Classic Links

Hollywood, April 19, 1932 Hollywood Heyday

An interesting David Bordwell post about perspective in movies-- David Bordwell

An in-depth obituary of June Havoc-- The Guardian

More information about the Media History Digital Library that I posted a link for a week or so ago--Movie Morlocks/TCM

Eva Marie Saint and Robert Obsborne in Chicago— Motion Picture Gems

Classic Links

The name game: who is the actress in this photo?-- Classic Film and TV Cafe

Party Girl (1930), a review with lots of screenshots--She Blogged By Night

Silent movie star Colleen Moore--Noir and Chick Flicks

Last week, Tom of Motion Picture Gems received one of the last autographed pictures of June Havoc-- Motion Picture Gems

New book: The Girl in Hitchcock’s Shower--Cinematical

A review of the Criterion Collection’s release of the heartbreaking Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)--Slate

Classic Links

RIP June Havoc-- Just a Cineast

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in a Korean beauty salon ad-- Sheetal Makhan

Olivia de Havilland on Joan Fontaine-- Alternative Film Guide

A wonderful pic of Dr. Seuss, Boris Karloff and Charles M. Jones during the making of How the Grinch Stole Christmas(1966)-- If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats

Is That Mustache Really Necessary? is now a Tumblr blog. I think it is even funnier than Selleck, Waterfall, Sandwich.--Is That Mustache Really Necessary?

Elizabeth Taylor refuses further surgery--IMDB

Butch and Buddy: the child actor team you've never heard of-- Motion Picture Gems

Quote of the Week

Every time I see him work, it looks to me like a bunch of firecrackers going off all at once.

-Will Rogers (about James Cagney)

Image Source

Classic Links

A recent photo of silent movie actress Dorothy Janis, whose passing I missed on 3/10. Alternative Film Guide

One of my favorite noir actresses: Helen Walker (Nightmare Alley (1947), Impact (1949) -- Movie Morlocks/TCM

Roger Ebert plans a new TV show-- Cinematical

Newly-found recordings of Orson Welles will be used to make a new movie-- Empire Online

Classic Links

A wonderful obituary of Robert Culp (and so nice to hear from Ivan again!)— Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

Technicolor donates archive to Eastman House— Variety

Cary Grant and his fondness for LSD— Newswire Daily

Monty is in search of “guest programmers”—what are your picks?— All Good Things

Kirby of Movie Dearest mentioned this movie list-making site on the LAMB blog. I’ve been having fun with it so far; it's very addictive— iCheck Movies

Watch the Three Stooges smack each other around in free online shorts— AMC

Classic Links

Steve McQueen would have been 80 today (but I have a hard time picturing him at that age)— Silents and Talkies

Ten movie theater gimmicks-- Mental Floss

If you ever have a chance to see Joseph Losey’s grim, but fascinating drama, The Prowler (1951), go for it-- Movie Morlocks/TCM

Classic Links

Life has a gallery of 20 never-seen Steve McQueen pics--very intimate shots— Life

The African Queen (1951) DVD release is today!-- NY1/Entertainment Weekly

A newfound appreciation for Cecil B DeMille Movie Morlocks/TCM

A gorgeous gallery of classic shots now up for auction— Daily News

How Michael Caine angered Alfred Hitchcock-- IMDB

The Night Editor (1946) (…a very cheap and foolhardy movie)-- Mondo 70

How many perfumes has Elizabeth Taylor released now?— ET Online

TV Tuesday: How To Marry a Millionaire, the Television Show

Yes, from 1957 to 1959, How to Marry a Millionaire was TV show! It starred Merry Anders, Lori Nelson and Barbara Eden before her I Dream of Jeannie days. Eden steals the show as the bubbly Loco. Despite sharing a name with the Betty Grable character in the original, this Loco is really more of a hybrid of Grable’s happy flirt and Marilyn Monroe’s near-sighted dim bulb. I think Anders, as Mike, is supposed to be the level-headed Lauren Bacall character. I don’t know where that leaves Nelson.

Though it only lasted two seasons, this is a fun show. It is by necessity less glossy and glamorous than its big screen sister, but it’s got an amusing, more mischievous tone. This 1957 episode, called The Three Pretenders, is the third in the series.

Part One:

 

Part Two:



Part Three:

 

Classic Links

A bit of news about the much-missed Ivan Shreve Jr.— Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

Lots of pics of Anna Sten-- Allure

Ah, Ricardo Montalban was a wonderful dancer!-- Flying Down to Hollywood

Philip French’s screen legends: Judy Garland— The Guardian

Interesting bits of info. about Robert Armstrong-- A Mythical Monkey Writes About the Movies

Clips from classic Alice in Wonderland movies-- Mental Floss

Review Round-up:

The Hearts of Age (1934) (a short film by Orson Welles--among others)--The Night Editor

The Glass Wall(1953)--Noir of the Week

Kathleen (1941) (with Shirley Temple)--Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Monday Serenade: Clara Bow Sings

Well, as you can see from this promo, Clara Bow wasn't meant to be a musical star. That said, she's awfully cute--and quite a sport for dancing and singing when she was terrified to even speak on film. After hearing the many stories of Bow's negative experiences with the talkies, I was so surprised to find that she actually had a charming speaking voice. It wasn't so much that she couldn't speak well, it's just that it frightened her to do it on film. I wish she had made more talkies, because she was charming in a whole new way when she spoke, but I'm happy she managed to at least star in a few.

Quote of the Week

Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

-Sophia Loren

Image Source

Saturday Morning Cartoon: The Mechanical Cow (1927)

Oswald the Rabbit struggles with his robot cow. Oswald's chattering sounds more monkey than rabbit-like to me, but at least his girlfriend speaks the same way.

Classic Links

Watch the first Frankenstein movie—from 1910— Cinematical

Exhuming DeMille's set for The Ten Commandments (1923)-- LA Times

Eva Marie Saint gives great interviews-- Chicagoist

A review of the 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland— Classic Movies Digest

An interview with film writer Laura Wagner-- Long Island Press

Classic Links

This is wonderful! An online media archive with tons of clips from old movie magazines— The Internet Archive (via Flappers and Flickers)

Some interesting Peter Graves trivia— Mental Floss

Lots of movie stars smooching— Vintage Belle

Classic Links

Interesting blog: the life of a silent movie accompanist-- Silent Film Music by Ben Model

Another great blog—a woman shares her mother-in-law’s scrapbooks. Here is a vintage Jean Harlow magazine article-- Madeline's Memories

The many moods of Cary Grant-- Riku Writes

Ah, the delightful Trouble in Paradise (1932)-- The Big Parade

A new book about Irish-American movies-- Wall Street Journal

The 1960 piece here about Dietrich supporting von Sternberg in court is interesting-- LA Times

Classic Links

Special effects before CGI—of course including my beloved Voyage to the Moon, from way back in 1902!— Mental Floss

April 18, 1932 in Hollywood— Hollywood Heyday

A new game: who is the actress in this photo?— Classic Film and TV Cafe

Very nicely done Thin Man (1934) review—lots of good background about the series and stars— Immortal Ephemera

TV Tuesday: Joan Fontaine, Richard Basehart and The Love Boat

Look at this--Joan Fontaine and Richard Basehart on a 1981 episode of the Love Boat! I need to make a master list of all the classic movie star appearances on this show. I know there were a ton of them.

Monday Serenade: Chico Marx Plays Slapstick Piano

I get giddy with delight whenever I watch Chico Marx playing the piano. He always manages to incorporate a heavy dose of slapstick into his light-hearted performances, and because he keeps that happy anarchy going, it never feels like his musical interludes stop the action.

Classic Links

RIP Peter Graves— The Guardian

A great collection of Carol Burnett’s classic Hollywood parodies-- Old Hollywood Glamour

A great new Deanna Durbin blog from Tom of Motion Picture Gems— Motion Picture Gems

Movie Review Round-up--

A Kay Francis double feature: I Loved a Woman (1933)/Living on Velvet (1935)-- She Blogged By Night

Eye Witness (1950) Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

The Other Woman (1954) Where Danger Lives

Quote of the Week

For a while in the twenties and thirties, art was talked about as a substitute for religion; now B movies are a substitute for religion.

-Pauline Kael

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Finding His Voice (1929)

In this early sound cartoon, Talkie helps Mutey enter the wonderful world of singing and talking movies. Though it's played for laughs, this is actually a very technical 'toon. Mutey reminds me a lot of Kenny from South Park.

Classic Links

Two of a Kind (1951), another noir I must see-- Mondo 70

Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963)— The Ludovico Technique

Merle and Sarah Jane— The Self-Styled Siren

I love these pics of Claudia Cardinale—she always has such a happy, mischevious look in her eyes!— Vintage Belle

Classic Links

Dorothy Janis, 1910-2010, one of the last silent movie actresses— Motion Picture Gems

So when is Asta going to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?— LA Times blog

A new bio of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor: Furious Love (that’s quite a title!)— The Bookseller

There’s some nice tidbits about Jean Renoir in this article— LA Times

The ultimate western fan quiz— AMC

Classic Links

Get Well Soon Ivan of Thrilling Days of Yesteryear-- She Blogged By Night

Debbie Reynolds today-- Yorkshire Post

The escapades of Errol Flynn-- Vanity Fair

The Natalie Wood mystery resurfaces?-- On the Marquee

Oh barf—news about potential Wizard of Oz remakes—
 /Film
Cinematical

Classic Links

Classic movie quotes as infographics-- /Film

The fabulous movie review chain continues with link #6, Gunga Din (1939)!-- Noir Girl

A great post about one of the best of the worst movies-- The Self-Styled Siren

The Wildcat (1921), yet another silent movie I must see-- Art, Movies, Wood and Whatnot

The ten worst best picture winners-- Antagony and Ecstasy

Classic Links

A great interview with Dean Martin’s daughter-- Daily Record

Q&A: Hayley Mills— The Guardian

Do screen children make good when they grow up?— Hollywood Heyday

A silent movie review round-up:
America (1924)--Out of the Past
The Birth Life and Death of Christ (1903)--Silent Volume
Her Sister From Paris (1925)--Black and White: Cinema and Chocolate

Let’s go to the drive-in!— Retrospace

Ten seafaring flicks— Riku Writes, Mostly About the Movies

Kirk Douglas still holds grudge over lost role— IMDB

The classic movie fan’s Oscars-- Silents and Talkies

A review of the film noir Heat Wave (1954)-- Noir of the Week

Monday Serenade: Janet Gaynor

Janet Gaynor wasn't made for musicals, but her charming warble always brings a smile to my face. It always seems as though she is just an ordinary woman, wandering around singing happily to herself--and the cameras just happen to be there. Here she sings My Heart's Desire in Adorable (1933), the last in a string of popular musicals she made in the early thirties.

Quote of the Week

Hollywood’s all right. It’s the pictures that are bad.

-Orson Welles

Image Source

Classic Links

Rebecca: book vs. movie-- Movie Viewing Girl

Movie vampires and the sun (some of the pics aren't good for lunchtime viewing)-- TCM/Movie Morlocks

In defense of director Sam Wood— The Self-Styled Siren

Note to bloggers: Blogger has made some changes-- Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

Classic Links

The 1903 version of Alice in Wonderland— Cinematical

Lovely Sylvia Sidney pic spam— Vintage Film Nerd

A documentary about Orson Welles’ grandson in Montana— About.com

An interesting review of Ten Nights in a Barroom (1931)— Flappers and Flickers

Classic Links

Roger Ebert sort of speaks. . .sniff-- /Film

Random Oscar facts— The Telegraph

I prefer to avoid getting retail on you all, but these are such wonderful prints. I never get tired of looking at them— Silents and Talkies

A personal memory of Kathryn Grayson-- My Desert

Classic Links

I love this new photo blog. Great classic Hollywood images. It has made my feed reading much more beautiful— Vintage Photos

TCM comes to a city near you—whether you like it or not— Out of the Past

The ultimate Gregory Peck fan quiz— AMC

A review of the sentimental romance Smilin’ Through (1932) with Fredric March and Norma Shearer-- And. . .Scene

Another biography of Katharine Hepburn (okay, fine, but where’s that Irene Dunne biography? Am I going to have to write one myself?)— SF Gate

TV Tuesday: Audrey Hepburn Stands Her Ground

 

I've heard stories about how tough Audrey Hepburn could be, but I'd never seen that with my own eyes until I watched this clip from 1963. Wow, she's not going to let that reporter push her around!

(via Joan Crawford Deluxe Suite)

Classic Links

A nice profile of singing cowboy Herb Jeffries— Another Old Movie Blog

A peek at Lucille Ball’s dressing room— Dear Old Hollywood

A brief history of the Oscar statuette-- Cinema Style

Will Smith in a remake of Suspicion? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to picture anyone but Cary and Joan in those roles— About.com

And Gwynth Paltrow is going to play Marlene Dietrich? Who is coming up with these ideas?— IMDB

How 100 years of Hollywood have charted the history of America (according to Phil French)— The Guardian

An interesting review of The Visit(1964) with Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn-- Motion Picture Gems

Clifton Webb sings!-- Silents and Talkies

Monday Serenade: Marilyn Monroe in 1948

Norma Jean isn't quite "Marilyn Monroe" yet in this 1948 clip from Ladies of the Chorus, but she's already singing about diamonds and sugar daddies.(The part with the dolls is bizarre.)