Classic Movie Man

“Mildred Pierce”: 4th Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center May 14, 2013

2013-04-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, May 14, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street

Mildred Pierce was a critical and financial hit when released in 1945. It resurrected the career of screen legend, Joan Crawford, who many had written off as a has-been. The movie was a showcase for some new talent too, but it was Crawford’s film and she commands the screen in every scene she’s in.

The straightforward narrative in the James M. Cain novel was changed for the film version. Mildred’s story is told in flashback, a popular film noir convention that works really well and adds to the movie’s texture. The film itself is put together very nicely with the Warner Brothers A-Team pulling out all the stops. Cinematographer Ernest “Ernie” Haller’s black and white photography is beautifully atmospheric. The angles, the contrasts, are seamless and help advance the story without getting in the way. The score by Max Steiner is lush without being overwhelming, at least not overwhelming as far as Steiner scores go (They’re all kind of overwhelming, actually). Legendary makeup artist Perc Westore makes Crawford’s transition from waitress/working mom into successful/sophisticated businesswomen seem natural and believable. Much of Crawford’s look in this film, and for the rest of the decade, is due in great part to the costuming of Milo Anderson. Last but not least, director Michael Curtiz assembled all the pieces together to form a perfect whole, but Curtiz wasn’t at all set on working with Crawford.

Zachary Scott, Joan Crawford, and Ann Blyth

According to Crawford, Curtiz wanted Barbara Stanwyck to play Mildred. He didn’t want to work with a “difficult” has-been. In order to change Curtiz’s mind, Crawford submitted to a screen test. This was unheard of for an established star, but so determined was Crawford to snag the role that she consented. Crawford’s screen test impressed Curtiz enough that he agreed to direct her. And for Crawford, a new career was born at Warners.

Mildred Pierce was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Crawford’s Best Actress Award was the only win, put it propelled her back to the top of the heap, giving fellow Warner contract-player, Bette Davis a run for her money. Ironically, Davis’s career was on a downward arch while Crawford was starring in some critical and commercially successful melodramas. After Mildred Pierce, Crawford starred in Humoresque (1946), Possessed (1947), Daisy Kenyon (1947), and Flamingo Road (1949). Possessed brought her a second Best Actress nomination.

Mildred Pierce isn’t considered a true film noir movie, by some critics. But it sure feels like film noir to this movie fan.

To purchase tickets for the May 14 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission $3 for students and seniors. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. To stay on top of film events like this, join the Chicago Film Club Meetup.

To download a flyer to post in your building or office, click here.

The Venue 1550 is located at 1550 S. State St. in the Daystar Center. The Daystar Center offers a variety of educational, artistic and cultural activities, including classes for children that teach practical life skills like social aptitude, creativity and cultural awareness in fun ways; classes for adults that give space for self-reflection and improvement; room rentals for many different-sized groups in several multipurpose rooms. For more information, call 312.674.0001 or visit their Web site.

Murder, My Sweet: 3rd Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center April 9, 2013

2013-04-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, April 9, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street

Murder, My Sweet, based on the novel by Raymond Chandler, was released in 1944, a few months after another noir classic, Double Indemnity. It was popular with audiences and critics alike. It transformed Dick Powell from a pretty-boy singer into a film noir icon. It also provided a great femme fatale role for Claire Trevor, one of Hollywood’s most versatile and talented actresses. For Anne Shirley, who was acting in the movies since she was four years old, her portrayal of Ann Grayle would mark her last film role.

Powell was probably the only actor in Hollywood who actively campaigned to play Walter Neff in Double Indemnity. Most of his contemporaries were afraid to play a murderer, but Powell was desperate to reinvent himself.

As a contract player at Warner Brothers, Powell was cast in musicals often costarring tap dancer Ruby Keeler and his first wife Joan Blondell. With his pretty-boy looks and tenor voice, Powell was a matinee idol during the early to mid-1930s. As the 1940s began, Powell thought he was too old to continue playing young romantic leads.

Powell starred in movie musicals
during the 1930s.

Although he didn’t get the Walter Neff role, Powell did secure a contract with RKO where they were developing a B-movie based on Raymond Chandler’s detective novel, Farewell, My Lovely. When Powell and Trevor signed on as leads, the budget increased, turning it into an A-picture. Audiences and critics loved Powell’s portrayal of detective Philip Marlowe. Powell was now a successful dramatic actor. His reinvention was complete. Here’s what the New York Times said of Powell: “This is a new type of character for Mr. Powell. And while he may lack the steely coldness and cynicism of a Humphrey Bogart, Mr. Powell need not offer any apologies. He has definitely stepped out of the song-and-dance, pretty-boy league with this performance.”

Murder, My Sweet made Powell a bankable star once again. It also gave Trevor one of the best roles in her long movie career. For director, Edward Dmytryk, it raised his profile at RKO. He was given more A-movies to direct, including the Academy Award nominated Crossfire (1947). Dmytryk would go on to direct the epic Raintree County (1957), The Young Lions (1958), and the all-star The Carpetbaggers (1964), which was the highest grossing film that year.

To purchase tickets for the March 12 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission $3 for students and seniors. To download a flyer to post in your building or office, click here. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Anne Shirley (center) in Anne of Green Gables

Backstory: Anne Shirley began acting in silent movies when she was only four years old. She started out as Dawn O’Day, but when she portrayed Lucy Maud Montgomery’s heroine Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, she took that name for her own. Shirley progressed from child star to adult roles; she was one of many actresses who tested for the role of Melanie Hamilton in Gone With The Wind, eventually losing out to Olivia de Havilland.

She met and married her second husband, Adrian Scott, who produced Murder, My Sweet.

Happy Easter: From our gang to yours!

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

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We don't love Maureen O'Hara because she is Irish, but that doesn't hurt either!

Double Indemnity: 2nd Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center March 12, 2013

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street

Double Indemnity based on the short novel by James M. Cain, is considered the ultimate film noir by many. In fact, some critics think the whole genre began with this classic. If it hadn’t been for director Billy Wilder’s persistence, Double Indemnity may never have made it to the screen. Just about every actor in Hollywood turned down the male lead and Barbara Stanwyck, Wilder’s first choice to play Phyllis Dietrichson, had to be talked into playing a cold, calculated killer. Fred MacMurray, who up to this time had played likeable leads in romantic comedies, was afraid playing Walter Neff might be a career-killing move.

Before directing, Wilder had established himself as one of the best writers in Hollywood. He wrote or cowrote the screenplays for classic films like Ninotchka, Midnight, Ball of Fire, and Hold Back the Dawn, to name a few. In 1944, Wilder was still considered a novice, having only directed two films prior to Double Indemnity. Wilder’s first two films, Five Graves to Cairo and The Major and the Minor were well received by both the public and critics, but they were considered conventional films and didn’t do much to burnish his image as a director to watch. That was all about to change.

In 1943, Barbara Stanwyck was the
highest paid woman in America.

For many, Double Indemnity is the prototype for film noir. For sure, some of characteristics that we identify with the genre are in Wilder’s masterpiece. We have the manipulative femme fatale, the all-to-willing male protagonist, and murder, of course. We also have fast snappy dialogue filled with enough double-entendres to confound the censors of the day and delight 1940s audiences. The dialogue, written by Wilder and co-scriptwriter Raymond Chandler is masterful. Both loved language and it shows.

Stanwyck, already noted as Wilder’s first choice, is the ultimate femme fatale. She not only manipulates MacMurray’s Walter, but us as well. We’re never quite sure what she’s thinking. MacMurray’s nice-guy image also works to his advantage. He seems like your typical, but harmless, wise-guy, not someone who would plan a murder for money and a “dame.” In a supporting role, Edward G. Robinson shines as Neff’s coworker and friend Barton Keyes. Keyes can spot a phoney insurance claim a mile away and he’s certain there’s something fishy about the Dietrichson case. Mix it all together with John Seitz’s incredible black and white cinematography and you’ve got a stylized thriller on your hands.

Double Indemnity was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. It was shut-out in all categories. The Leo McCarey hit, Going My Way was the big winner that year, capturing the award for Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.

Publicity shot of Fred MacMurray

Time has been kind to Double Indemnity. It was entered into the U.S. Library of Congress in 1992, selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was ranked #38 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films of the 20th century in 1998, and it was 29th on the AFI’s 10th Anniversary list in 2007.

To purchase tickets for the March 12 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission and $3 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the door. To stay on top of classic movie screenings in Chicago, join the Chicago Film Club by clicking here.

Backstory: Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray were both at high-points in their careers. Stanwyck was not only highest paid female movie star in 1943, but also the highest paid woman in America. MacMurray was the highest paid male movie star and the fourth highest-paid American. With things going so well, you can understand why they may have been reluctant to star in a movie like Double Indemnity.

This Gun For Hire: 1st Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center February 12, 2013

2013-02-09T21:06:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, February 12, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street

This Gun For Hire, based on the novel by Graham Greene, was released in 1942, long before the label “film noir” was invented. As an early film in the genre, some of the plot devices that we associate with film noir are here: A killer who is a major protagonist, a cool female lead, an honest-by-the-book cop, and a double-crossing villain.

The plot concerns a hired gun named Raven (Alan Ladd) who has been double-crossed by a man named Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) who represents a chemical company that may be working with enemies abroad, selling them poison gas. To keep tabs on Gates, the U.S. government enlists a beautiful novelty entertainer named Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake). Ellen is a magician who sings while she performs her magic act. She auditions for Gates, who apart from his duties at the chemical company, owns a popular nightclub. Her audition captivates Gates and he hires her.

Straight and vicious—that’s what this picture is. But it is a good cut above the average, both in its writing and its tensile quality. Bosley Crowther, The New York Times

Veronica Lake publicity still showing off
her iconic peekaboo bang

While on a train to perform at Gates’s Neptune Club, she accidentally runs into Raven. Gates, also on the same train, sees the two sitting next to each other. He assumes they’re working together, which sets him on edge and puts Ellen’s life in danger. Ellen’s cop boyfriend, Michael (Robert Preston) does his best to save her and capture Raven.

Lake was an established star when the movie was released. Ladd, as Raven, gave a breakout performance making him an overnight sensation. New York Times movie reviewer, Bosley Crowther compared Ladd’s performance to James Cagney’s in The Public Enemy a decade earlier. In his 1942 review of the film he said, “Keep your eye peeled for this Ladd fellow; he’s a pretty-boy killer who likes his work.:” Crowther also complimented the leading lady: “Miss Lake is a competent customer, and handles her men with cool disdain.”

Alan Ladd, Lake, and Robert Preston

The chemistry between Lake and Ladd was noted by the public and the executives at Paramount. It didn’t hurt that Lake was 4' 11" tall, making her the only leading lady Ladd worked with who was shorter than he was. Ladd was reported to be 5' 5" tall. The two costarred in a total of four films, all very popular with critics and 1940s film audiences.

To purchase tickets for the February 12 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission and $3 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Discover the other films in this series by clicking here.

Backstory: The modern classic L.A. Confidential (1997) paid homage to film noir from the 1940s. Academy Award winner Kim Bassinger is Lynn Bracken, a call girl who adapts Veronica Lake’s iconic look.

Dana Andrews gets his due

2013-02-04T18:51:00.000-06:00

The title for my class comes from
Carl Rollyson’s recent biography of Andrews.

As any reader of this blog knows, I love classic movies. I have many favorite actors and actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age, but my favorite actor from this time period is Dana Andrews. As a kid growing up, I used to watch a lot of old movies on TV (before cable and TCM). When I discovered the films of Andrews (Laura, Fallen Angel, The Best Years of Our Lives), I was fascinated by his naturalistic acting style, one without artifice or exaggerated emotions and mannerisms.

Through my blog, I became acquainted with Andrews biographer, Carl Rollyson. Rollyson wrote the first comprehensive biography of the actor, receiving cooperation from the Andrews family. The book inspired me to organize a Dana Andrews blogathon with my fellow classic movie bloggers. It was a huge success. So successful was the blogathon that I decided to propose a class on Andrews. This spring I’ll be teaching Dana Andrews: Hollywood Enigma at Facets Film School, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL. If you’re in Chicago and you love classic movies, I encourage you to take this class.

DANA ANDREWS: HOLLYWOOD ENIGMA

Wednesdays, March 20-April 24, 7-10 pm

Dana Andrews (1909-1992) was one of Hollywood’s most popular movie stars during its golden age. He worked with many legendary, accomplished directors including John Ford, Lewis Milestone, Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang, and William Wyler to name just a few. Andrews’s career is a true American rags-to-riches story as he was the third of 13 children born to a Baptist minister and his wife, yet rose to become a movie star. His minimalist acting style personified ‘the male’ mask of the 1940s, in such classic films as Laura, Fallen Angel, and Where the Sidewalk Ends, in which he played the ‘masculine ideal of sang froid impassivity. These singular films, all directed by Preminger, recognized this distinguishing characteristic of Andrews’s acting ability and perhaps exploited it best. Although Andrews fulfilled his dreams, he did not live the typical celebrity lifestyle. A family man at heart, Andrews avoided the limelight that many of his contemporaries fully embraced. A complicated man, he had a problem with alcohol for most of his adult life, but despite his personal conflicts, he was admired and well liked by his colleagues, leaving us with an extraordinary body of work that will be studied for generations to come.

To register for this film class, click here.

FILMS SCREENED AND DISCUSSED:

Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944)

Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger, 1945)

A Walk in The Sun (Lewis Milestone, 1945)

Canyon Passage (Jacques Tourneur, 1946)

Boomerang! (Elia Kazan, 1947)

Daisy Kenyon (Otto Preminger, 1947)

A Tale of Two Chauffeurs: “Fifth Avenue Girl” and “Downton Abbey”

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One of the great screwball comedies of 1939 was Gregory La Cava’s Fifth Avenue Girl starring Ginger Rogers. La Cava directed the better-known classics My Man Godfrey (1936) and Stage Door (1937). But as I’ve said before, 1939 was such an amazing year for classic films, it’s hard to keep track of them all. And like many other great films released that year, it’s been mostly forgotten.

Political drivers
What I find interesting about Fifth Avenue Girl is a similar plot point that seems to have been “borrowed” by the writers of Downton Abbey. The second season of the high-rated British TV drama featured the romance between Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Downton chauffeur, Tom Branson (Allen Leech). Branson, is an Irish Republican, very political and interested in among other things, rights for women and freedom for Ireland. He objects to the class hierarchy he sees and experiences at Downton. But he’s drawn to Sybil and encourages her burgeoning independence, especially when it comes to her political views. Branson has socialist tendencies, which play out in the course of the series.

The Chauffer is a socialist!

“The nocturnal meanderings of the upper class do not interest me!”

In Fifth Avenue Girl, Rogers finds herself in the home of a wealthy New York City industrialist, Alfred Borden (Walter Connolly) who has a socialist chauffeur named Mike (James Ellison). Mike is constantly complaining about the inequities between the rich folk he works for and the servant class.

Upstairs and Downstairs
Instead of the chauffeur pursuing the industrialist’s daughter, Katherine (Kathryn Adams) pursues the chauffeur. She doesn’t quite agree or understand all of his political philosophy, but finds him irresistible nonetheless. The rich daughter falling for a servant is hardly a new plot point. But what I found fascinating was the similarities between Mike, the chauffeur in Fifth Avenue Girl and Tom, the chauffeur on Downton.

“I’m a socialist, not a revolutionary and I won't always be a chauffeur.”

On the backs of the poor
Mike criticizes Mr. Borden and all he stands for. Tom is a little less harsh, although he thinks Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham and all his class has built their lives on the backs of the poor and less fortunate.

Both characters highlight the inequities in life, one (Mike) in a humorous way, the other (Tom) in a more serious manner.

What do you think, classic movie fans? Did Julian Fellowes see Fifth Avenue Girl? Do you think it may have influenced the story line of Downton Abbey?

Backstory on Fifth Avenue Girl : La Cava directed Ginger Rogers in three consecutive films: Stage Door, Fifth Avenue Girl, and Primrose Path (1940).

High Heels and Fedoras: Exploring Film Noir—2013 Film Club series begins in February

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The 2013 Film Club is back at The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St., Chicago. Hosted by Stephen Reginald, the film club will feature six film noir classics, including Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce. Movies will be screened at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesdays of the month, starting February 12, 2013. The host will introduce each film giving background information before screenings, with Q & A afterwards. Reginald is a freelance writer/editor and popular instructor at Facets Film School in Chicago. He was also the original host of Meet Me at the Movies.

High Heels and Fedoras: Exploring Film Noir
Film noir conjures up images of detectives, criminals, dangerous men and women, all in shades of black and white. While possessing a very definite cinematic style, movies identified as film noir presented a darker vision of American life. This vision contrasted sharply with the Norman Rockwell worldview Hollywood was also grinding out during the height of World War II. But it was during the war years that the genre was at its peak.

Black film
The term film noir is French for “black film.” Nino Frank, a French film critic, is believed to have labeled these darker American films. In the states, they were labeled as melodramas; there was no preconceived formula from which directors and writers were working. But World War II did change America and the world. Filmmakers were exploring themes and situations that wouldn’t have been considered a decade earlier. Criminals and villains became heroes and the femme fatale—deadly woman—also came into prominence. In film noir, the lines between good and evil are blurred, but in many ways represent a more realistic view of the world. The noir vision still influences filmmakers today.

Explore film noir by discovering (or rediscovering) some of the established classics of the genre. Tickets per film are $5 for general admission or $3 for seniors and students. You can always purchase tickets at the door. If you’d like to purchase tickets online for one or all six films in advance, click here.

Film Schedule
Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. (CST)

February 12 This Gun for Hire (1942) This tough adaptation of the novel by Graham Greene stars Alan Ladd as Raven, a professional hit man who’s been double-crossed by one of his clients. He crosses paths with Veronica Lake, a nightclub entertainer who puts herself in harm's way when she volunteers to spy on her boss who authorities believe to be a link in a major crime syndicate.

March 12 Double Indemnity (1944) Based on the novel by James M. Cain (Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice) and nominated for seven Academy Awards, this movie set the standard from which other film noirs are judged. Directed by the legendary Billy Wilder, and starring screen legends Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, and Barbara Stanwyck.

April 9 Murder My Sweet (1945) Dick Powell stars as private investigator Philip Marlowe in this noir classic based on the novel by Raymond Chandler. Marlowe is hired by Moose Malone, an ex-con trying to track down his old girlfriend, who he lost track of while he was in prison. With each lead, Marlowe is pulled into a web of deceit, intrigue and murder.

May 14 Mildred Pierce (1945) Joan Crawford won an Academy Award for Best Actress playing the title role of a self-sacrificing mother who will do almost anything to gain her daughter’s love. Nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, this James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice) story has earned its place as a noir classic thanks to a great cast, snappy dialogue, and crisp direction from Michael Curtiz (Casablanca).

June 11 The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) Lana Turner and John Garfield generate some serious heat as Frank, a drifter and Cora, a diner waitress who is married to a much-older man. Turner has big plans for the diner that her husband owns. She has big plans for Frank too, but first she needs to get rid of her husband…with Franks’ help. Another tough, gritty drama from the pen of James M. Cain (Mildred Pierce) that film critic Leonard Maltin said “Packs a real punch.”

July 9 Out of the Past (1947) Considered by many to be the best film noir drama of all time, it also solidified the career of Robert Mitchum as a tough-guy leading man. Mitchum plays Jeff Bailey currently on the straight and narrow until his past catches up with him. Jane Greer costars as the ultimate femme fatale who brings Jeff to ruin. Costarring future-stars-in-the-making, Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming. This film’s reputation continues to grow in stature with each passing year.

Top-ten posts of 2012

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Here are the top-ten post, in descending order, from the past year. The interest in classic films, including the stars and directors who made them, seems to be as strong as ever. Two blogathons made the list as well as three posts promoting the special big-screen showings of three classic films.

10. A blogathon featuring the films produced by Val Lewton garnered some interest. Lewton is most famous for his horror films, but the blogathon featured other genres he worked in. This blogathon was presented and promoted with another classic movie fan, Kristina, who writes the amazing Speakeasy blog.

9. My review of the Academy Award winning film The Artist, which I saw almost a year ago today, attracted some readers. With it’s fictional recounting of the transition from silent to talking films, The Artist was a wonderful achievement. Classic movie fans should enjoy this film immensely.

8. Singing in the Rain was back on the screen for two days this summer. The classic musical included a taped interview with star, Debbie Reynolds, reminiscing about her participation in the film alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

Jeanne Crain and Ethel Waters in Pinky

7. The feature, “Classic Films in Context” is somewhat self-explanatory. The reviews of classic movies puts each film in the context of when it was conceived and produced. Sometimes a little background information is required in order for us to fully appreciate a classic film. The post on Pinky, a 1949 melodrama starring Jeanne Crain as a light-skinned black women, enjoyed wide readership. Hardly remembered today, it was one of Elia Kazan’s early directorial efforts and a big box office hit for its film studio, Twentieth Century Fox. It also earned Crain a Best Actress nod (she lost to Olivia De Haviland).

6. The announcement for the much-anticipated Dana Andrews blogathon let me know that once it was launched it would be a success. And it was. See below.

5. The Dana Andrews blogathon started on July 28 and contributions and comments came fast and furious. Andrews biographer Carl Rollyson joined in on the fun, contributing a blog post, as well as commenting on everyone’s posts! Thanks, Carl, for taking the time and for making such thoughtful comments.

4. The Birds on the big screen! Yes, the Alfred Hitchcock classic had a one-night-only showing on movie screens across the country in September. I had the pleasure of seeing the film on the big screen for the first time ever and really enjoyed it. Somehow seeing a classic film in a theater with an audience is like seeing it for the very first time. The digital transfer looked great and the sound was amazing. Totally fun popcorn eating movie. I’m so glad I got a chance to see it.

3. Speaking of classic films on the big screen, Casablanca had a special showing in March to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its release. The restored digital transfer was impeccable. The black and white cinematography really popped and I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dooley Wilson’s (Sam) white jacket that seemed to shimmer under the lights in Rick’s Café American. That showing was so popular that they included another one-night-only showing in April, which resulted in this post.

2. I was interested in the “Titanic” disaster before I was interested in classic films. So it was no surprise that I decided to tackle the “Titanic” disaster on film in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the disaster. I featured several of the most popular films detailing the tragedy, as well as other films and TV shows that included the disaster as part of the storyline.

1. The post with the most reads was one I did on Angela Lansbury when she was the TCM star of the month last January. With over 6,000 reads, this post is on track to be one of Classic Movie Man’s most popular posts of all time.

Well, that does it for 2012. Here’s hoping that 2013 is a prosperous, healthy, and happy new year for everyone. And thank you for visiting the Classic Movie Man blog. Look for some exciting new posts in 2013!

Happy New Year from Classic Movie Man

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2013: Here’s to another year of classic movie enjoyment!

Carole Lombard and Clark Gable at the Brown Derby

Merry Christmas from Classic Movie Man

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Gene Tierney makes for a beautiful Christmas card!

Classic Movie Man’s Favorite Christmas Movies: 2012 Edition

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For the past two years, I’ve posted my personal favorite Christmas movies. This year is no different, although it is getting more challenging to pick new classic films that I haven’t mentioned before. This year’s post includes some new classic films, plus a list of all-time favorites. Movies listed below are in order of their initial release. Okay, here we go!

Bachelor Mother—1939 Ginger Rogers plays Polly Parrish a department store clerk at Merlin’s Department Store who finds out that her job is being eliminated as the Christmas holiday season is winding down. While passing by an orphanage, Polly sees a baby left outside on the steps. Fearing the baby will topple over, she picks up the basket, just as the orphanage door opens. Polly tries to explain to everyone that the baby isn’t hers, but no one believes her. Enter David Merlin (David Niven) as the department store owner’s (Charles Coburn) playboy son. David feels sorry for Polly and arranges for her to get her old job back. After all, how is she supposed to support herself and a baby too? Another classic from that magical Hollywood year: 1939. With a screenplay by the legendary Norman Krasna, based on a story by Felix Jackson, and with direction by Garson Kanin, how could you go wrong? Fortunately, for us, everything goes right. Rogers does her best street smart, but vulnerable working girl act and Niven is perfect as the somewhat stuffy, at first, playboy who falls for both Polly and the baby. Throw in the irascible Coburn as J.B. Merlin, the owner of Merlin’s and you’ve got the perfect holiday movie to enjoy with the whole family.

Backstory: Nominated for a Best Writing, Original Story Academy Award.

The Man Who Came To Dinner—1942 Radio personality Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Woolley) slips on the ice-covered steps of the home of Ernest and Daisy Stanley (Grant Mitchell and Billie Burke), a prominent Ohio family. Temporarily incapacitated, he’s forced to recuperate at the Stanleys’s home during Christmas. The cast is perfect: Woolley recreates the role he played on Broadway, a subdued Bette Davis plays Whiteside’s secretary Maggie Cutler, and Ann Sheridan, in a scene-stealing performance, is vain Broadway actress Lorraine Sheldon. The self-centered and egotistical Whiteside makes everyone’s life miserable, with his impossible demands to make his stay more comfortable. The rest of the supporting cast is memorable, including the wonderful Mary Wickes (also recreating her Broadway role) as Nurse Preen, Reginald Gardiner as playwright Beverly Carlton, and Jimmy Durante as Banjo. The beginning of the film is a little slow, but once the situation and the characters are established, it’s fast and furious all the way.

Backstory: Charles Laughton and Orson Welles campaigned hard for the role of Whiteside.

I’ll Be Seeing You—1944 Another movie set during the Christmas holidays concerns Mary Marshall (Ginger Rogers), a young woman convicted of manslaughter, on holiday furlough from prison, who meets a shell-shocked war veteran Sgt. Zachary Morgan (Joseph Cotton) on a train. Attracted to each other from the start, Mary and Zach lie to each about their respective pasts. The two exchange names when the train pulls into the Pine Hill train station. Zach contacts Mary and she invites him to dinner where he reveals something about himself that sets the rest of the narrative in motion. Mary, disillusioned with how her life has turned out is not as forthcoming. An interesting and touching movie, I’ll Be Seeing You may require at least two hankies during viewing.

Backstory: The film introduced the song “I’ll Be Seeing You” which became a big hit and is played throughout the film.

Never Say Goodbye—1946 Somehow this movie escaped me until this year. A favorite of a writer-friend of mine, I finally caught it on Turner Classic Movies. This fun, romantic comedy stars Errol Flynn and the ravishing Eleanor Parker. The plot is like an early version of The Parent Trap, but without the twin. Flynn and Parker play the divorced parents of eight-year-old Phillipa “Flip” who is tiring of spending six months out of the year with each parent. Desperate to get her parents back together, Flip enlists the help of Cpl. Fenwick “Wickie” Lonkowski (Forrest Tucker), a World War II vet who Flip has been writing to for months. The major action takes place during the Christmas holidays. In a rare comedy role, Flynn gets to make fun of his swashbuckler image, playing a Vargas Girl-type commercial artist. The supporting cast is perfect. There’s Lucille Watson as Parker’s mother, doing her best pain-in-the-neck mother-in-law routine, S.Z. Sakall as Luigi (you have to see the movie to figure out how he ended up with a name like that), and Hattie McDaniel as Flip’s nurse Cozy. As Flip, child actress Patty Brady is appealing and believable. Never Say Goodbye is a lighthearted, fun feel good holiday movie.

Backstory: Flip calls her father Robin Hood, one of Flynn’s most famous film roles. Flynn does a physical impersonation of Humphrey Bogart, but Bogart’s voice is dubbed for Flynn’s.

Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge

A Christmas Carol—1951 This is the definitive version of the Charles Dickens classic. Alastair Sim, the great British character actor makes a wonderful Ebenezer Scrooge. Even though most critics consider this one of the best versions of the Dickens novela, it does take some liberties with the original text. However, the film managers to capture the soul of the story, making Scrooge’s transformation both believable and touching. If you’ve never seen this version, you’re in for a treat.

Backstory: Released as Scrooge in the U.K. it was set to debut in the U.S. at Radio City Music Hall, but considered too downbeat for family viewing by theatre management.

White Christmas—1954 This perennial Christmas favorite is really an excuse for Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney to sing some great tunes, Danny Kaye to mug for the camera, and Vera-Ellen to dance up a storm. The plot revolves around old army buddies, Crosby and Kaye and their attempts to help out their old commanding officer who is down on his luck. Major General Thomas F. Waverly’s (Dean Jagger) Pine Tree Ski log in Vermont is on the skids. So Crosby and Kaye, along with sisters Clooney and Vera-Ellen, bring Broadway to the lodge in an attempt to save it and honor their beloved comrade. The plot is corny, but the cast of pros make it all work. And it’s hard to resist those great Irving Berlin tunes.

Backstory: White Christmas is a loose remake of Holiday Inn (1942), which introduced the number one selling Christmas song of all time, “White Christmas.”

For a list of some other Christmas favorites check out the lists from 2010 and 2011.

What would Deanna Durbin do?

2012-12-04T02:00:00.000-06:00

Give Deanna her coffee already!

An unusual title for a blog post, considering that today is Deanna Durbin’s birthday. She was born in 1921, so December 4th would mark her 91rst birthday, which in and of itself is remarkable.

Famous mug
I purchased the mug pictured here at an airport gift shop. It was on the clearance table along with a lot of other items. It struck me that one, there was a mug anywhere with Durbin’s likeness on it and two, that the quote would be one so contrary to her wholesome image.

International favorite
When Durbin turned her back on Hollywood, fame, and celebrity, she was one of the biggest movie stars in the world—and she was only 27! She was an international celebrity whose every move was chronicled in newspapers and fan magazines. On a visit to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, Holland, I was surprised to see pictures of Durbin on Anne’s bedroom wall (one picture was of Durbin and Robert Stack from First Love—1939). Apparently, like many young girls her age, Durbin was a favorite.

Well I'll be mugged!

Robert Stack and Durbin in a publicity photo
from First Love

Back to the mug. We’re told that part of the reason Durbin left Hollywood was due to her dissatisfaction with the girl-next-door roles her home studio handed her. She yearned for more adult roles, but the public preferred the “old” Deanna. I wonder if Durbin had wandered into the same airport gift shop as I did, would seeing herself on a mug amuse her? And would she approve of the quote attributed to her?

What do you think? What would Deanna Durbin do?

For a more complete blog post on Durbin, “The Reluctant Movie Star,”click here.

Film Club to screen Marilyn Monroe classic “Some Like It Hot” December 13, 2012

2012-11-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

The comedy classic Some Like It Hot will be screened December 13, 2012 at 7 p.m. at The Venue 1550. The Venue 1550 is located at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St., Chicago. Hosted by Stephen Reginald, the current Film Club series features classic films having connections with Chicago. Reginald will introduce each film giving background information before screenings, with Q & A afterwards.

Some Like It Hot (1959)—Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, this classic was voted funniest film of all time by the American Film Institute. Curtis and Lemmon play Chicago musicians who accidentally witness the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre of 1929. The men disguise themselves as women and travel south with Sweet Sue’s all-girl band in an attempt to avoid “Spats” Colombo and his gang who are determined to kill them. Monroe—the band’s vocalist—and the “girls” become bosom buddies along the way, which leads to some hilarious situations and unusual conclusions.

Tony Curtis as Josephine and Jack Lemmon as Daphne

The plot thickens
To escape “Spats” Columbo and his gang, Joe and Jerry (Curtis and Lemmon) disguise themselves as women and join an all-girl band traveling by train to Florida. Masquerading as Josephine and Daphne, Curtis and Lemmon somehow fool bandleader Sweet Sue and band-manager Beinstock, who are desperate to round out their jazz band.

Underneath the sheltering palms

Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane

On the train ride to Florida, Josephine and Daphne meet Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe). Things get complicated when Joe-Josephine starts to fall in love with Sugar. With amazing energy and dexterity, Joe-Josephine manages to assume the identity of Junior, heir to the Shell Oil fortune, in order to woo Sugar and then switches back to play with Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopaters, to hide out from the Columbo gang. All this switching back and forth makes Daphne’s (Lemmon’s ) head spin. But Daphne has her own problems. The rich, much-married Osgood Fielding III finds Daphne irresistible and proposes. What’s a nice “girl” like Daphne to do?

With more twists and turns than a roller coaster, Some Like It Hot boasts memorable performance from the three leads and was voted the number one comedy film of all time by the American Film Institute (AFI).

Admission is $7 per person. Tickets purchased at the door.

Reginald is a freelance writer/editor and popular instructor at Facets Film School in Chicago. He was also the original host of Meet Me at the Movies.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Classic Movie Man!

2012-11-22T07:02:00.000-06:00

The Classic Movie Man is thankful for everyone who stops by!

Anne Shirley wishes one and all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Val Lewton Blogathon Begins Here!

2012-10-31T05:34:00.000-05:00

Boo! You’ve come to the right place. Check out my post below and then click on the links to posts by other bloggers to get their take on Val Lewton, his films, and his legacy. Be sure to leave comments on the various posts and let us know what you think!

Stronger Heroine: Betsy Connell shines in I Walked With A Zombie
One of the things that distinguishes Val Lewton’s horror films from his contemporaries is the strong roles he created for his leading ladies. Lewton’s heroines aren’t just around to scream and cling to their male costars. Lewton’s women are independent and can think and take care of themselves. Nurse Betsy Connell (Frances Dee) in I Walked With a Zombie (1943) is one of the strongest.

Told in flashback, the film begins in Ottawa, Canada, where Betsy learns about her new job—taking care of a sick woman, Jessica Holland, (Christine Gordon) the wife of the owner of a Caribbean sugar plantation. As the interviewer describes the position, we see snow falling outside the window, a stark contrast to the climate Betsy is about to encounter on the island of St. Sebastian.

Traveling alone to the island by ship, Betsy encounters Paul Holland (Tom Conway), the plantation owner and her new boss. Betsy is dazzled by the beauty she’s encountering, but is cautioned by Paul who says,“…everything seems beautiful because you don’t understand. Those flying fish—they’re not leaping for joy; they’re jumping in terror. Bigger fish want to eat them.” A few moments later Betsy glimpses a falling star. Paul continues by saying, “Everything good dies here, even the stars.” That “warm” welcome foreshadows what is to come.

On her carriage ride to the plantation at Fort Holland, the driver gives Betsy a brief history of St. Sebastian. He talks about slaves being brought there long ago. Is the island living under a curse because of its slave-trader past? Not moved by the driver’s comments, Betsy can only see the natural beauty around her.

Jessica and Betsy on their “walk”

Beauty quickly fades to reality when Betsy discovers that her patient is a “mental case,” something she wasn’t prepared for. The rumor among the servants at Fort Holland is that Mrs. Holland is a zombie. Voodoo is vigorously practiced on St. Sebastian and some suggest the voodoo priest can heal zombies. Jessica seems alive, but she doesn’t speak or seem to have any sense of what is going on around her. Along with the suggestion that Jessica is a zombie, we learn that there was a love triangle between Paul, Jessica, and Paul’s stepbrother, Wesley Rand (James Ellison). Wesley who still loves Jessica blames Paul for Jessica’s present condition. Mrs. Rand (Edith Barrett), mother of both Paul and Wesley, desperately wants peace in the family, but there is none to be found.

Like Jane Erye longing for Mr. Rochester, Betsy finds herself having romantic feelings for Paul. Instead of giving into her feelings, Betsy channels them into diligently trying to care for Jessica. She goes so far as enlisting the island’s medical doctor and advocating for a controversial procedure that has been successful with similar cases. When that procedure doesn’t work, Betsy tries something much more risky.

With the help of Fort Holland servant Alma, (Theresa Harris), Betsy takes Jessica to a voodoo ceremony at the Houmfort (voodoo temple). In the dark of night, Betsy escorts Jessica through the fields of sugar cane. This famous Lewton walk, all done on an RKO studio soundstage is almost lyrical in its execution. With no music and only the sounds of nature as a background, it’s one of the most compelling scenes in the entire Lewton canon. When Betsy encounters Carrefour (Darby Jones), a giant of a zombie, guarding the Houmfort, she is surprised and frightened, but she continues and walks past him with Jessica.

Dr. Maxwell, Betsy, and Paul discuss Jessica’s condition

Betsy observes the voodoo ceremony respectfully with Jessica. She then notices people walking up to a small building at the Houmfort where folks ask “someone” for help. Betsy waits her turn and explains Jessica’s case. Instead of a word through the door, Betsy is ushered into the structure. Inside she discovers Mrs. Rand. Instead of shrieking in horror or surprise, Besty inquires what all this means. Mrs. Rand, the widow of a missionary, tells her it was easier to reach and teach the natives about sanitation and health precautions if she mixed her advice with a little voodoo.

Betsy returns to the St. Sebastian estate with Jessica, setting a series of events in motion. The voodoo worshipers are convinced that Jessica is a zombie and summon her. Before long Carrefour walks to Fort Holland in search of Jessica. Mrs. Rand, who seems to have control over the zombie, commands him to stop. Carrefour listens and returns to the Houmfort. Although frightened, Betsy is not hysterical. It becomes clear that Paul is falling in love with Betsy.

The action begins to pick up with Jessica heeding the summons of the voodoo worshipers. She walks toward the locked gate, going no farther until Wesley opens it to let her go. After removing an arrow from a figurehead in the courtyard of the estate, Wesley follows Jessica. Wesley pierces Jessica with the arrow and then carries her lifeless body into the ocean where he commits suicide. The next scene is of spear-fishermen who discover Jessica’s body, floating face up in the water. This is another beautifully shot piece of film the likes of which you’re not likely to see in a horror film. The movie ends with the bodies of Jessica and Wesley being carried to Fort Hollard with a voice-over of what sounds like an island native: “O Lord God most holy. Deliver them from the bitter pain of eternal death. The woman was a wicked woman, and she was dead in her own life. Yea, Lord, dead in selfishness of her spirit. And the man followed her. Her steps led him down to evil. Her feet took hold on death. Forgive him, O Lord, who knowest the secret of all hearts. Yea, Lord, pity them who are dead and give peace and happiness to the living.”

Betsy and Paul share a tender moment together

Although the story begins after Jessica’s illness and her affair with Wesley, the contrast between Besty and Jessica is clearly set. Paul, like Maxim de Winter, doesn’t love his “dead” wife. And Wesley, like Jack Favell, believes that Jessica loved him, not Paul. Betsy, unlike the second Mrs. de Winter isn’t lacking in self-confidence; she more than holds her own in the Holland/Rand household. She doesn’t need to be saved by Paul. Betsy can stand on her own, but chooses to love Paul in spite of his past, or maybe because of it.

Frances Dee’s performance as Betsy is one of her best in a career that spanned over six decades. Never a major movie star, Dee was often cast in supporting roles. As Betsy Connell, Dee had a role that required her to carry the picture and she did so most capably. As Lewton heroines go, Betsy is stronger than most. Unusual for a horror heroine in 1943, she has a career, is independent, and strong-minded. She doesn’t shun men or romance, but she’s perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet and making her own decisions. Betsy Connell is a true Lewton heroine in every sense of the word.

Below are more contributions celebrating the extraordinary talent of Val Lewton. You’ll find fascinating and interesting posts written by some of your favorite—or soon to be favorite—classic movie bloggers. And if you want to read more Lewton posts—you know you want to read more—be sure to check out Kristina’s Speakeasy blog; she’s cohosting this event with me. Be sure to check her interesting take on the classic The Ghost Ship. Some blog links may not be up immediately, so check back regularly for updates. Enjoy!

She Blogged by Night – The Body Snatcher

Old Movies Nostalgia – Man in the Shadows: A Biography of Val Lewton @moviesnostalgia

The Stop Button – Mademoiselle Fifi @thestopbutton

Journeys in Classic Film – Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie

@NitrateDiva – Lewton’s use of Point of View & Voice-Over

50s Westerns – Apache Drums

Kellee Pratt - Lewton’s Influence on the Horror genre @irishjayhawk66

Classic Becky’s Brain food – I Walked With A Zombie

Critica Retro – Tale Of Two Cities Lewton the Producer @startspreading

Jen Garlen – Bedlam

Can’t Stop the Movies – Bedlam talks about what insanity is and how it was “used” in this story @mr_sheldrake

CP’s Classical Gas – Isle Of The Dead looks at the value of a great script and whether or not the film was as Lewton itself called it, an unholy mess

More posts! Check out Kristina’s blog to get their links.

Once Upon a Screen – Cat People not only a great analysis of the film but of Lewton’s “important role of bridging the gap in horror films between Universal’s golden era to the resurgence of the genre”

Thrilling days of Yesteryear – The Seventh Victim an extensive look at the movie’s controversial subject, its influence and its cast @igsjr

Furious Cinema – Isle Of The Dead Pete reviews director Mark Robson’s work and the movie’s influence on the modern psychological thriller @furiouscinema

Laura’s Misc Musings – The Leopard Man as one of the lesser known but not less spooky & enjoyable Lewton movies @laurasmiscmovie

Craig of Viking Samurai – Body Snatcher @craigr3521

The Last Drive-in (Monster Girl) – Curse Of The Cat People through the themes of the feline, the fearsome female and the fearing child in 2 posts! part 1 and part 2 @thelastdrivein

Lasso the Movies – Cat People @lassothemovies

Classic Movie Gab – The Body Snatcher all about Karloff’s performance, the real life background of the story & more @pinkpetalz

Classic Screen Screams!
Looking for some classic films to watch during Halloween? Check out these Val Lewton classics by clicking the link here.

A creepy scene from The Leopard Man

Classic screwball comedy “His Girl Friday” coming to “The Venue 1550” November 8

2012-10-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

The comedy classic His Girl Friday (1940 ) will be screened at “The Venue 1550” at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St., November 8, 2012 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 per person and can be purchased at the door or online. This event will be hosted by Stephen Reginald, Classic Movie Man.

His Girl Friday, directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell is an adaptation of the Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur classic Broadway smash, The Front Page. Grant plays Walter Burns, a Chicago newspaper managing editor and Russell is Hildy Johnson an ex-reporter for the same paper and Burns’s ex-wife. On the eve of her marriage to a new man, Burns tries to convince Hildy to come back to the paper and him. Considered one of the greatest classic screwball comedies of all time, His Girl Friday is filled with non-stop one liners and the fastest dialogue ever recorded on film.

Backstory

Carole Lombard was first choice
to play Hildy Johnson

Howard Hawks originally planned to do a straight remake of The Front Page. During a read-through of the script during auditions, Hawks had his secretary read Hildy Johnson’s lines. Hawks, always a champion of strong women, liked the sound of Johnson’s lines coming out of the mouth of a female. The script was changed to make Hildy the ex-wife of Walter Burns and many think His Girl Friday is better than the film on which it is based.

Casting Call
Hawks had Cary Grant in mind for Walter Burns from the start, but the casting of Hildy Johnson proved problematic. Hawks originally wanted Carole Lombard, who he directed in Twentieth Century (1934). Lombard, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, was too expensive. Supposedly the role of Hildy was offered to Katherine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, Margaret Sullivan, Ginger Rogers, and Irene Dunne. All turned the role down. Joan Crawford, coming off her success in The Women, (1939) was even considered. Hawks finally settled on Rosalind Russell. Hawks encouraged ad-libbing on the set, so Russell hired a writer to punch up her dialogue because she thought Grant had all the good lines.

Ralph Bellamy, Cary Grant, and Rosalind Russell

His Girl Friday was #19 on American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Laughs and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Join the Film Club
Come watch this classic in the comfort of “The Venue 1550.” Overflow Coffee Bar will be open so you can grab a drink or snack to be enjoyed during the movie.

Hitchcock classic “North by Northwest” to be screened at “The Venue 1550” October 11, 2012

2012-10-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Alfred Hitchcock classic, North By Northwest will be screened at “The Venue 1550,” 1550 S. State St., October 11 at 7 p.m. This is the second in a series featuring movies with a connection to Chicago.

Snack tables are set up inside “The Venue 1550” for your
movie-watching comfort and convenience.

Directed by Hitchcock—“The Master of Suspense”—and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason, North By Northwest is one of the classiest espionage films ever made. Grant plays advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill (ROT) who is mistaken for an American agent and framed for murder. Saint plays the mistress of real spy Mason and is used as bait to catch Grant. The movie features some great Chicago locations, including the Ambassador East Hotel, the old LaSalle Street train station, and a glimpse of late-1950s Michigan Avenue. The success of this film led to Grant being offered the role of James Bond, which he turned down. Grant thought he was too old to play Ian Fleming’s famous agent 007.

“The Venue 1550” is a unique, comfortable space. Overflow Coffee Bar will be open before each screening. You can grab a beverage, snack, and bring it to the movie. Snack tables are positioned next to setting spaces for your convenience.

Order Tickets in Advance or at the Door
Movie admission is $7 per film or $20 for all four. To purchase tickets, click here. Tickets are also available at the door.

Post a Flyer!
Download, print, and post a flyer in your building or office by clicking here.

Val Lewton blogathon coming your way October 31, 2012!

2012-09-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

Val Lewton

Horror Film Master
Horrors! Get ready for the Val Lewton blogathon! Kristina of the Speakeasy blog and Stephen aka Classic Movie Man will be cohosting this event.

Lewton, the subject of a documentary produced by none other than Academy Award winning director, Martin Scorsese (Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows, 2007) was a horror film genius. He didn’t invent the horror film, but elevated it to a new level by commissioning literate scripts, (often written anonymously by himself), carefully casting his main characters, and incorporating film noir techniques. Not a household name, Lewton produced the horror classics Cat People (1942) and I Walked With a Zombie (1943). Often imitated, Lewton influenced legendary directors Scorsese, William Friedkin, and George Romero, to name a few.

The Rules of the Blogathon
Pick a Val Lewton movie or theme that you’d like to explore. Possibly you want to discuss a certain performance, or how Lewton’s films influenced the genre. Then blog your heart out! Since there can be many takes on the same film, duplicate posts will be allowed, but feel free to ask what’s been taken (so far Bedlam, Isle of the Dead, I Walked With a Zombie and The Ghost Ship are definites). In the body of your blog post, please mention the blogathon with links, or just cut and paste this handy bit here:

This post is part of the Val Lewton blogathon hosted by Stephen aka Classic Movie Man & Kristina of the Speakeasy blog – more here as we both set up landing pages

E-mail Stephen at sreggie@sbcglobal.net or Kristina at mail.speakeasy@yahoo.com to let us know which movie you want to do. When corresponding, please include “blogathon” in the subject line of your e-mail. Along with your link, please include your Twitter handle, if you have one. It will help us promote you, your blog, and the blogathon.

Jane Randolph takes a swim in Cat People.

Ready, Set, Boo!
When your post is complete, send the link by end of day October 26, 2012 (Central Time, US). Links to posts will go live on October 31, 2012. Your submissions will be posted to both Classic Movie Man and Kristina’s Speakeasy blogs. The combined posts will include the titles of your blog posts with their respective links to your blog.

Any questions, please contact Stephen or Kristina.

The Blogathon is closed, but please click here to read Val Lewton post from other bloggers.

———————————————

Val’s credits:

COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY

DIRECTOR (feature film)

Feel free to post this image, courtesy of
Paula Guthat, to your blog.

1. A Tale of Two Cities (1935) as Revolutionary War seq arr by.
WRITER (feature film)
2. The Body Snatcher (1945) as Written for Screen by.
PRODUCER (feature film)
3. Apache Drums (1951) as Producer.
4. Please Believe Me (1950) as Producer.
5. My Own True Love (1949) as Producer.
6. Bedlam (1946) as Producer.
7. Isle of the Dead (1945) as Producer.
8. The Body Snatcher (1945) as Producer.
9. The Curse of the Cat People (1944) as Producer.
10. Youth Runs Wild (1944) as Producer.
11. Mademoiselle Fifi (1944) as Producer.
12. I Walked with a Zombie (1943) as Producer.
13. The Ghost Ship (1943) as Producer.
14. The Seventh Victim (1943) as Producer.
15. The Leopard Man (1943) as Producer.
16. Cat People (1942) as Producer.
EDITING (feature film)
17. A Star Is Born (1937) as Ed asst to David O. Selznick.

The lineup so far (as of October 1, 2012)

Classic Movie Man (this blog) - I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE @sreggie on twitter

Speakeasy - THE GHOST SHIP @HQofK

Jen Garlen - BEDLAM @garlengirl

Once Upon a Screen - CAT PEOPLE @citizenscreen

Can’t Stop the Movies – BEDLAM @mr_sheldrake

Thrilling days of Yesteryear - THE SEVENTH VICTIM @igsjr

CP’s Classical Gas - ISLE OF THE DEAD

Furious Cinema - ISLE OF THE DEAD @furiouscinema

Laura’s Misc Musings - THE LEOPARD MAN @laurasmiscmovie

Craig of Viking Samurai - The BODY SNATCHER @craigr3521

The Last Drive-in (Monster Girl) – CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE & ISLE OF THE DEAD @thelastdrivein

Lasso the Movies - CAT PEOPLE @lassothemovies

Caftan Woman – THE SEVENTH VICTIM @caftanwoman

Cinematically Insane – ??? @willmckinley

Old Movies Nostalgia - VAL LEWTON BIO @moviesnostalgia

The Stop Button - MADEMOISELLE FIFI @thestopbutton

She Blogged by Night - THE BODY SNATCHER

My Love of Old Hollywood - A STAR IS BORN

Journeys in Classic Film – ???

A Shroud of Thoughts - ???

@NitrateDiva - Lewton’s use of Point of View & Voice-Over

50′s Westerns - APACHE DRUMS

Kellee Pratt - Lewton’s Influence on the Horror genre @irishjayhawk66

Classic Becky’s Brain food – I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE

Ivan of Thrilling Days of Yesteryear created this cool flyer

to promote blogathon.

-Remember, more than one take on a movie is fine, especially if you find a unique angle, so long as there aren’t tons of posts on one movie.

-Someone could do Val’s bio, or the making of a movie or one special performance.

-Do not think you have to be a horror fan to participate? APACHE DRUMS is a technicolor western. Robert Walker was in PLEASE BELIEVE ME as one of the guys romancing heiress Deborah Kerr & Walker was also in the romance MY OWN TRUE LOVE, if you want to write about something different.

A fan’s review of “The Birds” on the big screen

2012-09-21T19:36:00.001-05:00

This poster is hanging in my office.

I’m old enough to remember when The Birds was first released in theatres, but as far as my mother was concerned, I was too young to see it. When I was a kid, our family went to the movies almost every week. This was back in the day when the production code was still in effect and movies weren’t rated. The Birds just wasn’t typical family fare in 1963.

As I got older and interested in movies, I saw The Birds on TV, in the days when movies were regularly shown on the major networks. Like many, I found it fascinating and marveled at the—for the time—amazing special effects. When Turner Classic Movies announced that it would be shown on the big screen for one night only, in celebration of Universal Studios’ 100th anniversary, I jumped at the chance to see it.

I was not disappointed. The new digital version looked brand new. The sound, which was such an important part of the film, was amazingly crisp and clear. One of Alfred Hitchcock’s biggest commercial successes, The Birds is far from the Master’s best. But as pure popcorn eating entertainment, it is enormously suspenseful and fun. The audience at the screening seemed to enjoy the movie. Many, I suspect, based on their ages, were first-time viewers.

This matte shot of Bodega Bay in flames is still amazing to me.

Like most Hitchcock film’s, it holds up well. I thought the special effects would look cheap and hokey by today’s CGI standards, but to my surprise they looked pretty good. The matte photography showing Bodega Bay in flames from a bird’s eye view is still impressive. Another thing that makes The Birds seem fresh is the polish Hitchcock and costume designer, Edith Head brought to the film. The cast is dressed classically. The green suit that Tipi Hedren wears—not to mention that mink coat—through most of the film has a contemporary and timeless look. The same goes for Rod Taylor’s suits and the casual clothes he wears on the family farm.

Hedren and Taylor looked spooked, but boy do
they know how to dress!

Some viewers find Hendren’s performance lacking, but I’m amazed at how effective she is as Melanie Daniels, the film’s heroine. She possesses all the Hitchcock attributes. She’s blond and beautiful, but she also holds her own opposite seasoned pros Taylor, Jessica Tandy, and Suzanne Pleshette. Considering she had no prior acting experience, I have to hand it to her because a big part of the film’s success rested on her shoulders.

When the movie was first released, the ending was jarring and left viewers with questions. The same was true with this special screening. You could hear some folks mumbling “that’s it?” as the film faded to black. But that’s Hitchcock. He always leaves you wanting more.

7 x 7 – My Favorite Posts

2012-09-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

Paula’s Cinema Club tagged me with a 7 x 7 Link award. I have a hard time getting myself organized for these posts, but I was able to find some time to get this done. Similar to the Liebster Award, it’s aim is to help folks “get to know” your blog.

The 7 x 7 Award highlights a blogger’s favorite pieces of work and is passed on to others so that they too can do the same as a way to promote posts and/or blogs.

Unlike the Liebster, the questions do not vary, but like the Liebster, some are more difficult than others. So here we go.

1.Tell everyone something that no one else knows about you.
I was a painfully shy kid. I avoided having contact or conversations at all costs. I would go so far as to walk a block out of my way so I wouldn’t have to say hello or speak to someone. That’s obviously changed. Now it’s hard to shut me up!

2. Link to one of the posts that I think best fits the following categories:
a. Most beautiful piece: Beautiful is a lofty word for a blog post, but one of my best posts was for the Ida Lupino blogathon, “Ida Lupino: A Lasting Legacy in Hollywood.” A big fan of Lupino’s, it gave me a reason to write the post. I was very happy with the results and the response from readers.

b. Most helpful piece: I think my most helpful piece is from a series of post I started called “Classic Films in Context.” I examine a classic film in the context of when it was released, how it was received, and what makes it significant today. The first film I featured was the 1931 version of Cimarron starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. Dunne was nominated for Best Actress (first of a total of five nominations) and it’s the film that made her a superstar. Within a year, she totally eclipsed the top-billed Dix, going on to successes in musicals, dramas, and comedies.

c. Most popular piece: By far, my most popular piece is “Becoming Grace Kelly,” a post I wrote in April 2010. It’s had over 6,300 reads, which is mind-boggling to me. The irony is I’m not the biggest Kelly fan—although I am one—in the world. I just thought a lot of people would be interested in a post on the movie star who became a princess, but I never imagined it would be this successful. I timed it to release with the exhibit of her clothes and accessories at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that year. Almost every month, it’s in the top-five of my most read posts.

d. Most controversial piece: I don’t think I have many controversial posts, but my post on The Hunger Games for the Future Classic Movies blogathon got some interesting conversations going when it was picked up by Movie Fanfare, the blog hosted by Movies Unlimited. Folks were talking big theological issues, which was an area I never touched on, nor did I really consider when writing the post.

e. Surprisingly successful piece: Besides the Kelly post already mentioned, my post on the science fiction classic This Island Earth is another one that ends up in the top-five posts for the week, every once in a while since first posted June 2011.

f. Most underrated piece: “The Truth About “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” a screwball comedy starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery hasn’t gotten a lot of love, so to speak. I’m a big fan of Lombard and this comedy, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, of all people. It can stand next to the screwball comedies directed by Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, and Gregory LaCava any day, in my opinion.

g. Most pride-worthy piece: “Val Lewton: The genius nobody knows” is a post I’m very proud of. Lewton is someone who deserves more recognition. His movies influenced just about every filmmaker working today, including Martin Scorsese who produced a documentary on Lewton several years ago. Honorable mention: “Mitchell Leisen: The Best Director Nobody Knows.” This was my first post to be picked up by Movie Fanfare.

3. Pass this award on to seven other blogs/bloggers:

Another Old Movie Blog
They Don’t Make ’Em Like They Used To
Speakeasy
Once Upon a Screen
The Shades of Black and White
What Happened to Hollywood
Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings

More blogs/bloggers worthy of the award:

Bobby Rivers TV
Carl Rollyson

bettiwettiwoo

Cinema_Fanatic
Immortal Ephemera

If you’ve already gotten a 7 x 7, please feel free to pass it along to the deserving blogger of your choice.

“The Birds” on the big screen September 19

2012-08-29T08:03:00.000-05:00

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic, The Birds will hit the big screen for a one-night showing September 19, 2012, in theaters all across the country. Like the special screenings of Casablanca and Singing in the Rain, this one is sponsored by Turner Classic Movies. The screening will include an interview with star Tippi Hedren and special introduction featuring TCM host Robert Osborne. To find a screening near you, click here.

Tippi Hedren finds safety in a phone booth in one of the film’s
most famous scenes.

If there is a classic film that benefits from a big-screen showing, it’s The Birds. Based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier with a screenplay by Evan Hunter, the movie is filled with iconic scenes and amazing—for the time—special effects.

The top-billed star is Rod Taylor who plays Mitch Brenner, a San Francisco lawyer who falls for socialite Melanie Daniels played by Hedren. Hedren, a model and single mother, was plucked from obscurity by Hitchcock to be his new leading lady. Groomed to be the next cool blond—Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, and Eva Marie Saint preceded her—Hedren became an overnight sensation. She won the Golden Globe award for most promising newcomer, female, the year after the movie’s release. Also in the cast are Academy Award winner Jessica Tandy, then child star Veronica Cartwright, and Suzanne Pleshette. In smaller roles are character actor Richard Deacon (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and as one of the children at Cathy Brenner’s (Cartwright) birthday party is an unbilled Morgan Brittany who later went on to star in TV’s Dallas.

The Birds may not be one of Hitchcock’s greatest films, but it certainly is one of his most entertaining. A huge hit upon its initial release, the film offers up exquisite camera work by frequent Hitchcock cinematographer Robert Burks. The special effects were created Ub Iwerks, the genius behind the special effects at the Disney studio. One of the unusual aspects of the film is that is has no musical score. Instead, the sound of birds is heard throughout. Bernard Herrmann (Psycho), composer of many Hitchcock film scores acted as the films uncredited sound director.

Film Club coming to “Venue 1550” at the Daystar Center

2012-08-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

A new film club is coming to “Venue 1550” at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St. Chicago. Hosted by Stephen Reginald, the film club will feature four classic films having connections with Chicago. Some like Henry Hathaway’s Call Northside 777 were shot entirely on location in the city, while others like Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, features several critical scenes in the windy city. Films will be screened at 7 p.m. on the second Thursdays of the month, starting September 13, 2012. Reginald will introduce each film giving background information before screenings, with Q & A afterwards. Reginald is a freelance writer/editor and popular instructor at Facets Film School in Chicago. He was also the original host of Meet Me at the Movies.

Chicago on film
Chicago and the movies go way back. Charlie Chaplin and Gloria Swanson, two movie icons from the silent era, started their film careers here. Both Chaplin and Swanson worked at Essanay Studios on West Argyle, now St. Augustine College. Essanay was a bustling place in the early days of the twentieth century. It was a glimpse of Hollywood before there was such a place. But the harsh Midwestern winters made year-round moviemaking in Chicago impractical. Film studios and their stars eventually moved west. The rest, as they say, is history. Even though Chicago’s movie-making glory days are long gone, the city has always been a favorite subject of filmmakers. Celebrate the movies and Chicago with special screenings of these classics:

September 13
Call Northside 777 (1948)—Directed by Henry Hathaway and starring James Stewart, this semi-documentary style film is based on a true story, filmed entirely on location in Chicago. Stewart plays P.J. McNeal, a reporter for the Chicago Times who attempts to find new evidence in an 11-year-old cop killer case. McNeal comes to believe that Frank Weicek, the convicted murderer, took the fall for someone else and was falsely imprisoned. The movie features beautiful black and white cinematography and great Chicago locations. See how the city has changed (and remained the same) since 1948.

October 11
North by Northwest (1959)—Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason, in one of the classiest espionage films of all time. Grant plays advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill (ROT) who is mistaken for an American agent and framed for murder. Saint plays the mistress of real spy Mason and is used as bait to catch Grant. Featuring some great Chicago locations, including the Ambassador East Hotel, the old LaSalle Street train station, and a glimpse of late-1950s Michigan Avenue. The success of this film led to Grant being offered the role of James Bond, which he turned down, thinking he was too old to play Ian Fleming’s famous agent 007.

Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, and Ralph Bellamy in
His Girl Friday

November 8
His Girl Friday (1940)—Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell His Girl Friday is an adaptation of the Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur classic Broadway smash, The Front Page. Grant plays Walter Burns, a Chicago newspaper managing editor and Russell is Hildy Johnson an ex-reporter for the same paper and Burns’s ex-wife. On the eve of her marriage to a new man, Burns tries to convince Hildy to come back to the paper…and him. Considered one of the greatest classic screwball comedies of all time, His Girl Friday is filled with non-stop one liners and the fastest dialogue ever recorded on film!

Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon, and Marilyn Monroe
in Some Like It Hot

December 13
Some Like It Hot (1959)—Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, this classic was voted funniest film of all time by the American Film Institute. Curtis and Lemmon play Chicago musicians who accidentally witness the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre of 1929. The men disguise themselves as women and travel south with Sweet Sue’s all-girl band in an attempt to avoid “Spats” Colombo and his gang who are determined to kill them. Monroe—the band’s vocalist—and the “girls” become bosom buddies along the way, which leads to some hilarious situations and some unusual conclusions.

Order Tickets in Advance
Movie admission is $7 per film or $20 for all four. To purchase tickets, click here.

“Venue 1550” is a unique space in the DayStar Center located at 1550 S. State St. “The Venue” hosts musical concerts, documentary films, lectures, and community meetings. For more information on utilizing this space for yourself or your organization, please call 312.674.0001.

Book Review: Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews

2012-08-24T20:09:00.001-05:00

Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews by Carl Rollyson
The University Press of Mississippi, 2012

Dana Andrews was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the mid-1940s to early 1950s. A basically decent man, Andrews struggled with alcoholism for decades. His addiction affected his film career; other stars got roles that should have gone to him.

Carl Rollyson’s biography is comprehensive and fascinating. Rollyson obviously respects his subject, however, he is objective when it comes to some of the unattractive and disturbing incidents in Andrews’s life.

Andrews was born in Collins, Mississippi in 1904. His father, a Baptist minister, moved the family to Huntsville, Texas to accept a pastorate there. Somewhat rebellious, Andrews’s pursuit of an acting career was shunned by his strict parents. A talented singer, Andrews also studied opera. As soon as he was able, he moved to California to pursue his dream of acting success. He eventually became a regular performer at the famed Pasadena Playhouse where he met second wife, Mary Todd.

Andrews as Fred Derry in The Best Years of Our Lives,
perhaps his finest screen performance

Hollywood eventually came calling and Andrews was signed by legendary independent filmmaker Samuel Goldwyn in 1938. After some small and supporting roles in films like the Ox-Box Incident, Andrews hit pay dirt as Lieutenant Mark McPherson in Laura, playing opposite Gene Tierney. A critical and financial success, Dana Andrews was now a full-fledged movie star. Success, and all the trappings that came with it, was tough for Andrews to handle. His drinking started to get in the way of his career and personal life. Amazingly, for the years he was a major star, his drinking rarely affected his on-screen work.

Andrews worked with major directors like John Ford, Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang, William Wyler, and Lewis Milestone. If it weren’t for his drinking, Andrews may have starred in the classic films Gentlemen’s Agreement and Twelve O’Clock High, both going to Gregory Peck. He finally conquered his demons late in life and was able to enjoy acting on the stage with his wife. A family man at heart, Andrews loved his wife and family passionately, if not perfectly. Apart from learning a lot about Andrews the man and actor, the reader comes away with an understanding of what the life of a movie star was like under the studio system. As you might imagine, it wasn’t as glamorous as we were led to believe. Rollyson’s work is respectful and objective, painting a rich portrait of one of Hollywood’s most beloved movie stars.

Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews is available at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

Rollyson is a professor of journalism at Baruch College, CUNY. He is the author of more than thirty books, including the forthcoming American Isis: The Life and Death of Sylvia Plath and biographies of Marilyn Monroe, Lillian Hellman, Martha Gelhorn, Norman Mailer, Rebecca West, and Susan Sontag. He is the advisory editor of the Hollywood Legends Series.

Take a look at the Dana Andrews blogathon posts to learn more about the actor and his most famous movie roles by clicking here.