Small Screen Scrawls

Saturday, October 17, 2026

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak

written by Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer

directed by Otto Preminger

119 minutes

Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) returns to Chicago after kicking a drug habit. He moves back in with his wife Zosh Machine (Eleanor Parker) who is confined to a wheelchair. Lots of people are happy to see him back, including a couple crime bosses who hope that he will return to dealing cards in illegal card games.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara

written by Wendell Mayes

directed by Otto Preminger

161 minutes

US Army Lieutenant Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) is put on trial for murdering a man who raped Laura Manion (Lee Remick), his wife. Local attorney Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is hired to defend Lt. Manion. Biegler investigates the case. He argues, based on testimony provided by an Army psychiatrist, that Manion is innocent because the situation drove him temporarily insane.

King Creole (1958)

starring Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau

written by Michael V. Gazzo, Herbert Baker

directed by Michael Curtiz

116 minutes

Danny Fisher (Elvis Presley) lives and works in the French Quarter of New Orleans bussing tables. He transitions from bus boy to musician after the owner of the King Creole, a nightclub other than the one where he works, finds out he's a talented performer.

Young Man with a Horn (1950)

starring Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day

written by Carl Foreman, Edmund H. North

directed by Michael Curtiz

112 minutes

Rick Martin (Kirk Douglas) rises from a poor background to become a jazz musician. He teaches himself to play the piano and then learns the trumpet from Art Hazzard. Once he gets old enough and good enough he joins a band where he meets singer Jo Jordan (Doris Day).

The Outer Limits (1963) 1.25

The Mutant

starring Larry Pennell, Warren Oates, Walter Burke

written by Allen Balter, Robert Mintz

directed by Alan Crosland, Jr.

Dr. Evan Marshall arrives on Annex One, a planet where the sun never sets. The atmosphere is breathable. Marshall joins an expeditionary team that has been there for a couple years and was led by the recently deceased Philip Griffith. Marshall is there to check on them, see how they are doing.

Noir City DC 2026

Week 1

The theme of this year's edition of Noir City DC was Face the Music! Eleven films about musicians in noir films were shown during the first week. I made it to eight of them and watched a ninth one on Tubi. The two I skipped were both films that I watched in the past few years. The first six screenings I saw were introduced by Eddie Muller.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Nocturne (1946)

Monday

Black Angel (1946)

Tuesday

All Night Long (1962)

My favorites from the first week were Gilda (1946), Nora Prentiss (1947), and All Night Long (1962). The two movies I skipped were To Have and Have Not (1943) and A Man Called Adam (1966) because I had seen both of them in the past few years and I wasn't dying to see them again.

For more about movies I've seen at prior editions of Noir City DC click on the NCS tag below or see the following posts

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Party Down 2.03

Nick DiCinto's Orgy Night

The Party Down team caters a recently divorced man's orgy night. None of the guests realize that's what is supposed to be going on. Roman offers to help get people in the mood. Ron does nothing but act sad because he just got dumped. Kyle gets rejected by one of the women Nick hired to stand around topless. Lydia is interested in Nick but gets nowhere with him.

Thoughts

This was an okay episode. The topless women were a little distracting. I laughed a few times. Not my favorite episode but not bad.

10/14/26 - 22:10