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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 favorite actors, Dana Andrews), I thought I would tell you a little bit about it.     Theatrical release poster 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 (Doro...

Theatrical release poster Directed by Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 (1953) con cerns a group of American a ir f orce sergeants interned in a Nazi pri soner- of-war camp in 1944. This motley crew of men, placed at Barracks 4, incl udes J. J. Sefton (William Holden), an entrepris ing cynic who trades openly with the German guards for cigarettes, eggs, silk stocking s and other luxuries; Stanislas "Animal" Kusawa (Robert St ra uss), who is in fatu ated with movie star Betty Grable; Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck), A nimal's wisecracking best f riend; Price (Peter Graves), the righteous secu rity ch ief ; Hoffy (Richard E rdman), whom the pr isoners have appointed as their leader ; and Coo kie (Gil St ratton), who inve ntories and protects S efton' s stash of contraband items. One day, fellow in mates Manfre di (Michael Moore) and Joh nson ( Peter Baldw in) try to escape through a tunnel, but are shot by waiting guards when they emerge outside the barbed wire ...