Be My Guest: Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

Due to the Classic Actress tourney in March, there was no guest done during that time. So this month we get two fabulous guests. Valarie Joyce already dropped by and had a crazy good time. Now comes Ivan G, who I think everybody will just love. Take it away Ivan.

1. What made you start blogging? 

There are two responsible for inspiring Thrilling Days of Yesteryear—the first was an online friend of mine of many years who asked me one day when I was planning to start a blog.  “As soon as I find out what you’re talking about,” I told her.

But the biggest influence on the blog was the political snark site World O’Crap, who featured a reference to an old-time radio soap called Aunt Jenny’s Real Life Stories in one of their posts.  Since I knew a little bit about the subject, I kind of filled in a detail or two on Aunt Jenny’s history and frequented WO’C quite often until one day I said: “How hard could this be?”  As it turns out, it wasn’t easy because my first blog, Weapons of Mass Detraction, was around for a week or two before I vaporized it…I just wasn’t that good at being snarky about politics.  But I did know a bit about OTR, and so I started TDOY in November of 2003.  It focused a good deal on that for a while but gradually morphed into a classic film and television blog.

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

Among the male stars, I like Bogie, Cagney, Eddie G., John Garfield, Roberts Mitchum and Ryan, Charles McGraw, Boris Karloff, Joel McCrea, Orson Welles…and many of the great comedians like Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, the Marxes, the Stooges, W.C. Fields, etc.  On the distaff side: Jean Arthur, Ingrid Bergman, Gloria Grahame, Judy Holliday, Celeste Holm, Mercedes McCambridge, Agnes Moorehead, Maureen O’Hara, Maureen O’Sullivan, Marie Windsor, Lee Remick, Claire Trevor, Thelma Todd, Jan Sterling.  That should do for starters.

3. What are some of your favorite films?

Casablanca is probably my favorite film—but I really have a megaton of movies that I love to revisit over and over again.  Winchester ’73, Touch of Evil, The Glass Key, North by Northwest, To Be or Not to Be, 3:10 to Yuma, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, All About Eve, Bad Day at Black Rock, Born Yesterday, Call Northside 777, Citizen Kane,City Lights, Curse of the Demon (Night of the Demon), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying the Love the Bomb, Duck Soup, Force of Evil, Foreign Correspondent, Freaks, Gun Crazy, High Noon, His Girl Friday, His Kind of Woman, Horse Feathers, I Walked with a Zombie, In a Lonely Place, In Cold Blood, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It’s a Wonderful Life, Johnny Guitar, King Kong, Kiss Me Deadly, Man on the Flying Trapeze, Medium Cool, Miracle on 34th Street, Modern Times, Monsieur Verdoux, Murder My Sweet, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, A Night at the Opera, Nightmare Alley, Out of the Past, Pandora’s Box, Paths of Glory, Petulia,Quatermass and the Pit, Rear Window, Ride the High Country, Road to Utopia, Sailor Beware, Safety Last!, Salt of the Earth, Seconds, Shadow of a Doubt, Sherlock Jr.,Shock Corridor, Singin’ in the Rain, Some Like it Hot, Sons of the Desert, Stalag 17, Stars in My Crown, Strangers on a Train, Sullivan’s Travels, Sunrise, Sunset Blvd.,Sweet Smell of Success, Targets, The Breaking Point, The Court Jester, The Freshman, The General, The Grapes of Wrath, The Gunfighter, The Kid Brother, The Killing,The Lady From Shanghai, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Maltese Falcon, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, The Ox-Bow Incident, The Pawnbroker, The Searchers, The Set-Up, The Swimmer, The Talk of the Town, The Third Man, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Wizard of Oz, Thieves’ Highway, Way Out West.  (Just the tip of the iceberg, I should add.)

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

Probably my earliest exposure to classic films had to do with all the cartoons I watched as a kid—though at the time, I wasn’t aware that these shorts had originally appeared in theaters and were made for audiences of all ages.  I also watched a lot of the two-reel comedies like Our Gang and Laurel & Hardy…with a specific emphasis on a lot of the Columbia product.  Columbia had a reputation for hiring either people who were on their way up or on their way down—I saw a lot of the comedies with Buster Keaton, Charley Chase and Harry Langdon as a little sprat.  These movies are hardly these gentlemen’s best work…but it encouraged me to seek out more and more of their movies.

I was thirteen years old when our public library sponsored a showing of King Kong—an event that some 300 people turned out for (in a town that numbered about 4,000).  It made a tremendous impression on me (it’s still one of my all-time faves) and I think that and showings of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (which the library showed chapter-by-chapter every week) kind of put the ring on my finger as far as classic movies went.

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

I know quite a few movies that haven’t aged well since the first time I saw them…but I’m kind of stymied as to whether there’s every been a situation in reverse.  The only movie I can think of—and whether or not it can be called a “classic” is certainly debatable—is Animal House.  I couldn’t figure out what the fuss was all about when I watched it the first time (probably late-night on cable) but on subsequent viewings I started to see why it’s a cult favorite.  (Seeing it with drunk fraternity types helps, too.)  There are probably some more movies I’ve changed my opinion on after a second or third viewing but I’m drawing a blank.

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

Ideally, it would be inside a real movie theater with an audience.  But since that opportunity doesn’t come around too often, I generally enjoy just watching them late at night by myself, with a nice snack at the ready because… (see next question)

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

In terms of friends I see every day—there aren’t many.  (I have to exclude folks from the Classic Movie Blog Association, since I interact with them mostly online.)  And my family is even worse.  My sister Kat derisively refers to my obsession as “my black-and-white.”  My mother will on occasion sit down and watch one with me—she likes the Universal horror films and the Warners gangster movies in particular.  My father avoids classic films unless John Wayne is in one or someone’s seated on a horse.  (And if it’s a movie we’ve already seen, he likes to wisecrack: “That one turned out the same as it did last time.”)

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

I always answer the 20s for a couple of reasons.  Silent filmmaking was an amazing art form.  There were so many amazing films made at that time—Sunrise, Docks of New York, Pandora’s Box, etc.  Many foreign directors were making some of their finest works at the time, too: Lang, Murnau, Pabst.  It was also the time when the great movie comedians were at the peak of their powers: Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, etc.

9. What are some of your favorite film quotes?

"...if I always knew what I meant, I'd be a genius..." – Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell), Murder My Sweet (1944)

"I'm just tryin' to get along without shovin' anybody, that's all..." – Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

“I’ll see ya all of a sudden, Sam…” – Dan Milner (Robert Mitchum), His Kind of Woman (1951)

“In the world of advertising there’s no such thing as a lie—there’s only expedient exaggeration…” – Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), North by Northwest (1959)

“I’d horsewhip you if I had a horse…” – Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx), Horse Feathers (1932)

“Drown in a vat of whisky…death, where is thy sting…?” – The Great Man (W.C. Fields), Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)

“Ice cream, Mandrake?  Children’s ice cream?” – General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying the Love the Bomb (1964)

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

Jill at Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence asked this on Twitter sometime back.  I don’t think I’ve ever sat through a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie in its entirety.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for their terpsichorean talents, but they’re just not my particular cup of Earl Grey.

Other films I’ve not made appointments to see: Mutiny on the Bounty (both 1935 and 1962), Wuthering Heights (1939), Fantasia (1940), Watch on the Rhine (1943), The Constant Nymph (1943), Since You Went Away (1944), The Red Shoes (1948), A Letter to Three Wives (1949), The Ten Commandments (1956), The Diary of Anne Frank(1959).  There are also a number of foreign film classics I’ve not yet watched—but I’ll refrain from listing all of those.

11. What is your favorite genre?

I really enjoy getting my classic movie groove on with a good film noir flick…but it seems a shame to limit it to just one since I also enjoy horror movies, westerns, screwball comedies, etc.

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

Well, to be honest—I’m not much of a partygoer; I prefer more intimate settings where I can have conversations with one, two or maybe three people.  But I’d love to throw a dinner party in the mold of The Thin Man at some point in my life: all the guests would be gathered because they’re suspects in a murder, and as they dine on splendid cuisine and drink the finest wines I’ll eventually finger one of them as the guilty culprit.

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

Gone with the Wind would be at the top of the list.  I saw it once and honest to my grandma, I don’t get the love for the movie.  I’m also not particularly wild about The Philadelphia Story or The Best Years of Our Lives.  The More the Merrier and The Lady Eve are two screwball comedies that have their fans but I’ve never cottoned to them.  And don’t get me started on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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

If we were to define a fanatic as someone who genuinely loves movies—and not in a film critic sense or scholar or anything like that—it would probably be Laura G. at Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings.  She just really seems to have an unabashed affection for all things cinematic, and rarely has anything bad to say about any film.  If we’re talking about a fanatic as a person who has movies on the brain 24-7-365…well, then that’s Stacia at She Blogged by Night.  (She’s been seeking help for this, by the way.)

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

Just about anyone W.C. Fields or Groucho Marx played in films—I love the anti-authoritarian bent of Groucho’s characters, and the fact that the Fields on film was able to get away with so many vices that are frowned upon in polite society: drinking, gambling, etc.  I also like most of Bogart’s anti-heroes, like Rick Blaine in Casablanca…and yet his villains are a lot of fun, too (Fred C. Dobbs, Captain Queeg, etc.).

Thanks to Ivan for being my guest this month with some wonderful responses and now we all know Ivan just a little bit more.

THE ELITE EIGHT

From the sweet sixteen round we are now at the elite eight. These upcoming four matches will decide who makes the final four. The eight women vying for the crown of 2013 favorite classic movie actress are:


1 BARBARA STANWYCK VS 1 CAROLE LOMBARD

Both women are number 1 seeds from their respective categories...Babs from 
Pre-Code Babes and Carole from Funny Ladies 

1 BETTE DAVIS VS 1 RITA HAYWORTH

Bette is top seed from Drama Queens and Rita is top seed from Sophisticates


2 DORIS DAY VS 2 AVA GARDNER

Doris is the second seed from Singer/Dancers while Ava is second seed from
Drama Queens


7 SHIRLEY JONES VS 7 DIANA RIGG

And finally two seven seeds are still hanging around, Shirley representing 
Song and Dance while Diana represents British Invasion. The last time a
seed this low was still around was when Irene Dunne, who was seeded 10th
in the original tourney went all the way and won the whole thing. So there's
a chance one of these women can make some magic again.

Matches begin today..

The 30's era championship match is set: Barbara Stanwyck vs Carole Lombard

It has come down to the final two actresses in the 30's era bracket, Barbara Stanwyck and Carole Lombard, to decide who will earn a spot in the final four for favorite classic movie actress of 2013. Stanwyck throttled Greta Garbo by the score of 46-14 while Lombard overcame a shaky start to defeat Joan Blondell 39-20. It sets up a dream match-up between the top seeds of their respective categories. Stany represented Pre-Code Babes while Lombard was the top seed of the Funny Ladies category. The match will begin Sunday morning and run through Wednesday evening. 
The other era's matches are winding down and I'll post their final scores once they are completed. Here are some stats for both actresses:

BARBARA STANWYCK
Tourney Record (7-2)
2013 wins so far: 
defeated Greta Garbo 46-14
defeated Norma Shearer 72-9 (biggest margin of victory)
defeated Claudette Colbert 47-25
defeated Miriam Hopkins 43-7 (Hopkins was disqualified due to poll tampering)

Babs has never made it past round 2 in the tourney and she is making
 a most impressive run now! Last year Babs got knocked out in the second round
by Joan Crawford in one of the most thrilling matches in tourney history. The year
before that she lost to Irene Dunne in the second round. So for this year she has
already has more wins than in her first two tourney appearances combined.



VS


CAROLE LOMBARD
Tourney Record (12-3)
2013 wins so far:
defeated Joan Blondell 39-20
defeated Myrna Loy 61-21
defeated Jean Harlow 50-31
defeated Margaret Dumont 58-7 (biggest margin of victory)

With today's win, Carole now has tied Natalie Wood for second place in tourney history with 12 wins. This is the third straight 30's era final match Carole has been involved in. She lost 
both previous times to Irene Dunne and Ginger Rogers, eventual tourney champions.
Is the third time gonna be the charm for Carole? We shall soon find out.

Barbara Stanwyck and Carole Lombard are set to collide in the 30's era final match

Both ladies are definitely dressed spectacularly for their upcoming match

Barbara Stanwyck and Carole Lombard have sizeable leads in their respective matches and if they hold on to win, would set up a dream match for us classic movie fans. I mean that match could be viewed good enough as the final match to see who gets the crown for favorite classic movie actress of 2013. But it will decide who earns a spot in the final four. It will be the first time the two women have faced each other in tourney or match play. I for one can't wait. It should be a heck of a match as both actresses have huge fanbases. I figure Stany to have a slight edge has she has been rolling through the 30's era bracket, crushing the likes of Claudette Colbert and now Greta Garbo. Carole Lombard has been doing good too, especially with dominating wins over Jean Harlow and Myrna Loy. So this sets up for a fantastic match featuring two elite actresses. The match will begin Sunday morning and run through Wednesday evening. The other eras will start on the same day as well. I will post final numbers tomorrow.

Barbara, Bette and Audrey continue to dominate this year's tourney with round 3 day one numbers..

Here are the latest numbers after day 1 of the third round of the favorite classic movie actress tourney. And three actresses in particular are flexing their muscles with another dominating round...Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn.

Stany is about to deliver a knock-out to Norma Shearer

THE 30'S ERA

Greta Garbo leads Lillian Gish 40-23
Barbara Stanwyck leads Norma Shearer 58-6
Joan Blondell leads Eleanor Powell 44-19
Carole Lombard leads Myrna Loy 44-20

All the actresses who are winning in this era have comfortable leads especially Barbara Stanwyck who is laying waste to Norma Shearer by the count of 58-6. Babs has been dominating from round 1 and is proving to be one force no one can handle. Joan Blondell is continuing her impressive tourney run, but this round her match is much closer than her previous match. Still she is up by 25 votes. Last round she crushed Ruby Keeler by a winning margin of 70 votes. Greta Garbo has a nice lead of 17 votes over Lillian Gish and my girl Carole leads Myrna Loy by the score of 44-20

Bette looking quite content

THE 40'S ERA

Bette Davis leads Vivien Leigh 24-10
Judy Garland and Teresa Wright are tied at 17-17
Rita Hayworth leads Loretta Young 26-7
Gene Tierney leads Lauren Bacall 25-9

Bette Davis is up big on Vivien Leigh which is kind of surprising. I thought this would be a much closer contest. Overall 40's top seed Judy Garland is getting all she can handle from upstart Teresa Wright, as they are tied at 17 apiece. Rita Hayworth leads Loretta Young by a 19 vote edge. And Gene Tierney is dominating Lauren Bacall. What's surprising about this match is that Bacall was leading 9-5 this morning before I left for work. That means Gene has scored 20 straight votes in her favor. That is very impressive.

Audrey appears to waiting by the phone for the latest numbers

THE 50'S ERA

Audrey Hepburn 33 to Deborah Kerr 20

Grace Kelly 28 to Marilyn Monroe 25

Ava Gardner 46 to Eleanor Parker 7

Doris Day 36 to Jane Russell 17

Audrey Hepburn continues to set a blistering pace as she leads Deborah Kerr 33-20 in a rematch from last year, which Audrey also dominated in. Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe are in a doozy of a match which has Grace clinging to a 3 vote lead. Ava Gardner is crushing Eleanor Parker by 39 votes. And Doris Day leads Jane Russell quite comfortably.

Diana is positively giddy about her round so far

THE 60'S ERA

Natalie Wood leads Shirley Jones 22-19

Anne Bancroft leads Paula Prentiss 25-17

Diana Rigg leads Julie Andrews 32-19

Catherine Deneuve leads Romy Schneider 26-16

Two-time final four finalist Natalie Wood is in a dogfight of a match with Shirley Jones and leads by only 3 votes. Natalie was actually down early in the match by many as 5 votes. Anne Bancroft has opened up a small lead on Cinderella girl Paula Prentiss. Diana Rigg is still going strong in her tourney debut with a 13 vote lead over perennial favorite Julie Andrews. And Catherine Deneuve is about to close the door on one of my final four picks, Romy Schneider.

Voting continues through Wednesday evening.

3rd Round Matches

3rd round action begins today and here are the four category final matches of the 30's era. Good luck to all the women who have made it this far.

THEY HAD FACES FINAL MATCH
1 GRETA GARBO
Tourney record (6-2)
2nd round victory over Kay Francis 44-18




VS


7 LILLIAN GISH
Tourney record (2-1)
2nd round victory over Gloria Swanson 38-33


**********************************
PRE-CODE WOMEN FINAL MATCH

1 BARBARA STANWYCK
Tourney Record (5-2)
2nd round victory over Claudette Colbert 47-25



VS


2 NORMA SHEARER
Tourney Record (3-3)
2nd round victory over Marlene Dietrich 39-32


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

SINGERS/DANCERS FINAL MATCH

4 ELEANOR POWELL
Tourney Record (2-0)
2nd round victory over Bebe Daniels 



VS


7 JOAN BLONDELL
Tourney Record (2-1)
2nd round victory over Ruby Keeler


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

FUNNY LADIES FINAL MATCH

1 CAROLE LOMBARD
Tourney Record (10-3)
2nd round victory over Jean Harlow



VS


2 MYRNA LOY 
Tourney Record (6-2)
2nd round victory over Jean Arthur



Matches will run through Wednesday evening. Should be another exciting round.

Second round matches begin now...

Here are the scheduled second round matches that begin now. Once again the first three days will be represented by two categories (They Had Faces and Pre-Code Babes). The matches will run through Wednesday evening. The second set of matches (Funny Ladies and Singers/Dancers) will begin immediately after that. There are some spectacular matches too. Including Claudette Colbert vs Barbara Stanwyck, Norma Shearer vs Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo vs Kay Francis. March Madness is now in full swing!

THEY HAD FACES

1 GRETA GARBO
Tourney record (5-2)
first round victory over Dolores Del Rio 60-32



VS



5 KAY FRANCIS
Tourney record (1-0)
first round victory over Louise Brooks 54-32


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


3 GLORIA SWANSON
Tourney record (2-1)
first round victory over Clara Bow 46-45



VS


7 LILLIAN GISH 
Tourney record (1-1)
first round victory over Mary Pickford 56-37


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

PRE-CODE BABES

1 BARBARA STANWYCK 
Tourney record 4-2
first round victory over Miriam Hopkins 43-7



VS



4 CLAUDETTE COLBERT
Tourney record (5-2)
first round victory over Joan Crawford 61-42



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

2 NORMA SHEARER
Tourney Record  (2-3)
first round victory over Glenda Farrell 51-48




VS




3 MARLENE DIETRICH
Tourney Record (3-2)
first round victory over Ann Dvorak 54-51

Barbara Stanwyck becomes an early first round winner by default

Congratulations to Barbara Stanwyck as she becomes an early first round winner. I had to disqualify her opponent Miriam Hopkins because someone hacked into Blogger and tampered with the poll. Miriam logged 44 votes in the space of 4 hours. Now she may be a fondly remembered actress but there is no way she secured that many votes in that little time. Since Babs was leading 43-7 at the last known actual point I had no choice but to disqualify Miriam just because of somebody who felt the need to manipulate the scoring. Really very sad. Anyway Babs gets an early rest as she now must wait on the winner of the Claudette Colbert/Joan Crawford match. Congrats to ya Barbara!

Babs moves on to round 2 with an early victory

Be My Guest - Kristen (Journeys In Classic Film)

My guest this month is one pretty cool blogger named Kristen. She writes the awesomely amazing blog Journeys in Classic Film. We became friends last year and share a love for classic film. Right now she has this amazing tourney going on featuring the best actresses from the classic era to the modern era. And she will be helping me next month for my annual classic movie actress tourney. I thought it was high time everyone got to meet her. Some already know her but some will be meeting her for the first time. Take it away Kristen. Oh and here's the link to Kristen's cool blog:  journeysinclassicfilm.com

1. What made you start blogging?

Kristen: My blog started out as an experiment to see if I could actually commit to keeping one (I have a lot of one and done entries on the Interwebs).  When I started I was/am working for two other sites that kept me writing about contemporary, opening-weekend movies, and I wanted a chance to write about classic movies, which I don't normally get to discuss so as I was starting to blog regularly I noticed it was shifting more towards discussing classic movies.  The rest, as they say, is history!

Me: And a great history you are now making Kristen.

2. Who are your favorite classic stars?

Kristen: Veronica Lake, first and foremost, is my blog mascot so she's top.  Other leading ladies include Lauren Bacall, Natalie Wood, Marilyn Monroe, Julie Andrews, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Ann-Margaret, and Ingrid Bergman.  As for the men, I'll be hard pressed to find a boyfriend who won't have me comparing him to William Holden and Robert Mitchum.  Also adore Cary Grant, Warren Beatty, William Powell, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Gene Kelly, and Jack Lemmon.  

Me: I reallty can't argue with none of your choices Kristen.

3. What are some of your favorite films?

Kristen: Such a lengthy list as any film blogger would say.  I'll leave it to classics only: Singin' in the Rain, Anne of the Thousand Days, Splendor in the Grass, West Side Story, Night of the Hunter, Sabrina, Bringing Up Baby, The Big Sleep, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, Bye Bye Birdie, The Thin Man, A Streetcar Named Desire, Sullivan's Travels, I Married a Witch, Xanadu (yes, I included that).

Me: Some great films you named that I also love with the exception of West Side Story and Xanadu.

4. Describe your first classic movie experience

Kristen: I did see the Disney re-releases a few times, but my seminal classic movie experiences have to be in 7th and 11th grades.  In 7th grade my history teacher showed us Anne of the Thousand Days to spotlight the Tudor dynasty.  I was the only one who loved it, and actually wrote an extra credit paper on it.  Later in high school I took a film class and watching Singin in the Rain made me realize I needed to watch more.  So both my experiences were in a classroom (how sad that film classes are hardly offered now).

Me: I saw that in 10th grade English lit...love that movie! Like you too.

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

Kristen: Casablanca first off.  After seeing that in a theater, I really appreciated how representative of classic film it truly is.  Gentleman Prefer Blondes, Jaws.

Me: All three are winners in my book.

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

Kristen: The perfect setting would be in an old movie palace that actually showed classic movies in their heyday.  We used to have an old theater like that in my town, but it closed.  

Me: Sounds marvelous

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

Kristen: My mother is probably the second biggest classic film fan, but when I recommend her movies she has a very distinct taste (she hates screwball comedies) and we don't usually like the same films.  My best friend likes some, but she's particular to romances which I'm iffy on.  

Me: Oh she doesn't like screwball comedies...man those are my favorites!

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

Kristen: The 40s

Me: Good call...The 30's are my favorites but I also love the 40's quite a bit too.

9.  What are some of your favorite film quotes?

Kristen: "I can never have children."  "We'll adopt some" - Some Like It Hot.  "I sent her as far as I could, since we don't own Scotland" -Anne of the Thousand Days. "And his whiskers are real, too!" -Miracle on 34th Street (something about the way little Natalie Wood says this line makes me smile). "Can I still come over and push you in the pool?" -Sullivan's Travels.  "But with a little sex in it" -Sullivan's Travels "Isn't it better for a girl to be preoccupied with sex instead of occupied?" -The Moon is Blue 

Me: Great quote from The Moon is Blue

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

Kristen: Citizen Kane, The Godfather: Part 2, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Best Years of Our Lives, any of the work of Ingmar Bergman

Me: You have to see The Best Years of Our Lives Kristen..It is beyond great. Patti will back me up on that!

11.  What is your favorite genre?

Kristen: Drama which, to me, includes film noir, political, historical, ec.

Me: Cool..and there are tons of great dramas for sure

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

Kristen: It could be because I saw Gangster Squad, but I'm dying to do a 1940s Hollywood glamour type party based around The Big Sleep, The Blue Dahlia or Double Indemnity.  Of course the ladies would have coiffed hair a la the peekaboo style of Veronica Lake.  Lots of pinstripes, fedoras, hopefully my friends would be into talking like Edward G. Robinson.  

Me: Haha...awesome!

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

Kristen:  I always state my distaste for Gone With the Wind.  I also don't get the adoration for Mrs. Miniver.  Other movies I hate to admit I don't like include The Women, An American in Paris, and The Band Wagon.

Me: Right there with ya on An American in Paris and The Band Wagon. Don't like either of them.

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

Kristen: Most of the people I know that are bigger film fanatics are bloggers such as you Monty, Nick Powell of Cinematic Katzenjammer (although he's modern films), the amazing Patti of They Don't Make 'Em Like They  Used To, Lindsay of The Motion Pictures, the group at French Toast Sunday

Me: Nice shout out to Patti there!

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

Kristen: The entire cast of Some Like It Hot, Max Cady from Cape Fear, Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter, Jennifer of I Married a Witch, Sabrina Fairchild and David Larrabee of Sabrina, Elizabeth Lane of Christmas in Connecticut, Anne Boleyn of Anne of the Thousand Days, Donald Greasham of The Moon is Blue, the second Mrs. de Winter in Rebecca, Alicia Huberman and Devlin from Notorious, Susan of Bringing Up Baby

Me: Yes to all of those characters especially Elizabeth Lane..,my favorite Barbara Stanwyck role and film.

Well that wraps up another be my guest this month and I want to thank Kristen for taking the time to come on here and be a good sport and answer all my questions. She did an excellent job don't you agree? Please stop by and check out her amazing blog if you haven't already and I will see everyone back here next month with another new guest and friend.