John Garfield was a method actor before method acting was cool in Hollywood, and like James Cagney he was often pigeonholed as a tough guy and rogueish anti-hero, only in Garfield's case his persona had more of a jailbird or prisoner-of-war slant. The 1943 film, The Fallen Sparrow neatly falls into that trope with a … Continue reading What We Carry With Us
During World War Two: Dueling Canteens
It can't be denied that Hollywood, and for that matter, Broadway, were in an unique position to help the troops during the war. Support for the war effort was overwhelming in these industries, especially once the last holdouts stopped tiptoeing around the Nazis and the other Axis powers. Not to mention, seventy-nine percent of Americans … Continue reading During World War Two: Dueling Canteens
The Show Must Go On
Some crazy, crazy stuff hit theaters during the Second World War. Audiences were receptive to it, as they were looking for an escape from worry or bad news. One of the craziest was 1943's Thank Your Lucky Stars. Warner Bros. not only crammed in every star it could, but many of them act delightfully out of character. … Continue reading The Show Must Go On
On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
It's National Classic Movie Day again, and Rick has another question for us bloggers: Which five stars are your favorite? Eeeep. That's even tougher than last year's challenge. Anyone who's an old film lover knows there's so much to like about the Golden Age. Me, I always enjoy watching the repartee between Katharine Hepburn and … Continue reading On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
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
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
Waiting For Judgement
What happens after death is an interesting question, maybe a little scary, but very important. I definitely didn't start this blog to proselytize, and I'm not going to start now, but death is something we'll all face someday. The problem is, no one who dies can tell the rest of us what it's like--all we … Continue reading Waiting For Judgement
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
Taking Up Room 