...There's an interesting new book out this week, THE BEGINNING OR THE END: HOW HOLLYWOOD - AND AMERICA - LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB by Greg Mitchell. It focuses on MGM's THE BEGINNING OR THE END (1947), a cinematic telling of the Manhattan project and the dropping of the first atomic bomb. (I learned about this title from my friend Chris Yogerst, whose book HOLLYWOOD HATES HITLER! will be out in September.)
...Last week I streamed a documentary on a unique topic, "The Maple Syrup Heist" (2018), part of the first season of the DIRTY MONEY series available on Netflix. You can read more about the $18 million heist of Canada's liquid gold here or here. Fascinating and educational.
...Colin has a number of interesting recent reviews up at Riding the High Country, including FOXFIRE (1955) and ROGUE COP (1954) to name just two. I always enjoy visiting his blog!
...ABC passed on ordering a sequel series to THIRTYSOMETHING (1987-91).
...On my list of places to visit in post-pandemic times: The Valley Relics Museum in Lake Balboa. Looks like they have quite a collection of great neon signs, including for the Tiffany Theater on Sunset where I saw many classic films, and they've acquired a wall of Jack Webb's TV's, seen here in a photo with Kent McCord of Webb's ADAM-12, shared on Twitter by Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles.
...Over at 50 Westerns From the 50s, Toby reviews the new Mill Creek Blu-ray of Budd Boetticher's THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO (1953) starring Glenn Ford and Julie Adams.
...Just last week I mentioned that the legendary Hollywood restaurant Musso & Frank Grill had reopened. That didn't last long, with the governor closing restaurants again last week, but now for the first time the restaurant will offer orders to go and for delivery.
...Notable Passings: Actress Midge Ware, who had small roles in a few films of the '50s and '60s along with work in episodic TV, has died at the age of 92...Composer-arranger-musician Johnny Mandel has passed on at 94. Marc Myers posted a very interesting 2008 interview with Mandel at JazzWax, which offers insights not only into Mandel's career but life in an earlier time. Myers also shared links to 20 tracks of Mandel music. I most appreciate his work arranging and conducting an album of Jerome Kern songs sung by David Allyn...And Carl Reiner died last week at the age of 98. Here's a look back to the great evening we enjoyed at the Egyptian Theatre in 2011 when Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, and Garry Marshall celebrated the 50th anniversary of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. Turner Classic Movies will have a prime time tribute to Reiner on July 28th; a TCM Remembers video tribute may be seen here.
...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my June 27th roundup.
Have a great week!
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