Frances Langford was one of the biggest stars in entertainment between the mid-thirties and the mid-fifties. During the World War Two era, she tirelessly entertained the troops, becoming almost a mascot of the Armed Forces. She did, however, find time to make some movies of varying quality, and on the lower end of the spectrum … Continue reading Frances Langford on Poverty Row
Hollywood Goes To Ferndale
Say what anyone will about Jim Carrey, in his heyday he made some fine films, and one of my favorites is 2001's The Majestic. It's not just a straight-ahead, old-school feel-good movie, but a lot of it was filmed in Ferndale, California, an absolutely gorgeous town in Humboldt County. The movie opens at a concept meeting, … Continue reading Hollywood Goes To Ferndale
More Sunshine, Friends
Funny things happen in the blogging world, especially when it comes to blogger awards and tags. Right after I finished my Sunshine Award post that Gill nominated me for, Ari from the Classic Movie Muse nominated me for another Sunshine Award. And Rachel from Hamlette's Soliloquy nominated me for one as well. Wow! Thank you, Ari … Continue reading More Sunshine, Friends
Crooning Cowboys and Low-Cost Capers
Saddle up, everyone... Westerns are a notoriously cheap genre, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that they always have a lot of the same design and story elements. Horses. Dusty streets. Weathered buildings with board sidewalks. Open spaces. Various firearms. A saloon. A bar brawl or a shootout, possibly both. Maybe … Continue reading Crooning Cowboys and Low-Cost Capers
The Norman Jewison Blogathon: Wrapup
We have come to the end of the blogathon, folks, and I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves! I'm working through all your posts and am looking forward to reading your thoughts on Mr. Norman Jewison. If anyone is just joining us, all our posts can be found here. Also, of course, if anyone has any … Continue reading The Norman Jewison Blogathon: Wrapup
Two Marriages, Two Divorces
Curtain... Norman Jewison's filmography is nothing if not diverse, and one of his early 2000s credits is 2001's Dinner With Friends, which was a TV movie for HBO. Based on the successful 1998 Donald Margulies play of the same name, the film follows two couples as infidelity and divorce become part of the conversation, and then … Continue reading Two Marriages, Two Divorces
The Norman Jewison Blogathon Has Arrived
We're here, all! It's time to celebrate that great director, Norman Jewison, on the weekend of what would have been his ninety-eighth birthday. You all are more than familiar with the usual procedure. Please send me your wonderful posts throughout the weekend and I'll post them here as soon as possible, and check back often … Continue reading The Norman Jewison Blogathon Has Arrived
During World War Two: Victory!
Victory. Everyone knew it would come sometime. The Allies just didn't expect the war to end when it did, at least not in the Pacific. To be sure, there were clues, especially in Europe. The Battle of the Bulge is commonly thought to be the Nazis' last-ditch effort to gain back their stolen ground, but … Continue reading During World War Two: Victory!
One Week Until the Norman Jewison Blogathon
It's almost here, everyone, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting excited. Who else is ready to celebrate Norman Jewison? If anyone is just hearing about our upcoming fete and want to join us, well, you know what to do. The details can be found here, so let me know and I'll … Continue reading One Week Until the Norman Jewison Blogathon
Cooking With the French Chef: French Onion Soup
Welcome back to Cooking With the French Chef, in which I review episodes of Julia Child’s original show, cook out of the new edition of the French Chef Cookbook and share the results with you. Past posts can be found here. Yep, this time we're making one of the Quintessential French recipes, French Onion Soup! Who doesn't love … Continue reading Cooking With the French Chef: French Onion Soup
Robin Hood Gets the Spaghetti Treatment
Westerns weren't the only movie genre to receive an Italian spin in the nineteen-sixties and seventies of course. Another film to come out of that lovely and varied country is 1976's Robin Hood, Arrows, Beans and Karate, or Storia di arcieri, pugni e occhi ner in the original Italian. Does the title give anyone Men … Continue reading Robin Hood Gets the Spaghetti Treatment
The Longest Month
Happy Independence Day! June was a weird month this year, although not in a bad way. It felt long but it didn't feel long. Maybe it's because I'm not at the crosswalk. Maybe it's because we can't really go anywhere this summer, and the weeks have taken on a quasi-lockdown feel. Except for trips to … Continue reading The Longest Month
Taking Up Room 