Gary Dennis’ New York City Movie Place

There are reasons why people became movie stars and every one of them has at least one performance to prove it. Ginger Rogers proved it alright in 1940 with her performance as the title role in Kitty Foyle. This is also a her Oscar performance and ( I believe ) her first non musical […]

This is the best way to honor a legend, watch some of his best work. This the way I want to remember Paul Newman. Absolutely.
This was another constantly viewed picture at the store. It had 4 important elements; great acting, great script, great boxing scenes and great location shooting in the New […]

Was there any one else better to play Billy Buck, John Steinbeck’s trusted ranch hand, surrogate father figure to a ten year old boy and a smoldering fantasy man for the boy’s mother than Robert Mitchum? No, there was not, and still there is no one.
The longest and costliest movie shoot in the history […]

This picture is what I will label a “gem”. It is one of the most touching stories about children ever put to screen. Produced on a what is politely called a modest budget. The picture, however, looks beautiful. This is due to the input photographer Ruth Orkin had with her co-director / producer / cinematographer […]

One of the greatest cold war pictures. However this one almost strikes a balance, there is evil in both ideologies. Sure, commies are a bad and ruthless bunch but so can the mother of a much decorated war hero be as well. After the much despised by his troops Captain Raymond Shaw returns from […]

This is the Jihad of all “indictment of Hollywood”, “this business of ours called show chews them up and spits them out” and “this town is mean in spite of the palm trees” pictures ever made. It angered a few people, studio heads who came to believe that director Billy Wilder had bitten hard […]

This is a tough, nothing held back, indictment of capital punishment. It makes Dead Man Walking look like Wlly Wonka. The picture takes a stand and shows us an innocent woman, a mother yet, railroaded into the gas chamber at San Quentin. There is never any doubt in our mind that Barbara Graham […]

This was a picture that was very close to Burt Lancaster’s heart. As a kid growing up in East Harlem, Mr. Lancaster became far beyond proficient on the parallel bars, the rings and other sorts of gymnastic equipment. He was so good in fact that he did runaway and join the circus along with neighborhood […]

If there was ever a movie made about three returning soldiers that comes close to Best Years Of Our Lives, this picture comes close. Released in 1946 before Best Years Of Our Lives, the picture follows three soldiers coming home after serving in World War Two and the difficulties they face readjusting […]

This is THE text book film noir. It is the standard by which all others were made and measured up to. I know that this is a bold statement and borderline crazy but all “film noirs” leading up to this picture are funneled into this picture. The femme fatal in the extreme […]