In June of this year, MVD Visual released to DVD a wonderful 1994 documentary entitled Entertaining the Troops—a ninety-minute special originally shown on PBS stations during their fundraising drives. (There’s even a plea to donate from the legendary Mel Blanc at the end of the documentary, allowing him to do some of the cartoon voices […]

In 1943, Universal Pictures was reaping the rewards from a revived horror movie cycle, so the studio decided in June of that year to ink a deal with Simon and Schuster to institute a film series based upon the publishing company’s popular “Inner Sanctum” novels…much in the same way that S&S agreed to let producer […]

One thing you can say about Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Harold Peary): his political ambitions are boundless, and in the 1944 film comedy Gildersleeve’s Ghost he’s determined to advance from his present position as Summerfield’s water commissioner to Summerfield’s police commissioner. It’s not proving to be an easy task; the current man in the job, Commissioner […]

A Close Call for Boston Blackie begins in a particularly jaunty mood: Horatio “Boston Blackie” Black (Chester Morris) and his sidekick The Runt (George E. Stone) are riding back to Blackie’s apartment courtesy of Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) and his aide de camp, Sergeant Matthews (Frank Sully). It seems that Blackie’s Galahad-like gallantry got him […]

The media company known emphatically as Shout! Factory pre-released one of the most highly anticipated DVD sets for old-time radio fans on June 18th of this year—a three-disc collection entitled The Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes.  Eighteen telecasts (restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) from the comedian’s celebrated TV series (culled between […]