FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973)

Film buffs tend to have obsessions. We fuss and fawn over particular actors and directors while attempting to see everything they ever appeared in or produced. One of my own personal obsessions isn’t an actor or a director but it’s a tale I enjoy seeing reimagined over and over again in different languages and in …

Telefilm Time Machine: Daughter of the Mind (1969)

Ray Milland sees dead people. Or to be more precise, Ray Milland begins seeing the ghost of his dead daughter in the made-for-TV movie DAUGHTER OF THE MIND (1969) based on a novel by author Paul Gallico (THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES; 1942, BITTER VICTORY; 1957, THE SNOW GOOSE; 1971, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE; 1972) and directed by Walter Grauman. This is …

Telefilm Time Machine: SATAN’S TRIANGLE (1975)

One of my favorite actresses is the beautiful and enigmatic Kim Novak and one of the first made-for-TV movies she appeared in was SATAN’S TRIANGLE (1975). This surprisingly effective supernatural thriller combines elements of classic horror films such as PHANTOM SHIP (1935) and GHOST SHIP (1955) as well as THE EXORCIST (1973) into a spine-tingling original tale set on the stormy seas …

MYSTERY & MELODRAMA: THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE (2012-2014)

One of the best things I’ve watched in recent months is the British mini-series THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE airing on PBS. This engrossing post-war drama focuses on the lives of a handful of women who served together during WW2 as codebreakers at Bletchley Park, which housed the Government Code and Cypher School. This British intelligence agency was responsible for …

TELEFILM TIME MACHINE: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1972)

Eleanor Parker in 1972 The holidays can be a very difficult time for some. I know from firsthand experience that when you don’t have any family to rely on or any kind of financial security to speak of Christmas can feel like a national nightmare inhabited by drunken revelers, crazed shoppers, and merciless merchants. This …

Mad Men: A Photo Finish

I'm really going to miss Mad Men. I'm going to miss Roger's off-color jokes. I'm going to miss Peggy's moxie. I'm going to miss Don's perfect pitches. I'm going to miss Joan's killer curves. I'm going to miss Betty's resting bitch face. I'm going to miss watching Sally grow-up. I'm even going to miss Pete's …

Jan. & Feb. 2015 at TCM’s Movie Morlocks

Links to my writing at TCM's official Movie Morlocks blog in January & February. 15 FAVORITE FILMS FROM 2014 Excerpt: "I know what you’re thinking. Another list?! Forgive me my trespass but as a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists I’m asked to compile a list of my favorite films each year and …

April & May at The Movie Morlocks

Highlights from my April & May contributions to TCM’s Movie Morlocks. You can read all the articles by following the links below: - Happy Birthday Doris! Excerpt: "The legacy of this vivacious movie star, popular vocalist, television personality and animal rights advocate is truly unparalleled. And knowing Doris Day’s is still here with us doing …

The Man of the Hour: Alfred Hitchcock

Back in May when I debuted Klara Tavakoli Goesche's video tour of VERTIGO locations at the Movie Morlocks I made note of the fact that: "Alfred Hitchcock’s name seems to be everywhere these days." It seems that my observation was somewhat premature because I had no idea that Hitchock would became a subject of daily …

Davy Jones 1945 – 2012

Like millions of other young girls around the world I grew up with The Monkees. Their impact on me and my life was incredibly profound. They brought me and my girlfriends together when we were young and inspired us to want to form our own band but that's another story for another day. Today I …

ZEN on PBS

Actress Catherine Spaak in 1966 I rarely write about modern films or new television shows but if you happen to follow me on Twitter or Facebook you've probably noticed that I occasionally mention movies and TV shows that don't warrant a full post on Cinebeats. My latest obsession is the BBC import currently playing on …

Comic Book of the Week: Land of the Giants

Land of the Giants was a short-lived comic book series published between 1968-1969 by Gold Key Comics. I'm not sure who the artist and writer were because there are no credits in the comic but it was based on the television show of the same name. The series only lasted two seasons and I think …

Mini Monday #4

Patrick McGoohan drives a Mini Moke in The Prisoner (1967-68)

Comic Book of the Week: Logan’s Run (1976)

Logan's Run was originally a movie tie-in comic published by Marvel Comics between 1976-1977 and illustrated by the great George Perez. One of the best things about the comic series was the fact that it followed the original script and included scenes that were cut from the film but it also censored a few scenes …

Before They Were Stars Part II

Hotpoint Television ad (1956) Can you guess who that cute model is trying to sell you a portable television? If you said Millie Perkins, the star of The Diary of Anne Frank (1958) you'd be right. When I first spotted this ad last year in an old magazine I had no idea who it was …