Good Morning from the Bennett Sisters...

CONSTANCE

JOAN

Rosalind Russell - Classic Movie Goddess for August Part 2

Here are some interesting facts about Roz:

Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the center of section M at the statue and cross.

Her performance as Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday (1940) is ranked #28 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

Cary Grant introduced her to her future husband and was the best man at their wedding.

 Spouse Frederick Brisson married her in 1941 and remained with her til her death in 1976.

Son, Lance Brisson, born May 7, 1943.

In Gypsy (1962), Russell portrayed the mother of famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in The Trouble With Angels (1966), Russell appeared with the real life Gypsy Rose Lee.

Fun Summer Movies: SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992)

Summer Release Date: 14 August 1992. Starring Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman, Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, Jessica Lundy.  Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Written by Don Roos. Novel by John Lutz.

Not your typical fun summer movie, this thriller though does feature a fun, whacked out performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh. She plays the slightly unhinged Hedy Carlson, a young woman who answers the room-mate add of the young and upcoming professional Allie Jones (played by Bridget Fonda). Set in New York City, the room-mates get along great at first until Hedy starts to think of Allie as her own and doesn't want to share her with anyone else. Including Allie's on again/off again boyfriend (Steven Weber), her lecherous boss (Tobolowsky) and her gay upstairs neighbor (Friedman). As the movie progresses, you can just see Hedy becoming more and more unstable. Leigh is perfect too. She drives this whole film. She gives it the extra jolt whenever the film starts to sag. Her neediness becomes truly terrifying because after the incident with Allie's dog, you begin to realize this girl is crazy as hell. By the time Allie figures out that she has unwittingly invited the room-mate from hell into her life, things have become bloody, and the body count has increased.

I was stationed in Germany when this film came out and I saw it with my fellow buddies. Just us guys, no dates. And we were all surprised how good this movie turned out to be. I think it was the last movie of the summer that we saw and it was a great finish for that year. Back to the performances in this film: Fonda was pretty good too as Allie as was Tobolowsky and Friedman. But the main reason to see this movie is because of Jennifer Jason Leigh. She played the psycho terrifically. Up there with Kathy Bates from Misery, which is strange because these two would team up a few years later for Dolores Claiborne, the Stephen King thriller. I hear there is a remake for Single White Female coming soon but I doubt it will improve on this one and good luck to the actress who inherits Leigh's role. It's going to be a tough act to follow.

Notes:

To prepare for their fight to the finish scenes, both Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh took several self-defense lessons.



The Ansonia on the Upper West Side of Manhattan was used for the apartment building. The interiors were shot on a sound stage but the scenes in the stairwells were shot at The Ansonia.


Bridget had the choice of playing either the Allie role or the Hedy role. She ended up choosing to play Allie, because she said it was a harder role.
 
The film was a surprise sleeper hit, earning about $50 million in North America. It was one of the biggest hits for both actresses. And it was director Schroeder's biggest hit ever. His other films include Reversal of Fortune (1990), Kiss of Death (1995) and Murder By Numbers (2002).

Happy Birthday Norma Shearer

Happy Birthday to Norma Shearer (1902-1983)

Be My Guest - Laura (Part 2)

Here is part 2 of my guest of the month Laura's post.

Monty: Describe the perfect way for you to watch a classic movie.

Laura: My favorite way to watch a classic movie is to see a beautiful restored print on a big screen with an appreciative audience. However, I'm not able to do that very often at this stage of my life, due to other demands on my time, and I'm extremely grateful for both Turner Classic Movies and DVDs. If you had told me when I was growing up that I could watch one of my favorite movies on TV anytime I wanted, it would have been hard for me to believe! As much as I love seeing movies in a theater, I don't think I'll ever get over my amazement at actually owning movies.

Monty: That's awesome Laura. Being able to see a restored film on the big screen would be pretty amazing. But like you said we do have TCM and DVDs to fall back on.

Monty: What is your favorite time period and why: the 20's, the 30's, the 40's, the 50's or the 60's?

Laura: I love the entire film era of roughly 1930-1960, but if I had to single out one decade it would be the '40s. The films of that decade are so diverse: there's WWII and "home front" films; the blossoming of the MGM musical (notably with MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS); Fox musicals with their remarkable Technicolor; the beginning of the film noir genre; and so much more. For the most part my favorite actors were all extremely busy -- and often at the peak of their careers -- in the '40s.

Monty: Good choiice Laura and I can understand why you chose that time period. I actually cheated on my pick and I chose 1936-1944. Part of the 30's and part of the 40's. But If I had to break down and choose one period I would go with the 30's. Just because screwball comedies were at their zenith then and it is my favorite genre.

I will continue with Laura's conversation with another post by the end of the week. I must say I have enjoyed her responses so far.

Happy Birthday Rhonda Fleming

Happy Birthday to the gorgeous redheaded actress Rhonda Fleming (1923-present) who turns 87 today. And while Rhonda is not currently making movies, she is still active with guest appearances and charity events. Her list of notable films include Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas; Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945); Out of the Past (1947) with Robert Mitchum; Pony Express (1953) with Charlton Heston; Alias Jesse James (1959) with Bob Hope and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) with Bing Crosby.

Summer Under The Stars on TCM - Kathryn Grayson on August 10th

I was a little miffed when TCM didn't honor Kathryn Grayson when she passed away back in February. So color me excited now that they are finally showcasing Ms. Grayson for the entire day of August 10th. Some of the films being shown are It Happened in Brooklyn, Two Sisters From Boston, Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat, and my favorite of hers, Kiss Me Kate.

Happy Birthday Lorie...

Usually I only post Happy Birthdays to classic movie stars but Lorie is such a good friend of mine from work, I thought it would be cool to post her a shout out on her birthday. She is one of the few friends from work that loves classic movies like I do. Just the other day we were discussing My Fair Lady and Audrey Hepburn and I found out that Lady is one of her favorites. Anyway just wanted to share this special day with all of my followers because one can never have too many friends. And Lorie is one of my best. She shares a birthday with Gillian Anderson (Scully from The X-Files), french actress Audrey Tautou (Amelie), Australian actor Eric Bana (Troy, The Hulk), Sam Elliott (Tombstone, Roadhouse) and Melanie Griffith (Working Girl). Happy Birthday Lorie.

Stage Door (1937) is terrific...Hollywood at it's golden best

Director Gregory La Cava assembled a stunning roster of some of the best actresses for this delightful comedy/drama. Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Ann Miller, Gail Patrick and Andrea Leeds. How's that for a cast. And then throw in Adolphe Menjou, Jack Carson and Franklin Pangborn, and you have one of the best film casts ever assembled. It rivals the all women cast of the 1939 classic The Women. The story has Terry Randall (Hepburn), a rich society beauty wants to see if see can make it on Broadway all by herself, with no help from her family. She goes to live in a theatrical boarding house called The Footlights Club and finds her life caught up with those of the other inmates and the ever-present disappointment that theatrical hopefuls must live with. Her room-mate Jean (the wonderfully biting Ginger Rogers) resents her from day one and their tenous relationship fuels the entire movie. The look Jean gives Terry once she realizes they're going to be room-mates is classic. While Stage Door is not really a screwball comedy, it does feature several hilarious moments and wonderful comedic dialogue. I mean with wise-crackers like Rogers, Eve Arden and Lucille Ball on hand, how could it not be. But it does turn very dramatic at times, and there is even an unexpected death that just shatters the close knit group of women. As far as the acting goes, Rogers is top notch. She easily stands out among her fellow actresses with her seen it all, done it all character Jean. Lucille Ball is also very good as Judith, as she has comic troubles with dating. Judith and Jean's double date with some visiting lumberjacks is a riot. Hepburn is ok, but at times seems uncomfortable amid all the other women. I believe Kate worked her best magic with either Tracy of Cary Grant. Regardless, Stage Door is one of my favorite films and it is a joy to watch again and again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Judy Canfield: Do you want a date?
Jean Maitland: To some other lumberman?
Judy Canfield: Am I supposed to apologize for being born in Seattle?
Jean Maitland: Well, the last couple we went stepping with were made of lumber. Especially their feet.
Judy Canfield: All right, all right, you can stay here and gorge yourself on lamb stew again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terry Randall: I see that, in addition to your other charms, you have that insolence generated by an inferior upbringing.
Jean Maitland: Hmm! Fancy clothes, fancy language and everything!
Terry Randall: Unfortunately, I learned to speak English correctly.
Jean Maitland: That won't be of much use to you here. We all talk pig latin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terry: Do you go to sleep right away?
Jean: Sure, what do you go to bed for?

Happy Birthday Esther Williams

The living legend turns 89 today and is still active with charity events and public appearances. The star who starred in her own sub-genre of musicals dubbed aqua-musicals, because she swam in every single one of them, is one of my favorite newly discovered actresses thanks to my good friend Dawn over at Noir and Chick Flicks.