Johnny O’Clock (1947)
In this Columbia feature from writer/director Robert Rossen, our title character is played by Noir regular, Dick Powell. He’s a […]
Gift Horse (1952) aka … Glory At Sea
If there’s one thing I find irresistible it’s a British Navy war time thriller starring the likes of Trevor […]
Seven Seas to Calais (1962)
Taking center stage and looking every inch a movie star is dashing Rod Taylor as Sir Francis Drake in this […]
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Just two years prior to launching the second wave of classic horror upon movie screens world wide in vivid color […]
Thunder Birds (1942)
Not to be confused with the animated series of the 1960’s this spectacular example of technicolor was aimed at movie […]
It’s Never Too Late ….. to Buy My First Betamax Machine
It’s a well known fact that I’m a sucker for collecting movies, movie memorabilia and the various formats to play […]
Six Bridges To Cross (1955)
In what is essentially a “B” picture from Universal-International this Joseph Pevney directed effort has the grandeur of an epic […]
August 2020 In Review
Thanks to number 2 son, Kirk, I’ve been spending plenty of time watching westerns and some Robert Mitchum features as […]
The Haunted Strangler (1958)
aka …. Grip of the Strangler. In the year 1958, Boris Karloff, found himself back in his native England starring […]
Gallery ›
Appreciating the Randolph Scott / Budd Boetticher Westerns
Like a fine wine, Randolph Scott westerns, particularly those directed by Budd Boetticher have only gotten better as the years […]
Recommendations For TCM’s Summer Under the Stars …. August 2020 …. Part 1
Each year the month of August brings the TCM Summer Under the Stars spotlight where 24 continuous hours are devoted […]
Directed by Mario Bava : The Film Posters
Italian born director Mario Bava represents one of those film makers that it took years to finally see the majority […]
Curling Up With a Good Movie
Book! I meant book! As is my custom when out scouring the shops and antique malls for movie memorabilia I […]
Blogathon ›
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Following the revival of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and the Wolfman, Hammer Studios, turned to Gaston Leroux’s Phantom […]
Counterpoint (1968)
Far from the blood and guts battles we are accustomed to seeing in big screen depictions built around WW2 with […]
Farewell Friend (1968)
aka … Adieu l’ami On the subject of movies if you ask me to name something or more specifically someone […]
Edmond O’Brien Does It All … Directing and Terrorizing in Shield For Murder (1954)
Some villains chew the scenery, quite often stealing a film from the top billed actor. Then there are other heavies […]
Brando's Pick of the Month ›
Day of the Animals (1977)
Brando’s Halloween Pick … aka …. Something Is Out There … aka … Future Animals A fine choice from my […]
Kangaroo (1952)
Brando’s Pick of the Month Carrying on with the theme of movies starring or featuring animals in the title leads […]
Francis The Talking Mule (1949)
Brando’s Pick of the Month This Universal International production from house director Arthur Lubin launched the unlikely comedy of duo […]
Devil Dogs of the Air (1935)
Brando’s Pick of the Month Cheating just a bit this month as we look to this James Cagney-Pat O’Brien standard […]
Featured Actor ›
John Saxon (1935-2020)
Just got the news while watching a Boetticher/Scott western. John Saxon is gone. Another actor I’ve been following since childhood […]
Lloyd Bridges Goes Noir in Triplicate
Well before Lloyd Bridges became known as the star of television’s Sea Hunt or someone picking a real bad day […]
Kirk Douglas 1916-2020 : He Cast a Giant Shadow
More often than not when pressed by friends and associates who know I’m a student of movie history I name […]
Sharing the Screen With Kirk Douglas
Count the candles. 103. Yes Kirk Douglas is 103 years young today. Each year since starting up Mike’s Take On […]
From A to Z ›
Richard Widmark In The Movies : From A to Z
From the moment he stepped on to movie screens in 1947, Richard Widmark, was branded a villain thanks to his […]
John Carradine In the Movies : From A to Z
Selecting John Carradine for this month’s A to Z feature should pose plenty of problems narrowing each letter of the […]
John Huston In The Movies : From A to Z
Directors like John Huston come into one’s universe by extension. By that I mean when you get hooked on the […]
Elizabeth Taylor In the Movies : From A to Z
From a child star to a Hollywood legend, Elizabeth Taylor, stepped out from the screen to become a personality known […]
Slumming With .... ›
Slumming With Teen Sex Comedies of the 1980’s in Triplicate
OK gentlemen. Raise your hands if you’re old enough to recall the days when you’d hit the video stores looking […]
Slumming With George Zucco …. Can Be So Much Fun!
On any given day during the 1940’s if you walked about the movie sets in Hollywood you might see George […]
Slumming With Samantha Eggar … A Triple Feature
The more I looked for someone to feature in my third go around of ‘Slumming With”, it became painfully obvious […]
Slumming With Cameron Mitchell …. A Triple Feature
Picking up where I left off poking a bit of fun while Slumming With David Carradine, I selected Mr. Cameron Mitchell […]
Video Store Action Heroes ›
Firefox (1982)
We’re back. Yes the Four Horseman of the Video Store Apocalypse, better known to our followers as the Video Store […]
… All The Marbles (1981)
For this edition of the Video Store Action Heroes that sees yours truly costarring right alongside The Cinema Monolith, The […]
Hangar 18 (1980)
We’re Back! The Video Store Action Heroes have once again turned the clock back to simpler times when we’d all […]
The Evil That Men Do (1984)
Was there any doubt that for this edition of the Video Store Action Heroes where I got to choose the […]
Articles ›
The Breaking Point (1950)
Here’s an article I was fortunate enough to have published in the 2016 year end edition of the Noir Magazine, […]
The Badlanders (1958)
This article on The Badlanders was published in The Dark Pages celebration on the film The Asphalt Jungle. Read on […]
Lizabeth Scott Stands Up To Robert Ryan and Robert Mitchum in The Racket (1951)
Previously this piece was kindly published by Karen of Shadows and Satin in her Noir newsletter The Dark Pages. Lizabeth […]
Anthony Caruso : More Than The Henchman
This article on Mr. Caruso was kindly featured in the September 2014 issue of The Dark Pages put forth by […]
Now Playing ›
Now Playing August 9th, 1974
All aboard the time machine to 1974! Find a seat please! Strap on that seat belt and remember when we […]
Now Playing December 14th, 1980.
Combing through a new to me road side antique shop netted me a couple of DVD’s for the movie room […]
Now Playing December 28th, 1968 At a Theater Near You
Thankfully Malcolm McDowell has given his consent to allow me to borrow his personal time machine that he used to […]
Now Playing Friday August 9th, 1974
Yes it’s off to London, Ontario, Canada and to the summer of 1974 for a flashback to some classic films […]
Book Takes ›
10 Questions with Victoria Riskin Plus Her New Book – Fay Wray and Robert Riskin : A Hollywood Memoir
Thanks to a new book from Victoria Riskin on her parents, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, a whole new chapter […]
A Reading Break with Olivia, The Immortal Count and Lou’s on First
I often lament that I can’t read fast enough despite enjoying a good book be it non-fiction or a good […]
Recalling “The 50 Worst Films of all Time”
By Harry Medved and Randy Dreyfuss. Somewhere in the piles or boxes of books around here I have a dog […]
Dan Duryea : Heel With a Heart
By Mike Peros Dan Duryea is one those actors who is unforgettably identifiable. I can still recall the first time […]
Monthly Reviews ›
July 2020 in Review
Movies, Movies, Movies and ….. “Let’s play ball.” Yes there’s finally a sport attempting to make a go of it […]
June 2020 In Review
While I can’t speak for the rest of you who drop in on occasion, my movie viewing dropped back to […]
May 2020 In Review
With the amount of down time I’ve had at the office during this era of a world pandemic my movie […]
April 2020 In Review
The lock down continues and I hope and pray each and every one of my guests who drop by Mike’s […]
Posts I Like
It’s Never Too Late ….. to Buy My First Betamax Machine
It’s a well known fact that I’m a sucker for collecting movies, movie memorabilia and the various formats to play […]
John Saxon (1935-2020)
Just got the news while watching a Boetticher/Scott western. John Saxon is gone. Another actor I’ve been following since childhood […]
Appreciating the Randolph Scott / Budd Boetticher Westerns
Like a fine wine, Randolph Scott westerns, particularly those directed by Budd Boetticher have only gotten better as the years […]
Six Black Horses (1962)
From the pen of western writer and eventual director, Burt Kennedy, comes this Universal-International release that not surprisingly plays like […]
Valdez Is Coming (1971)
Bigger than life screen legend, Burt Lancaster, plays it decidedly low key in this filmed in Spain western that sees […]
Bird of Paradise (1932)
On a tropical island paradise, Joel McCrea, is to meet one of the screen’s greatest beauties, Dolores Del Rio, in […]
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Just two years prior to launching the second wave of classic horror upon movie screens world wide in vivid color […]
Marked Woman (1937)
Bette Davis takes center stage as a “Hostess” caught up in mob doings while Humphrey Bogart finds himself shedding his […]
Recommendations For TCM’s Summer Under the Stars …. August 2020 …. Part 2
On to the balance of the TCM’s Summer Under the Stars with my suggestions for each “star” being celebrated with […]