Round 3 of the Favorite Silent Actress Tourney begins now...

Here we go with round 3 of the favorite silent actress tourney. 4 matches with 8 remaining women. And it looks to be some top tier matches for sure. I'll start my two matches here on All Good Things now and Catherine will start her two matches tomorrow morning. Here's the link to her blog:http://obscurecinemamagic.wordpress.com/

THE DESIREE BRACKET

MARY PICKFORD

VS

CLARA BOW

THE STEPHEN BRACKET

LOUISE BROOKS

VS

BEBE DANIELS

And then over at Catherine's blog, these two matches

THE JOSIE BRACKET

GRETA GARBO

VS

JANET GAYNOR

THE MARIA BRACKET

NORMA SHEARER

VS

GLORIA SWANSON

Matches will run through Thursday evening. Good luck to all the women who

have made it this far!

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

Be My Guest: Jessica Ellen Rowe

So I know I have been slacking of late here on my blog but thanks to friend Jessica Ellen, who hails from Australia and who I met on Facebook, she graciously accepted my invite to be my guest this month, to put be back on track. Which is perfect since she is one of the biggest Joan Crawford fans I know, and Joanie is my classic movie goddess for the month. So here's Jess to get this party started....Oh and here's a link to Jessica's awesome Tumblr page: http://theclutteredclassicattic.tumblr.com/

1. What made you start blogging?

Jessica: Well I’m not really a blogger per say, but I do have a tumblr page on which I post Classic Hollywood photos and do a lot of reblogging. There are such amazing photos being posted every day by other Classic Hollywood fans, it’s hard not to become addicted. I’ve spent many a glorious hour drooling over black and white (and Technicolor!).

Me: Yes, your Tumblr page is awesome and your page is what made me start one of my own. So thank you for that Jess!

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

Jessica: Oh gosh, never give me free reign like that Monty! You have been warned!

Bette Davis is my favourite actress of all time (the greatest of them all!) but coming a close and equal second are Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn and my current obsession, Lucille Ball.

I also adore Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Greer Garson, Deborah Kerr, Greta Garbo, Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur, Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Norma Shearer, Lana Turner, Olivia de Havilland, Jeanette MacDonald and Claudette Colbert.

As for male stars, I love Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, Melvyn Douglas, John Barrymore, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and William Powell.

But I’m SURE I'm missing people.

Me: what an awesome selection of faves!

3. What are some of your favorite films?

Jessica: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950) is my all time favourite. I saw it first on the big screen in one of my very first film classes at university back in 2007. It blew my mind and it’s never been topped since. Although films that have come close are ‘All About Eve’ (1950) and ‘Humoresque’ (1946). And I also have a very strong bond with ‘The Women’ (1939).

My guilty pleasure favourite films are ‘Torch Song’ (1953) and ‘Mame’ (1974) but you can’t really call that last one a classic film, I know.

Me: I love Sunset Boulevard!

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

Goodness, I’ve told this story a thousand times when asked this question, haha! I think it was some time in either 2004 or 2005 when I was in my last years of high school. It was late at night, past midnight, and everyone had gone to bed but my Mother who stayed up to watch TV. I’d just gotten to sleep when I heard this roaring laughter coming from the lounge room. I had no idea WHAT my Mum was watching but with such intense laughter I HAD to find out! So I got up out of bed and stumbled sleepily into the living room, plonked myself into the arm chair beside the couch where my Mum was sitting and began to watch with her. It was an old, crackly black and white film being screened on ABC (Australia) in which a man and a woman were standing on a golf course arguing profusely over true ownership of a golf ball. From then on, I couldn’t stop laughing and to this day, nothing has made me laugh so hard as ‘Bringing Up Baby’ (1938) starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn! Such amazing comic timing and ridiculous yet extremely witty and intelligent situational humour! Comedy doesn’t get much better than that!

Me: Ahhhh what a cool story. And Baby is my second favorite film of all time!

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

Jessica: Eeeek! I’m having trouble answering this one because I don’t often re-watch films I didn’t like the first time. Actually ‘Double Indemnity’ (1944) seems to come to mind. I think, the first time I watched it, I may have been a little too ignorant to the workings of Classic film and the Film Noir movement. But I was ‘forced’ to watch it again in my Film Noir class a couple of years ago and really thoroughly enjoyed it. A very impressive film.

And actually ‘Mildred Pierce’ (1945) I didn’t think much of at first either. But again, I think I was too ignorant to appreciate it back then and have since written on it several times. There’s so much more to it than I thought!

Me: I see...I have from a few people they didn't care for Double Indemnity but I like it.

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

Jessica: That’s easy! It sounds corny, but I love being snuggled up on the couch in the middle of the day, poring rain outside, with a blanket and a bowl of pop corn.

Me: Sweet! Sounds great to me!

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

Jessica: My Nana has always adored them and is just ecstatic that I love them too. She still finds it wonderful that someone so young (I’m 24) can love “the oldies” so much. Says it brings back her childhood and it makes me happy that I can make HER happy that way.

My friends like Classic films but only because I’ve introduced them to the fact that they’re not all crackly and poppy with bad over exposure and jumping film. One of my best friends even thanked me for showing her that a lot of them have been beautifully restored and that they would have originally been stunning to watch. She thought they must have always been crackly! The horror!!

And lastly the person I think adores Classic film the most that I know is my thesis supervisor. He is so enthusiastic and got really excited the first time I met him that someone actually wanted to study classic film and not just be a filmmaker or writer like all the rest. I love his passion.

Me: I have a few friends that are into the classics but not too many of my family members or co-workers do.

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

Jessica: The 1940s is most definitely my favourite decade. I believe black and white was at it’s most beautiful then and even Technicolor was at it’s most glorious. But I also love it for the fashion. I adore vintage fashion and the 1940s was such a glamorous decade for women with both feminine and masculine elements in their clothing. I love 1950s fashion too but the 40s had a bit of a rebellious side to it that the 50s did not. After the war, the 50s stressed the feminine mystique and the importance of soft, obedient femininity. I can be a bit of a feminist sometimes.

Me: Mine is the 30's but the 40's was amazing as well!

9. What are some of your favorite film quotes?

Jessica: “And by the way… there’s a name for you ladies but it isn’t used in high society; outside of a kennel” – Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) in ‘The Women’ (1939)

“All the religions of the world rolled into one and we’re gods and goddesses” – Margo Channing (Bette Davis) in ‘All About Eve’ (1950)

“Now it isn't that I don't like you, Susan, because, after all, in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn toward you, but - well, there haven't been any quiet moments” – David Huxley (Cary Grant) in ‘Bringin Up Baby’ (1938)

“One can feel nostalgia for places one has never seen” – Queen Christina (Greta Garbo) in ‘Queen Christina’ (1933)

“I AM big! It’s the PICTURES that got SMALL!” – Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950)

And oh so many more!

Me: Some good choices there Jess! Can't go wrong with The Women!

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

Jessica: A whole lot! I’m very close to owning 1000 Classic films on DVD but there are so many in my collection that I haven’t watched. Too many to even begin to name!

Me: Haha..sounds like me. I stopped counting once I got to 800 and that was about 5 years ago. So if I had to guess I am close to 1100 now.

11. What is your favorite genre?

Jessica: Those wonderfully emotionally intense films that cross women’s melodrama with Film Noir. I love to feel completely emotionally drained after a film; preferably due to a good cry. The best feeling!

Me: Cool

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

Jessica: Hmmmm… Everyone would have to come as they’re favourite actor, actress or film character (I would come as Lucille Ball!) and there would be film based games like charades, ‘name that quote’ and pictionary (Oh yeah, I’m cool). Then perhaps a film screening if we’re not all too hyped up to sit around and ignore each other for two hours. Oh and the food would be based on party food that was eaten during in the Golden Age. What that would be though, I have no idea. I just thought it sounded inventive, heehee!

Me: Sounds fantastic! I would come as Cary Grant.

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

Jessica: Please don’t hurt me…

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)

‘West Side Story’ (1961)

And anything with Judy Garland (except ‘The Wizard of Oz’)… sorry folks!

Me: Oh you just named two films I can't stand either...Tiffany's and West Side Story!

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

Jessica: One of my best friends, Emily. She especially loves Asian cinema and in particular horror and anime which I can get into occasionally too. We used to have horror movies nights were we’d go to the video store and hire out whole bunch of whatever looked like horror films (no matter how cheesy the cover!) and watch for hours and hours at night. We’d go from a really top notch horror film and being genuinely terrified, to a ridiculously low budget horror with blood so bright it HAD to be made of tomato sauce! Really fun nights. She does enjoy a good Classic too.

Me: I love watching horror movies. Every October that is all I watch. Emily sounds cool!

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

Norma Desmond from ‘Sunset Boulevard’, Margo Channing from ‘All About Eve’, Crystal Allen from ‘The Women’, Helen Wright from ‘Humoresque’, Susan Vance form ‘Bringing Up Baby’, Julia from ‘Julia Misbehaves’ (1948), Nick and Nora from ‘The Thin Man’ films, Terry McKay played by both Irene Dunne and Deborah Kerr in ‘Love Affair’ (1939) and ‘An Affair to Remember’ (1957) and lots more!

Oh, and I know it’s not technically film but can I add Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) from the ‘I Love Lucy’ (1951-57) series? I just adore her with all my heart!

Thanks Monty!! =) xx

Me: Oh some good choices once again Jess. Oh and thank you for be my guest this month and getting me and my blog back on track. And I hope everyone enjoyed having Jessica drop by this month. Please remember to check out her amazing tumblr page. 

My love of classic films is beyond measure

Monty

Be My Guest: Rachel (The Girl With The White Parasol)

A new month means a new guest. For July, it's Rachel who writes the wonderful blog The Girl With The White Parasol. Here's the link to her blog so can visit it if you have never been to it:  thegirlwiththewhiteparasol

Rachel's profile icon

Now onto the questions and her terrific answers.

1. What made you start blogging?

Rachel: I think it all started a few years back when I started reading classic film blogs and realized, “Hey, there are people out there thinking about the same things I am.” I’d been sliding into a classic film obsession for awhile, but I’d pretty much given up on trying to talk about old films in the real world. Then I discovered the online community and felt right at home. Took the plunge during a lull in my real-life activities and haven’t regretted it since.

Me: Awesome!

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

Rachel: Humphrey Bogart, Jean Simmons, James Stewart, Gene Tierney, Barbara Stanwyck, Dana Andrews, Joseph Cotton, Thelma Ritter, Paul Newman, Fredric March, Katharine Hepburn, Dan Duryea, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, Teresa Wright, Joan Bennett, and so many others. That’s just skimming the top of the list.

Me: Some excellent choices there Rachel.

3. What are some of your favorite films?

Rachel: Double Indemnity, Vertigo. Rear Window, The Magnificent Seven, Groundhog Day, 12 Angry Men, Witness, The Apartment, Midnight, Letter to Three Wives, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Heiress, Laura, The Lady Eve, Sunset Boulevard, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday,.Ninotchka, My Fair Lady, Shadow of a Doubt, The Letter, I Walked With a Zombie, The Unknown, Say Anything, When Harry Met Sally, Airplane!, Black Narcissus, The Reckless Moment, The Maltese Falcon…I could keep going.

Me: The one film on your list that stood out was Airplane...it's one of the funniest movies ever!

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

Rachel: Probably one of the Disney films was my chronological first. In addition to the animated ones, I really loved some of the live action ones like The Parent Trap or those swashbucklers with Richard Todd. Our VCR saw a lot of use in those days and I ended up with a whole library of VHS copies. But I think the first time I became consciously aware that a classic film was something to seek out was when my parents rented Stage Fright, telling me that Alfred Hitchcock always made good movies. Little did they know what they started that day…

Me: Cool story

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

Rachel: Well Vertigo, for one. Saw it when I was 12 and didn’t know what I’d just seen. It gave me uneasy dreams for the rest of the night and years later, I would hear the music and the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up. It wasn’t until I got old enough that I realized it was a masterpiece. Hmm, I also didn’t think much of Holiday when I first saw it. And I’m slowly working up a love for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Very slowly. When I was a kid, I despised John Wayne’s character so much that it ruined the whole movie for me. But my family loves this film dearly and repeated viewing have given me a lot more empathy for the characters and the story.

Me: I wasn't too crazy about Vertigo the first time I saw either. Over time and repeat viewings and I like a little bit more than the first time I saw it.

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

Rachel: I guess outside, lying on a blanket. It would be a quiet evening with perfect weather and I’d be gazing up at a huge screen, in the midst of an enthusiastic, classic-loving audience. My second place be alone and snug on the couch while the fire’s crackling and the snow’s beating the windows.

Me: Sounds great either way!

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

Rachel: My parents always liked old films for the most part although there were certain kinds they would not touch (silents, melodramas, anything with Robert Mitchum). My mom is probably my favorite person to discuss films with. As for my friends and co-workers, they’re more likely to dip into a few films here and there rather than seek them out as a rule.

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

Rachel: The 40s are my number one. After that, the 30s and the 50s are roughly in second place.

  

Me: the 30's are my favorite era

9. What are some of your favorite film quotes?

Rachel: “I didn’t want to be an old maid. Not in Kansas!”

~Heaven Can Wait

“Then she tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up.”

~The Big Sleep

“A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl.”

~Citizen Kane (well anyone who knows my blog could see that one coming)

“Modern women.”

“They’ve been like that all down through the ages. Especially in a spot like this.” ~Plan 9 from Outer Space

“I am married to an American agent.”

~Notorious

“Walking through life with you, ma’am, has been a very gracious thing.”

~They Died With Their Boots On

  

Me: Some good quotes there Rachel!

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

Rachel: This is really embarrassing, but I haven’t seen Taxi Driver. Let me explain that one. My dad never wanted to watch it, got an idea in his head that he would hate it. So my mom never saw it. Then, when I got old enough to see it, Mom and I planned to finally see it together. Except one thing or another always came around to prevent us from watching it. And I would feel wrong if I saw it without her by this point so I guess it’ll have to wait until we can finally make that movie date. Oh, and I haven’t seen Jules and Jim, An American in Paris, Tokyo Story, Night of the Living Dead, or Blow-Up, to name a few other shameful gaps.

Me: Taxi Driver is pretty good. Intense but really good!

11. What is your favorite genre?

Rachel: I don’t know how to answer this one. I love film noir. I love screwball comedy. I love the romantic fantasies like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Portrait of Jennie. But I also really love some of the straightforward dramas and historical films. Maybe it would be faster to say what I least like which is most of the 60s comedies (too bloated and mean-spirited) and pretty near all slasher and horror films. I’m a scaredy cat when it comes to horror.

Me: I love screwball comedies...but I also love the comedies of the 60's as well.

And horror films too.

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

Rachel: Probably a film noir party. We could dress up to the nines, stage a murder in one of the cars, have a Guess Which Elisha Cook Jr. Movie This Is contest, have the couples pose for dramatic, dip-and-kiss homages to old film stills. And then in the morning, after waking up from a marathon drinking and film viewing session, the guests would confer on who had had the weirdest dreams.

Me: Cool!

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

Rachel: Well, I wouldn’t say “care less” because I always feel uneasy when they’re a film that others claim is great and I can’t see it. For classic films, I struggle with The Leopard, Sansho the Bailiff, and Spirit of the Beehive. All renowned films that have been praised to the skies by people I deeply admire…all films that bore me or numb me by turn. I’ll keep trying, maybe someday the switch will flip. As for popular films, I’m pretty indifferent to The Dark Knight, Avatar, The Matrix. But I don’t lose any sleep over not liking those ones.

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

Rachel: Huh. Lot of choices there. I think Nathanael over at Forgotten Classics of Yesteryear (http://www.forgottenclassicsofyesteryear.blogspot.com) and Nate’s Mini Reviews (http://www.natesminireviews.blogspot.com ) must watch 1-2 films a day, judging by the rate of his film commentary. And I’m always left in awe by his determination to leave no genre, style or stone unturned.

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

Rachel: Oh man. Well, I love Bruno Anthony from Strangers on a Train and Harry Lime from The Third Man, to start with a few villains. I love Bree Daniels from Klute, George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard, and Ninotchka from well, Ninotchka. I guess for me, I know that I love a film character when I really want to follow them home at the end of the movie and see what happens next.

Me: I love Norma Desmond and Ninotchka too. Good choices Rachel. And that wraps up my interview with Rachel this month. I want to thank her for accepting my invite and answering my questions. Hope everyone enjoyed her stay here as well. And please check out her wonderful blog when you get a chance.