Hump Day Classic Movie: The Kid (1921)

Hard to believe considering how much of a movie buff I am, but until recently? I hadn't seen a Charlie Chaplin movie. Weird, I know.


The Kid is considered one of his best movies, and it's easy to see why. Despite the lack of dialogue and the weird, double speed that sometimes occurs in silent films, this movie is hilarious, sweet, heartbreaking, and never dull.

I was also struck by how earthy the movie was. There's unwed motherhood, drinking, violence... Something that in today's Puritanical movie ratings would earn this film at least a PG rating. If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend it.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)

Every once in awhile, Netflix coughs up a recommendation for a movie I haven't seen and end up loving. Blackbeard's Ghost is one of those. It features Peter Ustinov as the hilarious Captain Blackbeard, a selfish ghost who likes his rum too much.

I really loved this movie. It has that old-school feel, but because it wasn't made in today's sanitized family movie environment, it gets away with quite a lot. The hero of the story is played  by Dean Jones (of Love Bug fame), and watching him try to balance talking with ghost only he can see with not wanting to be thought bat-shit crazy is fun.

It's filled with quirky characters, a fantastic script, and overall great pacing, but honestly, Peter Ustinov steals the show. He's perfect in this.

Description from Netflix: In this Disney family favorite, Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones and a perky Suzanne Pleshette deliver plenty of laughs. A college track coach is desperate when he faces off against a group of racketeers who plan to turn his house into a casino. Out of options, he calls upon his ancestor, the great pirate Blackbeard, to defeat the motley crew of criminals. The film's special effects were groundbreaking for its time. Robert Stevenson directs.

Hump Day Classic Movie: It Happened One Night (1934)

This is one of the oldest movies I've really enjoyed.  Normally, some of those before the 1940s are cursed with the overacting that resulted from the switch from stage to screen and silent to talkies. Not so this one. It's fantastic and Clark Gable is a total hottie in it.

The movie also stars Claudette Colbert who nails the clueless, naive, but determined socialite on the run from a wedding she no longer wants.  There is lots of humor and charm in the script. The acting is superb. It's definitely held up well in the 81 years since it was released. 81 years!

You can watch it on Amazon Prime. It's also available on DVD.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Trouble with Harry (1955)

I've been using my DVD Netflix subscription this summer like crazy, catching up on my suspense and film noir queue. (My internet is too pokey to reliably stream). So far, the highlight has been this dark comedy with a very young Shirley MacLaine.

I like to think of this as the original Weekend at Bernies. Poor Harry is dead, and so many people in this small town are trying to cover up his death. He is stumbled upon—literally—by person after person. Instead of getting help, they are all convinced they somehow accidentally killed him. 

The Trouble with Harry is part screwball comedy, part quirky small town, and part mystery. Hitchcock goes a little over-the-top with the physical humor, and the romantic part of the story irritates me. No, wait...that's MacLaine. I've never been a fan. There's enough sly humor, though, to make me chuckle. I really enjoyed how genre-defying the movie was. There aren't many out there like this one.

The Netflix description: Alfred Hitchcock's second American comedy demonstrates the director's flair for gallows humor. The trouble with Harry is ... he's "expired," and the residents of a quaint New England tourist spot just can't seem to get rid of him. Shirley MacLaine makes her film debut, and that's Jerry Mathers (the Beave himself) as the bewildered boy. See if you can spot Hitchcock in his customary cameo (hint: he's strolling past a limo).

You can find it on Netflix or on Amazon here.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Double Indemnity (1944)

There are a lot of noir films out there.  Finding a place to start can be intimidating. Fortunately, Google is my best friend. If I find a movie on multiple Top 10 lists, I bump it up in my Netflix queue. Double Indemnity is on just about every list out there. It's iconic, not the least because of Barbara Stanwyck's performance. I spotted a clip featuring her scene in the bath towel playing in the background on NCIS last night.

Fred MacMurray, probably best known for his Disney goofball roles in the Absent Minded Professor and the The Shaggy Dog, plays an insurance agent who winds up getting in over his head with an unhappy housewife who manipulates him into planning the murder of her husband.

Directed by Billy Wilder (who co-wrote the screenplay with Raymond Chandler, based on James Cain's book) the movie has some intricate, razor-sharp dialogue. There's plenty of action, too, but to get the most out of this movie, you have to really listen.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Wait Until Dark (1967)

Hey, they're back! It's Hump Day Movies again! Since the summer, I've treated myself to a DVD Netflix account (our internet is too pokey for streaming) and have been indulging in classic movies I can't get anywhere else.  I've come to appreciate Netflix's recommendation tool because it's recommended quite a few movies (new and old) I hadn't heard of before that I ended up really enjoying.

Wait Until Dark is one of those movies that on its surface is really simple. Blind lady gets terrorized by thugs...but what makes this movie so darn creepy is the performances of the stars and the way the story builds on itself. The audience watches as Audrey Hepburn's character, Suzy, is manipulated. Lied to. Threatened. They are in on it. Suzy is not. It's like watching something awful happen to someone and being powerless to stop it. That sense of helplessness the audience feels is what makes this movie work. It's immersive. And Hepburn sells it completely.

Alan Arkin is amazing in this, although he's so young it took me a long time to recognize him. You can find it on Netflix or on Amazon in digital format or DVD.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Stranger (1946)

I decided it was time to let (force) Oldest watch some film noir with me. After all, he's a bit of an unhappy ending junkie (not really sure how that happened since I tend to be all about HEAs myself). This is his cultural education we're talking about. His grandma has already perverted his film education with Godzilla and Mothra marathons. I've gotta do something!

Enter, a quick Google search of Film Noir classics. Every week, I'm going to torture  treat him to a new-to-him classic movie. I might even let him eat some junk food while we watch. I'm a cool mom, sometimes.

We're starting with The Stranger. Just because. I think we can mock the way nobody in this film is able to follow anyone else with any semblance of stealth. Plus I can sneak in some historical reference points, too.

You can find it on Amazon Prime for free or, if you're not a Prime member, for rent.

Here's the synopsis: The great Orson Welles directed and stars in this tense thriller about as a respected small New England town college professor who will stop at nothing to conceal his shocking and deadly past.

Hump Day Classic Movie: His Girl Friday

It's pouring rain outside today and the weather experts say it will be raining all week. Time to break out the classics!

His Girl Friday is one of the quintessential romantic screwball comedies. It's famous for its frenetic, witty banter, and rightly so. I've probably watched this movie twenty times, and I catch something new every viewing. You'll need to crank up the volume to hear some of the dialogue.

Something I really love about this movie is how modern it is, even with the telephones and typewriters. It was made in 1940, adapted from a play, but the characters are so edgy. The two main characters are ex-spouses and in the newspaper business.  Hildy is going to be remarried, and Walter, confronted with the permanent loss of a wife he still cares for, sabotages her plans by using her love of the news business against her.

The dialogue is hilarious:

Hildy: "Walter, you're wonderful in a loathesome kind of way"

Walter: "There's been a lamp burning in the window for ya, honey... here."
Hildy: "Oh, I jumped out that window a long time ago. "

They remade this movie with Burt Reynolds, Kathleen Turner, and Christopher Reeve as Switching Channels in 1988, and it was nowhere near as good.

If you're a Prime member, His Girl Friday is free to watch via streaming.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Sea Hawk

After trying and failing to resist an Errol Flynn 4-movie pack at Costco, I fired up the DVD player when I got home to watch The Sea Hawk. It's one of the few Errol Flynn movies I hadn't seen yet, but I wasn't surprised by how much I liked it. There's just something about Errol that makes those old movies so fun.

The special features on the disc were surprisingly informative. Normally, they skimp on those with older films or bargain packs, but not here! Apparently, they reused most of the sets (and even some of the costumes) from a Bette Davis movie called The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, also starring...Errol Flynn. Even the composer was the same, but the movies ended up being nothing at all alike. Truly amazing considering how formulaic so many of those company films could be.

They just don't make movies like this anymore. The scale, the larger-than-life adventure...it's just not possible with today's inflated budgets unless you're talking about CGI. It's not rated, and there is some violence, but nothing beyond a mild PG. Very, very fun if you're in the mood for some swashbuckling, Elizabethan style!

Hump Day Classic Movies: Highlander (1986) Flash Gordon (1980)

I was listening to Queen on the way home the other day and got to thinking about how many movies during the 1980s featured their music. At least a handful.  But there are two movies that feature so many songs, I immediately think of them when the songs are playing.

Flash Gordon is a truly awful film. It's in the so bad it's funny genre. I suspect it was meant to be, but was a box office flop anyway. The actors who play Flash and his love interest are truly terrible actors. But there's also Timothy Dalton and Max von Sydow. You can find the soundtrack as a digital download.

The other big movie featuring Queen's music was, of course, Highlander. Personally, I am not a huge fan of the movie. It's ok. There's just too much sword play for me. And I can't stand Christopher Lambert. But the music? Love it.

But both films do have cult followings, so what do I know? If you haven't watched either of them, you should definitely give them a try. Even if you have to shut your eyes and just listen to Brian Mays's songs.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Maybe it's the storm outside. Maybe it's the whopping 4 hours of sleep followed by the morning power outage. I'm feeling like watching something with a little bit of dark humor. And in hump day movie language, that means Arsenic and Old Lace.

Looking at the cover image, along with seeing the name Frank Capra (of It's a Wonderful Life or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington fame), might give the false impression that this is a light-hearted screwball comedy. In reality, it's anything but.

Here's the blurb:


A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

No, really. That's what this film is about. It's deliciously awful. Cary Grant's facial expressions are priceless. And the characters in this wacky film are mood lifters, despite the creepy premise of the film.

C'mon, you know you wanna watch it.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Ladyhawke (1985)

Now that summer is waning and the kids are going back to school, it's time to shift our Hump Day movies from summer popcorn to classics. But, as you know, my definition of classic is pretty fluid. Today's movie is now 25 years old! That's at least a little vintage, right?

Ladyhawke is a fantasy film. Kind of a cross between medieval historical and paranormal, this movie has some well known actors: Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfieffer, Matthew Broderick, and Alfred Molina.
Broderick is a bit of a show stealer here and provides much of the comic relief. Plus he looks SO young. 

The music for the film can be a bit distracting. It was composed by Andrew Powell and produced by Alan Parson and therefore is very Alan Parsons Project-y. Many think it dates the film (it does) but I also think it enhances the very 80s vibe that the film has. A traditional score might have turned this film into limp melodramatic movie.

This is a perfect movie for easing into the school year.

Hump Day Classic Movie(s):The Blob (1958) and THEM (1954)

Nothing says summer to me like really cheesy 1950s monster movies.  And nothing says monster movie like The Blob and Them!

What could be sillier than a rampaging piece of jello? Perhaps giant ants! Both movies are classics. They each have star power: The Blob stars Steve McQueen and Them! has both James Arness and James Whitmore. And they each have a somewhat silly monster.

One of the reasons I loved the Dreamworks film, Monsters vs. Aliens, is because of the tongue in cheek references to all of the classic horror films I grew up with. My mom watched them at the drive in when she was little; I watched them at home on VHS. These may seem stupid to younger viewers who have grown up with digital special effects, but there's a charm to these movies that just isn't there in more modern CGI extravaganzas.
 

Hump Day Classic Movie: Summer School (1987)

Viewer warning: Summer School really is quite a silly movie. But!! You should still watch it because of the following:

The cast.

This film stars Mark Harmon at the height of his 1980s popularity. It also stars Kirstie Alley. But the reason I have a twinge of nostalgia here is the presence of Patrick Labyorteaux as a teenager. I loved him in JAG as Bud Roberts, and he was just as adorable here. Mark and Patrick definitely look quite different from the few NCIS/JAG crossover episodes.

Also making an appearance is Courtney Thorne-Smith from Ally McBeal.

Plus, the fake attacking bunny scene is a classic. This film falls into the 'so awful it's funny' category, but I love it anyway.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Encino Man

Ok, I'm stretching the definition of classic quite a bit here. Encino Man came out in 1992 which means it is a mere 18 years old. But what makes this  a classic for me is the number of film quotes I have in my personal lexicon that came from this movie.


A few caveats for those who haven't seen this movie yet.

1. It is a teen comedy. Meaning it lacks a lot of emotional depth and the plot (as always) seems to revolve around girls and being popular.

2. It has Pauly Shore in it.

3. It is not politically correct. Not even a little bit.

4. The plot is sheer farce and incredibly silly.


On the plus side, though, this is one of Brendan Fraser's first films. It also stars Sean Astin and Michael DeLuise. And although I usually dislike Pauly Shore, this is a part tailor-made for him.  The movie as a whole is charming, funny, and very memorable. Not something I often say of a teen movie.

The European version of the film was called California Man.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Dark Crystal 1982

Although best known for the lighthearted Muppets and Sesame Street, Jim Henson had a bit of a dark side as well. The Dark Crystal features the art design of Brian Froud--now a renowned fantasy artist.

This is unlike any other work by Henson. It's dark; it's creepy; it's violent. And it's proof that movies made for children can have depth as well as imagination.

Hump Day Classic Movie: Clash of the Titans

I grew up watching the original Clash of the Titans made in 1981. It's a classic. It's campy. And has typical Ray Harryhausen special effects that are charming in their simplicity. You won't get motion sickness watching this one.

Starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Burgess Meredith

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Creeping Flesh (1973)

Okay, this one is just campy. It's biggest *ahem* recommendation is that it might provide some unintentional laughs. I know it did for me.

The Creeping Flesh stars Christopher Lee and features an oversized skeleton that can regrow tissue. Ewww.

Still, for dirty minds like mine, there's a memorable scene where a dismembered finger starts to grow...and um...it sort of doesn't look like a finger.

I love Christopher Lee. Modern audiences might recognize him from the Lord of the Rings or the newer Star Wars films, but he's a giant in the horror industry. He's been making films for what seems like forever. Don't believe me? Check out his filmography!

This title is out of production at the moment. You can find used copies from Amazon, though.

Hump Day Classic Movie: The Adventures of Robin Hood

Okay, we've seen every conceivable version of the Robin Hood legend on film. From Kevin Costner's horrible accent to the animated Disney version featuring animals. But have you seen THIS version? Not the highlights. The entire movie.

It's from way back in 1938 and features Errol Flynn in one of his iconic roles.

Here's why I love this version.

Errol Flynn in a swashbuckler (you're gasping in surprise, right?).
Olivia deHavilland as someone (anyone) other than Melanie in GWTW.
Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne

Sherwood Forest is actually Bidwell Park in Chico, CA. My "general" neck of the woods.

It's so incredibly cheesy. But it is THE version I love for silliness. And the sword fights. They are awesome.


You can find the trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3471574041/

Hump Day Classic Movie: Darby O'Gill and the Little People

It's a week until St. Patrick's Day, but here's a little bit o' Irish to keep you until then. It's super cheesy, features Scottish Sean Connery singing, and is made by Disney.

1959
Sean Connery, Janet Munro, Albert Sharpe
Walt Disney