Attaboy Clarence

In this episode of Attaboy Clarence, the spotlight falls on one of Hollywood's most talented, yet undersung leading men - Ricardo Cortez - the man who brought a certain sense of sparkle to every genre in Old Hollywood (he was cinema's first ever Sam Spade!) I'll be taking you through three Ricardo Cortez classics, including a Pre-Code shocker from the pen of Anita Loos, a murder mystery with an in...

Saddle up and let's head on off... out... in (?) to adventure as I embrace the genre that's always been a little elusive to me - the western! I'll tell you all about two examples of western storytelling that I consider to be just swell. One is a genre-bending horror thriller produced by cinema's greatest horror maestro. The other is the deeply affecting tale of three criminals who find themselves...

This time round, we turn the show over to France's gift to the Golden Age of Hollywood, the man who always made something to surprise his audiences: Jacques Tourneur! Many remember him as the man who helped Val Lewton to establish a new and unique brand of cinematic horror, but his back catalogue also contains some wonderfully dramatic programmers, gothic melodramas, and of course, film noir... In...

In this all-new edition of Attaboy Clarence... Some delightful melodies from Louis Armstrong and Henry Hall (one of which might be more fitting for Halloween...) We answer the question: What must your diet be if you need an Airwick freshener? Another guessing game from Who The Hell Is That Hollywood Legend! (Clue: it's a swashbuckler who once starred in a film with a HUGE twist) And then we're in...

It's a bonanza edition of Attaboy Clarence to celebrate the best of Yuletide in 2022! The finest Christmas music of yesteryear, the best in Hollywood Christmas cheer, reviews of two outstanding cinematic Christmas fairytales, as well as some warm-hearted radio festive stories, a dip into the Question Stocking, AND a visit from Sookie... Welcome one and all to The Attaboy Clarence Christmas Cracker...

In this edition of Attaboy Clarence... A shadowy noir thriller in which a cop renowned for his rough ways must warp an investigation from the inside when he accidentally kills a suspect! Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney reunite again for 1950's Where The Sidewalk Ends. And then, Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington are the heads of a small-town family who have to use their wits in order to prevent th...

We've arrived in Noirvember, and so it's time to embrace the chills, the shadows and the cigarette smoke... I've got reviews of two very different, but equally compelling noir classics that might have passed you by - 1947's The Web starring Edmond O'Brien, Ella Raines and Vincent Price, and the twisted psychological noir, The Locket from 1946, starring Laraine Day, Robert Mitchum and Brian Aherne....

Join me for a brief tribute to the marvellous Miss Angela Lansbury, who sadly departed from us this week. I'll tell you about two of her Golden Age movies that are definitely worth checking out if you're keen to revisit some of her superb screen work. We'll take a glance back at the time she visited the What's My Line studio as a mystery guest, plus hear one of her most famous film songs - a new a...

It's a bumper Attaboy outing this time! We've got toe-tapping calypso beats from Val Lewton's favourite songstrel, and a dulcet melody from Deanna Durbin. Reviews of a charming family comedy in which a wealthy banker must pretend to be "RUINED", as well as a Warner Brothers comic caper paper story starring two of their finest players. Superstar podcaster, Scott Phipps, joins me for an in-depth loo...

It's a bumper edition this time as we present MUSIC from Gene Kelly, Harry Belafonte and Bing Crosby... MOVIE REVIEWS of He Walked By Night, Starchers In The... STRANGERS In The Night, and the gloriously bad Jungle Captive, featuring an all-new "worst assistant to a scientific villain"! All of this, PLUS, I talk to a genuine Hollywood megastar screenwriter about the ways in which Old Hollywood has...

In this all-new edition of Attaboy Clarence, we're celebrating the return of summer with music from Frank Sinatra and more. Reviews of two movies - a sports drama about a very famous bunch of trick-shot specialists, plus a turn-of-the-century musical romance about music piracy! Special guest Lilly Ramin joins the show as we both discuss our top five favourite ever episodes of Golden Age radio ente...

In this edition of Attaboy Clarence... What was ever wrong with waxy hair? What's the movie that's caused your biggest swing in opinion? Gorgeous music from Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole! A duo of reviews - Clark Gable And Constance Bennett are crime-solvers in love from the wrong side of the tracks, and Film Noir takes a holiday... Radio entertainment comes from the Lux Radio Theatre To becom...

In this bumper edition of Attaboy Clarence, there's a hopping offering from Dean Martin... We answer the burning question, "What does Vaseline have against brunettes?" We're feeling a little of the "Lubitsch Touch" with an adventure in the company of a plucky plumber and a down-at-heel professor... And then Lenore Aubert proves that she's just as good at playing Zorro as the men! And we cap it all...

Love is in the air this time, and what better way to make your heart beat faster than in the company of threeclassic romantic comedies. First up, Carole Landis and John Hubbard are switching places, literally, in 1940 body-swap comedy Turnabout. James Cagney is romancing Gloria Stuart on the high seas in 1934's Here Comes The Navy. And Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan have the most unorthodox m...

In this episode of Attaboy Clarence... We're in the company of Britain's answer to Fred & Ginger - the duo who lifted the hearts of a nation, and who, to this day, hold a very impressive box-office record - Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding! Hear all about the startling success of 1948's Spring In Park Lane, as well as the film itself - a lighter-than-air romance containing some truly dazzling momen...

In this episode of Attaboy Clarence... Charles Aznavour guides us, musically, into this week's theme... thieves! It's John vs Lionel in the Battle Of The Barrymores, but who will come out on top? Arsene Lupin the master thief, or the detective trailing him? The answer may surprise you, in 1932's Arsene Lupin, one of the racier crime thrillers of the pre-code era... We're then in the company of tha...

Hear the Top Ten Classic Movies that wowed me this year (including some I haven't yet told you about...) Hear reviews of two classic movies with a New Year flavour - a murder mystery set at the stroke of midnight in The Night Club Lady (1932) and a trio of ghosts return to set a love affair in order just in time for New Year in Beyond Tomorrow (1940)... We have New Year radio adventures with Holme...

In this episode of Attaboy Clarence... Film Festival news! A trio of very dark tales featuring terrible dilemmas at their core… First up, did the professor kill his pretty young student when she threatened to reveal their ‘PERSONAL AFFAIR (1953’? Just how deep does a sister’s love for her brother go, and what is the terrible secret behind the ‘DOUBLE DOOR (1934)’? A detective falls foul of the mos...

In this frightful, spooktacular Halloween Special, join Adam for a triple bill of reviews, as well as three ghoulish radio outings that’ll leave your blood chilled and your heart thrilled! We’re taking a trip out with three movies including a vampire detective story, a fairytale murderer brought to life, and a mad professor hellbent on miniaturising the world! In radio land, join Peter Lorre, who...

In this episode of Attaboy Clarence... Film Festival news! Why on earth have a barbershop quartet taken to shaving fruit? Musical greatest from Glenn Miller and Louis Jordan! And a trio of reviews, featuring the "King Of Pre-Code", a dual-performance from a Warner Queen, and William Powell with rabies! Radio entertainment this time comes in a double-bill! We're taking care of a very special house-...

In this edition, we'll discuss the relative merits of the "watch pile" and why interrupting is always unwelcome! The Question Pot is dusted off for a new bunch of enquiries... Hear reviews of three stellar movies, 1938's Law Of The Underworld, 1943's London Blackout Murders and 1941 Barbara Stanwyck classic, Ball Of Fire! Radio entertainment comes this week courtesy of the Lux Radio Theatre To bec...

There are reviews of two horrortastic classics, including a very handy hand of death, some atrocious accent work, and the secretary/astrologist/librarian career you'd never imagined could exist in 1946's The Beast With Five Fingers! Then we're over to 1943 for the best Dracula sequel you've never heard of, Return of The Vampire, featuring Bela Lugosi as Armand Tesla (no relation to Elon Musk), the...

In this week's Attaboy Clarence, a trio of Warner Brothers movies on an intrigue theme... 1946's The Verdict - a locked room mystery starring Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre 1947's That Hagen Girl - a timely tale of a gossiping town out to destroy a young girl's life, starring Ronald Reagan, Shirley Temple and Lois Maxwell And 1945's Danger Signal - the story of a psychopath who sends a family...

This week, we’re in Golden Age Of Detective Fiction country, as we look at the two Nero Wolfe movies, based upon Rex Stout’s imnimitable, beer-guzzling, orchid-loving detective and his loyal sidekick, Archie Goodwin! We’ll also hear from a very interrupty rubber salesman, take a visit to see if we can guess Who The Hell Is That Hollywood Legend, and luxuriate in a radio detective double-bill… To b...

In this week’s show… There’s music from Bing Crosby, news about new podcasts, a special documentary, and a chance to grab yourself a copy of the fabulous noir publication, The Dark Pages! Reviews are centred around two Pre-Code treats - one a Capra-esque light comedy about an ancient town founder suddenly finding himself muscled out by progress, and the other a tawdry tale of girl doing all she ca...