Taking Up Room's first blogathon of 2021... Carmen Miranda's star rose very quickly in the United States, and it didn't take long for Twentieth Century Fox to play that up in a big way. The most overt example of was 1943's The Gang's All Here. The film appears to be an homage to the Good Neighbor … Continue reading The Lady In the Tutti-Frutti Hat
Heigh-ho For Cuba
In this post-Fidel Castro day and age, it seems really odd to think about Cuba being a top tourist destination for Americans, but at one time it was. Before the country was declared off-limits to Americans, people liked the fact that they could pop round to an exotic country for a quick visit and be … Continue reading Heigh-ho For Cuba
Mr. Breen Goes To the Village
Welcome back, Mr. Breen! Although it's pretty gentrified nowadays, Greenwich Village has a reputation for counter-culturalism and being a haven for artists and other creative types. It's always been a tempting setting for a story, even during the Production Code Era, when an undiluted bohemian Village didn't exactly meet Mr. Breen's standards. 20th Century Fox … Continue reading Mr. Breen Goes To the Village
Stage To Screen: Something For the Boys
Happy Fourth of July, all! During World War Two, there was no shortage of entertainment that encouraged audiences to do their part and help the servicepeople. Movies, radio, magazines, Broadway...every platform was used to the fullest. Sometimes the results came off better than others, of course, and one example of the "others" is Something For the … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Something For the Boys
Shamedown #1: That Night In Rio
So it's come to this...my first Walk of Shame. Platonically speaking, of course... 🙂 If anyone wants to know why this post is called a Shamedown, please visit the fine folks at Cinema Shame. MGM was, of course, the musical powerhouse of the studio era, but it's always interesting to see what the other studios came … Continue reading Shamedown #1: That Night In Rio
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