Pitfall on blu-ray

Dick Powell's films are slowly being released on blu-ray. Murder My Sweet and Cry Danger have been available now for months, and we will be able to add Pitfall to our collections on November 17th. Many companies gauge future interest in classic films based on pre-order sales, so put in your vote of confidence by ordering your copy early. Amazon has it available here for $15.99 and if you add something else to your order to make it $35 you get free shipping.

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention

Tomorrow I will be departing for Maryland to attend the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention. Among the celebrity attendees are Tommy Cook and Richard Anderson who appeared on multiple Four Star television shows. I hope to chat with them about their experiences and get some useful Dick Powell tidbits.

If any of you are attending, come by and say hello! If you'll be home instead, have yourself a little Dick Powell marathon. TCM is showing The Conquereor 9/17 at 10 p.m., In the Navy 9/18 at 11:15 p.m., and Shipmates Forever 9/19 at 6 a.m.

Who Wears Short Shorts?

Dick wears short shorts! Here he is waiting his turn to play tennis in Palm Springs with Beverly Hills resident Sally Clark, daughter of H. T. Clark. The snipe on the back of the photo aludes to a romantic relationship but I never heard of her before.

Where's Dick?

I saw this photo on ebay and I got a big kick out of it. The seller listed it as a Dick Powell item, and it is, but of course, it would be hard to tell if you weren't looking. It seems the Chicago Tribune was more interested in his famous wife at that time.

Dick Powell on TCM in August

There is only one title with a Dick Powell connection set on TCM this month.

August 12 at 4:45 p.m. The Hunters will air. This film was directed by Powell and is set during the Korean War. Dick's love of flying is on full display in the flight sequences and provides a visual distraction from the love story between Robert Mitchem and May Britt.

Just Around the Corner

In case you have yet to see it, here is a rare short film with Dick Powell and Bette Davis promoting General Electric products in the home. It is called Just Around the Corner.

Directed by Dick Powell

Turner Classic Movies is paying tribute to Dick Powell as a director today!
The Hunters 8PM
The Enemy Below 10PM
Split Second 11:45PM
You Can't Run Away From It 1:30AM
Here is the article:

"A romantic singing lead in a number of musicals throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Dick Powell traded in his tenor voice and good guy image to take on a more hard-boiled persona following a career-transforming performance as Phillip Marlowe in the classic film noir "Murder, My Sweet" (1944). Prior to that film, Powell was a bankable star in several big screen extravaganzas like "Footlight Parade" (1933), "42nd Street" (1933) and "Dames (1934). Having worked many times with famed choreographer-director Busby Berkeley, the actor cemented his place as a go-to leading man in lighthearted musical comedies, along the way forming notable onscreen pairings with Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell, the latter of whom he married in 1936. Despite his success in films like "Happiness Ahead" (1934), "Broadway Gondolier" (1935) and "Hollywood Hotel" (1937), Powell craved the opportunity to branch out into other roles. Preston Sturges gave him the lead in the Capra-esque screwball comedy "Christmas in July" (1940), but the actor remained unsatisfied. After unsuccessfully lobbying for the lead in "Double Indemnity" (1944), he landed the Marlowe role in "Murder, My Sweet" and propelled his career in an entirely new direction with bleak noirs like "Cornered" (1945), "Johnny O'Clock" (1947), "Pitfall" (1948) and "Cry Danger" (1951). Powell turned to directing in the mid-1950s, but found greater success as the president of Four Star Television. Though his life ended prematurely, Powell radically transformed his career through a combination of talent and sheer will.

"Born on Nov. 14, 1904 in Mountain View, AK, Powell attended Little Rock College before starting his entertainment career as a singer for the Charlie Davis Orchestra, with whom he recorded a number of hit records during the 1920s on the Vocalion label. After moving to Pittsburgh, PA, he found success working as the MC at the Enright Theater and the Stanley Theater, which lead to Warner Bros. noticing his talent for song and dance, and offering him a contract in 1932. Powell made his feature debut as a bandleader in the Roy Del Ruth showbiz comedy "Blessed Event" (1932) and was a radio announcer in the crime drama "Big City Blues" (1932), featuring a pre-fame Humphrey Bogart in a supporting role. He soon graduated to more prominent parts, playing the protégé of a wealthy woman (Ruth Donnelly) in the classic musical "Footlight Parade" (1933), starring James Cagney, and was top billed alongside Bebe Daniels and Ginger Rogers in the Busby Berkeley-choreographed extravaganza "42nd Street" (1933). By the time he starred in "Dames" (1934), Powell had formed a popular onscreen pairing with dancer Ruby Keeler, but was already desperately yearning to branch out beyond musicals.

"Powell shouldered on with more musicals like Mervyn LeRoy's "Happiness Ahead" (1934), "Flirtation Walk" (1934) and "Shipmates Forever" (1935), both with Keeler, and "Broadway Gondolier" (1935), which co-starred Joan Blondell, whom he married in 1936 and had two children. He finally received his wish to branch out when he was horribly miscast as Lysander in the adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935), the one and only Shakespeare outing of his career. Powell returned to musicals with "Gold Diggers of 1935" (1935), "Stage Struck" (1936), "Hearts Divided" (1936) where he played the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte (Claude Rains), and "Gold Diggers of 1937" (1937). Following "On the Avenue" (1937) and "The Singing Marine" (1937), Powell was a saxophonist in a jazz band who wins a talent contest in Busby Berkeley's lighthearted "Hollywood Hotel" (1937), which was notable for the iconic number "Hooray for Hollywood." He went on to star in the titular role of "The Cowboy from Brooklyn" (1938), before playing a store clerk who poses as a race jockey in "Going Places" (1938). After stagnating a bit with "Hard to Get" (1938) and "Naughty But Nice" (1939), Powell moved on to straight comedies with the charming Preston Sturges effort, "Christmas in July" (1940), where he played a head-in-the-clouds office clerk duped into believing he has won a slogan contest.

"Powell once again attempted to break the mold with a second-billed role in the Abbott and Costello comedy "In the Navy" (1941), before returning to musicals with "Star Spangled Rhythm" (1942) and the Western-themed "Riding High" (1943). Having lobbied hard to play the lead in "Double Indemnity" (1944) - a role he lost to Fred MacMurray - he forever changed his career after playing hard-boiled detective Phillip Marlowe in Edward Dmytryk's classic film noir "Murder, My Sweet" (1944). Powell's performance as the sharp-tongued private eye transformed his image, erasing his wholesome persona in favor of a tougher, grittier one. With his voice a bit rougher and his callow juvenile charm intriguingly hardened, Powell more than reinvented himself in such bleak noirs as Dmytryk's "Cornered" (1945), "Johnny O'Clock" (1947) and "Pitfall" (1948), co-starring noir queen Lizabeth Scott. By this time, Powell had divorced Joan Blondell in 1945 and married "American's Sweetheart" June Allyson later that year. Meanwhile, he continued along his new career trajectory with leading roles in the adventure drama "Mrs. Mike" (1949), the romantic comedy "The Reformer and the Redhead" (1950) which co-starred Allyson, and the boxing drama "Right Cross" (1950), co-starring Ricardo Montalban.

"Powell returned to the gritty world of noir with "Cry Danger" (1951), a classic crime thriller where he played a recent parolee released from prison after a robbery conviction who uses his newfound freedom to bring justice to the real guilty party. From there, he starred as a 19th century detective who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on a train in Anthony Mann's "The Tall Target" (1951), and followed up with a leading role in the comedy "You Never Can Tell" (1951). Also at the time, Powell turned to radio as the star of "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (NBC/ABC/CBS, 1949-1953), a light-hearted detective drama where he displayed a quick wit and sang to his girlfriend at the end of every episode. Meanwhile, after a supporting role in "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and starring in the romantic comedy "Susan Slept Here" (1954), Powell turned to directing and producing several largely unexceptional B-films, though his best was also his first, the taut crime thriller "Split Second" (1953).

"After helming the misguided Ghengis Khan biopic "The Conqueror" (1956), "The Enemy Below" (1957) and "The Hunters" (1958), he made a successful venture into television, becoming a notable executive with his own production company, Four Star Television. The company produced shows like "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (CBS/NBC, 1957-1960) starring David Janssen as the hard-boiled Diamond, minus the singing; "The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor" (ABC/NBC, 1959-1962); "The Westerner" (NBC, 1960) with Brian Keith; "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (CBS, 1958-1961) starring Steve McQueen as bounty hunter Josh Randall; and "The Dick Powell Show" (NBC, 1961-63), an anthology series that featured a number of prominent guest hosts like Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Jackie Cooper, Robert Mitchum, Rock Hudson and David Niven. The series also launched the careers of several notable actors and directors, including Aaron Spelling, William Friedkin, Blake Edwards and Robert Vaughn. But on Jan. 2, 1963, just one day after his final appearance on his anthology series, Powell died from stomach cancer at 58 years old. His illness was widely considered to be the result of exposure to atomic test radiation in Utah, where he had filmed "The Conqueror" seven year prior. Along with many members of that cast - Susan Hayward, John Wayne, Agnes Moorhead, even Hayward's young twins sons who visited their mother on the set - all contracted severe cases of cancer and often premature death, leading to an investigation by the families into how much the government knew about the safety of filming in that area of the desert. Ultimately Four Star was taken over by David Charnay and was successful in syndication, but went through several owners until its catalogue was absorbed by News Corp."

By Shawn Dwyer

Today is Dick Powell's birthday, and in honor of that, TCM is showcasing him again! Their focus seems to be on the films that aren't shown as often.

6:00 am The King's Vacation (1933)

7:15 am Twenty Million Sweethearts (1933)

8:45 am Shipmates Forever (1935)

10:45 am Broadway Gondolier (1935)

12:30 pm Stage Struck (1936)

2:15 pm Hearts Divided (1936)

3:45 pm Right Cross (1950)

5:30 pm Susan Slept Here (1954)

Today is Dick Powell Day on Turner Classic movies as part of their Summer Under the Stars series. Finally, our man gets his own day!

http://summer.tcm.com/#/day-25/

6:00 A.M. Colleen (1936)

7:45 A.M. Naughty But Nice (1939)

9:30 A.M. Station West (1948)

11:15 A.M. Flirtation Walk (1934)

1:00 P.M. 42nd Street (1933)

2:45 P.M. Hard to Get (1938)

4:15 P.M. The Pitfall (1948)

6:00 P.M. The Singing Marine (1937)

8:00 P.M. Christmas in July (1940)

9:15 P.M. Murder, My Sweet (1944)

11:00 P.M. Dames (1934)

12:45 A.M. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

3:00 A.M. The Tall Target (1951)

4:30 A.M. Going Places (1938)

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater

I've just discovered that Shout! Factory and Timeless Media will be releasing the second season of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater in September.

This season features many famous actors including Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr, Walter Brennan, Tommy Sands, Anne Bancroft, Lew Ayres, Howard Keel, Jane Greer, Johnny Crawford, Joseph Cotton, Barbara Stanwyck, Dan Duryea, Lloyd Bridges, Barry Sullivan, June Lockhart, and Cesar Romero.

Here is the link on Amazon where you can pre-order the set for $26.91. Remember that when you pre-order something, you are telling the manufacturers that there is interest in titles like this. There were five seasons of this show and the only way seasons three through five will be released is if the people releasing them feel they can make a profit. Show your support and pre-order.

The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention

When I first began attending Cinevent in 2007, I was very much a loner. I was so focused on all of the movies and memorabilia that were available that I had no time to try to meet people too. It was very much an experience in isolation, which was how I experienced classic films at home too. This was a hobby that was truly my own.

As time has gone on, I've become more and more social. It would only make sense that my experiences at conventions would become more social as well. Because of the people I have met at Cinevent, I have attended not one, not two, not three, but four conventions this year.

The latest was the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, which is run by my friend Martin Grams. For years I have heard good things about it, but felt the distance from my house was too prohibitive. Luckily, I have great friends, like Rodney Bowcock who offered to drive me there.

The great thing about MANC, which is different from most movie-related shows, is that there are celebrities there. Unlike many autograph shows, the celebrities are there to chat as well as sign autographs, and they each give short formal talks about their careers which end with audience questions.

I was most excited to see Margaret O'Brien, one of the most talented child stars of the golden age of Hollywood whose experience with MGM landed her in some really great films with some wonderful co-stars. How many children can claim they grew up "playing" with people like Charles Laughton, Elizabeth Taylor, June Allyson, and Judy Garland? And how many people can claim they turned down an autograph from Lawrence Olivier? Margaret was kind but not overly welcoming to her fans who came in a variety of shapes and sizes asking her to sign various items ranging from the 8 x 10 glossies she brought with her (the two from Meet Me in St. Louis were her favorites) to original posters from her films to antique Margaret O'Brien dolls.

My friend Matthew Walls wanted to meet "the catwoman," Julie Newmar and I tagged along with him in line. (By this time I had purchased a 1950s Little Rascals poster from another friend and was finished buying things so I didn't get an autograph.) Newmar was in a wheelchair but stood to pose for pictures with fans when asked. She had a variety of photo choices to sign including cheesecake poses, stills of her as Catwoman, and a photo from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. In spite of being frail, she was exceedingly elegant with a dancer's poise and very chic clothes that fit her well. When I commented on her outfit, she smiled and pointed out that each piece was at least a decade old.

Late Friday afternoon, my friend Richard Finegan told me that in Johnny Crawford's talk, he mentioned knowing Dick Powell. Rich encouraged me to go talk to him to see if I could use any of the information he had for my book. He also told me that Crawford had expressed an enthusiasm for early jazz, and that in his talk he asked the audience if they knew of Annette Hanshaw. Only Richard raised his hand. Saturday morning I made my way downstairs to the celebrities and stood in a long-ish line (The great thing about MANC is that the lines are usually less than 5 people deep so you don't feel rushed.). I got to Crawford and chose a picture of him as a kid from The Rifleman and told him I was a Dick Powell fan, and that I heard he knew him. He grinned and said that he had, that he was a nice,

friendly guy and that he came around all the sets a lot and said hello to everyone. He said that he had invited him to his vacation home at Newport Beach a few times. I asked if Johnny had been friends with Dick's kids, and he said yes but that they were no longer in touch. In my nervousness, I forgot to ask for a picture with him, so I stood in line again, a shorter one this time, to get my picture. Then I mentioned knowing of Annette Hanshaw, and he seemed very excited and shocked. He recommended a film which uses Annette's music as the soundtrack called Sita Sings the Blues, which I have on reserve from the library now, and after posing for my picture he kissed me on the forehead. I stumbled away blushing and grinning like an idiot.

The big highlights of the show, besides meeting the celebrities, was spending time with friends I only see at these events. Old movie worship is rare, so when those of us stricken with the bug find each other, we bond quickly and form lasting friendships. I had a blast hanging out at the Radio Once More table with people like Neal Ellis, Ken Stockinger, Rodney, my roomie Kathy Meola, etc. talking about nonsense. And the best thing is that I feel like I really belong.

When I came home, I discovered that there had been a comic book convention in town and several people I know got to meet members of The Walking Dead cast, a show I watch faithfully, but meeting icons of Hollywood cannot compare to the temporary excitement of meeting modern celebrities who rarely have staying power. How many people can say they met Margaret O'Brien?

The Cincinnati Radio Convention was a lot of fun, and it inspired me to book a room to go to the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention too. I'm very much looking forward to it.

I am currently reading Debbie Reynolds' new book Unsinkable. When I was in the early stages of my research about Dick Powell, I borrowed Debbie's first book from the library, hoping to find information about Susan Slept Here. I was disappointed, and wrote her a letter asking for anecdotes and impressions of Dick. She never responded, but she did address the film in her new book. What she says is amusing and gives me something to add to the book.

"Dick Powell and I became friends while making the film. At the time he was married to June Allyson, another MGM star. I hadn't yet met her. Before marrying Dick, June had dated many men, including John F. Kennedy, who happened to be the brother-in-law of Peter Lawford, June's co-star in Good News.

"While we were filming, Dick invited me to their ranch in Mandeville Canyon, just outside Los Angeles. Dick was a very good businessman who owned a production company with David Niven in addition to his other enterprises. Dick loved that ranch; they even had cattle. During my visit, Dick went out with the horses while June took me on a tour of the house. As we climbed up to the second floor, she stopped by a window in the hallway and instructed me to look at the view--hundreds of acres of beautiful land, a breathtaking vista. When I turned back to her, June had taken about four roses out of a bud vase and was drinking the contents of the vase before replacing the flowers. Apparently, the clear liquid was vodka. She had it stashed all over the house, in various containers.

"June went to great lengths to hide her drinking, which was strange to me, as Dick was also a big drinker. Every afternoon at five-thirty, no matter what scene we were filming, a tray with two large glasses of milk would appear on the set. Dick and the director, Frank Tashlin, would enjoy their milk, which was half whiskey."

Cinevent 45

Cinevent 45 is over, and although I would love to be roaming about from person to person talking about movies and going to see movies, the convention has breathed new life into my interest in movies and in my goal to write Dick Powell's biography. The loss of my website was a bigger blow than I would like to admit, and it left me in a rut for a long time, but talking to published authors has rejuvenated my interest and given me the motivation to set little goals for myself until the project is done.

For those of you who don't know, Cinevent is a film convention held each Memorial Day weekend in Columbus, Ohio. It is practically in my back yard and I have been attending since 2007. My passion for this show has made me a bit of a posterchild for it, and I'm constantly trying to recruit new attendees.

This year, several of my friends were unable to make it for various reasons, mainly financial. I was bummed and expected that this year would be less fun than usual, but I'm glad I was wrong. While some people were not there, some of my old friends who have been unable to attend in past years were there, as were several of the old stand-bys. In addition, I met lots of new people, which is always thrilling. For someone interested in obscure movies whose contemporaries are mostly deceased, it is indescribably exciting to meet likeminded enthusiasts.

The movies that were shown this year were less exciting than in the past. I had seen several of them before, and while I enjoyed seeing them again, I expect to see rarities I haven't had access to before. This is no fault to the shows' organizers, who pull their titles from attendees who own the 16mm prints. The larger availability of obscure films on DVD also makes it harder to find hidden gems, but there were a few.

Queen of the Mob, a story about Ma Barker and her ruffian boys, was quite good. I was amused that it was set at Christmas over several years, a nice contrast to the dregs of crime that the family wallered in. Blanche Yurka was quite good, alternating between a frail, helpless woman to a smart and tough as nails leader, depending on who her character was manipulating at the time.

My friend encouraged me to stay for The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, an unusual film, which goes without saying because it is a Dr. Seuss story. The visuals were twisted and strange and beautifully exhibited in Technicolor. There was a quirkiness to the story that made it appealing to young and old, although the music was mostly forgettable.

The silents were disappointing on the whole. None of them quite captured my attention. Pola Negri was sufficient but not great in Woman of the World. The Fighting Eagle didn't have anything wrong with it that I could see, but I wasn't impressed. The Nut was too uneven, but it had potential to be a quite funny film. I was delighted to see Mary Pickford in Stella Maris, which I had seen before and had considered to be one of her weaker films overall. It is worthwhile to see Mary in a non-conventional role, but the film is too political to find a place in my heart.

I found comfort in the routine. When I first began to attend Cinevent, I skipped the annual animation program in favor of another hour of sleep, but not anymore. This year's highlights were two cartoons that are often banned for having racially sensitive elements: Swing Wedding and Clean Pastures. I find today's society to be too quick to make negative judgements, and the obsession with being politically correct really fuels a lot of censorship these days. These cartoons, while they do have the gratuitous mentions of gambling and watermelon, are mainly celebrations of jazz and famous musical personalities of the day including Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and actor Stepin Fetchit. A modern audience might jump to the conclusion that these characters are racist without knowing that they were real people. It is unfortunate, and a lot of comedies and cartoons suffer due to lack of knowledge and witch-hunt mentalities.

I look forward to seeing Charley Chase and Laurel and Hardy shorts each year. Even though Laurel and Hardy's sound shorts have been released in a very nice boxed set, Cinevent just wouldn't be the same without them.

I had already seen all of the films shown on Monday, including the surprise short Every Sunday, but I enjoyed them just the same. House of Fear is a quick and entertaining murder mystery made on a low budget with lots of characters. The Social Secretary was better than I remembered it to be, and Erich von Stroheim was hilarious as the scandal sheet writer. I was excited to see another Henry Aldrich movie, which I was introduced to at Cinevent. I loved the series so much I went out and found copies of all of the films in the series and ...Editor is one of the best.

This year's Monday was different from most because I was invited to a Cinevent party at a friend's house afterward. We watched an additional four movies before I had to go home to crash: Peach-O-Reno, Who Done It?, The Damned Don't Cry, and 5 Fingers. Who Done It? was a repeat for me since they showed it at Cinevent last year, but it was nice to see it again.

It has been a few days now since Cinevent 45 gently came to a conclusion on Monday, but I am not depressed that it will be another year until I see my friends again. Perhaps that is because tomorrow I am off to see some of them again in Cincinnati at the Old Time Radio and Nostalgia Convention. I hope to see you there, and I will be sure to let you know how to goes.

Catch Up

It has been quite a while, and the holidays are fast approaching. First let me note that this past week, November 14, was Dick Powell's birthday. He was born 108 years ago. I was lucky enough to have been invited as a guest on Radio Once More which celebrated his birthday with some old time radio appearances of Dick's.

Now in honor of Veteran's Day (November 11) and Pearl Harbor Day (December 7), here is video footage of Dick Powell, Danny Kaye, and others entertaining the troops on a carrier landed in California.

The Road is Open Again

Here is the chance to watch a clip from a very rare short film starring Dick Powell promoting the NRA (that's the National Recovery Act, not the National Rifle Association). This is the first time I've seen it in my years of research.

Before Time Runs Out

Kino is discontinuing the manufacture of It Happened Tomorrow, a lesser known but worth-watching film starring Dick Powell. It is on sale for $6.99 on their website here.

The story is similar to the 90s television show called First Edition. It is about a newspaperman who begins to receive tomorrow's newspaper today, and the things he does to prevent the bad headlines. Powell is mustachioed and wearing turn of the century garb, and he doesn't sing. The film is unusual and lots of fun.

I've Got a Secret

Someone has posted all three parts to the episode of I've Got a Secret that Dick Powell was a guest on. He appears at the end of part two and through part three. It is an odd appearance, but we get to see Dick's multiple musical talents.

Cinevent 44

It is Monday, Memorial Day, and I once again find myself expelled from the magical fun-house of Cinevent, back into the real world where Dick Powell has been dead for 50 years and no one knows which episode of the Little Rascals my quote came from, let alone that it is a quote at all.

Rumors abound that this was the last year for Cinevent at the Ramada on Sinclair, and this made me acutely aware that so many of the sensations I attribute to the show are intangibles associated with the hotel. The smells of the strong cleaning products in the bathroom, the soft patterned carpeting that decorates the stairs, the waft of breakfast food aromas and the clanking of dishes from Justin's Place, the contrast between the bitter cold in the screening room and the oppressive humidity of the elevator to the 6th floor, the scrolling marquee outside that announces that Cinevent is really here and that it is not just a dream. I tried to memorize these things like Haley Mills making a memory of her grandfather in The Parent Trap, sensing the finality of it all.

In the space between movies I managed to get 5 Dick Powell lobby cards, a Bowery Boys card, 3 stills, several DVDs, and a book. But onto the movies!

The Headless Horseman (1922) 
I always liked the Disney version of this story and since I like Will Rogers and I find it fascinating to see silent versions of more modern films I like, I made my way into the screening room for the first time. I didn't get a great seat, which is no good for silent movies because you find yourself swaying back and forth just to read the titles. It didn't much matter though. The buildup to the reason to watch the movie, the headless horseman, was so long and dull, that I found myself nodding off several times, as were many of the people around me. The climax came much too late and suddenly to justify watching this movie. It was a dud.

Annual Animation Program

When I first started attending Cinevent, I never watched the cartoons, feeling that they were probably pretty silly and aimed at children. When my friend Thad started coming, I went because he loved them, and I found that I loved them too. This year featured two of his cartoons, both with caricatures of Hollywood celebrities (Peter Lorre, Bing Crosby, and Bob Hope), which I love. We also got to see Flip the Frog, but the highlight of this year's animation program was It's Hummer Time, a Merry Melodies cartoon about a cat trying to catch a hummingbird who cleverly outsmarts the cat and lands him into trouble with the dog.

Broadway (1942)
This was an interesting film as it starred George Raft as George Raft, reminiscing on the good old days of the 1920s when he was trying to become famous as a hoofer at a nightclub. Flashback to a time when Raft flailed around like a knock-off James Cagney amid a group of girls who look suspiciously more like 1940s pin-up girls than 1920s flappers. It had plenty of action and a great cast, although it was relatively predictable and Raft's last line leaves us with a pressing, unanswered question. Definitely entertaining and worth searching out.

Festival of Charley Chase
These Charley Chase movies have the same music as the Little Rascals (because they were made at the same studio) so they left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling, but these shorts were not as good as those I have seen in the past. Nonetheless, I began wishing there was a set for Charley Chase that wasn't silent, as I prefer his talkies and they're not available all together in a set. Life Hesitates at 40 was the highlight, an odd short where Charley's whole world pauses for a few seconds, but the people keep talking, and they say some very contrary things. This short also shows an amusement park, which for some reason I love to see in old movies.

Night Owls
Even though I bought that Laurel and Hardy set that recently came out, I have much more fun watching their films at Cinevent where the room is filled with laughter. Night Owls features Kennedy the Cop who is in hot water with his boss because he hasn't busted the burglar who has been ravaging the neighborhood. His solution is not to catch the guilty party but to blackmail Stan and Ollie into robbing the police chief's house so he can catch them and look like he's doing his job. Of course, it doesn't go as planned.

Sweetie (1929)
I wanted to see this one because of Stanley Smith. He's an obscure name today, but in 1933 he was to take Dick Powell's role in Footlight Parade when Dick got sick with pneumonia. When Dick got well, Stan was out, and he never amounted to much. Judging by his performance in this film, I can see why. He reminds me of Lawrence Gray, who was adequate but lacked that something special that made audiences want to see him again. The film also starred Nancy Carroll who was quite beautiful, Helen Kane who won me over with her cute voice and silly antics (she is introduced sitting in a tree shooting the man she loves), and Jack Oakie who is quite attractive here in this early part, and brimming over with the personality that made him famous. The scenes are incredibly beautiful, mostly set on a college campus, and the music is fun but none of it is very memorable, except for "Alma Mammy" which turns the alma mater into a jazzy Jolson-style number. 

Among the Living (1941) 
This is an interesting b-movie about twins, one who lives a normal life with his wife and business, and the other who everyone believes is dead because the family locked him away in their decaying manor due to a mental handicap. The hidden son comes into the city and meets a beautiful girl (Susan Hayward) after committing murder, and the two work together to find the killer. The film has its highs and lows, but the ending is certainly exciting.

You Never Can Tell (1951)
This was the first time that they've shown a Dick Powell movie since I've been attending Cinevent. I got to write the notes in the program too, so I won't go on about this one, except to say that I was happy that it went over so well with the audience. It got the kind of response I'm using to hearing, slight confusion but genuine amusement. It is definitely an odd little movie, but it is a lot of fun.


The Princess and the Pirate (1944)
This was my second favorite thing I saw at Cinevent this year, mostly because it is what I most like to see there, lighthearted comedies with lots of laughs from the audience. The more the other people like it, the more I seem to like it too. I never go into a Bob Hope movie with excitement; sometimes he's funny and sometimes he's not. But he got me straight away with this in the prologue which explains that The Hook is a fearsome pirate and Bob pops into the corner and says, "That's not me, folks. I play the coward!" From there on out with was gorgeous Technicolor, great costumes, lots of locations, and a solid story that kept me entertained from start to finish.

The Foreman Went to France (1942)
My favorite of the whole weekend was probably the most serious movie of the whole weekend as well. This is the story of a British worker who sees that the German army is invading France and that the British machines that make weapons for airplanes are in danger of being taken by the enemy. He takes it upon himself to go to France to take them back home, and along the way meets a blonde, two soldiers, and a group of orphans. This movie takes us on a journey and it is never dull though it seems quite a bit more realistic than the highly optimistic war movies from America.

Service for Ladies (1932)
Leslie Howard is a head waiter who falls in love with one of the wealthy women that comes into his restaurant. He is so smitten with her that he follows her and leads her to believe that he is wealthy too. His acquaintance with a king makes her assume he is a prince, and that his concern for their class differences is an example of his arrogance, but he cannot tell her the truth. This movie is cute but nothing special with lots of beautiful actors and a few good pre-code moments, such as one where Elizabeth Allen tries to seduce Howard in his bedroom on his bed--and tells him so too!

Who Done It? (1942)
This Abbot and Costello film is a lot of fun, but when you've been getting no sleep all weekend, it is hard to stay awake, even in the uncomfortable chairs at Cinevent. I found myself coming out of dazes and laughing quite a bit, and enjoying the murder-mystery-in-a-radio-station plot, but this one would have been better if it had been played earlier in the day.

Fired Wife (1943)

The last show of Cinevent was a cute but forgettable story about a couple who gets married before they really finalize their career plans with each other, which ends in a trip to Reno. Tig is a beautiful theater assistant who gets the chance to direct her first show, but she absolutely cannot be married to do the job (even though she is). Hank is in radio advertising, and his close association with an actress on a kiddie program lands him in hot water with the wife. I like these kinds of movies and they typically show one or two at Cinevent.

Since there was some extra time to fill before the last feature, they played a series of Spike Jones songs, a brilliant way to close the show, which is always depressing. There was a sing-along sequence, and when the audience joined in, the joy and kinship of this moment struck me as one of my favorite experiences of this year, and an excellent example of what is so great about the show. There are people of all ages there, although for obvious reasons the average age is several decades more than mine, and there are people there from all over the country and some from outside, but we all gather there as people with an interest outside of the mainstream and this common ground makes it possible for us to just be ourselves and enjoy the things we love without shame. This is what keeps me coming back year after year, and keeps me meeting new people and learning new things each time too. It revives me when my interest wanes or when I'm feeling like the only person in the world who lights up when I hear Roy Shield's music. For those who have never been, you must make it out. You'll not regret it.

Dick Powell Fans Are Expecting a Blessed Event

Tuesday, February 21st marks the release date for Blessed Event on DVD through the Warner Archive collection. This is Dick Powell's first film, and he has quite a large part for a newcomer. He sings, he antagonizes Lee Tracy, and he makes a favorable impression which launched his acting career. Don't miss this one!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you, from me and Dick Powell. Here is a Christmas card that Dick sent to friends when he was a greenhorn in Hollywood. Enjoy!