Good evening... (Well, it may not be evening when you read this, but you know how Hitchcock always said it on his TV show) Anyone who's familiar with the apartment life dynamic knows what happens when lots of people are literally living on top of each other: stories will accumulate. Lots of stories. Many of them can be … Continue reading Do You See What I See?
La Vie Gershwin
Curtain... Confession time: I have a teeny bit of dance training. For two years I studied tap, ballet, and jazz with the late, great Betty Gentry. I also got a crash course in hip-hop and swing dancing before my tour with the Continental Singers. Four to six hours of just choreography a day, in addition … Continue reading La Vie Gershwin
You Irreplaceable You
February 15, 2016 was the seventieth anniversary of the unveiling of ENIAC, without which none of us would be tapping away at laptops smaller than coffee table books, or blogging, or sending e-mail, or using self-check cash registers, and so on and so forth. It goes without saying that we can't imagine life without computers. … Continue reading You Irreplaceable You
Get Me To the (House) On Time
Time to go home. Well, sort of... I have to say, I've never done a review like this before. One of my favorite blogs is Hooked On Houses, but it's the kind of thing where I look but don't touch. Part of this is because I live in an apartment, so I have no skin in … Continue reading Get Me To the (House) On Time
Film Gris
Dick Powell had an interesting career. He went from being a crooner and a radio personality to a straight-ahead actor, best-known for playing hard-boiled types. While he had a lot of successful films to his credit, he did produce a turkey now and then, or something close to it. 1951's Cry Danger is one of those, but … Continue reading Film Gris
Under the Big Top
As many of you have probably heard by now, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus will be ending their 146-year run and heading for the history books. A very few folks have been presumptuously gloating, but I won't name names here. More often than not, though, a lot of people feel rather melancholy over the … Continue reading Under the Big Top
That Darn Bat
Every once in a while, even busy supporting players have to break out of their ruts, and Agnes Moorehead was no exception. In 1959 she got top billing in The Bat, opposite Vincent Price. A mildly suspenseful and slightly campy film, The Bat is an entertaining example of what Agnes could do with a lead role. Director … Continue reading That Darn Bat
Hidden and Hiding
I'll level with you guys--it's been a tough year. Who hasn't had it tough? For me, it's family stuff, car stuff, money stuff, and don't even get me started on the election. Ugh. After a while life begins to feel colorless and closed-in, which can be dangerous or at least supremely stinky, and the best … Continue reading Hidden and Hiding
The Other Pin-up Girl
In case you all haven't noticed by now, I went a little crazy with the boxed sets at Christmas, and one of the last collections I bought this year was The Films of Rita Hayworth. I wasn't that familiar with her work, but I had seen You Were Never Lovelier with Fred Astaire and knew she had been … Continue reading The Other Pin-up Girl
Just Keep Swimming
My last blog title was taken from the Esther Williams movie, which was fitting, but sort of pretentious because I had never seen it. Since then, that has changed. In fact, I've been having a mini Esther Williams fest at my house lately, and it feels fine. These movies are fun, frothy, and just right … Continue reading Just Keep Swimming
Taking Up Room 