Happy 6th Anniversary to blogging!

I am proud to announce the 6th anniversary of me blogging here on All Good Things. Time has just flown by but it has been fun and memorable. Thanks to everyone who has been with me for the ride. As you can tell by the photo below that my favorite actress Carole Lombard can't contain her excitement for my anniversary. Here's to many more years to come!

All-Time Top Winning Tourney Actresses

As we approach another favorite classic movie actress tourney, I thought it would be a great time to list the all time top winning actresses. I did a list last year featuring the top five but I have expanded it to the top 12. So here we go:

12.) MYRNA LOY (10-4) - Myrna has been a consistent performer in the tourney and usually goes quite far in the 30's era bracket in which she competes in. She is a very popular actress so don't be surprised if she makes a strong run in this upcoming tourney.

11.) ELIZABETH TAYLOR (10-4) - While Liz only did so-so in the previous three tourneys when she competed in the 50's era with a 4-3 record, she did much better once she transferred to the 60's era last year with a great 6-1 record and reaching the final four. So look out everyone here comes Liz!

10.) INGRID BERGMAN (10-3) - The Swedish actress has amassed 10 solid wins and this despite not playing in the inaugural tourney back in 2011. She competes in the 40's era bracket and does really well. And now that Bette Davis, who won last year is out of the picture, look for another strong run by Ingrid.

9.) JUDY GARLAND (11-3) - Another 40's era competitor who also missed the first tourney, Judy has done amazingly well with 11 wins so far. Can the singer/dancer/actress add another hyphenate to her already impressive resume.

8.) BARBARA STANWYCK (12-4) - The overall top seed for this year's tourney due to her runner-up finish last year, Missy is the favorite to win it all this year. Competing in the 30's era, she is a cinch to make it to at least the sweet sixteen round.

7.) AUDREY HEPBURN (13-5) - Audrey finally got over the hump of beating her 50's era nemesis Grace Kelly last year to make her first final four appearance. Audrey had lost to Grace twice before but not last year and is poised to make another strong run this year.

6.) DORIS DAY (14-4) - The ever popular Doris has been a feisty competitor in the tourneys, even reaching the final four back in 2013. She competes in the 50's era so expect her to mix it up with Grace and Audrey once again for that final spot.

5.) NATALIE WOOD (16-5) - Two- time final four finalist, Natalie has pretty much dominated the 60’s era portion of the tourneys, with the exception of 2013's early exit in the sweet sixteen round. But her 16 wins proves that she is definitely a contender and one of the most loved actresses competing.

4.) GRETA GARBO (16-4, winner of the 2014 Favorite Silent Actress Tourney) Recently crowned Favorite Silent Actress thanks to her solid performance in that year’s earlier tourney, Greta has established herself as a proven force. Now she seeks to add another crown to her collection.

3.) CAROLE LOMBARD ( (16-3, winner 2013 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney) I was so happy my beloved Carole finally broke through and won a tourney. She had come so close in the two previous tourneys only to lose to Irene Dunne and Ginger Rogers in the 30’s era finals, but would not be denied a 3^rd time. It was a long time coming.

2.) BETTE DAVIS (18-3, winner 2014 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney) Bette has been in the mix in all three previous tourneys, reaching the final four in 2013 only to lose to my girl Carole. But she would not be denied a second time as she won the crown last year, posting her 18th win.

1.)    GRACE KELLY (20-4, winner 2012 Favorite Alfred Hitchcock Leading Lady) And the all-time most winning actress in tourney history is none other than Princess Grace. Two-time final four finalist that has owned the 50’s era bracket with the exception of 2013’s early exit during the sweet sixteen round. Grace did manage to win another tourney though…Favorite Alfred Hitchcock Leading Lady, quite easily might I add.

There you have it, the top 12 actresses who are the most successful in tourney history. I will also mention IRENE DUNNE (7-1, 2011 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney) and GINGER ROGERS (8-1, 2012 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney). After winning the earlier tourneys, they are ineligible to compete in future tourneys, and since they won so soon, they didn't get to rack up the wins like every one else. But they have the distinction of each having only 1 loss. No other actresses can say that! 

Please join me on Sunday, March 1st for the start of the 2015 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tournament to see who will become the 5th champion actress!

Hall Of Fame Inductee for December: CAROLE LOMBARD

It's been ages since I did an induction for my Hall of Fame and it occurred to me that Carole Lombard, my favorite actress had not been inducted yet. My oh my, that has to be corrected. Carole's achievements include winning a Montie for Best Actress for her performance in My Man Godfrey and winning the 2013 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tournament. And plus she is my favorite! Haha! Just kidding, those two previous achievements are more than enough to get her into All Good Things Hall of Fame! Congratulations Carole!

Happy Birthday Carole Lombard!

You know I had to post about my all time favorite actress, Carole Lombard! I may have slacked off on blogging over this past summer but leave it to Carole to get me going again. TCM is honoring her today with several of her films and while I will missed them, I have been posting about her all day long on my Facebook and Tumblr pages. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLE!

The Romantic Comedy Blogathon: Hands Across The Table (1935)

One of my favorite screwball comedies, Hands Across The Table pairs my girl Carole Lombard with Fred MacMurray and the results are hilarious. Carole plays manicurist Regi Allen, who works at a swank hotel, and is determined to land a millionaire.One of her regular clients is Allen Macklyn, a rich man who was paralyzed in a plane crash. He's played by Ralph Bellamy. They get along great. Fred MacMurray enters the picture as poor playboy Theodore Drew, III, and the two are instantly attracted to each other. Wrongly believing Theodore to be wealthy, Regi invites him to live in her apartment -- until she discovers he's broke. Theodore wants to marry rich too, and so he gets engaged to an heiress he doesn't love. In classic screwball fashion, Regi and Theodore desperately try to ignore their growing passion for one another in favor of the promise of money -- and fail miserably. Carole and Fred make a great team and Hands Across the Table is a great looking and funny film. It does get a little serious towards the end, but never gets too serious. Carole is on the mark as usual and looks fabulous. Fred is pretty good as well. Great support by Bellamy and Ruth Donnelly as Regi's boss. One of the best screwball comedies ever. And one of my favorites that Carole made. As she is definitely in her element here in this fun movie. With expert direction by the great Mitchell Leisen, this is one of the genre's best!

 I could have also written about Carole's next pairing with Fred in the just as wonderful, True Confession in 1937. Maybe I can do that for the next romantic comedy blogathon. Wait, there will be another romantic comedy blogathon, I hope. Here are some more photos from Hands Across The Table. 






Thanks to Lara Gabrielle over at  backlots and Vince over at  carole-and-co for hosting this wonderful blogathon. My entry was just one of many so please check out all the other bloggers who made some terrific entries as well.

All-Time Top Winning Tourney Actresses

As we are currently underway with first round action of the 2014 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney, I thought it would be a good idea to rank the all-time tourney leaders in match wins. I wanted to do a top ten list but that would take a little more time and research to compile all the numbers. So I settled with the top 5 women with the most matches won in tourney play. And not just counting this tourney but all the tourneys I have done or partnered up with, like the recent Favorite Silent Actress Tourney I did with Catherine. But I am counting only individual matches and not something like my other recent tourney, the favorite classic movie couples I did with Desiree. So here we go, beginning with #5..

5.) BETTE DAVIS (11-3) Bette has been in the mix in all three previous tourneys, reaching the final four last year only to lose to my girl Carole. And this year she is off to a great start as she is running roughshod over Katharine Hepburn. Look for Bette’s win tally to increase by quite a bit.

4.)  NATALIE WOOD (12-4) Two- time final four finalist, Natalie has pretty much dominated the 60’s era portion of the tourney, with the exception of last year’s early exit in the sweet sixteen round. But her 12 wins proves that she is definitely a contender and one of the most loved actresses competing.

3.) GRETA GARBO (13-3, winner 2014 Favorite Silent Actress Tourney) Recently crowned Favorite Silent Actress thanks to her solid performance in this year’s earlier tourney, Greta has established herself as a proven force. And with her currently beating the brakes off Fay Wray in the first round of the 30’s era bracket, she has picked up right where she left off…winning.

2.) CAROLE LOMBARD (16-3, winner 2013 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney) I was so happy my beloved Carole finally broke through and won a tourney. She had come so close in the two previous tourneys only to lose to Irene Dunne and Ginger Rogers in the 30’s era finals, but would not be denied a 3^rd time. It was a long time coming.

1    1.)    GRACE KELLY (17-3, winner 2012 Favorite Alfred Hitchcock Leading Lady) And the all-time most winning actress in tourney history is none other than Princess Grace. Two-time final four finalist that has owned the 50’s era bracket with the exception of last year’s early exit during the sweet sixteen round. Grace did manage to win another tourney though…Favorite Alfred Hitchcock Leading Lady, quite easily might I add.

Once this year’s tourney wraps, I will update this all-time list and probably expand it to a top ten.

Hitchcock Halloween Blogathon: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

For my contribution to the Backlots Hitchcock Halloween Blogathon I chose the only comedy Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, did, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring my all time favorite actress Carole Lombard. This is my favorite film of hers by the way. Screwball comedies are my favorite type of films and this one fits quite nicely into that category. Well a bit. While not a full blown screwball comedy, it is quite fun and often hilarious nonetheless. And it does feature a little suspense every now and then. Well not really but you can still enjoy this film as a departure from what Hitchcock normally does.

David looking worried at the film's beginning

The film is set in bustling New York and begins with a married couple of three years named David and Ann Smith (great pairing of Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) who tend to bicker and have these huge arguments from time to time when they are not speaking to one another. Such is the case at the film's beginning as the pair have been sequestered in their lavish apartment home while their staff shuttles them food and drink. This latest misunderstanding has been going on for three days and David's office, a law firm where his pal Jeff (a solid Gene Raymond) keeps calling to see has a truce been made. As Jeff sends over some critical papers for David to sign, the pair finally makes up and end up having breakfast together.

Ann and David make up after this three day session

But Ann asks a question which prompts an answer from David that doesn't exactly make her happy. She asks David if he had it to do it all over again would he. And he puts in honestly and bluntly, no he would not. He would not marry her and would remain single. Remember this key moment as it will become the focal point for the rest of the film.

But not for long because over breakfast Ann asks that pivotal question

While at work, David receives a guest in the form of Mr. Deever (Charles Halton) from Ann's hometown of Idaho comes a calling saying that the Smith's, along with several other hundreds of couples are not technically married, through some municipal and state jurisdictional matter at the time. David takes the news quite nicely but when Mr. Deever stops by their home to share the same news with Ann and Ann's mother, it doesn't have the same effect.

At dinner David tries to get the cat to have some soup...

David calls up and tells Ann they are going to the restaurant where he proposed to her and Ann believes it's where he will pop the question again. But alas things don't go that way and Ann begins to squirm as the night draws to a close. Meanwhile David is having the time of his life. Back home for a little champagne Ann finally snaps and throws a tantrum asking if and when David was going to ever marry her again. David tries to explain that he was just waiting for the right moment and before you know he is spending the night at The Beefeater's Club, a luxurious hotel where men go who are having domestic troubles. It's there he meets the seen it all Chuck (played by the always wonderful Jack Carson), who is a frequent regular at the hotel.

Mr. Deever drops by to share some news...

David tries to woo back Ann over the course of the rest of the film but Ann is steadfast in holding her ground. Saying she doesn't want to remarry David and instead finds a job and actually starts dating Jeff, much to David's chagrin. In fact the date Ann and Jeff goes on leads to a hilarious seen after Jeff catches cold and Ann tries to nurse him back to health with some liquor. At first Jeff is good to go but then it hits him like a ton of bricks and Gene Raymond gives a masterful drunken little scene. 

The gorgeous Carole

For the first hour, this film is golden. It does start to sag during the final half hour just a bit as Ann and Jeff take a getaway vacation to Lake Placid, in which David follows. But it rebounds right back during the closing scenes to make this a wonderful film. Like I said it is my favorite of Carole, and that's saying something, considering her resume which includes To Be Or Not To Be, Twentieth Century and My Man Godfrey. It's just something about this premise of a couple who truly love each other despite all their fighting and bickering. It's classic Hollywood star power in Carole and Robert with solid supporting turns by a great cast. If you have never seen it, you have to check it out at least once. And it's great seeing Hitchcock do an all out comedy as most of his films always some humor and comedy in them. So you knew he was capable of doing a film like this. And he did it awesomely!

Carole does a lot of finger pointing in this movie..haha

Week 2 Lombard Cup Matches

Team Carole takes a 4-1 point lead into week 2. And they will need it as the competition gets even tougher this second time around. Here are the matches scheduled to begin tomorrow...

MATCH 6

IRENE DUNNE (TEAM CAROLE)

VS

KATHARINE HEPBURN (TEAM VERONICA)

MATCH 7

ROMY SCHNEIDER (TEAM CAROLE)

VS

JANE RUSSELL (TEAM VERONICA)

MATCH 8

ELEANOR PARKER (TEAM CAROLE)

VS

GENE TIERNEY (TEAM VERONICA)

MATCH 9

DORIS DAY (TEAM CAROLE)

VS

MAUREEN O'HARA (TEAM VERONICA)

MATCH 10

JUDY GARLAND (TEAM CAROLE)

VS

MARGARET O'BRIEN (TEAM VERONICA)

Matches will run through Friday. The polls will be open tomorrow morning here on All Good Things. Good luck to both teams.

The first week of matches for the Lombard Cup are in the books...

The 2013 Lombard Cup is off to a flying start as week one matches wrapped up yesterday. Team Carole won 4 of the 5 matches including Team captain Carole Lombard taking down Team captain Veronica Lake 37-7. In the other matches which saw Team Carole victories were Rosalind Russell beating Cyd Charisse 34-10. Jean Harlow taking down Marilyn Monroe 26-18. Shirley Jones edging out Jennifer Jones 25-19. Team Veronica scored a victory when Rita Hayworth beat Greta Garbo 26-18. So after one week Team Carole leads Team Veronica by the count of 4-1. The next set of five matches will begin on Sunday and take place here on All Good Things. I will post the matches on tomorrow.