“Critical judgments of the very early sound period were often very curious. Films that were shunted aside then seem quite marvelous today, and films which rated raves then, often don’t live up to them now. Abraham Lincoln really needs patience…
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“There seemed to be some indefinable quality, some unique combination of appearance, voice, quiet humor, or personal projection that made us pay, by the millions, to spend some time with him; not to be preached at or instructed by, but…
I found this item while I was going through some of the old blogs I had created for film programs at the Park Ridge Public Library. The following is a letter I had received from Buster Keaton’s granddaughter, Melissa Cox.…
City Lights had its gala premiere ninety years ago today– January 30, 1931–and after all this time, its brilliance has not dimmed. Its images have remained with us ever since. City Lights is something more than a comedy. It’s a…
“But even a Barrymore on the decline is still more than a match for any other actor in Hollywood: most of his role calls for flamboyant theatrics a la “20th Century,” and he launches into his tirades with magnificent gusto.…
The name Max Steiner may not be familiar to the general public, but the music he created is recognizable to millions of fans worldwide. Steiner was a pioneering film composer who invented techniques that are still used today to score…
This past week marked the 40th anniversary of Popeye‘s premiere: December 6, 1980. Sometime shortly after its general release, my mom took me to see it– one of the few times I saw a movie at the show with my…
Since 2014, The Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series has presented several James Bond events in partnership with the Ian Fleming Foundation. Prior to the COVID pandemic, discussions had been underway about a possible event honoring Sean Connery’s 90th birthday in…
“I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some point leave this life, I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a…
This is the time of year when I’m normally planning our annual “Halloween Horrorfest” at the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series. Since there will be no screening this year with the program in mothballs, I thought I’d look back on…