By Lee Pfeiffer
Among the many gems released by the Warner Archive is the obscure Girl of the Night which afforded Anne Francis a rare starring role in a theatrical feature. The 1960 modestly-budgeted movie purports to examine the pitfalls of a young woman who becomes a high-priced call girl. Francis plays Robin Williams (not the hairy guy from Mork and Mindy), a charismatic 24 year-old trying to carve a life for herself in New York City. She soon falls in love with Larry Taylor (John Kerr), a charismatic cad who pretends to love her while acting as her pimp. For a while, Robin seems content. She's pulling in enough loot to maintain a high lifestyle for herself and Larry, taking "appointments" from floozy madame Rowena (Kay Medford.) When she learns Larry has been cheating on her, she despairs and seeks advice from psychiatrist Dr. Mitchell (Lloyd Nolan in typically stoic Lloyd Nolan mode.
Among the many gems released by the Warner Archive is the obscure Girl of the Night which afforded Anne Francis a rare starring role in a theatrical feature. The 1960 modestly-budgeted movie purports to examine the pitfalls of a young woman who becomes a high-priced call girl. Francis plays Robin Williams (not the hairy guy from Mork and Mindy), a charismatic 24 year-old trying to carve a life for herself in New York City. She soon falls in love with Larry Taylor (John Kerr), a charismatic cad who pretends to love her while acting as her pimp. For a while, Robin seems content. She's pulling in enough loot to maintain a high lifestyle for herself and Larry, taking "appointments" from floozy madame Rowena (Kay Medford.) When she learns Larry has been cheating on her, she despairs and seeks advice from psychiatrist Dr. Mitchell (Lloyd Nolan in typically stoic Lloyd Nolan mode.
- 1/25/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Unsung actress Beverly Garland becomes TV’s first lady cop, in what’s claimed to be the first TV show filmed on the streets of New York City. This one-season wonder from 1957 has vintage locations, fairly tough-minded storylines and solid performances, from Bev and a vast gallery of stage and TV actors on the way up.
Decoy
(Policewoman Decoy)
TV Series
DVD
Film Chest Media
1957-’58 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame (TV) / 39 x 30 min. / Street Date May 30, 2017 / 19.98
Starring: Beverly Garland
Art Direction (some episodes): Mel Bourne
Original Music: Wladimir Selinsky
Written by Lillian Andrews, Nicholas E. Baehr, Cy Chermak, Jerome Coopersmith, Don Ettlinger, Frances Frankel, Steven Gardner, Abram S. Ginnes, Mel Goldberg, Saul Levitt, Leon Tokatyan
Produced by Arthur H. Singer, David Alexander, Stuart Rosenberg, Everett Rosenthal
Directed by Teddy Sills, Stuart Rosenberg, David Alexander, Michael Gordon, Don Medford, Arthur H. Singer, Marc Daniels
How did I experience...
Decoy
(Policewoman Decoy)
TV Series
DVD
Film Chest Media
1957-’58 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame (TV) / 39 x 30 min. / Street Date May 30, 2017 / 19.98
Starring: Beverly Garland
Art Direction (some episodes): Mel Bourne
Original Music: Wladimir Selinsky
Written by Lillian Andrews, Nicholas E. Baehr, Cy Chermak, Jerome Coopersmith, Don Ettlinger, Frances Frankel, Steven Gardner, Abram S. Ginnes, Mel Goldberg, Saul Levitt, Leon Tokatyan
Produced by Arthur H. Singer, David Alexander, Stuart Rosenberg, Everett Rosenthal
Directed by Teddy Sills, Stuart Rosenberg, David Alexander, Michael Gordon, Don Medford, Arthur H. Singer, Marc Daniels
How did I experience...
- 5/16/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Patricia Neal ca. 1950. Patricia Neal movies: 'The Day the Earth Stood Still,' 'A Face in the Crowd' Back in 1949, few would have predicted that Gary Cooper's leading lady in King Vidor's The Fountainhead would go on to win a Best Actress Academy Award 15 years later. Patricia Neal was one of those performers – e.g., Jean Arthur, Anne Bancroft – whose film career didn't start out all that well, but who, by way of Broadway, managed to both revive and magnify their Hollywood stardom. As part of its “Summer Under the Stars” series, Turner Classic Movies is dedicating Sunday, Aug. 16, '15, to Patricia Neal. This evening, TCM is showing three of her best-known films, in addition to one TCM premiere and an unusual latter-day entry. 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' Robert Wise was hardly a genre director. A former editor (Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons...
- 8/16/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Polly Bergen: Actress on Richard Nixon's 'enemies list' (image: Polly Bergen publicity shot ca. late 1950s) (See previous article: "Polly Bergen Movies: First U.S. Woman President.") As discussed in the previous post, despite its deceptively progressive premise — the first United States woman president as a palpable reality — Kisses for My President, written by veteran Paramount screenwriter Claude Binyon (Search for Beauty, The Gilded Lily) and newcomer Robert G. Kane (whose sole other movie credit was the poorly received Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy Western Villain), was an unabashedly reactionary, "traditional family values" effort. Ironically, Polly Bergen, for her part, was a liberal-minded, politically active Democrat. At around the time Kisses for My President was released, Bergen, along with Gregory Peck, James Garner, and other Hollywood personalities, publicly came out against California's Proposition 14, a 1964 ballot initiative that would have nullified the Rumford Fair Housing Act, thus paving the way for...
- 9/22/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The revival of "StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown" now in its new home at The Film Experience continues. The year is... [cue: time travelling music] 1968. Oscar skipped the Globe nominees in this category from For the Love of Ivy, The Lion in Winter and Finian's Rainbow and despite their love of Oliver! And of women in musicals And of prostitutes with hearts of gold they also skipped newcomer Shani Wallis. Instead they went with these five...
Tony Curtis presented the 1968 Best Supporting Actress Oscar
The Nominees
Estelle Parsons, the previous year's winner in this category for Bonnie & Clyde returned for a victory lap (though she skipped the ceremony). She was joined by two showbiz veterans: Ruth Gordon, a three time nominee for screenwriting who was in the middle of a surprising golden years reinvention as a beloved character actress, and Kay Medford, who had previously experienced her greatest successes on stage. Filling out the shortlist...
Tony Curtis presented the 1968 Best Supporting Actress Oscar
The Nominees
Estelle Parsons, the previous year's winner in this category for Bonnie & Clyde returned for a victory lap (though she skipped the ceremony). She was joined by two showbiz veterans: Ruth Gordon, a three time nominee for screenwriting who was in the middle of a surprising golden years reinvention as a beloved character actress, and Kay Medford, who had previously experienced her greatest successes on stage. Filling out the shortlist...
- 10/31/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Tinseltown is ready to greet film fans from around the world again for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival.
Beginning this Thursday, April 25 and running through Sunday, April 28 in Hollywood, the festival will open with a gala presentation of the newly restored musical classic Funny Girl (1968).
Over four big days, TCM will welcome legendary stars, award-winning filmmakers and classic movie fans for the cinematic celebration, which this year will center on the theme Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies.
But first on the schedule is Funny Girl!
Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand demonstrates why she’s the greatest star in her Academy Award winning role (Best Actress, 1968) as “Fanny Brice” in the celebrated musical biography Funny Girl. Commemorating its 45th anniversary, the classic film was meticulously restored from the original negative by Sony Pictures Entertainment in 4K at Sony Pictures’ Colorworks.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Funny Girl for the first time on Blu-ray April 30th,...
Beginning this Thursday, April 25 and running through Sunday, April 28 in Hollywood, the festival will open with a gala presentation of the newly restored musical classic Funny Girl (1968).
Over four big days, TCM will welcome legendary stars, award-winning filmmakers and classic movie fans for the cinematic celebration, which this year will center on the theme Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies.
But first on the schedule is Funny Girl!
Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand demonstrates why she’s the greatest star in her Academy Award winning role (Best Actress, 1968) as “Fanny Brice” in the celebrated musical biography Funny Girl. Commemorating its 45th anniversary, the classic film was meticulously restored from the original negative by Sony Pictures Entertainment in 4K at Sony Pictures’ Colorworks.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Funny Girl for the first time on Blu-ray April 30th,...
- 4/22/2013
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Price: Blu-ray $19.99
Studio: Sony
Barbra Streisand falls for Omar Sharif in Funny Girl.
Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand (A Star is Born) stars in her Academy Award-winning role of famed performer Fanny Brice in the 1968 romantic musical biography Funny Girl, on Blu-ray for the first time and exclusively available at Amazon.
In her first starring film, Streisand recreated her Tony Award-nominated Broadway role for Hollywood giant William Wyler (Ben-Hur), playing the comedienne in a story that contrasted Fanny’s comic onstage antics with her dramatic offstage romance with that gambling nogoodnik Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif, Lawrence of Arabia).
Also featured in the cast are Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Anne Francis as a Ziegfeld showgirl, and Walter Pidgeon as legendary Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld.
The film’s many memorable songs—penned by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics)—include “Don’t Rain on My Parade,...
Price: Blu-ray $19.99
Studio: Sony
Barbra Streisand falls for Omar Sharif in Funny Girl.
Legendary superstar Barbra Streisand (A Star is Born) stars in her Academy Award-winning role of famed performer Fanny Brice in the 1968 romantic musical biography Funny Girl, on Blu-ray for the first time and exclusively available at Amazon.
In her first starring film, Streisand recreated her Tony Award-nominated Broadway role for Hollywood giant William Wyler (Ben-Hur), playing the comedienne in a story that contrasted Fanny’s comic onstage antics with her dramatic offstage romance with that gambling nogoodnik Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif, Lawrence of Arabia).
Also featured in the cast are Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Anne Francis as a Ziegfeld showgirl, and Walter Pidgeon as legendary Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld.
The film’s many memorable songs—penned by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics)—include “Don’t Rain on My Parade,...
- 3/26/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Dodsworth William Wyler: Record-Setting Oscar Director for Actors Pt.1 Ah, William Wyler also happens to be the director with the most Academy Award nominations: twelve in all. For the record, those are: Dodsworth, 1936; Wuthering Heights, 1939; The Letter, 1940; The Little Foxes, 1941; Mrs. Miniver, 1942; The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946; The Heiress, 1949; Detective Story, 1951; Roman Holiday, 1953; Friendly Persuasion, 1956; Ben-Hur, 1959; and The Collector, 1965. He won the Best Director Oscar for three films — none of which is among his best: Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Ben-Hur. Considering the changes that have taken place in the American film industry following the demise of the studio system, barring a miracle Wyler will remain the Oscars' top director for actors for as long as there are Oscars. (See full list below.) William Wyler died of a heart attack in July 1981 in Los Angeles. William Wyler-directed movies: thirty-six acting nominations; fourteen wins.
- 2/22/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A Face In The Crowd (1957) Director: Elia Kazan Cast: Patricia Neal, Andy Griffith, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick, Percy Waram, Paul McGrath, Marshall Neilan, Alexander Kirkland, Kay Medford Screenplay: Budd Schulberg; from his short story "Your Arkansas Traveler" Patricia Neal, Andy Griffith, A Face in the Crowd Elia Kazan’s 1957 drama A Face in the Crowd, written by Kazan's On the Waterfront collaborator Budd Schulberg, is neither the forgotten masterpiece its champions claim it to be nor a minor work to be disregarded as it was for several decades. In fact, A Face in the Crowd is a good though clearly flawed effort, whose chief weaknesses are a screenplay that gets bogged down in soap-operatic didacticism and Andy Griffith's over-the-top film debut as Larry ‘Lonesome’ Rhodes, a Will Rogers-like homespun philosopher who rises from drunken jailbird to national kingmaker. On the positive side, A Face in the Crowd...
- 1/25/2012
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
As part of its "Summer Under the Stars" film series, Turner Classic Movies is showing 12 Anne Francis movies today, including three TCM premieres. Those are actor-director William Conrad's Brainstorm (1965), veteran Raoul Walsh's A Lion Is in the Streets (1953), and actor-director Richard Benedict's Impasse (1969). [Anne Francis Movie Schedule.] Brainstorm is about a scientist intent on killing the husband of the woman he loves. The B thriller stars performers who had seen better big-screen days in the '40s and/or '50s: Jeffrey Hunter, Dana Andrews, Viveca Lindfors, and Francis. At the time, however, Francis was doing well for herself on television in the series Honey West, in which she played a sexy gumshoe whose partner was an ocelot. Based on a novel by Adria Locke Langley, A Lion Is in the Streets (1953) is a political drama that got made probably thanks to Robert Rossen's 1949 Oscar winner All the King's Men.
- 8/29/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Anne Francis on TCM: Forbidden Planet, Brainstorm, A Lion Is In The Streets Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Summer Holiday (1948) Musical remake of Ah, Wilderness!, about a small-town boy's struggles with growing up. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan, Jackie Jenkins, Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead. C-93 mins. 7:45 Am So Young So Bad (1950) A crusading psychiatrist tries to help troubled reform school girls. Dir: Bernard Vorhaus. Cast: Paul Henreid, Catherine McLeod, Cecil Clovelly, Anne Jackson, Rita Moreno. Bw-91 mins. 9:30 Am Battle Cry (1955) A group of Marines eagerly await deployment during World War II. Dir: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Dorothy Malone, Nancy Olson, Tab Hunter, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, William Campbell. C-148 mins, Letterbox Format. 12:00 Pm Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family.
- 8/29/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
This is Babs at her best….imagine seeing this scene restored??
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. .Monday Nights with Oscar®. series returns with a screening of Funny Girl (1968), starring Barbra Streisand, on Monday, November 15, at 7 p.m. at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City. The series had been on hiatus for most of the year as the theater underwent major renovations.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Funny Girl is based on the hit 1964 Broadway musical. The film was directed by William Wyler from a screenplay by Isobel Lennart, who also wrote the Broadway book.
Funny Girl features an Oscar-nominated title song and score and such musical numbers as “Don.t Rain on My Parade,” “People,” and “My Man.” Streisand, reprising her onstage role as legendary Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice, gave a star-making performance that garnered her a Best Actress Oscar.
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. .Monday Nights with Oscar®. series returns with a screening of Funny Girl (1968), starring Barbra Streisand, on Monday, November 15, at 7 p.m. at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City. The series had been on hiatus for most of the year as the theater underwent major renovations.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Funny Girl is based on the hit 1964 Broadway musical. The film was directed by William Wyler from a screenplay by Isobel Lennart, who also wrote the Broadway book.
Funny Girl features an Oscar-nominated title song and score and such musical numbers as “Don.t Rain on My Parade,” “People,” and “My Man.” Streisand, reprising her onstage role as legendary Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice, gave a star-making performance that garnered her a Best Actress Oscar.
- 11/4/2010
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Monday Nights with Oscar®” series returns with a screening of “Funny Girl” (1968), starring Barbra Streisand, on Monday, November 15, at 7 p.m. at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City. The series had been on hiatus for most of the year as the theater underwent major renovations.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, “Funny Girl” is based on the hit 1964 Broadway musical. The film was directed by William Wyler from a screenplay by Isobel Lennart, who also wrote the Broadway book.
“Funny Girl” features an Oscar-nominated title song and score and such musical numbers as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “People,” and “My Man.” Streisand, reprising her onstage role as legendary Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice, gave a star-making performance that garnered her a Best Actress Oscar. The film co-stars Kay Medford in an Academy Award®-nominated performance,...
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, “Funny Girl” is based on the hit 1964 Broadway musical. The film was directed by William Wyler from a screenplay by Isobel Lennart, who also wrote the Broadway book.
“Funny Girl” features an Oscar-nominated title song and score and such musical numbers as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “People,” and “My Man.” Streisand, reprising her onstage role as legendary Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice, gave a star-making performance that garnered her a Best Actress Oscar. The film co-stars Kay Medford in an Academy Award®-nominated performance,...
- 11/4/2010
- by Linny Lum
- Hollywoodnews.com
The major challenge in taking on an iconic work like “Bye Bye Birdie” is how profoundly it is identified with other stars, say Bill Irwin and Jayne Houdyshell. They are now starring in the Broadway revival—the first since it premiered in 1961—written by Michael Stewart with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams. “Paul Lynde asserts an indelible gravitational pull,” admits Irwin, who plays the slightly demented Harry MacAfee, father to the teenage lead. “So when you see lines on the page, it’s hard not to hear them as he said them.”Houdyshell, who plays Albert’s smothering mom, Mae Peterson, agrees. “The women who have played the role are fantastic. Though I never saw Kay Medford [in the original Broadway production], I saw Maureen Stapleton in the movie and Tyne Daly in the TV version. The challenge was to let go of any preconceived notion and try and find it...
- 10/26/2009
- backstage.com
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