About Riding the High Country

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This site is the place where I jot down my reviews on and thoughts about the movies which I view. I have always loved the movies for as long as I can remember and I like the idea of having a place where I can ramble on about them.

I guess the bulk of what I write will relate to pre-1980 movies since that’s the period of film-making for which I have the greatest affection. While I watch and enjoy films from every conceivable genre, I suppose most of my posts will focus on westerns and film noirs as, again, these are my personal favorites.

I have categorized my entries according to both genre and decade, or simply by decade where a film doesn’t seem to fit conveniently into a genre (I’ve also recently added director and/or actor tags for most titles). Titles can also be browsed by clicking on the alphabetical index.

Happy reading. 🙂

EDIT: 12/26/11 – I had originally left in the links to comments made on the old site as I didn’t want them to seem ignored in the shift to my new home. However, I’ve had to go back and strip them all out as I became aware that they were not only directing traffic to the old site but resulting in people leaving comments there where they were in danger of being missed. To those who have left comments on the old FilmJournal site and can’t now see them, you have my apologies. Unless or until I can figure out a way to transfer them over they will have to remain where they originally appeared.

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75 thoughts on “About Riding the High Country”

  1. This is nice, Colin – I like the colour scheme you’ve chosen, which is a bit unusual, and the layout is very neat. Wow, have you transferred all this from Filmjournal in the past few days?!? Do you have control over graphic logos and layout etc here? One thing I’m not keen on at the moment with my new one is the fact that I can’t seem to get it to appear in seach engines (I’ve been through the settings) – if this is the case then it does limit the potential audience somewhat. At least Filmjournals appeared on Yahoo etc…

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  2. Thanks Paul, glad you like the look.

    I had transferred some content – maybe the first 80 or so posts – via an export file a few years back as an experiment before wordpress changed to the point it was no longer possible. As such the final shift wasn’t quite as bad as it could have been – still something of a Herculean task!

    I pretty much have control over layout, although it’s limited somewhat by the choice of theme obviously. I haven’t had the chance to check out how it appears in search engines yet, but I’ve already earned two “likes” and one follower! I’ll get back to you when I explore a bit more.

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      • Hello Rick, hope you and yours are keeping well and safe in these odd times. Nothing in particular happened, nothing dramatic anyway. The simple fact is that after close to 12 years I felt I didn’t have anything to contribute there that would be of interest to many (any?) people. So I decided it was time to move on. I asked the management to essentially delete my profile, just have it reading “Guest” as you say and I stripped out links and so on. It was also a way of locking myself out – password and everything is gone now – if I’d felt the temptation to be drawn back.
        So that’s about it. I felt my presence there was essentially superfluous, and I wasn’t getting along so smoothly with a number of members. All told, I considered it was as good a time as any to say adios to it all.

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          • That’s extraordinarily kind of you, Jon. Thank you.
            By the way I see a lot of incoming traffic to the site from Roobarbs – is my name being taken in vain there these days? 😀

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            • How could it be Colin? You’ve officially become “The Man with No Name” there now – which I suspect you’ve always wanted to be 😎

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                • Hello Colin. Good to see the site is still here. Still miss your contributions to Roobarb’s. I was reading through some old posts in the “Currently Reading” thread today and thought of you. Lots of books I’d never have heard of otherwise. Hope you are keeping well my friend. J O

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                  • How are you, Jon. It’s delightful to hear from you – I’d meant to drop you an email on occasion and then something always seemed to crop up and push it out of my mind. A poor excuse, chum, I know, but there it is. Anyway, I’m still hanging in there, just about. 🙂 I do hope all’s well with you too.

                    I take a look on Roobarbs from time to time but I can’t post there any longer – I did actually sign up again some time ago but the process was never finalized – I never got the email to allow me to complete registration, nor was the facility there to contact anyone in charge to do anything about it. Perhaps the powers that be didn’t want me back.
                    Anyway, I shall try to keep in touch more regularly – and thank you for seeking me out, much appreciated.

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  3. Nice looking layout Colin. Already favourited on my computer. Got a bit worried when I read your ‘farewell’ note on Film Journal. I thought for a second that you were giving up blogging. Good to see that things will be carrying on over here. I look forward to the first of the ‘new’ reviews

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    • Thank you Dafydd. I’m very happy with the response so far, and I think the time was right for a change.
      With Xmas almost upon us, I figure it will be the New year before I actually manage to post something new. Seems more appropriate that way.

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  5. Really great stuff here, by that I mean the film noir page, but I can see this is a rich site. When you were writing about The Bribe, you mention a version you obtained from a source called Absolute, sounded like it was subtitled in Spanish. I’ve done some googling, but can’t seem to find it. Care to share a link?

    Keep up the good work!!! Will return to indulge in more Noir-ness.

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    • Thanks Harvey, glad you enjoyed it.

      The copy of The Bribe that I have is an official Spanish release, which has the English soundtrack and optional Spanish subtitles – they can be switched on or off via the setup menu on the disc. Here’s a link to the Amazon Spain listing for the title.

      Hope that helps, and stop by anytime.

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  6. Thanks, the link took me right to it.. I don’t know if I can purchase using my amazon usa account. I tried it w/amazon uk and it didn’t work. My copy of The Bribe is pretty good, it is the R1 version. What a great movie!! I think you are right, it is almost a noir, but not quite. It uses a lot of noir style, though. I loved the movie. I saw another on your site, Singapore, that I have never seen or heard of, so I will start looking for that one. I agree, Criss Cross is a perfectly realized noir in every respect, really one of the core films in the canon, imo. BTW, on amazon us i got a copy of Desert Fury that was R0, I think it was from Brazil or Argentina. The color was quite good, and the subtitles were removeable. They are having a noir fest here in Los Angeles at present. I wanted to go see Phantom Lady tonight, but I mixed up the time and missed it!!! They also had Black Angel and The Window, but I was paying to see Phantom Lady on the big screen, so without that, I just went home. I’ve been into film noir since about 1982 when I took a college class devoted to it, one of the first I am pretty sure. It was taught by a fellow named John Schultheiss, who later did some scholarly work on Abraham Polonsky (Force of Evil). Great class, and I guess this is the 30th anniversary of taking it!! He made us write something on Cornell Woolrich, and trust me, almost nothing of his was in print back in 1982. Now, of course, you can get his stuff anywhere, but I had to run down an old used copy in a dusty shop. It was great fun, long before one could have something sent via internet in a few days. Well, keep up the good work and I will check in from time to time. Wonderful site you have been building. I think I got to it from the billboard at Danger & Despair Knitting Circle. There was a comment about the piece on Criss Cross and a link. Lucky find, I must say!

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    • Very kind of you Harvey. The noir fest sounds great; it’s always a pleasure to see these old movies on the big screen.

      BTW, if you have an Amazon US account, then you should be able to order from any of their worldwide sites – your data is saved centrally, so once you log in you just go through the same steps to order as you would on the US site.

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  9. Hi Colin, not sure where to post this…..hope you find it Just want to make sure you are aware of the new book coming out in April. It is Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond. It is written by Scott Nollen. Here is a website for it and Scott answers questions and replies to comments regularly.http://www.facebook.com/ThreeBadMenJohnFordJohnWayneWardBond?fref=ts I believe this is his 18th book, and not only is it thoroughly researched, but it also offers a better insight into the triumvirate that was Pappy, Duke, and Ward both on and off screen. It is the first book I know of to properly include Ward Bond and give the credit due him. I hope you will feature it. It can be ordered now. Scott would be glad to write you an article if you would like. Thanks Toby. I believe this book is long overdue and cannot wait until my copy arrives! KEITH

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  10. I wrote this for my good buddy Peter who is buying some books from Scott Nollen, (Three Bad Men). He wanted to get my opinion of them as Scott just sounds a bit too good to be true. But, so far, everything I have checked out is hunky dory. He is checking out some of what is written below, and I am checking out the rest. Does Colin do the old Horror stuff? Oh, Scott’s next book….one of them is about Glenda Farrell, his favorite female star. The other is about a guy who sings like Neil Diamond……even Neil is amazed at the likeness…….AND the guy is black….named the Black Diamond, (real name is Theron, LOL). He has a FB page and answers right away.

    Thought you might want to do a short interview of him……..shoot, you could use a lot of this stuff, copy and paste and just change a few things, LOL! Sometimes I think LAZY!

    I wrote what I thought about Scott’s books on JWMB, (I got The Cinema of Sinatra and Jilly, Sinatra’s Right Hand man), and this is what he wrote back…..bet it just galled Ethan, LOL. Don’t know WHY that moderator is so jealous of me, but he most definitely is!
    Thank you so much, Keith. It is very gratifying to have a reader who actually knew the people I have written about. I appreciate all your kind words. I’m glad you mentioned “detail,” because that SHOULD be my middle name. I try to leave no stone unturned when I research a project. I was educated as a research historian, as well as a filmmaker, so I’ve been able to combine these areas in my writing work. I hope I’ve been able to infuse the same level of detail into THREE BAD MEN, as it covers the lives of Pappy, Duke and The Judge very thoroughly, along with a complete history of all of their films, together and separately, and a focus on their amazing and complicated relationships. Thanks again, and I look forward to getting the final proofs for THREE BAD MEN any day now. After I go through them with a fine-tooth comb, the book will be available soon after! Gotta go–burnin’ daylight! All the best—Scott
    The “burnin’ daylight” is right out of THE COWBOYS!

    Well, P……got the books today. Don’t forget, I knew the two people that the books were about. My GOD, did he ever catch the spirit of those folks. Oh, I found a couple of Errors in Jilly, LOL…..but they were small and inconsequential. There were some of the GUYS mentioned that I believe I have told you about. Anyway. The books are excellent. The quality of them are great. I bent the paperback every which of a way, and it stayed intact! I just scanned Frankie’s film book because it is indeed an EPIC. So, I am about halfway through Jilly’s. I have laughed myself silly. I don’t want to come to the end knowing how horrible it will be to a man that was, yes…..bad in a way, but so very good to so many people. He gave a lot of big entertainers their start……lot more than I knew, like PETER NERO!…
    Wow, THAT blew me away! Jilly only finished 5th or 6th grade!………..But he LOVED excellent piano players. If you don’t get one ofhe last few of these, I will have to copy you on what Frankie says about taking Jilly to see a Philarmonic Concert, oh, I could go on and on. It is incredible. But, I believe every word of it. because I knew Jilly in person, both as my neighbor, and as Frankie’s companion. As brilliant as he was is so many money making ways, he got words mixed up, and when he did, when you FINALLY figured out what he meant, it would take everything you could do to keep from busting out laughing.
    OH, Gibbons is mentioned living next to Jilly and Pat Henry on the other side…….Yep, Gibbons is mentioned in the book. Also, the restaurant I said we met so much at, Jack London’s is in there, although Jilly’s kids were younger and didn’t know it belonged to someone else, so they said Dominick’s was where Frankie and all went………….that was the same place, Only not in the 60s……..Dominick didn’t get his name on it until about 73!+
    Going to try to read some more, but I did some outside PHYSICAL work and am quite bushed………….may fall asleep, LOL.
    Did you decide on any. Here is something Scott sent me for the website and the Winterset folks.
    Keith,

    I can send you a DVD of a panel I moderated at a major film convention in Washington, DC, in 1999. It was called “Heirs of Horror Royalty,” and I hosted the program with the children of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price; the grandson of Lon Chaney Jr. (great-grandson of Lon Chaney, Sr.); and the niece of Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal. It is a great program, because I know very well all of these people! I will try to make it this week (soon) and send it off to you!

    Scott
    The materials I have that belonged to WARD BOND are: 1) a binder filled with original handwritten letters from Ward to his family, 1929-1933, some mentioning Ford and Wayne, and one that includes drops of his SWEAT all over the pages; 2) an original still from SALUTE (1929); and 3) a pair of jeans that he wore in one of his 1930s films.

    I also have a large collection of items that belonged to SINATRA and JILLY!
    Keith,

    There really isn’t much correspondence with Brian: He joined my page and then suggested the info that I sent to you. He did NOT ask for free books–I was referring to that subject in general–I have given away too many books over the years, and I only have ONE copy of some of my books, which is why I can’t give anything away.

    My track record speaks for itself. I have given dozens of lectures at the National Archives, and spoken at various Sherlock Holmes societies, at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St. Helena, California, and at the “Gillette to Brett” International Sherlock Holmes Conference in Indianapolis in 2007. The McFarland website and Amazon provide a lot of information. You may use the biography of me that is on imdb.com–it is pretty up to date.

    To get a look at the quality of my scholarship and writing, the Conan Doyle book is as good as any–judged the “ultimate treatise on the subject” by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London!’

    My book on Paul Robeson has been called a “masterpiece” by a political activist in London, etc., etc.

    The president of my publishing company said that my work is unique, and that I have “carved my own niche.” That’s why they have published so much of my work.

    Yes, that is Ward’s first wife.

    Some pics will follow soon!

    Scott

    Peter is DYING to see that Heirs of Horror Royalty, LOL! He is one of those spooky fans.

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  11. Hi Colin,
    Just wanted to say thanks for the link on your blogroll, I sure do appreciate it. And also for the kind words about my site (Keith forwarded them on to me). I already had a link to you great site on my links page, but I have also added a nice banner link to your site as well.
    All the best,
    Bob
    (dukefanclub.weebly.com)

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  12. Colin –
    I’m fortunate to have a group of friends that regularly get together to watch westerns. As a bonus, one guy is much younger than us (in his early 30s) and is really interested in,as he puts it, “all the great movies he missed”, so it’s always interesting to get his feedback.

    Next week, we’ll be watching “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”. This is my personal “most watched” movie – both when it was first released in the theaters, and then when it came out on DVD. Remember when you were younger and had the time to sit through 2 screenings of a movie? This was the first movie I did that with, I just wanted to soak it up as best I could. So I went back later in the week and then the next week as well – and then it was gone.

    Seems to be a movie that would be perfect for a review by you.

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    • Tony, I’ve seen McCabe and Mrs Miller a number of times and have thought about writing it up at some point. I think the reason I’ve put it off is that I can never seem to make my mind up on Altman. I’d say I will get round to the movie though – just can’t say when.

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      • Re; your “I can never seem to make my mind up on Altman” comment. He made two of the best movies ever in “McCabe” and “The Long Goodbye”. Most of his other movies after those (with a couple exceptions) had me scratching my head at the time of their original release, and I’ve no interest in revisiting most of them. I find myself thinking that what was “arty” in college, is now pretentious dreck (“3 Women”?). Even the ones that I remember liking at the time of release like “California Split”, “Nashville”, and “M*A*SH” fail to impress when re-watched.

        A side note on “McCabe” and “The Long Goodbye” – my spouse in not a “movie person”. The running joke in our house is that for years when I’d ask her about going to a particular movie, her first question was “How long is it?” (Admitedly this may have stemmed from two of our first college dates being “Seven Samurai” and “Lawrence of Arabia”.) “McCabe” and “TLG” are the only two movies that she is willing and eager to rewatch over and over again. Not sure what that says about these movies, but I’ve always found it interesting that they connect that strongly with a person who really has no interest in the movies.

        Two other items for you:
        1)Have you been able to ID the best available DVD version of “Ulzanas Raid”? I’ve got the UK version and would like to upgrade to one without the horsefall edits. What a great, great western.
        2) “The Wonderful Country” – I’ve the DVD that was released last year. Your thoughts – Maybe a future review? The big takeaway for me was that this was a great example of Robert Mitchum’s star power/magnetism. An interesting western, in which Mitchum commands the screen even when he’s sitting down with a broken leg for much of the movie.

        As always, keep up the great work!
        TG

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        • Tony, it’s interesting you should mention The Long Goodbye. That’s an Altman movie I have to say I struggle with. I’ve discussed this with other people before, and I have a problem with Gould in the role of Marlowe and all that that casting decision means for the tone of the picture. Having said that, it’s not a film I’ve given up on.

          Regarding your questions:

          1. Someone posted on my old site that the French DVD of Ulzana’s Raid was uncut, but I haven’t had the chance to see that edition. I strongly suspect all the continental European editions will be uncut – those cuts on the UK disc are required by the BBFC in accordance with UK law.

          2. I don’t have the US release of The Wonderful Country, but I do have the non-anamorphic Spanish release and a more recent Italian edition that is enhanced for widescreen viewing. It’s a terrific film, and I have done a piece on it here.

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  14. Pleased to meet you, Colin. My friend Keith referred me to your site and I just spent a fascinating hour revisiting my own youth, much of which was spent in a dark theater. It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone (or crazy) in my affection for most of these titles.
    You’re marked as a favorite and I’ll be spending much more time here.

    Bill

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  15. Colin mate, I couldn;t let your generosiy go unrewarded! So consider yourself hereby notified that I nominated you for a WordPress Family Award – thanks for all the very fine blogging and myriad contributions – just wouldn’t be the same without it 🙂

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  16. Well, shame on me for not having found this site before. Reading through some of the essays to get acquainted it is nice to find one who loves westerns and is far more eloquent at writing about them then I could ever be. There are so many films out there that it is hard to catch them all but it is a treat to learn about them and talk about them. This looks like a place I could be quite happy. I’m off to read more. Thanks.

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    • That’s very kind of you Chris and I’m even more pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit. I hope you’ll be around again and feel free to comment on anything you wish.

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  17. Hi!

    This is Clayton, formerly of CLAYTONOLOGY. My email got hacked, and through it, my website got destroyed. I have a new site, called

    PHANTOM EMPIRES.

    Just wanted to let you know; feel free to delete this message. 🙂

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  18. By the way, do you really live in Athens? If so, have you seen the Turkish-style Greek band TAKIM? I play a number of drums from the region, as well as the Oud and Klarnet, and I had a chance to play with those guys at a party. incredible musicianship;they play in Athens during the season (often they tour Epirus and other regions). Great band, great guys.

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    • I certainly do, and have done for many years now. I’m afraid I’m not aware of the band – at least I don’t think so – I’ll do a bit of research and see if they ring any bells, and will keep my eyes peeled too.

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  19. Thanks. Westerns and film noir does it for me! I assume blog title comes from the great movie with great line about being justified in the house of my lord (they don’t make them like that anymore!). Regards from Thom at the immortal jukebox (give it a spin!).

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  22. Pingback: Blogs You Should Follow Part 9 | vinnieh

  27. By the way, I see from your Twitter that You’re Irish! Never saw the last name; all the Colins I know are English…sorry about that! If it makes it any better, I used to go by my middle name, Kelly, and when I played Irish music (Irish tenor banjo), people assumed that I was Irish…”my last name in’t Kelly, ya eejits!” My people are Scottish on my dad’s side, and Frenchies on my mom’s…Duncan & Taton. Like the neww site look, btw…it’s nice to tweek things to taste.

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  28. Colin —

    If you can assist in identifying an old western I saw as a child I would appreciate it. I have been inquiring for a number of years with no success. Here is all I remember:

    — I’m pretty sure I saw it in the 50s on TV. It was in black and white, though maybe our tv was only that. So I imagine it was made in the 40s. I don’t have the impression that it starred any big names.
    — The story somewhat parallels that of Juan Cortina, a Mexican in Texas, in the 1860s or so.

    The things I recall:
    — In a southwest setting, a Mexican is in an American/Anglo town and gets abused by townspeople.
    — He later gathers others around him and begins to raid, taking vengeance.
    — The townspeople form posses to bring the bandits to justice.
    — At one point a couple of townspeople are questioning a woman at her home. Upon leaving, they shove her off her porch.
    — The townspeople locate the hideout of the raiders.
    — There is an attack; the head bandit flees on horseback.
    — He is pursued, and he goes to a gravesite, where he is shot. (Perhaps the grave was that of the woman above — his mother?)

    One of the things that intrigues me about this (if my memory is correct) is that there was no key role for a typical American hero. It must have been a bold move to make a film where the usual good guy just doesn’t have a place on the screen.

    I just came across your site; it looks great. Thanks for your efforts in putting it together over so many years.

    Thanks for any assistance.

    jim o.

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    • Hi, Jim. I don’t think I can assist you on this right now but I’d like to know what that movie is myself. It sounds like the plot (or part of the plot) of a few movies, which isn’t that unusual I guess as plot devices do tend to get recycled here and there. Perhaps, it will ring a bell with someone else reading this. Of course, if I stumble on the title in the meantime, I’ll be sure to let you know.

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  30. Hi Colin,

    My daughter, who works on the CBS Studio Center (formerly Republic Studios) lot just sent me the below press release regarding a very private studio tour to be given by the President of CBS Studio Center (and huge John Wayne fan) on July 4th as a fundraiser for the Studio City Chamber of Commerce. I thought some of your followers in the LA area might be interested in this rare opportunity :

    What: Once in a lifetime chance for a private Tour of CBS Studio Center (formerly Republic Studios) & July 4th Celebration

    Where: 4024 Radford Ave. Studio City, CA 91604

    When: Tuesday July 4th at 5 pm (arrive early to allow time for security check and parking)

    How much: $1,000 per person

    Only 10 tickets available on a first come, first serve basis. Tickets will only be sold online. https://www.freshtix.com/events/4th-of-july-fireworks-festival-2-2

    Get a behind the scenes tour of the historic CBS Studio Center (formerly Republic Studios) backlot given by none other than Studio Center President Michael Klausman.

    In the early 1920s silent film producer and director Mack Sennett relocated his movie studio to southern California and the neighborhood around the studio became known as Studio City. The Mack Sennett Studios produced movies featuring the Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle before becoming Republic Studios. Republic launched the careers of Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and many others. Today the studio is known as CBS Studio Center. Past and present shows filmed on the lot include Gilligan’s Island, Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CSI New York, Will and Grace, Seinfeld, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Hot in Cleveland, Last Man Standing and many others.

    Public tours of the studio are not available, so this is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in film and television history. You will see the open air space where John Wayne showered, Seinfeld’s Central Park, and Leave it to Beaver’s house, among many other iconic locations.

    The tour begins at 5 pm before the Fourth of July celebration and guests will be taken around the lot on studio golf carts. Preferential parking will be provided. Space is limited to ten participants. After the tour enjoy our VIP July 4th celebration on stage 15 with a meal, sampling stations of food and alcohol from various local restaurants, caricature artists, facepainters and more! Then take your seat on the roof of the parking structure for the view of the best fireworks in Los Angeles. Tickets are available https://www.freshtix.com/events/4th-of-july-fireworks-festival-2-2. Click on VIP plus Private Lot Tour w/Studio President

    Please call 818-655-5916 if you have any questions.

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  31. Colin

    I assume this is the place where one can leave a miscellaneous comment. I won’t mention the site, but a reviewer gave “Raw Edge” (1956) a good write-up. It’s a Western starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rory Calhoun. In the comments, I thought I saw that someone named “Colin” said he liked it. I assumed it was you so I decided to watch it. I not only found this movie to be terrible but absolutely revolting as well. My wife, hearing the dialogue, said, “This sounds like a horror movie.” I suppose one could defend it as having an anti-machismo, pro-feminist message, but I’m not buying. The constant lascivious drooling and lechery of Neville Brand and Emile Meyer were just too much to take. The plot and storyline were ludicrous. The director, John Sherwood, only directed 3 full-length feature films. He was primarily an assistant director. I felt so embarrassed that I watched it and never wanted to watch another movie again.

    I wanted to see what others felt about and the two critics on DVDClassik who reviewed it both gave it a “1” out of “10”. I went back to the original review I read and saw that there was actually no one named “Colin” who had posted a comment about it — I must have mixed it up with another review. I was greatly relieved to have been mistaken.

    However, if you have seen this movie and you liked it, I apologize for trashing it.

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    • Now that’s curious. I can’t recall whether I’ve commented on that movie elsewhere or not – it’s possible. I know it’s come up in passing in one and maybe more chats here over the years.
      Anyway, I have seen the movie, a few times actually. I didn’t have that kind of negative reaction myself, although I do see how it could provoke a unfavorable response.
      It’s an odd film, very highly strung and quite hyperbolic. In short it’s strange, and I’ll confess I can have something of a soft spot for movies that explicitly set out to be strange. The cast, with Calhoun, De Carlo and Corday drew me to it in the first place, and of course I’m always interested in that Universal-International aesthetic. It’s most certainly an unusual piece of work. Director John Sherwood is probably best known for The Monolith Monsters.

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        • That’s marvelous, Frank, thank you. Comments like this are arguably the best reward one could ask for. Having said that, I can’t and won’t claim all the credit here. If it weren’t for the knowledgeable and generous commenters and contributors here, I would not be aware of a fair proportion of this stuff myself. A bit like the movies we all love and appreciate, it’s a collaborative process where everyone has something to offer.

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          • Hi Colin and ALL….

            To add to the collaborative process I have recently discovered HANGTOWN EXPRESS. It can be found online at YouTube. They feature Western and Film Noir films. What is significant is that they are releasing most of the films in 720 res which greatly enhance the viewing experience. Also, I am finding they are adding to their Playlist almost on a daily basis with films that I could never find online before or just poorer YouTube releases. As an example I just watched “Ride Clear of Diablo” 1954 with Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea and Susan Cabot in eye-popping Technicolor. If one is online browsing around it’s definitely worth a look.

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  32. Do you accept suggestions? I know we see them often in individual review posts. Here’s mine: “The Third Secret” (1964). Never heard of it? Neither had I, despite the fine cast of Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Richard Attenborough, Diane Cilento, Pamela Franklin, and Judi Dench (her first film). Directed by the estimable Charles Crichton during his post-Ealing fallow period. Beautifully shot by Douglas Slocombe in B&W CinemaScope. A famous psychiatrist commits suicide. Or was he murdered by one of his patients? Don’t expect realism in a murder mystery about psychoanalysis. But there’s much else to enjoy, especially Franklin in a role midway between her childhood debut (“The Innocents” [1961]) and her startling maturing in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969). I see you mostly comment on U.S. films, but this would make a worthy exception. 20th Century-Fox produced it amid the “Cleopatra” crisis and more or less dumped it in general release. Patricia Neal’s role was oddly eliminated, which seems surprising when you consider that it followed shortly upon her triumph in “Hud.” There’s a BluRay in Europe. Here it’s currently free on YouTube in excellent quality.

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    • Sure, suggestions are always welcome, although I can’t promise to follow up on everything. I’ve seen The Third Secret a few times and liked it and have thought about featuring it here in the past. I do focus a lot on US movies but I have written about British films too and will continue to do so – I tend not to have any particular system, and it’s simply a matter of what has caught my attention at a given time. So yes, I shall certainly keep this one in mind now you’ve drawn my attention back to it.

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