Oh, Marlon...

Shopping

     Joan was just beside herself with that mighty steak she discovered.  Tom will be so pleased...

Vintage Ads

Marilyn

     I know exactly how she feels.

Summer Day

Fab...

Swank!

We Love Lucy!

     Of course everyone loved Lucy, and apparently everyone trusted her as well.  The Queen of television could be found hawking nearly everything back in the 40's, 50's, and 60's, from cigarettes to makeup to paint to boardgames.  And some of these slogans are absolutely priceless.

The Man Who Knew Too Much

     Alfred Hitchcock had wanted to remake his 30's thriller "The Man Who Knew Too Much" since around 1940.  And thankfully, he did remake it.  The result is the very underrated 1956 mystery that is slowly emerging as a lost Hitchcock classic.  It deserves it.

     Ben and Jo McKenna (James Stewart and Doris Day), an American couple vacationing family in Morocco, accidentally and unwittingly become part of an assassination plot.  Before they know it, their son is kidnapped, and the two are knee deep in a web of murder, intrigue, and suspense. This is classic Hitchcock here, kids.  For many reasons.  First off, it's got James Stewart in it, and we know how all the other Hitchcock/Stewart collaborations ended up.  I'm not a fan of James Stewart, but I love his Hitchcock films.  What does that say?

      Doris Day holds her own here, and delivers an often overlooked but superb performance.  The film offers some gorgeous photography, and we're even treated to Doris delivering one of her signature tunes, "Que Sera, Sera".  The film builds to a stunning climax chock full of suspense, and the usual Hitchcock humor shines throughout.  It's all around enjoyable on all levels.

     I grew up watching this on the Late Show, and I love it just as much as "Rear Window", "Vertigo", or "North By Northwest".  Hitchcock was in his prime throughout the 1950's, belting out one classic film after another.  "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is one of those films.  Virtually ignored for many years, it's now slowly but surely finding an audience.  It's a great rainy day flick, or part of a Hitchcock marathon.  Thumbs up.  Way up.

Ultra-Lounge Presents: Bachelor Pad Royale

  
     From the opening of Nelson Riddle's "Theme From Route 66", you're instantly transported back to a time of private eyes, smoky strip bars,  secret agents, and dark alleys.  This is the ultimate tribute to the bachelor pad of the mid 50's to the mid 60's.  American men in this time period wanted to be Mike Hammer or James Bond, and this music perfectly captures the feeling and mindset of that era.

      "Bachelor Pad Royale" is swingin', it's swanky, it's almost too cool.  And sexy.  This album  oozes sex, which is strange, considering how conservative the 50's and early 60's were.  From the appropriately named "Sexe" to the stripper anthem "Harlem Nocturne"- it's smolders with unbridled erotic energy.  This is classic space age bachelor pop. You almost expect the Rat Pack to walk in the door any minute.  "Bachelor Pad Royale" is one of the strongest entries in the Ultra-Lounge series, not that any of them are weak by any means.  They're all fantastic.  But this one really left an impression on me.  It's the perfect musical nightcap!