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The 1960s were a great time for stylish heist movies, with many classics which are still loved by fans decades later. The heist genre initially sprung out of film noir, but it gradually developed its own identity, and it came to encompass romantic comedies, action thrillers and even spy movies. The 1960s marked a boom for the genre, after films like Rififi and The Killing brought about a new wave of enthusiasm in the 1950s.

Heist movies in the 1970s got much grittier and darker, in line with the trends of New Hollywood. By contrast, the 1960s delivered some more stylish and lighthearted capers, such as Ocean's 11 and How to Steal a Million. This era was defined by suave thieves pulling off intricately plotted heists, and there wasn't much of the violence and bloodshed that's usually associated with crime movies.

Related 20 Best Heist Movies Of All Time, Ranked

The...

Podcast Radio, an innovative new 24/7 spoken-word radio format adapting podcast content into a radio-friendly listening experience, shared results today of a study commissioned by Podcast Radio and conducted by Coleman Insights indicating that 81% of respondents would be very likely or somewhat likely to listen to a radio station that broadcasts curated podcasting content.

A description of Podcast Radio was tested via Coleman Insights’ Pod Predictor service. The appeal and listener likelihood based on a description of Podcast Radio was measured among a panel of 500 18-64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States.

Coleman Insights’ Pod Predictor study revealed that the Podcast Radio concept has broad, positive appeal across U.S. podcast consumers in geographic regions across the country with 25% saying they “Love it” and 28% saying they “Like it a lot”.

Gerry Edwards, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Podcast Radio., said: “Podcast Radio can help radio effectively play offense to the...

Beasley Media Group has partnered with Podcast Radio and Kmg Networks to unveil a new podcast multiplatform radio format in four regions across the company.

The unique format will be available to listeners via broadcast in multiple regions on Beasley stations, including:

Detroit: 93.5 FM and Wcsx-94.7 HD2 Tampa: 1010 Whfs-am Charlotte: 94.7 FM and Wsoc-HD3 Ft. Myers / Naples: 96.5 FM/101.5 FM & 105.1 FM and Wxkb-HD2

In addition, fans of spoken word content will also be able to stream the first four custom stations and discover new podcasts via the PodcastRadioUS.com website. The stations and digital channels will be branded as Podcast Radio Carolinas, Podcast Radio Southwest Florida, Podcast Radio Detroit and Podcast Radio Tampa Bay. Each region’s podcast content will be supported with localized imaging, promos, and ID’s.

Podcast Radio features live “Podjocks”, including former Kroq-fm (Los Angeles) Personality and Legendary Radio Hall of Famer Gene “Bean” Baxter. The format will...

Podcast Radio is launching a 24/7 US podcast-driven format on FM and Am stations in four regions in North America from next month — two of which are top 20 broadcast markets. The announcement was made by Gerry Edwards, CEO of Podcast Radio, on a panel at the Podcast Movement conference in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday.

He said: “We are beyond excited to be partnering with a forward-thinking and innovative radio broadcasting company. They will make fantastic first movers into Podcast Radio’s format as they embrace this unique new radio content as a leader in both broadcast and digital.”

The four markets where Podcast Radio US will launch will be announced shortly. Gary Krantz, Founder and CEO of Kmg/Kmg Networks who has been working with Podcast Radio in its push into North America said: “The group we will be working with shared our vision immediately and stepped up to work collaboratively...

Speaking at the Podcast Movement conference in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, Podcast Radio CEO Gerry Edwards revealed more about its US expansion. Next month, Podcast Radio is launching a 24/7 US podcast format on FM and Am stations in four regions of North America, two of which are top 20 broadcast markets. Making the announcement, Gerry said: “We are beyond excited to be partnering with a forward-thinking and innovative radio broadcasting company.

Podcast Radio has launched a new production house to create, promote and distribute podcasts alongside its radio stations.

The new venture will provide end-to-end bespoke podcast production solutions to brand partners worldwide.

Suitable podcasts will be made and distributed on Podcast Radio itself and other platforms such as Apple, Spotify and Google. Podcast Radio will also provide promotional opportunities by way of advertising campaigns and on-air interviews with the podcast host or contributors.

Gerry Edwards, Founder and CEO of Podcast Radio, says: “This is a natural extension of what we do. We've made our own Podcast Radio Originals for some time but we now want to extend our extensive production skills to brand partners as well.”

Podcast Radio aims to take podcast content to radio listeners. It plans to begin distributing a 24/7 American version of its programming to radio stations and groups across the US beginning soon. It has partnered...

Another broadcaster has made a significant investment in the UK’s Podcast Radio as it grows and expands to the United States.

The deal sees Tindle Media Group taking a 10% interest in Podcast Radio, which launched three years ago and uses the trust and familiarity people have in radio to help them sample and choose podcasts.

Tindle owns and operates a portfolio of four radio stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland including Channel 103 in Jersey, Island FM in Guernsey, Soleil Radio across the Channel Islands and Midlands 103 in Ireland. They also own 23 local and regional newspaper titles across Britain.

Nation Broadcasting invested in Podcast Radio last year, also in return for a 10% stake.

Gerry Edwards, Founder and CEO of Podcast Radio, says: “We’re pleased to have two very well-established commercial radio groups support our exciting plans to grow internationally. Both Nation and Tindle have shown great faith...

Podcast Radio has announced a new content partnership with the National Trust where the station will feature podcasts about backpacking, cycle touring, walks, hikes and heritage houses.

The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity and looks after Britain’s nature, history and beauty.

Gerry Edwards, CEO of Podcast Radio, says: “We’re really excited to be featuring some of the National Trust’s rich podcast content. The National Trust podcasts tell wonderful stories and are beautifully produced and we’re proud to have them on Podcast Radio.”

The partnership came about because of the National Trust seeing and meeting Podcast Radio at the Podcast Show in London in May.

Podcast Radio is the world’s only radio-formatted platform that plays and talks about podcasts 24/7 and uses the familiarity and trust people have in radio to help them discover and choose podcasts.

Part of the National Trust partnership includes...

UK-based Podcast Radio has confirmed it is coming to the US.

Speaking at the Nab Show New York this week, Podcast Radio CEO Gerry Edwards (above) said the 24-hour format will be syndicated to Am/FM stations and HD channels on a barter and cash licensing basis.

New ‘vertical’ channels for Business, Comedy and Crime were also announced which are now available on Podcast Radio’s newly designed app for both Apple and Android.

At the station’s Podcast Futures conference at Nab, director Paul Chantler said: “We think Podcast Radio provides a powerful way to drive audiences to entertaining speech radio that isn’t news or sports.

“To many people, radio is a medium they’ve known and used all their lives whatever age they are. Both in the US and UK, radio is listened to by nine out of ten people each week – and is consistently named in...

Podcast Radio will be setting out its plans to expand to the US and its vision for the future at its Podcast Futures event at Nab Show New York on 19th October.

The initial sessions and sponsors have now been announced including the latest study into podcast ads from NuVoodoo, the value of dynamic ad insertion from Targetspot, the connected car from Xperi and the growth and power of independent podcast networks from Evergreen Podcasts.

In a keynote address, veteran radio guru Fred Jacobs from Jacobs Media will explore the intersection between podcasting and radio, hours before receiving the Nab’s National Radio Award with his brother, Paul, at the Marconi dinner.

Gerry Edwards, CEO of Podcast Radio, says: “We’ll have fresh insights into podcast consumption, monetisation, trends and technology as well as sharing details of how Podcast Radio will be growing in the US and our bold, ambitious...

Lewis Milestone directed this poetic, optimistic ode to the American infantryman, a ‘lone patrol’ saga that emphasizes its soldiers’ hopes and fears. The lineup of fresh, eager acting talent is remarkable: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd, Herbert Rudley, Richard Benedict, Huntz Hall, James Cardwell, Steve Brodie. Voiceovers and ‘ballads’ give a six-mile beachhead incursion the tone of a spiritual rumination. A beautiful full film restoration brings the image back to prime quality. The controversial filmmakers and the unusual production circumstances are covered in Alan K. Rode’s commentary.

A Walk in the Sun

Blu-ray + DVD

Kit Parker Films / Mvd Visual

1945 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 117 min. / Street Date January 18, 2022 / The Definitive Restoration / Available from Amazon / 29.95

Starring: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd, Herbert Rudley, Richard Benedict, Huntz Hall, James Cardwell, Steve Brodie, Matt Willis,...

A genuine ‘sleeper’ hit, this ‘all in the family’ noir pits innocent childhood against cold blooded murderers. Little Bobby Driscoll witnesses Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman committing a murder, and can’t get Mom and Dad to believe him because of a habit of crying Wolf. But the killers believe him … and they live right upstairs. The beautifully made film evokes a rough, broken-down block in New York City in great detail. Rko’s new boss Howard Hughes did what he always did with a hot feature ready to release: he shelved it for more than a year. The Wac’s restoration is eye-opening.

The Window

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1949 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 73 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date September 21, 2021 / 21.99

Starring: Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman, Anthony Ross, Richard Benedict.

Cinematography: Robert De Grasse, William O. Steiner

Art Directors: Sam Corso, Albert D’Agostino,...

Hollywood acknowledges the existence of America’s proto- C.I.A. intelligence agency with this espionage tale of Yanks working with the resistance in occupied France. It’s basic cloak ‘n’ dagger action, with intrepid Alan Ladd and the daring Geraldine Fitzgerald risking life and limb to plant plastic explosive bombs. The details are fairly interesting: Ladd outwits the Gestapo by working with a turncoat inside their ranks. The outcome is grimly realistic, even if that old Paramount glamour is part of the package. The writer-producer is Richard Maibaum, who would later write almost thirty years’ worth of franchise James Bond 007 adventures.

O.S.S.

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1946 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date August 10, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt, Gloria Saunders, Richard Webb, Richard Benedict, Harold Vermilyea, Don Beddoe, Onslow Stevens, Gavin Muir, Egon Brecher, Joseph Crehan, Bobby Driscoll, Julia Dean,...

If you haven't seen The Last Jedi, you may be shocked to learn the movie kills off one of its secondary, though quite popular, characters without much fanfare. There will be four week old spoilers moving forward as the latest Star Wars movie enters its fifth weekend of release. So be warned. What I might say next could be very upsetting to long time fans who have somehow not made it to theaters yet. Yes, Admiral Ackbar is dead. And it was always supposed to be that way. At least according to the editor of the movie.

'It's a trap!' Is definitely Admiral Ackbar's most iconic line, and it's in the top ten Star Wars lines of all time. The man who originally uttered those three words has left this world. And he did it quite suddenly, and unexpectedly. Ackbar has never gotten a ton of screen time. He...

Lewis Milestone’s poetic character study of an infantry landing in Italy gives us a full dozen non-cliché portraits of men in war, featuring a dramatic dream team of interesting character actors. Dana Andrews was the only big star in the cast, joined by hopefuls Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges and John Ireland; the standout crew includes Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd, Steve Brodie and Huntz Hall.

A Walk in the Sun

DVD

The Sprocket Vault / Kit Parker Films

1945 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 117 min. / Restored Collector’s Edition / Street Date ?, 2017 / available through The Sprocket Vault / 14.99

Starring: Richard Conte, George Tyne, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Sterling Holloway, Norman Lloyd Dana Andrews, Herbert Rudley, Richard Benedict, Huntz Hall, James Cardwell, Steve Brodie, Matt Willis, Chris Drake, John Kellogg, Robert Horton, Burgess Meredith.

Cinematography: Russell Harlan

Film Editor: Duncan Mansfield

Original Music: Fredric Efrem Rich; ‘The Ballads’ sung by : Kenneth Spencer

Written by: Robert...

As part of my post duty orders here at We Are Movie Geeks it is my privilege to shine a light on movies that never quite found an audience, that may have slipped through the cracks. Movies that got very little or n o theatrical release, not much publicity or went straight to video (very common these days.) Such a movie is Jack The Bear . I can recall being vaguely aware of the movie when it was released in 1993, it did play in theaters but I don’t recall much advertising devoted to it. In that time frame I either was too busy or too broke to take in a movie, usually both.

In Jack The Bear we have sort of a male version of Mermaids. An all male family with an eccentric Father John Leary (Danny DeVito ) who keeps moving his family around the country. John makes his living as an entertainer,...

Ace in the Hole

Written by Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels, and Walter Newman

Directed by Billy Wilder

USA, 1951

Ace in the Hole is a quintessential Billy Wilder movie. Though largely ignored upon its initial release, this 1951 feature bears all the hallmarks one associates with Wilder’s best work: cynicism, humor, terrific performances, sharp dialogue, and impeccable direction. Here, to keep within the theme of the title, we get it all in spades.

The recently released Criterion Blu-ray of the film likewise boasts an abundant assortment of features. There is of course the new restoration, which looks great, as well as a commentary track with scholar Neil Sinyard, a brief afterword by Spike Lee, and interviews with Kirk Douglas and cowriter Walter Newman. The insert booklet, with essays by filmmaker Guy Maddin and critic Molly Haskell, is cleverly assembled as a foldout mock newspaper. And the documentary, Portrait of a “60% Perfect Man”: Billy Wilder,...

A resounding flop upon its release, which saw it recut and rereleased as The Big Carnival without any greater success, Criterion remasters Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole for Blu-ray with a beautifully packaged presentation. A darkly prophetic nightmare concerning the carnivalesque power of the media, the 1951 feature is decades ahead of its time, and received a resoundingly sour reception upon initial release. Hot off the success from his 1950 hit, Sunset Boulevard, it would take the box office return of 1953’s Stalag 17 to recuperate Wilder’s studio graces.

Alternating between cocksure aggression and derisive self-loathing, smarmy journalist Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) struts into the office of Albuquerque’s local newspaper where he proceeds to demean a Native American employee and a ridicule the secretary fior her framed and self-embroidered mantra, “Tell the Truth.” It’s immediately clear that Tatum considers the local paper something akin to a cess...

Some movies, no matter how old they are, never age a day. Their situations and themes remain as relevant now as when they were first released. Watching them today, they reflect and comment on our present in ways they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. Every month we’re going to pick a movie from the past that does just that, and explore what it has to say about the here and now. Today, Billy Wilder’s entertainingly cynical 1951 film, Ace in the Hole, gets a gorgeous Blu-Ray treatment from Criterion, and it’s a perfect movie to start this column with. In it, a down-on-his-luck reporter, Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) stumbles upon a story about a man, Leo (Richard Benedict), trapped in a mountain tunnel. Tatum decides to sensationalize, exploit, and manipulate Leo’s misfortune into a media frenzy to help resurrect his career. While the kind of print journalism we see in Wilder’s film may...

Douglas Sirk movies: ‘Imitation of Life,’ ‘Written on the Wind’ (photo: Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, Karin Dicker in ‘Imitation of Life’) Douglas Sirk is Turner Classic Movies’ Director of the Evening. The German-born (April 26, 1897, in Hamburg) filmmaker has developed a cult following in recent decades after his "women’s pictures" were reappraised by some critics as works of profound social criticism filled with auteuristic touches. Why it would take years (or decades) for people to realize the obvious is a little mind-boggling, until you remember that movies about women and their issues have been, for the most part, relegated to the sidelines. A stupid prejudice that continues to this very day. My statement, by the way, has nothing to do with yikesy political correctness; if you don’t believe me, just check out the Best Picture Academy Award winners or Palme d’Or winners or Golden Lion winners or Golden...

"I want to thank three persons,” said Michel Hazanavicius, accepting the 2012 Best Picture Oscar for “The Artist.” “I want to thank Billy Wilder, I want to thank Billy Wilder and I want to thank Billy Wilder.” He wasn’t the first director to namecheck Wilder in an acceptance speech. In 1994, Fernando Trueba, accepting the Foreign Language Film Oscar for "Belle Epoque" quipped, "I would like to believe in God in order to thank him. But I just believe in Billy Wilder... so, thank you Mr. Wilder." Wilder reportedly called the next day "Fernando? It's God."

So just what exactly was it that inspired these men to expend some of the most valuable seconds of speechifying airtime they'll ever know, to tip their hats to Wilder? And can we bottle it?

Born in a region of Austria/Hungary that is now part of Poland, Wilder's story feels like an archetype of...

Margaret Field, best remembered for the 1951 sci-fier The Man From Planet X, died at her Malibu home on Sunday, Nov. 6, the day her daughter Sally Field turned 65. Margaret Field, who had been diagnosed with cancer six years ago, was 89. Directed by cult B-movie director Edgar G. Ulmer, The Man From Planet X turned out to be the highlight of Field's film career. The story revolves around a mysterious journalist (Robert Clarke) who may or may not be an alien with ties to a spaceship that has landed near an observatory on a remote Scottish island. Most of Field's previous movie appearances had been uncredited bit parts, chiefly in Paramount productions such as The Perils of Pauline, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, and Samson and Delilah. Her parts got bigger following The Man from Planet X, but they remained subpar roles in mostly B movies. Among those were Philip Ford's...

As part of its "Summer Under the Stars" film series, Turner Classic Movies is showing 12 Anne Francis movies today, including three TCM premieres. Those are actor-director William Conrad's Brainstorm (1965), veteran Raoul Walsh's A Lion Is in the Streets (1953), and actor-director Richard Benedict's Impasse (1969). [Anne Francis Movie Schedule.] Brainstorm is about a scientist intent on killing the husband of the woman he loves. The B thriller stars performers who had seen better big-screen days in the '40s and/or '50s: Jeffrey Hunter, Dana Andrews, Viveca Lindfors, and Francis. At the time, however, Francis was doing well for herself on television in the series Honey West, in which she played a sexy gumshoe whose partner was an ocelot. Based on a novel by Adria Locke Langley, A Lion Is in the Streets (1953) is a political drama that got made probably thanks to Robert Rossen's 1949 Oscar winner All the King's Men.

Anne Francis on TCM: Forbidden Planet, Brainstorm, A Lion Is In The Streets Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Summer Holiday (1948) Musical remake of Ah, Wilderness!, about a small-town boy's struggles with growing up. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan, Jackie Jenkins, Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead. C-93 mins. 7:45 Am So Young So Bad (1950) A crusading psychiatrist tries to help troubled reform school girls. Dir: Bernard Vorhaus. Cast: Paul Henreid, Catherine McLeod, Cecil Clovelly, Anne Jackson, Rita Moreno. Bw-91 mins. 9:30 Am Battle Cry (1955) A group of Marines eagerly await deployment during World War II. Dir: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Dorothy Malone, Nancy Olson, Tab Hunter, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, William Campbell. C-148 mins, Letterbox Format. 12:00 Pm Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family.

If you ask somebody about Ocean.s 11 and they start off with the words .Clooney or Pitt. then you tell them .Ring-a-ding-ding, Baby! I.m talking about the Rat Pack.. Frank, Dino, Sammy, and the boys ring in the New Year on Blu-ray pally. Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) has a plan to rob five casinos on New Year.s Eve and he.s bringing along his pals-in-crime Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford), lounge singer/inside man Sam Harmon (Dean Martin), demolitions man Josh Howard (Sammy Davis Jr.), Roger Corneal (Henry Silva), electrician Tony Bergdorf (Richard Conte), Vince Massier (Buddy Lester), Mushy O.Conner (Joey Bishop), Curly Steffans (Richard Benedict), Louis Jackson (Clem Harvey), and Peter Rheimer (Norman Fell). All backed by Spyros Acebos (Akim...