So many great movies were made in 1939, and John Ford’s Stagecoach, presenting a young John Wayne as the Ringo Kid, certainly was one of them. Andy Devine, Claire Trevor and John Carradine are here, too – and the now-iconic scenery, which Ford basically introduced to most of America.

2016

Jul

THE HUNT By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: This new nature series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, premiered on Sunday night, but expect many people missed it over the holiday weekend. But it’s marvelous, and this first episode, full of the predatory practices of Nile crocodiles, river spiders and wild dogs, is photographed spectacularly.

2016

Jul

THE SEARCHERS By David Bianculli

More than 15 years after making Stagecoach, John Ford and John Wayne reteamed for 1956’s The Searchers, one of my very favorite Westerns. Wayne plays a complicated, stubborn Civil War veteran with a hatred for native Americans, who leads a search for a young girl kidnapped by Comanches. Wayne’s character, Ethan, is unusually complex and dark, as is this movie. Jeffrey Hunter, Natalie Wood co-star.

2016

Jul

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON By David Bianculli

One of the most patriotic of all movies, this 1939 Frank Capra classic, starring James Stewart as an idealistic freshman congressman, is the perfect film to watch on Independence Day – especially in this particular political year.

2016

Jul

A CAPITOL FOURTH By David Bianculli

There are several options for fireworks watching and music listening tonight in prime time. Here’s one of them, from Washington, D.C., featuring Smokey Robinson, Kenny Loggins and others. Check local listings.

2016

Jul

MACY'S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR By David Bianculli

Here’s another, from New York, with Meghan Trainor, Kenny Chesney and others.

2016

Jul

BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR By David Bianculli

And here’s yet another, this one from Boston, with Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas and others.

2016

Jul

1776 By David Bianculli

To end Independence Day, curl up with this 1972 film version of the Broadway musical about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Think of it as the original Hamilton musical – so original, Alexander Hamilton isn’t even a character in it. But political strife and revolution are all over the thing, from its opening lines, in which John Adams, played by William Daniels, proclaims: “I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace. Two are called a

2016

Jul

BARRY LYNDON By David Bianculli

There are some wonderful things on TV tonight, if you know where to find them – which, I guess, is where Best Bets comes in. Start on TCM, for example, with a triple feature of three of the best movies made by one of the cinema’s all-time best directors, Stanley Kubrick. The festival of quality begins at 8 p.m. ET with 1975’s Barry Lyndon, a masterpiece of 18th-century melodrama photographed in the style of some of the era’s most renowned canvases. Ryan O’Neal stars

2016

Jul

THE HUNT By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: Sir David Attenborough is one of my true TV heroes: A man who’s been making superb nature documentaries for more than half a century – closing in on three-quarters – and has never wavered, in energy or quality. This newest documentary series of his is called The Hunt, and expect, as always, the most amazing photography of the most astounding creatures in action. And this time, virtually every scene is life or death.

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