And now to discuss one of the great ladies of the screen... Gone With the Wind is a notorious tale. Margaret Mitchell's 1936 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the Civil War South was a massive success, and the 1939 movie is still the top box office earner of all time. Even those who haven't seen it … Continue reading That Other Hamilton Woman
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
Judy Garland Lived Here
Judy's life was an odyssey and like most of us, her place of residence changed frequently. I thought it would be interesting to post current-day photos of as many of her former homes as possible, preferably using Google Maps. There was only one slight hitch (and being a Californian I should have remembered this): Mansions … Continue reading Judy Garland Lived Here
Mick and Jootes
One of Old Hollywood's sweetest stories is the long-enduring relationship between Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. They knew each other almost all their lives, and while romance never entered the picture, there was always more than friendship there. Both started in vaudeville at very young ages (Mickey was eighteen months old, while Judy was two-and-a-half), … Continue reading Mick and Jootes
Accentuate the Positive
Here we go--time to talk about Miss Show Business! I've said it before and I'll say it again: When people think of Judy Garland, they most often go right to the sordid parts of her life. This is a huge shame, because to the people who knew her, Judy had such a gift for bringing … Continue reading Accentuate the Positive
Battle of the Backlots
(Cue Rocky theme music.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioE_O7Lm0I4 Welcome, film fans! We have come to a big face-off between two movie heavyweights. Both are scrappy and determined, but only one will win the title of Best Backlot. In this corner, we have M-G-M, which roared onto the scene in 1924. Called by industry professionals "the Tiffany of the business," M-G-M … Continue reading Battle of the Backlots
POLL: Which Studio Has (Or Had) the Best Backlot?
I know it may be a tough question if you're into classic film, but what do you think? Is it M-G-M's gone-but-not-forgotten backlot? Or has Warner Bros. done it better? Do you like both of them? Or maybe you prefer some other studio? Comment below! Or on Twitter. Or on Instagram. Preferably not a combo, … Continue reading POLL: Which Studio Has (Or Had) the Best Backlot?
Bette’s War
During the Second World War, most stars worked to support the fight. Jeanette MacDonald joined the American Women's Voluntary Service (AWVS). Rita Hayworth donated the bumpers off her car for scrap and replaced them with wooden ones. Many, many actors, directors, and crew members, like Jimmy Stewart and George Stevens, enlisted in the Armed Forces. … Continue reading Bette’s War
Bye, Mildred
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy blogathon (OK, I couldn't resist 🙂 ). It's a fact of life that not all attraction is mutual. It's also a fact that sometimes relationships happen because one person wants to throw the other a bone. It is yet another fact that abuse can come from … Continue reading Bye, Mildred
A Highly Ordinary Life
Producer Lynn Novick once called the generation that fought World War Two "reticent," and this is absolutely true. These men believe that they're no one special, and that they went to war because they knew they had a duty to defend their nation. Most of them weren't career soldiers but regular guys who went off … Continue reading A Highly Ordinary Life
Into the Wild Blue Yonder
And we're off... 🙂 Have you ever explored a B-17? I had the opportunity a few years ago, which was an amazing experience. The plane was the same one that appeared in the movie, Memphis Belle, and it's not only beautifully maintained, but it still flies. There was so much more to seeing the plane than being where Sean … Continue reading Into the Wild Blue Yonder
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…
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
Forgotten Man, Where Art Thou?
Here we are again. How were everyone's holidays? Did anyone else feel like they just zipped by? Yeah, me too. And yep, the eagle, er, angel has landed. The Great Depression looms large in twentieth-century history. Roughly twenty-five percent of the American public were unemployed in 1933, and farmers in particular found themselves displaced. Bankers … Continue reading Forgotten Man, Where Art Thou?
Eating For Victory
I don't have to tell you that we're in the thick of the holiday party season. Fun, frolic, and for some, a fitness wrecker (Not that I'm complaining, but suffice it to say, I'm stepping up my workouts just in case.). Imagine, though, if you couldn't get as much food as you wanted when you … Continue reading Eating For Victory
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
“Is Good. We Do Not Have To Go To the Bank.”
Today my son started fourth grade (yipe), and you know what that means: Time to study state history. In our case, that of course is California, which I love, and I'm excited because we've got a ton of history right in our own backyard. Our curriculum looks fairly awesome, too. Besides a Friday class at our … Continue reading “Is Good. We Do Not Have To Go To the Bank.”
Taking Up Room 