Barbara Stanwyck brought significant skill to most of her movie roles. In this movie, playing a witness to a murder that can't be proved, the role could be over done with angst but Stanwyck makes it appropriately tense and harrowing. George Sanders played a Nazi in Man Hunt and plays a supposedly ex-Nazi in Witness to Murder. He's one of the best bad guys in moviedom.
It's nice to know that Stanwyck was known as a kind woman and professional on the movie set. In addition to this movie, some of Stanwyck's best and varied roles can be found in Double Indemnity, Ball of Fire and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.
The Tall T (1957)
Is Randolph Scott a great cowboy...or what? He's at his best bouncing lines off Arthur Hunnicutt and sparring with ultimate bad guy, Richard Boone. Chink, played by Henry Silva, is a cold one but deadpans a good line early in the movie: "He's a talker, Frank."(you have to see it). The Tall T is an often overlooked cowboy classic, based on a...you guessed it, an Elmore Leonard story. I shows up on television in small waves, typically Encore's Western Channel. Catch it the next time around. The only odd thing about the movie is that a young boy is killed - you don't see it happen, you just find out about it later. It does make you hate the bad guys which bodes well for the good guy.
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Room for One More, 1952
Norman Taurog, Director
Sentimental? Yes ! - but an enjoyable use of Cary Grant's comedic capabilities. His real-life wife (at least for some time), Betsy Drake, plays his kindhearted wife that takes in homeless pets....and children that are unwanted by others. They sort of play the couple we wish we could be; regular families that are real heroes that accomplish difficult tasks turning around lives with little fanfare.
Take the opportunity to watch this whenever it's on television as it is not often shown. It's a great family-time movie that has great lessons for kids.....as well as adults.
Room for One More
Sentimental? Yes ! - but an enjoyable use of Cary Grant's comedic capabilities. His real-life wife (at least for some time), Betsy Drake, plays his kindhearted wife that takes in homeless pets....and children that are unwanted by others. They sort of play the couple we wish we could be; regular families that are real heroes that accomplish difficult tasks turning around lives with little fanfare.
Take the opportunity to watch this whenever it's on television as it is not often shown. It's a great family-time movie that has great lessons for kids.....as well as adults.
Room for One More
Man Hunt, 1941
Fritz Lang, Director
The delightful Walter Pidgeon makes the ideal loyal Englishman who, pre-war, must run from Hitler's henchmen after they caught him with a rifle near Hitler's lodge. Pidgeon's character is privileged and wealthy, but that apparently has not affected him too much. During the chase, he must depend upon common, even lowly people to treat him with kindness and trust. Roddy McDowell and Joan Bennett are those people.
Man Hunt
This is a great movie for all ages with the emphasis on courage and trust worthiness.
The delightful Walter Pidgeon makes the ideal loyal Englishman who, pre-war, must run from Hitler's henchmen after they caught him with a rifle near Hitler's lodge. Pidgeon's character is privileged and wealthy, but that apparently has not affected him too much. During the chase, he must depend upon common, even lowly people to treat him with kindness and trust. Roddy McDowell and Joan Bennett are those people.
Man Hunt
This is a great movie for all ages with the emphasis on courage and trust worthiness.
Hombre, 1967
Martin Ritt, Director
Paul Newman makes full use of his stoic capabilities. His character, John Russell, raised by Indians, is held in contempt by his fellow stagecoach passengers (once the snootiest woman realizes he lived as an Indian), but when they get into trouble, he becomes the reluctant go-to guy. There are several great character actors in the movie, some you don't see quite so often.
Hombre
Those who are corrupt and self-absorbed are the characters John Russell must help, goaded by a world-weary, but relatively wise woman who really just wants some security in life. Hombre doesn't quite have the classic feel of John Ford's Stagecoach with John Ford. It's fine for teens, probably wasted on anyone much younger.
Paul Newman makes full use of his stoic capabilities. His character, John Russell, raised by Indians, is held in contempt by his fellow stagecoach passengers (once the snootiest woman realizes he lived as an Indian), but when they get into trouble, he becomes the reluctant go-to guy. There are several great character actors in the movie, some you don't see quite so often.
Hombre
Those who are corrupt and self-absorbed are the characters John Russell must help, goaded by a world-weary, but relatively wise woman who really just wants some security in life. Hombre doesn't quite have the classic feel of John Ford's Stagecoach with John Ford. It's fine for teens, probably wasted on anyone much younger.
The Kid from Left Field, 1953
Billy Chapin and Dan Daily are a wonderful father - son team, reminiscent of Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery in The Champ. Don't worry, though, it's not as much of a tear jerker. The last line of the movie comes from Ray Collins' (remember Lt. Tragg on Perry Mason?) character -- something like: "I can't believe the Bison's are in the World Series." Well, you can relate to that if you are a Texas Rangers fan.
The story revolves around Chapin's character, his hopefulness and resourcefulness. He makes full use of his Dad's baseball knowledge, though Daily's character is a "washed-up" former player, now down and out.
Definitely enjoy this with your kids and grandkids. It's a great one and I don't think you can get it on DVD, so watch for it on TV.
The story revolves around Chapin's character, his hopefulness and resourcefulness. He makes full use of his Dad's baseball knowledge, though Daily's character is a "washed-up" former player, now down and out.
Definitely enjoy this with your kids and grandkids. It's a great one and I don't think you can get it on DVD, so watch for it on TV.
No Highway in the Sky, 1951
Jimmy Stewart as a preoccupied, single-minded, kind-hearted engineer with a young, precocious and self-sufficient daughter, is very convincing. The object of his obsession is the study of airplane structure failure through the use of mathematics. You know he must be right in his prediction, but will he prove it? Marlene Dietrich is well-cast also as a movie star and Glynis Johns personifies the ideal flight attendant.
No Highway in the Sky is set post WWII. The wife of Stewart's character perished in the bombing of London, hence he and his daughter have only each other.
The movie has a little bit of documentary flavor to it -- or at least historical/scientific informational value. Great for kids and adults.
No Highway in the Sky
No Highway in the Sky is set post WWII. The wife of Stewart's character perished in the bombing of London, hence he and his daughter have only each other.
The movie has a little bit of documentary flavor to it -- or at least historical/scientific informational value. Great for kids and adults.
No Highway in the Sky
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