Be My Guest - Patti

 This month my guest is Patti, who I met last year when I started following her wonderful blog, They Don't Make 'Em Like They Use To and we immediately became good friends. I couldn't wait for her to make an appearance here on my blog.So let's get started shall we...

1. What made you start blogging?

 Patti:I actually started blogging back in early 2006, simply because I love to write.  (I've been doing freelance writing for years.)   As for my classic movie blog, I only started that last February.  I wanted to combine my love of writing and my love of classic films.  Given my passion for all those great films, I wanted to inspire others to discover their beauty by sharing snippets of movies I've seen. 

Me: Cool Patti. I for one love your blog immensely!

 

2. Who are your favorite classic film stars? Name as many as you want

 Patti: William Holden and Robert Ryan are my absolute faves.  I am totally in love with those 2 guys!  Only slightly behind them is my other "beloved," Gary Cooper.   After those top 3, in about this order, are Montgomery Clift, Cary Grant, James Cagney, Robert Taylor, Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Tyrone Power, Ray Milland, John Garfield, Sidney Poitier, and Clark Gable.  An up and coming guy is Van Heflin.  Gal-wise, it's Bette Davis as my #1.  I adore Bette.  After her, in about this order, are Susan Hayward, Barbara Stanwyck, Eleanor Parker, Myrna Loy, Lana Turner, Grace Kelly, Judy Holliday, Ida Lupino, Audrey Hepburn, Gene Tierney, and Greer Garson and Claudette Colbert.

 
Me: Great list of actors and actresses. Thanks to you I have become a fan of Coop.
 

3. What are some of your favorite films?

 Patti: All-time favorite movie is Now, Voyager. 

 

Other beloved films, pretty much in this order, are:  Casablanca, A Place in the Sun; Sunset Boulevard, Madame X; Penny Serenade; The Best Years of Our Lives, Gone with the Wind,  Middle of the Night, Les Miserables (70's), Ten North Frederick, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Imitation of Life (30's), Stella Dallas, Random Harvest, Waterloo Bridge (1940), I'll Be Seeing You, An Affair to Remember, Dark Victory, Stalag 17, Roman Holiday, Sabrina (50's), About Mrs. Leslie, The Sound of Music, Pillow Talk, To Kill a Mockingbird

 
Me: I still haven't seen Now Voyager all the way yet. Must do that. Nice seeing Waterloo Bridge on your list. And Penny Serenade and The Best Years Of Our Lives...all faves of mine.
 

4. Describe your first classic movie experience. Like where and when..at a cinema, on TV, etc..

Patti: Not counting "The Sound of Music," which I grew up with and always adored, my first classic movie experience was negative (#5 below), so I will share my first positive experience.  It was in late 2003, and I was visiting an out of town friend and her family.  She planned a "chick flick" night for her and I one night, and her movie of choice was "Roman Holiday."  I had no idea what to expect---a black and white movie?  With stars I didn't know?  With very low expectations, I settled in to watch.  To my surprise, I was hooked within minutes.  I loved every minute of that movie, and it set me on the course of looking for more Audrey Hepburn films...which led to "Sabrina"...which led to my discovery of and love for William Holden.  Also, everyone had always talked about "It's a Wonderful Life" as a fabulous Christmas movie, so also in 2003, we got that, loved it, and decided to look for other Frank Capra films....which led to "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and my love affair with Gary Cooper.

Me: That's a great story Patti because another guest of mine got hooked on Roman Holiday as her first classic movie too.

 

5. What films upon first viewing did you not like, then later on when re-watching them, loved them?

  
Patti: " Casablanca "...I saw this way back when I was about 19, and I HATED it.  Hated the whole movie and especially hated the ending.  What's so funny is that not only do I now like that movie, I LOVE it...it's  my 2nd favorite film of all-time.  Plus, I LOVE the ending.  I think it's the right ending.

Me: I see...I  kinda didn't like Casablanca much the first time I saw it too..but it then grew on me.

 

6. Describe the perfect way for you to watch a classic film.

Patti: I actually prefer to watch alone...snuggled up on the couch with a pot of tea and my adorable little beagle, Ginger.  I enjoy watching alone because then I can ooh and aah, swoon, and giggle over my beloveds as much as I want!  I still do that when watching with the family, but I try to be a bit  more restrained with them.  Alone, though, I can swoon to my heart's content, plus I can rewind and watch scenes over again if I need (or want) to.

Me: That sounds wonderful Patti!

 

7. How many friends, family member or co-workers share your love of classic films?

 Patti: My daughter loves a lot of classic films, but she isn't as passionate about them as I am.  (And she has zero tolerance for my beloved Gary Cooper!!)  The only friends I have who love classic films as much as I do are those I have met online through blogging and Facebook.  We email back and forth.  Other than that, NO ONE in my life really gives a hoot about these beautiful old films.

Me: I see..well at least you have friends thru blogging and facebook to chat with about classic movies and stars.

 

8. What is your favorite time period: the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's or 60's?

Patti: I have favorite movies from each of those decades except for the 20's, with the 30's, 40's, and 50's about even with the number of favorite films.  But if I had to choose a favorite decade, it would be the 40's.  I love any and all things about that era.  I wish I had lived during that time.  (I'm pretty sure I was born 50 years too late!)

Me: The 30's are my fave era, but I love the 40's too. Great decade of films.

 

9. What are some of your favorite film quotes?

 

Patti: My absolute favorite film quote is an awesome line which explains how people of that generation made their marriages last.  It's from The Best Years of Our Lives and is spoken by Myrna Loy to Fredric March.  "We never had any trouble?  Now many times have I told you I hated you and believed it in my heart?  How many times have you said you were sick and tired of me, that we were all washed up?  How many times have we had to fall in love all over again?"

 

Other lines I love:

 

 From Now, Voyager:  "Don't let's ask for the moon; we have the stars."

 

From Born Yesterday:  "Look it up."

 

From Casablanca :  "We'll always have Paris ."

Me: Great quotes Patti, especially the one from The Best Years of Our Lives. One of my favorite films of all time.

 

 

10. What classic films have you yet to see for one reason or another?

Patti: Since I've only been heavy into classic films since late 2006, there are plenty of classic films I haven't yet had time to see.  There are also some which I have no real interest in seeing...Westerns especially, like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow  Ribbon, Rio Bravo , etc. (I have a low tolerance for Westerns.)

 

Some other "famous" films I've never seen:  Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Psycho, Rope, The Quiet Man 

Me: You have to see The Quiet Man..it's an amazing film. I don't care too much for Citizen Kane though. Psycho is really good. Never seen Rope.

11. What is your favorite genre?

Patti: Drama!!!   I like romantic dramas the best, but I also enjoy family sagas, crime dramas, and film noir.  I will pretty much choose a drama over a comedy 80% of the time.

Me: I knew you were a drama gal...

 

12. If you threw a movie theme party, describe how you would do it. The costumes, decorations, food, etc.

 Patti: I am into dressing up...women in cocktail dresses and men in suits and ties.  (It boggles my mind why people threw aside that kind of classy attire.)

So my party would be a dress-up cocktail party, with waiters meandering around with trays of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of wine, a pianist lightly playing easy listening tunes in the background.  I would use the "good" china, silver, and crystal just for the elegance of it.

Me: cool!

13. What are some films that are widely loved that you couldn't care less about?

Patti: Well you will get a kick out of this, because I happen to know that you really like many of the films which have no appeal to me..."Rear Window,"  "Bringing up Baby,"  "His Girl Friday," "The Awful Truth," "The Maltese Falcon," "The Big Sleep," "The African Queen,"  "The Thin Man" series.  I am quite sure I am about the only classic movie lover on the planet who is not into these movies.

Me: Yeah I know you mentioned these before..but that's cool Patti. We all can't agree on everything.

 

14. Who’s the biggest film fanatic that you know? Besides yourself of course.

Patti: Probably you and the other classic movie bloggers.

Me: Why thank you!

 

15. And finally who are some of your favorite film characters?

Some I like because of their integrity and goodness (3 are Gary Cooper roles):   Will Kane (High Noon), Longfellow Deeds (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), Thomas Thorn (They Came to Cordura)...Father Michael Logan (I Confess), Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)

 

Some I like because of their amazing transformation:  Charlotte Vale (Now, Voyager), Billie Dawn (Born Yesterday), Judith Traherne (Dark Victory)

 

Some I like simply because they are memorable: Animal (Stalag 17), Margo Channing (All About Eve), Baby Jane Hudson (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?), Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard), Rhett Butler (GWTW), Scarlett O'Hara (GWTW)

Me: Impressive choices there Patti. Thank you for being my guest this month. I enjoyed all your answers and hope you had a great time doing them. And for everyone else out there, please check out Patti's awesome blog if you haven't done so already...classicmoviesnippets

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty