2013 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge: Second Roundup

We are past the second month mark so I'm sharing some new entries for the 2013 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge.

Everyone can chose to read up to 6 books but if you read a total 6 and review them by September 15th, you are eligible to win a prize. The prize in question is your choice of any single disc movie from the Warner Archive and up to $30 worth of books from Barnes and Noble or your favorite Independent Bookstore (or a gift certificate). The prize can be modified if the winner is from outside the U.S.!

How is everyone doing? I have 3 books read, 2 books reviewed, I'm almost done with my 4th book and I'm half way through my 5th. I'm starting to feel the time crunch but I'm confident I can finish the 6 before the deadline of September 15th.

If you are behind, don't be discouraged. Make a plan. Figure out how much reading you have to do, how long you have and try to make daily goals. You can do it! Also, be realistic. If reading 6 books isn't going to happen, lower your number.

On to the reviews!

Lê of Crítica Retrô
Lembranças de Hollywood, de Dulce Damasceno de Brito (There is a Translate button for those of you who are not fluent in Portuguese!)

Margaret of The Great Katharine Hepburn
Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching by Jennifer C. Garlen
Movies and the Battle of the Sexes by ZetMec
The Private World of Katharine Hepburn by John Bryson

Raquel of Out of the Past
My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles

Rich of Wide Screen World
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Dick Moore

Sara on Goodreads
My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles
The Making of The African Queen, or: How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind by Katharine Hepburn


Travis of Cinemalacrum
 British Cinema and the Cold War: The State, Propaganda and Consensus
Killer Kaiju Monsters

(Editor's Note: If you have posted since July 15th and your review is not included above, let me know in the comment section below and I'll add it.) 

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ The Tall Target (1951)

The Tall Target (1951) is a historical detective story based on the disputed Baltimore Plot; a conspiracy to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln on his scheduled train stop in Baltimore, Maryland. The year is 1861 and President Lincoln was on a whistle stop tour that would take him to Washington D.C. America was already deeply divided over slavery and traveling through Maryland would prove to be a rather dangerous venture. The Tall Target explores the Baltimore Plot and how it might have been foiled.

The film stars Dick Powell as New York Detective John Kennedy. Let's stop and talk about that name for a second. The character John Kennedy is based on real life New York Police Superintendent John Alexander Kennedy who allegedly discovered the Baltimore Plot. However, today's audiences are going to think of John F. Kennedy, the President who was assassinated a little over a decade after this film was released, much like Lincoln had been almost a hundred years earlier. At first when I heard the name, I immediately thought of that common theory that Lincoln and Kennedy were linked by various odd coincidences. It's often thought that Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln and Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. The former is true but the latter is not. I stopped the movie and did a little research before continuing. It was bugging me because I thought maybe the John Kennedy in the film would go on to become the Kennedy of Lincoln's administration and I needed clarification. Maybe the myth of Lincoln having a Kennedy as a secretary came from the real life John Alexander Kennedy who was supposedly instrumental in foiling the Baltimore Plot?

Name confusion aside, Dick Powell's John Kennedy is a New York Detective who senses that trouble awaits for Lincoln on his scheduled stop in Baltimore. It's unclear how he gets this information but because it's out of his jurisdiction and because it isn't war time quite yet, he has to forgo his detective badge and head out to prevent the assassination on his own. Adolphe Menjou plays Colonel Caleb Jeffers. The Colonel is well aware of Kennedy's investigation and they travel on the same train to Baltimore. On the train is southerner Lance Beaufort (Marshall Thompson). He's a military man traveling with his sister Ginny (Paula Raymond) and her slave maid Rachel (Ruby Dee).

Kennedy's troubles begin almost instantly when there is confusion about his ticket, someone steals his coat and his identity and the people on the train seem to have different motives. Kennedy discovers Lance Beaufort is in on the Baltimore Plot but Kennedy is now being sought after by the police. He can't prove his identity because he is missing his badge, his ticket and all his identification. I particularly enjoyed Powell's performance as well as that of Ruby Dee. Dee's character Rachel is instrumental in helping Powell with his mission to prevent Lincoln's assassination.

We all know how this ends. Lincoln doesn't get assassinated on his inaugural tour and he also ends up skipping the Baltimore stop. However, the fun about this movie is finding out how the plot gets foiled!

This film is satisfying because it gives us the story of an Abraham Lincoln assassination that didn't happen. Even almost 150 years later, as a nation we are still troubled by President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and it still fascinates us. We are still invested in Lincoln and the story of his life and his death. What if the plot was discovered early and the perpetrator was caught in time before the crime ever happened? We want a hero to step in and save our President! And in this film it happens without altering history.

The Tall Target has a lot going for it: a great title, an interesting story, the pacing keeps things exciting, all the action happens on a train and I particularly enjoyed the performances of Powell, Menjou and Dee. I recommend reading about the Baltimore Plot before you watch the film. Knowing a bit of the context going in helps a lot.

Summary: A suspenseful and interesting historical detective story, The Tall Target (1951) explores the disputed Baltimore Plot to assassinate President Elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861.


The Tall Target (1951)  is available on DVD MOD from Warner Archive.



Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. I rented The Tall Target (1951) from ClassicFlix.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Bullitt (1968)

My contribution to the TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon

Bullitt (1968) will be showing on August 9th (Friday) 4:00 PM EST on Turner Classic Movies as part of the Summer Under the Stars Steve McQueen day. Here are my top 10 reasons why I think you should watch this fantastic film.

1. The fantastic car chase through the streets of San Francisco - I do enjoy a good car chase scene and this one does not disappoint. The exciting twists and turns and jumps along San Francisco's hilly and windy streets are perfect for this scene. And there is a nice big finale that is just oh so satisfying. I could watch this car chase over and over again and never be bored. While there was a stunt driver for some of the difficult maneuvers, Steve McQueen does a lot of the driving himself. There is also a really good airport chase scene too.

2. Steve McQueen - This is the ideal type of role for Steve McQueen. McQueen was especially good at performances in which there was limited dialogue because his efforts were better spent being cool, commanding the screen, racing cars and doing other physical work. This film was produced by McQueen's production company Solar Productions in conjunction with Warner Bros. and Seven Arts. So it's got the special Steve McQueen touch.

3. Confusing Plot - The plot is convoluted and confusing and pretty typical for a 1960's detective movie. Why is this a good thing? Because it gives you the opportunity to sit back, relax and take in the movie without having to preoccupy yourself with the plot details on your first viewing. With repeat viewings, the story starts to make more sense. And because of the convoluted nature of the plot, you find something new with each viewing that you didn't quite catch before. This film just begs to be watched over and over again.

4. Robert Vaughn - He is so wonderfully despicable in this film. According to IMDB, Vaughn didn't want to do the film. McQueen had his heart set on having Vaugh in the film and Warner Bros. kept offering more and more money until Vaughn said yes. Looking back on the film, Robert Vaughn said it was one of his best performances. Vaughn's character Walter Chambers is the polar opposite of McQueen's Frank Bullitt. Chambers's style is a lot more formal and conservative and his motivations are more political. Bullitt just wants to get the bad guy.

5. Steve McQueen's Style - Turtleneck, gun holster, sports coat, dark trousers and Chukka boots (or brown suede boots depending on which fashion guru you talk to). Gentleman, take special note of McQueen's outfits in this. He's casual and while his outfits may seem understated at first glance, they stand out from all the rest.

6. Young Jacqueline Bisset & Robert Duvall - Jacqueline Bisset is so young in this that she's barely recognizable! Bisset plays Cathy, Bullitt's architect girlfriend. Her role is small but very important. She represents the innocence and the emotion that Bullitt is missing in his life. Watch for Robert Duvall . He has a small role as a taxi driver who feeds Bullitt some useful information.

7. 1960s San Francisco - If you want to see what 1960s San Francisco looked like, watch this film! There are lots of great shots and views, especially during the car chase scene.

8. Realism - On location shooting, McQueen doing his own stunts, real life doctors and nurses in hospital scenes. This is not a glossed up Hollywood production. This is a gritty detective film.

9. Lalo Schifrin's Score - I have a difficult time writing about music so I don't often discuss soundtracks or scores on this blog. Lalo Schifrin is an Argentinian musician and composer with a long history of composing music for TV and film. The score for Bullitt is especially good. What I like about the score is that it complements the film very well. I think contemporary films are often weighed down with too much music. Bullitt has moments of silence and moments when the score is needed to build tension or excitement. 

10. Cinematography, Film Editing and Direction - This film was beautifully shot. It's directed by Peter Yates and the cinematography is by William A. Fraker. Film Editor Frank P. Keller won the film's only Academy Award for Best Film Editing! The editing and cinematography is especially noticeable in the car chase scene. There is one particular shot I love of Bullitt wearing sunglasses and looking in a rear view mirror. If you watch the movie, look for it. It's classic!

So there you have it. Clear off your schedule or rev up your DVR and make sure to watch Bullitt (1968). If you miss it on TCM, the film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

A special thanks to my husband Carlos who helped me with this post!