Golden Hollywood

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Director of Brilliance

2011-12-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Joe Mankiewicz There are few Hollywood directors with a better artistic reputation than Joseph L. Mankiewicz. He was a brilliant scriptwriter and producer before becoming one of the most skilful and successful directors in movie history. After learning his trade in the 1930’s and 1940’s, working with some of the most influential directors of the time, such as George Cukor, Fritz Lang and Frank

The Bandwagon-Happy Hollywood

2011-11-18T01:47:00.000-08:00

‘The Bandwagon’ is a wonderfully happy movie with a top class cast. As well as Fred Astaire, it stars Nanette Fabray, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant and Jack Buchanan, all seasoned, proven perfomers and all ideally suited to blend expertly with the sizzling, brilliant dancing of the master, Astaire. The music of ‘The Bandwagon’ is brilliant. The song “That’s Entertainment” has become a standard and

Dana Andrews, Always Recognised, Never Known

2011-10-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Dana Andrews has the sort of face that audiences find familiar but cannot put a name to. He started his career always in secondary roles but in high quality movies such as 'The Westerner' in 1940 and 'The Ox-Bow Incident' in 1943. then in 1944 he was given his first starring role, with Gene Tierney in the hit movie 'Laura', followed by his best known role as the returning soldier, Fred Derry, in

Frank Borsage, Forgotten Director

2011-10-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Although Frank Borsage is a less well known director than some of his contemporaries, such as Alfred Hitchcock or George Cukor, he was exceptionally successful in the era spanning the end of the Silents and beginning of the Talkies. The very first Oscar for Directing was won by Borsage in 1927 for his 'Seventh Heaven' starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, and he soon won a second Oscar

Gregory Peck in 'Gentleman's Agreement'

2011-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

'Gentleman's Agreement' is a brilliant and powerful, ground-breaking film made in 1947, directed by Elia Kazan, dealing directly with the hitherto unspoken subject of anti-Semitism. It starred Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield and Celeste Holm and was based on the novel of the same name by Laura Hobson which was actually published at the same time as the film was released. The

Little Women (1933), A Katharine Hepburn Masterclass

2011-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Most of us are familiar with the novel "Little Women" by Louis May Allcott. It is a moving and entertaining account of the March family- the mother and four daughters-and their lives whilst the father is away on Civil War service. The story is timeless and heartwarming and recounts events in the life of each sister, with the emphasis on Jo, played by Katharine Hepburn, as they grow, and

Judy Holliday, brilliant actress who died too young

2011-04-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Judy Holliday had a genius IQ of 172 but, ironically, made her name playing dumb blondes, and doing it very well. She made her name in 1949 in the role of Doris Attinger in the highly successful George Cukor movie 'Adam's Rib', starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. She then won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1951 for her performance as 'Billie' Dawn in 'Born Yesterday'. She

Sidney Greenstreet, Portrayer of Shrewd Villainy

2011-03-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Sidney Greenstreet was as unforgettable as he was unmistakeable. His large frame seemed to threaten to take over any scene in which he appeared and underlined the menace and authority which many of his roles demanded. Born in Kent in South East England in 1879, Greenstreet left home when he was eighteen to seek his fortune as a tea planter in Ceylon, but was forced to return home within a few

The King and I, Whistle a Happy Tune

2011-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

'The King and I' is pure entertainment, a musical film full of wonderful songs and memorable dancing. It was made in 1956 and stars Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr and Rita Moreno. It is based on Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1951 smash Broadway musical hit of the same name, which, in turn, is based on Margaret Landon's book "Anna and the King of Siam". Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr

Eleanor Powell, The World's Greatest Tap Dancer

2011-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Eleanor Powell was an American film actress and a graceful and nimble-footed dancer who became famous during the 1930's and 1940's,for her creative, quick-fire, solo tap dancing routines and became known as the ”Queen of Tap Dancing”. She featured in several Broadway revues, and her first movie appearance was in George White's 'Scandals of 1935'. When she appeared in 'Broadway Melody of

Gabby Hayes - the eternal sidekick

2011-01-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Who can forget the grizzled bewhiskered face, that throaty voice or those wonderful 'yer durn tootin' and 'young whipper snapper' expressions of Gabby Hayes. He became famous in the early years of Talkies during the 1930's and 1940's as sidekick to stars like Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. He became so popular that he was consistently featured in the top ten polls of favorite

The Night of the Hunter, A Robert Mitchum Masterclass

2011-01-12T03:32:00.000-08:00

Made in 1955 and the only film to be directed by Charles Laughton, 'The Night of the Hunter' is a masterpiece of a movie, a haunting and frightening Biblical tale of greed, corruption, seduction and innocence. It stars Robert Mitchum, a vastly underrated actor, as one of Hollywood's most unforgettable villains, "Reverend" Harry Powell, dressed in clerical black and white and with the words "

1950's Sweater Girls in Hollywood - Hot Pics

2010-12-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

'Sweater girls' was a term coined in the late 1940's and 1950's to describe movie star sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe, Lana Turner and Jayne Mansfield who introduced the popular fashion for wearing tight sweaters and blouses with cone shaped bras called 'bullet bras' which had pointed tips, and which showed off their breasts to great effect. The bullet bra was also known as a torpedo or cone

Anita Ekberg, Big, Blonde and Beautiful

2010-09-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Anita Ekberg was Sweden's answer to Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield combined. For a while during the 1950's she was one of the most famous film stars in the world and certainly one of the sexiest. She loved to show off her curvy, voluptuous body with enormous breasts. They got plenty of exposure. In 1952, Anita was a cover girl for Look magazine and by January 1956, she was on the cover of

Yankee Doodle Dandy - A Cagney Masterclass

2010-06-25T00:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone who wonders why James Cagney stands in the very top echelon of Hollywood movie stars, take a look at 'Yankee Doodle Dandy', made in 1942.It would be terribly easy from a postmodern, politically correct, and sophisticatead perspective to regard the movie as jingoistic wartime propaganda. Indeed, this flag-waving musical extravaganza biopic, detailing the life of patriotic |Irish

Douglas Fairbanks - The First Swashbuckler

2010-06-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Douglas Fairbanks was the laughing daredevil of the silent screen in swashbuckling roles in adventure movies such as 'The Thief of Bagdad', 'Robin Hood', and 'The Mark of Zorro'. He invented the slyly self-parodic action hero, setting the tone for a line of successors from Errol Flynn to Bruce Willis.Fairbanks was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman in Denver, Colorado on May 23, 1883. He moved to

The Man From Laramie

2010-05-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

'The Man from Laramie' was the last of a run of outstanding Westerns made by Anthony Mann, shortly to graduate to bigger (perhaps less interesting) projects like 'El Cid' in 1961, and James Stewart, whose angst-driven cowboys of the 1950's run parallel with his self-doubting Hitchcock heroes. The plot hook is almost noirish, prefiguring 1971's 'Get Carter', as Will Lockhart (Stewart) investigates

Gregory Peck

2010-05-09T01:01:00.000-07:00

Gregory Peck entered movies in brooding, handsome, troubled roles, and emerged as one of Hollywood's most treasured movie stars, representing decency, conviction, intelligence and moral fortitude. He wowed audiences with his strong physique and suave good looks, and, with four Oscar nominations and one Oscar win, the critical establishment did not fail to acknowledge his talents as an actor. He

Jayne Mansfield - Cartoon Pneumatic Blonde

2010-05-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

Jayne Mansfield was a pneumatic Blonde bombshell whose few substantial film roles tended to use her as a living cartoon. Below Marilyn Monroe and Kim Novak but above Sheree North and Mamie van Doren in the 1950's pinup pecking order, Mansfield was a limited but likable screen performer, lucky enough to feature in one bona fide movie classic, Frank Tashlin's rock'n'roll-packed exercise in visual

Cesar Romero, Latino Superstar

2010-04-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Born of Cuban parents in New York City, Cesar Romero started out as a ballroom dancer before he appeared in the 1927 production of 'Lady Do' on Broadway. His screen debut was in 'The Shadow Laughs' in 1933, and he played various Latin hoods and gigolos in movies such as 'The Thin Man' in 1934 and 'Hold 'Em Yale' the following year. After playing sidekick in 'Return of the Cisco Kid' in 1939, ;he

Ava Gardner, Classic Hollywood Beauty

2009-09-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ava Gardner was one of the most beautiful actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. She was born in 1922, the youngest of seven children of poor tobacco farmers and she worked hard to become one of the most glamorous and desirable actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age.Ava was invited for an interview at the MGM studios purely on the grounds of her remarkable beauty. She then moved to Hollywood in 1941,

Elia Kazan, Great Director

2009-07-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Elia Kazan is a fascinating twentieth-century American. An immigrant, he was brought to America when he was only four. While he has never lost his Greek-Turkish roots-as witness 'America America -few native directors made films that so persistently dealt with American problems and subjects, ot that were so absorbed in the American regard for sincere intensity of performance.He is a superficial

Orson Welles and Citizen Kane

2009-07-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ego is simultaneously a blunt weapon and a shield from the world. In the case of Orson Welles, ego is the key for interpreting a career of such uneven result that, were it not for strength of ego, he never would have succeeed at all. But because of that same ego, he upset many, lost great fortunes, and was always searching for work. The other key for interpreting Welles is performance; not just

Stagecoach, The Western Redefined For Ever

2009-04-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

(left)George Bancroft, John Wayne and Claire Trevor John Ford hadn't made a western for a dozen years when he cast John Wayne and Claire Trevor in a story about a stagecoach ride through dangerous Indian territory. The film does not stint on the genre's traditional satisfactions and the last part of the film packs in plenty of action, including a gunfight between Wayne and the Plummer gang and a

The Grapes of Wrath

2009-04-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Few American pictures in the 1930's got to grips with the suffering and dislocation of the Great Depression. Hollywood largely left it to other media such as the theater, novels, and photography to document the national disaster.John Steinbeck's novel, first published in 1939, was based on solid research, following dispossessid farming families from Oklahoa as they journeyed to the orchards of