bell book and candle

the year: 1958

the genre: comedy


the cast: James Stewart (Shepherd "Shep" Henderson); Kim Novak (Gillian "Gil" Holroyd); Jack Lemmon (Nicky Holroyd); Ernie Kovacs (Sidney Redlitch); Hermione Gingold (Bianca de Passe); Elsa Lanchester (Queenie Holroyd)


the plot: Gillian Holroyd is an average, modern-day, witch, living in a New York apartment with her Siamese cat, Pyewacket. But one day a handsome publisher, Shep Henderson walks into her building and Gillian decides she wants him--especially as it turns out he's marrying Merle Kittridge, an old poison penpal from Gillian's college days. So, Gillian casts a spell over Shep. But her powers are in danger of being exorcised by something stronger than the bell-book-and-candle routine: Love.


don't miss: the Stormy Weather scene.



listen for: "I sit in the subway sometimes, on buses, or the movies, and I look at the people next to me and I think..."What would you say if I told you I was a witch?"



did you know: James Stewart celebrated his fiftieth birthday during filming.



extra bonus points: if you know which characters were in the original Broadway play.


also listen for: "Are you trying to say you're... *jilting* me?" "W-well, that's a very heavy word, Merle. It's a very heavy word. Let's just say that we're... uncoupling."

murder by death

the year: 1976

the genre: comedy


the cast: Eileen Brennan (Tess Skeffington); Truman Capote (Lionel Twain); James Coco (Milo Perrier); Peter Falk (Sam Diamond); Alec Guinness (Bensonmum); Elsa Lanchester (Jessica Marbles); David Niven (Dick Charleston); Peter Sellers (Sidney Wang); Maggie Smith (Dora Charleston); Nancy Walker (the Maid); Estelle Winwood (Nurse Withers); James Cromwell (Marcel); Richard Narita (Willie Wang)


the plot: Millionnaire Lionel Twain invites the five most brilliant private eyes to a dinner - and a murder. Exactly at midnight, a murder is set to take place, and Mr. Twain offers a million dollars to the one who can solve the murder. Will the most brilliant minds of our time be able to see through the elaborate set-up staged by a criminal mastermind?


listen for: "Oh, there. Voice come from cow on wall..." "Moose! MOOSE, you imbecile!"


did you know: the screaming doorbell uses Fay Wray's screams from King Kong.


extra bonus points: if you can name all the "real" fictional detectives that this movie spoofs.


don't miss: two of my favorite scenes here.


also listen for: "I don't hear nothin'. What do you hear?" "Double negative, and dog."

that darn cat

the year: 1965

the genre: suspense / comedy


the cast: Hayley Mills (Patti Randall); Dorothy Provine (Ingrid Randall); Roddy McDowell (Gregory Benson); Tom Lowell (“Canoe” Henderson); Dean Jones (Zeke Kelso); Elsa Lanchester (Mrs. MacDougall); Frank Gorshin (Iggy)


the plot: Sisters Patti and Ingrid Randall hold down the home fort while their parents are in Europe, under constant snoop-ervision by their neighbor Mrs. MacDougall. Patti is courted by the romantically inert, surf-crazy Canoe Henderson and Ingrid is pestered by her mother-obsessed carpool partner Gregory Benson. Gregory hates the Randall's adopted siamese cat DC (short for Darn Cat), which prowls the neighborhood each night looking for food and tormenting the bulldog next door. But one night DC comes home with a diamond watch around its neck instead of a collar, which Patti decides is a cry for help from a kidnapped bank teller being held by rotten crooks Dan and Iggy. Against Ingrid's wishes, Patti contacts in the F.B.I. in the person of handsome Agent Zeke Kelso. He's assigned to tail DC to find the crooks, even though he's allergic to cat dander.


count: the number of surfing movies Canoe and Patti have seen within a 4 day period.


don’t miss: Mrs. MacDougall telling the police, “ You might as well wait for me. I'm going into the house to murder someone.” (I can hear my dad laughing now.)


check out: Frank Gorshin as Iggy. A year after TDC was released, he starred as The Riddler in the Batman movie and then also in the TV series.


listen for: “Meantime, by authority of the Federal Communications Commission, and the grace of kindly Providence, which gave me the power of not having to listen to people, I am now going off the air.”


did you know: this was Hayley Mills’ last movie under her contract with Disney – and Dean Jones’ first?


extra bonus points: if you can translate the Spanish title for this movie: Un Gato del FBI.