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Today is Vincent Price's 105th birthday. I have only seen four of his pictures, but since one of them is widely regarded as one of finest films noir of all time (and features one of my favourite actors, Dana Andrews), I thought I would tell you a little bit about it for this week's «Film Friday.» Directed by Otto Preminger, Laura (1944) opens in New York with the discovery of the facially disfigured body of the beautiful and highly successful advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), murdered by a shotgun blast to the face, inside the doorway of her apartment. Police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) interviews each of the suspects: Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), an imperious society columnist and Laura's possessive mentor; Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), Laura's weak-willed playboy fiancé; and Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson), Laura's socialite aunt, who is in love with Shelby. Mark also questions Laura's loyal housekeeper, Bessie Clary (Dorothy ...

Theatrical release poster Directed bt George Sidney, The Three Musketeers (1948) tells the story of D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly), an eager young swordsman living in 17th-century France who travels to Paris in order to join the elite King's Musketeers. Their commander, Captain Treville (Reginald Owen), initially refuses to let D'Artagnan in, but he changes his mind after the newcomer proves his expertise and audacity in a series of duels with the three most skillful Musketeers, Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young) and Aramis (Robert Coote). Later, D'Artagnan rescues and instantly falls in love with Constance Bonacieux (June Allyson), a confidante of Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury), and finds himself a dim-witted valet named Planchet (Kennan Wynn). Anne is engaged in a secret affair with the English Minister, the Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), and foolishly gives him a set of matched diamond studs, which were a gift to her from her husband, King Louis XIII...