514 Items Tagged

Film

Roy Rogers turned Billy the Kid into a good guy in Billy the Kid Returns.

The Counterintuitive History of Black Hats, White Hats, And Villains

Even in old Westerns, the white hat/black hat divide is less distinct than is often remembered.

Sarah Laskow January 27, 2017

This scene, from 1915's "The Alster Case," seems ripe for a mysterioso.

How the Quintessential Villain's Melody Snuck Into the Popular Consciousness

The "Mysterioso Pizzicato" should never have gotten as far as it did.

Cara Giaimo January 27, 2017

The cover of Le Mort qui tue, an early Fantomas novel

The Criminal History of Fantômas, France's Favorite Fictional Villain

He influenced everything from Surrealism to the X-Men.

Sarah Laskow January 25, 2017

A still from the silent comedy, <em>Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life</em>

The Myth of the Damsel on the Railroad Tracks

Tying up women in front of oncoming trains was never a real thing.

Eric Grundhauser January 23, 2017

Walking Box Ranch front view

Searchlight, Nevada

Walking Box Ranch

Formerly frequented by Hollywood stars and now open for tours.

Musso & Frank Grill, "Oldest Restaurant in Hollywood Since 1919."

Los Angeles, California

Musso and Frank Grill

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

Watch a Melodramatic Communist Ballet from 1964

A ballerina weeps over the hammer and sickle in Mao's production of "The Red Detachment of Women."

Molly McBride Jacobson January 5, 2017

Watch an Armless, Legless Man Light a Cigarette

Prince Randian, a top-billed sideshow performer, did everything with his lips alone.

Molly McBride Jacobson January 3, 2017

Complete with a plastic Steve Buscemi leg

Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo Wood Chipper

"...I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper?"

Selig's Chicago studios, extant building in the foreground

Chicago, Illinois

Former Site of Selig Polyscope Film Studios

Chicago was once a major hub of film production, but being silent film you don’t hear much about it.

Godzilla Head

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

A still from <em>Starting Over Again</em>.

The World's Most Accidentally Romantic Email Service

Letter Me Later was super low-key until a Filipino rom-com turned it into a busy hub for the lovelorn.

Muira McCammon December 8, 2016

Dorothy Gibson, a Titanic survivor who - less than one month later - starred in a film about the tragedy.

The First Movie About the Titanic Starred a Titanic Survivor

It was released only a month after the ship sank.

Stephanie Weber December 7, 2016

Watch Faux Japanese Acrobats Perform Death-Defying Stunts

Can you figure out this trick of early cinema?

Molly McBride Jacobson December 7, 2016

Oh Gimli...

Why Do Dwarves Sound Scottish and Elves Sound Like Royalty?

Blame Tolkien and time.

Eric Grundhauser December 7, 2016

Hayakawa with his wife Tsuru Aoki and dog "Dynomite", from the 1922 issue of <em>Photoplay</em> magazine.

One of the First Hollywood Heartthrobs Was a Smoldering Japanese Actor. What Happened?

Today, there aren't many Asian film hunks. But in 1915, Sessue Hayakawa was among the first sex symbols.

Rachel King December 5, 2016

Techatticup Mine.

Techatticup Mine

This famous Nevada gold mine, once a hotbed of Wild West shenanigans, is now open for tours.

The opening scene of the Bond film <em>Spectre</em>, showing a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.

Mexico City’s New Day of the Dead Parade is Based on a James Bond Film

The cultural event first appeared in "Spectre."

Simon Schatzberg November 11, 2016