On the Set With Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Let's Talk Hitchcock for a Moment

I must have been living under a rock - just ran into my new favorite site: HitchcockWiki.com.

Tons of details and photo downloads. My favorite find so far . . . Know the movie?

Did I mention photos? Be sure to check out Mr. and Mrs Smith and your other favorites.

Related, I was driving home from work today and flipped to the Radio Classics channel on XM. I caught the tail end of a discussion of Ray Milland starring in a version of Strangers on a Train. From what I've dug up so far, it's dated 51-12-03 from the Lux Radio Theater. If you have a copy on MP3 and would like to share, please drop me a note! If I can get a copy, I'll post it on the blog as well for everyone.

UPDATE: Kelsey found a link to the MP3 of Milland's Strangers on a Train over at Calfkiller OTR. Thanks!

North By Northwest By Four

Back in June, I visited Mt. Rushmore for the first time. Sadly, I didn't see Cary Grant itching Roosevelt's nose or anything exciting like that. I'm convinced if he did do the "North By Northwest" thing, he would have been arrested. The suit would still look perfect, but don't screw with National Park Rangers.

Which leads me into my actual blog topic: A Blu-Ray release of NxNW (via DigitalBits):

Warners has also announced the release of a 50th anniversary edition of North By Northwest on November 3rd. A DVD SE version and a Blu-ray edition will both be made available. For these releases, the 1959 Hitchcock classic has been newly mastered in 1080p from the original VistaVision elements by virtue of an 8K resolution scan. Two new documentaries supplement the extras carried over from the previous DVD release.

Let's see, I purchased NxNW on VHS, the first DVD issue, the DVD box set, now this? I am such a sucker.

"Put on some weight and get more sex"

And now that I have your attention, Movie Morlocks has a great post from Moira Finnie on Robert Young. Read the article . . . you'll get where today's headline came from.

I just want to give a shout out to everyone for their comments on the Bob birthday & TCM marathon posts. Cliff Aliperti asked if I would have substituted anything for the marathon. I would have added Ride the Pink Horse, Another Language, and the film short Starlit Days at the Lido - I can't get over Bob in 1935 color. I ended up recording (and watching) Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Hide-Out, and The First Hundred Years for the umpteenth time. That's fine, I'm ok with that.

Useless history: On this date in 1954, Dial M For Murder opened at the Paramount Theater in NYC. Are you for good or evil Ray Milland?

And finally, I neglected to post on May 26 for the birthday for another of my favorites: John Dall. And no, I really don't think he looks like Ben Affleck - unless you squint at the right angle for a long, long time.

Photo Friday: Life With Cotten

Today's Photo Friday takes a slightly different slant, highlighting photos from the Life magazine collection. The below are from the excellent Shadow of a Doubt.

If I may add a small editorial comment, how in the world did Joe get bumped from the cover of TCM's Dec. magazine for Herbie the Love Bug?

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Six & Twelve

Raquelle from Out of the Past blog has tagged me as part of a 12 Movies Meme started by Lazy Eye Theatre. I'm going to follow her pattern for my list: Six days of movies, each day having two films following a theme. Here goes nothing:

Monday
Theme: The Look, The Feel of Cotten
Films: Shadow of a Doubt, Since You Went Away
Reason: Joseph Cotten is way overlooked. Shadow is arguably Hitchcock's best thanks to him and Away, well, the uniform certainly doesn't hurt anything.

Tuesday
Theme: Your Pilot This Evening: John Wayne
Films: The High and the Mighty, Island in the Sky
Reason: These two films were released to DVD in the past few years after being stuck in the John Wayne family vaults. Mighty is beautiful in wide-screen color and is a fun representation of the yesteryears of airline travel. If you get the chance to see it on the big screen, do see it. Island in the Sky takes a look at survival in the arctic after a plane crash and also offers a great character from Andy Devine.

Wednesday
Theme: Flying With Cary
Films: Wings in the Dark, Only Angels Have Wings
Reason: Early Cary Grant is a fav. Early Cary with airplanes is even better. Dark features Myrna Loy who helps Cary's character return to the skies, sans vision. Angels offers a tougher Cary as the boss/pilot and Jean Arthur as the softer side.

Thursday
Theme: What a Dall
Films: Something in the Wind, The Corn is Green
Reason: What can I say, just giving some PR to another of my favorite actors: John Dall.

Friday
Theme: Keep Watching the Skies
Films: The Thing From Another World, The Day the Earth Stood Still
Reason: Everyone loves 50s sci-fi (or should). These films are arguably two of the better that came from that time frame. Klaatu Barata Nikto.

Saturday
Theme: Accent on Montgomery
Films: The Earl of Chicago, Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Reason: Yeah, I had to sneak Bob in here somewhere. For this theme, Bob leaves the eastern, and sometimes British-sounding, accent at home and picks up more of a local flair.

One More Iteration - Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Ha, I bet you thought I was done posting different radio versions of Mr. and Mrs. Smith! So did I.

Nope, there's one more I've located, from the Hollywood Star Time show, which aired July 20, 1946. Frigidaire brings you Robert Montgomery and Mary Jane Croft in the roles you've come to love (and memorize) by now. I believe this last MP3 covers all of the Bob presentations of the story over the air.

13.8 MB MP3, 30 Minutes

I still believe the main character missing from all of these versions is Anne's mother: "By no means are you to..."

The Recurring Marly Horses

Fascinating stuff . . . see if you recall seeing any of these Marly Horses in the films you've watched. Learn more about the horses from the video's creator at YouTube (click on "About This Video"). Love the Django Reinhardt theme music too.

Smith Powehouse

Love the music, love the editing...



From YouTube: The video is dedicated to the brilliance of Carole Lombard, one of the funniest ladies to ever live, and Robert Montgomery. The music is the 1937 "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott.

A Hitchcock Halloween

Happiness is a Hitchcock film. Add to that Halloween evening, a live symphony, and clips from some of his most known movies and I'm in seventh heaven. Last night, I had the pleasure of listening to the local symphony pops play Hitchcock snippets as scenes played on a screen above. The music was so sharp and seamless, at times I forgot they were there.

The 2 hour event started with the theme to Psycho, sans movie clips. It didn't bother me - this gave you the opportunity to watch the violinists get into the murder scene with their bows. One minute it was movie music, the next was murder by musical instrument - the crowd loved it.

The music for To Catch a Thief had to be the least memorable in my mind. For this film, the beginning credits through Cary Grant meeting Hitch on the bus was shown.

I was happy to see some time dedicated to Strangers on a Train, the oldest and only black & white film featured. To start, the credits through the meeting on the train was played. Following, the scene where Guy slips into Bruno's home to kill his father. Next, the tennis match where it flips between Guy playing and Bruno dropping the cigarette lighter down the storm drain. The final scene was the carousel going out of control through the end - the American version of the end.

The North By Northwest trailer presented was intermixed with Hitch's home movies and his trademark Funeral March of a Marionette song in the background.

Dial M For Murder started with the beginning credits through Mark Halliday arriving on the Queen Mary. That was followed by the murder scene, then ending with everyone catching Tony with the spare key. My personal favorite wasn't the murder itself but the minutes up to it where the murderer and Tony keep looking at their watches, waiting for 11 p.m. - the music turned into the ticking of the clocks.

The theme to North By Northwest was hair-raising - very cool if I may say. For that film they presented the beginning credits, the "funny drunk" scene (as they dubbed it), ROT escaping the hospital to the home in the hills, and the chase on Mt. Rushmore through the end.

Even though the music may not be as memorable, it'd be great to see his less popular, older films presented in this format!

Multiple Personalities - David & Ann Smith

You've all watched Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and listened to the radio presentation I posted here a bit back. I recently found three more presentations of the story:

Gulf Screen Guild Theater - February 8, 1942 (10 MB - MP3)
Errol Flynn and Lana Turner

The Lady Astor Screen Guild Theater - December 14, 1942 (14 MB - MP3)
Robert Young, Joan Bennett, and Ralph Bellamy

The Lady Astor Screen Guild Theater - January 2, 1945 (13.5 MB - MP3)
Preston Foster and Louise Allbritton


All three offer the same version of the Screen Guild Theater script, just with different players. Two of the three presentations offer a celebrity voice, which I will not mention here, but is fall-off-the-chair funny when you hear him.

I'm partial to the Robert Young version, for obvious reasons, plus Ralph Bellamy as Jeff Custer is a perfect match. Errol Flynn as David...nope, doesn't cut it.

You may not want to listen to all three in one sitting - you'll end up with odd dreams of David (or Ann).

Hitchcock vs. Lombard

Carole & Co. has a writeup up on Carole Lombard directing Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I've seen video of her directing Hitch & believe it was also photographed for a Life Magazine issue.

Cocktail Per Un Cadavere

Farley Granger is in town next week to promo his new book. In addition to a book signing, the venue is showing Hitchcock's Rope on the big screen. Since (sadly) I won't be able to make the event and see Philip in action, below is my mini tribute to this often ignored, yet techinically interesting movie. I've come to realize either you love or hate Rope. Me - it's one of my Hitchcock favorites.

Really, I'd might more happy if the evil Brandon appeared at the event...

Photo Friday - Notorious

Devlin sneaking Alicia out - a scene from Notorious - arguably one of Hitchcock's best films.

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Strangers on an Amtrak?

I was just reading about a planned remake of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. I'm not sure what side of the fence to stand on this one. I'll be able to decide once they cast Robert Walker's character. Although, I must admit, an interesting twist would be making Guy and Bruno's characters female (with a name change, of course).

Photo Friday - Love That Bob

Today's photo features another Bob - Robert Cummings. Photo is of him & Betty Caufield from The Petty Girl (1950).

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Like many of the other actors I've featured on this blog, Bob was also a pilot. He learned to fly while in high school from his godfather, Orville Wright.

Bob was another actor who also transitioned into television, having his own show appropriately titled The Bob Cummings Show (aka Love That Bob). If you haven't seen any of his films, go out and rent Dial M For Murder or Saboteur - both excellent Hitchcock films. Another recommended film, shown on TCM here and there, is The Devil and Miss Jones with Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn.

Radio Style - The Lodger

Curl up with this murderous Suspense feature - the December 14, 1944 version of The Lodger. Robert Montgomery is back to work after his service in the Navy, playing both the lodger and the storyteller.

30 Minutes - 7 MB

The story may sound familiar to you - it was one of Alfred Hitchcock's first films. In 1948, Suspense hauled Bob back in front of the microphone to play the lodger again for an hour-long version. More to come...

Theremin Love

What does The Day the Earth Stood Still, Hitchcock's Spellbound, and the Beach Boys Good Vibrations have in common? They all use the Theremin, a musical instrument that uses electricity to create music, or in the case of Sci-Fi, unearthly sounds whenever a UFO appears. It's my new favorite musical instrument of the moment.

I'm willing to bet most people will instantly know the sound of the Theremin when they hear it:



A bit dated:

Photo Friday - Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock's cameo from Under Capricorn, 1949.



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New & Upcoming Books of Interest

Another actor worthy of a book is getting one - Charles McGraw. More details on the biography are over on the Movie Morlocks blog.

Coming out in June is Joan Crawford: An Illustrated Guide to Her Appearances in Film, Radio and Television. If it truly is more of a reference than biased biography, it should be a good one.

Last, in the "take out from from library" pile is Include Me Out: My Life From Goldwyn to Broadway by Farley Granger. Note to self: skip to chapters on Rope and Strangers on a Train.