ALL GOOD THINGS

Tea Anyone: Greer Garson

2012-02-19T07:46:00.001-05:00

The always lovely Greer taking a moment to enjoy some tea...or it may be coffee..not for sure

Classic Stars Match Play #19 - Joel McCrea vs Robert Taylor

2012-02-19T07:06:00.000-05:00

I know the favorite actress tournament will be kicking off in about 2 weeks but I still wanted to have at least one more match play. This time with the gents. Joel McCrea vs Robert Taylor. These guys both competed in last years actors tourney and the one thing they had in common: getting trounced by eventual champion Cary Grant. But Cary beat everyone so that's not a surprise. Anyway this match begins today and runs through Sunday 1 PM EST. Good luck to both men.

JOEL MCCREA

Name: Joel Albert McCrea
Birth Date: November 5, 1905 (South Pasadena, California)
Height: 6' 3"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: Two nominations (one for Best Supporting Actor - These Three: one for Best Actor
- Dead End)
My favorite McCrea film: These Three (1936)
Match play record: 1-1 (beat Bing Crosby in the 1940's era of the favorite classic actor
tournament before losing to Cary Grant)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

ROBERT TAYLOR

Name: Spangler Arlington Brugh
Birth Date: August 5, 1911 (Filley, Nebraska)
Height: 5' 11 1/2"
Academy awards: none
Monties: 1 nomination (Best Actor - Waterloo Bridge)
My favorite Taylor film: Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Cary Grant 51-6 in first round of favorite classic actor
tournament 2010)

Recap:The 2011 Favorite Actress Tournament - 40's Era

2012-02-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

Looking back on the 1940's era for the 2011 favorite classic actress tournament and it was loaded with so much talent that the tourney could have been held just for the 40's by themselves. I mean the top 4 seeds in this era could have been top seeds of the entire tourney: Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, and Vivien Leigh. Wow indeed!

In the first round, no upsets occurred as all the top seeds won their matches. In fact all were blow-outs. Bette Davis destroyed Esther Williams 40-15; Rita Hayworth beat Hedy Lamarr 31-18; Vivien Leigh crushed Ann Sheridan 34-17; Lauren Bacall defeated Jane Wyman 40-11; Gene Tierney beat Greer Garson 32-20; Ingrid Bergman was all over Jeanne Crain 42-10 and Ingrid took out Lana Turner 39-15. So the big stars flexed their muscle and dominated early.

Onto the second round, where the matches were a little more tighter. All 4 seeds made it through to the semi-final matches, thus validating their deserved rankings. Bette Davis defeated Rita Hayworth 30-24; Katharine Hepburn took down Gene Tierney 35-17; Ingrid Bergman squeaked by Olivia de Havilland 29-25 and Vivien Leigh edged past Lauren Bacall 29-23.

So the semi-final matches were now set as this era produced the only top four match-ups. This made for some thrilling excitement. What looked liked a final match setting up between number 1 Bette Davis and number 2 Katherine Hepburn became something else. I will be the first to admit my surprise as 4th seed Vivien Leigh and 3rd seed Ingrid Bergman stormed back today to win their respective semi-final matches to set up a showdown starting immediately. Leigh, who was trailing Davis at one point by 9 points came back to win 37-36 in a match that had several ties throughout Saturday. While it's a shame seeing another 1 seed being knocked out, Leigh is more than enough of a worthy opponent. Meanwhile in the other match, Hepburn was firmly in control of her match, at one point leading Bergman by 11 points. Well Ingrid's fans showed up today and she surged to a 30-30 tie with Kate and then never looked back. She would go on to win 34-30. Impressive comeback wins by Leigh and Bergman to set up what should be a fantastic finals match. Kudos to Bette and Kate for making such a strong showing as well.

And for the final match in the 40's era it was Vivien Leigh beating Ingrid Bergman 33-31 in one of the most thrilling matches of the entire tournament. And sending Leigh onto the final four.

Tea Anyone: Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Powell

2012-02-18T08:53:00.000-05:00

Just some friends in Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Powell enjoying some tea on a Saturday afternoon...

The 2012 Favorite Classic Film Actress Tournament Preview: The Silent/1930's Era

2012-02-17T20:36:00.000-05:00

Just a little over 2 weeks left before we kick off the 2012 Favorite Classic Film Tournament. I thought I would go ahead and preview each of the four brackets and all the matches in the first round. Like I stated in an earlier post, due to the sheer number of actresses involved this time around..a whopping 128, I enlisted some help. John of Mythical Monkey will be handling the silent/30's era on his blog while Desiree will take care of the 1940's era on her blog. I shall have the honors of doing the 60's era here on my blog and also the 50's era on my good friend Dawn's blog Noir and Chick Flicks.

Today I will present John's matches and top seeds of the era he will be handling: the silent/30's. And this year thanks to John, we will break down the era's competitors by categories. Which is a wonderful idea. Thanks John. They are: They Had Faces, Tough Broads and Pre-Code Babes, Funny Ladies and Singers/Dancers. I have John's matches below with the top seed or top actress for each category. I will do similar posts for each other era as well in the coming days.

The tourney kicks off Monday, March 5th simultaneously across all four blogs with the first round voting lasting until Sunday, March 12th. We will try to capture the feel of college basketball's tourney dubbed March Madness, as best we can. I will provide daily updates on all the matches as they are happening. Then the following Monday, Round 2 will begin and so forth. Here is the link to John's blog:
mythicalmonkey

Number one seed of They Had Faces category - Greta Garbo

THEY HAD FACES

1.Greta Garbo v. 8.Anna May Wong

2.Mary Pickford v. 7.Janet Gaynor

3.Lillian Gish v. 6.Gloria Swanson

4.Clara Bow v. 5.Louise Brooks

Number one seed of Tough Broads/Pre-Code Babes Category-Barbara Stanwyck

TOUGH BROADS AND PRE-CODE BABES

1.Barbara Stanwyck v. 8.Miriam Hopkins

2.Marlene Dietrich v. 7.Elsa Lanchester

3.Joan Crawford v. 6.Norma Shearer (Crystal Allen vs Mary Haines of The Women! Catfight!)

4.Claudette Colbert v. 5.Mary Astor

Number one seed of Funny Ladies category - Carole Lombard

FUNNY LADIES

1.Carole Lombard v. 8.Gail Patrick (ooooohhhh...a match between the Bullock sisters
from My Man Godfrey!)

2.Myrna Loy v. 7.Margaret Dumont

3.Jean Harlow v. 6.Marie Dressler

4.Jean Arthur v. 5.Margaret Sullavan

Overall top seed of silent/30's era Irene Dunne (and defending champion)

SINGERS AND DANCERS

1.Irene Dunne v. 8.Luise Rainer

2.Shirley Temple v. 7.Hattie McDaniel

3.Ginger Rogers v. 6.Joan Blondell (a very interesting match!)

4.Jeanette MacDonald v. 5.Mae West

My Favorite Top 50 Classic Film Actresses (Revised and Expanded) #1-25

2012-02-17T06:15:00.000-05:00

As promised here is my part two of my top 50 favorite classic film actresses. Starting at #25 with an iconic blonde named Marilyn.

25. MARILYN MONROE

Favorite role: Lorelei Lee (GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES)
Favorite film: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH

24. DEBBIE REYNOLDS

Favorite role: Kathy Selden (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN)Favorite film: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

23. JEAN ARTHUR

Favorite role: Alice Sycamore (YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU)
Favorite film: EASY LIVING

22. LEE REMICK

Favorite role: Laura Manion (ANATOMY OF A MURDER)
Favorite film: BABY THE RAIN MUST FALL

21. SHIRLEY JONES

Favorite role: Marian Paroo (THE MUSIC MAN)
Favorite film: TWO RODE TOGETHER

20. MARGARET LOCKWOOD

Favorite role: Barbara Worth (THE WICKED LADY)
Favorite film: THE LADY VANISHES

19. OLIVIA de HAVILLAND

Favorite role: Maid Marian (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD)
Favorite film: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

18. NATALIE WOOD

Favorite role: Alva Starr (THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED)Favorite film: THE GREAT RACE

17. JANE WYMAN

Favorite role: Jean Campbell (PRINCESS O'ROURKE)
Favorite film: THE LOST WEEKEND

16. JEAN HARLOW

Favorite role: Lola Burns (BOMBSHELL)Favorite film: LIBELED LADY

15. DONNA REED

Favorite role: Alma Burke (FROM HERE TO ETERNITY)
Favorite film: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY)

14. EDIE ADAMS

Favorite role: Rebel Davis (LOVER COME BACK) Favorite film: IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD

13. BARBARA STANWYCK

Favorite role: Jean Harrington (THE LADY EVE)Favorite film: CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT

12. TERESA WRIGHT

Favorite role: Charlie Newton (SHADOW OF A DOUBT)Favorite film: THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

11. GRACE KELLY

Favorite role: Lisa Fremont (REAR WINDOW)Favorite film: REAR WINDOW

10. DEBORAH KERR

Favorite role: Miss Giddens (THE INNOCENTS)Favorite film: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

9. BETTE DAVIS

Favorite role: Margo Channing (ALL ABOUT EVE)Favorite film: ALL ABOUT EVE

8. SHIRLEY MACLAINE

Favorite role: Fran Kubelik (THE APARTMENT)Favorite film: THE APARTMENT

7. LANA TURNER

Favorite role: Sheila Regan (THE ZIEGFELD GIRL)Favorite film: IMITATION OF LIFE

6. ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY

Favorite role: Samantha Stevens (BEWITCHED)Favorite film: THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN

5. ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Favorite role: Maggie the Cat (CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF)
Favorite film: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

4. ANN SHERIDAN

Favorite role: Catherine Gates (I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE)Favorite film: I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE/GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE

3. MYRNA LOY

Favorite role: Nora Charles (THE THIN MAN Series)Favorite film: THE THIN MAN/THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

2. IRENE DUNNE

Favorite role: Ellen Arden (MY FAVORITE WIFE)Favorite film: MY FAVORITE WIFE/PENNY SERENADE
And finally my favorite actress of all time, which should come as no surprise to all of my readers...

1. CAROLE LOMBARD

Favorite role: Ann (MR. AND MRS. SMITH)Favorite film: All of them!

Classic Film Survey Hosted by: Frankly, My Dear

2012-02-15T21:32:00.000-05:00

Rianna of Frankly, My Dear started this wonderful survey this month and I had to join in on the fun, as I noticed so many of my friends were doing it. Plus Rianna's blog is so cool. So here are my answers and if you wish to take the survey as well, here is the link to Rianna's blog. Tell her Monty sent you...

Frankly, My Dear

1. Favorite Classic Disney?

Lady and The Tramp (1955) A great family movie and one of Disney's best. I love dogs so this was a treat to watch growing up. I watch it at least once a year. Can't go wrong with this one. Just a wonderful film.

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

As heralded as Gone With The Wind is from that golden year, my favorite is The Women. I mean an all-star cast of some of the biggest actresses in one film: Shearer, Crawford, Russell, Fontaine, Goddard. Laughs aplenty and some excellent acting by the ladies.

3. Favorite Carole Lombard screwball role?

Tough one for me since Carole is my fave actress of all time and I loved her in pretty much everything she did. If I had to choose only one though I would go with her role as Ann Krausheimer in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Love her in that one. Too funny.

4. Favorite off screen couple? (It's ok if it ended in divorce)

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard...hands down

5. Favorite pair of best friends? (i.e - Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda, Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck, etc.)

I would say Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowall. Their friendship just seemed so real.

6. Favorite actor with a mustache? (i.e: Charlie Chaplin, William Powell)

William Powell

7. Favorite blonde actress?

Grace Kelly..without a doubt.

8. Favorite pre-code?

I would probably say Gold Diggers of 1933

9. Which studio would you have liked to join?

Warner Bros would be cool, but I think I will have to go with MGM first. Then maybe later on be signed by WB.

10. Favorite common on screen pairing that SHOULD have gotten married?

I would say Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland

11. Favorite I Love Lucy episode?

The one where she meets William Holden

12. Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, and Greer Garson - which one do you like the best?

Grace Kelly!

13. Shadowy film noir from the 1940's or splashy colorful musicals from the 1950's?

I love them both but if I had to choose one, I would pick the film noir's of the 40's.

14. Actor or actress with the best autograph (photo preferred)?

Ruth Hussey

15. A baby (or childhood or teenage) photo of either your favorite actress or actor (or both, if you'd like)?

Carole Lombard

And done...I must admit that was a lot of fun. Can't wait to do another one!

You see..I'm rhyming...that's how much fun I had!

My Favorite Top 50 Classic Film Actresses (Revised and Expanded) #26-50

2012-02-15T09:36:00.001-05:00

There are just so many great and wonderful classic actresses that my top 25 really only scratches the surface. I realized that while setting up the 2012 favorite classic actress tournament as we have the count at 128 and still missing out on tons of more actresses who are not in the field. So I decided to expand my favorite actress list to a top 50 that captures most of my favorites. I will break down this list into two parts and shall begin with number 50 and work my way up to number 1, which should be no surprise to all my friends and followers. But let's get started with the second 25 shall we..

50. VERA MILES

Favorite role: Lila Crane (PSYCHO)Favorite film: PSYCHO

49. MITZI GAYNOR

Favorite role: Nellie Forbush (SOUTH PACIFIC)
Favorite film: LES GIRLS

48. JOAN CRAWFORD

Favorite role: Crystal Allen (THE WOMEN)Favorite film: THE WOMEN

47. JEAN SIMMONS

Favorite role: Nancy Downes (DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE)
Favorite film: THE GRASS IS GREENER

46. ANNE BAXTER

Favorite role: Eve Harrington (ALL ABOUT EVE)
Favorite film: ALL ABOUT EVE

45. LOUISE BROOKS

Favorite role: Lulu (PANDORA'S BOX)Favorite film: PANDORA'S BOX

44. DORIS DAY

Favorite role: Judy Adams (IT'S A GREAT FEELING)
Favorite film: SEND ME NO FLOWERS

43. LAUREN BACALL

Favorite role: Marie"Slim" Browning (TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT)
Favorite film: THE BIG SLEEP

42. LUCILLE BALL

Favorite role: Annabel Alison (THE AFFAIRS OF ANNABEL)
Favorite film: STAGE DOOR

41. GREER GARSON

Favorite role: Mrs. Miniver (MRS. MINIVER
Favorite film: MRS. MINIVER

40. GENE TIERNEY

Favorite role: Ellen Berent Harland (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN)
Favorite film: LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN/THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR

39. GAIL PATRICK

Favorite role: Bianca Bates (MY FAVORITE WIFE)
Favorite film: MY FAVORITE WIFE

38. GINGER ROGERS

Favorite role: Jean Maitland (STAGE DOOR)
Favorite film: STAGE DOOR/SWING TIME

37. GRETA GARBO

Favorite role: Ninotchka (NINOTCHKA)
Favorite film: NINOTCHKA

36. JOAN BENNETT

Favorite role: Kitty March (SCARLET STREET)
Favorite film: FATHER OF THE BRIDE

35. RITA HAYWORTH

Favorite role: Gilda (GILDA)
Favorite film: GILDA

34. ROSALIND RUSSELL

Favorite role: Hildy Johnson (HIS GIRL FRIDAY)
Favorite film: HIS GIRL FRIDAY

33. MIRIAM HOPKINS

Favorite role: Becky Sharp (BECKY SHARP)Favorite film: THESE THREE

32. THELMA RITTER

Favorite role: Stella (REAR WINDOW)
Favorite film: ALL ABOUT EVE

31. ROMY SCHNEIDER

Favorite role: Janet Lagelof (GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM)
Favorite film: GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM

30. JANE GREER

Favorite role: Kathie (OUT OF THE PAST)
Favorite film: OUT OF THE PAST

29. CATHERINE DENEUVE

Favorite role: Severine Serizy (BELLE DE JOUR)
Favorite film: BELLE DE JOUR

28. JOAN BLONDELL

Favorite role: Rosie Sturges (KANSAS CITY PRINCESS)
Favorite film: GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933

27. HOPE LANGE

Favorite role: Caroline Bender (THE BEST OF EVERYTHING)
Favorite film: PEYTON PLACE

26. ELLA RAINES

Favorite role: Libby (HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO)
Favorite film: HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO)

In the first classic characters match play...Samantha wins easily over Jeannie

2012-02-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

Samantha of Bewitched prevailed over Jeannie of I Dream Of Jeannie in the first classic characters match play 19-5. I love both characters and series but my favorite of the two is definitely Samantha. Thanks to everyone who voted and I will have a new match up soon.

Samantha working her magic

You Can't Run Away from It(1956).

2012-02-14T07:13:00.001-05:00

You Can't Run Away from It(1956). Comedy starring June Allyson and Jack Lemmon. Directed and produced by Dick Powell, the film is a remake of the Academy Award-winning film, It Happened One Night(1934).

The story begins when, Ellie Andrews, a wealthy socialite rebelling against her father's wishes marries a well known gigolo, Jacques Ballarino. Her family kidnaps her and holds her on their San Diego yacht, in hopes that they can have the marriage annulled. Before the papers can be signed, Ellie jumps overboard and boards a Greyhound bus headed for Houston, where her groom is waiting for her.(it was filmed in Tuscon, and I recognized some landmarks). On the way she meets news reporter, Peter Warne, who agrees to help Ellie in exchange for her exclusive story, but the two fall in love while on the road.

You will see many of the classic moments from the film, It Happened One Night: the group song in the bus, the search for raw carrots, the hitch hiking scene, and the "walls of Jericho". Maybe, this film is not as wonderful as the original, but still a fun film.

Paul Gilbert (December 27, 1918 – February 13, 1975). played various roles and appeared as himself from The Spike Jones Show in 1954 through Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In in 1973. Gilbert also appeared in other early television shows: The NBC Comedy Hour, The Colgate Comedy Hour, Lux Video Theatre, Perry Mason, and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Gilbert and his fourth wife Barbara Crane adopted Melissa Gilbert who played Laura Ingalls Wilder and Jonathan Gilbert who played Willie Oleson on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Valentine's Day Linkup with Blonde Episodes

2012-02-14T06:01:00.000-05:00

My good friend Kori is doing a Valentine's Day Linkup with all of her friends. The question she asks: what does love mean to you? And I would say several things. First love to me means being there for that someone no matter what. No matter how difficult or hard it may be, you don't hesitate at all. Love means unconditional. Love means just an outpouring of emotions to all the people you love. And love just doesn't mean loving your family, friends, or significant other. But also complete strangers that you have never met before. That's what love means to me. Hope everyone has a joyous Valentine's Day! Here's the link to Kori's blog in case you want to join in on this festive occasion:
Blonde Episodes

Some facts about Jean Harlow

2012-02-13T05:49:00.001-05:00

Here are some interesting facts about Jean:

Height is often listed as 5'2"-5'3 1/2"

Was photographed nude at age 17 by Hollywood photographer Edward Bower Hesser in Griffith Park in 1928.

Went on a salary strike from MGM in 1934, during which she wrote a novel, "Today is Tonight." The book was not published until 1965.

She was the very first film actress to grace the cover of Life magazine in May 1937.

Never wore any underwear and always slept in the nude.

She had to stick to a strict diet to keep thin, eating mostly vegetables and salads.

She used to put ice on her nipples right before shooting a scene in order to appear sexier.

Her birth name was Harlean Carpenter - the first name an amalgam of her mother's maiden name, Jean Harlow, which she later took as her stage name. At the height of her career, it came out that this wasn't her real name, and the insatiable public wanted to know what her real name was. The studio released her "real" name as Harlean Carpentier. Harlow had added the extra "i" herself before her career began to make it sound more exotic.

She was voted the 49th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Along with Hedy Lamarr, they were the primary inspirations for Batman creator Bob Kane's Catwoman character.

Was known as "The Original Platinum Blonde".

Facts supplied by IMDB.

Tea Anyone: Catherine Deneuve

2012-02-12T06:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my good friend Irene for sending me this wonderful pic of Catherine Deneuve enjoying
a cup of tea.

The lovely Catherine

Bonus Guest for this month....the wonderful Kate Love

2012-02-11T18:40:00.001-05:00

This month we have a bonus guest as my friend Kate that I met on Facebook also accepted my invite to be the guest for this month. And she was very thorough in her answers. So let's get started shall we...First and foremost, she loves Audrey Hepburn..a lot!

Me: What made you start blogging?

Kate: Well, I am not one to blog. I find nothing wrong with it and I enjoy looking at people’s blogs but it is not something that I do. The reason is that I can’t think of anything that would have people interested or want to read my blog. It would be one thing is I had an exciting and interesting life but I don’t. I have a pretty normal life and who would want to read about that.

Me: Who are some of your favorite classic film stars?

Kate: This is a hard one because they are so many great actor and actresses of the classical period . I will name you some that first come into my head. The first person that comes into my mind would be the handsome Ronald Colman. As if this man’s looks were not good enough, his voice was out of this world. His voice was made for the radio. I could listen to his voice all day and night. I loved him in the films Random Harvest , Lucky Partners, A Tale of Two Cities, The Talk of the Town and a silent film that he was in called The Winning of Barbara Worth.

Another actor that comes into my mind would be of course the distinguished Claude Rains. For those of you who don’t know me and I am sure that is many of you, I love this man. Again it was not his acting alone that I fell in love with but much more than that. Here was a man who was dirt poor growing up in England and yet he made something of himself. He was on the stage, in movies, radio and on T.V. shows. Though he may have not be a Tyrone Power in looks, there is something about him that makes me idolize him. Loved him in the films The Phantom of the Opera, Now, Voyager, Mr. Skeffington, Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Kings Row and Notorious.

Speaking of idolizing someone, another actor that I love to see and hear is the great Sir Laurence Olivier. I fell in love with this man the first time I saw him in Wuthering Heights. After seeing him in that. I could not get enough of the man. I saw most of his films and while they were not all the greatest, his performance never disappointed me. He could do it all sing, dance, drama, comedy and so on. He could be Russian in one movie and than German in another movie. It was hard to believe that he was acting, it seemed so real. Pride and Prejudice, That Hamilton Woman, Rebecca, Bunny Lake is Missing, Carrie, Othello, The Shoes of the Fisherman and Marathon Man where all films of his that I really enjoyed.

When it comes to actresses, there is a ton but I would like to talk about my top favorite one if I may. The reason being is that I have so much to say about this actress. I am of course talking about the lovely Audrey Hepburn. When just saying her name, I have chills up and down my spine. Many of us have role models and well Audrey Hepburn is my top role model. The reason being is that she was just a simple and average woman who made so much out of her life. Yes, she was an actress and had the fame and all. Though, what people remember about her goes far beyond all that. She was a woman who wanted to be loved and wanted to love. She was not about the fame, she used her fame for the good of others. She grew up during WWII and went through hardships throughout her life. Her father left her at a young age, she suffered miscarriages, had two divorces and always never felt fully loved and accepting of herself. She loved and respected people for who they were. Her one passion in life was to help the children of the world. She was not only a mother to two boys but became a mother to all children. As far as Audrey Hepburn the actress, she was the best of the best. She worked with the best actors around such as Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Sean Connery and Gary Copper, just to name a few. She could do drama, comedy, suspense, romance films and all were believable. You could believe that she was Eliza Doolittle and that she was a flower girl. At the same time you could also believe that she was a Princess who has fallen in love with Gregory Peck. She you could say was the girl next door. Everyone weather you are male or female falls in love with the woman. Though I have never met the woman, I feel as though she is my dearest friend. Is that weird of me to think that, maybe but that is the truth.

Me: What are some of your favorite films?

Kate: Well, this one is hard cause there a ton of great films that I like. It all really depends on my mood and what is going on in my life. If I want to cry I would watch films like An Affair to Remember, Beaches, The Notebook, P.S. I Love You, Wuthering Heights, Carrie(1952) and so on. If I want to laugh then I would watch films like Some Like It Hot, Duck Soup, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Dinner at Eight, The Egg and I, Airplane and so on. If I wanted to just watch a movie to relax and enjoy myself than it would be an Audrey Hepburn movie, Claude Rains movie, Ronald Colman movie, Lillan Gish and Mary Pickford.

Me: Some good choices there Kate. I believe you're my first guest to choose It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. That movie is hilarious.

Me: What is your first Classical Experience?

Kate: I have really watched classical movies for years. Though I liked watching them, I never really got into to them so to speak till a few years ago. I would watch what my parents would be watching but never really got into the movies. For some reason during my high school years, I just fell in love with Audrey Hepburn and watched all of her films. Also during that time I wanted to see all different types of movies. I loved watching silent movies and black and white movies. To me it makes the movie that much better when in black and white.

Me: What are some movies that you did not like and then grew to like?
Kate: Can’t really think of anything.
Me: That's ok.

Me: What is the perfect way for you watch to watch a classic film

Kate: I don’t really know if there is a “ perfect” way to watch a classic film. When I watch an old time movie I like it to be at night, why I don’t know. I like it to be dark, especially when watching a black and white film. If think if there is color in the room, it is not with the movie. I like to be in that time of the film and color does not help with the effect. The best I can answer the question.

Me: For me personally, on the couch with no distractions is perfect for me.

Me: Who else shares your love for old movies?

Kate: Well, I don’t think any of my friends love or appreciate the good old films but some of them at least know a few old films. I think everyone has seen The Wizard of Oz as a child but there are a few films that my friends have seen that I was surprised about. My one friend loves Doris Day and has seen a few of her films. She may not be the classic era of Hollywood but it is a start. A few friends have hard of some old time movie stars such as Jimmy Stewart, Gene Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and those types of names.

As far as my family members, my father is the one who loves old movies as much as me. Though I think I can top him though. My mother does and does not like old movies. I like silent films and she hates them. I like black and white movies, she likes color ones. My sisters and brother do not like anything that is made before 1980. They are not a fan of old movies. My siblings are in their mid 30’s.

Me: What is your favorite era for classic films?

Kate: My favorite time period for movies would be the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. So many good and I mean good films were made in those decades. They knew how to make a good movie back then. Plus the actors and actress of those times were awesome.

Me: Awesome!

Please come back in a few days for part 2 of Kate's terrific answers.

Personal Quotes by Jean Harlow

2012-02-11T06:37:00.000-05:00

Here are some choice quotes by Jean, my classic movie goddess of the month:

I was not a born actress. No one knows it better than I. If I had any latent talent, I have had to work hard, listen carefully, do things over and over and then over again in order to bring it out.

Men like me because I don't wear a brassiere. Women like me because I don't look like a girl who would steal a husband. At least not for long.

[on Hell's Angels (1930)] "When I was making a personal appearance, I'd always sneak in the back of the house to watch the zeppelin airplane attack. I never failed to get a tremendous thrill out of it. I probably saw that scene hundreds of times."

THE MONTIES: A slight delay, but they are coming back soon....

2012-02-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I know it's been about a month since I did my last Monties. And it's going to be another week or two before I have completed watching films from the year of 1945. One of the main things going on that year was the unbelievable amount of great work by women. Right now I have nine performances in the Best Actress category that are all excellent work. This will be the toughest year yet for me to decide on. That's why I'm re-watching several films to look at those amazing performances again. So if you guys can just bear with me a little while longer, I should have a new edition of the Monties before the month is out. But I will at least list the nine nominees for Best Actress so you guys will have an idea what's going on.

DONNA REED (THEY WERE EXPENDABLE)

MARGARET LOCKWOOD (THE WICKED LADY)

BARBARA STANWYCK (CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT)

JOAN BENNETT (SCARLET STREET)

GENE TIERNEY (LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN)

JOAN CRAWFORD (MILDRED PIERCE)

JANE WYMAN (THE LOST WEEKEND)

ANN SAVAGE (DETOUR)

VIRGINIA MAYO (WONDER MAN)

What an impressive list of nominees. It will make for a most difficult decision when it comes time to decides who will get a Montie for Best Actress of 1945. I will have the answer to that and to all the other categories in a few short weeks.

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Ella Raines

2012-02-08T21:12:00.000-05:00

What a great pic of Ella and her horse having some fun...

Some birthday treats from Jack Lemmon and Lana Turner

2012-02-08T18:50:00.000-05:00

About set to watch some movies in honor of two stars who have birthdays today. Jack Lemmon and Lana Turner. Up first will be Jack Lemmon in a funny if very sexist 60's comedy, Under The Yum Yum Tree. He plays a lecherous landlord named Hogan who rents out units to luscious young women at half price. And then tries to make a move on them. He meets his match in Robin Austin (played by Carol Lynley). I haven't seen this movie in years but remembering liking it. Has a super supporting cast in Edie Adams (yay!), Dean Jones, Paul Lynde, and Imogen Coca. It fits in with all those sex comedies of the 60's like Sunday In New York, Barefoot In The Park, Don't Make Waves, Sex and the Single Girl and others.

Next up will be Lana in Who's Got The Action?, another comedy from the 60's. Paired with Dean Martin as a married couple who must deal with Dino's gambling problem. Solution..Lana as Melanie Flood becomes his mysterious bookie and hopes that her husband will lose enough money to call it quits. The opposite happens as Steve (Dean's character) gets on a lucky streak. A funny movie with a solid supporting cast, including Eddie Albert, Nita Talbot, and Walter Matthau.

I know Jack and Lana did better movies, but I am in the mood for some mindless comedies. And these seem to fit the bill.

Happy Birthday Jack and Lana!

Dream Wife(1953).

2012-02-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

Dream Wife(1953). Romantic/comedy. Cast: Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, Walter Pidgeon and Betta St. John, Eduard Franz, Buddy Baer, Richard Anderson, Dan Tobin, Dean Miller and Movita. Directed by Sidney Sheldon. After performing in this film, Cary Grant retired from acting, turning down many films including: Sabrina and A Star Is Born. In 1955, director Alfred Hitchcock wanted Grant to perform in, To Catch A Thief, which maybe gave Grant the change that he was looking for.

While on a business trip to Bukistan, Clemson Reade, is invited to the home of the Khan of Bukistan. There he watches the princess Tarji, perform a seductive dance just for him. Her father Khan tells Clemson, that Tarji has been "trained" to devote her life to her husband. Clemson, loves the idea of a devoted wife, but he already has a fiancee Priscilla, who works for the United States, State Department. After he arrives home, Effie tells him that the wedding must be postponed until after the big oil deal is signed.

After, spending the afternoon with his co- workers complaining about independent women, Clemson, sends a marriage proposal to Tarji. The princess father quickly sends goats as part of her dowry. McBride, worried that Clemson will do something to ruin the oil deal, asks Priscilla to chaperon the two to make sure that things do not become.. too complicated.

Soon after, Tarji arrives Clemson, is surprised to learn that Eastern custom forbids any physical contact until after their marriage. To add to his frustration Clemson, is told that the wedding date is three months away. Tarji, soon learns how to speak English and loves the life that American women live.

One day, Tarji meets a group of young men and allows them to believe that she is single, which later causes a fight to break out and Tarji lands in jail.

After, hearing the news of the scandal, the Khan rushes to America and announces the end of his daughter's engagement with Clemson. Now, worried about the oil contract, Effie charms Khan and changes his mind about their engagement.

The day before he and Tarji are to marry, Clemson realizes that he is still in love with Effie. Will he find the courage to break off his engagement with Tarji?

Even though Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr make a wonderful couple and Grant's very cute facial expressions, this movie is just not one of their best performances.

Fun Facts:

First of three movies that paired Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant.

Betta St. John (26 November 1929). She made her film debut at age 10 in the unbilled role of a little girl who sings Marlene Dietrich's song "Little Joe" in the film, Destry Rides Again (1939).

She also performed in the films, Our Gang short and Jane Eyre (1943). Rodgers and Hammerstein took notice of this singing/dancing talent and cast her in, Carousel(1945). When the musical team were ready to cast the role of "Liat" for their new musical South Pacific(1949) they wanted Betta. Betta made her first adult role in the film, Dream Wife (1953).

Happy Birthday Lana Turner! (1921 - 1995)

2012-02-08T06:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Lana!

Lana is one of my ten favorite actresses of all time. My fave films of hers are Imitation of Life, Peyton Place, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Bad and the Beautiful, Ziegfeld Girl just to name a few.

A recap of 2011's favorite classic actress tournament: the silent/30's era

2012-02-08T05:46:00.000-05:00

Since the 2012 is only a month away, and as I finalize the first round matchups, I figured a look back at last year's tournament was in order. So I will do a series of posts on it by eras. First up is the silent/30's era. And it kicked off the tourney with some awesome matches.

In the first round, top seed Greta Garbo had a barn burner with Gloria Swanson, who was ranked 16th. Garbo eked out a 26-22 victory. Hers was the only real close match in this round. Everyone else rolled. 2nd seed Barbara Stanwyck decimated Joan Crawford 42-8 (sorry Jess!). 3rd seed Norma Sheare topped Marion Davies 29-18. My girl Carole Lombard had an easy time over Ginger rogers 35-18. 5th seed Marlene Dietrich beat Mary Pickford 34-12. 6th seed Claudette Colbert easily defeated Louise Brooks 40-8. Eventual winner Irene Dunne (who was seeded 10th) began her cinderella run with a 28-13 victory over It Girl Clara Bow. And probably the most shocking match was Myrna Loy rolling over Jean Harlow 36-13. I thought that would be a much closer match.

So round two pitted Greta Garbo against Myrna Loy. Loy crushed Garbo 60-13. I did not see that one coming. Carole Lombard was all over Marlene Dietrich 71-9. Claudette Colbert took care of Norma Shearer 45-24. And Irene Dunne kept up her winning ways as she defeated Barbara Stanwyck 59-38. All were blow-out matches.

For round three and the two semi-final matches, it was Loy against Lombard and Dunne vs Colbert. Lombard beat Loy 59-41 and my girl was one match away from earning a trip to the final four. I was very excited. In the other semi match Irene Dunne took down Claudette Colbert in a laugher, 64-36. Thus setting up the final match in the 30's era between Lombard and Dunne. These two women have had a history on my blogs. On a poll for my screwball cinema page, I asked who was the favorite screwball comedy queen. And And Irene beat out 7 other contenders including Carole. So now came the un-official rematch.

And my girl came out the gate lagging behind until I made a post update about the match. And then lo and behold she surged ahead. But thanks to my friend Renata, she emailed saying that something was wrong with the poll and that a person could vote multiple times for whichever actress. Which was not how I set it up. So I had to re-start the match because now the original match was compromised. With the new match set up, Irene beat Carole 58-43 to advance to the final four. I was of course saddened that my favorite actress Carole was now elimated but Irene, being my 2nd favorite actress, I was still happy.

The next post will review the 40's era tourney which boasted a stellar field of actresses including top seed Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Olivia De Havilland and lots more.

Be My Guest - Kim (Part 4)

2012-02-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. We're back for our final part of my interview with Kim. I want to thank Kim once again for her quick response to come to aid this month. I enjoyed having her and learning more about her. I just heard from my original guest for the month, Kate and she has sent half of her answers to me. So I will start posting hers within a few days. Guest galore this month on All Good Things. So let's get right to Kim...

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

Kim: I don’t really do parties. LOL! I guess I would have eveyone dress up as their favorite movie character and do decorations based on movie set props, etc. Of course, we would have to have a sing-off from songs from my favorite musicals.

Me: Cool! Sounds like fun!

Me: What are some films that are widely loved that you couldn't care less about?

Kim:The Women—I don’t like Joan Crawford (except in Midlred Pierce) or Norma Shearer, so that’s a turn off right there.

Psycho--I just don’t like it. This is one of the few Hitchcock films I could do without. It is too creepy and I don’t like Janet Leigh, so I was glad when she got knifed in the shower. LOL!

2001: A Space Odyssey—I HATE this movie. In the words of that demon HAL: “It can only be attributable to human error” that people rave about this picture. The best part is when Strauss’ “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” is played—everything else can go to hell.

Me: Ouch Kim! I love The Women and Psycho. That's ok. We can still be friends.

Me: And finally who are some of your favorite film characters?

1. Jean Harrington (I knew a nun by this name)/ the Lady Eve Sidwich from The Lady Eve—one of the best characters ever!

2. Julie Marsden from Jezebel—she’ll wear a red dress if she damn well pleases!

3. Mary Kate Danaher from The Quiet Man—fiery and Irish, she won’t put out until her dowry is paid in full!

4. Vicky Page from The Red Shoes—She must dance to live!

5. Hud Bannon from Hud—I must have this man! He’s an SOB—I’m embarrassed to say this, but I could put up with anything just to have him in my bed!

6. Satine from Moulin Rouge—she sings, dances, and dies—all while looking glamorous. Who could ask for anything more? LOL!

Me: You had me at Jean Harrington. So that wraps up Kim's guest stint this month on All Good Things. I want to thank her again for coming by and spending time here and letting us get to know her just a little bit more. Thanks Kim. And please everyone come back in a few days when I will begin my chat with the wonderful Kate.

A new kind of match play....

2012-02-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! It's me Monty. I'm back with a new match play for this week. As I had mentioned earlier, what with the Favorite Classic Actress tournament coming up in March, I would being doing an alternative type of match play for the next two months. Instead of actors and actresses competing, for the time being it will be characters vs characters. Like in classic and beloved characters from TV and film. Some of you might know that I have an album of memorable characters on facebook. And that from time to time I post about said characters on my good friend Irene's wonderful blog, And Then They Start To Sparkle. So for the next 7 or 8 weeks, I will be presenting matchups between some of the greatest characters in film and TV. I will keep the film characters separate from TV characters. So let's get started with our first match shall we.

SAMANTHA

Character Name: Samantha Stevens (Bewitched)
Portrayed by Elizabeth Montgomery
Years: 1964-1972 (254 episodes)
Family: Darrin (husband), Tabitha (daughter), Endora (mother), Serena (sister)
Maurice (father), Clara (aunt), Arthur (uncle)
Occupation: housewife, witch
Special abilities: As a witch, Samantha could cast spells, fly, teleport, move objects with her
mind, communicate with animals, control the weather, time travel.
Trademarks: to cast her spells, Samantha usually twitches her nose. Known to say welllllllllll!
quite a bit.

CLASSIC CHARACTERS MATCH PLAY

JEANNIE

Character Name: Jeannie
Portrayed by: Barbara Eden
Years: 1965-1970 (139 episodes)
Family: Jeannie 2 (sister)
Occupation: genie, trouble-maker
Special abilities: Can teleport, can move objects by thought, freeze time, can shrink herself and
others, control animals
Trademarks: to perform her abilities, folds her arms and blinks her eyes. As a servant genie, she always calls the one who possesses her genie bottle..master.

So a battle between Samantha, a witch against Jeannie, a genie. Should be fun. The match begins immediately and runs through Sunday 3 pm EST. Good luck to both women.

Play nice ladies...

Jean Harlow teams up with Clark Gable for RED DUST and CHINA SEAS

2012-02-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

RED DUST (1932)

A dynamite movie involving three screen legends: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor. Gable is Denny Carson, who runs a rubber plantation in Indo-China with a tight fist. Along comes Lily Vantine (Ms. Harlow) who just lights up the screen with her explosive persona. Lily explains she had to leave the states because of certain complex issues. All Denny sees is her trampish looks and the two become attached fairly quickly. But that relationship is put under pressure when Gary Willis arrives with his wife Babs (the terrific Astor) to begin work on the plantation. Denny is immediately attracted to Babs and thus a love triangle is formed. Babs husband is totally unaware of what's going on and to be fair he is under the weather with a fever when they first arrive there. Red Dust is one heck of a movie. I know some people complain of the racial overtones but this movie is set in 1932 so just keep that in mind when watching it. As far as performances go, all three leads are sensational. Gable is definitely a man's man in this one. Holding the screen with all his macho swagger he can muster. Jean Harlow is funny all the way through. She spits out lines with rapid fire regularity. And Mary Astor brings a little class to the proceedings. And believe it or not she has one scene where she manages to out-sex Ms. Harlow. After being caught in an unexpected rainstorm, she gets soaked and is carried back to the house by Gable. In that one instant she gives off so much sexual energy, you can feel it coming off the screen. Red Dust is a solid film that delivers action, humor, passion, and some great acting.
B+

CHINA SEAS (1935)

Clark Gable and Jean Harlow team up again after the success of Red Dust and make China Seas better than it ought to be. Gable is ship captain Alan Gaskell who has to deliver passengers safely from Hong Kong to Singapore because of the waters being overrun with pirates. The first time you see Gaskell it is apparent he is coming in from an over-night bender and makes it to his ship just as it's about to sail. His ex-girlfriend Dolly (Ms. Harlow) shows up to razz him about not being committed to their relationship. Also on board is Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell), a woman Alan fancied years ago but she married someone else. Well, Ms. Barclay is a widow now and hopes of a relationship is presented before Alan's delight and Dolly's anger. Also on board is Dolly's old drinking Buddy MacArdle (Wallace Beery) who has a hidden agenda. Throw in some rough weather, a jewel thief, the deadly pirates, and a coward of an officer looking to make amends and China Seas has a lot going on. There is a lot of unintentional humor that kinda throws it off every now and then, mainly from Harlow and Beery. But it doesn't ruin the whole movie. Not as good as Gable and Harlow's previous film Red Dust, but still worth a look.
B

Jean Harlow, dated the mobster Abner Zwillman.

2012-02-06T15:33:00.001-05:00

What was she thinking... Jean Harlow dated the notorious mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman, who secured a two-picture deal for Harlow with Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures by loaning Cohn $500,000 in cash. Cohn, was thought to have a number of ties to organized crime.

Mobster Abner "Longy" Zwillman, was one of the founding members of the nationwide crime syndicate known as "Murder Incorporated". He was called Longy, because of his 6 foot 2 inch height. In the beginning he tried to make a living working for the Prince Street cafe which was the headquarters of a third Ward political leader.

He later sold produce, with a rented horse and wagon. Unfortunately, his neighbors were too poor to buy from his wagon. He soon learned that selling lottery numbers to the rich housewives in the Clinton Hill area was much more profitable. He started his own numbers bank and began selling numbers exclusively, mainly through small neighborhood merchants.

Abner "Longy" Zwillman, also purchased Jean Harlow a expensive charm bracelet and a red Cadillac.

Be My Guest - Kim (part 3)

2012-02-05T22:42:00.001-05:00

Back for round 3..take it away Kim.

Me: What are some of your favorite film quotes?

Kim: Just to name a few:

From The Lady Eve: “I need him like the ax needs the turkey.”

From The Awful Truth: “"I wouldn't go on living with you if you were dipped in platinum."

From Notorious: “"We are protected by the enormity of your stupidity."

From Who Framed Roger Rabbit: "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

From Now, Voyager: “Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars.”

Me: I love The Awful Truth. Great quotes from that movie.

Me: What classic films have you yet to see for one reason or another?

Kim:I don’t know, I’ve seen a lot of films. I’ve seen all but 43 films on the 1001 (really 1089 now) list, but that has to do with them not being on DVD or ever being shown on TV.

Me: Wow! Kim, that is impressive!

Me: What is your favorite genre?

Kim: Musicals…I just love a good song and dance show. You may have noticed that a lot of my favorite films happen to be musicals.

Me: I love musicals as well.

Well we're almost done with Kim's be my guest stint. Please come back in a few days for the final set of questions. Thank you so much everyone!

The 2012 Favorite Classic Actress Tournament: The top 4 seeds

2012-02-05T22:29:00.000-05:00

Less than a month away is the 2012 edition of the favorite classic actress tournament. I just talked to my co-bloggers (John and Desiree) who are assisting me with this grand event and we have decided on the top 4 seeds. And it will be the four women who made it to the final four last year. Makes sense. The overall top seed is Irene Dunne, the winner of the whole thing, and she will be representing the silent/30's era. Which John of Mythical Monkey will be taking care of. Here's the link to his blog:mythicalmonkey

Next is the 40's era top seed Vivien Leigh and Desiree will be handling that era. Here's the link to her blog:rosalind-russell

And for the 50's will be Grace Kelly and Natalie Wood for the 60's. Which I will be taking care of both eras. The 50's on Dawn's Noir and Chick Flicks and the 60's here on All Good Things. First round begins on Monday, March 5th. Expect more annoucements and the list of matches before that day hits.

Irene (30's era top seed)

Vivien (40's era top seed)

Grace (50's era top seed)

Natalie (60's era top seed)

Ann Sheridan crushes Clara Bow 14-6 in match play

2012-02-05T08:02:00.000-05:00

Here's to ya Ann for your big win!

The Ooomph Girl handily took care of the It Girl by the score of 14-6. Ann Sheridan cruised to an easy victory to even her match play record to 1-1. While Clara Bow falls to 0-2. Don't worry Clara, I know you will get a win soon. You're the It Girl for crying out loud! Anyway as the favorite classic actress tournament nears I thought I might change up these next few matches. I will have a new one ready for tomorrow. Please do stop by to take a gander. And thanks to everyone who voted on this recent match. I know Ann appreciates it.

So what happened Clara? I thought you were the It Girl? - Clara's

friend doesn't take her loss too well

Tea Anyone....Grace Kelly and Danny Kaye

2012-02-05T07:48:00.000-05:00

Danny and Grace sharing a sip of tea..how nice and romantic

A New Blog Everyone Should be following...

2012-02-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

My friend over at The Golden Age of Hollywood has this wonderful blog called Une Cinephile. Her name is Christina. In her own words, she describes herself and her blog: I am une cinephile to every inch of the word. Ever since I was little I have always had a great love of movies. I started this blog to share my love for movies and what I have learned about them along the way. Classic movies are a passion of mine, what they can teach us today about the times they were made in amazes me.I find classic movies to be made with such care and quality that is highly missing today. I do love current movies, there will be talk of some on here. For the movie lover in all of us out there, I hope you enjoy this blog. She started her blog back in September 2010 and I'm a little late to the party as well. But I have been reading her blog of late and must say I enjoy it quite a bit. Please stop by to check it out. Here is the link: unecinephile

Good Morning from Miriam Hopkins

2012-02-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

And she means it!

My Favorite Things I Love About Jean Harlow

2012-02-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some favorite things that I love about Jean Harlow, this month's classic movie goddess.

1. Her sass and firecracker of a personality.

2. Her undeniable sex appeal that was never in your face, but just there. A lot of stars today
try to do more to be sexy while it came naturally for Jean.

3. Her comedic talents made her one of the best actresses to star in screwball comedies.

4. And she was no slouch when it came to drama as well.

5. Great chemistry with Clark Gable.

6. An amazing resume considering her short career that ended to her early death.

7. She seemed to be like she always was having fun no matter what.

8. And I just love that name...Harlow!

Be My Guest - Kim (Part 2)

2012-02-02T22:05:00.002-05:00

Hey we're back with the fabulous Kim Wilson for the next part of our interview. Take it away Kim.

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

Kim: I usually know right away if I like or dislike something and I rarely change my mind. However, there is one film that I did change my mind about (although it isn’t really a classic, classic film): Pulp Fiction. When I first saw it I was like, “What the hell?” Yet, after I watched it a couple of times I came to appreciate it more.

Me: I see. I think I'm in the same boat as you. I usually know immediately if I like something or not. One film that stands out for me is Some Like It Hot. The first time I saw that film, I was like, this is one of the greatest comedies ever made? I don't see it. But upon repeat viewings it is one of my favorite films of all time.

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

Kim: Apparel: a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

Food: none—I must concentrate!

Situation: Either alone in my home or with people who appreciate classic films and don’t make stupid comments or ask way too many questions.

Me: I like being very comfortable as well.

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

Kim: My mom likes old weepies and comedies. My dad likes old westerns and war movies. My brothers like a few flicks from the 70s onwards, but that’s about it. I have many friends who know a lot about film, so I never lack for conversation on this topic. Oh, and I have a sister-in-law who loves Marilyn Monroe but hasn’t ever seen one of her films—how weird is that?!!!

Me: Cool. Not too many of my family or friends like classic films. My wife has recently started to enjoy them. And there are a few co-workers of mine who I can talk to about them but that's about it.

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

Kim: Probably the 1940s

Me: That's a pretty good decade. Mine fave is the 30's though.

So that's wraps up part two of my interview with Kim. Please come back in a few days for part three.

Harlow's Baby Picture.

2012-02-02T07:38:00.001-05:00

Jean Harlow was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter in Kansas City, Missouri. Harlean was nicknamed "The Baby", a name that would stick with her for the rest of her life. She did not learn that her name was actually Harlean and not "Baby" until the age of five, when she began to attend Miss Barstow's Finishing School for Girls in Kansas City.

TCM Alert: Saturday, February 4th

2012-02-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

Three great films set in England with the backdrop of World War will air Saturday night on TCM. Two of the three films I have never seen before and look forward to. The films are A Yank in the R.A.F (1941) at 11 pm EST; Mrs. Miniver (1942) at 12:45 am EST (which is the one film I have seen) and The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) at 3:15 am EST. Looks to be a solid night of movie watching.

Be My Guest - Kim (Part 1)

2012-02-01T06:25:00.000-05:00

Due to certain circumstances, I might have 3 guests this month or just one. Not for sure yet. When I did not know if the first people I asked was going to make it this month, I asked Kim Wilson of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die to fill in. I sent her the questions one morning and by the end of the day she had answered all 14. So Kim will have the honor of going first. And if no other guests show up, then Kim will came through for me big time. A little facts about Kim before we get started. She hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her interests are films, books and playing games. She has two Malti-Poos named Buffy and Carmie. And in addition to her blog 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, she also co-writes the series Two Dames Dishing with Becky of Classic Becky's Brain Food. So now onto the questions. Oh and here's a link to Kim's wonderful blog: 1001moviesblog

Me: What made you start blogging?

Kim: I started blogging at the TCM classic film union when I began my quest to see the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Then, some friends from the CFU started their own blogs—one being the Classic Film and TV Café—and I became a contributor. Once I’d built up enough posts I started my own blog.

Me: Hey I joined that as well. It's a cool place to hang out.

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

Kim: Females in this order - Catherine Deneuve, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Greta Garbo, and Katharine Hepburn

Males in this order: Paul Neuman, William Powell, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, and Charles Boyer

Me: I believe you're the first person to name Catherine Deneuve as one of your faves, besides me. Cool. And you have Cary up there as well. A plus as well.

Me: What are some of your favorite films?

Kim: Too many to list! Tops from the 30s to the 70s:

1930s: The Thin Man, Camille, My Man Godfrey, The Awful Truth, Jezebel, Bringing Up Baby, Gone with the Wind, Ninotchka, and The Wizard of Oz

1940s: The Philadelphia Story, The Lady Eve, Now Voyager, Notorious, Spellbound, Mildred Pierce, To Be or Not To Be, The Red Shoes, and The Best Years of Our Lives

1950s: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, All About Eve, The Quiet Man, Singin’ in the Rain, The Bridge of the River Kwai, The Ten Commandments, Smiles of a Summer Night, The Earrings of Madame de…, and Gigi

1960s: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Apartment, Spartacus, Hud, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, The Producers, Dr. Strangelove, and Z

1970s: Patton, Rocky, Network, The Godfathers (Part II is the best though), and Chinatown

Me: From the 30's alone, you have some marvelous faves. I like how you broke them down by years too.

Me: Describe your first classic movie experience.

Kim: It would have to be watching The Wizard of Oz every year with my family. I wrote about it on my blog last year. Basically, it was a bonding experience I shared with them every year.

Me: Awesome! Well that wraps up part one of my interview with Kim. Check back in a few days as we continue with some more lively discussions.

A message from Jean Harlow...

2012-01-31T21:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Monty,

I have a previous engagement of a golf charity event tomorrow. But afterwards, I will be right over to All Good Things.

Yours,
Jean

What a girl....Thanks Jean!

It's gonna be great having you

as the classic movie goddess for the month!

A big thank you to Lauren Bacall for being this month's Classic Movie Goddess

2012-01-31T20:12:00.000-05:00

It's time for us to say good-bye to Lauren Bacall who made a fabulous classic movie goddess this month. I had a great time writing about her all month long and wished she could have stayed longer. But alas, she has to make way for Jean Harlow, who is arriving shortly. But I will probably have Ms. Bacall back for a return engagement if she is ok with that.

I think Lauren is a little shocked her time as Classic Movie Goddess is over...

well I'm sure she will have a good time with Bogie and Marilyn

Birthday Roll Call: January 31st

2012-01-31T06:15:00.000-05:00

Today marks birthdays for several notable actresses. So time for a birthday roll call.

JEAN SIMMONS (Jan 31, 1929 - Jan 22, 2010)

Notable films: Black Narcissus, Elmer Gantry, Spartacus, Guys and Dolls, The Grass Is Greener

SUZANNE PLESHETTE (Jan 31, 1937 - Jan 19, 2008)

Notable work: The Birds, Nevada Smith, The Bob Newhart Show, 40 Pounds of Trouble

TALLULAH BANKHEAD (Jan 31, 1902 - December 12, 1968)

Notable work: Lifeboat, A Royal Scandal, Tarnished Lady, My Sin, Devil and the Deep

DANIELA BIANCHI (Jan 31, 1942 - present)

Notable work: From Russia With Love, Always on Sunday, The Last Chance)

JOANNE DRU (Jan 31, 1922 - September 10, 1996)

Notable work: Red River, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, All The King's Men

Classic Stars Match Play #18 - The "It" Girl CLARA BOW vs The "Oomph" Girl ANN SHERIDAN

2012-01-30T05:50:00.000-05:00

For the next match play, two very well known actresses, who each had popular nicknames, will battle for victory. Clara Bow, known as The "It" Girl will face Ann Sheridan, who was given the name The "Oomph" Girl. Both women also had some other common traits. Clara Bow's birth name was actually Clara. Ann's birth name was also Clara. Both never won Academy Awards. In fact neither ever received a nomination, which is a crime. So here are the ladies stats as we get ready for an exciting match.

CLARA BOW

Clara is thinking..."Ann Sheridan? Boy is this gonna be tough!"

Name: Clara Gordon Bow
Birth Date: July 29, 1905 (Brooklyn, New York)
Height: 5' 3"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: 1 nomination (Best Actress: Wings - 1927)
My favorite Clara film: The Wild Party (1929)
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Irene Dunne in the 30's era of the 2011 Favorite Classic Actress
Tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

ANN SHERIDAN

Ann showing off her patriotic colors

Name: Clara Lou Sheridan
Birth Date: February 21, 1915 (Denton, Texas)
Height: 5' 5"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actress: Edge of Darkness - 1943)
My favorite Ann film: I Was A Male War Bride (1949)
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Vivien Leigh in the 40's era of the 2011 Favorite Classic
Actress Tournament)

The match begins immediately and will run through Saturday, Februry 4th at 8pm EST.

Good luck to both women.

Ann is being supported by her friends which include Gail Patrick, Wendy Barrie and others

While Clara shows off her moves to the fellas

Danny Kaye edges past Jerry Lewis 10-8 in match play

2012-01-29T17:53:00.000-05:00

This was one of the closest match plays yet. In fact this match was tied between Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis 7-7 until the last two hours. Kaye's fans came through as he edged Lewis by 2 votes. Danny notches his first match play win and evens his record at 1-1. Lewis drops to 0-2 as he has yet to claim a win. Thanks to all those who voted and a new match will be up tomorrow.

Danny is quite happy after his match play victory

Good Sunday Afternoon from Joan Blondell

2012-01-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

Just a photo of Joan wishing everyone a great Sunday. She is apparently at the beach....

Can you believe this year marks the 50th anniversary of James Bond?

2012-01-29T13:20:00.000-05:00

When a film or series reaches a milestone such as 25 or 50 years, that is reason for a celebration. Well the James Bond film series will hit 50 years come May 8th, marking the original release of the first Bond film, Dr. No. The 23rd film, Skyfall will debut later on this year with Daniel Craig returning as the superspy for the third time. I am kind of surprised that this anniversary has been kept under the radar so far. I know it's only January, but this is pretty big news. How many film series have gone this long and are still running. Very impressive! Well I intend to do something about it. Here on All Good Things, expect Bond posts all year long. About the actors who played Bond to the films and anything else I can think of. Should make for a grand time. 50 years. Well done James, well done.

Tea Anyone?... Louise Brooks and her sister June

2012-01-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

Louise Brooks and her younger sister June enjoying some tea in their garden

Lauren welcomes Jean...

2012-01-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

Almost time for Jean Harlow's appearance next month as my classic movie goddess and here's Lauren Bacall to greet her.....

Lauren: Hello everyone. I'm here to introduce Jean as next month's classic movie goddess and to also thank Monty for having me here this month. It was a great experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. I know you will too Jean.

Jean: Thank you Lauren. I'm sure I will. I've been waiting forever for Monty to ask me to be his guest and he finally did. These next few days of waiting are gonna kill me.

Lauren: You'll make it Jean. And I can't wait to see how your month goes. I know mine was fantastic.

Jean: Thanks Lauren. And thanks Monty. Come on February!

Groucho Marx crushes W.C. Fields 14-4 in match play

2012-01-28T06:41:00.000-05:00

It seems W.C. Fields was no match for Groucho Marx. This contest was over on day one as Groucho rolled over W.C. 14-4. Which gives Groucho his first win in his first match play. This was also W.C.'s first match play event. Now we wait on the match between Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis to conclude my funny men match play week in honor of CMBA's comedy classics blogaton.

Groucho gets a celebratory hug from Thelma Todd on his recent victory

Drama Filled Thursdays (BETTE DAVIS)

2012-01-26T17:10:00.000-05:00

Been awhile since I did a post on dramas for Thursdays. I decided to choose a singular star and focus on her top dramatic films. And who better than the grand diva herself, Bette Davis. Now if you have read my previous Drama Filled Thursdays posts, you know I set the list at only 5 films. We all know Bette had lots of strong dramas in her stellar career. So it was very hard choosing my five favorite of hers. But choose I did. So here we go. And in no particular order.

ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

Without a doubt my favorite Davis film. She is marvelous as broadway diva Margo Channing, who is competing with the young ingenue Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Watch and let Bette show you how it's done...Acting 101. She was robbed of an Oscar that night, I tell ya.

A+

THE WHALES OF AUGUST (1987)

Is the last great film did by the wonderful Bette. She and Lillian Gish are magnificent as two elderly sisters living in their family cottage home on the coast of Maine. Bette is Libby, who is blind and maybe senile. Lillian is Sarah and she takes care of her. This is truly a beautiful and amazing film. It's great to watch veteran actors still make such moving films. In addition to Davis and Gish, this film also stars Ann Sothern, Vincent Price and Harry Carey, Jr.

OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943)

For some reason I love this melodramatic soap fest. Call it my guilty pleasure. Bette is Kit Marlowe, a famous writer who is best friends with Millie (the wonderfully over the top Miriam Hopkins). Friendship soon turns into a bitter rivalry. Famous scene has Kit shaking the crap out of Millie and then saying succinctly...Sorry. Classic.

B+

DARK VICTORY (1939)

Easily one of Bette's most engaging performances and one of the best films from Hollywood's golden year of 1939. Bette plays Judith Traherne, a wealthy Long Island society girl who is having a ball with her lifestyle. Well fun and games come to an abrupt end when she finds out she has a brain tumor. Her secretary and friend Ann (played by Geraldine Fitzgerald in an understated but moving performance) and other friend Alex (Ronald Reagan) convince Judith to see a brain specialist, Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent) who informs Judith that the tumor will cause her to die within the year. Through the course of the year Judith falls in love with Frederick and accepts his marriage proposal but can't go through with it because she thinks the doctor is being sympathetic to her illness. Humphrey Bogart is on hand as an Irish horse trainer who tries to make Judith fall in love with him. When he realizes that will never happen, he convinces Judith to be with the doctor. Dark Victory is one serious melodrama with an excellent performance by Bette. This is easily one of her top 5 film performances ever.

B+

THE LITTLE FOXES (1941)

Excellent drama set at the turn of the century with Bette ruling as Regina Giddens, a woman who will go to great lengths for money and power in a family of cheats and liars. Regina though is on another level as she is the type of character that you love to hate. She is sharp and on point the whole time and I thought Bette's performance was the best of 1941, hence her winning a Montie.

B+

Other choice Bette dramas include The Letter, Jezebel, The Petrified Forest and In This Our Life.

My love of classic films is beyond measure

Monty

Happy Birthday Joan Leslie (1925 - present)

2012-01-26T05:52:00.000-05:00

Actress Joan Leslie celebrates her 87th birthday today. The underrated actress is one of our classic film stars that is still alive today. So a really big Happy Birthday to Joan. Star of such films as Yankee Doodle Dandy, High Sierra, Sergeant York and Cinderella Jones.

Joan doing a little dance in celebration of her birthday

Classic Stars Match Play #17 - Danny Kaye vs Jerry Lewis

2012-01-25T05:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to the second match focusing on film comedians this week. As W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx began their battle on Monday, let's get going with Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis. The match begins today and will run thru Sunday 2 pm EST. Good luck to both gentlemen.

DANNY KAYE

Danny doing his pre-routine match play dance.....

Name: David Daniel Kaminski
Birth Date: January 18, 1913 (Brooklyn, New York City)
Height: 5' 11"
Academy Awards: Honorary Award (1955)
Monties: none so far, but I haven't reached his peak period yet
My favorite Danny film: Wonder Man and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Match play record: 0-1 (had the unfortunate luck of facing William Holden in the first round of the
50's ear of the favorite classic actor tournament 2011 and got crushed 41-5..ouch)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

JERRY LEWIS

I'm coming for you Danny, my boy...

Name: Joseph Levitch
Birth Date: March 16, 1926 (Newark, New Jersey)
Height: 6'
Academy Awards: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2009)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Jerry film: The Ladies Man (1961)
Match play record: 0-1 (Lost to Robert Redford in the first round of the 60's era of
the favorite classic actor tournament 2011)

CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon: His Girl Friday (1940)

2012-01-25T05:26:00.000-05:00

I saw it for the first time when I was 12 years old and it immediately struck me as the best movie I had seen in my young life at the time. It would keep with me over the years and stay as my favorite movie, withstanding the new releases with all their hi tech fancy stuff like the Star Wars movies, Indiana Jones, and others. For me, there is nothing better than His Girl Friday and watching Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell play off each other.

Cary Grant is never better as newspaper editor Walter Burns, who is about to lose his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson (a superb performance by Rosalind Russell) to marriage to an insurance man (Ralph Bellamy). Just so happens a major news story breaks as convicted murderer Earl Williams, who is about to be put to death, escapes from custody. Walter convinces Hildy to take this last job assignment and he will sign a nice big check for an insurance policy for the soon to be wed couple. During her investigation, Hildy manages to track down Williams and tries to keep him safe from the police and the mayor. A wonderful mix of comedy and some drama make this my all time favorite film. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell make a terrific dream team. The one liners fly fast and furious, expertly handled by the entire cast. Great direction by the legendary Howard Hawks.

You couldn't ask for a better screwball film. I have probably seen His Girl Friday like 40 some times and it is still fresh and funny the 40th time as it was the first time. One of the films that even if you own it, you will stop whatever you doing to watch it when it airs on TV. I know I do. Turn off my cell phone, don't want to be disturbed by anyone or anything. It's that great of a film.

A sampling of the fast paced dialogue that has amazed me for all these many years:

Walter Burns: Sorta wish you hadn't done that, Hildy.
Hildy Johnson: Done what?
Walter Burns: Divorced me. Makes a fella lose all faith in himself. Gives him a... almost gives him a feeling he wasn't wanted.
Hildy Johnson: Oh, now look, junior... that's what divorces are FOR!

Wilson, reporter: Any dope on how he escaped?
McCue, reporter: Maybe the sheriff let him out so Williams could vote for him.

Hildy Johnson: [speaking to Walter on the phone] Now, get this, you double-crossing chimpanzee: There ain't going to be any interview and there ain't going to be any story. And that certified check of yours is leaving with me in twenty minutes. I wouldn't cover the burning of Rome for you if they were just lighting it up. If I ever lay my two eyes on you again, I'm gonna walk right up to you and hammer on that monkeyed skull of yours 'til it rings like a Chinese gong!

Louis: What's the matter, Hildy?
Hildy Johnson: Don't give me that innocent stuff! What did you pull on Mr. Baldwin THIS time?
Louis: Who, me?
Hildy Johnson: Yes, you and that albino of yours!
Louis: You talkin' about Evangeline?
Hildy Johnson: None other
Louis: She ain't no albino.
Hildy Johnson: She'll do 'till one comes along!
Louis: She was born right here in this country!

So to wrap this blog up let me just say that His Girl Friday is THE movie for me. Cary Grant's other classic movie, Bringing Up Baby is a close second, but His Girl Friday holds that special place in my heart. To all classic movie lovers out there, if by some small chance you have never seen this movie, take time to watch it somewhere, somehow and I promise you will not regret it.

This post is part of the Comedy Classics Blogathon sponsored by the Classic Movie Blog Association. The event runs January 22-27. For a complete list of participants and to learn more,
click here: Classic Movie Blog Association

Anita Louise says Good Morning to everyone

2012-01-24T06:16:00.000-05:00

Here's Anita Louise wishing everyone a great Tuesday!

Made In Dagenham (2010) is a top notch drama...Highly Recommended!

2012-01-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

Everyone who visits my blog, know every now and then I will talk about newer films. Last night I had the good fortune to watch Made in Dagenham on cable. It is a great film and it is based on a true story, which makes it all that much better.

The women on a typical work day

Set in 1968 Dagenham, England at the Ford auto factory, which employs thousands of male workers and 187 female machinists, who are vastly underpaid. The women mainly assemble the car seat upholstery but do so in poor working conditions. It's get so hot in their work area that they have to strip down to their bras to compensate. A running gag is that every time a male comes into their area they scream "MAN!" and promptly put their tops back on.

Rita with her all so lovely smile

Rita (played by Sally Hawkins in a terrific performance...and I think I love her) is asked by the shop steward (a sly and understanding Bob Hoskins) to lead the women to ask for equal pay or they will go on strike. Rita is bolstered by her good friend Connie (Geraldine James in a deep and moving performance) who is a veteran worker; Brenda (Andrea Riseborough) who is all sass; and Sandra, the hot to trot blonde of the group (played by Jamie Winstone).

The always happy Albert

The girls meet resistance in their union leader Monty, who is a piece of crap. I booed and hissed every time he was onscreen as he states that he is working for the betterment of the women, but behind their backs, he is secretly negotiating with the top brass of Ford to undermine the ladies efforts. I wished that me and him didn't have to share the same name. So if you watch this film, try not to think of me as this Monty, please!

Rough day for Sandra

At first the executives don't think these women will go the distance, but days turn into weeks then into months and then production is shut down and now the male workers are out of work as well. Which brings a considerable amount of tension between wives and husbands and boyfriends and girlfriends. Also adding to the predicament is Lisa Hopkins (hey it's Rosamund Pike...who proves once again that she is more than a pretty face) as the wife of one of the executives. She is all for the women and hates the way her husband treats her as having no voice in the matter. Well when an American executive from Ford comes to get a handle on the situation she lets loose why she thinks Ford is no good when it comes to treating their employees. It's a seminal moment for Lisa and the film in whole.

Lisa greeting dinner guests...love her dress

Also getting involved is Secretary of State Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson, all red-headed and fiery) who is conflicted because her boss, the Prime Minister doesn't want to make waves with the US auto giant, and the women who value her trust. Castle ends up meeting several of the women for a little tea function that turns kind of tense as Rita will not back down. Castle does sway to the women's side and politely tells the US auto executive to take his proposed offer and shove it. It's a moment that will have everyone cheer, women and men.

Brenda leading the strike and looking fabulous while doing it

History will show that through the efforts of Rita O'Grady, that the equal pay act was passed in 1970 in England and followed suit around the world in other countries. And that Ford changed it's practices to become much fairer to either of the sexes.

The women meeting Secretary of State Barbara Castle

The performances are all brilliant led by Sally Hawkins as Rita. She comes across as very shy at first and quite unsure of herself. But once she jumps into the fray she doesn't back down. Ever. Great support from Hoskins, Richardson, James, and Pike. And impressive performances by the relative newcomers Winstone and Riseborough. The look of the 60's is perfectly captured through the clothes and the music. And while it is a drama, there is plenty of humor too. As the situation gets dire, the women still find a way to laugh and stick together. Made in Dagenham is one of the best films I have ever seen. If you have never seen it or even heard of it, please track it down and watch it. You won't be disappointed. Highly recommended. Also look for Andrew Lincoln of Love Actually and The Walking Dead in a bit part as a mean school-teacher.
A

VICTORY!

Classic Stars Match Play #16 - W.C. Fields vs Groucho Marx..let the fun begin

2012-01-23T18:29:00.001-05:00

Since the CMBA is hosting a comedy blogathon this week, which I am contributing to, I might add, I thought it would be cool to have a match tied in with that event. In fact I'm in such a good mood, I think I will have two comedic matches taking place. This is the first one. W.C. against Groucho. The match begins immediately and will end Friday at 5 pm EST. I will start another match on Wednesday.

W.C. FIELDS

Say how does this match play thing work again?

Name: William Claude Dukenfield
Birth Date: January 29, 1880 (Darby, Pennsylvania)
Height: 5' 9"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: 1 nominations (It's a Gift - 1934 )
My favorite W.C. film: It's A Gift
Match Play record: 0-0 (this is W.C.'s first match play)

CLASSIC STAR MATCH PLAY

GROUCHO MARX

Tell W.C. to give me a few minutes..and I'll be right there

Name: Julius Henry Marx
Birth Date: October 2, 1890 (New York City, New York)
Height: 5' 7 1/2"
Academy Awards: Honorary Award (1974)
Monties: none so far....
My favorite Groucho film: A Night at the Opera and Duck Soup
Match play record: 0-0 (this is Groucho's first match play as well)

Jane, I'm going be tied up for the rest of the week so

I need for you to place a few bets for me, my dear..

Ladies, if you will kindly take your seats, me and Groucho

will get this thing going...

Tea Anyone...Ida Lupino

2012-01-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Ida adds her own little special ingredient to her tea...

Olivia edges Greer in the latest match play 17-12

2012-01-22T18:26:00.002-05:00

Olivia is quite jubilant her recent victory

Two fabulous actresses had a terrific match play but in the end it was Olivia de Havilland defeating Greer Garson 17-12. Olivia ups her record to 2-1 while Greer falls to an unbelievable 0-2. But I figure Greer will win a match eventually. She is too good and much loved by so many fans. I will have a new match up in a few days. And it will tie it with CMBA's blogathon they are having this week. I will pit two funny men against each other. Stay tuned...

After her defeat, Greer decides to listen to some music...

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

The Essential Films of Lauren Bacall

2012-01-22T18:08:00.001-05:00

As this month winds down, now is the time where I list my favorite films of the classic movie goddess of the month. Miss Lauren Bacall. Now I haven't seen all of her films, so this list is not complete. But to me, these are the ones that show Miss Bacall at her best. Her essential films, if you will. In no particular order.

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) Lauren's debut film is off the charts. Her character Marie 'Slim' Browning is perfection. And her onscreen chemistry with regular co-star and future husband Humphrey Bogart is a sight to behold.

Film: B+
Performance: A

THE BIG SLEEP (1946) Another crackling pairing between Bacall and Bogart with Lauren once again giving a crisp and crackerjack performance. By now, the timing between her and Bogie is an afterthought. Something they could do in their sleep.

Film: A+
Performance: A

DARK PASSAGE (1947) Maybe I should rename this The Essential films of Bacall and Bogart. Their third pairing is a little different from the first two films they did. It plays up the romantic angle of the pair a bit more. But it's still cinema magic.

Film: B
Performance: B

KEY LARGO (1948) The fourth film that teams Bogie and Bacall is more of an ensemble effort with co-stars like Edward G. Robinson and Claire Trevor on hand. But make no mistake, Bacall and Bogart represent well here in this nifty little gem as Robinson is a gangster who holes up in a Florida hotel, holding hostages, Bogie and Bacall among them. This is almost a turnabout for Bogie who played the gangster in The Petrified Forest.

Film: B
Performance: B

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953) A colorful and splashy comedy musical which pairs Lauren with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable. They play gold diggers on the prowl in Manhattan. Lauren is the more cynical one until she finally falls in love. A nice change of pace for her after so many film noirs and dramas.

Film: B
Performance: B+

WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) A top notch melodrama that does not let Lauren really shine. That honor goes to Dorothy Malone as the wild woman Marylee who lusts after Rock Hudson. Still Wind is a great film on Lauren's resume.

Film: B
Performance: B-

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

ALL GOOD THINGS in February

2012-01-22T07:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick preview of the things happening next month on All Good Things. Jean Harlow, the Platinum Blonde will be the classic movie goddess. Expect all the regular goodies about the goddess all month long: photos, reviews of her films, facts, trivia, etc. My guest of the month is still up in the air. Either I will have two or none. I'm waiting to hear back from either one of my friends who I invited to be here. They have the questions so it will just be a matter of time when I hear from them. Also the theme next month will be romantic films since Valentine's Day falls in February. And I will start previewing the big Favorite Classic Actress Tournament, that is coming up in March. And all the other usual stuff that goes on here like match play, If It's Tuesday, Pawsome Pet Pictures, etc. So please do drop by and stay a spell.

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

Be My Guest - Emily (Part 4)

2012-01-22T07:08:00.001-05:00

Here we are..our final part to Emily's guest interview on All Good Things.

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

Emily: That is hard one. I love to throw theme parties but I have never had one based on a film. I have backyard movie screening parties and all the drinks at the bar coincide with the characters or parts of the film as we show the film on the big screen. Not really sure, anyone else have any good ideas?

Me: I have never had a movie theme party neither. If I were to do one, it would have to be related to screwball comedies, since that is my favorite genre. And I imagine that would make for a really fun party.

Me: What are some films that are widely loved that you couldn’t care less about?

Emily: “Some Like It Hot”, “Seven Year Itch” or really any Marilyn Monroe film other than “How To Marry a Millionaire” and “Niagara”. She bugs me. Don’t care about “Citizen Kane” much either.

Me: Oh, that's where we disaagree. I love Some Like It Hot and Seven Year Itch. They are two of my favorite films and I do like Marilyn. I agree on Citizen Kane though. Can't stand that movie!

Me: And finally, who are some of your favorite film characters?

Emily: Crystal Allen in “The Women”, Jerry Durrance in “Now, Voyager”, Irene Jansen in “Dark Passage”, Letty Strong in “Born To Be Bad”, Roger O. Thornhill in “North By Northwest

Me: I've been getting a lot of Crystal Allen responses. You're the first to say Letty Strong though. Good choices Emily.

So that wraps up this month's interview with the wonderful Emily. I want to thank her again for doing this and I hope everyone enjoyed having her here. Until next month....

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Angela Lansbury

2012-01-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

Angela's friend just ain't feeling it...

Tea Anyone...Photo #2

2012-01-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

The lovely Marilyn enjoying a spot of tea

Happy Birthday Dorothy Provine (1935 - 2010)

2012-01-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

The beautiful and funny Dorothy

Happy Birthday to Dorothy Provine, one of the most underrated actresses of all time. And quite the comedienne. She appeared in such films as It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Great Race, Good Neighbor Sam, Who's Minding The Mint? and That Darn Cat. Happy Birthday Dorothy!

With Romy Schneider in Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

Dorothy with Hayley Mills and Dean Jones in That Darn Cat (1965)

With Ethel Merman and Milton Berle in It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

The colorful Dorothy

CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon (Jan 22-27, 2012)

2012-01-20T06:09:00.000-05:00

I will be participating in CMBA's Comedy Classics Blogathon, which begins on Sunday and runs thru Friday. My personal selection will be on His Girl Friday, my favorite movie of all time. But I am looking forward to all the other members choices such as Classic Becky's Arsenic and Old Lace; My Love of Old Hollywood's Easy Living; and Noir & Chick Flicks contribution about Gene Tierney and her romantic comedies. Should be a wonderful time.

The Pursuit of Love (1950) starring Cary Grant and Esther Williams....yes it's another Monty fantasy movie

2012-01-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

So here is my fantasy movie had Cary Grant paired up with Esther Williams. The title is In The Pursuit Of Love and Cary plays suave playboy Peter Lassister who refuses to settle down with any one woman. That is until he sees Liz Watson, a model who aspires to be a swimming champion. Peter pursues Liz instantly while trying to avoid the clutches of rich society girl Ann Pendergast (played by Joan Caulfield). All the while reporter Stu Blanchard (Eddie Albert) is trying to be be the first to get the story on Lassiter finally settling down. Of course Liz has no time for romance as she is busy trying to compete in swimming competitions. And listening to her is seen it all best friend Sally (Betty Hutton). Of course things will eventually get sorted by the two leads and they fall in love by the end of the movie. Directed by George Cukor and released in 1950. Cary and Esther had remarkable chemistry together as Cary brought out Esther's comedic ability. One of the film's funniest scenes has to be when Liz dares Peter to a swimming race and Peter brags that he doesn't want to show her up. Liz politely whips Peter in front of a bevy of onlookers quite easy. Of course he takes it in stride and wants to be with Liz all that more. A beaut of a comic gem from 1950. And wonderful support from Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Jessie and Zachary Scott as Jack Gardner, an ex-boyfriend of Liz.

Peter looking all so dapper

Liz about to start her daily routine

Ann actually is not that bad of a girl..just that Peter has eyes
only for Liz

Genre: Comedy
Release Date: 1950
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by George Cukor
Written by Charles Lederer

Cast:
Pete Lassister.....Cary Grant
Liz Watson......Esther Williams
Ann Pendergast.....Joan Caulfield
Stu Blanchard.....Eddie Albert
Sally Rogers.....Betty Hutton
Aunt Jessie....Charlotte Greenwood
Jack Gardner....Zachary Scott

Notes:

This marked the only film that paired Cary Grant with Esther Williams

The Pursuit of Love was a tidy hit, being one of the top 20 money-earners of 1950.

As usual, Esther did all her own swimming sequences..which apparently rubbed off on her
co-stars as Cary and Betty did all their own swim scenes as well.

Joan Caulfield was a last minute replacement as first choice Joan Leslie had to bow out
due to an illness.

Liz being playful

Notable quotes:

Peter: You don't make it easy for a fella do you?
Liz: Easy enough. All you have to do is catch me.

Stu: If I land this story first, I will be the most famous reporter ever! Well maybe second famous!

Aunt Jessie: My dear, men can be just as crafty as we are. The trick is to never let them know that.

Sally is a pretty good swimmer as well

Stu looking shocked!

The sweet Aunt Jessie

The no good Jack Gardner

Cary Grant all week long at Monty's in honor of his birthday!

2012-01-18T05:47:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all time. Today is his birthday which makes this a very special day. TCM is showing several of his movies today as they normally do. I will be at work but once I get home I plan to have a little Cary-thon myself. On tap will be His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby, two of my favorite films ever. As a matter of fact I will continue with a Cary film each night for the rest of the week. Let's see...I can watch Arsenic & Old Lace, My Favorite Wife, The Bachelor & The Bobby-Soxer, The Philadelphia Story, and In Name Only (with Carole Lombard, my favorite actress). Should be a great week..

Classic Stars Match Play #15 - Olivia de Havilland vs Greer Garson...I couldn't have chosen two more nicer people than these women..

2012-01-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

For the next match play comes a pair of wonderful actresses: Olivia de Havilland and Greer Garson. Both did not fare well in the favorite classic actress tournament last year but they are both favorites of mine. So I don't know who I will be choosing yet. Will have to think on this one for a bit. The match begins immediately and will run through Sunday noon EST. Good luck to both women and thanks in advance for all those that plan to vote.

OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

"No matter the outcome, I aim to have fun"...says Olivia

Name: Olivia Mary de Havilland
Birth Date: July 1, 1916 (Tokyo, Japan)
Height: 5' 4"
Academy awards: 5 nominations, 2 wins (Best Actress: To Each His Own - 1946 and The
Heiress - 1950)
Monties: 3 nominations, 1 win so far (Best Supporting Actress: The Strawberry Blonde - 1941)
My favorite Olivia film: The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dodge City, a tie
Match Play record: 1-1 (beat Lana Turner before losing to Ingrid Bergman in the 40's era of
the 2010 favorite classic actress tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

GREER GARSON

"Same here Olivia! Afterwards let's do lunch ok?"

Name: Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson
Birth Date: September 29, 1904 (London, England, UK)
Height: 5' 6"
Academy awards: 7 nominations, 1 win (Best Actress: Mrs. Miniver - 1943)
Monties: 1 nomination, 1 win so far (Best Actress: Mrs. Miniver - 1943)
My favorite Greer film: Mrs. Miniver
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Gene Tierney in the 40's era of the favorite actress tournament)

Judging by the comments from these two women, this might be the most cordial and friendliest
match ever!

My love for classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

Bogart defeats Cagney in latest match play 20-12

2012-01-16T05:31:00.000-05:00

In a battle of tough guys, Humphrey Bogart defeated James Cagney 20-12 in the latest match play. While Cagney jumped out to an early lead and great fan support, it was Bogie who prevailed in the end. Bogart improves his record to 3-1 while Cagney falls to 2-2. Thanks to all those who voted and a new match will be up and running within a few days.

Bogie in a self-congratulatory moment

A Great Double Bill: SECRETARIAT and MONEYBALL

2012-01-15T21:06:00.001-05:00

Just enjoyed one heck of a double bill of great sports dramas based on true stories. First up is the exciting Secretariat (2010), about the horse who defied the odds and won the Triple Crown of horse racing in 1973. Led by the determined Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane's best performance and deserving of some serious praise) the horse, nick named Big Red, goes through a lot in a short period of time. Penny has to take over her ailing father (Scott Glenn) horse stables in Virginia and takes it by the reins and goes for it all. She has to deal with quite a bit of sexism as she becomes one of the first women horse racing owners. She hires the colorful horse trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich in another solid performance) and is on her way. Secretariat makes an immediate impact on some small venues and becomes an overnight sensation. But there are some setbacks along the way including several passings of family members. But Secretariat rebounds and charges into the big three races: The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont, looking to make history. It can be argued that if you know the outcome of a story, it is very difficult to make audiences care about it. Well just like Apollo 13, Secretariat does what it needs to do and makes for an exciting and inspiring film. The horse racing scenes are very thrilling and will have you on edge. Not only is it one of the best sports films ever made, but one of the best films ever made period. And very well photographed and capturing the styles and music and scenery of the 70's.
A-

Next is 2011's Moneyball, the story of Oakland A's baseball general manager Billy Beane (a terrific Brad Pitt) who has to put together a winning team with a budget through computer analysis and statistics in 2001. The team loses it's top three players because they can no longer afford them and now must put together a team that will somehow be just as successful. When Beane goes to make some trades he ends up recruiting Yale grad Peter Brand (a solid Jonah Hill, who shows he can do more than comedy roles) to use Brand's knowledge of using stats and numbers to fill the roster with players other teams passed on for one reason or another. Basically a team of misfits are cobbled together, but this is not Major League. This is a stirring drama that doesn't pull any punches. Beane gets resistance from his whole staff including the head coach (the always wonderful Philip Seymour Hoffman). And things don't start off so good for the team as they struggle immediately. But once Beane makes some changes, the team responds with a major league record setting 20 wins in a row. And this system starts making news. While there are several thrilling scenes of baseball action, this film is more about the men and the love they have for the game. Like I said Brad Pitt dominates and gives what I think is his best performance ever. That I have seen of his that is. Backed by a great supporting cast, Moneyball is a winner.
B+

Now Showing...Lauren Bacall in THE BIG SLEEP

2012-01-15T18:05:00.001-05:00

Classic film noir with Bogart as Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe, who is hired by General Sternwood (Waldron) to deal with several problems involving his family. Mainly blackmail toward the younger daughter Carmen (a terrific Martha Vickers). But this is just the beginning as Marlowe is dragged deeper and deeper into a sordid world of criminals and murder. Along the way Marlowe finds himself falling for the eldest daughter Vivian (played by Lauren Bacall). The Big Sleep is a very complicated movie that is still very entertaining. Featuring crisp dialogue and crackerjack performances. Bogart is cool as Marlowe in what I think is his best role. Bacall exudes enough sex appeal for 100 women. Vickers is delightfully seductive and droll in her child-like performance. And Dorothy Malone shines in her brief scene as a shapely bookstore clerk who flirts with Marlowe. An outstanding film and one of my all time favorites

Film: A+
Lauren's performance: A

My love for classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

Be My Guest - Emily (Part 3)

2012-01-15T17:22:00.001-05:00

Another week and another sit down with Emily, my guest for the month. Let's get started shall we:

Me: What are some of your favorite film quotes?

Emily: “If I had her money I’d be richer than she is.”
-Breakfast At Tiffany’s

“There’s a name for you, ladies, but it isn’t used in high society…outside of a kennel!”
-The Women

“He’s still David Larrabee and you’re still the chauffer’s daughter. And you’re still reaching for the moon.

“No, father. The moon is reaching for me.”
-Sabrina

Me: I always use that quote from the Women. Well not to people but when I write about the film.

Me: What classic films have you yet to see for one reason or another?

Emily: “Casablanca”. One of the most iconic and loved film ever made. Number two on the AFI list. I have no interest. Don’t know why, especially since I like both actors. Don’t think I’ll ever see it.

Me: I saw it for the first time when I was 22, when I was stationed in Germany. Good film.

Me: What is your favorite genre?

Emily: I like musicals, anything with tap dancing. I love romantic comedies because I want to see the costumes and I have more favorite women on the screen than men. Not a fan really of film noir or action/war films but I’ll watch them. Dramas are a favorite too. It is rare that I will see an oldie film and not like it.

Me: I love musicals too. If you like tap dancing then you have to love Eleanor Powell. She was amazing.

Ok, so this will end part 3 of my interview with Emily. Be back next week with our final chat with Emily. In the meantime, be sure to check our her wonderful blog at this link: the silver screen affair

Happy Birthday Kay Francis (1905 - 1968)

2012-01-13T06:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to one of the best actresses of all time..Kay Francis. She dominated the 30's with tons of great films. Let me run off a few for you: The Virtuous Sin, Raffles, Trouble in Paradise, Jewel Robbery, I Found Stella Parish, Comet Over Broadway, King of the Underworld and my fave In Name Only, co-starring Cary Grant and Carole Lombard. Happy Birthday Kay!

TCM spotlights some of the 60's best sex comedies on Friday, January 13th

2012-01-12T18:55:00.000-05:00

Just a quick little mention as I am fighting off this cold that came out of nowhere, that TCM will be airing some of the best sex comedies of the 60's. You know the type of movies that were cranked out on regular basis during this time period as times and attitudes were changing. Men and women in relationships, are lack thereof and trying to understand each other always led to hilarious results. And while they are known as sex comedies, they are in fact pretty mild. I mean the women dress sexy, and the men drop some crass remarks every now and then, but it's pretty mild. Nothing too risque or offensive. Nothing on the level of say modern films like The Hangover. On the docket will be The Apartment (1960) with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine; Any Wednesday (1966) with Jane Fonda and Jason Robards; Sunday in New York (1963) Jane again this time with Rod Taylor and Cliff Robertson; Boys' Night Out (1962) with James Garner, Kim Novak and Tony Randall; and finally Bachelor in Paradise (1961) with Bob Hope still swingin', this time with Lana Turner. I can recommend all except for Bachelor in Paradise which I haven't seen. I was surprised Sex and the Single Girl with Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis or Under The Yum-Yum Tree (1963) with Jack Lemmon and Carol Lynley didn't make the schedule. But regardless, Friday seems like a great day for movie watching. Especially if you like the 1960's and comedies. Starting at 7am EST and running through 5:30 pm.

Rod and Jane enjoying a nice relaxing Sunday afteroon..

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Lauren Bacall

2012-01-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

How's this for a majestic photo...Lauren at the beach with a Naval cadet and his dog

Things to know about Lauren Bacall

2012-01-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

Just some facts and trivia about Miss Bacall, my classic movie goddess for the month.

Beautiful Lauren

Date of birth: September 16, 1924 (New York City, USA...same as Bogie)

Nickname: The Look

2nd husband was actor Jason Robards. They were married from 1961-1969 and their union
produced one child. Her first husband, Humphrey Bogart, and they were married from 1945-1957 until his death. They had two children.

Ranked #20 in the AFI's top 25 Actress Legends.

Was crowned "Miss Greenwich Village" in 1942.

Lauren doing "The Look"

Used her mother's maiden name of Bacal, but added an extra "L" when she entered the cinema.

Still undiscovered, Bacall volunteered as a hostess at the New York chapter of the Stage Door Canteen, working Monday nights when theaters were closed.

Having lost her job as a showroom model and quit acting school for lack of funds, the teenage Bacall found work as a Broadway theater usher. George Jean Nathan voted her the prettiest usher of the 1942 season in the pages of "Esquire".

An only child.

Is half Romanian

She was 17 when she met and became a close friend of Gregory Peck. She was an usherette at the time. They remained close until his death.

Looking stunning with close friend Gregory Peck

Son Stephen Bogart was born on January 6, 1949. He was named after father Humphrey Bogart's character from To Have and Have Not (1944).

Daughter Leslie Bogart was born on August 23, 1952. She was named after actor Leslie Howard, who helped Humphrey Bogart get his breakthrough role in the play, The Petrified Forest (1936).

Has won two Tony Awards as Best Actress (Musical): in 1970, for her role as Margo Channing in "Applause", a musical based on the movie, All About Eve (1950); and in 1981, for "Woman of the Year," also based on a movie of the same name, Woman of the Year (1942). Her Tony for "Applause" was presented by Walter Matthau.

Lauren striking a pose

These facts and trivia provided by IMDB

Classic Stars Match Play #14 - Bogie vs Cagney...this could get messy

2012-01-10T12:33:00.000-05:00

A pair of tough guys look to mix it up for the next match play: Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. Should be explosive. Both men have a lot in common. Both were born in December in 1899. Both hail from New York. Both have 3 Oscar nominations and 1 win each. Both made a career out of playing tough guys. And both share the same match play record of 2-1. The match begins immediately and runs thru Sunday 5 pm est. Good luck to both gentlemen.

HUMPHREY BOGART

Bogie means business

Name: Humphrey DeForest Bogart
Birth Date: December 25, 1899 (New York City, USA)
Height: 5' 8"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: The African Queen - 1951)
Monties: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: To Have And Have Not - 1944)
My favorite Bogart film: The Big Sleep (1946)
Match Play record: 2-1 (beat Gene Kelly and Henry Fonda before losing to Jimmy Stewart in the
40's era of the favorite classic actor tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

JAMES CAGNEY

As does Cagney...

Name: James Francis Cagney
Birth date: July 17, 1899 (New York City, USA)
Height: 5' 6 1/2"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: Yankee Doodle Dandy - 1942)
Monties: 2 nominations, 0 wins so far (Angels with Dirty Faces-1938 and Yankee Doodle Dandy-1942)
My favorite Cagney film: White Heat
Match Play record: 2-1 (beat Rudolph Valentino and Fred Astaire before losing to Clark Gable in the 30's era of the favorite classic actor tournament)