Red Morning (1935)

Another CBC Saturday morning discovery (see yesterday's comment). Steffi Duna, a B-unit Claudette Colbert, and a definite candidate for the "Whatever Happened To...?" sweepstakes, is shipwrecked on an uncharted island, and before long, is seen wearing a sarong, hanging around with the natives. Thank you RKO! Charles Middleton co-stars in this entertaining bit of time-filler. As with yesterday's YELLOW DUST, I'd love to see it again after all these years.

Couldn't find any stills of RED MORNING, but here's to you, Steffi Duna.

Yellow Dust (1936)

When I was in my early teens, I used to watch CBC's Saturday morning programming, in which they often strung together a couple of long-forgotten second features from the Saturday matinee days. One of my most joyous discoveries was this wonderful B western starring Richard Dix as a white-hatted cowboy who gets implicated in a stagecoach robbery. While a crisp, well-made little movie (with a neat climax in a dust storm), it is also played for a couple of laughs, as the real bandits simultaneously spit beer out of their mouths when someone mentions the stage being robbed. Sadly, I haven't seen this movie since, but I hope someone finds a print of this someday.

Submarine Alert (1938)

In this irresistible second feature, a man gets a job in a radio factory and discovers that this place is being used by German spies to transmit radio signals to a Japanese sub! This hour-long romp is great fun, with a gallery of B-movie faces: Richard Arlen, Marc Lawrence, Wendy Barrie and Dwight Frye! I found this for cheap on the Alpha Video label. I love this company for what it does (namely resurrecting a lot of old Saturday matinee titles or even later drive-in films), but often I've been disappointed in the quality. For instance, my Rhino VHS of THE SADIST is better than their DVD. However I'm happy to report that this is a rather nice transfer, it not perfect.

Renaldo and Clara (1978)

This bloated home movie directed by Bob Dylan runs for 4 hours, but you know what? I never got tired of it, simply because you're always curious where this thing is going to go (or not). Dylan concert footage is mixed with interviews of musicians discussing their lives and influences, and wobbly fictional, yet pseudo-real scenes of guys like Ronnie Hawkins warning their women about life on the road, peppered with numerous shots of Joan Baez fawning over Mr. Zimmermann at every conceivable opportunity. THis is a vanity project to be sure, but I was hooked. Leonard Maltin gave it a BOMB rating in his firewood -I mean, movie review book- so you know it has to be good, right? Roger.

News From Home (1976)

In Chantal Akerman's diary film, she fills a feature-length movie of images of the most loneliest places one could ever find in New York City, while on the soundtrack she reads letters received from her native Belgium. This essay on detachment is another affecting piece of isolation by a filmmaker whose works are often shrugged off as being "cold". I don't agree at all- I find her films tremendously moving, and this remains (for me) her finest work (admittedly, I still haven't seen JEANNE DIELMAN). I saw this movie just days before 9/11. And when we saw the images on the TV of the towers falling, I thought back to the long single take that completes this film. We see the New York skyline from the viewpoint of a boat that leaves the concrete jungle- that landscape has abruptly changed.

YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS

Today, Hollywood Canteen (the movie collectibles, books and video shop here in Toronto) ran their Show of Shows at a hotel downtown. I had been curious about attending this venue as a vendor ever since I began this publication, and this year I finally remembered to sign up early enough to do just that. Well, ten minutes in there, I realized I was in bigtrouble. All the other booths were selling lobby cards, posters, magazines, etc. so ESR was a unique thing to have at this fair... and not in a good way. The clientele here didn't come to read, but collect. I'm disappointed, but not bitter about the experience- these are the gambles we take when we try to take our work anywhere. I did manage to sell a few of the noir issues, though, so the day wasn't a total loss. With enough pocket change, I browsed through the one dollar lobby card bin and found some stuff for some obscure 70s flicks, which is of course my bread and butter.

Every year, Hollywood Canteen revolves the fair around a celebrity appearance as a draw, so people can collect autographs and memorabilia in addition to the fair getting a shot of star power. This year, our guest was Priscilla Barnes, known for her roles in "Three's Company", MALLRATS, and (for me) THE CROSSING GUARD. My booth was next to hers, and she is a completely charming lady- as exciting and funny in person as she is onscreen. In fact, I've confirmed my suspicion that there is a lot of untapped talent that supersede her usual requirements in her slate of B-movies.

After the show, I had coffee with John Reed, the director of FUDDLEBE- one of the films I showed in February. This was one of the little morsels of the day that remind me to hang in there, and keep on doing what I'm doing, even in an umbrella of disappointment.

EAR TO THE GROUND.. CANCELLED

After a dismal first half of the year, I was hoping I wouldn't have to write a third part to my "...Scene is Going to Ratshit" series, but here it is. Much my delight, and I'm sure to that of others in the independent scene, there was an announcement made for a weekend-long engagement at the CNE. Under one roof, people could see and hear works by visual artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers. If this didn't spell community for independent artists of any persuasion being able to come together, well, nothing would. And sadly, nothing did. This week all of the vendors got the e-mail that Ear to the Ground had been cancelled due to lack of funding. The venue that sounded too good to be true... was. I am uncertain if it was an issue of expanding far too quickly for a first-time attempt at a venue or what, but alas, the very thing that could give the independent community its sorely needed shot in the arm is another of too many casualties with big ideas and small prospects. Am I disappointed? Certainly. But I do hope they learned from this, and continue to get on the saddle and try again. It is worth doing.