Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

A Case for Campy or Creepy-THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

We’re in for a real treat. Many consider, and I’m in full agreement, that James Whale’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) to be the best of the Universal classic monster films. The question is WHY? We’ll discuss that, and perhaps you’ll have your own opinions on this. We have studied several Universal horrors up to this point, along with the details of what was transpiring … Continue reading A Case for Campy or Creepy-THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

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Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

A Sinister Study: THE BLACK CAT (1934)

This marks the first of eight films that paired Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Both big names in Hollywood coming off of their huge successes of DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. But while Karloff would continue his success in the years that followed, Lugosi’s career struggled. DRACULA would be his first major Hollywood role, and his biggest. Lugosi didn’t seem the right fit for many roles that … Continue reading A Sinister Study: THE BLACK CAT (1934)

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Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

Deep Focus on THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

As we traverse into our latest Universal monster film, James Whale’s THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), we feel a sense of familiarity with another examination into madness. But this tale goes deeper and more personal than our prior films. This time, the scientist is not just driven into insanity by his passionate pursuits, but could he be the monster, too? H.G. Wells published his novel, “The … Continue reading Deep Focus on THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

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Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

THE MUMMY (1932)

In our 3rd film in this Universal Horror series, we’re studying Karl Freund’s THE MUMMY (1932). While we travel to ancient Egypt via California and Universal City, this tale feels strangely familiar territory. Again, we see familiar faces. But have we been here before? One of the themes of THE MUMMY is reincarnation; but in many aspects, the story itself is a reincarnation of DRACULA … Continue reading THE MUMMY (1932)

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Classic Film, classic film review, Horror Classics

FRANKENSTEIN (1931): A Film Study

“How do you do? Mr. Carl Laemmle feels it would be a little unkind to present this picture without just a word of friendly warning: We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two … Continue reading FRANKENSTEIN (1931): A Film Study

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Classic Film, Westerns

THE SEARCHERS (1956), a Film Study

[The following was part of my John Ford film study course I taught in the winter of 2023. SPOILERS are included in this handout, so if you haven’t watched this film before, feel free to refrain until you do so.] As we transition to our next film, THE SEARCHERS (1956), we will experience a very different John Ford film, with a starkly darker role for … Continue reading THE SEARCHERS (1956), a Film Study

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Classic Film, Westerns

John Ford’s SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

(The following is my handout from the John Ford course I taught in the winter semester of 2023.) The film we’ll be screening tonight is one of Ford’s ‘Calvary trilogy’ films, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON. So called for the use of the United States Calvary at the center of these stories. FORT APACHE (1948), SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949), and RIO BRAVO (1950) … Continue reading John Ford’s SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON

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Classic Film, Westerns

THREE GODFATHERS- Is It a Christmas Movie?

John Ford’s THREE GODFATHERS (1948) (The following is my handout from the John Ford course I taught in the winter semester of 2023.) It’s no longer the holiday season. You might have too much holiday fatigue to appreciate the oft debated topic of just what prequalifies a film to be a “Christmas movie.” For example, you may or may not agree that DIE HARD (1983) … Continue reading THREE GODFATHERS- Is It a Christmas Movie?

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Classic Film

The Informer: a Ford Film Study

John Ford’s THE INFORMER (1935) By: Kellee Pratt Both haunting and tense, John Ford’s depiction of a day in 1922 Dublin in the struggles for an Irish independence would land him his first Oscar. THE INFORMER (1935) would go on to be unexpected box office hit, gaining rave reviews from both audiences and critics, and earning a total of six Academy Award nominations, winning four. … Continue reading The Informer: a Ford Film Study

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Classic Film, classic tv

BEN JOHNSON, a Real Reel Cowboy

Francis Benjamin Johnson was born in Foreacre, Oklahoma on June 13, 1918. Born of Irish, Osage and Cherokee Indigenous ancestry, and the son of ranchers Ollie Susan and Ben Johnson, Jr. Oklahoma-born Ben Johnson was a true cowboy and horse wrangler that first made his way into Hollywood via providing horses to Howard Hughes for THE OUTLAW (1943). He realized he could make more money … Continue reading BEN JOHNSON, a Real Reel Cowboy

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