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by Chad Kennerk

Image courtesy WikiCommons.

Located at 106 Riverside Drive on the banks of the Ohio River in historical Augusta, Kentucky, The Rosemary Clooney House is a non-profit foundation focused on preserving the house that Rosemary called home for 20 years, while sharing Rosemary’s legacy with fans old and new through extensive memorabilia from her life and career. The home was a sanctuary and retreat between gigs for Rosemary, who was born in nearby Maysville, Kentucky.

The museum's origins trace back to 1999 when Heather French Henry was crowned Miss America 2000 — the first Miss Kentucky to win the crown. Her second call that night was from another hometown Kentucky girl — Rosemary Clooney. Years later, following Clooney’s passing, Rosemary’s children approached Heather and her husband, former Kentucky Lt. Gov Dr. Steve Henry about purchasing the circa 1840 home. The Rosemary Clooney House officially opened in 2005 and is now a museum showcasing Clooney's costumes,...

Fans of the Sister Act franchise have been anticipating the release of a third film since Whoopi Goldberg began discussing that the sequel was in development way back in 2017. There have been a few starts and stops on the project over the years, but significant movement has been made on Sister Act 3 over the last few years, with work on the screenplay making progress. Unfortunately, the passing of one of the previous films' stars has affected how the screenplay was being shaped, and Goldberg reveals they are now making "adjustments."

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Goldberg began talking about Sister Act 3 and how the film's screenplay had to change following the death of Dame Maggie Smith, who starred alongside the actress in 1992's Sister Act and its 1993 sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, as Reverend Mother Superior. Based on Goldberg's comments,...

the stage and screen icon won two Oscars, four Emmys, and a Tony in her legendary career.

Dame Maggie Smith has been a near-constant presence on stages and screens around the world since the 1950s. Sadly the acting icon passed away on Sept. 27, 2024 at the age of 89. Smith had an uncanny ability to thrive in both comedic and dramatic roles, in period pieces and fantasy epics. During her career, she won two Academy Awards, four Emmys, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony. In 2003 when she won her first Emmy for “My House in Umbria,” she became just the 15th person to ever secure the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. To date, there have only been 24 to accomplish the feat.

While she won her first Oscar for 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (which sadly is not currently streaming), more modern movie fans might...

Sister Act 3 script is complete, according to Sister Act 2 star Tanya Trotter. Trotter expresses eagerness for the collaboration with the legendary Whoopi Goldberg in the upcoming sequel. Tyler Perry shares frustration over Sister Act 3 script revisions, emphasizing the importance of doing justice to the iconic film.

Fans of the Sister Act series have reason to celebrate as Sister Act 3 inches ever closer to fruition. Sister Act 2 star Tanya Trotter recently shared some exciting news about the progress of the much-anticipated sequel.

During an interview with Et (via Entertainment Weekly), Trotter revealed that the script for Sister Act 3 is finally complete. While she remained tight-lipped about her involvement in the upcoming film, her enthusiasm was evident, saying:

Well, I can't say [whether or not I'm a part of it], but I do know that the script is done.

The prospect of returning to the beloved franchise is clearly something Trotter is eager for, especially if...

Sister Act 3 is still in progress, with Whoopi Goldberg working behind the scenes to fine-tune the script. Goldberg admits the challenge of multitasking but remains optimistic about the film's progress and quality. Speculation about familiar faces returning, with Goldberg emphasizing the importance of Maggie Smith's involvement.

Whoopi Goldberg has finally provided an exciting update on the much-anticipated sequel, Sister Act 3. In a recent interview with People Magazine, Goldberg shared that the project, which has been in the works since 2020, is still very much alive and brewing.

It's still on the way! It's percolating.

Goldberg, who is not only the star but also deeply involved behind the scenes, revealed that the script is currently being fine-tuned. "It's still on the way! It's percolating," she assured fans during the Garden of Laughs event at Madison Square Garden. Despite the lengthy wait since the announcement, the 68-year-old actress remains optimistic about the film's progress.

Fear tends to multiply when viewers learn a horror film has real-life inspiration. However, not only killers from scary movies can be based on true events. Disney has drawn inspiration from numerous stars -- mostly classic Hollywood film actors -- to create many characters throughout its extensive catalog.

Even villains from classic Disney films were based on real people, like the Evil Queen in Snow White. The wicked Cruella de Vil first emerged in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Viewers met her onscreen five years later in Disney's 1961 film 101 Dalmatians. Cruella had a cat and a husband in the novel, neither of which was included in the animated film. What was included was Cruella's vile attitude, which was actually based on a classic Hollywood film star. But how could someone be as evil as her?

Related: It's Official: The Little Mermaid Marks Disney's Worst 2023 Opening...

Disney's "Encanto" is a magical family film about the heavy weight of generational trauma set to an incredible soundtrack by the ever-present Lin-Manuel Miranda. Starring Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel Madrigal, a young girl and the only modern member of her family who was denied a special ability by the magic house the Madrigals all live in, "Encanto" sees the character set out to unpack the emotional baggage that comes with forced family traditions. In doing so, she undoes the circumstances which caused her uncle, Bruno Madrigal (John Leguizamo), to become an outcast.

Except, Mirabel realizes that her missing uncle never really left ... he stayed close by so that he could feel connected to his high-strung family. Now, when we say "close by," what we really mean is "Bruno lived in the literal walls of his family home for 10 years with only rats for company." To pass the time, poor Bruno...

Jane Withers, a former child star known for her roles in “Bright Eyes” and “Ginger” and as the commercial character Josephine the Plumber, has died. She was 95.

Withers’ death was confirmed by her daughter, Kendall Errair. She died Saturday evening surrounded by her loved ones in Burbank, Calif. The cause of death was not disclosed.

“My mother was such a special lady,” Errair said in a statement. “She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was.”

Born on April 12, 1926 in Atlanta, Ga., Withers was already a seasoned show business professional by the time she was six. Withers’ mother was so determined to have her make it as a star that she named her Jane so that “even with a long last name like Withers, it would fit on a marquee.”

The...

Former child star Jane Withers died on Saturday evening in Burbank, California, surrounded by her loved ones. She was 95.

The Atlanta native began a career in show business as a young child thanks to her mother’s determination to have one child in show business. Even her name was picked specifically so that “even with a long last name like Withers, it would fit on a marquee,” according to a statement from her daughter Kendall Errair.

“My mother was such a special lady, Errair said. “She lit up a room with her laughter, but she especially radiated joy and thankfulness when talking about the career she so loved and how lucky she was.”

No official cause of death has been revealed.

By the time Withers was 2, she was enrolled in tap dancing classes and learning to sing. Her career officially kicked off a year later after winning a local contest called Dixie’s Dainty Dewdrop,...

Following the recent announcement that Sister Act 3 is a go at Disney, returning star Whoopi Goldberg has offered a few title suggestions for long-awaited sequel. Sharing her ideas while appearing with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, Goldberg offered "Oh My God It Still Fits" and "Blacker in the Habit" as possible contenders. Alongside her inspired title ideas, Goldberg also opened up about why she decided to return for Sister Act 3 all these years later.

"People are like in their 90s, and they're doing sequels...Everybody seems to be able to do it, and I thought those nuns deserve to have another go around."

So, you can thank the recent trend of legacy sequels such as Halloween and Bill & Ted Face the Music for a return to the musical world of Sister Act. The first movie, released back in 1992, follows Whoopi Goldberg as Deloris, a lounge singer, who...

Whoopi Goldberg will return to one of her most famous roles with Disney officially confirming that Sister Act 3 is now in development. The news comes straight from Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production head Sean Bailey, who revealed that Goldberg will be reprising the role of Deloris Wilson for the upcoming sequel during the Disney Investor Day presentation. Additionally, Goldberg will be serving as a producer alongside the Madea movie series creator Tyler Perry.

There have been rumors swirling for a while about a third Sister Act movie, but not until now has there been any kind of official confirmation. It was reported in 2018 that Regina Hicks (Insecure) and Karin Gist (Star) were working on a screenplay for Sister Act 3 for Disney+, though Disney didn't address the reports at the time. Although Bailey didn't reveal much about Sister Act 3 at the Disney Investor Day presentation, it seems...

Hallelujah! Whoopi Goldberg has now confirmed that the highly sought after sequel Sister Act 3 is currently being developed, with Goldberg set to return as undercover nun Deloris Van Cartier. While discussing the possibility of a threequel recently, Goldberg stated that for many years she had not pursued the idea believing that "no one wanted to see it," but in recent years it has become clear that this is far from the case.

"For a long time they kept saying no one wanted to see it. And then, quite recently, it turns out that that may not be true - people might want to see it. So, we're working diligently to try to figure out how to get every...get the gang together and come back. Listen, it's a really fun movie. It's fun and it feels good and you know, nobody's mad, you know, it's just like, listen, bad singing,...

Once upon a time, MGM launched a big spectacle Western remake with the top star Glenn Ford and the bright import Maria Schell — and then second-guessed the whole production, cutting back on everything so severely that director Anthony Mann ankled the set for Spain and El Cid. The storytelling is a mess — after starting big, the show soon falls into pieces. But many of individual scenes and set pieces are exemplary, especially Mann’s re-run of the Oklahoma Land Rush, staged in Arizona and augmented by classy special effects. The large cast rounds up some big talent — Mercedes McCambridge, Russ Tamblyn — to tell Edna Ferber’s multi-generational story about ambition, intolerance and dreams of glory on the frontier.

Cimarron (1960)

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1960 / Color / 2:35 anamorphic widescreen / 147 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Arthur O’Connell, Russ Tamblyn, Mercedes McCambridge, Vic Morrow,...

Whoopi Goldberg is returning to one of her most recognizable roles, as the actress will play her Sister Act character in an upcoming stage musical adaptation of the classic comedy in the summer of 2020. Released in 1992, the original Sister Act movie featured Goldberg in the starring role of Deloris Van Cartier, a part which she later reprised in the official sequel from 1993.

Goldberg hasn't played Deloris since, meaning this will be her first time portraying the classic character in 27 years. Of course, it will also be her first time playing the role of Deloris on stage, though it's worth noting Goldberg played Mother Superior in the 2010 version of the Sister Act musical, which was performed at the London Palladium.

Performances of the new Sister Act musical will begin in London at the end of July, with the showings lasting just over a month. For this particular show, the Deloris role...

Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” a sequel decades in the making, opens Dec. 19. Even before the 1964 original, Hollywood made several attempts to adapt P.L. Travers’ books, with Samuel Goldwyn and Katharine Hepburn among those involved in the chase. But aside from a one-hour 1949 CBS television version, they all hit a dead-end. The first “Mary Poppins” novel appeared in 1934, and 30 years later, the film was a huge hit, earning more than $100 million and winning five Oscars. But as Variety reported after Travers died on April 23, 1996, “She resisted all Hollywood attempts to make a film sequel.” In an Aug. 4, 1965, story, Variety reported that Travers took part in a “transatlantic telephone” conversation, speaking from London to a group at a Madison, Wis., children’s-book conference. Asked about the movie, she said tersely, “I would have preferred that ‘Mary Poppins’ should be filmed by the British because, well, never mind, let’s not go into that.

25 years after ‘Sister Act: Back in the Habit’ was released the third instalment is said to be in development at Disney to premiere on their upcoming streaming service, Disney+.

The executive producer on HBO’s ‘Insecure’, Regina Hick’s and showrunner on Fox’s ‘Star’, Karin Gist, are penning the screenplay for the next chapter. Plot details are scarce but it is thought that it will not be a continuation on from the Whoopi Goldberg versions. This mean’s it’s highly unlikely the habit wearing actress will not be returning.

“It is our understanding that this is not a continuation and Whoopi is not involved,” a rep for the actress told EW.

Also in the news – Timothee Chalamet signs up for leading role in Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’

Sister Act hit our screens in 1992, directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Joseph Howard, the story was...

Angela Lansbury has lost a record 18 races for acting at the Emmy Awards. But the TV academy has a chance to finally right that egregious wrong this year. In the recent TV adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic “Little Women,” Dame Angela shone in the scene-stealing role of Aunt March, the grande dame of the family. Acclaimed character actresses Edna May Oliver, Lucile Watson and Mary Wickes made much of this role in the 1933, 1949 and 1994 film versions as did Oscar winner Greer Garson (“Mrs. Miniver”) in the 1978 telefilm.

The pedigree of this remake of “Little Women” could done much to help Lansbury’s likelihood of winning. It is a BBC/PBS co-production and was presented stateside under the “Masterpiece” umbrella. The adaptation is by Heidi Thomas (“Call The Midwife”) while Vanessa Caswill (Thirteen”) handles the helming.

Lansbury lost every one of her record 12 consecutive Drama Actress bids for “Murder, She Wrote...

Angela Lansbury holds one of the most dubious awards records: With 18 losses, the legendary actress is the Emmys’ biggest loser. But that could all change this year. Thirteen years after her last nomination, Lansbury is back in the running with PBS’ adaptation of “Little Women,” which premieres May 13.

Lansbury plays the wealthy, judgmental Aunt March on the BBC/PBS co-production, The grand matriarch of the March family, Aunt March was portrayed by Edna May Oliver in the 1933 film, Lucile Watson in the 1949 film, Oscar winner Greer Garson in the 1978 miniseries and Mary Wickes in the 1994 film.

See Top 11 overdue actors and actresses at Emmy Awards [Photos]

Per our limited series/TV movie supporting actress odds, Lansbury is currently in fourth place behind reigning champ Laura Dern (“Twin Peaks”), Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) and Nicole Kidman (“Top of the Lake: China Girl”). One Editor, Chris Beachum,...

(See previous post: Fourth of July Movies: Escapism During a Weird Year.) On the evening of the Fourth of July, besides fireworks, fire hazards, and Yankee Doodle Dandy, if you're watching TCM in the U.S. and Canada, there's the following: Peter H. Hunt's 1776 (1972), a largely forgotten film musical based on the Broadway hit with music by Sherman Edwards. William Daniels, who was recently on TCM talking about 1776 and a couple of other movies (A Thousand Clowns, Dodsworth), has one of the key roles as John Adams. Howard Da Silva, blacklisted for over a decade after being named a communist during the House Un-American Committee hearings of the early 1950s (Robert Taylor was one who mentioned him in his testimony), plays Benjamin Franklin. Ken Howard is Thomas Jefferson, a role he would reprise in John Huston's 1976 short Independence. (In the short, Pat Hingle was cast as John Adams; Eli Wallach was Benjamin Franklin.) Warner...

At the end of the Cannes Film Festival last week, jury member Jessica Chastain spoke out against a trend she found “deeply disturbing”: The representation of women in film. It was a brazen move for an actress at the height of her success to make herself so vulnerable and speak so candidly in front of Hollywood’s crème de la crème.

“I do hope that when we include more female storytellers we will have more of the kinds of women that I recognize in my day to day life,” she said. “Ones that are proactive, have their own agencies, don’t just react to the men around them, they have their own point of view.” I would add one more quality to Chastain’s list: Big girls.

Read More: The 25 Best Films Directed By Women of the 21st Century, From ‘Lost in Translation’ to ‘Persepolis’

Luckily, this summer will...

Debbie Reynolds ca. early 1950s. Debbie Reynolds movies: Oscar nominee for 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown,' sweetness and light in phony 'The Singing Nun' Debbie Reynolds is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 23, '15. An MGM contract player from 1950 to 1959, Reynolds' movies can be seen just about every week on TCM. The only premiere on Debbie Reynolds Day is Jerry Paris' lively marital comedy How Sweet It Is (1968), costarring James Garner. This evening, TCM is showing Divorce American Style, The Catered Affair, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Singing Nun. 'Divorce American Style,' 'The Catered Affair' Directed by the recently deceased Bud Yorkin, Divorce American Style (1967) is notable for its cast – Reynolds, Dick Van Dyke, Jean Simmons, Jason Robards, Van Johnson, Lee Grant – and for the fact that it earned Norman Lear (screenplay) and Robert Kaufman (story) a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination.

Teresa Wright ca. 1945. Teresa Wright movies on TCM: 'The Little Foxes,' 'The Pride of the Yankees' Pretty, talented Teresa Wright made a relatively small number of movies: 28 in all, over the course of more than half a century. Most of her films have already been shown on Turner Classic Movies, so it's more than a little disappointing that TCM will not be presenting Teresa Wright rarities such as The Imperfect Lady and The Trouble with Women – two 1947 releases co-starring Ray Milland – on Aug. 4, '15, a "Summer Under the Stars" day dedicated to the only performer to date to have been shortlisted for Academy Awards for their first three film roles. TCM's Teresa Wright day would also have benefited from a presentation of The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956), an unusual entry – parapsychology, reincarnation – in the Wright movie canon and/or Roseland (1977), a little-remembered entry in James Ivory's canon.

Teresa Wright: Later years (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon.") Teresa Wright and Robert Anderson were divorced in 1978. They would remain friends in the ensuing years.[1] Wright spent most of the last decade of her life in Connecticut, making only sporadic public appearances. In 1998, she could be seen with her grandson, film producer Jonah Smith, at New York's Yankee Stadium, where she threw the ceremonial first pitch.[2] Wright also became involved in the Greater New York chapter of the Als Association. (The Pride of the Yankees subject, Lou Gehrig, died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1941.) The week she turned 82 in October 2000, Wright attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Somewhere in Time, where she posed for pictures with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In March 2003, she was a guest at the 75th Academy Awards, in the segment showcasing Oscar-winning actors of the past. Two years later,...

Martha Stewart: Actress / Singer in Fox movies apparently not dead despite two-year-old reports to the contrary (Photo: Martha Stewart and Perry Como in 'Doll Face') According to various online reports, including Variety's, actress and singer Martha Stewart, a pretty blonde featured in supporting roles in a handful of 20th Century Fox movies of the '40s, died at age 89 of "natural causes" in Northeast Harbor, Maine, on February 25, 2012. Needless to say, that was not the same Martha Stewart hawking "delicious foods" and whatever else on American television. But quite possibly, the Martha Stewart who died in February 2012 -- if any -- was not the Martha Stewart of old Fox movies either. And that's why I'm republishing this (former) obit, originally posted more than two and a half years ago: March 11, 2012. Earlier today, a commenter wrote to Alt Film Guide, claiming that the Martha Stewart featured in Doll Face, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now,...

Bette Davis movies: TCM schedule on August 14 (photo: Bette Davis in ‘Dangerous,’ with Franchot Tone) See previous post: “Bette Davis Eyes: They’re Watching You Tonight.” 3:00 Am Parachute Jumper (1933). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Harold Huber, Leo Carrillo, Thomas E. Jackson, Lyle Talbot, Leon Ames, Stanley Blystone, Reginald Barlow, George Chandler, Walter Brennan, Pat O’Malley, Paul Panzer, Nat Pendleton, Dewey Robinson, Tom Wilson, Sheila Terry. Bw-72 mins. 4:30 Am The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Bette Davis, Ian Hunter, Colin Clive, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Phillip Reed, Katharine Alexander, Helen Jerome Eddy, Bill Elliott, Edward McWade, André Cheron, Wedgwood Nowell, John Quillan, Mary Treen. Bw-69 mins. 6:00 Am Dangerous (1935). Director: Alfred E. Green. Cast: Bette Davis, Franchot Tone, Margaret Lindsay, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Dick Foran, Walter Walker, Richard Carle, George Irving, Pierre Watkin, Douglas Wood,...

Bette Davis’ eyes keep ‘Watch on the Rhine’ Bette Davis’ eyes are watching everything and everyone on Turner Classic Movies this evening, as TCM continues with its "Summer Under the Stars" film series: today, August 14, 2013, belongs to two-time Oscar winner Bette Davis’ eyes, cigarettes, and clipped tones. Right now, TCM is showing the Herman Shumlin-directed Watch on the Rhine (1943), an earnest — too much so, in fact — melodrama featuring Nazis, anti-Nazis, and lofty political speeches. (See “Bette Davis Movies: TCM schedule.”) As a prestigious and timely Warner Bros. release, Watch on the Rhine was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and earned Paul Lukas the year’s Best Actor Oscar. Bette Davis has a subordinate role and — for once during her years as Warners’ Reigning Queen — subordinate billing as well. As so often happens when Davis tried to play a sympathetic character, she’s not very good; Lukas, however,...

Too Much Johnson – which was intended for inclusion in a theatre show – forms an 'intellectual bridge' between the director's theatrical and cinematic careers, says its restorer

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It's hugely exciting discovery – and a bizarre, unexpected one too. An early Orson Welles film, previously thought lost, has been found in a warehouse in northern Italy. Too Much Johnson, the second film Welles ever created, is a silent movie, a slapstick comedy that has never been shown and was thought to have been destroyed in a fire.

"We may never fully understand the mystery of why it was abandoned. What matters now is that it is safe, and that it will be seen," says Dr Paolo Cherchi Usai, senior curator of motion pictures at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, which restored the footage.

The film, says Cherchi Usai, is the "intellectual bridge" between Welles's theatrical and cinematic careers.

Silent short Too Much Johnson features Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles.

A 1938 Orson Welles film has been discovered in a warehouse in Italy.

Silent film Too Much Johnson, starring Joseph Cotten in the lead role, was found in a warehouse by the staff of Cinemazero, an art house in Pordenone, Italy.

The silent film was originally intended to be used in conjunction with Welles’ stage adaptation of an 1894 play by William Gillette. The Mercury Theatre planned to show the three short films as prologues to each act of the play.

The nitrate print of the film - left unfinished by the Mercury Theatre and never shown in public - was given by Cinemazero to one of Italy’s major film archives, the Cineteca del Friuli in nearby Gemona, and transferred from there to George Eastman House in order to be preserved.

According to published sources, until now the only known print of Too Much Johnson had burnt...

Orson Welles made his feature film debut as a director with Citizen Kane and before that he directed the eight-minute short film Hearts of Age, which you can watch at the bottom of this post. However, Welles worked on another film between those two efforts, which was believed lost forever... until now. Dave Kehr at the New York Times has posted a feature article on Welles' Too Much Johnson, a 1938 film he wrote, directed and never finished based on the play by William Gillette, which has recently resurfaced "in the warehouse of a shipping company in the northern Italian port city of Pordenone, where the footage had apparently been abandoned sometime in the 1970s." Classic film organization Cinemazero is working with George Eastman House and the National Film Preservation Foundation to preserve and transfer the nitrate film to safety stock, after which the 40 minutes of surviving footage will be screened...

Doris Day movies: TCM’s ‘Summer Under the Stars 2013′ lineup continues (photo: Doris Day in ‘Calamity Jane’ publicity shot) Doris Day, who turned 89 last April 3, is Turner Classic Movies’ 2013 “Summer Under the Stars” star on Friday, August 2. (Doris Day, by the way, still looks great. Check out "Doris Day Today.") Doris Day movies, of course, are frequently shown on TCM. Why? Well, TCM is owned by the megaconglomerate Time Warner, which also happens to own (among myriad other things) the Warner Bros. film library, which includes not only the Doris Day movies made at Warners from 1948 to 1955, but also Day’s MGM films as well (and the overwhelming majority of MGM releases up to 1986). My point: Don’t expect any Doris Day movie rarity on Friday — in fact, I don’t think such a thing exists. Doris Day is ‘Calamity Jane’ If you haven’t watched David Butler’s musical...

Paul Henreid: From lighting two cigarettes and blowing smoke onto Bette Davis’ face to lighting two cigarettes while directing twin Bette Davises Paul Henreid is back as Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month of July 2013. TCM will be showing four movies featuring Henreid (Now, Voyager; Deception; The Madwoman of Chaillot; The Spanish Main) and one directed by him (Dead Ringer). (Photo: Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes on the set of Dead Ringer, while Bette Davis remembers the good old days.) (See also: “Paul Henreid Actor.”) Irving Rapper’s Now, Voyager (1942) was one of Bette Davis’ biggest hits, and it remains one of the best-remembered romantic movies of the studio era — a favorite among numerous women and some gay men. But why? Personally, I find Now, Voyager a major bore, made (barely) watchable only by a few of the supporting performances (Claude Rains, Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominee...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is releasing anniversary editions of the 90s classics Evita, Sister Act, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and Newsies on Blu-ray for the first time June 19. We have a contest running where we're giving away all of these new high-def titles to our readers. These Bd discs will go fast, so enter this contest today.

Winners Receive:

Evita: 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

Newsies: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

Sister Act: 20th Anniversary Edition - Two-Movie Collection Blu-ray

Here's How To Win!

Just "Like" (fan) the MovieWeb Facebook page (below) and then leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

If you already "Like" MovieWeb, just leave a comment below telling us why these prizes must be yours!

Evita

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alan Parker, Evita is the riveting true-life story of Eva Peron (Madonna), who rose above childhood...

A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for June.

Harold and Maude (1972) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now

Forty years later, this 1972 Hal Ashby cult favorite remains a lovably eccentric meditation on life. The romance between a death-obsessed youth (an adorable Bud Cort) and a vivacious geriatric (the mythic Ruth Gordon) is still as beguiling and heartfelt as it was upon its original release. Written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and featuring an iconic soundtrack with several Cat Stevens hits, this is a must-have release for cult film buffs.

The much-anticipated Criterion release features:

A new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, optional remastered stereo soundtrack, audio commentary by Hal Ashby, Nick Dawson and Charles B. Mulvehill, illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and Colin Higgins, new interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood and more!

I was saddened to learn this morning that Betty Garrett, the great star of stage, screen, and TV, passed away yesterday at the age of 94 after suffering an aortic aneurysm.

Garrett was one of those rare people — like, say, Jack Valenti — who happened to be a witness to and/or participant in a remarkably high number of historic events of the 20th century. She was a member of Orson Welles’s famed Mercury Theatre company, and was with him on the night that he shook up America with his infamous radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” (1938); she was Frank Sinatra’s leading lady in two of the earliest great M-g-m musical-comedies, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” (1949) and “On the Town” (1949); her career was greatly hurt by the Hollywood Red Scare after her husband, the Oscar nominated actor Larry Parks, refused to name names before the House Committee...

Throughout Hollywood’s golden age rarely did character actors graduate into leading roles. Frank McHugh and Mary Wickes were almost always the buddy or the maid in studio features. That really started to change in the 1960′s. For instance, Gene Hackman went from a supporting role in Bonnie And Clyde to the lead in The French Connection within a couple of years. Such is now the case of the gifted character actor, Paul Giamatti. After memorable supporting turns in films like Private Parts ( as Howard Stern’s arch-nemesis ) and Big Fat Liar ( the poor guy’s covered in blue paint! ) , Giamatti graduated to leading roles with American Splendor and Sideways. He’s been given another opportunity to headline a film as the title role in Richard J. Lewis film of Mordecai Richler’s Barney’S Version. This time he gets to show some of his romantic side along with his considerable comedic talents.

Everyone loves Lucy, even in a television special as fluffy and foolish as this one. Lucille Ball stars as Lucy Whittaker, an Indiana housewife who phones then President Jimmy Carter to give him a piece of her mind. Carter intends to build a housing project on the site of what is now a camp for underprivileged kids. Of course, President Carter just so happens to be coming to town and ever so kindly offers to allow Lucy to make him dinner as he comes by her house to discuss the situation with her.

I have one kind thing to say about Lucy Calls the President, and that is this: somehow, every Lucy project seems to have a delightful cast of hilarious actors and actresses.  Guest starring in this piece are Ed McMahon, Steve Allen, Mary Wickes, and Mary Jane Croft. And what kind of special would this be if Vivian Vance,...

Chicago – “The Music Man” is alive in a way few Hollywood musicals ever are. Its big numbers often grow organically, allowing melodies to emerge from the rhythm of speech, overlapping action or the seemingly mundane movement of characters across the frame. In the exuberant world of this ageless classic, music is less of a self-conscious construct than an irresistible life force infiltrating the cadence of everyday life.

Much of the film’s success must be attributed to the work of director Morton DaCosta and star Robert Preston. DaCosta directed Preston in the musical’s 1957 Tony-winning Broadway production, and insisted that his lead actor be cast in the 1962 cinematic adaptation, rather than the studio’s preferred star, Frank Sinatra. It’s impossible to imagine anyone but Preston in the role of “Prof. Harold Hill,” a charismatic con artist who seduces the simple citizens of River City, Iowa into financially supporting his...

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Send it to aftereltonflyingmonkey@yahoo.com! (Please include your city and state and/or country.)

Q: Dear Monkey, both wingéd and winsome, my other half has beseeched me to ply my troth to him and ask your opinion to settle our dispute. (I'll cut with the thesaurus now.) With The Princess and the Frog recently out, we got to thinking back over some of the other Disney classics, trying to decide which one was the most gay. I say it was Mulan due to the cross-dressing/gender issues theme and the voices of both Harvey Fierstein and George Takei in the cast. He says it was The Little Mermaid because the design for the sea-witch was based on Divine, the drag artist, and Howard Ashman wrote the songs, including the gay-resonant "Part of That World". Are either of us right? – Jeremy, Orem, Utah...

Laurie Broder's classic movie blog has uncovered a YouTube posting of an amazing bit of film: an Aaron Spelling TV pilot from 1965 starring Bette Davis in The Decorator. The show, in glorious b&w with appropriately cheesy backgrounds, stars the great Miss Davis as a financially broke interior designer who fails to understand her precarious position. She sleeps to noon and saunters around her house smoking cigarettes as only Davis could smoke them. The pilot features Mary Wickes as Davis' long-suffering, tough-as-nails assistant and the guest star is Ed Begley. The show is actually pretty funny and it's probably worth looking into why the pilot never aired. Did the networks turn it down or did the notoriously finicky Miss Davis have a change of heart? Any of our readers know? To view click here. There is a sidebar that also allows you to watch the second part of the show.

A devilish Gold Derby reader sends us this hilarious YouTube clip of a pilot for a TV sitcom in 1965 starring Bette Davis that never got aired. It's bravura TV — vintage Bette in shrewdly crafted comedy — but it mysteriously stayed on the shelf despite socko talent behind it that included producer Aaron Spelling ("Charlie's Angels," "Beverly Hills 90210") and writer Mart Crowley ("The Boys in the Band" — a perfect camp fit for Bette, eh? Crowley and Spelling would team up again later to do a TV series for another grand diva, Joan Collins, that turned out to be a huge hit — "Dynasty"). When Bette Davis' TV series didn't sell to the networks, she didn't take the news well. "She was very disappointed that 'The Decorator' didn't go," writes Ed Sikov in "Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis" (Henry Holt Books, 2007). "No, not disappointed — hurt. Very hurt."

Below is just Part 1 of the pilot.

Following Universal Studio’s big screen adaptation of Land of the Lost, the company has signed to do the same with another show created by Sid and Marty Krofft: Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.

The Kroffts will produce the new film, according to Variety, with Jimmy Miller. Dana Gould (The Simpsons) has been hired to write the new screenplay.

The original Sigmund, a kindly monster kicked out his home by his nastier brothers, ran Saturday mornings on NBC from 1973-1975. Sigmund was found by two boys who hid him in their clubhouse, somewhat reminiscent of DC’s beloved Stanley and His Monster. Sigmund was played by Billy Barty and his human protectors were played by Family Affair's Johnny Whitaker and Scott Kolden. The 29 epsidoes that aired over the two seasons featured character actors including Margaret Hamilton, Mary Wickes, and Rip Taylor.

The Kroffts, who cannily retained ownership of their shows,...