Gary Dennis’ New York City Movie Place

Great accidents happen once in a while that leave us saying thank God for accidents. The Killer’s starring Burt Lancaster plucked fresh from Broadway (in his motion picture debut) and Ava Gardner is just such a film.
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This 1946 classic from Universal Pictures was almost made with different lead actors. The role of Kitty Collins […]

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 […]

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 […]

Joan Crawford was always good at playing a victim. A victim of love, circumstance, mental illness, mean sisters and mean daughters. In Mildred Pierce she is great at playing the victim—a victim of love and of a mean daughter. This was her first picture at Warner Brothers after being let go by […]

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 […]

Turner Classic Movies is showing two Lucille Ball pictures back to back that are very much worth recording and keeping. The genesis of Lucy Ricardo is in both these pictures. Both pictures are perfect for the kids as well.
In Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), a bookie by the name of Dick Richmond (William Holden) uses […]

A private detective is being set up to take a murder rap. he is being framed and the only one who believes him and the only one he can trust is his secretary. This is the premise for Dark Corner, a nice little noir from 20th Century Fox. What is also nice about this picture […]

This picture is a rarity. A sports themed film noir. It also turned out to be Humphrey Bogart’s last picture.
Mr. Bogart plays jobless sportswriter Eddie Willis. Biting the bullet and selling out by going to work for corrupt fight promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger), Eddie is hired to promote Benko’s current protege, an […]

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 […]