‘September 30th, 1955′ (1977): The Waltons’ Richard Thomas obsesses over James Dean

Next Tuesday is the 70th anniversary of the death of actor James Dean (Google him)…which is probably going to elicit hardly a peep on social media, where such trivia are now noted by posters desperately looking for hits, facilitating amateur “comedian commentators” to make insufferably lame jokes, and where certifiably insane advocates—for every cause and… Read More ‘September 30th, 1955′ (1977): The Waltons’ Richard Thomas obsesses over James Dean

‘Airport 1975’ (1974): Celebrating 50 years of landing jumbo jets – the hard way

Maybe I missed something during the absolute euphoria of the last three weeks, but I’m not seeing anything online about the 50th anniversary of the apex of the “golden age” of disaster movies: the November/December 1974 releases of Airport 1975, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno. All were socko successes with ticket buyers (if not the… Read More ‘Airport 1975’ (1974): Celebrating 50 years of landing jumbo jets – the hard way

‘Frankenstein: The True Story’ (1973): Mary Shelley’s classic monster comes alive on TV

It’s Shock-tober, everyone! That’s right—time to take out a second mortgage to pay for your groceries this week. So, let’s lighten our loads by doing what I’ve been since I was in a playpen: escaping reality by obsessively watching TV. And what better way to block out the possibility of six more years of the… Read More ‘Frankenstein: The True Story’ (1973): Mary Shelley’s classic monster comes alive on TV

‘Angel in My Pocket’ (1969): Has this Andy Griffith film been memory-holed?

Inexplicably missing-in-action movie from TV icon Andy Griffith. On April 1st, 1968, The Andy Griffith Show broadcast its final first-run episode, ending the-then #1-rated television show in the country, after eight highly successful seasons. Just one short year (and a day) later, Universal Pictures released Griffith’s charming little family programmer, Angel in My Pocket…and America couldn’t have… Read More ‘Angel in My Pocket’ (1969): Has this Andy Griffith film been memory-holed?

‘The Cat and the Canary’ (1939) & ‘The Ghost Breakers’ (1940): A spooky Bob Hope double feature

Well…after being tricked (and certainly not treated) by one of my rotten kids into enduring the new Halloween Kills nightmare (woefully, even comically inept…and no, I don’t find Jamie Lee “Witchie Poo” Curtis hot anymore), it was a dire necessity for my autumnal equilibrium to scare up some old-timey nostalgic Halloween fare.