Articles written by Barry M. Grey
Showing 1-50 of 137 Articles
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Silent Film Superstar Baby Peggy Returns in Poignant Documentary
Nearly 90 years after her career crashed at age 4, the woman once known as Baby Peggy is back on screen to tell her remarkable, true-life redemption story.
May 3, 2012
- Barry M. Grey
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Gun Crazy's "Ferocious" Peggy Cummins Enthralls TCM Fest Crowd
After 62 years, Irish actress Peggy Cummins' return to Hollywood was sweetly ironic since nowadays, her final, failed U.S. film is considered a masterpiece.
Apr 22, 2012
- Barry M. Grey
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2012 TCM Film Festival Spotlights Style in Classic Movies
It's a cinematic twist on the chicken-or-egg question: Do movies introduce popular design, or does an evolving society dictate the styles we see on film?
Apr 11, 2012
- Barry M. Grey
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Dick Powell: From Lightweight Crooner to Noir Icon and Beyond
An iconic figure of Depression-era musicals, Dick Powell ditched a relentlessly perky image to triumph as a film noir icon and powerful producer-director.
Mar 21, 2012
- Barry M. Grey
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TCM Programming Chief Discusses Life in the Classic Movie World
In an exclusive interview, the guy who picks the films for Turner Classic Movies reveals his programming philosophy - and how he came to run the joint.
Jan 31, 2012
- Barry M. Grey
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Citizen Kane Anniversary Set a Loving Sendoff For the DVD Format
The latest and best DVD release of Citizen Kane is a feast for Kane-ophiles, although a few of its many goodies are low-rent collectibles.
Dec 31, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Obscure Jean Arthur Films a Mixed Bag in New DVD Set From TCM
The only good thing to say about a new set of little-known Columbia titles is that it helps reveal how the great Jean Arthur became the great Jean Arthur.
Nov 8, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Silky-Voiced George Macready Excelled as Venomous Movie Villain
When it came to playing suave, scheming society men, few could touch George Macready, one of Hollywood's instantly recognizable nasty "types."
Oct 29, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Shack Out on 101 Among the Strangest Cold War Spy Films Ever
If there was a movie genre called Schizoid Cinema, 1955's Shack Out on 101 would deserve a prominent spot in its hall of fame.
Sep 29, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The Man Who Laughs a Silent Film Triumph For Conrad Veidt
What if sadistic thugs carved into your face a permanent, macabre smile making you an outcast in every conceivable way?
Sep 4, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Harper with Paul Newman a Post-Noir Gem from 1966
When great films of the 1960s are discussed, Harper usually gets short shrift. That's a shame, because this detective tale is easily among the era's best.
Aug 6, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Margaret Hamilton: Forever the Wicked Witch From The Wizard of Oz
Margaret Hamilton spent 50 years acting in movies and TV, but she's remembered mostly for a single, iconic and very scary role.
Jul 17, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Three Strangers Stars Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
Not every obscure noir is a classic, but Three Strangers deserves the unofficial honor, thanks to an outstanding cast, perceptive script and taut direction
Jul 16, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Jack Warden an Uncommon Character Actor With the Common Touch
Jack Warden wasn't in every other film made in the last 60 years. It just seemed that way, especially when scripts called for gruff but warm-hearted types.
Jun 25, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Out of the Past With Robert Mitchum Among Most Revered Films Noir
Beyond superb entertainment, Out of the Past is also a defining postwar film noir, a dark, downbeat tale of a duped hero and irresistible femme fatale.
Jun 18, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The Invisible Man Features Claude Rains' Impressive Film Debut
You don't actually have to see Claude Rains in his first film to appreciate his intense presence in one of the best horror films of any era.
Jun 5, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The Dean Martin Show Spotlighted in Three New DVD Sets
Dean Martin didn't seem to give a damn whether his variety show succeeded. That very act of seeming carelessness helped make it a hit for nine seasons.
May 25, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Scarlet Street Film Noir Stars Edward G. Robinson, Dan Duryea
This vintage film noir from German émigré director Fritz Lang stars Edward G. Robinson, cast against type as a milquetoast mesmerized by a femme fatale.
May 14, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Kevin Brownlow Wows Silent Film Fans at TCM Classic Film Fest
One of the world's great film historians tantalized fans at the Hollywood event with revealing stories about Charlie Chaplin, Louise Brooks and others.
May 5, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Oscar Winner Melvyn Douglas Remembered by Granddaughter Illeana
Best known for playing earthy, quirky characters, Illeana Douglas' real-life role is a rarely-noted one: she's the granddaughter of Hollywood royalty.
May 2, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Roger Corman Wows Crowd at TCM Classic Film Festival
Legendary filmmaker Roger Corman produced a collective gasp Friday night in Hollywood, telling an audience he spent just $30,000 on a B-movie classic.
Apr 29, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Marlon Brando in The Wild One Movie
Marlon Brando is the movies' original bad boy biker in 1953's The Wild One, a seminal film about America's developing mid-century youth culture.
Apr 20, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Cary Grant, Myrna Loy Star in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, a broad, improbable, entertaining comedy from 1947, features a stellar cast and an Academy Award-winning screenplay.
Apr 14, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Film Noir Fest in Los Angeles Spotlights Noir Icon Charles McGraw
The Hollywood-based American Cinematheque is thrilling noir fans through much of April with more than a dozen double-features at an historic movie palace.
Apr 1, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection New to Blu-ray
All 14 classic, beautifully-restored Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are included in the comprehensive five-disc set.
Mar 28, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Sunnyside Up: A Pioneering Movie Musical From 1929
Sunnyside Up, with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, is alternately inventive and infuriatingly sophomoric. But this 1929 curio is never, ever dull.
Mar 20, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Sweet Smell of Success Movie Stars: Burt Lancaster & Tony Curtis
While not a crime drama, 1957's Sweet Smell of Success is among the last great films noir and a meditation on manipulation, evil and the celebrity culture.
Mar 12, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Dan Duryea Was a Lean, Mean Acting Machine in Long Film Career
Durable character actor Dan Duryea proved over nearly three decades why playing heavies is more fun, watchable and memorable than being the (yawn) nice guy.
Mar 6, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The More the Merrier Movie Stars Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea
The More the Merrier holds up remarkably well as a vintage romantic comedy and as a reflection of wartime sensibilities and privations in the 1940s.
Feb 20, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger now on DVD
2010's Woody Allen picture - there's a new one every year, y'know - continues his streak of disappointing tales that make you long for his earlier work.
Feb 14, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet in The Mask of Dimitrios Movie
The Mask of Dimitrios is a nifty Warners wartime b-movie that shamelessly borrows from The Maltese Falcon, yet stands on its own as a solid film noir.
Feb 13, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Walter Huston Led Tumultuous Life On and Off Stage and Screen
Oscar winner Walter Huston was a solid leading man and character actor for two decades - and patriarch of a storied, three-generation show business family.
Feb 6, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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TCM Film Festival to Feature Leslie Caron on Opening Night
French-born film legend Leslie Caron has agreed to help open the second (and presumably annual) TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.
Feb 3, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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TCM Salutes Oscars With Quirky, Fun Programming in February
Movie junkies and everyday fans should like the fun approach Turner Classic Movies is taking in February with its annual 31 Days of Oscar programming stunt.
Jan 30, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Director John Huston's Asphalt Jungle Among Greatest Films Noir
The caper picture The Asphalt Jungle is a sublime mix of crime and pathos which humanizes the ensemble cast to the point you forget they're the "bad guys."
Jan 25, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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New Book About Rock Music Icon Buddy Holly a Mixed Bag
A slim new book about one of rock's most influential figures is an amateurish first-person narrative that only gains a bit of story traction near the end.
Jan 20, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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Franklin Pangborn Among Movies' Best, Busiest Character Actors
You may not know his name, but "fussy" Franklin Pangborn is easily one of the most recognizable and hilarious comic actors in Hollywood history.
Jan 16, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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The Wolf Man Movie Starred Reluctant Horror Actor Lon Chaney Jr.
Universal Pictures' last golden age horror classic, 1941's The Wolf Man, put its star on an unwanted career path from which he never would recover.
Jan 6, 2011
- Barry M. Grey
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National Film Registry Unveils 2010 List of 25 Significant Movies
The Empire Strikes Back, Saturday Night Fever and Airplane! are among the latest 25 American films honored as classics by the National Film Registry.
Dec 28, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Sci-Fi Movie Recreator a Look at Identity
The story behind the new indie film Recreator is at least as intriguing as the sci-fi movie itself, which, at its core, explores the nature of identity.
Dec 22, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Rita Hayworth DVD Set Spotlights Star's Columbia Pictures Hits
Fox had Marilyn. For RKO, it was Jane Russell. On "Poverty Row," Columbia's own Rita Hayworth found herself billed presumptuously as "the Love Goddess."
Dec 19, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Character Actor Eric Blore Excelled at Smart Aleck Movie Butlers
Eric Blore carved a witty niche in golden era Hollywood playing fussy, blustery, droll butlers who stole entire scenes from stars including Fred Astaire.
Dec 18, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Ginger Rogers Plays Mistress in Warner Bros.' Obscure Upperworld
In no way does 1934's Upperworld qualify as a classic film. But with so many vintage, intriguing movie elements, this oddly schizoid film deserves a look.
Dec 8, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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TV's House Studied With Surgical Precision in Blogger's New Book
The groundbreaking medical series House, M.D. gets a revealing full body scan in Chasing Zebras, by Chicago-area blogger and confessed fan Barbara Barnett.
Nov 21, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Character Actor James Gleason Best Known For Here Comes Mr Jordan
Staged-trained James Gleason, the gifted character actor who enlivened many a vintage Hollywood film, was also a witty playwright and screenwriter.
Nov 14, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Dead of Night a Classic Supernatural Horror Film
Dead of Night is the kind of scary movie you see once and never quite forget. This psychological thriller doesn't need graphic violence to frighten.
Nov 9, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamarr Co-star in Kitschy Romance Algiers
Algiers is a Hollywood romance typical of its era, the late 1930s: sappy, soft-focus silliness remembered mainly today because it's been parodied so much.
Nov 1, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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Newly-Restored Silent Film Classic Metropolis to Air on TCM
It's not the Holy Grail of lost films. But when Metropolis airs Sunday on Turner Classic Movies, it will include rare footage missing for eight decades.
Oct 31, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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They Live By Night Movie Stars Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell
Nicholas Ray's They Live By Night is an above-average film noir featuring nicely-nuanced performances and a strong leading hand by its first-time director.
Oct 7, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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DVD Review: Rich Man, Poor Man, Books 1 and 2
At last, Rich Man, Poor Man, the landmark 1976 project that defined the TV miniseries, is out on disc. But does it hold up today as compelling television?
Sep 27, 2010
- Barry M. Grey
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