN

Directed by ALLAN DWAN
Associate Producer Raymond Griffith

From the famous story by Johanna Spyri. Screen play

by Walter Ferris and Julien Josephson. Song

"I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Riding Now" by

Shelton Brooks. Dances

staged by Sammy Lee

Adolph Zukor in Charge of Production

Larry Semon Has One at Last That is Funny -- March 1, 2026

Chicago Tribune, 03-March-1926

Larry Semon's recent comedies had been flops, especially his notorious feature-length adaption of The Wizard of Oz. His feature, based on a Broadway musical, Stop, Look and Listen, seems to have indicated a comeback. Only part of the film survives. 

Brooklyn Chat, 06-March-1926