THE MONTIES: 1947 - A little bit of something for everyone as the Monties get spread around

Wow, it's been 10 months since I last did a Monties post. Sorry about that. Been busy with work and actually doing more on my FB page for All Good Things than on here. Plus it gave me time to see more movies made for the year of 1947. So let's get started with a year that saw my Monties get spread around all over the place.

BEST FILM:
Winner: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Nominees: The Farmer's Daughter, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Gentlemen's Agreement, Black Narcissus, The Bishop's Wife, Smash-Up: The Story Of A Woman, Miracle on 34th Street, Out Of The Past
Thoughts: One of the most diverse years ever with comedies, dramas, and film noir all mixing it up. Now while Gentlemen's Agreement, Black Narcissus and Smash-Up are definitely the type of films that get the Academy's attention I went with one of my favorite comedies of all time, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Seeing veterans Cary Grant and Myrna Loy do their screwball thing brought back memories of the great comedies of the 30's. I have seen this film a gazillon times and it's still funny and fresh as seeing it for the first time.

Smile Cary..your film just won another Montie!

BEST DIRECTOR:
Winner: Jacques Tourneur (Out Of The Past)
Nominees: George Cukor (A Double Life); Michael Powell (Black Narcissus); Elia Kazan (Gentlemen's Agreement); Joseph L. Mankiewicz (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir)
Thoughts: Tourneur crafted one of the best film noirs in history with the excellent Out Of The Past. The other four nominees were no slouches but I felt Tourneur was the man to beat.

Jacques lining up a shot 

BEST WRITER:
Winner: Moss Hart (Gentleman's Agreement)
Nominees: Sidney Sheldon (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer); Valentine Davis (Miracle on 34th Street); Dorothy Parker (Smash-Up); Eleazar Lipsky (Kiss Of Death)

A happy Moss Hart

BEST ACTOR:
Winner: Robert Mitchum (Out Of The Past)
Nominees: Rex Harrison (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir); Gregory Peck (Gentlemen's Agreement); Ronald Colman (A Double Life); Danny Kaye (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty); Cary Grant (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer)
Thoughts: Bobby Mitchum was terrific as the private eye involved in double crosses and corruption. He denies Cary Grant for what would have been Grant's 4th Montie.

The man of the hour..Robert Mitchum

BEST ACTRESS:
Winner: Gene Tierney (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir)
Nominees: Loretta Young (The Farmer's Daughter); Susan Hayward (Smash-Up); Dorothy McGuire (Gentlemen's Agreement); Jane Greer (Out Of The Past); Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus)
Thoughts: Gene Tierney gets her first Montie after losing out two years ago for Leave Her To Heaven. Her performance as Lucy Muir in the Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a wonderful one, mixing romanticism, strong willingness, and determination. Kudos to Gene.

Gene Tierney wins her first Montie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: 
Winner: Ava Gardner (The Hucksters)
Nominees: Jean Simmons (Black Narcissus); Celeste Holm (Gentleman's Agreement); Natalie Wood (Miracle on 34th Street); Shirley Temple (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer)

Thoughts: Ava scores a Montie on her first nomination. She missed out last year being nominated as Kitty Collins in The Killers by a hair as that year was top heavy with lots of strong female performances but she would not be denied this year. I loved her performance here and she had wonderful chemistry with Clark Gable. They would re-team again for Mogambo.

As does Ava

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: 
Winner: Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street)
Nominees: Kirk Douglas (Out Of The Past); David Niven (The Bishop's Wife); Richard Widmark (Kiss Of Death); John Garfield (Gentleman's Agreement)
Thoughts: As good as Richard Widmark as crazed killer Tommy Udo in Kiss Of Death was, Edmund Gwenn was just awesome as the man named Kris Kringle who claims to be Santa with a sentimental and wonderful performance.

The delightful Edmund

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Winner: BLACK NARCISSUS
Nominees: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Sinbad the Sailor; Lady In The Lake
Thoughts: One beautiful looking film..period.

The beautiful looking Black Narcissus

BEST FILM SCORE:
Winner: Max Steiner (Life With Father)
Nominees: Miklos Rozsa (A Double Life); Hugo Friedhofer (The Bishop's Wife)
Thoughts: This is actually Steiner's first Montie as I didn't start recognizing film scores until just recently. So it is a given he would have won for Gone With The Wind, Casablanca and a few more. But as he was still scoring films thru the 60's I wager he will pick up one or two more.

Life With Father

So the final tally is really spread out as Out Of The Past is the only film to pick up multiple Monties, with two (Best Director and Best Actor). The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer became the 6th Cary Grant film to win Best Film. Wow! Cary also still has the most Monties with three Best Actor trophies. I was glad to see Ava Gardner and Gene Tierney pick up statues for their work and I won't be surprised if Ava wins another Montie before I'm done. And speaking of which I hope to be back with the 1948 edition much sooner than 11 months. 

ALL GOOD THINGS in June

I pick up the pace again as summer begins with Mary Tyler Moore being my classic actress for the month. This year I decided to concentrate on classic actresses who dominated the small screens and Mary definitely fits the bill. I will post pics, facts, and all other assorted goodies pertaining to the awesome Mary. My guest of the month will be my friend from Facebook, Melinda Kinnaird. And I also kick off my annual summer photo series called At The Beach/Summer Lovin', showing classic stars in photos under the sun and having fun. So please check in from time to time to see what's going on here at All Good Things.

Box Office Attractions: AUDREY HEPBURN

On my Facebook page for my blog, Audrey Hepburn has been my star of the week. With the help of my friend Desiree, we each take turns choosing a film of hers and write a little synopsis and  post photos, trivia, etc. Well I wanted to shed some light on the box office prowess of Audrey as she was one of the most successful actresses of all time. Below are her top 9 films with data provided by Wikipedia. Keep in mind that Audrey only made 28 films, one of which was for TV.

Audrey stands tall among the box-office queens

9. FUNNY FACE (1957) ranked 15th that year with a take of $4 million

8. SABRINA (1954) ranked 13th that year with a take of $4.4 million

7. ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) ranked 10th that year with a take of $4.7 million 

6. CHARADE (1963) ranked 9th that year with a take of $6.7 million

5. TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967) ranked 21st that year with a take of $12 million

4. WAR AND PEACE (1956) ranked 4th that year with a take of $12.5 million

3. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) ranked 8th that year with a take of $14 million

2. WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967) ranked 16th that year with a take of $17.5 million

1. MY FAIR LADY (1964) ranked 1st that year with a huge take of $72 million

From this small sampling you can see Audrey was very consistent at the box-office and proved to be a very popular draw with audiences. My Fair Lady was her biggest earner with over $70 million earned. And she had that double punch in 1967 with Wait Until Dark and Two For The Road. She was approaching the age of 40 but was still successful as ever. In fact you can argue she was even more successful in her latter part of her career than in her beginnings. Either way, Audrey's numbers speak for themselves.  

Be My Guest: Jackie Merritt

Another month means another guest. And this month brings one of my good friends that I met on Facebook, Jackie. So let's get things started shall we...

1. What made you start blogging?

The guest of the month...Jackie

Jackie does not write a blog as of yet

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

Jackie: My favorite classic male stars are Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, William Holden, Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, Gary Cooper. Joel McCrea, Jack Lemmon, William Powell, David Niven Howard Keel. My favorite classic female stars are Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn,  Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, Deborah Kerr, Ingrid Bergman, Loretta Young, Maureen O'Hara, Debbie Reynolds, Mryna Loy, Doris Day, Kathryn Grayson.

Me: Nice selection of actors/actresses there Jackie

 3. What are some of your favorite films?

Jackie: I love  My Fair Lady, Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, It's a Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife, Friendly Persuasion, Show Boat, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, How the West Was Won, Roman Holiday, Born Yesterday, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation.

Me: I think you might be my first guest to have Friendly Persuasion on their list.

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

Jackie: I think my first classic movie experience had been watching the Wizard of Oz on TV. For years when I was little we would come in on the movie after it had turned to color. We were surprised when we first saw the tornado and the black and white part. I would play Wizard of Oz traveling the yellow brick road around my yard and pretend to meet the scarecrow, tinman, lion, good witch, and bad witch. I had a stuffed Pluto dog that I carried in a basket. And I would sing: "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz". LOL

Me: The Wizard of Oz seems to be a lot of people's first classic movie experience. That and GWTW.

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

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

 I love watching a classic movie with my husband in our travel trailer. We have a candlelight dinner first, then sit  close together on the couch, holding hands and watch a romantic movie.

How very romantic and wonderful Jackie.

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

 Don't know for sure. Many.

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

Jackie: I love the 40's and the 50's. Too hard to choose from. But if I have to choose, I would say the 50's: An American in Paris, Roman Holiday, Love Is a Many Splendor Thing, Sabrina, An Affair to Remember, North by Northwest, Picnic, Singing in the Rain, Born Yesterday, Sunset Blvd.,To Catch a Thief, The African Queen. The list just keeps going...lol

Me:That's a pretty good era for films...can't argue with you on that

9. What are some of your favorite film quotes?

 1.  "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are."Pinocchio.  2. "Good Morning. Good Morning to You".  Kathy sings in "Singing in the Rain".  3.  Ilsa says, "Play it Sam. Play As Time Goes By" "Casablanca"   4.. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz".

"I'd think of someway to get him back. Afterall tomorrow is another day." 5. Rose says in The African Queen, "Nature. Mr. Allnut, is what we are put on this world to rise above." 6. Scarlett in Gone With the Wind. 7. Zo Zo in "It's a Wonderful Life". "Look Daddy. Every time you hear a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings." 8. From "How the West Was Won" Lionus Rawlings says,"Ma'am, seems you've been kissed before." Eve Prescott says,"Ain't been kissed permanent before." lol

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

 Jackie: I haven't seen Gaslight, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Me:

I haven't seen Gaslight either...but I have seen Desire..I recommend you catching it the next time TCM plays it.

11. What is your favorite genre?

 Jackie: My favorite genre has to be Musicals. I love music. Show Boat, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Oklahoma, Easter Parade, Music Man, An American in Paris, Royal Wedding, A Star is Born, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Top Hat,  are just a few that I like.

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

 I have given movie them parties on Facebook. I call it Dinner and a Movie. and have had different themes for different movies. Last year, we did The Easter Parade. We watched the movie together on TCM and commented. I had everyone to bring to our cyber table a food or drink to celebrate Easter. We had ham and baked sweet potatoes.  I made a coconut jelly bean cake. And I asked everyone to wear an Easter Hat. So at the end of the movie, everyone went for a stroll down 5th Avenue with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland singing "In your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it". It was a lot of fun. We have also watched  "The Wizard of Oz" together and had a cyber table of country food: deviled eggs, baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, pork chops and strawberry short cake and tea to drink.  I dressed up like Dorothy in a jumper and started down the yellow brick road made out of poster board. lol.  "We're off to see the Wizard the wonderful Wizard of Oz".

Haha..awesome!

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

 Jackie: Citizen Kane, Midnight Cowboy,The Godfather, On the Waterfront, Apocalypse Now, The Grapes of Wrath, Jaws. Horror films and anything that is real gory.

Me: Not a fan of Citizen Kane but the other films I have watched and liked..especially Jaws!

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

 My brother-in-law loves movies. He could watch them all day.

Cool

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

Clarence the angel in "It's a Wonderful Life". "You had a wonderful life George." Eliza in My Fair Lady. From rags as a flower girl to riches dressed for the ball, Eliza stole our hearts. "I could of danced all night." Mr. Hobbs in Mr, Hobbs Takes a Vacation. I go into hysterics everytime I see him walking with his long legs bent, looking for birds. "What's that liitle fellow? "Barnswallows".

Thank you Monty. I have had a wonderful time being your guest.

Thank you Jackie for coming to All Good Things and bringing such wonderful answers.

Happy Birthday Audrey Hepburn!

Audrey Hepburn was one of the most beloved actress ever to grace the screen. Today would have been her 84th birthday. Now while she only made about 30 or so films, she made quite the impact. Roman Holiday. Sabrina. Breakfast At Tiffany's. My Fair Lady. The Children's Hour. Two For The Road. Charade. All are fondly remembered films today. She was a great fashion icon too. But Audrey was more than just an actress. She was also a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund helping children around the world in need. Let's all remember Audrey today and recognize all her achievements.