Lions, Towers & Shields

It’s the Winter of Westerns on LTS. I’ve dragged some of my panel kicking and screaming into a look at some classic movies with hats and guns, while others say I don’t know what I’ve been missing. This one is a westernized remake of the Bogart classic, High Sierra. Joel McCrae wears his wardrobe well. Host Shelly Brisbin with Randy Dotinga, Nathan Alderman, and Micheline Maynard.

Is this the first LTS episode during which one panelist offered to smack another? Let me know in the comments. The 1940s were, among other things, the era of the composer biopic. Most were sanitized depictions of their subjects, but “Night and Day” works extra hard not to be truthful about its subject, Cole Porter. All this, while still doing him the enormous favor of casting Cary Grant to play him. Oh, did I mention that the film has been restored by Warner Archive, so we’ll have a pretty print to see? Host Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Micheline Maynard, Nathan Alderman, and Philip Michaels.

In 1932, Joan Crawford made Letty Lynton, a film that represented a milestone in her career. But it’s barely been seen since the 1930s. That’s because of a thorny legal dispute over a story that the movie’s only partially based on. Thanks to one of her grandsons and the Warner Archive, Letty is now available to view on disc or steaming. We’ll tell you the story of its long journey back to the screen, and all about “that dress”. Host Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard, Nathan Alderman, and Randy Dotinga.

Nicholas Ray makes his film debut directing “They Live By Night,” a noir love story. Not your usual, noir dude obsessed by a bad woman, but an actual relationship, conducted under trying circumstances. Kathy O’Donnell and Farley Granger made a couple of films together, but this is the best. Enjoy Howard de Silva as a mean gangster. He has no dance numbers. The film is based on the novel, “hieves Like Us”. It’s genuinely one of my favorites, and so it becomes my birthday pick. Host Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman, Micheline Maynard, and Philip Michaels.

Author (and friend of the show) Samuel Garza Bernstein is back with a story about a character who was central to Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond. His new book, Roddy McDowall: An Actor’s Life - From “How Green Was My Valley” to “Lassie” to “Planet of the Apes” is the story of a child star who became a beloved friend to many in the Hollywood community. We last spoke with Sam in 2024 when his book about Joan Crawford book was published. Host Shelly Brisbin with Samuel Garza Bernstein.

Here is an early film by David Lean about a chance encounter at a train station that leads to complicated feelings for both parties. It’s “Brief Encounter.” Ceilia Johnson (ever heard of ‘er?) gives a nuanced, emotional performance. And the film is very real and down-to-earth, despite the intensity of the relationships depicted. It’s a love story, if you’re interested in genre things, but there’s plenty for cinephiles to appreciate as well. Host Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard and Annette Wierstra.

Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock. OK, I’m pretty much done. What else shall I say? WWII intrigue, a love story, a well-played villain. These are also things I could say. Also, the length of the kiss between Grant and Bergman put the Production Code office all in a tizzy. Host Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard, David J. Loehr, Annette Wierstra, Randy Dotinga, and Philip Mozolak.

It’s the final edition of Lions, Towers & Trek, wherein we feature someone from Star Trek: The Original Series in a film they made before the show. Here’s DeForest Kelley’s film debut; a rare lead role for him. DK is a man suspected of a crime, who must rely on his disjointed memories and his cop brother-in-law to learn what happened. Host Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman, Micheline Maynard, and David J. Loehr.

If you’ve watched Star Trek, you’ve probably had your share of “I know that person” moments, when it comes to guest stars. So let us consider Ricardo Montalbån, long before he was Khan in Star Trek’s “Space Seed” episode, or the same character in the best of all Trek movies, “Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan”. Ricardo had a career in MGM musicals, though not primarily as a singer. Here is one, about the meta of making a movie that’s not too dissimilar from the movie we’re watching. Host Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels, Micheline Maynard, Nathan Alderman, and David J. Loehr.

William Shatner made his film debut in this Richard Brooks adaptation of the Dostoevsky novel. Bill is the youngest of the brothers, and he’s fourth-billed, behind Yul Brynner and some other people we’ve seen before on LTS. Host Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Nathan Alderman, and Micheline Maynard.