Author Archive: Retro

The “doll”in this Italian seriocomedy is played by Virna Lisi. Craving attention, Virna claims that she has been robbed and assaulted. Thanks to this artifice, she becomes a celebrity, and then a high-priced model. Her chickens come home to roost when three innocent men are arrested and charged for the non-existent robbery and rape. Virna is all for keeping her mouth shut, but her resolve is weakened by Haya Harareet, the wife of one of the accused. Doll That Took the Town was originally released as La Donna Del Giorno. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Coach of the Year is the pilot film for a potential Robert Conrad TV series. Conrad plays Jim Brandon, formerly a star athlete, now a wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet. The embittered, self-involved Brandon is hired to coach a team of teenagers at a correctional facility. Once he’s “reached” these so-called incorrigibles, Brandon begins to see his own life in a different light. The film was co-produced by John Ashley of Filipino horror-flick fame. Originally titled The Coach, then 4 Down Behind Bars, Coach of the Year debuted December 20, 1980.

When her parents are killed, a little girl takes refuge with a peasant family. Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film. English subtitles.

Wealthy woman refuses to marry her man until her snobbish older sister is married. The frustrated suitor hatches a scheme to fix up a shy, homely sign-painter with the older sister.

A military intelligence spy is murdered in a library for the blind.

The “Clowns” of the title are Laurel and Hardy, Keaton and the lesser-known but still hilarious Charley Chase, and the clips here show them all at the peak of their form.

These no-frills presentations by Robert Youngson keep the clips and their contents at the forefront, with music and narration as perfect none-too-intrusive accompaniment.

Hardships and struggles of a family trying to support themselves on a farm. Dir. Jean Renoir.

Happily married couple fall victim to mediocrity, and decide to divorce and see other people.

The port city of Bristol, England, in the 1800s is home to Java Head, a sailing ship line company. The owner has two sons. One, a handsome seafarer, is in love with a local girl, but cannot marry her due to a long-running feud between their fathers. After a lengthy voyage, he returns with a very exotic, noble Chinese wife, which scandalizes the conservative town. His other son, a “landlubber”, seeks to convert to steamships, to the disgust of his father. Even worse, he is secretly dealing in contraband.