As is happily typical with their programming, the New Beverly delivered unto me a long-awaited, yet previously unavailable, movie interest of mine: Looking for Mr. Goodbar. The 1977 not-on-DVD classic stars Diane Keaton and baby versions of Tom Berenger, Richard Gere, and LeVar Burton, and is based on the real-life 1973 murder of Roseann Quinn.
It’s a relatively light month, musical-wise, over at TCM, with the glaring exception of November 12, where they’ve apparently decided to program the day exclusively with rare Busby Berkeley directed/choreographed musicals. I offer absolutely no resistance to this idea whatsoever and encourage future repetition whenever possible.
The Mystery of the Wax Museum, a two-tone Technicolor mystery from 1933, was a great scheduling pick from the New Beverly theater on this week of creeps leading up to Halloween. Directed by Michael Curtiz–who would later win an Oscar for helming a little film called Casablanca–the film is a curious mixture of Vincent Price spooks, quick screwball comedy …
I was delighted to spot this one coming up on my Rare Musicals list for October, as the sailor musical has quickly become one of my shortcuts to making my movie selections. I was particularly interested in Hit the Deck because of the stellar cast, as well as the fact that it’s both a late-stage MGM musical and late-stage for sailor musicals in general–coming nearly 10 years after the end of WWII.
Some interesting stuff this month, partly owing to a “Bob’s Picks” day with some great selections, and partly owing to the fact that I actually read the synopses and cast lists this month. Picking through my DVR I’ve been surprised a few times by something I’d start watching, only to discover that one of my favorite actors or actresses had a bit part in it that I never expected. And I’d let out a grateful sigh, extremely lucky that I hadn’t just deleted it into the ether. Knowledge is power!
The Broadway Melody is a curious little film, and certainly a testament to the mythos of the Academy, and the weight that a term like “Oscar-winner” is expected to imply. It was the first sound movie to win that now-coveted Best Picture award, but in revisiting it, viewers may find it a little… lacking.