Leonard Maltin
The film is a story about love, sacrifice, and hope set against an Arthouse noir milieu, where its sharks, vampires, and victims when a reclusive billionaire (Robert Davi), comedy club owner (Leona Paraminski) and over the hill filmmaker Charlie Nabis (Dan Coplan) are drawn into a deadly game of conspiracy and murder as a Russian Oligarch fights to control California's water supply.
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story takes a deeper look at the life and career of Boris Karloff, from 1931 to 1969, exploring films such as The Ghoul, The Walking Dead (1936), Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936), the Mr Wong series, The Climax (1944), Lured (1947), The Strange Door (1951), Grip of the Strangler and Corridors of Blood(1958), The Comedy of Terrors (1963), The Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), the Mexican quartet, some of his major TV appearances (The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, I-Spy) as well as taking a deep look at his often ignored Broadway career in the 1940s and 50's. There is also much time devoted to Karloff's more personal side and his relationship with his daughter, Sara.
Adventure Thru the Walt Disney Archives will celebrate the lasting legacy of the Archives and provides an inside look at rarely seen treasures from the extensive collection. Each stop on the adventure offers a look at some of the iconic treasures that have played a role in shaping The Walt Disney Company. The film, hosted by legendary producer Don Hahn, premiered on D23.com exclusively for D23 Gold Members on June 27, 2020.
Celebrating the splendor and grandeur of the great cinemas of the United States, built when movies were the acme of entertainment and the stories were larger than life, as were the venues designed to show them. The film also tracks the eventual decline of the palaces, through to today’s current preservation efforts. A tribute to America’s great art form and the great monuments created for audiences to enjoy them in.
Fifty years after its release, the special effects makeup team behind Planet of the Apes reflect on making the iconic film.
Rick Worley's video essay on the filmmaking of Star Wars, the genius of the prequels and responds to the reviewers who underestimated both George Lucas and his films.
A documentary about the life of Carl Laemmle, early cinema pioneer and founder of Universal Studios, documenting his life in Hollywood and his efforts in the 1930s to save Jewish families in Nazi Germany.
Documentary following the history of America's first cinematographers.
A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians, Buster Keaton, whose singular style and fertile output during the silent era created his legacy as a true cinematic visionary.
This documentary recounts the difficult choice actress Mary Astor had to make after learning her personal, very intimate, diaries had been stolen. The film tells the story of Astor's 1936 child custody case.
With his naïve air, his rangy and reassuring silhouette, James Stewart symbolizes success, someone who everybody wants to look like. Behind his legendary nonchalance, Robert Mitchum is the figure of the bad boy, the kind-hearted hooligan who anyone would like to have for accomplice. What is the legacy left by these two big myths of the Hollywood cinema and in which way they fed the American dream?
During his career, Bob Hope was the only performer to achieve top-rated success in every form of mass entertainment. American Masters explores the entertainer’s life through his personal archives and clips from his classic films.
A documentary about the Marx Brothers containing interviews with Leonard Maltin, Dick Cavett and others.
Fanarchy explores the rise of fan culture and ways in which fans are threatening the Hollywood system by becoming a creative force in their own right. With affordable technology at their fingertips, fans are producing more new content per month than studios or networks combined. Whether it's an original idea or a personal spin on a favorite film or TV show, fans are taking the reins and blurring the line between amateur and professional. Written and directed by Halifax’s own Donna Davies, Fanarchy exposes the burgeoning media landscape and the issues that complicate it – copyright, intellectual property and the concept of originality in a remix culture.
In 1935, 17 year old aspiring actress Marsha Hunt was discovered in Hollywood. She signed with Paramount Pictures and went on to a flourishing career at MGM. She made 54 films in 17 years before a series of unfortunate events led to her being unfairly blacklisted. After the blacklist, she championed humanitarian causes, forging a career as one of Hollywood's first celebrity activists. She was the FIRST Angelina Jolie. As far back as 1955, Eleanor Roosevelt was a mentor of hers as they both worked tirelessly to support the work that the United Nations Association was accomplishing in this country . At age 96, Marsha continues to fight for causes she believes in.
NOTFILM is a feature-length experimental essay on FILM -- its author Samuel Beckett, its star Buster Keaton, its production and its philosophical implications -- utilizing additional outtakes, never before heard audio recordings of the production meetings, and other rare archival elements.
Documentary about veteran character actor Dick Miller, whose career in and outside of Hollywood has spanned almost 200 films across six decades, featuring a diverse range of interviews with directors, co-stars, and contemporaries.
A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan.
This film is about the life and times of legendary voice actress June Foray. From her beginnings as a child wanting to be an actress, to becoming one of the greatest voice talents in the golden age of animation.
A documentary looking at the life, films, and troubled times of America's first sex symbol, screen actress Clara Bow, featuring interviews and archive footage. It takes a look at why she is considered the 'Lost Screen Goddess'.
Focuses on how the legend of animation, Tex Avery, revolutionized cartoons.
Tells the history and importance of The National Film Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.
Fellow actors and musicians, film critics, and his Kentucky relatives tell the story of noted character actor Harry Dean Stanton. Kris Kristofferson, Billy Bob Thornton, critic Leonard Maltin are among those interviewed in this profile.
Iconic writer, director, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen allowed his life and creative process to be documented on-camera for the first time. With this unprecedented access, Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Robert B. Weide followed the notoriously private film legend over a year and a half to create the ultimate film biography. "Woody Allen: A Documentary" chronicles Allen's career - from teen writer to Sid Caesar's TV scribe, from stand-up comedian to award-winning writer-director averaging one film-per-year for more than 40 years. Exploring Allen's writing habits, casting, directing, and relationship with his actors first-hand, new interviews with A-listers, writing partners, family and friends provide insight and backstory to the usually inscrutable filmmaker.
Each installment focuses on a different era of American movie history, from the invention of the first moving pictures to the revolutionary, cutting-edge films of the 1960s.
Leonard Maltin interviews Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy, while film clips trace the history of the comic strip detective.
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year is a once-over-lightly evocation of a slate of classic films unmatched before or since. In a year permitting 10 Best Picture nominees, the final cut included Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, Love Affair. Shut out: The Roaring '20s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Intermezzo, Destry Rides Again, Idiot's Delight, Young Mr. Lincoln, Gunga Din. This hour-long film finds room to acknowledge a few of these non-starters, but its brevity means a lot gets left out. This includes the absence of anything that doesn't celebrate the studio system, including the practices of the shrewd tyrants who ran them, seen in brief archival footage.
A documentary about the troubled sibling relationship between Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman -- aka The Sherman Brothers -- the Academy Award and Grammy-winning songwriters famous for their iconic Disney and Family Movie hits.
A documentary about Vittorio de Sica with clips of his films and testimonials from friends and family.
A documentary on the life and career of Victor Fleming, director of such iconic movies as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.
Documentary focusing on the making-of the 1940n adaptation of Pinocchio by the Disney studio, often considered the artistic pinnacle of the Disney feature.
A look at the forces that shaped Pre-Code Hollywood and brought about the strict enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934.
Produced for Turner Classic Movies, this documentary looks at the early days of the gangster film.
Before Mickey there was Oswald, the floppy-eared star of Walt Disney's first cartoon series, THE ADVENTURES OF OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT. Fun and mischievous, the cheerful rabbit's popularity quickly multiplied, and so did his shorts. Between 1927 and 1928, Disney created a bounty of legendary and rarely seen Oswald cartoons. Now for the first time ever on DVD, the premiere collection of Disney's Oswald shorts -- all featuring new scores composed by Robert Israel especially for this release. The long-lost rabbit's life story, from his birth to his long-awaited return to Disney, and a documentary on the legendary Ub Iwerks set the stage for the comeback of one of the most important stars in Disney's menagerie. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.
HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.
The sound of flapping bat wings, an empty coffin, glistening fangs, tiny punctures on the neck, the sensual taste of blood, a blank reflection, fear of the cross, and death from daylight. These are the creatures of the night, and as legendary (but fictional) vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing exclaimed: "Gentlemen, we are dealing with the undead!" Perhaps the most enduring film genre of all time, vampire films continue to haunt us on the big screen. Why are we fascinated with the myth of these immortal souls? Could it be the living forever part, or perhaps the fact that they have an unearthly sexual attraction to both males and females? Whatever it is, audiences around the world can't seem to get enough of them.
A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions.
A fond remembrance of and tribute to the uniquely American institution of the horror movie host.
Find out how the spectacular music inspired the animation, and learn more about the development of the characters—such as how Ursula ended up being a big octopus—and how the memorable song "Part of Your World" almost got cut from the film.
Legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films from the wild and funny days of B-movies to blockbusters that have captured the world's imagination. This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Forrest J Ackerman's FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream.
This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities' DVD.
Documentary short about the black & white Looney Tunes cartoons
A Documentary about the Looney Tunes war cartoons
A featurette that can be found on the Shall We Dance (1937) DVD.
A documentary about Frank Tashlin's cartoons.
A cherished remembrance of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers reunited for the film, "The Barkleys of Broadway."
This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities' DVD.
A documentary short extra on the Mickey Mouse - Living Color Vol. 2.
A documentary about Chuck Jones' classic animated short One Froggy Evening.
Leonard Maltin talks about the history of Mickey Mouse's voice.
This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 1' (1934-1941).
Introduction to Walt Disney's Treasures: On the Front Line DVD Collection by Film Historian Leonard Maltin.
The documentary Bob Hope: The Road to Laughter contains numerous clips from the film and television work of the beloved entertainer. These snippets are intercut with interview footage featuring people who worked with Hope as well as film historian Leonard Maltin who provides a context for Hope's career. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
In the 40's Howard Hawks boasts that he can make a movie out of the worst thing Hemingway ever has written. When Hemingway asks, which novel he means, Hawks says To Have and Have Not. Jules Furthman writes a script, which follows the book closely. The location of the story is Cuba, but the US Government is against depicting corruption and violence on Cuba, and threatens to withdraw the film's export license. William Faulkner rewrites the script, and relocates the story to Martinique. Hawks's wife, Nancy Slim Gross, happens to see a young model at the cover of the magazine Harper's Bazaar, and shows it to her husband. Hawks is a star-maker, who likes to discover and nurture new talents. After a screen test, he chooses the 19 year old model as the lead actress opposite Humphrey Bogart. She changes her name from Betty Perske to Lauren Bacall. At the first takes she is so nervous that she shakes.
A featurette exploring the gangster films made at Warner Bros., actor Humphrey Bogart's career, and the making of HIGH SIERRA (1941)
A documentary on the Looney Tunes. Including interviews from people who worked on it, and their family.
Film historians examines the making of the 1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood."
Bogart was interested in this project because it offered a chance to work with his new bride. The studio wasn't convinced but the result speaks for itself.
Documentary looking at the film classic, They Drive By Night
Directed by Kevin Burns, this documentary from Playboy Home Video examines the oftentimes tense relationship between sex, women, and popular Hollywood culture. With a particular focus given to Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and Sharon Stone, Sex at 24 Frames Per Second studies the role of female sexuality in film throughout the years. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
“A Conversation with Fess Parker” (17:05) is another interview, edited almost exactly like the previous, where Maltin visits the man who played Davy Crockett at his winery in California. Memories of how he got the part, what it was like to make the series and the reaction from fans are all recalled by Parker. This is a low-key documentary, but a very nice inclusion for the set. Next we find A Conversation With Fess Parker. For this 17-minute and five-second piece, Maltin visits the actor at his vineyard and restaurant, and the two reminisce about the series. We learn factoids that relate to the production, Parker’s casting, his memories of the actors and Walt, and a mix of other elements in this decent little interview. In addition to the shots of Maltin and Parker, we see some behind the scenes footage as well as stills and clips from the series. Note that though the DVD’s case lists interview pieces with Buddy Ebsen, these don’t appear.
Obviously, film critic/historian Leonard Maltin talks about the making of and his appreciations for Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz (1969). He speaks of the difficulties with preview audiences in general and how they affected this film, as well as presents several deleted scenes not available before this.
Leonard Maltin interviews Tony Curtis on his experience filming 'Some Like It Hot'.
See inside the exclusive Playboy Mansion, with parties attended by all the A-List celebrities
Leonard Maltin talks with song writer Richard M. Sherman about Disney music.
“The Davy Crockett Craze” (19:05) has Leonard Maltin interviewing author Paul F. Anderson (whose book has the same title as this featurette). Anderson spends most of the time explaining Davy’s place in history, and hearing his well-put view points is rather enjoyable. This is basically just a video of the two men talking, but it’s peppered with archival footage and photos.
A nostalgic, informative history of drive-in movie theaters, featuring extensive archival photographs and interviews with Leonard Maltin, John Bloom, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Barry Corbin and many others... Drive-In Movie Memories is a film celebration of America's greatest icon of youth, freedom and the automobile. What began as an auto parts owner's business venture to make some easy money accidentally became a magical place where romance, fun and a sense of community flourished. This film chronicles the drive-in's birth and development, its phenomenal popularity with audiences of all ages, its tragic decline, and its inevitable comeback as a classic form of Americana.
Documentary on the making of Walt Disney’s Fantasia.
This biography, shown on American television as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series, examines the life works of one of Hollywood's most celebrated animators, Chuck (Charles M.) Jones. He is best known for Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, and Pepe LePew. Included are plenty of behind-the-scenes descriptions of how an animated film is made, and (best of all) many clips from Chuck's cartoons.
This documentary, first shown on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel, tells of the life and career of screenwriter Frances Marion. By the mid 1920s, she was the most respected and highest paid script writer in Hollywood. She also became the first person to win two Oscars for her work (for The Big House (1930) and The Champ (1931)).
An exploration of film preservation and restoration in the United States.
There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize Mickey Mouse. But until now, not many knew the man who originally gave shape, movement and personality to the world's most beloved icon. "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" takes you behind the scenes to meet Walt Disney's best friend and chief animator.
Documentary about the life and work of mystery writer Mickey Spillane.
The journey of J.M. Barrie's classic character to Walt Disney's conceptual masterpiece.
A documentary looking at the life and career of film director Frank Capra. Hosted by Ron Howard.
From all the cartoons Walt Disney and his team create a full length feature film fun and fancy free . Learn the story of how ww2 Changed bongo and the rest of the cartoons . How Edgar burgan got to play himself and his puppets.
A documentary about James Dean. People who knew him or had worked with him reminisce.
The life story of Colin McKenzie, a forgotten pioneer of international cinema who was born in rural New Zealand in 1888.
A short documentary about the making of John Ford's 'Rio Grande'.
Join host Leonard Maltin as he explores the early life of John Wayne (born as Marion Michael Morrison) as a college football star. After a chance meeting with film legend John Ford, Wayne exchanged his cleats for spurs and a cowboy hat and the rest was movie history.
Third and final entry into the annual horror award show. Nominees for best film for Horror Hall of fame III were The Addams Family, Child's Play 3, Alien 3, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, The Lawnmower Man and Pet Sematary Two.
Documentary about High Noon featuring Fred Zinnemann and Stanley Kramer.
Leonard Maltin tells about the Fleischer Studio between featuring assorted cartoons from the Fleischers.
A documentary hosted by Leonard Maltin featuring rare clips of the Three Stooges
Young sweethearts Billy and Kate move to the Big Apple, land jobs in a high-tech office park and soon reunite with the friendly and lovable Gizmo. But a series of accidents creates a whole new generation of Gremlins. The situation worsens when the devilish green creatures invade a top-secret laboratory and develop genetically altered powers, making them even harder to destroy!
Leonard Maltin introduces us to and takes us back to a theatre showing Wartime cartoon shorts and explains how Bugs and Daffy and the gang, through a collection/sampling of 11 cartoon shorts which served the war effort.
Stan Brakhage is a film maker whose work is shown mainly at film festivals. His work has been likened to poetry. Brakhage explains his techniques and his motivation.
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, in Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer. The program makes the claim that it is "the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world". It is the longest-running entertainment news program, with its first broadcast on September 14, 1981, and was the first syndicated program distributed via satellite. Mary Hart served as the show's primary anchor from 1982 until her departure on May 20, 2011. Mark Steines and Nancy O'Dell took on the roles of primary hosts of the show once Hart left. O'Dell took on the role as sole host of the show after Steines left the show on July 27, 2012. Rob Marciano became Nancy O'Dell's permanent co-host on January 7, 2013. It was announced on January 30, 2006, that Entertainment Tonight was renewed through the 2011–2012 season, which was the show's 30th season. On September 8, 2008, Entertainment Tonight began to air in high definition with the move of the program from their longtime home at Stage 28 on the Paramount Pictures studio lot to Stage 4 at CBS Studio Center, one of the final steps involving the incorporation of Paramount's former syndication arm, Paramount Domestic Television, into CBS' distribution arms and the adoption of the CBS Television Distribution name, which all took place following the breakup of the original Viacom in 2005.
Davy Crockett is a five-part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his friend, George Russel. The first three episodes of the serial were edited together as the 1955 theatrical film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, and rebroadcast in color in the 1960s when the Disney program went to NBC. This series and film are known for the catchy theme song, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett". It was filmed in color at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the Mountain Farm Museum adjacent to the visitor center at Oconaluftee near Qualla Reservation's entrance and Janss Conejo Ranch, California. The final two episodes were edited together as the 1956 theatrical film Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. It was filmed in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois.
This compilation of 9 NFB animation films is presented by Leonard Maltin. Included in the collection are Begone Dull Care, The Cat Came Back, Log Driver's Waltz, Getting Started, The Street and more.
