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I have had the Netflix service for about 3 years now, and the last 6 months has been some of the most enjoyable to me as a classic movie fan.  That is because I have taken advantage of the streaming video service that Netflix provides.

As someone who really enjoys watching those ‘oldies but goodies’, the Netflix plan allows me to view many films that I would otherwise not have access to.  As many studios are releasing more and more ‘classic’ content to DVD, it is still quite certain that many films will never be released,  in part because of the sheer volume of films produced, the fact that the studios would lose money, as many of the classic titles  would not have wide enough appeal to make a profit.  So enter Netflix, who has the catalog and ability to stream many of these films.

Now there are some films that should never  ‘see the light of day’,  but many of the  films available via Netflix streaming are quite good.  

Here is just a sampling of some of the films I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed via streaming>
  • Carve Her name with Pride‘58
  • The Betrayal ‘57
  • Strange Intruder ’56 w/Ida Lupino
  • Man Trap ’61 w/David Janssen/Jeffrey Hunter/Stella Stevens Dir: Edmond O’Brien
  • The Cruel Tower w/Charles McGraw/John Ericson
  • Cage of Evil ’60 w/Patricia Blair
  • Flame in the Streets ’61 w/John Mills/Sylvia Syms/Johnny Sekka
  • Man with My Face ’51  w/Barry Nelson
  • Beware of Pity ’46
  • The Big Night ’60 w/Randy Sparks  (personal favorite because of its simplicity)
  • The Big Night ’51 w/John Drew Barrymore/Preston Foster
  • High Jump ‘59
  • Short Cut to Hell ’57  - This was a remake of the classic ‘This Gun for Hire’, and was the only film ever directed by James Cagney.  Well worth a look.
So, if you are craving more classics Netflix can satisfy your appetite.  If you are a true fan of classic film and TV, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

 
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You may not recognize the name, but if you are a fan of crime and noir films of the 40’s and 50’s Elisha Cook, Jr, will no doubt have made an impression on you.  Many will probably remember Cook’s recurring role on the long running series, Magnum P.I, as the underworld boss ‘Ice pick’, but before that he had made his mark as one of Hollywood’s most sought after character actors.  
Many of the roles Elisha Cook portrayed were of low-life, slimy, frightened little men.  But he brought them to life and made then stand out.  In the film Phantom Lady ‘44, he plays a jazz drummer who is mesmerized by the ‘Phantom  Lady’, and goes into a drumming frenzy while perfuming in the night club she visits, or his sympathetic, yet tragic role in The Killing.  This fine character actor always delivered,  and for that has always ranked as one of my favorite all-time character actors.


If you’ve never seen any of his films you owe it to yourself to do so, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.


 A Brief filmography:
  • Salem's Lot (1979) (TV) (as Elisha Cook) .... Gordon 'Weasel' Phillips
  • Electra Glide in Blue (1973) (as Elisha Cook) .... Willie
  • Johnny Cool (1963) .... Undertaker
  • Platinum High School (1960) .... Harry Nesbit
  • Baby Face Nelson (1957) .... Homer van Meter
  • Plunder Road (1957) .... Skeets Jonas
  • Chicago Confidential (1957) .... Candymouth Duggan
  • The Lonely Man (1957) (as Elisha Cook) .... Willie
  • The Killing (1956) (as Elisha Cook) .... George Peatty
  • Shane (1953) .... Frank 'Stonewall' Torrey
  • Don't Bother to Knock (1952) .... Eddie Forbes
  • Flaxy Martin (1949) .... Roper
  • The Long Night (1947) .... Frank Dunlap
  • Born to Kill (1947) .... Marty
  • Fall Guy (1947) .... Joe
  • The Big Sleep (1946) .... Harry Jones
  • Blonde Alibi (1946) .... Sam Collins (cab driver)
  • Dillinger (1945) .... Kirk Otto
  • Dark Waters (1944) .... Cleeve
  • Phantom Lady (1944) .... Cliff Milburn
  • I Wake Up Screaming (1941) .... Harry Williams
  • The Maltese Falcon (1941) .... Wilmer Cook
  • Sergeant York (1941) (uncredited) .... Piano player
  • Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) .... Joe Briggs