Accompanied by special ‘for adults only’ notices when it opened in 1962, Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth had been cleaned up considerably for the big screen. Though much of the ugliness of the stage version has been excised by…
In 1964, with the success of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? the Grand Dame Guignol genre began. Director Robert Aldrich (Twilight’s Last Gleaming) had cast aging stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in leads, created a hit, and in the…
Based on Alex Karmel’s novel Mary Ann, Something Wild was independently financed and released through United Artists largely on the strength of star Carroll Baker. Baker was then married to writer/director Jack Garfien, who had received critical accolades for his…
An anomaly in Elvis Presley’s career, his first film, Love Me Tender was the only time he didn’t receive top billing. Presley is a supporting player who doesn’t even appear until around the 20 minute mark, and even then plays…