Early talkies are rather infamous, as we all know. Actors often huddled around a microphone, in some cases stiff and wooden, afraid to move too much lest they mess up the take or the mikes pick up weird sounds. 1930's The Devil To Pay is a typical early talkie, but it's also pretty danged funny. The … Continue reading Ronald the Rapscallion
During World War Two: On the Air
The Second World War has been referred to as "a radio war," simply because radio was such an integral part of relaying information to the public about bond drives, rationing, the latest news, and other aspects of living on the home front, but radio was probably the most special for Americans on the frontlines. Imagine … Continue reading During World War Two: On the Air
Try To Remember
Filmmakers have always seemed to love using amnesia as a plot device. There's nothing like a fish being in water and out of it at the same time. One example of this is the 1943 film, Random Harvest, starring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson. It's a movie that genteely declares itself a "prestige picture," with an important … Continue reading Try To Remember
Taking Up Room 