The Decades channel may have given this Independence Day marathon of Twilight Zone episodes a terrible name (Really? Rod, White and Blue? Even I blanch at that one.) However, the selection of episodes is beyond criticism. Just look at the first three entries in this mini-marathon, which begins at noon ET. First up is 1959’s “Time Enough At Last,” starring Burgess Meredith as a man in urgent need of a post-apocalyptic Lenscrafters. Then comes 1960&r

2020

Jul

INDEPENDENCE DAY MARATHON By David Bianculli

Be more specific, Bianculli. An Independence Day Marathon of what, exactly? Ease up. In this case, I am being specific. For 12 straight hours, starting at 1 p.m. ET, AMC is presenting back-to-back-to-back-etc. showings of 1996’s Independence Day movie. And here’s something scary to consider: Next year, this Will Smith-Bill Pullman-Jeff Goldblum sci-fi blockbuster will be 25 years old. And something else to consider: In one of its scenes, one of

2020

Jul

1776 By David Bianculli

If you watched Hamilton last night on Disney+, you heard the tossaway lyric “Sit down, John!” – which wasn’t really a tossaway at all. It was a shout-out to a previous musical about American independence, 1776, which was preserved on film in this 1972 version. William Daniels plays John Adams, with Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Frankin, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson, and Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom, as the luminous Martha Jefferson. And t

2020

Jul

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY By David Bianculli

As WWII was erupting all around him, director Michel Curtiz made two back-to-back movies in 1942 that were unabashedly patriotic, and which are revered to this day, in no small part because of the iconic performances by their leading men. In this movie musical biography, James Cagney plays George M. Cohan, and struts energetically through such songs as the title number. Then, later that same year, Curtiz cast Humphrey Bogart in a little wartime drama called Casablanca.

2020

Jul

A CAPITOL FOURTH By David Bianculli

SPECIAL PREMIERE: Usually, this annual 4th of July concert is broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. This year, because of the pandemic, performances are pre-taped from remote locations. Which actually, it appears, makes for a bigger guest list: scheduled performers include Kelli O’Hara, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Renée Fleming, John Fogerty, Patti LaBelle and others. Vanessa Williams and John Stamos host – remotely. Check local listings.

2020

Jul

THE MUSIC MAN By David Bianculli

There’s trouble, right here in River City – trouble, and a wonderful family musical that’s a great way to end any 4th of July celebration. Gather the family, and watch Robert Preston command his way through this 1962 film version of Meredith Willson’s Tony-winning musical. Shirley Jones is a shimmering Marian the Librarian, and Ronny Howard – already a few years into appearing as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show – steals his scenes as little, lisp

2020

Jul

1994: LAUNCH OF AMERICA'S TALKING By TV WW

On this day in 1994, NBC launched the 24-hour cable network, America's Talking...

2020

Jul

HAMILTON By David Bianculli

MOVIE PREMIERE: Lin-Manual Miranda’s cultural phenomenon of a musical, Hamilton, opened at the Public Theater in 2015, moved uptown to Broadway later that same year, and won 11 Tonys. In June 2016 – the week before those Tonys were awarded – Miranda and his co-stars filmed Hamilton three times for a future movie. It was filmed twice with an audience, once on a closed-theater Monday so cameras could roam and swoop freely on and above the stage. The plan was t

2020

Jul

THE SEARCHERS By David Bianculli

Director John Ford made many wonderful movies, in several different genres, but this 1956 film may be his best Western, and anyone’s. A family’s home and ranch is attacked by a Comanche raiding party, and the marauders massacre everyone but the youngest daughter, who is taken prisoner. Her uncle Ethan, played by John Wayne, and her adopted brother Martin, played by Jeffrey Hunter, set out in search of her – a search that ends up taking years. And what complicates the quest, and

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