Classic Pick: The Wrong Box

Must-see of the week is the epically zany British black comedy (one of the coolest, IMO) The Wrong Box, with great stars like John Mills, Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers (in a hilarious tiny bit, one of his best, as the weird Dr. Pratt—“I was not always as you see me now”) in this spoof of a Victorian-era “tontine”, that is, a jackpot to be awarded to the longest living, last survivor of a group of schoolboys, and the only ones left decades down the road are brothers who hate each other.

You have never met a bore half so boring as Richardson, who seems to be the foremost authority on every subject known to man, nor have you seen a butler half as old (or as good) whose grunts are so rich with meaning. This plot mixes wit and slapstick, shows you with morbidly funny detail how all the other classmates croaked, has a strangler as well as a hearse and beer wagon chase thrown in for good measure.

You have to keep your eyes glued to this gloriously absurd utter chaos to catch all the famous and then not-yet-but-destined-to-be-famous faces, and you’re certain to come away with more than one scene or quote stuck in your head for the rest of your life, and that is the Box. "That is what that is." Catch it on TCM, Wednesday 2:30pm EDT.

Remake news department: this time it's A Star is Born, with director Clint Eastwood and possibly Tom Cruise and Beyonce in the story of an aging male star who's upstaged by his younger wife. The story was first filmed in 1937, and 1954's version included arguably one of the greatest film songs ever, with Judy Garland's performance of "The Man Who Got Away."

This is cross posted from Speakeasy, where you can find further classic entertainment news and reviews.