Gotta watch those character actors... Only ten actors to date have been nominated for Best and Supporting Actor or Actress in the same year. Fay Bainter is the first one. Fay Bainter was biz-ee. She was an able supporting player, and her work spans radio, film, television, and stage. Mostly stage, though. Born in Los … Continue reading Being Fay Bainter
Page To Screen: A Christmas Carol
When the Yuletide season rolls around, indulging in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is almost as much of a tradition as putting up the tree or hanging stockings. First published on December 19, 1843 as a stand-alone novel, it followed Dickens' relative flop, Martin Chuzzlewit. Chapman and Hall, Dickens' publisher, thought he was losing his touch, so Dickens paid … Continue reading Page To Screen: A Christmas Carol
Origins: Robin Hood
Robin Hood is notorious. He robs from the rich to give to the poor. He can shoot arrows like nobody's business. And he lives rent-free in the heads of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. He's a folk hero and a staple of English letters like King Arthur. He's also been done to death … Continue reading Origins: Robin Hood
Origins: A Star Is Born
They remade A Star Is Born. Again. The current version stars Lady Gaga (credited as her real name, Stefani Germanotta) portraying rising star Ally, while Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, mega country star who helps Ally get her start, even as his own career is hitting the skids. If the story arcs the way its predecessors … Continue reading Origins: A Star Is Born
Page To Screen: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
One of the most iconic tales of American literature is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Written by Washington Irving and originally published in 1820 as part of his Sketch Book, this story of ill-fated schoolteacher Ichabod Crane never fails to chill. It also never fails to find new life in various media. For those who … Continue reading Page To Screen: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Origins: Sharks, Sharks Everywhere
We all know how sinister predators seem to be a real thing in summertime flicks. Maybe it's because summer is when people go camping or to the beach or something--it's an imagined feeling of impending doom. There's not much that compares to watching a roller-coaster of a disaster movie, armed with popcorn and Milk Duds, … Continue reading Origins: Sharks, Sharks Everywhere
Clean With Breen
So it's come to this... As promised, I'm recapping all the Breen-friendly films I reviewed in July for Tiffany and Rebekah's #CleanMovieMonth blogathon. How did they meet the Breen Code standards? Let's find out: It's Love I'm After (1937) This film played it dangerously. Basil and Joyce were so passionate I thought they were a … Continue reading Clean With Breen
This Old House
My son had his Spring Break at the end of March, and I took the extra free time to start revisiting most of the "House" series. Remember those? A family, several familes, or maybe just a random group of people would try to live as people did in a certain time in history, and it … Continue reading This Old House
Stage To Screen: Romeo And Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most infamous play. Even those who don't know much about Shakespeare know its elements. The balcony scene, for one thing (which is a window in the original script, by the way), has been parodied and referenced more times than anyone can count--everyone from Bugs Bunny to school drama teams to … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Romeo And Juliet
Origins: Game Night
The concept of a game coming to life is definitely not new, and the latest movie about that is titled...Game Night. Yeah. Totally didn't see that coming. The title is so generic that Googling "game night movie" turns up more clip art for hosting game nights than stuff about the movie. Am I the only one … Continue reading Origins: Game Night
All About Ann Rutherford
OK, all--confession time: up until Ruth and Kristina announced this blogathon, I had no idea that Ann Rutherford was Canadian. I've watched her films for years, so I don't know how I missed that important detail, but it's true. Rutherford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia a hundred years ago as of November 2, 2017, … Continue reading All About Ann Rutherford
Discovering Eve Arden
Here we go... You all know character actors rarely get famous. Most of the time they show up, and our response is something like, "Oh, it's that person. What's their name again?" That's to be expected; I've heard it said that the sign of a good character actor is when audiences don't know who they … Continue reading Discovering Eve Arden
Surf’s Up
We Californians have to deal with some funny stereotypes, none of them true. Most of the time, anyway. We all live next door to movie stars, we're all uber-liberal, we're all hippies. And we all surf. I had a friend in high school who moved to California from Ohio, and she told me her friends … Continue reading Surf’s Up
And the Oscar Goes To…
Ah, the Oscars are upon us yet again. It's hard to believe, but this year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hits the big nine-oh, which is a pretty impressive milestone. Speaking of milestones, I think it would be great if the Academy added the "First" category, a special award given to films … Continue reading And the Oscar Goes To…
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
On an Island With You…and Five Movies: My #NationalClassicMovieDay Picks
In honor of May 16th being National Classic Movie Day, Rick of Classic Film and TV Cafe posed this question to the blogging world: If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five movies would you choose to watch for the rest of your life? It's with a bit of trepidation that I approach this … Continue reading On an Island With You…and Five Movies: My #NationalClassicMovieDay Picks
Taking Up Room 