*Insert lion's roar here* There's no such thing as being too big to fail. MGM was always one of the biggest and most successful studios in Hollywood, but when they fell, they fell hard. Not that it was a surprise to anyone in the post-Production Code, post block-book era, seeing as MGM's fortunes had been … Continue reading Sold: The 1970 MGM Auction
Two Years Later
COVID is still fresh in a lot of minds, and we've all been affected differently by it over the past two years. We've also reacted differently to continued measures and actions by those we elect to represent us, and reality hits everyone sooner or later. Me, I got red-pilled at several points, like when I … Continue reading Two Years Later
The Magic Never Ends
Eighty years ago today (can you believe it?), The Wizard of Oz premiered in theaters. The focal point of the movie is of course, a certain pair of ruby red slippers. The number of slippers made for the film is unknown, and at least five pairs still exist. Discovered in one of MGM's storehouses by costumer Kent … Continue reading The Magic Never Ends
Have Ye the Body?
Today's subject matter is a bit on the macabre side, and may not be for everyone. On the other hand, it's compelling, so if anyone is into unusual history, well, you've come to the right place... On this day in 1865, at 7:22 AM, President Abraham Lincoln died of a gunshot wound in a house … Continue reading Have Ye the Body?
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
Shamedown #7: The Memphis Belle
Another month, another Shamedown. If anyone would like to know what a Shamedown is, please visit Cinema Shame here. Previous Shamedown posts can be found here. The 1990 film, Memphis Belle, is fairly widely known. An ensemble piece starring Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Harry Connick, Jr., D.B. Sweeney, Tate Donovan, and John Lithgow, among others, the film was produced … Continue reading Shamedown #7: The Memphis Belle
Between Silence and Sound
Good evening... It's always fascinating to revisit the nascent stages of icons' careers, and Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most intriguing. Before we knew him as the director of Vertigo, The Birds, Psycho, and other perennial classics of cinema history, Hitchcock was plugging away at making films in his native Britain, starting with silents and changing with … Continue reading Between Silence and Sound
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 #5: The Longest Day
Time for my monthly dose of shame. If you've missed the previous Shamedown posts and want to know what it's all about, please visit Cinema Shame. Seventy-four years ago as of June sixth, the largest amphibious invasion in history took place. Officially called D-day, and codenamed Operation Overlord, it goes without saying that it was … Continue reading Shamedown #5: The Longest Day
Broadway Bound Blogathon: Curtain Call
First things first, we have a few more arriving at the party… Michaela at Love Letters To Old Hollywood gives us her third and final post with the history of Gigi. Catherine at Thoughts All Sorts has some thoughts on Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Tiffany from Pure Entertainment Preservation Society brings us her review of the 1941 classic, Babes On Broadway. And in […]
Three Ziegfeld Girls
While The Great Ziegfeld is a terrific movie, only a small percentage of it focused on the actual making of the Follies. We barely even got to see those famed stairs. Like Broadway, the Follies are a big subject, and in 1941, MGM revisited them in Ziegfeld Girl. Starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Hedy Lamarr, … Continue reading Three Ziegfeld Girls
Charlie Goes To Niles
Time for a walk down Memory Lane... Before I moved to Placer County, one of the places I lived in was the city of Fremont, California. It's a patchwork of five little towns that were incorporated into one big town in 1956, and each of those towns-turned-districts has its own distinct flavor. While they're all … Continue reading Charlie Goes To Niles
The Successful Failure
Greetings, Earthlings... Forty-eight years ago as of April eleventh, Apollo 13 blasted off for the moon's Fra Mauro highlands. The public was ho-hum about it, until things started going wrong. Captain Jim Lovell, Apollo 13's commander, wrote a book about his experiences, formerly titled Lost Moon, and Ron Howard used that as his source material for … Continue reading The Successful Failure
Carrying the Banner
In the nineteen-eighties and nineties, there were very few musicals being produced, at least not live action ones. Some people said that it was because Hollywood had forgotten how to make that type of film. There were movies that featured dancing, or maybe a song or two, but as far as films with plot-driven soundtracks, … Continue reading Carrying the Banner
Close Quarters
Today we've got a free-for-all movie for CineMaven's Free For All Blogathon, and it's a doozy. We're back in Washington D.C., people. The war is still on, folks are still crammed into the city like sardines, and there's more craziness to be had. Only instead of an apartment building, we're checking in at the fanciest … Continue reading Close Quarters
Origins: Peter Rabbit
Heh. I don't know about anyone else, but I never thought any of Beatrix Potter's stories would translate well to the big screen, least of all Peter Rabbit. Not that Potter's stories are bad or anything--they're classic and charming--but they're all so short. Even The Tale of Pig Robinson is only about one-hundred twenty pages long with big … Continue reading Origins: Peter Rabbit
Goooooood Morning, Vietnam!
Welcome, Robin fans... Robin Williams is a loved fella. For my part, I was a big Mork and Mindy fan as a very young child. At least as much as Mom and Dad would let me, anyway, but I did have the suspenders. Oh, yes. I wore those things as often as I could. I remember when … Continue reading Goooooood Morning, Vietnam!
Taking Up Room 