Lions, Towers & Shields

The Lubitsch Touch applied to Nazi occupation? You bet. Carole Lombard and Jack Benny star as members of an acting troupe in Poland, scrambling after the Nazis arrive. It’s funny and serious all at once, with great performances. The film was released two months after Lombard died in a plane crash, and would have earned good will, had the subject matter not been a rough go for Americans of the time...

We return to Huston (John) and Bogart, but there’s also Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor (Oscar winner for this), Edward G. Robinson and more. The cast is trapped together in a Florida hotel, awaiting a hurricane. It’s a film noir, so there are secrets and gun play, plus the eventual storm to contend with. And a boat. Shelly Brisbin with Annette Wierstra, Dr. Drang, Lisa Schmeiser and David J. Loehr.

Here’s a movie from Douglas Sirk’s high period. We’ve only talked about Sirk in the context of “Lured,” a movie I think is underrated, but one that looks nothing like this splashy 50s melodrama. This one stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. And I get to talk about Agnes Moorehead. So, bonus! Can a lonely widow find love with a tree farmer? Stay tuned. We also mention Todd Haynes’ excellent 2002 remak...

“A fascinating crumminess.” That’s how Pauline Kael described Joseph Lewis’ “Gun Crazy,” a noir whose cast you probably won’t know, but whose visual style and essential seediness are compelling. It’s a story about two people with a mutual obsession with guns, but it’s told with sensitivity and a focus on their relationship. Shelly Brisbin with Randy Dotinga and Nathan Alderman.

Suggested by Lisa Schmeiser: If you liked “The Apartment” or “Mad Men,” welcome back to mid-century NYC office culture. We’re on Madison Avenue, inside the cutthroat world of publishing. Our guides are Hope Lange, Stephen Boyd, Suzy Parker, Martha Hyer, Diane Baker, Brian Ahenre and Miss Joan Crawford. Jean Negulesco handles direction. Shelly Brisbin with Lisa Schmeiser, Nathan Alderman and Randy...

Ethel Merman in her heyday. What more do you need to know? Merman didn’t make a lot of movies, so here’s a glimpse at what theatre audiences saw during her long Broadway career. Also along for the Irving Berlin musical are Donald O’Connor, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray and Mitzi Gaynor. And, um, who’s that other blonde person? Marilyn Monroe is here, too. Thanks to my panelists, Matthew and David for su...

It’s a dark, moody thriller set in a London square. See Linda Darnell change her image, at the tender age of 22; see Laird Cregar take his shot at being a leading man. Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman and Randy Dotinga.

Another year draws to a close, and so many classic movies remain undiscussed on Lions, Towers & Shields. But many of your regular panelists have feelings, as well as recommendations for the future. So I invited them to share them in a themed draft episode. NOTE: LTS will return in March 2023. We'll cover at least 21 films next year, but the episodes will be spaced out over three, seven-episode sea...

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray team up, not to kill for insurance money, but to share a sweet but unlikely holiday road trip. It’s the last movie Preston Sturges wrote before he turned fully to directing. Happy holidays from your friends at Lions, Towers & Shields. Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Micheline Maynard, Erika Ensign and Nathan Alderman.

The John Frankenheimer classic tells you all you need to know about Angela Lansbury’s talent. And it’s a crackerjack political thriller, too. Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr.

The Clock is Judy Garland’s first dramatic role. She’s teamed with Robert Walker, who’s a soldier on leave when they meet in New York City. It’s a little bit Affair to Remember, and a little bit On the Town. Really sweet, well-acted romantic film. Directed by Garland’s soon-to-be husband Vincente Minnelli. Shelly Brisbin with Randy Dotinga, Nathan Alderman and Micheline Maynard.

Keeper of the Flame is a drama about the dangers of fascism, set early in WWII and directed by George Cukor, the man who made Gaslight, but was better known for comedies and “women’s” films. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in the far better of their two dramatic pairings. Be warned, we talk about politics, both old and new. And, um, Texas history? Shelly Brisbin with Brandon Rottinghaus a...

Britain’s Ealing Studios is best known for its comedies, including The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, and Kind Hearts And Coronets. But this 1945 precursor to those famously funny films deals more with chills than chuckles. Four directors tag-team to adapt a mix of original and classic tales, including one based on a story by H.G. Wells. It’s the rare horror anthology whose framing story is a...

We celebrate the life of Marsha Hunt, who passed away at age 104, last month. She appeared in “Raw Deal” with Dennis O’Keefe and Claire Trevor. It’s a late 40s film noir with wonderful cinematography by John Alton. Shelly Brisbin with Randy Dotinga and Nathan Alderman.

Director William Wyler’s film tells the stories of three men returning home from World War II and the impact on their lives, their families and their careers. Great performances from Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy and acting newcomer Harold Russell. Lesser-known faves of mine, Gladys George and Cathy O’Donnell are also great to see. Released a year after war’s end, this is t...

The first Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake pairing is a film noir/thriller about a hit man doing his job and getting even. Alan Ladd’s cat is unbilled. Please also enjoy Laird Cregar, about whom there’s so much to say! Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels, Randy Dotinga and David J. Loehr.

The film version of Cole Porter’s show, which is based on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” (got that?) landed in the middle of MGM’s big technicolor musical era, the 1950s. Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ann Miller are your stars, and a very young Bob Fosse is among the standouts in the cast. Movie censors got to Porter’s lyrics, which gives us some fun topics to cover. It’s also your host’s...

Burt Lancaster plays a newspaper columnist who is based on Walter Winchell. Winchell was a powerful, vindictive dude, and Lancaster is deliciously evil here, going after the man his sister loves, because he can. Tony Curtis co-stars as a man doing Lancaster’s bidding to advance his own career. The film is based on Ernest Lehman’s novel, and the screenplay was co-written by Clifford Odets. The scri...

Barbara Stanwyck is back, and we’ve got her. Here’s a noir melodrama with its share of flaws that I like, regardless. And man, IMDB gives a LOT more plot than I would have. “A pregnant woman adopts the identity of a railroad crash victim and starts a new life with the woman’s wealthy in-laws, but is soon blackmailed by her devious ex.” It’s stylishly directed by Mitchell Leisen, and features lots...

Call it “minor Hitchcock.” Spellbound tells the story of an amnesiac man who can’t remember the murder of which he’s suspected, and the psychiatrist (it’s 1945, so I have to say “lady” psychiatrist) who helps him sort it out. Gregory Peck is early in his film career, and Ingrid Bergman is all, see you later, Charles Boyer. That’s a “Gaslight” joke. Also notable for the Salvador Dali dream sequence...

The history of newspapers and typography is this movie’s subject. Director Sam Fuller made this love letter to journalism, and in this episode, we echo that love right back, with the aid of an actual typography historian. Get the movie on YouTube and watch along with us. We’ll count you in! Shelly Brisbin with Annette Wierstra, Moisés Chiullán and Glenn Fleishman.

Put the blame on mame, boys. And also on George McCreedy and Glenn Ford. It’s a love triangle and an erotic noir. But many people just focus on Rita Hayworth’s song and the dress she sang it in. Gilda also features plenty of gay subtext, which we’ll discuss at length, as well as why some films of this era “got away” with gay themes, while others did not. I also believe we’re setting a record for r...

To paraphrase IMDB, it’s a love story until it’s an obsession story. Then it really gets weird. Gene Tierney is gonna make you kinda mad in this Technicolor, noir thriller. We love it! Shelly Brisbin with Lisa Schmeiser and Nathan Alderman.

By the late 1950s, big-budget musicals were in color and wide screen, and MGM made several really great ones. Late-period Cole Porter wrote the songs, and Fred Astaire is paired with a much younger partner (surprise!), Cyd Charisse in this remake of 1939’s Ninotchka - Garbo’s last great film. For extra credit, watch both. Enjoy the comedy stylings of Peter Lorre and his commissars, and the delight...

This is episode #50, so it’s special! And Baby is one of my favorite movies of all time. Howard Hawks directs Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and a sweet little kitty! It’s a screwball comedy, and Hepburn as a comedienne is a revelation. If you hate it, you might not want to join, because unlike many other episodes, where I encourage dissent, I will fight you on this one. You should also know that I...