Classic Film Oasis

So About That Accidental Hiatus I've Been On...

2010-02-16T21:24:00.002-06:00

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I was not on the run from a bunch of mobsters : )

So about this little hiatus that I’ve been on; I really didn’t mean to go on one. I thought I would get back into the swing of things over winter break, especially since I didn’t go back to work. I had all this free time and as usual, did pretty much nothing with it. It’s hard to believe I’ve gone two months without posting a single thing! To make up for my slackeritis, I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on.

Let’s see, well I celebrated my 21st birthday on December 21st. It was fun, not crazy since many of my friends are still underage. With Christmas came one of the worst blizzards I’ve seen in a long time. There was a snow drift in my backyard that was about seven feet high! New Year’s Eve was pretty much a bust. It was bitterly cold and I spent most of the night relaying messages between my best friend and her boyfriend who were in a huge fight. Not a great way to start the New Year.

I also submitted several poems to my college’s literary magazine. I’m really hoping at least one gets accepted. My mom has been hassling me for years to get some of my work published and I finally got up the courage to try. I also started writing two stories which I hope will eventually turn into novels. I work on them whenever I have free time so that is probably where all of my usual blog writing time has disappeared to. I’m also in the midst of trying to find an apartment or house for next year. It is definitely not easy to find something moderately priced, near campus, and does not look like the usual disgusting old college place.

I’m sorry none of this really has anything to do with classic movies. I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut. Any suggestions as to a movie that might help reawaken my movie passion? I promise I’ll try to post a little more instead of letting whole months go by. Hope all of you are doing well!

Great Films Not on DVD: December

2009-12-10T16:00:00.005-06:00

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!

2009-11-19T15:33:00.004-06:00

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!!

2009-11-09T20:41:00.001-06:00

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

2009-10-30T16:06:00.008-05:00

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...

2009-10-20T22:16:00.004-05:00

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

2009-10-06T21:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-30T21:36:00.008-05:00

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

2009-08-12T21:25:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-08-10T21:28:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-01T13:11:00.007-05:00

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?!

2009-07-20T12:43:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-07-14T13:15:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-07T14:31:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-30T21:17:00.004-05:00

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

2009-06-25T15:12:00.008-05:00

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

2009-06-17T15:33:00.022-05:00

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

2009-06-10T12:49:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-02T14:41:00.008-05:00

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

2009-05-23T20:32:00.008-05:00

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.

Oh Those Crazy Eights!

2009-05-15T14:36:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Kate Gabrielle and Nicole for tagging me!

8 Things I look forward to:

1. Getting my first paycheck of the summer, not the whole working for the paycheck part though 2. One of my best friends coming back from France (she’s been there since January)
3. The annual trip to the lake with my mom’s side of the family
4. Shopping for a new swimsuit for said trip to the lake
5. Warm weather and no more rain!
6. Laying out at the pool and at least trying to get a tan
7. Motivating myself to go to the gym
8. Shopping for vintage jewelry on eBay

8 Things I did yesterday…Well, I didn’t do much yesterday so let’s go with 8 Things I did this week:

1. Saw the musical Wicked with my mom!
2. Watched May Robson get drunk in Lady by Choice and Lady for a Day
3. Unpacked all of my stuff and de-cluttered my room, thanks to my clean freak mom (I’m more of a packrat)
4. Went crazy researching my family tree and traced them all the way to eighteenth century Germany.
5. Sent an email to a nonprofit theatre that shows classic films so that I can become a volunteer!
6. Watched way too many movies and absolutely loved it
7. Had cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory : )
8. Attempted to do the Dancing with the Stars Cardio Workout video…and quit after 20 minutes

8 Things I wish I could do:

1. Spend the summer watching movies instead of working
2. Study abroad in England
3. Afford to buy all the classic movies my heart desires
4. Grow a few more inches – I was supposed to be 5’7”!
5. Visit my best friend in California and see Hollywood
6. Dance like Ginger Rogers and look just as glamorous
7. Find Prince Charming
8. Be a famous writer of some sort, hopefully a screenwriter

8 TV Shows I watch:

1. Survivor
2. American Idol
3. So You Think You Can Dance
4. Ugly Betty
5. Greek
6. Gossip Girl
7. Project Runway
8. Lost

8 People to tag:

Hmmm….I don’t know who hasn’t been tagged yet. Being the lazy person that I am, if you are reading this right now, consider yourself tagged!

Coming Soon!

2009-05-14T23:38:00.002-05:00

I swear I'm still alive! School ended last Friday and I have been a lazy pile ever since. My first night at home, I slept for thirteen hours! I'm taking a week break before I have to go back to my horrible job at the grocery store on Monday. I have a wedding post in the works that I hope to have up soon. Unfortunately, I lost most of my work because the wireless internet has been down in my house all week and I haven't been able to use my laptop! I promise to stop being such a slacker. I have a lot to write about since I actually have time to watch movies now so stay tuned : )

P.S. If you haven't already checked out the newest movies in the WB Archives, you should! There are two Ginger Roger movies, Having Wonderful Time and Tom, Dick, and Harry which was featured in this month's Great Films Not on DVD! I'm so excited!

Great Films Not on DVD: May

2009-04-29T21:35:00.007-05:00

So, it’s dead week and I’m officially dead. The funny thing is, I’m not even worried about my finals. My main concern is getting everything done for this week. Not to mention I have to skip all of my classes on Friday because my older brother is getting married. I’m not saying I’m mad that I have to go to the wedding; it’s just that this is the worst possible time for him to get married. I’m leaving Thursday and getting back Sunday and you can bet I won’t be doing any studying during that time. Although I should be working on homework right now, I’m going to take a little time to bring you my list of Great Films Not on DVD for May!

Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)
Starring Robert Stack, Joy Page, and Gilbert Roland
Airs May 2 on TCM

A reckless young American (Stack) travels to Mexico and falls in love with a local beauty (Page). To catch her eye, he decides to pursue bullfighting under the mentorship of a respected veteran (Roland). The film is jam-packed with real bullfighting scenes and one stuntman actually died during filming. It’s pretty hardcore.

Remember the Night (1940)
Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray
Airs May 14 on TCM

During the Christmas shopping season, shoplifter Lee Leander (Stanwyck) is caught and put on trial. However, the trial is postponed so she doesn’t have to spend Christmas in jail. Instead, she ends up driving home to Indiana with the district attorney (MacMurray) who is prosecuting her. Sparks fly both literally and figuratively.

I watched this for the first time this past Christmas and it has quickly become one of my favorite holiday movies.

Tom, Dick, and Harry (1941)
Starring Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, and Burgess Meredith
Airs May 31 on TCM

How could I possibly resist having a Ginger Rogers movie on the list?

Telephone operator Janie (Rogers) has trouble deciding between three men who are vying for her affection. To help her decide, she dreams about what her life would be like with each of the guys. Which one will she choose? Tom, Dick, or Harry? It may be one of Rogers’ lighter films but its quite fun to watch.

Sidekick: Elsa Lanchester

2009-04-19T21:21:00.007-05:00

I’m sorry it’s been awhile since I last posted. Life has been extremely hectic for me. Classes are winding down which means all those giant papers I learned about at the beginning of the semester will be due soon. Being the procrastinator that I am, I’ve barely even started any of them. I’ve pretty much been doing homework from the time I get out of class until I go to bed. This means I have absolutely no time to work on my little blog here which makes me sad. I’m sick of homework so I’m taking a little bit of a study break to write this. It might be quite a while before I can get another post out.

Anyways, I’ve been kind of neglecting my sidekick series so I thought it was time for a new sidekick to spotlight. A really long time ago, I had a poll which was won by Ralph Bellamy. Second place went to Elsa Lanchester so I think she deserves a post as well. If you have any suggestions please let me know!

Elsa Lanchester

The daughter of James Sullivan and Edith Lanchester, Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was born on October 28, 1902 in London, England. Her parents were rather unconventional and refused to give in to societal expectations that said they should get married. Because of this, her mother was placed in an asylum for a while.

At the age of ten, she began studying dance under the famous Isadora Duncan, but left after a few years to become a dance teacher. After World War I, she founded the Children’s Theater and began dabbling in acting. While performing in a play, she met another actor by the name of Charles Laughton, who she married a few years later.

Around the time that she met her husband, she began working in films. One of her best known early performances was as Anne of Cleves in The Private Life of Henry VIII which starred her husband Laughton. However, in 1935 she starred in The Bride of Frankenstein, which has become her best remembered film. Although she played the title role in the film, she was denied top billing.

The remainder of Lanchester’s career was spent in small supporting roles or in her own words, her career consisted of “large parts in lousy pictures and small parts in big pictures”. With large, expressive eyes and a lilting voice, she could play a myriad of characters, from a simple maid to a ditzy witch and everything in between.

As the 1960’s rolled in, her film roles decreased so she worked mostly in television. On December 26, 1986, Lanchester died of pneumonia and her ashes were scattered at sea.

Recommended Films:

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Spiral Staircase (1945)

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

The Secret Garden (1949)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)

That Darn Cat! (1965)

The Magic of Re-Cutting

2009-04-07T20:29:00.005-05:00

You know that realization I came to last week about only having five weeks of school left? Well, I ran straight into that realization like a brick wall. It wasn’t just a nice, easy stop in front of the wall so that I could admire its magnitude. Nope, I crashed directly into that wall and fell flat on my back. Now, what does this little wall metaphor mean for this blog, you may ask? It means I don’t have time for an entire post this week.

For those of you who have also run into a brick wall lately, I have decided to post a few of my favorite youtube videos. They are all trailers for well-known movies, except that they have been completely chopped up so that the movies are not what they seem. I hope they bring a smile to your face like they did to mine and I promise to try to get a full post out as soon as I can!

Mary Poppins

The Shining

Jaws

There are so many other of these funny trailers on youtube, but these are my personal favorites : )

Great Films Not on DVD: April

2009-03-31T15:50:00.008-05:00

Despite the craziness of signing up for classes this week and the sudden realization that I have five weeks left of school, I have managed to actually get this post out on time! I felt really bad for posting my March list so late that you may not have had time to catch some of the films.

Looking forward to the multitude of great films in April has really brightened my mood, considering that its ungodly cold here and actually snowed a bit today. Winter seems to be holding on for dear life and I’m trying as hard as I can to be patient for spring to finally take over. Well, enough about the weather, let’s get to the movies!

Bundle of Joy (1956)
Starring Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, and Adolphe Menjou
Airs April 1 on TCM

A cute little musical remake of Bachelor Mother. Debbie Reynolds is pretty decent as salesgirl Polly Parrish, but she is definitely no Ginger Rogers. It’s worth watching if you like the original. Click here for a short synopsis from a previous post.

The Actress (1953)
Starring Jean Simmons, Spencer Tracy, and Teresa Wright
Airs April 6 on TCM

Even though this film is now available for order from the Warner Bros. website, I’m still including it as a “Great Film Not on DVD”.

It’s based off of Ruth Gordon’s autobiographical play “Years Ago”. After seeing actress Hazel Dawn in a play, young Ruth dreams of becoming an actress to the dismay of her factory worker father. However, when her dream is suddenly crushed, her father steps in to help her build it up again.

Interesting fact: Anthony Perkins, in his film debut, plays Simmons’ love interest.

So Long at the Fair (1950)
Starring Jean Simmons and Dirk Borgarde
Airs April 17 on TCM

Yes, it’s another Jean Simmons film. If you didn’t know all ready, I’m a really big fan of hers and many of her films are still not on DVD.

The plot of this movie is very similar to that of Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. Siblings Vicky and Johnny Barton travel to Paris for the Exposition Universelle in 1899. The morning after a trip to the Moulin Rouge, Vicky finds that Johnny is missing. After asking everyone at her hotel about her brother’s whereabouts, she realizes something fishy is going on. Everybody tells her she arrived at the hotel by herself. The only person who believes her is a young artist (Bogarde) staying at the hotel. Together, they unravel the mystery.

The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake
Airs April 27 on TCM

In this third pairing of Ladd and Lake, Johnny (Ladd) returns from the war to find his wife with another man. After a dramatic fight, Johnny decides to take a road trip that is mistaken as running from the law when his wife is found dead. Once he learns what happened, he teams up with Joyce (Lake) to try and clear his name.

Interesting fact: This movie is rumored to be the inspiration for murdered actress Elizabeth Short’s nickname “The Black Dahlia”.

Also, if you are a Ginger Rogers fan like me, make sure your DVR is ready to go on April 8. TCM will be showing several of Ginger’s early films, most of which are not on DVD. I’m extremely excited because I haven’t seen a few of them and one of my goals in life is to see all of her films. Currently, I’ve seen forty of her seventy-five films.

TCM will be showing the following:

Suicide Fleet (1931)
Carnival Boat (1932)
The Tip-Off (1932)
You Said a Mouthful (1932)
Professional Sweetheart (1933)
In Person (1935)
Star of Midnight (1935)

Peg Entwistle: The Hollywood Sign Girl

2009-03-24T16:40:00.011-05:00

Several days ago, I finally had a chance to watch Thirteen Women, which had been on my DVR for a few days. It was a very interesting little Pre-Code film starring the always lovely Irene Dunne and a vampy pre-Thin Man Myrna Loy. Dunne plays a former sorority girl, who along with 11 of her fellow sorority sisters, is being menaced by a girl they kicked out for being half Indian.

As usual, I looked up the movie on IMDb and noticed that one of the thirteen women was Peg Entwistle. Never heard of her? I hadn’t either until last summer, when I stumbled upon on a page about some of the most mysterious and tragic deaths in Hollywood. One of the reasons many film fans have never heard of Peg Entwistle is because Thirteen Women was the first and last film she made.

Born in Wales on February 5, 1908, Millicent Lillian Entwistle (later known as Peg) was the daughter of Robert and Emily Entwistle. In 1912, she moved to America with her uncle and her father, who subsequently remarried after the death of his wife in 1910. However, by 1922 both Peg’s father and stepmother were dead so she and her two brothers were adopted by their aunt and uncle.

After showing an interest in acting, she was enrolled in Henry Jewett’s Repertory School in 1925. Under the direction of her acting teacher Blanche Yurka, Entwistle gained attention in the role of Hedvig in Ibsen’s The Wild Duck. The story goes that during one of Entwistle’s performances as Hedvig, a young woman who was the same age as Entwistle told her mother “I want to be exactly like Peg Entwistle”. It was this performance that inspired this young woman, known as Bette Davis today, to pursue acting.

After her success at Jewett’s Repertory School, Entwistle gained even more attention by becoming the youngest actress ever to be recruited by the New York Theatre Guild. She was usually placed in major supporting roles and garnered many outstanding reviews, even for plays that were not well received. In 1932, she found herself in Los Angeles doing a few performances when she got a call from RKO Pictures. After a successful screen test, she was chosen to play the part of Hazel Cousins in David O. Selznick’s Thirteen women. In its first test screenings, the film received poor reviews from the critics and Entwistle’s role was cut down quite a bit.

On the night of September 16, 1932, Entwistle climbed up the hill where the Hollywood sign (Hollywoodland at the time ) is. After placing her belongings, including a suicide note, at the base of the sign, she climbed a ladder to the top of the H and jumped to her death. She was only 24 years old. It was not until September 18 that her body was discovered by a hiker. When the police arrived on the scene, it was obvious what had occurred. In Entwistle’s purse, they found the suicide note that said “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. P.E." The exact details as to why she committed suicide and many other aspects of her death are still a mystery. Not long after her death, her final film appearance in Thirteen premiered in a few theaters. The film contains several suicides. There are also reports that a few days after her body was discovered, a letter arrived for her offering her the lead in a new play. The character was to commit suicide at the end of the play.

Unfortunately for Peg Entwistle, all of her work prior to coming to Hollywood has been forgotten. All she is remembered for today is her infamous death. If you would like to learn more about Peg Entwistle check out The Hollywood Sign Girl. It’s a really great site devoted to her and the man who created is currently writing a book about her. Most of the information I found about Peg was from his website and her IMDb page.

Rave: Light in the Piazza

2009-03-19T16:57:00.009-05:00

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I blame Spring Break for sucking every ounce of motivation out of me. Somehow, I managed to find a little bit left over so that I could attempt my very first review. Well, I guess it’s not really a review, more like a rave, so that is what I shall call it.

Light in the Piazza (1962)

Director: Guy Green
Writers: Elizabeth Spencer (story) Julius J. Epstein (screenplay)

The Cast:
Olivia de Havilland…..Meg Johnson
Rossano Brazzi……….Signor Naccarelli
Yvette Mimieux………Clara Johnson
George Hamilton……..Fabrizio Naccarelli

Amidst the beautiful scenery of Florence, Olivia de Havilland and Yvette Mimieux star as mother and daughter in this tale of love and innocence. While enjoying drinks in a street café, young Clara Johnson runs off to inspect a plaque in the piazza. On her way, her hat blows off and into the path of the dashing Fabrizio. He chases it about the piazza, even after the wind stops blowing it around, much to the delight of the giggling Clara. There is an instant connection between the two young people, but Clara’s mother Meg is none too pleased about this Italian attaching himself to Clara.

Putting the encounter with Fabrizio behind her, Meg takes Clara on tours of all the museums and historic landmarks of Venice. However, Fabrizio seems to magically show up wherever they are. It sounds a bit stalkerish, but he doesn’t follow them all over. He simply receives phone calls from the concierge at the Johnson’s hotel about where they will be lunching each day. Anyways, Meg tries to push him away every time he shows up, yet he keeps on trying. Why would a mother try to push away such a handsome young Italian? Well, Meg reveals the big secret about Clara to her tutor and then you begin to see Clara in a whole new light.

The relationship that develops between Clara and Fabrizio is incredibly sweet and I always find myself hoping that Meg won’t reveal Clara’s secret to Fabrizio and his equally dashing father. One of my favorite moments in the movie occurs when Fabrizio shows up at the pool the Johnson’s are at. He chases Clara around until she becomes overexcited and is unable to stop laughing. Her mother says Clara will end up in tears, but Fabrizio simply cups her face in his hands and looks into her eyes and she is normal again. It’s a truly touching scene.

Clara’s secret continues to threaten the young lovers as Meg keeps telling herself that she must let the Naccarelli’s know. However, the more time she spends around them, the harder it becomes for her to reveal the truth. Even after seeing the movie as many times as I have, I still find myself wondering if she tells them about Clara. All I can say is that the last line of the movie is said by Meg: "I did the right thing. I know I did". I don’t want to give anymore of it away now, so check it out! I could go on and on about Light in the Piazza, but I’m afraid my motivation is gone. Until next time!

Great Films Not on DVD: March

2009-03-10T19:00:00.014-05:00

I’m sorry everyone. I’ve been super busy lately and haven’t had a chance to post my Great Films Not On DVD for March. I’m pretty sure I went to bed one night and woke up in March. When did February decide to end? Anyways, I’m so mad at myself because one of my favorite movies is finally on this month and I really wanted you all to have a chance to hear about before it was on. Well, you have a one day’s heads up, but that’s not very much.

Young Bess (1953)
Starring Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, and Deborah Kerr
Airs March 11 on TCM

Pretty self-explanatory. It’s a biopic of Queen Elizabeth’s early years. The movie centers on Bess’ (Jean Simmons) relationships with her distant father Henry VIII (Charles Laughton) and the dashing Thomas Seymour (Stewart Granger).
Airs March 11 on TCM

Light in the Piazza (1962)
Starring Yvette Mimieux, Olivia de Havilland, and George Hamilton
Airs March 11 on TCM

I know I tend to call a lot of movies “my all-time favorites”, mostly because I don’t have a favorite, but I would probably call this one my favorite DVD-less film. It’s based on a 1960 novella by Elizabeth Spencer that also inspired a Broadway show of the same name.

While on vacation in Italy, American tourist Clara Johnson (Yvette Mimieux) falls in love with a dashing young Italian (George Hamilton). Their young love is complicated, however, when an accident from Clara’s past is revealed after her mother (Olivia de Havilland) tries to hide it from both her new love and his family.

If I get a chance, I’m going to take a crack at reviewing this film. Cross your fingers. I have yet to get up the motivation to review a film.

Show Boat (1936)
Starring Irene Dunne and Allan Jones
Airs March 16 on TCM

It may be less colorful than the 1951 remake with Keel and Grayson, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as good. I actually prefer this version to the glitzier Technicolor version as do most critics because it’s more faithful to the original stage version. I’m feeling lazy about summing up the plot so here is a nutshell version: Girl on show boat meets gambler, girl marries gambler, girl has baby, gambler leaves girl and baby, and so on and so forth.

Lili (1953)
Starring Leslie Caron and Mel Ferrer
Airs March 30 on TCM

After the death of her father, young Lili (Caron) finds herself all alone in a strange town. When a grocery store owner tries to take advantage of her, she is saved by a magician (Jean-Pierre Aumont) who recruits her to work as a waitress in the carnival. She is fired after one night and hits rock bottom until a group of puppets come to her rescue. However, the man behind the puppets (Ferrer) becomes her true rescuer and she ends up rescuing him in return.

Union Station (1950)
Starring William Holden and Nancy Olson
Airs March 31 on TCM

In this film noir, railway cop Bill Calhoun (Holden) encounters Joyce (Olson), a train passenger and secretary to a very wealthy man. On a train ride, she notices two suspicious men and soon her boss’ blind daughter goes missing. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Well, if you haven’t noticed, the Premio Dardos Award has been circulating around the blog community. I have been fortunate to have the award bestowed upon my humble blog here by Wendymoon, Lolita, and Nicole. Thank you so much for this honor! The rules say that I need to pass it along to five fellow bloggers, but it seems that pretty much everybody has received it already (multiple times). Therefore, I would like to give this award to every single one of you. Enjoy : )

The Dardos Award is given for cultural, literary, and personal values in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

Converting the Non-Classic Film Fan

2009-03-02T21:47:00.007-06:00

During the course of our love affairs with classic film, we probably all have encountered “classic film virgins” who know next to nothing about classic films. Every once in a while, these CFV’s are open to losing their classic film virginity. This past weekend my roommate, who has never thought I was weird for loving the classics, decided she wanted to be initiated into the world of classic film. I was absolutely thrilled. Most people are so absolutely against watching classic films that they won’t even humor me by at least trying to watch one. Anyways, the movie night was a success and I believe she has crossed over to the good side, aka the classic film side. We only had time for two movies, but they were good ones: Bye Bye Birdie and Rebecca. She loved them both. She especially liked Rebecca (one of my all-time personal favorites), so much that she went and rented two more Hitchcock movies the next night and watched them with her boyfriend. Mission Accomplished.

My roommate is certainly not the first person I have converted to classic films and she certainly will not be the last. Through my many experiences, I’ve developed a set of guidelines that help with the conversion process.

Step 1: Evaluate the person’s openness to and prior experience with classic film.

Type 1: The Anti-Classic

Anti-Classics visibly glaze over at the mere mention of a film made before 1985. These people consider films made in the 80’s as “old” and are absolutely content with renting Saw V. Not easily converted, Anti-Classics need to be slowly eased into classic film over a matter of months, possibly years, depending on the severity of their hatred for “old stuff”.

Type 2: The Technicolor Classic

Technicolor Classics are much more open to classic film than Anti-Classics. They will occasionally watch classic films, but only if they are in color. Black and white films are avoided like the Bubonic Plague. Technicolor Classics stick to well-known color films such as The Wizard of Oz, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Grease. As opposed to the close-minded Anti-Classic, the Technicolor Classic is usually willing to branch out; they just need the right movie to broaden their horizon.

Type 3: The Classic-in-Training

Classics-in-Training are the easiest to convert. They are on their way to becoming Classics, but just need a little nudge in the right direction. However, their film knowledge is stuck in the beginner phase because they are not quite sure how to get out of the mainstream classic film rut. They have moved out of the well-known color films and are dabbling in the well-known black and whites. A Classic-in-Training is every Classic Film Fan’s dream.

Step 2: Find the perfect film to start the conversion process.

The Anti-Classic

Don’t start with anything made before 1950. It would be like chucking a nut at a squirrel, they are only going to run even faster in the opposite direction. Hitchcock is usually a good choice, because even if they don’t know any of the movies he made, they’ve at least heard of him (well, you hope they’ve heard of him). Also, try to make a connection between the film and something that he/ she likes for example:

You: “Hey, you liked Disturbia, right? Well, then you will love Rear Window!”

Suggestions:
Psycho
Rear Window
The Birds
North by Northwest
The Godfather
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Rebel Without a Cause

The Technicolor Classic

These people love color, hence their avoidance of black and white films. Start them off with some of the well-known black and whites such as Casablanca or Some Like it Hot. If you don’t think they can last an entire movie without color, pick one with a color sequence like The Women. Tell them that black and white films give them a chance to imagine what the colors are for themselves.

Suggestions:
Casablanca
Some Like it Hot
The Women
Citizen Kane
It’s a Wonderful Life
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Roman Holiday

The Classic-in-Training

You really can’t go wrong with your choice for the Classic-in-Training. Stick with well-known stars, but introduce them to some of their lesser known works. A fan of Olivia de Havilland? Show them The Snake Pit. Love Cary Grant? Suggest Topper or Only Angels Have Wings. Let them know that there are ton of hidden gems out there just waiting to be discovered.

Suggestions:

The Snake Pit
Topper
Rebecca
Caged
The Devil and Miss Jones
Ball of Fire
Stella Dallas

Step 3: Encourage them to keep at it!

No matter what type the person is, they need to be encouraged to keep expanding their classic film knowledge. Suggest other movies that they might like, tell them to check out the trivia on imdb, do what ever you can to help them through the rest of the process. Most of all, they need some type of support. They probably don’t have anyone else around to show them that it’s okay to like classic films so show them what they are missing out on.

Help Support a Great Cause!

2009-02-24T17:23:00.004-06:00

Right now, the creative juices aren’t flowing. I’m feeling uninspired and can’t think of anything to write about. So, this post is quite a bit off topic for my blog, but its something that is very important to me. Currently, I belong to an organization on my campus that supports St. Jude Research Hospital. We organize several fundraisers during the year and send all of our money to them. If you are not familiar with St. Jude, here is an explanation from their website:

"St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. With research and patient care under one roof, St. Jude is where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do science more quickly.
St. Jude researchers are published and cited more often in high impact publications than any other private pediatric oncology research institution in America. St. Jude is a place where many doctors send some of their sickest patients and toughest cases. A place where cutting-edge research and revolutionary discoveries happen every day. We've built America's second-largest health-care charity so the science never stops.

All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.”

Every little bit counts. With the economy in its current state, the need for donations is even greater. Even if you can’t give, just check out their website and learn about the wonderful work they are doing.

St. Jude Website

Ways to Donate

Although this really has nothing to do with classic films, I thought you guys would enjoy it more than the eight page paper on the femme fatale in film noir that I wrote last year. I was really close to posting the entire thing, that’s how desperate I was for something to post!

Sidekick: Ralph Bellamy

2009-02-19T18:14:00.005-06:00

I admit it: I’ve been slacking. All of the procrastinating I’ve been doing this semester finally came back and bit me in the butt. Last week, I thought my brain was going to completely shut down on me. I won’t go into all the details because it makes me stressed out just thinking about all of it. However, my biggest regret was that I had almost no time to work on my blog and I hated it. Luckily, I’m back and ready to go!

A few weeks go, I had a poll that asked you which character actor you would like to learn more about. It was rather close for awhile, but dependable Ralph Bellamy pulled ahead and won. Lucky for him there was no Cary Grant to compete against.

Ralph Rexford Bellamy was born in Chicago on June 17, 1904 to Charles Rexford Bellamy and Lilla Louise Smith. After high school, he traveled around the country putting on Shakespearean plays. However, he found his true calling on the silver screen in 1931, which marked the beginning of a career that lasted for over sixty years. At the height of his career, Bellamy was stuck playing the simple dope that always lost the girl, most likely to the suave Cary Grant. Although he never got the girl in the movies, he had no problem in real life. He was married four times, the last of which lasted from 1949 until his death in 1991. Later in his career, he found fame once again by playing Franklin Roosevelt on Broadway, the silver screen, and on television. His final film appearance was in 1990’s Pretty Woman.

Recommended Films:
Hands Across the Table (1935)
The Awful Truth (1937)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Sunrise at Campobello (1960)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Trading Places (1983)
Pretty Woman (1990)

Better Late Than Never....My 20 Favorite Actors!

2009-02-05T19:32:00.009-06:00

Ok, I know I’m a bit behind the pack with this, but I have been suffering from a very serious disease that can strike any person at any age. This disease is known as Procrastination. I have been dealing with it for most of my life, but it has been acting up quite a bit lately. Thankfully, I am beginning to get better. Since I have conquered Procrastination for now, I thought my little blog here needed to have a facelift to reflect my accomplishment. Let me know what you think about it!

Drum roll please…..and now without further ado, here is the list of my 20 Favorite Actors and the crowd roars....

William Powell

Van Johnson

Tony Curtis

Paul Newman

Laurence Olivier

Jimmy Stewart

Jack Lemmon

Gregory Peck

Cary Grant

Gene Kelly

Gary Cooper

Fred Astaire

Fred MacMurray

Frank Sinatra

Dana Andrews

Robert Cummings

Joseph Cotten

James Cagney

Marlon Brando

No, Marlon, this award is not for you. You weren't even a contender.

On another note, I would like to thank Kate Gabrielle and Millie for bestowing the great honor of the Superior Scribbler Award on me and my blog. It made me all warm and fuzzy to think that people actually liked my blog enough to give it an award!! I don’t know what I would do without all of you wonderful bloggers out there. For that reason, I think that every single one of you deserves the award as well. Knowing that I’m not alone in my love of classic film is reward enough for me.

(20 actors tag courtesy of Nicole)

Great Films Not on DVD: February

2009-02-01T17:47:00.007-06:00

My Sister Eileen (1942)
Starring Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, and Janet Blair
Airs February 3 on TCM
Midwestern sisters Ruth and Eileen Sherwood move to New York to pursue their dreams. Instead, they meet a bunch of crazy characters and fall in love. It was remade in 1955 as a movie musical starring Janet Leigh.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
Starring Dorothy McGuire, Peggy Ann Garner, and James Dunn
Airs February 8 on TCM
Based on Betty Smith’s novel, young Francie Nolan (Garner) comes of age in turn of the century Brooklyn. James Dunn won an Oscar for his role as Johnny Nolan, Francie’s alcoholic father.

If there is only one movie that you watch this month, please make it this one. It’s been a few years since I saw it, but it made a really strong impression on me. I will be the first person in line when it finally comes out on DVD due to the fact that it almost brought me to tears (I rarely cry during movies). If you’re not particularly fond of any of the main actors, you’ll at least appreciate Joan Blondell as Francie’s aunt Sissy.

A Guy Named Joe (1943)
Starring Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, and Van Johnson
Airs February 13 on TCM
Reckless fighter pilot Pete Sandidge (Tracy) dies during his final mission in World War II. He comes back as the guardian angel of a young pilot named Ted (Johnson) who ends up falling for his old girlfriend Dorinda (Dunne).

Interesting fact: This movie is rumored to be Steven Spielberg’s favorite. He remade it in 1989 as Always, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and Audrey Hepburn (in her last film appearance).

Red Dust (1932)
Starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow
Not airing this month : (
When I learned this wasn’t on dvd, I was completely shocked….a movie that contains both Harlow and Gable has been neglected? I’ve wanted to see this movie since I went through my Pre-Code phase last summer so I guess I’ll have to wait until TCM airs it again. Special thanks to Nik for bringing the lack of a dvd to my attention.

Creepy Coincidence?

2009-01-27T14:46:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was finally able to watch The Human Comedy, which I had wanted to see for quite some time. In it, there is a touching scene on a train where Marcus (Van Johnson) leads his fellow soldiers in the old time hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”. However, instead of bringing me to tears, the scene quite frankly creeped me out. How could that be, you may ask? Well, if you have ever seen The Night of the Hunter, you’ll understand. The song is turned into an instrument of fear and foreshadowing as a sinister preacher stalks two small children. I had never heard it until I had seen The Night of the Hunter, so when I heard it in The Human Comedy, I couldn’t get the image of Robert Mitchum singing it while Lillian Gish sits on a porch with a shotgun in her hand. There lies the coincidence: Robert Mitchum is in both films. In The Human Comedy, he has a small part as a soldier and in The Night of the Hunter, he plays the menacing preacher. Was this done on purpose or is it merely a creepy coincidence? You be the judge.

Here are the lyrics, just in case you felt like singing along!

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,