Check it Out! The Kessler Twins

Last week, I read in the news that the Kessler twins passed away. In Germany, assisted suicide has been legalized since 2019, and Alice and Ellen Kessler, 89, chose this way to die together. They were an internationally renowned pair of entertainers and gained the spotlight stateside through their numerous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s. 

Their death has relit the debate over assisted suicide in Germany, but instead of focusing on their chosen method of leaving this world, I want to highlight the talent of this incredible sister act. It has been a few years since I have watched their performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, so yesterday - thanks to the magic of Youtube - I was able to sit back and enjoy their beautiful dancing and singing through the clips shared by The Ed Sullivan Show Channel. 

The Kessler twins were best known as dancers but they were also blessed with lovely singing voices and they sang in harmony in almost all of their performances - in English, German, and Italian. After their appearances on The Red Skelton Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show, the leggy duo were featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1963, performed with Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Fred Astaire, and Harry Belafonte, and toured in nightclubs throughout America. 

Alice and Ellen Kessler represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision contest placing 8th with "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n" and I was surprised to read that they had appeared in 12 different films in the 1950s and 1960s, usually in dancing roles. 

Like most identical twins, if you look at them long enough you can tell the slight difference between them, but once they got into a change of costume you had to begin the spot-the-difference game all over again. 

Below are videos from some of the appearances they have made on The Ed Sullivan Show. Check out their unique singing and dancing style - they were truly a one-of-a-kind (or should I say two-of-a-kind) duo! 

A November 24, 1968 performance of "I Say a Little Prayer". 

"Two by Two and Tea for Two" on April 24, 1966. Their skirts always tend to come off at the end of their programs... that's a carried over tradition from German nightclubs. 

"When in Rome"....do as the Romans do! Supposedly, they dance. This catchy number aired on October 16, 1966. 

"The Shadow of Your Smile" performed by the handsome Italian singer Sergio Franchi. We grew up with his LPs. This also aired on October 16, 1966. 

The always popular "Mas Que Nada" from April 19, 1970. 

Fanthom's Big Screen Classics 2025

Every year, TCM had released a monthly selection of classic films back on the big screen in movie theaters across America as part of their "Big Screen Classics" series. Last year, Fanthom bought this series out and they did a great job of continuing it on. Instead of Ben Mankiewicz introducing each film, Fanthom brought in Leonald Maltin to share his thoughts and give a little behind-the-scenes commentary prior to the picture. 

This year, the Big Screen Classics continues with some interesting selections as well as some old-and-true classics: 

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - June 14, 15 and 18 (Father's Day weekend)

Clueless (30th Anniversary) - June 29, 30

This is Spinal Tap - July 5,7

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (50th Anniversary) - July 13, 16

Sunset Boulevard (75th anniversary) - Aug 3, 4

The Sound of Music (60th Anniversary) - Sept 13, 14 and 17

Rocky IV - Rocky vs Drago - Nov 5, 9

Oddly, there are no films listed for the month of October or December but sometimes they issue a film at a short notice, so check out Fanthom's website to see what the latest releases are. 

MeTV Toons - A New Cartoon Channel

On June 25th, 2024, MeTV debuted a new channel devoted strictly to cartoons: MeTV Toons. This was obviously in response to viewers requesting more cartoons than what was offered through MeTV's regular morning "toons" lineup on Toon in with Me. 

What a great selection of cartoons this new channel has to offer! In addition to Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Casper, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, there are also shows that are not as frequently shown on mainstream TV like Atom Ant, Wacky Races, The Peter Potamus Show, Marine Boy, Popeye and Pals, Inspector Gadget and The Underdog Show. Best of all is the Cartoon All-Stars Hour playing at 1pm EST and 10pm EST which features the oldies-but-goodies from the golden age of Hollywood (Warner Bros, MGM, Columbia, Fleisher and other studios). 

24-hours of toons. Sounds good to me! 

To see what channel MeTV Toons plays in your area, check out their website here. The colorful site also offers some great toon-related articles and games. 

PBS Retro - A New TV Channel

Last year I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to watch some older episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood but sadly, I couldn't find any free episodes on any of the streaming services on Roku. Every episode since the beginning of Mister Rogers Neighborhood was available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 an episode, but shucks.... none for free! Luckily, I discovered misterrogers.org and this site offers six episodes of the show rotated twice a month, so that fed my desire temporarily. 

However, patience is always rewarded. This morning, I discovered PBS Retro, a new channel available on Live Roku and - surprise! - 1970s and 1980s-era episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood play every morning from 10am-12pm EST (also at other times during the day).

A quick search online told me that PBS Retro is only a few weeks old. This channel is one of six free PBS channels available to stream, including PBS Food, PBS Antiques Road Show, Antiques Road Trip, PBS Nature, and the Julia Child channel. 

In addition to airing episodes of Mister Rogers Neighborhood, PBS Retro also includes 1970s, 80s, and 90s classics like Kratts' Creatures, Thomas and Friends, Reading Rainbow, and Zoboomafoo. Unfortunately, no Wishbone, Electric Company, or NOVA, but I haven't checked out the channel at all times during the day, so perhaps they will pull out on occasion some rarities from their archives. Anyone remember 3-2-1 Contact? But right now, I am pleased that they are offering this - and the commercials are few. If you are looking for episodes of Painting with Bob Ross, old episodes of Fireman Sam, or This Old House there already are channels devoted to these shows on Roku. 

Happy days are here again!

The Luck of the Irish Airing Tomorrow

St. Patrick's Day, that most honored of Irish holidays, be comin' o'er the week-end and if ye be feeling for a bit o' whimsy then look no further than The Luck of the Irish, a gem of a film starring himself, that handsome lad Tyrone Power. 

Tyrone Power plays a freelance writer named Steven Fitzgerald who befriends a leprechaun ( Cecil Kellaway ) while he is stranded in a village in Ireland. He manages to capture him and demand his gold but, not wanting to take the old man's life savings, returns the pot to him. The leprechaun is so grateful he follows Fitzgerald back to New York City and helps him realize his heart's desire.

The Movies! channel will be airing The Luck of the Irish (1948) on Saturday at 11am EST and again on Friday, March 22nd, at 7:20am EST. 

To read our review of the film, click here. To read Movies! TV Network's article on a behind-the-scenes look at the film click here. 

Our Debut Book! - Classic Films is now available on Kickstarter

 After ten years of writing posts for Silver Scenes, I have finally decided to publish a book! It is called "Classic Films - Famous and Forgotten Films" (Volume 1). This has long been a pet project that I kept putting off working on but now the gears are in motion and this book is set to become a reality in the summer of 2024. Hoorah!

Every January, the crowd-funding site Kickstarter hosts an initiative called "MAKE 100" where creators must offer a reward limited to only 100 editions. I usually take part in the MAKE 100 by restoring historic photographs, but this year I launched Classic Films and, surprisingly, it was funded within 4 days! The campaign still has 11 days to go before it concludes but I have already begun work on the book. Such fun!

If you would like to support this project, just click on the link below: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dianam/classic-films-famous-and-forgotten-films-1930-1985-vol-1?ref=2tel2s

The paperback costs $14 and the deluxe limited-edition set (includes a signed book, DVD and photo) costs $40. This will, hopefully, be the first volume in a set of 4-5 books. As most of you well know, there are thousands of films that can be reviewed so a series like this could be endless. 

Ten years' worth of reviews now being put into book-format

Each book will have about 45-60 film reviews as well as lots of themed lists to get you to explore other films in similar genres. It will also be profusely illustrated in the style of the old movie magazines of the 1930s. If there is room, I may even sneak in a few bios. 

I'm having a ball putting this project together! It is re-capturing the feelings I had when I was young and first fell in love with classic films...and I hope that anyone who reads the book will get these feel-good sensations, too.  

"Put it in me book exactly as I dictate!"

Tubi Picks for January

This month, the Tubi streaming app has posted a number of really good films. There is a focus on musicals and comedies of the 1940s as well as a great selection of Bette Davis classics including Jezebel and Mr. Skeffington. 

We've perused their offerings and picked out some of the best films they are currently airing here in January. Just search the title on the Tubi app to watch them for free, or go to tubitv.com to watch any of these films online. 

Arrowsmith (1931)

42nd Street (1933)

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Libeled Lady (1936)

A Day at the Races (1937)

Fire Over England (1937)

Nurse Edith Cavell (1939)

The Women (1939)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Suspicion (1941)

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Now, Voyager (1942)

Woman of the Year (1942)

Forever and a Day (1943)

Millions Like Us (1943)

We Dive at Dawn (1943)

A Canterbury Tale (1944)

Anchors Aweigh (1945)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

On the Town (1949)

The Third Man (1949)

Kiss Me Kate (1953)

The Killing (1956)

Gigi (1958)

North by Northwest (1959)

The Music Man (1962)

Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Bullitt (1968)

Ice Station Zebra (1968)

TV SERIES

The Flintstones (1960)

Supercar (1961)

The Real McCoys (1963)

Jonny Quest (1964)

Stingray (1964)

Classic Doctor Who (all seasons)

Hart to Hart (1979)

Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)

TCM's Big Screen Classics Schedule 2024

TCM has announced the line-up for their Big Screen Classic series for 2024 and there is quite a nice selection of films that are well-worth seeing on the big screen. First off, the series is no longer called "TCM's Big Screen Classics" but is now going by the name "Fathom's Big Screen Classics Series"....same films, same host, just a different name.

Many of the titles included are films that are celebrating an anniversary, such as The Wizard of Oz which is 85 years old this year (!), and Blazing Saddles which turns 50. 

Here is the complete line-up including show dates (which may change): 

The Wizard of Oz - Jan. 28th, 29th and 31st

My Fair Lady - Feb. 4th and 5th

Labyrinth - March 6th and 10th

Gone with the Wind - April 8th, 9th, and 10th

Steel Magnolias - May 5th and 8th

The Muppet Movie - June 2nd and June 3rd

South Park - Bigger Longer and Uncut - June 23rd, June 26th

The NeverEnding Story - July 21st and July 22nd

Rear Window - August 25th and August 28th

Blazing Saddles - September 15th and September 18th

Mean Girls - October 3rd and October 6th

The Fifth Element - November 17th and November 20th

White Christmas - December 15th and December 16th

Click here to view the schedule on Fathom's website. 

Roku Picks for December

We are quickly heading into the Christmas holiday season and that means it is time to pull out some classic holiday films to watch. Many of the old-time favorites (Little Women, A Christmas Carol) are not available for free viewing on any streaming service but there are a handful of gems hidden among the free apps that feature Christmas sequences. We have highlighted those in green, along with listing some other picks for December. If you do not have a Roku or other streaming device, all of these programs are free to view on the websites listed below. 

Roku 

A Night to Remember (1958) 

South Pacific (1958) 

Flower Drum Song (1961)

Battle of Britain (1969) 

Aces High (1976) 

A Christmas Carol (1984) 

TV Shows

The Abbott and Costello Christmas Show

Car 54, Where Are You? (1961) 

Gidget (1965) 

Man in a Suitcase (1967)

The Protectors 

Tubi TV

Forever and a Day (1943) 

Millions Like Us (1943) 

The Bishop's Wife (1947) 

Madeleine (1947) 

The Great Rupert (1950)

Jungle Drums of Africa (1953) 

Shower of Stars: A Christmas Carol (1954)

The Admirable Crichton (1957)

Mysterious Island (1961) 

Winter-a-Go-Go (1965) 

The Carpenters - Behind the Music (Documentary)

The Bing Crosby Color Christmas Show

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Christmas Special

Also, check out our post Holiday Specials on Tubi as most of these specials are still available for viewing. 

Pluto TV

Stella Dallas (1937) 

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)

Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) 

Ace in the Hole (1951) 

African Queen (1951) 

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

High Noon (1952)

Roman Holiday (1953)

The Big Country (1958)

The Vikings (1958)

The World of Henry Orient (1964)

Fitzwilly (1967)

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Beach Party (also Muscle Beach Party and Beach Blanket Bingo)

Other Random Recommendations

A Christmas Carol (1949) - Peacock TV

Ski Party ( if you enjoy the Beach Party series ) - FreeVee app

Scrooge (1970) - Fawesome Drama app

To view Roku online: www.therokuchannel.roku.com

To view Tubi online: www.tubitv.com

To view Pluto online: www.pluto.tv

Announcing the 100 Years of Warner Brothers Blogathon!

One hundred years ago, in 1923, Warner Brothers Pictures was founded by the four Warner Brothers: Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack. They started in the silent picture business but, by the 1930s, WB Studios became one of the giants of the industry. 

Silver Scenes is celebrating the legacy of this fantastic film studio by hosting the 100 Years of Warner Brothers Blogathon running from December 15th to 17th. It will be a three-day event honoring the great stars, character actors, films, and behind-the-scenes personnel from the golden years of Warner Brothers: 1923-1985. 

If you want to join in on the fun: just click on the comment box below and leave your name, blog site, and the topic you would like to write about. You can also email us at silverbankspictures at gmail ( you know the rest ).

"Here's looking at you, kid"

Are there any rules for the blogathon? Heck no! You can write a review of a film, a profile of an actor, a history of the studio (or one aspect of the studio), cover your favorite Looney Tunes cartoon, post a picture gallery of Errol Flynn, rave about your favorite Max Steiner score, or even review a Warner Brothers television series (did you know that Maverick, F Troop, Wonder Woman and The Dukes of Hazzard were all WB productions?). You can submit as many posts as you like so the more the merrier! 

Warner Brothers Studios excelled at making adventure films, gangster films, women's weepies, war dramas, and cartoons so there are hundreds of great films to pick from. Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, and Doris Day were just a few of the talented contract players from the studio during their heyday. Plus, they had some of the most entertaining character actors and skilled behind-the-scenes personnel in the industry.....but just in case you can't think of any ideas at the moment, here are some suggestions:

Stars: Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis, Doris Day, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, Alan Hale, Claude Rains, Edward G. Robinson, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Paul Muni, Lauren Bacall, John Garfield, George Brent, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Dane Clark, Alexis Smith, James Dean, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Gig Young.

Films: Doctor X, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Anthony Adverse, Jezebel, The Adventures of Robin Hood, High Sierra, The Strawberry Blonde, Sergeant York, The Maltese Falcon, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Desperate Journey, Christmas in Connecticut, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, House of Wax, Calamity Jane, Dial M for Murder, East of Eden, The Spirit of St. Louis, Auntie Mame, A Summer Place, The Music Man, Days of Wine and Roses, My Fair Lady, Bonnie and Clyde, Bullitt, The Omega Man, The Last of Sheila, The Towering Inferno, Superman.

Behind-the-Scenes: Busby Berkeley, Max Steiner, Michael Curtiz, Anton Grot, Carl Stalling, Harry Warren, Hal B. Wallis, Mervyn LeRoy, Raoul Walsh, John Huston, Orry-Kelly, Edith Head, Franz Waxman

Click here for a complete list of Warner Brothers films throughout the years. 

Banners are available below, so please post them on your site and help spread some brotherly love for WB on their 100th anniversary!

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Entrants

Favorite Looney Tunes Cartoons - Whimsically Classic

Casablanca (1942) - Make Mine Film Noir

Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976) - Realweegiemidget Reviews

Behind the Scenes at Warner Brothers - Silver Scenes

Fort Dobbs (1958) - Hamlette's Soliloquy

A Star is Born (1954) - Taking Up Room

The Music Man (1962) - Critica Retro

My Fair Lady (1964) - Box Office Poisons

The Birds - 60th Anniversary in Theaters Tonight!

Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classic The Birds is back in theaters for one day (this evening, October 23rd) to honor its 60th anniversary. Check out Fanthom event's website to see if it is showing in a theater near you. 

Tubi Picks for October

Every few months, the film and television show selections that streaming services offer change. The shows you have been watching on Tubi may suddenly disappear and are now available on Pluto or Peacock, or they have been replaced with five other shows and 15 new titles that you cannot possibly watch in two months' time. 

It can be overwhelming browsing through all of the major apps to see what's new in "free streaming", so every month we will round up a selection to share... that way you can see what's new and recommended in one convenient list. 

To launch this series, we are sharing some of Tubi's offerings for the month of October. If you do not have a Roku or other streaming device, simply click on the links to watch them online on Tubi's website.

Television Shows

Along with the classic favorites (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Ozzie and Harriet, I Dream of Jeannie, etc), Tubi also has some rare shows added to their roster. These include....

Tales of Tomorrow (1951)

Decoy (1957)

Man with a Camera (1958)

Yancy Derringer (1958)

Jericho (1966)

Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)

Classic Films

Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, and Terence Hill are some of the featured players this month and there is a nice selection of their films available, some of which I have included below.

It Happened One Night (1934)

Northwest Passage (1940)

War of the Wildcats (1943)

The Thing from Another World (1951)

It Should Happen to You (1954)

Track of the Cat (1954)

Gun the Man Down (1956)

The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)

Operation Madball (1957)

20000 Miles to Earth (1957)

Cowboy (1958)

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Jack the Giant Killer (1961)

The Notorious Landlady (1962)

The Reluctant Saint (1962)

The Crack in the World (1965)

The Trouble with Angels (1966)

Walk, Don't Run (1966)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Horror/Mystery/Thrillers 

Since many of us watch mysteries and horror films in the month of October, here are a few title picks from what Tubi has to offer:

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

Cry of the Werewolf (1944)

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (also be sure to check out The Alfred Hitchcock Hour on The Roku Channel)

Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)

Blood of the Vampire (1958)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

House on Haunted Hill (1959) - Colorized

One Step Beyond (1959 series)

Peeping Tom (1961)

The Gorgon (1965)

Scooby-Doo:Where Are You? (1969 series)

The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972 series)

Thriller (1976 series)

Tucker's Witch (1982 series)

Announcing The 100 Years of Disney Blogathon!

Walt Disney Studios is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and we will be joining in on the festivities by hosting the fantasmagorical 100 Years of Disney Blogathon, running from September 15-18th, 2023. 

Disney is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world today but way back in 1923 it was just one man and a little mouse named Mickey. 

Help us celebrate this colorful film studio by joining in on the fun! We will also be giving away some terrific prizes and on Silver Scenes you can enjoy Disney-themed posts all month long leading up to the event. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with blogathons, they are simply a hosted theme writing event that you can take part in if you have a blog. All you need do is create a supercalifragilistic post that goes along with the theme ( Walt Disney ) and share the link to your post with us so that we can include it on a master list for others to enjoy. 

What You Can Post About

For this event, you've got a TON of topics you can write about. There's a great big heffalump-size of material waiting for your selection! You can make a post about Walt Disney himself, any of the animated films and shorts that the studio made, the live-action films ( over 150 titles! ), the television series, the actors and actresses who had contracts with the studio or one of the numerous behind-the-scenes personnel ( e.g. Peter Ellenshaw, Robert Stevenson ). You could also write about a Disney character ( e.g. Goofy ), a role in a film ( Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins ), or a history of the studio itself. You can even write a review of a Disney record album or book - including coloring books and comic books. If it has anything to do with Disney you are good to go! 

Here's a recap of that above mess: 

• Animated Films & Shorts
• Live-Action Films ( including TV movies ) & Shorts
• Television Series
• Any Actor/Actress who had a Disney contract
• Behind-the-Scenes Personnel
• Disney Characters
• One Role in a Film
• A History of the Studio or a branch of the studio ( e.g. The Special-Effects Department )
• Disney Memorabilia
• Disney Music
• or Somethin' Special

The Not-So-Complicated Rules of the Event

Rules? Who needs rules? We have no rules here. Well, alright....maybe one. You can pick any topic that is related to Walt Disney Studios provided it is focused on something between the years 1923-1996. After all, this is a classic film blog! 

Old posts are always welcomed, too, if you re-post them with one of the new Disney banners ( down below ).

We'll be announcing the prizes in our giveaway at a later date, but for now.....every entry in the blogathon gives you an extra "ticket" for the giveaway, so the more posts the merrier!

Ready to let the magic begin? Just click on the comment box below and leave your name, blog site, and the topic you would like to write about. You can also email us at silverbankspictures at gmail ( you know the rest ). And be sure to grab a banner to post on your blog to help spread the word!

THE ROSTER

Cinderella (1950) - Whimsically Classic

Top Ten Animated Disney Movies - Hamlette's Soliloquy

Top Ten Live-Action Disney Movies - Hamlette's Soliloquy

Kurt Russell at Disney - Phyllis Loves Classic Movies

Freaky Friday (1976) - Realweegiemidget Reviews

DuckTales: The Treasure of the Golden Sun (1987) - Taking Up Room

Top Ten Silly Symphonies - Nitrate Glow

Seven Things to Know About Disney's Zorro TV Series - Classic Film & TV Cafe

Mary Poppins (1964) - Starlight and Saucepans

The Black Hole and Tron - The Midnite Drive-In

7 Favorite Disney TV Movies - Silver Scenes

The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh (1977) - Thoughts from The Music(al) Man

Marge Champion and Disney - Box Office Poisons

Walt Disney's Silent Laugh-O-Grams - Crítica Retrô

A Letter from Roy Disney - Stars and Letters

Ten Favorite Disney Movie Soundtracks - Old Books and Movies

Disney's Historical Fiction TV Shows - Old Books and Movies

The Disney Round-Up - Silver Scenes

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