Lions, Towers & Shields

Director William Wyler’s film tells the stories of three men returning home from World War II and the impact on their lives, their families and their careers. Great performances from Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy and acting newcomer Harold Russell. Lesser-known faves of mine, Gladys George and Cathy O’Donnell are also great to see. Released a year after war’s end, this is the winner of many awards. Wyler served in the war, and I think it shows in the way he made this film.**

The Best Years of Our Lives

Host Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard, Erika Ensign, and Randy Dotinga.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected].

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

The Self-Referential LTS

Next time, we’ll watch

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The first Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake pairing is a film noir/thriller about a hit man doing his job and getting even. Alan Ladd’s cat is unbilled. Please also enjoy Laird Cregar, about whom there’s so much to say!

This Gun for Hire

Host Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels, Randy Dotinga, and David J. Loehr.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or on Twitter.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

The Self-Referential LTS

Next time, we’ll watch

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

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The film version of Cole Porter’s show, which is based on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” (got that?) landed in the middle of MGM’s big technicolor musical era, the 1950s. Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ann Miller are your stars, and a very young Bob Fosse is among the standouts in the cast. Movie censors got to Porter’s lyrics, which gives us some fun topics to cover. It’s also your host’s birthday show. Because it’s too darn hot to cover anything else.

Kiss Me Kate

Host Shelly Brisbin with David Almeida, Annette Wierstra, and David J. Loehr.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or on Twitter.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

The Self-Referential LTS

Next time, we’ll watch

This Gun for Hire (1942)

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Burt Lancaster plays a newspaper columnist who is based on Walter Winchell. Winchell was a powerful, vindictive dude, and Lancaster is deliciously evil here, going after the man his sister loves, because he can. Tony Curtis co-stars as a man doing Lancaster’s bidding to advance his own career. The film is based on Ernest Lehman’s novel, and the screenplay was co-written by Clifford Odets. The script is a strong point, as are Lancaster and Curtis’s performances. Enjoy the great jazz score, and get lost in the sleazy world of press agents and corrupt columnists.

Sweet Smell of Success

Host Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Randy Dotinga, Nathan Alderman, and Philip Michaels.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/liontowershield].

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

The Self-Referential LTS

Next time, we’ll watch

Kiss Me Kate (1953)

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Barbara Stanwyck is back, and we’ve got her. Here’s a noir melodrama with its share of flaws that I like, regardless. And man, IMDB gives a LOT more plot than I would have. “A pregnant woman adopts the identity of a railroad crash victim and starts a new life with the woman’s wealthy in-laws, but is soon blackmailed by her devious ex.” It’s stylishly directed by Mitchell Leisen, and features lots of familiar character actors. And John Lund is also in it.

No Man of Her Own

Host Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman and Randy Dotinga.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/liontowershield].

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

Sweet Smell of Success (1957), trailer

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Call it “minor Hitchcock.” Spellbound tells the story of an amnesiac man who can’t remember the murder of which he’s suspected, and the psychiatrist (it’s 1945, so I have to say “lady” psychiatrist) who helps him sort it out. Gregory Peck is early in his film career, and Ingrid Bergman is all, see you later, Charles Boyer. That’s a “Gaslight” joke. Also notable for the Salvador Dali dream sequence.

Spellbound

Host Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman and Randy Dotinga.

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or on Twitter.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

No Man of Her Own (1950)

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The history of newspapers and typography is this movie’s subject. Director Sam Fuller made this love letter to journalism, and in this episode, we echo that love right back, with the aid of an actual typography historian. Get the movie on YouTube and watch along with us. We’ll count you in!

Park Row

Host Shelly Brisbin with Annette Wierstra, Moisés Chiullán, and Glenn Fleishman.

Watch the film on YouTube as you follow along with our commnetary.

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Put the blame on mame, boys. And also on George McCreedy and Glenn Ford. It’s a love triangle and an erotic noir. But many people just focus on Rita Hayworth’s song and the dress she sang it in. Gilda also features plenty of gay subtext, which we’ll discuss at length, as well as why some films of this era “got away” with gay themes, while others did not. I also believe we’re setting a record for references to past LTS episodes. I’m not mad at that.

Gilda

Host Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels, Micheline Maynard, and Randy Dotinga.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

Spellbound (1945)

Featuring Randy Dotinga’s article on gay subtext in film noir

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To paraphrase IMDB, it’s a love story until it’s an obsession story. Then it really gets weird. Gene Tierney is gonna make you kinda mad in this Technicolor, noir thriller. We love it!

Leave Her to Heaven

Host Shelly Brisbin with Lisa Schmeiser and Nathan Alderman.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

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By the late 1950s, big-budget musicals were in color and wide screen, and MGM made several really great ones. Late-period Cole Porter wrote the songs, and Fred Astaire is paired with a much younger partner (surprise!), Cyd Charisse in this remake of 1939’s Ninotchka - Garbo’s last great film. For extra credit, watch both. Enjoy the comedy stylings of Peter Lorre and his commissars, and the delightful Janice Paige, too.

Silk Stockings

Host Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

Next time, we’ll watch

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

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