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.

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.

Laurence Olivier Presents Hamlet -- January 19, 2025

Syracuse Post Standard, 13-January-1950

Seventy-five years ago this month, filmgoers in Syracuse could see Laurence Olivier's Academy Award-winning adaption of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. We watched this again on TCM a few weeks ago. 

Save TCM -- June 24, 2023

Warner Media is gutting @TCM, firing much of the upper management and the creative people and spreading the survivors among various subsidiaries. What can we do? Turner Classic Movies is a vital resource for film fans and scholars alike. I have seen many movies on TCM that I have never seen and sometimes never heard of anywhere else. 

#SaveTCM

Harold Lloyd -- All Grandmas Will be Admitted Free Monday Afternoon -- October 5, 2022

Chicasha Daily Express, 06-October-1922

I got to watch Harold Lloyd's first full-length feature Grandma's Boy on TCM on National Silent Movie Day. It was the first time in years.

The Rialto Theater in Chicasha (no "w") Oklahoma ran this detailed ad 100 years ago this month. "Some Boy! Some Joy!" "A Laughing Joy -- 'Grandma's Boy.'"

Motion Picture News, 07-October-1922

Grandma's Boy had run for 19 weeks at the Symphony Theater in Los Angeles. This was remarkable for 1922. "The Greatest, By Proof of Actual Performance." 

Motion Picture News, 14-October-1922

Week 19 proved to be the last week of the run at the Symphony Theater in Los Angeles.

Instead of a live action prologue, the Howard Theater in Atlanta had the young boys who served as ushers wear glasses. Audiences like the idea. 

Moving Picture World, 07-October-1922

While Grandma's Boy was still doing land office business, his second full-length feature, Doctor Jack, made under a new distribution contract with Pathé. Pathé said the film would be released before the end of the year. 

Motion Picture News, 21-October-1922

At the same time, Harold was wrapping up the shooting of his third full-length feature, Safety Last.

Robert Osborne, RIP -- March 7, 2017

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Robert Osborne, journalist, film historian and Turner Classic Movies host, has died.  I had seen his book about the Academy Awards in the library, but I didn't know his work until we got digital cable and were able to watch TCM.  He was a good host and an enjoyable interviewer.  We're going to miss him.

TCM issue a statement: “All of us at Turner Classic Movies are deeply saddened by the death of Robert Osborne. Robert was a beloved member of the Turner family for more than 23 years. He joined us as an expert on classic film and grew to be our cherished colleague and esteemed ambassador for TCM. Robert was embraced by devoted fans who saw him as a trusted expert and friend. His calming presence, gentlemanly style, encyclopedic knowledge of film history, fervent support for film preservation and highly personal interviewing style all combined to make him a truly world-class host. Robert’s contributions were fundamental in shaping TCM into what it is today and we owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”