Via Margutta 51

How many of these famous (classic) actresses do you recognize?

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:23:00 +0000

I love when newspapers surprise me. This quiz appeared the other day in a national newspaper.

Shame on me, I couldn't guess all the names (and I didn't know at all a couple of the girls)...there are some tricky pictures, so don't be so confident...

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The answers:

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How many did you recognize? Share your number in the comments ;)

CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon: "The Richest Girl in the World"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:27:00 +0000

First thing about the film I selected for this blogathon: I had seen it like two years ago. I remember I enjoyed it very much, but two years ago I had barely seen classic comedies, therefore my mental map has changed since then.

Was it as good as I remembered it? Let's see.

The Richest Girl in the World (1934) is about the richest girl in the world. Seriously. As we all know normal rich people have a lot of problems to deal with, like losing kids inside their mansions, having to assist to dreaful ceremonies and parties, not knowing what to buy next, not knowing what kid to adopt next, etc. But they also have sentimental problems. Especially if you're Miriam Hopkins, the RICHEST girl in the world.

Miriam founds herself continually asking: this guy that says he loves me, is in love with me or with my money? So after her honest fiancé says he won't marry her because he's in love with another girl, Miriam starts thinking. She also sees her dear secretary Fay Wray deeply in love with her husband and she wants something like that for herself.

For security reasons she's pretending to be her secretary, while her secretary pretends to be her. In that situation she meets Joel McCrea, an impossibly tall, tanned, athletic, handsome, cute guy, who says he couldn't care less about the RICHEST girl in the world. Hope is born in Miriam's heart. And a kitten just died because that last cliché. Well, Miriam will prove Joel's will by throwing the fake richest girl in the world in his face.

One of the things I like about this film is how writer Norman Krasna gave a little background and humanized the character of the girl with a lot of money. First, we learn that her parents died in the Titanic (no, her dad wasn't Leo DiCaprio) and that a good ol' man took care of her (one of the bests scenes is when Henry Stephenson, the protector, tells this story). Then we learn that she's practical, not spoiled, that she's a good friend, doesn't have a lot of clothes and has a good humor. So you root for her.

I also like the way Miriam Hopkins acts...most of the time. She gives naturalness to her character and a playful presence. The are few secondary characters, but they make a good group: Fay Wray being always supportive, her husband (Reginald Denny) being a good sport about the whole incognito deal, and the mentioned Henry Stephenson, also very effective and funny.

The negative side: in a movie that was in this "humanized" trail, some scenes are out of place. For example, in a moment of anger, Miriam goes after Joel and her secretary/fake rich girl that were in a canoe. With her motorboat she makes the little canoe overturn. That would work in a normal screwball comedy, but not in this one. There are other scenes in which she drinks with Joel that were a bit repetitive, long and didn't add much to the story. Maybe this would have been less notorious if the movie had some kind of music, but it just have two songs in dance scenes. And, in my very humble opinion, Joel is very handsome and all but he's very wooden as actor. Except for a few moments.

Anyway, Norman Krasna got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Story. He was 22. He says he attended to the ceremony with Groucho Marx and his first wife, Ruth. Norman didn't win and got drunk. Suddenly he rises and shouts "Everybody!". Silence. Then he invited everyone to his place, even when she just had a can of sardines at home. Groucho had to take him home.

Closing lines. Maybe this one is not really a HA-HA film, but is very enjoyable little comedy anyway. The end :)

----
Written for the CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon.

Cool Old Music: The Puppini Sisters' "Hollywood"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Just a quick post to (hopefully) put a lasting smile on your face.

Remember when I told you about The Puppini Sisters, that super awesome trio that sings in close harmony style (like The Andrews Sisters, The Lennon Sisters, etc etc)...

Well, in December they released an album called Hollywood and I just found out today. According to their own description,

HOLLYWOOD is a gloriously evocative record that pays homage to the music of the silver screen in the Puppini Sisters' inimitably stylish manner that has been dazzling audiences worldwide since the release of their debut album, 2006's Betcha Bottom Dollar. Their ability to renew and rejuvenate each song, effortlessly harmonizing vocal lines while staying true to the classic Tinseltown aesthetic, is evident throughout Hollywood, which was recorded in the old-fashioned way with the three ladies all standing round one microphone.

The album takes in a whole range of dynamics, from the tongue-twisting "Moi Je Joue" and the high-energy upswing of "I Got Rhythm" - written by the Gershwin brothers - to a delicately fragile take on "Moon River" and Frank Sinatra's memorable "September Song". On each song, the sweetly charming vocal harmonies of the Puppinis bring new life to songs that have existed in the public consciousness for over half a century.

So what do you know? One of my favorite retro bands singing cool old songs from movies. Awesome.

Here's the tracklist; you can preview it on Amazon.

1. Hollywood

2. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friends

3. I Got Rhythm

4. Moi Je Joue

5. True Love

6. Good Morning

7. Get Happy

8. Moon River

9. I Feel Pretty

10. September Song

11. Parle Plus Bas

And here's the video for Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friends:

What's your favorite classic movie trailer?

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:11:00 +0000

Old movie trailers are cool. I haven't seen a lot, but right now two come to my mind:

And I really like the beginning of the 36 hours' trailer (check my review in case you haven't heard about it). The voice is thrilling and the number references are...puzzling.

How about you?

I'm sure there are a lot of awesome clips out there. Share your favorite movie trailer(s) leaving a link to the video if possible. I'll update this post with your links so we have a list of great trailers. Thank you :)

Reader's picks:

Ruth shared the Beloved Infidel trailer (Amazon blocks the vid for users outside the U.S). I reviewed this movie about Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham.
Stanwyckfan picked the very entertaining Remember the night's trailer . I talked about it on my post abouy my favorite movies directed by Mitchell Leisen.
Dave shared the Badlands trailer, a movie I haven't seen. He wrote an awesome post about this preview.
Perfect Number likes The War Lover's trailer, a film I haven't seen...but I plan to :)
Rick says Hitch's tour in the Psycho trailer is a hoot. And it is!

Discussion: worst movie viewing experiences

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:47:00 +0000

First, I hope that title makes sense. Even when I've been writing like 2 years in English, I still don't know how to say some basic things.

Anyway, by that title I intend to invite you to discuss/share bad experiences you had watching a film with other people. Sometime ago, I wrote a post about 10 types of annoying people to watch a movie with, well, it's a bit like that but more specific.

Here are 5 movie viewing sessions that went terribly:

>> One or more people didn't like the main actor/actress/character: The problem is that they don't keep it for themselves and every two minutes they remind it to the rest. OMG, this actress, what's her name?...Jean Arthur, oh, her voice! Why does she act that way? I've had this problem several times and it's very annoying because you can't do anything about it. The last time it happened, after 35 minutes of hearing complaints, I simply said "good night" and walked away.

>> You picked the movie and it was obviously the wrong choice: This time you're the only one to blame. 20 minutes after the movie started, everyone is doing something that is not watching the film. Really bad feeling. Plus, you don't know what to do: maybe to offer the group to change the movie? What if they don't like the new movie either? You'd definitely ruin the evening. This happened to me a few times: one I ended watching the movie by myself, another one I tried to tell people interesting facts about the film (it worked a bit) and the other we had time so I just changed the movie. The new one was awesome.

>> After the movie ends nobody says a thing about it and they just start cleaning and putting the things away: Oh, I thought they were having a good time! - you say to yourself. It just ruins the experience in retrospective.

>> People don't like a movie you love: You had picked one of your favorites, absolutely certain that everyone would have a blast watching it, but then you notice the audience is coolly responding to it, or, worst, they make fun of it.

>> Criminals planned to ruin your movie session by entering your house: No further comments.

What about you?

Live Q&A with John Voight's daughter (that Angelina girl)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:26:00 +0000

No, seriously, want to ask something to Angeline Jolie? Want to win a poster of her Golden Globe- nominated directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey?

Well, the guys at PartnersHub contacted me and offered all these plus a poster for myself. So, just leave a comment in this post and cross your fingers :) If you know more people that would be interested in participating in this experience, well, don't keep this info to yourself.

~~All the details about the Q&A in the app below and further instructions in this post:~~

>> Q&A event is finished.

All my film reviews of 2011...in 2 lines or less

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:54:00 +0000

In 2011, I wrote 61 reviews, that's a movie every 5 days (and I only reviewed a few of all the films I saw). While making this post I noticed that most of the films I watched were good, mostly thanks to recommendations from fellow bloggers.

I hope you enjoyed this ride with me and I hope this list helps you to find new awesome films...and some so bad that are hilarious :)

All the titles are linked to the original posts.

BAD (5/61)

You only live twice (1967): “LOL”

The princess and the pirate (1944) “Stuff the plot with lots of pirates jokes, Virginia Mayo singing, some unconnected scenes, a very stupid ending and you have something to sell.”´

Tea for two (1950) “There are some musicals that understand that the music and dance sequences should fit the action and seem natural. And some that don't.”

The Garden of Allah (1936): “Marlene Dietrich is dumped by her monk husband...in Technicolor".

Duel in the sun (1946) “Bad Gregory has a super idea: wanna go swimming? And she's like offended and rides her horse back home yelling "I WON'T, I WON'T" (but we get that someday SHE WILL, SHE WILL).”

SO-SO (16/61)

The sea hawk (1940) “The first part of this movie is very boring; then it takes off (...) but too late “

The Black Swan (1942) I couldn't forget that coward slap at the beginning so it was hard to root for Tyrone...and the movie.

The painted veil (1934) : “Herbert seemed to be distant (and boring) the whole movie”

The bigamist (1953): “A guy marries Joan and then Ida. The end.”

In the good old summertime (1949): “The shop around the corner and You've got mail are better in my opinion”

The Naked Jungle (1954): “Or how to make an entertaining... mess”

The long gray line (1955): “I just didn't get Tyrone's adoration for the institution”

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962): “It lacked charm.”

Our man in Havana (1959): “It had fun moments but its dark atmosphere didn't let me enjoy it completely"

The scarlett Empress (1934): “How can you stand this level of creepiness?”

What a way to go (1964) “Maybe the plot is pretty weak, maybe some of the parodies are not very elaborated, but it was a fun film with an all-star cast to watch once.”

The fountainhead (1949): “The movie is about a young architect that loves to design buildings his own modern way. Like if you say, 'hey Coop, I'd like to put a prettay entrance to my new house, maybe a Greek column or something' he'd kill you and throw the drafts to the mud.“

Sleep My Love (1948) “I expected more from this film, it was a bit messy.”

The Golden Arrow (1936) “Some parts seemed too forced to serve the script”

Doctor in the house (1954) “It was too bland, too circumstantial and not very surprising”

Week-end at the Waldorf (1945) “AVERAGE Ginger Rogers movie. It's a remake of Grand Hotel only with less brilliant performances, mood, dialogue, stories, etc.”

GOOD (40/61)

The parent trap (1961): “Entertaining and charming”

Torn Curtain (1966): “This movie should definitely be more appreciated”

Since you went away (1944): “I didn't find any flaw.”

Scarlett Street (1945): “The bad: Only that I wanted the bad guy to suffer more.”

Caged (1950): “I saw it twice. Eleanor Parker was surprisingly awesome in this film”

Son of Fury (1942): “Super fun (...) Tyrone and Gene are cute and effective together”

Cactus Flower (1969): “I laughed out loud many times...Ingrid Bergman steals the show”

Night and the city (1950): “Achieves a great dark, heavy atmosphere.”

That darn cat (1965) : “I enjoyed it, even when at some points it got very silly”

The moon-spinners (1964): “An entertaining teen mystery film”

Against all flags (1952): “Errol and Maureen look great together and they ooze energy and chemistry.”

Sitting pretty (1948): “I loved it (...) the new nanny is a strict man with mysterious hobbies"

This land is mine (1943): “There's tension, suspense, sacrifice, love for freedom and an unusual point of view of occupation. I really recommend it”

The flame and the arrow (1950): “Another reason to love Burt Lancaster”

Buona sera. Mrs Campbell (1968) “Gina is fun to watch and the script was perfect for her”

The great race (1965): “A very entertaining, well-acted film (...) you just have to enjoy the ride without asking questions”

Holiday Affair (1949): “There are terrific Mitchumovies in which Robert plays creepy characters that want to kill boys and nice Mitchumovies in which his characters are great with kids.“

Cry Wolf (1947) “Spooky! (...) a fun movie with interesting performances if you can forgive some plot holes.”

Beloved Infidel (1959) “Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr are superb as Scott and Sheilah”

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939): “Charles (Laughton) is one of the reasons why this film is so memorable. What a terrific performer he was”

White Heat (1949) “Terrific movie (...) A very well told story, with a great ending.”

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) “A really fun comedy”

Ivy (1947) “a super engaging...I don't know, drama? thriller?”

The three lives of Thomasina (1964) “It was fun, kept you intrigued and the kids from Mary Poppins play the main characters here too.”

I wake up screaming (1941) “Makes you wonder, makes you change your opinion with every flashback and then root for the innocents”

My reputation (1946) “My favorite things from this movie are Eve Arden's awesomely well delivered jokes and Barbara Stanwyck's usual terrific acting skills”

This above all (1942) “I liked it because they [the main characters] enjoy their love and give a leap of faith, facing social prejudice (....)and their own fears.”

Way of a Gaucho (1952) “...And the last reason why I loved this film is that the characters almost almost almost got to Chile”

Dragonwyck (1946) “If you're in the mood for a "fantasy/mystery" film with very real/historical interpretations, this one is a good option. “

People will talk (1946) “The chemistry between the main stars is great and you really root for the couple”

Heaven Can wait (1943) “a memorable movie”

Romance in Manhattan (1935) “GREAT (and kind of unknown) Ginger Rogers movie (...)It was surprising to see Ginger in this kind of role”

Manpower (1941) “It shows things how they are: the characters try to change, to take the right decisions, but that's not always enough”

The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming (1966) “hilarious!”

The Stalking Moon (1968 ) “He's like a ninja merged with a samurai mixed with Harry Potter using the invisibility cape: you just are able to follow his blood trail (...) And he's coming after Gregory and company.”

36 hours (1965) “1 hour and 15 minutes of entertainment”

The Naked Edge (1961) “The ending was thrilling and frightening. I think that's the main reason why I really liked this film.”

Paris when it sizzles (1964) “Everything about it was bad. Until it wasn't.”

I’ll be seeing you (1944) “There are so many moments from this movie that stay in your mind.”

Lady on a train (1945) “There are a lot of funny/thrilling scenes and lines and of course three songs beautifully sung by Deanna”

Happy New Year, see you on the other side kids!

Happy Birthday Marlene Dietrich: my posts about her

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Today I noticed I've written a lot about Marlene and her movies:

-- I reviewed Manpower, a very good drama with Edward G. Robinson.

-- A very ridiculous movie, The Garden of Allah, was described IN MY OWN WORDS.

-- From her collaborations with director Josef von Sternberg I've seen 6/7 and reviewed two: one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, The Scarlett Empress and the entertaining Dishonored, which has an awesome ending.

-- I talked about two underrated films by interesting director Mitchell Leisen: The Lady is willing with Fred MacMurray and Golden Earrings with Ray Milland.

-- I also mentioned her elegant cameo in Paris When it Sizzles.

-- I wrote a haiku about Morocco with Gary Cooper.

-- I reviewed her "biography" by Charlotte Chandler

-- She was part of the Gift Guide for movie fans with a lot of imagination.

-- And she was also part of the poll Actresses that make you laugh the most and got more votes than Barbara Stanwyck.

Well, that's it :)

I'll be seeing you (1944): a great "Christmas movie"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Ahhh, the holidays. The season where you feel socially compelled to buy and eat. A lot. The season where you ask little kids if they believe in Santa and they don't. But you do. Kind of. The season where you listen to Christmas songs and they finally make sense (yep, I listen to Christmas music all the year, The Elf soundtrack is amazing).

Seems that it was also the season where people returned home from the war or jail and a ~~little brat~~ not so little Shirley Temple was there to point her judgmental finger at you.

What a great movie I'll be seeing you is (and what a great song it has). It's a film that, just like The best years of our lives, shows what war does to people, without even showing the battlefield, without any patriotic speeches given by a character looking to the horizon. It also shows the life of the people who stayed, old people, young people, some showing the calmness that being accustomed to resignation projects, others trying to help with written messages of hope for people fighting abroad. And, very surprisingly, it also tells the story of a imprisoned woman that is paying for a mistake, an accident, even when the result wasn't her fault.

Director William Dieterle (Portrait of Jennie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and the writers constructed a measured movie. It feels real.

It shows people that laughs at the table at spontaneous, not so funny jokes. People that try to maintain their dignity even when their circumstances are difficult and not always succeed. Characters, like Shirley's, that aren't sweet and kind, because usually adolescents are not. They have too many things to deal with. Ginger, the inmate that goes home for the holidays, tries to combine her few clothes to look normal for a while and makes an effort to answer difficult questions, overlook prejudices...or just tries to hide her situation from new acquaintances. And one night Joseph Cotten, the troubled soldier, tries to control his mental and physical scars, to calm down, talking to himself, but completely fails, and just lays there, sweaty, tired.

There are so many moments from this movie that stay in your mind. For example, the dog attack is so well filmed that the scene shocks you, just like reality. It occurs without warning, in a moment that was preceded by a calm walk, with no suspense music. The actors are so well in they roles that you empathize with their humanity (after watching this film, my dad said that Ingrid Bergman is no longer his favorite actress).

And it happens to be Christmas time, and everyone is making an effort to forget and smile, to share a supper, a song, a present, a smile. Whatever. Because sometimes life is tough and you just have each other to hang on. And, sometimes, like in I'll be seeing you, life smiles you back, even if it's for a moment, outside the prison where you live.

----Written for Sally's 12 Days of Christmas movies. Have a great Christmas people, enjoy yourselves and leave milk & cookies for Santa!!

When I say, you say #8: Mansion

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:56:00 +0000

Welcome to the last When I say, you say post of the year, the game in which I say a word and you share your first (first) classic movie related thought. Film titles, movie scenes, characters, passages from actors' biographies, etc, etc...

Image source.

So, when I say MANSION, you say...

3 Classic Hollywood-related films on this year's Black List

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:33:00 +0000

I didn't know this, but every year on December there's a list of Hollywood's most liked unproduced screenplays being published. According to the Black List's official site, a bunch of executives from the industry vote for their favorites and even movies like Juno and Lars and the Real girl were finally produced and released thanks to the list.

Well, I skimmed the pdf file, and three scripts caught my attention:

Home by Christmas - Bob Hope in Korea by Ben Schwartz

"Young Larry Gelbart goes on tour with his idol Bob Hope in the middle of the Korean War and learns the true price of patriotism."

Grace of Monaco by Arash Amel

"Grace Kelly, age 33 and having given up her acting career to focus on being a full time princess, uses her political maneuvering behind the scenes to save Monaco while French Leader Charles de Gaulle and Monaco’s Prince Rainier III are at odds over the principality’s standing as a tax haven."

Saving Mr. Banks by Kelly Marcel

"The story of how Walt Disney got the rights for Mary Poppins."

I'd love the idea of the second one, it would be very interesting to see that political side of Grace Kelly; it would be an awesome movie to watch, especially if they make a good job with the settings. I also liked the third story, I know that the author, P.L. Travers didn't want to sell the rights to Disney because she didn't think it would do justice to her books and he persisted like for 20 years. My problem with the first movie is the line "the true price of patriotism", I don't know how to interpret that.

What do you think? Did you like the plots? Who do you think should play the main parts of these films?

PS- Thanks to all the people who commented or liked my Gift Guide post for classic film fans with a lot of imagination :)

Gift Guide for classic movie fans with (a lot of) imagination

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:41:00 +0000

Christmas is coming and you don't know what to give to that special, super imaginative classic film fan? Or to other people beside yourself? Well, Via Margutta 51 has an answer to all your prayers! Here's a list of very special gifts you can buy...with ~~a massive ammount~~ just a bit of imagination.

- Do you want to start the day with a little morning exercise? Well, choose this special offer: tennis classes with super stars. Oh, you know how to play? Well, play a doubles match! Just pick your partner and your rivals: Errol Flynn, Carole Lombard, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Kate Hepburn, Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Douglas Fairbanks, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, Jimmy Stewart...well, practically any star in Hollywood!

- Maybe you want something a little wilder? Well, choose this horse back riding trip guided by Gary Cooper & John Wayne! Besides riding with such amazing people, this option includes a visit to the ranches of Barbara Stanwyck & Robert Taylor, Gable & Lombard or Joel & Frances McCrea!! (imagination, people, imagination).

- Oh, oh, you want something even more exciting....Then the kart racing option is for you! Enjoy a super fun (and super safe) karting session with Jimmy Dean, Paul Newman & Steve McQueen! (And yes, you can pick this option just to watch them...for a whole day).

- Love the sea? Well, Errol Flynn, Bogie & Bacall and Orson Welles are waiting for you! Join them in a super sunny and fun sailing adventure. This special offer includes swimming lessons with Johnny Weissmuller & Esther Williams. Don't miss it!

- Do you prefer quieter activities? Do you love chatting with amazing people? Well, be part of this Sewing & Knitting session with Bette Davis, Sylvia Sidney, Joanne Woodward, Kate & Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, Maureen O'Hara and everyone who wants to join.

- Want to learn some awesome moves? Then pick our dancing lessons with Ginger, Fred, Gene Kelly, Shirley Temple, James Cagney, Eleanor Powell, and more!! This is an offer you can't resist!

- Do you have a kitchen but you don't know what to do in there? Do you want to learn how to prepare very special dishes? The cooking session with people like Marlene Dietrich, Vincent Price, Joan Crawford, Dinah Shore & Marilyn Monroe is for you!

-Want to learn a new, exciting language? French with Charles Boyer, Catherine Denueve, Alain Delon, Maurice Chevalier...or Gene Kelly? Dutch with Audrey Hepburn? Swedish with Ingrid Bergman or Greta Garbo? German with Marlene Dietrich? Italian with Rossano Brazzi or Sophia Loren? Whatever you want, we have an actor for you!

- Do you need a fashion expert? We have two people that will go shopping with you and advice you in a super professional (but very kind) way: Audrey Hepburn & Grace Kelly! Don't miss this unique opportunity! Special gifts and discounts are included!

- Do you need an amazing activity for a special evening? Viv & Larry and Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy will act in an exclusive theatrical performance, just for you and your friends! Do we really need to convince you?

- Don't you just love music? Well, pick this all-star offer and enjoy a whole night of the best music: Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Barbra Streissand, Irene Dunne, Maurice Chevalier, Julie Andrews, Deanna Durbin, Marni Nixon (so she gets some recognition) and a lot of other singers to choose from our catalog! This offer includes a duet with the artist you want!

- Are you stressed? Depressed? Or you just you need something to cheer up? How would you like to be part of a game night hosted by William Powell & Myrna Loy? Would you like playing charade with funny guests like Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Rosalind Russel, Red Skelton, Una Merkel, Bob Hope, Eve Arden, Chaplin, the Marx Brothers...? You know what to do, the lines are opened.

(Jean Arthur's confirmation is pending).

- Are you just dying to go to a Hollywood party hosted by Marion Davies at Hearst Castle but you don't really like Mr. Hearst? Well, pick this super option because he's not invited! But everybody else in Hollywood is!! This is one of the most expensive offers, but it's totally worth it! We assure you this is a night you won't forget.

(And if you contact us in the next few minutes, Edith Head will design your costume!)

- This is the last offer! Enjoy a new version of the Hollywood Canteen, hosted by Bette Davis and with the participation of special guests like Cary Grant, Greer Garson, Rita Hayworth, Gary Cooper, Don Ameche, the Barrymores, Olivia de Havilland, Irene Dunne, and everyone in this list! Invite your friends, invite everyone you want and be part of one of the most special evenings ever!

Which offer would you choose?

Lady on a train (1945): a goofy comedy thriller

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Last night I was finally able to watch this film starring Deanna Durbin and David Bruce. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was entertaining and it takes place during Christmas, so it was a good pick.

In a nutshell, Deanna plays a rich Nancy Drew-ish character that witnesses a murder from a train and then she investigates by herself because William Frawley is playing a lazy cop.

First of all, to completely enjoy this film, you have to expect a lot of unlikely situations, like a girl breaking and entering in a creepy mansion, wearing a cowhide (almost literally), lots of feathers in her hat and high heels, because that's how you discreetly investigate a murder.

If you accept things like that, then you can start enjoying the contagious good humor and goofy personality of Deanna's character; David Bruce's charm (he was handsome, reminded me a bit of Michael Redgrave), Edward Everett's usual absent minded character and Jacqueline deWit's comedy timing (she has a presence like Eve Arden's).

The movie maintains a good pace: it's never slow thanks to a script filled with many different and interesting situations (like Deanna pretending to be a club singer/heiress/chair to investigate...you'll get it when you see it).

It also keeps you intrigued, trying to guess which of the suspects --Ralph Bellamy, Dan Duryea, etc-- is the criminal (although I correctly guessed at once...please, please, no applauses).

There are a lot of funny/thrilling scenes and lines and of course three songs beautifully sung by Deanna (they are all in Youtube: Silent Night, Night and Day & Give me a little kiss )

In conclusion, if you haven't seen this one and you're looking for a very light and quite funny film, I recommend this one to you.

Here some photos from my wall:

With "Fred"

At the cinema: one of the funniest scenes.

With Ralph Bellamy.

With Edward Everett, Fred Astaire's usual best friend.

Siiiiilent Niiiight....

Have a great weekend!

PS - I'd like to know if you guys know more about director Charles David, seems that he just directed two movies in his whole life.

Things from "How to steal a million" I had forgotten

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:32:00 +0000

I know, how could I forgot this little 1965 Autobianchi Bianchina Convertible (nope, I'm not a car expert, I just visited the awesome Internet Movie Cars Database). I need this car, I know with it I would finally get my license and overcome my parking fears.

This scene is the closest Audrey got to work with Hitch in a movie. Well, besides that unmade movie called No Bail for the Judge, from which Audrey withdrew (read more about it).

I had forgotten the super fun lines everyone delivers in this film! A few examples:

Simon Dermott: There's the bathroom, take off your clothes.
Nicole Bonnet: Are we planning the same sort of crime?

Charles Bonnet: This tall, good-looking ruffian with blue eyes, he didn't, er, molest you in any way, did he?
[Nicole is staring off dreamily]
Charles Bonnet: Well, did he?
Nicole Bonnet: Not... much.

Nicole Bonnet: I can't drive a stolen car!
Simon Dermott: Same principle, four gears forward, one reverse.

Nicole Bonnet: I didn't want to keep you waiting, so I got engaged to him. Is it alright? Am I on time?
Simon Dermott: Perfectly. In fact, we have ten more minutes, so if you want to go back and marry him?

Simon Dermott: [about to see Nicole to a taxi] Just one more tiny favour: like an idiot I forgot to wear gloves on the job. I may have left some fingerprints. Be an angel. Before you go to bed, just give the frame of the painting a little wipe with a clean cloth, ok?
Nicole Bonnet: Certainly. Anything else? You wouldn't like a forged passport or some counterfeit money or...

Nicole Bonnet: Your arm is much better.
Simon Dermott: Oh no no, it hurts, it hurts.
Nicole Bonnet: It's the other arm.
Simon Dermott: The infection is spreading.

Tuxedo Tuco! I always remember Elli Wallach as the bandit from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, so it's quite a change seeing him all dressed up and speaking to super "modern" dictaphones in his car.

I also thought about how he's still working (his part in The Holiday is memorable) while it's been almost 20 years since Audrey passed away.

Click to enlarge.

And Nicole's grandmother looks like Audrey in My fair lady :)

The rest, I had not forgotten. The classy musical score, Audrey's underrated timing for comedy, the marvelous cast, Paris, etc, etc, etc...

Do you like How to steal a million?

I'm December's guest @ "All Good Things"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:12:00 +0000

Hi, guys, like I told you earlier, my friend Monty invited me to be his guest for December.

If you want to read my first 4 answers, go to All Good Things. Yep, go ahead, make my day :)
2YFPFYJSAH8T

Why I uninstalled Disqus from Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:06:00 +0000

UPDATE

After posting this entry I was contacted by Disqus via Twitter & Blogger. They offered me help, because the duplication was something that shouldn't occur:

"The duplication error only occurred during a specific time period which is why you can't reproduce it. We're looking into a more automated way to remove duplicate comments for forums so you don't have to go through and manually remove them. We'll be in touch again once we know more about that. "

17 days after this e-mail they informed me that they had removed the duplicated comments. I asked them if I could remove Disqus just by removing the widget and the answer was positive:

"Nothing will happen to your Disqus account -- if you'd like to remove the widget you will just need to find the Disqus widget in your Blogger layout editor, open it, and then click "Remove" along the bottom, and your Blogger comment box will be restored.

Sorry for any hassles, we do plan on some major integration improvements with Blogger so keep us in mind :-)."

THE ORIGINAL POST

Last night I opened Disqus widget and clicked "remove". I didn't even know if that was the official way to get rid of the system (because they don't have proper information about it), but after some serious issues I just had to do it.

I'll describe my experience with Disqus because I know that the Blogger comment form is terribly basic and a lot of people will tempted to change it.

First, the good things. Disqus nails it with its:

Overall clean interface
"Reply" button that forms threads inside the flow of comments
Cool system to show "Reactions" or who shared your post over Twitter or other sites.
System to display attachments like pictures or videos linked in the comments.
Option to save a copy of your comments in your Blogger dashboard and also an option to Import/Export your comments.
Help reply timing: if you have a problem with Disqus and write to the staff during working days, they answer you really quick.

Now the things that make you want to kill yourself:

1. It doesn't fetch all your Blogger comments:

I was really happy with Disqus until I noticed some weird things. Before it loaded I could see the original Blogger form and noticed that it said, for example, "10 comments". Then when Disqus officially showed up, it said "9 comments"!! I checked my Blogger dashboard and noticed that there were some comments correctly added there but not in Disqus and therefore not in my site.

I wrote to the staff, and after following some steps like checking the "Spam" folder they informed me that:

Perhaps these were made from a phone or other mobile device? Blogger doesn't yet allow Disqus to work on their mobile templates, so that would be one way to get comments on Blogger and not Disqus. If you do an import from Blogger again that'll bring them in. Blogger will also be adding Disqus support soon, so they say.

Why didn't they inform me about this tiny issue before installing the system? Well, I know why.

2. Importing comments can be tiring:

So each time I noticed there were some comments that weren't correctly published I had to go to my Disqus account and re-import all the comments again. Sometimes this didn't take more that a few minutes, in other occasions it did.

This meant that if someone left a comment he/she had to wait for me to notice the problem (because if Disqus doesn't save it, you obviously don't get a notification via e-mail) and then for the import.

Importing comments on a daily basis was something I didn't have to do with my old Blogger comment form.

3. Disqus comment form is not really easy to get:

I remember when I first saw Disqus in other sites I thought I had to create an account to comment or use my social media accounts. And that's what a lot of my readers thought too when I installed it in my blog. Some of my readers told me that they preferred to send me e-mails commenting a post than using Disqus; others took part of their time to create an account; others didn't see that they could leave their url when posting as guests (the option font was too tiny), etc.

So, extra task: I had to invent new ways to clarify all these issues, like adding a description box on the top of my site, creating posts, etc. I think that they should modify the design: leaving a comment using just an e-mail and an username should be the main option, embedded under the form and not in a pop up window, because this leads to confusion. If you want to use your other accounts then you should click a button like "Use an account".

4. It adds some extra seconds to your site loading time.

No comments.

5. Importing comments can go crazy:

This was the last straw! Last week, as usual, I noticed that there were two comments that weren't published so I tried to import them. After some hours, I checked my site and noticed that ALL THE COMMENTS I'D EVER RECEIVED WERE DUPLICATED. That meant that if I wanted to change to another system and export my comment file they would be duplicated anyway. So, again, I asked for help to the staff. The answer, another challenge:

Unfortunately this was due to an error that we made. There's no way to remove the duplicates automatically, but if we can put together something we'll contact you. Otherwise they can be deleted manually -- we're very sorry for any hassle this has caused.

Yeah, I have the time to manually delete more than 2,000 comments!

The good news is that I noticed that my Blogger comments dashboard correctly showed my comments, without the duplicates.

6. Getting rid of Disqus means losing information and formats

The bad news is that after removing the Disqus widget all the direct "Replies" to users I wrote using Disqus are now messed up, because Blogger displays them in chronological order (TIP: if you're using Disqus and replying to your readers, address them, like @Someone to have clearer comments in case you uninstall it). Of course, I also lost the "Likes" the readers' comments or my posts received, the "Reactions", etc.

Conclusion

After all, I guess I made the right decision, Disqus wasn't really making my blogging experience easier. I only hope the guys at Blogger can work on their comment system, to make it more functional and pretty. I modified a bit the basic form, hope you like it :)

I missed you guys!

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:32:00 +0000

According to the last advice of this list of tips for new bloggers this post has no sense...

Lastly, don't apologize for not posting more often. A blog is a fun hobby - but once you start feeling beholden to it, it stops being fun! Plus, your readers will likely not notice if you don't post for a week unless you write a post about how sorry you are for not posting!

Well, I don't care: it's been two weeks since I published my last entry and I've missed you guys and I've missed writing my stupid reviews and rambling posts about old stars.

What happened is that, just like Audrey says in Charade, I'm not a lady of leisure anymore. I've been finally hired, and I'm working as journalist for an university's website. Now I'm really applying a lot of things I've learned blogging, like html and how to redact for the web.

So today I wanted to take some time off to explain my current situation (done) and talk about few things that have happened the past days:

Natalie Wood's case re-opened: I really hope they can finally found out what happened. The way it all ended for her was so unfair!
Citizen's Kane Debate: I had to apologize with the girls at True Classics because I couldn't write the post I had promised. It was a surprise to found out that are more fellow bloggers that share my opinion about it (calling it the best movie ever made is quite drastic).
Happy Birthday Gene Tierney! What an unique presence she had on screen. If you want, you can check my entries about Gene.
Guest at All Good Things: My friend Monty has invited me to be his guest for December...so you can check my answers to his questions about old movies and classic actors next month :)
Facebook: Sometimes I don't have time to write a full post so I share things I find interesting over the Fan Page of my blog. I really hope I can see you guys there too :)

So, that's it. I hope you're doing all well, and my respects to all the people that manage to work AND publish quality entries :)

New FB poll: what's your favorite movie from Vivien Leigh....

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:26:00 +0000

...when Gone in the wind is not among the options? That's the question chosen to commemorate Vivien Leigh's birthday :)

Vote here, please: Via Margutta 51 Fan Page.

(If you don't have a Facebook account, you can leave a comment here in the blog)

The 10 scariest scenes from old movies (I've managed to watch)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Boooooooooooo!!!...did I scare you? No? Bummer, this article explained me that I should.

Anyway, these are the 10 creepiest scenes from the somewhat scary movies I've been able to watch. You know I'm a coward.

10. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane: Joan Crawford gets a yummy lunch, made with lots of love from Bette Davis.

9. Suddenly, Last Summer: Elizabeth Taylor tells how her cousin Sebastian really died [sorry, the clip is not complete...but you know what happened to him]

8. Cape Fear (my review): The family is waiting for criminal Robert Mitchum to attack any minute.

[SCENE]

7. The Devil-Doll: Creepy concept, humans transformed in dolls and used to steal and kill...by Lionel Barrymore in drag.

6. Nosferatu: The whole movie is terribly scary, so I just chose the part when Hutter finds out that Orlok sleeps in a freaking coffin!

5. The Innocents: Deborah Kerr plays hide-and-seek with the creepy children she's in charge of...and someone or something appears on a window...

4. The Fly (my review): OMG, this film. I chose the ending, when the doctor is trapped and asks for help with his tiny voice.

3. Psycho: Anthony Perkin's horrible secret is revealed.

[Scene]

2. Wait until dark: Blind Audrey Hepburn thinks the fight with a sadistic criminal is over...

(The moment starts at 01.17 in case you want to skip the explanation...oh, and you can check my stop motion version of this moment)

1. The Night of the Hunter: Robert Mitchum appears inside the house where Lillian Gish is protecting the children...and then he escapes screaming like a wild animal. Or a creature from hell.

BONUS: My 7-year-old self picked this short film from Disney:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

I love when classic actors appear on the front pages

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:34:00 +0000

TRANSLATION: The mythical Audrey Hepburn returns to Rome with an exhibition of her life in that city

The news of the exhibition Audrey A Roma, that kicked off today in...well, Rome, made it to the front page of one of the most important newspaper here in Chile.

I'd love to go! They're gonna be showcasing awesome pictures and items (just realized that the Vespa was green...I always imagined it light blue) and rare videos. Part of the proceeds will go to the UNICEF.

More details at the always informative The Fabulous Audrey Hepburn.

5 movies in which the tragedy was caused by chance

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:55:00 +0000

Yesterday I was re-watching Waterloo Bridge with Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor and started thinking that there aren't many movies in which the main characters, for unexpected reasons completely out of their control, succumb or have to face epic tragedies. These films are unfair with their characters, because even when they're trying to do things the best they can, they end up living a bitter life...or not living at all.

Here's the list of movies I could think of:

WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT.

Ben-Hur:
Random thing that happens and screws everything: While watching the arrival of new Roman generals, Tirzah, Judah's sister, leans over a loose tile and this tile almost hits an important guy.

The result: The family is imprisoned, ill-treated, separated, the mother and sister are infected with leprosy, Judah must work in a galley as a slave...etc. The only different thing with this one, is they all are reunited in the end and saved by not other than Jesus himself.

The wrong man:

Random thing that happens and screws everything: People mistakenly identify Henry Fonda as a robber.

The result: Henry is prosecuted, he loses his family, his wife ends up in a mental hospital, he starts thinking he's guilty, etc. The ending, with titles, indicates that they were reunited and lived happily ever after, but you end up with a bitter feeling anyway.

Romeo and Juliet: I know, I know, but I had to add it!

Random thing that happens and screws everything: There's a plague in some town, so the letter from Juliet explaining all the super plan to Romeo is not delivered.

The result: Romeo thinks Juliet is really dead and kills himself; then Juliet wakes up and sees her lover dead and kills herself too. I'm sorry, I know this must be shocking news to you!

To each his own: Well, this movie has one of the most "AAAARGHHH!" moments in the history of cinema. To the understand it you must know that:

Olivia de Havilland lost her handsome lover in the war.
She is pregnant but she doesn't tell anyone.
To avoid all the criticism of her stupid gossipy town, she makes a plan.
She asks a nurse to leave her baby at a neighbor door. This neighbor has so many kids that's just fed up with them. She will go there and "adopt" the new infant.
Everything goes swimmingly. The neighbor has approved the adoption and Olivia goes to buy some clothes.

Random thing that happens and screws everything: JUST in that moment, the wife of a friend of Olivia loses her baby during labor, so the mentioned neighbor decides to give the child to them.

The result: Olivia must live a bitter life away from her kid.

Waterloo Bridge:

Random thing that happens and screws everything: Vivien Leigh reads the newspaper and sees the name of her fiancé among the "fallen officers". The only problem is that the information was WRONG and was the product of a lost dog tag.

The result: Depressed Vivien can't find any formal job to survive so she becomes a prostitute (and loses contact with her mother in law); then, when she discovers her fiancé was alive, she thinks she's not longer worthy of him, so she kills herself.

So, that's it... can you think in more movies in which random, external, practically "trivial" factors like those mentioned make the main characters succumb?

PS: Movies like An affair to remember don't count, because the whole dilemma is very well solved at the end.

Confession (I hope you don't be shocked)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Well, people, I have a confession to make.

Uhm...

I don't know how to tell you this...

But...

...here it goes...

I haven't...

...seen...

...an old movie....

...since...

...last month, when I watched The Naked Edge for Sophie's Blogathon....

OK, I said it. But it's not my fault. Sometimes I just feel like watching modern stuff and there are two BBC series that have me hooked: Lark Rise to Candleford and Downton Abbey. If you haven't heard about them, well, I don't know in which planet are you living in.

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD: Laura, the girl, goes from a small village to work in a town.

What I like about the first one, is that they were able to make interesting episodes based on small, everyday stories set in a 19 century English town. It's very refreshing to see different people dealing with common problems (most of the time) and trying to help each other.

Some of the characters are really interesting and most of the actors are excellent (my favorite is Dorcas Lane, the postmistress and Laura's boss played by Julia Sawalha). The settings and costumes are great and you start getting fond of Lark Rise and Candleford.

I couldn't pick one favorite character.

And well, Downton Abbey is beyond awesome. It follows the everyday life of an aristocratic family and the people working for them starting with the news of the sink of the Titanic. The Crawleys have to look for an heir since they have three daughters and laws were stupid.

Historical events and political changes will make the family and workers see things differently. Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Brendan Coyle are the only actors from the cast I knew before watching this series, but the rest is very, very good too. With many different and interesting characters, great scripts, beautiful costumes and settings, and marvelous music, this series has been a joy to watch.

So, that's it. Excuses presented :) Any thoughts?

If I Had to Keep 4 | Guest: Me :)

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

First of all, THANKS for participating in the latest edition of When I say, you say. You guys rock!

Well, this post will be the last one of the successful Season I of If I Had to Keep 4. I'm going to take some time to look for more guests and make a great Season II.

So, what would I keep if my house got on fire and I could save just 4 of my favorite movie items?

(Click to enlarge)

1. Sometime ago I was exploring a flea market, and I saw the face of Audrey in some book. And it was War and peace! It's in Spanish and illustrated with stills from the movie. I really love it, but I have to admit that I still haven't read it. I'm so sorry Mr. Tolstoy!

2. My magazines folder. I have a small collection of the old Chilean magazines. I love the covers and I love reading the articles, the old Hollywood gossips originally written by Sheilah Graham (yeah the same from Beloved Infidel) and the old pictures. I also found some Chinese movie brochures, which contains information about the films, like biographies of actors and directors, photos and credits. I guess. I don't speak Chinese.

3. My Sound of Music Vinyl Disc. Also found at a flea market, I wasn't sure about buying it since I don't have a turntable and it wasn't very cheap. But I couldn't resist it. In Latin America, the title chosen for this movie could be translated as The Rebel Novice. The information is in Spanish and I have never listened to it.

4. My Isabella Rossellini's autograph. It was awesome to meet her (story) and she is the only person connected with Classic Hollywood that I've actually met (for those living in Mars, she's not only a great actress but she's also the daughter of Ingrid Bergman).

So, that's it. My poor book collection, cigarette cards and It's a wonderful life board game would stay in the flames :(

IF I HAD TO KEEP 4: SEASON 1

Dorian shared marvelous items with us, including Adrien Brody's autograph (and the amazing story of how she met him) and her Vertigo press-kit-in-a-tube.
Tom Austin picked his favorite movies from his VHS collection and showed what a great company movies can be through difficult times. Monty shared his cool movie collection, plus his books and comics...and his Lord of the Rings sword.
Kendra marveled us with her amazing items of Viv and Larry: signed pictures, an amazing scrapbook and a beautiful finding.
Hilary and Katie shared awesome objects: LIFE Magazines, Gone with the Wind Box Set and a beautiful framed edelweiss.
Becky (who picked the name for this series) shared with us her interesting RCA Videodisk collection, plus her VHSs and poster of Casablanca.
Sophie, the first guest, picked awesome signed pictures of Deborah Kerr and Greer Garson and her The King and I VHS.

Well, that's it, kiddies! Hope you enjoyed :)

PS. REMEMBER that if you want to be part of Season II of this series, simply contact me at kfercovic[at]gmail[dot]com

When I say, you say #7: Piano

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Hi guys, welcome to a new edition of the movie game When I say, you say, in which I say a word and you write your first (1st) classic movie related thought: titles, actors, scenes, names, passages from biographies, etc...

Source

So, when I say PIANO, you say...

New clip of Hitchcock's first film "The white shadow"

noreply@blogger.com (Clara) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Source

Today, the Spanish newspaper El País is exclusively sharing a (very brief) clip of Alfred Hitchcock's first film, The white shadow. Even when the official director was Graham Cutts, it was practically made by Hitch when he was 24.

It was considered lost until this year: a collector had the cans of the film and it was developed and restored. But it wasn't complete: the cans just contained 43 minutes of the movie.

Shown last week for the first time at The Pordenone Silent Film Festival, and according to the surprisingly terrible redaction of the story by this prestigious newspaper, the movie is about two sisters who are identical twins, but one of them is good and the other, bad.

The bad one meets an American man in a ship and he falls in love with her. But she is so bad that sends her sister to meet the guy. Then, at some point, she also escapes from home, causing the death of her mother and the ruin of her dad. The good one goes after her, and finds her in London, working in a club and surrounded by men.

That's when the movie is interrupted. But it seems that according to the script, the love story continues this way: the good sister falls in love with the man. But he still believes that this woman is the same he met in the ship. The good girl falls sick and before dying she asks the bad one to replace her. It seems that she gives her sister her "white shadow", a good spirit and redemption. Now the bad girl is kind and lives with her man happily ever after.

Or at least that's what I got from this article.

There's no embedding option for this clip, so watch it here.