Great Films Not on DVD: December

So, I’ve decided to change my major. Two weeks ago, the seed that my mom planted in my head two and a half years ago finally took root. As soon as I get the motivation to fill out the paper work, I will no longer be a film studies major. I’m very sad, but English is a much more realistic major plus I’ll have way more opportunities when I graduate (which will probably begin with grad school). Ugh, I hate facing reality. I’d rather keep dreaming.

Sorry I’ve been slacking with this post. This week is dead week so I’ve been scrambling to finish a bunch of papers and projects. I turned in my beautiful poetry portfolio (I’m very happy with how it turned out) as well as my 11 page intercultural communication paper on Gossip Girl which took me all day yesterday and was much harder to write than you make think. Thankfully, Tuesday and Wednesday ended up being snow days (a rarity for college kids) so I had extra time to work on all of it. Next week is finals week, so I have a nonfiction portfolio due in my creative writing class, a final for the previously mentioned communication class, and a compare and contrast paper on West Side Story and Romeo + Juliet. By this time next week, I’ll be home!

The Secret Garden (1949)
Starring Margaret O’Brien, Herbert Marshall, and Dean Stockwell
Airs December 13 on TCM

A rather delightful adaptation of the beloved Frances Hodgson Burnett novel with Margaret O’Brien taking on the role of orphan Mary Lennox. This is one of the few films that I can stand O’Brien in; just a bit too precocious and cutesy for my taste. Elsa Lanchester as Martha is the one that steals my attention.

Vivacious Lady (1938)
Starring Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart
Airs December 18 on TCM

Seriously, why isn’t this movie on DVD yet? Stewart is an uptight college professor who marries the beautiful nightclub singer played by Rogers on a trip to the city. When he comes home, he can’t get up the nerve to tell his parents. This movie also features one of the best cat fights ever!

The Miracle Woman (1931)
Starring Barbara Stanwyck and David Manners
Airs December 22 on TCM

In this early Stanwyck/Capra film, Stanwyck stars as a phony preacher that travels around the country performing fake miracles. Everything is perfect until she meets and falls in love with a blind man that puts all his faith in her and what she does.


If you have time, check out these films as well!

Ladies of Leisure (1930)
Airs December 22

The Opposite Sex (1956)
Airs December 28

Happy First Anniversary, Classic Film Oasis!

I can’t believe it, but today is the one year anniversary of Classic Film Oasis. It feels like yesterday that I became incredibly bored and randomly decided to start a film blog. I actually gave up on it for quite sometime after my first post because I didn’t think anyone would ever read it. Fast forward a year later and now I have 60 wonderful followers! I have made many wonderful friends and have learned a lot. Hopefully I can keep my motivation up and reach the two year mark!

In celebration of this wonderful event, here are links to some of my favorite/ most popular posts over the past year. Feel free to check them out!

Fun With Photos

...And They Call It Puppy Love

They Could be Twins...Or Not

Converting the Non-Classic Film Fan

Peg Entwistle: The Hollywood Sign Girl

Shirley Temple Syndrome

Escapism vs. Realism in 1930's Films

TCM Film Festival!!

Okay, so a friend of mine sent me this link last week. Apparently, TCM is holding its first ever Film Festival. It's just another reason why I need to 1) Move to California or 2) Suddenly become incredibly rich and fly to California. I wish I could go so bad!

Turner Classic Movies to Host Film Festival :: Movies :: News :: Paste

Great Films Not on DVD: November

Well, I signed up for classes again this week. I was unfortunately in the last group of juniors to sign up so all of the classes I needed to take were already full. This was especially disappointing because the two film classes being offered next semester are Hollywood Musicals and Hitchcock. Dream classes! Looks like next week I’ll be begging the professors to let me in.

Sorry I slacked on last month’s edition of Great Films. I had a lot more going on than usual. I still have a lot going on this weekend, but it’s a bit more fun. I’m working on a paper for my film class on Leo McCarey and have to analyze Love Affair, The Awful Truth, and The Bells of St. Mary’s. What a tough assignment! : )

Tortilla Flat (1942)
Starring Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, and John Garfield
Airs November 4 on TCM

Based on a John Steinbeck novel of the same name, it tells the story of a group of bums who spend their time in prison or drinking as much wine as they can get their hands on. When Danny (Garfield) inherits two houses, the conniving Pilon (Tracy) makes a mess of his friends newfound fortune and even tries to ruin his odds with the new girl in town.

Watch for a great performance by Frank Morgan in the role of Pirate. It won him an Oscar nomination.

The Woman in White (1948)
Starring Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, and Gig Young
Airs November 4 on TCM

A young artist is brought to an English estate to give art lessons to a beautiful and mysterious young woman. While trying to figure out the mysteries involving her (including a lookalike dressed in white), he becomes involved with a distant relative of the family that stays at the house.

The Mortal Storm (1940)
Starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan
Airs November 28 on TCM

Banned by the Nazis, the film tells the story of Martin Breitner, a man who refuses to join up with the Nazis when they take over town. In order to fight them, he joins up with other anti-Nazis and ends up falling for a beautiful young Jewish woman.

Once again showing how neglected Ginger Rogers’ non-Astaire films are, here is a list of some of her dvdless films that are playing this month.

Primrose Path (1940)
Airs November 5
Tender Comrade (1943)
Airs November 11
Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934)
Airs November 17
Rafter Romance (1933)
Airs November 17

In a Poetic Mood...

So...I'm thinking it's a little bit too late to post the Great Films Not on DVD for this month. Major failure. This semester is by far the hardest semester of my college career. Freshman and Sophomore year: easy, Junior year: not so much. I promise not to make any more excuses and just post more. I'm beginning to think my slacker attitude is because the one year anniversary of this blog is only a month away! I can hardly believe it!

Anyways, I've been getting into poetic moods quite a bit lately. I blame my poetry class and intro to creative writing. I was inspired last week to start writing a series of poems about tragic Hollywood stars. I've always found the lives of tragic stars to be very interesting and thought I might share one of my poems with you. This one is about Peg Entwistle who I wrote a post about a while back. Click here to read it.

This is a really rough draft. Let me know what you think!

Hollywood Sign Girl

The stage called you first,
Bright spotlight beckoning.
Champagne flowed
Like locks of your honeyed hair.
Your eyes, two north stars,
Compasses in the sky
For everyone to follow.

The intoxicating rivers
Of light became an addiction.
Your thirst yearned
For Hollywood’s halo
And so you went to the
Valley of the stars.
Fame like wind fueled

The fire of your compulsion,
But you couldn’t reach the
Stars that hung precariously
From the ceiling.
So you settled with that neon
Sign closest to the sky.
It said “Hollywoodland”and
You laughed at the irony
Of it all and left a note that read:

“I'm afraid I'm a coward. I am sorry for everything.
If I had done this thing a long time ago,
It would have saved a lot of pain."

It was the light
That called you there and from
The light you took your
Final curtain call.

Blog Post Fail

Feel free to throw stones or pull my hair. I deserve it for slacking. I started working on my Great Films Not on DVD post for this month over a week ago and have yet to finish it. I have been taking so many long absences between posts that I feel like I'm so disconnected from everyone. Please, somebody yell at me! Fingers crossed, I'll have it done Wednesday or Thursday. No guarantees. In the meantime, watch Night Must Fall (1937) tomorrow on TCM. Its on the list.

Stuck in Metropolis

Last week in my film class, I finally had a chance to watch Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. I have to say, for a silent film, it is pretty good. Unlike The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I didn’t feel the urge to sleep, which my friend actually did.

Ever since watching it, I’ve felt like I’m stuck in my own little Metropolis. Unfortunately, I’m not above ground in the cult of the sons. Nope, I’m definitely in the unhappy hole that is the workers’ city. I wish I could be a peacekeeper like Maria, but I don’t have that luxury. I’m the man at the clock, constantly moving the arms to the lights that flicker around the clock. I can’t stop. Stopping equals disaster. In the end, I myself become like the machine. Instead of Maria becoming the robot, I do. My brain is not my own, it is controlled by my professors and other superiors. Hopefully, my human self can destroy the robot me and flee to the world above ground. Until then, I’ll be living in Metropolis.

Sorry if this is deep. This is what happens when I watch deep movies and take two poetry classes. I get into very reflective/introspective moods. Next week, we’re watching Horse Feathers in film class so I think I’ll be in a better mood!

Great Films Not on DVD: September

Wow, it feels like forever since posted anything. I thought once recruitment was over I would have so much time to blog, especially during the first week of school. Nope, I was completely wrong. First, I forgot how much work I needed to get done for my officer position in the sorority. I still have quite a bit of work to do for this week, but there will be a month-long gap until I have more to do. Second, my first week of school was the longest of my life! There was no easing into the semester. By the time I got to Friday, I felt like I’d been going to class for a month and had a stack of homework to prove it. This is going to be a very interesting semester to say the least. However, I am taking two film classes (finally, since its kind of my major) and two writing classes which is exciting. Hope you all haven’t forgotten me! I’ll try to do better : )


A Night to Remember (1942)
Starring Loretta Young and Brian Aherne
Airs September 2 on TCM

Mystery writer Jeff Troy and his wife Nancy get more than they bargained for when a corpse turns up in their new apartment. Taking hints from his own books, Jeff (who is the prime suspect) and Nancy help solve the case.

Green Dolphin Street (1947)

Starring Lana Turner, Van Heflin, and Donna Reed
Airs September 11 on TCM

In the 1800’s, two sisters fall in love with the same man. He loves one, but drunkenly writes a letter to their father asking for the other’s hand in marriage. Problems follow. Watch for the impressive earthquake scene, which actually looks pretty believable.

The Human Comedy (1943)
Starring Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, and James Craig
Airs September 23 on TCM

A microcosm of life during World War II, the story focuses on the family of the deceased Mr. Macauley who's ghost watches over it all. It alternates between young Homer and his work as a telegram boy and his brother Marcus off at war. Robert Mitchum has a small a role as a fellow soldier.

Honorable Mention:
Four Daughters (1938) and sequels – Air September 3 (Highly Recommended)
Tender Comrade (1943) – Airs September 4
Million Dollar Baby (1941) – Airs September 11
Seven Sweethearts (1942) – Airs September 25

A Farewell to Summer

I feel as though my summer only started a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, it is coming to a close. My last day of work was Monday and I’ve spent the past couple days packing and de-cluttering all of my belongings and frantically trying to watch all the movies on my DVR. The latter has been no easy task since I had about ten movies left. I accidentally deleted A Star is Born an hour into it. Oops, but that meant one less movie to watch I guess.

I really wish I could’ve accomplished more, but summer sucked all the motivation right out of me. I don’t even have a great tan from all of my lounging about. The usually hot and humid Midwest summer didn’t want to cooperate this year. It’s finally starting to feel like summer weather-wise, but my summer must end a week and a half before other college students. Oh, the benefits of being in a sorority.

I’ll be extremely busy and cranky for the next week and half while sorority recruitment is going on, so I’ll be unable to get any posts out. Once my little hiatus is over, I’ll be ready to go with a new post. Farewell for now my friends : )

Lucky Miss Lombard gets to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, while I must head back to college!

Happy Birthday Nicole!

I know I'm a little late, but the day hasn't ended yet! I just wanted to wish Nicole of Classic Hollywood Nerd a happy 20th birthday! Hope you had a wonderful day and welcome to the 20's : ) Here's some eye candy for you!

Great Films Not on DVD: August

There I go again, neglecting my blog. I swear I have a good excuse, well for the most part. I went on vacation with my family to the lake Sunday and had a wonderful time tubing and jet skiing, although my body didn’t really enjoy it the next day. Anyways, I got back on Wednesday and was completely exhausted. That’s the good reason why I haven’t been blogging. The second part is that I’ve become addicted to the Twilight books. I said I wasn’t going to read them, but I got a ridiculously awesome price for them on Ebay. Needless to say, I couldn’t resist. I’m now on Eclipse and have less than two weeks left to finish the series. I won’t have time to finish them once school starts so I’m constantly reading. I promise to stop being a bad blogger and I’m actually going to get this post out on time. I really hope you can catch some of these movies because this is a particularly great group of films.

A Place of One’s Own (1945)
Starring Margaret Lockwood, James Mason, and Dennis Price
Airs August 2 on TCM

In this moody British ghost/mystery/love story, the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Smedhurst move into a vacant old mansion. At first they don’t believe the stories connected to the house, but when strange things start happening to the young companion they hire, they begin to believe.

Love Letters (1945)
Starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten
Airs August 17 on TCM
Out of all of the films Jones and Cotten made together, this one probably gets the least attention. Personally, I think its one of the most interesting movies they made which is evident in the four Oscar nominations it received.

During World War II, soldier Allen Quinton writes love letters for his best friend. While writing to his friend’s love, he finds himself falling for her as well. Once the war ends, Allen finds that his friend married the woman from the letters, but both of them are now mysteriously dead. As he searches for answers, he falls for a mysterious woman who could hold the key to unlocking the mystery.

These Three (1936)
Starring Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, and Joel McCrea
Airs August 20 on TCM

Recent college graduates Karen Wright (Oberon) and Martha Dobie (Hopkins) decide to open up their own school when Karen finds out she has inherited an old farmhouse. The two set to work restoring it along with Dr. Joe Cardin who ends up in a love triangle with them. A series of miscommunications and a horrible brat named Mary Tilford (Bonita Granville) destroy the lives and dreams of Karen, Martha, and Joe.

Click here to read about my hatred for Mary Tilford

Ladies in Retirement (1941)
Starring Ida Lupino, Louis Hayward, and Elsa Lanchester
Airs August 27 on TCM

Ellen Creed (Lupino) works as a companion and housekeeper for retired actress Leonora Fiske. When Ellen’s two emotionally disturbed sisters come to live with her, things get a bit complicated. Fiske cannot stand Ellen’s sisters and wants them to leave. Feeling she has no other choice, Ellen takes matters into her own hands to make sure her sisters don’t have to leave.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...in July?!

Nope, it's not snowing here or anything like that. My sister came to visit this past weekend and I suggested that us girls (my mom, sister, and I) should go to the outdoor classic movie on Friday night. Now, my mom and sister are not fans of classic movies so I was completely shocked when they agreed to go. The movie of the night was White Christmas. Everything around put me in a Christmas mood: Christmas cookies at the concession stand, a brass quartet playing Christmas favorites, and the temperature dropping to a record low. When the movie ended at 11pm, I could no longer feel my body, but all I could say was "I wish it was Christmas..."

I've definitely enjoyed having all these days off work, but they flew by too quickly. I have to go back tomorrow, unfortunately. Luckily, I'm going on vacation on Sunday, so I won't have to work too much. I meant to have a rather royal post out last week, but once again, time seemed to evaporate. I hope to have it up soon and don't forget to vote in the new poll!

Eek! I almost missed the giveaway!

I have been so busy this past week, I almost missed the deadline for the wonderful Kate Gabrielle's incredible giveaway! Work has pretty much taken over my life. Today marks my sixth consecutive day in a row without a day off and I am utterly exhausted. My mind is so jumbled that every time I look at the clock, I read it as a price. When I looked at the clock yesterday I thought, "Oh, it's only $12. I still have a few hours until I have to go to work". Yup, my mind is gone.

Anyways, if you've been going insanse like me and haven't heard about the giveaway, check it out at Kate's blog Silents and Talkies. She is giving away a ton of her artwork! I'm so excited! Hopefully, my luck will continue and I can win some more of her fabulous flapper prints!

P.S. I have the next five days off so I'm hoping to regain my sanity and have a new post out soon!

Great Films Not on DVD: July

Well, I guess I lied. I didn’t have quite enough time last week to get a second post out. Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. For once, I didn’t have to work at all. My sister and her husband came from out of state and we all had a great time, despite the rain and cold weather.

Our Betters (1933)
Starring Constance Bennett

This movie already aired, but I thought I would still include it. Based on a play by W. Somerset Maugham, the movie tells the story of American heiress Pearl Saunders who marries an English lord only to find him with another woman on their wedding day. They remain married and she becomes friends with other titled heiresses who were married for their money. A great little pre-code.

Fashions of 1934 (1934)
Starring William Powell and Bette Davis
Airs July 29 on TCM

Two former business partners join forces with a young fashion designer to sell cheaper copies of designer dresses. The business takes off until their scheme is figured out by one of the designers being ripped off.

The Swan (1956)
Starring Grace Kelly, Alec Guinness, and Louis Jourdan
Airs July 31 on TCM

In one of her final films, Grace Kelly plays the part of a princess, quite a stretch for her. When her cousin Prince Albert (Guinness) comes to visit, her mother urges her to marry him. However, she secretly has feelings for her brother’s tutor. In the end, she must choose whether to give up her life as she knows it to marry a commoner or do her duty and marry the prince.

I was very surprised to learn that this film isn’t on dvd since the majority of Grace’s films are. Hopefully, this will be corrected very soon. Grace looks absolutely beautiful and regal in it.

Ten Random Facts About Yours Truly

Thanks to the wonderful Kate Gabrielle for the tag!

1. I’m left-handed but I can only use scissors with my right hand.
Back in preschool when I first learned how to cut with scissors, I started out using my left hand. Unfortunately, there were no left-handed scissors so I used right-handed scissors. The paper ended up all ugly so I decided to use my right hand and now I can’t cut with my left hand anymore.

2. I was a hardcore cheerleader for eight years, six of which were competitive.
I traveled all over the country for competitions and had to wear the crazy cheer makeup, glitter and all.

3. I’m obsessed with baby names.
I love finding unique and obscure names and playing around with different middle names and last names. If the whole screenwriting career doesn’t work out for me, my dream is to create a baby naming service to help people from making horrible mistakes.

4. I’m fascinated by tornadoes and ghosts and love watching shows about them both.

However, I think I would probably pee my pants if I encountered either one. My city was hit by a tornado last summer, but I was out of town and the tornado hit just a few miles away from my house.

5. I absolutely hate red meat.
I’m not a vegetarian or anything, I just think its disgusting and I can’t stand to look at a piece of steak. My family thinks I’m weird.

6. When I’m home alone, I like to sing at the top of my lungs and pretend that I actually sound good.
Trust me, I don’t have a musical bone in my body.

7. I have the most random taste in music.
On my ipod, you’ll find everything from Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee to Joshua Radin and Crooked Still. Most of my music is offbeat and definitely not mainstream.

8. I have really strange and complicated dreams.
I once dreamt I had ESP with a squirrel and he told me to hide in his tree to avoid the tornado that was coming towards me. That is probably one of the most normal dreams I’ve had. I swear I’m not crazy.

9. I have a large birthmark on my hip that is shaped almost exactly like the state of Alaska.
Maybe its a sign that I should move to Alaska...nope, too cold for me.

10. I’m allergic to cats.
When I was little, I really wanted a kitten, even though I already had a dog. One day, I went to my friend’s house to play with her new kitten. I petted the cat and then touched my eye. Needless to say, I found out I was allergic when my eye turned bright red and I wanted to scratch the crap out of it.

P.S. Fingers crossed, I’ll have my Great Films Not on DVD post for July up tomorrow. That’s right, TWO posts in one week. Pretty impressive for me : )

Escapism vs. Realism in 1930's Films

The Great Depression was a dark time for our country as well as for the rest of the world. Unemployment was at an all-time high and happiness was at an all-time low. It is a time that will hopefully never happen again.

During this time, movie theatres were flooded with a plethora of over-the-top musicals, screwball comedies, and romantic tales filmed in exotic locations…I mean exotic-looking Hollywood backlots. For about a quarter, the average joe could be taken away from the woes of the world and into a completely different world full of mystery and romance.

Films provided a cheap escape from the problems that plagued the nation. This is one of the reasons I love classic films so much. For just a few hours, I’m transported to different time when men still opened doors for ladies and cigarettes looked classy instead of deadly and unattractive (FYI: I’m against smoking, but they make it look so darn glamorous!) The escapism that classic films provide is one of the reasons I avoid so many newer films which seem to only depress.

Here is just of sampling of some of the best escapist films of the 1930’s

It Happened One Night (1934)
The Fred and Ginger Musicals
Gone With the Wind (1939)
42nd St. (1933)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Red Dust (1932)

I could honestly go on and on about the wonderful escapist films made in the 1930’s, but I’d also like to point out that some movies decided to tackle the Depression head on. Although there are much fewer of these somewhat realist films in existence, I think they help us remember that the 1930’s weren’t all sunshine and roses like the movies lead us to believe. They show what the Depression was like, but also provide hope. A hope that life will get better, somewhere over the rainbow.
Our Daily Bread (1934)
A group of down-on-their-luck people work together on a farm and create a thriving independent society.

Wild Boys of the Road (1933)
Feeling that they are burdens to their struggling families, two boys ride the rails in search of work. Along the way, they meet up with other poor youths and fight to make a dime.

The film that I believe combines elements of escapism and realism pretty well is Gold Diggers of 1933. The musical numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley provide a fantastical spectacle to the eye while numbers like “Remember My Forgotten Man”, tug at the heartstrings. It shows all the stages that people went through during the Depression: trying to escape from and ignore problems, facing reality and learning how to deal, and hoping for a better future.

Escapism: Pettin’ in the Park


Realism: Remember My Forgotten Man


Hope: We’re In the Money

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a clip of this wonderful musical number, but you’ve probably seen it or at least heard of it.

Shirley Temple Syndrome

Remember back to a moment in your life when you were just standing around, minding your own business. Someone comes up to you and says “Hey, you look like (insert name of famous person”. You’ve all probably experienced this at least once in your life. My most recent one was last year at a bingo hall (lame, I know). The crazy old bingo guy walked up to our table and told me I looked like Chelsea Clinton. Not exactly the greatest compliment, at least not in my book.

When I was little, family members, family friends, and even random strangers would tell my mom and me how much I looked like Shirley Temple. People at the mall would stop my mom to tell her how adorable I was with my blonde ringlets. Now, my love of classic film didn’t begin until I was in high school so I had absolutely no idea who Shirley Temple was. All I knew was that she had a drink named after her and every time I went to a restaurant, the waitress would say “Oh, you are so cute. Would you like a Shirley Temple?” I drank so many Shirley Temples as a child that now even the mention of a Shirley Temple makes me want to vomit.

I finally found out who Shirley Temple was when I was about eight or nine. There was a commercial on television promoting the Shirley Temple video collection. Personally, I didn’t see much of a resemblance between us. I can still remember going up to my mom and saying “I don’t look like her. My curls are REAL. Her curls are fake!”




Eventually, I grew out of my baby face and the resemblance to Shirley Temple disappeared. Nevertheless, I feel like the connection between the two of us was what sparked my love for classic film, even if it took quite a few years before I realized it.

Slapworthy Characters

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have a really fun little post in the works involving Shirley Temple, but I've been having trouble figuring out how to work the scanner. I wish I were a bit more tech-savvy! Anyways, it will be several more days until I complete the whole thing so I thought I'd do a bit of a mini post.

A few days ago, I finally had the chance to watch the 1936 film "These Three" starring Merle Oberon, Joel McCrea, and Miriam Hopkins. All I can say about it is wow! It was such a fantastic film and I felt so completely immersed in the story. The performances by the three main stars were wonderful, but little Bonita Granville completely blew me away. Before watching the film, my only previous experiences with her work were the Nancy Drew movies. Her character Mary Tilford in "These Three" could not have been any further from the precocious amateur detective Nancy Drew. Throughout the movie, I couldn't help wanting to slap some sense into that little brat. Mary Tilford must be one of the most heartless and evil children ever to be on the big screen, except for Damien of course.

When little Mary finally gets slapped in the end (ironically, by the future wicked witch of the west), I couldn't help being happy. She deserved it. It got me thinking about characters in other films that have made me so mad I just wanted to slap them. What movie character would you most like to slap? It can be someone evil like Mary Tilford or someone so oblivious to what's going on that they need to have some sense slapped into them. Tell me what you think.

Great Films Not on DVD: June

The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)
Starring Irene Dunne and Alan Marshal
Airs June 15 on TCM

American Susan Dunn travels to England and ends up marrying a dashing English aristocrat. The happy times are cut short however, with the onset of World War I and the departure of her new husband. Twenty five years later, she must watch another man go off to war: her son.

Watch for a young Elizabeth Taylor in a small uncredited role and an incredibly handsome Peter Lawford as Dunne’s son.

Raintree County (1957)
Starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint
Airs June 22 on TCM

High school sweethearts John Shawnessy (Clift) and Nell Gaither (Saint) seem destined to be married until John drifts away and falls for a beautiful southern debutante (Taylor). The two become trapped in a loveless marriage that crumbles even more when John learns of his wife’s family secrets.

During filming, Clift crashed his car and was saved by co-star Taylor who pulled two teeth from his throat. Although he survived, his face was left partially paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Weekend at the Waldorf (1945)

Starring Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, and Van Johnson
Airs June 30 on TCM

An updated version of Grand Hotel with an ensemble cast featuring Ginger Rogers as a lonely movie star, Lana Turner as a stenographer, soldier Van Johnson, and war correspondent Walter Pidgeon. It’s not up to the level of the original, but it has Ginger in it so how could I resist putting it on the list!

There are also quite a few films from past posts that I thought I would include, just in case you missed them the first time around.

June 2
Bombshell (1933)

A Guy Named Joe (1943)
June 4

The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)

June 25
Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)

On a final note, I would like to thank Nicole for giving me the Friendly Blogger Award. Once again, I’m late in accepting so it looks like pretty much everybody has already gotten it. If you were somehow left out, I’m passing this on to you!

Getting Married in the Movies

About three weeks ago, I went to my older brother’s wedding. It was a beautiful wedding despite the fact that it was outside and all the guests were freezing. Nevertheless, I had a pretty good time hanging out with my family. My brother’s wedding leaves me as the only unmarried person in my family; my sister was married just last summer. It makes feel kind of left out, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be getting married anytime soon!

My sister and I at the wedding. Can you tell we're 5 years apart?

While I was there, I started thinking about some of my favorite wedding movies/scenes. Movie weddings always seem so much more romantic and glamorous than real life weddings. According to my poll, it seems the majority of you think The Philadelphia story is the best of the wedding movies. Royal Wedding didn’t stand a chance.

Father of the Bride (1950)

Hmm…funny how the serial bride Elizabeth Taylor is in one of the most well-known wedding movies of all time.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

I’ve heard of double weddings, but seven at once? Now, that’s what I call memorable!

The Graduate (1967)

I absolutely love the wedding scene at the end. It gives a whole new meaning to the term runaway bride.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

You guys voted it as the best wedding movie for a reason. Which one would you marry? Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, or John Howard? Tough choice.

Carefree (1938)

Nobody can walk down the isle with a black eye like Ginger can. Absolutely fantastic.

The Catered Affair (1956)

Planning a wedding can be a nightmare especially when the bills start rolling in. This nice little drama shows what can happen.