Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Test Case, and The System

Rollin (Martin Landau) puts his life on the line, when the IMF accepts a mission in an Eastern Bloc country, in order to stop a scientist from weaponising a deadly virus. The Test Case was written by Laurence Heath, and first debuted on 19 January, 1969. Phelps (Peter Graves), Barney (Greg Morris), Cinnamon (Barbara Bain)…

Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon (1983) – L. Neil Smith

Lando Calrissian aboard the Millennium Falcon, with his pilot droid and friend Vuffi Raa at his side finds his way into more trouble this week in L. Neil Smith’s second book in his trio of Star Wars novels that follows the scoundrel and gambler. Lando just can’t seem to make a living as a freighter…

Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu (1983) – L. Neil Smith

This week’s trip to a galaxy far, far away was the first Star Wars adventure released post-Return of the Jedi. The gambling scoundrel, Lando Calrissian is the hero of the tale, and it’s fun to dive into a story to see how his character has changed and developed over the years. Set a short time…

Out of the Past (1947) – Jacques Tourneur

Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas bring the noir genre to roaring life on the big screen with this 1947 adaptation of the novel by Geoffrey Holmes. It’s also the first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Point Blank. Mitchum is Jeff Bailey. He lives…

Show Boat (1936) – James Whale

The recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book for my screening of Oklahoma! gets underway with the 1936 adaptation of the Hammerstein stage musical, Show Boat. Directed by James Whale, who, one year previous, directed the iconic Bride of Frankenstein, the tale follows a young woman, Magnolia aka Nola (Irene Dunne)…

Stagecoach (1939) – John Ford

The first recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film is the 1939 John Ford/John Wayne classic, Stagecoach. Wayne plays the Ringo Kid, and he and a number of fellow travellers including Dallas (Claire Trevor) and Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), a drunk doctor Josiah Boone (Thomas Mitchell), and a dangerous gambler, Hatfield (John…

Man of the West (1958) – Anthony Mann

  The next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of High Noon is this classic starring Gary Cooper. Cooper plays Link Jones, a former outlaw, who is forced to hook back up with his gang when he is stranded alongside two other passengers when a train robbery…

Funny Girl (1968) – William Wyler

  I was completely charmed by this one. That’s twice Streisand has wowed me when I thought she wouldn’t. Clocking in at two and a half hours, this is the final musical recommendation to go with my screening of The Jazz Singer for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. Babs is Fanny…

Tales of the Gold Monkey (1983) – High Stakes Lady & Force of Habit

Jake Cutter (Stephen Collins) takes a double hit to his love life in the episodes being revisited this week. The first episode, High Stakes Lady (which also has an appearance by Charles Napier – who also appeared in this week’s Rockford Files), originally aired 26 January, 1983, and was written by William Driskill and Lance…