Welcome to the final day (ed. – extended here, apologies) of the John Ford Blogathon, hosted by yours truly and Christianne at Krell Laboratories. At my last count, we had close to 30 separate blog entries from nearly as many different authors; thank you to all our participants and readers this past week! Tomorrow I will collect the full list of contributions into a separate post, for quick reference to anyone who may like a handy link collection, and as usual, there is a roll call at the bottom of today’s post with the most recent contributions.

My final entry looks at two of John Ford’s early films featuring criminals who turn good: 3 Bad Men (1926), an early silent picture; and Up The River (1930), the first feature film for both Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart and the only time the two would collaborate on screen. Continue reading Criminal Heroes – 3 Bad Men (1926) and Up The River (1930) →

It’s day 5 of the John Ford Blogathon, which means just a couple more days of fantastic posts from all over the ‘net, celebrating the works of director John Ford. We’ve had so many amazing pieces of writing so far, so please be sure to check out today’s blogroll at the bottom of this piece, which takes a look at three more of Ford’s films, this time featuring children in significant roles: Just Pals (1920), Wee Willie Winkie (1937), and How Green Was My Valley (1941). Continue reading Suffer the Little Children – Just Pals (1920), Wee Willie Winkie (1937), How Green Was My Valley (1941) →

Welcome back to the John Ford Blogathon, which is about halfway through its run. I hope you’ve taken the time to read at least some of the contributions; it’s fantastic seeing how many participants Krell Labs and I have so far. Thank you to all the writers who have joined us! Read on for my thoughts on three more of Ford’s films, this time featuring Will Rogers, and more links from around the web…
Continue reading Will and Jack – Doctor Bull (1933), Judge Priest (1934), Steamboat Round The Bend (1935) →

It’s the John Ford Blogathon, friends! Thank you for being reading along; please be sure to check out the links at the bottom of the post for other participating authors during this week of celebrating one of cinema’s most loved directors. I have a handful of posts for this week, all based around films from the Ford at Fox boxset. For classic film fans, this is an essential addition to the collection, although the sheer physical size of it is a bit intimidating. There are several treasures to uncover right next to time-honored Ford films, and for the most part the set has a high rewatch value. Continue reading A Mother’s Love – Four Sons (1928) and Pilgrimage (1933) →

Greetings, and welcome to the 1967 in Film Blogathon, hosted by Silver Screenings. All it took was a virtual whispering in the ear from Christianne Benedict of Krell Laboratories: “Quatermass and the Pit is still on the table, too…nudge, nudge…” and here we go. I had a sense that this blogathon would likely be focused on US cinema, as there were indeed a great many cultural and aesthetic shifts in and around 1967, so the idea of talking a little about a film outside of those parameters sounded like a bit of fun. That’s not to mention the whole idea of tossing a Hammer-produced science fiction / horror film into the mix — too delicious an opportunity to pass. Continue reading 1967 in Film Blogathon – Quatermass and the Pit →