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CAPTAIN OF HER SOUL: The Life of Marion Davies. UC Press, 2022
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 29, 2020
In November of 2013, I took a trip to the Margaret Herrick Library for the first time, in search of material on Marion Davies for a prospective book. The form the book would take, if any at all, was unknown. But I was determined to start the process, and despite the fact none of the names encounter read more
Olivia de Havilland: A Celebration
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jul 27, 2020
Olivia de Havilland and her pug, Oscar. Olivia de Havilland died peacefully in Paris on Saturday. She went the way we all strive to go–in her sleep, having recently celebrated her 104th birthday. Her daughter Gisèle had just been over for a visit. She was loved and adored not only by a wide c read more
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) Temporarily Pulled From HBO Max To Allow For Proper Context–A History
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jun 11, 2020
When HBO Max announced that it would temporarily remove Gone With the Wind from its platform, in order to place a statement in front of it putting the film’s content into the proper context, it set off a firestorm of controversy online and in the media. Some decry the decision as censorship. read more
A Statement on Current Events
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jun 4, 2020
“That’s the trouble with you readers,” Joe Gillis says to Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard, “you know all the plots.” For hundreds of years, we have seen the same plots play out in our criminal justice system, as the intrinsic systems of oppression in this country do read more
Marilyn Monroe and Acts of Political Bravery
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jun 1, 2020
On June 1, 2020, Marilyn Monroe would have turned 94 years old. Though she died at the tragically young age of 36, Monroe was refreshingly candid and unbothered by the concept of aging. “I want to grow old without facelifts,” she told an interviewer, saying she couldn’t wait to r read more
The Friendship of Ingrid Bergman and Ruth Roberts
Backlots Posted by Lara on May 25, 2020
Ingrid Bergman with Ruth Roberts, to her left, and other crew on the set of Gaslight (1944) During this COVID-19 crisis, I’m finding daily routine to be a key factor in maintaining some semblance of normalcy. For me, this means daily classic movies at set times of the day. Movies keep me calm read more
Classic Film for Trying Times
Backlots Posted by Lara on Mar 28, 2020
Along with the rest of the country, I have been struggling to adjust to our current world situation. I am fortunate in many ways–with the ability to work my day job as a teacher from home, I have no lost income, and I am young and healthy. My heart goes out to anyone suffering illness or car read more
Hollywood and the Office of War Information, 1942-1945
Backlots Posted by Lara on Feb 19, 2020
The other day as I was eating breakfast, I began to think (as normal people do) about wartime food rationing. Today, few people blink an eye when eating an omelette or a cookie, which consist almost entirely of foods rationed during wartime, but when the United States entered World War II and bega read more
The Case for Subtitles
Backlots Posted by Lara on Feb 10, 2020
When Bong Joon-Ho won his Golden Globe for Parasite last month, he gave a piece of advice to the audience: “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” he said, “you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” With Parasite‘s Best Picture win at the Oscars last read more
Happy Holidays From Hollywood
Backlots Posted by Lara on Dec 25, 2019
As Christmas Day comes to a close and Hanukkah enters its 4th day, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very joyful holiday season. Hollywood has always gone all out this time of year, and I have assembled some of my favorite Hollywood moments commemorating the season. For read more
Legality and Morality Surrounding CGI James Dean
Backlots Posted by Lara on Nov 30, 2019
Since my coverage of the Olivia de Havilland case against FX, I’ve become quite interested in Hollywood intellectual property law and its modern and historical applications. So I found it fascinating when, a few weeks ago, the Hollywood trade papers announced that a newly-formed movie studio read more
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) on Women in Political Life
Backlots Posted by Lara on Nov 11, 2019
Last night, I was pleased to see that KQED, my local PBS affiliate, was showing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for their weekly Saturday night movie program. I have always loved this film, and deeply respect the emotional integrity and intelligence it brings to the screen. It’s hard to imagine read more
STRONG AND TENDER: The Story of Carole Lombard and Bess Peters
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 29, 2019
When Carole Lombard received an Oscar nomination for My Man Godfrey, she was asked where her talent for screwball comedy came from. On the surface, Carole’s own early life had been much like the one her character Irene Bullock lived. She was likely expected to answer that the role came natur read more
JUDY and Lara in the News
Backlots Posted by Lara on Oct 21, 2019
Apologies for the delayed post, readers. It’s been a rather busy few weeks and this is the first opportunity I’ve had for a blog post since my last one in late September. The Marion Davies book is in its final stages, so I’ve been spending a great deal of time putting together th read more
Podcast Announcement for JUDY (2019)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 27, 2019
On Wednesday night, I went to San Francisco for an advance screening of Judy, the Judy Garland biopic starring Renée Zellweger, out in theaters today. This has been a highly anticipated event for many months in the classic film community, and I have many thoughts to share about the movie, Zellwege read more
LABOR DAY 2019: Norma Rae (1979)
Backlots Posted by Lara on Sep 1, 2019
In 1973, labor organizer Crystal Lee Sutton was fired from the J.P. Stevens textile plant in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Her crime was “insubordination,” after her boss took issue with Sutton copying an anti-union letter on the bulletin board. Sutton had been organizing the workers in the plan read more
The Activism of Myrna Loy
Backlots Posted by Lara on Aug 2, 2019
In 1947, Myrna Loy sued the Hollywood Reporter for $1 million. The charge was an accusation printed in the then right-wing paper that Loy was a Communist, an accusation fueled in part by the actress having been vocal and active in left-wing politics since the 1930s. In addition, Loy’s role i read more
Olivia de Havilland Lecture at Oxford and Other Classic Film Adventures in Europe
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jun 28, 2019
Readers, I returned to the United States on Tuesday after 2 weeks in Europe, and as my jet lag seems to finally have been conquered, I wanted to write to you about the lecture and the other classic film-related things I did while abroad. It was an absolutely magnificent trip, filled with many wonde read more
BACKLOTS AT THE COURTHOUSE–Olivia de Havilland Lecture at Oxford Law
Backlots Posted by Lara on Jun 9, 2019
Good morning, dear readers! I wanted to update you briefly on some upcoming excitement at Backlots. As TCM’s 24-hour Doris Day tribute plays in the background, I find myself in the midst of packing for a big trip. Due to my coverage of the Olivia de Havilland v. FX case, I received an invita read more
TCMFF Day 3: The Festival Audience
Backlots Posted by Lara on May 24, 2019
Apologies for the lateness of this post, readers. For the past month, I’ve been busy with much planning, for events film-related and not, to the point where I’ve neglected my coverage. More news about upcoming (and now past) events on another post. But in the meantime, here is the late read more