Hello, dear readers! November is officially upon us, as well as a new week of Blu-ray and DVD releases, which means it’s time to make some room for more horror and sci-fi to fill your home entertainment shelves. One of this writer’s favorite indie genre movies of the year, Come True, is getting released to both Blu and DVD this week courtesy of Scream Factory, and Kino Lorber is showing some love to a pair of classic thrillers as well: The Spider Woman Strikes Back and The Mad Doctor. Other releases for November 2nd include The Banishing, Pig featuring Nicolas Cage, and The Spore.
The Banishing
From acclaimed genre director Chris Smith (Creep) comes the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend, his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and...
The Banishing
From acclaimed genre director Chris Smith (Creep) comes the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend, his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and...
- 11/1/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
When did murder thrillers become horror pix? This one is horror only by association, and star Basil Rathbone would be a suave leading man if he wasn’t slaying wives left and right. He sets his sights on the rich, conveniently suicidal Ellen Drew, yes (sigh) that Ellen Drew. This atypical Paramount thriller has glamour to spare and also some unexpected sideways sexuality with the sinister Martin Kosleck, who almost steals the movie. But not our hearts — in that department it’s Ellen Forever and Ever.
The Mad Doctor
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / Street Date November 2, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Barbara Jo Allen aka Vera Vague, Ralph Morgan, Martin Kosleck, Kitty Kelly, Sheila Ryan, Norma Varden, Max Wagner.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Howard J. Green...
The Mad Doctor
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 90 min. / Street Date November 2, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, John Howard, Barbara Jo Allen aka Vera Vague, Ralph Morgan, Martin Kosleck, Kitty Kelly, Sheila Ryan, Norma Varden, Max Wagner.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher
Film Editor: Archie Marshek
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Howard J. Green...
- 10/30/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
SAG-aftra’s Los Angeles local awarded its highest honor Sunday to two former board members whose devoted service to SAG and AFTRA put them on opposite sides of the fights that wracked the actors’ unions until their merger in 2012. The honorees, Anne-Marie Johnson and Morgan Fairchild, received this year’s Ralph Morgan Award in front of a standing-room-only crowd estimated at more than 400 Los Angeles members, staff and invited guests. The award was established in 1981 and is named for SAG’s first president. Johnson, who served more than 15 years as a SAG national board member
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- 3/7/2016
- by Jonathan Handel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SAG-aftra announced performers Morgan Fairchild and Anne-Marie Johnson as recipients of the 2016 Ralph Morgan Award. The honor is presented to SAG-aftra members who devote time to serving their fellow members within the community. “Both of these accomplished women embody the award’s spirit of self-sacrifice through their countless hours of committee and board service for both SAG and AFTRA,” said Jane Austin, SAG-aftra Secretary-Treasurer and L.A. Local President. “Additionally, these women have made significant contributions outside the boardroom for the betterment of all performers and have worked tirelessly on numerous social issues.” Fairchild served nine years on the National Board of Screen Actors Guild and seven years on AFTRA’s Hollywood board. She was one of the original members of the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee and helped found the Environmental Communications Office. Fairchild is also an AIDS activist, leads pro-choice marches and rallies, and participates in events saving California deserts.
- 2/23/2016
- backstage.com
SAG-aftra has named performers Anne-Marie Johnson and Morgan Fairchild as the recipients of the 2016 Ralph Morgan Award, the SAG-aftra Los Angeles Local’s highest honor. Established in 1981 and named in honor of the first president of Screen Actors Guild, the Ralph Morgan Award salutes SAG-aftra members and/or union staff for their devotion to serving members. The award will be presented on Sunday, March 6, at the annual Los Angeles Local membership meeting at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City. “I am delighted with the Honors and Tributes Committee’s recognition of both Anne-Marie Johnson and Morgan Fairchild as recipients of the 2016 Ralph Morgan Award,” said...
- 2/22/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Hitler's Madman, a WWII propaganda film, had a complex origin story: filmed shortly after the real events it depicts (the assassination of senior Nazi Reinhard Heydrich and the subsequent massacre of the Czech town of Lidice in reprisal), the appearance of Fritz Lang's similarly-themed Hangmen Also Die! caused its release to be delayed and it also suffered a title change from the catchier Hitler's Hangman. On the plus side, the tiny independent production, shot in just a week, was acquired by MGM and given a bigger budget for re-shoots to enhance its production values. But Sirk ruefully admitted the new scenes actually weakened the film's Poverty Row sensibility, which gave it a slight documentary flavor which was useful.The Lang film is, I think, superior all round, but the two make interesting companions and Sirk's is tougher, in a way. Lang's movie, originally written by Brecht, attempts to build in a small victory,...
- 12/24/2015
- by David Cairns
- MUBI
Douglas Sirk's first American movie came out so well that Prc sold it to MGM, earning Sirk a promotion out of the Poverty Row studios. John Carradine is excellent - and underplays! -- as the Hangman of Prague who moonlights as a depraved sex criminal. But the context in this wartime propaganda movie is serious -- it commemorates the Nazi murder of an entire Czech town. Hitler's Madman DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1943 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 84 min. / Street Date December 1, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 18.95 Starring Patricia Morrison, John Carradine, Alan Curtis, Howard Freeman, Ralph Morgan, Ludwig Stössel, Edgar Kennedy, Al Shean, Elizabeth Russell, Jimmy Conlin, Ava Gardner, Natalie Draper, Victor Kilian, Otto Reichow, Peter van Eyck, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Blanch Yurka. Cinematography (Eugen Schüfftan, credited as Technical Advisor), Jack Greenhalgh Film Editor Dan Milner Second unit and uncredited production designer Edgar G. Ulmer Original Music...
- 12/22/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
George Coe, an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, passed away Saturday at age 86.
The actor died in Santa Monica, California, after a long battle with an unspecified illness, Variety reports.
Coe's extensive career spanned more than five decades. As one of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, Coe starred in SNL's debut episode in October 1975 with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, appearing in several episodes throughout the first season.
In addition to SNL, Coe earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1986 film The Dove, which he co-directed as well as starred in, and was featured in...
The actor died in Santa Monica, California, after a long battle with an unspecified illness, Variety reports.
Coe's extensive career spanned more than five decades. As one of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, Coe starred in SNL's debut episode in October 1975 with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, appearing in several episodes throughout the first season.
In addition to SNL, Coe earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1986 film The Dove, which he co-directed as well as starred in, and was featured in...
- 7/20/2015
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- People.com - TV Watch
Actress Timothy Blake has been named the recipient of the 2015 Ralph Morgan Award, the highest honor awarded to a member by the Los Angeles local of SAG-aftra. It will be presented February 8 at the local’s annual membership meeting at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City.
Named after the first president of the Screen Actors Guild, the award honors a member or staff for their “devotion to the cause of members, courage to fight for their rights, and sacrifice of self for others.”
Blake, who acting credits include The Bad News Bears, Laverne & Shirley, The Mod Squad and many other films and TV shows, is a former SAG VP, former SAG Foundation recording secretary and a trustee and executive officer of the SAG Pension & Health Plans for almost 30 years. She also co-chairs the SAG-aftra Film Society.
“Timothy Blake is the embodiment of a union member – she gives her time to the union,...
Named after the first president of the Screen Actors Guild, the award honors a member or staff for their “devotion to the cause of members, courage to fight for their rights, and sacrifice of self for others.”
Blake, who acting credits include The Bad News Bears, Laverne & Shirley, The Mod Squad and many other films and TV shows, is a former SAG VP, former SAG Foundation recording secretary and a trustee and executive officer of the SAG Pension & Health Plans for almost 30 years. She also co-chairs the SAG-aftra Film Society.
“Timothy Blake is the embodiment of a union member – she gives her time to the union,...
- 2/6/2015
- by David Robb
- Deadline
Sami Haru, who served on the SAG-aftra national board and was a former interim Screen Actors Guild president, died Thursday. She was 75. She received SAG's Ralph Morgan Award, which is bestowed upon recipients for distinguished service to SAG's Hollywood Division. In 2013, Haru was elected for a two-year term as a member of the first elected national board after the merger of SAG-aftra. Her memoirs were published in 2012 under the title “Iron Lotus: Memoirs of Sevilla Haru.” See photos: The Scene at TheGrill 2014: TheWrap's Media Leadership Conference (Photos) “It is with great sadness that our SAG-aftra family says goodbye to Sumi.
- 10/17/2014
- by Jason Hughes
- The Wrap
Longtime SAG leader Sumi Haru has died. She was 75. No cause of death was given, but she is known to have suffered from emphysema.
Haru joined SAG in 1968 and would serve on SAG’s board of directors for nearly 40 years. She served for many years as SAG’s recording secretary – the guild’s third highest elected office, and in 1995 was named interim SAG president. She also served for many years on AFTRA’s board, and was a member of the SAG-AFTRA national board at the time of her death.
“It is with great sadness that our SAG-AFTRA family says goodbye to Sumi Haru,” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. “Sumi notably represented SAG-AFTRA and its predecessor unions for decades on our local and national boards, and as Screen Actors Guild recording secretary and interim president. Sumi served our members through her lifelong dedication to actors, the labor movement,...
Haru joined SAG in 1968 and would serve on SAG’s board of directors for nearly 40 years. She served for many years as SAG’s recording secretary – the guild’s third highest elected office, and in 1995 was named interim SAG president. She also served for many years on AFTRA’s board, and was a member of the SAG-AFTRA national board at the time of her death.
“It is with great sadness that our SAG-AFTRA family says goodbye to Sumi Haru,” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. “Sumi notably represented SAG-AFTRA and its predecessor unions for decades on our local and national boards, and as Screen Actors Guild recording secretary and interim president. Sumi served our members through her lifelong dedication to actors, the labor movement,...
- 10/17/2014
- by David Robb
- Deadline
Joseph Ruskin, veteran television, film and stage actor and longtime SAG board member, died Saturday of natural causes at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, according to a statement from SAG-aftra. He was 89. Ruskin’s television credits number more than 120 including appearances on The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Murder She Wrote, L.A. Law and most recently Bones. His film work includes roles in The Magnificent Seven, Prizzi’s Honor, Indecent Proposal and Smokin’ Aces. Ruskin began his career in theatre, performing over the years at the Mark Taper Forum, UCLA’s Freud Playhouse and Theater 40. His final performance came this year as a member of the Antaeus Theatre Company. A long-serving actors’ union member and officer, Ruskin became the first Western Regional Vice President of Actors Equity Association in 1979 and was on the Screen Actors Guild board from 1976-1999, serving as 1st National Vice President for eight of those years.
- 12/31/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Ramon Novarro and Greta Garbo in ‘Mata Hari’: The wrath of the censors (See previous post: "Ramon Novarro in One of the Best Silent Movies.") George Fitzmaurice’s romantic spy melodrama Mata Hari (1931) was well received by critics and enthusiastically embraced by moviegoers. The Greta Garbo / Ramon Novarro combo — the first time Novarro took second billing since becoming a star — turned Mata Hari into a major worldwide blockbuster, with $2.22 million in worldwide rentals. The film became Garbo’s biggest international success to date, and Novarro’s highest-grossing picture after Ben-Hur. (Photo: Ramon Novarro and Greta Garbo in Mata Hari.) Among MGM’s 1932 releases — Mata Hari opened on December 31, 1931 — only W.S. Van Dyke’s Tarzan, the Ape Man, featuring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan, and Edmund Goulding’s all-star Best Picture Academy Award winner Grand Hotel (also with Garbo, in addition to Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, and...
- 8/9/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Gloria Stuart, a leading lady of the 1930s who enjoyed a career revival for her performance as Old Rose in 1997's "Titanic," died of respiratory faiure in her sleep at her Los Angeles home on Sunday. She was 100.
The spry, engaging actress became the oldest Oscar nominee when, at age 88, she was nominated as best supporting actress for her performance, for which she needed old-age makeup, as a Titanic survivor who returns to the site of the disaster.
As the older version of the character played by Kate Winslet (who was nominated for best actress), the two became the first performers to be nominated for playing the same character in the same film.
In July, Stuart -- who once joked that James Cameron cast her because he needed an actress who was "still viable, not alcoholic, rheumatic or falling down" -- was feted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...
The spry, engaging actress became the oldest Oscar nominee when, at age 88, she was nominated as best supporting actress for her performance, for which she needed old-age makeup, as a Titanic survivor who returns to the site of the disaster.
As the older version of the character played by Kate Winslet (who was nominated for best actress), the two became the first performers to be nominated for playing the same character in the same film.
In July, Stuart -- who once joked that James Cameron cast her because he needed an actress who was "still viable, not alcoholic, rheumatic or falling down" -- was feted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts...
- 9/27/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ken Orsatti, who as SAG's chief negotiator with the studios for two decades, led members to record-setting earnings and a dramatic expansion of the union's contracts, died Aug. 31 of pulmonary disease at West Hills (Calif.) Hospital. He was 78.
Orsatti served as SAG national executive director from 1981-2001 and negotiated about 20 major contracts. He announced his retirement shortly after the end of the guild's only strike during his tenure -- a dispute over residuals for cable commercials that sidelined actors for six months through October 2000 -- and John McGuire served as SAG's chief negotiator in those talks.
Known for his easy demeanor, Orsatti told the Los Angeles Business Journal in 1994 that the "whole idea of collective bargaining is to reach a deal." He sat across the bargaining table from Nick Counter, the longtime lead negotiator for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, through six SAG television and...
Orsatti served as SAG national executive director from 1981-2001 and negotiated about 20 major contracts. He announced his retirement shortly after the end of the guild's only strike during his tenure -- a dispute over residuals for cable commercials that sidelined actors for six months through October 2000 -- and John McGuire served as SAG's chief negotiator in those talks.
Known for his easy demeanor, Orsatti told the Los Angeles Business Journal in 1994 that the "whole idea of collective bargaining is to reach a deal." He sat across the bargaining table from Nick Counter, the longtime lead negotiator for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, through six SAG television and...
- 9/1/2010
- by By Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Titanic star Gloria Stuart has been honoured by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for her 70-plus years of service to the union.
The veteran actress, the only surviving board member from the first days of guild in the 1930s, was handed the Ralph Morgan Award for service during a presentation in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Introduced by her Titanic castmate Frances Fisher, Stuart, who will turn 100 on 4 July, whispered to the crowd: "I'm very, very grateful. I've had a wonderful life of giving and sharing."
Also receiving the Ralph Morgan Award at the ceremony was longtime SAG board member, actor Paul Napier, who paid tribute to Stuart during his own acceptance speech, adding: "What an honour it is to be sharing billing with the legend, Gloria Stuart."
The actress is best known in recent years for her role as Old Rose in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster. A video tribute to the star also included her roles in 1933's The Invisible Man and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
The veteran actress, the only surviving board member from the first days of guild in the 1930s, was handed the Ralph Morgan Award for service during a presentation in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Introduced by her Titanic castmate Frances Fisher, Stuart, who will turn 100 on 4 July, whispered to the crowd: "I'm very, very grateful. I've had a wonderful life of giving and sharing."
Also receiving the Ralph Morgan Award at the ceremony was longtime SAG board member, actor Paul Napier, who paid tribute to Stuart during his own acceptance speech, adding: "What an honour it is to be sharing billing with the legend, Gloria Stuart."
The actress is best known in recent years for her role as Old Rose in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster. A video tribute to the star also included her roles in 1933's The Invisible Man and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
- 6/21/2010
- WENN
The Screen Actors Guild announced yesterday that its Hollywood division will honor Gloria Stuart and Paul Napier with the Ralph Morgan Award. A SAG member for more than 70 years, Stuart's most well-known film roles include "The Invisible Man," "Poor Little Rich Girl," and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." Her performance as Rose in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" earned her a Screen Actor's Guild award as well as Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.In 1979, Napier began his work with the Screen Actors Guild, though he has been acting for more than 40 years. In addition to originating General Motors' Mr. Goodwrench ad-campaign character and appearing in over 400 commercials, Napier is a founding member and current producer for the Screen Actors Guild Awards show.The two veteran actors will be awarded during the annual Hollywood division membership meeting at the Sportsmen's Lodge on June 19.
- 5/25/2010
- backstage.com
Warner Brothers has developed an exciting new way for film buffs to get titles that might not exactly sell well on DVD. A collection of them are available on their website and you can either order a burned copy or a digital copy (for certain titles). This Norma Shearer, Clark Gable melodrama is one of them. Nina Leeds. (Norma Shearer) boyfriend has been killed in war. She.s going against the wishes of her Professor father (Henry B. Walthall) and going away to help in a military hospital. Family friend and author Charlie Marsden (Ralph Morgan) has come back into town and is anxious to see Nina since he secretly loves him. However, she only sees him as an...
- 3/30/2009
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
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