Yearly Archives: 2011

“Upstream” by John Ford

Posted on July 23, 2011 by John Grant

The 2011 San Francisco Silent Film Festival featured a number of films from well-known directors showing their early expertise in films not seen for many decades.  The festival began with John Ford’s 1927 comedy “Upstream.”  The plot includes a group … Continue reading →

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The Music Man

Posted on July 14, 2011 by John Grant

Shirley Jones is so wonderful in “The Music Man” (1962) as Marion the Librarian that I wondered who played the character in the Broadway show.  Barbara Cook played the role of Marion Paroo alongside Robert Preston, who also starred in the … Continue reading →

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Warren Spahn

Posted on June 27, 2011 by John Grant

I just saw a wonderful baseball documentary on Root Sports about Warren Spahn, who pitched for the Braves.  I wrote a baseball movie called “Roberto’s Spikes.”  It’s about No matter what the cause viagra buy online of impotence is, these … Continue reading →

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Silent Films Announced

Posted on May 25, 2011 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival announces its schedule for the July 2011 event.  The films include the following: Thursday, July 14 7:00 PM Upstream 9:00 PM Opening Night Party 9:15 PM Sunrise Friday, July 15 11:00 AM Amazing Tales … Continue reading →

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A Night to Remember

Posted on April 22, 2011 by John Grant

On Sunday, May 1, at 5:00 PM, the San Francisco International Film Festival presents “Retour de Flamme:  Rare and Restored Films in 3-D.”  Retour de flamme means “flashback” in English.  Serge Bromberg, an engaging showman, producer and film preservationist, presents … Continue reading →

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Ernst Lubitsch

Posted on April 12, 2011 by John Grant

I always find it a pleasure to watch an Ernst Lubitsch film.  They seem to run at a different pace than most movies, with a lot of surprises along the way.  Take, “Heaven Can Wait,” a comedy starring Don Ameche, … Continue reading →

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The Secret Six

Posted on March 29, 2011 by John Grant

Jean Harlow stars in “The Secret Six” from 1931, her first credited feature role.  This violent gangster film features Wallace Beery, Clark Gable and Lewis Stone.  Although Beery was a major star playing tough guys for 4 decades in Hollywood … Continue reading →

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Music for Silent Movies

Posted on March 22, 2011 by John Grant

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival recently got together with SFJazz to sponsor a showing of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 film “The Kid.”  Marc Ribot played guitar at the event, held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts here in … Continue reading →

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An Earlier Maltese Falcon

Posted on March 15, 2011 by John Grant

I watched the 1931 version of the Maltese Falcon, starring Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, and Bebe Daniels as Ruth Wonderly.  This one features a nicer, friendlier version of Sam Spade, who seems genuinely capable of falling in love with the Wonderly … Continue reading →

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Norman Wisdom

Posted on March 9, 2011 by John Grant

Because of my interest in the Rank Organisation, I watched a service comedy tonight from 1958 called “The Square Peg,” starring Norman Wisdom and Honor Blackman.  Wisdom stars as Norman Pitman, a British council road builder during World War II … Continue reading →

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