The last Collection Update on TMP covered acquisitions from March through June. Since then, I’ve had a birthday, run across some wonderful thrift store finds, and taken advantage of a few Criterion discounts. Here’s everything that I’ve added to the collections since June!

Books

  • Chaplin by Robert Manvell
  • Debbie: My Life by Debbie Reynolds and David Patrick Columbia
  • The Devil to Pay (Ellery Queen pocket book edition)
  • Faces on Film: Newcomers and Oldtimers on the Big Screen by Margaret Ronan
  • Gable & Lombard by Warren G. Harris
  • The Illustrated Who’s Who in British Films by Denis Gifford
  • Joan of Arc: Text & pictures from the screenplay by Maxwell Anderson & Andrew Solt
  • Laugh with Lucy: The Story of Lucille Ball by Joel H. Cohen
  • Life is a Banquet by Rosalind Russell and Chris Chase
  • Vivien Leigh: A Biography by Anne Edwards

Films

  • Ben Hur (1959)
    I haven’t seen this film since middle school when my small-town Kentucky history teacher made us watch it in class. But, it’s an epic and a classic so I couldn’t pass up adding it to my collection for $1.50.
  • The Blues Brothers (1980)
    I came across this at a thrift shop and my mom insisted I buy it when I told her I’d never seen it. (Don’t hate me. We all have our blind spots!)
  • Carnival of Souls (1962) – Criterion #63
    I got a subscriber appreciation coupon from FilmStruck and promptly used it to finally add the Criterion edition of Carnival of Souls to my collection. This is one of my favorite discoveries in the history of the blog and it’s been topping my Criterion wishlist with the spooky season upon us. My sister and I are going to watch the film for Halloween. I can’t wait to see it again!
  • Cat People (1942) – Criterion #833
    A Criterion flash sale in October couldn’t pass without me buying at least one spooky film. What can I say? I like the dark. It’s friendly.
  • The Conjuring (2013)
    Spooky season impulse buy. After watching The Nun, I was reminded how much I loved the original Conjuring film. (I haven’t seen any of the others in the series.) This was in the bargain bin at the grocery store!
  • Hidden Figures (2016)
    The recent release of First Man has really re-ignited my love for NASA movies. I saw this in the theater in 2016 and enjoyed it a lot. It was also a grocery store bargain bin find. I look forward to watching it again!
  • How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
    I found this at Goodwill in perfect condition, still in the shrinkwrap! It’s a pretty bare-bones disc, with the only special feature being a newsreel about Cinemascope, but this is one of my very favorite classic romantic comedies and I’m so glad to finally have it in my collection.
  • Make Mine Music (1946)
    Would you believe I’ve never seen this film? I love Disney and love musicals, so I’m not sure how I’ve escaped it until now. The Goodwill treasure trove had a copy in near-perfect condition, so I picked it up and will be reviewing it soon.
  • The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
    I’m pretty sure I already own this in a Frank Sinatra boxed set, but I couldn’t pass up the cool red, white, and blue color-blocked cover.
  • Mildred Pierce (1945) – Criterion #860
    At the risk of sounding like a hipster, my favorite version of Mildred Pierce is the book. This Joan Crawford-led film adaptation is fantastic, though. It’s been on my Criterion wishlist for a long time, so I finally jumped at the chance to get it during the flash sale.
  • My Week with Marilyn (2011)
    I wasn’t totally in love with this film when I saw it in the theater, but did think Michelle Williams did well in taking on the role of Marilyn. I haven’t seen it since that theater visit and am interested in watching it again. Couldn’t pass up a $1.50, still-in-shrinkwrap copy at Goodwill.
  • My Fair Lady (1964) – Chinese DVD
    I’m not certain I can actually play this on any of my DVD players, but I had to pick it up for a few reasons. First, it’s an Audrey Hepburn movie. Not only that, it’s an Audrey Hepburn movie in a different language. It was also only $1.50 at Goodwill since I was visiting on a discount day. But best of all, there was, by chance, a sticker with my name on the front cover! I can’t come across a classic movie DVD with “Lindsey” marked on the front and not take it home. Such an odd coincidence!
  • National Velvet (1944)
    An early Elizabeth Taylor role. I’m always interested in the early and late careers of stars who are so well-known. I’ve seen this film once but don’t recall much of it — you can expect a review when I get around to watching it on DVD.
  • Orpheus (1950) – Criterion #68
    One of the most beautifully made films I’ve ever seen. I gave it a perfect score when I reviewed it back in 2015 and have been in the mood to re-watch it, so I made it one of my flash sale picks!
  • Rebecca (1940) – Criterion #135
    Another selection from my FilmStruck coupon order. (That coupon was only for $10, so I really didn’t save anything on this DVD, but I have no self-control! haha) Rebecca is, without a doubt, one of Hitchcock’s very best films. Those performances! That cinematography! It’s so elegantly made.
  • Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
    I’ve rented this film on Amazon more times than I care to admit. I love the TV series unashamedly, but this movie is a total guilty pleasure.
  • Valley of the Dolls (1967) – Criterion #835
    My final flash sale pick! I have a really beautiful vintage movie tie-in edition of the book, so this completes the pair.

Magazines

  • Zane Grey Western Magazine, February 1970
    The cover features the “law-busting adventure” The Lure of Buried Gold.

I feel like I bought a few other magazines (I made a couple of visits to my favorite antique shop, where my go-to magazine/book dealer has recently upgraded to a larger booth!), but they’ve already been integrated into the shelves and I didn’t make note of them before shelving. I’ll make a collection overview with all of the missing titles once I get my shelves sorted the way I want them!

That’s it for the update this time around. Feel free to share your own best recent acquisitions in the comments!