Earlier this year, an essay of mine appeared in City Secrets: Movies, a book of film recommendations, the “secrets” being overlooked movies.  My choice, the period thriller The Tall Target (1951), is one of the movies featured in my own book Screen Savers.  A new addition to the series (which includes many travel books), City Secrets: [...]

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Well, the 10th Black Bear Film Festival (Milford, PA), despite less than ideal weather, turned out to be a rousing success in all four of its venues.  My two contributions to the proceedings were at the Tom Quick Inn, the location of both our gala and our Film Salon.  At Friday night’s gala I did [...]

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This weekend is the 10th Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, PA.  In previous years, I interviewed Farley Granger and Arlene Dahl on the festival stage, but this year I’ll be doing a program at the opening-night gala on Friday, October 16th, at the historic Tom Quick Inn in downtown Milford.  “Bloopers, Secrets, and Surprises [...]

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Vacation from Marriage (1945) has a fresh, delightful story idea that was given a charming execution.  A dowdy British married couple (star Robert Donat and newcomer Deborah Kerr) is separated in 1940 when the husband joins the navy.  (Kerr is homely enough at the outset to foreshadow her 1958 performance in Separate Tables.)  Then the wife joins the [...]

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