invisible men, devil bats, and classics

 

The "highlight reel."  People use that expression about You Tube videos, and information disseminated via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. ...The idea that people are "posting" a series of photos or videos showing an unbroken ongoing chain of fabulousness.

This point of view sort of applies to how I used to think of "old movies."  When I thought of films made between 1930 and 1970, I didn't think of all of the movies that came out of Hollywood in those years, I only would be thinking of the best ones, the ones we still watch, the "cream of the crop" -- the "highlight reel."

...The Classics.

All About Eve

Casablanca

The Wizard of Oz

Gone With the Wind

The Philadelphia Story

The Big Sleep

Notorious

Rebecca

Bringing Up Baby

Gaslight

Key Largo

Double Indemnity

Laura

North By Northwest

His Girl Friday

Citizen Kane

Sweet Smell of Success

Out of the Past

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        There were lots of other movies made back then, and they can be interesting for other reasons (or not). ...

Dr. Cyclops (1940)

        A mad scientist working in the South American jungle miniaturizes his colleagues when he feels his megalomania is threatened.

(Oooh - kay...)

The Invisible Man Returns

One Million B.C.

The Man with Nine Lives

Black Friday (Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi!)

The Devil Bat

The Mummy's Hand

The Invisible Woman

The Saint's Double Trouble

The Saint Takes Over

Before I Hang

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        Sometimes I go to You Tube to find out what movies there are to be seen.  Black-and-white; Color; 1940s; 1960s; riveting; unfathomable; dull.  It's all over the map out there.

Here on this blog, we sometimes discuss Film Noir -- people uploading on You Tube throw that phrase around, and I don't think they know what it means.  Some of them think it means any black-and-white movie, apparently!

Today while doing things and getting ready to go to work, I found a movie under the "film noir" heading,

Call Northside 777.

It is an excellent film!  I was really excited, because sometimes (many times) you start watching a movie and then the interest of it just sags, weakly, and you are disappointed.

Call Northside 777 has only two problems (minor).

One is the title -- I still don't know what it refers to, (didn't have time to watch it closely enough) and it's easy to forget.  I kept looking back for the name of the movie -- "What was it, again?"

The other thing is billing it as "film noir" -- it is not.  But it is a great movie.

James Stewart plays the lead role.  He's terrific.  (That voice!)

So -- forget "noir" -- doesn't matter, we have other movies for that genre.

And write down the title of this movie because most people will forget it, otherwise.

And then you can play it on You Tube.

It should be recognized and remembered and appreciated -- not forgotten.

-30-