Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Post about classic films and films related to combat sports and history.
I’m continuing with watching some old Alan Ladd movies that I first saw thirty years ago on American Movie Classics (AMC), when they showed classic movies. I recently watched Appointment with Danger (1950), which was as entertaining as I remembered it. Paramount Pictures released Appointment with Danger (affiliate link) in London in 1950 but didn’t release it in the United
In the second surviving Sherlock Holmes film (affiliate link) starring Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes, two criminals have escaped prison. They are seeking to exact revenge on the men, who double crossed one of the criminals, Jonathan Smalls. Smalls told two of the wardens of his prison where a large fortune was hidden. The wardens find the treasure, have a
Chester Gould created the Dick Tracy comic strip in 1931. Originally published through the Detroit Metro, the strip moved to the Chicago Tribune where it made the paper and Gould rich through syndication. It was only a matter of time before Dick Tracy made his debut on the silver screen. Ralph Byrd played Dick Tracy in four 15 chapter serials
Also known at The Sleeping Cardinal, Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour (1931) is the first Sherlock Holmes film starring Arthur Wontner in the title role. The film concerns a young man, who has been cheating at bridge to regain his lost wealth. Professor Moriarty uses the information in an attempt to blackmail the young man Ronald Adair, portrayed by Leslie Perrins.
While a few actors played Charlie Chan before Warner Oland and a few portrayed Inspector Chan after Roland Winters, the main body of Earl Derr Biggers’ Charlie Chan film adaptations occurred between 1931 to 1949. Warner Oland began playing Charlie Chan in The Black Camel (1931). After his death, Sidney Toler started playing the role of Charlie Chan in the
On February 26, 1943, RKO Pictures released the third film based on the popular Lum and Abner radio show. Two Weeks To Live (1943) stars Chester Lauck as Lum Edwards and Norris Goff as Abner Peabody. Lauck and Goff, who also wrote the show, played the characters on radio beginning in 1931. The show began as a 15 minute radio
Roland V. West bought the rights and directed The Bat (1926), one of the first “old dark house” mysteries for United Artist in 1926. Arthur Edeson was the cinematographer for both this film and The Old Dark House (1932), which share similar Expressionist elements. Both films are set in large mansions, which have seen better days. The key to the
On September 27, 1941, Warner Brothers Film Corporation released Sergeant York (1941). The film (affiliate link) tells the story of Sergeant Alvin C. York, a reluctant World War I hero from the small town of Pall Mall, Tennessee. Western film veteran Gary Cooper stars as Sergeant York. The film begins with the contrast of a Sunday church service and the
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) is loosely based on The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual. The short story was published in The Strand Magazine during May 1893. It was later compiled in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. In the story, the Musgrave Mansion held a secret that even it’s inhabitants did not know. This film follows the same plot line
I’ve been on an Alan Ladd kick lately. When I was still in college, I watched a number of Alan Ladd films one summer. I’ve been watching them over again the last few weeks on Amazon Prime. I’ll share some of these films over the next few months. The first film I watched was Thunder in the East (1951) starring