Raquel Stecher's Blog, page 3
June 8, 2023
Interview with Ben Model of Undercrank Productions
June 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of Undercrank Productions, a DVD distributor founded by silent film accompanist Ben Model. I've had the privilege to interview Ben Model at the TCM Classic Film Festival a few years ago. And now he's back with an interview for Out of the Past.
Check out my interview below. And if you're interested in buying some DVDs, Undercrank Productions titles are discounted on Critics Choice Video, Deep Discount and Movies Unlimited for a limited time.
Raquel Stecher: I really enjoyed your recent performance at the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival for the Rin Tin Tin movie Clash of the Wolves (1925). It was a festival favorite for sure! Can you tell me a bit about how you became a silent film accompanist?
Ben Model: I got my start accompanying films while I was a film production student at NYU. I was a big silent film fan growing up, and also played piano. The first semester of the basic overview film history course we all took Freshman year was silent films. And I do mean silent – these were screened in 16mm prints that had no soundtracks. I don’t know what possessed me but the next year I volunteered to play for the silent film screenings, and found myself playing for 2 or sometimes 3 classes a week. I made a point of meeting film accompanists in NYC to get advice. William Perry – who was MoMA’s film pianist 1969-1982 and scored films for “The Silent Years” on PBS – was a big help. Lee Erwin, who was the organist at the revival theater “The Carnegie Hall Cinema”, became a friend and mentor – Lee had been a movie theater organist in the 1920s
Still from Clash of the Wolves (1925)
TCM's Jacqueline Stewart with Ben Model at the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival
Raquel: Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of Undercrank Productions! How did your label come about and how did you come up with the name?
Ben: A few things I was interested in kind of came together at the same time. I was looking for a way to do more scoring for silent films on home video than I was being hired to do already, I was interested in the process of how DVDs get made and released, and I was looking at ways of getting some obscure and rare silent comedy shorts I owned in 16mm out to fans who’d want to see them. During 2012, I figured out the various pieces of how this could happen, and also became aware of Amazon’s just-launched manufacture-on-demand DVD platform. Around the same time, I learned about Kickstarter, which had only been around for a couple years, and realized that involving fans of silent films in the process by crowdfunding my first DVD project, that would take care of the production costs. I’m pretty sure the Kickstarter I did to produce and release Accidentally Preserved was the first time this had been done with a silent or classic film home-video release. The whole thing worked, and I kept doing one or two of these every year.
The name comes from my fascination with the way undercranking was used and utilized throughout the silent film era and was a ubiquitous part of the movie-making process for the camera operators and the performers. I thought naming my DVD company “Undercrank Productions” would help promote awareness of this. I also was looking for a name that had a few of “K” sounds in it.
Raquel: How have you used Kickstarter as a platform to help create awareness and fund your projects?
Ben: I’ve found Kickstarter to be a great way to democratize the process of funding these projects. For the video I made for my 2nd or 3rd Kickstarter I came up with the tag-line, “Why not be part of the ‘someone’ in ‘why doesn’t someone put that out on DVD?’”. I try to emphasize the fact that if we all get out and push, we can make this happen. Ten years ago, it felt a little funny to be going hat-in-hand on social media, but by now – even 5 years ago – I think everyone gets it.
Raquel: What is the workflow like for your releases in terms of curation, restoration, accompaniment and distribution?
Ben: If it’s a disc of comedy shorts, Steve Massa and I start with picking an overlooked or forgotten comedian and then seeing if there’s enough of their films extant and available – through collectors or, more often, from the Library of Congress – to fill up a disc. Sometimes we’ve been able to add to a playlist of shorts with a title that we’d get, through the Library of Congress, from MoMA or the EYE Filmmuseum. We’ll screen the material for completeness and image quality and make a decision from there. Because these are fan-funded, manufacture-on-demand projects, that takes the issue of whether or not we’re going to sell 1000 or 2000 units off the table. Who the heck is Marcel Perez? Or Alice Howell? Nobody knows or remembers them, but that doesn’t matter. Once I have the funding from the Kickstarter, scans are ordered from the Library of Congress, and I get high-end video files of the film or films.
If the Kickstarter campaign goes way way over the funding goal, then there’s a budget for digital restoration. Then there’s inter-title recreation, if needed. Then the restored version of the files get graded, which means someone goes shot by shot and corrects exposure, and will also reinstate color tinting if we know what it was supposed to be originally. Once we have the final version of the restored film, then I create a screener for myself, and create the scores on either piano or theatre organ.
Once I’m at that phase, Marlene Weisman begins work on the graphic design of the Blu-ray and DVD case. She is beyond fantastic, and I think the artwork on a release is crucial. It’s your first line of defense online, and makes an important impression – just because a release is self-published it doesn’t have to have a self-published look to it. Once all the video and audio pieces are done, then the “authoring” happens, when the files get woven into something that can be burned into a disc and play in your physical media player.
For distribution, I’ve been using Alliance Entertainment to do all the manufacturing, order fulfillment and online listings on the various platforms like Amazon and DeepDiscount, et al. The final files and graphics get uploaded to Alliance, and I set the street date. I write a press release and send it out to my press list, and we mail out copies of the finished disc to reviewers… and hope for the best.
Raquel: Tell me about your partnership with the Library of Congress and your Found at Mostly Lost series.
Ben: Rob Stone, who is a Curator in the Moving Image Section of the Library of Congress’ National Audio Visual Conservation Center, came up with the idea of doing this. He’d worked out a co-branding deal with Kino Lorber in 2012 for their release of King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis. I’m one of the resident silent film accompanists at the NAVCC’s Packard Campus Theatre, and am down in Culpeper VA for a show a handful of times a year. I was set to Kickstart and produce my 2nd project, The Mishaps of Musty Suffer (1916-1917), a slapstick comedy serial, and Rob got the idea to apply what had been done with Kino with me and Undercrank Productions. It meant I’d have to put the Library of Congress’ logo at the head of the film and on the DVD case, which was a huge plus for me. I had no name recognition, but the LoC sure did.
Anyone can pay for scans of films from the Library, as long as they’re public domain films and have no donor restrictions, and get them as files or on a disc. My co-branding relationship with the LoC allows me to do a slightly deeper dive into the collection when I’m considering a film or bunch of shorts. It’s made it possible for me to release silent films that the more established labels might not be interested in, which is a win for the Library as it helps get films they’ve preserved and worked on get out that ordinarily wouldn’t see the light of day.
The two Found at Mostly Lost DVDs are actually comprised of films that were identified at the “Mostly Lost” film identification workshops held at the Library of Congress in the 2010s. These films had been scanned and scored for a DVD included in the “swag-bag” attendees got each year. My idea was to make these available for the general public, for the folks who were interested. The workshop hasn’t happened for a few years, due to the pandemic, and while there aren’t any concrete plans for when it will happen again, I’m hoping that it’s just hibernating and will resurface in the next year or so.
Raquel: You've done a great job releasing the lesser known work from some key figures from film history including Lon Chaney, Marion Davies, Frank Borzage and Edward Everett Horton. Why is it important that these rare silents be preserved and shared with silent film enthusiasts and beyond?
Ben: The silent movies I release, thankfully, have already been preserved by the film archives. I feel like my role in the overall process is one of feeding and enriching the interest and fandom of silent cinema, including my own, by helping to fill out the landscape of silent cinema beyond the “usual suspects” tentpole films. These are the movies everyone went to see and enjoyed back in the silent era while they were waiting for the next Mary Pickford or Harold Lloyd film to be released.
Raquel: Is there one release that you're particularly proud of?
Ben: It’s hard to pick just one. But I’m really pleased with what we’ve done to make the films of comedian Marcel Perez available. Steve Massa got me interested in these, and they’re all excellent comedies. Perez was one of the many comedian-filmmakers of the silent era, physical comedians who also had a unique and recognizable directorial style. His own grandchildren–who Steve had connected with– had never seen Perez’s films and believed them to be lost. Most of his U.S.-made films are missing and we’re hoping more of them turn up so we can do a third volume.
Raquel: I really loved The Alice Howell Collection! Can you tell me more about how you came to curate and release that collection?
Ben: We have Steve Massa once again to thank for this project. Alice Howell is on the cover of his book Slapstick Divas, which is a huge book all about the women of silent film comedy. The more of her films we tracked down, watched, and showed in film programs we worked on, the more I thought a DVD of her films needed to happen. She starred in her own series of comedy shorts for about ten years and was popular and successful. You can see a link – even if it’s one you’re threading yourself – from Alice Howell to Lucille Ball to Carol Burnett and onward. She’s also got an important Hollywood legacy: her daughter married film director George Stevens, and her grandson George Stevens, Jr. is a filmmaker, founder of the American Film Institute and is co-creator of the Kennedy Center Honors. The Alice Howell DVD wound up being a 2-disc set, and was another Undercrank Productions release that was done through my co-branding arrangement with the Library of Congress.
Raquel: During the early days of the pandemic you and Steve Massa started The Silent Comedy Watch Party series which now has over 90 episodes on YouTube. Can you tell me how this came about?
Ben: I’d had the basic concept for this for a few years. Somewhere here I have a drawing I made of how the equipment and the piano would be set up. The second week of March 2020 we all knew something was coming and we didn’t know what, but things were beginning to close up a little, and we were starting to hear about staying 6 feet away from each other. I live-streamed the show’s pilot, sort of a proof-of-concept to see if I could do it and to see if it worked for viewers. The reaction we got was enthusiastic and heartfelt – people who posted comments or sent emails thanked us for giving them some laughs. It was that release from the stress we were anticipating we’d be under, and then a couple days later I watched every gig I had get canceled, and the shutdown happened.
We now had to do the show, and had to continue doing it. There was nowhere for anyone to go, and we knew people really needed the laughs. This was more than just putting on a silent film show, we realized we were now helping people get through what they were going through. Marlene created the title logo for The Silent Comedy Watch Party, I figured out how we would bring Steve on from his place for his intros – for the pilot, he’d come over to my apartment – my wife Mana had to learn how to operate a camera and tripod, and she and Steve’s wife Susan worked out how they’d stage-manage the show together via text while we were “on the air”. And I now found myself in the position of silent film accompanist-presenter and also the director of a live television show, both at the same time.
It was the comments we’d get every week from people who were watching around the globe that let us know how much the shows and getting to laugh and forget everything for 90 minutes every Sunday meant to them. Now I meet people at in-person shows who recognize me and come up and tell me how The Silent Comedy Watch Party helped get them through the pandemic. It’s very moving.
Raquel: What's next for Undercrank Productions and where can people follow you?
Ben: We’re releasing a disc of restored Raymond Griffith silent comedies on June 13th, and a disc of restored Tom Mix westerns on July 11th. We’re in the midst of production on a project of restorations of films starring and directed by Francis Ford, and I expect to announce a Kickstarter later in the year for our first collaboration with the UCLA Film & TV Archive. The month-long anniversary sale on all our releases during June will hopefully give silent film fans a chance to discover some of the many silent comedy gems we’ve released, and for any loyal fans to fill out their Undercrank Productions media shelf. My website’s the best place to check out my blog or sign up for my emails, check out my Silent Film Music Podcast, and find out where I’m performing. My Twitter and Instagram handle is @silentfilmmusic, and my YouTube channel is youtube.com/silentfilmmusic.
You can buy Undercrank Productions DVDs at a discounted price on Critics Choice Video, Deep Discount and Movies Unlimited for a limited time.
June 4, 2023
The Classic Film Collective: Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
Double Indemnity by James M. CainVintage Crime/Black LizardPaperback ISBN: 9780679723226128 pages
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's
When asked to define film noir, one movie often comes to mind as the most representative of the cinematic movement: Double Indemnity (1944). Not only is it the most noirish of the noirs, it’s one of the best films ever made. With Billy Wilder’s direction, Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson portrayals and key filmmaking elements such as expert pacing, lighting and set design, the whole movie comes together as a veritable work of art. Double Indemnity also paved way for other noirs, especially The Postman Always Rings Twice. Both novels were written by James M. Cain and the battle to get Double Indemnity past production code guidelines allowed for negotiations to finally bring Postman to the big screen.
I read The Postman Always Rings Twice a few years ago to compare it to the movie and I was really intrigued by how lustful, violent and even racist the original story was in comparison to the movie adaptation. Then I wondered: how would Double Indemnity hold up with a novel-to-movie comparison?
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain is a novella that was originally serialized by Liberty Magazine in 1936 before it was published in book form as one of three stories in a collection. The book packs a punch in just 115 pages. Like the film, the story is told from insurance salesman Walter’s (Fred MacMurray) perspective. Through his first person narration, Walter relates the details of how he and his lover Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) plotted to murder her husband and commit insurance fraud for a big payout. Instead of relating his story to a dictaphone like MacMurray does in the film, Walter is writing a long letter to his work colleague Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) while traveling on a vessel.
I was quite captivated by Cain’s novel. It’s short enough that you can lose yourself in it and read the whole book in one sitting. The novel portrays Phyllis as a much more sinister character, Keyes becomes important only at the very end of the book, and Lola (Jean Heather), Phyllis’s stepdaughter, and her boyfriend Nino (Byron Barr) have a more distinct present in the story. The novel is heavy on the dialogue—Walter’s dictation and his conversations with the other characters. But there are also some interesting descriptions of the location settings including Glendale and Hollywood, California.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Under those blue pajamas was a shape to set a man nuts, and how good I was going to sound when I started explaining the high ethics of the insurance business I didn’t exactly know.” — Walter
“I was standing right on the deep end, looking over the edge, and I kept telling myself to get out of there, and get quick, and never come back. But that was what I kept telling myself. What I was doing was peeping over that edge, and all the time I was trying to pul away from it, there was something in me that kept edging a little closer, trying to get a better look.” — Walter
“Maybe I’m crazy. But there’s something in me that loves Death. I think of myself as Death, sometimes. In a scarlet shroud, floating through the night. I’m so beautiful, then. And sad. And hungry to make the whole world happy, by taking them out where I am, into the night, away from all trouble, all unhappiness…” — Phyllis
“Walter—I’m so excited. It does terrible things to me.” — Phyllis
I don’t often like somebody. At my trade, you can’t afford to. The whole human race looks—a bit crooked.” — Keyes
While James M. Cain was originally hired to adapt his own novel, ultimately Billy Wilder and fellow noir novelist Raymond Chandler were responsible for the final screenplay. Here are some of the changes they made:
!SPOILERS AHEAD!
Character names get a makeover. Walter Neff is changed to Walter Huff, Phyllis Nirdlinger (yes you read that correctly) was changed to Phyllis Dietrichson and Nino Sachetti was changed to Nino Zachetti. Phyllis’ maid Belle becomes Nettie and the original Nettie, Norton’s secretary, isn’t given a name at all.Phyllis is described as having a lust for death. She’s driven by that more so than by freedom and money. Part of her backstory includes being a killer nurse. Like in the film, she’s responsible for killing Lola’s mother. In the novel she’s also responsible for killing three children which led to a malpractice suit that ultimately affected the Sachetti/Zachetti family.Asian characters in the novel, Walter’s Filipino “houseboy” and Walter and Phyllis’s mutual acquaintance Mr. Ling are not included in the film adaptation.The Keyes character is brought to the forefront giving Edward G. Robinson more screen time. In the film, Keyes is the moral center of the story. In the novel, Keyes orchestrates a getaway plan for Walter. That would not fly during the Hays Code era when all murderers depicted on screen had to pay for their crime.Phyllis shoots Walter but Lola and Nino are blamed for it. Walter is fixated on clearing Lola’s name. They had both stopped seeing Phyllis and Nino respectively and started dating each other.The final scenes in Double Indemnity are some of the most memorable. It depicts Walter confessing to Keyes at their place of work with Walter making a weak attempt at a getaway. IN the novel, Walter and Phyllis are on a boat grappling with the future that lays ahead of them. They make a suicide pact and the suggestion is that they jumped off the vessel and were eaten by sharks. Phyllis goes as far to dress up for her “bridegroom” Death, whom she describes as her one true love. She puts chalk on her face to look paler, creates dark circles around her eyes, puts on red lipstick and drapes herself in red silk for this upcoming “wedding.” Eek!
!END OF SPOILERS!
Ultimately, James M. Cain was happy with the changes Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler made to his story. He even commended them for some scenes he wish he had thought of in the first place. This is one of those rare cases in which the movie improves on the book.
Have you read the novel? If so, what did you think of it?All content is property of Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. Copyright © 2007-2023
May 28, 2023
The Classic Film Collective: Topper by Thorne Smith
This was originally published in the former The Classic Film Collective Patreon.
Constance Bennett (Marion Kerby)
Cary Grant (George Kerby)
Roland Young (Cosmo Topper)
Billie Burke (Mrs. Topper)
One of the most beloved screwball comedies to come out of the thirties, Topper (1937), directed by Norman Z. McLeod, stars Constance Bennett and Cary Grant as a pair of free spirited ghosts who show middle-aged bank executive Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) what it really means to live. During their lifetime, Marion and George Kerby (Bennett and Grant) happily spent their days enjoying lavish parties, plenty of booze and wild road trips through the countryside. On one tragic day, George’s erratic driving causes them to have a fatal head-on collision with a tree. They shed their bodies but their spirits remain on earth in various degrees of visibility. As ghosts in limbo, their mission to ascend to heaven is to take Topper under their wing. They draw him away from his humdrum life with his uptight wife Mrs. Topper (Billie Burke) and the madcap adventures begin.
Topper (1937) was an adaptation of Thorne Smith’s 1926 novel of the same name. Born out of the prohibition era and the Jazz age, Topper is chock-full of fun alcohol-fueled escapades. Smith mostly wrote comedies and Topper and its sequel Topper Takes a Trip were his best known works. Topper pokes fun at the lifestyles of the upper and upper-middle class families while also driving home the simple but potent message that life is worth living.
At the heart of the novel is the opposition between hedonism and sensibility. Cosmo and Mrs. Topper live their lives as as though it were a “summer of Sundays”. Topper himself is caught in between. He wants to live life but the people who surround him view passion and enthusiasm as personal failures. As though there was a thing as too much enjoyment. Marion and George Kirby are described as “the fastest young couple in town” whose journey culminated in “a gay life and a quick death.” I love this line in particular which compares the Kerbys to the social set that the Toppers belonged to:
“The Kerbys had not belonged to his set, the solid substantial, commuting set, but had gathered round them, from all parts of the country, a group of irresponsible spirits, who would suddenly appear in a swarm of motors, riot around the town and countryside for a few days, and then as suddenly disappear in a cloud of dust and a chorus of brazen horns.”
Throughout the book, the dichotomy between living and just existing becomes the story’s strongest theme. Just existing is considered a form of death and characters who are truly living can either be physically dead or alive. Topper’s journey is referred to as an “incredible vacation,” a way for him to break out of his shell and tap into his inner joy. The Mrs. Topper character in particular serves as a warning that being “half alive” is no real way to live. Here are some quotes from the book that explore the theme of living vs. dying:
“For the first time Topper’s established routine of living gave place to a disorderly desire to live.”
“Mr. Topper came to regard himself as a corpse, without, however, enjoying a corpse’s immunity to its surroundings.”
“Any creature, man or beast, who has the capacity and desire to enjoy life deserves that enjoyment.”
Although in the book the Kerbys don’t need to help Topper to get into heaven, they do make it a mission to help Topper come out of his shell. The Kerbys in the film are ghosts who, when fully visible, inhabit the world of the living as members of society but when invisible cause absolute chaos when invisible. In the book the Kerbys are described as “low-planed” spirits. High planed spirits don’t live on earth nor can they make themselves visible. Low-planed spirits can store up “ectoplasm” (???) to achieve varying degrees of “thickness”. It’s all a very bizarre way to describe ghosts but in a way this works especially when it translates to a visual medium like film.
If you remember from the film, at one point George Kerby disappeared and you may have wondered: where did Cary Grant go? In the novel, George goes off on a seaside adventure leaving Marion behind to galavant with Topper. The scenes where Marion and Topper get into some riotous fun together, sans George, is a way for Topper to have a makeshift affair without committing actual adultery. Marion proclaims she’s no longer married now that she’s dead and Topper is embarrassed when hotel staff come to investigate reports of an unregistered woman in his room. A little tantalizing but never crosses the line which makes the film censorship friendly in the age of Hays Code enforcement. Having an emotional affair with Marion becomes a more important element of the book while in the film it's treated as a light flirtation.
The butler Wilkins, played by Alan Mowbray, who is constantly judging Topper and siding with the more sensible Mrs. Topper, isn’t in the book at all. Instead, Topper’s constant companion at home is his beloved cat Scollops. There are several running jokes about how the Toppers suffer from indigestion (“dyspesia”), how Mrs. Topper insists that Topper always enjoys a good leg of lamb for dinner, the predictability of which annoys Topper. The book also includes three other ghosts that aren’t in the film: the Colonel, his wife Mrs. Hart and their dog Oscar, who struggles to become fully visible and instead can only be seen in partial form.
I’m impressed by how the screenwriting team Jack Jevne, Eric Hatch and Eddie Moran transformed Thorne Smith’s story into an enjoyable 1-1/2 hour screwball comedy that allows the triumvirate of Bennett, Grant and Young shine. The novel takes a while to get to introduce the Kerbys and there are so many stories with Marion and Topper gallivanting around that the more concise approach the film takes allows the story not to lose steam as it does quite often in the novel. Unfortunately the author never lived to see the film adaptation in 1937 because he died at the age of 42 in 1934. Or perhaps, his ghost attended the premiere? We’ll never know.
Topper by Thorne Smith is a bit of a mixed bag but still quite enjoyable. I read Modern Library’s 1999 paperback edition.
All content is property of Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. Copyright © 2007-2023May 22, 2023
Noir Bar by Eddie Muller
Noir Bar
Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir
by Eddie Muller
TCM and Running Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9780762480623
May 2023248 pagesAmazon — Barnes and Noble — Larry Edmund's — Powell's
“Noir Bar offers a booze-based excursion through America’s most popular film genre, pairing easy-to-master recipes with the kind of behind-the-scenes anecdotes I like to include in my film intros and books.... This book is designed to be a drinking companion for anyone taking a deep dive into the glamorous and gritty world of noir.” — Eddie Muller
Cocktails and film noir make for a perfect pair in TCM host Eddie Muller's latest book: Noir Bar. Presented in alphabetical order, Noir Bar features 50 different films, each with a cocktail recipe to accompany it. Muller's curation of titles is as exciting as the cocktails he picks for each. The recipes were carefully selected by Muller—who is both the Czar of Noir and an experienced mixologist—to tie into the movie. The connection between noir and cocktail can be as simple as a reference to the title, protagonist or one of the actors. Some are thematic based on elements of the story. And there are numerous Eddie Muller originals. As someone who loves both film noir and cocktails, I had fun reading how Muller ties the cocktail to the movie and his reasoning behind each choice.
Here are some of my favorite film noir and cocktail pairings:
The Blue Gardenia (1953) — The Pearl Diver — This is a hat tip to the Tiki cocktail that Raymond Burr's character buys for Anne Baxter in order to get her intoxicated. Not many cocktails in the book have a direct connectionD.O.A. (1949) — The Last Word — The name is a reference to the protagonist's plight to get the "last word" on his murder. The cocktail recipe ingredients put together look reminiscent of the luminous poison from the film.Hell’s Half Acre (1954) — Mai Tai — This film noir takes place in and was filmed on location in Hawaii. As someone who has enjoyed many a Mai Tai in Oahu, I appreciated Muller's tips on how to make a quality Mai Tai at home.Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) — Johnny & Earle — Named after Robert Ryan and Harry Belafonte’s characters, this Eddie Muller original is probably the most clever cocktails in the whole book. He writes: “My mixology strategy here is obvious and symbolic—like the end of the movie. Tow base spirits that rarely engage with each other are unexpectedly combined: Jamaican dark rum… and Southern Comfort… In the spirit of the story, my formula calls for fifty-fifty use of the two spirits…The bitters and the Allspice Dram smooth things out between two headstrong leads.”Pickup on South Street (1953) — Bloody Mary — Eddie Muller prides himself on his signature recipe and this cocktail happens to be director Samuel Fuller's drink of choice.Suspense (1946) — Belita — This frozen cocktail is named after the film's star Belita and is a hat tip to her career as an ice skater.
And of course I had to make the Out of the Past (1947) Paloma. In the book Muller writes,
"this [is a] humble concoction of tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda... Mitchum, of course, would have waved off grapefruit soda in his tequila. Granted. This one's for Jane [Greer]."
I've had Palomas in the past but have never made one at home. I'm not terribly experienced when it comes to crafting cocktails. I appreciated Noir Bar's front matter which includes Muller's introductions on spirits, garnishes and tools to have on hand as well as a guide to basic cocktail making techniques. And for those of you who love to look up old cocktail recipes and are often dismayed by how many of them contain egg whites, fear not because this book only has one such recipe!
The mix of titles include some of the most famous entries into the film noir cannon as well as some obscure titles I've never heard of—and everything in between. Two of my favorites, Double Indemnity (1944) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), were missing but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
Each film noir has a 4-6 page entry complete with a brief foray into the film's history, an explanation of the cocktail pairing, a recipe and some images from the film. Some of the cocktails are presented with a stylized photograph that has a sort of hazy 1980s neo-noir vibe to it that gave me a twinge of nostalgia. The book is a nice compact size but because of its binding and dark matte gloss pages, I do suggest placing it in a cookbook holder for reading and reference purposes if you can. I would not recommend this for someone who abstains from alcohol because the book leans heavily on the cocktail related content. They are not sections you can just skip.
Interior spread courtesy of Running Press. Champagne Cocktail to accompany Sunset Blvd. (1951).Noir Bar is the perfect companion for film noir enthusiasts who enjoy a well-made cocktail.
Don't forget to drink responsibly!
Thank you to Running Press for sending me a copy of Noir Bar to review!
All content is property of Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. Copyright © 2007-2023
May 20, 2023
2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge
2023 #ClassicFilmReading ChallengeMay 20th to September 15th, 2023
It's my honor to announce that the 2023 #ClassicFilmReading Challenge is now live!
Every year I host this challenge to encourage you to read and review six classic film books this summer/winter (depending on which hemisphere you live on).
If you don't think you could read and review six books but could review one or two, I encourage you to still join! It's fun to participate even if you don't complete the challenge.
If you do finish all six books then you: 1) get bragging rights 2) are automatically entered into a giveaway to win a Kino Lorber Blu-ray or DVD of your choice. Open internationally!
I encourage you to participate even if you don't think you'll read all 6 books. All readers are welcome.
Throughout the challenge I'll be sharing review round-ups here on the blog and on my Twitter @RaquelStecher—and possibly elsewhere if Twitter goes bust. Make sure you use the official hashtag #classicfilmreading when sharing your reviews. And feel free to share your #classicfilmreading stack to showcase what you plan to you plan to read.
Here is how the challenge works:
Sign up for the challenge Read a classic film bookWrite a review and post it on your Blog, Podcast, YouTube, Instagram, LibraryThing or Goodreads. Must be a public post. Use hashtag #classicfilmreading on social media.Submit your review link (see form on the official page)Repeat until you have read and reviewed 6 books!Review 6 and be automatically entered to win a prize.Please use the review link form to submit your reading stack too!
Challenge runs from May 20th until September 15th, 2023. Sign-up before July 15th, 2023.
All of the details of the challenge are on the official page including the sign up form, the book review submission form, rules, deadlines and what counts as a classic film book.
Feel free to use the reading challenge graphics.
May 14, 2023
The Classic Film Collective: 10 Interesting Facts about Chinese-American Actress Soo Yong
You may be familiar with Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong from films such as The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Piccadilly (1929) and Shanghai Express (1932). But have you heard of Soo Yong? Yong was a couple years older than Wong but started her career in film over a decade later than Wong did. She appeared in over 20 films from the mid 1930s and into the 1960s alongside big name stars such as Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mae West, Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, William Holden and Marlon Brando. While it’s easy to compare the two because they were both Chinese-American actresses working in the Hollywood studio system, they couldn’t have been more different. Wong was an international movie star and style icon. She pushed the boundaries of how an Asian-American woman should look and how she should act on screen. She was constantly fighting a system that didn’t know what to do with her.
Yong was quite different. She was never a big star and instead became a reliable character actress. And Yong’s model was quite different Wong’s. She presented herself as the “Chinese New Woman”, an educated woman who gave the performing arts a level of sophistication. According to Professor Gao Yunxiang of Ryerson University, "White Hollywood was smitten by Soo Yong, whose educated, middle-class persona contrasted with the flamboyant and controversial star Anna May Wong. Wong’s film persona, created for her by racist Hollywood casting decisions, irritated China’s Nationalist government.” Yong would spend her life presenting a different image of Chinese-American womanhood both on screen and off. Professor Yunxiang goes on to say that Yong offered “an alternative to the familiar binary stereotypes of the subservient China doll and the vicious dragon lady.”
Having heard little of Soo Yong, I decided to do some research on her life and career. Here are some interesting facts about this little known figure from film history.
Soo Yong was born October 31st, 1903 in Hawai’i to Chinese immigrant parents. She was orphaned at the age of 15 and raised by her sister in Honolulu. Yong eventually lived in California, New York, Florida and Maine but eventually came back to spend her final years in Hawai’i.Yong’s initial career track was actually to become a teacher. She attended the Mid-Pacific Institute and the University of Hawai’i, got her Master’s in teaching from Columbia University and even studied for her PhD at the University of Southern California (although I couldn’t find any information on whether she completed her doctorate). According to film historian Arthur Dong, “Soo Yong was one of the earliest Chinese American women to enroll in an American college.Yong got her start as an actress on stage. She appeared in plays written by Zhang Penghun and had a role in the Broadway production of The Letter opposite star Katherine Cornell. Fluent in Mandarin and English, she served as an on stage translator for Mei Lanfang’s Peking Opera, which was sponsored by the China Institute and traveled across the country in the early 1930s. Yong became known as a cultural translator building a bridge between Chinese culture and American audiences. She was billed as “the charming mistress of ceremonies.”While she was studying for her PhD at USC, Yong began acting in films at MGM. Her first role was in The Painted Veil (1934) playing Greta Garbo’s Chinese maid Amah. Her next film China Seas (1935) has her paired with C. Aubrey Smith as his romantic companion Yu-Lan. There is a great scene in that movie where she is seated with Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Rosalind Russell, Clark Gable, C. Aubrey Smith and Robert Benchley. Harlow’s character China Doll is kicking up a fuss to which Yu-Lan (Soo Yong) replies: “The more violent a storm, the sooner it subsides."I first took note of Yong in Mae West’s Klondike Annie (1936) where she plays West’s traveling companion who is dropped off in Seattle to be reunited with her lover. Yong mostly played Chinese or Chinese American characters. Asian actors were often made to play many nationalities so this was unusual for the time. In the 1950s, she did play a few Japanese characters but it was more the exception to the rule.Yong worked for several major studios. She made 4 films for MGM, 4 for 20th Century Fox, 6 for Paramount and made 1 film each for Warner Bros. Universal and Columbia. She also performed in indie productions such as The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), Big Jim McLain (1952), Flight to Hong Kong (1956) and The Hawaiians (1970).Anna May Wong and Soo Yong never worked together but their paths did almost cross on two separate occasions. Both actresses auditioned for the lead role of O-Lan in MGM’s The Good Earth (1937). Both were frustrated to lose that plum role to caucasian actress Luise Rainer. Wong doesn’t appear in the film but Yong went on to have a minor role in as “Aunt”. Fast forward to 1961, both Wong and Yong are slated to appear in the first major Asian-American Hollywood production Flower Drum Song (1961). Wong unfortunately died of a massive heart attack before filming began and the role of Madame Liang eventually went to Juanita Hall. Yong appears in a small role as Madame Yen Fong and can be seen primarily in the Chop Suey musical numberAfter retiring from film in 1970, Yong appeared in a few television episodes of Hawaii Five-O. Her final on screen performance was in Season 2, Episode 5 of Magnum P.I. in 1981. She plays an old Vietnamese woman in Honolulu’s Little Saigon and has two scenes with Tom Selleck.While living in Winter Park, Florida, Yong ran a successful Chinese novelty shop called The Jade Lantern. There she sold sold jewelry, handbags, silk, linen, furniture and other arts and crafts. According to Professor Yunxiang, “customers shopped there for a lifestyle associated with her glamour and were served by the star they recognized.”Her second husband C.K. Huang was a Chinese businessman who supported the arts. Due to an immigration law, they couldn’t marry until 1941 without Yong losing her American citizenship. Once that law changed, they were able to wed. Together they left an endowment to the University of Hawai’i at Mano. The Chun Ku and Soo Yong Huang Foundation offers grants and scholarships to students interested in Chinese Studies.
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May 8, 2023
Sambizanga (1972): Luso World Cinema Blogathon 2023
"On February 4th, 1961, a group of militants set out from Sambizanga, a working-class district in Luanda, intending to storm the capital's prison. At the same time, they gave the signal for the armed struggle for national independence that has engulfed Angola ever since. But for years before that day, thousands of fighters in the villages and towns had braved the police's reign of terror, patiently paving the way for insurrection and organizing a clandestine network of political movements. And so, on a work site in the midst of the Angolan bush, we find a certain Domingos Xavier..."
These words begin Sambizanga (1972), director Sarah Maldoror's poignant story about Angola's battle to gain independence from Portugal. The film stars Domingos de Oliveira as Domingos Xavier, a construction worker who lives in Sambizanga, a working-class community on the outskirts of Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Suspected of being member of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola or MPLA), Domingos is arrested by Portuguese officials. His devoted wife Maria (Elisa Andrade) goes on a quest to discover what happened to Domingos and find out where he's imprisoned. Her journey gives the viewer an opportunity to explore the landscape and culture of Sambizanga and Luanda. Domingos' story gives us an insight on Angola's severe income and racial inequalities and just what was at stake for Angolans in their rebellion against the Portuguese.
"The rich give in a way that keeps the poor poor and give work to keep the rich rich. If there were no rich, there'd be no poor.... It's the labor of the poor that earns money for the rich and makes the rich richer. But the poor? Always in the same fix."
Sambizanga was based on José Luandino Vieira novel The Real Life of Domingos Xavier published in 1961. The screenplay was a collaboration between novelist Maurice Pons, French director Sarah Maldoror and her husband Mario Pinto de Andrade, an Angolan native and the founder of the MPLA. The film was produced and released during the final years of the Angolan War of Independence and the actors were mostly non-professionals and members of the MPLA. Sambizanga is considered the first feature film (non-documentary) produced by a Portuguese speaking country in Africa.
If you're looking to expand your horizons with international films especially ones made by female filmmakers, make sure you check out Sambizanga. It's currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and it's part of Criterion's boxed set Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project Vol. 4. The edition they have was restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna. Sambizanga offers a straightforward story of familial strife and incarceration as a platform to further explore the nuances of inequality, Angolan pride and a pivotal moment in the country's recent history. Storywise, it's quite reminiscent of the American film Sounder (1972), released the same year which also tells the story of a wife (Rebecca played by Cicely Tyson) in search of where her husband (Nathan played by Paul Winfield) has been incarcerated. The two films would make a great double-bill and if you're reluctant about trying out Sambizanga use Sounder as a jumping off point.
This review of Sambizanga (1972) is my entry into the 2023 Luso World Cinema Blogathon hosted by Spellbound with Beth Ann and Crítica Retrô. I've had an interest in participating in this blogathon for a while because I'm half-Portuguese and Portuguese is one of three languages I'm fluent in. Furthermore, one of my half-sisters lived in Angola for sometime and I had an Angolan pen pal growing up. I picked Sambizanga because of my personal interest in Angola, the Portuguese language and African cinema. For anyone interested in the Portuguese language, Sambizanga is mostly in Portuguese (Lingala and Kimbundu are also spoken) and the dialogue is quite easy to follow which makes it perfect for language learning or improving fluency.
April 30, 2023
The Classic Film Collective: Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley
Buzz The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley by Jeffrey SpivakUniversity Press of KentuckyPaperback ISBN: 9780813154084410 pages
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's
“In an era of breadlines, Depression, and wars, I tried to help people get away from all the misery; to turn their minds to something else. I wanted to make people happy, if only for an hour." —Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was the master of motion picture choreography. If you’ve ever watched films like 42nd Street (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade (1933), The Gang’s All Here (1942) or Million Dollar Mermaid (1953), you’ll recognize Berkeley’s signature style. Berkeley's subjects would be transformed into veritable human kaleidoscopes utilizing all the elements he could to put the vision he had in his mind’s eye into reality. Berkeley had no real dancing background yet he had an eye for choreography, movement and composition. Elaborate sets, props, disembodied heads, arms and legs and carefully synched movements helped him create hypnotizing scenes that drew audiences to the cinema again and again. He was best known for his work on Pre-Code musicals but he had continued success throughout the1940s and 1950s. Berkeley would pivot to embrace different styles of work like working with Technicolor, widescreen, water and changing with the times. Personal troubles plagued him and he often made poor decisions. However, one can’t deny the impact Berkeley had on visual history of film.
Originally published in 2010, Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley by Jeffrey Spivak is the definitive biography on the director. Told in chronological order, the biography follows Berkeley’s life from his childhood, time served during WWI and his auspicious start as a stage director. He found his calling in the theater perfecting his techniques by directing actors in confined spaces.
He was personally recruited by Bill Grady of the William Morris agency and, after a background check by Samuel Goldwyn, was hired as a director of musical numbers for the Eddie Cantor film Whoopee (1930). Berkeley had an eye for staging and for beauty. This lent himself to musicals that were all the rave in the early talkie era. Berkeley worked mostly for Warner Bros. and MGM creating lavish numbers for various films. He grew to be more than just a choreographer and took the helm and full-fledged director on films like Comet Over Broadway (1938), Babes in Arms (1939) and For Me and My Gal (1942). He also proved that he could do more than just musicals and directed dramas like They Made Me a Criminal (1939), a boxing story starring John Garfield and featuring cinematography by James Wong Howe. Even when tastes shifted, he still proved relevant working with talents like Doris Day and Esther Williams well into the 1950s.
Spivak’s book primarily focuses on Berkeley’s professional work. The various musical numbers are described in detail. You have to be interested in the history of musicals as well as the particulars of dance, choreography and filming technique to really be engaged with this book. There isn’t a lot of focus on behind-the-scenes information. I’m much more fascinated with the social aspects of film history than technique so I particularly struggled with this. However, many of Berkeley’s dance numbers are available on watch free on YouTube and if you need to familiarize yourself with a number (or refresh your memory) do so with this free resource as it will add to the reading experience.
Interspersed throughout the book are some stories about Berkeley’s personal life. He had a very strong attachment to his mother which led to issues with his first five wives. He found contentment with his sixth wife with whom he was married until his death in 1976.
Then there was the terrible car accident in which Berkeley hit two vehicles injuring several people. One victim died immediately and others perished from their injuries later on. The author details the accident, the three trials, the aftermath and Berkeley’s continued issues with alcohol and depression.
There are many stories about how Berkeley worked with actresses. At one point the author uses a mock voice for Carmen Miranda’s reaction to an accident that happened while making The Lady with the Tutti Frutti Hat. It was a bit insulting and completely unnecessary.
Even with its problems, the book is an invaluable resource and offers much insight into Busby Berkeley’s artistry. If you love musicals and are in awe of those signature Berkeley numbers, this book is a must read.
Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley is now available in paperback from the University Press of Kentucky. Thank you to UPK for sending me a digital copy for review!
Now I leave you with some juicy nuggets from the book to enjoy.
Some interesting facts from the book:
His mother Gertrude was friends with actress Nazimova who helped cast her in the film War Brides (1916).I learned that Busby Berkeley got his start as a stage director at a theatre that is directly next door to my old day job!He preferred to use a single camera for his dance sequences because he could easily envision the production with one viewpoint rather than multiple.Mary Pickford saved him from a terrible contract with Paramount.In November of 1935, he received a patent for the rotating platform he invented for his musical numbers. The Patent # is 1979363.In Gold Diggers of 1935, he had to arrange the position of an orchestra and the dancers so that the dancers could hear the music over their own tapping.According to the United States Treasury, Berkeley received on of the highest salaries of 1937. Years later he got in trouble with the IRS for not paying his taxes.Berkeley preferred to work with the same people from film to film. He had his “Berkeley girls” who followed him from project to project. He also gave regular work to soundmen, grips, electricians and cinematographers.Doris Day loved working with Berkeley on Romance on the High Seas (1948) that she asked for him to come out of his retirement for Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962).A 300+ page copy of Busby Berkeley’s memoir went up for auction but never sold. It languished in storage until his widow passed on and it was thankfully salvaged. The author was able to access the memoir which was heavily biased and shared little personal information.
Some quotes from the book:
“Busby Berkeley was the premier dance director of motion pictures. His originality and sharply defined style brought him professional acclaim and financial reward. He saved a studio from bankruptcy and a doomed genre from senescence. Just don’t call him a choreographer.”
“Audiences in Berkeley’s day were treated to immersive, kaleidoscopic effects resulting in a thrill that only image size and collective response elicit. Spontaneous applause and the tossing of hats were by-products of the experience.”
“For musical pictures he had no stylistic equal, yet the films he directed outside his purview were often middling and anonymous, lacking the imprimatur that defined his finest work.”“In his most creative period, Berkeley’s tableau featured expansive art deco formations and repetitive set decorations with the occasional use of gigantism for fantasy props. Conversely, when bowing to budget restrictions, Buzz created his most interesting work with minimalist trappings.”
“Studio records reveal that the Warner Bros. publicity department came up with a neologism to describe the uniqueness, distinctness, and inimitable nature of its star director. A man who combined groundbreaking technique in the artistry of film while seamlessly merging his craft with the classicism of dance was designated by Warner Brothers a cinematerpsichorean”
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April 20, 2023
2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day #4 Recap
The last day of the TCM Classic Film Festival was a tough one for me. I was only able to attend two more events, both in the afternoon and evening and only after spending all morning resting up. I assumed I was suffering from extreme exhaustion so I prioritized the two events most important to me.
After having a quick lunch with a friend, I headed over to the Hollywood Legion for a special 35th anniversary screening of Stand and Deliver (1987). The film is both a modern classic of Latinx cinema but also really important as an inspirational tool for students and teachers. I had never seen it before and I'm glad that I saved my first viewing for this special event.
This screening was part of TCM's theme to celebrate Warner Bros.' 100th anniversary. It began with a Warner Bros. trailer then an introduction by Luis Reyes, film historian and author of the book Viva Hollywood which I reviewed here. Reyes discussed the film and pointed out two of the actors in the audience who played students in the movie. He also spoke briefly about actress and long-time TCM fan Vanessa Marquez who was tragically killed back in 2018. She plays Ana Delgado in the film.
The moment we were all waiting for was for the interview with Reyes and Stand and Deliver stars Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips. I really enjoyed listening to them discuss how they came to the project, the impact the film had on their careers and on countless teachers and their mutual respect for each other.
Despite feeling under the weather, I was completely engrossed in the film and was swept away by the excellent storytelling, the fantastic characters and performances and the opportunity to cheer on some fellow Latinos in their pursuit for intellectual excellency!
I stayed at the Hollywood Legion to get in line for my next and last event of the festival, a screening of the Rin Tin Tin silent film Clash of the Wolves (1925). TCM host Jacqueline Stewart introduced silent film accompanist Ben Model who then introduced the film. I've been to several performances by Ben Model and he's a unique talent with his ability to respond to the actions and emotions on the screen with his music. His scores are never written down so each performance is a unique experience.
The event didn't disappoint! We all had fun with this nail-biting Rin Tin Tin adventure. My friend Annie and I had a good cry when Rin Tin TIn was injured and left to die. But of course, with Rin Tin Tin being the star of the show, he not only survives but he thrives!
The plan for me was to try to go to the Closing Night Party but my body gave up on me and I decided to call it a night. I'm sad that I wasn't able to say a proper goodbye to my friends. But my decision was ultimately the best one I could make for everyone involved.
Some observations on the festival overall:
The festival was scaled back quite a lot this year. There was no imprint ceremony, no big announcement at the media event (see more details on Day #1's recap) and fewer big name guests. I imagine a lot had to due with budget cuts given the recent merger. However, TCM still put on a great lineup of movies, panels, and events for all of us to enjoy. Looking at the schedule you wouldn't guess anything was scaled back.Queueing up for films can be tricky and there had been problems in previous years. This year the volunteers did a stand-up job handling the lines. Line drama was kept at a minimum.There were some nice surprises during the festival including the last minute addition of George Clooney at a screening of Ocean's 11 (2001). And not so nice surprises like a shelter-in-place order due to a shooting on Hollywood Boulevard.Quite a few festival goers caught COVID, including yours truly. I suspect that a combination of the colder weather and the rain made for a fertile breeding ground for the virus. I didn't quite realize that I had it until I got tested right after the festival. I just assumed I was really tired.There was a sense of sadness that hung over us primarily in the days right before the festival. I mostly sensed this from the festival regulars. On the flip side, there were so many first-time festival goers this year and many of them were brimming with enthusiasm.The festival has morphed into something a bit different with time. When I started attending the festival in 2013, each year was absolutely magical. It would be a long weekend packed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, ones that I would be talking about until the next festival rolled around. With the passage of time and the loss of Robert Osborne and many of the classic film stars who were special guests at the festival over the years, it'll be hard to keep that spark going. This was inevitable and if the festival continues TCM will do a great job trying to give festival goers the best experience they can even as things inevitably change.The most special aspect of the festival has been and will always be the people. The TCM hosts, the presenters, the TCM staff, the volunteers and the passholders all make the festival a social event like no other.
A special thank you to all the folks at TCM for this year's festival!
All content is property of Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. Copyright © 2007-2023
April 19, 2023
2023 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day #3 Recap
The sun was shining on the third day of the TCM Classic Film Festival. I got up early to attend my number one pick for festival events: a screening of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) with Russ Tamblyn in attendance! I was excited not only to see Tamblyn and hear him speak about his experience on set but also to watch one of my favorite musicals of all time on that gigantic TCL Chinese Theater screen! (I heard it's the largest screen in North America!)
On my way to the screening, I rode the elevator down to the lobby of my hotel and it stopped at the third floor. And guess who walked in? RUSS TAMBLYN! I stood right next to the man I was literally going to queue up to see. What a thrill! The lady who was with him asked us in the elevator what we were excited to say and I perked up and said Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and that I recognized Russ Tamblyn right away. What a thrill!
TCM host Dave Karger sat down with Russ Tamblyn ahead of the screening for an interview. Tamblyn talked about how he was cast for the film, how they coordinated the red hair and the different acting/dancing/singing skills among the seven brothers, his crush on Janie Powell, as he called her, and more. He's the last surviving of the seven brothers and Tamblyn joked that he can now say what he wants and there is no one to contradict him. It was a very memorable interview and I only wish it lasted a bit longer.
And yes it was absolutely breathtaking to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on that big screen. I got emotional and was a "sobbin' woman" during the screening.
Russ Tamblyn and Dave Karger. Photo courtesy of TCMI took a brief break from the festival to visit with my friends Daniel and Lillian and was back in Hollywood in time to head over to the Hollywood Legion for the next special event.
Donald Bogle and Ben Mankiewicz. Photo courtesy of TCMI have never been to a Robert Osborne Award Ceremony and there had been three held so far for Martin Scorsese, Kevin Brownlow and Leonard Maltin. I made it a point to go this year especially since film historian Donald Bogle, an author I great admire and whose work I use a lot in my research, was the newest honoree.
The ceremony included an introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, a tribute video, speeches by Debra Martin Chase and Louis Gossett, Jr. Mankiewicz presented the award to Bogle who followed up with an acceptance speech and an introduction to the movie Carmen Jones (1954) which screened immediately after. Bogle was very moved by the ceremony and it was really great to hear how he got his start, his early days working with Otto Preminger and his intro to the movie.
Louis Gossett Jr. I had planned to attend a screening of Unfinished Business (1941), introduced by film historian and author Sloan De Forest, but my body broke down and I slept for 12 hours instead. I didn't fare much better the next day. Stay tuned for my fourth and final recap!
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