B-Western lovers are in for a treat with this release of two 1929 silent films starring Tom Tyler, a reigning cowboy movie star during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ben Model
The Bat (1926) [Halloween Horror Month]
A half-dozen genres are merrily mixed together in “The Bat,” the wild and often zany 1926 silent feature based on a Broadway play written by Mary Roberts Rinehard and Avery Hopwood, which in turn was based on Rinehart’s novel “The Circular Staircase” (1908).
Continue reading
The Craving (1918)
Francis Ford is mostly recalled today as a character actor in his younger brother John Ford’s classic films, but back in the 1910s and 1920s he was a prominent leading man and director. Most of his films from his halcyon days are no longer available, but his 1918 feature “The Craving” is now available in a digitally restored presentation from film historian and preservationist Ben Model’s Undercrank Productions.
Continue reading
Western Wednesdays – Tom Mix: Sky High / The Big Diamond Robbery [Blu-ray/DVD]
If you were to mention the name Tom Mix to most people in the 21st century, they would no doubt look upon you in a serious state of confusion, however Mix was one of the most popular and enduring screen personalities of the silent era and helped define the western as we know it today. Mix, who performed most of his own stunts atop his loyal steed Tony, established many of the tropes and cliches that we have become familiar with when we think of the classic westerns including the trope of the hero wearing the white hat and the villains usually wearing black.
Continue reading
Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian [Blu-ray/DVD]
During the mid-1920s, Raymond Griffith was among the most popular stars of feature-length comedy films. With his silk top hat and crispy tailored tuxedo, the self-confidence and urbane Griffith was a suave alternative to the beleaguered characters played on screen by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.
The Silent Films of Edward Everett Horton
On this week’s podcast episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian Ben Model discusses his new DVD release of rarely-seen silent comedies starring the brilliant character actor Edward Everett Horton.
The Douglas MacLean Collection (DVD)
During the late 1910s and through 1920s, Douglas MacLean enjoyed stardom in a series of light comic films. Most of his cinematic output has been lost and his surviving work is almost never revived.