We have come to the end, friends, after a weekend of impressive posts and worthy tributes to the Titanic and her passengers, as well as to the many cultural depictions of the disaster. I'm enjoying working through your posts and looking forward to reading the rest of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you for … Continue reading The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon: Wrapup
Titanic In Pop Culture: Day Three
It's Day Three of the Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon, and I hope everyone's enjoying all our great posts! As usual, if anyone is just joining us and would like to catch up, here are Days One and Two as well. And if I've missed anyone's posts, I apologize. Things got a little crazy yesterday … Continue reading Titanic In Pop Culture: Day Three
The Second Time Titanic Broke
Here we go... For all the movies and documentaries that had been made about the Titanic sinking from the time that it happened, until 1996 one very pertinent detail was always left out, and that was the ship breaking in two. It might sound a little funny now, but up until Dr. Robert Ballard discovered … Continue reading The Second Time Titanic Broke
Titanic In Pop Culture: Day Two
Who's ready for Day Two? Day One got off to a great start, with a good variety of posts, and it'll be fun to see what's on the docket for today. We really hit the ground running, here. And if anyone missed Day One, yesterday's entries can be found here. Onward, and I hope you … Continue reading Titanic In Pop Culture: Day Two
The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon Has Arrived
It has come! Who's ready to do this? It's kinda hard to know how to start this, to be honest. When I thought up this blogathon, I didn't anticipate the fine line that we'd have to walk between being excited to pay tribute to the Titanic's impact on pop culture and being respectful of the … Continue reading The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon Has Arrived
One Week Until the Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon
Seven days left until we set sail, people. Who's getting excited? Here's something else from the Titanic film vault, if anyone's interested in a little history break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p3D7rQdhxw Getting back to the blogathon, of course, I think this is going to be really fun. Thanks again to everyone who's signed up, and naturally, there's plenty … Continue reading One Week Until the Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon
Little Edith Cortright
Off we go... I don't know why I thought 1936's Dodsworth was based on a Charles Dickens novel. Maybe it's because the name sounds very British. But no, the novel was written by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1929, and includes Lewis's favorite recurring character, the ever-dependable, ever-surprising midwestern town of Zenith (Some English BA I … Continue reading Little Edith Cortright
One Month Until The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon
The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon is already a month away, all. The time is flying, just like Rose and Jack. The thing that always amazes me about Titanic is how there are always new references to her in pop culture coming out, or just resurfacing. Like the Cast and Crew video for the James … Continue reading One Month Until The Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon
Contractual Obligations Are So Romantic
Are we back? We seemed to get a slew of adventurous romcoms in the early 1980s, probably because a lot of people wanted to ride the Indiana Jones wave, and one of the most famous of that time was 1984's Romancing the Stone, a fiery and funny send-up of romance novels. Those who have seen that … Continue reading Contractual Obligations Are So Romantic
Another Go With “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”
Welcome back, Mr. Keaton... 1928's Steamboat Bill, Jr. seems like one of the quintessential Buster Keaton movies. I'll be honest: I tried reviewing this movie for last year's Buster Keaton Blogathon and just couldn't muster an opinion. It wasn't for lack of trying, either. Long story short, as soon as I saw Lea was bringing … Continue reading Another Go With “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”
Close To Home
Grab the Kleenex... There was no shortage of tearjerker movies during the World War Two period, and one of the most successful was 1943's The Human Comedy. The public loved it. The critics loved it. It was also reputed to be Louis B. Mayer's favorite movie. How does it hold up today? Surprisingly well in a … Continue reading Close To Home
My Favorite Shirley Temple Movie
Here we go... I've never been a huge fan of Shirley Temple's early films, but The Little Princess is one of my favorites (Another is Heidi). No offense to anyone who likes them, but they're just not my taste. In 1939 Shirley Temple turned eleven, no longer a poppet but not yet a teenager, although she … Continue reading My Favorite Shirley Temple Movie
Bela Lugosi, Action Hero
Who's ready for adventure? Bela Lugosi, is, of course, best known for playing Dracula, as well as starring in various other creature features, but Dracula was both his blessing and his curse, and Lugosi spent the rest of his life trying his hardest to get away from it. One of his more successful attempts seemed … Continue reading Bela Lugosi, Action Hero
Announcing the Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon!
Over a century after it sank, the Titanic remains a pop-culture phenomenon, and not just as far as movies are concerned. There have been books, documentaries, video games, TV miniseries, shorts, parodies, passing references (who hasn't heard the expression, "It's like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic"?). Goodness knows some of these iterations have … Continue reading Announcing the Titanic In Pop Culture Blogathon!
Bob and Lucy, Together Again
Here we go... Bob Hope and Lucille Ball seem like a dream pairing, right? They really are. These two made four movies together, and the third was 1960's The Facts of Life, a cautionary tale about messing with the status quo. The film opens at the airport in Monterey, where Kitty Weaver (Lucille Ball) is waiting for … Continue reading Bob and Lucy, Together Again
When Tropes Feel New-ish
Here we go... We all know tropes can be really tiresome and that every genre has them. There are times, however, when tropes don't feel like tropes, even in B-movies, and 1963's The Haunted Palace is one of those times. Directed by Roger Corman, it's at once a typical American International Pictures low-budget horror movie and … Continue reading When Tropes Feel New-ish
Talking To Moonyeen
Absolute silence... The title, "Smilin' Through" seems to have a lengthy history. The song, "Smilin' Through," was written by Arthur A. Penn and published in 1919. The song is vaguely connected to a play of the same name from the same year by Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin. The play was adapted into a feature … Continue reading Talking To Moonyeen
Taking Up Room 