Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Last week SlashFilm posted a 1927 Paramount Studios map of California (seen at the left) which is sure to delight classic film fans, especially those who are familiar with California. Click to enlarge.

...The great swashbuckler SCARAMOUCHE (1952) is the subject of a post at Diary of a Celluloid Girl.

...The state is going broke, but California lawmakers are instead focused on a statewide ban on plastic grocery bags. (Banging head on wall...) Funny thing, when I was little we were told we had to give up paper grocery bags to save the trees.

...At Where Danger Lives, Mark takes a look at CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), a film noir with an unexpected cast: Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly. I recently acquired this on Region 2 DVD and look forward to seeing it.

...Leonard Maltin reviewed the new Criterion edition of STAGECOACH (1939). It was also reviewed by Sam Adams at the L.A. Times. Those of us who own the excellent 2006 2-disc edition might just have to "double dip" in order to enjoy the wealth of new extras and an even better restoration.

...Mmmmm: "Making Soft Pretzels the Old-Fashioned Way" from the New York Times Dining & Wine section.

...New book: WARNING SHADOWS: HOME ALONE WITH CLASSIC CINEMA by the highly regarded biographer Gary Giddins. Should be a good read, though I take exception with what I've read of some of Giddins' opinions on Rodgers and Hammerstein in general and THE SOUND OF MUSIC in particular. More info is at Gary Giddins.com.

...Coming on July 13th from Laura Ingraham: THE OBAMA DIARIES.

...Feel good video of the week: a deaf eight-month-old baby boy responds to his mother's voice for the first time, thanks to a cochlear implant.

...More feel good news: Saturday Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in all of baseball history. Remarkably, it was the second perfect game this year, following Dallas Brandon of the Oakland A's into the record books. Halladay's final inning is on YouTube.

...Last night I reviewed a terrific film noir, THE DARK CORNER (1946), starring Lucille Ball. Moira Finnie takes a brief look at another '40s Ball crime drama, Douglas Sirk's LURED (1948), courtesy of MovieFanFare. I have a recording of LURED which I'm looking forward to seeing.

...Moira also wrote a lengthy piece on HONDO (1953) for the TCM Movie Morlocks blog. I very much enjoyed seeing HONDO in 3-D at USC in the fall of 2008. As Moira mentions, I found the 3-D gave the film an amazing depth. It was unlike any other 3-D film experience I've had.

...More movie reviews: THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) at A Shroud of Thoughts and THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945) at TCM's Movie Morlocks blog.

...Thanks to the BLACK BEAUTY (1978) DVD set, I became aware of the book HOLLYWOOD HOOFBEATS: TRAILS BLAZED ACROSS THE SILVER SCREEN written by Petrine Day Mitchum (daughter of Robert), along with Audrey Pavia. An interview with Ms. Mitchum is included as a DVD extra.

...At Hot Air, Doctor Zero offers thought-provoking ideas regarding Democrats and their attitude towards the United States.

...I'm happy that Toby of 50 Westerns From the 50s likes Ray Milland's A MAN ALONE (1955) as much as I do. Also check out his post and the link included on 50s Westerns as Comfort Food.

...Warner Archive is having a sale this weekend: 30% off regular DVDs and 20% off multi-disc sets, with free shipping on orders over $25. I ordered THE TWO MRS. GRENVILLES with Claudette Colbert and Ann-Margret, and SMALL TOWN GIRL (1953), which a reviewer indicates looks so good it might have been originally intended for a regular DVD release.

...Jon Weisman remembers Jose Lima and his short but memorable "Lima Time" as a Los Angeles Dodger. Lima passed away last week at far too young an age.

Have a great long weekend!