The FALL SERIES: Rita Hayworth

The lovely Rita with some fresh flowers

At The Beach: ESTHER WILLIAMS & FRANCES GIFFORD

Let's spend a little time with Esther Williams and her friend Frances Gifford. They're not at the beach but a fancy resort relaxing. Close enough. From the film, The Thrill Of Romance (1945).

It's No. 1 CARY GRANT vs. No.2 WILLIAM HOLDEN for all the marbles...

In what's sure to be a great championship match...Cary Grant will face William Holden. Well I'm hoping it to be a great match but so far Cary has just rolled through this tournament. He crushed Paul Newman 45-9 and that match was over during the first day. Here are the results of Cary's romp so far: Round 1 he beat Robert Taylor 51-6; Round 2 he beat Joel McCrea 37-9; Round 3 he beat Gary Cooper 30-10; Round 4 he beat Jimmy Stewart 16-10, which was his closest match. William Holden also proved to be very dominant in the 50's bracket. Round 1 he beat Danny Kaye 41-5; Round 2 he beat Montgomery Clift 26-12; Round 3 he beat Kirk Douglas 29-6; and in Round 4 he beat Robert Mitchum 18-12, his closest match. And then the nail biter he just had with William Powell, outlasting him 27-26. So now Grant and Holden will battle for it all starting Thursday morning. The match will run through Sunday 7 pm EST. Good luck to both men.

CLASSIC MOVIE ACTOR CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

1 CARY GRANT

VS

2 WILLIAM HOLDEN



Be My Guest - Irene: Question #11 and #12

11. What stars, besides your favorites would you have love to meet in person?

Irene: Though I like so many classic ladies and gentlemen that much, I don’t think that I want to meet them.
You see.. it’s the imagination that makes them perfect. A meeting in person would destroy the illusion.


Like an impressionistic painting: Don’t come too close! All what is left from the beauty will be some colored dots..


I like my stars larger than life.

Monty: well that's very well said Irene.
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12. And finally, if you could be one movie character, who would it be and why?



Irene: I don’t think that I want to replace any character – But I dream of being one small extra character in each and every film!:

An additional woman in THE WOMEN (1939)
Monty: I could see you in The Women...trading wisecracks with Roz and Paulette.
Irene: or Eve Arden’s ~ I adore Eve Arden ~ little sister in MILDRED PIERCE (1945)

or an aspiring but clumsy journalist in HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) who is following Rosalind Russell’s character where ever she goes and makes her mad.. (I can see Roz stumble upon me - I think that scene has to end with me on the floor trying to collect the fluttering sheets of a really massive script - while Ms. Russell runs out with a quip..)


Monty: Oh so you want to follow Roz around? I bet that would make for an interesting day...
Irene: Oh - I have about 1,000 ideas!!


I am the classic best friend’s friend - and I’d love to get some witty lines though.. ;”)




Monty: I see..well  very cool indeed Ms. Palfy

Send Me No Flowers is my favorite Doris Day movie...

Don't exactly know why, but Send Me No Flowers is my favorite Doris Day film. Granted there are a lot of Doris films that I haven't seen, but still Flowers is the one I loved the most so far. That may change in time, but right now it's all about the flowers. I mean she gave more talented performances in other movies, especially her musicals, but I just love Flowers. Let me tell you why I love this movie. This was the third pairing between Doris and Rock Hudson. And Tony Randall returns as well. By now this trio could play these roles in their sleep. And I thought they all hit their comic notes perfectly this time around. Doris was especially good at making the perfect facial expressions and her timing with Rock was never better. Their previous pairings had the two as opposites before they finally fell in love. Well here in Flowers, they are a happily married couple with Rock hysterically funny as a hypochondriac. Tony Randall is a hoot as their next door neighbor who winds up going on a bender that has to be one of the best on-screen drunk performances this side of Dean Martin. This film reminded me of those glorious screwball comedies with Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur, William Powell and others. It is funny and lets everyone get their moments. Paul Lynde has a part as a funeral undertaker that loves his job a little too much. Clint Walker, usually a stoic tough guy in films like The Dirty Dozen gets to relax a little and have some fun. And Edward Andrews is amazingly funny as Rock's befuddled doctor. I know most fans rank Pillow Talk as their favorite of the Day/Hudson pairings, but I always go with Flowers. It captures the period of the 60's perfectly and the actors seems like they are having a ball. I wished Day, Hudson, and Randall made a few more films together. They made that rare comedy trio that were actually very funny. Also loved the title song performed by Ms. Day, naturally of course.