Just some thoughts on current happenings:

Our monthly feature of “Classic Film Screenings from around the world” remains suspended as there are no reliable reports of future theatrical screenings during the Corona virus pandemic.

There are 22 recommended films to watch on Turner Classic Movies in the U.S. this month:

Anatomy of a Murder is one of the most authentic and enthralling courtroom dramas of all time. Previously reviewed here, the trial will begin Monday, June 1 at 8:30pm PST and will repeat again Saturday June 6 at 12pm PST.

*(Added June 1, 2020) Our CC contributor Bob DiMucci was kind enough to provide some background information concerning the true life events surrounding this landmark film:

Robert Traver, the name of the novel’s author, is a pseudonym for Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker, who served as technical advisor on the film and was the defense attorney on the real-life case on which the novel was based. The murder occurred in the small town of Big Bay in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. On 31 July 1952, Lt. Coleman Peterson, who had recently returned from Korea, shot and killed tavern owner Mike Chenoweth, allegedly because Chenoweth raped Coleman’s wife, Charlotte.

Voelker crafted a defense that hinged on the rabid, irrational rage that erupted when Peterson - an otherwise responsible citizen - learned that his wife had been manhandled by Mike Chenoweth. He argued the officer was influenced by an "irresistible impulse" to defend the integrity of his marriage by killing Chenoweth. He asked the jury of 10 men and two women to acquit Peterson on the basis of temporary insanity.

The idea of fleeting hysteria as an excuse for homicide challenged the common sense of the small-town jurors, and they initially voted 8-4 to convict Peterson of murder. But a judgment of insanity, encouraged by a particularly persuasive juror, gained a foothold in the jury room and gradually became the prevailing point of view over a series of blind votes.

Finally, the jury returned to the courtroom with a unanimous verdict: not guilty due to temporary insanity.

Shrinks at a state asylum judged after the trial that Peterson had regained his sanity, so he was a free man following just a month under the psychiatric microscope. After being freed, Peterson left town without paying Voelker his fee.

The Petersons soon divorced, and the lieutenant is said to have died in a plane crash in Alaska a few years later.

(After the film’s release):

Despite the film’s frank treatment of a rape trial, it was granted a certificate of approval by the Production Code Administration after the producers agreed to several minor deletions. In a letter from Geoffrey Shurlock of the PCA to Otto Preminger, Shurlock instructed Preminger to delete the words "sperm," "sexual climax" and "penetration" and to restrict the use of the words "panties" and "rape." The National Catholic Legion of Decency placed the film in a separate classification on the grounds that it “exceed[ed] the bounds of moral acceptability and propriety in a mass medium of entertainment.”

The film was scheduled to open in Chicago on 2 July 1959, but the screening was canceled after the Police Film Censor, backed by Police Commissioner Timothy J. O’Connor and Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled that the film could not be shown unless two sequences containing the words “intercourse,” “contraceptive” and “birth control” were deleted. After Preminger brought a suit for a permanent injunction against the ruling, Federal Judge Julius Miner overruled the censor board, stating that the film could not be considered obscene because “[it] does not tend to excite sexual passion or undermine public morals.” The Variety review noted that the film contained language “never before heard in an American film with the Code Seal.”

B.D.

One of Steve McQueen’s most iconic characterisations appears in Bullitt, reviewed here. Bullitt will speed its way onto TCM Monday, June 1 at (late evening) 12:30am PST.

One of the finest westerns ever made is Top Ten Western #4. Sam Peckinpah's elegiac Ride the High Country will ride into TCM territory Wednesday, June 3 at 6:15pm PST.

Randolph Scott as Gil Westrum (on the left) and Joel McCrea as Steve Judd

Another of Sam Peckinpah’s Top Ten Westerns (#1 in fact) is the explosively confrontational The Wild Bunch. If by chance one hasn’t seen this landmark film, remedy that Wednesday, June 3 at 8pm PST. For those who have, please see my review Opening Up a Treasure: The Wild Bunch as to why it was and still is, one of America's finest contributions to the cinematic arts.

Completing a Sam Peckinpah trifecta is 1972's The Getaway, not nearly as meaningful or resonant as the skilled director’s previously two recommended films. Still, as a genre piece, it punches solidly above its pay grade. The Getaway reviewed here, will ensue Wednesday, June 3 at (late evening) 2am PST.

My next suggested TCM showing to watch is the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business previously reviewed here. I have also posted 2 famous scenes from this film, Capturing a Golden Moment #6 and Capturing a Golden Moment #12. The shenanigans will commence at TCM Friday, June 5 at 5pm PST.

(From left) Thelma Todd, Groucho Marx, Zeppo Marx, Harry Woods

Later this same evening TCM will air The Marx Brothers’ masterpiece Duck Soup, featured in last month’s recommendations here. War will be declared Friday, June 5 at 9:30pm PST.

Scheduled for late in the evening, is one of horror's finest: the chilling Eyes Without a Face previously reviewed here. One can see with their own eyes this genre masterwork Sunday, June 7 at (late evening) 1:15am PST.

One of film noir's finest is Gun Crazy, previously reviewed here. Noir's most distinguishing feature, a focus on their criminal participants' psychology, marks a major shift regarding motive: In the earlier "gangster" films, money and power provided enough reason for the pursuit of illegal gains whereas in noir, the internal cause behind the action is paramount, and runs so much deeper... and darker. See for yourself Saturday, June 13 at 10:30am PST.

My next TCM recommendation is Nora Prentiss portrayed by TCM’s “Star of the Month” Ann Sheridan. This formidable film noir, previously reviewed here, will make a striking impression Tuesday, June 16 at 5pm PST.

Hidden Gem #1 was essayed in a less analytical and more personal fashion in Inspecting Hidden Gem #1: The Swimmer. The film airs Wednesday, June 17 at 11pm PST. I hope readers and viewers will peruse my thoughts on this somewhat neglected and generally undervalued film.

Although starting out as quite the common man, circumstances will turn this rather nondescript accountant played by Edmond O'Brien, into a kind of noir superhero in D.O.A. previously recommended here. This "dead man running" will seek justice with a vengeance on TCM Friday, June 19 at 6:30am PST.

Dick Powell’s Everyman faces a mid-life crisis, including a far more considerable threat to his well being in the form of Raymond Burr’s jealous contractor, in Pitfall, previously recommended here. Pitfall will occur Friday, June 19 at 11:45am PST.

"Why should the Falls drag me down here at 5 o'clock in the morning? To show me how big they are and how small I am? To remind me they can get along without any help? All right, so they've proved it. But why not? They've had ten thousand years to get independent. What's so wonderful about that? I suppose I could too, only it might take a little more time."

What exactly is film noir? Many enthusiasts and experts continue to debate the subject, with numerous examples of films that should, and just as many that should not, be included in the category. Some, who most likely feel that noir films rely on a certain look, dismiss any colour film as unworthy of being categorised as such. Others like myself, prone to distinguishing noir by its subject matter, are more inclined to include colour films produced during noir's classic time period that focus on crime and the psychologies of those involved. This brings me to my next TCM selection and a prior Blu-ray recommendation here, 1953's Niagara, one of the strongest arguments for colour noir that exists. See for yourself on Friday, June 19 at 1:30pm PST.

Don't miss Nicholas Ray's character study In a Lonely Place with Humphrey Bogart perfectly cast as Dixon Steele whose unpredictable explosions of anger make him a prime suspect for the killing of a young ingénue. This highly probative film noir, previously recommended here, is scheduled to arrive Friday, June 19 at 9pm PST.

Many experts have claimed that this next TCM recommendation is the first identifiable film noir: Boris Ingster's 1940 Stranger on the Third Floor. Viewers can glean just how many of noir's stylish traits are inherent in this film by reading my brief review here. If you're a noir fan and have never seen this little RKO gem, be a stranger no more Friday, June 26 at (early morning) 3:30am PST.

Noir photographic artistry care of Nicholas Musuraca

Another type of “stranger” from 1940 will join Peter Lorre on TCM, this time taking the form of Ian Hunter’s Cambreau in one of my TOP TEN Guilty Treasures, Strange Cargo. Interested viewers can meet him Friday, June 26 at 7am PST.

Making a rare but most welcome appearance on TCM this month is Hidden Gem #4: Mädchen in Uniform (1931, Germany). For the uninitiated, this sublime film can be forever cherished beginning Friday, June 26 at 5pm PST.

Madchen in Uniform is also June’s Blu-ray selection of the month. See the last entry in this column for more details.

Next on my list of films to watch is King Kong (1933), who's scheduled to make his grand entrance on Saturday, June 27 at 9am PST. I have reviewed this motion picture with a focus on its musical score here.

From the same director who brought us Citizen Kane comes another kind of cinematic hero (of sorts). Michael O'Hara, like the deeply flawed Kane, is flawlessly played by his creator Orson Welles. Unlike Citizen Kane however, this film fell under its producer Harry Cohn's butchery with considerable footage lost and destroyed forever. Nevertheless, what survives is vastly entertaining and not to be missed. The Lady from Shanghai, previously recommended here will appear in host Eddie Muller’s Noir Alley Saturday, June 27 at 9pm PST and again on Sunday, June 28 at 7am PST.

Woody Allen’s most personally heartfelt 1979 film Manhattan, may still be his finest. Previously recommended here, interested viewers can decide for themselves Saturday, June 27 at 11pm PST.

My last TCM recommendation for the month is a highly atmospheric but less artistically accomplished motion picture: John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye. The performances from its superbly chosen cast genuinely convey their characters' turbulent emotions making this an engrossing film-watching experience. It is one of my TOP TEN Guilty Treasures, a previous TCM recommendation here, and is worth eyeing Sunday, June 28 at 3pm PST.

TCM's current monthly schedule can be confirmed by clicking on any of the above images. For those who live in parts of the U.S. other than the western region, the time zone can be adjusted in the upper right-hand corner of TCM's programme.

This month's Happy Birthday shout-out goes to the thoroughly dedicated actor Vincent D’Onofrio who turns 61 on June 30th.

Vincent studied at the Actors Studio and the American Stanislavski Theatre. He appeared in an Off-Broadway production of "This Property Is Condemned" and continued his work on stage making his Broadway debut in "Open Admissions". His breakthrough role occurred in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam war drama Full Metal Jacket (as Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence). In addition, his unbridled talent can be seen in Mystic Pizza (1988), JFK (1991), The Player (1992), Ed Wood (1994, as Orson Welles), The Whole Wide World (1996, which he co-produced), Men in Black (1997), The Cell (2000), The Break-Up (2006) and Jurassic World (2015). TV audiences will probably best recognise Vincent for his portrayal of Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001 - 2011). Recently he can be seen as mobster Vincent ‘The Chin’ Gigante in the 2019 TV series Godfather of Harlem.

This month's Soundtrack recommendation is Hugo Friedhofer's monumental score to the 1958 epic war melodrama The Young Lions.

The gripping film gets off to a thunderous start with militaristic main title music and additionally includes both the most assertive, and gorgeously romantic themes one will ever hear in a motion picture. A limited 2 CD set from Intrada Records, this superb soundtrack is available from the manufacturer. More information and international ordering can be obtained by clicking on the image.

June’s Blu-ray “must have” is to the above TCM recommendation Hidden Gem #4: Madchen in Uniform (1931, Germany) now available for pre-order from Kino Classics (North America Region A) and available from Amazon.com. Click on the accompanying image for more information.

A.G.

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