Eight Couples move on to Round 3

Here are the four matches that will begin on Sunday with the 8 couples that are remaining in the Favorite Classic Couple Tourney. All Good Things will host the Elaine Marriott and Erenia Russo brackets while Desiree will host the Josie Miller and Catherine Bellamy brackets on her blog, Rosalind Russell. The matches will run through Thursday evening. You will notice that three of the four matches feature match ups between the number 1 and 2 seeds. The underdog couple Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery, ranked 6th, are defying the odds and look to continue their upset streak.

THE ELAINE MARRIOTT BRACKET

1 FRED ASTAIRE AND GINGER ROGERS

VS

2 ERROL FLYNN AND OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

***************

THE ERENIA RUSSO BRACKET

1 HUMPHREY BOGART AND LAUREN BACALL

VS

2 CARY GRANT AND IRENE DUNNE

**************

THE JOSIE MILLER BRACKET

1 WILLIAM POWELL AND MYRNA LOY

VS

6 ROSALIND RUSSELL AND ROBERT MONTGOMERY

**************

THE CATHERINE BELLAMY BRACKET

1 SPENCER TRACY AND KATHARINE HEPBURN

VS

2 NELSON EDDY AND JEANETTE MACDONALD

The Favorite Classic Screen Couples Tourney is now underway...

I have started half of the favorite classic actress tourney with 8 matches on my blog here. Desiree will have her 8 matches up later on this morning as she lives in California and there is a big time difference as I live in Georgia. But rest assured every match will get the equal amount of time as the matches are set to run through Thursday evening. You can vote on the polls on the right sidebar, one vote per match. Here is the link to go vote on Desiree's page once she has her matches going as well...http://www.rozrussell.com/

Good luck to all the couples who are competing as this will be a fun month! I will post updates daily to let everyone know how the matches are going.

All Good Things 2012 Classic Stars Of The Year

Welcome back everyone to my 2nd annual Classic Stars of the Year list as chosen by All Good Things. These are the stars that made the most noise on my blog. That I wrote and talked about the most or who won the most tournaments or polls. In general the best of the best. I based it on Entertainment Weekly's yearly Entertainers of the Year list. So there will be 12 distinguished actors and actresses who made the cut (1 for each month) and I will begin with number 12 and work my way down to number one. 

Hitch lands at no 12.

12.) ALFRED HITCHCOCK - The director was prominent this year with two films, The Girl and Hitchcock. I have seen The Girl and thought it was interesting enough. Can't wait to see Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins in the title role. I posted about Hitch a few times this year and had a tourney spotlighting the leading ladies of his films.

The urbane Claude

11.) CLAUDE RAINS - The incomparable Rains made some noise on All Good Things with his entrance into my Hall of Fame, one of twelve stars/directors chosen this year. He is also coming off his second Montie (my version of the Oscars) for Best Supporting actor in Casablanca.

The lovely Rita in one of her many summer pics

here on All Good Things

10.) RITA HAYWORTH - Ahhhhh, Rita. She was one of my classic movie goddesses for the year and she also made the most appearances in my at the beach photo series. Stunningly beautiful.

The dashing Flynn

9.) ERROL FLYNN - Another Hall of Fame inductee and much posting on my FB page to drive most women into a frenzy, specifically Classic Becky.

The definition of Classic Star Glamour, courtesy 

of Jean Arthur

8.) JEAN ARTHUR - Jean was another of my goddesses for the year and she also became a Hall of Famer. Plus I think she made a number of random postings thru the year here.

Good to see ya Carole...

7.) CAROLE LOMBARD - Pretty much, Carole will be on this list every year. No question about it. She is my favorite actress of all time and I post something about her at least once a month. I have posted about her 74 times since I started this blog in 2009. The most of any actress.

Hiya Cary!

6.) CARY GRANT - Same thing goes for Cary, as he is my favorite actor of all time. I have posted about Cary 81 times since 2009, the most of anybody here on All Good Things. And he is currently represented quite well with 8 films in my favorite screwball film tourney.

Irene knows how to make an entrance doesn't she

5.) IRENE DUNNE - The 2011 winner for Favorite Classic Film Actress didn't compete in this year's tourney but she still made some noise with regular postings and showing up with three films in the screwball film tourney.

Powell and Loy as Nick and Nora Charles

4.) WILLIAM POWELL & MYRNA LOY- Frequent film co-stars Bill and Myrna walked in together for the Hall of Fame. Her film, The Best Years of Our Lives picked up a slew of Monties. And she was just an all around good gal to hang out with here. They both had several films competing in this year's screwball film tourney

Marilyn

3.) MARILYN MONROE - It's Monroe. Pretty much says it all right there. Tons of pics and postings on here and my FB and Tumblr pages.

Grace, winner for Favorite Leading Lady

in a Hitchcock Film

2.) GRACE KELLY - After being a bridesmaid two years in a row in my Favorite Classic Film Actress tourney, Grace finally won a tourney. Wasn't for that, but for Favorite Leading Lady in an Alfred Hitchcock film. Plus, I continued to post about her with my weekly series, If It's Tuesday, Then It Must Be Grace Kelly.

Congrats Ginger!

1.) GINGER ROGERS - Looking like a repeat of 2011 as the favorite classic film actress tourney winner would claim top classic star of 2012. This year it's Ginger Rogers, who had a dominating run in the tourney for her eventual win as favorite actress here on All Good Things. Congrats Ginger! You are the top Classic Star of the Year!

Here's to another great year in 2013.

My love of classic films is beyond measure

Monty

Lombard Cup Final Matches

This week of the final six matches is really just perfunctory as Team Classic has already wrapped up the cup with a thorough beat down of Team Modern. But it will be interesting to see if Team Modern can snag a few more victories this final week. They have only won one match..that was when Harrison Ford edged out James Cagney in the first week of Lombard Cup play. And Team Modern do have a few heavyweights left so it should be interesting. The matches begin today and will run through Wednesday night. Thanks to all those who voted and hope you guys return next month for my screwball tourney. Here are the matches:

MATCH 16:
PAUL NEWMAN vs MICHAEL DOUGLAS
The much loved Paul Newman takes on Kirk's eldest son, Michael in a match that
Paul will probably win. Although Michael Douglas is one of my favorite modern
actors.

MATCH 17: 
ERROL FLYNN vs TOM HANKS
Swashbuckling Flynn vs everyman Hanks. I know Flynn has quite the fan base here
in classic blog land but Hanks is also much loved too. This one could  go either way.

MATCH 18:
JAMES STEWART vs JACK NICHOLSON
Awww shucks Jimmy takes on mad dog Jack. Man, this should be a really good match.
I would not be surprised if this ends up a tie.

MATCH 19:
CHARLIE CHAPLIN vs MORGAN FREEMAN
The legendary Chaplin will probably defeat Morgan Freeman but I don't blink it
will be a blow-out.

MATCH 20:
MARLON BRANDO vs DENZEL WASHINGTON
If there is one match where I think Team Modern could get a victory, it has to be this
one. No disrespect to Brando but I think Denzel can win this. But we'll see.

MATCH 21:
MONTGOMERY CLIFT vs ROBERT DUVALL
And finally Monty battles Robert in the anchor match which should be another interesting
one. I'm going with Duvall in this one.

So those are the matches and my thoughts on them as well. I want to thank everyone
for making this a great success. And The Lombard Cup will return next year with the
ladies.

Lombard Cup mini posters

Here are a few mini-posters for my upcoming Lombard Cup event. Nothing too fancy, just an actor from a certain era with the dates.

Hall Of Fame Inductees for October: Jean Arthur and Errol Flynn

Another month means two more inductees for my Hall of Fame.This month it is Jean Arthur and Errol Flynn. Both get in thanks to their Montie wins. Both from the same year of 1938. Jean won as Best Actress for You Can't Take It With You, a marvelous performance by the way. And Errol won Best Actor as the dashing Robin Hood. Give a warm welcome to Jean and Errol for being inducted in All Good Things Hall Of Fame.

Both Jean and Errol are dressed very nicely for their induction!

The FALL SERIES: Errol Flynn

Errol looking dapper as can be..for you Becky!

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 3 - ERROL FLYNN

A little swashbuckling for the day and who better than Errol Flynn. Whether firing arrows or clashing swords, Errol is your man. 


Favorite Errol film: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
Favorite Errol role: Robin Hood
Favorite Errol co-star: a no-brainer here..OLIVIA de HAVILLAND
Number of Errol films seen so far: 17 out of 63

Star of the day, Errol Flynn

Today's film: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) - I was gonna go with another Errol film of somewhat lesser known variety but I just bought Robin Hood on blu-ray and wanted to see how it looks compared to DVD. And yes it looks amazing! I mean Robin Hood was already a gorgeous looking film in beautiful Technicolor and Blu-ray enhances it even more. Sounds and looks terrific. One of my favorite films of all time. Flynn and de Havilland are pure gold together. And Rathbone and Rains make terrific villains. 

The ever so thoughtful guest..Robin brings something to the feast

My favorite scene: has to be when Robin shows up at Nottingham Castle to have a little chat with Prince John (Rains) and Sir Guy (Rathbone) that begins friendly enough...but ends with Robin having to brawl his way out. Exhilarating stuff!

Oh and quite the charmer with the ladies too!

Rating: ***** out of *****
That's right...Robin Hood is a five star gem!

Whoops! Time to go!

The battle between Carole Lombard and Joan Crawford is underway

Some of the sweet 16 round matches have begun and the headliner for me is my girl Carole vs Joan Crawford. The epic battle is taking place over at my good friend John's blog, Mythical Monkey. Please go cast your vote as soon as possible. And looks like the stars are coming out to support their girls. Here's the link: mythicalmonkey

Carole is flanked by Marlene Dietrich, Lilli Damita and Errol Flynn who are in her corner

And good friend Barbara Stanwyck is there to support Joan,

which is tremendous considering the two just battled each other

in a tough match between friends.

All Good Things 2011 Classic Stars Of The Year

Welcome to the first annual Classic Stars of the Year list as chosen by All Good Things. These are the stars that made the most noise on my blog. That I wrote and talked about the most or who won the most tournaments or polls. In general the best of the best. I based it on Entertainment Weekly's yearly Entertainers of the Year list. So there will be 12 distinguished actors and actresses who made the cut (1 for each month) and I will begin with number 12 and work my way down to number one.

Virginia and Jimmy Cagney in the classic film WHITE HEAT (1949)

12.) VIRGINIA MAYO - The stylish actress makes it onto the list thanks to her recent birthday and my mini-marathon of watching several of her movies which aired on TCM. Virginia was one of the first of my classic movie goddesses I did when I started my blog two years ago. She has surged to my favorite actress list and resides at number 20. A very talented actress who deserved a lot more praise and attention. Well Virginia you have some attention now as you are one of the top classic stars on All Good Things.

Burt showing off his Rose Tattoo

11.) BURT LANCASTER - Started doing some short reviews recently and Burt was quite a frequent topic with such films as From Here To Eternity, Seven Days In May and Elmer Gantry. Burt is one of my fave actors and never gave a bad performance. Well in my opinion anyway.

Shirley looking so beautiful

10.) SHIRLEY JONES - Shirley was a recent classic movie goddess and she was the reason I changed my format a little showcasing my goddesses. And it appears you guys like the new format so I think I shall stay with it. Thank Shirley for that.

The one and only Grace Kelly

9.) GRACE KELLY - I do a weekly feature about Grace called If's It Tuesday, Then It Must Be Grace Kelly. I have no other recurring series featuring a sole star..not even Cary Grant or Carole Lombard. So that says a lot about Grace doesn't it. Also did a recent post comparing a modern actress to her in my From the Past to Now series. Yes, I do love Grace Kelly. Not to mention the fact her film Rear Window won my favorite Hitchcock film tournament.

The English Rose, Deborah Kerr

8.) DEBORAH KERR - One of my best classic movie goddess features yet as I had an awesome time writing about Deborah last month. Such an amazing actress and I just love gushing about her. Expect her to appear quite a bit here on All Good Things.

One of the frequent beach pics that put Joan on this list

7.) JOAN BLONDELL - Take one guess who was the star that I posted about the most during my At The Beach photo series over the summer...none other than Joan Blondell. Not Marilyn, not Rita Hayworth, not Ava Gardner..but Joan. A funny, beautiful and super talented classic star like no other.

Even dirty, Errol is all smiles

6.) ERROL FLYNN - The dashing Flynn was a hot topic here and at the blog I co-write with Irene Palfy, Let The Show Begin. In fact he was the first star on that maiden blog when we launched it last month. And Mr. Flynn has since rocketed up my favorite actor list to now settle in the top ten.

Joan posing a little

5.) JOAN CRAWFORD - Why hello Joan Crawford. Joan has been racking up Monties this year (2 so far, and a possible third on the way...1945 is on deck..Mildred Pierce anyone). I even wrote a post about her rubbing that fact in to her rival Bette Davis. All in good fun though. And thanks to my friend Jessica Rowe on FB, I have become a much bigger Joan fan than ever before.

LIZ

 4.) ELIZABETH TAYLOR - When the divine Liz passed way earlier this year, the whole world felt the loss. She was one of a kind. She is a frequent topic here on All Good Things. And that won't end anytime soon.

Carole looking so beautiful!

 3.) CAROLE LOMBARD - My all time favorite actress ever! Hands down! I love Carole Lombard. I can watch her films all day long. And I can definitely talk about her all day long too. I was so proud of her run in the favorite actress tournament and now that she is winning big in my recent poll. Just overjoyed. I tend to post random pics about Carole for absolutely no reason..just because it's Carole!

Cary getting ready yet again for another honor

 2.) CARY GRANT - And my all time favorite actor..none other than Cary Grant. Winner of 3 Monties this year, winner of Favorite Actor in All Good Things Tournament this year, and the ost written about star here on this blog with 54 entries. Wow! Cary is the man!

Congratulations Irene! On a terrific year!

1.) IRENE DUNNE - There really could be only choice as to the Classic Star of the Year here on All Good Things. Irene Dunne. Like Cary, she dominated in the tournament for actresses, even knocking off my girl Carole. Won a Montie for The Awful Truth. And is the most frequent actress I have blogged about with 36 entries. I place Irene ahead of Cary because she had a lot more competition to deal with. Cary kind of walked his way through his tourney and was the top choice. Irene had to work her way up the chain and take on such heavyweights like Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, Grace Kelly and Vivien Leigh. And came out on top. So congratulations Irene, you are the Classic Star Of The Year!

Here's to another great year in 2012!

DODGE CITY (1939) is one terrific western

I originally wrote this review for Classic Movie Blog Association's Classic Films of 1939 Blogathon. Well I also used it recently for my friend Irene on our newly created blog Let The Show Begin. After doing that somehow I accidentally erased my post here on All Good Things. So here is back in it's original glory....

This rousing western stars Errol Flynn as ex-soldier, now cattle driver Wade Hatton. Yes, Errol Flynn..he of the swashbuckling films like Robin Hood, Captain Blood, and The Sea Hawk. And before you can say it won't work, Flynn is awesome from the get go. He is perfectly at home in a western with a six gun as he would be in Sherwood Forest flinging arrows. The story has him delivering some cattle to the wild and dangerous town of Dodge City. Along the way he also guides a wagon train through the treacherous countryside. That's where he meets Abbie Irving (played by the lovely De Havilland) and her troublesome brother. Well when her drunk brother causes a stampede and shoots at Wade, Wade shoots back and injures the kid. After that unfortunate incident Abbie has no use for wade. Finally when the wagon train arrives in Dodge City, Wade encounters the local bad guy..Jeff Surrett (played to the evil hilt by Bruce Cabot) who has a habit of killing men who he buys cattle off of and keeping the money for himself. Well Wade reluctantly agrees to become town sheriff after he sees a tragic accident and becomes Surrett's worst enemy. Eventually Abbie comes around and starts liking him too.

Dodge City is a super western, staged with impressive action scenes including a wild saloon bar fight that leaves the place in shambles. The color is extraordinary and the music score is heavenly. Errol Flynn is perfectly cast as Wade as he shows that he won't take any guff from anyone. Olivia is just amazing. Every time I hear her voice, I fall in love with her. She has the most wonderful accent you will ever hear. Also Ann Sheridan, the Oommph Girl is on hand as a saloon singer who gets to belt out a couple of energetic numbers. Plus the banter between Errol and Olivia only solidifies why they were one of the best on screen couples ever. Dodge City is one of the best westerns ever to come out of Old Hollywood and I highly recommend it. 
A+