Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Film | The Girl From Missouri

Today was my day off and with some extra time to spare I decided to dig through my unwatched pile of recorded DVDs. A few years ago when I still had cable, quite a few movies I wanted to see came on late at night on Turner Classic Movies, so I decided to record them for viewing later. In that pile of movies was a disc from a Jean Harlow tribute that had 4 of her pictures on it. There aren't many of Harlow's films available to buy, so I was excited to rediscover this disc. The first of the movies I decided to watch was the 1934 romantic comedy The Girl From Missouri. I must say it is one of my favorite movies I have seen of Jean Harlow's. She played Eadie, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks that only wants to be married, flawlessly. I was especially impressed in the scene where Tom locks Eadie in his bedroom and she begs of him to let her be a lady. I haven't seen many films with Franchot Tone, but I found him a pleasure to watch. The chemistry between the two lead characters lead to a great movie watching experience. The movie has a great story, wonderful dialogue and a well rounded cast. My only issue with this movie is that my recording ended before the end of the movie, so I missed the last few minutes of the movie. Other than that small detail, I would definitely add this to my list of favorite movies... even though I usually call all classic movies my favorites.


Monday, June 13, 2011

Photos | On Set

Judy Garland & Fred Astaire performing 'We're A Couple Of Swells.'
From the 1948 film Easter Parade


Film | Down To Earth

I recently signed up for Netflix and I am very pleased with the selection of classic films they have available. The first one I received was Rita Hayworth's 1947 film Down To Earth. I recently watched a few musical numbers from the film and was excited to be able to watch it. The movie was beautiful to watch and the dancing was superb by all the actors. The costumes and movie sets were beautiful and the glorious Technicolor made it all pop. My only gripe with the film is that I didn't find it showcased Rita's great dancing. After seeing her other films such as You Were Never Lovelier and Cover Girl, I was left wanting more. Even with that said, I loved every second of the movie and will have to keep my eye out for it on DVD.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Film | My Favorite Wife

The other night my wife and I sat down to watch the classic screw-ball comedy My Favorite Wife and I have to say it was just as enjoyable to watch the second time around. It isn't often I find myself laughing out loud watching a movie, but I just couldn't help myself. One of the funniest scenes is when Nick Arden (Cary Grant) is telling his new wife Bianca (Gail Patrick) that he has had to leave suddenly and wouldn't be able to finish their honeymoon, only to walk out of the phone booth and literally run right into her. There is a great plot that leads the way into some very comedic performances. In my opinion, Cary Grant stole the movie from the two leading ladies. I found Irene Dunn's acting a bit grating at times and I never warmed up to Gail Patrick. This is definitely a classic movie worth having in your collection.



Sunday, June 5, 2011

Misc | Classic Films In Theaters

I never thought I would get to experience the magic of Classic Hollywood on the big screen. I live in New Orleans and I thought only big cities like New York had theaters with taste, that is until I discovered a little gem called the The Prytania. The Prytania was opened in 1915 and is the oldest one movie theater in Louisiana. The theater has a Classic Movies Series that started a few weeks ago and to my surprise they are playing two of my favorite movies (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and All About Eve.) They are also playing Singing In The Rain which I am embarrassed to say I have never seen! I hope they continue this series because if they do, they have a devoted attendee.


Photos | Stars With Their Pets

Stars & Their Pets

Since I love animals, and have quite a few of my own, I thought I would do a post with pictures of vintage stars sharing the lense with their beloved pets.

 Joan Crawford with Fancy [Poodle]