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  Believe You Me, Roscoe Karns is quite a Character! “Fun-on-the-side Shapeley.” Yep, that was the very first time I encountered character actor Roscoe Karns. And, to this day, I still roll with laughter when I see the relentless, fast-talking Oscar Shapeley trying to ‘pick up̵ read more

Born November 7, 1872 Character Actress Lucille La Verne Lucille La Verne appeared in over 40 films including 1935′s A Tale of Two Cities (as ‘The Vengeance’). She played her share of vengeful, tattered old hags — most famously ‘appearing’ as the voice (uncredited read more

  Musicals 101: Busby Berkeley, King of the Backstage Musical It’s only a slight exaggeration when I say that Busby Berkley invented the backstage musical. Sure, the genre existed before he entered the moving picture scene, but it was Berkeley who took the genre to new creative heights. And it’ read more

Happy Halloween! All Hallows Eve is upon us and you know what that mean: tricks, treats, scary ghouls and scary movies. However, if being terrified is not exactly your thing then fear not, for we here at CMH have the thing for you. Below are some behind-the-scenes pictures of our favorite classic mo read more

13 Fun and Scary Classic Halloween Films Halloween is without a doubt my favorite holiday. It’s also my family’s favorite holiday, so I grew up watching a variety of scary movies around the month of October. Here’s my list of classic films that are perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit! read more

  Audie Murphy awarded Texas Legislative Medal of Honor Governor Rick Perry will formally present the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor posthumously to Major Audie L. Murphy on October 29, 2PM in a public ceremony in Farmersville, Texas.  The award will be accepted by Murphy’s sister, Mrs. read more

Preserving History: The Restoration of Iconic Essanay Studios The Famous terracotta entrance to present-day Essanay Studios. History is such a beautiful thing. Like a giant puzzle with endless pieces, History provides us with context for concepts and events as infinite in scope as Humanities’ read more

Born October 26, 1901 (?) Director Mark Sandrich! Director Mark Sandrich began his film career working in the prop department, then moved on to directing shorts, and finally to directing feature length films.  During his 20-year film career, he directed over 75 shorts and films but he is probably be read more

Sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland… Joan Fontaine was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917 to British parents Walter Augustus de Havilland (patent attorney) and Lilian Augusta (former stage actress). Olivia de Havilland, her elder sister,was born Olivia Mary de Havilland read more

Sisters Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett… Constance Bennett was born Constance Campbell Bennett on October 22, 1904 in New York City. Her elder sister, actress Joan Bennett, was born Joan Geraldine Bennett on February 27, 1910 in Palisades, New Jersey.  Middle sister, actress Barbara Bennett read more

Bela Lugosi and Arlene Francis share a birthday and a film: Both Bela Lugosi & Arlene Francis appeared in Murders in the Rue Morgue — and both were born today October 20 (25 yrs apart!).  Murders in the Rue Morgue was Arlene Francis’ debut film role. Bela Lugosi as diabolical mad read more

Vincent Price: Master of Horror The reasons to love Vincent Price are too plentiful to count. He was a master of acting and a collector of art, a gourmet chef and a published author, a lover of poetry and a political activist. Yes, Vincent Price can be counted amongst the great renaissance men of th read more

Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth share a birthday and a film: Both Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth starred in Only Angels Have Wings — and both were born today October 17 (18 years apart!). Rita Hayworth as Judy MacPherson (left) and Jean Arthur as Bonnie Lee (right) opposite Cary Grant as read more

  Musicals 101: Analyze the Dance. Part 2: The Spectacle. The backstage musical is a beautiful thing. While it is true that all musical numbers are ripe for spectacle, it is in the backstage musical where spectacle reigns supreme. The marriage of storyline to the musical number typified by the read more

New York, New York, it’s a Wonderful Town… I can’t even begin to tell you how many times this native New Yorker promised herself that she would take her ‘hit list’ of New York City classic film sites and visit them one by one, memorializing them in photos and adding the read more

Born October 5, 1919 Character Actor Donald Pleasence Donald Pleasence appeared in over 220 film and television roles, playing lots of menacing villains to great effect! Some of his most notable roles include POW forger Colin Blythe in The Great Escape (1963), a vindictive market inspector in Look read more

Musical 101: Analyze the Dance. Part 1: Progression Integrated. As I mentioned before, not all musicals are made the same. Although housed under the genre’s umbrella, the integrated musical and backstage musical evolved into very different creatures in relation to their form and presentation o read more

Happy National Coffee Day! Well, well, well today, September 29, is National Coffee Day. Who would have ever dunk it — I mean thunk it!  And what better way to celebrate my love of coffee AND my love of classic movies than by sharing some classic movie quotes about coffee! ….. I canR read more

Born September 28, 1918 Character Actor Arnold Stang With thick black glasses and inimitable squawky voice, Arnold Stang‘s career spans radio, Broadway, television and film. His film and TV appearances include My Sister Eileen (uncredited debut role), The Man with the Golden Arm (Sinatra’ read more

The Birth of a Classic Film Buff Classic films have been a big part of my life for many years. They have been my friend when I have had a bad day, my companion when it was storming outside, and my date on New Year’s Eve.  The love I have for these films started when I was young, and as a resul read more