Hill Place Blog
@hillplaceblog.bsky.social
Random musings on all things related to movies and television. Follow my blog at: http://hillplace.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite TV movies, Nightmare in Badham County, premiered 49 years ago tonight on the ABC Friday Night Movie.
November 5, 2025 at 3:12 PM
One of my favorite TV movies, Nightmare in Badham County, premiered 49 years ago tonight on the ABC Friday Night Movie.
Remembering Phyllis Davis on her birthday. A sexy bombshell who could act, she did comedy & drama, villains & heroines in a nuanced manner. She had an excellent speaking voice that gave her gravitas & maturity. Her best work was LoveAmericanStyle, Vega$, Sweet Sugar & Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
July 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Remembering Phyllis Davis on her birthday. A sexy bombshell who could act, she did comedy & drama, villains & heroines in a nuanced manner. She had an excellent speaking voice that gave her gravitas & maturity. Her best work was LoveAmericanStyle, Vega$, Sweet Sugar & Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
One of the reasons the 1st two Die Hards were better than the others was because Bonnie Bedelia's Holly gave Bruce Willis' John McClane something worth fighting for. Sure, some of the others had his grown kids, but we didn't see these actors before, and we didn't really care about them.
July 9, 2025 at 8:14 PM
One of the reasons the 1st two Die Hards were better than the others was because Bonnie Bedelia's Holly gave Bruce Willis' John McClane something worth fighting for. Sure, some of the others had his grown kids, but we didn't see these actors before, and we didn't really care about them.
An above-average guest cast in this "Streets of San Francisco."
June 10, 2025 at 7:41 PM
An above-average guest cast in this "Streets of San Francisco."
I've always loved the split-screen slasher flick "Wicked Wicked" to such a degree that I've since wanted to live my life in Anamorphic Duo-Vision.
June 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I've always loved the split-screen slasher flick "Wicked Wicked" to such a degree that I've since wanted to live my life in Anamorphic Duo-Vision.
Happy National Road Trip Day!
May 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Happy National Road Trip Day!
40 years ago today, British Secret Service agent James Bond and California state geologist Stacey Sutton saved Silicon Valley and the Northern California Bay Area from being destroyed by massive earthquakes and flooding engineered by maniacal industrialist Max Zorin & his partner-in-crime May Day.
May 22, 2025 at 8:57 PM
40 years ago today, British Secret Service agent James Bond and California state geologist Stacey Sutton saved Silicon Valley and the Northern California Bay Area from being destroyed by massive earthquakes and flooding engineered by maniacal industrialist Max Zorin & his partner-in-crime May Day.
45 years ago on NBC, Lane Ballou arrived in Truro a dancer in Coyne's carnival & was left behind when Sheriff Titus Semple sent the law on them. She became involved w/Deputy Fielding Carlyle & crossed swords w/Titus before getting a job singing in Lute-Mae's roadhouse, where she'd meet Sam Curtis.
May 12, 2025 at 5:48 PM
45 years ago on NBC, Lane Ballou arrived in Truro a dancer in Coyne's carnival & was left behind when Sheriff Titus Semple sent the law on them. She became involved w/Deputy Fielding Carlyle & crossed swords w/Titus before getting a job singing in Lute-Mae's roadhouse, where she'd meet Sam Curtis.
In law school, some of my classmates joked how they learned their values and morality from Star Wars, while I learned mine from Dallas.
May 4, 2025 at 10:32 PM
In law school, some of my classmates joked how they learned their values and morality from Star Wars, while I learned mine from Dallas.
Getting ready for a long day ahead at the Turner Classic Movies Festival #TCMFF @tcmtv.bsky.social with a breakfast of Ham and Eggs like Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake enjoyed in Sullivan's Travels.
April 24, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Getting ready for a long day ahead at the Turner Classic Movies Festival #TCMFF @tcmtv.bsky.social with a breakfast of Ham and Eggs like Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake enjoyed in Sullivan's Travels.
Turner Classic Movies @tcmtv.bsky.social asked attendees of the #TCMFF to write a few words re: what the network means to them & took a video of it. These chicken scratches were my pearls of wisdom. (I felt like I was on an episode of "What's My Line?" when the Mystery Challenger signs their name.)
April 24, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Turner Classic Movies @tcmtv.bsky.social asked attendees of the #TCMFF to write a few words re: what the network means to them & took a video of it. These chicken scratches were my pearls of wisdom. (I felt like I was on an episode of "What's My Line?" when the Mystery Challenger signs their name.)
My mother made homemade fried dumplings and noodles (Zha Jian Mian/Fried Sauce Noodles) for lunch today before I head over to check in at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel so I can start attending the @tcmtv.bsky.social Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival #TCMFF tomorrow.
April 23, 2025 at 7:47 PM
My mother made homemade fried dumplings and noodles (Zha Jian Mian/Fried Sauce Noodles) for lunch today before I head over to check in at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel so I can start attending the @tcmtv.bsky.social Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival #TCMFF tomorrow.
The Still the Place podcast helps me realize how underrated Melrose Place's characters were, especially Amanda. She told everyone off at work & at home (The show was perceptive about office & neighborhood politics) & she was often right,but she still had a conscience where she regretted her actions.
April 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The Still the Place podcast helps me realize how underrated Melrose Place's characters were, especially Amanda. She told everyone off at work & at home (The show was perceptive about office & neighborhood politics) & she was often right,but she still had a conscience where she regretted her actions.
The final Bosch: Legacy is good, but is similar to the Three's Company finale by being a backdoor pilot for a spinoff instead of a proper farewell to great characters we've watched for a decade. No doubt Ballard will be better than Three's a Crowd, but there should've been a better way to launch it.
April 18, 2025 at 2:49 AM
The final Bosch: Legacy is good, but is similar to the Three's Company finale by being a backdoor pilot for a spinoff instead of a proper farewell to great characters we've watched for a decade. No doubt Ballard will be better than Three's a Crowd, but there should've been a better way to launch it.
Ann-Margrock is the most overrated 60s starlet reference on "The Flintstones." This one for "Tuesday Wednesday" (or is it "Wednesday Tuesday"?) is even better.
April 10, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Ann-Margrock is the most overrated 60s starlet reference on "The Flintstones." This one for "Tuesday Wednesday" (or is it "Wednesday Tuesday"?) is even better.
The best part of the Charlie's Angels opening credits.
April 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
The best part of the Charlie's Angels opening credits.
RIP Clem Burke. His role with Blondie's success helped contribute to the foundation of gravitas in those great songs.
April 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
RIP Clem Burke. His role with Blondie's success helped contribute to the foundation of gravitas in those great songs.
Tina Louise and Julie Newmar shared a dressing room for about a year while acting in "Li'l Abner" on Broadway in 1956. These behind-the-scenes photos capture them backstage getting ready for another night's performance.
March 24, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Tina Louise and Julie Newmar shared a dressing room for about a year while acting in "Li'l Abner" on Broadway in 1956. These behind-the-scenes photos capture them backstage getting ready for another night's performance.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on the cover of TV Guide.
March 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on the cover of TV Guide.
Some of my favorite actors on the cover of TV Guide.
March 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Some of my favorite actors on the cover of TV Guide.
This was a hilarious Melrose Place moment where Jane (who recently learned she was adopted as an infant) goes to Larry Edmunds Bookstore in Hollywood late at night to find out who her natural mother is--all she knows is she was an actress in Roger Corman pictures--and finds out it's Donna Mills.
March 13, 2025 at 12:40 PM
This was a hilarious Melrose Place moment where Jane (who recently learned she was adopted as an infant) goes to Larry Edmunds Bookstore in Hollywood late at night to find out who her natural mother is--all she knows is she was an actress in Roger Corman pictures--and finds out it's Donna Mills.
Anne Francis is another Underrated Oddity who deserved a bigger career. She had good film roles, did even better in TV Guest Shots & TV movies & became a 60s cult figure with Honey West. She rivaled Tina Louise in having the most distinctive facial mole in the history of the entertainment industry.
March 10, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Anne Francis is another Underrated Oddity who deserved a bigger career. She had good film roles, did even better in TV Guest Shots & TV movies & became a 60s cult figure with Honey West. She rivaled Tina Louise in having the most distinctive facial mole in the history of the entertainment industry.
Happy Birthday to Lana Wood, an actress w/ a prolific career & a life marked by challenges&tragedies who is ultimately a survivor. Her best performances in the TV movies O'Hara: U.S. Treasury, Nightmare in Badham County & Little Ladies of the Night show a tough edge in contrast to her sexy persona.
March 1, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Happy Birthday to Lana Wood, an actress w/ a prolific career & a life marked by challenges&tragedies who is ultimately a survivor. Her best performances in the TV movies O'Hara: U.S. Treasury, Nightmare in Badham County & Little Ladies of the Night show a tough edge in contrast to her sexy persona.
Happy Birthday Cristina Raines. She was a Universal contract player, 70s cult cinema siren, UnderratedOddity & TVGuest Star Par Excellence in Sunshine, Nashville, TheDuellists, TheSentinel, Centennial, LooseChange & as Lane Ballou on Flamingo Road before raising a family & becoming a dialysis nurse.
February 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Happy Birthday Cristina Raines. She was a Universal contract player, 70s cult cinema siren, UnderratedOddity & TVGuest Star Par Excellence in Sunshine, Nashville, TheDuellists, TheSentinel, Centennial, LooseChange & as Lane Ballou on Flamingo Road before raising a family & becoming a dialysis nurse.
Happy Birthday to the underrated Leann Hunley, a Universal contract player who built a long TV career as an Emmy-winning daytime & primetime soap star & TV Guest Actress Par Excellence. Hunley has a warmth & sophistication that would have warranted a major career in films in Hollywood's classic era.
February 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Happy Birthday to the underrated Leann Hunley, a Universal contract player who built a long TV career as an Emmy-winning daytime & primetime soap star & TV Guest Actress Par Excellence. Hunley has a warmth & sophistication that would have warranted a major career in films in Hollywood's classic era.