The Screen Guild Theater Presents: The Awful Truth

Hello People!

     Happy Day-2-of-Carole-Lombard-Week! Tonight (as was hinted to in the title) we're talking about Carole on the radio:

"The Awful Truth"

 Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance. [IMDb]

Film Version:

Released: October 21, 1937

Starring: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy

Radio Version:

Recorded: March 17, 1940

Starring: Robert Young, Carole Lombard, Ralph Bellamy

     Film Cast or Radio Cast? Radio cast all the way!! Look at the leading men, we have Cary Grant or Robert Young. I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the classic-hollywood-loving universe would choose Grant in a heart beat, but not me. Cary Grant just, well, I just don't like him - way overrated, that's what he is.** Then we look at Robert Young. I love Bob Young! He's been around since the VERY beginning of my classic Hollywood obsession (a whole year ago), so he's got a special place in my heart. I'm not so definitely opinionated when it comes to the female leads, but Carole definitely wins. Irene is pretty, but I just ADORE Carole. 

  

     This is one case where I actually like the movie version better than the radio. "The Awful Truth" is one of those movies that you have to see to believe. There are just certain scenes that aren't funny without the visual because you need to see their facial expressions. Plus, because the radio version is shorter they had to cut scenes, and they cut one of my very favorites. It's fun to listen to, anyway. 

You can listen to "The Awful Truth" at Doctor Macro.

Until Later On~

Photograph: Carole Lombard Week

Good Evening! 

      I randomly decided to dedicate this coming week to Carole Lombard because I don't talk about her enough, and I really do love her. Starting now, if you visit this blog there will probably be something related to Carole - it will hopefully be good - this chick has plans! Starting now: 

 

Carole. Clark. & Cats.

Weeks don't start any better than this. 

Until Later On~

Take Me Back...

Hello Everyone! 

     David at FilmClassics probably makes the best classic movie videos ever. Either him or TheProfaneAngel another YouTuber who made my all-time favorite Stanwyck Tribute. Anyway, David's new video is amazing - I asked him if I could post it on my blog, he said yes, so here it is: 

I want to cry every time I watch it. Isn't it amazing? 

Until Later On~

Christmas in July (1940)

Hello Everyone!

     First of all, Happy Thanksgiving (or day-after-Thanksgiving, depending on when you read this, it's also known as Black Friday)! I'm afraid I'm not creative enough to think of a super Thanksgiving post, but if you want to read something absolutely stunning read this post by my friend Rianna @ Frankly, My Dear - It's PURE GENIUS.

     Now, last night I watched "Christmas in July" (1940) - if this is one of your favorite movies please forgive me for what I'm going to say next, it's just my opinion. 

     I didn't like it at all, which is sad because I love Preston Sturges' movies. It also has really high ratings on IMDb and almost all of the user reviews are 9 or 10 stars, which must mean there's something wrong with me. Really, the only things I liked about the whole movie were the facts that I knew the lyrics to the background music and found this video review, which is funnier than the movie as far as I'm concerned.
      The movie is about a guy named Jimmy and his fiancee, Betty. Jimmy is a constant contest enter-er, and at the beginning of the movie he's waiting for the results of a slogan-making contest held by Maxford House Coffee, which he entered with the slogan "If you can't sleep, it's not the coffee, it's the 'bunk.'" His co-workers play a prank on him and make him think he won the 1st prize of $25,000. Thinking that he's won, he gets a promotion and a check from the Maxford House company, then he goes and buys stuff for everyone one who lives in his neighborhood. After that he finds out that he didn't really win the contest, and he loses his promotion (but his fiancee gets it back for him). At the end of the movie we find out who really won the contest - and guess who the winner is? (It's Jimmy, by the way. Wasn't expecting THAT, was I?!)
     Look, I don't expect every Preston Sturges film to be like The Lady Eve (I don't expect any movie to be that perfect), but Christmas in July wasn't even close - I may have smiled once or twice during the whole movie at the most. And it's just a crying shame because I think there was a lot of possibility there for a really funny movie, I mean, Preston Sturges and a misunderstanding like that could have been hysterical, but it wasn't, it was just very bland.
     The leading actors were both new to me. I really didn't like Dick Powell - he seemed so...bored. As if he couldn't care less about anything that happened. Ellen Drew played his fiancee. She was better, but not really great either - she was pretty cute though. I was happy to see William Demarest (Muggsy from "The Lady Eve") - I've always liked him. 
      In conclusion, even though I really didn't like this, I wouldn't tell you that you should absolutely never watch this movie under any circumstance. It's only an hour long, for one thing, so you're not wasting a ton of time even if you don't end up liking it. Plus, pretty much the rest of the civilized world likes it, so you might too.  

Quote - Betty: We have so much to be thankful for.  (It fits today's holiday).

Until Later On~

I Don't Know What to Title This...

Hello There!

     Last night I posted my article for the FilmClassics article contest. In case you didn't read it yet, I LOVE CAPRA-CORN SO MUCH, and I freely admit it - that's kind of the point of the whole thing. Anyway, the voting on the contest started this morning - there are only to entries, mine and a post entitled "In Hollywood, No Ring" by another blogger named Leticia - you can vote here. As always, I will beg you to, please, go vote!

     Oh, and today, one of my friends at FilmClassics pointed out that Lucywho.com made Barbara Stanwyck their "Star of the Day" today!! I'm really happy about that -  the Miss is getting some much-deserved attention. 

 

She's so beautiful it kills me. And you gotta love that coat!

Until Later On~

Moustache or No Moustache? (Blogathon)

Hello There! 

     This month Bette at Bette's Classic Movie Blog is holding a blogathon in honor of Movember. Of course, I adore blogathons, so I decided to write this for the cause:


     We all recognize Clark Gable and his moustache, but do we recognize him without it? Does he possibly look better with out it? And what about the other moustache-d men of old Hollywood? Here's my opinion: Moustache or No Moustache?

Clark Gable:

 No moustache -

Moustache-

 Clark Gable verdict: Moustache! 

I think he looks much more manly with a moustache, plus, I will always associate a moustache-less Gable with a Stanwyck-beating chauffeur. So...

Henry Fonda:

No Moustache-

Moustache-

Henry Fonda verdict: No Moustache!

I love Henry Fonda for that boyish quality of his, which the moustache definitely murders. 

Not to mention he looks really stupid...

Errol Flynn:

No Moustache-

 

Moustache-

 

Errol Flynn verdict: Tie

I'm kind of in love with him at the moment, isn't he amazing-looking? Moustache or No Moustache, it doesn't matter.

George Brent:

No Moustache- 

 

Moustache-

 

George Brent verdict: Moustache

I think I like the moustache better than no moustache. He looks more...mature? I guess...more successful? He looks kinda down on his luck without the 'stache. 

Gary Cooper:

No Moustache-

 

Moustache-

  Gary Cooper verdict: NO MOUSTACHE!

Oh my goodness. Dear Mr. Cooper, I promise to be a fan of your for the rest of eternity if you never sport a moustache again. ;)

  Robert Taylor:

No Moustache-

Moustache-

 Robert Taylor verdict: Moustache

I am also in love with Robert Taylor... In my opinion he looked much better with the 'stache. He looks less...sissy (if you know what I mean); it makes him look less like a poor little rich playboy.

     So, there's my opinion on who needs a moustache and who doesn't. Thanks a million to Bette for hosting this blogathon! And don't forget to check out the Movember site!

Until Later On~

Capra-corn

     Frank Capra is my favorite director, without a doubt; and, while I could talk about any one of his fantastic comedies, I'm going to talk about his Capra-corn* (specifically: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, It's a Wonderful Life) because it's what I love best.  *Critics nickname for Capra's 'sappy' stories.


     In all Capra-corn we've got our heroes and our villains. The David-vs-Goliath in Capra-corn is part of the appeal in it. I happen to love a good hero: a person who's not afraid to stand up to the bad guys, someone with strong ideals. Longfellow Deeds is looking for a lady-in-distress to rescue; Long John Willoughby (John Doe) is there for the little guys; Senator Jefferson Smith comes to Washington with a dream to show America to our young boys; and George Bailey helps his friends stay out of "Pottersville". They all have their ideals, but that's not what makes them heroes. They're heroes because even when all the odds were against them and when their ideals are being ridiculed, they still stood up. Therefore, the villains are just as much a part of Capra-corn as the heroes. Whether it's D.B. Norton from Meet John Doe or Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life or James Taylor from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - their main goal is to crush everything that stands in their way, but they can't do it because our heroes will not allow themselves to be crushed.

     Another thing I love about Frank Capra is that he knew what being an American meant. Capra-corn is so American. For example, Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town goes to see Grant's Tomb - Jean Arthur's character asks him what he sees in the monument that makes him love it more than everyone else, he says: "Me? Oh I see a small Ohio farm boy becoming a great soldier. I see thousands of marching men. I see General Lee with a broken heart surrendering. And I can see the beginning of a new nation, like Abraham Lincoln said. And I can see that Ohio boy being inaugurated as President. Things like that can only happen in a country like America." My personal favorite example of this Capra-corn Americanism is the scene in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington when Jefferson Smith is trying to explain to Clarissa (Jean Arthur) what his goal is for the boys' camps, he explains: "You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading 'the land of the free' in history books. When they become men, they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every day of their lives and say, 'I'm free.'"

     In addition to advocating Americanism, Frank Capra's Capra-corn always upholds 'Love your neighbor' as one of the most important things.  Every one of the aforementioned heroes champions loving your neighbors. John Doe explains it in terms of a baseball team "We can't win the old ballgame unless we have teamwork. And that's where every John Doe comes in. It's up to him to get together with his teammates. And your teammate, my friend, is the guy next door to you. Your neighbor." Why do we fight for lost causes? Jefferson Smith says, "All you people don't know about lost causes. Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for. And he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them. Because of just one plain, simple rule: 'Love thy neighbor.'" It's really such an important principle, this 'love your neighbor' thing, and Capra understood it.

    Frank Capra once said, "I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries." therefore, Capra-corn does not lack tear-jerking scenes. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington when Jefferson Smith is betrayed by his hero, he sits at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial and cries; and so do we. When Stanwyck (whose character is distressed to the point of hysterics) in Meet John Doe, climbs to the top of the city hall and begs Gary Cooper's character not to jump, you can't possibly sit there without shedding a tear. Then look at It's a Wonderful Life, fast-forward to the scene where George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is about to jump off that bridge, or the scene when he sees what would have happened had he never been born and begs to live again. It's heart-wrenching, I tell you; and it is so because Capra knew how to make movies that would capture our emotions and make them mirror-images of the ones portrayed on screen. 

     Finally - although I love everything about Capra-corn - without a doubt, the endings are my favorite parts. In Meet John Doe, the last line comes from the one-time hard-boiled newspaper editor who says to D.B. Norton "There you are, Norton - the people. Try and lick that!" John Doe is saved and the people are victorious. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, after 23 1/2 hours of filibustering Jefferson Smith collapses. All seems lost until Senator Paine finally confesses his guilt and saves the day. And in It's a Wonderful Life George Bailey sees that his life really did mean something, he runs home to his family and finds that he's the richest man in the world because he's got more friends than anyone. 

     I've yet to find one example of Capra-corn that left me without a smile on my face, without a feeling of pride in being "a John Doe"; heck, I've yet to find Capra-corn I didn't like! No matter what may have happened during the film - rain, snow, heat, gloom of night, political machines, millionaire publishers - at the end our heroes are still swinging, so, stand up and cheer!

Until Later On~

Awesome People for the Day: Linda Darnell

Hello Everyone!

     First of all, I have 30 followers now! So, I just want to thank all of you for being willing to read what I have to say about classic Hollywood - you all make me so happy. Like this:

GIF from 

     Wow, that GIF makes me happy...ha! Anyway, we'll get to the real point of this post - last time I did one of these Awesome Person posts one of my commenters asked me to do one for Linda Darnell, so that's what I'm doing. :)

 

  This is another one of those posts where I've never seen a movie starring the person I'm talking about. Probably not a good thing, but that's how it is. If anyone wants to suggest any I'll add them to the ever-growing list of movies I need to watch before I die.

 

She is cute though isn't she? Then you add the puppies... :)

 

 

Until Later On~

Lux Radio Theatre Presents: Captain Blood

Hello People! 

     Now, I don't know whether I've ever told you this, but I LOVE old radio shows! Yes, I do. I mean, I like radio more than just as much as I like film. First of all, it feels more old-fashioned to listen to radio shows (yep, it's possible to feel more old-fashioned than when you're watching 70 year old, black and white movies). Secondly, there's no limit to how awesome a movie can look, because you get to imagine it all while you're listening (it's good brain exercise, dahhhling). For a third reason, there's multiple places you can hear your favorite actor/actress in a part that they didn't play on screen (for example, Barbara Stanwyck instead of Vivien Leigh in "Waterloo Bridge"; and, yes, that was amazing to hear). Number four, radio versions of movies are at least half an hour shorter than the real thing. So you get a thrilling story in half the time. My fifth (and last) reason for liking radio (specifically Lux Radio Shows) are the Lux advertisements thrown in between the first and second (ect.) acts. Hilarious - they try everything to make sure you buy Lux soap. It's really funny. I've also heard Lux shows when they'll take a break between acts to play Actress/Actor name games (how many times have you been watching a movie and Cecil B. DeMille stops you to play games? Huh?). Anyway, no that you know why I love radio - today's show: 

 "Captain Blood"

      Peter Blood, a doctor, is falsely accused of treason and sent to Jamaica to be a slave. He escapes with a band of other slaves and they become notorious pirates.

Radio Version:

Recorded: February 2, 1937

Narrator:  Herbert Marshall (replacing Cecil B. DeMille this week)

Starring:  Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp

 Film Version:

Released: December 28, 1935

Director: Micheal Curtiz

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone

     I have never seen the movie version of this, but if it is half as good as the radio version I have been denying myself a great pleasure. This was really one of the best stories I've ever heard - it was absolutely amazing. And ErrOlivia? HECK YES! Even their voices are romantic - you can SEE them looking at each other just by listening. Oh, sigh.

You can listen to "Captain Blood" here: Doctor Macro

Until Later On~

P.S. If you liked this, please tell me. I'd like to do more, but I don't want to bore anyone. ;)
 

Veronica Lake (and an Epic Fail on my Part)

Hello! 

     You all know that I happen to love Veronica Lake, yes? I've mentioned before that I believe we all "need a little more Lake in our lives" and stuff like that. So, when I found out that her birthday was on November 14th what do you think I did? I marked the date on the calendar on my iPod and I set two alarms. Both of the alarms went off, I heard and acknowledged both of them, but did I wish Ronnie a happy birthday yesterday? No! Like I said, EPIC FAIL on my part. Anyway, better late than never - happy belated birthday, Ronnie Lake!!!

 

Lovely to look at? Check.

Until Later On~

Citizen Kane (1941) From My Point of View

Hello Everyone!

     This month, our friends over at True Classics are holding the Great Citizen Kane Debate. The following is my entry to the debate:

*****

In every area of life there's a battle of the best. Many worthy opponents fighting for first place, and many equally worthy critics judging them. Of course, in the area of film it's no different; so, over the years there has been critic after critic weighing every element of all the films in existence trying to pick one that should be held above others as the best of the best. What did they come up with? Citizen Kane.

 

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

     Citizen Kane has been rated best movie of all time on Sight and Sound's 10 Best Movies list every decade since 1962. It also took 1st on both of AFI's 100 Best Movies lists. But does Kane really deserve of all the attention it gets? Is it really the best movie ever made or is it the most overrated?

     As far as I'm concerned it's the most overrated. I've spent a good deal of time reading what I could: trying to grasp what everyone sees in Kane. I've come to see that a big portion of the popularity is on account of Mr. Welles' directing, which, of course, is truly brilliant. They've labeled Kane "groundbreaking" - not because every technique used was fresh off the assembly line, but because Welles took so many different techniques and experimented with them and made Kane, and with that inspired dozens of others and really changed movies on a large level. Deep focus photography - a certain mixture of lighting and camera lens, which takes everything in a scene into focus - was used in Kane and makes for some interesting optical illusions. Montage - successive scenes that show the passing of a long time in a very short time on screen - and so many scenes shot from as low an angle as possible (which makes me seriously woozy to look at) are also parts of Citizen Kane's technical renown. The false crowds, the lighting, the over-lapping dialogue, crazy reflecting mirror scenes - there's so many angles (almost as many as the picture was filmed from) that you could take just on this technical side, but is that what makes a great movie? ... maybe; but not in my book! 

     There's also the story of Kane's inspiration: William Randolph Hearst. Who, like Charles Foster Kane in the movie, had his own little world of radios and newspapers and such. Apparently, the resemblance between Hearst and Kane cost Citizen Kane it's immediate success; and what could've, and has now, made Welles' fame great practically destroyed his career. But if anything makes Citizen Kane the best movie ever, it's most certainly not that. 

     Then there's the plot. The biopic of a man named Charles Foster Kane - from his youth to the day he died. Instead of writing Charles Kane's life chronologically, Orson Welles starts at the end. We see Kane die, and with his final breath he breathes "rosebud". Rosebud. Then a certain editor decides to find out what rosebud means, so he assigns a reporter to go figure it out. That reporter reads the memoirs of Kane's guardian, then goes to see all of the people still living that knew Charles Kane: his second wife, his closest friend, and his editor. Through a series of flash-backs we see Charles Kane's whole life, but by the end of the movie what has the reporter come up with? Nothing. Nada. Absolutely naught. He gives up and says: maybe rosebud was something he couldn't get or something he lost, anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything. The viewer eventually finds out what "rosebud" is - it's Kane's childhood sled, and we see it burning along with all of Kane's other earthly possessions. Good luck figuring that; so, I'm left thinking, "What on earth?! I just wasted two hours of my life!".

     That's the story of Citizen Kane, or, anyway, that's what we see on the surface. The real story of Citizen Kane is the title character himself: Kane is the movie, and the movie is Kane. That, I think, is what bothers me so much about this movie. Kane, as a character, is selfish, and the latter part of the movie would move me to also describe him as maniacal and domineering. This character essentially makes and breaks the whole movie. Kane goes through his life with no apparent goal and no purpose. As a young man he comes into a large amount of money, he then goes abroad and gets kicked out of every college he attends, then he decides to start a newspaper and his empire expands from there. He marries a president's niece at some point, apparently because he loves her, although that rubs off quickly. He runs for governor, and is involved in a career-wrecking scandal, so that's the end of that. Then he divorces and marries a wanna-be opera singer, whom he forces to sing and drives to the point of attempted suicide. Sometime during the movie, the Great Depression comes, and Kane loses everything - his whole empire smashed into an oblivion. Eventually his second wife leaves him and most of the rest of his life is hidden away completely in his castle, more or less a shrine to himself. All of this with no apparent purpose, no reasons for doing anything he does. So, the fact that the movie is so centered on Kane affects the movie, as his meaningless style of living leaves the movie meaningless at the end. It also affects the rest of the cast because the whole thing is focused so much on Kane there isn't room for the others characters, therefore they aren't expanded as interestingly as they could be. And the saddest thing of all is that the beginning of this movie is really quite interesting. At the very beginning Kane seems to have some sort of goal, he puts an honest (and self-exalting) note on the front page of his newspaper, promising to tell his readers the truth. Then suddenly his morals crumble and what I'm going the call the "Kane Effect" kicks in and the rest of the movie loses any moral backbone it might have had because of his being the center of the whole movie. 

     So, you see? It can't be the best movie ever made in my mind, despite any fantastic shows of magnificent camera-work. First of all, endings are extremely important to me, and this one just tops 'em all for pathetic endings. And the character of Kane is so monotonous - there's nothing to distinguish him from any other selfish, power-hungry giant. Yes, the circumstances are different; I mean, not every selfish person has 60 million dollars and a newspaper monopoly. But the character doesn't stand out, and since he IS the movie, for all practical purposes, it keeps the movie from holding my attention. But if Citizen Kane isn't the best, what do I think is? ...

     It's just this simple: It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful movie. In my opinion it's one of the best movies ever made. It's the ultimate American movie; one of those movies that will last forever in your memory. I could personally watch it a million times over.
     As far as the technical side goes, Frank Capra won an award for creating a new way to make snow for films, and that's got to count for something. I know there are other technical achievements that I've missed though. Unlike Citizen Kane, IAWL holds my attention the whole time, it's absolutely impossible to take my eyes off the screen. 
     Another one of those unmistakably great things about IAWL is Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the movie's hero. Possibly the performance of his career, and if I've said it once I've said it a thousand times, no one plays an average American like Jimmy Stewart. George Bailey is just another average Joe, but Jimmy plays it with such conviction and makes that average character stand out much more than any millionaire. 
     Frank Capra also has a way of making movies that are so approachable on such a far-reaching level. Everyone can understand the messages in Frank Capra's movies, not only those with a degree on the subject. There's a simple beauty in Capra-corn that's so apparent, but there's also a deeper meaning that sticks with you; IAWL is no different. The story is simple, it's the life story of a boy with dreams, experiencing the same trials and heartaches as anyone. 
     Finally, I told you endings were important to me (and I meant it), It's a Wonderful Life has one of the best movie endings ever. Recently a friend pointed out to me that the ending wouldn't be half as meaningful if it hadn't been for the rest of the movie which builds up to that final climax, like every movie should. The ending of IAWL is something not likely to be forgotten, even by any die-hard Kane fan, because everyone likes to see the hero win in the end.


     Lafadio Hearn said: "Poetry is something that should stir our emotions, or make us think new thoughts; whatever can do neither the one nor the other may be very good verse, but it is not poetry."  
     Yes, I know he's talking about poetry, but this is how I would explain my view of movies, in most cases. Thus it's a fitting explanation as to why I dislike Citizen Kane and adore It's a Wonderful Life. I watched Kane twice in the last two weeks and I can't say that anything stuck out enough for me to remember, even so soon after finishing the film; yet a whole year had gone by since I saw It's a Wonderful Life and I was still often remembering "no man is a failure who has friends". 

Until Later On~   

P.S. Thanks a million to Brandie, Carrie, and Nikki for hosting this! Lots of fun on my part trying to decide what to say about this one. ;)

Happy Birthday to the Most Beautiful Woman on the Screen!

     No, it's not Barbara Stanwyck's birthday yet (and trust me, when it is, you will find out from me. Heck, I'm planning stuff for the Miss's birthday now, and it's still like 6 months away). 
     So, yes, you could take from the title, the idea that I believed that there was a more beautiful woman on the screen than my ever-loved Missy Stany; and should you draw that conclusion you would probably be accurate in translating my insinuations. 

     Woah... Did that make any sense? No? Okay, I'll try again:

Hedy Lamarr is prettier than even my darling Barbara.

     Yes, I admit it, Babs has got some competition. And that alone should tell you how gorgeous I think Hedy Lamarr is, because you all know how much I love Stany (and if you don't know you must be new, so, welcome!). I never would have believed I would say anything like this, mostly because I never thought it was possible, but I have, and so I'll say it again, Hedy Lamarr is absolutely gorgeous. She GLOWS, she just absolutely GLOWS:

 

     I'll post more pictures of Hedy Lamarr later on (probably'll make her an awesome person for the day for that matter). But for now I just want to wish this beautiful actress a very, very happy would-have-been 98th birthday. 

Until Later On~

Look! I did it!

Good Evenin' People! 

     So... for THE longest time I've been trying to learn how to save GIF files on my computer. Never was able to do it until tonight, and you know what's sad? It's SO easy! Anyway, I wasn't going to post tonight, but I couldn't help myself - I was really excited.

 

 How gorgeous is my Missy? Graciousness, I love her so...

     Doesn't that make you want to cry, or doesn't it? I'm going to stop now because I could talk about this for a long time... Anyway...

     No reviews this weekend. I'll probably have on later in the week (I'm homeschooled, I can do that. Ha!). I've been working on my entry for True Classics' Great Citizen Kane Debate. Of course, I don't expect a lot to come from that, but I like entering stuff just for the heck of it. 

     I promise I have more interesting stuff planned to say on here, I just haven't gotten around to actually saying it - I hope I won't bore you while I get my act together. Ho hum. 

  

    Anyway, I'll stop now before this becomes any more of a ramble and you all lose any faith in me that may still be present.

Until Later On~

P.S. If you've never seen my secondary blog, Lovely Nonsensities, please take a look! <3

So, Miss Leigh, It Looks As If We're Celebrating...

Hello Everyone!! 

     Today is Vivien Leigh's birthday! She would've been 98, and in honor of the lovely lady's birthday I decided I would post a couple of pictures (most of them from Tumblr) this afternoon: 

Awesome People for the Day: Blondie!

'Ello Folks,

     I'm here, and I have brought with me my dear Blondie, Joan Blondell, whom I decided was worthy of a post all to herself:

 

Ever since I re-watched Barbara Stanwyck in "Night Nurse" I decided that I needed to watch more Joan Blondell movies. So, I watched more (which is actually sort of surprising, because I normally put it off longer than this)! And she became "Blondie" and I became a big fan. Now, I've seen "Stand-In" and "Topper Returns" and part of "Blonde Crazy" and I'm looking for more.

 

Who doesn't love Blondie?! I mean, I've yet to see a reason why anyone shouldn't. She's adorable and hilarious. And mischievous. And witty.... And awesome.

 

I have no idea what this is from, but I love this picture!

 

Okay? Yes, I love this picture.

 

This is my favorite picture of her I think, ain't she cute?

Until Later On~

'Cause Ya Know I'm Wacky 'Bout 'Em

Hello Everyone!

     I found this survey on Tumblr (at The Cluttered Classic Attic I think, I honestly don't remember), and I figured I'd go ahead and post it 'cause ya know I'm wacky 'bout 'em (and I hope you are too): 

     Four films you'd pick as the TCM guest programmer? Her Cardboard Lover (1942), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), My Reputation (1946), and Carefree (1938)

      Film that got you interested in old Hollywood? Stowaway (1936)

     Favorite actor? I've finally decided it's a tie between: Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, and Robert Taylor.

     Favorite actress? Barbara Stanwyck!!!

     Actor or actress you think is underrated? Blondie! (Joan Blondell)
 
     Favorite movie from your favorite actor? Jimmy - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Fred - Top Hat (1935); Bob - Waterloo Bridge (1940)


     Favorite from your favorite actress? The Lady Eve (1941)

     Favorite old Hollywood couple? Fred and Ginger

     Old Hollywood stars you wish had worked together? Stany and Jimmy Stewart (how awesome would THAT have been?)

     Favorite movie? The Lady Eve (1941)

     Team Bette or Team Joan? Joan. Definitely Joan.

     Classic movie you just couldn't get into? Gilda (1946). I'm going to try to watch it again, but as of now I haven't been able to get into it. 
 
     A legend everyone appreciates, but you can't personally stand? Cary Grant! I hope I don't get shunned for saying that...

     An actor or actress you've been meaning to give a chance to, but haven't gotten around to it yet? Greer Garson


     Favorite director? Frank Capra!!! 


     Favorite line from a film? "You're up to your beautiful hips in murder!" from The Mad Miss Manton

     Actor or actress who should have won an Oscar? Stany.

     If you could go back in time and trade places with any old Hollywood star who would it be? Jane Wyman - apparently she was friends with the Stanwyck and she was married to Ronald Reagen! 

     A film you think is underrated? His Brother's Wife (1936) - I don't know why everyone hates it. I think it's great!

     Favorite film from Hollywood's greatest year, 1939? Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

     Which character from a film do you fantasize about being? Ann Mitchell from "Meet John Doe" (1941)
 
     A movie you never expected yourself to enjoy? Romance on the High Seas (1948) 

     Who's private lifestyle shocked you the most? The profane angel, Carole Lombard. I find the fact that she cussed like a sailor highly entertaining.


     So, there we go. Now you know some more about my taste in classic film. :) And, by the way, the 4th and final 2011 FilmClassics contest started today! If you're a classic film blogger, please join! This season's topic is just "Classic Film", so our hands are completely free to write whatever on earth we please! 


Until Later On~