Star of the Week: Thelma Ritter

Last week's star was that underrated director George Cukor. This week's is my absolute favorite character actress Thelma Ritter.

Real Name: Thelma Ritter
Born: February 14, 1905
     in Brooklyn, New York
Died: February 5, 1969 (age 63)
Height: unknown

What words are there to describe her. Wonderful? Sassy? how about brilliant. I think one of her charms was her sarcastic streak and her accent. If Thelma Ritter ever did a mo

Notable Films: All About Eve, Rear Window, Pillow Talk, The Misfits

Star of the Week: George Cukor

Last weeks star was Olivia de Havilland. This week is a bit different. The Star of the Week is a director. The one who directed such classics as My Fair Lady and The Philadelphia Story: George Cukor.

Real Name: George Dewey Cukor

Born: July 7, 1899 in

     New York City, New York

Died: January 24, 1983 (age 83)
Height: 5-8
Academy Award nominations:
Little Women (1933)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

A Double Life (1947)

Born Yesterday (1950)

My Fair Lady (1964)     WON

I feel that George Cukor was one of the most underrated and underappreciated directors. He made so many classic movies but was often overlooked because of his homosexuality. I've enjoyed all the movies he's made but my favorites are The Philadelphia Story and The Women, which features an all-female cast and is a hysterical film. I personally enjoyed his films with Katharine Hepburn. He should have the recognition that Hitchcock, Capra, or Wilder had but he never got. Often forgotten is the fact that Cukor directed some of Gone With The Wind before he was fired from the project, and Clark Gable had nothing to do with it, contrary to legend. Cukor was known for throwing large parties which were attended by many in the Hollywood circle like Bogart and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn, Judy Garland, Olivier and Leigh and many more. His frequent collaborations with Katharine Hepburn (10 films) stemmed from their real-life friendship.

Notable Films: The Philadelphia Story, Adam's Rib, My Fair Lady, A Star Is Born, Gone With The Wind (half), Gaslight, The Women

Top 6: Thelma Ritter

Thelma Ritter is probably my favorite character actresses ever. I love her sarcasm, wit, and that voice. While charactor actors were in abundance, charactor actresses were fewer and further between. I feel she definately needs to shown some love.

All About Eve...I love her in this. She's witty and takes no bs! If only she was in the movie longer!
Rear Window...the first film i watched of hers and boy, was she awesome. A good foil to Stewart and Kelly.
The Misfits...the last film Gable and Monroe appeared in. She holds her ground very well.
Pillow Talk
Birdman of Alcatraz

Movie Review #11 - The Philadelphia Story

                        The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Director: George Cukor

Cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, John Howard, Ruth Hussey, Virginia Weidler 

Running Time: 112 minutes

Production Co.: MGM Pictures

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Actress - Katharine Hepburn

Best Actor - James Stewart    WON

Best Director

Best Picture

Best Supporting Actress - Ruth Hussey

Best Writing, Screenplay   WON

Philadelphia socialites Tracy Lord (Hepburn) and C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant) married impulsively, with their marriage and subsequent divorce being equally passionate. They broke up when Dexter's drinking became excessive, it a mechanism to cope with Tracy's unforgiving manner to the imperfect, imperfections which Dexter admits he readily has. Two years after their break-up, Tracy is about to remarry, the ceremony to take place at the Lord mansion. Tracy's bridegroom is nouveau riche businessman and aspiring politician George Kittredge (Howard), who is otherwise a rather ordinary man and who idolizes Tracy. The day before the wedding, three unexpected guests show up at the Lord mansion: Macaulay Connor or Mike(Stewart), Elizabeth Imbrie (Hussey)- the two who are friends of Tracy's absent brother, Junius - and Dexter himself. Dexter, an employee of the tabloid Spy magazine, made a deal with its publisher and editor Sidney Kidd to get a story on Tracy's wedding. Mike is sent to photogaph the wedding but finds himself falling for the bride.

This socialite comedy stars three of the greatest stars ever to grace the silver screen: Cary Grant, James Stewart and Katharine Hepburn. Along with a great supporting cast, The Philadelphia Story shines with its brilliance. James Stewart won Best Actor for his role, though many believe it to be a "sorry" Oscar for him not winning for Mr. Smith. That may or may not be true, but Stewart is equally as good. His drunk scene is one of the funniest in film. Even with the great cast, he steals the picture from everyone else. And the whole switching family member roles is a crack up. Kate Hepburn is so great as a snottty, spoiled heiress who gets pulled down from her pedestal. While this isn't my favorite Hepburn-Grant collaboration (that belongs to Bringing Up Baby), this one is just as good, with a great script. While called a screwball comedy, i classify it more as a romantic comedy which i highly recommend. *****

Star of the Week: Olivia de Havilland

Last weeks star was that quiet cowboy Gary Cooper who is incredibly good looking. This week's is that glorious woman who played Errol Flynn's love interest so many times Olivia de Havilland.

Real Name: Olivia Mary de Havilland

Born: July 1, 1916

       in Tokyo, Japan (age 94)

Height: 5-3

Trademark: Quiet women with an inner strength

Academy Award nominations:

Gone With The Wind (1939)
Hold Back The Dawn (1941)
To Each His Own (1946)     WON

The Snake Pit (1948)

The Heiress (1949)      WON

As one of the last surviving leads from the Golden Age, Olivia de Havilland represents a time gone by. She is most known for her role as Melanie in Gone With The Wind and her on-off relationship with co-star Errol Flynn, with whom she starred in 8 movies. Olivia starred alongside some of the greatest stars of Hollywood including Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, James Cagney, Clark Gable, and Leslie Howard. She is also known for the feud with her sister, Joan Fontaine, another famous actress from the Golden Age who is still alive.

I've always liked Olivia de Havilland, ever since i first saw The Adventures of Robin Hood. She was so beautiful. But i saw, for the first time, that an actress could be beautiful and a great actress, something today's starlets have forgotten. My favorite of hers are her two most famous films: GWTW and Robin Hood. Even in GWTW when they tried to ugly her up, you could still see her beauty shining through. I always thought she was a very beautiful woman and a great great actress. God bless you Ms. De Havilland!!!

Notable Films: Gone With The Wind, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Heiress, The Snake Pit, Captain Blood, movies with Errol Flynn

Top 6 - Barbara Stanwyck

                   Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyk was one of the great actresses of Hollywood. Not known as a sex-symbol, she excelled in playing sexy, mysterious dames. Here are her top 5 + an honorable mention:

Double Indemnity...the embodiment of the ambiguous female character
The Lady Eve...Stanwyck and Fonda heat up the screen
Sorry Wrong Number....one word-suspenseful!
Meet John Doe
Stella Dallas
Ball of Fire...this one is so cute

Movie Review #10 - Bringing Up Baby

                          Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Charles Ruggles, May Robson, Barry Fitzgerald, etc. 

Running Time: 102 minutes

Production Co.: RKO Radio Pictures

Academy Award nominations:

none

Mild mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley (Cary Grant) is excited by the news that an intercostal clavicle bone has been found to complete his brontosaurus skeleton, a project four years in the construction. He is equally excited about his imminent marriage to his assistant, the officious Alice Swallow, who is interested in him more for his work than for him as a person. David needs the $1 million endowment of wealthy dowager Mrs. Carleton Random to complete the project. Her lawyer, Alexander Peabody, will make the decision on her behalf, so David needs to get in his favor. However, whenever David tries to make a good impression on Peabody, the same young woman always seems to do something to make him look bad. She is the flighty heiress Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn). The more David wants Susan to go away, the more Susan seems not to want or be able to. The entire movie is about Susan doing whatever she can to keep David. Susan's pet leopard Baby is the center of the story.

A notorious box-office flop in its day, Bringing Up Baby is one of the great classic screwball comedies of all time. Cary Grant is so funny as a nerdy professor who happens to look like Harold Lloyd. Katharine Hepburn appears in her only real comedic role and she shines. She borders on annoying because that's her character yet she is never ridiculous. The supporting cast is excellent. Also appearing are Asta, most famous in the Thin Man series and Baby, the leopard who belongs to Susan. Briskly directed by Howard Hawks, this movie moves at a breakneck speed. It jumps from laughs to more laughs and never lets up. The ending is classic. Why the movie failed, i will never know. Maybe because it was too ahead of it's time. After the film, Katharine Hepburn was named Box Office Poison. Both her and Hawks were fired from RKO. 

Let me say it again, this movie is a MUST SEE and my favorite comedy EVER! I've seen it many many times and it always makes me laugh. *****

Star of the Week - Gary Cooper

Last week's star of the week was Rosalind Russell. This week's star is none other than that famous leading man who starred in many westerns. No it isn't John Wayne. It is Gary Cooper.

Real Name: Frank James Cooper

Born:    May 7, 1901

        in Helena, Montana

Died:   May 13, 1961 (age 60)

Height: 6-3

Academy Award Nominations:

Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936)

Sergeant York (1941)      WON

The Pride of The Yankees (1942)

For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)

High Noon (1952)       WON

*Honorary Oscar* (1961)

Trademark: Slow, deliberate drawl.

                Often appeared in Westerns

Gary Cooper was one of the most famous leading men of the Golden Age who was known for his quiet, stoic acting style. Gary Cooper changed his name in 1925 from Frank to Gary after a casting director suggested Gary because it was "rough and tough". Cooper went on to be one of the most successful and beloved actors of the sound era, making over 100 films and winning 2 Oscars. In 1999 The American Film Institute placed Gary Cooper as the 11th best male star. In my opinion he should be higher. Cooper died in 1961 of pancreatic cancer. He was 60 years young.

Gary Cooper has a very interesting place on my lists. When i first discovered his movies i was not that interested in him as i don't like Westerns very much. But as i watched more movies of his i found his subdued acting refreshing. Some people have criticized him for this but i feel his acting is superb. Much better than any of Brad Pitt's or Tom Cruise's. Even though i still don't like westerns (mainly because of John Wayne), Cooper has made me like the Westerns he was in. But the jury is still out. I like him but he's not my most favorite actor ever. I want to watch more of his movies so i can make a decision. And i'm sure i will like him. I also find Gary Cooper to be extremely good-looking. He may not have been a sex-symbol or anything, but man, he sure was handsome.

Notable Films: Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, Sergeant York, High Noon, Meet John Doe, The Pride of the Yankees  

Top 6 - Errol Flynn

                    Errol Flynn
Errol is one of my favorite classic actors. Known for his swashbuckling movies and his turbulent off-screen life, he was one of the most famous and beloved actors. I've picked 6 of his films:

1. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - The most famous Errol Flynn movie. This one is excellent
2. Captain Blood (1935) - Made Errol Flynn a star.
3. The Sea Hawk (1940)  - Excellent
4. Gentleman Jim (1942)
5. The Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
6. The Dawn Patrol (1938) - a very underrated classic

Movie Review #9 - His Girl Friday

                         His Girl Friday (1940)
Director: Howard Hawks

Cast: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy

Running Time: 92 minutes

Production Co.: Columbia Pictures

Academy Award Nominations: none

Hildy Johnson (Russell) has divorced Walter Burns (Grant) and visits his office to tell him that she is engaged to another man and that they are going to get married the day after. Walter Burns can't let that happen and frames the other man, Bruce Baldwin (Bellamy), for a lot of stuff getting him into trouble all the time, while he tries to steer Hildy back into her old job as his employee (editor of his newspaper). He also wants her back.

Known for it's breathless dialogue, this movie is so funny. Personally i don't know how they talk so fast...Rosalind Russell steals the show. Cary Grant is great as usual. Coming off the success (ok maybe not box-office) of Bringing Up Baby, Howard Hawks does not disappoint. His Girl Friday is an absolute must see. Don't breath or you'll miss the movie.   

note

if you haven't noticed yer, all the Star of the Week and Movie Review are one day off. Everything will be back to normal next Monday!

Star of the Week: Rosalind Russell

Last week's star was Clark Gable. This weeks is one of the most underrated actresses of the Golden Age Rosalind Russell.

Real Name: Rosalind Russell
Born: June 4, 1907 in
    Waterbury, Connecticut
Died: November 28, 1976 (age 69)
Height: 5-8
Academy Award Nominations:
My Sister Eileen (1942)
Sister Kenny (1946)
Mourning Becomes Electra (1947)
Auntie Mame (1958)
Trademark: Wealthy, dignified ladylike roles

Rosalind Russell was a classy, talented actress who never got the recognition she deserved. She is best known for her role as Hildy Johnson in "His Girl Friday" and Mame Dennis in "Auntie Mame" though she starred in other roles. My favorite is His Girl Friday, where she and Cary Grant talked so fast they should have gotten tickets for speeding (haha ok stupid joke). Rosalind Russell died of breast cancer at age 69. RIP Roz.

Rosalind Russell is a treasure that should never be forgotten!

Notable Films: His Girl Friday, Auntie Mame, The Women, Gypsy

Movie Review #8 - The Lady Eve

                         The Lady Eve (1941)
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette
Running Time: 94 minutes
Production Co.: Paramount Pictures
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Writing

Returning from a year up the Amazon studying snakes, the rich but unsophisticated Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) meets con-artist Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) on a ship. They fall in love, but a misunderstanding causes them to split on bad terms. To get back at him, Jean disguises herself as an English lady, and comes back to tease and torment him. Her father (Charles Coburn) is also a con-artist. Jean decides to keep away but she can't.

This is the screwball comedy. Barbara Stanwyck is absolutely amazing (and quite sexy) and Henry Fonda is good as the dimwitted scientist. Directed by the great Preston Sturges who has really grown on me. Barbara Stanwyck portayal of "Eve" as a temptress is spot on. She is very seductive. This has got lots of laughs and slapstick, which Fonda performs perfectly. I give a thumbs up and recommend it fully! Other Preston Sturges films i recommend include Sullivan's Travels and The Palm Beach Story!!

Top 6 - Leo McCarey

                     Top 5 - Leo McCarey 1. An Affair To Remember: My favorite tearjerker! Words can't describe how great it is!
2. The Awful Truth: Hilarious screwball comedy with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
3. Duck Soup: The best Marx Brothers film bar none! and so funny...
4. Going My Way
5. The Bells of St. Mary: Bergman is great in this.
I can't think of a sixth movie...

Movie Review #7 - It Happened One Night

                     It Happened One Night (1934)

Director: Frank Capra

Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert,

Running Time: 105 minutes

Production Co.: Columbia Pictures

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture      WON

Best Director     WON

Best Actor - Clark Gable       WON
Best Actress - Claudette Colbert     WON
Best Writing     WON

Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) disobeys her fathers orders by jumping ship. She must find her way back to her husband. She accepts help from Peter Warne (Gable)...reluctantly. Either she sticks with him or he blows the whole scoop to the nation. He gets what he wants...a juicy story for the papers. But he gets something else. Features the famous scene where Claudette Colbert stops a car by lifting up her skirt and showing her leg.

                                                                  The first movie to win all five "major" Academy Awards. Considered to be the first great screwball comedy, this one is on my top 5 of screwball comedies. A funny story involves Gable, who was being punished for refusing parts. He was sent to Columbia, the lower studio as punishment. He would win the oscar for It Happened One Night. Clark Gable shines as the tough-on-the-outside guy with the soft interior.  This was the film that made me a fan of Claudette Colbert. Directed by Frank Capra who is one of my favorite directors. This movie has laughs (loads of them). My favorite scene is where Gable yells at Colbert as part of a disguise. It a hilarious scene that will make your sides hurt. Also an interesting note: this movie featured Clark Gable, not wearing a shirt. The next day shirt sales plummeted.

I definately, highly, and definately recommend this!

Movie Review - The Awful Truth

During the month of November, Movie Review's will feature Screwball comedies.

                The Awful Truth (1937)

Director: Leo McCarey

Cast: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy

Running Time: 91 minutes

Production Co.: Columbia Pictures Corporation

Academy Award nominations:

Best Picture

Best Actress - Irene Dunne

Best Supporting Actor - Ralph Bellamy

Best Film Editing

Best Writing

Best Directing    WON

Before their divorce becomes final, Jerry (Cary Grant) and Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne) both do their best to ruin each other's plans for remarriage, Jerry to haughty socialite Molly Lamont, she to oil-rich bumpkin Daniel Leeson (Ralph Bellamy). Funny strategies are used by Jerry and Lucy to "mess up" the others plan. But they realize that they can't live without each other.

This is a fun screwball comedy that solidified the Cary Grant persona. While Cary Grant is really good (as usual), Irene Dunne steals the show. She is excellent and funny as heck. Ralph Bellamy is superb as the stiff oilman from Oklahoma. Features Asta the dog, from The Thin Man series. A must see for screwball comedies. Leo McCarey won Best Director, and deservedly. A funny note: there was no script for this movie. Everything was improvised which made it all the better. Cary Grant's comedic timing was impecable. The next year he would star in my favorite comedy, Bringing Up Baby. The Awful Truth was good practice. I rate it 5/5 stars.

Star of the Week - Clark Gable

Last week's star was Deborah Kerr. This week's star is none other than the "King" of Hollywood: Clark Gable

Real Name: William Clark Gable

Born: February 1, 1901 in

              Cadiz, Ohio

Died: November 16, 1960 (age 59)

Height: 6-1

Academy Award Nominations:

It Happened One Night (1934)  WON
Mutiny on The Bounty (1935)

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Trademark: Often played a virile, lovable rogue whose gruff facade only thinly masked a natural charm and goodness.

 - Small pencil thin mustache

Known as "The King of Hollywood", Clark Gable was a force in Hollywood. Although he is known for his role as Rhett Butler in "Gone With The Wind", Gable was excellent in other roles. My favorite of his is It Happened One Night. Gable was paired alongside Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Norma Shearer, and Lana Turner. It was with his wife Carole Lombard that he is most famous. It's very sad that she died in a tragic plane crash. Years of drinking and smoking and his ballooning weight affected his health in his later years. Clark Gable died of a heart attack in 1960. In 1999 the American Film Institute listed Clark Gable as the 7th greatest male star of all time (behind Bogart, Grant, Stewart, Brando, Astaire (?), and Fonda).

Clark Gable is one of my favorite actors (only behind Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Humphrey Bogart). I used to be not like him very much but he's really grown on me. Only through watching his films did i come to realize that Clark Gable was so great. He definately embodied the word "man". and not bad looking either.

Notable Films: Gone With The Wind, It Happened One Night, Mutiny on The Bounty, The Misfits

Joan Crawford said of Gable "he was a king wherever he went. He walked like one, he behaved like one, and he was the most masculine man that I have ever met in my life."

Life Magazine called Gable: "All man... and then some."

Movie Review #5 - Arsenic and Old Lace

                      Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Director: Frank Capra

Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Josephine Hull, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Jean Adair, John Alexander, Edward Everett Horton

Running Time: 118 minutes

Production Co.: Warner Bros.
Academy Award Nominations: none

 

A dark comedy, Cary Grant stars as Mortimer Brewster, a newlywed dramatic critic. His two aunts seem normal but they have a secret. They kill lonely old gentlemen. Then there is his brother, Jonathan (Massey)who looks like Boris Karloff and his brownnosing assistant Dr. Einstein (Lorre). There's his happy go lucky wife, Elaine, who frankly, talks way too much. Breezily directed by the master Frank Capra (of It's A Wonderful Life fame). Not for very young children but older children, teens, and adults will enjoy this movie. Full of laughs and contortions, this is sort of a dark slapstick comedy. Highly recommended.

Top 6 - Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman is one of the best actresses ever to grace the silver screen. Her name is synonimous with grace, beauty, and great acting ability. One of my favorite actresses, i think Bergman is up on the platform with Davis and Hepburn. As with all the stars it is hard to pick 6 movies. Here is what i have:

Casablanca
Notorious
Gaslight
Spellbound
Autumn Sonata
The Bells of St. Mary's
Honorable mention:
Murder on The Orient Express

Halloween plans

On Halloween night, i will be watching two movies "Psycho" and "Arsenic and Old Lace". Oh i'm excited. Every Halloween i have a tradition of watching either a scary movie (not too scary) or a Halloween themed movie. And i will be giving out candy. Twix and Milky Ways n' 3 Musketeers. Man i really want to gobble them down but i won't....

Movie Review #4 - East of Eden

                    East of Eden (1955)

Director: Elia Kazan

Cast: James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Richard Davalos, Jo Van Fleet

Running Time: Warner Bros.

Production Co.: 115 minutes
Academy Award Nominations:

Best Supporting Actress-Jo Van Fleet

Best Actor-James Dean
Best Directing-Elia Kazan
Best Writing (Adapted Screnplay)-Paul Osborn

Based on John Steinbeck's book with the same title, East of Eden is a story of Cain and Abel. Young Cal Trask (Dean) seeks his fathers (Massey) love. Meanwhile he envies his brother (Davalos) because his father loves him and not Cal. There is a lot in this movie which i will not spoil so go see it for yourself.

This is my personal favorite of James Dean. Rebel Without A Cause is his most famous, one that is good but not great. Giant is very interesting but as i said good but not great. East of Eden is something different. Dean is very raw as an emotionally hurting boy. I think his performance was very convincing and richly deserved an Oscar nomination. I've never been that great a fan of Dean because he always seemed to try to be Brando. This movie was the only one released while James Dean was alive. Raymond Massey is good, as usual, as the strict, religious father. The cast is good and does a good job of acting.

A note to Hollywood

Hollywood shame on you! How far you've fallen...from Gone With The Wind and Casablanca, such great stars like Gable, Grant, Hepburn, Davis, and directors Hitchcock, Capra and Wilder TO...well what have we now? Fake, druggies who can't act their way out of a paper bag (their are exceptions!). Why i could probably act better than they can. All the stars are made out of the same cookie cutter. There is no variety! That's what made classic Hollywood so great! I can't think of many contemparary directors who are good. The movies have little or no plot, are packed with CGI, sex, nudity, and other obscene stuff! That is why i scoff at so called "stars" like Megan Fox. As for looks, old Hollywood was glamorous and real. Not fake body parts. The men were handsome and could act (for the most part). The woman could be sexy, tough, or mysterious. Hedy Lamarr or Grace Kelly, or Audrey Hepburn could knock their fake faces off. Give me Clark Gable, Cooper, Valentino, or Cary Grant over the Brad Pitt's of Hollywood.

Oh and stop with the remakes!

Star of the Week: Deborah Kerr

Last week's star was Peter Lorre. This week the new Star of the Week is Deborah Kerr.

Real Name: Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer

Born: September 30, 1921 in Helensburgh, Scotland

Died: October 16, 2007 (age 86)

Height: 5-7

Academy Award nominations: 6 nominations-

Edward My Son(1950)
From Here To Eternity(1953)
The King and I(1956)
Heaven Knows Mr. Allison(1957)
Separate Tables(1958)
The Sundowners(1960)
No Oscar wins!

Trademark: played classic English ladies

Deborah Kerr made an entrance into Hollywood, playing proper English woman. Her role in "From Here To Eternity" cast her as an adulterous woman. In 1956 she starred in what is arguably her most beloved work "The King and I" opposite Yul Brynner. The following year, she starred alongside Cary Grant in "An Affair To Remember" (which is one of my personal favorites). In 1968 she retired from movie making. In 1994, Deborah Kerr received an Honorary Oscar for her motion picture achievements.

Deborah Kerr is one of my favorite actresses. While not a Hepburn, Davis or even Bergman, Kerr was an extremely underrated actress who wasn't as appreciated as she should be. She was entirely believable as the prim-and-proper lady, though she would grow tired of this role. I have seen many of her movies and i have loved every one, especially The King and I and An Affair To Remember. Deborah Kerr holds the record for most nominations (6) without a win. Only Thelma Ritter has more nominations (8) without a win. 

Notable Films: From Here To Eternity, The King and I, An Affair To Remember, Black Narcissus

A TCM lovefest...

TCM. I'm sure you've at least heard of it. It stands for Turner Classic Movies. All they do is broadcast classic movies 24/7 with no commercial interruption (i hate commercials!) and promos of their own stuff. You will never see a McDonald's commercial on. All this is great. They show great old movies, the only problem is...i don't have them. I don't have cable or satellite. Just plain old boring TV, which i rarely watch. Oh i wish that i had TCM. So you know what i do? I find out their schedule and when a certain movie is on, i watch it at the same time, so it's like i'm watching TCM (i know it's dumb). Once i went to a friend's house and found out they had TCM. "I didn't even know i had that channel". I was thinking here are good people with that glorious network and they don't even know they have it while i dream of having that. So i joked "maybe we should switch houses".

Well i'm sure you get the picture, i love TCM (their film fest was absolutely amazing, mindblowing, aahh!). Oh maybe one day i'll get it and then i'll never do anything else.

Top 6 - Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy was probably one of the best actors, in that he never seemed to be acting. His performances were always true. Here are his top 6 performances in no order (it's hard to pick 6):

Inherit The Wind
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Captain's Courageous
Boy's Town
Judgement At Nuremberg
Bad Day At Black Rock
Honorable mention: Adam's Rib

Classic movie DVD's are in danger

Well you heard it from me and i heard it from the LA Times. Unfortunately with DVD sales dropping, movie companies are looking for ways to save money. So they scrap certain movies. And those are classic movies. Classic movies will either take longer to reach DVD or Blu-Ray, or they will never be released. Since all the focus is on modern movies, classics are left in the dust, which is shameful. Which is why i am going on a DVD craze on Amazon. I've been to all the stores, from Best Buy and Borders to DVD Rental and they don't have many or any old movies. And the stores that do, say Borders, charge outrageous prices (24.99) for an old movie. So i go to Amazon where i buy them for used prices or new. Very affordable!. I've bought All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, The Ghost and Mrs Muir, Now Voyager, Mildred Pierce, Gone With The Wind, and much more.

You know what i say to the movie studio, do not cut old movies from your repertoire of collections. And i also say to the average dummy of a movie viewer, expand your horizons. Don't watch that junk. As Dr. Jaquith in "Now Voyager" said "Not that way, this way". Come to watch classic movies and you will love them.

Movie Review #3: Harvey

                            Harvey (1950)
Director: Henry Koster
Cast: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway

Running Time: 104 minutes

Production Co.: Universal Pictures

Academy Award nominations: Best Actor-James Stewart

Academy Award wins: Best Supporting Actress-Josephine Hull

When you think of 1950 two movies usually come up All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard. But there is another quaint little movie that i simply adore: Harvey. It stars Jimmy Stewart (whom i love) as Elwood P. Dowd, a gentle man who has a 6 foot invisible rabbit friend. Obviously everyone thinks that he is crazy. His sister (Josephine Hull) decides to institutionalize him. But they think that his sister is the crazy one and lock her up. The doctor and nurse fall in love with Elwood P. Dowd and Harvey (not literally

Harvey is the underrated movie of 1950. Jimmy Stewart is lovable as Elwood. Josephine Hull won the Oscar in a very tough year, but yes she deserved it. Harvey is never seen but the audience knows he is there. The rest of the supporting cast is good as well.

I highly recommend this movie. Harvey will cheer you up and make your troubles go away. Perfect on a rainy day...sit back and enjoy!

note!

The Movie Review will be moving from Thursday to Wednesday. Thank you!
Alas starting on Saturday a new program, Top 5, will be starting. This series reviews a stars/directors top 5 movies. Don't worry i won't spoil anything. Hope you enjoy!

So here is the schedule of the works:
Monday - Star of the Week series (here is a secret-the next star is Deborah Kerr)
Wednesday - Movie Review (another secret-the next movie is Harvey)
Saturday - Top 5 series (alas another secret-the first star is the actor who was famous alongside Katharine Hepburn)

Just to let you know there may be more series coming up in the following months!
I'm always trying to find innovating ways of making series-different ones so it doesn't get boring. I feel one coming in a month or so. Wait and see!!!

Star of the Week: Peter Lorre

Today's Star of the Week is the great character actor Peter Lorre.

Real Name: Laszlo Lowenstein

Born: June 26, 1904 in Rozsahegy, Hungary

Died: March 23, 1964 (age 59)

Height: 5-5
No Academy Award nominations!

Trademark: sinister foreigners, often in crime or mystery movies. Bulging eyes, round face, and a nasal voice that is instantly recognizable.

Lorre became a star in Fritz Lang's M, in which he plays a child murderer. At Warner Bros., Peter Lorre became a very famous character actor, often with Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet. It was in John Huston's The Maltese Falcon that Lorre skyrocketed to fame, playing shady characters. He also appeared in Casablanca alongside Bogart and Greenstreet. He showed he had comedic flair in Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace, his portrayal of a murderer is quite funny (it doesn't hurt to star with Cary Grant, Raymond Massey and be directed by Frank Capra). In the 40s and 50s Lorre found it increasingly difficult to find good roles. In 1964 he died of a stroke. 

Peter Lorre is one of my favorite character actors, along with Rains, Brennan, Mitchell, and Sanders. It is a shame that character actors or actresses have disappeared from modern movies. Sure we have supporting characters, but they just aren't the same. In the old days, a character actor could just as popular as the leading star was. Well they were the good 'ole days! 

Vincent Price had once said of Lorre, "His voice . . . face . . . the way he moved . . . laughed - he was the most identifiable actor I have ever known."

Notable movies: M, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace