Here we go... One of Alfred Hitchcock's most infamous films is the 1963 chiller, The Birds. Following the strafing of a seaside town by angry, murderous birds, it's commonly attributed to Daphne du Maurier's novella of the same name. However, there's much more as to how the film came to be. Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), … Continue reading Bird Is the Word
The Sunshine Blogger Award
OK, I know I said I was going to post something for Gabriela's Daphene du Maurier Blogathon today, but that was before I got nominated by Sally of 18 Cinema Lane for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Wasn't that nice of her? Sally's wonderful blog can be found here. Thank you, Sally! As always, this sort … Continue reading The Sunshine Blogger Award
Origins: Yesterday
We've all heard of the Beatles. That goes without saying. Today's bands have to be some kind of something to be compared to them, and even if they're not, it's not uncommon to bask in Beatle glow (Bay City Rollers, anyone?). But what if someone woke up in a world where no one had heard … Continue reading Origins: Yesterday
Travels With Papa
Summertime, and de livin' is easy... Ah, summer. And ah, vacation season. Unless one is a too-cool-for-school teenager who's suddenly allergic to Mom and Dad, especially when there's someone cute to impress. Katherine Heigl in her pre-Grey's Anatomy days takes this to the extreme in the 1994 father-daughter comedy, My Father the Hero. It's an unusual movie, especially … Continue reading Travels With Papa
Reading Rarities: The Art of Overeating
Plenty of Americans have contentious relationships with food in that we have to be moderate about something we have more than an abundance of. We want to overindulge, but we know we shouldn't, so life can be made up of mental games and conditioning in order to maintain a proper relationship with what we put … Continue reading Reading Rarities: The Art of Overeating
Gable Talks
The King is back... We all have to start somewhere, and one of Clark Gable's first roles was in 1931's The Painted Desert. It's so early in Gable's career that he doesn't get billing of any kind. It was a loaded part for Gable, because it was literally the first time he spoke onscreen. Not only was … Continue reading Gable Talks
Monsters Unite
The crazy world of Hammer-Amicus is back... We all know that the Amicus filmmakers love their monsters. A lot. Crazy a lot. So why not go nuts? Instead of one or two monsters, how about a whole slew? That's what 1981's The Monster Club is about, and if one can get past the bouncer, there's plenty of … Continue reading Monsters Unite
Shamedown #5: I Don’t Know How She Does It
Hard to believe we're halfway through the year already, but Shamedown #5 is upon us. For anyone who would like to know what a Shamedown is, please visit Cinema Shame. It's fitting that I picked this movie for one of this year's Shamedowns, because a couple of months ago I got a job with a neighboring … Continue reading Shamedown #5: I Don’t Know How She Does It
Hallowed Ground
Seventy-five years ago... Charlie Brown cartoons were usually cute and funny, but they were often poignant. One of my favorites from the 1980s was the little gem, What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? Originally broadcast on May 30, 1983, it's the continuation of the adventures Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Woodstock and Snoopy had in the … Continue reading Hallowed Ground
Private Diva
Hello, Ms. Russell... Rosalind Russell was nothing if not versatile, and like a lot of stars during the petering out of the studio era, went free agent. Along with her husband, Fredrick Brisson, she even produced a few films for her own studio, Independent Artists, such as 1953's Never Wave At A WAC. Shot at Walt Disney … Continue reading Private Diva
Page To Screen: Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's single most famous novel is, of course, Pride and Prejudice. All six of her novels are famous, but there's something about P&P that puts it above the others. It's been adapted more than any other Austen novel, that's for sure. I toyed with the idea of asking the Twitterverse which versions of Pride and Prejudice were their … Continue reading Page To Screen: Pride and Prejudice
Broadway Bound 2019: Curtain Call
And now it's time for the curtain to fall on our blogathon and our lovely bloggers to take their bows. It's been a whirlwind, hasn't it? Musicals have also been quite the thing this year, too. I apologize for some of the links not working at first, and I hope everyone got to read everything … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2019: Curtain Call
A Song To Sing
Another talented composer of the twentieth century is Jerome Kern. His songs are graceful, elegant, and thoughtful, ranging from playful to poignant, and he frequently collaborated with such lyrical greats as Oscar Hammerstein, Dorothy Fields, E.Y. Harburg, Ira Gershwin, and Johnny Mercer. Kern's biopic, Till the Clouds Roll By was released at the end of 1946, … Continue reading A Song To Sing
Broadway Bound 2019: Day Three
We've come to the third and final day of our blogathon, and there's more wonderfulness in store. The lights have flickered, signaling the end of Intermission, and now the curtain rises on Act Three... Love Letters To Old Hollywood's mini Marilyn tribute comes to a close with a look at the underrated 1960 gem, Let's Make Love. … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2019: Day Three
Broadway Bound 2019: Day Two
We've had a stellar opener (see Day One here), and now to continue the festivities. Off we go, Broadway lovers... Love Letters To Old Hollywood starts us off again with a review of 1955's The Seven Year Itch. Yes, that's the one where Marilyn's dress goes floof. 18 Cinema Lane brings on the 1940 film, Little Nellie Kelly, in which (spoiler alert!) … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2019: Day Two
King Cole
I'm more of an Irving Berlin fan than a Cole Porter fan, to be honest, but I still like quite a few Porter songs. They're very catchy and endlessly singable, many with graceful, almost operatic melodies. Porter's 1946 biopic, Night and Day, is a delightful, almost non-stop revue of Porter's catalogue, set against the backdrop of his … Continue reading King Cole
Broadway Bound 2019: Day One
Arise and seize the day...the Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon has now arrived! For the next three days, it's all about the Great White Way. We've got musicals, we've got plays, we've got stage and screen luminaries, and we've got wonderful bloggers to regale us with their thoughts. Let's get right to it. Love Letters … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2019: Day One
Taking Up Room 