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You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
An Interview with Victoria Wilson, Author of A LIFE OF BARBARA STANWYCK: STEEL-TRUE (1907-1940)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 24, 2013
By Lara Gabrielle Fowler The life of Barbara Stanwyck has fascinated film lovers for decades. Her particular combination of sex appeal, toughness, and grit makes for an intriguing character and was doubtless informed by a private life about which she was extremely reticent. This, along with innate read more
A Q&A With Joan Fontaine in Honor of Her 96th Birthday
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 22, 2013
Joan Fontaine cuddles with a dog on the set of The Constant Nymph, 1943. By Lara Gabrielle Fowler October 22 marks the 96th birthday of Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine, an actress with the exceptional talent and intelligence to become a veritable Hollywood legend. Graced with a delicate, porcelain beaut read more
Rita Hayworth and Her Dance
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 17, 2013
Today marks what would have been the 95th birthday of Rita Hayworth, the legendary screen goddess best known today for her seductive portrayal of Gilda in the 1946 film of the same name. Beautiful, long-legged, and mysterious, she was Columbia’s biggest star of the 1940′s and became a read more
The Legend of Carmen Miranda
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 9, 2013
By Lara Gabrielle Fowler Though many outside of the classic film world might not know her name, Carmen Miranda is, nonetheless, one of the most widely recognized figures of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her signature look, always featuring an elaborate hat often made of fruit, has inspired countle read more
October Events on the Blog
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 30, 2013
Hello dear readers, Lara here to update you on what is coming in the month of October on the blog. There are a few very exciting things on the horizon, and here is what you may expect to see this month. In my last blog update, I spoke of a special surprise to appear on the blog this month. On Octo read more
Breaking News Blogathon: MEET JOHN DOE (1941)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 21, 2013
My good blogging friends Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood and Lindsay of Lindsay’s Movie Musings have collaborated on a blogathon focusing on journalism in film–a topic that yielded some of the most intricate films to come out of Hollywood. From the epic Citizen Kane to the quirky and c read more
SHOW PEOPLE (1928) and the Rise of Self-Reflection in Hollywood
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 16, 2013
Marion Davies and real-life director King Vidor in a scene from “Show People.” For many decades, Hollywood has been fascinated with movies about movies. Ranging from the highest celebrations of Hollywood stardom (Singin’ In the Rain) to analyses of the most terrible tragedies of t read more
CINECON DAY 4: APRIL LOVE (1957)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 2, 2013
Today was a very special day at Cinecon, as guests anxiously awaited a much-anticipated Q&A session with the legendary Shirley Jones following a screening of April Love. As you may know, I am a big fan of Jones’ portrayal of the prostitute Lulu Barnes in Elmer Gantry and I was excited to read more
CINECON DAY 3: SUDDENLY IT’S SPRING (1947)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 1, 2013
A hysterically funny screwball comedy about a female marriage counselor in the army who is going through a divorce with her own husband, Suddenly It’s Spring has been the #1 highlight of the festival for me thus far. I was very excited to see it, as it was the sleeper hit of the TCM Classic read more
CINECON DAY 2: The Racial Context of ONE MILE FROM HEAVEN
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 31, 2013
After an exhausting day of movie-watching and hours of research at the Margaret Herrick Library, I was ready to head home around 11:00 after 3 evening movies. But when I learned that the final movie of the night was about a newspaper reporter who covers the story of why a black mother has a white c read more
CINECON DAY 1: DOWN ARGENTINE WAY (1940)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 30, 2013
Hello readers, I have had a very full day at Cinecon and am back with the latest returns! I have decided that this year I will do things a bit differently. Normally when I cover festivals, I give a brief rundown of the experience and a bit about each movie I watched. This year, since I am seeing c read more
Cinecon Coverage Starts Today!
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 29, 2013
It’s here, readers! Cinecon 49 starts today at 2:00. Please stay tuned for live tweets and frequent updates throughout the festival, in addition to nightly rundowns on the blog. Here is the schedule of the festival, taken from the Cinecon website: I am turning on live tweets now. See you in read more
SUMMER UNDER THE STARS BLOGATHON: Shirley Jones in ELMER GANTRY (1960)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 28, 2013
Today’s star of the day on TCM is the ever-popular Shirley Jones, a talented and versatile performer who made a name for herself in movie musicals and ultimately went on to steal America’s heart as Mrs. Partridge on the 1970′s television series “The Partridge Family.” read more
Upcoming Events on Backlots
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 21, 2013
Hello dear readers, your author Lara here to give you an update on what Backlots is up to this month and beyond! We have a few very exciting things on the horizon, and I would like to share them with you so that you may tune in and experience them along with me! 1. CINECON The first event is Cinec read more
New blogathon coming to Backlots!
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 8, 2013
Mark your calendars folks, Backlots is going to be hosting another blogathon! To complement the Dueling Divas blogathon that I host every December, this year I am beginning a new tradition. Avoid those birds and be watch your back in the shower folks, because Hitchcock Halloween is coming to Backl read more
Remember How Much I Loved You–Joan and Lilian Fontaine
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 6, 2013
Joan Fontaine and her mother, Lilian, relax at home. First off, thank you to Jill at Sittin’ On a Backyard Fence and Michael Nazarewycz at ScribeHard On Film for hosting this terrifically clever blogathon, focusing on one star per day via the TCM Summer Under the Stars lineup. Since many read read more
The Poetry of Marilyn Monroe
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 5, 2013
A draft of one of Marilyn Monroe’s poems, in her own hand. August 5, 2013 marks 51 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe. Though I try to keep Marilyn to a minimum on this blog because of her overwhelming overexposure in the media, the fact remains that Marilyn may well be the most fascinat read more
Marion Davies: The Heart of Hearst in Hollwood
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jul 27, 2013
Even among devoted classic film fans, the name Marion Davies does not come up often in conversation–if she is mentioned at all, it is normally in the context of her ostensible inspiration for the character of Susan Alexander Kane in the immortal Citizen Kane, or for her semi-covert liaisons read more
SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL Day 4 (Closing Day): Kings of Silent Comedy, The Outlaw and His Wife, The Last Edition, The Weavers, Safety Last!
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jul 22, 2013
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to a close last night, in a veritable smorgesbord of a day in which audiences were treated to a wide variety of films representing everything from tragic drama to side-splitting comedy. The day began with a series of shorts from some artists considered t read more
SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL Day 3: Windsor McKay: His Life and Art, The Half Breed, Legong: Dance of the Virgins, Gribiche, House on Grubnaya Square, The Joyless Street
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jul 21, 2013
Yesterday’s programming was perhaps the most phenomena lof the entire festival thus far, and consisted of some of the best offerings I have ever seen here. With an Academy Award-winning animator and a full Balinese gamelan ensemble highlighting the day, this was oe of the most unique and mem read more