31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 7 - GRACE KELLY

How appropriate that Grace fell on this day, a Tuesday. Why, you may ask. Because I do a regular series about her called If It's Tuesday, Then It Must Be Grace Kelly. Ahhh Princess Grace...The Queen of Hitchcock Films...Graciebird. So many names and titles but we could all call her Grace. Well maybe before she got married. Then we would have to call her Princess Grace. But regardless whatever we may call her, she is definitely one of my all time favorites.

Favorite Grace film: REAR WINDOW (1954)
Favorite Grace role: Lisa Fremont (REAR WINDOW) - so divine
Favorite Grace co-star: I'm actually taking Jimmy Stewart of Rear Window over my fave Cary Grant.
Films of Grace seen: 7 out of 12 films (she starred in over 15 episodes of TV that I'm not counting)

Well, well if it isn't Grace...oh that's right it's Tuesday

Today's film: THE SWAN (1956) - This is a film I recorded off TCM last year and never got around to watching it. That it is until now. So I will be popping this in tonight and spend my evening with Princess Grace.

A double feature on love and marriage...60's era style

Watching a most apt double bill of 60's era situation comedies about marriage relationships. First up will be A Guide For The Married Man (1967) with Walter Matthau has a husband, who happens to be married to the gorgeous Inger Stevens, but listens to his co-worker on how to get away with fooling around. I saw this film a long time ago back on AMC but recently bought the DVD. I remember it being quite funny. And it is loaded with guest stars galore: Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Art Carney, Jayne Mansfield, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, Carl Reiner, and Terry-Thomas. And believe it or not, it is directed by ace song and dance man Gene Kelly. Popping the DVD in now as I write this.

The happy couple...Virna and Jack

And after I watch that, next will be How To Murder Your Wife (1965). Dang Monty, you weren't kidding about a most suitable double bill. In this one, Jack Lemmon is a carefree bachelor who gets drunk one night and wakes up the next morning, married to Virna Lisi. Yeah, I know what you thinking..whats the problem. Well I have never seen this one all the way through so I will let you know once I do. But at first glance I don't see a problem being married to Virna. Maybe it's just me. Terry-Thomas also co-stars in this one too, so maybe I should call this a Terry-Thomas double feature.

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 5 - MARILYN MONROE

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Marilyn's tragic death. And to honor the wonderful classic film actress I will be watching some of her films, which I just bought on blu-ray. I plan to watch three films of hers if I have enough time but if not at least two. The Seven Year Itch and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. We love and miss you Marilyn. Here are some of my fave things about her.


Favorite Marilyn film: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) Without a doubt my all time
favorite Marilyn film.
Favorite Marilyn role: Lorelei Lee (GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES) - Perfection in this movie 
Favorite Marilyn co-star: toss up between Jane Russell in Blondes and Tom Ewell 
in Seven Year Itch, hence my choice of films today
Films of Marilyn seen: 15 out of 33 films

Today's films: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955) and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953)
The Seven Year Itch is a wonderful comedy by Billy Wilder, who excelled at these kind of films. Well he actually excelled at all kinds of films because he was that awesome. And so is Marilyn who is simply cast as The Girl, an upstairs neighbor to a husband (Tom Ewell) who daydreams a lot about meeting and romancing women..all women. The action heats up when his wife and kid go away for the summer and he starts chatting with The Girl. All in good natured fun but it's a treat to watch how things unfold. 


Rating: ***** out of ***** stars

 Girl falls down, man is there to catch her

In GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES,  Marilyn is amazing as Lorelei Lee, who along with best pal Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell, all sass and I love it) take a cruise ship to Paris and have one interesting adventure. Splashy musical comedy that lets Marilyn show why she is one of cinema's great icons. Gorgeous film and two gorgeous women. What more could anyone ask for?


Rating: **** out of ***** stars

I'm with the blonde here

My plan is to watch both of these films right after church and if I do get to sneak in one more Marilyn film, it will most likely be How To Marry A Millionaire. 

My love of classic films is beyond measure

Monty

What's New Pussycat (1965) is a definite product of the 60s...which is a good thing

Following the recommendation of my good friend and fellow blogger Irene, I finally had the chance to see this awesome film. First let me describe what I had to go through to finally watch it. I ordered it through Amazon over a month ago along with some other titles. The other movies came in 2 weeks ago and Amazon said they were still trying to find a copy to send me. The other day they sent me an email saying it was still out of stock and for me to cancel my order and resubmit at a later time. Which I did. So I then went to TCM and they did have the movie listed but it was out of stock. I was getting quite irritated now. Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target did not have it either. But thanks to my awesome blu-ray player and the online service that comes with it, I was able to watch it through them. And glad I did. Whew..now on to my review.

Michael and Herr Doctor Fritz

Set during the height of 60's frantic comedies, What's New Pussycat pairs the two Peters, Sellers and O'Toole in this madcap farce set in England, about a young man named Michael James (O'Toole) who has trouble committing to his girlfriend Carole (ahhhh my new love Romy Schneider). You see Michael loves women. All women. He can't help himself. He has bedded so many women it's hard to keep track of them all. So he seeks out the help of a psychoanalyst named Fritz Fassbender (Sellers) who has problems of his own. He is married but longs for the life Michael has. Their sessions are quite interesting to say the least.

Carole and Michael

Carole wants to get married but Michael has cold feet and keeps putting her off. It doesn't help the matter much when he keeps running into different women and having sex with them. Including a transplated American stripper named Liz (a kooky performance by Paula Prentiss); a refined aristocratic nymphomaniac named Renee (Capucine in a departure for her usual staid roles); and a friendly parachutist named Rita (Ursula Andress). He also has to deal with his buddy Victor (played by Woody Allen, who also wrote the screenplay) who works at a gentleman's club. Victor also happens to love Carole and they have a funny scene in which Carole gets a little tipsy.

 LIZ

 RENEE

RITA

All the characters wind up a a hotel in the country for a wild and riotous afternoon of mistaken identity and sexual shenanigans. Things get sorted by the end as Michael and Carole walk down the aisle but it's a mad finish to the altar. And even then things are not bliss. Loaded with surprise cameos and in-jokes and that catchy title song by Tom Jones, What's New Pussycat is one hilarious movie. Some may find it over the top and childish at times but it's all in good fun. The sex is never vulgar and the mood is quite often funny for the most part.  I liked it quite a bit.


Rating: *** out of ***** stars

Things get out of hand frequently in this movie

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 4 - FRANK SINATRA

Ol' Blue Eyes takes center stage today as the star of the day. A multi-talented performer who hit his peak in the mid 50's thru the mid 60's. I recently bought this 10 film collection a few months ago and decided to break some of them in today. With a double bill of Frank as Miami private eye Tony Rome in two jazzy films. But first as usual, let's get to my fave things about Mr. Sinatra.


Favorite Frank film: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
Favorite Frank role: John Baron (SUDDENLY) - I know he won an Oscar for his terrific turn as Private Angelo Maggio in Eternity but I love him even more as the ruthless hitman in Suddenly.
Favorite Frank co-star: even though he starred with tons of Hollywood's top actresses, I think his best co-star was Dean Martin.
Number of Frank films seen so far: 20 out of 64

Frank is taking requests today

Today's film: TONY ROME (1967) and LADY IN CEMENT (1968) - Frank is super cool as Miami detective Tony Rome in these two films. First in Tony Rome, he must solve the mystery of a missing diamond necklace for a millionaire. The millionaire's daughter (Sue Lyon in one of her first adult roles) is at the center of this mystery which quickly spirals out of control. Bodies start piling up fast around Tony and he becomes the main suspect. So he makes it his mission to find out what's going on. Co-starring Jill St. John, Richard Conte, and Gena Rowlands, Tony Rome is one cool film with Frank wise-cracking and drinking the whole time. Probably picked up some pointers from his buddy Dino. Oh and whoever did the close-up shots for this film has a running gag as every time a beautiful woman appears, the camera zooms in on her...ummm...posterior. Gotta love the 60's. And the fun and flirty banter Frank has with Jill is priceless.


Tony: This isn't a family. It's just a bunch of people living at the same address. 
Rating: *** out of *****

"You want me to do what?" Ann Archer is not thrilled about something

Frank would return the following year with another Rome film titled Lady In Cement which has Tony discovering a blonde floating at the bottom of the ocean while he is out searching for buried treasure. But once again things don't turn out as simple as they appear..as Tony gets caught up in Miami's elite and some of the city's worst scumbags. While not as good as his first outing, things are a little lighter. Take for instance Tony wears a light beige suit in this one as opposed to a dark suit in the first film. And his hair is lightly colored blonde this time out as opposed to black in the original. He still cracks jokes even faced with danger. Great support from Dan Blocker (TV's Bonanza) and the extremely sexy Raquel Welch as society queen Kit Forrest. Wait until she makes her appearance...all I will say is WOW! Oh and the running gag of zooming in on women's posteriors is still in effect.


Rating: **1/2 out of *****

Easy Tony, easy...I'll get you a drink!

At The Beach: ESTHER WILLIAMS

Perennial aqua-girl Esther looking so wonderful

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 3 - ERROL FLYNN

A little swashbuckling for the day and who better than Errol Flynn. Whether firing arrows or clashing swords, Errol is your man. 


Favorite Errol film: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
Favorite Errol role: Robin Hood
Favorite Errol co-star: a no-brainer here..OLIVIA de HAVILLAND
Number of Errol films seen so far: 17 out of 63

Star of the day, Errol Flynn

Today's film: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) - I was gonna go with another Errol film of somewhat lesser known variety but I just bought Robin Hood on blu-ray and wanted to see how it looks compared to DVD. And yes it looks amazing! I mean Robin Hood was already a gorgeous looking film in beautiful Technicolor and Blu-ray enhances it even more. Sounds and looks terrific. One of my favorite films of all time. Flynn and de Havilland are pure gold together. And Rathbone and Rains make terrific villains. 

The ever so thoughtful guest..Robin brings something to the feast

My favorite scene: has to be when Robin shows up at Nottingham Castle to have a little chat with Prince John (Rains) and Sir Guy (Rathbone) that begins friendly enough...but ends with Robin having to brawl his way out. Exhilarating stuff!

Oh and quite the charmer with the ladies too!

Rating: ***** out of *****
That's right...Robin Hood is a five star gem!

Whoops! Time to go!

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 2 - AVA GARDNER

Today my star selection is Ava Gardner. One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen. And a lot more talented than people gave her credit for. Here are some of my fave things about Ava. One of which being her passion for going barefoot a lot. I think my friend Irene would agree with me on that.

Favorite Ava film: THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (1964)
Favorite Ava role: Kitty Collins -THE KILLERS (1946)
Favorite Ava co-star: Clark Gable (THE HUCKSTERS, MOGAMBO)
Number of  Ava Films seen so far: 16 out of 68

Star of the day, Ava Gardner

Today's Film: THE HUCKSTERS (1947) Much star power in this film. Besides Ava, we have Clark Gable, Deborah Kerr, Sydney Greenstreet, Edward Arnold, Keenan Wynn and Adolphe Menjou. Set in the world of advertising, Gable plays  Victor Norman, fresh out of the service and looking for a job. Lands one at an advertising agency when he lands a rich widow (Deborah Kerr, never better) as a endorsee to a major client. Ava enters the picture as Jean Ogilvie, a singer, aspiring to be an actress. And who also happens to be an old flame of Victor, which creates some tension between him, her and Kay (Kerr's character). 

Ava is stunning to say the least and quite funny.  Check out this line when she meets Victor's boss...

Mr. Kimberly: aren't you pretty Ms. Ogilvie.
Jean: Why, aren't you nice...I'm doing my hair differently.

I may not be a woman, but this outfit Ava wears is just awesome!

She is like that pretty much the whole movie. Along with Gable and Kerr, the acting by these three is top notch. And nobody says darling better than Ms. Kerr. Plus Ava and Deborah wear some of the best clothes one could ask for!

Rating: *** out of *****

Let me show you a little trick here Clarkie...

31 Stars in 31 Days: Day 1 - Cary Grant

Kicking off my little event this month is my favorite actor of all time, Cary Grant. This is my first post in this series so it's a work in progress. And like I said in another post, I will try to choose each star's lesser known works, instead of their more known films. First I wanted to name some fave movies of Cary before I talk about the movie I watched in honor of him.


Favorite Cary film: HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)
Favorite Cary role: Walter Burns (HIS GIRL FRIDAY)
Favorite Cary co-star: Irene Dunne (THE AWFUL TRUTH, MY FAVORITE WIFE, PENNY
SERENADE)
Number of Films seen of Cary so far: 44 out of 72

Today's Film: BIG BROWN EYES (1936) - One of Cary's early films has him cast as New York detective Danny Barr trying to take down a jewel theft ring. And also trying to find two men who kill a child in Central Park by accidental gunfire. He's aided by his sassy on again, off again girlfriend/manicurist/reporter Eve Fallon (Joan Bennett).  How's that for multi-tasking. Snappy banter ala The Thin Man and a good story propel this film with Grant smooth as the snappy dressed cop and Bennett as the reporter who loves a good story ala Nora Charles.


Best scene: after Eve walks in on Danny with another woman not realizing he is interviewing her as a victim, she gets mad and won't let him in to see her. So outside her door, Danny mimics another woman's voice and has a humorous, sexy conversation. After Eve opens the door Danny reminds her he used to be a ventriloquist before becoming a cop. 

Cops and criminals alike hang out at the local barber shop

Surprising thing: seeing a blonde Joan Bennett..it takes a few scenes to get used to seeing Joan as a blonde. I keep forgetting she started her career by being blonde but went dark to distance herself from sister Constance. 


Oh and be on the lookout for Walter Pidgeon as a smooth jewel thief. And a running gag about Danny always having tea when romancing a female. 


Rating: *** out of *****

Eve is upset again at Danny

"Would you like some tea baby?"

At The Beach: KIM NOVAK

Breath-taking Kim Novak!