Monday, December 31, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 30 - Love Crazy

Love Crazy (1941)

A series of misunderstandings on their fourth wedding anniversary lead an architect and his wife to break up, but he pretends to be insane and even poses as his own sister in order to win her back.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Saturday, Dec. 29 - Double Feature! Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Episodes 1 & 2

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979– ) TV Mini-Series

George Smiley has been retired for about a year when he finds a friend from the circus, his old outfit in British Intelligence sitting in his living room. He is taken to the home of an advisor to the Prime Minister on intelligence matters where he finds evidence that one of the men in the senior ranks of his old agency is a Russian spy. Smiley is asked to find him, without official access to any of the files in the Circus or letting on that anyone is under suspicion. With only a few old friends, his own powers of deduction, and secrecy as weapons, Smiley must unearth the spy who turned him out of the Circus.

Season 1, Episode 1 Return to the Circus (10 Sep. 1979)

Control, the ageing head of British Intelligence (the "Circus"), sets up Operation "Testify": he sends secret agent Jim Prideaux to Czechoslovakia where he is to get the name of a Soviet spy (or "mole") inside the Circus. But Prideaux falls into a trap.

Season 1, Episode 2 Tarr Tells His Story (17 Sep. 1979)

At the home of Sir Oliver Lacon, George Smiley listens to Ricky Tarr's story. He was dispatched to Lisbon a year ago when the local resident, Thufty Thessinger, requested assistance. A Russian trade delegation is in town and one member, Boris, is stepping out on his own at night to bars and restaurants. Ricky soon realizes Boris is a trained agent and as per standing orders, doesn't approach him. He decides to check his hotel room and there meets Boris' wife Irina. They are soon having an affair and she eventually tells him a great secret: there is a Russian agent, a mole, buried deep in the British secret service. George had similar concerns before his forced retirement and now Lacon asks him to investigate.

Saturday, Dec. 29 - The Woman in White

The Woman in White (1997)

Based upon Wilkie Collins Victorian mystery, the gothic tale tells of a pair of half sisters whose lives end up caught in a grand conspiracy revolving around a mentally ill woman dressed in white. As the story unfolds, murder, love, marriage, and greed stand between the two women and happy lives. Their only hope is the secret the woman in white waits to tell them.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Friday, Dec. 28 - Lovejoy: Angel Trousers

Lovejoy: Season 3, Episode 4 Angel Trousers (2 Feb. 1992)

Lovejoy and Lady Jane drive her former housekeeper Vera to Portsmouth for the burial at sea of Vera's late brother, Captain Bucknall. Vera is anxious to sell the captain's medals to the local submarine museum but they cannot match the price offered by arrogant collector, fashion photographer Jeremy Prince so Vera reluctantly agrees to sell them to him. However they are stolen from Lovejoy's safe. Prince accuses him of trickery but then Angelo Pantalini or Angel Trousers appears with a gun, claiming revenge for an outrage the late captain committed to a statue of Mussolini in the Second World War

Friday, December 28, 2012

Thursday, Dec. 27 - Hustle: Cops and Robbers

Hustle: Season 1, Episode 4 Cops and Robbers (16 Mar. 2004)

Mickey Stone find himself being blackmailed by Victor Maher into helping him catch a bank robber. Maher has an old videotape of Danny Blue involved in a robbery and unless Mickey agrees to help, he will turn it over to the police. Maher spent his career in the fraud squad and is now head of security for Moores Bank. He knows that Sam Richards will soon try to rob the their main London Branch and want Mickey to get a member of his team in on the robbery. Albert Stroller, who has had dealings with Maher in the past, warns Mickey that the ex-cop is very good at what he does and that Mickey himself is as much the prize as Richards. Left on the sidelines, Danny and Stacie spend a good deal of time together with Danny starting to fall for her.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Monday, Dec. 24 & Tuesday, Dec. 25 - Lovejoy: The Prague Sun

Season 3, Episode 14 The Prague Sun (27 Dec. 1992)

Dottie Mayhew, a dealer friend of Lovejoy's, is shaken when her former fiancé Marek returns to Britain after disappearing in action during the war fifty years earlier. Marek fought with the British as an aviator and has been presumed dead. The fall of Communism has allowed him to become reunited with her and to reclaim a cache of diamonds buried five decades earlier in a deserted church. When Lovejoy discovers his critically injured body and a single rose-cut Sebenteenth Century diamond, he is knocked unconscious by an anonymous assailant. The diamonds are among 6000 stolen from a priceless religious object stolen during the war in Prague, so he and Eric journey to the Czech capitol. When Lovejoy tries to question Marek's old friend Axel, he is murdered by the dark forces working to obtain the gems. (Actually, I don't Lovejoy is murdered in this episode, as the show ran for 3 more seasons.)

Monday, December 24, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 23 - The Heart of the Matter

The Heart of the Matter (1953)

Trevor Howard plays Scobie, a policeman in Sierra Leone. He is unhappily married to Louise, played by Elizabeth Allan. While she is away, he begins a love affair with Helen, a European played by Maria Schell. However, Scobie's Catholic faith leaves him tormented with guilt.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Friday, Dec. 21 - Oppenheimer: Episode 1

Oppenheimer (1980– ) TV Mini-Series

Biography of the American physicist who led the U.S. effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II, only to find himself suspected as a security risk in the 1950s because of his increasing ambivalence about the effect of his life's work.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Thursday, Dec. 20 - The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps (2008) TV Movie

Richard Hannay, a mining engineer on holiday from the African colonies, finds London socialite life terribly dull. Yet it's more then he bargained for when secret agent, Scudder, bursts into his room and entrusts him a coded notebook with map, concerning the impending start of World War I. In no time both German agents and the British law are chasing him, ruthlessly coveting the Roman numerals code, which Hannay believes he must crack himself. Masquerading as a liberal party pundit, Richard also gets stuck with parliamentary candidate Sir George Sinclair's sister Victoria. They must survive with the secrets and decide who they can trust and how to keep it from others.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Wednesday, Dec. 19 - Lovejoy: Scotch on the Rocks

Season 3, Episode 7 Scotch on the Rocks (23 Feb. 1992)

Vicky finds a Scots claymore in the attic of her new flat which Lovejoy buys from her. He is approached by a man named Kinloch who offers him a more than generous price for it,claiming a family connection, and, when a suspicious Lovejoy refuses,the sword becomes the subject of a bungled burglary. Lovejoy is intrigued and finds out that the sword provides the key to a cache of French gold buried in the ground. Ironically Tartan Transactions,a controversial firm in which Kinloch has an interest,has just built a supermarket over it and retrieval seems unlikely.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 18 - Mr. Ace

Mr. Ace (1946)

Margaret Wyndham Chase wants to run for governor and approaches Eddie Ace, local political kingmaker/fringe gangster, to get his support. Ace's belief is that "beautiful women and politics do not mix" and he declines to help. She decides to play the game rough-and-tough without him, but he shows he is even rougher-and-tougher, and she gives up and withdraws from the race. But Ace has fallen in love with her at about the 45-minute mark and, with his new-found ardor for clean politics, he makes some (unclean) manipulations behind the scenes, and she is picked to run on an independent good-government ticket.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Monday, Dec. 17 - Lovejoy: Eric of Arabia

Season 3, Episode 6 Eric of Arabia (16 Feb. 1992) TV Episode

In hospital with a broken leg Lovejoy delegates Lady Jane and Tinker to sell a terra cotta Chinese pig to a Chinese banker,though it turns out to be a forgery and gets broken,revealing its contents, a valuable medieval Chinese bank note. But this might also be a forgery so Lovejoy makes use of micro-surgery to examine another pig,one of several in the possession of choleric dealer and possible swindler Sir Desmond Clark. Meanwhile Eric meets fellow biker,the lovely Natasha,with whose help he sells his motor-cycle as having been the property of Lawrence of Arabia.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 16 Double Feature! - Propaganda Swing: Dr. Goebbels' Jazz Orchestra

Propaganda Swing: Dr. Goebbels' Jazz Orchestra

In the twisted annals of the Third Reich, few stories are so improbable as that of Charlie and his Orchestra. Even as the Nazis campaigned against degenerate jazz music, persecuting musicians and throwing swing kids into concentration camps, behind the scenes Joseph Goebbels and his Propaganda Ministry were creating a jazz orchestra that would serve up Nazi propaganda backed by the latest swing music.

The result was Charlie and his Orchestra , Karl Schwedler, made up of Europe's finest jazz players, whose short-wave broadcasts to English and American audiences soon gained a following abroad and, more clandestinely, within the Reich itself.

Sunday, Dec. 16 - Fanny by Gaslight

Man of Evil (1945) Fanny by Gaslight (original title)

Returning to 1870's London after finishing at boarding school, Fanny winesses the death of her father in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. She then finds that her family has for many years been running a bordello next door to their home. When her mother dies shortly after, she next discovers that her real father is in fact a well-respected politician. Meeting him and then falling in love with his young advisor Harry Somerford leads to a life of ups and downs and conflict between the classes. Periodically the scoundrel of a Lord crosses her path, always to tragic effect.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Saturday, Dec. 15 - The Three Stooges Story

The Three Stooges Story (2001)

This documentary compiles clips of all six of the actors who at one time or another played one of the three stooges. Moe, Curly, Shemp, Larry Fine, Joe Besser, and Curly Joe Derita are seen in clips from their most famous shorts, as well as in television appearances and interview clips. New interviews with people who worked with the group round out this entertaining and affectionate documentary.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Friday, Dec. 14 - The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead (1936)

Gangsters led by Nolan (Ricardo Cortez) want to have a local law-abiding judge killed. In doing so they frame an ex-con, John Ellman (Boris Karloff), for the murder. Nolan acts as Ellman's lawyer and makes certain he is convicted and executed in the electric chair. Dr. Beaumont (Edmund Gwenn), a scientist, is able to restore life to dead animals and seeks permission to try reviving Ellman's dead body. Dr. Beaumont is successful in restoring Ellman back to life. Boris Karloff goes on a killing rampage.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Thursday, Dec. 13 - Van der Valk: A Dangerous Point of View

Season 2, Episode 4 A Dangerous Point of View (19 Sep. 1973)

The body of a man who has been stabbed to death is discovered in a flat. Van der Valk must find out why the dead man was there and who could have known about it.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Wednesday, Dec. 12 - Lovejoy: Benin Bronze

Season 3, Episode 5 Benin Bronze (9 Feb. 1992)

Wealthy Australian Greg Veitch arrives in East Anglia looking for his 'Eureka',the thing that he must have, and believes he has found it in a Beninese bronze sculpture belonging to Sir Max Spence. Problems obtaining an export licence leads to him doing a deal with Sir Max and a local forger to get the statue out of the country. When it goes missing Lovejoy comes under suspicion but discovers that police inspector Shand is not all he claims to be - just as Veitch will have a similar experience with the bronze, which will lead him to seek revenge.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 11 - Double Feature! Quantum Leap: Play It Again, Seymour

Season 1, Episode 9 Play It Again, Seymour - April 14, 1953 (17 May 1989) 

It's the early 1950s an Sam has leaped into the body of a New York City private detective, Nick Allen. Apart from the fact that Allen bears a striking resemblance to Humphrey Bogart, Sam feels that he has leaped into a cheap pulp novel, something that proves to be all too accurate when he realizes he knows the story and is constantly having a sense of déjà vu. With his partner murdered, Sam has to not only find the murderer but launch the career of a prospective writer.

Tuesday, Dec. 11 - Libeled Lady

Libeled Lady (1936)

Spencer Tracy is the tough city editor who goes to some spectacular extremes when socialite Myrna Loy files a $5 million libel suit against his paper for calling her a notorious home-wrecker; he hires celebrated ladies' man William Powell to seduce Loy and asks his long-suffering fiancée, Jean Harlow, to marry Powell temporarily so she can play the wronged wife when Loy and Powell are discovered together.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Monday, Dec. 10 - The Unguarded Moment

The Unguarded Moment (1956)

Contemporary bachelorette Lois Conway is the music teacher and cheerleading director at Ogden Central High. She receives some lurid notes addressed in crayon to 'TEACHER DEAR' and is subsequently assaulted and harassed by a troubled teen, the son of a stern and overly-protective businessman. Lois finds herself at the center of unfavorable high school politics and the victim of a bit of sexism. There's also been a rash of assaults on women, one ending in murder, and Lieutenant Graham searches for a connection while wooing Miss Conway

Monday, December 10, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 9 - Taras Bulba

Taras Bulba (1962)

Loosely based on Gogol's short novel, story tells of a Cossack uprising against the Polish forces who have taken control of the Ukraine. At the centre of the Cossack army is the leader Taras (Brynner) and his two sons, Andrei (Curtis) and Ostap (Lopez). But when Andrei falls in love with a Polish princess called Natalia (Kaufmann), it sets the wheels in motion for the Bulba family to crack from within; just as the Polish come calling asking for the Cossacks help to defeat the Turkish.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Friday, Dec 7 - Abandoned

Abandoned (1949)

Newspaperman helps girl find her sister's illegitimate baby, gets mixed up in baby-adoption racket.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Thursday, Dec. 6 - Quantum Leap:

Season 1, Episode 8 Camikazi Kid - June 6, 1961 (10 May 1989)

Sam leaps into the body of a gawky teenager to keep the boy's older sister from marrying an abusive alcoholic. Taking advice from Al, Sam hopes to reveal the young man's true nature by challenging him to a drag race.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Wednesday, Dec. 5 - The Suicide Club

The Chevy Mystery Show (1960– ) TV Series

Anthology series featuring a different mystery each week.

Season 1, Episode 17 The Suicide Club (18 Sep. 1960)

Despite a rash of bizarre murders which have the whole town on edge, Prince Florizel and Colonel Geraldine roam London's streets in search of adventure. They learn of a strange secret society ? a Suicide Club. Ever curious, the intrepid pair manage to infiltrate the club, and get indoctrinated into its ways. All of the members are world-weary souls who wish to die but lack the courage to commit the act themselves. At meetings, cards are drawn and 2 members are secretly selected - one to die and the other to commit the murder. Prince Florizel attempts to ferret out the mysterious leader who is growing rich on the misery of his membership. But when he is chosen to perform the next execution, he will be forced to either commit murder or die.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 4 - The Final Cut: Episode 4

Season 1, Episode 4 Episode #1.4 (26 Nov. 1995)

Not having secured enough votes on the first ballot to retain the party leadership, Francis Urquhart plots to not only keep him in place as Prime Minister but to win the next general election. He is desperate to surpass Margaret Thatcher's length of service as PM and decides that to emulate her is likely the best approach: starting a war in Cyprus, his own little Falklands, as he describes it to his wife. It all goes very badly however and the PM's hold on power begins to slip. Claire Coulsen learns that there is a cost to playing both sides in any contest. In the end, it's left to Elizabeth Urqhart to come up with a solution that will ensure the PM's legacy for all time.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Monday, Dec. 3 - The Final Cut: Episode 3

Season 1, Episode 3 Episode #1.3 (19 Nov. 1995)

Having resigned as Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace launches a blistering attack in the House of Commons directed not only at the government in general but at the Prime Minister in particular. He then moves across the aisle to sit on the opposition benches. For his part, Francis Urquhart takes it all in stride quite sure of his position and his ability to retain the leadership of the party. As chance would have it, Cypriot nationalists attack the British High Commission in Cyprus and kidnap the High Commissioner thus allowing Urquhart to question the wisdom of Makepeace's constant challenges on the Cypriot peace deal. Makepeace for his part takes up the cause of identifying the killer of Maria Passolides' uncles.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 2 - Double Feature! Manhattan Melodrama

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Bookworm Wade becomes a D.A. vying for the Governorship. When Blackie's girlfriend Eleanor leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment. In fact, their friendship is so strong that Blackie murders an attorney threatening to derail Wade's bid to become Governor. The morally straight Wade's last job as D.A. is to convict his friend of the murder, and send him to the electric chair. After he becomes Governor, Wade has the authority to commute Blackie's death sentence-- a decision that pits his high moral ethics against a lifelong friendship.

Sunday, Dec. 2 - The Final Cut: Episode 2

Season 1, Episode 2 Episode #1.2 (12 Nov. 1995)

Having sacked his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Urquhart casts about for a replacement. At the suggestion of Geoffrey Booza Pitt he gives serious consideration to backbench MP Claire Carlsen, despite the fact that she is carrying on an affair with Foreign Secretary Tom Makepeace. Claire is clearly playing both sides of the fence to ensure her own place in the hierarchy, regardless of what the future may hold. Urquhart decides the time has come to shake things up and forces Makepeace to resign, something his wife Elizabeth isn't sure is in their best interest. He also continues working on his legacies, dropping a good word in the ear of the British judge on the Cyprus boundary panel. Meanwhile, a young Greek-Cypriot woman, Maria Passolides, seeks Urquhart's assistance in solving the death of two uncles who were killed in Cyprus in the 1950s.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Saturday, Dec. 1 - The Final Cut: Episode 1

The Final Cut (1995– ) TV Mini-Series

Francis Urquhart is too experienced a politician not to know that everything must end, even his long career as British prime minister. In order to secure his retirement and establish monument to himself, he takes part in negotiations aimed at ending the Cyprus conflict. However, that same island hides the secrets from Urquhart's youth - secrets that could destroy him.

Season 1, Episode 1 Episode #1.1 (5 Nov. 1995)

Approaching his 65th birthday, Prime Minister Frances Urquhart begins to see the end of his career. Not that he has the intention of resigning anytime soon. He does however hope to establish a legacy, one for the history books and one to provide his pension. For the latter, his wife Elizabeth introduces him to Mr. Nures, a Turkish-Cypriot businessman who will contribute handsomely to the Urquhart Trust if the upcoming boundary commission report provides a ruling favorable to Turkish-occupied Cyprus. As for the history books, he's decided to take credit for the upcoming peace deal in Cyprus, much to the consternation of the Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace. Still haunted by what happened to Mattie Storin, he is also haunted by events when he was in Cyprus as an army officer in the 1950s. A encounter on the motorway lands him in hospital.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Friday, Nov. 30 - The Long Memory

The Long Memory (1953)

Phillip Davidson (John Mills) is a man released from prison after serving 12 years for a murder he didn't commit. Finding a base home on a dilapidated barge in a boggy Thames inlet, Davidson sets about finding the liars who were responsible for his incarceration.