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This week's pick from recent movies on
TVOntario's Saturday Night at the Movies
The Lady Eve (1941) IMDb, directed by Preston Sturgess, is a madcap comedy that showcases the talents of Babara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Two of Hollywood's favourite stars shine brightly in this lighthearted romp wherein
the rich but hapless Mr. Charles Pike falls like a ton of bricks for the conniving Miss Jean Harrigton. And then he does it again, this time with Miss Harrignton's alter-ego, the Lady Eve Sidwich, phony English accent and all. Charles Pike doesn't seem to take note of such inconsequential details, so taken up is he with
the Lady Eve's charms. A thoroughly enjoyable film for fans of Ms. Stanwyck and Mr. Fonda as well as for enthusiasts of the screwball genre or this era.
Catch the TVO video preview of "The Lady Eve" (1941) here.
See the video trailer for "The Lady Eve" (1941)
Laura(1944)
Picture Perfect
Gene Tierney’s breathtaking beauty in the title role adds to the performance of the ensemble cast accompanied by the memorable score composed by David Raksin. It all goes together to make this unforgettable classy film noir classic. TVOntario’s Interviews, (Aug.18,’07) include contributions from the leading man, Dana Andrews and director, Otto Preminger. The Interviews contain revelations into the evolution of this wonderful film that are almost as enjoyable as the plot reversals contained in the film itself .
See the Video Trailers for "Laura" (1944)
. . . In the opening scene of the film, we first meet Laura through taking a virtual walking tour of her home. In the days before “video visits” in online real estate listings, it must have been something of a novelty to inspect the interior of another person’s home in their absence through the camera lens – a kind of early video voyeurism . . .
Read the entire archive for "Laura" from the Main Midnight Oil journal.
East of Eden (1955)
James Dean gives an exceptional performance in this now classic film of John Steinbeck’s classic novel of the same name. A movie well worth seeing, “ East of Eden”, with a strong supporting performance from Julie Harris as Abra, shows off Jimmy Dean with sophistication and poise in his “rebel” character. Presented as one of a trilogy of films directed by Elia Kazan on TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies.
They were at it again - my two munchkins brawling in the backseat: “She did it to me first!” – “But he said that I was a . . .” – “She has her stuff on my side!” – And on and on it goes. Often enough it comes to blows before the emotions of the moment blow over. Sibling rivalry, common enough phenomenon that it is, can be so draining for a parent. . . .
Read the archived entry on Midnight Oil for "East of Eden" here.
Catch the video trailers for "East of Eden" here.
It Happened One Night (1934)
Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable define “Capraesque” in this madcap Depression era comedy that marries glamour and glitz to populist sentiment. Tag along for a wild ride with this TVO Saturday Night at the Movies special on Frank Capra’s classic Hollywood film .
See the video preview from TVO
The Good Old Bad Old Days
I sometimes wonder if my grandmother would have gone to see a film like “It Happened One Night” at the movie theatre. I look at black and white photos with the funny old hats and the rattletrap black Model Ts and chuckle. . .
>> See the complete archived review of "It Happened One Night" on Midnight Oil
Catch the video trailer of "It Happened One Night"
Related Reading:
- Bible quiz time: Did the original story of the walls of Jericho occur in the book of Exodus (apologies to Paul Newman), Deuteronomy, or Joshua (not the guy with the bad hair in Cecil B. De Mille production)
- The junk in the trunk: How the stuff you forgot to unpack after the honeymoon was over can skuttle even the best of relationships
- “Yes, but will she still respect you in the morning?” Respect in communication as a missing ingredient.
- Director/producer Frank Capra was the originator of the “one man, one film” concept. Whose name gets top billing on your life’s story?
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Burt Lancaster does some very interesting work in both "Elmer Gantry" (1960) INDb and "The Swimmer" (1968) INDb. Both films prove to be revelatory in both the figurative and the literal sense:) These screen adaptations of literary vehicles might leave you slightly off balance, but still glued to the screen.
This movie was paired with a second feature, "The Swimmer" when originally aired on TVO. See the entire archived entry.
Catch the video trailer for "Elmer Gantry"
Jane Austen series on TVO
See the cool Austen mini docs for TVO's Sunday Specials: the Jane Austen series

TVO recently screened "Northanger Abbey"(2007) , "Mansfield Park" (2007), and "Persuasion"(2007) in a festival of seldom seen Austen novels on film. Those permanently afflicted with the Austen bug may wish to find solace and companionship online at the Jane Austen Society of North America. You may also wish to read the Midnight Oil archived entry for the Emma Thompson 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility" previously screened on SNAM. Catch the video trailer.





