1. It was a wonderful life

    After a dazzling turn with Jimmy Stewart in what would become an iconic holiday classic, Virginia Patton stepped out of the Hollywood spotlight. She traded the film industry for an illustrious life in Ann Arbor.

  2. Hooray for Hollywood and … UM-Dearborn

    Dale and Anne Thomson’s Detroit home recently played host to actors Ray Liotta and Benicio Del Toro, who star in a new Steven Soderbergh film. The picture, which is set in 1950s Detroit, features several area locations.

  3. The curtain falls

    As the credits roll on his column, Frank Beaver takes a bow for the time being. Let’s push for a remake in the future.

  4. Spirits on the rise

    Frank Beaver wants to raise your spirits with uplifting picks for your home entertainment.

  5. Bridges beyond the River Kwai

    Inspired by the film ‘1917,’ Frank Beaver examines the roles played by bridges on the silver screen.

  6. Noble Nobel William Faulkner

    William Faulkner ranks as one of America’s preeminent novelists. But a screenwriter?

  7. The decade in cinema

    Frank Beaver hits rewind and reflects on the decade’s cinema highlights.

  8. Letters from Long Binh

    Greg Stern, BA ’00, regrets he never asked his late father about his service in Vietnam. Then the filmmaker found a family treasure that turned into documentary gold.

  9. Summertime streamers

    Frank Beaver takes a break from Tarantino, talking lions, and comic heroes to stream four summer films you should not miss.