Lions, Towers & Shields

4.5 (12)
FILM REVIEWS
UPDATED WEEKLY

A celebration of films from the classic Hollywood era. Shelly Brisbin leads a merry band through recaps and reviews of great old movies from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.

DEC 6

The Holiday Show

Lions, Towers & Shields

1h 36m
NOV 28

Go Out In Flames and Drama

We return surprisingly often to the Hitchcock well, but his 1940s films are so interesting. Here is a gothic romantic mystery, with poor Joan Fontaine just trying to get her bearings in an old, dark house. Why are her new husband, Laurence Olivier, and his housekeeper, Judith Anderson, so mean to Joan, and what’s become of the cupid in the morning room? Join us and find out....

1h 16m
NOV 22

Bogart: Life Comes In Flashes

A new film tells the story of Humphrey Bogart through the lens of the women who were most important in his life - his mother and his four wives. Shelly talks with Bogey’s son, Stephen Humphrey Bogart, about the new film....

28 min
NOV 19

More Beer!

AUDIO FIXED: Join us for peak 1950s MGM musical. If that doesn’t interest you, I can’t help. Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dance their hearts out, Oscar Levant levants, and Vincente Minnelli does his usual excellent job as director. We take issue with the plot and at least one of the main characters, but it’s entertaining. And I like the triplets number....

1h 5m
NOV 11

Let Me Tell You A Story About Heroin

Susan Hayward won an Oscar. Susan Hayward was a protÃ©gÃ© and fan of Barbara Stanwyck. Susan Hayward would like NOT to be put to death for her part in murder, please. Robert Wise (Star Trek: The Motion Picture AND The Sound of Music) directs. And this film showcases not only Miss Hayward, but a crazy intense jazz score. Unlike the usual “women in prison” pictures, this one features a protagonist who is not misunderstood, or innocent of all charges. She’s a hooker, and a lifelong criminal. But does she deserve the death penalty? Based, as they say, on a true...

56 min
NOV 1

Gayer Than The Cast of Bewitched

Previously, on Lions, Towers & Shields, we’ve talked about one western. It was an unusual one, and included themes a modern audience tends to read as gay. Well guess what? We’re doing it again. Desert Fury puts Lizbeth Scott, Bert Lancaster and John Hodiak into a love triangle. Film noir expert Eddie Muller says this is the gayest movie ever produced in classic Hollywood. But is it? Please enjoy the lush color, and the Miklos Rosza score. And look, there’s Mary Astor and Kristine Miller, too. So we have a very noir cast getting together to ride a present-day version...

1 hr
OCT 24

I Can Be Demagogued, Apparently

An entertainer from the rural south rises to become a political demagogue. And he’s played by Andy Griffith. This is all kinds of messed up! It’s actually a great film, with A LOT to say to us in the 21st Century. It’s directed by Elia Kazan, and also stars Patricia Neal....

55 min
OCT 17

We're Gonna Digress

In 1970, Arthur Hailey’s blockbuster book, Airport, became the first film in that decade’s disaster movie cycle. It also led to three more Airport films, and the adaptation of Zero Hour (also a Hailey story) into Airplane!. This second installment, Airport 1975, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It straddles the line between big budget, all-star A picture (the original), and implausible 70s schlock, as observed in the final two Airport films. Here, we’re also treated to appearances by classic stars, including Gloria Swanson and Myrna Loy. I am contractually obliged to say that Charlton Heston is the hero....

46 min

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4.5

out of 5

12 Ratings

A celebration of films from the classic Hollywood era. Shelly Brisbin leads a merry band through recaps and reviews of great old movies from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.