Happy National Classic Movie Day! I'll be honest: Noirs aren't my default choice when it comes to movies. I guess it depends on my mood. Sometimes I've looked at those shadowy scenes and wondered if the characters have ever seen daylight or worn any outerwear other than a trench coat and a fedora. Or ever … Continue reading My Four Favorite Noirs
Crooked But Never Common
Good to see you, Miss Barbara... I have kind of a love-argh thing with Preston Sturges. I know he's revered among film buffs, but sometimes he bugs me. Not always, though. Sullivan's Travels excellently captures a time when men rode the rails to wherever the jobs were. Hail the Conquering Hero is a rollicking tale of … Continue reading Crooked But Never Common
Back To Titanic
Well, hello, Miss Barbara... In 1953, the Titanic disaster was only forty-one years in the past. Many of the survivors were still alive. However, the tragedy had all but passed from public consciousness, as between the sinking and the nineteen fifties, there were several wars, the Great Depression, and a sense of just wanting to live a … Continue reading Back To Titanic
And Now For Something Completely Different
Who's up for a little classic intrigue? Sometimes when a chance presents itself, there's nothing to do but take it (Within reason, of course). In the early nineteen-forties, Fred MacMurray was a durable rom-com guy, but 1944 brought him a new kind of opportunity--a role in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. Based on a story by James M. … Continue reading And Now For Something Completely Different
Guess Who’s Coming To Connecticut
It's well-known that food was a very real concern during the Second World War. There were many, many desperate and starving people all over the world. In Holland, for instance, people were chewing on tulip bulbs and making bread out of peas. England was better off, but since they depended so heavily on imports, things … Continue reading Guess Who’s Coming To Connecticut
Taking Up Room 