Bette's Classic Movie Blog

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman: The Ship That Never Left The Dock

2012-02-16T15:32:00.000Z

{My GIF}

There was a post floating around on Tumblr a while ago that had a picture of Cary and Ingrid and the caption: "The Ship That Never Left The Dock". I don't know if you ever use it or see it used, but on the web, it's customary to tag or label your favourite of/on screen couples with OTP (one true pairing) or I Ship These Two (I ship them together, I put them together even though their roles or life don't mirror your views.) This made me think. I love Kate and Spence and The Powells, but they were either together or always played Mr and Mrs. I completely love Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman together. They're lovely and romantic together and whenever I watch them on screen, I find it hard to deal with that they were never married with many children. Is that weird?

They certainly show their both dramatic and romantic best in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece (and my favourite), Notorious (1946). Their pairing was utter genius from a genius director. From the moment they first look at each other you know that that's it - their a match made in heaven. The whole way through the film even when they aren't a "couple" they are always somehow romantically joined. You don't get that often or easily - they were a near perfect match. Fast-forward about 10 years and you've got the delightful rom-com Indiscreet (1958), which I believe Cary Grant claimed to be his favourite movie.

Indiscreet is one of my all-time favourites. I can't pick any holes or faults with it - it's pretty flawless. It's one of those films that when you can't decide what to watch you just stick this on and enjoy it as if you've never watched it before. I first watched it with my mum as an antidote to the grim yet mesmerising Cabaret and we laughed and enjoyed it so much we showed it to my little sister that day and she loved it, too. They prove in this that they can not only do the dramatic together - but the comedy too. Why didn't more directors cast them together?

I suppose it was probably because Cary was always being paired with the likes of Irene Dunne and his other partner (I happen to adore this pair almost as much as the Ingrid one), Katharine Hepburn. Ingrid was often galavanting off in Italy or making other movies without a main plot being love. It's a true shame they never made more movies together - I adore them. I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP.

~Bette

Be My Valentine...

2012-02-14T20:44:00.003Z

I made this little GIF with my OTP Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tract because as you probably all know, today's the 14th of February... Valentines Day! I think these two are great. You have to read Kate's autobiography or watch "Katharine Hepburn, Me: A Self Portrait" to fully understand how romantic and wonderful their love story was. Happy Valentines! If you want to use this as an e-card or blog graphic or something then that's great! Just link back please, stealing ain't dandy like sugar candy. I'm probably a little late with this for Valentines Day... oh well!!!

{Source}

If you're planning on watching a movie tonight, I'd recommend either Notorious (Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman) or Random Harvest (Greer Garson and Ronald Colman)... They're the two most romantic films ever - in my opinion. Me? I actually just curled up on the sofa with Pillow Talk - I love me some Doris Day.

~Bette

Rianna's Classic Movie Survey

2012-02-04T11:08:00.000Z

I just love doing surveys so when I heard that one of my favourite bloggers and best internet pals had recently made one I was super exited! Thanks Rianna of Frankly My Dear for the fun survey! Here are my answers.

1. Favorite classic Disney?

{These GIFs are not mine.}

My personal favourite has to be The Aristocats if we are talking about classic. It's amazing and all the cats are perfect. I can't ever find a Disney classic I'll have more affection for. This is as cute as it gets. Everybody wants to be a cat... I also adore Mulan and The Little Mermaid but I think they aren't really classic. I used to be quite obsessed with dressing up and putting on little shows when I was younger (haven't grown out of it) and I dressed up as many a Disney princess :-D

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

{My graphic}

Ooooohhh. I couldn't tell you. I love Wuthering Heights which I reviewed for the 1939 movies blogathon, but I also love Dark Victory and Goodbye Mr. Chips. I don't think I could choose at all, I love so many from that year!

3. Favorite Carole Lombard Screwball role?

{Source}

My Man Godfrey for this reason. "GODFREY LOVES ME HE PUT ME IN THE SHOWER!" Enough said. Seriously.

4. Favorite off screen couple? (It’s ok if it ended in divorce.)

{Mine}

Well, my favourite off-screen couple that are widely known to have existed (The Powells were real. It's just my secret.) I have to say Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Their love for each other was great. You really have to either read Me: Stories of My Life or watch Me: A Self Portrait to understand how much they loved each other. It's so upsetting sometimes because of his many problems.

5. Favorite pair of best friends? (e.g: Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford)

I have recently found out about a friendship between Greer Garson and Katharine Hepburn who ate together and socialized at MGM, but as for a proper friendship as in a famous one (that actually has the evidence of cute photos) I love Olivia DeHavilland and Bette Davis. They were great friends as this clip shows.

6. Favorite actor with a mustache?

{Source}

William Powell and Clark Gable have to be tied. Their moustachioed awesomespice is equal in all ways. I love them too much for words.

7. Favorite blonde actress?

Blonde? Well I don't like to stereotype blonde, but I really love lots of Marilyn Monroe movies. She was a much better actress than everyone thought she was.

8. Favorite pre-code?

{Source}

WHAT IS THIS? I LOVE SO MANY - PRE-CODES ARE ALL THAT IS WONDEROUS IN LIFE. If I had to pick it though it would be The Thin Man - or It Happened One Night - also Queen Christina!

9. Which studio would you have liked to join?

MGM. They had a blast there. Kate, Greer and Myrna? Yes! We could have been ladies who lunched in each other's apartment-sized dressing rooms! Me, Myrna and Kate would come from our serious dramas and clever comedies in black and white to go and see Greer who's been working with Walter Pidgeon on their lavish technicolour picture. Kate would go with Spencer, Myrna would come with William Powell (of course) and I'd be there with Cary Grant. Because since I suddenly find myself in classic Hollywood then of course, he is naturally my husband. THIS WOULD BE SO DAMN AMAZING.

10. Favorite common on screen pairing that SHOULD have gotten married?

THE POWELLS. THERE ARE NO MORE AND NEVER WILL BE. They were married. They just kept it secret. Some commenter asked me a while ago how many secret children they had. Four. Two boys and two girls. Myrna Jr, Bill Jr., and the other two called Nick and Nora. Hellyeah The Powells and their family. And anyway, what more proof does anyone need than this?

11. Favorite I Love Lucy episode?

I have shamefully only seen a few but I got the first series from my grandmaw for Christmas so ILL here I come! So far I love the "Viteameatavegamin" episode best.

12. Out of these actresses which one do you like best: Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Greer Garson, Grace Kelly, or Katharine Hepburn?

{My Scan}

Why Rianna? Just why? I've already emailed you in shouting capitals at the total unfairness of this heart-wrenching question. This is so hard, but I think I'll have to choose Kate. After reading books about Greer, Ingrid and Kate's own lovely contribution, I have to say that I feel most akin to Katharine Hepburn and can relate most to her movies and her stories. Darn you though, tough question much?

13. Shadowy film noir from the 1940’s or splashy colorful musicals from the 1950’s?

I can't choose so I'm going to say one of each. Shady 40s noir, Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck is a shadowy ninja of suspense. Deal.

Splashy colourful musical I pick Kiss Me Kate. It's been my favourite ever since I can remember.

14. Actor or actress with the best autograph (photo preferred).

Well, I think that Myrna Loy's extravagant hand is pretty darn awesome. Don't you?

15. A baby (or childhood, or teenage) photo of either your favorite actress or actor (or both, if you’d like.)

Cary Grant as a boy (sorry Rianna, it's the same as yours!)

Best picture of Kate Hepburn (this is the cutest thing ever guys.)

{My Scan}

Thanks Rianna for such a great survey! I had great fun doing it :-D

~Bette

CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon: 10 Reasons To LOVE Libeled Lady (1936)

2012-01-27T16:21:00.001Z

This is My Contribution to the CMBA's Comedy Classics Blogathon. The CMBA may think I'm going to be posting about The Odd Couple, but I couldn't write a review of that for a number of reasons, so this is my contribution... I hope that's ok! Click this link to read the other members posts.

I do these 10 reasons to love posts when I love a film so much that I honestly don't think that I could write a coherent review of the film, there is just so much amazing that there isn't anything that could be crammed into and revised and evaluated in a review, it just is how good it is. I feel this way about Libeled Lady (directed by Jack Conway). I can't think of a better thirties comedy. It's quite the flawless film.

Warren Haggerty is the chief editor of the New York Evening Star. He keeps on delaying his marriage with Gladys because of the endless crises at his newspaper. When Connie Allenbury files a 5 million dollars claim against the paper for having printed that she is a marriage-breaker, he organizes the sham marriage of Gladys and the Don Juan Bill Chandler. The goal is to catch Connie alone with a married man...

Source: IMDB

Jean Harlow as Gladys Benton
William Powell as Bill Chandler
Myrna Loy as Connie Allenbury
Spencer Tracy as Warren Haggerty
Walter Connolly as J.P. Allenbury

The Powells {William Powell and Myrna Loy}

The chemistry on-screen between Myrna Loy and William Powell is something else. The three screen couples that I think are the most charismatic, equal and perfect together are Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy and William Powell, and Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. I'm completely in love with these two. I've got the complete Thin Man box set and I've just ordered the TCM Powell and Loy box set (review of the set will pop up after it's come and I've watched the movies). They have a sort of invisible bond between them and their humour matches perfectly. Myrna Loy's dry and witty comebacks and half-serious put downs, coupled with William Powell's perfect screwball farce, work stupendously.

Go The Powells - THEY WERE A REAL THING. THEY WERE MARRIED AND HAD MULTIPLE SECRET CHILDREN. IT'S JUST I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS RIGHT NOW!

The Fishing Scene

Basically, at this point, William Powell has been trying to frame Myrna Loy so her libel case against the newspaper would be pointless, and he has got himself into going fishing with Myrna Loy and her Father. She still thinks he's a fake, but her father insists that anyone who knows "that much about angling must be good" (he has been quoting things about trout fishing from books to get close to Myrna's father.) Well, he goes up the stream so they can't fully see him and he manages to fall over,

{Source}

lose his "Angling For Beginners" book and try to catch it - and then when he just swings his rod over his shoulder he manages to catch the elusive giant trout that the Allenburys have been trying to catch for years. Then Myrna Loy jumps up and wades over to him and tries to catch the fish in a net but the fish accidentally hits her in the face she she screams. It's hilarious! Here it is, embedded for you.

Jean Harlow

This is the first Jean Harlow film I've ever seen and I think It's safe to say that I will be watching more of her in the future - it's so sad that she died so young! I can't believe she didn't make more films. When she storms into Warren Haggerty's office in her wedding gown looking like she's about to murder someone and the soundtrack plays the wedding march I just had hysterics. She is such a comic actress - and the clothes she wears! Dolly Tree was the costume designer for this film and I think that she should have won an award not only for the costumes, but for having such a fantastic name. Dolly Tree. Anyways, Jean Harlow is a wonderful actress and she certainly shows some real comic genius as Gladys Benton. Fact: She and William Powell were together during the filming of Libeled Lady.

We'll take the car, we'll drive... To the moon!

{Source}

I adore the scene where Myrna Loy proposes to William Powell. My sister was like, "Isn't it bad luck to propose to a man when it's not a leap-year?". 1936 was a leap year. Hell yeah Myrna even got the date right (It wasn't really Myrna, but I'd like to think it was :-D). It's her way of trying to prove her father and friends wrong when they say that William Powell is married. She asks her if he's been proposed to much and then asks him to marry her. He accepts and the audience is left to wonder at whether he's a bigamist or he's just forgotten he's married - but then we find out that he thinks his marriage to Gladys was illegal because she was never divorced from her first husband - due to a technicality. But when Gladys confronts them, she tells Myrna and Bill (he explained everything to Myrna after they married) that she is actually divorced :-0. It's such a cute scene though.

Spencer Tracy

He's always so funny. The way he dashes out of the Allenbury's and how he always lets Gladys down for the newspaper. The way he says the line "She may be married to him but she's engaged to me!" with such seriousness it makes me laugh. HE's a very talented actor. Many make the mistake of only grouping him with Katharine Hepburn and I think that's wrong. I've only seen him outside Kate/Spence in this and Test Pilot and I've enjoyed him just as much as with K Hepburn and I'd like to see more of his movies. My little sister bought me the 1000 page biography by James Curtis for Christmas so I should be pretty clued up by the time I've read it!

The First Phone Call

I completely adore how you can see J.P. Allenbury's face but you can only see Myrna Loy's back. She uses her physicality to show the character of her role from the start. Already she is bouncing a tennis ball with her racket and annoying her father. When she is told off for bouncing the ball there is a momentary lull and then she reaches across and tweaks his ear and pulls it, leaving him rather perplexed. I've often wondered whether she ever told him that she was going to do that because he looks so confused!

7.
Jack Conway's Direction.

{source}

I've recently realised that Jack Conway directed both this and Julia Misbehaves, another total favourite comedy of mine. He must have been such a clever and funny man. I can't say anything against his direction of this wonderful film. It's just fabulous. Plus, he worked with my two of my favourite actresses, Myrna Loy and Greer Garson. Oh, and he also has a bit of a thing for marriage problems. In Libeled Lady, Spencer Tracy declares "She may be married to him but she's engaged to me!" and Ceasar Romero yells in Julia Misbehaves, "She may be your wife but she's my fiancee!"

8.
Myrna Loy

{Source. Sometimes I cry because Myrna perfection.}

On her own she is just as talented as when she is with Bill Powell. I've recently found out a lot more about her and have gone on a total spree watching her movies. I think she's a wonderful actress and at the moment I have three favourite actresses: Katharine Hepburn, Myrna Loy and Greer Garson. I haven't stopped loving Bette Davis, but I like these actresses more right now. I think I've watched a great deal more and have been introduced to actresses I've never heard of before and I just realised that there were more amazing actresses than just Bette Davis. Myrna Loy is beyond words of perfection in all of her films. Anyone who has been reading my posts directly from the blog may have noticed that my blog design has become somewhat Myrna heavy... I hope you don't mind!

9.
Those cute little things that only Myrna Loy and Bill Powell could get away with.

{Source}

And before you scream "OMG, she's just so samey in this post." This and "Myrna Loy and William Powell" are two totally sparate reasons. I'm talking about moments when Bill Powell just leans across to Myrna Loy and wipes some mustard off her mouth, or their talk on the jetty on the lake near her house. These kind of things only people as amazing as Bill and Mynra could get away with.

10.
The Ending. *SPOILER ALERT*

I loved the ending to this. I was honestly wondering how on earth they would get out of the bind they were in. I was much relieved when Bill and Myrna can finally be together because Gladys and Warren finally realise how much they love each other. Aww. They end by having to try and explain the extraordinary situation to J.P. Allenbury. Which results in a typically screwball scream for, "EVERYONE TO BE QUIET! PLEASE BE QUIET!"

I hoped you enjoyed reading this crazy review as much as I loved writing it and watching the film :-D.

~Bette

Love Is Not About What You Are Expecting To Get...

2012-01-13T16:44:00.001Z

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

~ Katharine Hepburn

~Bette

The Lion In Winter (1968)

2012-01-03T22:35:00.000Z

I watched The Lion In Winter for the second time the other day and was completely blown away. Words can't express how amazing this film is. I am proud to say that I have just taken a massive acting lesson from Kate Hepburn, Peter O'Toole and the rest of the whole cast. You will be seriously hard-pressed to find a film with better script, direction and acting all at once. Before you read all of this review, if you haven't already, GO WATCH THIS! You will most certainly not be disappointed.

The Lion In Winter (1968) Dir. Anthony Harvey

Cast:

Peter O'Toole as King Henry II
Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor
Anthony Hopkins (In his motion picture debut) as Richard
John Castle as Geoffrey
Nigel Terry as John
Timothy Dalton (In his motion picture debut) as King Philip II

The Plot:
Set in 1183 at Christmas time, King Henry II of England is having to face the facts about his life, and what will happen when he's gone. He has three living sons: Richard, John and Geoffrey. He wants John to be king and particularly doesn't want Richard to be king. Geoffrey is left somewhere out on the sidelines and no-one wants him (That makes it sound heartbreaking, LOL! It isn't. He's a conniving creep). Every Christmas and Easter, King Henry sends for his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine to be let out of her prison back in England (he's in France at the moment) and she is rowed across the channel to meet him.

As soon as she gets back all hell breaks loose. He only releases her to keep the people happy and stop her getting so angered that she will do something drastic. She knows that their marriage has finished. Henry has been with his mistress Alais for many years now, yet it still pains Eleanor to see them together, as she raised Alais like her own child.

With all the family "home for Christmas" questions about the aftermath of Henry's death are bound to come up. When they all get there they play a game of who is going to get Aquitaine and who is going to get to marry Alais (who is being passed about like a political chess-piece). Eleanor wants the eldest son Richard to get the throne. Since his birth she raised him almost entirely on her own, and they have always had a love-hate mother-son relationship. However Henry favours the younger, more stupid and awkward John as his heir.

Thus starts the painful game of "who can hurt the other more" between Henry and Eleanor. Eleanor retires to her room convinced that she is "done for this time"

{Source}

But then she and the three boys have the idea of making an alliance with King Phillip of France who is there making sure that Henry keeps to his promise of one of his sons marrying Alais, as he has already given him her dowry. They all go in turn to try and talk to him about it, and each time another brother or family member comes in, he hides the previous one in a different tapestry in his room, and by the end they are all popping in and out of them like jack-in-the-boxes (it's actually hilarious. Just a little :-D).

Well, Henry decides he wants an annulment so he can marry Alais and have more sons that are conspirators/idiots/pains in the neck and Eleanor is very upset. She really does still love Henry and now she's going to lose him and the only power she has left. How will they get out of this mess?

The Verdict:

This film is quite the masterpiece of Historical drama. I wouldn't say this if the cast had been different. I don't think it could have been cast any better. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn manage to even out their age-gap well. Even though she obviously looks older than she used to (she was 61, after all) Kate Hepburn's energy and complete and utter commitment to her character subtracted quite a few years from her age, and the beard they gave Peter O'Toole and his older-looking face (apparently from excessive alcohol consumption...) just about evened their age out. All of the brothers are also cast very well. In all honesty there is no one part out of the three that is better or more juicy than the others. Anthony Hopkins is great as Richard. He has one particularly difficult scene to play, the one where he plays out his negotiation scene with King Phillip and there is some subtext which you are left to guess at, and then when Henry comes in, Phillip says right out that basically Richard tried to make a relationship between the two of them. He does all of this very well and when he finally comes out from the tapestry to confront Phillip, I found it very moving.

The way they set up the triangle of Henry/Eleanor/Alais was very clever. They knew that Henry and Eleanor obviously had much more chemistry (however unpleasant at times) and Alais does seem quite dull. It has to be said. This obviously makes the viewer even more eager for something to happen to slightly patch up Henry and Eleanor's relationship. The actress playing Alais (Jane Merrow) was a lot less than fantastic. Sure she was OK, but she did stick out a little among the stupendous other actors. Ah well, I almost think that was the desired effect.

Peter O'Toole's performance was great. This is a great example of start as you mean to go on. He knew that he had to make Henry big, just as big as Katharine's Eleanor. So he started out with his "big" characterization and he kept it up. I'd like to think that then watching the two greats Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn and their great performances had a domino effect among the cast and everyone upped their game. That's what it seems like. In all of their scenes together, Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn are totally equal in their performances. It's like with her and Spencer Tracy. You don't feel that one performance takes away a great deal from the other. Obviously there are the inequalities in the actual story which they play brilliantly, but they are equal actors. I find that this always makes for a more exiting watch.

I can't say anything about Katharine Hepburn's performance that hasn't already been said. Whatever I said before about the two actors being equal blah blah blah I take back when I think about Eleanor's monologues. I think I only find the film this way because she has so many great chances for amazing solo sections. Her Eleanor is fiery, interesting - yet still with a vulnerable side. I was very near bursting out into tears at the last scene when she confesses to Henry that now she's lost him she's lost the only thing worth living for and keeps crying, "I want to die. I want to die." And he just gives her a hug *starts weeping all over again*. As I was saying, the monologues are great and all the scenes when she's tormenting Henry really are horrible. Particularly the one where she is torturing him the the "fact" that she slept with his father and he runs out being sick which leads to the line I think best describes the film "Well, what family doesn't have it's ups and downs." LOL! It's the entire best line in the film, but I also like:

Henry: The day those stout hearts band together is the day that pigs get wings.
Eleanor: There'll be pork in the treetops come morning.

Eleanor: Henry's bed is Henry's province. He can people it with sheep for all I care, which on occasion he has done.
Henry: Rosamund's been dead for two seven years...
Eleanor:...Two months and eighteen days. I never liked her much.
Henry: You counted the days.
Eleanor: I made the numbers up.

I think that along with a few other favourites (The Philadelphia Story, Little Women, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner...) this is one of my favourite Katharine Hepburn performances. Usually I would have found a tie for best actress Oscar odd, but since it was between K. Hepburn for this and Barbra Striesand for Funny Girl I wouldn't be able to choose between them. Plus, it's hilarious to see Ingrid Bergman's reaction when she reads out the result :-)

Katharine Hepburn's four record-setting Oscars: (Right to left) Morning Glory (1934), Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1968), The Lion In Winter (1969) and On Golden Pond (1982). All for best actress. She was nominated for best actress a total of 12 times.

The costumes are all pretty amazing. Henry's doesn't change, neither do many of the men's but they are really stunning and so are the women's. By the way, can anyone tell me what that white thing Kate Hepburn wears is? I don't know, but it looks intriguing. Plus, can I just say that underneath that red dress she wears for all that time, I think she is wearing either trousers or a jumpsuit. It's totally Katharine Hepburn to do that but it still made me chuckle when I saw her feet poking out of a pair of trousers under that humongous robe :-D

Anthony Harvey directs the picture fantastically. I don't quite know how you could go wrong with this script and this cast, but he enhanced them beautifully.

To finish off, here are some quotes I found about the film from Katharine Hepburn's autobiography, "Me: Stories Of My Life":

We had great fun, as usual. Peter and I had the same makeup man. One day I was waiting and waiting for him. Finally I went down the hill to find him. He was doing Peter, who was not working until later.
"What the hell goes on?" I said. "He's supposed to be doing me. I'm in the next shot." I grabbed the makeup man and his box. I gave Peter a good swat on the head and we climbed back up the hill into my dressing room. When we were ready, we started the scene in the cellar and who should come in but Peter. His head was completely wrapped up in bandages and he was walking with crutches and moaning. You can see we had fun."
There was a great shot of our boat coming down the Rhone River to land. The tide in the river was very high. We rehearsed the shot one afternoon, and by the next morning the pier was completely submerged. We shot down the river in a wild wind. I was in all my gorgeous robes.
I looked at one of my retinue who was dressed in full armour, and said, "I hope you have all that stuff unhooked. Otherwise when we turn over you will plummet to the bottom. I am myself totally able to step out of all this finery. I shall simply dive away and swim to shore naked." He was shocked. I don't blame him. It was exciting and the shot in the movie was great.

{Source}

And here's one from Peter O'Toole about Katharine Hepburn:

'We were filming one day and I kept her waiting on set because I was still in my caravan, playing cards. 'She stormed in and shouted: "You are a real nut and I've met some nuts in my day." And then she hit me.' A couple of hours later, I went to see her and gave her a present to say I was sorry for keeping her waiting. 'She said: "Don't worry, pig. I only hit the people I love."'

It sounds like it was great fun to work on and it's certainly a really great movie. GO WATCH IT!

~Bette

"Christmas isn't just a day; it's a frame of mind!" {A Miracle On 34th Street Appreciation Post}

2011-12-24T11:02:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everybody! I feel very christmassy and cheery so here's my wishes to you for a happy time and Katharine Hepburn ice-skating.

I hope you all have a wonderful time and eat lots and watch lots of Christmas movies :-D. I did this last year with my favourite It's A Wonderful Life (1947) and this year I'm doing the same with A Miracle On 34th Street (also 1947). It's a general appreciation post because I feel like I don't ever want to go and criticize or look deep into a movie that is so magical and full of Christmas spirit like this one. So here you go! A compilation of graphics, facts, GIFs and photos of my favourite cutest and most Christmassy moments. All graphics and GIFs have a link back to the source.

{Source}

Doris: Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.
Susan: Huh?
Doris: I mean, just because things don't turn out the way you want them to the first time, you've still got to be believe in people. I found that out.
Susan: You mean it's like, "It at first you don't succeed, try, try again".
Doris: Yes.
Susan: I thought so.

{Source}

Miracle On 34th Street Trivia!

Darling 7 year old Natalie Wood truly believed that Edmund Gwenn was really Santa Claus all through the filming of this movie and only realised that he wasn't when he turned up at the after party without his costume.
Miracle On 34th Street was released in May because the studio didn't just want to publicise it as a "Christmas Film". They wanted it to have a larger appeal.
This is the first film that legendary character actress Thelma Ritter ever made.
When Santa Claus asks the newly adopted Dutch girl who has come to visit him what she wants for Christmas (in dutch) the translation of what she replies is "I don't want anything because I got my gift by being adopted by my new mother."

My GIF

Maureen O'Hara initially refused her role because she had recently gone home to Ireland but she took it immediately after she read the script.
Maureen O'Hara and Natalie wood formed a strong and lasting bond while filming this film.

~Bette, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The African Queen (1951) and Sabrina (1954) - For The Humphrey Bogart Blogathon

2011-12-23T10:18:00.000Z

For the Humphrey Bogart blogathon hosted by Meredith I've decided to write about the older Bogie in two roles that many people wouldn't have consider very Bogie at all. He played the older, business orientated brother in a rich Long Island family who falls for his chauffer's daughter in Sabrina; and a boatman delivering mail and supplies to people in German East Africa who teams up with and falls for Rose Sayer, an English missionary, in The African Queen. Neither of these films involve gangsters, and neither involves a sexy temptress such as Lauren Bacall coming to seduce him. Both require him to step out of his comfort zone somewhat and they both have interesting leading ladies that you might not think of for Humphrey Bogart normally. Both of these are fantastic and outstanding films. Each is one of my very favourites. I'm going to write about them in chronological order.

The African Queen (1951) Dir. John Huston

Brief Synopsis:

Rose pouring out Charlie's liquor.

{Source}

A rough and tumble captain of a boat, Charlie Allnut and a prim yet spirited missionary, Rose Sayer join forces to try and destroy the German battleship, the Louisa, in German East Africa in WWI. Rose's brother has died and their missionary camp has been destroyed by the Germans, and Charlie just wants to stay out of danger at first. Fuelled by Rose's ambition and determination and their growing love for each other, they set out for the biggest adventure of their lives

"It's a great thing to have a lady aboard with clean habits. It sets the man a good example. A man alone, he gets to living like a hog. "

{I could write DVD covers y'all.}

This was surprisingly the only film that Bogie ever won an Oscar for. He works fantastically with his leading lady, my favourite, Katharine Hepburn. You'd never think initially to put them together but they work like a dream. Her eccentric mannerisms and amazing physical acting are matched to perfection with Humphrey Bogart and his honest and fearless portrayal of Charlie Allnut. He really steps out of the box for this character. I can't think of any other Bogart performance where he is so free and totally at ease with a character. Much as I love Bogie, his usual characteristic on screen is his laid-back attitude and almost stern facial expressions. It's a characteristic that I think usually works and it did become his fall-back attitude on-screen but only in his face and voice. He is as experimental and interesting with his physical acting as Katharine Hepburn is.

My Scan.

Overall I would list this as one of my favourite Humphrey Bogart performances. He worked stupendously with John Huston (who infuriated Hepburn at the start of the production by not finishing the script or talking to her, just hunting elephants). You can see that just from the way that everything runs so smoothly. The camera work is also amazing thanks to the wonderful Powell and Pressburger cameraman Jack Cardiff. The scenery is beautiful and so is Charlie and Rose's relationship. A really quite special film. If you haven't seen this film yet, then I strongly recommend it. It's a truly classic film and a riveting adventure too.

Bogie snoozes. My scan.

For more info and stories, read the wonderful "The Making Of The African Queen, or how I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind" by Katharine Hepburn.

The Bogarts. My Scan.

Sabrina (1954) Dir. and co Written by Billy Wilder

Brief Synopsis:

{Source}

Chauffeur's daughter Sabrina Fairchild has been in love with the younger, most overtly attractive son of the rich Long Island family her father works for all her life. So much is she in love with him that her father sends her away to Paris to learn how to cook like her late mother, hoping that she will forget all about David, who doesn't notice her. His plan backfires when she comes back a very sophisticated young lady who David immediately falls for, even though he is engaged to someone else. David's engagement, to the daughter of a sugar cane magnate, is a crucial part of his brother Linus's latest business venture. So Linus tries to make Sabrina fall in love with him as part of a cunning plan to ship her back to Paris while David is recuperating from a nasty 'accident' with two champagne glasses.

"David . Yes, I got over that. I'm cured. But now how to get over the cure..."

Humphrey Bogart yet again out of his comfort zone starring with the young Audrey Hepburn in her second picture. This time Bogart showed his discomfort and made quite the nuisance of himself on set. He made it known that he disliked Wilder and William Holden, playing David. He was a last minute replacement for Cary Grant who was to play Linus until he realised (probably rightly) that he wasn't the one for the part. This also angered Bogart: he was second best to Cary Grant. He also reportedly wanted Lauren Bacall for the part of Sabrina (WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!?!?) and that made him also dislike Audrey Hepburn. He reportedly apologised later for his on-set behaviour.

Despite this, in this role he gives what I think to be one of his best performances. He is sophisticated, mature, yet still very romantic in spite of himself. It's a touching performance that goes right to the heart just as Audrey Hepburn's Sabrina does (It's my favourite of her movies. Actually, it's one of my top five ever movies). Perfectly complementing William Holden's equally brilliant performance as David, Humphrey Bogart is completely syllable perfect as Linus. It was a difficult part to be sure, but Humphrey Bogart handled it with the thought and emotion that he put into all of his roles. You need to watch this movie, my love for it knows no bounds :-D.

I hope you enjoyed this post about older Bogie and that I've inspired you to maybe go and watch one or both of these films again or for the first time. And thanks ever so for Meredith hosting this great blogathon :-D

~Bette

The Lion In Winter (1968) non-review post {for the Dueling Divas Blogathon}

2011-12-22T17:13:00.001Z

This is My Contribution To Backlots Dueling Divas Blogathon

{Source}

While thinking about what a diva was and what films I could write about that I haven't before, I actually just redefined "Diva" as I think it should be, or at least what I thought made sense. I always thought a Diva was someone who was a show-off or a prima-donna or basically someone who thought a lot of themselves. So, with this in mind I chose the complete and utter best cuss and put-down movie ever created... The Lion In Winter (1968) starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton. I can promise you that you will never find a more quotable movie to help when you are in need of comebacks for a verbal fight.

I think that Peter O'Toole as Henry II is as much of a diva as any of the Bette Davises and Joan Crawfords that people have been writing about. And as for Eleanor of Aquitaine, well, she's my favourite, strongest and most powerful "diva". So this post might not be what most people expected for this blogathon, but I thought it was the best way for me to go about it.

Henry II: HA! What shall we hang... the holly, or each other?

I've already written my review "proper" for this movie which I will post at a later date, now I'm just going to let rip with the whole amazingness of the script and, if you'll pardon the expression - there just doesn't seem a better way to put it - badass characters from just about the most bitch-fightiest movie ever created. Ok. So here we go. *Insert James Mason evil laugh*

{Source}

The most popular "cusses" as they are named, right now among boys my age {if you are not familiar with the likes of 13 year old boys, then I applaud you. Somehow you have managed to live a pain-free and pest-free existence} are all variations on, "Oh my god your such a F****** Idiot!" To which the second teenage boy replies, "So's your mum!" Teenage boy one is then deeply, deeply emotionally scarred and says something along the lines of, "What you say about my mum?" Said first teenager then starts to poke the second and the second pokes back etc. etc. This may go on for some time, though it never gets any more interesting than the occasional stroppy huffing and puffing. {By the way, if you've fallen asleep by now, don't you dare start complaining. I have to deal with this every day. Good god.}

The Richard Evil Eyes...

Aside from one rather strange boy who likes to tell me that I have "beard hair", should take up "surrealist painting" and claims he's going to sell me to the circus {no, I don't think he's had therapy as of yet, and I am reluctant to tell him to get any because he watches Hitchcock movies. Such is the insanity of my everyday life}, most boys are like that. Now, take these two cuss exchanges from two boys in The Lion In Winter,

King Henry II: Now see here boy...
King Phillip of France: I am a king! I am no man's "Boy'!
King Henry II: A King? Because you put your ass on purple cushions?

Well, need I say more? And that's only the men. Eleanor Of Aquitaine (A.K.A. Kate the Queen Of The Insult Hepburn) hasn't even been let out of her prison yet. Plus, she was only put there because she was way too smart and legendary for the king to deal with. But did she just sit in her prison with those nuns doing her embroidery like a good little girl? No. She sat there like a boss doing her embroidery, but all the while she was actually planning a way to get her son Richard the throne and win Henry back.

They're all pretty amazing at cusses except John who... well...

John: You stink. You're a stinker and you stink!

When Eleanor gets home, all sorts of hell break loose. Henry and Alais's (his mistress who just happened to be raised by Eleanor like a child of her own. No I'm not joking, and yes. Woody Allen may spring to mind) relationship is put to test and the competition between Eleanor and Henry's three sons is magnified by a crazy amount. She has been locked up in this horrible dungeon for almost a year and instead of wasting her time mindlessly embroidering or knitting, she plans how she will overthrow the king or win him back or both at the same time and she comes back to the castle ready to start working on her evil scheme. MWAHAHAHAHAHA! And she also has her own plans for verbal battle.

{Via}

Eleanor: What would you have me do? Give out? Give up? Give in?
Henry II: Give me a little peace.
Eleanor: A little? Why so modest? How about eternal peace? Now there's a thought.

The most disturbing and I find probably effective, is her taunting Henry of how she had an affair with his father. She keeps going on and on about the details of their relationship. We are to believe that Eleanor is slightly older than Henry so the way she keeps reminding him that she had an... interesting youth. *shudder* But she does get the best put-downs.

Prince John: [rushing in] What's wrong? What's happened?
Eleanor: Richard's getting married.
Prince John: Getting married? Now? He's getting married now?
Eleanor: I never cease to marvel at the quickness of your mind.

The "duel of the divas", as it were, goes on until finally the film is concluded in a massive fight in the dungeons of the castle. But don't worry, the film does end with some hope for the future, but I don't wan't to spoil it for you :-D

~Bette

I've Hit 100!

2011-12-15T21:08:00.000Z

Oh. My. God. I saw this right before I went to school this morning (for my last day of term!) and it made my day. Thank you so much people!!! I still can't believe this blog has so many followers.

So into the tripple digited blog follower figures I plunge. Thank you all so, so much for following, commenting, and reading my little blog. Glad you've put up with my craziness so long and I hope you stick around... I like you guys. Lots.

Obviously blog follower numbers change, and there's always the possibility it will go below 100 again, bit this is a post to say that I actually made it there. Finally. So, I thought that to celebrate hitting the tripple digits, I would set up a new page/feature/post...

ARE YOU GUYS PSYCHED OR WHAT?!?!?!?

Just kidding. You readers are all totally amazing and are surely made of unicorns and rainbows and pandas. You all make my day just by looking at my blog. THANKS CHUMS! So, I thought I'd set up a "question time" page/post with questions contributed by you! You can ask me pretty much anything, and it doesn't have to be classic movie related (but be polite, I'm only and innocent teenager) and you can either leave it on a comment on this post or email it to me at bettedavisrocks@gmail.com (yes, worst address ever). The final date you can submit anything is the 15th January, so you've got about a month. I'll select my favourites and add them to a "question time" post/page. Think it sounds like a good idea? Should be fun :-D

~Bette

State Of The Union (1948)

2011-12-11T11:12:00.000Z

I'd had State Of The Union (1948) stored away in my Katharine Hepburn box-set for a while now, because I'd started it with my family a little way back and we hadn't read the plot summary, so we thought that it was just a but nasty, really. I mean, Spencer Tracy cheating on his loving wife Katharine Hepburn plus getting involved with an immoral section of the Republican party? Of course my initial reaction to Spencer's behaviour was,

but it was actually my sister who said she wanted to give it another go after I read out the plot summary, so we gave it another try.

State Of The Union (1948) Directed by Frank Capra {alternatively titled The World And His Wife}

Cast:

Spencer Tracy as Grant Mathews
Katharine Hepburn as Mary Mathews
Van Johnson as Spike McManus
Angela Lansbury as Kay Thorndyke
Adolphe Menjou as Jim Conover

Plot:

Grant Mathews is a very successful airplane tycoon, with political views and a strong minded head on his shoulders. He has in intelligent wife, a successful career, and two adorable children. What more could a guy want? Well, evidently just a little more. The trouble with his wife started at a dinner party a few months ago, when newspaper business woman, Kay Thorndyke gets too close to Grant, and Mary slightly drunkenly throws her out of her house. Since, he and Kay have grown quite close, and Grant and Mary are not on good terms. Kay's father dies and leaves his newspaper to her.

Along with Spike McManus, Kay convinces Jim Conover to take on Grant Mathews as a new candidate for the Republican party with long-term plans for him to run for President of The United States. Jim agrees to let Grant come and meet with them, expecting Grant to be wanting to persuade them about how fantastic a president he would be - but is surprised to find that he has to be sold on the idea.

He finally is persuaded, but the whole group are agreed that Mary has to come out and support him because, let's fact it, no one will vote for a man whose wife won't come out to even see him, so they invite Mary over to Washington DC where they are all convening. She gets there, but with no real inkling of the nature of Grant's work. When she finds out, she is initially upset, but decides to stay on with Grant because she admires his honesty and political views, and is still in love with him. They go on tour making speeches across the country. Grant's first speech comes straight from him and signifies exactly what he feels, but Kay and Jim think it's much too outspoken and force him to change his future speeches to fit their agenda, and his speeches inevitably lose their individuality. *Insert a few awesome scenes before a speech, in which Katharine Hepburn wears an awesome dress*

Mary isn't very happy with it, but she leaves the situation alone on the whole. When they get back home, Grant starts to prepare for a family radio and television broadcast in his own home. Mary is told that she absolutely has to invite Kay to the party because otherwise everyone would expect that there was something wrong in that area. Reluctantly Mary agrees and promises not to get drunk and throw her out again, but after finding out about Kay's involvement with her butting in on Grant's campaign and her ongoing affair with Grant, Mary does get drunk. She doesn't care about the broadcast anymore because she knows that her husband has been dealing completely immorally and against his and her wishes. Obviously she can't go on the radio any more, and she forbids her children from going on too. But what will Grant do?

Awkward...

The Verdict:

{Scanned By Me}

I liked this movie a lot more than I expected to. I expected the worst because of the false start that I had watching this film the first time, but I really enjoyed it in the end and - lets face it - you just gotta love that Frank Capra feel. Just to put it out there before anyone goes to watch it, even if you're Tracy & Hepburn fans, this is deep. It's pretty sad and quite complex. It relates to family life in a pretty unhappy family, unlike many other Capra films and I found the way he chose to show it quite heart-breaking. Add to this that it's Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in an unhappy marriage. Did you hear that UNHAPPY! That's pretty sad. Most of the ones with them I've seen they've either been friends, not friends, married or together at least. There are a few I haven't seen, Without Love, and Sea Of Grass, but from the ones I've seen, when they're unhappy, I'm unhappy. Big time. It just doesn't fit right, ya' know?

{This one isn't mine... but can I just say, that awkward moment when you're searching for photos and Google comes up with your blog? I get that "YAY! I'M ON GOOGLE!" feeling :-D}

Now, Adolphe Menjou (the king of all sleazy immoral people) is quite good in this film, but his character isn't the main focus of the supporting cast, and neither is Angela Lansbury who I expected to be like, WOW - Van Johnson stood out most for me.

Van Johnson is pretty cool, and he's so funny in that scene where Spencer Tracy decides to take them up in his airplane and do loop the loops (as you do). It was really funny and cute :-)

Mary after checking that Grant's parachute did open after he jumped off the plane.

This film had all the hallmarks of a classic Frank Capra film. There is the person who is tempted by a powerful, yet not quite morally correct society and his family or his friends come and save him from the depths of dispair. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but the ending is quite similar to It's A Wonderful Life and I am glad they ended the film happily, I would have cried if they hadn't.

{Scanned By Me}

Yes, the film in the end was probably only a smidgen less depressing than I expected, but it was good, and it wasn't a nasty film. I had thought Angela Lansbury would have a larger role, but in fact the main three actors in the whole film were Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson and Adolphe Menjou.

Spencer Tracy gave a really great performance as Grant Mathews. He never really fails, and he's good at playing roles like this where the success or failure of the film really lies on his shoulders. I've found that also in Keeper Of The Flame (1943). He and Katharine Hepburn are always fabulous to watch. They are one of my favourite on-screen-pairs, and even though they are in an unhappy marriage, they still have some really nice scenes together. Katharine Hepburn is fantastic as Mary Mathews and she gives an air of kindness and genuineness that is really needed in the film. If she wasn't there then the entire film would just be a mass of immorality... and that kind of thing. I particularly thought she was good in the final few scenes and the scene where she gets drunk was really upsetting for me to watch towards the end.

I just have to dedicate a little paragraph here to the whole Spencer Tracy talking-while-Kate Hepburn-is-crying-but-not-quite-crying thing. It's amazing and totally moving. This is actually one of the things that make Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967) so sad for me. Spencer tracy starts talking about something really important and it gets so intense that somewhere else in the room, Kate Hepburn is silently crying to herself while he talks to these other people. This is the cue for the director to start cutting from him to her and him to her and then for me to start crying too. By the end of it, lots of people are crying.

Not My GIF, I would have cried making it :'-(

Overall, this wasn't the most enjoyable Tracy/Hepburn film that I've seen (I'll save that award for Woman Of The Year, Adam's Rib, and Pat And Mike) but it is most certainly worth a watch. Frank Capra is a great director and all of his films I've seen (save Mr Deeds Goes To Town, which I just didn't get the appeal of) have been brilliant.

~Bette

By the way, is Without Love (1945) good? I haven't seen it but really want to... any opinions?

I'm On Tumblr Guys!

2011-12-03T18:55:00.000Z

I've been pondering joining this site for just about a year, and I finally took the plunge. There's a huge classic movie community on there and it looks so fun! So if you have Tumblr or just want to see it, head on over and take a look at my page {please follow too, I haven't got any yet :-S}! My username is notajellybean. It comes from this great F. Scot Fitzgerald quote:

By the way, other bloggers join Tumblr! We could create an influx of Classic Movie Bloggers/Tumblrs! Ok. I'm off to go "Tumble" {is that what you say?}

~Bette

Blossoms In The Dust (1941)

2011-12-02T07:51:00.000Z

{Cutest moment ever caught on camera. My GIF. Plus she and this kid have totally matching hair.}

I had ~~nothing to do~~ a kind of free evening yesterday so I decided to watch a film. I started to watch Mary Of Scotland (1936) starring Frederick March and Katharine Hepburn, but I all but fell asleep after about five minutes, so that was turned off. Then I decided to watch Blossoms In The Dust (1941) starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon with my sister instead. So we sat down and got wrapped up (I swear the right side of our house is like northern Greenland right now) and started to watch it. Wow.

Blossoms In The Dust (1941) Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

Cast:

Greer Garson - Edna Kahly Gladney
Walter Pidgeon - Samuel 'Sam' Gladney
Felix Bressart - Doctor Max Breslar
Marsha Hunt - Charlotte Kahly

Plot:

Edna Kahly comes from a wealthy family. She doesn't have any social problems and is going to be married around the same time as her adopted sister, Charlotte. And then one day when she was at the bank one of the tellers said just one thing to her - "You better take that ring off right quick, because you're going to marry me." Shaken, she came home and told all to Charlotte. She gets over it and gets ready for a party she's having that night. Little does she know that the same banker, Sam Gladney will turn up at the dance to tell her that he had short-changed her at the bank. She cautiously accepts a dance from him to save face, and he tells her a little about his wheat mill in Texas and how he's going to set it up for a family and then get married to her {it isn't as stalkerish as it sounds.} He tells her to meet him at the station the next morning to see him off.

With Charlotte's encouragement she goes and waves goodbye to him. They then start corresponding with letters and notes and eventually they get engaged and he comes home to get her for the wedding. When they arrive home, Charlotte tells them that her fiancee is in with his parents negotiating a double wedding, but in fact they are telling their son that he can't marry Charlotte because she is a "foundling - an "illegitimate" girl. Charlotte walks in and hears everything. Devastated, she runs up to her room and kills herself.

Two years pass and Edna and Sam are getting along nicely and they have a child. Unfortunately the doctor, Max Breslar, informs the couple that Edna can't have any more children. Sad, but grateful for the child they have though he is very frail, they do their best to make the child as happy as possible, but one day he tragically dies. The years pass and one night at one of Edna's parties, Max comes in with a child who was on her way to the orphan centre, and who he wants to stay with the Gladney's for a night. Edna is adamant that the child cannot stay and after Max leaves, she confesses how sad and "useless" she has felt since she found out that she couldn't have children.

So instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Edna and Sam open up a day-nursery for children with working mothers, but the wheat business crashes, leaving Sam with nothing. So they move away and he starts working in a mill, when one day on the way to post a letter, Edna comes across a session in court for adopting children. She sees how all the "illegitimate" babies are sidelined and left alone, and she is reminded of Charlotte. She makes her mind up to set up an organisation by which children can be adopted and put with families they will be happy with. This goes well until Edna is told she can't go on with her organisation and suddenly Sam dies.

Penniless, but full of ambition and driven by Sam's last words, "Never desert", Edna crosses the whole of Texas raising money for her new children's home...

AND I CAN'T SAY ANY MORE OR I WILL SPOIL THE PLOT FOR YOU, SORRY!

The Verdict:

This was one of those films I'd heard hyped a lot and I'd heard how sad it was, so I was hoping for the best, but at the same time hoping I'd find it as great as everyone else does. I did. It was amazing. Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in a drama about little orphaned children? TEARS GALORE PEOPLE! SERIOUSLY! Me =

{Not my GIF}

Walter Pidgeon has a really small part in this film. He dies before anything happens! Shame, because then he and Greer could have run the big orphan house together like the perfect perpetually-married couple that they are ~~in real life~~ in the movies. I love Walter Pidgeon. I've only really seen him in Greer Garson movies and then Funny Girl (1968) but from what I've seen I think he's a really good actor. They work so well as a pair because neither of them takes away from the other's performance. You get the feeling that they were totally equal in the way they went about their roles. It's great to watch them, up there with Tracy/Hepburn in my favourite couples list!

The direction in this film is really good. I was expecting nothing less from the amazing directing talents of Mervyn LeRoy (just realised I've only seen this film, Gypsy and Random Harvest of his.. Oh well. That makes him amazing!). He manages the subject very well, without making it too obvious or predictable. The whole subject actually leaves a lasting impression on you. I really felt for all the good characters in Blossoms In The Dust. The way that you always want to feel about the protagonists of a film, but rarely really feel.

Greer Garson will forever be one of my favourite actresses. Unfortunately, there aren't many of her films available and not many people even really know her! She's such a wonderful actress that this is a crime! Spread the Greer love people! But anyway, she is perfect for the role of Edna. You totally believe that she could be loved by and take care of all those cute little lonely babies. I have to say that some of her scenes with her beloved invalid boy Tony were completely fantastic and greatly moving. I can never seem to pick any holes with any Greer Garson performance, and I can't with this either! (Plus, she has the most amazing red hair I've ever seen.)

"And then can I come back to you, Auntie Edna?"

My favourite ever crazy-supporting actor tied with Cuddles Sakall is in this film! He's in Shop Around The Corner too and his name is Felix Bressart (I didn't know his name 'till today!). He is so sweet and adorably slow and funny :-) Plus... He has the complete best mustache in history.

Overall this is a great film. It's a super-dooper tear-jerker, but that's nothing against it! So if you are a Greer Garson fan or just a looking for a really great film then watch this! It thought it was fantastic :-D

I know the film is hard to get, but it can be found on YouTube at the moment, so look while you can! It might get taken down soon.

~Bette

Movember: Highlighting The Classic Actors With Moustaches :-D

2011-11-28T07:54:00.000Z

Here's my contribution to the blogathon I'm hosting, "Classic Moustaches For Movember" in support on Movember which raises money for Man-Cancer charities. Don't forget, there are still a couple of days left for you to participate! Just visit my original post about it here.

Before you read my post, please go and donate here for the UK and here for the US, or you could buy yourself a debonaire pair of these more than fantabulous TOMS created for Movember and chuckle to yourself over your amazing moustache-footwear,

or perhaps bag one of these amazing T-Shirts.

I'm jealous. My Dad even grew a moustache for Movember this year!

There have been posts before about classic moustaches, namely Kate-Gabrielle's "Is That Moustache Really Necessary?" posts, but I've chosen three of my favourite actors who proudly sported 'taches:

Clark Gable

Clark gable is often chosen to epitomise the "Man of The Golden Age Of Hollywood" and guess what, he probably has just about the most famous moustache ever in the world of anything. He just had to have that mustache. Close your eyes and think of him without it... Yes... Keep going... Now, open your eyes and look at this!

Ahh!!!! It's not even that it's awful... Just a little weird... But come on. Even his slightly-greying moustache in Teacher's Pet (1958) is quite intriguing... Who doesn't think of Clark Gable saying "Frankly my dear... I don't GIVE a damn," with that charming facial hair when they hear, "Moustache" he just is the moustache man. too darn amazing.

William Powell

William Powell. The man of the fabulous The Thin Man series (just a little obsessed... Have the entire collection box-set and am convinced that Myrna Loy and William Powell were actually a married couple) was never seen without his little sophisticate-moustache.

Just think about it, would he have made such a fantastic Godfrey or Nick Charles without said facial hair? I don't think so. And he was just so snazzy and hilarious that he could totally rock the moustache look. William Powell wins at the moustache game, even if it isn't quite long enough to twiddle.

Charlie Chaplin

Now, I can imagine that Charlie Chaplin's mustache may have gathered some controversy over the years, I mean it does share a remarkable resemblance with the infamous Fascist-dictator of the thirties, but I like that he took this to his advantage and came up with what is essentially a badly-disguised movie-parody of said dictator, named, The Great Dictator (1940). But before his antic in the world of facial hair could even come into question, he managed to create one of the most famous images in the cinematic world, ever. "The Tramp". His little suit, hat and moustache. It's iconic and his moustache plays a large part in that. LOVE CHARLIE CHAPLIN!

~Bette

Photo Of The Day: On Location For The African Queen

2011-11-24T08:08:00.000Z

{Scanned By Me}

Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn and the crew of The African Queen. This photo came from my book "The Making Of The African Queen or how I wen't to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind" by Katharine Hepburn. It's quite tricky to get nowadays, but try. It's sooo good!

I have a day off school tomorrow (YAY!) and 12 Angry Men has been sitting on my shelf unwatched for ages. Movies here I come!

~Bette

For The Boys Blogathon: Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

2011-11-20T14:12:00.001Z

"Yes that's right he's dead. He's been dead about twenty minutes. And all the weeping and wailing in the world won't make him any deader twenty years from now."

~ Geoff Carter, Only Angels Have Wings

I've chosen the film, Only Angels Have Wings starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur for my contribution to The Scarlett Olive's "For The Boys" blogathon. I chose it because while I was watching it, it did occur to me that I was watching what is essentially a man's adventure movie. Sure there are some bits of romance in there, but you have to admit it is mainly a film driven by men. I really enjoyed watching this. I'd heard about it before and seen pictures in my awesome Taschen Cary Grant picture book (I have a Kate Hepburn one too, they're awesome). I'd also heard that it was one of Howard Hawks celebrated movies - the Howard Hawks of Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday fame - so I decided to get it and see what I thought.

Only Angels Have Wings is a film set in the South American town of Barranca about a mail service flying planes out into the high Andes mountains to deliver mail to remote places. Leader of a group of fearless and dedicated flyers, Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) is a strict and determined man who has been an experienced flyer for years. He's doing perfectly well heading the operation, until gusty blonde showgirl, Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur) turns up and accidentally turns the place upside-down. She arrives on a boat and only intends to stay for the night until she goes back down to the port to pick up her next boat. Two pilots with Carter's organisation meet her, invite her for dinner to the flying headquarters and fall head-over-heels for her, all in quick succession. However one is called out for duty and is so anxious to go to dinner with her that he crashes into a tree and dies when coming back. Bonnie is shocked by the nonchalant attitude the flyers take to this man's death.

But Bonnie starts to fall for Geoff and she decides to stay, even though Geoff has told her about his non-committed attitude to relationships. Her presence throws everyone and everything out of whack, but they are all very endeared to her and she grows many a happy relationship with the workers at headquarters. But then everything is tilted on it's axis yet again when the new flyer, Bat MacPhereson (Richard Barthelmess) comes to replace the one who has just been killed. Said flyer had been in a crash with the brother of the favourite member of the team, Kid (Thomas Mitchell), but jumped from the plane and left him to die. No-one in the flying team will talk to him, and his wife, Judy (Rita Hayworth) - an old flame of Geoff's - wants to know more...

As you can probably see by the cast, this film couldn't have been that bad. That being said, I've seen plenty of films that have had amazing casts and directors but have still flopped (maybe not at box-office, but in my head). You need that extra bit of magic to pull the movie through. There has to be some sort of spark, atmosphere or cleverness of the cast or crew. Despite it's model airplane special effects and minimal sets, Only Angels Have Wings has that special "thing". From the moment you start watching you know you're in for a really good film.

The performances from both of the leads are great. Cary Grant is fantastic as the tough, manly Geoff Carter (but then again, have I ever disliked Cary Grant in anything? NO!), and Jean Arthur is great as Bonnie. Both possess the perfect skills and talents to play these pretty hard roles.

Though you may see them as playing against-type (well, Cary Grant this early in his career anyhow), that's often what makes a performance so wonderful. There have been many fantastic performances from people playing totally against-type. I think that this can be what brings out the totally unexpected in an actor. Plus, the chemistry between the two of them is electric.

Now - why did I chose this as a "Boy's Movie" and what's so cool about that? Well, for a while I was thinking of doing something like Cool Hand Luke (1967) or The Great Escape (1963) which are completely undoubtedly boys movies, but I started thinking about how similar they are and that they come from the same era, and how they were probably two of the more obvious choices. I didn't want to do the same as anyone else. So with that in mind, I went about looking for a different movie and my Mum suggested Only Angels Have Wings. Great!

Only Angels Have Wings is fueled by the power of the male actor's prowess. Since there are only two real female parts (those went to Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth) weight of the responsibility naturally rested on the men's shoulders. The entire supporting cast is male. And the two supporting actors are amazing in my opinion: Thomas Mitchell

and Richard Barthelmess.

The scene that they do in the airplane was very moving (despite the fact that I found it a little comical for them to be fatally injured by a few stubborn geese who couldn't be bothered enough to see a plane coming towards them).

I would probably say that this is the template upon which many great adventure films were made. I actually haven't seen that many adventure movies (my favourites are The Great Escape, classic war movies and The African Queen - my very favouritest :-D), as actresses in them are often there only for decoration or so the lead actor can have some romantic conquest by the end of the film. That really isn't what I usually like about classic film. One of the many reasons I adore classic film so is because there are so many wonderful films where women actually take the lead and (excuse my hipster slang, innit bruv!) "own" the picture. This is practically unheard of now, and I should know. I've played boys in productions quite a few times for want of a less wimpy part. Where have all the good girls parts gone? *Weeps to self*

But obviously there are some exceptions, and I'd certainly class this as one. Part of the reason I love this film is that the female lead, Bonnie (Jean Arthur) is a strong person. She isn't afraid to speak her mind or do what she thinks is best. Plus I just love this scene where she totally pushes Cary Grant off the piano and shows him how to really play!

Plus, Howard Hawks is a really talented director. He was famed for his screwball comedies but I think that this one was just as good a movie as any of those.

So that's why I love this "Boy's Movie" probably just about as much as some "Woman's Pictures" that I would have usually picked over an adventure movie any day. If you haven't taken a look at this great flick already, then do! It's on YouTube right now but you better watch quick, as you probably know, they often take down movies!

~Bette

Little Women (1933)

2011-11-14T12:23:00.002Z

I seriously love "Little Women". I really enjoyed reading the book and I refuse to watch any other adaptation of it other than George Cukor's 1933 adaptation starring Katharine Hepburn, Paul Lukas, Joan Bennet and Spring Byington. It's pretty much this film that really made me want to read the book. Some people did this thing on their blogs maybe last year or early this year where they did a "Character Soup" full of the characters from films that they think are like them. I think that Jo March would be pretty high up on my list of soup ingredients. She was such a tomboy and pretty hyper and LOUD. I swear that my entire family has the loudest voices in the UK. Wow we're pretty loud, and as of yet I have never had problems with voice projection in productions (touch wood). I just get up there and speak only a little louder than when I talk... Is that good or bad? And I actually physically refused to wear a skirt until I was 10/11 so that's something to relate to! I was (and probably still am a little) a real tomboy (who occasionally played with hamsters, Star Wars toys and Barbies at the same time)! A-N-Y-W-A-Y. Moving on, here's my review of this charming film :-)

{My GIF}

Little Women (1933) Directed by George Cukor, based of the book by Louisa May Alcott
Cast:

Katharine Hepburn as Jo March
Joan Bennett as Amy March
Paul Lukas as Professor Bhaer
Edna May Oliver as Aunt March
Jean Parker as Beth March
Frances Dee as Meg March
Henry Stephenson as Mr. Laurence
Douglass Montgomery as Laurie Laurence
John Davis Lodge as Brooke
Spring Byington as Marmee March

'RODERIGO! RODERIGO! SAVE ME, SAVE ME!!! AHHHHHHH!!"

Plot (if you've been living on mars these past 100 years :-D):

The Marches are a happy and on-the-whole contented family living in Concord, Massachusetts compiled of four daughters, (in age order, eldest to youngest) Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and their parents. They try to get along as well as they can with their father away at The Civil War and each of the daughters contributes to the family and works hard at their own personal goals too. Meg works as a governess to two rich children, Jo as a companion to her Great Aunt March, Beth keeps house and helps her mother with house-hold duties (being shy and a little frail), Amy goes to school and works hard - though she is constantly being reminded to think of others as well as herself. Meg had no particular passion, neither did Beth except looking after her cats and her dolls, but Jo adored writing and Amy loved to paint and sculpt.

Rehearsing for their Christmas play (written by Jo)

One christmas the orphaned grandson of their rich neighbour, Mr Lawrence comes to stay and Jo wants to meet him stating that "he looks like a capital fellow".

That kitten though...

His name is Laurie and she goes over to meet him and give him some "get well soon" gifts as he had a cold and it turns out that they get on very well, and she even finds she likes Mr. Lawrence elder, whom they'd all found a little creepy.

They get older and more mature and Jo Publishes several stories, Meg marries Laurie's tutor,

Meg

and Amy has remained Amy, only a little more sophisticated.

Amy

But Beth had a bad case of Scarlett Fever which scared everyone. Especially as Marmee had just been called out to Washington to meet her husband who had become ill in a hospital there... But Beth pulls through, though she is weaker than ever, and the family again goes about their busy lives.

But Jo starts to realise that Laurie is getting fonder and fonder of her and one day he finally asks her to marry him, but she refuses, saying that he will always be a brother to her, but not a husband. So she goes away to New York and stays in a boarding house, earning her keep by governing two children at the house. She goes hoping to improve her writing, but comes away with valuable advice from her new friend, the German professor at the boarding house, Mr Bhaer instead. She is called away by news that Beth is again very ill, but this time she doesn't struggle through and dies peacefully.

With Mr. Bhaer

All the while, Aunt March has taken Amy on the trip to Europe that Jo had longed to go on her whole life, so she hasn't even been back to see Beth before she died. But Laurie also happens to be out in Europe at the same time, so they meet up and become very good friends...

The Verdict:

This film is just lovely. I can't really pick any holes in it. The direction from George Cukor is great as usual and every character is cast to perfection. I've recently read the book, and no, not everything is there. Most of Amy's trip to Europe is gone, and there is no argument between Jo and Amy about going to the theatre or anything, but it doesn't matter. I probably would have chosen the same parts of the book to include. There are so many little episodes in the book that they couldn't all be included. But what is there is very true to the book, often using the dialogue from Louisa May Alcott's novel which was a great idea. That doesn't always happen when books are adapted for the screen, and I really like it, personally.

Katharine Hepburn with George Cukor

Katharine Hepburn is perfect in the role of Jo. George Cukor said that she "was born to play Jo" and she does a fantastic characterisation which would have been hard to imagine any other actress at that time doing. I love the play scene at the begging where she is teaching Amy how to scream "RODERIGO" and faint - so funny. My mum always starts crying when Marmee reads the letter to the girls and then they start singing Christmas carols... It is really touching!

Joan Bennet is great as Amy, perfect for all of her snooty affectedness, but still sweet enough to show the emotion that Amy has, because although she is overtly the least likeable of the foursome, she has feelings too and Joan Bennet showed them just as I thought she should. Interesting fact, Joan Bennet was in fact pregnant during filming and grew more and more pregnant as production went on. She hadn't told David O Selznick this when he cast her in the role, and she put everyone in a very interesting situation - the woman playing the 12 year old sister is actually about to have a baby. Awkward. But they redesigned her costumes, and all was well.

I also quite liked the guy playing Laurie, Douglas Montgomery. But will someone tell me please... Who is he? He is just there and I actually don't know who he really is. I've never seen him in anything else and I would be grateful if someone could tell me... WHO ACTUALLY IS THIS MAN??? The internet says nothing, as usual, so no help there.

The music is gorgeous. Max Steiner is up there with my favourite film composers, like Bernard Herrman and all that jazz. The music is so catchy and sweet. My whole family automatically know that when we see Max Steiner on the credits the music will be great.

This can't be the usual set up for a publicity shot...

Spring Byington is adorable as Marmee March. A nicer actress will never be seen to grace the screen (hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it :-D). My whole family love her in this and as Penny Sycamore in You Can't Take It With You (1938). She's one of those really reliable actresses you know will always deliver.

If you haven't seen this movie, go and watch it now! You'll feel really happy and want to go out and climb trees, I assure you.

~Bette

They look Like Each Other: Spencer Tracy and Carl Fredricksen

2011-11-11T13:14:00.002Z

I'm sure I'm not the first to pick this up. I like to think that it's Hollywood's little belated tribute to Spencer Tracy. I hope so, if it is it's lovely :-) Up has been one of my favourite modern movies to come out these past few years. It was magical. And of course you all know how I feel about Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Best film ever. Well, at least one of 'em!

~Bette

Classic Moustaches For Movember Blogathon - In Support Of "Movember"

2011-11-05T14:58:00.013Z

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

~ The Movember Website

I think this is a really important cause. Several members on my Dad's side of the family have been severely affected by man-cancers, and I'm all for fundraising for it. I think It's very important indeed, and that's why I developed this blogathon.

Ok, so evidently I can't grow a tache for Movember in support of prostate cancer because... I'm a girl. BUT I can blog about moustaches! So I'm hosting a little blogathon in support of Movember, "Classic Moustaches For Movember". Bloggers, gather 'round. All you have to do is post about something to do with moustaches in your own classic-movie-blogging way, and link to the donation page (that one is for the US, but it's easy to find the UK one too) on the Movember website! There are more famous, debonaire classic actors with moustaches than you can fit in one book, let alone one post, so there should be lots to blog about :-)Your post can go up any time before the end of November. I hope this gives everyone time to participate!

Just comment with a link to your blog on this post and I'll add you to the list of blogs participating. Naturally, normal blogathon etiquette applies, so in your post just link back to this one if you don't mind :-), and this blogathon will be going on until the 31st November. It would be cool, no? *twiddles moustache* If you'd like to join, grab one of my badges for it and spread the word! We can have a classic moustache party :-D

My post for the blogathon will go up sometime next week. Happy moustaching!

Blogs Participating:
Dear Mr. Gable
Java's Journey
Frankly, My Dear
In The Mood
Silver Screen Modiste
The Movie Projector
Noir And Chick Flicks
True Classics
Random Ramblings Of A Broadway, Film and TV Fan
Sittin' On A Backyard Fence
Blame Mame
The Most Beautiful Fraud
Silents And Talkies (I think. Kate, can you let me know which blog you'd like to post on? I imagined it would be this one but it would be good to make sure.)
ClassicBecky's Brain Food

~Bette

"Tough Question?" "Mmmm-mmmm. Tough roast beef." Desk Set 1957

2011-11-05T09:38:00.000Z

Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) is an engineer looking to improve efficiency for all of the workers at the research department of a large TV station. All of the research girls - headed by Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) - are suspicious of his presence, looking around and inspecting them, but he doesn't let any of them know what he's doing there. When Bunny is let down by her beau, Mike Cutler (Gig Young) she doesn't react much. But in his absence, she gets to know Richard Sumner better, but is distraught when he installs a large silver flashing machine that immediately starts printing little pink "fired" slips for her and all her collueges.

I think I'm gonna have to break the news slowly... Desk Set wasn't great {by the way, I don't completely condemn it to the DVD recycling plant in this post. I gather this film has somewhat of a large fan club, so don't stop reading now!}. I was disappointed to be frank. I've seen all the Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movies except Without Love and Sea Of Grass and I was looking forward to this one, but it was... mediocre. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, but it wasn't good. There were some sweet moments in it, but it didn't nearly come close to comparing to their other pairings. I really liked Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in it, in fact the film only survives while they're on screen, and that shouldn't be. The film should hold up on it's own, too, but the script was just not good. Plus, I didn't like Gig Young! That's odd, because I usually like him. But, it wasn't like it was awkward, we did actually laugh a few times.

I'm not taking it off my iTunes or anything, because there were certain scenes I liked, and I may come back to it and find I like it more or something. At any rate, I can't actually bring myself to pan something with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, giant 50s computers and Joan Blondell in it, so here is a little post of some GIFs and pictures from the film I've either taken or found lying around on the internet. It was very pretty anyway so that's something going for it! :-)

This means awesomsauce, but I should have read the other credits.

Pretty research office :-)

I don't know either Kate. Seriously.

LOOK AT THAT COMPUTER THING! OUR I.T. DEPARTMENT AT SCHOOL NEEDS THIS!

Doesn't matter what the movie's like. Spence and Kate win at everything. Especially pretending to be on a cruise in a library.

Her costume comes from the scene where she looks like Santa Claus, and Gig Young buys her a stuffed Bunny (get it?). Then she goes up to the piano and the bongo drums and starts singing "Night And Day". Sheesh, this film was crazier than my blog is, HA!

Peg Costello: Then one day you realize you're out of circulation. It's all happened. You don't even know when it happened.

Bunny Watson: Well, when that day comes we'll move in together and keep cats.

This scene is pretty cool. I wish I was as good at maths as Bunny Watson. He asks her questions about train stops and passengers and how many got on, how many got off etc. etc. etc. So she gets the answers right and when he asks her how, she just goes "There are nine letters in Chappaqua, and I've been to White Plains three times in my life." WHAT THE HECK??? I wish I was this ninja at word problems.

I wouldn't over-recommend this movie, it's a bit odd... But if you are a big Tracy/Hepburn, Hepburn/Tracy fan, the take a look anyway, bits of it are fun :-D

~Bette

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T07:34:00.001Z

SHMWAHAHAHAHAHAH!

When the usual load of halloween horror films hit the screens, I would be much more likely to be found curling up in bed with something like Bringing Up Baby (1938) to take away the scariness. I love thrillers and have quite a penchant for non-gruesome scary films but when things start getting to chopping off heads, or serial killers with graphic murder resumes, I find I'm much better off behind my sofa. But come halloween I try at least to go in for a little of the scary nonsense... But mainly Hitchcock thrillers. Here are some of my favourite halloween movies. "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!", "The Telltale Heart" and House On Haunted Hill (only a B-Picture, but it has Vincent price, and it's fun!). I've embedded the latter two in full, but for "The Great Pumpkin" there are only clips.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

{Found here}

The Telltale Heart, a surrealist animation of the classic horror story by Edgar Allan Poe narrated by James Mason,

and House On Haunted Hill (1959) starring Vincent Price.

An eccentric millionaire invites some of his colleagues to stay overnight at his mansion. If they survive they will receive $10,000... But will they survive?

Both are available in full on Youtube, so I thought it might be fun for you to take a look... If you dare... MWAHAHAHAHAH!!! (do you think I should stop the evil laugh? didn't think so... MWAHAHA! Sorry ;-D)

~Bette

"Me: Stories of My Life" by Katharine Hepburn

2011-10-27T10:24:00.000+01:00

{I scanned all of these pictures - except the cover - come from my copy of "Me: Stories Of My Life" and the links link back to posts I've written}

I actually read the hardcover as it has more photos, but this one looks prettier :-)

Over the summer and the last little while, my family and I have been watching more Katharine Hepburn films than we used to. My sister and I convinced my parents to re-watch Adam's Rib and we all adored it so we ordered the Tracy/Hepburn signature collection (Woman Of The Year, Adam's Rib, Pat And Mike, The Keeper Of The Flame) and we loved them! We also re-watched Little Women, The Philadelphia Story, and Bringing Up Baby and added to the list of "watcheds" Holiday, Stage Door, Rooster Cogburn, Desk Set and State Of The Union. Most of which had been elusively hiding in our half-watched Katharine Hepburn box-set. But then we also watched her documentary on the other disc of our copy of The Philadelphia Story, "Me, A Self Portrait" where she talks directly to the audience about her life, and we loved it. And after watching all of those films and the documentary she gained a spot in our top 5.

Recently I picked up two good nick second hand copies of her books, "Me: Stories Of My Life" and "The Making of The African Queen or How I Went To Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind". They had to be second hand because the latter is out of print and I wanted a hardcover copy of her autobiography because apparently the publishers took away quite a few of the lovely pictures when they published the paperback, and I was in no position to pay £30 for a new copy. Luckily, when my copies arrived, they were good as new inside so great for scanning! YAY! So I finished "Little Women" (which was amazing, by the way) and started "Me". I finished it last night, sitting in bed weeping over the ending and knew that it certainly deserved a post.

Baby Kate

The book starts with her describing her childhood in Connecticut and carries on until the present day when she wrote the book in 1991.

When she shaved her head and called herself "Jimmy"

Father and Mother:

It's full of lovely anecdotes and the whole book is written just as she would speak (you can tell this if you've seen interviews with her or the aforementioned documentary) and it's lovely.

With her father

She is pretty random, but then I guess I'm pretty random too so maybe us random people can understand each other ;-D, but if you aren't into things like "the funny thing is that he never had a drink. Nothing at all, when he came to our house. We were friends for years. Oh, I meant to tell you. I was standing on my head the other day and I got to thinking how probably unusual it is for someone of my age to do this." Or when she starts writing the recipe for currant cake while talking about filming on location in Wales then you might be a bit like, "What?"

But I loved it... Kind of reminded me of moments in ~~my science essays~~ on my blog (Just kidding. Hahahaha. No.) I think it added to the more chatty format of the book.

Early play

There are some great parts of this book, such as her touching "letters" to Spencer Tracy near the end,

and her hilarious account of gardening with David Lean,

In her film with David Lean, Summertime

and the accounts of all the favourite movies she made, and her chapter about George Cukor,

With George Cukor

and of course her beloved family, too. But really, the gardening chapter is pretty funny. It goes from she, a friend and David Lean buying flowers and shrubs in a garden centre for the bottom of her garden at Fenwick (her family home), to her swearing and saying "F*** the roots! I thought; I'm going to die. What about my roots? These people are like a machine", and "I'm going to stay out here and struggle until they quit or until I die." It's really funny. Something not so funny, however was how she survived the 1938 hurricane, but her house was swept right away.

"Fenwick now" 1991

Out of the three autobiographies I've read ("Home" by Julie Andrews, "The Lonely Life" by Bette Davis and this) I think I enjoyed this the most. The other two were great, and the Julie Andrews one was interesting even though it only covers her early life (up until Mary Poppins), but they had something missing just a little, and I don't think it was neccesarily their fault.

"Early acting efforts"

Bette Davis chose to write hers when she was still only in her 50s and she really was quite bitter about some things. She had a tough time and it showed in her attitude a bit. Julie Andrews wrote a really good autobiography, but I can't actually judge her whole story properly until the next chapter is written... come on Julie!

With her sisters

But Katharine Hepburn obviously had a very positive outlook and a good time in life.

The Broadway play of "The Philadelphia Story"

She had a nice, secure family life and that is always the foundation for someone having an optimistic and overall happy life, I think. There were a few tragedies, she discovered her older brother hanging from a piece of bed sheet at a friend's house, but they never knew if it was suicide or an accident. Really heartbreaking, so she became the eldest. But she coped alright becuase she had a great family behind her backing her all the way.

With Franklin Roosevelt

I would most certainly recommend that you read this book if you haven't already. Even if you aren't the biggest Katharine Hepburn fan.

Practicing golf for Bringing Up Baby

It's a really nice and easy read full of wonderful sentiment without ever getting over the top or irritating. I also think this is one of the first times she says what her actual birthday is, 12th May 1907. When I told my mum about that and Katharine Hepburn's problems with her voice, she said "Ah, she's a taurus! No wonder she gets a bad throat." I love my mum.

Me and my mum are both of the taurus star-sign (17th May and 21st April respectively) so that was pretty funny, especially as we both sometimes get throat problems. I did after I had a part in Bugsy Malone which called for screeching and then screaming, "There's No Business Like Show Business" at the top of my voice... I digress. Minus a few incidents, she's a great role model for women, and I can honestly say that it would be awesome to be like her when I grow up ;-D. Seriously, GO READ IT! I loved it. It's a great way to spend a little while :-)

Skateboarding. Just too cool.

~Bette

My Favouritest And My Best: Screwball Comedy Characters Part 1

2011-10-22T20:34:00.001+01:00

{I've named this post "Part 1" because I might see more screwball comedies and want to add to my list. Plus, there are way too many to list all in one go :-D}

{My Badge :-D}

I have recently grown to like to screwball comedies. I don't like all of them, but some of them are really funny. The thing that strikes me is, that the main component of a screwball comedy is the characters. Put them in any situation you want, but the characters need to be really intriguing or interesting for the story to work. Therefore, the actors playing them need to be able to pull their weight. Believe me. Put a bad actor in even a good screwball comedy and everyone in the audience will squirm in their seats. It makes the whole thing awkward. I've written about some of these as couples, because I love them both and they are both awesome together. I need to do one about favourite screwball comedy animals soon... Asta anyone? But I've given it some thought and here are my favourite characters as they were performed by the actor, in the screwball comedies I've seen - in no particular order.

Susan Vance and Doctor David Huxley played by Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant respectively in Bringing Up Baby 1938

{Scanned by me}

Susan Vance is the sweet, troublemaking, ditzy heiress-female lead of Howard Hawks's comedy about a girl who gets a leopard in the post and drags her new paleontologist acquaintance into taking it to her farm in Connecticut on the day he is meant to be getting married. Add to this a pre-historic dinosaur bone and a playful dog and you have a fantastic screwball comedy! I just adore Susan. Whenever I trip over a coffe table, or spill something or lose something important I just think to myself, that was so Susan Vance. Katharine Hepburn plays her wonderfully as well and she more than holds her own against Cary Grant. Oh yeah, and she deals pretty well with the leopard.

Cary Grant on the other hand...

Well, lets just say, he and the cat weren't the best of friends. He was so scared of the leopard that - according to legend - the cast and crew threw a stuffed leopard through the air-shaft of his dressing room and he ran out as fast as lightening :-D. I love Doctor David Huxley. Geek specs and all. Cary Grant is absolutely crazy in this role, and you just have to love him for it, because in the end you know the result will be fantastic. I shall remain a Cary Grant fan 'till the end. He is my favouritest and my best of everything... Ever. If only all paleontologists were as amazing as Doctor Huxely.
*Weeps silently to self over the insanely awesome fantasticness of Cary Grant in geek gear*.

Peter Warne played by Clark Gable in It Happened One Night 1934

I love Clark Gable. I mean, who doesn't really? And he is so funny in this film, the classic Frank Capra directed rom-com. Peter Warne is a journalist who finds the runaway heiress everyone is looking out for (always an heiress involved) and offers to help her get back to her husband who her father disapproves of - if she'll give him a story. One of my all time favourite scenes in any comedy is Clark Gable's stupendous hitch-hiking scene which goes from teaching Claudette Colbert the rules of hitchhiking to running through all of his hitch-hiking techniques in a row to attract several hundred cars that all pass by at once. It's hilarious and his whole performance is great too
:-)

Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby played by Jean Arthur and James Stewart respectively in You Can't Take It With You 1938

I had to pair these as a joint favourite because it has to be the "rat with hair on it" scene that swayed me.

You Can't Take It With You is a film about an eccentric family with a daughter who decides she wants to marry Tony Kirby, the only interesting member of a boring banking family. But what will happen when the two families meet? Jean Arthur and James Stewart work so well together. I adore them in this, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Jean Arthur is always so lively and James Stewart is playing one of his awesome characters of the Macaulay Connor variety where he gets to go absolutely bonkers. This time in a restaurant. It is seriously hilarious.

{Via}

Capt. Henri Rochard played by Cary Grant in I Was A Male War Bride 1949

I Was A Male War Bride is the story of the French army officer Henri Rochard who is always being teamed with Lt Catherine Gates, much to his dismay. They don't get along at first but then find that they love each other and want to get married. But Catherine realises that she has to be shipped back to the US, and the only way for Henri to come with her is for him to get a visa as a "War Bride". It's actually too funny for words. everyone says that their favourite scene from this movie is when Cary Grant dresses as a woman to get across to the US, but my favourite is when he gets stuck in Ann Sheridan's room after he has massaged her to sleep (sounds weird out of context but believe me it is hysterical). Cary Grant is so great at physical "clowning". There isn't a moment when you can't see that he is really thinking about his movements. Such a funny film.

Irene Bullock played by Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey 1936

Irene Bullock finds Godfrey living on a city dump in the great depression while she is on a scavenger hunt (upper class style... they have to find a "forgotten man"!). He likes Irene, but hates her sister Cornelia and pushes her into a pile of rubbish and lets Irene take him to the scavenger hunt head quarters so she will win. But Irene starts falling for Godfrey and hires him as their butler. I'd never seen any Carole Lombard films before (I know, shock horror), and I loved her in this film! She's hilarious with William Powell - who even on his own is pretty darn awesome - and I love this film. Afterwards I was a bit like, "Whoa. That was crazy." But then I realised that it was not only crazy, but REALY GOOD TOO! All I have to say is, "GODFREY LOVES ME! HE PUT ME IN THE SHOWER!"

So there is Part 1. There will be a Part 2 following sometime in the future. I hope you enjoyed this post!

By the by, I got braces on my teeth the other day and they hurt for the first day or two. Ouch! But it reminded me of this really sweet scene in My Favourite Wife (1940) with Irene Dunne, so I hit photoshop and made a graphic for it! Hope you like it :-)

{My graphic, love Irene Dunne!}

~Bette

Photo Of The Day

2011-10-16T21:03:00.001+01:00

{Oleg Cassini and Grace Kelly scanned by me}

I was watching Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief (1955) and remembered how I actually do like her. I always see The Philadelphia Story and compare Katharine Hepburn's fantastic performance to her OK one in High Society and obviously immediately think, oh, she can't be any good. Because I just like Katharine Hepburn more and think she is a better actress, but I do like Grace Kelly in some things :-)

I have just come back from being at my friends house with my sister all day. We got up to all kinds of awesomeness. In 9 hours we managed to help my sister with her homework, challenge and sometimes be beaten by 9 year olds on my sister's maths website to earn her credits (oops), learn to finger knit, bake a red velvet cake (chocolate with red food coulouring. Yum.), make facial hair disguises for ourselves and then wear them to go and check up on my dog (yes. We got weird looks), eat dinner and watch Woman Of The Year (it was my friend's birthday yesterday and I gave a her a book on shopping vintage and the Tracy/Hepburn signature set - the best thing ever - as she is my classic film buddy :-D). It was very productive, in a Bette-with-her-two-equally-hyper-comrades-together-in-a-house kind of way :-D!

~Bette

P.S. Don't forget the voting for the Bette Davis contest is still on, you can vote HERE

Stage Door (1937)

2011-10-13T08:03:00.000+01:00

I watched Stage Door (1937) the other day and knew right there and then that it certainly deserved a post. I mean, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adoplhe Menjou and Lucille Ball, all in one film? Count me in!

"It'd be a terrific innovation if you could get your mind to stretch a little further than the next wisecrack."

~Terry Randall from Stage Door

Stage Door (1937) Directed by Gregory La Cava

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.

Cast:

Katharine Hepburn as Terry Randall
Ginger Rogers as Jean Maitland
Adolphe Menjou as Anthony Powell
Constance Collier as Catherine Luther
Gail Patrick as Linda Shaw
Andrea Leeds as Kay Hamilton
Samuel S. Hinds as Henry Sims
Lucille Ball as Judy Canfield

Plot:

The Footlights club is a theatrical boarding house in New York, inhabited by fast-talking, quick-witted showgirls all desperately in need of a job. Some of them, like Linda, take the easy way out by having a "sugar daddy" to buy her clothes and take her out, but the others take it the hard way. Work all the way. None more so than Jean Maitland who is determined to be "discovered" the right way. One day, Terry Randall arrives at the Footlights Club. Though slightly stage struck, Terry isn't going to take any nonsense. But she is teased by the other girls for being rich and well educated (her father is "Henry Sims, the wheat king", though she keeps that under wraps), especially by her new roommate, Jean. They don't hit it off well and Jean says they, "started off on the wrong foot, so lets stay that way." Despite Terry's efforts to be friendly.

One lodger in particular is finding it hard to get a job, Kay Hamilton was a big success in a play produced by Anthony Powell, but now can't get any work.

One day she goes to Powell's office in search of the lead part in his new play "Enchanted April", with which she has a personal connection. After she is refused his audience for the nth time that week, she faints at the desk. Just before this, Terry comes in and sees all and she does storm the office - but to go and give Powell a piece of her mind.

Powell (left) "entertaining" Linda

After this, the girls start to give her a little more respect. But when Jean starts being tempted by Anthony Powell's fancy clothes and dinner trips and broadway star power, Terry steps in and goes to Anthony's apartment; to talk business. And not knowing that her good friend Kay wanted the part, get's the lead in Enchanted April. A play that her millionaire father is secretly financing on the condition that Terry plays the lead. But there is a lot more to go wrong than Terry suspects. And Kay is at her very lowest, with tragic results.

The Verdict:

I really liked this film. I know that it not everyone thinks it's amazing... but "I like it!" (Singing In The Rain reference, anyone? or just me.) I do completely get that Katharine Hepburn didn't understand her character and said that she was unimportant in the story, but the way that she plays Terry makes her essential to the film. It is quite vague and I can't imagine how hard it would be to make a memorable character from the lines alone, but Katharine Hepburn manages to give it the extra attitude and personality that was needed to make the role. She actually asked the director Gregory La Cava what the main point of her character was and he replied "She is a human question mark." After she asked him what that meant he replied, "Damned if I know."

"The callalilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower. Suitable to any occasion... I carried them on my wedding day and now I place them here in memory of something that has died." ~ Enchanted April

I really enjoyed Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Roger's performance together, even though they reportedly hated each other on set, but I liked the banter and the witty insults. Apparently {cue long-winded, might not even be true story...} the scriptwriters were inspired by listening to the actresses talk on set and lots of the fast paced exchanges and all that jazz is kind of what they sounded like! Cool, no? {And not as long-winded as predicted. Well there's a first time for everything ;-)} And this was my first Ginger Rogers film!

There are basically no men in this film, and I enjoyed the atmosphere of the predominantly women cast, a little like The Women. And this is all going fine and then BAM! Adolphe Menjou!

He's a good actor and all, but in this (and everything else I've seen him in) he has more than the average dose of sleazy. His whole section of the plot wasn't very well developed, and I think that problem stems from the fact that the character of Anthony Powell wasn't in the original play.

There were quite a few emotional moments in the film, but the one that really got me upset was when Jean walks into Terry's dressing room *SPOILERS AHEAD* and tells her that Kay has committed suicide and blames Terry. Then after Jean leaves Terry has a complete crying fit and is just heartbroken and I was just sitting there with my sister and both of us were really sad.

All the supporting actresses playing the roommates in the boarding house are great. I love Ann Miller and she was actually only fourteen when she made this! In the words of the wise Jo March... CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS! That is actually only one year older than me and she is up there dancing with Ginger Rogers and acting with Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball and Adolphe Menjou... Wow. I better start getting a move on!

Awesome, if not a trifle over-enthusiastic...

Lucille Ball is a also lovely, I haven't seen any "I Love Lucy" and I really want to! It's not available on youtube either so I'm just gonna have to wait until at least Christmas.

Eve Arden was also really funny :-D. Andrea Leeds is so fantastic. Just heartbreaking!

Here are two great quotes from Eve Arden's character in the film:

Mary Lou: Well, certainly you must have heard of "Hamlet"!

Eve: Well, I meet so many people.

Eve: A pleasant little foursome. I predict a hatchet murder before the night's over.

My mum also told me that Constance Collier is a great favourite of my Grandma's. I can see why. She was totally in her character the whole way through. At the beginning I was a bit concerned about how the performance would turn out, but I found that her portrayal worked out better than I had expected. Also, during the filming, she and Katharine Hepburn became great friends and remained so for the rest of her life. During Katharine Hepburn's stretch of time during the 50s when she played lots of Shakespeare and classics Constance Collier was her acting coach and when Constance Collier died, her secretary came to work for Katharine Hepburn, and did for 40 years. I think that's lovely :-)

And can I just say... Is Gail Patrick like, omnipresent? I don't know what it is but she has been in three of the films I've watched recently and I feel like she's just there... Always playing the same character... It's a bit weird...

Overall a very enjoyable film. Not a masterpiece and there are some holes and slow drags in the script but there are certain parts which I thought were fantastic. Definitely worth a watch.

~Bette

Spotlight on a Character Actress: Thelma Ritter

2011-10-08T15:21:00.001+01:00

Thelma Ritter is the best character actress ever in my opinion. I first saw her as Birdie in All About Eve and thought she was great. She will always be my favourite :-)

Thelma Ritter (1902-1969)

Thelma Ritter was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1902. As well as appearing in high school productions she appeared in stock company productions and she soon decided that acting was going to be her profession. After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Thelma started a fairly successful stage career, but then quit the profession to take care of her children and raise them. But in 1947 Joseph L. Mankiewicz gave Thelma her first film role as a bit part in Miracle On 34th Street and after that she never had any trouble getting work in Hollywood. She usually played fast talking, gutsy maids to famous actors and actresses (Bette Davis's maid in All About Eve, James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window, Doris Day's maid in Pillow Talk) and she was amazing at it.

In the movie survey I created last year, one of the questions was, "Would you rather be Margo Channing of All About Eve or Ilsa Lund of Casablanca?" When I answered it myself, I just had to go for Margo. I love her character and Bette Davis, sure. But the real thing that swayed me was that I would have Thelma Ritter as my confidante and maid. Score! My mum has always called Thelma Ritter one of her favourite ever actresses - she sometimes even adds her as an honorary 6th in her top 5 actresses list. She is just possibly one of (or perhaps the) coolest actress ever to grace our screens (I use the term "grace" loosely. She's usually slamming doors or stumbling hungover out of elevators). If I had to choose, she would be my favourite character actress.

And here she is in the strangest hat that I have ever seen in my entire life.

Best Films To Start With:

All About Eve
Pillow Talk
Rear Window

And so ends my Character Actress series! I hope you've enjoyed the posts :-) By the way, the Bette Davis bogging contest is going very well, but I need your votes! If you liked my post, head on over here to vote!

~Bette

The Bette Davis Persona

2011-10-06T08:25:00.001+01:00

This is my Contribution to the Bette Davis Contest over at FilmClassics. Go and check out the other contributors too!

*******************

What is the Bette Davis persona? Well, for anyone who has ever seen more than one of her films, you'll know that she always played a similar kind of character. Most often she is being too confident and then gets her comeuppance - justly or unjustly (All About Eve, Mr Skeffington). Or she might undergo an amazing transformation from either a selfish girl or a dowdy mouse (Dark Victory and Now Voyager respectively) - but it's quite likely she is simply an evil genius (The Letter, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane - more insane than anything else in this one, In This Our Life, The Little Foxes). But all of these characters seemed to suffer so darn much. Even if it's only going through an emotional hardship, they are gonna meet up with some sort of trouble. Believe me.

Bette Davis made her mark in the popular "Women's Pictures" of the 30s and 40s, which were so named because they feature a female character who is either more powerful, or more important in the story, than the man. This was Bette Davis's ticket. She was used to the stage and, well, Hollywood was no Broadway to her. She didn't really like what the motion picture industry represented. It was all a bit too fluffy and silly for her. She wanted the grit of traditional theatre, and she tried to emulate it with her "Women's Pictures". And the result isn't at all bad.

Most actresses back then had a distinctive character style. Joan Crawford (Bette's sworn nemesis) usually played glamourous ladies who were really ladylike ("Why am I so good at playing bitches? Well, I think it's because I'm not a bitch. Maybe that's why Ms. Crawford always played ladies." - Bette Davis) Greer Garson was made by her studio to play lovely English women who were beautiful as well as being "accomplished", much to her dismay (she tried to break the mould with Julia Misbehaves, but...). Katharine Hepburn was interesting, in that she had her own type of role - the independent woman - but she was also open to other roles too, much like Bette Davis. So it wasn't uncommon for audiences to be familiar with an actress's "screen persona", but with Bette Davis it seems that the audiences kept coming back and didn't get bored.

With Spencer Tracy

Claudette Colbert said to Bette Davis just after the unfortunate back injury that cost her the part of Margo Channing, "I envy you your career. Do you know why? It's because you played older women before you had to. Now you'll never have to cross the age bridge." Which is really quite true. She played an old spinster in The Old Maid (1939), and grew into an ageing socialite in Mr. Skeffington (not one of my favourites of hers), and did it really well. She never seemed very old and never very young - she was always just Bette Davis. The same could be said for Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and James Stewart, who always looked the same age to me.

So while all the other stars on the lot were brainstorming and writing out plans of action for their, "Triumphant comeback to the screen!" - most of which failed anyhow - Bette Davis was knitting and having a better idea. When her career as a leading lady went flop, she started to get herself roles as mothers, aunts, and older women - who nevertheless had interesting characters and story-lines. And the public were more interested in her when she made that move than all those other stars who played boring older women competing for their younger leading men (Zzzzzzzzzz....).

I've chosen three of her most interesting character choices and why I think they ARE the Bette Davis persona.

Charlotte, The Old Maid (1939) Directed By Edmund Goulding

Plot, My Review

I find The Old Maid an interesting project choice for Bette, because at this point, she hadn't ventured much into roles that aged over the course of a film, and none of them were as successful as this one. In this same year she made Dark Victory, The Private Lives Of Elizabeth and Essex and many others. I admire her for choosing this film as one she wanted to do. Unfortunately, it meant her working with the reportedly super-harsh British film director Edmund Goulding, with whom she also made Dark Victory, amongst others. I lover her portrayal of Charlotte - though she really didn't like the meek role and proposed that she play both Charlotte and her cousin Delia (this two-of-her-on-screen-at-once wish wouldn't be fulfilled until A Stolen Life in 1946).

This typifies the Bette Davis persona for me because it shows that she wasn't afraid to take risks in several categories. In this film she not only ages into a snappy, haunted old maid, but she has an illegitimate baby, wears un-flattering dowdy clothes, a grey wig wrought up into a tight bun, and has drawn-on wrinkles. Hardly the status quo for movie stars in those days. I also like this role because she makes the seemingly less interesting character of the film a lot more exciting than the somewhat irritating Delia.

Regina Giddens, The Little Foxes (1941) Directed By William Wyler

Plot, Watch It On YouTube

"Take us the little foxes. The little foxes that spoil the vine." {Shown on the first title card.}

This is one of my very favourite films. Everything from the amazing Patricia Collinge to the heartbreaking and lovely Herbert Marshall is completely perfect - especially Bette Davis's performance. Again breaking one of Hollywood's oldest and most revered customs: "Never play the mother of someone who is old enough to be marrying the male lead instead of you." Well, at only 33, Bette Davis played Regina, the mother of Teresa Wright, a young woman in a Southern aristocratic family, the Hubbards. Teresa Wright goes on to finally find out about Regina's wicked deed, coming out as the revered and rooted-for character in the movie.

Regina Giddens to her frail husband Horace: I hope you die, and I hope you die soon. I'll be waiting for you to die.

Though I've watched Bette Davis play almost everything from Society girls dying from brain tumors to mentally unstable former child-stars who smother themselves in caky foundation and red lipstick, I've never truly hated her character, and wanted her to lose the whole way through. And in a way, both the public and the studios didn't expect anyone to. But while watching this I found that I wanted Bette Davis's character to lose. Her acting is wonderful and spot on, but she chose to play such a nasty character who purposely lets her husband die of a heart attack for his money, that I just had to root for Teresa Wright and Patricia Collinge. That's why I think that this represents exactly the Bette Davis character. She chose the role of Regina Giddens not because she thought it would win her popularity among audiences as a character, but because she knew it was a spectacular part.

Margo Channing, All About Eve (1950) Directed by Joseph Manciewicz

Plot, Read my big post about it here.

Bill: Oh you've heard this one before, the one about the time I looked through the wrong end of the camera finder!"

Margo: Remind me to tell you about the time I looked into the heart of an artichoke.

Full of biting dialogue and witty quips, All About Eve is regarded by many as Bette Davis's greatest achievement. This is one of my favourite films ever, and Bette Davis's performance as Margo Channing is one of my favourite characterizations. She only got the part because the intended actress for the role, Claudette Colbert, broke her back while filming another movie. The crew considered all kinds of actresses. Everyone from Ingrid Bergman to Gertrude Lawrence. But in the end they knew that the one who could do justice to Margo Channing would be Bette Davis. There were a few tricky things that happened during filming. But they all got over them, fueled by the great script. And it is a fantastic script. One of the best.

Watermarked awesome GIF is obviously not mine :-)

There isn't much I can say about Margo Channing, or Bette Davis as Margo Channing, that hasn't already been said. But lots of things happened to Bette Davis after this movie. She was robbed of a best actress Oscar; she gained a husband (her leading man, Gary Merill); and among other things, she gained the confidence of her audience back after a series of flops in the mediocre pictures she was turning out at the time. Women's Pictures were out, but with All About Eve she discovered a new type of movie that she could do well. This sticks in my mind as the Bette Davis film. I don't know whether it's because it was the first one I saw, or whether it's the one I know most about, but to me Margo Channing is Bette Davis. Some of her husbands said as much to the newspapers, and she would have probably denied it, but it's what I think anyhow.

Those are the things that I really feel represent the "Bette Davis Image"

~Bette

Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939)

2011-10-02T09:57:00.000+01:00

Along with a few other videos I found in my garage last week, I found Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939). I'd heard lots about this film while reading biographies of Ingrid Bergman and the like so I thought I should certainly give it a go! And at only 70 minutes, what could be the harm? Just to clear up any possible confusion, apparently this film has been renamed Escape To Happiness (?). This is a review of that, but I like the original title :-)

Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939) Directed By Gregory Ratoff

To clarify... The studio artist who made this poster had evidently only seen Ingrid Bergman in Black and White before, because what colour is that hair?!?!?!

Cast:

Leslie Howard as Holger Brandt

Ingrid Bergman as Anita Hoffman

Edna Best as Margit Brandt

John Halliday as Thomas Stenborg

Cecil Kellaway as Charles Moler, The Impressario

Ann E. Todd as Ann Marie Brandt

Plot:

Accomplished concert violinist, Holger Brandt is going home to his wife and two children after a long world tour. Ecstatic to see him, they are desperate to start life again as normal with the whole family. Just like anybody else. But it is obvious that when he does get back, it's as if his family don't know him well and vice versa. Their dog growls at him and his eldest child (his son) has a distant kind of relationship with him. Even when he asks his wife if he can go away and have a second honeymoon (although expressed quite selfishly) she says no and goes on to tell her that her duties belong with home and keeping it in order.

This applies to everyone except his 6 year old daughter Ann Marie. She and her father become very close and bond over music. She accompanies him with her basic piano she is learning from her new piano teacher, Anita Hoffman.

Anita is studying to be a concert pianist with Thomas Stenborg and teaches the piano in her spare time. Ann Marie asks her parents if it is ok to invite Anita to her birthday party and her parents say yes. At the birthday party, Holger and Ann Marie do a duet on piano and violin of a song called "Intermezzo". Once they have finished, Thomas Stenborg - who has been touring with Holger - calls Anita up to play for everyone. When he starts to listen, Holger is enraptured by her playing and starts to accompany her on the violin. They meet again at a concert and they walk to get "a glass of wine" afterwards when it suddenly occurs to Holger that his problems finding an accompanist are over! Anita can be his accompanist! Anita refuses but that night the two realise that they are in love with each other.

They start an affair and naturally Holger's wife Margit finds out and asks Holger for a divorce, just after Anita has said to Holger that she can't live with the guilt any more and leaves him to go to Denmark "to visit relatives".

Holger catches her at the train station and tells her that he is a free man. She says "How could you do that to them..." but never the less the run off together and she accompanies him at his concerts.

Then while on holiday together, she gets a letter telling her that she has been accepted for a scholarship in Paris but feels obligated to stay with Holger.

A visit from Thomas and the ever-growing guilt she feels for breaking up a marriage, makes her leave Holger in search of her own career. He decides to be alone for a while and then go back home, with disastrous results...

The Verdict:

I have to admit that I was disappointed with this film over all. It felt really contrived to me. I knew everything that was going to happen. And I found it good that it was only 70 minutes long because although I enjoyed it up to a point, the painful nastiness of the main plot made it a very awkward watch towards the end.

Right. I'll say it now and get it off my chest. I don't like Leslie Howard!!! I find him a bit irritating and one dimensional. I wanted to like him, and convinced myself that I did but then I thought about all the performances I've seen from him and realised I didn't like any of them. The main character of this film really got to me as a "I really want to kill this character off. He's seriously on my nerves.... GAH GET OFF THE SCREEN!" character. By the by, is it just me, or do other people think this kind of thing whilst watching films??? Holger comes across as a nasty, selfish, one dimensional, stereotypical idiot when he could have been portrayed with more feeling even though his motives are genuinely selfish.

There is one big exception to this rule of Intermezzo, Ingrid Bergman. I was extremely intrigued to find out what her first venture into American cinema would be like and I was so not disappointed! Even though her accent was a bit more Swedish, her Anita was just as word perfect a performance as any of her other ones. Had she not been so sincere and genuine, the whole film would have fallen to pieces. It would have turned into, "This selfish idiot of a man is leaving his wife and two lovely children for a beautiful piano teacher. The end. OH MY GOD THIS IS BEYOND CRUEL!!!" But because Ingrid Bergman is so nice (for lack of a better word) and she shows her guilt and unsure naivety in the way she does, you feel for her instead of disapproving of her.

Just as a last note, Gregory Ratoff directed this?!?!?!?! He is actually the completely fantastic Russian producer in All About Eve! Great! He can direct super well too and while we were watching it my mum said, "Who directed this?", so I said "Gregory Ratoff. The awesome guy in All About Eve who produces the play." And she just went "Oh my goodness! REALY? HE CAN DIRECT TOO?!?!" And she is quite right.

Oh yeah! And the soundtrack and music is awesomesauce too :-D

~Bette

Spotlight on a Character Actress: Jessie Royce Landis

2011-09-28T20:57:00.000+01:00

Even though I've only seen her in two films, she is definitely in that category of Thelma Ritter awesomeness (and that is saying a LOT :-D). She also played the mother of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant (at different times of course). How can ya go wrong?

Jessie Royce Landis (1904-1972)

Jessie Royce Landis, like many other actresses of her time, started as a stage actress and only progressed on to films in the 1950s. Favoured by Hitchcock, she was featured in two of his films, To Catch A Theif and North By Northwest and one of his "Hitchock Presents..." TV episodes.

Now, I couldn't find that much info on her, but I'm just going to ramble instead! In all the films I've seen, she has played either Grace Kelly's or Cary Grant's mother (didn't do badly, did she?) and in To Catch A Thief she even gets to wear super cool costumes and ask cary Grant to call her Jessie, while conversing about his being a lumberjack in Portland Oregon. I mean, could you get any more awesome than that conversation? Er, no you can't. So don't even try. You will FAIL EPICLY!!!!! So yes. Jessie Royce Landis has the nerve to scold Grace Kelly and laugh at the remark that Cary Grant is "a sensible man" therefore making her one of the best character actresses ever. I share this opinion with Millie who wrote one of my favourite posts of hers about Jessie Royce Landis, which you can read here.

Best Movies To Start With:

To Catch A Thief
North By Northwest

~Bette

Photo Of The Day

2011-09-21T20:27:00.000+01:00

{Scanned By Me :-)}

Christopher Columbus!!! What orangeness!!! Seriously wow! Such an autumnal colour. Plus, I just felt like this blog needed a bit more Bogie right now :-) This photograph was taken by Bert Six, and it came from my Hollywood Colour Portraits book.

~Bette

CMBA Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon: Lover Come Back (1961)

2011-09-19T07:34:00.001+01:00

This was my guilty pleasures choice. This isn't my favourite Doris Day/Rock Hudson film, but the other two, Pillow Talk (1959) and Send Me No Flowers (1964) - in my opinion - are actually really fantastic films. This one... not so fantastic but great fun to watch and I do get that great, guilty, "I shouldn't be laughing at this.. But I am and I will," feeling. Love.

Now, Doris Day and Rock Hudson are two of my very favourites. You probably know, as I'm always protesting that Doris Day is just as good dramatically as she is comically and this film just seemed like a good idea. I came across it in the Doris Day collection that we have and it was the last of the Day/Hudson ones for us to watch. Lover Come Back was directed by Delbert Mann. If you don't know the plot, here is a brief summary.

Madison avenue advertising executives Jerry Webster and Carol Templeton have very different attitudes to their work. At least that's one way to put it. Jerry gains accounts by wining (and other slightly stronger spirits) and dining and partying with his guests so that they love him so much that they sign. Carol, on the other hand, likes to work the morally and intellectually correct way. She gains the clients by working hard.

But when Jerry steals one too many accounts from her firm, she decides to take drastic action. She takes a case accusing him of immoral conduct to the advertising council. Carol sends one of Jerry's "chorus girls" to the council to testify that he is a rat, but at the same time, he has just bribed her to tell them he is amazing by putting her in a commercial advertising 'VIP', a product that doesn't exist.

Everything seems to be going fine when suddenly - while on holiday in the mountains with his neurotic boss, Peter Ramsay - he finds out that Ramsay gave leave for the company to start showing the commercials. And suddenly everyone wants VIP! And of course it doesn't exist. So pooling their brian power (and funds...) they hire a genius chemist to create a miracle product to be VIP. But in the meantime, Carol Templeton has heard about the fact that they have the account of a product everyone wants, so she hires a private detective to find out what is afoot. She goes to the chemist's house/laboratory to find out what's going on. And having never seen Jerry Webster before, she mistakes him for the chemist, who happens to be out looking for something! She ends up taking the "innocent genius" under her wing and falling in love with him... What will happen when she finds out that he is Jerry Webster? And what will happen when they find out - after consuming many - that VIP is actually a sweet that turns into pure alcohol when it hits the bloodstream?

This is actually a crazy film. There aren't many other ways to describe it. It couldn't be called emotionally deep, or culturally significant or anything. And I love it. I think that the film is fantastic in its own little funky ways now and again. My personal favourite scene is the oner where Jerry and Pete go up to the mountains to stay in Pete's lodge and they go canoeing on a lake and Pete keeps blowing a horn which he says is, "the mating call of the moose!". He intends to attract the moose and then take its picture, but the plan goes a little awry when the moose starts stalking them across the lake...

Now my spin (hopefully the general spin taken...) to this blogathon was that we should blog not only about why the film is good or bad, but about why we in particular love the film ourselves.

I love this film for several reasons. One of them being its sheer velocity. It just keeps going at a fast pace that keeps the slightly strange plot seeming reasonable. This mainly being because you don't have time to question anything or go, "Wait... A moose just chased them through a lake... Why are they suddenly back on Madison Avenue with beards..."

It's pretty risque for the early sixties. I thought this insane kind of film only started being made during the mid-late sixties. The main scenes like this are one scene where Doris Day and Rock Hudson go to a strip club and another where Rock Hudson is trying to make her follow him into his room by stating his insecurities and making her comfort him. At one point during this scene he exclaims, "A kiss? What does that prove? It's like finding out you can light a stove. It doesn't make you a cook!" But throughout the film there are little remarks and comments which do make you think a little. The ending is also quite out there. After waking up in a motel room married, Rock Hudson and Doris Day have a big fight and she states that she is going to get an annulment. But 9 months later her secretary calls him to a hospital to re-marry her because she is about to give birth. As they and the vicar enter the maternity ward, a passing doctor says, "Now that's what I call close!"

Now, I will just have to dedicate a little section here to Tony Randall.

I don't think I've ever expressed it before on my blog, but I adore Tony Randall. I will watch anything with him in. And every time I watch Send Me No flowers a little piece of me dies inside because he is Rock Hudson's next door neighbour. Not mine. Life has never been so unfair. He is just spot on all the time. His timing is spot on. His facial expressions are also spot on (in this, his face actually becomes purple and blue). There is this bit where they are in the canoe rowing back to shore and Jerry tells him that there is no VIP and he just goes, "HNGAHH!" And it sounds like a moose call! LOL! Super amazing. I also love where he comes down atop the elevator after becoming highly intoxicated by mint candies and yells "I'M KING OF THE ELEVATOR!" A phrase that my sister and I seem to have strangely coined as a joint catchphrase... Don't ask. I don't know.

{Sorry for the bad GIF quality!}

And the chemistry between Rock Hudson and Doris Day is great as always. Plus, this time Rock Hudson has a beard and is generally pretty cool, until you realize his character is an idiot. But you know, it's Rock Hudson, so it's all good.

Just as a last note, Doris Day's outfits and entire wardrobe in Lover Come Back are pretty beautiful (and if you have seen this film. Yes. We are ignoring the tasseled cone beach hat).

There are some great 60s dresses and coats and things for her. This and Bewitched (obviously along with other films) are the main basis for the Mad Men costume designers, I swear. I actually haven't seen the series, but even if they weren't very good, at least they brought 50s styles back into fashion! They were designed by "Irene". One of those costume design companies which has only a first name... No second... Like "Adrian". Who are these people?

Overall it is a very silly film. If you have a low nonsense tolerance don't put yourself through it. But if you love Doris Day and Rock Hudson and Tony Randall and will watch almost anything for these three actors (*Cough* My family *cough*. Who said that?) then definitely give it a try. It's a total laugh a minute flick!

This is my contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Association Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon. Head over to their site to read some of the other great reviews!

~Bette

Ten Reasons To LOVE The Philadelphia Story (1940)

2011-09-15T12:11:00.018+01:00

Here are the ten reasons I completely ADORE The Philadelphia Story, one of my favourite films. I did a comparison post about this and High Society the 1956 musical remake starring Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm and Bing *shudder* Crosby which is nowhere near as good - but I didn't think I covered my ~~thoughts~~ rambles on it well enough. So here you go! More rambles than you could ever hope for. By the way, I'm assuming you know the plot but if not then take a look here. {If you still want to read this post, well done.}

Left to right: George Cukor, John Howard, Katharine Hepburn and cary Grant (Photo from Doctor Macro as are many others, thanks Dr. Macro!)

Reason 1.

Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn

{Scanned by me}

One of my very favourite on-screen couples. I've actually seen all of their pairings together except the perpetually doomed and apparently awful Sylvia Scarlett (about which Fanny Bryce said to Katharine Hepburn, "What were you thinking when you made that movie?")! They are just too fantastic and put together... AWESOMESAUCE! No, seriously. One of the best pairings, even though they aren't together for the whole film :-)

Reason 2.

"OH C. K. DEXTER HAVEN!!!" OH C. K. DEXTER HAAAVVEEEN!!!!"

Just the name. That is actually the second best thing. It is the most completely stupendous name to ever grace the silver screen. How much cooler can you get? You could just scream it out for ages. Try it. It's soooo fun (no joke). What does the C. K. stand for? We shall never know...

Reason 3.

The Drunk Scene

Where Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart get drunk on champagne together. It's just so funny and then romantic and then quite random... IT'S EVERYTHING!!! GAH! But yes it really is cool. I love the bit where they go swimming and then he carries her back belting out "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and she says to her three suitors (Dexter, George and Mike), "Hello, Dexter. HULLO GEORGE. Hellooo Mike!" Favourite quote from the scene: Tracy Lord, "The Time to make up your mind about people is never."

Reason 4.

{Scanned by me}

Katharine Hepburn

This part was basically written for her by playwright Phillip Barry and she backed the production on broadway and then (after being gifted the film rights by Howard Hughes) made a package deal with MGM stating that they could have the rights as long as she played Tracy. After that it was basically her production. She supervised most things from lighting to costumes and some people credit her as executive producer. But she gave a lot more than just that. This performance is one of my all time favourites and you really feel she was Tracy Lord. She said herself "The role of Tracy Lord fit me like a glove." I love all the delivery and everything. Great performance.

Reason 5.

Virginia Wiedler a.k.a. Dinah Lord

Virginia Wiedler is one of my favourite child actresses and this is my favourite role of hers. Her rendition of "Lydia The Tattooed Lady" is so funny. My mum also told me that this song was also sung by The Muppets! I also really like the bit when she comes down and says she must talk urgently with Uncle Willy about the last night (see The Drunk Scene) and she arrives at his house in a little carriage drawn by a Shetland pony.

Reason 6.

THE DRESS

Oh yes. It deserves the capital letters and the underlining. I love it. It's long and white and silky and sparkly and flowey and awesome. I love the way that the sleeves gather in as well. Hmm... But seriously. I love this dress.

Reason 7.

{Scanned by me, this photo has little to do with anything I've written about, but it's good, so why not? Tracy Lord and George Kittredge roll in the mud :-)}

The Script

Hmm. Maybe this should be a little higher in the list... Oh well. I love the script. Some favourite quotes are:

Tracy Lord: I'm going crazy. I'm standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.

Macaulay Connor: Doggone it, C.K. Dexter Haven. Either I'm gonna sock you or you're gonna sock me.

C. K. Dexter Haven: Shall we toss a coin?

C. K. Dexter Haven: Orange juice, certainly.
Tracy Lord: Don't tell me you've forsaken your beloved whisky and whiskies.
C. K. Dexter Haven: No-no-no-no. I've just changed their colour, that's all. I'm going for the pale pastel shades now. They're more becoming of me. How about you, Mr. Connor? You drink, don't you - alcohol, I mean?
Macaulay Connor: Oh, a little.
C. K. Dexter Haven: [Amused] A little? And you a writer? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought all writers drank to excess and beat their wives. You know, at one time I think I secretly wanted to be a writer.
[He and Tracy exchange scornful looks]

Macaulay Connor: [speaking of Tracy, wearing a trilby hat] What are her leading characteristics?
C. K. Dexter Haven: She has a horror of men who wear their hats in the house.
Elizabeth (Liz) Imbrie: Leading characteristics to be filled in later.

Sidney Kidd: You hate me, I trust, Miss Imbrie.

Elizabeth (Liz) Imbrie: No, I-I can't afford to hate anybody. I'm only a photographer.

Reason 8.

The "Talking Room" Scene

This is where a drunk James Stewart and Cary Grant discuss their plans for writing an article putting "Spy" magazine editor, Sydney Kidd, to shame. It's so funny. Apparently is was partly improvised and I just adore it. James Stewart and Cary Grant together in one room for a whole 10 minutes alone with a typewriter... WHAT AWESOME MADNESS HAPPENED IN THIS SCENE! Love.

Reason 9.

{Scanned by me}

The Wedding

The wedding scene is beyond all imagination of fantasticness. It starts being amazing as soon as *SPOILER* Dexter proposes by telling Tracy to say it while she is talking to the wedding guests and it just gets better and better. Ending with a great shot of the Tracy, Dexter, Liz, Mike and the vicar completely shocked!

Reason 10.

The Whole Cast

They all mesh so well together as a team and a cast. I love all their scenes as a group and in pairs or other combos. One of the best casts.

Hope you liked the post!

~Bette

Spotlight on a Character Actress: Mildred Natwick

2011-09-10T11:56:00.001+01:00

Mildred Natwick is actually quite hilarious and adorable in both of the films I've seen her in and a very good actress at that. Definitely deserving of a solo post!

Mildred Natwick (1905-1994)

Mildred Natwick was again a character/supporting actress who usually played characters who were sweet hearted but had authority and was a firm favourite of director John Ford's. John Ford featured her in some of his big hits like The Quiet Man. She may be most fondly remembered as Jane Fonda's mother in the Neil Simon comedy, Barefoot In The Park, for which she earned her first and only academy award nomination (why not The Quiet Man, cruel world, why?).

Now, I love Mildred Natwick but have only seen her in two whole films, Barefoot In The Park and The Quiet Man. They are both very, very good though and I love that line that she has in Barefoot In The Park after climbing up six flights of stairs after a long night with Robert Redford, Jane Fonda and a Kimono wearing Charles Boyer, "I feel like we've died... and gone to heaven... only we had to climb up!" Note that The Trouble With Harry doesn't even get a mention. Grrrr.

Best Films To Start With:

The Quiet Man
Barefoot In The Park
And if you really want to see it, she is the best thing in The Trouble With Harry.

~Bette

The Keeper Of The Flame (1943)

2011-09-08T12:57:00.040+01:00

This was the last of the four new Katharine Hepburn and Spencer tracy films that came in this little set and I really enjoyed it! It wasn't the best of the lot - the lot being Pat and Mike, Woman Of The Year, Adam's Rib and Keeper Of The Flame - but there were some really interesting things about it. I don't know how known this movie is in the classic film watching community, because judging by things I've read about it on the internet, it seems like the least successful film starring the famous duo. I can guess why, but it's not because of the quality of the film. Sorry about the long plot summary, you kind of need to know for the review to make sense.

Keeper Of The Flame (1943) directed by George Cukor

Cast:

Spencer Tracy as Steven O'Malley
Katharine Hepburn as Christine Forrest
Richard Whorf as Clive Kerndon
Margaret Wycherly as Mrs. Forrest
Forrest Tucker as Geoffrey Midford

Plot:

The sudden and tragic death of world renowned hero Robert Forrest strikes a deep note in everyone in the United States as well as in other countries and the whole of America goes into mourning. One night a terrible thunderstorm hits Forrest's hometown he doesn't see a break in the old wooden bridge he is driving over and he goes straight into the river underneath.

Though she is receiving millions of fan letters and letters of condolence, Christine Forrest - the widow of Robert Forrest - refuses to reply or see any men of the press. But when famed writer and journalist Steven O'Malley comes back from Europe (where he was working as a war correspondant) to write a tribute biography of Robert, he realizes that he will need to dig deeper into Robert Forrest's life and family. After befriending the guilt-stricken son of the Gate Keeper of Forrest's house he manages to get into the house and finds Christine.

Had he not been who he was, she would have turned him out, but he happened to be a favourite writer of her's, and Robert's. She understands what he wants to do and appreciates it, but has to refuse because she is too upset to talk about it. He convinces her that she needs to help him maintain the flame that burns so bright for Robert Forrest in the country's eyes.

But later that evening, she pays a visit to the bed and breakfast Steven is staying in and tells him that yes, she will help him write the book. But as Steven finds out more about the family, he becomes more and more suspicious about the "accident". Along the way to writing the book he finds out that Robert had a mother no one knew about, and more than a few people in the neighbourhood who weren't on the best terms with him, including Christine's cousin. And as soon as he finds a shoe from Christine's horse near the bridge, he knows he needs to find out more.

{To write what I want to in the review, I kind of need to write a bit more of the story. But if you don't want the ending spoiled, don't read this bit.}

Finally cornering Christine in "The Arsenal", Robert's study and library (conveniently with no windows) while she is burning the documents that Robert ordered to be unread and destroyed, Steven tells her that he has fallen in love with her. He also lays down the horse-shoe on the table, and Christine finally tells all. For months she had been getting more and more worried about Robert's wellbeing. She says he used to look down on her as "a useless creature who couldn't give him sons". At first she grew mad, but then started to pity him because she thought he might have been going insame like his mother. But then she couldn't take it any longer and on the morning of the accident, she stole his keys and ran down to The Arsenal and went through all his secret files only to find that he had been running a Fascist organisation and had piles and piles of evil racist articles that he had written. All of them ready for publication.

It made her feel ill. It wasn't what she believed in at all and she knew that he had changed beyond recognition from the man that she had married. So she went out riding to think alone and she saw the bridge breaking - and thought that it was best not to warn Robert. If his plans for America worked then this fatal accident seemed like the only way to stop him.

Her secretary and advisor has been spying on them and, realising what they are talking about, sets The Arsenal alight and locks the only door. Of course there are no windows. Only a thin opening just wide enough for him to shoot at Steven and Christine. He fatally wounds Christine who tells Steven in her last moments that he must write the book and tell the world about what Robert was really like.

The Verdict:

This was a really different film. It felt like a cross between a film noir and a Murder Mystery and it had many similarities with Rebecca. Although it wasn't the best of films, it was entirely worth watching for the interesting portrayals and the strong political subject matter.

Made in only 1943, it seems quite early for there to be a film made about the possibility of Fascism taking hold in America if people don't wake up fast to the danger. Based on an unpublished book, the film rights were acquired by RKO, but they had serious casting difficulties so the rights were sold to MGM for $50,000. But when Eddie Mannix realised how political the material was, he tried to stop the film. They wanted Spencer Tracy from the start, and then hired George Cukor as the director - as he was known for dealing well with difficult actors.

Katharine Hepburn was on the hunt for good scripts for Tracy and herself after appearing in Woman Of The Year with him. When she saw this story, she was fascinated by Christine, and she thought the part might provide her way of contributing to the war effort. Though when she joined the cast she asked that the story be restored to the way it was in the novel, where there was more romance and Steven and Christine had more equally sized roles. But everyone else in the cast and crew disagreed with her so she gave in and left the script the way it was.

MGM didn't want Katharine Hepburn to take the role, and thought that it would be a bad follow-up to Woman Of The Year. But she protested and eventually became a great help to Spencer Tracy with his drinking. George Cukor was so impressed that he asked her to talk to Judy Garland about the need to sober up (according to Wikipedia...).

This is really Spencer Tracy's film. There's no denying it. He is in almost every single scene and he does fantastically with a character that could have become quite weak had anyone else attempted playing him. He maintains his cool all the way through, but we still manage to get that he is in love with Christina. You really find yourself working with him to find out what happens.

Katharine Hepburn is also amazing again. She has this fantastic monologue where she tells Steven about everything in The Arsenal and she just keeps it going for what seems like ages. There is no music and it's like she's talking directly to you. It really isn't a humongous part, but she plays it very well.

The reason this film didn't do very well in the box office was that there was some political controversy. Republican Members of the congress were disturbed by its political views and ordered that there should be new laws against films with such overtly left-wing political propaganda. One thing that was noted was that it was the first real time that Fascism was linked with wealth in a film. Critical comments aside from the political were mainly about the pace of the dramatic part of the film, and the suspenseful part. Though the Wikipedia page of the film says that after looking at the reviews it's evident that it was generally received more positively in the East of the United States.

I can see why people aren't crazy about this cinematically. There isn't much super fast paced dialogue and the second half does drag a little. But I really enjoyed all the performances and George Cukor's direction (even though Katharine Hepburn was apparently quick to criticise it, despite the fact they were very good friends). I say good on them for making such an important film at the time it was made. Definitely worth a watch.

~Bette

Back To Reality...

2011-09-05T20:26:00.001+01:00

My holiday is over.

{Via}

And tomorrow morning I'll get up and be like this.

{Via}

Then I'll go back to school where Doris Day doesn't teach journalism, Katharine Hepburn doesn't teach PE and Maggie Smith doesn't teach Defence Against the Dark Arts.

And I'll see my friends and we'll all go...

{Via}

And then some random irritating guy will sit next to me in my new maths seating plan and I'll be like,

"Young man... Remove yourself!"
{My GIF}

But what use does that do, because hey. That guy won't be Cary Grant (unfortunately).

Then I'll go home and be super hyped up despite back to school blues and after about five minutes I'll go to sleep.

{Scanned by me}

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

(And yes. The Women and The Philadelphia Story are always relevant)

I am devastated to say, that today is my very last day of Freedom. Of holiday. Of unlimited film watching and blogging. Tomorrow, I'm going back to school to a very different type of atmosphere from last year. I won't be in any classes with the whole of my form that I've been with for around 2 years. I've chosen my GCSE courses and I'll be in lessons with other people who have chosen the same ones. So it will be good, I hope, but this means I can't blog the three times a week I have been this holiday, watch films whenever I want, run around the house belting out show-tunes to my ukulele (this is where my family go "Oh. What-a-shame." *Sarcasm intended*), swim, or run around the field with my dog before lunch. But I will be occupied, no mistake! Here is a compilation of my holiday as on this blog and the awesome world of Classic Film :-)

So here's what's happened this holiday Classic Movie wise.

{One thing you've probably guessed happened by now, I have become uncontrollably obsessed with The Philadelphia Story.}

The stars of this holiday's main movie watching have to be Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. As you have noticed I've posted a lot about them... This even led Caftan Woman to leave a comment referencing it as my, "adventures in Tracy/Hepburn land". Best comment ever. I've learned a whole lot more about them both, but particularly about Katharine Hepburn who my whole family now love. We discovered her documentary "All About Me" on the other disc of our copy of The Philadelphia Story and loved it. She just talks to you (well, the camera really) about her whole life and legacy and all that jazz. It was amazing (and, she was playing tennis, buying groceries, drying the laundry, buying ice cream and riding on a golf-cart thing on camera. And... SHE WAS 86 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!)

{Scanned by me}

I managed to acquire some great Vintage/Classic Movie objects this summer. I went to a 1940s weekend event at a local disused airfield and it had loads of amazing stalls. There, I got a pair of navy blue high-waist-ed pleated trousers made from a 1940s pattern and a Modern Screen magazine from December 1936 which has includes articles about Norma Shearer, Errol Flynn, Robert Taylor, Claudette Colbert, Ginger Rogers, Frederick March and many others! The trousers are amazing and look totally like Katharine Hepburn ones, and the magazine is beyond all amazingness. I also found two amazing little Hollywood picture books chronicling the life of two of my very favourite stars in TKMaxx (TJMaxx in America) for only £3 each! One of Cary Grant and one of Katharine Hepburn. They have amazing photos in that I've never seen before! I've already scanned nearly all the first half of the Katharine Hepburn one and the Cary Grant one is amazing as well.

I was given a blog award by some of my favourite bloggers and got to share some extremely random facts about myself with you (sorry...), and that was quite fun. But I watched so many films! Here is the list of what I watched in (kind of...) chronological order.

{Links link back to my review of the film, if I've reviewed it!}

Holiday (1938), new, I watched it and then showed it to my sister and we showed it to my whole family. So I actually watched it 3 times.
Roman Holiday (1953), Re-watch.
An Affair To Remember (1957), Re-watch.
Sabrina (1954), Re-watch, but still one of my favourites :-)
Pride and Prejudice (1940), Re-watch.
Casablanca (1943), Re-watched for all it's amazingness.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Re-watch. Not the best, but kind of addictive.
The Talk of The Town (1942), Re-watch x2 because it is just too cool.
Modern Times (1936), New. It was totally and utterly stupendous.
Showboat (1951), New. Meh. Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel are completely amazing and so is Ava Gardener, but come on. The story isn't all that great and Gower Champion needs a bucket of water thrown over him, he looks like a plank of wood!
Adam's Rib (1949) Re-watch.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) New. Great movie. Myrna Loy is the best :-D
Pat and Mike (1952) New. Awesomesauce.
Woman Of The Year (1942) New. Best new film of the holiday.
My Man Godfrey (1936) New. "Godfrey loves me, he put me in the shower!!!" LOL!
The Keeper Of The Flame (1943) New. Review to follow shortly...
The Philadelphia Story (1940) Re-watch. Forever one of my very favourites. This film can do no wrong.
All About Me (a 1993 documentary about and presented by Katharine Hepburn) New. Fantastic.
Little Women (1933) Re-watch. Such a great film.
Vertigo (1958) Re-watch. I hadn't seen this film in a while and I'd forgotten how fantastic it is.

And numerous other re-watches but it would be pointless to list them all.

I hope to keep posting just as before but I can't promise the same consistency :-S. Yay for the new school year!

~Bette

Spotlight on a Character Actress: Agnes Moorhead

2011-09-03T11:56:00.000+01:00

Having been obsessed with "Bewitched" for several years now, I think I can almost quote every line of Endora's (Agnes Moorehead) dialogue. Gotta love Agnes Moorehead.

Agnes Moorhead (1900-1974)

Agnes Moorhead is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1950s TV series, "Bewitched" as the main character Samantha's (Elizabeth Montgomery) mother, Endora. Both of them being witches. Agnes Moorhead grew up with a strong ambition to be an actress. She sang in church (she and her family were very religious) and joined other groups and organisations which she hoped would further her as an aspiring actress. She later joined Orson Welles's famed Mercury Theatre company with Joseph Cotten and George Coulouris. Orson Welles used her in some of his films when he made his venture out to Hollywood to make it big in movies (boy did he ever!) including Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.

I first "discovered" Agnes Moorhead when we stumbled upon the third series of "Bewitched" at our local supermarket (we have all been hooked ever since!) and we all thought she was hilarious!!! Since then we have spotted her in movies like Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Showboat. She manages to be quite mannered but also give a very good understanding of her characters at the same time (a quality not always associated with character actresses). My personal favourite from her is her performance as Aunt Fanny in The Magnificent Ambersons, and I love "Bewitched" too, but I didn't feel that they were in the same category... :-)

Best Films To Start With:

The Magnificent Ambersons
Bewitched
Citizen Kane

~Bette