Saturday Cinema

Stanley Kramer became known as a director of 'message movies', taking on tough subjects of the day, but it was his big budget, all-star shot at comedy that endeared him to many. This week on Flicks in Five, Lynne Warfel looks at Kramer's 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'.

Austrian-born American director Billy Wilder brought us many films in his trademark black and white, but it was his 1958 comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe that earned him a place in the annals of film history. On this week's Flicks in Five, listen to music from 'Some Like It Hot'.

Alfred Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s, and by the late 1950s, his nine-stroke pencil caricature had become internationally famous. In 1960, Hitch released of one of his best known films, 'Psycho'. On this week's Flicks in Five, Lynne Warfel will share some of Bernard Herrmann's unforgettable music from that soundtrack.

August 1st marks the birthday of film composer Jerome Moross -- best known for his soundtrack music composed for 1958's "The Big Country." On this week's Flicks in Five, Lynne Warfel discusses Moross and that Academy Award-nominated score.

Film composer Randy Newman didn't have Hollywood success handed to him on a silver platter. 'Ragtime' gave Newman a chance to reach new heights.

On this week's Flicks in Five, Lynne Warfel looks at the Michael Giacchino score to 2009's 'Star Trek', which cleverly interweaves elements of Jerry Goldsmith's melodies from the original TV series score from the 1960s.

Summer dusk in the Catskills. The shadows lengthened under the park's lush trees, and the fireflies winked in time to the march's beat as my sixth-grade teacher's daughter played the clarinet in time with her tapping toes. The piccolo pierced the darkening air, and behind me, my mother laughed.

Meryl Streep is widely considered to be the greatest living actress. She has garnered more Academy Award nominations than any other, although Katherine Hepburn has won more Oscars. Lynne Warfel looks at 'Out of Africa', for which Streep earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

As the Fourth of July approaches, Flicks in Five features one of James Cagney's most enduring roles, and one of his favorites. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" gave Cagney the chance to shine as a song and dance man.

Following the news of composer James Horner's death, Twin Cities' NBC affiliate KARE 11 spoke to Classical MPR's Lynne Warfel -- host of Saturday Cinema and Flicks in Five -- about the work of the late composer.