A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

Notes: 6/16/11

Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands – all excellent.

Daniel Petrie directs while Lorraine Hansberry adapted her own play.

Louis Gossett Jr. and his 'faggotty white shoes'.

John Fiedler says 'you people' a lot.

Great set design. Subtle music.

Claudia McNeil does great work as the family matriarch.

Great glimpse of African American life.

Review: B

Sidney Poitier stars as Walter Lee Younger in this film adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's play about a black family getting by in their tiny Chicago apartment. The ensemble cast is quite talented with Poitier portraying the right levels of maturity and immaturity in Walter. Claudia McNeil is the standout as Walter's mother, while Ruby Dee and Diana Sands as Poitier's wife and sister, respectively, each deliver sparks. No signs of static or stagy elements keep the play's impact intact.

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Notes: 6/16/11

Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Both young and beautiful.

Elia Kazan directs a William Inge script.

The music and cinematography are perfect for the time and place.

Bath tub scene! Fabulous. Electric. Natalie Wood is terrific.

Thoughtful, adult, well-written, and well-directed.

Kazan's direction, particularly in scenes with the parents, is vivid and superb.

Review: B+

The hopes of youth and the sacrifices of adulthood are bittersweetly conveyed by director Elia Kazan in this thoughtful film. Warren Beatty is Bud, a handsome upper class high school football star who is loved unconditionally by Natalie Wood's Deanie in simple 1920s Kansas town. Bud's oppressive father has greater things in mind, and Deanie's love for Bud turns unrequited. Beatty shows an early confidence in a complicated role, while Wood is marvelous as a young girl struggling through emotions far beyond her experience. Fine screenplay by William Inge, brought to life by a strong cast and expert direction.

Lover Come Back (1961)

Notes: 6/9/11

Ann B. Davis plays Doris Day's secretary.

'Just a touch' of more bourbon. Jack Oakie as Southern Mr. Miller.

Edie Adams has a a lot of fun as a wannabe actress.

The hats are ridiculous. At the beach Doris wears what looks like a party hat.

Great chemistry between Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

Tony Randall is very funny in support. Drunk on Vip.

If only everyone was as cute as Doris and Rock.

Review: B

Rock Hudson-Doris Day sex comedy sparkles with fun dialogue and cute 60s set pieces. Rock and Doris are advertising agents competing for a product that doesn't actually exist. Colorful and energetic with a fine supporting cast, including Tony Randall in a very funny performance. Best parts are the hilarious ways the screenplay touches upon taboo subjects like homosexuality and drug use.

La Dolce Vita (1961)

Notes: 6/8/11

Grotesque fun house of people.

Fellini offers little innocence in his vision of Rome.

One of those movies that you can't take your eyes off of.

Hypnotic and slightly nauseating visuals and characters.

Marcello Mastroianni is perfect.

Anita Ekberg is the best part of the film as Sylvia.

Anouk Aimee is beautiful as Maddalena..

Paparazzi. Like swarming vultures.

Review: A-

Decadently grotesque film from Italian maestro Federico Fellini offers us a hynotic and slightly nauseating view of Rome through the eyes of Marcelo, a journalist played by the magnetic Marcello Mastroianni. Fellini paints Rome in a lurid, passionate light, peppering it with strangely ponderous characters searching for fulfillment. Mastroianni's episodic encounters take him from a helicopter carrying a statue of Christ, to the Trevi Fountain with a buxom, brilliant Anita Ekberg, to a beach house of depravity, to who knows where else. Marcelo appears to be looking for a sense of purpose; perhaps something sweet as the title suggests. Unforgettable images, philosophical dialogue, and the dizzying style of Fellini make this a film to admire.

Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

Notes: 6/7/11

William Castle introduces this chiller. References Homicidal, his other 1961 film.

Oscar Homolka (with stitched-up eye) plays Krull.

Creepy black-and-white photography.

Castle is lit like a grinning skull.

Baron Sardonicus. He wears a mask?! What's up with his face?

Punishment Poll. Audience can decide the fate of Sardonicus.

Has Mr. Sardonicus been punished enough?

Review: B-

Creepy black-and-white chiller from William Castle owes many elements to 1930s horror films. An English doctor is called to the home of Baron Sardonicus, an unusual masked gentleman, for an equally unusual favor. Castle's brand of audience interaction is clever this time around asking audiences to vote in a Punishment Poll to decide a character's fate. Oscar Homolka provides a memorable character role as Krull, the manservant to Sardonicus. Overall, the film is relatively on par with Castle's previous efforts, offering enough shocks to keep an audience amused.

Summer and Smoke (1961)

Notes: 6/2/11

Based on a Tennessee Williams play.

Eternity. It goes on and on.

Lots of Southern flavor. “I do declare!”

Geraldine Page plays Alma. Alma means 'soul'.

Laurence Harvey is the epitome of Southern hotness.

Una Merkel plays Alma's mother. It appears she is a nutjob.

Typically tragic, ironic, yearning Tennessee Williams drama.

Geraldine Page wears all of her emotion on her face.

Review: B

Well-acted Tennessee Williams drama focuses on Alma who is on the verge of a spinster's life while caring for her disturbed mother. Alma is in love with a young doctor who prefers a life of decadence to Alma's simpler ways. Geraldine Page wears every emotion on her face for her portrayal of Alma. Supporting cast is quite good, especially Una Merkel who makes her mother character sympathetic and believable in a handful of scenes. Not the most fascinating of all Williams adaptations but still entertaining.

Goodbye Again (1961)

Notes: 6/1/11

Ingrid Bergman is beautiful. Characters keep asking her when she was born. She looks quite lovely.

Yves Montand are Anthony Perkins are competing for her.

Directed by Anatole Litvak.

Cougar alert! Bergman and Perkins spark a romance.

Only Bergman could play this role successfully.

Diahann Carroll shows up as a songtress. Sings title song.

Ending in front of the mirror. Perfect Bergman.

Review: B-

Ingrid Bergman plays Paula, still attractive in her forties, who pines for classy, handsome Yves Montand, a ladies man with commitment issues. To complicate matters, suave young lawyer Anthony Perkins meets and falls in love with Bergman, who insists she is too old for him. Soap opera story is elevated by talented actors and the stunning beauty of Ingrid, who is marvelous.

The Deadly Companions (1961)

Notes: 6/1/11

Much different roles for Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara after The Parent Trap.

Steve Cochran, Chill Wills, and Strother Martin have supporting roles.

First feature of director Sam Peckinpah.

O'Hara is a bit miscast. She's a bit old and doesn't deliver believable emotion.

A bit too much happening when the central story is the most interesting.

Review: C

Keith accidentally kills O'Hara's young son in a shoot-out and makes amends by escorting her through Indian territory to give the boy a proper burial. Dramatic Western veers away from the main plot a bit too much and misses an opporunity for true dramatic fireworks between the two leads. While Keith possesses just enough grit for his role, O'Hara is miscast and lacks the proper range for her complicated character. First feature by director Sam Peckinpah is OK and nothing more.

The Hoodlum Priest (1961)

Notes: 5/31/11

Irvin Kirshner directs. One of his first features.

Not much else of interest in this plodding crime drama.

Don Murray is charismatic and also wrote the screenplay.

Overblown, unfocused, and not entirely involving.

Kirshner delivers with directorial touches. Realism is achieved.

Downbeat conclusion is the film's highlight.

Keir Dullea is the whole show. So much sweat and fear.

Review: C

Don Murray co-wrote and stars in this slightly overblown tale of a city priest who ends up devoting his life to reforming young delinquents. Young Keir Dullea steals the film as a sensitive young 'hood' who is helped along by Murray's guidance. Irvin Kirshner directs with fine realism and a few gritty flourishes. Dullea manages to make the film's downbeat conclusion a must-see. Unfortunately, as entertainment, the film lacks focus and plods along aimlessly.

The Devil at 4 O'Clock

Notes: 5/30/11

Spencer Tracy is a priest and Frank Sinatra is a convict

Lots of serious issues and not enough humor.

Spencer just seems angry all the time.

Sinatra is too serious and doesn't get to flex his charm.

“I just felt the devil pass under my feet.”

Kerwin Matthews is a young priest. Sort of boring.

Turns into a volcano disaster film.

Still proves to be a bit dull.

Lots of religious talk. Tracy is, of course, a priest.

Review: C

Heavy religious themes and not enough humor make this film rather dull. Spencer Tracy is an aging priest who employs convict Frank Sinatra to rescue children from a leper colony when a volcano violently erupts. Too serious and self-important to capture viewer's attention and the stars are not given a proper showcase for their talents.

The Second Time Around (1961)

Notes: 5/18/11

Silly Western romance.

Debbie Reynolds is full of energy.

Thelma Ritter is fun in support.

Andy Griffith and Steve Forrest are dueling lovers of Debbie.

Everything works out fine in the end. Well made.

Director Vincent Sherman moved the action along swiftly.

Review: C

Debbie Reynolds exudes energy in this silly Western romance. Debbie is chased by two suitors while raising children from a previous marriage. Andy Griffith and Steve Forrest are the dueling lovers. Vincent Sherman moves the action along quickly as director and showcases the great Thelma Ritter as (who else?) Debbie's sly no-nonsense friend. Pretty well-made but pretty forgettable just the same.

Master of the World (1961)

Notes: 5/18/11

A bit campy, perhaps because of the cast.

Vincent Price as a nutjob. Of course.

Charles Bronson strangely cast.

Review: C

Vincent Price does what he does best, this time as a mad genius (aka nutjob) bent on using weapons to create world peace. Jules Verne story is a bit campy, but also colorful and fun. Charles Bronson seems a bit out of place in the hero role.

Something Wild (1961)

Notes: 5/17/11

Eye-catching Saul Bass credits.

Carroll Baker owns the early scenes of the film. Spare dialogue.

Ralph Meeker shows up and probably doesn't mean to do any harm. He's lonely and bruised too.

Dreary and drab, but offers surreal scenes like the museum dream sequence that stand out.

NYC location scenes do add a little to the enjoyment.

Review: C

Dreary, rather depressing tale of New York girl Carroll Baker who bears emotional damaged following a street assault. Soon after, Baker meets lonely drifter Ralph Meeker and the two unleash their emotions in brutal, often violent, ways. Too dark to really enjoy despite some fairly good performances. Depsite the promising premise, the film offers the viewer few challenges.

The Naked Edge (1961)

Notes: 5/17/11

Flashy opening credits.

Written by Joseph Stefano.

Gary Cooper's last movie.

Nice cinematography.

Lots of quiet toward the end. Only sound is the music on television.

Adds to suspense.

Typically stalwart British cast.

Uninteresting. Nothing really exciting.

Review: C

British suspense film traps Gary Cooper and Deborah Kerr in a rather uninteresting story of Kerr suspecting Cooper of murder. Director Michael Anderson creates a thrilling atmosphere, but can't hide a mundane script. Kerr's fright and suspicion were put to greater use in The Innocents. Cooper's last film is a pretty forgettable entry in his career.

The Outsider (1961)

Notes: 5/17/11

Tony Curtis in Native American make-up

Delbert Mann directs

Sorenson and Hayes holding each other on the battlefield. Touching.

Definitely one of Tony's best performances.

Memorian dedication scene is great.

Kind of a downer ending.

Review: C+

Tony Curtis gives an emotional performance as Ira Hayes, the Native-American soldier who takes part in the flag-raising at Iwo Jima and spirals into alcoholism upon returning from the war. A bit of a downer, but worth seeing for Curtis in an atypical role.

Paris Blues (1961)

Notes: 5/4/11

Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, and Joanne Woodward! Mega-stars.

Louis Armstrong appears in a character role.

Diahann Carroll plays Joanne's friend.

American jazz-lovers enjoying the jazz flavor in Paris.

Romance quickly blossoms between each couple.

Despite the cast, the music by Duke Ellington is the real star.

Terrific direction of the music scenes. Such great music.

Review: B

Americans Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier are struggling blues musicians in 60s Paris who meet vacationing fellow Americans Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll. Sparks fly like jazz beats when the four pair up and fall in love. Moody, authentic, and unglamourous black-and-white depiction of Paris is a great showcase for real-life couple Newman and Woodward. The performances and romance are swell, but its the terrifically directed sequences featuring Louis Armstrong and the scoring of Duke Ellington that make the movie special.

The Ladies Man (1961)

Notes: 5/4/11

Jerry Lewis lunacy. Seriously absurd.

Elaborate opening scene on a busy street.

Kathleen Freeman was an imposing figure.

Lots of girls! Big elaborate sets.

George Raft plays a gangster.

Strange set pieces. Jerry has a slight French style to his direction.

Rather strange and kooky atmosphere.

Lots of howling and chasing and assorted slapstick.

Review: C-

Jerry Lewis lunacy raised to the kookiest level. Lots of elaborate sets filled with girls, chase scenes, and assorted slapstick. Moves quickly despite not having a story or anything to really recommend, aside from the marvelous Kathleen Freeman. A Lewis misfire.

Parrish (1961)

Notes: 5/3/11

Glossy production. Delmer Daves directs. Max Steiner does the score.

Lots of connections to Susan Slade – Donahue, Stevens, Daves, Steiner, et al.

Claudette Colbert! Living legend on screen again.

Diane McBain and Colbert have a bitch-off.

Way too long and a bit too over-dramatic.

Colbert deserves much better and Malden is overheated.

Troy and his young actress co-stars are rather boring.

Review: C-

Yet another glossy soaper from the creative team behind A Summer Place. Unfortunately, this empty melodrama lacks the necessary spark to make a viewer care about any of these characters for over two hours. The presence of legendary Claudette Colbert, as well as seasoned actors Karl Malden and Dean Jagger, lifts the film above mediocrity, but the characters are poorly developed. Troy Donahue and the ladies that surround him are all pretty robots. Even the Max Steiner music is forgettable! A waste of time and talent.

Wild in the Country (1961)

Notes: 5/3/11

Elvis movies usually rely on great music or a seasoned cast to be watchable.

Lots of ladies! Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins.

Elvis offers a good performance. He was a good actor, as well as singer.

Certainly a good showcase for Tuesday Weld. Hope Lange was very pretty.

The ladies and Elvis each get a curtain call at the end.

Review: C+

Elvis gets to show off his fine dramatic acting as a troubled man who must undergo counseling as a parole requirement. Hope Lange plays the counselor who encourages Elvis to explore his literary talents. Tuesday Weld and Millie Perkins are local girls who attract (and distract) his attention. The cast is memorable, but the movie is not, despite a saucy showcase for Weld and a surprisingly complicated role for Elvis.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Notes: 4/27/11

Seriously, a title song? Sung by Frankie Avalon.

Curious cast! Joan Fontaine and Walter Pidgeon with Barbara Eden and Frankie Avalon.

Irwin Allen directs. Eventually made Lost in Space and disaster films.

Fontaine reminds me a bit of Patricia Neal in this.

Peter Lorre shark-walking. Much amusement.

Pidgeon was a good actor without ever truly hamming it up.

Great supporting cast. Mostly silly antics.

Review: C+

Mostly silly Irwin Allen adventure tale in the tradition of Jules Verne's underwater adventures. Walter Pidgeon leads a submarine crew to prevent the Earth's radiation belt from exploding. A bit too far-fetched, but not without general good humor and escapist adventure. Appearances by a fine supporting cast, including Joan Fontaine and Peter Lorre, make the film sparkle well enough.