Musical Interlude: Five Must See Musicals

 

“I hate musicals.”

We’ve all met someone who tries to rain on a musical lover’s parade with this phrase. Maybe they once watched The Sound of Music (1965) and thought it was way too long or perhaps had a hard time with gang members pirouetting down New York City streets in West Side Story (1961).

That makes me wonder if sometimes people skip musicals they might enjoy more. Here are five musicals I suggest as “must see” that are somewhat off the beaten path. It’s easy to suggest Singin’ in the Rain (1952) or any film with Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers, but here a few that may have been missed:

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Footlight Parade (1933)

Footlight Parade James Cagney and Frank mcHughJames Cagney speaks to dance instructor, Frank McHugh in Footlight Parade (1933).

Director: Lloyd Bacon
Starring: James CagneyJoan BlondellRuby KeelerDick PowellFrank McHughGuy KibbeeRuth DonnellyHugh Herbert
Studio: Warner Bros.

Here’s why:
After the dawn of sound, filmmakers and studios making musicals struggled to find a formula that worked. Choreographer and director Busby Berkley and his kaleidoscope choreography are credited with helping save the movie musical. Footlight Parade exhibits some of that fancy camera work and I feel it’s some of Berkley’s best – especially with the complex “By a Waterfall” number, which kept swimming chorus girls in the water for hours on end for six days! Musicals in the 1930s were pure escapism for audiences during the Great Depression. I also wanted to pick a film with screen team Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, who co-starred in seven films. Footlight Parade is also notable because it was James Cagney’s first Hollywood musical. He was a dancer before coming to Hollywood. Prior to Footlight Parade, audiences only knew Cagney as a gangster and a mug. Imagine only knowing him that way and seeing him dance on screen for the first time! Outside of the cast and choreography, Footlight Parade is a funny film (I especially like Frank McHugh’s role as the harried choreographer). Without the songs and dancing, this would stand on its own as a hilarious Pre-Code comedy.

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Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Broadway Melody of 1940 Fred Astiare and Eleanor Powell DancingFred Astiare and Eleanor Powell Dancing in Broadway Melody of 1940.

Director: Norman Taurog
Starring: Fred AstaireEleanor PowellGeorge MurphyFrank MorganIan HunterFlorence Rice, Lynn Carver
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Here’s Why:
Broadway Melody of 1940 is part of a musical series with unrelated plots. It began with Broadway Melody (1929) followed by Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) and Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937). Broadway Melody of 1940 is the last of the Broadway Melody films and, in my opinion, is the best. Everyone knows Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as a dancing team, but Astaire and Eleanor Powell are an amazing dancing duo who were unfortunately paired only this one time. Not as well known today, Eleanor Powell is one of the greatest tap dancers recorded on film. At the time this film was produced, Powell was at the top of her fame, but also nearing the end of her film career. This is amazing to consider because she is the star of this film. Watch for the magnificent and creative dance numbers and Astaire and Powell dancing as equals.

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Bathing Beauty (1944)

Bathing Beauty (1944) Esther WilliamsEsther Williams as Caroline Brooks in Bathing Beauty (1944).

Director: George Sidney
Starring: Esther WilliamsRed SkeltonBasil Rathbone, Bill Goodwin, Jean Porter, Janis Paige
As themselves: Harry James, Lina Romay, Xavier Cugat, Helen Forrest, Ethel Smith, Carlos Ramirez
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Here’s Why:
Musicals can be defined as songs and dance numbers that help to express emotion and drive a plot forward. But not all musicals are like this. Some musicals had music for the sake of including popular performers of the time. Bathing Beauty is a good example of this. Big bands and popular music stars Harry James, Xavier Cugat, Helen Forrest, and Ethel Smith are all showcased in the film — these were the “rock stars” of their day. So if you like big band music, this is a treat. But outside of the music, Bathing Beauty has a musical “novelty” — swimming star Esther Williams. Williams was an Olympic hopeful who had to reinvent herself when her athletic swimming dreams were dashed when the 1940 Olympics were canceled due to World War II. Williams transitioned into entertainment and after playing bit parts, Bathing Beauty was her first starring role and the first film to include lavish water ballets. The idea was fashioned after 20th Century Fox’s novelty star, Olympic gold medalist Sonja Henie who ice skated in musicals. Williams wrote in her autobiography that MGM “melted the ice” and had a swimming star. Outside of the big band music and a few swimming numbers, Bathing Beauty is also a comedy, with Red Skelton performing in several comedic skits. Bathing Beauty isn’t a typical musical, but it is fun, has colorful Technicolor, and is a great example of escapist entertainment released during World War II.

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Matt Mattox, Marc Platt, Jacques d'Amboise, Tommy RallJane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Matt Mattox, Marc Platt, Jacques d’Amboise, Tommy Rall in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).

Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Jane PowellHoward KeelRuss TamblynJeff RichardsTommy RallJulie NewmarRuta LeeIan WolfeMarc PlattMatt Mattox, Jacques d’Amboise, Nancy Kilgas, Betty Carr, Virginia Gibson, Norma Doggett
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Here’s Why:
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is an “all singing, all dancing” musical; one that has songs that move along the plot. And while this could be off-putting to people who don’t enjoy that, I do think Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the best musicals ever released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. There are several things notable about this musical. First of all, it was a sleeper that almost wasn’t made. Brigadoon was the film MGM thought would be the successful moneymaker of the studio, but it was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers that was the success. Of all the phenomenal song and dance numbers in the film, one of the most notable includes the “Barn Raising” dance, which combines dancing and acrobatics. Seven Brides… is a great example of the lavish MGM musical when the genre was at the top of its game, but it was also the beginning of the end of musicals for the studio. After the successful release of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, studio head Dore Schary wanted MGM to go in a different direction and cut the budget for further musical films. While the budget was cut from Seven Brides… during production, you would never know it from the mountain-like sets, top-notch dancers (performing numbers choreographed by Michael Kidd), and beautiful music by Johnny Mercer and Gene de Paul.

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Flower Drum Song (1962)

Flower Drum Song (1961) Nancy Kwan mirrorsNancy Kwan in Flower Drum Song (1961).

Director: Henry Koster
Starring: Nancy KwanMiyoshi UmekiJames ShigetaBenson Fong, Juanita Hall, Jack Soo, Reiko Sato
Studio: Universal

Here’s Why:
By the early 1960s, most movie musicals were adaptations of Broadway plays. This stage musical was the eighth Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration and it is often overlooked compared to the team’s shows like The Sound of Music or South Pacific (1958). While the film was not a financial success (it was the only Rodgers and Hammerstein film to lose money), I selected it because it is often unfortunately forgotten. Today, many people are discussing Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and how rare it is to feature a cast of Asian actors, but Flower Drum Song is another one of those rare American films (classic or contemporary) with an all-Asian cast and all-Asian leads (except for Juanita Hall). Miyoshi Umeki and Juanita Hall reprised their roles from the Broadway play and are both wonderful in the film. And then there is the fabulous Nancy Kwan. Kwan was one of Hollywood’s hottest new actresses after starring in The World of Suzie Wong, but unfortunately after this film, she was no longer cast in high-quality films. By the early 1960s, movie musicals were declining, but this movie is so colorful and enjoyable that more people should know about it. Be sure to watch this one to view the full scope of the Rodgers and Hammerstein repertoire as well as for a rare chance to see an all Asian cast in a pre-1970s film.

– Jessica Pickens for Classic Movie Hub

Jessica can be found at cometoverhollywood.com and on twitter at @HollywoodComet. In addition to her overall love of classic movies, she has ongoing series on her site including “Watching 1939″ and “Musical Monday.”

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Western RoundUp: Lone Pine Favorites

Western RoundUp: Lone Pine Favorites

One of the most popular locations in Western movie history is Lone Pine, California. Lone Pine is a small town located along Highway 395, a few hours north of Los Angeles.

Early in the 20th century, when silver mining ended further north on the 395 in Bodie, California, business dried up for many of the Lone Pine ranchers and farmers whose businesses supported Bodie. Farming was also diminishing in the area as water was diverted to Los Angeles.

With the movie industry growing in Southern California, Lone Pine’s Russ Spainhower saw a new business opportunity for his community. Spainhower spearheaded filming coming to the area by helping production companies scout locations and contracting to provide wagons, livestock, and extras. Gradually Lone Pine became a prime “go to” location for production companies looking to shoot elsewhere than local Southern California movie ranches; leaving Los Angeles at dawn, a company could be shooting in Lone Pine by early morning.

Lone Pine is best known for the distinctive Alabama Hills rock formations just outside of town, but movie companies also soon realized it was an easy drive from Lone Pine to Death Valley, which offered a completely different “look.” Other interesting locations near Lone Pine include the small town of Keeler, seen in the silent classic Greed (1924), and Dolomite, a ghost town used in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur (1942).

Spainhower eventually owned Anchor Ranch south of town, which for many years featured a Western town set dubbed Anchorville, with views of Mount Whitney and Lone Pine Peak towering over one end of the street. The ranch also provided a hacienda set, built with lumber left over from Gunga Din (1939) sets!

In short, Lone Pine provided movie studios a “one-stop shop” with a variety of locations and services, with Westerns and desert adventures being the predominant genres filmed in the area over the years.

The first full-length feature film shot in Lone Pine is believed to be Fatty Arbuckle’s The Round-Up (1920). Over the past century literally hundreds of additional movies and TV Westerns have been filmed in the area, with the films ranging from beloved “B” Westerns starring the likes of William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd and Tim Holt to major “A” productions.

Today filming in Lone Pine is much rarer than in the glory days of the Western, though it does still occur, with a notable example of the past decade being Iron Man (2008), the first film in Marvel’s hugely popular movie series.

For the past three decades, Lone Pine has hosted a film festival; the 29th edition will take place in October 2018. The festival is unique in that attendees can watch a movie and then minutes later be standing where it was filmed! It’s an experience I highly recommend to my fellow classic film fans, particularly those who share my love for Westerns.

Lone Pine’s Western film history is a rich topic which I’m sure I’ll return to in the future. Here are just a small handful of the many Westerns which have been filmed in Lone Pine over the years:

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The Devil’s Playground (George Archainbaud, 1946)

Over the years countless films in William Boyd’s Hopalong Cassidy movie series were filmed in Lone Pine. The Devil’s Playground is a particularly good exemplar of how Lone Pine was used in these films. In the opening scenes Hoppy (Boyd) and his friends Lucky (Rand Brooks) and California (Andy Clyde) ride through the Alabama Hills, calling the area by the film’s title name, the “Devil’s Playground.” Seen at twilight, the rocks do indeed look spooky, as the trio discuss the possibility of ghosts! Mack Stengler was responsible for the film’s black and white photography.

The Devil's Playground (1946) Movie Poster, William BoydMovie Poster for The Devil’s Playground (1946) starring William Boyd.

Nervous California is later convinced he hears a ghost, but it turns out to be a young woman (Elaine Riley) on the run. (She refuses to divulge her identity and is thus simply addressed as “Miss” for most of the movie.) Hoppy and pals eventually rescue her from the clutches of a dastardly judge (Robert Elliott) and also help her husband Curly (Ned Young), who was framed by the judge for a robbery. A fellow blogger made me aware that the “cave” Curly hides in late in the film was actually formed with a dark backdrop hung over some of the rocks! It’s an ingenious low-budget solution which is very effective.

Another nice Lone Pine connection: Actress Riley was long married to Richard Martin, who played Tim Holt’s pal Chito in so many films shot in the area.

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Yellow Sky (William Wellman, 1948)

Yellow Sky is a wonderfully atmospheric Western which makes full use of the Lone Pine area. It starts out with a group of outlaws, including “Stretch” (Gregory Peck) staggering across Death Valley, then they arrive at a desert ghost town (and all-important waterhole!) in the Alabama Hills.

Yellow Sky (1948) Movie Poster Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, Richard Widmark

Movie Poster for Yellow Sky (1948) starring Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter and Richard Widmark.

It’s a hugely enjoyable film in the tradition of several other films of the late ’40s in which an outlaw or gunslinger is reformed by the love of a good woman. The woman, in this case, is Anne Baxter, the sole occupant of the ghost town other than her prospector grandfather (James Barton). Richard Widmark plays Dude, who constantly tests Stretch’s authority. The cast is rounded out by Charles Kemper, John Russell, Harry Morgan, and Robert Arthur.

Gregory Peck as bank robber Stretch and Anne Baxter as miner's granddaughter Mike, in the western Yellow Sky.Gregory Peck as bank robber Stretch and Anne Baxter as miner’s granddaughter Mike, in the western Yellow Sky (1948).

The movie was shot by Joe MacDonald, whose work also included John Ford‘s My Darling Clementine (1946), and the visuals are superb, whether it’s the line of outlaws riding through Death Valley or the cloud-filled skies above the Alabama Hills.

William Wellman Jr. gave a talk at UCLA in 2015 in which he recounted being on the film’s Lone Pine sets at the age of 11. One of his favorite memories was trying to find a way to be “in” the movie without anyone realizing he was on screen. He climbed into a hayloft which would be in the background of a shot and covered himself with hay — so when you see the film, know that there’s an unseen little boy hiding in the picture! The barn and house were constructed for the film, incidentally, along with watering hole.

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Rawhide (Henry Hathaway, 1951)

Rawhide is another favorite movie filmed in Lone Pine. It’s a suspenseful Western which loosely remade a gangster movie titled Show Them No Mercy! (1935). Tyrone Power plays a newcomer to the west who’s getting hands-on experience running a stagecoach station; Susan Hayward plays a passenger traveling with her toddler niece (Judy Ann Dunn) who takes refuge at the station when word spreads that a gang of outlaws are on the loose in the area. Unfortunately said outlaws (Hugh Marlowe, Dean Jagger, Jack Elam, and George Tobias) arrive at the station and take it over, intending to rob a gold shipment due on a stagecoach; a tense hostage drama ensues.

Rawhide (1951) Hugh Marlowe and Tyrone PowerHugh Marlowe and Tyrone Power in Rawhide (1951).
Susan Hayward in Rawhide (1951)Susan Hayward in Rawhide (1951).

Milton R. Krasner did the excellent cinematography. The Alabama Hills locations of the stagecoach depot and a burial spot are still quite easy to find today; the distinctive round rock where Power and Hayward kneel to pray after burying a friend is still there, looking just as it does in the movie. Incidentally, Power worked in Lone Pine on several occasions, including Brigham Young (1940) and King of the Khyber Rifles (1953), and he is still fondly remembered in town today as a nice guy who was happy to mingle with the local citizens.

Rawhide (1951) E. Bechanan Burial Site (Left) and Stagecoach Station Location (right)Edgar Buchanan Burial Site (Left) and Stagecoach Station Location (right)

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7 Men From Now (Budd Boetticher, 1956)

7 Men From Now is one of the best films in the collaboration between Western star Randolph Scott and director Budd Boetticher, and it’s probably also one of the most beloved movies shot in Lone Pine. In economical yet striking fashion this beautifully scripted 78-minute film tells the story of a former sheriff (Scott) on the hunt for outlaws who killed his wife during a robbery. During his travels, he meets a struggling pioneer couple (Gail Russell and Walter Reed) and an old enemy (Lee Marvin, in a charismatic performance).

7 Men from Now (1956) Randolph Scott Movie PosterMovie Poster for 7 Men from Now (1956).

The film makes good use of a variety of local locations, filmed by William H. Clothier; some of the wagon scenes were filmed along a creek, in a tree-filled area which is near the Alabama Hills yet looks completely different, other than the familiar mountain range in the background. The final confrontation between Scott and Marvin was filmed deep in the hills, in an area known as the “Cattle Pocket”; the rocky location and the unusual editing of the fast-draw sequence, combined with the playing of the actors, make it unforgettable.

7 Men from Now Randolph Scott Lee Marvin Final Gunfight LocationsFinal gunfight locations: Randolph Scott (left) Lee Marvin (right).

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The Hired Gun (Ray Nazarro, 1957)

Rory Calhoun and Victor Orsatti produced this brief but entertaining 64-minute Western, largely filmed in the Alabama Hills. Its finest attribute is its black and white CinemaScope photography by Harold J. Marzorati, with sweeping vistas of the mountains and hills; there are some soundstage shots mixed in but for the most part this movie was filmed in the great outdoors.

Rory Calhoun and Anne Francis in Hired Gun (1957)Rory Calhoun and Anne Francis in The Hired Gun (1957).

The storyline is necessarily quite basic yet every time I see this film I appreciate it more. Ellen Belden (Anne Francis) is due to be hung for the murder of her husband, but she’s sprung by Judd Farrow (Chuck Connors) and flees to New Mexico. Her father-in-law (John Litel) hires gunman Gil McCord (Calhoun) to get her back to Texas for the hanging; as they travel, Gil starts to have doubts that she’s a murderess. And why is her brother-in-law (Vince Edwards) so determined that she die? Calhoun and Francis are excellent leads in a well-told story, as Gil searches for the truth. This is a “darn good Western” in a beautiful setting.

Hired Gun (1957) locationA breathtaking location for the filming of Hired Gun (1957).
The photographs of the Alabama Hills accompanying this article are from the author’s personal collection.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns.  She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals.  Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.

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Silents are Golden: World War I – The Gamechanger of Film History

Silents are Golden: World War I – The Gamechanger of Film History

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the final year of World War I, I decided to write a piece concentrating on the war’s impact on cinema. I hope you find this area of 20th-century history as fascinating as I do!

In the summer of 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by a Serbian radical. At a time when various tensions had long been simmering under the surface of Europe, that single event proved to be the start of a violent chain reaction. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which lead to country after European country declaring war on each other. The end result was the largest and bloodiest conflict the world had ever experienced. Its effects on society, culture, and art are evident even today – including its impact on that very influential art form, the cinema.

Scene From Battle of The Somme (1916) World War I in FilmScene from The Battle of the Somme (1916).

Prior to WWI, cinema had been evolving very rapidly. Ever since the nickelodeon and kinetoscope days of the 1890s and early 1900s, filmmakers had been discovering new styles of editing and new types of trick shots. They began to let go of staginess and let motion pictures develop a language of their own. By the mid-1910s film was very sophisticated, and an endless stream of shorts, serials, newsreels, documentaries, and features rolled into hundreds of theaters every week.

In Europe, France and Italy were considered leaders of the film industry and made up a bulk of the product being sent to places like South America (England’s studios were also going strong). The U.S. industry was also huge–in 1914, about half of the movies in the world were from the U.S.

Comet Theatre (1917) New York CityNew York City’s Comet Theatre in 1917.

But all that changed when WWI began. Many European studios had to close and were turned into hospitals, factories, and the like. Others had to scale back their releases, or employees turned their attention to supporting the war effort (or were sent to the trenches). One such filmmaker who was affected was Georges Méliès, whose famous glass studio Montreuil was turned into a military hospital in 1917. Famously, or infamously, hundreds of his whimsical films were confiscated by the army and melted down to make boot heels.

As a result, the then-neutral U.S. found it was now the king of filmmaking, producing over 90% of films in the world by 1918. As they adapted to the new, massive market, U.S. filmmakers had to figure what would appeal to various foreign audiences–e.g., ”vamp” pictures with fiery acting were especially appreciated in South America, while serials were popular in Asian countries. Perhaps the greatest strength of U.S. cinema was its one-of-a-kind stars. Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, and Pearl White had global appeal, as did the versatile Mary Pickford (although she was perhaps the most popular in northern countries). Charlie Chaplin, of course, was far and away the most popular actor in the world, his brand of comedy has instant appeal to people of all races and cultures.

Charlie Chaplin Easy Street (1917) Swedish PosterA Swedish poster for Easy Street (1917).

In the meantime, some countries found themselves more or less on their own when it came to filmmaking. Sweden developed a style of subtle, character-driven dramas. Germany banned imported films altogether (partly to counter all that anti-Hun propaganda). As a result, its film industry became wildly prolific, even forging the unique style of German Expressionism.

As far as audiences went, moving pictures were a chief form of entertainment during the duration of the war. Some people wanted an escape from the war; others wanted to see newsreels and features about the conflict. And, as Picture-Play Magazine noted back in 1914:

From the workman of the Fiji Islands, who toils the better part of a week braiding grass mats or baskets to earn a few pisa to attend a single picture show, to the American laborer, who considers the evening movie almost a daily essential…the movie in general and in particular has become the most universal form of amusement in the wide world.

Cinema was indeed so popular by the mid-1910s that governments were taking notice of its potential, too. As a result, they wasted no time in creating propaganda films. While film had certainly been used for propaganda purposes in the past–by labor unions, for instance–it had never been used on such a vast scale for such a specific purpose before.

US Official War Pictures Poster 1900's1900’s U.S. Official War Pictures Poster.

Each country put out its own propaganda. Britain’s official department was called Wellington House, and once it had entered the war in 1917 the U.S. created the Committee on Public Information, which worked closely with the higher-ups of the film industry. Aside from churning out its own newsreels, shorts, and features, the CPI encouraged movie stars to donate films urging the public to buy Liberty Loan war bonds. Everyone from Lillian Gish to Roscoe Arbuckle to Sessue Hayakawa contributed Liberty Loan films to the cause, and Chaplin, Fairbanks, and Pickford even toured the country in much-publicized loan drives that attracted thousands of people.

Charlie Chaplin stands on Douglas Fairbanks shoulders at Liberty Loan rallyChaplin stands on Fairbanks’s shoulders at a Liberty Loan rally.

Filmmakers also put out war-themed pictures at a dizzying rate, which usually depicted Germans as cruel, bloodthirsty brutes. Famous examples include The Heart of Humanity (1918), where Eric von Stroheim’s Prussian lieutenant actually throws a baby out a window, and The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin (1918), which paints the said Kaiser as an irredeemable villain lusting for power. When D.W. Griffith made his famous feature Hearts of the World (1918), its scathing portrayal of Germans troubled him enough in later years that he tried to make amends with Isn’t Life Wonderful? (1924), a thoughtful story set in post-WWI Germany.

 DW Griffith's Hearts of the World (1918) PosterD.W. Griffith’s Hearts of the World (1918) Poster.

Once the Great War ended, war pictures were no longer in demand as the public wearily tried to move on from that tragic period. Europe never quite recovered its former status as a film industry titan–Hollywood was now the undisputed world leader in motion pictures, as it still is to this day. By the 1920s, the strong emotions of wartime were calming down, German directors and actors were beginning to move to Hollywood, and the film industry in Germany was garnering wide respect.

No matter how we look at it, World War I was the gamechanger of the 20th century. In a sense, the globe lost a kind of collective innocence during those fateful years of 1914-1918. Yet there’s some significance to the fact that despite all the horrors of wartime, cinema still had the ability to provide some escape for grateful audiences. And even back then, it provided a shared cultural experience for people from every background imaginable – as it continues to do today.

–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.

Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterly and has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.

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Vitaphone View: How Vitaphone Discs are Found

Vitaphone View: How Vitaphone Discs are Found

When The Vitaphone Project began in 1991, the goal was to seek out early talkie soundtrack discs that were in private hands and otherwise unknown to exist. Once located, each disc was checked against potentially surviving mute picture elements (usually at The Library of Congress) and if a match was found, then a restoration was possible. In the beginning, collectors were alerted to the Project via Joslin’s Jazz Journal and other record collector publications. This was pre-internet.

In order to calm collector concerns about a studio or the FBI confiscating their discs, The Project worked with then-Turner Entertainment film vault manager Dick May. Dick wrote a letter that we could share with collectors. In essence, it said that should a disc be needed for a restoration, it would be temporarily borrowed and transferred, then returned. In addition, the collector would get on-screen thank-you credit as well as a copy (then VHS) of the completed restoration. While this sounds like an obvious position for Turner/Warner Bros to take, at the time it was the first of its kind. Other studios avoided collectors regardless of the help that they might provide. Most have since ‘seen the light’. But at the time, Dick’s letter was revolutionary and opened up the doors to many previously unknown collections.

THE DISC-OVERIES BEGIN

In 1991, we had no clue that so many soundtrack discs would be found in private hands. At first, the holdings trickled in via snail mail, phone calls, and at record collector conventions. Most collectors had acquired their soundtrack discs accidentally or as part of buying similarly sized radio transcription discs.

Once the Internet began to explode, the rate of disc-overies escalated rapidly. Our Project website, www.vitaphoneproject.com came up as a top “hit” if anyone Googled “Vitaphone”. Visibility further improved in 2013 when we added our Facebook page.

Fast forward to 2018: We have now located over 6,200 soundtrack discs in private hands worldwide. These are in addition to those held by archives like UCLA, The Library of Congress, and the British Film Institute.

As discs are found, the list of shorts and features, which survive with the picture, only are crosschecked to determine if the disc is needed for a restoration. Currently, there are approximately 335 1926-30 Vitaphone short subjects for which The Library of Congress holds mute 35mm picture elements but no sound portion is known.

WHERE DISCS ARE FOUND

Record collectors aren’t the only source of soundtrack discs. They’ve been found in unusual places, often by people who do not have a clue what they are. By tracking us down on the Internet, we can then help determine what they have (often not a soundtrack), and if it’s an important disc that can make a restoration happen.

About 50% of the finds come from collectors as would be expected. But the remainder of sources truly runs the gamut. Most unusual was how the soundtrack disc for the since restored and wonderfully bizarre Vitaphone short, Trixie Friganza in My Bag o’ Trix  (’29) was located. A friend and 3D restoration guru Bob Furmanek was working for Jerry Lewis in the mid-1990’s, archiving his massive collection of films, paper, and recordings. He came across a tall stack of 16-inch recordings and, knowing the Project, and I immediately checked for Vitaphone discs. The stack landed in Lewis’s collection because, in the 1950’s, Paramount would record audience reactions to Martin & Lewis features at previews. These would then be used to more tightly edit the film before the official release. These recordings were done in the theatre —- on 16-inch discs. Within the stack, Bob found both the Friganza disc as well as a second, Jack Haley and Flo McFadden in Haleyisms (’28), for which no picture element is currently known. Lewis generously donated both of the Vitaphone discs to UCLA and a restoration, now on DVD was done in the late 1990’s.

Flo McFadden and Jack Haley in Haleyisms (1927)Jack Haley in Haleyisms (1928).
Trixie Friganza in My Bag o' Trix (1929)Trixie Friganza in My Bag o’ Trix (1929).

Other non-traditional places soundtrack discs have been found include, in 2015, a person in the Chicago area who bought an old home and found one disc in the attic. Again, the Internet facilitated their finding the Project. The disc was for an otherwise lost but super MGM hot band short, Irving Aaronson and His Commanders (’29). As for others unfamiliar with records, we arranged to get them a special shipping box and paid return costs to ensure safe arrival to the Project. An excerpt from this disc can be heard here:

1928 Irving Aaronson Vitaphone Label MGMLabel for the 1928 lost Irving Aaronson hot band short found in a Chicago home attic.

The largest single find of soundtrack discs came in 2011 when we heard from the executor of an estate in New Haven, CT. The recently deceased grandfather had run three movie theatres in the New Haven area in the twenties and thirties, and for unknown reasons would occasionally take home soundtrack discs. The size of the collection warranted a trip there to go through what the executor said were over 75 discs.

A collection of Vitaphone discs in New Haven, Connecticut 2011The table in New Haven, CT in 2011 loaded with over 75 soundtrack discs. These were all subsequently acquired by The Vitaphone Project and have facilitated the restoration of nearly two dozen shorts and features restorations.

I was not disappointed. Covering the entire dining room table in the old frame home were nearly a dozen stacks of discs. I contained my excitement and slowly went through each disc, notating title, studio sand reel on a checklist we’ve developed. When the smoke cleared, discs for 23 Vitaphone shorts for which picture survived were identified. Also in the cache were discs for many late twenties features from other studios including Redskin (Par/’29), The Mysterious Island (MGM/’29), D.W. Griffith’s Lady of the Pavements (UA/’28), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (MGM/’29), The Viking (’28) and many others. For Redskin and Pavements which had until then been missing most of its soundtrack discs, all were now available for a new restoration.

After getting approval from other family members, arrangements were made for the acquisition of the entire group of discs. Subsequently, over a dozen of the Vitaphone shorts were restored by Warner Bros and most are now on Warner Archive’s Vitaphone Varieties Volume 3 DVD set.

In a typical year, the Project learns of over 100 more soundtrack discs in private hands and adds it to its Excel database. This is viewable on www.vitaphoneproject.com .

King of Jazz (1930) French Vitaphone Disc LabelThe label for the French version of the King of Jazz (1930) trailer.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Virtually all movie soundtrack discs from the 1926-30 periods are heavy shellac and 16 inches in diameter. They may be single or double-sided. After 1930, some studios shrunk the groove width to the point that discs could still contain a full reel of sound on a 12-inch diameter disc. Regardless of size, all soundtrack discs DO have the following elements:

• An arrow etched into the shellac just outside of the label. This is where the projectionist was to put the needle for a precise starting spot for the sound.

• The title and reel number of the film. This can be on the label and/or in the shellac around the label

• A studio name. With rare exceptions, this will be on the label, often with the studio logo. Most frequently encountered studios are Vitaphone, Warner Bros, Fox, MGM, Pathe, Universal, and Paramount, but there were also many others including small “B” studios” which issued discs into the 1930’s.

A vitaphone disc etched Ben Pollock and His Park Central Orchestra (1929)What to look for… includes usually the film title etched into the shellac around the disc label.  This is from the recently found disc for Ben Pollock & His Park Central Orchestra (’29) which features a 20 year old Benny Goodman and has just been restored by UCLA.
Standard Vitaphone Disc LabelsTypical Vitaphone soundtrack disc labels.

IF YOU FIND A DISC…

Let us know! We can verify if it is indeed a soundtrack disc and if so, discuss options. You can contact us several ways:

ron@vitaphoneproject.com

(732) 463-8521

Via our Vitaphone Project Facebook page

Photos of the label, the title, studio and any numbers are helpful.

Fingers crossed!!

– Ron Hutchinson, Founder of The Vitaphone Project, for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Ron’s Vitaphone View articles here.

Ron is widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost film historians, with special emphasis on the period covering the transition to sound (1925-30) and early attempts to add sound to film. As the founder of The Vitaphone Project, he has worked with Warner Brothers, UCLA, LOC and private collectors worldwide to find previously lost soundtrack discs and restore early sound shorts. Ron’s unique knowledge has  been sourced in over 25 books as well as documentaries for PBS and TCM, and commentary for “The Jazz Singer” DVD boxed set. He was awarded the National Society of Film Critics “Film Heritage Honor” for his work in film preservation and discoveries, and was the presenter of rare Vitaphone shorts at the 2016 TCM Film Festival. For more information you can visit the Vitaphone Project website or Facebook Group.

And, if you’re interested in exploring some of these newly discovered shorts and rarities, you can pick them up on DVD via amazon:

               

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Emmy’s Greatest Sit-Com Sidekicks: The Legacy of Barney Fife (Exclusive Guest post by Author Daniel de Vise)

Emmy’s Greatest Sit-Com Sidekicks: The Legacy of Barney Fife

In the five years that he portrayed Deputy Barney Fife, Don Knotts set the standard against which all future television sit-com sidekicks would be judged.

Knotts won five Emmy awards for his work as Deputy Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. It’s a testament to the character’s enduring appeal that the last two Emmys were awarded after Knotts had left the show, recognizing his work as a returning guest star.

don knotts as barney fifeDon Knott’s Emmy Award Winning Role as Barney Fife, the consummate TV Sidekick

Barney Fife may be a pushover. But Knotts’s achievement at the Emmys — five nominations, five statues, all for the same character on the same show — casts a long and imposing shadow over the Television Academy, which will host the 2018 awards on September 17.

In fairness to the many great comedic actors who have tried to surpass the great Fife, I should point out that Knotts came into the annual Emmy race with an unfair advantage. He competed in the category of supporting actor, which he was… sort of.

As I explain in my book Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic TV Show, Knotts was cast on Griffith as a secondary character but quickly broke out as the comedic lead, every bit the equal of his “straight man” and artistic partner, Andy Griffith.

And so, nearly six decades later, Deputy Fife remains the consummate TV sidekick. In the spirit of the Emmys, I spent some time poring over records of other winners and nominees in the categories of supporting actor and actress in television comedy, and I came up with four true heirs to the Fife legacy, profiled below. Some great comedic actors didn’t make the cut because they weren’t really sidekicks, others because they came from forgettable shows. I’ve included a few of them in an honorable mention section at the bottom.

And now, the envelope, please…

…..

1. David Hyde Pierce, “Niles Crane,” Frasier. Four Emmy wins, eleven nominations.

Frasier might be the most successful spin-off in television history. It took shape as a vehicle for Kelsey Grammer, a supporting actor on the legendary Cheers who portrayed a Harvard-educated psychiatrist slumming among working stiffs in the namesake Boston pub. By the end of its run, Frasier had logged eleven seasons and snagged a record-breaking thirty-seven Emmys. The show and its cast regularly beat out Seinfeld.

avid hyde pierce as niles on frasier

Apparently, David Hyde Pierce was first considered to play Frasier Crane’s brother on the strength of his headshot; with their strong jaws and similar coloring, the actors indeed looked like they could be related. Pierce revealed a genius for comedic acting and proved the standout actor in a very strong ensemble.

Having watched most of the classic Frasier episodes, I can attest that Niles Crane is vital to virtually every great scene in that program, just as Barney Fife was central to most of the best Griffith stories. Pierce and Grammer played off each other beautifully – – whether fussing over dinner reservations, commiserating about their dismal romantic lives, or reeling at some fresh affront to good taste perpetrated by their determinedly blue-collar father, played by actor John Mahoney.

Fussy, hyperactive, and stricken with endless phobias, Niles Crane took his brother’s neurotic compulsions and his insufferable elitism to comedic extremes. He was more Frasier than Frasier.

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2. Jason Alexander, “George Costanza,” Seinfeld. Zero Emmy wins, seven nominations.

Of all the characters on this list, Jason Alexander’s George Costanza probably comes closest to a true, Deputy Fife-styled sidekick. Alexander was cast by Seinfeld creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David to portray a lightly fictionalized version of David himself. Seinfeld, which ran from 1989 through 1998, was a sit-com vehicle for Seinfeld, a rising star of observational comedy. He and David, longtime friends and fellow comedians, conceived the show as a showcase for stories from their real lives.

jason alexander as george costanza on seinfeld

When I watched Seinfeld on its initial run, I assumed most of the writing reflected Seinfeld’s own worldview. Now, after having watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, I see that Seinfeld – especially the early seasons – is essentially a Larry David manifesto. I also know, after reading Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s excellent Seinfeldia, that David wrote entire seasons of Seinfeld almost single-handed. Surely no one else could have come up with “The Deal,” in which George’s mother catches him doing you-know-what and ends up in traction, or “The Puffy Shirt.”

Alexander was hardly the lone standout in Seinfeld. Michael Richards, cast as the larger-than-life neighbor Kramer, won three Emmys for his work as supporting actor, and his electric physical comedy and priceless mannerisms could steal the show. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as Seinfeld’s ex-girlfriend Elaine, earned one Emmy and seven nominations for her own inimitable work. But they aren’t really sidekicks, and the relationship between Jerry and George clearly sits at the heart of the Seinfeld enterprise. You’d have no Seinfeld without Larry David, and no Jerry without George.

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3. Valerie Harper, “Rhoda Morgenstern,” The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Three Emmy wins, four nominations.

As a sidekick to Mary Richards, Rhoda Morgenstern represents many things her best friend is not. Mary is a WASP from the upper Midwest; Rhoda is a Jew from the Bronx. Mary is formal, polite, proper, and a tad uptight; Rhoda is plainspoken, earthy, bohemian, and occasionally course. Mary is the straight woman in this classic situation comedy; Rhoda is one of four or five inspired comedic characters created to orbit around her. All were good enough to carry entire productions on their backs: Rhoda eventually departed to the spin-off Rhoda, landlady Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) to Phyllis, and gruff boss Lou Grant to Lou Grant, while co-star Gavin MacLeod would later pilot the successful-but-silly Love Boat and the riotous Ted Knight would resurface in the unfortunate Too Close for Comfort.

valerie harper on mary tyler moore show as rhoda

But Rhoda is Mary’s BFF, and their relationship lies at the center of this great proto-feminist ensemble. The characters are most memorable for what they have in common: Both are unapologetically single women, somehow managing to survive without either husband or children, a state of existence almost unimaginable in the television universe a decade or two earlier.

(In Andy & Don, I argue that the actress Aneta Corsaut’s Helen Crump character on the Griffith Show was effectively Mary Richards a decade before Mary Richards, a single, professional woman living apart from her parents and daring to date a man – – Sheriff Andy Taylor – – without marrying him.)

One of the great things about Mary Tyler Moore is how many of its characters are rendered as complex, three-dimensional beings, rather than simplistic comedy caricatures. No doubt millions of viewers identified with Mary Richards; I bet many others saw shades of themselves in the gritty Lou, the affable Murray or the brash, beloved Rhoda.

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4. Rainn Wilson, “Dwight Schrute,” The Office. Zero Emmy wins, three nominations.

I was surprised to see how seldom Rainn Wilson was honored by the academy for his work as Dwight Schrute, the hyperkinetic beet farmer of The Office, over its nine-season run.

Many great performers came and went from the American adaptation of the U.K. mockumentary series about a paper company in a gloomy London suburb. Yet, to my mind, two characters owned every scene in which they appeared. One was Dwight – like Barney Fife, a child trapped in a man’s body, whose every movement, mannerism and utterance seemed better-suited to an eleven-year-old boy. The other was Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, the program’s nominal lead and also the nominal manager of the namesake office, although he, too, seemed frozen in unresolved adolescence.

rainn wilson the office

The Office risked veering off into sit-com chaos by positing wild, physical comedic actors as both lead and sidekick. The program’s straight man, its Andy Taylor, is clearly Jim, played by a pre-buff John Krasinski. Jim is the surrogate for the Office viewing audience, along with Pam, his love interest: They are very nearly the only “normal,” well-adjusted characters in the room, and much of the comedy derives from their raised-eyebrow reactions to the comedic chaos around them. (The pranks Jim and Pam play on the hapless Dwight often verge on elitist bullying: The Office is a surprisingly cruel show.)

Wilson’s work in The Office was tireless and brilliant. He wielded his tall, gawkish, Bill-Moyers-meets-Garrison-Keillor frame as a comedic weapon, his herky-jerky movements reminiscent of the great Basil Fawlty. And his energy never slacked: Watch the season-five skit in which Dwight works over a CPR dummy, a scene as fresh as the actor’s work in season one. Perhaps no one else in recent memory has come closer to channeling the manic genius of Barney Fife.

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Honorable mention:

1. Gary Burghoff, “Radar,” M*A*S*H. One Emmy, seven nominations. Not really a sidekick, Radar was the only M*A*S*H mainstay as downright lovable as Alan Alda.

2. Christopher Lloyd, “Rev. Jim,” Taxi. Two Emmys, two nominations. I think Christopher Lloyd was as much a prototype for Seinfeld’s Kramer as the real-life Kramer.

3. Laurie Metcalf, “Jackie,” Roseanne. Three Emmys, five nominations. The most likeable character on Roseanne, a welcome foil to the brash lead. And, like Barney, an officer of the law!

4. Rhea Perlman, “Carla,” Cheers. Four Emmys, ten nominations. A real standout in an amazing ensemble. Is Carla the most “Boston” character on Cheers?

5. Eric Stonestreet, “Cam,” and Ty Burrell, “Phil,” Modern Family. Four Emmys between them. These two whirlwinds made Modern Family television’s funniest show for a few years.

6. Megan Mullaly, “Karen,” Will & Grace. Two Emmys, eight nominations. My favorite character on a groundbreaking sit-com.

7. Lisa Kudrow, “Phoebe,” Friends. One Emmy, six nominations. I used to consider “Phoebes” one of two or three truly funny characters on Friends. Two decades on, she seems to have aged better than the others.

8. Bryan Cranston, “Hal,” Malcolm in the Middle. Zero Emmys, three nominations. Bryan Cranston’s second-best role. And that’s saying something.

…..

-Daniel de Vise for Classic Movie Hub

Daniel de Visé is Don Knott’s brother-in-law and author of Andy and Dona lively and revealing biography, and the definitive work on the legacy of The Andy Griffith Show and two of America’s most enduring stars.  The book features extensive unpublished interviews with those closest to both men. De Visé’s latest book is The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France,  published in June by Atlantic Monthly Press.

     

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Grace Kelly, Model (Exclusive Post by Author Mary Mallory)

Grace Kelly, Model
Exclusive Post by Mary Mallory, Author of Living with Grace

Born November 12, 1929, Grace Kelly grew up in the affluent East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia as the third of four children of John B. “Jack” Kelly and Margaret Kelly, successful in their own right. Jack won 3 gold medals in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics as a rower before becoming a wealthy brick company owner, while Margaret possessed a great track record in swimming before becoming coach and instructor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Physical Education Department’s women’s teams.

Grace Kelly as a BabyGrace Kelly as a child

Overprotected and coddled, Grace was considered “the least likely to succeed in the family” by her father due to her klutzy and unimpressive athletic skills. She tried to follow along, though her heart wasn’t in it, drawn instead to the arts and theatre. While she failed to become a world class athlete, Grace learned valuable lessons from her father that later served her well in her modeling and acting career, such as discipline, dedication, focus, and never giving up. As her mother would say, “The Kelly family has been rich mainly in industriousness, ingenuity, and talent.”

George Kelly, father of Grace KellyGeorge Kelly

Grace instead focused her time in acting and the arts, a love she came by naturally. Her uncle Walter played a judge in vaudeville/stage skits for years while her uncle George worked his way up from actor/director to successful playwright of such plays as The Torch-Bearers (1922) and The Show-off (1924). He won the Pulitzer Prize for Best Play in 1926 for Craig’s Wife.

George and Grace both shared a love of arts and culture, which he nurtured and developed, expanding her interest in theatre. After taking ballet and actinng lessons, and appearing in such plays as Don’t Eat the Animals in 1942, Grace set her sights on becoming a great stage star. Grace decided to enter the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York to study acting after failing to get into Bennington, her first choice. Pulling some strings by dropping her uncle’s name when she auditioned with a scene from The Torch-Bearers, Grace won a spot in 1947, though her father hoped “it was only a whim” and she would eventually return home to Philadelphia.

Instead, Grace felt right at home, independent for the first time. She threw herself wholeheartedly into her classes, fencing, drilling, and improving her voice by losing her twang and changing her accent to the more mid-Atlantic/British one she grew famous for. Grace impressed friends with her drive, with one later declaring, “Knows where she’s going. Driving herself like a streamlined racing car.”

Grace Kelly as model, McCall's AdGrace Kelly as model in McCall’s Ad

Grace took jobs such as modeling to support herself while in school, determined to show her independence and her love of acting to her parents, who viewed it as only a hobby.  Following her lifelong traits of focus, drive, and determination, Grace never stopped hustling, making the rounds of commercial and production houses, dropping off head shots and auditioning for jobs. Once started, she never seemed to let up, seeking out high class products and national advertising campaigns in which to take part. Grace later remarked, “Thanks to some lucky breaks in landing choice assignments in modeling jobs, I’ve been able to support myself fairly well.”

Grace Kelly as model, Hammermill SEP, Saturday Evening Post, November 1948Grace Kelly in Hammermill ad, Saturday Evening Post, November 1948
Grace Kelly as model, SEP, Saturday Evening Post,  January 1950 Ivory SoapGrace Kelly as model for Ivory Soap ad, Saturday Evening Post,  January 1950

Her perky, fresh-faced look quickly landed her jobs promoting beauty products. Grace appeared in well known magazines like Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, Ladies Home Journal, and Good Housekeeping for such products as face cream, soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. Grace’s perfect white teeth “graced” ads for such companies as Pepsodent and Ipana, while her natural complexion helped sell Ivory and Cashmere soap. Her golden locks promoted such companies as Halo and Prell.

Grace Kelly as model, Sanka Half Page Ad LHJ, Ladies Home Journal, 1950Grace Kelly in Sanka Half Page Ad, Ladies Home Journal, 1950

At the same time, Grace posed for ads promoting typewriters, underarm pads, stationery, and even coffee. She even posed for stories in magazines like “How to Fold a Sweater” in a 1948 Good Housekeeping issue, Butterick patterns, and appeared on three covers for Redbook magazine in 1950, one as an American Airlines flight attendant. At one point, Grace earned $15,000 a year from all her modeling assignments, providing a nice income while she pursued acting jobs on Broadway.

Grace Kelly as model Wash Sweater Good Housekeeping Fall 1948Grace Kelly washing sweater in Good Housekeeping ad, Fall 1948
Grace Kelly as model, IpanaGrace Kelly in ad for Ipana toothpaste

As Grace began landing parts in television shows in 1950, she moved away from modeling to concentrate on succeeding in TV, displaying the same intensity in seeking out roles as she did in landing magazine jobs. Just like her father, life was a giant competition for Grace, exceeding her previous success while also conquering new fields and competitors. In the early 1950s, Grace quickly rose to the top in television, working with major stars and creators before becoming a film icon in the middle of the decade.

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–Mary Mallory for Classic Movie Hub

Mary Mallory is a film historian, photograph archivist, and researcher, focusing on Los Angeles and early film history. She is the author of Living with Grace: Life Lessons from America’s Princess. She also co-authored Hollywood at Play: The Lives of the Stars Between Takes (with Stephen X. Sylvester and Donovan Brandt) and writes theatre reviews for The Tolucan Times and blogs for the LA Daily Mirror. Mallory served on Hollywood Heritage, Inc.’s Board of Directors, and acts as a docent for the Hollywood Heritage Museum. You can follow her on twitter at @mallory_mary.

You can click here to order Mary’s latest book on amazon:

More Books by Mary Mallory:

               

 

 

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Noir Nook: Noirs I Watch Over and Over

Noir Nook: Noirs I Watch Over and Over

I was talking to a co-worker the other day, and she remarked that she didn’t understand how people can read the same books or watch the same movies and television shows over and over again. I was astonished – I don’t re-read books as much as I used to, but I have a rotation of much-loved TV shows that I watch daily (Good Times, The Brady Bunch, Girlfriends, News Radio, Wings, and The New Adventures of Old Christine among them). And as for movies – sometimes it seems like the only movies I watch are the ones I’ve seen before.

For this month’s Noir Nook, I’ve compiled my top 5 films noir that I can (and do!) watch over and over again. In reviewing my list, I noticed one common thread – each of them has at least one juicy, memorable female character. And I’m not surprised. There’s just something about those noir dames.

So here’s my list – and for a bonus, I’ve included some favorite quotes and some tidbits of trivia thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!

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Double Indemnity (1944)
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – Double Indemnity is my all-time, hands-down, without-question favorite noir. It offers a simple story – an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) falls hard for the sexy wife (Barbara Stanwyck) of an oil company executive and together, they plot and carry out said oilman’s murder – and, of course, there’s the insurance payout of the film’s title, just to make things good and juicy.

Double Indemnity (1944) Fred MacMurray and Barbara StanwyckFred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity (1944).

Favorite quote: “I think you’re swell – so long as I’m not your husband.” – Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray)

Trivia tidbit: Neither of the film’s stars – Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray – initially was very keen on accepting the roles they played. Stanwyck said she was “a little afraid” to portray an “out-and-out killer.” And MacMurray, who had strategically fostered a good guy screen image up to that point, was similarly reticent, but he later said it was “the best picture I ever made.”

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Mildred Pierce (1945)
I think I’ve probably seen Mildred Pierce more often than any other noir. It’s the tale of a stay-at-home-mom turned single working mother turned successful businesswoman whose blind love for her self-absorbed daughter ultimately leads down the path to murder. And I cannot get enough of it. The picture, of course, belongs to Joan Crawford in the title role (for which she deservedly earned an Academy Award), but she’s more than ably backed up by such luminaries as Eve Arden as her best pal, Zachary Scott as her shady second husband, and Jack Carson, as her first husband’s ex-business partner and one of the most opportunistic gents you’d ever care to meet. I have it on VHS and DVD, and I still get excited when it comes on TV.

Mildred Pierce (1945) Ann Blyth, Zachary Scott, Joan CrawfordAnn Blyth, Zachary Scott and Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945).

Favorite quote: “Personally, Veda’s convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.” – Ida Corwin (Eve Arden)

Trivia tidbit: The beach house used in several scenes was owned by the film’s director, Michael Curtiz. It was built in Malibu in 1929 but collapsed into the ocean in 1983 after a week of heavy storms.

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The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
My fondness for The Postman Always Rings Twice started when I was a little girl — I can remember feeling so mature when I realized that I understood the meaning of the title. The film stars Lana Turner as one of my favorite noir dames, Cora Smith, who teams with her lover, Frank Smith (John Garfield), to knock off her husband. It’s got so much to recommend it – from Turner’s all-white wardrobe to George Bassman’s oh-so-dramatic musical score. It just never gets old.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) John Garfield and Lana TurnerJohn Garfield and Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

Favorite quote: “Stealing a man’s wife, that’s nothing, but stealing a man’s car – that’s larceny!” – Frank Chambers (John Garfield)

Trivia tidbit: Lana Turner wasn’t impressed with the 1981 remake of the film, which starred Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson. “They are such fools to play around with something that’s still a classic,” she said. “I’m a little heartsick. Jack Nicholson just isn’t John Garfield. The chemistry we had just crackled. Every facet [was] so perfect.”

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Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The last time I saw Sunset Boulevard was at the TCM Film Festival in April – and it was just as mesmerizing as it was at my first viewing more than 30 years ago. I don’t care how many times I see this tale of an aging film star and her web of delusion that ensnares a young screenwriter, I’m always left breathless at the end. It’s simply riveting from start to finish.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) William Holden and Gloria Swanson in TheatreWilliam Holden and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950).

Favorite quote: “Audiences don’t know somebody sits down and writes a picture; they think the actors make it up as they go along.” – Joe Gillis (William Holden)

Trivia tidbit: Sunset Boulevard was the 17th and final screenplay collaboration between Billy Wilder and co-writer Charles Brackett. After an especially nasty argument over a sequence in the film, they vowed to never work together again.

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Detour (1945)
It’s low-budget with a running time of 68 and a cast of performers you probably never heard of before this film. But Detour is AWESOME, and every time I see it, I can hardly believe my eyes and ears. It’s the story of an ill-fated piano player who gets way more than he bargained for when he decides to hitchhike across the country to join his girlfriend in L.A. Starring Tom Neal (whose real-life story is even more doomed than his character’s!) and Ann Savage, who spits out her lines like they taste bad, Detour keeps me on the edge of my seat with every viewing.

Detour (1945) Tom Neal and Ann SavageTom Neal and Ann Savage in Detour (1945).

Favorite quote: “Money. You know what that is, the stuff you never have enough of. Little green things with George Washington’s picture that men slave for, commit crimes for, die for. It’s the stuff that has caused more trouble in the world than anything else we ever invented, simply because there’s too little of it.” – Al Roberts (Tom Neal)

Trivia tidbit: The budget PRC gave director Edgar G. Ulmer for this film was so small that the 1941 Lincoln Continental V-12 convertible driven by Charles Haskell was actually Ulmer’s personal car.

That’s my top 5 noirs that I watch over and over. How about you? What noirs can’t you get enough of?

– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on movies and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and the editor-in-chief of The Dark Pages, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to all things film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on amazon here:

 

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September Celebration Kino Classics Giveaway (Twitter)

Celebrating the Fall with a Classic Kino Lorber Giveaway!
Winner’s Choice of 4 Classic Titles

Time for our next contest! This time we kick off the fall with another cool Kino Classics giveaway… We are happy to say that we have TEN classic DVD or Blu-Rays to giveaway on Twitter this month, winners’ choice of four titles – Trapeze starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, The Farmer’s Daughter starring Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten and Ethel Barrymore, A Strange Adventure starring Ben Cooper and Joan Evans, and I Walk Alone starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas  and Lizabeth Scott. And don’t forget to stay tuned because we’ll also be giving away TWO more DVDs/Blu-Rays via a separate Facebook/Blog giveaway this month too. That said, here we go…

TrapezeTrapeze starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida

In order to qualify to win one of these prizes via this contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, Oct 13 at 10PM EST. However, the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of winning, because we will pick two winners on five different days within the contest period, via random drawings, as listed below… So if you don’t win the first week that you enter, you will still be eligible to win during the following weeks until the contest is over.

  • Sept 15: Two Winners
  • Sept 22: Two Winners
  • Sept 29: Two Winners
  • Oct 6: Two Winners
  • Oct 13: Two Winners

We will announce each week’s winner on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub (or this blog, depending how you entered), the day after each winner is picked at 10PM EST — for example, we will announce our first week’s winners on Sunday Sept 16 around 10PM EST.

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Here are the titles up for grabs:

Trapeze: Blu-Ray or DVD available. Screen icons Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry), Tony Curtis (The Vikings) and Gina Lollobrigida (Woman of Straw) form a troubled love triangle in the realistic, suspenseful film shot in the actual Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. Young American acrobat Tino Orsini (Curtis) is an aspiring trapeze artist who comes to Paris in search of Mike Ribble (Lancaster), a former aerialist who has retired after injuring himself attempting a triple somersault. Mike agrees to teach Tino the triple after circus performer Rosa O’Flynn (Katy Jurado, One-Eyed Jacks) convinces him to stop feeling sorry for himself and try to recapture some of the fame that eluded him. But when two men both fall in love with the beautiful Lola (Lollobrigida) – who uses them both to further her own ambitions – the triangle threatens the dreams of them all. Trapeze, directed by the great Carol Reed (The Third Man, The Fallen Idol) is highlighted by great performances and high drama, and all the actors performed most of their own stunts (Lancaster had previously been an acrobat in real life). Two of the film’s best features are the terrific Scope photography by Robert Krasker (El Cid, Brief Encounter) and the hauntingly beautiful score by Malcolm Arnold (The Bridge on the River Kwai). The wonderful Thomas Gomez (Key Largo) co-stars in this classic romantic drama.

The Farmer’s Daughter:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. Loretta Young (The Stranger) is The Farmer’s Daughter – blonde, brash and so hilariously heartwarming that she won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. As Katrin, she romps through one uproarious romantic adventure after another, an independent farm girl who becomes a politician and captures the heart of a Congressman along the way. The outrageous antics begin when Katrin, fresh from the farm, arrives in Capitol City ready to take on the metropolis. She takes the very first job she can find: housemaid in the wealthy home of urbane Congressman Glenn Morley, charmingly played by Joseph Cotten (Portrait of Jennie). But she’s no sooner tied the apron strings around her waist than she’s running for Congress. To complicate matters further, Morley is developing a case of infatuation for Katrin – and it’s looking like love that knows no political bounds. Directed by H. C. Potter (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House) and co-starring Ethel Barrymore (The Spiral Staircase), Charles Bickford (The Big Country) and Harry Davenport (The Ox-Bow Incident). Bickford was nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Academy Award.

A Strange Adventure:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Negative by Paramount Pictures Archive! Legendary serial and western director William Witney (Sunset in the West, Daredevils of the Red Circle) directed this film noir about a trio of armored-car robbers who make their getaway by forcing a young hot-rodder (Ben Cooper, The Last Command) to be their driver. The vicious criminals take over a mountain cabin for a hideout after overpowering its occupants. The suspenseful crime drama co-stars Joan Evans (No Name on the Bullet), Marla English (Voodoo Woman), Jan Merlin (Cole Younger, Gunfighter) and Nick Adams (Invasion of Astro-Monster). Beautifully shot in black-and-white by Bud Thackery (Coogan’s Bluff).

I Walk Alone:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Safety Dupe Negative by Paramount Pictures Archive! Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, Too Late for Tears) directed this classic film noir about two bootleggers on the lam. Partners Frankie (Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry) and Noll (Kirk Douglas, The Devil’s Disciple) split up to evade capture by the police. Frankie is caught and jailed, but Noll manages to escape and open a posh New York City nightclub. Years later Frankie is released from the clink and visits Noll with the intention of collecting his half of the nightclub’s profits. But Noll, who has no intention of being so equitable, uses his ex-girlfriend Kay (Lizabeth Scott, Pitfall) to divert Frankie from his intended goal. Co-starring Wendell Corey (Desert Fury) and legendary noir baddies Marc Lawrence (The Asphalt Jungle) and Mike Mazurki (Murder, My Sweet).

the farmers daughter movie posterThe Farmer’s Daughter starring Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten and Ethel Barrymore

…..

ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, Oct 13 at 10PM EST— BUT remember, the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win…

1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post

2) Then TWEET (not DM) the following message:
Just entered to win the September Celebration #DVDGiveaway courtesy of @KinoLorber and @ClassicMovieHub #CMHContest link: http://ow.ly/s5c030lMAaw

THE QUESTION:
Which of the above films would you like to win and why? 

*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

ALSO: Please allow us 48 hours to approve your comments. Sorry about that, but we are being overwhelmed with spam, and must sort through 100s of comments…

…..

You can visit Kino Lorber on their website, on Twitter at @KinoLorber or on Facebook.

Please note that only Continental United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and the territory of Puerto Rico) entrants are eligible.

And — BlogHub members ARE eligible to win if they live within the Continental United States (as noted above).

For complete rules, click here.

And if you can’t wait to win any of these titles, you can click on the images below to purchase on amazon :)
           

Good Luck!

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Contests & Giveaways, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

Win Tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (Giveaway runs through September 29)

Win tickets to see “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” on the big screen!
In Select Cinemas Nationwide Sun Oct 14 and Wed Oct 17!

I always get a great kick out of that part of the Declaration of Independence.”

CMH continues into our 3rd year of our partnership with Fathom Events – with the 11th of our 13 movie ticket giveaways for 2018, courtesy of Fathom Events!

That said, we’ll be giving away EIGHT PAIRS of tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – the screen at its most inspired — the way it was meant to be seen – on the Big Screen!

In order to qualify to win a pair of movie tickets via this contest, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, September 29 at 6 PM EST.

We will announce the winner(s) on Twitter on Sunday, September 30, between 6PM EST and 7PM EST. If a winner(s) does not have a Twitter account, we will announce that winner(s) via this blog in the comment section below.

TCM BIG Screen Classics Present Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

The film will be playing in select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day-only event on Sunday, October 14 and Wednesday, October 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time. Winners will be responsible for their own transportation to the Event. Only United States entries are eligible. Please click here before you enter to ensure that the Event is scheduled at a theater near you and that you are able to attend. (please note that there might be slightly different theater listings for each date)

ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, September 29 at 6PM EST…

1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post

THE QUESTION:
What is it about “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” that makes it a classic? And, if you haven’t seen it, why do you want to see it on the Big Screen?

2) Then TWEET* (not DM) the following message:
I just entered to win tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics Presents: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” on the Big Screen courtesy of @ClassicMovieHub & @FathomEvents #EnterToWin #CMHContest link here: http://ow.ly/WLFn30lJDjm 

*If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.

NOTE: if for any reason you encounter a problem commenting here on this blog, please feel free to tweet or DM us, or send an email to clas@gmail.com and we will be happy to create the entry for you.

ALSO: Please allow us 48 hours to approve your comments. Sorry about that, but we are being overwhelmed with spam, and must sort through 100s of comments…

James Stewart and Jean Arthur in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

About the film: The naïve Jeff Smith (James Stewart) is appointed as a U.S. Senator by a corrupt political party machine headed by the Governor, a publisher and Senator Paine (Claude Rains). Paine, hoping to keep Senator Smith from prying into a pending bill for an unnecessary but profitable dam, suggests to Smith that he sponsor a bill for his own pet project, a boys’ camp. Meanwhile, Smith’s disillusioned secretary, Saunders (Jean Arthur), who is on Paine’s payroll, has fallen in love with Mr. Smith. She informs him that the dam and camp share the same land site! Shocked, Mr. Smith threatens Paine with exposure, but Paine tells the senate that Smith owns the land. Mr. Smith fights back with a heroic one-man filibuster. This two-day event includes exclusive insight from Turner Classic Movies.

Please note that only United States residents are eligible to enter this giveaway contest. (see contest rules for further information)

BlogHub members ARE also eligible to win if they live within the Continental United States (as noted above).

You can follow Fathom Events on Twitter at @fathomevents

Good Luck!

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Contests & Giveaways, Fathom Events | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments

Classic Movie Travels: Vivian Blaine

Classic Movie Travels: Vivian Blaine – New Jersey, New York

Vivian Blaine Headshot Black and WhiteThe beautiful, talented Vivian Blaine.

Whether in her days as a glamorous cherry redhead or a zany blonde, Vivian Blaine was an enthusiastic delight in many films. Harboring musical talents and excellent timing, Blaine could easily steal the show with her knack for comedy.

Vivian Stapleton was born in Newark, New Jersey, on November 21, 1921, to Leo Stapleton, an insurance agent and baritone singer for an orchestra, and Wilhelmina Tepley, who was a phone solicitor.

It did not take long for Blaine to develop an interest in performing. She attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts at age 12. Shortly afterward, she would appear on local stages, priming her for a career as a big band singer in nightclubs throughout New Jersey and New York. Blaine toured regularly with various dance bands with Art Kassel and his “Kassels in the Air”.

By the 1940s, Blaine was already a top-billed act at the Copacabana nightclub in New York, billed above the likes of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Around the same time, she met Manny Franks, who was 20 years her senior. Franks would be her agent, husband, and the reason why she decided to sign a contract with 20th Century Fox. Blaine and Franks relocated to Hollywood, where Blaine began to appear in a succession of films.

At 20th Century Fox, Blaine shared top billing with Laurel and Hardy in Jitterbugs (1943). She also appeared in Greenwich Village (1944), Something for the Boys (1944), Nob Hill (1945), and State Fair (1945), among many other film roles. She became a prime musical performer during the wartime and post-wartime years, just behind Alice Faye and Betty Grable in popularity.

Vivian Blaine in State Fair (1945)Vivian Blaine as Emily Edwards in State Fair (1945).

Blaine grew tired of the studio having her play second lead all too often, so she decided to buy up her contract from Fox. Afterward, she returned to New York to pursue singing and theater engagements.

Upon making her mark in films, Blaine returned to the stage and made her Broadway debut in 1950’s Guys and Dolls. Here, she originated the role of Adelaide, the longtime fiancée of gambler Nathan Detroit. The show enjoyed 1,200 performances, with Blaine reprising the role in London’s West End in 1953 and in the 1955 feature film. She also participated in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II.

Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine in Guys and Dolls (1955)Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine in the film Guys and Dolls (1955).

Blaine continued her Broadway career with shows like A Hatful of Rain; Say, Darling; Enter Laughing; Company; and Zorba, in addition to appearing in the touring company of Gypsy. During this period in her life, she married Milton Rackmill, President of Universal Studios and Decca Records, who wanted a stay-at-home wife. This marriage did not last long, as Blaine was eager to continue in the business. She recorded several albums prior to their divorce in 1961.

In her 50s, Blaine turned her attention to television, where she carried out may guest appearances. She could be spotted on shows like Fantasy Island; Murder, She Wrote; and The Love Boat, in addition to a recurring role on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In 1971, she appeared on the 25th annual Tony Awards as a guest performer and sang “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls, leaving behind a filmed performance for posterity. She was also asked to perform at the White House for the likes of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Vivian Blaine Performs Guys and Dolls' Adelaide's Lament at the 1971 Tony AwardsVivian Blaine Performs “Adelaide’s Lament” at the 1971 Tony Awards.

Blaine’s final marriage would be to Stuart Clark, an executive in the ferment industry who started to supervise her career and helped revive it through 1970s television. Her manager, Rob Cipriano, developed many projects for Blaine in the 1980s, mostly leading to additional television roles. In addition to her work on television, she frequently appeared on many “Best Dressed Women in America” lists, clad in the latest styles from 1973-1983. She also became one of the first celebrities to make public service announcements for AIDS-related causes, in addition to supporting AIDS-Project Los Angeles (APLA). She also recorded her cabaret act, which donated its royalties to APLA.

Blaine passed away on December 9, 1995, from congestive heart failure at age 74.

Today, there are few physical locations in relation to Blaine’s life and career. In the 1930s, her family lived at 109 38th St. in Irvington, New Jersey. In the early 1940s, she was associated with an address on Mt. Pleasant Ave. in Newark, New Jersey. While the address of her 1930s home no longer exists, this is the property today.

Vivian Blaine's 1930's Home at 109 38th Street in Irvington, New JerseyVivian Blaine’s 1930’s Home at 109 38th Street in Irvington, New Jersey.

Perhaps the most effective tributes to Blaine are her rendition of “Adelaide’s Lament” for the Tony Awards as well as her donation of the Vivian Blaine Papers. The Vivian Blaine Papers reside in the archives of the New York Public Library, boasting personal correspondences between Blaine and her friends and colleagues, in addition to personal items such as album covers, Fan Club materials, contracts, hand-written recipes, and professional files relating to her career in film and on the stage. Her collection also includes awards, photographs, press and publicity materials, programs, scripts, and scores.

Should you be in an archive in New York or enjoying one of Blaine’s many performances elsewhere, take a moment to celebrate the enthusiastic contributions Blaine made to the world of entertainment.

–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.

Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is a PhD student at Dominican University and an independent scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for Classic Movie Hub, she also writes for Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco SocietyMagazine.

 

 

Posted in Classic Movie Travels, Posts by Annette Bochenek | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments