Subtitled The Genesis of America’s Greatest Screen Comedy, this new book from McFarland is one of the finest film books in recent memory from one of our best film historians and authors. Wes D. Gehring takes a book-length deep dive into Billy Wilder and this magnificent film which the author refers to as the Citizen Kane of screen comedy. The premise, the approach, the background, the production, the contribution of the various actors, and other layers of interest, are all

It is quite a fascinating cinematic turn that filmmaker Sam Peckinpah decided to make a feature out of a brief fad that popped up in the mid 1970s: the CB radio craze. For a couple of years, cars became equipped with CB radios so they could communicate among themselves. This became especially significant with truck drivers, and it spawned a very unlikely radio hit, “Convoy” by C.W. McCall. It is based on this song that Peckinpah created the 1978 film Convoy. The film sta

TV historian Vincent Terrace’s new book from McFarland is an exhaustive, fascinating compilation of all the TV shows that could conceivably be part of the Noir sub-genre. The list is alphabetical, not chronological, which works when a particular program is redone under its original title (e.g. Perry Mason from the 50s and early 60s, and again in 2020). Each entry offers statistical information, description, background and insights. It is where you will find such diverse p

In a book that truly fills a need, author Raymond Valinoti, Jr., goes film-by-film through the entire filmography of the Joe McDoakes “Behind The Eight Ball” comedies from Warner Brothers. Running just one reel in length, these comedies feature George O’Hanlon (voice of George Jetson) as a struggling everyman who deals with everything from jury duty to baldness. Each film is written and directed by Richard L Bare (later known for TV’s Green Acres) and often features his t

Richard S. Greene's latest book exploring how classic motion pictures were promoted in their day, concentrates on The Marx Brothers during their Paramount era of 1929-1933. This is when the Marxes did some of their best work, including such timelessly funny films as Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup. As with his usual books, Greene presents an absolutely exhaustive collection of posters, lobby cards, newspaper ads, photos, and other such illustrations which pres

Kino Lorber has released William Wyler’s The Love Trap, a very significant film featuring Laura LaPlante. The Love Trap was released in 1929 just as silent cinema was transitioning to sound film production. By this time, cinema had been perfected without sound, the 1920s concluding with great classics like The Crowd, The Docks of New York, and Seventh Heaven. But sound technology promised another layer to motion pictures. While some films that had been shot in silent for

Kino Lorber’s restoration of The Maverick Queen is important news for the many fans and collectors of western films. It has been too often overlooked among 50s-era westerns despite a lot of significance connected to it. It was made for Republic Pictures, a studio noted for western films, from the A-level features of John Wayne to the B-level actioners of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. It takes advantage of that studio’s Trucolor, which was in use from 1946-1957. And is the fi

The year 1976 in Wisconsin is the setting for Bicentennial Eve, the new novella from author Julie A. Jacob from Fresh Water Press. The time is the night before the July 4th Bicentennial celebration, where a Wisconsin family prepares for the next day’s festivities. It is the milestone of the year the causes each family member to become reflective, examining their own circumstances. Jacob provides a number of different scenarios without ever becoming disjointed in her narrati

This latest book from McFarland, written by Glenn Tolle, explores an area of horror cinema that is alternately fascinating and bemusing to this reviewer. Clowns in Horror is a solid, thorough reference that lists all of the horror movies and TV shows in which clowns are the central figures. For those of us who are older, and grew up when clowns were funny characters beloved by children, the idea of being frightened of them is what’s bemusing. From Bozo to Ronald McDonald

Subtitled Volume I - Crime Films, this valuable reference by Roberto Curti and Frank LaFond chronologically explores French crime thrillers made from 1970-1979. As this reviewer had little familiarity with these films before reading this book, I can respond with certainty that I found it interesting, enlightening and inspiring. It made me want to revisit films I have seen, and seek out those I have not seen. The details are plentiful as the book's selections are packed with