phone call

Phone Call from a Stranger
$19.98
Phone Call From A Stranger was far more powerful than I anticipated it would be. The plot moves along at a very good pace and the acting is extremely convincing. We get big name stars in this film, too: Keenan Wynn, Michael Rennie, Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, and Shelley Winters! The cinematography is pretty good although you can see that the plane is really just a miniature flying "in the air;" the cord holding the plane in mid-air is pretty visible. Sigh. However, the choreography is very well done.

When the film starts we quickly meet attorney David L. Trask (Gary Merrill) who's leaving his wife Jane because she was unfaithful to him. She begs him to stay but he can't forgive her and so he boards a plane board for California. As luck would have it, the plane is going to have to take off late because of a very intense rain storm; so it isn't long before we also meet three other people traveling on the same plane with David Trask: Binky Gay (Shelley Winters) is an armchair psychologist who worked as a stripper to make ends meet after her marriage started to have trouble and she wanted to be a star in the theater; and there's Dr. Robert Fortness (Michael Rennie) who has a long history of alcoholism and a very dark secret to hide from the police. We also meet traveling salesman and practical jokester Edmund Vincent 'Eddie' Hoke (Keenan Wynn).

David and the other three people meet and chat in the airport restaurant before leaving Chicago; and they continue to make fast friends on their trip westbound both onboard the plane and when they stop outside of Salt Lake City. They exchange each other's phone numbers with the exception of David Trask, who can't give information about his whereabouts in California because he's traveling there and doesn't know where he'll be staying yet. This turns out to be for the best, unfortunately, because the airplane crashes and David Trask is the sole survivor of the crash.

After some treatment for his wounds, David Trask is quite lucky in that he's fully ambulatory and just has a few scratches left to heal. David also decides to visit the family members of the now deceased friends he made on that flight so they can hear what their deceased relatives really and truly wanted them to know.

The plot can go anywhere from here; and there are more than just one or two surprises. David Trask must meet with family members who are bitter or who didn't really understand or know everything they really should have known about the departed. In addition, look for Bette Davis to steal the show with a stunning performance closer to the end of the picture.

The DVD has a few extras which include an example of how they cleaned up the film to make it digital; but I must confess I didn't see any major differences between the two copies of the print. We get a theatrical "teaser" and a theatrical trailer as well.

Phone Call From A Stranger packs a big punch and I highly recommend it for fans of the stars on this movie as well as people who enjoy classic movies that remain relevant in our times. The movie deals with the "double standard" of marital morality and that's very interesting, too.

Phone Call From a Stranger [VHS]
$19.98
Phone Call From A Stranger was far more powerful than I anticipated it would be. The plot moves along at a very good pace and the acting is extremely convincing. We get big name stars in this film, too: Keenan Wynn, Michael Rennie, Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, and Shelley Winters! The cinematography is pretty good although you can see that the plane is really just a miniature flying "in the air;" the cord holding the plane in mid-air is pretty visible. Sigh. However, the choreography is very well done.

When the film starts we quickly meet attorney David L. Trask (Gary Merrill) who's leaving his wife Jane because she was unfaithful to him. She begs him to stay but he can't forgive her and so he boards a plane board for California. As luck would have it, the plane is going to have to take off late because of a very intense rain storm; so it isn't long before we also meet three other people traveling on the same plane with David Trask: Binky Gay (Shelley Winters) is an armchair psychologist who worked as a stripper to make ends meet after her marriage started to have trouble and she wanted to be a star in the theater; and there's Dr. Robert Fortness (Michael Rennie) who has a long history of alcoholism and a very dark secret to hide from the police. We also meet traveling salesman and practical jokester Edmund Vincent 'Eddie' Hoke (Keenan Wynn).

David and the other three people meet and chat in the airport restaurant before leaving Chicago; and they continue to make fast friends on their trip westbound both onboard the plane and when they stop outside of Salt Lake City. They exchange each other's phone numbers with the exception of David Trask, who can't give information about his whereabouts in California because he's traveling there and doesn't know where he'll be staying yet. This turns out to be for the best, unfortunately, because the airplane crashes and David Trask is the sole survivor of the crash.

After some treatment for his wounds, David Trask is quite lucky in that he's fully ambulatory and just has a few scratches left to heal. David also decides to visit the family members of the now deceased friends he made on that flight so they can hear what their deceased relatives really and truly wanted them to know.

The plot can go anywhere from here; and there are more than just one or two surprises. David Trask must meet with family members who are bitter or who didn't really understand or know everything they really should have known about the departed. In addition, look for Bette Davis to steal the show with a stunning performance closer to the end of the picture.

The DVD has a few extras which include an example of how they cleaned up the film to make it digital; but I must confess I didn't see any major differences between the two copies of the print. We get a theatrical "teaser" and a theatrical trailer as well.

Phone Call From A Stranger packs a big punch and I highly recommend it for fans of the stars on this movie as well as people who enjoy classic movies that remain relevant in our times. The movie deals with the "double standard" of marital morality and that's very interesting, too.

Panasonic 5.8 Ghz 4-Line FHSS Expandable Cordless Phone System with Call Waiting Caller Id and Answering System (KX-TG4500B)
$499.95
I had the older version and this one is even better. Nice sound and good features. I am glad I bought it

A Phone Call to the Future: New and Selected Poems
$19.00
There are few poets like I look forward to new poems by with as much anticipation as those by MJS. This collection will not disappoint--unless, like me, your reaction is going to be skip the selected work; I want to enjoy the crafted pieces by a master poet. While there are only a handful of new poems, I did do what I always promise myself but rarely follow up on: I revisited a few favorites and forgotten pieces from her earlier volumes. Some readers may lament that the poems are selected and not collected, for me it was a fine blend of new and old material. If MJS's work is new to you, you'll have the joy of discovering material from her previous collections; if you've been following her work all along, you'll be happy to read the grouping that starts the collection. Everything MJS publishes is poetry of the highest order.