Out of the Past ~ A Classic Film Blog

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ The Honeymoon Machine (1961)

2012-05-23T09:09:00.001-04:00

Some people function better when things get hot. – Steve McQueen at Lt. Ferguson

The Honeymoon Machine (1961) stars Steve McQueen as Lt. Ferguson (Fergie). On board a Navy ship is Ferguson and Jason Eldridge (Jim Hutton), a scientist who has developed a computer sophisticated enough to predetermine where a missile is going to land. Their first test run, Operation Honeymoon Machine, proves to be a success. In our digital age, looking back at a big clunky computer called MACS is amusing at best.

When the ship docks in Venice, Italy, Ferguson (McQueen), a big gambler, comes up with a plan to use MACS to predict where the ball of a roulette wheel will land. If Ferguson, Jason and their two buddies can manage it, they’ll make a killing at the local casino's roulette table.

Everything seems to be going according to plan until Ferguson meets Admiral Fitch’s (Dean Jagger) daughter Julie (Brigid Bazlen) and Jason (Jim Hutton) reunites with his old flame Pam (Paula Prentiss) . Both ladies have marriage on their mind and Ferguson and Jason are even more eager to win a boatload of money in order to secure a future with both dames. However, Julie’s father, the Admiral, witnesses morse code signals being sent from the docked ship to their hotel. What he doesn’t realize is that a sailor is sending MACS predictions for the roulette wheel. The Admiral misinterprets this as inside information about a potential Russian invasion. Can Ferguson and Jason pull off Operation Honeymoon Machine with a nosy and paranoid Admiral snooping around?

The movie's plot is really interesting but poorly executed. The Honeymoon Machine suffers from the common problem of 1960s comedies that try to be too zany and whacky at the expense of real humor. Steve McQueen had great range and I believe he could do humor well. He did the best he could with such a limited role. Also, the female characters are so weak. They both only seem to be concerned with marriage. While Pam is adorably goofy, Julie is just plain boring.

While this film is just plain ridiculous, I think there are a few reasons for the 1960s film fan to watch it.

Steve McQueen playing an atypical fun role is very refreshing to watch.

Yeah so I'm posting a picture of Steve McQueen half-naked. So what? Take that Google Search!

Fans of Where the Boys Are (1960) will recognize Jim Hutton (actor Timothy Hutton’s father) and Paula Prentiss. According to IMDB, Hutton and Prentiss were paired up romantically in four films because their height suited each other. Hutton was 6’ 5” and Prentiss is 5’ 10”.

If you’ve seen King of Kings (1961), you’ll recognize Brigid Bazlen (Julie) who played Salome in that film:

Those of you who are big Steve McQueen fans may recognize Jack Weston who was also in The Cincinatti Kid (1965) and Thomas Crown Affair (1968) . Weston plays a drunk Signalman in the film and rivals Pam (Paula Prentiss) as the funniest character in the film.

1960s Hollywood seemed to have a love affair with Italy and The Honeymoon Machine, being set in Venice, is a perfect example of that. Fans of ‘60s films will love the wardrobe, the set design, the fancy casino and gorgeous Venice as a backdrop.

While The Honeymoon Machine (1961) is more palatable than really crazy and just plain boring films from the decade, such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964) or Lord Love a Duck (1966) , it should be reserved for those 1960s fans who can appreciate the decade’s kooky films. And because I love kooky films, I think this one may deserve a future viewing so I can appreciate it more.

Useless and Morbid trivia bit: All of the stars of this film, except for Paula Prentiss, have passed away. In my online research I discovered that Brigid Balzen, Jim Hutton and Steve McQueen all succumbed to cancer at relatively young ages: 44, 45 and 50 respectively.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Movies selected are rented from Classicflix or purchased from Warner Archive, Classicflix or TCM. This series is not sponsored by Warner Archive.

Isn't Paula Prentiss delightful?

Warner Archive Wednesday - The Mating Game (1959)

2012-05-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you love '90s British television as much as I do, you may be familiar with the show The Darling Buds of May (1991). Based on a novel by the same name, the TV series follows the eccentric and fun loving Larkin family circa 1950s England. The Larkins live in idyllic Kent and are such loveable and hospitable free spirits you can't help but want to move in to their home.

Novelist H.E. Bates wrote 5 books about the Larkin family with the first one, The Darling Buds of May, being published in 1958. The book must have been an instant success as it was picked up and adapted into a movie just the following year. The Mating Game (1959) moves the Larkin family from Kent to Maryland in the good ole USA.

The Larkin family is a quirky bunch. Pop Larkin (Paul Douglas) and Ma Larkin (Una Merkel) run a successful farm, that's been in the family for over 150 years, and have raised a wild but productive bunch of kids including their eldest daughter, the headstrong Mariette (Debbie Reynolds). Pop is well-loved by the community because he is always willing to help out others with supplies or services when they are in need. The Larkins keep no bank account, pay no taxes and don't believe in saving money. As long as they sleep good and eat good, they are happy. Not everyone in the community loves the Larkin family though. Their wealthy neighbor is tired of their quirky antics and wants revenge. He finds their one weak spot, their history of tax evasion, and decides to sic the IRS on them.

Life is just Perfick

The real reason why the uppity neighbors don't like the Larkin family is more thoroughly and candidly explored in the British TV series. Pop and Ma Larkin have been together for many years but have never married. Their relationship is open and Pop is free to court other ladies. Their eldest Mariette sleeps around with some of the local boys, has a pregnancy scare and doesn't know who the father might be. On top of that, one of their other daughters Primrose lusts after the the town's new Vicar (in Maryland I guess he would just be a pastor). I know what you are thinking, this is a bit scandalous for the 1950s. Well the characters in the community thought so too. Although they don't send a tax man over to investigate, he comes on his own. While The Mating Game tries to add a bit of that scandal into the movie, they don't go all the way for obvious reasons.

With the American 1959 adaptation, we just have to assume the neighbor is a jerk and leave it at that. It's assumed (but never said) that Pop and Ma Larkin are married and Mariette only goes so far as to tease the neighborhood boys and ride horses with them. And Primrose just doesn't exist at all.

Back to the story. The IRS sees that Pop Larkin has never paid income tax and they send Lorenzo "Charley" Charlton (Tony Randall) out to investigate. Charley has the best intentions to carry out his duty however he begins to succumb to Mariette's charms, Pop's liquor and the Larkin's genuine brand of hospitality.

A drunk Charley (Tony Randall) in only his shirt, socks and underwear dancing around the Larkin home.

The Mating Game is a fun movie. I was happy when Warner Archive released it on DVD-R because I had been wanting to watch this film for a long time and TCM's showings always happened to elude me. However, I am such a huge fan of The Darling Buds of May that this little American adaptation just doesn't compare. I love Una Merkel and Paul Douglas. In fact I love them so much, they could be in any movie and I would like it simply because of their presence. However, the Pop and Ma Larkin of the British TV show are so much more loveable. Whenever I watch The Darling Buds of May, I want to move in with the Larkin family. With the American Larkin Family, I was just happy for a visit but didn't want to stay any longer.

The plus side to this movie is that Debbie Reynolds is a much better fit to play the spunky Mariette than Catherine Zeta-Jones and a young Tony Randall is a lot more fun to watch than Philip Franks of the British version.

Tony Randall is confused by Debbie Reynold's mullet.

Trivia bit: This was Paul Douglas' last film. Billy Wilder sought him out to play the part of Jeff Sheldrake in The Apartment (1960) but Douglas died of a heart attack before filming. The role eventually went to Fred MacMurray.

Note: I have not read the 5 H.E. Bates novels so I can only compare the TV series to the movie and not the books to either.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Movies selected are rented from Classicflix or purchased from Warner Archive, Classicflix or TCM. This series is not sponsored by Warner Archive.

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ Susan Slept Here (1954)

2012-05-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Back when I was reveling in the luxury of having digital cable, I would sometimes catch a glimpse at a very strange scene on TCM. A dolled up Debbie Reynolds eating strawberries and mixed pickles. Together. Covered with cream. Why would anyone eat strawberries and pickles together? Was the character pregnant? Crazy? On a strange Hollywood diet? For years the image of Reynolds happily devouring strawberries and pickles together haunted me.

Strawberries and pickles?

Yes, strawberries and pickles.

Strawberries and mixed pickles for breakfast or for an after-dinner snack.

It was only years later that I watched the movie with that infamous Strawberries and Pickles scene:
Susan Slept Here (1954)

Susan Slept Here (1954) is Dick Powell's last film. He plays Mark Christopher, a 35 year old ::snickers:: novelist and screenwriter who just won an Oscar at the Academy Awards. His Oscar statuette is the narrator of the film. No I'm not joking. He's the narrator of the film.

Mark is a pickle (perhaps with a strawberry on the side). He is currently experiencing a sort of writer's block. He's a bachelor and keeps a very rich fiancee, Isabella (Anne Francis) at a distance. His makeshift family includes his personal assistant Maude (Glenda Farrell), his gofer Virgil (Alvy Moore) and his maid Georgette (Maidie Norman). But he's missing one thing: a muse.

In comes Susan (Debbie Reynolds ). She's a 17 year old, underage delinquent who socked a soldier and is about to be jailed. The vice squad pities her as her mom is away and it's Christmas Eve. They pass her off to Mark (Dick Powell) to take care of just until Christmas and her sentencing is over. However, Mark finds his long-lost muse in Susan and he wants to keep her around a little longer. For inspiration of course. But it's problematic because she's 1) underage and 2) an unmarried female staying in a bachelor's home. Solution? Marry her! At least temporarily, so he can get his story and she can avoid jail time. They can always annul the marriage later.

::Spoiler alert::

So why strawberries and pickles? They are an odd pair. Just like Susan and Mark. They don't seem like they go together but for them it works. Susan is like the strawberry. A bit tart when you bite into it but it's all sweetness thereafter. Mark is like the pickle. Sour and wrinkled but enjoyable in a way very different from strawberries. And the combination of strawberries and pickles is one of the things that unite them. Because, as they discover in the end, they both really love strawberries and pickles, and each other.

::Spoiler alert end::

Did you know that the Catholic Legion of Decency banned the film because of it's title and subject matter? Watching it today one can't help notice how innocent it really is however at the time it did push some boundaries. And there is nothing I like better than a film that pushes some boundaries.

What does or does not happen in the bedroom is the crux of the story.

Fans of 1950s domestic style will fall in love with Mark's apartment.

Just take a look at that Christmas tree!

No seriously. Take a look at that tree!

I really want this set. Breakfast server with lid, Grapefruit holders, toast trays, coffee carafe, ::sigh::

This film is very trippy in the way that sometimes 1950s films are. Anne Francis' Isabella is given outlandish outfits and a lavish apartment that only someone very wealthy could afford.

Doesn't Isabella know that frowning will give her wrinkles?

Also, Susan has this very strange dream and we are delighted (or perhaps traumatized) by an odd dream sequence musical number.

Not quite Gold Diggers of 1933 but even an aging Dick Powell can pull it off.

Even my weirdest dreams aren't that weird.

I poke fun but this was a really enjoyable movie. One of the reasons is that it doesn't take itself to seriously. You'll also be hypnotized by all the color and the '50s design and wardrobe.
If you are looking for a good rainy day movie to brighten your day and lift your spirits, I would recommend Susan Slept Here. If you need a snack to eat while you are watching it, I would stick with popcorn and NOT strawberries and pickles.

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ It All Came True (1940)

2012-05-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

"Don't worry about me baby. I got myself covered both ways from the middle." Humphrey Bogart as Chips Maguire

It All Came True (1940) is a little film with a big cast. The movie takes place in the Gay '90s (or maybe not, I couldn't quite tell. It could be that they were being nostalgic). The story follows the story of convict Chips Maguire (Humphrey Bogart) as he hides in a boarding house in order to avoid being arrested by the cops who are hot on his trail. He gets help from his buddy Tommy Taylor (Jeffrey Lynn), a musician who found himself on the wrong side of the tracks and in a whole lot of trouble.

Tommy takes Chips back to the home of his mom Mrs. Nora Taylor (Jessie Busley). They haven't seen each other in many years so it's a very sweet reunion. At the boarding home you'll find Sarah Ryan (Ann Sheridan), a beautiful wise-cracking dame who is having a bit of trouble with money so she's staying with her mom (Una O'Connor). Also at the boarding house is a cast of eccentric characters including Miss Flint played by the ever delightful Zasu Pitts. No one at the boarding house knows that Chips Maguire is a felon on the lam except for Tommy. But soon they start figuring out what is going on and Chips finds himself on edge.

Chips don't want no stinkin' broth!

I always have a difficult time picking out which film from the 1940s I want to watch. It's a tricky decade with me and if I chose a film it has to be just right. It was a comfort for me to see many of my favorite characters actors including Zasu Pitts, Una O'Conner (Christmas in Connecticut) and John Litel (Nancy Drew films).

Humphrey Bogart had been typecast in the 1930s as a gangster/criminal that it is very natural to him again in this role. It All Came True comes just before Bogart's films High Sierra and Casablanca in which he breaks out of the mold Hollywood made for him and into major stardom.

It All Came True is somewhat typical of a 1940s film. Old people must be kooky, dames must be wise-cracking, the villain must not get his way and the good guy always wins in the end. Oh and all dogs are incredibly smart and well-trained!

Then there is Ann Sheridan as Sarah Ryan. She's a wise-cracking dame with a good heart.

Ann Sheridan strikes me as the sort of woman who was comfortable in her own skin. She seemed to exude a natural sort of self-confidence. This is just my assumption based on no real knowledge of Ann Sheridan as a person. All I know is that her woman-of-the-world persona is something I find very appealing about her as an actress. Her character is really the go-between of all the characters. She has prior knowledge of Chips Maguire, a history with Tommy, a deep bond with her mother even though sometimes they clash and familial relationship with all the boarders at the home. She's really the central character in the story that keeps things moving along.

And of course, there HAS to be a love story!

It All Came True (1940) is a film for those who want a quirky film with a fun cast of characters. Pair it with Hide-Out (1934) for a great double feature.

Not Your Average Classic Film Blogger Link Roundup

2012-04-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

Someone on Twitter said that Classic Film Bloggers all write about the same things with different views and that we are pretty much beating a dead horse. I have to disagree with that statement. I think the Classic Film blogging community is very varied and there are so many different films in many different genres (and decades!) that we all end up writing very different blogs. And while we all might talk about watching Casablanca (1942) on the big screen, we also talk about films perhaps others have overlooked share unique experiences and explore themes in many different ways.

After I saw those tweets, I asked classic film bloggers on Twitter to send me a link to what they thought was their most unique or unusual post. Which of their posts stands out from the rest. I got some great feedback!

Cliff from Immortal Ephemera shared his post "Interpreting and Understanding Edward G. Robinson on Collecting" - Did you know that Edward G. Robinson was a obsessive collector? He would sometimes do movies just so he could use the money to buy fine art and other valuables! Cliff does a great job describing Robinson's history of and approach to "collecting".

Rich from Wide Screen World shared his post "The Wizard of Oz (Pink Floyd Version)" - He talks about his experience watching The Wizard of Oz (1939) synced with Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon. Trippy!

Angela from Hollywood Revue shared her post "My Local Joan Crawford Connection" - Thanks to the book Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford, Angela discovers that the star got her start as a chorus girl at a theater Angela had passed by many times (unfortunately it no longer exists). Pretty great discovery!

Kate from Silents & Talkies shares her post "Is that mustache really necessary?" - Fans of Silents & Talkies will fondly remember this hilarious gallery of classic film actors sporting some questionable mustaches.

Laura from Laura's Miscellaneous Musings shares her post "Reading the Movies, Part 1 (or Growing Up with the Movies)" - Laura's had a love of movies since she was very young and shares some of her early experiences (including meeting some stars and filmmakers!) as well as some of the film related books she's acquired over the years. I'm jealous she got to watch movies in the same theater with Mel Torme!

Terry from A Shroud of Thoughts shares his post "Mama Told Me Not to Come: The Sixties Party Scene on Film" - Parties can be seen in movies from any decade, but a Sixties party is something really special. Terry explains why in this very informative post.

Bobby from Bobby Rivers TV shares his post "Black Folks in Bedford Falls" - Bobby discusses the Black characters and extras in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He also points out that there are Black folks in Bedford Falls but absolutely none in Pottersville! Very interesting. Next time I watch this movie, I'll have Bobby's insightful post in mind.

Andreas from Pussy Goes Grr shared her post "Gentlemen Prefer Rocky" - Andreas compares the "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?" sequence performed by Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) to the "I Can Make You a Man" sequence performed by Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wow!

Brandie from True Classics shared her post "Personality Soup a la Movie Characters" - Brandie creates a Personality Soup recipe in which all the ingredients are bits of different characters from classic movies.

Letícia from Crítica Retrô shared her post "Halloween & coisas assustadoras do cinema clássico (na minha opinião)" which translates into English from Portuguese "Halloween and other scary stuff from classic cinema (in my opinion)". This is a great post and I love the Gregory Peck anecdote she shares at the beginning. For those of you not fluent in Portuguese, she has a handy dandy Translate widget.

What's my most unique post? I would have to say it's "If Jeff Bailey from Out of the Past (1947) were on Match.com" in which I create an online dating profile for Robert Mitchum's character. I followed it up with a "If Eddie Felson from The Hustler (1961) were on Match.com".

If you have a unique classic film related blog post to share, let me know!

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ Death of a Soundrel (1956)

2012-04-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

"Business is the art of getting something for nothing" - Clementi Sabourin (George Sanders)

Death of a Scoundrel (1956) is a wonderful B movie directed by Charles Martin and starring my beloved George Sanders. Sanders, known for playing rapscallions and cads very well, was a perfect fit to play the title role of Clementi Sabourin. Clementi (Sanders) is a Czech refugee who has escaped to America, which he sees as a land of milk and honey. And rightly so because with a lot of machination and scheming, Clementi goes from rags to riches in a very short period of time.

The beginning of the film shows Clementi dead and sprawled on a bed in his mansion. As the film progresses we learn about the events that led to his untimely (or one could argue very timely) demise. Death of a Scoundrel is definitely a family affair. Sanders' then wife Zsa Zsa Gabor plays Mrs. Ryan, a wealthy widow who does some insider trading with the stock savvy Clementi. Their relationship is a strange mixture of business and pleasure. Sanders' real life brother Tom Conway plays a very small role as his on screen Gerry Monte/Sabourin. Both stars are past their prime but the years have really done a toll to poor Tom Conway's features. He looks so sad and lost and you can't help but feel sympathy for both the character and what his brother does to him as well as the actor himself.

Also in the film is Yvonne De Carlo, an actress I was not familiar with but was happy to watch on screen. As the film progresses, her character Bridget Kelly goes from a poor pick-pocket to a glamorous business woman. Bridget is the most interesting of all the characters as you see her develop whereas a lot of the other characters stay as they are.

One could say that Clementi (Sanders) was the original Gordon Gekko (Wall Street). He's motivated solely by greed. Clementi is a businessman, schemer, womanizer, gambler, risk taker, manipulator, in other words, he's a shark. George Sanders will make you an offer you cannot refuse.

Mrs. Ryan (Gabor): Money is not Everything

Clementi (Sanders): But it's the closest thing to it.

Often times, overly dramatic acting comically competes with a movie's plot line. In this instance, the dramatics were as fun to watch as the story itself. Both Carlos and I immensely enjoyed this film and I would recommend it to those who enjoy watching schemers play.

Rear Window (1954) Timelapse

2012-04-05T11:59:00.018-04:00

Rear Window Timelapse from Jeff Desom on Vimeo.

EDIT: The video was taken down. If I see a new version up online I'll replace this one. Otherwise, I'll delete this post after a few weeks.

This is an interesting video. Not really sure what it's trying to accomplish but very cool nonetheless. It takes shots from the vantage point of the "rear window" from the film and puts them all together. It must have taken hours upon hours to piece together! What do you think?

Side Note: I've been a bit out of the loop lately in terms of blogging and social media. I've been having numerous health problems and lately, it's been difficult for me to find a new-to-me film that I enjoy. I might start revisiting favorites on a more regular basis. Also, all this talk about people watching TCM, going to film festivals, meeting all sorts of cool film people, having time to watch loads of movies, writing wonderful classic film posts, has got me really depressed. It makes me feel like less of a legitimate classic film fan and I've lost a lot of that joy that movies used to give me. I have numerous ideas for posts I want to write but I've lately lost the will to write them. I've taken a step back so that my feelings of envy can subside and I can continue to be supportive of others as well as get back some of that classic film joy that's been missing in my life. I hope to be back on the blogging bandwagon soon enough!

Come Fly with Akana

2012-03-18T10:32:00.000-04:00

Source: Jamie Schwaberow for The New York Times

The New York Times Sunday edition has a wonderful article about Ron Akana, a Hawaiian flight attendant who has been in the business for 63 years. Wow! He was one of the first male flight attendants for United Airlines when he started back in 1949. In the article, he says that he was the flight attendant on board to fly the entire cast of From Here to Eternity (1953). He took care of Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, served numerous martinis to Burt Lancaster and set up an in-flight bed for Deborah Kerr. He's also met Red Skelton, Sammy Davis Jr. (WOW!) and Bing Crosby. Kudos to Mr. Akana for his years of service. I'm sure he's got many wonderful stories to tell.

The Artist (2011) wins the Academy Award for Best Picture and a Rant

2012-02-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

Wiz Pleazuuure

I hadn’t intended to watch the Oscars last night but I got swept up in the glamour of the red carpet, the glitz of the show and all the love for The Artist. I cheered on as I saw The Artist win for Best Picture, Best Score (take that Kim Novak!), Best Actor (Jean DuJardin, YAY!), Best Costume Design and Best Director. I had hoped that God is the Bigger Elvis would have won for best Documentary Short just so I could see Dolores Hart on stage. Actress Elizabeth Banks tweeted her confusion as to why there was a nun on the red carpet. Reading that tweet (which was RTd, I don’t follow her on Twitter), caused me to smack my forehead. Of course Elizabeth Banks doesn’t know who Dolores Hart is! Because a lot of new actors don’t care about film history. Not even the Academy cares very much about early film. Did you notice that in one of the montages showing “classics” they didn’t go further back then Midnight Cowboy (1969) (or at least that’s the earliest film I spotted)? And the Oscars are notorious for skipping over people in their memorial montage, although this year they did a lot better. Now I understand perhaps skipping over Barbara Kent this year because she had only played minor roles in a few films, her last one being released in 1935. But when Penny Singleton (aka Dorothy McNulty) passed away in 2003, they skipped her over in the 2004 montage. Singleton had a very long career in Movie and Television, much longer than Barbara Kent and she also had the Blondie series in which she was the title character! But no one knows who Penny Singleton is so let’s just skip her. If TCM can pay homage to everyone in a few minutes and do a great job at it, a 3-1/2 hour award show can do the same.

The Academy Awards usually throws in some mentions of a few favorites like Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, some Hitchcock, but for the most part it’s all about new new new. We are lucky if we even see Mickey Rooney on the red carpet or in the audience. I’m sure they shove him in the way back even though he’s been attending the Oscars longer than most of those people have been alive. When Kirk Douglas presented the Best Supporting Actress Oscar last year I near fell out of my chair. Seeing him on stage made my heart fill with joy. But idiots on Twitter and elsewhere had different reactions: 1) Kirk Douglas is still alive? and 2) Oh wow, that’s awkward, take the old dude off the stage. Let’s just forget about the fact that the man survived a stroke and has a legendary career in film. Naw, just get him off the stage. And the honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement isn’t even televised anymore. Sad!

This year I was happy for two things. For The Artist and for Hugo (2011). I haven’t seen Hugo but I own and have read the book it’s based on: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The author/illustrator is Brian Selznick (and yes he is of the famous Hollywood Selznick family) and I got to meet him at Book Expo one year. For me the book celebrated the magic of early film and knowing Martin Scorsese’ appreciation for film history I’m sure the movie did the book justice. As most of you know, The Artist is a silent film (well mostly silent, there is some sound beyond just music and there is a bit of dialogue but not very much). It’s also black and white. How many of us classic film fans have encountered push back because a film is either silent or black and white? “Ew! I only watch films in color and with dialogue.” Well, congratulations! You are king/queen of the world. Silent films and black and white films are so beneath your excellence. What The Artist demonstrated is that a contemporary film doesn’t have to be American, doesn’t have to be color and doesn’t have to be a talkie. A French black-and-white silent film can be just as entertaining and even more so than the interminable dross that’s out there now.

Now it’s not to say that The Artist is a perfect film but it is really good. So before you buy into the Novak controversy, try watching it first. The only issue I had with it was the lack of 1920s/1930s lingo. “Oh my god” was used twice in the film that I noticed. That’s very much a contemporary phrase. They could have had fun with old slang like “on the level”, “and how!”, “Sheik”, “bee’s knees” and “cat’s pajamas”. But they didn’t which is a shame. However, I could tell that they put a lot of attention to the finer details of the era and stayed as true as they could to the period as possible. I definitely appreciated that.

Someone online stated that people who will watch The Artist will not decide to then watch earlier silent films. I don’t agree with that. It's not that I think people will be lining up to see the most complete version of Metropolis but I think saying no one will be interested in silent films is too general a statement. Whenever I watch a film I like, I try to find other films like it. And whenever I discover an actor or actress I enjoy, I try to watch other films they’ve done. It’s just how I watch films. It’s a chain reaction. One experience leads to other experiences. While The Artist is a silent film that is more palatable to modern audiences, I think that there will be some people who will be willing to take the challenge of exploring the silents of a bygone era.

Sometimes I write these posts and then ask myself, what’s my point? My point is that films like The Artist and Hugo demonstrate to all those haters out there that classic films matter! These films are our champions and we should be their champions too. They are love letters to the past from the present. They express the same love we have for classic films. So hurray for The Artist for celebrating early film, for entertaining us and for winning those awards. Congratulations!

Love is a Ball (1963)

2012-02-26T11:09:00.001-05:00

And just when I had thought I'd seen all the 1960s sex comedies that I could, I discovered Love is a Ball (1963) on Netflix Instant. Love is a Ball is a delightful and fun romantic romp which takes place in the French Riviera. Glenn Ford stars as John Davis, a former race car driver (winner of the Grand Prix in Monaco!) whose down on his luck when he finds his beloved boat in desperate need for repair but he has no money to fix it up and get it back in the water. That's where Charles Boyer comes in. Boyer plays Monsieur Etienne Pimm, a professional matchmaker who takes down-on-their luck aristocrats and matches them with wealthy companions. He devises an elaborate scheme to get the two together, make them fall in love and see them off in a happy marriage of convenience and love. Boyer's latest cause is Duke Gaspard (Ricardo Montalban) who he plans to match up with American heiress Millie (Hope Lange). Millie has $40 million and Gaspard has a title but no charm, poor skills in English and desperately lacking equestrian and motor skills. Boyer hires three men: Ford/Davis who will teach Gaspard to ride horses, play polo and race cars, a linguist who will teach him how to speak English and quote great scholars and poets and a cook who will prepare fantastic meals so Boyer can wine and dine the conquest.

I usually don't like going into too much description of a film. Heck, if you just wanted the summary I would send you to IMDB or Wikipedia. However, the plot of this movie is so much fun that I just had to write it down. Because even just taking about it makes me laugh! Boyer sends his own British chauffeur to work for Millie but when a freak accident puts him out of commission, Ford/Davis is sent off to be Millie's chauffeur instead. Ahh and here is when the wrench is thrown into the works. Millie starts to fall for her new driver even though M. Pimm/Boyer and her uncle Dr. Christian Gump (Telly Savalas) have set designs on Gaspard as her future husband. And Gaspard is starting to have an eye for Boyer's assistant Janine (Ulla Jacobsson).

This is a fun film. Parts of it reminded me of Come September (1961) which was filmed in Italy. The French Riviera is definitely a major character in this film. Love is a Ball has all the classic workings of a 1960s sex comedy. Hope Lang and Glenn Ford were in a romantic relationship in real life and you can tell there is some chemistry between them. I think Ford and Montalban were both a bit old for their parts but still believable in their roles. Love is a Ball was also spared some of the real bad dubbing that the 1960s were known for.

I highly recommend this film if you are a fan of the Doris Day-Rock Hudson-Tony Randall features like Pillow Talk (1959), or the Bobby Darin-Sandra Dee films such as If a Man Answers or Come September. It's available on Netflix Instant but the quality is so terrible on there that I recommend purchasing the DVD or renting it from ClassicFlix.

My Classic Film Bookshelves

2012-02-17T09:51:00.002-05:00

In our cramped condo, I have two bookcases filled with books. Two shelves in particular are devoted to classic film books and they are already filled to capacity. If I could have the entire bookcase filled with classic film books I would be happy. But alas, cookbooks, novels, reference guides and books from my college years beg for space too. Looking at these two particular shelves of my bookcase makes me very happy. I smile thinking of of the particular books I've read and the ones that I get to read soon.

What does your classic film bookshelf/bookshelves look like? Share a picture! Post it on your blog, tell me about it and I'll add a link to this post (and tweet it too).

Edit - Here are some that were shared:

Angela of The Hollywood Revue - Picture 1 and Picture 2

Paulie of Art, Movies, Wood and Whatnot - My Classic Film Library

Jill of Sittin' on Backyard Fence - Instagram picture

Here is the list of the books, from left to right and from top shelf to bottom shelf. I've also included links to my reviews (and marked them with a *) or to B&N if I haven't reviewed them yet.

First Shelf

Steve McQueen: A Passion for Speed by Frederic Brun
The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner with Jon Winokour
The Norconian Resort: Images of America by Kevin Bash and Brigitte Jouxtel (many a 1920s/1930s movie was filmed at that resort)
Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes
Jimmy Stewart: A Biography by Marc Eliot
Clark Gable by Warren G. Harris
TCM: Leading Couples*
Fasten Your Seat Belts: The Passionate Life of Bette Davis by Lawrence J. Quirk
George Sanders, Zsa Zsa, and Me by David R. Slavitt*
M: A Graphic Novel Based on the Film by Fritz Lang by Jon J Muth*
An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy by Christopher Andersen
Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston by Robert Hudovernik
Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin by David Evanier
Hail, Hail, Euphoria! Presenting the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, The Greatest War Movie Ever Made by Roy Blount Jr.
The Best Years of Flying: A Memoir of Howard Hughes & TWA by Dee Merian
Norma Shearer by Gavin Lambert (special thanks to Carlos for this one!)
Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care" by Lee Server
Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant by Jennifer Grant*
The Silent Screen & My Talking Heart by Nell Shipman*
Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot*
Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture by Peter Kobel and the Library of Congress (special thank you to former co-worker Andrew S. for this one!)
Film Posters of the 30s: The Essential Movies of the Decade by Evergreen
Errol & Olivia: Ego & Obsession in Golden Era Hollywood by Robert Matzen*

Second Shelf

Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design by Jennfer Bass and Pat Kirkham
Icons of Men's Style by Josh Sims (special thanks to Gina of Letters and Line for this one!)
Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood by John Stangeland*
Paul Newman: A Life by Shawn Levy
Son of Harpo Speaks by Bill Marx*
Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood by Mick Lasalle (special thanks to Mark Zero for this one!)
Spencer Tracy: A Biography by James Curtis* (special thanks to Susan for this one!)
Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales: Selected Writings of Groucho Marx edited by Robert S. Bader*
The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film by Jeffrey Couchman*
Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang
Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure of an American Director by Patrick McGilligan*
Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir by Piper Laurie*
Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford by Donald Spoto (special thanks to Diane of Classic Movie Blog, I won this in her contest)
Steve McQueen: A Biography by Marc Eliot*
John Huston: Courage and Art by Jeffrey Meyers*
Cagney by James Cagney
Tony and Me: A Story of Friendship by Jack Klugman*
Elizabeth Taylor: A Passion for Life, The Wit and Wisdom of a Legend by Joseph Papa*
Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart by Stefan Kanfer*
Frank: The Voice by James Kaplan*

A few things I noticed about my bookshelves after listing these books: 1) I don't have a lot of books about classic film actresses, 2) Several titles had very long subtitles and in some cases more than one subtitle, 3) I have 3 books about the Marx Bros! 4) I can remember the story of how I came to adopt/acquire each and every one of these books 5) I don't alphabetize any more and 6) I have a lot more reviewing to do!

Flirtation Walk, Hawaii, Escape and Gettin' No Respect

2012-02-16T08:00:00.027-05:00

I’m just going to preface this by saying that this is going to be a very strange post.

Flirtation Walk (1934) arrived to me as a rental from ClassicFlix. While I have an ordered queue on ClassicFlix, I often forget what I put on there or the next title shipped to me is something much further down the list. So when Flirtation Walk had arrived, it was a surprise as most ClassicFlix rentals are. I had some free time on Sunday, which is a rare thing these days, so I popped the DVD player into our BluRay player. The player has been having issues and it’s been displaying diva-like behavior. It likes some DVDs and BluRays and dislikes other. It angrily spins Ocean’s 11 (1960) making a weird buzzing noise of discontent. This makes me want to kick it because gosh darn it I need to watch Ocean’s 11 sometimes! The player seemed to like Flirtation Walk so I called a temporary truce.

I must have chosen Flirtation Walk because it’s one of the 16 films Ruby Keeler made, and I just love me some Ruby Keeler no matter what you haters say. It also has Dick Powell and the added surprise bonus of Ross Alexander, the tragic actor who never saw a long life or a successful Hollywood caree. Dick Powell plays Dickie Boy Dorcy, a private in the army who gets pushed around by Sgt. "Scrapper" Thornhill (Pat O’Brien) while they are stationed in Hawaii. What makes matters worse is that Dorcy has been assigned to escort Kathleen Fitts (Ruby Keeler) the daughter of a general who happens to be engaged to someone in the army (of higher rank than Dorcy of course). When Dorcy isn’t being pushed around by Scrapper he’s being pushed around by Kathleen. He can’t get no respect! I can sympathize with him. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t feel disrespected by someone. Maybe I’m too paranoid or sensitive or maybe I just have “pushover” stamped permanently on my forehead. Who knows? Anyways, I know what Dorcy feels like and I don’t blame him when he packs up his things, heads to West Point Military Academy to make something of himself.

Private Dorcy and Kathleen (“Kit” Fitts, wow what a name) have a private little rendezvous while in Hawaii. She forces him to take a detour while they are on their way to a party. They stop to watch some native Hawaiians dance and sing. Of course Dorcy is asked to sing because heck he’s being played by Dick Powell. A 1930s Dick Powell must sing! This scene was interesting for a few reasons. Kathleen shows Dorcy utter disrespect by forcing him to take her there, forcing him to sing and forcing him to lay down with her for a romantic moment together, even though she knows all of this will get him in trouble. Disrespect! (Also a curious gender role reversal that becomes very important later in the film). Another interesting point about this scene was the Hawaiian hula dance. So very different from a contemporary depiction of Hawaiians performing for tourists, these Hawaiians sang in their native tongue, most didn't speak English and they were performing for themselves (at least they thought they were until they discovered Kathleen and Dorcy were watching). Now I know little to nothing about the history of Hawaii but I started to compare this scene with a contemporary movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). I know what you are thinking. I've gone off the deep end. But I assure you I haven't. Sometimes I like to watch contemporary comedies and that's okay! The Hawaii in Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a touristy haven, the locals may know a few words of Hawaiian, but don’t speak it fluently, and a few of the locals in the movie have come to Hawaii to escape something in their lives (whether it’s a desk job, an old life, a rough neighborhood, etc.) and the tourists escape there for a vacation or as is the case for the main character, to forget about Sarah Marshall. In a way, both films, while depicting different Hawaiis, are both about escaping.

So what the heck is my point? Sometimes a film comes into your life at the very exact moment you need it. Flirtation Walk is NOT a great film. It’s a film with several enjoyable parts and the kind of disappointing gender fix that's so common in films from that era. But for some reason, it came to me at a time in my life when I desperately need respect (like Dorcy does) and I desperately need an escape (like Dorcy and all the characters in Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Sometimes you realize that your soul needs something to speak to it and you chose a film for that purpose. Other times that film finds you.

Has a film ever come to you at a time you most needed it to? Do you ever watch specific films out of emotional need or for comfort?

Flirtation Walk (1934) is available on DVD from Warner Archive and for rent and sale on ClassicFlix!

Interview with Bill Marx, author of Son of Harpo Speaks!

2012-02-09T08:30:00.018-05:00

I've had the absolute pleasure of getting to interview Bill Marx, the adopted son of actors Harpo Marx and Susan Fleming and the author of the book Son of Harpo Speaks! which I reviewed yesterday.

I tried to keep the questions spoiler-free so that you all will be encouraged to pick up the book yourselves and dive on in! A big thank you to Jaime from Hal Leonard for coordinating the interview and also to him and to Bill Marx for allowing me to post one of the never-before-published images from the book. I hope you enjoy the interview!

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Raquelle: What is your favorite memory of your dad, Harpo Marx?

Bill: I have no real singular "favorite" memory of dad. He always made you feel comfortable with him, even on the occasion when he was angry with my behavior. (Of course, those times were fortunately very rare...heh, heh). So really, all of my memories are all my "favorites" because if you knew him, there were no surprises. Whatever it was, he always came straight from his heart. I suppose my most ingrained image of him was the vision of him after breakfast, practicing his music in front of the living room bay window, his harp resting gently on his shoulder as he transported himself to his other kind of surreal world.

Raquelle: What is your favorite memory of your mom, Susan Fleming?

Bill: Lots of good memories of mom as well. Aside from her natural beauty, I remember she had the toughest gig in the family as the Sergeant At Arms of the household. She was more practical than an idealist, strangely unsentimental, though with a great sense of humor, and had an opinion on just about everything, except that she would never talk about herself and her own feelings. But whenever I think of her, I think of the time that dad would come home at the end of the day, I can still remember the sight of the two of them performing their daily ritual of a big kiss on the lips, one that you could also hear the sound of way down the hall. The memory that is my most bittersweet is the time she suffered her final heart attack, and as the paramedics were wheeling her out to the ambulance, she looked up at me, with a loving smile and whispered, "Take good care of yourself, Willie......It's your turn now."

Raquelle: Out of all or your famous uncles, who were you the most close to and why?

Bill: Gummo was the easiest to be with. He was soft spoken and pretty mellow. Groucho was the most intriguing of my uncles because he was a very unpredictable character. You had to be on your game at all times with Groucho. Though I toured with Chico and dad when I was but twelve, I believe maybe because of the 50 year generation gap between us, he was more or less indifferent to me, as he was usually in his own world with his peers, and rarely in good health, except when re-energized by any available Gin or Poker game. Zeppo, too, was usually in his own world with his peers and was difficult to get to know. However, my mom did have a wonderful relationship with his first wife, Marion.

Raquelle: Tell us about a little about your dad’s musical talents as a harpist?

Bill: Dad was a self-taught musician. No academic training. He had to pick up everything either by ear or reading a system of musical notation that I created for him to be able to learn new songs or arrangements. I would write out the letters of the alphabet in place of the corresponding musical notes. Aside from the harp, he could play piano, clarinet, and chromatic harmonica, learned by the hunt and peck, search and destroy methods he used for his constant, creative discoveries.

Raquelle: For those who haven’t read your book yet (which they should soon!), could you tell us a bit about your own musical career?

Bill: Nutshell career as a musician: Juilliard trained in composition; composed concerti for violin, flute, alto saxophone, piano, harp, and double harps, plus various other symphonic works, Motion Pictures, Television, Records, and concertized all over the country as a jazz pianist. More than anything else in music, I enjoy the energy and excitement of live performance when playing the piano, being able to communicate with audiences right then and there, instantly.

Raquelle: How did Son of Harpo Marx Speaks! come together and why did you decide to write it?

Bill: I wrote Son of Harpo Speaks! for two reasons. Siblings of Groucho's and Chico had written books about their father, but no one from Harpo's family had done so. I thought it was time to complete the trifecta. Yes, there are new stories about the Marx Brothers never before published, and the close father/son and professional relationship dad and I shared together. But the book has another story that I hope people find very compelling; that of the "too Hollywood to believe" way I came to become a part of Harpo's and Susan's lives. I chose to write about that only after mom's passing in 2002, carefully respecting her lifetime role as my mom, the parent. It is a weird story about rejection, abandonment, adoption, and acceptance that I believe many can relate to and understand the accompanying feelings attached to these issues that can affect a lifetime of one's behavior.

Raquelle: You have so many wonderful photographs in your book. I especially love the one of your dad Harpo with yourself and your three siblings at Christmas time. You are all wearing big grins and look so happy to be together. How did you select which pictures to include and did these pictures come from your own collection or from other sources?

Bill: All of the photographs and images come from my collection and have never previously been published. I selected them for the book primarily to connect with and/or advance the plot lines. I also wanted easy access for the reader to see the people and things I was referring to at the time they were reading about them.

Raquelle: You have met a lot of famous people in your life. I loved reading about how you worked with Doris Day and when you played piano at a party with Jack Lemmon. Who was your favorite celebrity (besides your Dad and your uncles of course!)?

Bill: I suppose George Burns was the most remarkable celebrity I have ever met. The last time I saw him he was about 98 years old. He saw me and walked toward me with conviction, and then we hugged each other for at least a good 15 seconds. I shall never forget the moment, nor the feeling I had in my arms while holding his frail, skeletal body to me. He was unique, special, a comedic genius.
Maybe the most gifted celebrity that I would see from time to time was Jack Lemmon. Not only a superb actor, he was a very good piano player, and great fun to be around, just like my secret idol, Steve Allen, who I had the great pleasure of working with for a number of charity events.

Raquelle: In your book, you mention that your mother and actress Gloria Stuart were best friends. You even likened them to Oscar and Felix from The Odd Couple (which is one of my favorite TV shows!). Could you tell us a little more about their friendship?

Bill: The Odd Couple (1968) was a wonderful movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and later became a smash TV sitcom. It revolved around the comedic formula of putting two people of opposite behaviors together, (the slob, Felix Unger, and the anal retentive, Oscar Madison) hoping they will somehow eventually learn to live together by tolerating one another, and maybe ultimately even get to become loving friends. Mom's look at life was closer to Felix's, more orderly. Gloria Stuart, mom's dearest friend for over fifty years, was pretty much the free spirited, creative but non-domesticated Oscar. In other words, as I write in my book, pretty much exact opposites...and they did attract.

Raquelle: What do you hope readers come away with when they read your book?

Bill: I hope that there will be something for everyone in Son of Harpo Speaks! that will strike a positive note about Fate, and how it can play a profound part in our lives on this tiny planet in our universe. It sure has with me, and I hope everyone will finish my book with a big smile and warmth in their heart.

P.S. For more about Harpo Marx and his family, go to: harposplace.com

Thank you Bill!

Get Your Read On ~ Son of Harpo Speaks by Bill Marx

2012-02-08T08:30:00.004-05:00

Son of Harpo Speaks!
by Bill Marx
February 2007
Applause Books – Hal Leonard
Paperback
$19.99
315 pages

My dad’s wonderful impact on people’s lives had given me an entree into a world I’m sure I would have otherwise never known.- Bill Marx

Whenever I think of classic film biographies written by the children of famous stars, books like Mommy Dearest and My Mother’s Keeper pop into mind. Those books, which may or may not exaggerate the truth, do not put the classic film stars in a good light. Son of Harpo Speaks! is not like that at all. Bill Marx, the oldest adopted son of Harpo Marx and actress Susan Fleming, wrote an autobiography which does double duty in that he talks about his own life journey while also paying tribute to his beloved father and mother. It’s a very charming book, written with a lot of respect and admiration and you can’t help but fall in love with Harpo Marx after reading it.

Harpo Marx married Susan Fleming in 1936 after much chasing on Fleming’s part because Harpo was very content to remain a bachelor. They had a long happy marriage which lasted until 1964 when Harpo Marx passed away. In 1938, Harpo and Susan adopted Bill in 1938 and adopted three more children (all at the same time!) several years later. They decided to adopt children when it was discovered Susan couldn’t bear children.

In the Son of Harpo Speaks! (a play on the title of his dad’s autobiography Harpo Speaks!), Bill Marx chronicles his life with his adopted parents Harpo and Susan, his adult life, career in the music industry and the story of his birth parents. I wouldn’t call it an autobiography per se but more a memoir. Although it reads chronologically and covers his life from beginning up until the present time (circa 2007), it’s focus is very geared towards Harpo Marx’s influence on Bill as a parent, friend and musical inspiration. Bill went on to become a composer and pianist. He even arranged and conducted the song "Please Don’t Eat the Daisies" which was the theme for the movie with the same name and sung by Doris Day!

To be honest, at first the book was a bit difficult to read. I felt that Bill Marx was trying too hard to be as funny as his dad. Also, at several points in the book the ghost of Harpo Marx speaks to his son and at first I found this odd but eventually I came to realize that this was Bill’s way of remembering his dad, dealing with some of his abandonment issues and imagining what he would have thought of Bill’s life after Harpo left it. A few chapters in, Bill Marx really finds his voice and the writing becomes a lot more natural and a lot less forced. It’s a quirky, charming book and it’s very clear that Bill loved his dad. Harpo wasn’t perfect, Bill acknowledges his dad’s his character strengths and flaws in a portrait that makes Harpo look like a loving father, talented and devoted performer and a good friend.

When I was young, [my dad] told me that it wasn’t what you do in life that’s important; it’s how you feel about yourself while you are doing whatever it is you are doing. As long as you aren’t hurting someone else in the quest of your dreams, always look for things to do that can bring you pleasure and personal fulfillment. – Bill Marx

I loved reading stories about Harpo, Susan and Bill. I laughed out while reading about the story of Harpo playing golf in the nude. Reading about Harpo’s death broke my heart. You’ll need to keep some tissues handy when you get to that part. The book is filled with never-before-published family photographs of Harpo, Susan, Bill, the Marx Bros., Harpo’s celebrity friends and many more. There are plenty of these pictures and they are a delight to look at. They are found throughout the book and placed in the appropriate context within the text rather than all grouped in the middle. There is not a lot about Bill’s adopted siblings in the book and there are a few parts of Bill's life that feel left out (although he acknowledges certain omissions like his second marriage). It’s not a salacious read by any means although Bill does devote one chapter to the Marx Bros.’ penchant for nudity and the ladies. In other parts of the book he discusses dating actress Marlo Thomas, some crazy stalkers he had and some interesting events that happened during his life travels. But if you are looking for gossip, look elsewhere.

There is a lot in this memoir to cherish and if you are a Marx Bros. fan with a particular love for Harpo, you need to read this book!

Full Disclosure: Thank you so much to Jaime from Hal Leonard for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will be posting an interview with Bill Marx himself!

Racing Cars ~ Winning (1969)

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

I had set out to watch three classic race car movies and write about each. First was Grand Prix (1966) which was a delight to watch and even though it was long and the plot was rather weak, the three hours seemed to fly by for me. Le Mans (1971) was a horrible, plotless mess. It was fun to watch because of Steve McQueen and because I could easily pick out all the things I disliked and the documentary on the DVD proved to be what saved the whole film for me. Watching Winning (1969) was both a bore and a chore to watch. But this makes absolutely no sense to me. I love the 1960s, I love Paul Newman, and it's an added bonus that his wife Joanne Woodward co-stars as his love interest and I can legitimately hate Robert Wagner because he's the bad guy in the film. Plus there was racing! Winning should have been #winning in my book. But alas, it was not.

So what went wrong? Well, out of the three racing movies, this one had the most plot. Or at least it tried very hard to have a dramatic plot. Paul Newman stars racer Frank Capua who is racing the Indy 500. He falls for divorcee and single mother Elora (Joanne Woodward). They marry and Frank adopts Elora's teen son Charley (Richard Thomas). Elora and Charley, both head over heels in love and admiration for Frank, follow him from race to race. Elora proves to be trouble when she has an affair with rival racer Lou Erding (Robert Wagner). The plot is very choppy, Charley is annoying, to our dismay Newman drinks champagne out of a used popcorn box (ew), and there are numerous slow dramatic shots of pensive Newman alongside cheesy 1960s music. And I seriously wanted to smack Elora upside the head. I mean serious, you chose to cheat on Paul Newman with Robert Wagner? C'mon! The only thing I enjoyed was looking at Paul Newman throughout the movie. Good grief was that man good looking. Those eyes. THOSE EYES! And those chiseled features. He looked like a Roman god.

I wish I had something thoughtful to say about this film. My advice is that if you are looking for a good racing movie from the 1960s/70s era, then skip Le Mans (1971), skip Winning (1969) and watch Grand Prix (1966) instead.

If you are interested in the early days of race car driving, I highly recommend two silent films. The First Auto (1927), which I've reviewed before, is an excellent film about the early history of cars. The story follows the clash between a father, set in his ways and who doesn't want to give up his horses, and his son who loves the excitement of the new technology. The son, played by Charles Emmett Mack, becomes a race car driving and is involved in a serious accident. Ironically, the actor died in a car accident before filming ended. Legendary race car driver Barney Oldfield makes an appearance in the film. The other film is Speedway (1929) starring William Haines and Anita Page (I also did a post on this on but not quite a review). I don't remember too many details about the film however it's a fun picture with William Haines as a flamboyant racer who is more interested in chasing Anita Page than he is in taking racing seriously. The racing in both films is real and Speedway was shot on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as was Winning (1969) (and I've been there! woot!).

Have you watched Winning (1969)? If so, what did you think of it? What's your favorite racing movie?

Racing Cars ~ Le Mans (1971)

2012-01-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

Le Mans (1971) is simply a terrible movie. It's more a quasi-documentary Steve McQueen/race car fest than it is an actual film. There is virtually no plot and if you are not a race car enthusiast or perhaps you do not know what Le Mans is you would be confused and bored by the seemingly endless race that lasts the entire film. For those of you who are not familiar with Le Mans, it's a 24 hour endurance race (relay with teams) which takes place every year in the Le Mans region of France. The whole movie centers around Michael Delaney (Steve McQueen) the champion racer who is participating in Le Mans in the shadow of the recent death of another racer Belgetti. Belgetti's widow Lisa (Elga Andersen) hangs around the race for some reason, looking forlorn and lusting after Delaney. It's hard to tell if this is really what is going on. Her husband just died and here she is, holding on to the lifestyle and social circle she's grown accustom to which she no longer has a connection. So is Delaney the replacement that will keep her in the race care lifestyle? Who knows. It's Steve McQueen driving a race car. Cool.

This film has very little dialogue. So little that the first 37 minutes of the film contain no dialogue spoken by any of the characters. All you hear is the occasional announcer. The remaining 69 minutes has some dialogue but not much. So why watch this film? For the setting, the fancy shots of real race care driving and for Steve McQueen. McQueen loved sports and he loved racing. After his famous chase scenes in Bullitt (1968) and The Great Escape (1963), it seems inevitable that McQueen would do a movie completely devoted to race car driving.

The 1970s was the most varied and the most sparse decade in Steve McQueen's film career. Le Mans was produced by Solar Productions, McQueen's production company run by himself and business partner/friend Robert Relyea. By 1970, McQueen had become one of the world's most recognizable talents and a hot commodity for film studios. He also become one of the most difficult actors to work with. Le Mans really should have been Day of Champion (1966), produced by Warner Bros., starring Steve McQueen but it wasn't meant to be. Instead Grand Prix (1966) starring James Garner was made and Day of the Champion was put on the back burner. Relyea eventually made a deal with CBS's Cinema Center Films to do 3 pictures with Solar Productions. It was a deal I'm sure CBS came to regret.

According to Steve McQueen biographer Marc Eliot, a $5 million dollar insurance policy was taken out on McQueen's behalf were something to happen to him during the filming of Le Mans. Although Solar Production and McQueen were virtually broke, McQueen, banking on his fame, managed to get a good deal out of making Le Mans. Initially that is. However, there were many problems. The director John Sturges, was sick of McQueen's antics on set and the constantly changing script (whatever there was of one) that he abandoned the picture. Le Mans was hemorrhaging money. Pretty much all of Sturges' scenes had to be tossed, CBS' Cinema Center pulled out, McQueen's salary was cut, people were fired and the filming just plain stopped. CBS's Cinema Center took it back on after a few weeks with a new director on board. Lee H. Katzin took over but was restricted heavily by McQueen's demands. Katzin stuck with the production to the bitter end, bless him. By the end of filming, the editors had a mess of a movie to piece together, McQueen ended his business and personal relationship with Relyea forever and McQueen's marriage with Neile was on life support. The film was a critical disaster, didn't make enough to cover it's costs and it quickly disappeared from theaters.

I do hope this movie is released on BluRay, because although it's a terrible film I really do think it should be restored. It's aesthetically and historically important given the footage of real racing and Steve McQueen's iconic status in the history of film. The quality of the DVD is as bad as the plot of the movie. If you are a courageous soul and do brave watching this film on DVD, you will be rewarding by a very nice Speed Channel documentary about Le Mans (1971) hosted by McQueen's son Chad McQueen. I'd say it's better than the actual film.

Racing Cars ~ Grand Prix (1966)

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

There is no film quite like Grand Prix (1966). It is the quintessential racing movie and while it's not the best film out there we are very lucky to have it. Grand Prix was made during a golden era of race car driving, when Formula 1 was glamorous, safety in driving wasn't all that important, race car drivers were rock stars and racing teams were owned by individuals or car companies not corporations looking for another advertising opportunity.

Grand Prix (1966) was directed by John Frankenheimer and stars James Garner as Pete Aron. The cast also includes Eva Marie Saint, Antonio Sabato, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, Toshiro Mifune and Jessica Walter. Originally, the studio wanted Steve McQueen for the principal role of Pete Aron and Frankenheimer wanted an unknown. McQueen had signed up for the role, however, he did not see eye-to-eye with producer Ed Lewis and during their meeting together McQueen decided to bail out on the movie. James Garner, who expressed a lot of interest in the role, got to play Pete Aron in the end, not knowing that his rival (McQueen saw him more as a rival than vice versa) had wanted to play the part. McQueen would have been amazing in this film, considering he was the quintessential sporting bad boy of the 1960s. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. James Garner proved he could drive the race cars well and I believe he did a decent job as Pete Aron.

Grand Prix was a way to showcase the different Grand Prix races of Europe and to celebrate Formula 1. But with any movie, there has to be a plot. The story, which anchors the movie and makes it more than just a lot of glamorous shots of races, follows 4 race car drivers. There is the American Pete Aron who is in trouble with his sponsor Ferrari when he crashes into his fellow team racer British Scott Stodard (Brian Bedford), whose life seems to be already in shambles even more so now with a serious injury. Aron finds a new sponsor in Japanese business man Izo Yamura (Toshiro Mifune) and also has sort of a fling with Stodard's estranged wife Pat (Jessica Walter). That affair made absolutely no sense to me, I think they could have just cut it right out. The third driver is the French Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand) who is at the end of his career and although married, falls in love with magazine journalist Louise Frederickson (Eva Marie Saint). The last driver is fun-loving Italian Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato) who thinks he his immortal, fears nothing and has a lazy fling with a race car groupie. The love affair between Sarti/Montand and Frederickson/Saint was the only one that made sense and had some heart to it. The others seemed forced and a lazy way to add sex into a sports film. However, when you compare this film with Le Mans (1971) which has no plot and Winning (1969) which has a boring plot, Grand Prix's plot looks amazing!

All of the principle drivers, except for Brian Bedford, did their own racing. They were trained at a legendary racing school in England and James Garner proved to be the most talented in the bunch. To provide as much realism as possible, Frankenheimer shot everything on location, used real drivers and had actors do the driving. Stunt doubles and dummies were used for the dangerous crash scenes. The film follows each of the major Grand Prix races in Monte Carlo, France, Belgium, England, Netherlands and Italy. Frankenheimer basically takes us on a trip through Europe! Cameras were mounted on cars for POV and over-the-shoulder shots. There are some shots that are so realistic looking you almost feel like you are in the driver's seat. Race sequences were choreographed by the legendary designer Saul Bass who also did the title sequence and the different montages (splits of the screen with multiple images or the multiplication of a single image across the screen). The title sequence takes place in Monte Carlo and includes shots of the different race cars and drivers getting reading for the first Grand Prix race. Attention to detail is key in this film. Frankenheimer and his crew knew that in order to get cooperation from Formula 1 drivers and companies like Ferrari (their headquarters is featured in the film, it was no small feat to get access to it), they needed to respect the sport, to show it as truthfully as possible and to place close attention to details. In the first race in Monte Carlo at the beginning of the film, every single sound you hear is as accurate as possible. They even did a special recording of two drivers, who were familiar with the Monte Carlo track, in which they did all the gear changes for the race to match what it would sound like. All the races in the film are on the real Grand Prix tracks.

In James Garner's memoir, he devotes a chapter to racing and how preparing for and film Grand Prix developed his love for racing cars. Because he did all his own driving in the film, he was at risk for injury and he had an accident on set.

"Toward the end of the shoot, I did a fire stunt with butane bottles that I ignited with a switch in the cockpit on the final turn. When I crossed the finish line going about 120, I slammed on the brakes and threw another switch to put out the flames. But something went wrong and the car erupted in a giant fireball. I scrambled out of the cockpit as the crew blasted me in the face with fire extinguishers and smothered me in an asbestos blanket. I wasn't hurt, but it shook me up. The producer wasn't happy that I'd done the stunt and neither was Lloyd's of London. They canceled my policy, and for the rest of the picture I drove without insurance."

When I say there is no film quite like Grand Prix, it's because it was lucky we got Grand Prix in the first place considering all the obstacles Frankenheimer had to face in making this 3 hour racing epic! If you enjoy sports films as I do, watch Grand Prix! It's all about the ambience. The glamour, the racing, the sights and sounds. Saul Bass' design, Maurice Jarre's score and Frankenheimer's direction make the film a beauty to behold. Just don't pay attention to the plot and you'll enjoy it!

These Amazing Shadows Giveaway Winners

2012-01-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Bob F., Janie, Bob G and Sam for winning my These Amazing Shadows (2011) BluRay giveaway. I asked contestants to write about a film they think should be in the National Film Registry and why or to share some information about the registry. Here are the winners' entries:

Bob F. of Allure:

Mystery of the Leaping Fish, The (1916) gets my vote. It shows just how different the cultural attitude toward certain controlled substances was at the time. And it Doug Fairbanks and Bessie Love, what's not to make it a perfect candidate for inclusion.

Janie:

It's wonderful that the National Film Registry does this so all generations can look and learn about/from movies/culture, the history of film, different cultures, the older style of special effects is on of my favorites, the things they could do way back when.. we've come a long way

Bob G.:

"I feel the National Film Registry should include a Gene Autry film. I would consider Melody Ranch from 1940 or Back in the Saddle from 1941. I fully realize that none of the ninety-three Gene Autry pictures ever rose to the budgetary or artistic levels of a John Ford Western, yet he was more popular than John Wayne for nearly a decade. Voted the top Western star for six years straight, and was the fourth most popular of all box-office stars in America by exhibitors in 1940. I fell that the cultural impact of his films merit his consideration for inclusion
Part of his impact on American culture was demonstrated in 1994. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson spent four days together in a Los Angeles studio making what would be their third and final album as the Highwaymen. Among their recording selections was an old favorite: Gene Autry's Back in the Saddle Again. These legends of country music were born during the Great Depression and had grown up with Gene Autry as their hero. Gene was a great influence on these superstars trough his films.

Over the course of his career he was a star on Radio though Chicago's WLS National Barn Dance and later had his own radio show Melody Ranch. Autry's movies reinvigorated the Western with the addition of his country songcraft to action-packed morality plays. In his films, good versus evil was easily delineated. Gene Autry was in inspiration to next generation of artists, encouraging and supporting Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and others who followed. Some of his most celebrated acolytes range from Ringo Starr to Solomon Burke, Aaron Neville to James Taylor. Taylor told audiences during his 2006 tour that the inspiration behind his first hit, ""Sweet Baby James,"" was to write a cowboy lullaby like the ones he'd heard Gene Autry sing in movies when he was a boy."

Sam of Photographic Haiku:

"I wrote them a letter a couple of weeks ago to find someone to take an interestingly large personal collection of 16mm films that I own. I mentioned that I have an original copy of THE HEART OF TEXAS RYAN (1917) with both the Spanish and French subtitles included. The response I got from them was to contact one of 2 other organizations because my copy may be in better condition than theirs. It was a breath of fresh air to receive such nice treatment when they could have just let me slip through the cracks.
THE HEART OF TEXAS RYAN was shot on Tom Mix's ranch in Newhall CA by the Selig Polyscope Company and released Feb. 12, 1917."

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Interview with Robert S. Bader, Editor of Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales

2012-01-11T13:00:00.003-05:00

I have had the pleasure of interviewing Robert S. Bader, the editor of the book Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales (read my review of the book here). He shared a lot of wonderful insights on Groucho Marx's writing career. Enjoy!

1) How did you become interested in Groucho Marx?

The Marx Brothers were going through a bit of a revival when I was growing up, so in the late 1960s and early 1970s I discovered them on television. I was an inquisitive kid and after seeing a couple of the films I checked out everything I could find on them in the local library and was surprised to learn that Groucho had written several books. So I became interested in him as a writer and a performer almost simultaneously. And his writing was as enjoyable to me as everything else he did from the beginning.

2) What would you like people to know about Groucho's writing career?

Groucho was mostly self-educated and sought acceptance from writers more than film critics. Writing was very important to him. He wasn't just a movie star who wrote some books and articles. He was a formidable enough writer to have succeeded at it without his other more successful endeavors.

3) Do you think Groucho's fame as a theater and film star interfered with him being taken seriously as a writer?

The most frequent criticism Groucho received as a writer had little to do with his writing ability. It was often said that he was funnier on stage or screen than he was in print. It would be hard to argue against that, but it seems unfair in assessing his written work, which is frequently hilarious. So I would agree that his status as a successful entertainer kept him from his rightful place in the world of literature. And in part because of the constraints on his time. He had a pretty successful and prolific writing career for a guy who was busy being a star for 60 years. He found time for writing because it meant a lot to him.

4) This new edition has 19 additional writings. Tell us a little about how you found these pieces and why you added them to this new expanded Edition?

Several of the additional items in the new edition were considered for the original but left out for one reason or another. I tried to keep everything in context – placing the pieces in the five sections of the book, which each deal with a certain aspect of Groucho's life and career. Many very funny and beautifully written pieces just didn't fit into any of the sections. So for the new edition I created an extra section for these difficult to categorize essays as well as a few of the items I've discovered in the years since the original publication. In the new edition I've also included a few speeches Groucho delivered. Since he wrote these without any intention of publishing them, I didn't consider them for the original edition. But over the years I've enjoyed reading them so much, I decided they belonged in the collection. Groucho's writing style is so conversational that the speeches seem like they were written for publication. My methods of finding some of this material are purely unscientific. In some cases I simply went through every page of a publication until I found Groucho's contribution. I spent many hours in libraries reading magazines from the 1930s like Judge and College Humor, which have never been indexed. As you would expect, I found a few other interesting items too. I consider it time very well spent. And the process rescued a few small treasures by Groucho.

5) Which piece in the collection is your favorite and why?

While I'm partial to anything Groucho wrote about his days in vaudeville I can say that there is one piece that stands apart for me. It was one of the things I read at a very young age that made me think the world needed a collection of Groucho's essays. "Our Father and Us" was one of the very few things written by anyone about Sam Marx, the father of the Marx Brothers. There are many articles and stories about their mother, Minnie and she developed legendary status as a result. But Sam was a very special and unique man who was so beloved that his sons considered him a sixth brother. This piece was published shortly before Sam died in 1933 and it shows a sweet and loving side of Groucho that is rarely evident in anything else he ever did. I first discovered this piece when I was around twelve years old and recall it making me more aware of the great relationship I shared with my own father, who always seemed like a friend first and a parent second.

6) My favorite piece in the collection is What This Country Needs. Could you tell us about the history of it and how Groucho came to write it?

Groucho became a very prolific writer in the early 1940s. The Marx Brothers were winding down their film career and Groucho had yet to find success on the radio, so he planned on becoming a full time writer. He wrote topical humor, quite a lot of which was published in This Week, a Sunday newspaper supplement to The New York Herald Tribune and other papers around the country. It was during this time that Groucho was involved in some collaborating with his writer friend Arthur Sheekman, who is sometimes erroneously referred to as Groucho's ghost writer. The truth is that Groucho helped Sheekman make a little money by hiring him as an editor and letting Sheekman sell a few of his own humor pieces through Groucho's agent. When he had trouble selling his own stuff Groucho and his agent let him sell the material under Groucho's name. "What This Country Needs" came to be as Groucho and Sheekman kicked around ideas and decided it would be a good time for a political piece, since it was an election year. Sheekman made some uncredited contribution to this piece but it is unmistakably Groucho's. I almost didn't include it in the book because of Sheekman's involvement and the fact that a truncated version of it appears in Groucho's 1963 book Memoirs of a Mangy Lover. But the full length original version from 1940 has so much good additional material I felt it merited inclusion.

7) What is your favorite Marx Bros. movie and why?

Like many Marx Brothers fans I love the five Paramount films – their earliest. It would be ludicrous to say that they were funnier with Zeppo, but I like seeing the Four Marx Brothers because that's how they became stars on the vaudeville stage. We get to see them as relatively young men in these films. Many people don't realize that Groucho was almost forty when the first film was made and Harpo and Chico were a couple of years older. If pressed to pick one I'd select Money Business or Duck Soup. Do I really have to pick only one? It's almost impossible for me. All of their films mean so much to me. I can say Duck Soup now and it'll be Money Business next week.

8) Why do you think people today are still drawn to the Marx Bros. movies?

Obviously they're still funny. The films were very carefully written and considering that some of them are more than 80 years old, that care paid off. There's hardly anything dated in Marx Brothers movies. Duck Soup in particular will continue to resonate as long as countries have poor diplomatic relationships. Wouldn't the world be a better place with a man like Rufus T. Firefly as president of a country? He certainly couldn't do any worse than some real presidents. Groucho's attacks on authority will remain timeless. I recently attended a double feature screening of Horse Feathers and Animal Crackers and was pleased to see a packed house that included many children laughing their heads off. It seems that each generation finds the Marx Brothers and finds them funny.

9) Tell us about your own writing career.

Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales was my first book – and as it turned out, my second book as well. (I can count the new edition, can't I?) A few years ago I wrote and produced a documentary film called The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk and I've written a few other things for television as well as several magazine articles and things like DVD and CD liner notes – usually for projects I've produced. I've also nearly finished a collection of S.J. Perelman's lost writings, which will be very similar in format to the Groucho collection.

10) What are you working on now?

For many years I've been toiling away on an exhaustive history of the Marx Brothers vaudeville and stage career. I hope to finish it in the next year or so. It's taken on a life of its own and has turned into a history of the vaudeville business as seen through the eyes of the Marx Brothers. There will be a lot of information in it that will be new to the story of the Marx Brothers – a substantial amount of material that has never been in any previous study of them. I'm also writing scripts for a weekly radio show that should debut sometime in the spring.

Thank you Robert!

Get Your Read On ~ Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales

2012-01-10T13:12:00.002-05:00

Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales
Selected Writings of Groucho Marx
Updated and Expanded Edition
Edited by Robert S. Bader
9781557837912
Paperback 312 Pages
$19.99
November 2011

Groucho Marx had a way with words. To me, his famous puns and one-liners are what made him so funny, more so than his funny walk and his black grease mustache and eyebrows. Most of you may not be familiar with Groucho's writings and this collection of short pieces serves as a great introduction.

Editor Robert S. Bader has compiled a varied collection of stories, editorial letters, gag pieces, advertisement copy and articles from Groucho's long writing career (1920s up until Marx's death in the 1970s). Groucho was published in Variety, Reader's Digest, the Hollywood Reporter, Saturday Evening Post, Chicago Tribune, among many other publications.

The book is very well-organized and put together. It contains a foreword from Groucho Marx's friend and interviewer Dick Cavett. Cavett has always been a great admirer of Groucho and his foreword shows his enthusiasm and devotion to Groucho's talent for wit and humor. There are several more pieces in the front matter including a foreword from Groucho himself, an introduction from the Editor as well as a few other pieces. What I learned from reading the front matter was that Groucho Marx, especially after the breakup of the Marx Bros., was passionate about his writing but also had a respect for other authors to realize that gave him some humility. He would joke about his books not becoming bestsellers and would write funny letters to his publisher about the negative critical response that one of his published books received. In the introduction, the editor quotes Groucho who had some interesting observations of the publishing industry and the realistic life of a book after publication. It still holds true today and I wish other authors would realize how fragile the life of a book really is!

The writings are grouped into 6 sections by theme and usually appear within each part chronologically. Bader does a wonderful job providing the reader context and history for each piece. There is a paragraph before each one that describes where the piece was published, the importance of when it was published (in relation to Groucho's theater and film career) and any information you may need about people, events or cultural history that would be relevant to the piece. These small introductions were very useful! Also, some of the pieces are accompanied by an image of how the original work looked in print.

I've always loved Groucho's one-liners and how he would follow one serious sentence with an absolutely ridiculous one. I just love how he twisted language that way. You don't get this as much in his writing but Groucho's wit and humor are still there. My favorite piece were the ones written in reaction to something happening during the time. The one that stood out to me was "What This Country Needs" which was a political gag piece in which Groucho "campaigns" for Vice Presidency. He extols the importance of good 5 cent cigars and plain ham sandwiches. This is my favorite part:

"But the nation does need, for one thing, a good ham sandwich. I refer to the simple, old-fashioned (now obsolete) single-decker ham sandwich which was a national institution until the druggist, with his passion for mixing things, ruined it for us.

As an experiment, I went into a drugstore yesterday and ordered a ham sandwich.

'Ham with what?', the clerk asked.

'Coffee,' I told him.
'I mean,' he said, ' do you want the ham-and-tuna combination, the ham-sardine-and-tomato, or ham-bacon-and-broccoli? And will you have coleslaw or potato salad?'

'Just ham,' I pleaded. 'A plain ham sandwich, without even tomato or lettuce.'

The young man look bewildered, then went over to the drug counter to consult with the pharmacist who glowered at me suspiciously until I fled.

That's the sort of thing the country is up against."

I can just visualize Groucho ordering a ham sandwich, being stared down by the pharmacist and server and doing his stooped walk right out of the drug store! Ha. It's a funny joke and it demonstrates how overwhelmed Americans were with choices, as we are even more so today.

If you are a big Marx Bros. fan or just a Groucho Marx enthusiast, pick up this book! I wouldn't recommend it to someone who wasn't totally in love with the Marx brand of humor.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Applause Books for sending me a copy of the book to review!

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will have an interview with the editor Robert S. Bader!

2011 In Review

2011-12-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

Another year has come and gone and 2012 is just around the corner. This year was definitely a year of reading. I was fed up with having a superficial knowledge of classic cinema that I started diving into many biographies in search of more background information and context to add to my current mental classic film database. I didn't post as often as I'd like because I was too busy reading, watching movies and living life (I even got engaged and started planning a wedding). However, I'm proud that I didn't just abandon my blog and that I shared something with you all each month. Here is my look back at 2011:

January - I read and reviewed the book Warren William: Magnificent Scoundrel of Pre-Code Hollywood and interviewed the author John Stangeland.

February - Robert Mitchum's BFF, the sultry and headstrong actress Jane Russell passed away. I wrote about Bette Davis' uglification for The Private Lives of Essex and Elizabeth (1939). Thanks to Warner Archive, I finally got to watch the Mickey Rooney - Marilyn Monroe roller derby film Fireball (1950).

March - I tackled Elia Kazan's labor of love America, America (1963), a film I thoroughly enjoyed even though many others criticize it. Elizabeth Taylor passed away. I got to see one of my favorite films The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) at a local theater. That film takes place in my hometown Boston and stars my favorite actor Robert Mitchum.

April - Google honors Charlie Chaplin. I shared a video demonstrating Kinetic Typography using Abbott & Costello's famous Who's On First skit. And I got to see my favorite Hitchcock film, Rear Window (1954), at my favorite repertory theater, The Brattle.

May - The love of my life Carlos proposed to me and I said yes! He's always been so supportive of my enthusiasm for classic film and of this blog. I finished the Bogie Marathon I started in November of 2010 with We're No Angels (1955). I was invited to watch the documentary These Amazing Shadows (2011) at the Coolidge Corner Theater.

June - This was probably the most active month for me on the blog. The Somerville Theater had a classic film series and I saw Captain's Courageous (1937). I read and reviewed the book Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant by Jennifer Grant. I got to see Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) at the newly restored Art Deco theater The Paramount. I even took extra pictures of the Paramount too. I tackled the 800 page book Frank: The Voice even though it was missing my favorite decade of Frank Sinatra's career, the 1960s. I did a week long IOU series in which I watched and reviewed films that were sent to me or recommended to me by friends. I might do that again in 2012.

July - I went back to The Brattle to see The African Queen (1951). I fell for Nell Shipman when I read her autobiography The Silent Screen and My Talking Heart. I read and reviewed Elizabeth Taylor: A Passion for Life by Joseph Papa and my favorite Young Adult author Gigi Amateau interviewed him. The interview appears as a guest post on the blog. We got the opportunity to see the amazingly talented Jeff Rapsis before live music for 3 Buster Keaton films. I read and reviewed the book Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart.

August - I went back to The Somerville Theater to watch Ninotchka (1939) and to see Jeff Rapsis perform more live music alongside 3 more Buster Keaton films. I also had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Rapsis about his fine work.

September - I fell head over heels in love with Jack Klugman and devoted a whole week to the man. I reviewed his book Tony and Me and did posts on 12 Angry Men (1957), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), The Detective (1968), and his TV shows The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E. .

October - I gave myself a lot of reading to do. First I tackled two biographies on directors including John Huston and Nicholas Ray.

November - I read and reviewed Piper Laurie's autobiography and Marc Eliot's biography of Steve McQueen. I started watching a lot of Steve McQueen films but unfortunately couldn't find the time to review them. I did make some time for The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and posted a lot of fun screencaps.

December - I created a holiday gift guide for classic film fans. I read and reviewed the behemoth biography of Spencer Tracy. I also finally posted my interview with These Amazing Shadows (2011) co-director/producer Kurt Norton.

While I didn't have very many posts this year, I feel like the ones I did take the time to write were of quality. I'd much rather have fewer posts that I could be proud of than a year full of fluff pieces.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! Thanks for reading and come back in 2012.

Interview with Kurt Norton, co-director/producer of These Amazing Shadows (2011)

2011-12-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kurt Norton, director/producer alongside Paul Mariano of the amazing documentary These Amazing Shadows (2011). This interview was conducted earlier in the year but I have been saving it to post here to celebrate the documentary's broadcast on PBS tomorrow! A big thank you to Kurt Norton for granting me the interview and for introducing me to These Amazing Shadows.

1) How did you two come to decide that you wanted to film These Amazing Shadows?

Paul (Mariano) saw an article in the New York Times in 2008 about the National Film Registry. He was struck by two things: that he had never heard of the National Film Registry and a statistic quoted in the article that 90% of films made before 1920 no longer exist and 50% before 1950 are lost forever. He called and told me about the article. I, too, had never heard of the National Film Registry. We both consider ourselves fairly knowledgeable about film, so it was quite a surprise that this very cool list of America's most important films existed and we knew nothing about it. We had just come off two documentary projects that didn't work out for a variety of reasons. We both liked the idea of doing a documentary on the movies. Seemed like a lot of fun. Paul called Steve Leggett at the Library of Congress who coordinates the National Film Registry and found out that no one had ever made a film about the Registry. We dove in without really figuring out what our story would look like. How do you make a movie about a list?

2) How did you two meet?

We met in 1985 at the Contra Costa County (California) Public Defender Office. Paul was a Deputy Public Defender and I was an defense investigator. We became friends, then discovered our common interest in filmmaking. Our first collaboration was making goofy videos for the office softball team end of season party. By a weird coincidence in those softball videos we used a lot of clips from famous movies, which we audio dubbed with our own dialogue.

3) How long did the documentary take to film and produce?

We spent over two years producing These Amazing Shadows. One reason it took that long was because we had difficulty figuring out how to tell our story. We spent a lot of time at first focusing on film preservation. As time went on our story evolved into one about the movies - its power, how it connects us all, how it reflects who we are and the joy it brings people. Another reason it took so long was because we had to find just the right people to work with: our producer Christine O'Malley, editors Doug Blush and Alex Calleros, graphic designer Brian Oakes, composer Peter Golub. We found them one by one - it was a very challenging process. The only person we had in place to began our project with was our outstanding director of photography Frazer Bradshaw. It was important to us and the project to find just the right people - people with the right temperament, point of view and artistry.

4) Working together as directors, did each of you have different roles to play or did you work side-by-side during the process?

We worked side-by-side. Sort of a two-headed monster. Having two directors is both a blessing and curse. It is a blessing because often two heads are better than one to develop ideas. Also, when one of us was feeling low energy the other was there to carry the load. The negative part is that sometimes people we worked with would get confused as to whether it was necessary to get both our approvals for decisions. It was a little cumbersome at times. Mostly it was very positive. Making a film, narrative or documentary, is a real marathon. The director has to inspire and motivate the production team - keep the whole ship moving forward. Having a partner is a real advantage because we kept inspiring each other and in turn the whole team. In terms of the interviews Paul and I took turns. By just luck of the draw Paul interviewed Rob Reiner and I interviewed Christopher Nolan. There was no grand plan as to who interviewed whom.

5) Why do you think it's important for people to know about Film Restoration and The National Film Registry?

It is important for people to recognize that our cultural heritage won't just take care of itself. We have to, as individuals and a society, make focused efforts to preserve our culture. Movies are an important part of that goal because as Robin Blaetz, one of our interview subject says, film is the art form of the 20th century. It is amazing how ideas, habits, fashions can get lost or forgotten from one generation to another. For us to connect as human beings we need to understand each other. Understand where we have come from - our connections - our common history - the good and the bad. Our lives have become so busy and technology is pushing change to the point that rather than a generation being measured in perhaps a thirty year block, it is now measured in three to four years. If that is true, then we need to protect our cultural heritage more than ever. We are lucky in this country that we have institutions like the Library of Congress. We found in the Library a part of the government that really works. That is because of the people who work there - they are passionate and dedicated. I know it sounds corny but it is true. Whether you belong to the Tea Party or are a liberal Democrat you can take pride that the Library of Congress works.

6) How did you come to select the films that were discussed in the documentary?

We, meaning our production team, had certain ideas about what films we should include in our documentary. We went dutifully about our interviews asking people about those films. But, what we found was that people told us about films they thought important. When a person tells you about a film they love or find important there is passion. We realized that we needed to follow the path being laid before us by our interview subjects. It was in their passion that we found our story. The films that Paul and I love didn't matter because we were not in front of the camera. Our interview subject took us on a great trip that we formed into our documentary.

7) How did you come to select the people who were interviewed in the documentary?

We selected people to interview that we thought were interesting - had something to say. A lot of people are wonderful, but don't really have anything to say. A good interviewer can bring out the best in anyone. Charlie Rose, Tavis Smiley and Terry Gross are good examples of that. But, just bringing out the best is not good enough for a documentary. The person has to have some inherent ability to express their inner world and passion. That is what makes them documentary worthy, so to speak. Convincing prominent people to be in a documentary being produced by two guys with no discernible track record is very difficult. We got a lot of rejections from some great people. Our success in getting interviews was based on two thing: persistence and luck. We got Christopher Nolan because his daughter and our editor Doug Blush's daughter share the same piano teacher. It was through that personal connection we were able to submit our request. Dumb luck can sometimes be pretty important.

8) What do you hope that These Amazing Shadows accomplishes?

We hope that These Amazing Shadows entertains and inspires people. We certainly want to create awareness about the need for film preservation and the preservation of our cultural heritage in general. But, we've found that something else has happened that we couldn't have anticipated. We've had high school and college students come up to us after a screening and tell us that because of our film they want a career in filmmaking. We never expected that kind of response. So many people have told us how they have rediscovered the movies. Fallen in love with movies from the 1930s and 40s. Watched an experimental film for the first time in their life. Preservation is important, but it is the films themselves and how they affect people that is most important.

9) Tell us a little about your social media campaign for the documentary.

Paul and I are not in our 20s or 30s. Before this project I knew nothing about facebook, twitter, blogging, foursquare, tumblr, etc. We found with a limited promotion and advertising budget that social media was very important. We realized that there were people out there that had established connections to online communities with a shared interest. And, that those connections are very powerful. It took us a while to tap into that world. We began by just surfing the net looking for bloggers and facebook pages who we simply enjoyed reading. We learned a lot from just reading and reading. We started our social media campaign in December of 2010. We now know we should have started it a year before. It takes time to make the right connections. I am afraid that we won't really know how to have a really effective social media until 2012! Thank goodness for my 26 year old niece, Tessa Rexroat, because she really educated us.

10) These Amazing Shadows has already been screened at big film festivals such as Sundance. Tell us a little about the cross-country tour of the documentary and the reactions you've been getting so far. (as of June 2011)

In many ways distribution is harder than making the documentary. Marketing the film is so challenging because the market place is so crowded. We suffer a bit because we have been slow to develop a clever marketing hook. Film preservation is not the most exciting hook. I was at the Denver FilmCenter recently and before the screening people were coming up to me and saying, "So, this is a clip show?" Well it kind of is, but it is so much more than that. After the screening the same people came up to say how much they loved, learned and were inspired by our film. Though our marketing can be poor, once we get people in the theater they love our film. We are very lucky to have IFC behind us. They have been so supportive. They own our North American distribution rights. Even though they have guided us it is still the responsibility of the filmmakers to promote the film. Because we are the ones who have the most passion about the project. We were also lucky to be part of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. That festival is such a boost for a documentary like ours. It's short hand in our country for "a good film." Sundance began a whirlwind experience that has not stopped for almost six months. We still have a long way to go because we are scheduled to be broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens on December 28th and our DVD will be released by PBS Video in the fall. We just keep telling ourselves sleep and free time is highly overrated.

These Amazing Shadows on PBS and a Blu-Ray Giveaway

2011-12-26T15:23:00.001-05:00

"All these people who worked on these things, who are all gone now, but they've left behind these amazing shadows for us to enjoy." - George Willeman

Back in May, I had the amazing opportunity to watch the documentary These Amazing Shadows (2011) at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA (you can read my original review here). This documentary chronicles the history of the National Film Registry, which is part of the Library of Congress. The films that are made part of the registry vary greatly. They can be full-length cinematic films, documentaries, shorts, music videos, etc. but they all have something in common. They are considered to be culturally, historically and aesthetically significant. The National Film Registry choses 25 films to add to their list each year. Films are a living history of our culture. And anyone who doesn't believe that, needs to watch These Amazing Shadows! In the documentary, many industry professionals, actors, directors, even film writers like The Self-Styled Siren, are interviewed. It's a wonderful documentary that I think film fans and skeptics alike need to see this film.

And now you can! These Amazing Shadows is available on DVD and Blu-Ray as of last month. Also, PBS is showing the documentary as part of their Independent Lens series. It airs on Wednesday December 28th (check your local listings for time and channel).

PBS has a fun but very challenging Film IQ test you can take. If you want to vote for a film to be included in the 2012 list of 25, you can learn more about how to vote here. Also, if you are curious about which films are not included in the Registry yet, the Library of Congress has a master list you can browse here.

These Amazing Shadows is all over the internet. They have a main website, a trailer, a Facebook page, a Twitter account (this one is fun to follow!), and a wonderfully informative blog that is updated regularly.

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will be posting an interview with one of the directors Kurt Norton!

And now for the giveaway! Thanks to the PR folks for These Amazing Shadows, I have the opportunity to give away 4 Blu-Rays of the documentary.

Contest Rules: Fill out the form below to enter. US & Canada Only. One entry per person, contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Janury 5th. Winners will be chosen at random and announced on the blog. Good luck!

The contest is now over.

Get Your Read On ~ Spencer Tracy by James Curtis

2011-12-21T15:27:00.001-05:00

Spencer Tracy
by James Curtis
Knopf (Random House)
October 2011
9780307262899
1,024 pages
$39.95 Hardcover

Spencer Tracy by James Curtis is the most definitive biography on the legendary actor. There will never be another book as informative as this one and there will never be another biographer who has had as much access to information about Spencer Tracy as James Curtis had. It took Curtis 10 years to research and write this book and the wealth of information found within the covers of this biography demonstrates his hard work and attention to detail.

Physically this book is a brick. It's just over 1,000 pages and if you discount the front and back matter, the meat of it clocks in at 878 pages. It's a heavy book and because of that it's a tad bit difficult to read. I experimented with various positions including propping the book up on a firm pillow, which seemed to work the best. One time I had it propped on my chest, I accidentally let the book go, it slid and hit me right in the mouth. Ouch! If you are an eBook person, this book is available on various eReaders. I'd rather suffer and have the physical book myself.

Spencer Tracy is known for many things. He was one half of the famous Hepburn-Tracy coupling (both on screen and off), he was a familiar face in films from the 1930s to the 1960s, and by some accounts he was also known as an adulterous drunken Catholic. However, people are always infinitely more complex than the labels we chose to place on them. What I love about reading biographies is that you get an opportunity to discover some of that complexity and move beyond the stereotype, the rumors, and the labels.

The front matter consists of a table of contents and an Acknowledgements section and the back matter has a section on the various biographies of Katherine Hepburn (some of which make claims that the Curtis refutes), a stage and film chronology, notes with sources and an index. If you are going to read any of the extra matter, make sure you read the Acknowledgements because this is the most enlightening. Spencer Tracy's daughter Susie Tracy adamantly felt that a "thorough and balanced biography of her father needed to be written, and the time to talk to the people who knew him was running out." Curtis took on the task of writing this biography and Susie gave him access to photos (some I'm sure have never before been published), Tracy's datebook, letters, telegrams, etc. She also gave Curtis access to people who knew Tracy but wouldn't have been allowed to have been interviewed without Susie's connection. There are two important things to note about this. Although Susie gave Curtis access to a lot, she didn't have final say in how the book would be written or what was to be included or left out. However, I do think that Susie's assistance and blessing helped mold the book into what it is now.

It is clear in reading this book that Curtis was being very respectful of Spencer Tracy as well as Louise Tracy (his wife) and their children (Susie and John). While I do love salacious reads, I do also enjoy reading books that are matter-of-fact and don't rely on juicy gossip to interest readers. Curtis sticks to the facts and while we read about the good and the bad, he doesn't try to share more than is necessary. At times I felt that Curtis may have been a little too adoring of Louise and too critical of her major rival for Tracy's heart, Katherine Hepburn. And I wonder if this is because of Susie's influence. However, he does state that Susie and Katherine became friends and does defend Katherine on several points. Basically, Curtis sticks to facts but there is a bit of a bias in favor of Tracy's family.

This book is very thorough. Every year, every play, every movie, every major event in Spencer Tracy's life is covered with incredible detail. There is a lot of information too about the John Tracy Clinic for deaf children. Relevant photographs, with sources named, are sprinkled through the text. I like this better than the photo insert you find in the middle of most biographies. I always find myself flipping back to that section to look at photos and I didn't have to do that with this book. This is a challenging read. The writing is can be a bit dry but because of the sheer volume of information that Curtis shares, there wasn't much room for fancy language. He does employ use of cliff hangers at the end of certain chapters which makes you want to keep reading. However, I highly suggest reading this book chapter by chapter. It will take you a while to finish but at least it'll give you some time to soak in the information.

What I enjoyed the most about this book were the stories of Spencer Tracy in relation to other actors or with directors/producers/other industry people. Tracy was good friends with a lot of his fellow actors and as the years passed it saddened him to see so many of them die. He was a great actor, adored by many and a lot of actors and actresses felt it a privilege to work with him. He had some close friendships with actors including his BFF Pat O'Brien and Clark Gable. There is one really funny anecdote from the book. Gable and Tracy would pull pranks on each other on set. When Clark Gable was crowned the King of Hollywood, Tracy took the opportunity to embarrass Gable. The book says

"Gable sought his revenge... when he had the hot fudge sundae that always appeared at the finish of Tracy's lunch made with a perfectly formed scoop of mashed potatoes. Tracy dug into the thing and devoured it down to the last spoonful without ever changing expression."

I know a lot of you will be put off by the page count but you shouldn't be. Not everything can be condensed into one page of trivia facts on IMDB or a few paragraphs on Wikipedia. It's an accomplishment to tackle a book this long and to learn as much as I did while reading it. So while it's not the most fun read out there, I do hope Spencer Tracy fans and classic movie enthusiasts alike will give this book a shot.

Full Disclosure: My boss got this book, took one look at it's length and handed it over to me. I immediately hugged it in my arms and thanked her. Thanks Susan!

Here is the author talking about how he came to write the biography and clears up some misconceptions about Tracy. I love that he took the opportunity to spotlight Spencer Tracy in such a definitive biography like this one! Also below is a free preview of the book. Enjoy!

Holiday Gift Guide for Classic Film Fans

2011-12-06T13:16:00.003-05:00

Do you have a classic film fan in your life? Or perhaps you are one and want to spread the joy to others? Why not buy a classic film themed gift for them for the holidays? Now I could list a whole bunch of DVDs, Blu-Rays and Boxed Sets for you but that's no fun. You could easily just browse some great online shops like the TCM Store, Kino Lorber, Barnes and Noble or Warner Archive for ideas. However, if you are looking for some non-DVD/Blu-Ray gift ideas, why not consider one of the following:

Books

Buy books for the holidays! As most of you know, I work in the book industry. So buying books supports me. How, so? You buy a book, it supports the industry, I work in the industry, it keeps food on the table, clothes on my back and a roof over my head. Do you know how much Carlos eats? It's a lot! Keep us fed, buy some books. Besides, books are cool!

Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design - by Jennifer Bass and Pat Kirkham - Wow! What a gorgeous book. Saul Bass is the legendary designer of title sequences from great films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger and many others. This is makes for a great coffee table book, discussion piece or just a fun book to flip through.

A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film by Richard Barrios - This book comes highly recommended from early film expert Jonas, also known as the Talkie King, who blogs over at All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing!. This title is perfect for that budding film historian in your life.

Turner Classic Movies Crossword Puzzles -If your loved one is a TCM fanatic and thinks crossword puzzles are a lot of fun, this is the perfect gift for him or her. Inspired by the crossword puzzles in TCM's Now Playing Viewer's Guide, this book has 80 puzzles sure to keep anyone entertained for hours!

Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo and illustrated by Julia Denos - A fabulous picture all about Audrey Hepburn. It's a great way to pass down your love of Hepburn to a child or for collectors of all things Audrey.

For children's books I also recommend: Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat, a picture book about Ella Fitzgerald which was inspired by the Abbott and Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942) and Footwork: The Story of Fred and Adele Astaire, a picture book about the two young siblings growing up in show business.

For other book ideas, check out my book review series called Get Your Read On. I've reviewed numerous books of interest to classic film lovers.

Holiday Cards

Classic Movie Cards from Silents and Talkies - These are amazing! Designed and colored by hand by the uber-talented Kate Gabrielle. There are 7 in all, including some Happy New Year's cards. You can get all 7 designs or mix and match or buy all of 1 kind.

Home Theater

Panasonic 3D Wi-Fi Blu-Ray player - Let's face it. Most classic film fans have been reluctant to get Blu-Ray players. Heck, a lot of us are still trying to update our VHS collections to DVD! However, so many wonderful classic films are being introduced to the Blu-Ray format that your old movie lover is missing out by not having a player! CNet gave this particular Blu-Ray player by Panasonic a rating of "excellent". It's on sale at Best Buy for $159.99 with free shipping.

DVD Storage Box - One of the biggest dilemmas for any classic film fan is where to store all of ones DVDs and Blu-Rays. If your loved one has more films than they know what to do with, get them a couple of DVD storage boxes. These are a great alternative to furniture and fit well on bookshelves. You can stack them, move them around and hide them in nooks and crannies. Carlos and I have several of these!

Ephemera

Immortal Ephemera eBay Store and Website - My good friend Cliff sells lots of great Classic Film ephemera at his eBay store and on his website. Most items are under $10 You can find over 500 vintage stills, trading cards, tobacco cards, press photos, etc. Cards are $0.99 US shipping (unlimited) and other items are shipped free (US only). International Shipping is available as well. If your loved one is a big fan of a particular star from the Golden Age of Hollywood, check out Cliff's Shop by the Stars page and you can see what he has available for each actor or actress. These items make great gifts for the collector in your life!

Collectibles

Metropolis Mug from Brattle Theater - For just $12, you can get this fantastic Metropolis mug and support my favorite repertory theater at the same time. Win-win!

1:18 Steve McQueen Bullitt 1968 Mustang Fastback in Highland Green - Calling all Steve McQueen Fans! Calling all Car Enthusiasts! This is a wonderful toy replica of the Mustang that Steve McQueen drove (sorta) in the classic car chase scene from Bullitt (1968). I'm sure Carlos is salivating over this one.

Etsy - Etsy.com is full of wonderful vintage and hand-made collectibles which are sold by independent sellers and artists. Check out this Paul Newman Charm Metal Bracelet. Each charm is a photograph of Newman enclosed in a glass and metal casing.

Miscellaneous

Ticket Stub Diary - What's more fun than collecting ticket stubs? It's wonderful going back to see all the films you've enjoyed at the theater. But where do you put them all? Chronicle Books offers a Ticket Stub Diary for $14.95. You can also keep museum passes, concert tickets and lots of other stuff in here!

The Original Whirley Stovetop Popcorn Set - This set comes with a stovetop pot and stirrer, 3 popcorn packs and 4 popcorn tubs. Perfect present for your classic movie fan who loves to munch on popcorn while enjoying films!

What will you be buying for your beloved classic film fan? What do you hope you'll be getting for the holidays?

Full Disclosure: I found all these items online myself! I have not been influenced by any companies and I am not being compensated to feature any titles. I did include some Amazon.com affiliate links but that's it!