The Funny Papers: A Love Letter to Danny Kaye

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Kellee Pratt

A Love Letter to Danny Kaye

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.” – Danny Kaye

According to my baby book, my first crush was Donny Osmond. Don’t judge – it was a different time. I think it was a combination of “Puppy Love” and assuredly the big teeth. But undoubtedly, my next crush was Danny Kaye. Well, in a way. My crush on Cary Grant was much stronger, in the attraction sense. But with Danny Kaye, it was more of a profound admiration. I wanted to BE him. Get it? Got it. Good.

Danny Kaye Red HeadshotThe multi-talented, Danny Kaye.

As a kid, my first Danny Kaye film was Melvin Frank’s/Norman Panama’s The Court Jester (1955). When I first witnessed Kaye’s silliness and heard his jet-speed linguistics with a mastery of accents, I knew no one could possibly compare. He kept me in stitches. I was fascinated by his ease in swiftly switching from one accent to another, often in the midst of a song and dance, while performing physical comedy with hilarious precision.

Danny_Kaye_in_The_Court_Jester_1955Danny Kaye in The Court Jester (1955).

I was privileged to see Fred Willard and Illeana Douglas introduce the recently restored version in all the glorious Technicolor jewel tones up on the mega screen at Grauman’s TCL Chinese Theater at the 2016 TCM Film Festival. The Court Jester remains his most popular film, with good reason. Stylistically similar to The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949), this vibrant, medieval-styled comedy showcases Kaye’s myriad of talents, by splitting him into multiple characters via impersonations and hypnosis. Thus allowing him to flip in and out from his standard coward to the dashing hero and back again with lightning speed. Highlights include the infamous “The Pellet With The Poison” scene:

Danny Kaye: The pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true, right?
Mildred Natwick: Right, but there’s been a change. They … broke the chalice from the palace.
Danny Kaye: They … broke the chalice from the palace?
Mildred Natwick: … and replaced it with a flagon.
Danny Kaye: A flagon?
Mildred Natwick: … with a figure of a dragon.
Danny Kaye: A flagon with a dragon.
Mildred Natwick: RIGHT.
Danny Kaye: But, did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?
Mildred Natwick: Noooo, the pellet with the poison is in the flagon with the dragon, the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.
Danny Kaye: The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon, the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.
Mildred Natwick: Just remember that.
Danny Kaye: Yes, thank you very much.

Other big screen vehicles allowed this musical dynamo to express his array of special assets. In hits such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), On the Riviera (1951), and the holiday classic, White Christmas (1954), he proved he could be a bankable mix of leading man good looks, a uniquely talented clown, and he could act, dance, and sing, too!

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in White Christmas (1954)Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in White Christmas (1954).

Kaye’s talents were too big to be limited to the big screen. He dazzled the bright stage lights with multiple musical appearances- from his Broadway stage debut in The Straw Hat Revue in 1939, to Two By Two in 1971. Another medium that served as a top-rated outlet for Kaye was radio. He aired a popular program in his own namesake for two seasons, starting in 1945. He drew major stars such as Orson Welles and it co-starred Eve Arden. But he discovered the physicality of his style of entertainment was best experienced visually.

Danny Kaye Radio Show Script (1946)Radio script from The Danny Kaye Show – March 1, 1946.

While much of the 1930s was devoted to stage work, and he spent the bulk of the ‘40s and ‘50s performing in popular film roles, he also tackled the ever-booming medium of television starting in the early 60s. His appearances on TV specials were so well received that he was given his own regular series. The Danny Kaye Show was wildly successful (he won an Emmy in its first season), and ran for four seasons. A variety show format with skits, dancing, and musical numbers, it attracted the biggest stars of the time such as Lucille Ball, Louis Armstrong, Vincent Price, and Mary Tyler Moore.

After the ‘60s, he continued working in TV but less frequently. His last television roles were memorable; such as his rare dramatic role in Skokie (1981), with his incredibly poignant performance as a Holocaust survivor in the cross-hairs of a legal debate of assembly rights vs. hate speech with neo-Nazis, and as late as 1986, as Dr. Burns the dentist in The Cosby Show, less than a year prior to his death.

But what’s most impressive about him is everything he accomplished that has nothing to do with acting, singing or comedy. Danny Kaye was an extremely devoted activist and humanitarian, especially in regards to children and social justice and he committed much of his life to charitable work. As a liberal Democrat, he opposed the witch hunt activities of the HUAC Hollywood blacklisting and joined others like Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gene Kelly, and Paul Henreid in the Committee for the First Amendment’s formal protest in Washington in 1947. Kaye served as the very first Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), starting in 1954. He traveled the globe for over 33 years, until his death in 1987, to raise support for UNICEF and millions of children in need.

Danny Kaye UNICEFUNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassador, Danny Kaye.

“Children are the same the world over,” Kaye once said. “They may have a different culture, but an ache or a laugh is universal.” He joined UNICEF’s official delegation in Oslo in 1965 when the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize. He received two Academy Awards~ an honorary Oscar in 1955, and again in 1982, with the Jean Hersholt Academy Award for his humanitarian work.

According to the UNICEF site, “he promoted the ‘Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF’ campaign by flying his own plane on whirlwind tours to enlist volunteers. The last such trip, in 1968, touched down in 65 US and Canadian cities in five days and put Kaye in the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s Fastest-Flying Entertainer.”

Danny Kaye Trick or Treat for UNICEFDanny Kaye promoting Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.

He was also a master chef in Chinese cooking- hosting celebrities and world-class French chefs, an early owner of the Seattle Mariners’ baseball team – known for rattling off baseball stats like an encyclopedia, and was a licensed commercial pilot for single, multi-engine, and certain business class planes, including Boeing 747 and DC-10. To the delight of critics and fans alike, he often conducted renowned orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, raising MILLIONS of dollars for charity. Yet surprisingly, he couldn’t read a single note of music- he was able to do it all by ear. In his true Kaye style of physical comedy, he famously would trade his baton for a fly swatter while conducting “The Flight Of The Bumble Bee.”

Danny Kaye serves guests in his Chinese Kitchen.Danny Kaye serves guests in his Chinese kitchen.

Not too shabby for a kid from Brooklyn who dropped out of school by age thirteen. His parents, Jacob and Clar Kaminski, were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. The youngest of three sons and the only one born in America, Danny Kaye was born on January 18, 1911, named David Daniel, or as his parents called him, “Duvidelleh.”

He got his first taste of showbiz from touring the “Borscht Belt” Jewish resorts of the Catskills in his teen years, eventually making his way to clubs and bigger stages in NYC. Samuel Goldwyn’s wife Francis would be the talent scout who discovered Kaye on the NY stage, and who insisted his natural red hair be dyed into a golden strawberry blonde.

Danny Kaye & Sylvia FineDanny Kaye with wife, and former Brooklynite, Sylvia Fine.

By 1939, during his first Broadway show, he met another former kid from Brooklyn, Sylvia Fine, and married her in 1940. Sylvia was the wife and supportive business partner to Danny, not unlike Alma Reville was to Alfred Hitchcock. Sylvia wrote the music and lyrics to many of the songs he performed and essentially managed most of his career. Sylvia was a Hollywood success in her own right, working in production (often on his shows) throughout her long career, earning two Oscar nominations and two Emmy nominations, and she was awarded a Peabody in 1980.

Danny Kaye, Dena Kaye, and Sylvia FineFamily picture of Danny Kaye, Dena Kaye, and Sylvia Fine.

Their only child, Dena, was born December 17, 1946. Danny and Sylvia were separated the very next year, blaming their busy careers. Interestingly, they remained married yet separated, while working together professionally, for forty years, until his death. Sylvia died a few years after Danny in 1991 and is buried aside him at the Kenisco Cemetary in Valhalla, NY. What’s also interesting about Danny and Sylvia is that while they didn’t meet until 1939, they grew up in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn. At one point in his early days before his rise to stardom, Danny unsuccessfully worked a string of odd jobs. He worked for a dentist but was fired in short time for using the dental drills for creative carpentry. Unknown to any of them at the time, that dentist would later become Danny’s father-in-law.

I realize that my love for Danny Kaye’s zany style of comedy and lyricisms may not be matched in equal measure for everyone. Humor is very subjective, after all. But I imagine it’s nearly impossible to find anyone not impressed by the variety and magnitude of the accomplishments of this rapid-fire, tongue-twisting, brilliant, and deeply compassionate Renaissance man. You were truly one of a kind, Danny Kaye. XO…

 …..

–Kellee Pratt for Classic Movie Hub

When not performing marketing and social media as her day gig, Kellee Pratt writes for her own classic film blog, Outspoken & Freckled (kelleepratt.com). Kellee teaches classic film courses in her college town in Kansas (Screwball Comedy this Fall). Unapologetic social butterfly, she’s an active tweetaholic/original alum for #TCMParty, member of the CMBA, Social Producer for TCM (2015, 2016), and busy mom of four kids and 3 fur babies. You can follow Kellee on twitter at @IrishJayHawk66.

Posted in Posts by Kellee Pratt, The Funny Papers | Tagged | 24 Comments

Five Fun Facts About The Dolly Sisters

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Sara and Cynthia Brideson

Five Fun Facts About The Dolly Sisters

The Dolly SistersClassic flapper girls!

“They’re Beautiful…They’re Glamorous…They’re Scandalous!”

So read the tagline for Twentieth Century Fox’s glossy, highly fictionalized biopic about the famous (and infamous) Dolly Sisters. In the film, Betty Grable and June Havoc portray the twin sweethearts of Broadway and cabaret stages. Over fifty years later, Emma Hamilton and Zoe Richards portrayed the twins on the PBS miniseries, Mr. Selfridge. In both portrayals, the twins are presented as blonde gold diggers. In reality, the Dollies resembled Louise Brooks in appearance and, though they had a taste for extravagance and wealthy men, were much more than the bubble-headed girl’s film and television make them out to be.

"The Dolly Sisters" film starring Betty Grable and June Haver.An array of images from “The Dolly Sisters” film starring Betty Grable and June Haver.

Rosie and Jenny Dolly were born in Budapest, Hungary on October 25, 1892, as Janszieka (Jenny) and Roszicka (Rosie). After their father’s business fell apart, the family moved to New York where the girls began to make money by dancing. They invented their own dances to perform on vaudeville; their mother helped sew their costumes. Eventually, producers took notice of their animation and high spirits if not their so-so singing and dancing skills. “They had that indefinable something made even more special by the fact that they were identical twins,” Dolly Sisters’ biographer Gary Chapman commented. They worked their way up to Broadway and the glorious stages of the great Ziegfeld and Shubert Brothers. Rosie and Jenny took the memorable name “Dolly” because legend has it, one critic proclaimed them to be “as cute as dolls”.

Sheet music for one of the Dolly Sisters' most popular Ziegfeld Follies numbers, "Bumble Bee."Sheet music for one of the Dolly Sisters’ most popular Ziegfeld Follies numbers, “Bumble Bee.”

Florenz Ziegfeld aided them in creating their trademark look in 1911 when he signed them for the Follies. For a routine in which they portrayed Siamese twins, Ziegfeld’s costumers adorned the girls in costumes that brought out the hint of the gypsy in their slanted eyes, black hair, and petite figures. Their jewels, head-dresses, and finger-cymbals all spoke of the Far East. The striking sisters became musts at Jazz Age parties and fashion designers loved using the twins to show off their latest creations.

The Dolly Sisters in Ziegfeld Follies CostumesThe Dolly Sisters in their Follies Bergere costumes.

Here are five fun facts to illuminate more about these misunderstood Ziegfeld Girls:
The Dolly Sisters had many admirers: the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII), King Alphonso of Spain, American mogul Harry Selfridge, and Diamond Jim Brady. There’s an erroneous belief that the Dollies ruined their suitors (most notably Harry Selfridge). Not true! Selfridge, according to the Dollies’ biographer Gary Chapman, brought on his own ruination “because of his obsession with twin dancers.” Though the girls may have appeared manipulative and teasing to their suitors, they were eternally romantic. They went into each new affair with excitement and hope that they would find the true love that eluded them.

The Dolly Twins Flapper CostumesAn iconic image of the Dollies in elaborate costumes.

Jenny and Rosie did have a rivalry, and, for a time, they seemed to marry and divorce in sync with one another. In 1913, Rosie married Jean Schwartz, author of “Rockabye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody.” In 1914, Jenny married creator of the Fox Trot, Harry Fox. Though marriage led to separate careers from 1915-1916, with the twins appearing independent of one another in films, they were so close that they could not stay apart for long (they were so close that they dressed alike both on and off the stage!). They became a permanent team again in 1916 and made a hit playing at the famed Palace Theatre. In 1920, Jenny divorced Fox. The following year, Rosie divorced Schwartz. The twins, like many in the Lost Generation, relocated to Paris and would stay there for most of their lives.

The Dolly SIsters SiameseThe Dollies in their Siamese Twin act for the Follies.

Rosie and Jenny, in Ziegfeld’s opinion, did not have much talent, but they were cute. His opinion may have held some truth. The Dollies were, according to Daily Mail author Martha de Lacey, “were perhaps the first celebrities to be famous simply for being famous.” The rags to riches twins basked in their wealth and the attention lavished upon them. But the Depression ended their not so proverbial days of wine and roses. In 1933, Jenny was in a near-fatal car accident that ruined her lovely face. Endless plastic surgeries did nothing to make her appear again like her sister. She expressed that she wished she had died rather than live on, as she put it, “a broken shell.’ In 1941, she hung herself from a curtain rod with the sash of her dressing gown. Rosie was in a seemingly happy marriage and seemed to have forgotten her sister and her failure to invite Jenny to a Memorial Day dinner appears to have been the last straw.

A heartbroken Rosie unsuccessfully attempted to follow her sister in 1962 by overdosing on pills. Rosie’s unhappiness is reflected in her statement, made upon her return to New York in the ‘60s: ‘I found out that America has changed— I’m in New York, old friends you call up when you arrive – they’ve forgotten you. They don’t call back.’ In 1970, Rosie died of heart failure. Both Rosie and Jenny had become addicted to attention and celebrity, and without much but their looks to fall back on, they found it incredibly difficult to accept the impermanence of their fame and beauty.

They played classic “twin tricks.” Once, a beau invited Rosie to lunch, but she wasn’t that attracted to him. So, she ate quite a bit of food and then excused herself. Jenny took her place and ordered more food. This made the unwanted beau lose interest. Rosie and Jenny loved being twins, making it all the more tragic that they grew apart in their later years.
The Dollies were not flashy. Their costumes actually covered up a lot of skin, while other cabaret performers virtually stripped during their performances. They also let admirers come to them; they did not pursue. Diamond Jim Brady pursued them most fervently. He gave them diamonds and a Rolls Royce, among other precious items. However, the relationship remained strictly platonic. The Dollies’ love, it seems, could not be bought.
The Dolly Sisters may not be well-remembered today, but they truly reflect the essence of the Roaring Twenties and the triumph and tragedy of the Lost Generation.

…..

– Sara and Cynthia Brideson for Classic Movie Hub

Sara and Cynthia Brideson are avid classic movie fans, and twin authors of Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway’s Greatest Producer and Also Starring: Forty Biographical Essays on the Greatest Character Actors of Hollywood’s Golden Era, 1930-1965. They also are currently working on comprehensive biographies of Gene Kelly and Margaret Sullavan. You can follow them on twitter at @saraandcynthia or like them on Facebook at Cynthia and Sara Brideson.

If you’re interested in learning more about Cynthia’s and Sara’s books, please click through to amazon via the below links:

    

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Film Noir Review: Vertigo (1958)

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Danilo Castro

“If I let you change me, will that do it?
If I do what you tell me, will you love me?”

As cinema’s reigning “Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock usually made a point of keeping his audience in the loop. He believed that information and tension went hand in hand, and that by telling us what was going to happen, we would grip to our seats tighter, and fear more intensely for the characters. Films like Rope, Strangers on a Train, and Rear Window validated this practice, as they turned potboiler pulp stories into masterful displays of showmanship. “I’ll make this dip a little deeper, that will make them scream”, Hitchcock once said, coining a much-copied roller-coaster analogy. It’s the greatest tactic he ever contributed to the medium.

That said, the film we’re discussing today, Vertigo, is a bit different. It has the bizarre distinction of being both Hitchcock’s most celebrated effort, and the one in which he least relies on his beloved “roller-coaster” tactics. It eschews every tradition and glossy trope he previously set in favor of an abstract, at times terrifying descent into the psyche of its main character. It’s stylish, yes, but it’s also intimate, and personal in ways that Hitchcock rarely allowed himself to be.

The film's promotional poster.

The film’s promotional poster.

The film stars James Stewart as Scottie Ferguson, a police detective forced to retire when a rooftop chase leads to the death of a colleague and a diagnosis of vertigo. Racked with guilt, Scottie sees a chance at redemption when an old college chum, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), asks him to tail his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak). You see, Madeleine has developed an obsession with a dead relative of hers, Carlotta Valdes, and Elster fears that she may be urged to kill herself as Carlotta did. Scottie is predictably skeptical, but as the investigation wears on, his willingness to believe, and his own growing obsession with Madeleine, obscures what’s really going on.

Vertigo makes no attempt to conceal Scottie’s personal reasons for taking the case. His skepticism melts away the moment he lays eyes on Madeleine, and his wholesome, upright demeanor turns carnal. He must be near her, he must possess her. The tailing scenes that follow add fuel to this erotic flame as Scottie becomes a veritable stalker– albeit, one with a license and an hourly rate. He tails Madeleine through a maze of San Francisco’s various landmarks, enacting a geographical tango that grows in intensity with her increasingly erratic behavior. (As an SF native, I can confidently say that no film better reflects the city’s romantic notion of the past.) Scottie makes contact with Madeleine after she attempts to drown herself, and the two immediately begin a torrid affair.

Scottie and Madeleine at the California Redwood Forest.

Scottie and Madeleine at the California Redwood Forest.

Hitchcock introduces the mystery of Carlotta Valdes as the film’s central conflict, the threat that Scottie and Madeleine must overcome on their way to a happy ending. He neither tells us nor shows us anything that suggests otherwise, so we forge ahead, confident in our surroundings. The couple journey to an old Spanish mission, San Juan Bautista, hoping it’ll solve a piece of the mystery, but Madeleine (and the director) suddenly pull the rug out from under us. Madeleine scrambles up the mission bell tower, knowing that Scottie’s vertigo will render him useless, and  jumps to her death, mirroring Carlotta’s untimely fate. The death is ruled a suicide, and Scottie, our supposed hero, is placed in a mental institution, unable to cope with the loss of the woman he loved. If Vertigo were a play, this is where the mid-act curtain would come down, and the silence in the audience would be deafening.

Stewart’s performance, and the film as a whole, explores the trauma of this loss in the second act. Whereas the Scottie we initially meet has warmth and charm, the Scottie who gets released from the institution has an emotional anguish that he can barely repress. He breaks ties with his friend Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes, adding to the film’s roster of lovelorn losers). He wanders the streets, every so often seeing a blonde woman or a dress that reminds him of Madeline. Hitchcock stages these scenes with surprising tenderness, one of the rare instances where he puts himself on level emotional ground with his characters, rather than above them, pulling their strings.

Scottie is eventually shaken out of his stupor when he meets Judy (also played by Novak), a spitting image of Madeline with dark hair. Scottie seduces Judy with the intent of remaking her in Madeline’s image, but what he doesn’t know is that Judy is the woman he previously fell in love with, and that she and Elster were in cahoots to murder the real Madeline all along.

Judy willingly undergoes Scottie's plan to "recreate" Madeleine.

Judy willingly undergoes Scottie’s plan to “recreate” Madeleine.

From a critical (and monthly column) standpoint, Vertigo is only marginally film noir. It has a detective, a mystery, and the backdrop of San Francisco, one of the genre’s capital cities, but to call it noir would be like calling Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band a rock album. It’s technically correct, but the sheer magnitude of its artistry transcends. It’s bigger than any one genre. That said, the instances where Hitchcock uses (or more accurately, “twists”) noir to his advantage rank among the strongest in the film. The opening chase is blanketed in almost complete darkness, obscuring our vision to such an extent that we feel as vulnerable as the dangling Scottie. The film takes a lengthy detour into daylight with the fuzzy, dreamlike Madeleine scenes, but scenes with Judy, after she agrees to indulge Scottie’s obsession, return us to the darkness permanently.

The scene where Judy returns from the beauty salon, hair bleached and looking exactly as she did when she was Madeleine, is the film’s creative apex. Scottie gazes at her, basking in the joy of having recreated the dead woman he once loved. Hitchcock takes the neon sign outside the window and shines it on Judy, turning noir’s greatest emblem of grittiness into a ghostly effect. The couple embrace, and space and time seem to come crashing down around them. The backdrop shifts between the room and the earlier scene at San Juan Bautista, while Bernard Herrmann’s score, among the most lush ever written, reaches a blaring orchestral (and metaphorically suggestive) climax.

Judy emerges from the bathroom as Madeleine.

Judy emerges from the bathroom as Madeleine.

While there’s an air of triumph to the scene, the interesting thing is that Scottie seems to acknowledge the artificiality of it all. He momentarily breaks his embrace of Judy to look around the room, suggesting that he too sees time falling in on itself. Is he breaking the fourth wall? Is it all happening in his mind? Is it… real? The questions fade before they can be answered, and Scottie embraces Judy once more, but I’ve always found this moment to be most important because of what Hitchcock is saying.

Much has been said over the years about Hitchcock’s obsession with creating the perfect blonde, or, in the case of Grace Kelly (the first choice to play Madeleine), hanging onto the perfect blonde. Vertigo has been cited as his coming to grips with this on film, and rightfully so, but not enough has been said about how cleverly he manages to convey it. Hitchcock knew the film was perverse, and rather than attempt to hide it, he uses it to explore the tragic nature of these perversions. He doesn’t let us condemn Scottie from afar, he forces us experience the entire film through his compromised point-of-view. The storytelling is so fluid, the command of style and emotion so intoxicating, that we start to understand, and in some instances, empathize with Scottie’s plight. We share in his grotesque nightmares, his inability to tell fantasy from reality. By the time he stops to realize what he’s done, we too have become obsessed.

Scottie realizes what he's done to Judy.

Scottie realizes–perhaps for the first time– what he’s done to Judy.

Scottie eventually discovers Judy’s betrayal, and takes her back to the bell tower where she “died” to confront her.  As he delivers his heartbroken tirade, however, Judy accidentally trips and falls. Scottie attempts to grab her, but he is too late. Judy is dead, like Madeleine and Carlotta Valdes before her. Scottie stumbles out onto the ledge and into the night, struggling to process the guilt. His vertigo, the very reason he was chosen as a patsy, is seemingly cured. The dream is over.

Long after the blunt-force trauma of Psycho has dulled and the cozy paranoia of Rear Window has settled in, Vertigo remains Hitchcock’s most disturbing film. Its visceral depictions of love and obsession (and where the two overlap) are troubling to watch, as they fail to provide concrete solutions or feel-good outcomes. The same can be said for the layered performances given by Stewart and Novak. The former has never been more tragically inept, while the latter is heartbreaking as a woman who endlessly compromises herself for approval. Their importance to the film cannot be overstated. They provide a soft, melancholy spell that, were it not there, would greatly weaken Hitchcock’s vision.

Scottie's vertigo-- and the love of his life-- is gone.

Scottie’s vertigo– and the love of his life– is gone.

It’s the only time in Hitchcock’s oeuvre where he doesn’t rely on corrupt organizations or unstable loners for dramatic conflict. In this case, the conflict, like the titular affliction, comes from within. It comes from our universal desire to be loved, and the desperate measures we would take to maintain that love. Hitchcock will always be the “Master of Suspense”, but with Vertigo, he toned down the trickery and allowed himself to simply be masterful. It remains his finest hour behind the camera, and one of cinema’s finest hours ever. A+

TRIVIA: Vertigo was unavailable for decades, until Hitchcock’s daughter, Patricia, restored the film as part of Universal’s home release collection.

…..

–Danilo Castro for Classic Movie Hub

Danilo Castro is a film noir specialist and Contributing Writer for Classic Movie Hub. You can read more of Danilo’s articles and reviews at the Film Noir Archive, or you can follow Danilo on Twitter @DaniloSCastro.

Posted in Film Noir Review, Posts by Danilo Castro | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Win Tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics: West Side Story” (Giveaway runs through June 9)

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Annmarie Gatti

Win tickets to see “West Side Story” on the big screen!
In Select Cinemas Nationwide Sun June 24 and Wed June 27!

“When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way! from your first cigarette your last dyin’ days.”

CMH continues into our 3rd year of our partnership with Fathom Events – with the 7th of our 14 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: West Side Story” – the musical masterpiece — 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, June 9 at 6 PM EST.

We will announce the winner(s) on Twitter on Sunday, June 10, 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: West Side Story

The film will be playing in select cinemas nationwide for a special two-day-only event on Sunday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 27 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, June 9 at 6PM EST…

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

THE QUESTION:

What is it you love most about West Side Story? And if you haven’t seen it yet, why do you want to see it on the Big Screen now?

2) Then TWEET* (not DM) the following message:
I just entered to win tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics Presents: West Side Story” on the Big Screen courtesy of @ClassicMovieHub & @FathomEvents #EnterToWin #CMHContest link here: http://ow.ly/72fF30k5Sen

*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…

About the film: This electrifying musical, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in the slums of 1950’s New York. West Side Story explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs – white working-class Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks. When a member of the Jets falls in love with the sister of the Sharksʼ leader, things look hopeful at first, but rapidly go downhill. Illustrating the events are many memorable song and dance numbers such as ʻAmericaʼ, ʻSomewhereʼ and ʻI Feel Prettyʼ.

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).

Good Luck!

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Contests & Giveaways, Fathom Events, TCM Big Screen Classics | Tagged , , , | 34 Comments

Day Two: Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Annmarie Gatti

 

And now for Day Two of the Dynamic Duos in Classic Blogathon…

The time has come to celebrate famous movie pairings of yesteryear for the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film blogathon. I am thrilled to host the second of two days of entries, preceded by the fabulous Aurora at Once Upon a Screen (@CitizenScreen) who posted on Day One yesterday.  

Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon

If you need a refresher on the nuts and bolts of the blogathon visit the announcement post here. Otherwise I will waste no time getting to the heart of the matter, the entries that will entertain, enthrall and enchant. On behalf of Aurora and myself, I want to thank all of the bloggers who have submitted entires to this event. Learning from you is the best part of hosting and we’re excited to have 8 dynamic duo-themed DVDs to raffle off at the end of the weekend to entrants chosen at random. Many thanks to Turner Classic Movies and Kino Lorber for graciously offering these DVDs.

And…here are the Day Two entries for your pleasure…

Dynamic Duos in Classic Film

Let’s kick things off with some chuckles and this entry from Caftan Woman, who brings us Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog… Just love Looney Tunes myself 🙂

ralph wolf and sam sheepdog chuck jonesRalph Wolf (look familiar?) and Sam Sheepdog

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The Dream Book Blog explores the complex friendship between two iconic Hollywood stars in A Long and Peculiar Friendship: Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland

olivia de havillandbette davis
Olivia de Havilland and Bette Davis – two strong ladies and a peculiar friendship

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Moon in Gemini brings us Paul Newman and Robert Redford, need I say more 🙂

paul newman robert redman butch cassidy and the sundance kid

Newman and Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
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The Old Hollywood Garden talks about one of the most overlooked partnerships in Hollywood history… Director Anthony Mann and Cinematographer John Alton…

t-men-02 anthony mann

Mann and Alton’s T-Men

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Overture Books and Film presents Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell (incidentally one of my favorite pairings)

linda darnell and tyrone power

The beautiful Linda Darnell and Tyrone Power

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And the fun continues… as Critica Retro brings us Laurel and Hardy and lots of fun gifs including this one…

laurel and hardy

I can almost hear Hardy saying “That’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into”

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And Phyllis Loves Classic Movies brings us The Many Weddings of Lucy and Desi…

lucy and desi wedding

Ricky does love Lucy

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The Blog of the Darned presents Rock Hudson and Tony Randall…

rock hudson tony randall send me no flowers

Rock Hudson and Tony Randall in Send Me No Flowers

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And so fittingly, That William Powell Site brings us A Clara Bow and William Powell Duet…

william powell and clara bow

William Powell and Clara Bow

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And another favorite duo of mine Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont, from Old Hollywood Films…

margaret dumont and groucho marx duck soup

Margaret Dumont, the Fifth Marx Brother…

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Fairly fantastic, right? Well, if you like what you read so far, be sure to visit Once Upon a Screen to read entries from Day One of the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon.

–Annmarie for Classic Movie Hub

By the way, there are many more classic film events planned this summer. For details visit the the CMH Events Calendar. You can add your own events and blogathons there too!

 

Posted in Blogathons, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | 3 Comments

Dynamic Duos in Classic Film: Doris Day and Rock Hudson

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Annmarie Gatti

Doris Day and Rock Hudson: Always Good for a Smile

I’m not exactly sure when I first ‘discovered’ the Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies, but I do remember that it was at some point in my childhood when my parents shared them with me. And, as many classic movie fans will attest, the films that are so lovingly shared with us when we are young always seem to hold a special place in our hearts. And that is the case for me with Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and Send Me No Flowers – the three films that Doris Day and Rock Hudson made together.

doris day and rock hudson huggingDoris Day and Rock Hudson

Now as an adult, these films are the perfect little pick-me-ups for me, especially good for unwinding after a tough day at work, and always good for a laugh and a smile… and, believe it or not, they also make the drudgery of house work seem a little more pleasant (there’s nothing like ‘swiffering’ around the house to the tune of ‘You Are My Inspiration, Alma’).

There’s just something about this Feisty-Girl-Next-Door + Strong-and-Handsome-Hunk Dynamic Duo that works so wonderfully well together. Doris Day is the perfect combination of sweetness, sexiness, sophistication and smarts, while Rock, is well, Rock, a pretty darn sexy guy, whether he’s playing the playboy or the husband. Both play their roles to the hilt – whether romantic rivals, business rivals or married rivals — with a special chemistry that, by all accounts, bound them in a life-long friendship from day one.

These films are chock-full of clever dialog (including a fair share of double entendre), mistaken identities/assumptions, and good clean ‘battle of the sexes’ fun — plus lots of chic Doris Day fashion, and (I would be remiss not to mention this) the fabulous Tony Randall as the best-friend/boss side-kick (and the third, if you will, in this Dynamic Trio)…

So, in celebration of our ‘perfect combination’ Doris and Rock, I’d like to share some fun movie quotes… but first here are some short film descriptions for those of you who may not be familiar with all three movies…

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Doris Day Rock Hudson PillowTalk Lobby card

Pillow Talk (1959): Successful Interior Decorator, Jan Morrow, is at her wit’s end with irritating party-line neighbor, playboy-songwriter Brad Allen, who’s constantly phone-courting his revolving-door lady friends with ‘custom’ songs written especially for them (insert your name here). Lots of double-entendre sparring ensues while Jan tries to wrestle some phone control away from Brad. Meanwhile Jan’s faith in men is restored when she meets humble and handsome (not to mention wealthy) Texas hunk Rex Stetson. As Jan continues to battle over her phone (and bedroom) problems with bad boy Brad, she brags about her new beau Rex — so the last laugh’s on Mr. Allen, right? Or is it?  Spoiler alert: Rock plays two roles here, kind of 🙂

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doris day rock hudson lover come back lobby card

Lover Come Back (1961): Straight-and-narrow Advertising Exec Carol Templeton is frustrated to no end as slick Ad-Man rival Jerry Webster lands clients with his playboy appeal and party ethics. Carol gets a hot tip that Jerry’s about to close a huge deal with new mystery product VIP, so she makes it her mission to cut Jerry to the chase, wooing VIP inventor Dr. Linus Tyler to land the account. A case of mistaken identity sends Carol down the wrong path, and that works to Jerry’s advantage. Or does it? Spoiler alert: Rock does not play two roles here, but he might as well 🙂

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doris day and rock hudson send me no flowers lobby card

Send Me No Flowers (1964): And now for something completely different… After years of plentiful pill popping (just placebos, thanks to wife Judy), hypochondriac husband George is finally convinced that he’s dying. In an altruistic attempt to provide for Judy after he’s gone, George is determined to find a suitable replacement husband for her. But George lands himself in hot water when Judy misreads his signals and suspects hanky-panky instead, and that’s not good for George… Or is it? Spoiler alert: Unfortunately for George, he’s not really dying and his wife is mad as ‘heck’ 🙂

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And now for some quotes…

Pillow Talk

pillow talk doris day rock hudson, you are my inspirationJan (Doris Day) shares a party line with playboy bad boy Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) who serenades a different sweetheart every day. (well, sometimes every hour)…

Brad (singing): “You are my inspiration (your name here). A perfect combination (your name here).”

Jan (Doris Day): Will you please get off this phone!
Yvette (Jacqueline Beer): Who is that woman?!?!?
Brad (Rock Hudson): Some little eavesdropper on my party line. She’s always listening in. That’s how she brightens up her drab empty life.
Jan: If I could get a call through once in a while, my life wouldn’t be so drab!

Brad: Look, I don’t know what’s bothering you, but don’t take your bedroom problems out on me.
Jan: I have no bedroom problems. There’s nothing in my bedroom that bothers me.
Brad: Ohhhh. That’s too bad.

Jan: At least my problems can be solved in one bedroom. You couldn’t solve yours in a thousand!

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Lover Come Back

doris day rock hudson lover come back i'm taking you inJerry Webster (Rock Hudson) poses as VIP inventor Dr. Linus Tyler, trying to grab all of Carol’s (Doris Day) ad ideas, but that’s not all he’s trying to grab…

Carol (Doris Day): Doctor, there’s so much I can learn from you.
Jerry (posing as Dr. Tyler): As my father, the philosopher, used to say, “Knock at my door and I shall take you in.”
Carol: Dr. Tyler, I’m knocking.
Jerry: Miss Templeton, I’m taking you in.

Carol: Linus, I know a place where Webster wouldn’t find you.
Jerry (Posing as Dr. Tyler): Really? Where?
Carol: Right here. In that guest room.
Jerry: In your apartment? Alone with you? All night?
Carol: Oh, Linus. We’re adults.
Jerry: Yes, but…
Carol: Now, look at it calmly and sensibly. You won’t be disturbed. Right?
Jerry: Right.
Carol: You can concentrate on what you want to do.
Jerry: Well, that’s true.
Carol: Well then, for what you had in mind, isn’t this the best place?
Jerry: Yes, I guess it is.

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 Send Me No Flowers

doris day rock hudson tony randall clint walker send me no flowersPerhaps Judy’s (Doris Day) college sweetheart Bert (Clint Walker) is a suitable replacement for husband George (Rock Hudson)? At least that’s what George’s best friend Arnold (Tony Randall) thinks…

Judy (Doris Day): Oh Bert, I’d like you to meet my husband George and our good friend and neighbor Arnold Nash… Fellows I’d like you to meet Bert Powers, my college…
Bert (Clint Walker): Sweetheart. Hi there Arnold.
George (Rock Hudson): George!
Bert: Oh excuse me George, I thought you were the good friend and neighbor.
George: I am not her good friend. I am her husband!

Judy: When he tells me he’s dying and he doesn’t die… wouldn’t he know that I’d get SUSPICIOUS?

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And two more pictures for you…

Just because I love this picture 🙂

image removed

Image of Doris and Rock removed

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Doris Day, Rock Hudson (ca. 1985)And just because Doris and Rock were lifelong friends

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And that is my entry for the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film blogathon — but there are sooooo many more wonderful Classic Bloggers participating in this event. So, if you want to take a look at the on- and off-screen stories of more Dynamic Duos, please be sure to check out the other entries.  I am honored to be co-hosting the event alongside Aurora of Once Upon a Screen.

Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Blogathons, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Kino Lorber Springtime Blu-Ray/DVD Giveaway Promotion (Blog/Facebook)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Annmarie Gatti

Celebrating Springtime with Kino Lorber!
DVD/Blu-Ray Giveaway, Winner’s Choice of 4 Classic Titles

Now it’s time for the Facebook/Blog version of our Kino Lorber Springtime DVD/Blu-Ray Giveaway Contest! This time we’ll be giving away TWO Kino Classic titles via Facebook and this blog, courtesy of Kino Lorber. Each of our two winners will be able to choose their prize from the four titles listed below. And, remember, we’re also giving away TEN MORE DVDs/Blu-Rays via Twitter this month as well, so please feel free to enter that contest too…

In order to qualify to win a prize via this Facebook/Blog contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, June 9 at 10PM EST. We will pick our two winners via a random drawing and announce them on this Blog the day after the contest ends (Sunday June 10).

If you’re also on Twitter, please feel free to visit us at  @ClassicMovieHub for additional giveaways — because we’ll be giving away TEN MORE Kino Classics there as well! PS: you don’t even need a twitter account to enter! (Click here for twitter contest details)

since you went away, Jennifer Jones and Claudette ColbertJennifer Jones and Claudette Colbert in Since You Went Away
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Here are the titles up for grabs:

   

   

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Since You Went Away: Blu-Ray or DVD available. This heartwarming and soul-stirring portrait of life on the homefront during World War II is a magnificent picture that is rich in humor and poignant with heartbreak. All star cast includes Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten and Shirley Temple.

 

I’ll Be Seeing You:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. Hollywood greats Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten and Shirley Temple top a stellar cast in this tender wartime love story about two troubled strangers who long for a normal life, meet by chance and try to crowd a lifetime of love and laughter into eight days.

 

The Whales of August:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. Screen legends Bette Davis, Lillian Gish and Vincent Price unite their iconic talents in this beautifully photographed, intensely emotional drama that offers unexpected and quite marvelous rewards.

 

Driftwood:  Blu-Ray or DVD available. The magic of eight-year-old Jenny (Natalie Wood), comes alive in this spirited, funny and immensely charming story of a lost orphan girl’s effects on the townspeople who find her.

The Whales of August bette davis lillian gishLillian Gish and Bette Davis in The Whales of August

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ENTRY TASK to be completed by Saturday, June 9 at 10PM EST…

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

THE QUESTION:
Which prize would you like to win and why?

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…

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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 :)

   

   

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Good Luck!

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Contests & Giveaways, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Silents are Golden: Before the Nickelodeon – The Era of Traveling Moving Picture Shows

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Lea Stans

Before the Nickelodeon: The Era of Traveling Moving Picture Shows

We’ve all seen pictures of beautiful 1920s movie palaces, complete with columns, statues, and enormous lit-up marquees. And their ancestor, the Nickelodeon, is fairly well known–those small, crowded little theaters that charged a nickel to see the latest show. But before the late 1900’s heyday of the Nickelodeon and even before the existence of Hollywood itself, many people first saw films at traveling motion picture shows.

A Vitascope projector show at an existing theater.A Vitascope projector show at an existing theater.

These seem to have popped up sometime in the 1890s and were popular throughout the 1900s. They were descended from both magic lantern shows and the fancy exhibitions put on by inventors, showcasing their newly-patented cameras and projectors to a genteel audience. But the wonder of the moving picture couldn’t be contained in those staid lecture halls for long. To many enterprising men in the Victorian era (mainly gents were interested in this line of work), the novelty of cinema presented a unique and interesting way to make a living.

ad_chicago_projecting_company_225_dearborn_moving_picture_machines_1909 1930’s advertisement for a personal Moving Picture Machine.

How would you become the proud owner of a traveling show? Well, you would’ve heard about it either from attending the shows themselves or by seeing advertisements in local newspapers. Such ads offered film equipment and catalogs that provided the “how-tos” of the traveling show business. These catalogs sometimes served as one-stop shops for everything from the latest films to special carbon lights to “snappers,” tiny handheld devices that made a “click” sound to let the projectionist know he needed to change the slide.

For to be a truly successful exhibitor, you see, you wanted to provide a full evening’s worth of entertainment, not simply run a number of films without any fanfare. Thus, the shows also included music and slideshows accompanied by “intensely interesting lectures” (as the catalogs would say). Not only were projected slides already popular, but they were also meant to give people a break from staring at moving pictures. It’s an interesting fact that in the early days of cinema, there was a lot of concern over eyestrain. One catalog from 1907 explained: “The stereopticon views are restful to the eyes, while the motion pictures are somewhat tiring, hence an exhibition covering a period of an hour and a half and consisting of only motion pictures would become tiresome…” (Imagine what the writer would’ve thought of our commonplace, multi-hour superhero movies!)

Colored_Optical_Lantern_Slides_Traveling_Moving_PictureAn example of an antique slide set. (Image from Maggs.com.)

Catalogs also doled out practical advice, such as the following: “Never say ‘I can’t’ or ‘I don’t believe I am equal to the undertaking.’ Such thoughts should never enter the mind of any man.” “Never appear before your audience with your clothes in an untidy condition. Give careful attention to your linen, shave often, keep your hair nicely trimmed, and attend carefully to anything which will add to your personal appearance.” They could also be refreshingly blunt: “Do not undertake to go before the public until you are thoroughly familiar with the operation of your outfit and can go through the different operations almost unconsciously…theatrical people who have been on the stage all their lives practice the new play for weeks and even months in advance, and you certainly should not find it a hardship to practice for at least a few days.”

The amount of money that could potentially be made, in a line of independent work that involved entertainment and travel, was hard to for many ambitious young men to resist– catalogs promised that a traveling show could make a profit of about $1,000 to $5,000 per year. In today’s money that about $25,000 all the way up to a whopping $120,000.

Stereopticons Advertisement, 1905New York Clipper, Dec. 9 1905.

So what were these “moving picture shows” like? They were sometimes in tents with black interiors (which made it easier to view films), but often they were hosted in schools, churches, courthouses, and community halls. Not only was it easier to simply rent a public space, but the refined nature of these establishments helped audiences associate traveling shows with respectability.

The Murray Co. Circus Canvas Advertisement, 1905New York Clipper, August 1905.

Lecture topics might cover “The Grand Canyon,” “The Sights of Paris and the Exposition,” “Around the World in 80 Minutes,” or even timely subjects like “The Slums of New York” or “The Battle of Manila.” Presentations of Passion Plays and other Biblical stories were also popular. There were also illustrated songs slides and comic slides which were often, shall we say, “of their time.”

And as far as films, the amount and variety to choose from was almost bewildering–everything from travelogues to short comedies to one-shot dramas to documentaries on just about any subject. Titles could be charmingly old-timey: A Pastry Cook’s Jokes, Fat and Lean Wrestling Match, How Buttons Got Even With the Butler, A Mysterious Portrait, A Fatal Attempt to Loop-the-Loop on a Bicycle. Most were under two minutes in length, and only cost exhibitors a few dollars apiece. The longest films–the epics of their day–ran about ten minutes long and might cost as much as $100 dollars. These included such titles as A Trip to the Moon and Life of an American Policeman.

Barre Evening Telegraph, Barre VT, March 19, 1902.Barre Evening Telegraph, Barre VT, March 19, 1902.

Beginner exhibitors usually stuck to small towns at first, since the lack of competition made it easier to establish a successful show. They were responsible for all their own publicity–sometimes an “advance man” would travel ahead to put out newspaper ads and put up eye-catching posters. Such a poster might say, for instance:

A Trip to the Holy Land
ILLUSTRATED PANORAMIC LECTURE ENTERTAINMENT
To be given in the Interest and for the Benefit of the Church.
61 PANORAMIC VIEWS 61
Will be Illuminated by Powerful Condensed Light, produced by a recently patented apparatus.
A MOST INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF EACH VIEW
Will be given as it is shown, and considering the interest of all mankind
in this the oldest inhabited spot on earth, this exhibition is something which
EVERY ONE SHOULD SEE.

While it depended on the exhibitor, many shows were advertised as educational or else touted as “beautiful effects” that were “suitable for all.” Sleepy rural areas and mining towns were often good business since traveling shows were the only way residents could experience the novelty of films.

Morning Appeal, Carson City NV, Oct. 8 1902.Morning Appeal, Carson City NV, Oct. 8, 1902.

By about 1908 the heyday of the traveling moving picture show was over, although in some areas they persisted into the 1910s. They were replaced by the wildly popular nickelodeons, which of course eventually evolved into the big theaters we’re familiar with today. But I’m sure back in the 1920s some people still reminisced about the “olden days,” when folks would come from miles around to experience the wonder of moving pictures in humble churches, little schools, and makeshift tents.

—

I am much indebted to my main source material, Darren Nemeth’s 1907 Chicago Projecting Co’s Entertainer’s Supplies Catalog No. 122, a reprint of an extremely rare catalog specifically aimed at traveling exhibitors. Nemeth also includes background information on traveling motion picture shows and other supplemental materials. Highly recommended for silent era researchers!

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–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.

Posted in Posts by Lea Stans, Silents are Golden | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Vitaphone View: Talkies For The Home

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Hutchinson, Founder of The Vitaphone Project

Vitaphone View: Talkies For The Home

With the silent-to-sound revolution in full swing in 1928, it was only a matter of time before talkies for home consumption were developed. Many Americans were enjoying the fruits of a vibrant and growing economy. And with that came more disposable income and buying things on credit.

Home Talkie Disc in Sleeve and LabelHome Talkie disc, disc sleeve, and label.

In movie theatres nationwide, sound films were shown in two formats: Vitaphone (sound-on-disk) and Movietone (sound-on-film). The latter format for the home would not come along until 1932 when RCA Victor introduced their optical sound 16mm projector for non-theatrical use.

By late 1928, a number of companies began offering sound-on-disk talkie systems for the home. In all cases, the system utilized a 16mm silent projector (which used only the required safety film mandated for home use) synchronized mechanically to a 16-inch phonograph turntable. Adapters to connect existing 16mm projector to talkies were also sold.

Gary Lacher Home Talkie Projector 1929Collector Gary Lacher’s 1929 home talkie projector as found in a Portland, Oregon library.

Sound-on-disk talkie systems were sold primarily by QRS (also a piano roll company), DeVry, Bell and Howell, and Home Talkie. The last named was the only company that also made their own talkie shorts for use on these systems (see ad). Customers could either rent or buy sound films. As with movie theatres, they would receive both the mute 16mm print and its accompanying 16-inch soundtrack disk. Also as for theatres, the disks were exactly the same as were used theatrically.

Home Talkie Advertisement 1929 & 1930Advertisements for DeVry home talkie setup and Home Talkie Machine Corp.

These disks systems were operated in a similar way to 35mm Vitaphone disk type projectors used in theatres. The operator would place the marked starting frame of the 16mm print in the projector’s film gate. Then the needle would be positioned at the precise starting spot on the disk, as marked by a large arrow etched into the disk’s surface near the label. As in theatres, starting the unit meant the picture and sound would begin at the exact same time and in synchronization.

Home Talkie Films and DiscsAd for available Home Talkie  films and accompanying disks, made especially for the home market.

As to the films themselves, most were supplied by three Hollywood studios: Columbia, Pathe, and Universal. It’s important to note that the releases were concurrent with those in theatres, so a film playing at the local Loews or Publix movie palace could also be seen — and heard — in a customer’s home. The majority of films were one reel cartoons and shorts. If more than one reel, as in the case of many Pathe two-reel musical and comedy shorts, the projector and turntable would have to be stopped after the first reel, and the second reel and disk cued up before the show could resume. There were even a few feature-length sound films released to the home market, such as Paris Bound (Pathe ’29) starring Frederic March and Ann Harding. But these forays into home talkie features was limited, as, in this example, the projector would have to be stopped and started seven times.

Gary Lacher Home Talkie Complete CollectionShot of Gary Lacher’s acquisition of an entire home talkie collection, including 30 films and disks and the projector and turntable unit.

While most of the sound-on-disk home talkie systems were just projectors and turntables that would be set up on a dining room table, there were more attractive set-ups too. The Visionola encased the mechanics of the system into attractive cabinets that blended with a home’s furnishings. Its lid would be lifted and the film could either be viewed on it or, with a mirror, beam it onto a wall.

Visionola Deluxe Home Cabinet Talkie SetClose up of deluxe Visionola home talkie cabinet set and turntable.

There is at least one known case of a company allowing customers to go into their local studios to make their own home talkies. There were two approaches to this. One could lip synch to an existing commercial record, and use that disk as the sound portion of their film when they later showed it in their home; or they could make their own film with the sound recorded onto wax which was then made into a shellac disk.

Visionola Home TalkieFull view of a deluxe Visionola cabinet home talkie system.

Owning and operating a home talkie system entertained both family and neighbors, as happened two decades later with the emergence of television. But ownership was not cheap. Consider the costs to a just-before-the Crash customer:

1929 Cost to 2018 Equivalent Cost

100’ Home talkie film & disk: $12.00 = $175.00

200’ Home talkie film & disk: $20.00 = $292.00

DeVry 16mm Projector & turntable: $199.00 = $2904.00

Visionola Deluxe Cabinet Unit: $330.00 = $3648.00

DeVry Home Talkie AdvertisementDeVry Home Talkie Advertisement

1929 Home Talkie Advertisement

Home Talkie Advertisement 1929.
Pathe Home Talkie System Advertisement 19291929 advertisement for a Pathe home talkie system.

These home talkies systems enjoyed moderate success but it was very short-lived. Its heyday lasted less than a year, as the stock market crash destroyed the economy and with it, disposable income. Introduced in late 1928, sales barely lasted much into 1930. Of the surviving 16mm home talkie films and disks, none are releases later than that year.

Cineart Home TalkieFrame from a 1929 Cineart home talkie for which customer could go into their studio and lip synch to a current commercial 78rpm recording.

Home talkies have great significance today in the film restoration arena. In some cases, a film’s 35mm nitrate theatrical print is long lost, but since 16mm for the home was always safety film, it may survive. Such is the case with a large cache of home talkie films, disks and even the projector/disk equipment found at a Portland, Oregon library sale c. 1992 by collector Gary Lacher. While it is unknown how the library acquired this trove of 30+ films and disks, Gary snapped them up and contacted The Vitaphone Project. Among the films were many Aesop’s Fables cartoons, Pathe musical and comedy two-reelers, and Universal sports shorts. Most important among these was a 1930 two-reel Pathe short long-considered lost, Two Plus Fours. This was a major discovery as it stars Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys, only recently having finished working on Universal’s King of Jazz. Eventually, a restoration and bump up to 35 mm was made by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, with funding by Crosby fan, Hugh Hefner. More recently, UCLA acquired two Home Talkie brand films and the Project assisted in locating their accompanying soundtrack disks. In the collection of Magic Castle owner Milt Larson. These starred recording artist Isabella Patricola and vaudevillian Phil Baker, respectively. Both films are now being restored by the University of California Santa Barbara.

Home Talkie Phil Baker & AccodionFrame from 1929 Home Talkie short starring comedian Phil Baker. Now being restored.

Today, this first home sound film revolution is little remembered because of its brevity. Little did the manufacturers and studios involved realize that their efforts would be paying restoration dividends nine decades later.

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– 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:

               

 

Posted in Posts by Ron Hutchinson, Vitaphone View | Tagged | 4 Comments

Noir Nook: The Ends of Noir

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Noir Nook: The Ends of Noir

In my first several Noir Nook posts of this year, I focused on beginnings – how some of our favorite noir actors and actresses got their big breaks in Hollywood. This month, I’m looking at endings.

As you know, films noir are characterized by a tone of cynicism and hopelessness, of circumstances that spiral irrevocably out of control. And some of my favorites are those noirs that carry that downbeat tone straight to the end of the film – no cop-outs, no tacked-on happy endings, no rainbows at the end of the clouds. Here are a few of my favorite noirs with what I view as perfect endings (and I’m offering a fair warning if you haven’t seen these – there are major spoilers ahead!):

Double Indemnity (1944)

Double Indemnity Fred MacMurray and Barbara StanwyckBarbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity.

This feature – my favorite noir of all time, incidentally – tells the story of Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), an unhappily married housewife who uses her considerable wiles to convince her insurance salesman lover Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) to help her murder her husband. (Not that he needs all that much convincing.) After successfully knocking off Mr. Dietrichson, Phyllis and Walter don’t exactly live happily ever after. Instead, their relationship is torpedoed by their mutual mistrust and paranoia, not to mention Phyllis fooling around with her stepdaughter’s boyfriend. Ultimately, Phyllis shoots Walter, Walter shoots Phyllis, Phyllis dies on the spot, and Walter’s injury ultimately prevents his desperate attempt to take it on the lam.

Gun Crazy (1950)

Gun Crazy John Dall Peggy Cummins 1950Peggy Cummins and John Dall in Gun Crazy.

This first-rate feature centers on Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) and Bart Tare (John Dall), two sharpshooters whose first encounter takes place at the traveling carnival where Annie works and Bart bests Annie in a shooting contest. (Talk about a meet-cute!) Before you can say “Bob’s your uncle,” the two kids get hitched, but when they lose their meager savings in Las Vegas, Annie talks her straitlaced hubby into teaming with her in a series of small-time robberies. They snag a big payday when they steal the payroll in a meat-packing plant, but they also leave two dead bodies in their wake, thanks to Laurie’s trigger-happy tendencies. On the run from a state-wide manhunt, the couple holes up at Bart’s boyhood home, but they’re tracked into the mountains and surrounded by cops. When Laurie announces her plans to shoot it out with the law, Bart shoots her, just seconds before he himself is gunned down.

The Killing (1956)

The Killing (1956) Sterling Hayden & Coleen GraySterling Hayden stars in The Killing.

In a classic case of best-laid plans going awry, The Killing depicts an intricately planned race track theft by a motley crew that includes Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden), a small-time hood and recently released ex-con; beat cop Randy Kennan (Ted de Corsia), who owes a gambling debt to some shady and none-too-patient characters; and George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr.), a mild-mannered clerk who’s desperate to give his sexy but disdainful wife, Sherry (Marie Windsor), the lavish lifestyle he promised when they married. The heist comes off without a single hitch, but a massive monkey wrench is thrown into the plan when Sherry’s young lover (Vince Edwards) tries to rip off the cash, only to kick off a gun battle that results in the deaths of all concerned – except Johnny, who almost makes a clean getaway with the suitcase full of money, until he’s caught by police at the airport. Oh, and the suitcase falls off a baggage cart, scattering the bills to the four winds. Bummer.

What are some of your favorite noir endings?

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– 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.
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