Fade to Chat: Golden Age Cinema

Marty and Cindy share some trivia and context from the first Pink Panther movie Film Essentials Director: BlakeEdwards  |  Stars: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale |  Music: Henry Mancini  |  Runtime: 113 min  |  Box Office: $10.9 million Exiled Princess Dala carries the world's largest diamond, the "Pink Panther," to a ski resort where jewel thief Sir Charles...

Director/Screenplay: John Huston (based on the 1927 B.Traven novel)  Stars: Humphrey Bogart (Fred C. Dobbs), Walter Huston(Howard), Tim Holt (Bob Curtin), Bruce Bennett (James Cody), Barton MacLane (Pat McCormick), Alfonso Bedoya (“Gold Hat”)Cinematography: Ted D. McCord  | Music: Max Steiner  Studio: Warner Bros.   Runtime: 126 min  | Black and White  |  Released January 1948 Two broke drifters,...

Marty and Cindy review the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's favorite work. Title: And Then There Were None (1945) Director: René Clair | Screenplay: Dudley Nichols Stars: Barry Fitzgerald · Walter Huston · Louis Hayward · Roland Young · June Duprez · Mischa Auer · C. Aubrey Smith · Judith Anderson · Richard Haydn · Queenie Leonard Music: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco | Distributed by: 20th Cen...

Cindy and Marty settle on a favorite large cast comedy, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) Film Overview • Title: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) | Director: Stanley Kramer | Screenplay: William & Tania Rose • Stars: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, Jonathan Winters • Supporting: Jimm...

Cindy and Marty talk about a favorite childhood movie and Marty remembers Black and White scotch THE FILM - Father Goose (1964) Director: Ralph Nelson  | Screenplay: Peter Stone & Frank Tarloff Based on the short story “A Place of Dragons” by S.H. Barnett Stars: Cary Grant as Walter Eckland  |  Leslie Caron as Catherine Freneau  |  Trevor Howard as Commander Houghton Cinematography: Charles La...

Marty and Cindy review the great film noir classic. Film Overview Title: The Maltese Falcon (1941) Director: John Huston | Screenplay: John Huston (based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel) Stars: Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade | Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessy | Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo | Sydney Greenstreet as Kasper Gutman Supporting Cast: Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Ward...

Cindy and Marty talk about High Society, a musical pairing of Sinatra and Crosby with Grace Kelly . Title: High Society (1956) Director: Charles Walters Screenplay: John Patrick (based on The Philadelphia Story, 1939 play by Philip Barry) Stars: Bing Crosby as C.K. Dexter Haven | Grace Kelly as Tracy Samantha Lord | Frank Sinatra as Macaulay “Mike” Connor Supporting Cast: Celeste Holm, John Lund,...

Marty and Cindy converse about the male urge for infidelity after seven years of marriage as depicted in The Seven Year Itch (1955) Title: The Seven Year Itch (1955) Director: Billy Wilder Screenplay: George Axelrod & Billy Wilder (based on Axelrod's 1952 Broadway play) Stars: Marilyn Monroe as The Girl | Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman Supporting Cast: Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Oscar Homolk...

Cindy and Marty chat about a gothic-style thriller The Spiral Staircase. ◆ THE SOURCE MATERIAL - Based on Ethel Lina White’s 1933 novel Some Must Watch; major changes include mute heroine, new setting, and added spiral staircase (inspired by Mary Roberts Rinehart). - Originated with David O. Selznick (planned Ingrid Bergman); sold to RKO to finance Duel in the Sun (1946); retained profit share and...

Marty and Cindy speak about their impressions of the Depression-era comedy My Man Godfrey TRIVIA & PRODUCTION NOTES Source Material Based on Eric Hatch's 1935 serial "1101 Park Avenue," first published in Town & Country. Co-screenwriter Morrie Ryskind had already co-written Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera for the Marx Brothers and shared the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for D...

Marty and Cindy look at the most famous movie about an imaginary 6' 3.5" rabbit ◆ THE SOURCE MATERIAL Play by Mary Chase; premiered November 1, 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre — Frank Fay as Elwood, Josephine Hull as Veta Ran 1,775 performances through January 1949 — fifth longest Broadway run to that point Won Chase the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — the fourth woman to receive it In th...

Marty and Cindy converse about the theatric nature of All About Eve All About Eve1950 • 138 minutes • 20th Century-FoxWritten & Directed by Joseph L. MankiewiczProduced by Darryl F. Zanuck Principal Cast Bette Davis as Margo Channing Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington (a.k.a. Gertrude Slescynski) George Sanders as Addison DeWitt Celeste Holm as Karen Richards Gary Merrill as Bill Simpson Hugh Marlo...

Marty and Cindy cover a hidden favorite with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, 1963 Charade Charade - Production & Development • Original script (The Unsuspecting Wife) was rejected by seven studios before Peter Stone serialized it in Redbook—then all wanted it. • Cary Grant initially declined; Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood were considered before Grant returned. • Filming began Oct 1962 in Paris...

Marty and Cindy review a little thought of Christmas comedy movie about escaped convicts and holiday redemption. Origins & Production • Based on Albert Husson’s French play “La cuisine des anges” (1952); Paramount bought rights weeks after the Paris premiere • Broadway adaptation “My Three Angels” (Sam & Bella Spewack) ran 344 performances at the Morosco Theatre in 1953 • Working title: “A...

Cindy and Marty talk about the early family comedy about a arrogant but loving father, Life With Father. From Broadway to the Screen The original play opened November 8, 1939, and ran 3,224 performances — the longest non-musical run in Broadway history, a record it still holds. Warner Bros. paid $500,000 plus 50% of profits for the film rights, a record sum for a stage property at the time. The pl...

Marty and Cindy review one of the 60’s best screen musicals about the farce of corporate advancement.   FROM BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD The Broadway production opened October 14, 1961, ran 1,417 performances, and won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Actor for Robert Morse. It also won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize in Drama—only the fourth musical to receive that honor. Robert Morse, Rudy Val...

Marty and Cindy break down one of Cindy’s favorite suspense film, The Bad Seed from 1956 THE BROADWAY CONNECTION •       Five original Broadway cast members recreated their roles on screen, including Nancy Kelly (Tony winner for the role) and Patty McCormack—director LeRoy insisted on them over bigger Hollywood names.   THE PRODUCTION CODE FIGHT •       Warner Bros. paid $300,000 for the rights de...

Marty and Cindy talk about one of the rest trend setting rom-coms of the 30’s, It Happened One Night. FILM OVERVIEW ·       Title: It Happened One Night ·       Release Year: 1934 ·       Director: Frank Capra ·       Screenplay: Robert Riskin ·       Source Material: “Night Bus” (Samuel Hopkins Adams, 1933) ·       Studio: Columbia Pictures ·       Starring: Clark Gable (Peter Warne), Claudette C...

Marty and Cindy lament over the Hitchcock 80 minute  apartment thriller, Rope .  Rope (1948) Production & Filming Hitchcock shot the film in 10 takes , each 4½ to 10 minutes long. At the end of each reel, the camera pushes into a dark object to disguise the cut. Props and even walls were mounted on casters so crew could silently move them. Hitchcock usually completed only one segment per day....

Marty and Cindy talk about the Cold War comedy Dr. Strangelove and all the trivia associated with the movie. Director: Stanley Kubrick Source Material: Red Alert by Peter George Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones Genre: Political satire / Black comedy Setting: The Pentagon War Room, a B-52 bomber, and Burpelson Air Force Base Peter Sellers &am...

Marty and Cindy chat about the home building comedy, Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House Director: H.C. Potter Starring: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas Genre: Domestic comedy / social satire Setting: New York City and rural Connecticut Based on the semi-autobiographical book by Eric Hodgins, the story draws directly from the author’s own disastrous attempt to build a house in Connecticut. H...

Marty and Cindy review the Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn caper comedy How to Steal a Million Production Background ·       Directed by William Wyler, known for balancing sophistication, romance, and meticulous visual composition. ·       Produced during a transitional era in Hollywood when glossy romantic capers were giving way to grittier New Hollywood films. ·       Shot largely on location i...

Cindy and Marty review the Hitchcock mystery Dial M for Murder Film: Dial M for Murder (1954) Director: Alfred Hitchcock Based on: Frederick Knott’s stage play (and earlier television version) Starring: Ray Milland (Tony Wendice), Grace Kelly (Margot Wendice), Robert Cummings (Mark Halliday), John Williams (Chief Inspector Hubbard), Anthony Dawson (Charles ‘Swann’ / Captain Lesgate) Setting: Prima...

Marty and Cindy review a favorite rom-com, The Awful Truth, with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Title: The Awful Truth (1937) Director: Leo McCarey Screenplay: Viña Delmar, based on the play by Arthur Richman Studio: Columbia PicturesRuntime: 91 minutes Genre: Screwball Comedy / Romantic Comedy Cary Grant — Jerry Warriner       Irene Dunne — Lucy Warriner Ralph Bellamy — Dan Leeson Alexander D’Arcy —...

Cindy and Marty look at the classic film noir Double Indemnity and have a new appreciation for excessive smoking in movies. Double Indemnity was released in 1944 by Paramount Pictures and directed by Billy Wilder. The screenplay was written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, based on a novella by James M. Cain. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson and is widely rega...