Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Monday, Dec. 30 - Hennessy

Hennessy (1975)

Northern Irish explosive expert Niall Hennessy (Rod Steiger) lives a peaceful life in Belfast with his wife and daughter. He has IRA contacts, including the dangerous and wanted Tobin (Eric Porter), but Hennessy repeatedly refuses to get involved in their violent activities, even refusing to provide them with small amounts of gelignite. However, one day during a street riot the British Army inadvertently open fire on the rioters, and in the confusion Hennessy's wife and child are killed. Distraught, Hennessy heads for London with the aim of revisiting his loss on the English capital. His unthinkable plot is to blow up the Royal Family and the members of parliament in the House of Peers. Fearing a backlash and an influx of extra soldiers in Belfast, Tobin sets out to stop Hennessy. Also, Special Branch detective Inspector Hollis (Richard Johnson - who also came up with the film's story) races against time to prevent Hennessy's explosive scheme.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Sunday, Dec. 29 - Lady and the Tramp

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

On Christmas evening in the year 1909, in a quaint town, Jim Dear gives his wife Darling an American cocker spaniel puppy named Lady. Lady enjoys a joyful life with the couple and befriends two local neighborhood dogs, a Scottish terrier named Jock, and a bloodhound named Trusty. Meanwhile, across town, a stray mutt named Tramp lives on his own, dining on scraps from Tony's Italian restaurant and protecting his fellow strays Peg (a Pekingese) and Bull (a bulldog) from the local dogcatcher. One day, Lady is upset after her owners begin treating her rather coldly. Jock and Trusty visit her and determine that their change in behavior is due to Darling expecting a baby. While Jock and Trusty try to explain what a baby is, Tramp interrupts the conversation and offers his own thoughts on the matter, making Jock and Trusty take an immediate dislike to the stray and order him out of the yard. As Tramp leaves, he reminds Lady that "when a baby moves in, a dog moves out."

Eventually, the baby arrives and the couple introduces Lady to the infant, of whom Lady becomes very fond and protective. When Jim Dear and Darling leave for a vacation, they put their dog-hating Aunt Sarah in charge of the baby and the house. Aunt Sarah's two trouble-making Siamese cats, Si and Am, deliberately mess up the house, knowing Lady will get in trouble for it, and then get her in even more trouble by tricking Aunt Sarah into thinking that Lady attacked them. Aunt Sarah then takes Lady to a pet shop to get a muzzle. Terrified, Lady flees the pet shop but is pursued by a trio of stray dogs. Tramp manages to rescue her, fighting off the vicious strays. Seeing the muzzle on Lady's head, Tramp decides to take her to the local zoo, where they find a beaver who is able to remove the muzzle with his teeth. Later, Tramp shows Lady how he lives "footloose and collar-free", eventually leading into a candlelit dinner at Tony's. Lady begins to fall in love with Tramp, but she chooses to return home in order to watch over the baby. Tramp offers to escort Lady back home, but when Tramp decides to chase hens around a farmyard for fun, Lady is captured by the dog catcher and brought to the local dog pound. While at the pound, the other dogs reveal to Lady that Tramp has had multiple girlfriends in the past, and they feel it is unlikely that he will ever settle down. Lady is eventually claimed by Aunt Sarah, who chains her in the backyard as punishment for running away.

Jock and Trusty visit to comfort Lady, but when Tramp arrives to apologize, Lady angrily lashes out at him about his past girlfriends and failure to rescue her from the pound. Tramp sadly leaves, but immediately thereafter a rat sneaks into the house. Lady sees the rat and barks frantically at it, but Aunt Sarah tells her to be quiet. Tramp hears her barking and rushes back, entering the house and cornering the rat in the nursery. Lady breaks free and rushes to the nursery, where Tramp inadvertently knocks over the baby's crib before ultimately killing the rat. The commotion alerts Aunt Sarah, who thinks they harmed the baby. She pushes Tramp in a closet and locks Lady in the basement, then calls the pound to take Tramp away. Jim Dear and Darling return home as the dog catcher departs, and when they release Lady, she leads them to the dead rat. Overhearing everything, Jock and Trusty chase after the dog catcher's wagon. The dogs are able to track down the wagon and scare the horses, causing the wagon to crash. Jim Dear arrives in a taxi with Lady, who reunites with Tramp, but Trusty is almost killed by the wagon.

That Christmas, Tramp has been adopted into the family, and he and Lady have started their own family, with Lady having given birth to a litter of four puppies (three daughters who look identical to Lady and one son who looks identical to Tramp). Jock comes to see the family along with Trusty, who is recovered and merely suffered a broken leg, and are formally welcomed as guests by the humans. Thanks to the puppies, Trusty has a fresh audience for his old stories, but he has forgotten them.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Saturday, Dec. 28 - Shout at the Devil

Shout at the Devil (1976)

Set in East Africa in 1913 prior to WWI, Flynn O’Flynn (Lee Marvin) is a disreputable American of Irish descent exploiting the “riches” of the African continent. A poacher of ivory and a shameless con man, Flynn and his mute right-hand man Mohammed (Ian Holm) coerce an English Gentleman Sebastian Oldsmith (Roger Moore), into becoming a partner in their ivy poaching trade. This takes them into German colonial territory where they run afoul of Commander Fleischer (Rene Kolldehoff). Barely escaping they return to Flynn’s comfortable lodge located in the African bush. Sebastian meets and falls in love with Flynn’s daughter Rosa (Barbara Parkins) and the two marry and have a baby. The poaching continues but when war breaks out, Fleischer is granted unlimited local power and seeks revenge upon Flynn and Sebastian. He raids Flynn’s lodge but when he finds both Flynn and Sebastian absent, his troops massacre the staff and kill Rosa’s child. Devastated by events Flynn, Sebastian and Rosa undertake guerrilla missions on behalf of British navy. They discover that a German war ship is being hidden in the region and that it is being repaired before returning to sea. Furthermore, they learn that the work is being over seen by Fleischer, providing them with an opportunity for retribution.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Friday, Dec. 27 - In Like Flint

In Like Flint (1967)

Flint is again called out of retirement when his old boss finds that he seems to have missed three minutes while golfing with the president. Flint finds that the president has been replaced by an actor (Flint's line [with a wistful look] is "An Actor as President?") Flint finds that a group of women have banded together to take over the world through subliminal brainwashing in beauty salons they own.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Thursday, Dec. 26 - Our Man Flint

Our Man Flint (1966)

The world's weather seems to have changed dramatically with violent storms everywhere and long dormant volcanoes suddenly erupting. No one is sure what is happening or why but when American intelligence chief Cramden loses yet another team of agents, there appears to be only one man who can do the job: Derek Flint, former super spy, incredibly rich and the ultimate ladies man. Despite Cramden's concerns, Flint is on the job and soon discovers that the Earth's weather is under the control of a secret organization known as GALAXY whose scientists are looking to pacify the world and devote humankind to scientific pursuits.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Wednesday, Dec. 25 - Murder at the Gallop (1963)

Murder at the Gallop (1963)

While Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) and Mr Stringer (Stringer Davis) are soliciting donations for a charity ("The Reformed Criminals Assistance League"), they visit Mr. Enderby (Finlay Currie), a rich and eccentric recluse. He tumbles down the long entrance staircase, apparently the victim of a fatal heart attack. Knowing that Enderby had a pathological fear of cats, Miss Marple becomes suspicious when she finds one in the house. She also finds a piece of mud bearing the print of a riding boot, but when she goes to Inspector Craddock (Bud Tingwell), he is sceptical, believing that Enderby died of natural causes.

Undeterred, Miss Marple eavesdrops when Enderby's family gather for the reading of the Will. There are four beneficiaries: fourth cousin George Crossfield (Robert Urquhart), niece Rosamund Shane (Katya Douglas), nephew Hector Enderby (Robert Morley) and sister Cora Lansquenet. Each receives an equal share of the estate. Cora declares that she believes Enderby was murdered. The next day, when Miss Marple goes to see her, she finds Cora dead, stabbed in the back with a hatpin. Cora's companion of many years, timid Miss Milchrest (Flora Robson), can provide little information.

Miss Marple decides to take a "holiday" at the Gallop Hotel/riding school, as it is run by Hector Enderby and the other two surviving heirs and Miss Milchrest are staying there. When Inspector Craddock questions them and Rosamund Shane's spendthrift husband Michael (James Villiers), none of them can produce a satisfactory alibi for the time of Cora Lansquenet's death.

An attempt is made to do away with Miss Marple, but is foiled by the intended victim (without her even realising it). Miss Marple then discovers that the piece of mud found in Enderby's house came from shady art dealer George Crossfield's riding boot, but her case against him is dashed when she learns that each of the heirs visited Enderby on the day he died, to ask for money. Crossfield has meanwhile found out who the murderer is, but he is locked in a stall with an excitable horse and is trampled to death.

By this point, Miss Marple knows the identity and motive of the killer, but has no definite proof. She therefore lays a trap, pretending to have a heart attack at a dance at the hotel while doing the twist with Stringer. The police doctor places her in a room by herself, declaring it to be too dangerous to move her until morning. During the night, the criminal makes one last attempt to silence her, but Miss Marple is ready. The killer's motive is revealed to be a seemingly worthless painting owned by Cora, which actually was very valuable.

Hector Enderby later proposes marriage to Miss Marple but she turns him down, as she is opposed to blood sports and he is an enthusiastic fox-hunter. After she leaves, he mutters to himself "That was a narrow escape!"

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Tuesday, Dec. 24 - Decoy: To Trap a Thief

Decoy (1957–1958): To Trap a Thief (Season 1 | Episode 4 - aired 4 November 1957)

Police officers Casey Jones and Frank Torrino pursue an armed robber and capture his female accomplice with the stolen money. When Lieutenant Bergen returns the money to the victim, the man claims that $10,000 is missing from the satchel and accuses Torrino of taking half the loot before returning the remainder to Bergen. Casey is convinced of Torrino's innocence and impersonates the accomplice in order to prove that the store owner is attempting an insurance scam and framing an innocent police officer as part of his scheme.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Monday, Dec. 23 - The Swimmer

The Swimmer (1968)

Well-off ad man Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) is visiting a friend when he notices the abundance of backyard pools that populate their upscale suburb. Ned suddenly decides that he'd like to travel the eight miles back to his own home by simply swimming across every pool in town. Soon, Ned's journey becomes harrowing; at each house, he is somehow confronted with a reminder of his romantic, domestic and economic failures, until a final visit with an old flame (Janice Rule) leaves him devastated.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Sunday, Dec. 22 - The Headless Ghost

The Headless Ghost (1959)

Three university students – Ingrid from Denmark (Liliane Sottane) and Americans Bill (Richard Lyon) and Ronnie (David Rose) – take a tour of Ambrose Castle in England. After learning that the castle is haunted, they decide to secretly spend the night inside in the hopes of seeing a ghost. During the night, the ghost of the 4th Earl of Ambrose (Clive Revill) appears and tells them that he and the other ghosts are being bothered by Malcolm, who was beheaded 600 years earlier and condemned to wander about the castle until his body and head are re-joined.

The ghostly 4th Earl asks Ingrid, Bill and Ronnie for their help. He says the task of reuniting Malcolm's head and body can only be accomplished by finding a secret chamber, which contains a pouch filled with ashes, and throwing the ashes against Malcolm's portrait while reciting an incantation. Ingrid memorises the incantation when the 4th Earl says that he will tell it to them only once: The wing of a bird whose song was never heard/The snout of a toad that perished in our road/The scales of a fish all burned in a dish/Gathered in a pouch of leather/Hurled in stormy weather/To set him free/To set him free.

The three students go in search of the secret chamber, but once they hear the ghostly screams of Lady Wingfield being murdered by her husband Charles, who returned from the Crusades to discover that she had borne a child by another man, they change their minds. Ingrid tells the 4th Earl that they're facing 'impossible hurdles' and must leave. But then the voice of Malcolm booms out, declaring that he is holding them prisoner until they find his head, without which he cannot rest in peace.

As they search for the chamber, they come across a room of ghosts enjoying a banquet. A ghostly 'heathen' dancing girl-slave (Josephine Blake) performs, but before she can be ordered to 'see to' Bill and Ronnie, Ingrid demands that they leave the banquet. They do, quickly finding the secret chamber and the pouch.

Meanwhile, Parker (John Stacy), the manservant of the current, living 16th Earl of Ambrose (Jack Allen), informs him that something strange is going on inside the castle. The 16th Earl telephones the police. Sgt Grayson (Carl Berhard) and his Constable (Patrick Connor) quickly arrive and they, the 16th Earl and Parker enter the castle to investigate. They discover Ingrid, Bill and Ronnie and, of course, don't believe their story. The police threaten them with arrest.

As the officers chase Ingrid, Bill and Ronnie through the castle, Ingrid breaks away, recites the incantation and tosses the ashes on Malcolm's portrait. To everyone's amazement, the headless ghost of Malcolm then walks downstairs as his head floats in through a doorway. Malcolm catches his head and sticks it on, smiling in satisfaction when it is firmly attached. The 16th Earl says that he doesn't intend to press charges against Ingrid, Bill and Ronnie, but Grayson insists that everyone accompany him to the police station so that they can explain to the Inspector exactly what has happened. They all walk out into the foggy English night, smiling and chatting amiably.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Saturday, Dec. 21 - Decoy: The Phoner

Decoy (1957–1958): The Phoner (Season 1 | Episode 3 - aired 28 October 1957)

Casey Jones attempts to find a man known for harassing his victims through crude, obscene, and threatening messages over the phone. The case gets heated when Casey must play the part of the victim to lure this mystery man out.

Betty has been getting obscene calls from some man. Living alone, she's becoming a nervous wreck. Casey's assigned to stay with her both as moral support and for tracking the caller through phone taps in the basement.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Friday, Dec. 20 - Decoy: Stranglehold & The Red Clown

Decoy (1957–1958): Stranglehold (Season 1 | Episode 1 - aired 14 October 1957)

After a sailor is strangled to death in his apartment, the woman living across the hall is picked up trying to pawn his watch. The police believe she's covering for boyfriend and that he's responsible for the murder. Casey moves into the boarding house to get chummy with the woman and learn some details about the mystery man.

Decoy (1957–1958): The Red Clown (Season 1 | Episode 2 aired 21 October 1957)

Mike Foley has quit his job and abandoned his family to pursue his passion for painting, leaving his daughter (Bobby) confused and devastated. Mrs. Foley asks Casey to look for him and bring him back home, but Casey can only guarantee his financial support for their daughter. She warns Mrs. Foley that coming home is his own decision entirely. Bobby, grief-stricken and determined to find her father, follows Casey throughout the investigation. Although reluctant at first, Bobby eventually leads Casey to Mike. Casey gets him to talk to Bobby and try to explain why he left.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Thursday, Dec. 19 - The Upturned Glass

The Upturned Glass (1947)

A prominent neurosurgeon relates to his students in medical school a story about an affair he had with a married woman and how, after the affair was over, the woman one day fell out a window and died. The surgeon, suspecting that she was murdered, set out to find her killer--but, instead of turning the suspect over to the police, he planned to take his own revenge on the murderer.

James Mason plays a brain surgeon, who recounts in a lecture, an incident of crime to a university class. In flashback, we see his affair with a married woman (Rosamund John) after treating her daughter, and their mutual breaking off of the engagement. Later, when she "falls from a window," Mason suspects murder. We see the details of his plan to revenge himself on his lover's sister (Pamela Mason), and everything goes exactly as planned. But when it comes to actually committing the act, it does not go so smoothly.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Wednesday, Dec. 18 - The World of Henry Orient

The World of Henry Orient (1964)

While trying to seduce a married woman (Paula Prentiss), egotistical concert pianist Henry Orient (Peter Sellers) is interrupted by two precocious schoolgirls, Valerie (Tippy Walker) and Marian (Merrie Spaeth). At first he thinks nothing of it, but as he sees them more often, he becomes convinced they're spies for his lover's husband. The girls, meanwhile, have found out who he is, and Valerie insists she's in love. She starts a scrapbook, which her mother finds and, of course, misconstrues.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Tuesday, Dec. 17 - Tom Mix: Silent Western Shorts Collection & Wallander: The Photographer & Beck: White Nights

Tom Mix: Silent Western Shorts Collection

The silent screen's King of Cowboys, Tom Mix, also had a knack for knockabout comedy, as seen in these six shorts from the mid-teens, five co-starring his future wife Victoria Forde.

CACTUS JIM (1915): Ranch hand Tom advertises for a wife and a Chicago shop girl accepts... but later declines. To avoid being ribbed back at home, he tries to pass off a female mannequin as the missus!

THE AUCTION SALE OF RUN DOWN RANCH (1915): At a ranch auction, one bidder has the misconception that the land is oil-rich and pays $5000. Once he wises up, the cowpokes must prevent him from stopping payment on the check.

5,000 DOLLAR ELOPEMENT (1916): While Tom and his girl elope, a pair of varmints rob her home. Tom abandons his new bride and heads off in hot pursuit.

LEGAL ADVICE (1916): Tom falls for a lady lawyer and shoots up the town hoping she'll bail him out and put him in her custody.

LOCAL COLOR (1916): Author Vicky arrives at a Western dude ranch to soak up some atmosphere for a story. To give her a thrill, Tom poses as a gun-crazy desperado.

AN ANGELIC ATTITUDE (1916): Tom falls for a newcomer to the West, a pretty artist named Grace... but he has an unexpected rival.

Wallander (2005–2013): Fotografen (Season 1 | Episode 8 - aired 30 December 2006)

War photographer Robert Thuresson's work is being put on display in Ystad. American Sarah Lyell argues with the photographer before the exhibition and later is found dead, in possession of one of his photos. The case extends beyond Sweden as Wallander finds a motive for the death.

Beck (1997– ): Vita nätter (Season 1 | Episode 3 - aired 27 February 1998)

Commissioner Martin Beck's intends to resign after hearing his long-estranged son Micke Sjögren, who even took his mother Agneta's name after she left Martin years ago, was fatally shot by unknown fiends as involuntary-undercover amphetamine courier during Beck's colleagues John Banck and Yvonne Jäder's hunt for Polish drug smugglers. Gunvald Larsson is forced to step up as Martin seems unwilling to return, but his unofficial investigation, triggered by his truly-lush senior neighbor, proves as crucial. Stockholm's crime king's latest bloody victim, a restaurant owner Hakdahl, 'served' in his own roasted chicken spits machine, seems Gunvald and chief 's priority. Meeting Mikey's girl at a dodgy 'dance' club, Martin traces the party drugs his boy used and smuggled to a medical supplies-cover in Cracovia, Poland and ties all cases, worse then feared.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Monday, Dec. 16 - Morocco & The Spaghetti West & Rainbow Valley

Morocco (1930)

World-weary chanteuse Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich) arrives in Morocco on the same ship as wealthy playboy La Bessiere (Adolphe Menjou). Amy gets a job at a local club and attracts the attention of womanizing Legionnaire soldier Tom Brown (Gary Cooper), who visits her later. Discouraged by Amy's melancholy demeanor, Tom departs for another rendezvous. When Amy follows and is attacked by locals, Tom defends her -- which has consequences for him, Amy and the romantic hopes of La Bessiere.

The Spaghetti West (2005)

For about ten years, from 1964 to 1973, Italian production crews made hundreds of Westerns. This documentary looks chronologically at that enterprise, starting with the success of Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci: their silent anti-heroes gave Clint Eastwood and Franco Nero stardom. The genre then shifted to political films of the collective downtrodden facing the state. The genre ended, spent, in comedy and farce. Along the way, argues this documentary, the spaghetti western established a language of filmmaking rooted in post-war cynicism and moral ambiguity, with cinematic tropes, including close-ups, violence, and soundtracks, that influenced filmmaking in Hong Kong and the U.S.

Rainbow Valley (1935)

Rainbow Valley needs a new road and newcomer John Martin agrees to build it. Rogers is out to stop it and alters the town's petition to the Governor thereby obtaining the release of his boss Butch Galt. John and Butch were cell mates in prison. So Butch gets John to agree to wreck the road and furnishes him with dynamite. But dynamite is just what John needs to finish the work and he hopes to take care of Butch's gang at the same time.

Sunday, Dec. 15 - Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday

Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939)

It comes as no surprise when Inspector Hornleigh and his assistant, Sergeant Bingham, go to enjoy the winds and rains on their annual seaside vacation, when they run into a "busman's holiday." One of their fellow boarders at Balmoral Guest House, Captain Fraser of the Royal Navy, goes out one dismal night, with his pet terrier, and is found crushed and burned to death, in his wrecked roadster at the foot of a cliff. Hornleigh and Bingham, residing at Brighthaven incognito and the last people to see Fraser,are taken into custody by the local police. It was impossible to identify the charred body and the dog is missing. Hornleigh, suspecting murder, identifies himself and goes to work on the case. Hornleigh proves that the crash was neither suicide nor accident, and that the body is not Fraser, despite an identifying tattoo on the back of the hand.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Friday, Dec. 13 - One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)

The crew of an RAF Vickers Wellington bomber are forced to bail out over the Netherlands near the Zuider Zee after one of their engines is damaged during a nighttime raid on Stuttgart. Five of the six airmen find each other; the sixth goes missing. The first Dutch citizens they encounter, led by English-speaking school teacher Else Meertens (Pamela Brown), are suspicious at first as no aircraft is reported to have crashed in the Netherlands (the abandoned bomber actually reaches England before hitting a pylon). After much debate and some questioning, the Dutch agree to help, despite their fear of German reprisals.

Accompanied by many of the Dutch, the disguised airmen, led by the pilots (Hugh Burden and Eric Portman), bicycle through the countryside to a football match where they are passed along to the local burgomaster (Burgemeester in Dutch, Hay Petrie). To their astonishment, they discover their missing crewman playing on one of the teams. Reunited, they hide in a truck carrying supplies to Jo de Vries (Googie Withers).

De Vries pretends to be pro-German, blaming the British for killing her husband in a bombing raid (whereas he is actually in England working as a radio announcer). She hides them in her mansion, despite the Germans being garrisoned there. Under cover of an air raid, she leads them to a rowing boat. The men row undetected to the sea, but a bridge sentry finally spots them and a shot seriously wounds the oldest man, Sir George Corbett (Godfrey Tearle). Nevertheless, they reach the North Sea. They take shelter in a German rescue buoy, where they take two shot-down enemy aviators prisoner, but not before one sends a radio message. By chance, two British boats arrive first. Because Corbett cannot be moved, they simply tow the buoy back to England. Three months later, he is fully recovered, and the crew board their new four-engine heavy bomber, a Short Stirling.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Thursday, Dec. 12 - Framed

Framed (1947)

Mining engineer Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford) takes a temporary job driving a truck. When the brakes fail while coming down a steep highway, he steers his way through a small town and is lucky to just dent the pickup of Jeff Cunningham (Edgar Buchanan). Jeff demands Mike's employer pay for the damage, but the man refuses. Mike pays him himself. Later, the police find Mike in a bar and arrest him for reckless driving and having an expired license. A total stranger, barmaid Paula Craig (Janis Carter), pays his $50 fine. When Mike gets drunk, Paula quits her job and finds him a hotel room. Then she meets Steve Price (Barry Sullivan) and tells him, "I found him", a stranger with the same height and build as Steve.

The next day, Mike goes looking for a job. The clerk at the assay office puts him in touch with Jeff, a prospector who has found a rich vein in an old, abandoned silver mine. He offers to cut Mike in for 10%, a generous offer he quickly accepts. However, Mike makes the mistake of telling Paula all about it. When Jeff goes to get financing from Steve, the vice-president of the Empire Bank, Paula gets him to turn Jeff down.

An opportunist, Steve obtained his position through his wife Beth's father. He has embezzled $250,000 from the bank and hidden it in Paula's safety deposit box. The plan involves a fatal, fiery car crash, with Mike's body to be mistaken for Steve's.

Mike wins some money in a craps game and pays Paula back everything she spent on him. He saw her get in the car with Steve, and is very suspicious of a barmaid with lots of money. Paula tells him she persuaded Steve to reconsider Jeff's financing.

Mike, Steve and Paula drive out to see the mine. On the way back, Steve persuades Mike to stop for a drink at his place. However, when Mike goes to wash his hands, he notices a robe with "Paula" embroidered on it. Mike gets drunk and passes out. Steve drives him to the spot chosen for the accident, but Paula knocks Steve out instead of Mike and sends the car - and Steve - over a cliff. She is able to convince Mike that he accidentally killed Steve in a drunken rage and that she staged the accident to cover for him. She begs him to run away with her. Mike then learns that the authorities know Steve was killed and Jeff has been accused of his murder. After going to see Jeff in jail, Mike suspects Paula, but has no proof. He goes to question Mrs. Woodworth, Steve's secretary, pretending to be a reporter. She confirms that a Helen Bailey called while Jeff was meeting Steve. The suspicious husband calls the police, but Mike punches him and gets away.

He asks Paula if she knows Helen Bailey. She denies it, then heads to the bank to get the money. Mike follows her there and confronts her. She begs him to go with her, but he turns her down, and the police, tipped off by him, place her under arrest.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Wednesday, Dec. 11 - Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts (1984)

Set aboard a navy cargo ship during World War II, this comedic drama follows Lt. Doug Roberts (Robert Hays, Airplane!), who battles boredom and a tyrannical captain to the admiration of Ensign Pulver, Doc, and the crew.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Tuesday, Dec. 10 - The Old Dark House

The Old Dark House (1932)

Seeking shelter from a pounding rainstorm in a remote region of Wales, several travellers are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. Trying to make the best of it, the guests must deal with their sepulchral host, Horace Femm and his obsessive, malevolent sister Rebecca. Things get worse as the brutish manservant Morgan gets drunk, runs amuck and releases the long pent-up brother Saul, a psychotic pyromaniac who gleefully tries to destroy the residence by setting it on fire.

While driving in a stormy night on a lonely road in the countryside, Philip Waverton, his wife Margaret and Roger Penderel seek shelter at a creepy old house. Horace and his sister Rebecca Femm are reluctant but receive the travelers and warn that the butler Morgan is a dangerous man when he drinks. When they have dinner, a man called Sir William Porterhouse arrives in the house with his girlfriend Gladys DuCane seeking shelter. Out of the blue, the light goes out and they split to get candles and lamps, while Roger and Gladys go to the car to get a bottle of whiskey. While they drink and talk together, the drunken Morgan attacks Margaret and Philip along a most unusual and bizarre night.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Monday, Dec. 9 - Written on the Wind

Written on the Wind (1956)

On 24 October 1955, the hard-work geologist of the Hadley Oil Company Mitch Wayne meets the executive secretary Lucy Moore in the office of her boss Bill Ryan in New York and invites her to go to a conference with the alcoholic playboy and son of a tycoon Kyle Hadley. On the way of the meeting, he confesses that they had traveled from Houston to New York to satisfy the wish of the reckless Kyle, who is his best friend since their childhood, of eating a sandwich from club 21 and the meeting was just a pretext to Kyle's father Jasper Hadley. Mitch and Kyle immediately fall in love for Lucy, and Kyle unsuccessfully uses his money to impress Lucy; then he opens his heart and proposes Lucy. They get married and travel to Acapulco and the insecure Kyle stops drinking. Meanwhile, Kyle's sister Marylee is an easy woman and has a non-corresponded crush on Mitch that sees her as a sister. One year later, Kyle discovers that he has a problem and might be sterile and starts drinking again. The jealous Marylee poisons Kyle telling that his wife and Mitch are having a love affair. When Lucy finds that she is pregnant, Kyle believes that the baby belongs to Mitch and his mistrust leads to a tragedy.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Sunday, Dec. 8 - Oh, Men! Oh, Women!

Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957)

Mildred Turner is a patient of a New York psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Coles. She is bored and frustrated in her marriage to a movie star, Arthur Turner.

Coles is about to marry Myra Hagerman but is perplexed when neurotic new patient Grant Cobbler claims he is sleepless and heartsick over "Myra," the woman he loves. Coles is then completely bewildered when Mildred mentions that her husband also used to date Myra. While confronting her about all this, Coles can hardly believe his eyes when a tipsy Arthur shows up at Myra's, embracing her, followed by Cobbler, who repeats his adoration of her. It leads to a fight, followed by Coles meeting the other two suitors in a bar to drown their sorrows.

Coles is able to persuade Arthur to show wife Mildred the affection she wants.

Alan later boards a luxury liner on the day he and Myra are supposed to set sail on a honeymoon cruise, not knowing if she will show up. When she does, Cobbler turns up as well. Coles tosses him down the gangplank. While still arguing about their situation, Coles and Myra fail to notice that the ship has sailed.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Saturday, Dec. 7 - The Oblong Box

The Oblong Box (1969)

Julian (Vincent Price) hides his horrendously disfigured brother, Sir Edward Markham (Alister Williamson), in a tower where he is kept in chains. Anxious for freedom, Edward fakes his death with the aid of an immoral attorney, Trench (Peter Arne), and a pill that puts him into a catatonic state. But the escape plan takes a treacherous turn when Julian unwittingly buries his brother alive -- and he's later unearthed by grave robbers under the employ of malevolent Dr. Neuhardt (Christopher Lee).

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Friday, Dec. 6 - Children of the Damned

Children of the Damned (1964)

The United Nations conducts a global survey on child development, identifying six children with exceptional intelligence. All were born under mysterious circumstances, with the mothers claiming they were conceived without a father. Brought to London to be studied, the children escape to an abandoned church. Alarmed by the children's telekinetic (they actually can control peoples minds, not objects) powers, the government prepares to destroy them, while psychologist Col. Tom Lewellin (Ian Hendry and he's a Dr., not Col.) tries to convince the authorities to spare them.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Thursday, Dec. 5 - Charly

Charly (1968)

An intellectually disabled man undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius. Complications ensue.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Wednesday, Dec. 4 - The Girl Swappers

Two and Two Make Six (1962)

(Also known as A Change of Heart and The Girl Swappers)

A US airman stationed in the UK strikes down his commanding officer. Believing he killed him, the airman goes on the run with a girl. They run into a couple that looks like them and a mix up happens on motorcycles. Romance also happens.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Tuesday, Dec. 3 - Studio One in Hollywood: The Night America Trembled

Studio One in Hollywood (1948–1958): The Night America Trembled (Season 10 | Episode 1 - aired 9 September 1957)

Hosted by Edward R. Murrow, "The Night America Trembled" intersperses portrayals of the in-studio radio cast doing the show with the panicked reactions of members of the listening public. A babysitter listens to the broadcast and places an emergency call to the baby's parents, who are dining at a country club. The New Jersey State Police are bombarded by telephone calls from a frightened citizenry. A young couple out on a date hears the program while parked in "Lover's Lane" and rush home, much to the amusement of the girl's parents, who had been listening to The Chase and Sanborn Hour on NBC starring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, where there were no reports of Martians, and chuckled at the young couple's naiveté.

And don't forget the car wreck or the guy stranded in Buffalo!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Monday, Dec. 2 - Tales of Tomorrow: The Search for the Flying Saucer

Tales of Tomorrow (1951–1953): The Search for the Flying Saucer (Season 1 | Episode 11 - aired 9 November 1951)

Army pilot Vic Russo, grounded after reporting an encounter with a UFO, is determined to prove flying saucers exist. He travels to a remote New Mexico town to investigate reports of alien craft, but the locals clam up when he brings up the subject. All except Crazy John, an old coot who offers to lead Vic to their landing site.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Sunday, Dec. 1 - Woman's World

Woman's World (1954)

In order to select the new general manager of his auto company, Ernest Gifford (Clifton Webb) summons three strong candidates to New York, along with their wives. While Sidney (Fred MacMurray) and Elizabeth Burns (Lauren Bacall) have a strained relationship, Bill Baxter (Cornel Wilde) and his wife, Katie (June Allyson), are earnest and down-to-earth. Rounding out the competitors is the poised Jerry Talbot (Van Heflin), whose uncouth spouse, Carol (Arlene Dahl), threatens to derail his chances.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Saturday, Nov. 30 - Village of the Damned

Village of the Damned (1960)

In the small English village of Midwich everybody and everything falls into a deep, mysterious sleep for several hours in the middle of the day. Some months later every woman capable of child-bearing is pregnant and the children that are born out of these pregnancies seem to grow very fast and they all have the same blond hair and strange, penetrating eyes that make people do things they don't want to do.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Friday, Nov. 29 - Frankenstein 1970

Frankenstein 1970 (1958)

Baron Victor Von Frankenstein has fallen on hard times; he was tortured at the hands of the Nazis for not cooperating with them during World War II and he is now badly disfigured. As his family's wealth begins to run out, the Baron is forced to allow a TV crew shooting a documentary on his monster-making ancestors to film at his castle in Germany. However, the Baron has some ideas of his own: using the money from the crew's rent he buys an atomic reactor and uses it to create a hulking monster, transplanting his butler's brain into the thing and using it to kill off the crew for more spare parts.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Thursday, Nov. 28 - Blondes and Redheads: Lost Comedy Classics, Volume 1

Blondes and Redheads: Lost Comedy Classics, Volume 1

"Blondes and Redheads" follows the adventures of two sexy working girls trying to make their way in the big city.

THE UNDIE-WORLD: Big Boy Williams is a gangster who is smitten with the two girls in the next apartment. With the help of his violinist friend Grady Sutton he gets acquainted with the girls by posing as a musician.

ROUGH NECKING: June's father forbids her to see her boyfriend, so she sneaks him into the house disguised as a woman. One of her father's friends, however, falls in love with the mysterious young "woman".

THE DANCING MILLIONAIRE: Wrestler Tom Kennedy comes to visit sweetie Dorothy Granger at the dancing academy before heading off to his big match. On leaving, he crashes his car into millionaire Grady Sutton's limo and is hauled off to jail, vowing vengeance. Sutton and his chauffeur go to the academy and take Dorothy and Carol Tevis to a night club. Hilarity ensues.

OCEAN SWELLS: Two young ladies (Dorothy Granger and Carol Tevis) are out with their aunt, looking for rich husbands. And, to make sure there are nothing but rich folks, they hang out in a swank resort. However, they are broke and can't even afford the lunch they just ate....so they come up with a clever way to skip out and then set out in search of rich guys. The aunt discovers two well dressed guys and introduces them to her nieces...not realizing they are crew members on the big yacht...not the owners. Nonsense ensues.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Tuesday, Nov. 26 - The Good Liar & Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder part 2

The Good Liar (2019)

Ian McKellen, a career con artist, meets a wealthy widow (Helen Mirren) online, and then discovers that his plan to steal her fortune has unexpected roadblocks.

Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder - TV Mini-Series (1987)

Mark kills Grandpa.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Monday, Nov. 25 - Tough to Handle

Tough to Handle (1937)

A young newsboy's grandfather wins a sweepstakes, but it turns out that his ticket is phony. Meanwhile, a handsome reporter finds out that the police are looking for the criminal ring responsible for the phony-sweepstakes racket, so he and the newsboy set out to track down the gang responsible and expose them.

And don't forget Gloria, the boy's sister (and the reporter's girlfriend), who gets a job as a singer in the club that is behind the lottery swindle.

Frankie Darro's grandfather has won the lottery, or so he thinks. He has the winning number, but a mob boss has been using the lottery to make money off of fake numbers. They have to get that ticket away from Grandpa at all costs. Enter Frankie Darro, who they didn't plan on and who is too "tough to handle."

Monday, November 25, 2019

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Saturday, Nov. 23 - The Affairs of Susan & Rogues Gallery

The Affairs of Susan (1945)

Susan is about to be married, but the wedding may get called off after her fiancee summons three former beaus. Each reveals a different portrait of Susan: one describes her as a naive country girl who reluctantly becomes an actress, another paints a picture of a gay party girl and and the third describes a serious intellectual. Which one is the real Susan?

Rogues Gallery (1944)

Reporter Patsy Reynolds (Robin Raymond) and photographer Eddie Porter (Frank Jenks)are assigned to interview John Foster (Davison Clark), head of the Emmerson Foundadtion regarding a listening device the organization is working on. Foster evades them and they to the lab to see Professor Reynolds (H. B. Warner), the real inventor. Soon, they are involved in several shootings, blueprints that change hands several times, a corpse in their car that appears and disappears a few times, the loss of their jobs and several people who either think they are killers or candidates for being killed.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Friday, Nov. 22 - Derby

Derby (1970)

Derby is a fascinating look at the world of 1970s professional Roller Derby. Features lots of on-track action, as well as an off-track behind the scenes look at the lives of the Roller Derby pros featured in the film.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Thursday, Nov. 21 - The Girl in Lovers Lane

The Girl in Lovers Lane (1960)

A young man, named Danny, has run away from home and meets a drifter, named Bix, who agrees to tag along with Danny and watch out for him... and his money. They end up in a small town where they meet Carrie - a shy, naive girl working in her father's diner. Bix starts seeing Carrie but he plans on leaving soon.

Meanwhile, the town creep Jesse keeps showing up at the diner and bothering Carrie. Danny keeps inadvertently picking up whores left and right whom Bix has to constantly chase away. Eventually, Bix and Danny decide to leave town but trouble is a-brewing, due to Jesse the creep.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Wednesday, Nov. 20 - Death Line

Raw Meat (1972) Death Line (original title)

When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Tuesday, Nov. 19 - Happy Go Lovely

Happy Go Lovely (1951)

When chorus girl Janet Jones is late for rehearsal in Edinburgh, Bates, the chauffeur for B. G. Bruno, gives her a ride in Bruno's limousine, starting rumours that she is engaged to the wealthiest man in Scotland. American producer Jack Frost, her employer, has just had the star of his next show, Frolics to You, walk out on him because of his desperate financial situation. He replaces her with Janet, hoping that Bruno will back his revue (or at least that he can use Bruno's reputation to fend off impatient creditors). Her dressmaker, Madame Amanda, gives her more clothes (and sends the bill to Bruno). Janet's roommate, Mae Thompson, convinces her to continue the deception.

When Bruno receives the bill, he goes to the theatre to investigate. Janet mistakes him for reporter Paul Tracy, who was supposed to interview her. Finding Janet very attractive, Bruno does not correct her error. The two fall in love. Bruno amuses himself by continually asking Janet about her relationship with the millionaire.

Finally, Bruno gives Frost a check for £10,000. When Janet finds out, however, she confesses everything. On the opening night of Frolics to You, Bruno takes a box seat. Frost summons the police to have him arrested. Janet tries to make "Paul Tracy" hide or leave, in between performing on stage. During these hectic proceedings, Janet blurts out that she loves him. The police catch Bruno, but the inspector in charge recognizes him, much to Janet and Frost's shock, and all ends well.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Monday, Nov. 18 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984–1985): The Final Problem (Season 2 | Episode 6 - aired 29 September 1985)

After a four month absence, Sherlock Holmes returns to Baker Street following several attempts on his life. Holmes had been away on an important assignment for the French government - recovering the Mona Lisa that had been stolen from the Louvre. He was successful in his task and appropriately rewarded by the French but he raised the ire of the crime's perpetrator - Professor Moriarty. On the morning of his return, the Professor visited Holmes in his flat and warned him to cease or he would have no choice but to take extreme measures. With several attempts on his life having already taken place, Holmes and Watson head for Switzerland. Moriarty is a relentless pursuer however and he and Holmes have a fateful encounter at the Reichenbach Falls.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Sunday, Nov. 17 - Hallucination Strip

The Hallucinating Trip (1975) Roma drogata: la polizia non può intervenire (original title)

Massimo Monaldi, a student involved in political protests, steals a valuable tobacco box and becomes entangled in a deadly web between the police and the mafia.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Saturday, Nov. 16 - Highway Patrol: Car Theft

Highway Patrol (1955–1959): Car Theft (Season 1 | Episode 21 - aired 20 February 1956)

Leroy Edwards pays $800 for a late-model wrecked vehicle from Charley Giddings' salvage yard, but only takes the VIN plate so that it can be transferred to a stolen vehicle of the same make. Giddings is part of the scheme, but his assistant Jimmy Higgins innocently calls the Highway Patrol after the car is not claimed for several days, leading to Edwards' arrest. Out on bail, Edwards offers to leave the country after killing Jimmy if Virgil (the theft ring's leader) will pay him $30,000. Virgil agrees, but sabotages the vehicle in which Edwards and Jimmy are riding. Edwards is killed in the ensuing accident, but Jimmy manages to provide Dan Mathews and Officer Ellsworth with information that eventually leads them to Charley Giddings and Virgil.