Ahhh, the holidays. The season where you feel socially compelled to buy and eat. A lot. The season where you ask little kids if they believe in Santa and they don't. But you do. Kind of. The season where you listen to Christmas songs and they finally make sense (yep, I listen to Christmas music all the year, The Elf soundtrack is amazing).
Seems that it was also the season where people returned home from the war or jail and a little brat not so little Shirley Temple was there to point her judgmental finger at you.
What a great movie I'll be seeing you is (and what a great song it has). It's a film that, just like The best years of our lives, shows what war does to people, without even showing the battlefield, without any patriotic speeches given by a character looking to the horizon. It also shows the life of the people who stayed, old people, young people, some showing the calmness that being accustomed to resignation projects, others trying to help with written messages of hope for people fighting abroad. And, very surprisingly, it also tells the story of a imprisoned woman that is paying for a mistake, an accident, even when the result wasn't her fault.
Director William Dieterle (Portrait of Jennie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and the writers constructed a measured movie. It feels real.
It shows people that laughs at the table at spontaneous, not so funny jokes. People that try to maintain their dignity even when their circumstances are difficult and not always succeed. Characters, like Shirley's, that aren't sweet and kind, because usually adolescents are not. They have too many things to deal with. Ginger, the inmate that goes home for the holidays, tries to combine her few clothes to look normal for a while and makes an effort to answer difficult questions, overlook prejudices...or just tries to hide her situation from new acquaintances. And one night Joseph Cotten, the troubled soldier, tries to control his mental and physical scars, to calm down, talking to himself, but completely fails, and just lays there, sweaty, tired.
There are so many moments from this movie that stay in your mind. For example, the dog attack is so well filmed that the scene shocks you, just like reality. It occurs without warning, in a moment that was preceded by a calm walk, with no suspense music. The actors are so well in they roles that you empathize with their humanity (after watching this film, my dad said that Ingrid Bergman is no longer his favorite actress).
And it happens to be Christmastime, and everyone is making an effort to forget and smile, to share a supper, a song, a present, a smile. Whatever. Because sometimes life is tough and you just have each other to hang on. And, sometimes, like in I'll be seeing you, life smiles you back, even if it's for a moment, outside the prison where you live.
----Written for Sally's 12 Days of Christmas movies. Have a great Christmas people, enjoy yourselves and leave milk & cookies for Santa!!
Five brand new mini reviews from me to you... 1. Romance in Manhattan (1935; Stephen Roberts)
GREAT (and kind of unknown) Ginger Rogers movie. Shows the reality of a nice illegal immigrant (Francis Lederer) that arrives to America full of hopes and dreams. But when his money is stolen, the only way he finds to stay in the country is living in the rooftop of an equally nice and very understanding girl (you know who) and her little brother.
It was surprising to see Ginger in this kind of role, I mean, her mom Lela being sooooooo conservative and all. I liked the characters and I liked the interesting situations they showed, like how was the life of a kid selling newspapers in the streets or how people struggled to earn bucks during the Depression. I also loved the funny bits:
AVERAGE Ginger Rogers movie. It's a remake of Grand Hotel only with less brilliant performances, mood, dialogue, stories, etc.
In the 40s Ginger made great movies like Kitty Foyle and I'll be seeing you, but also very mediocre films like Tender Comrade (review), Lady in the Dark (review) and Once Upon a Honeymoon (review).
I don't like the way she plays adult women in some movies, assuming somehow always the same lordly, insipid expression. I don't know, if she was playing a movie star, I guess she could have done more than playing the stereotype.
The script doesn't help a lot, the stories are uninteresting, even when they tried to make them tragic (like an ill soldier that is supposed to die, played by a very healthy looking Van Johnson and the girl that falls in love with him, played by Lana Turner). Forgettable movie.
Like Joey would say of the "shepherd's pie" that Rachel tried to prepare but according to Ross smelled "like feet"...I LIKED IT! Well, this is a very unknown film, people over Imdb give it a 6.9 but I would give it a 7.4. That's a great difference.
When the movie starts, it's raining cats and dogs at night, you can see the power lines and some lightnings. And you think "hey, I have never thought about this, but how do the guys at the power company manage to fix these things during the storms? And how did they in those times, with less equipment and technology?" and then [onomatopoeia for surprise] you notice the movie is about that! Well, kind of.
Edward G. Robinson is a hard worker, tough and he's always trying to get "chicks" (he's no very lucky). George Raft is his best friend. They risk their lives trying to fix the wires and stuff. Then Marlene Dietrich arrives to their lives and messes all up. Well, not because she wanted to, but because Edward really falls in love and asks her to marry him. George Raft hates the girl because he thinks she's a cheater, thief, bad woman, etc.
But Marlene surprises them all with her choices and behavior. At least at the beginning. Eve Arden has also a part in this movie, but very little, although she has a few funny lines.
I liked this movie because it shows things how they are: the characters try to change, to take the right decisions, but that's not always enough; they try to make their best to please the rest and be happy, but that doesn't depend only on them. The leads are great in their roles, Edward being a bit naive; Raft being a protective friend; and Marlene portraying a woman that tries to settle down. The ending could have been better, but I liked it anyway. Great drama.
There are some musicals that understand that the music and dance sequences should fit the action and seem natural. And some don't. Tea for two has this problem. The story isn't good either: during the Depression a rich girl wants to give a lot of money to an ex boyfriend (that everybody describe as a con man) to make a musical show. But the girl's uncle, S. Z. Sakall lost a lot of money and only can offer a bet: if she doesn't say "yes" during the whole weekend, she will be allowed to finance the show.
So, you think that Doris Day's character is stupid because she want to give the money to such a man.
AND make up with him when they have no chemistry and she's really in love with a talented guy. And then things go beyond stupidity when she decides to invite the whole cast to rehearse at her house.
AND then people randomly sings/dance.
AND Doris randomly sings/dances with the guy she's in love with, but the rendition of one of my favorite songs, Tea for two, is not really memorable.
AND there's a woman that offends Doris but stays to sleep at her mansion because Doris has no personality whatsoever and only sings and smiles.
AND then you don't give a **** about the success of the show or the bet or anything.
AND to make things worse this WHOLE STORY IS BEING TOLD IN FLASHBACK BECAUSE S.Z.SAKALL THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT STORY TO TELL TO HIS GRANDNIECE AND GRANDNEPHEW. My God. The only person that seemed sane was Eve Arden with her sharp remarks, but her character is lost in the movie.
Saw this one on TCM. It caught my attention because the cast included Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin (the bad guy from Wait Until Dark and Little Miss Sunshine's grandpa), Brian Keith and Carl Reiner. It was hilarious! A Russian submarine runs around off New England. They are very confused and don't have hostile intentions...but the villagers don't get it. Everyone start panicking and the fun begins :)
I liked everybody's performances, Arkin's was so great as the Russian Lt.Rozanov, with his accent and imperturbability; the whole Whittaker family was fun: Carl playing a whining dad, Eva always making serious remarks and the kid being so sarcastic and a real pain in the ass. And then we have the whole town, some old women that go in a crazy sidecar ride spreading the news, the stupid major, the uncoordinated police, etc etc.
I liked the tone of the movie: if they laughed about the Russians, the also laughed about the Americans. You could see that they were all human beings facing their fears and they even included a bit of romance between an American girl and a handsome Russian I wish run aground over here (the actor was John Phillip Law). Here's the trailer:
The poll about the actresses that make you laugh the most is closed. Here's the countdown to #1, I embedded and linked funny scenes from each participant (you don't have to find the scene in the videos, I added a code to make them start in the relevant part). Enjoy:
# 11 (TIE) Barbara Stanwyck (0%)
No votes for Miss Stanwyck? I mean, haven't you seen Christmas in Connecticut? Or this one?:
# 11 (TIE) Rita Hayworth (0%)
I couldn't find her hilarious job interview from Cover Girl, but she's really funny in this clip:
#10(TIE)Paulette Goddard (4%)
I haven't seen many movies from her, plus there are not many videos with her scenes on Youtube and the ones available like the catfight from The Women can't be embedded, so I chose a tribute to her films with Charlie Chaplin:
#10 (TIE) Marlene Dietrich (4%)
I couldn't find any clip from The lady is willing in which she's simply hilarious. I'm embedding a scene from Golden Earrings:
#9 (TIE) Claudette Colbert (6%)
I thought Claudette would get more votes, after all she was in one of the most famous comedies ever, It happened one night. I love most of her comedies with Fred MacMurray & Ray Milland. In the next scene from Arise, My love she pretends to be Ray's wife to save his life:
It was a great and positive surprise to see Una getting so many votes. Youtube doesn't do her justice, there aren't many clips from her. I uploaded a bit from Evelyn Prentice:
#7Jean Arthur (13%)
Maybe a scene from The More The Merrier? Or maybe the pig scene from Easy Living? Or maybe Jean just being funny in The talk of the town? I'll go with the discussion about percentages in Easy Living, I love when she says "You don't have to get mad just because you're so stupid"
#6Ginger Rogers (12%)
There are hundreds of hilarious lines and moments from all the films she did with Fred, like the kiss scene from Swing Time. Ginger was so funny: maybe you love how she played a little girl in The Major and The Minor? Or her drunk scene from Stage Door? Or a funny remark from Bachelor Mother? Well, the one I chose was the catfight from Vivacious lady:
#5 (TIE) Katharine Hepburn (15%)
Again, too many funny scenes, from this one to this one. But one of my favorites is how she tries to prepare a breakfast in Woman of the Year:
Wow, fourth position! I haven't seen her tv show, but her secondary characters in Mildred Pierce, Cover Girl & One Touch of Venus were great. This clip is from the latter:
#3 (TIE) Rosalind Russell (19%)
Roz always makes me laugh. She was hilarious in The Women or practically every film she was in, from My sister Eileen to The Trouble with Angels, and obviously her performance as Hildy Johnson is one of the funniest ever. But I'm embedding a scene from Auntie Mame (when she hears the kid talking about drinks, she seems to be embarrassed but in the next second she makes a proud gesture with her face, lol):
#3(TIE) Carole Lombard (19%)
She was so funny! I almost prefer her outtakes to the actual movies :) What did I choose? A clip from Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Or maybe from My Man Godfrey, Nothing Scared or To have and have not? No, the clip is Lombard pretending to be an annoying phone operator in Hand across the table:
# 2Lucille Ball (37%)
Does she need any explanation? I couldn't decide what clip to choose, I had like a million in my head. One of my favorites is the Vitameatavegamin scene, but it was too long. I also love the restaurant scene with William Holden or every time she has problems with Spanish (that clip has one of the bests punch- lines ever : 'yeah, well that's what we're having'). Anyway, I finally picked this one:
#1 Irene Dunne (38%)
Finally the number one: Irene Dunne was just great at everything. Her comedies were hilarious and of course, my favorites are the ones she made with Cary Grant. In this clip from The awful truth she pretends to be an uneducated woman just to annoy Cary (my favorite part is when she says: 'don't anybody leave this room, I've lost my purse!')
And here's the official data:
I'd love if you could leave a link to your favorite comedy scenes from these girls (or describe them) ^^
I was reading Ginger, My Story and this got my attention:
In March 1944, the Walt Disney Company asked me to make a recording of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland for the Decca Records Personality Series. I had read this story as a youngster and it was one of my childhood favorites. I was thrilled to make this recording, and it was a rewarding experience. The sales of this recording were excellent, and I received many nice fan letters. One letter in particular that I remember very well was from a little boy who asked me to come to his house and play. I guess I sounded as young as he. Over the years, the letters have still come in, asking if I have a copy of Alice as they want to give it to their grandchildren. (This time Decca lived up to their agreement --no under-the-table-recordings.)
But Ginger didn't count with the magic of Youtube, and now, 66 years later, you can hear her version of Alice in Wonderland, enjoy (update: the recording was taken down from Youtube, but I uploaded it for you)
Right button to "Save as..." or click to listen online: Alice in Wonderland.
I love opening packages (well, who doesn't? ok, yes, maybe people that has to check if packages contains bombs or other menaces)...anyway, a month ago I decided to order new books about Classic Hollywood. My list was rather large and it was kind of difficult to reduce the number. I knew I really wanted "Love, Lucy" and "Ginger, My Story" (both recommended by Sophie from Waitin' on a Sunny Day). I also wanted to read about Carole Lombard's life, but since I couldn't find a proper bio I bought a novelized biography with great reviews, "Chasing Carole" by Barbara Washburn.
The fourth title kept changing: Maureen's O'Hara ultra recommended autobiography "Tis Herself", then Robert Mitchum's bio, then Errol Flynn's bio...finally I decided to buy a book reviewed by Raquelle from Out of the Past, "Leading Couples, The Most Unforgettable Screen Romances of the Studio Era" by Frank Miller.
So finally my books are here. I leafed through "Leading Couples" and it's great, lovely design and great info like this one about Errolivia:
"After years of denigrating her films with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland saw The adventures of Robin Hood in Paris in 1959 and remarked "Seeing Robin Hood after all these years made me realize how good all our adventure films were." De Havilland was so moved by the screening that she started to writing Flynn a letter, but then she tore it up, afraid he might find her too sentimental. Flynn died a couple of weeks later, and de Havilland later stated that she regretted not having sent the letter."
An useful guide to check. The first bio I started reading is Lucy's. I didn't know her childhood was that difficult, loosing her beloved father when she was only 3. So I'll be reading a lot the next few days. Keep rocking people.
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PS: The poll about your fave director will be closed this tomorrow. Last chances to give John Ford, John Huston or David Lean at least one vote, or trying to tie Wilder with Hitch, or whatever. I don't want you to accuse me of inducing your vote.
After watching "The proud and the profane" the other day I thought: "with these actors they could have done a better movie". And then I thought: "hey, that's a good idea for a list!". I don't usually see movies that have low ratings and bad reviews, but I dared to watch some of these just because of the casting. Last thing: I would say that the top 3 qualifies as "bad" the rest is just "average":
10. Undercurrent (1946: Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum): This movie starts OK (I got very interested), but ends ridiculously. Kate Hepburn marries an important guy (Taylor) with issues with a "bad" and missing brother (Mitchum). He talks about him so much that Kate gets interested. Finally, nothing is like it seemed and things get violent and creepy. The best of this film is this lovely theme by Brahms played all over the film.
9. Made for each other (1939: Carole Lombard, James Stewart, Charles Coburn): A couple marries the day after they met; Carole has problems with her mother-in-law because she disapproves her lack of housewife skills; then the couple has a baby that sleeps in the living room because the apartment is too small, etc. A not very well constructed movie, the main genre isn't properly suggested from the beginning which is disconcerting; the story is very basic (I mean, before the last 10 minutes their problems are not really that dramatic); the main actors are totally wasted, playing characters that don't have real chemistry. Has its moments though.
8. Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942: Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers): One of the two opportunities these two had to work together... in a film that doesn't make justice for such event. Ginger wants to have a better social position so she marries a German Baron. Cary, a reporter, is investigating this Baron because he's probably a Nazi. Ginger and Cary fall in love. There are some interesting and tense scenes, but overall this a forgettable movie.
7. Green Mansions (1959: Audrey Hepburn, Anthony Perkins): This movie was directed by Mel Ferrer, Audrey's husband at the time. The things you do for love. Audrey plays Rimma, the Bird Girl that lives in the jungle. Some natives believe she killed the son of the chief, so she has to hide with her "grandparent". She falls in love with Anthony Perkins, a prisoner of this tribe that was sent to kill her. They start a trip to visit the remains of her town, something that the grandpa was avoiding since always. It's not very well edited, the distances they cover don't feel right; most importantly, the story is not convincing and the ending is weird. Great song though.
6. The proud and the profane (1956: William Holden, Deborah Kerr, Thelma Ritter): A disperse melodrama based on a novel that wants to be epic like "From here to eternity" and fails. Deborah Kerr is widower of a soldier. She wants to know all about his last minutes of life so she enlists to help. An aggressive Colonel with issues with his origins arrives to the base. Thelma Ritter, Deb's superior, founds the Colonel despicable but she manages to show him Deborah sunbathing on the beach. The editing is not very good and it loses tension half way trough the movie. The character of a chaplain is used to explain what's happening with the main characters and important info is given trough little characters that talk a lot. Everything gets more and more soppy and tragic. The end.
5. Dance, Girl, Dance (1940: Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball, Ralph Bellamy): I didn't get it. Maureen wants to be a ballet dancer but she's stuck with a group of girls that dance in clubs. One of these girls, Sassy Lucille becomes famous and invites serious Maureen to dance ballet in her comical number just to laugh at her. Since her opportunity to meet an important ballet guy is lost after her teacher is run over (really), Maureen accepts. There are some characters that are not very well defined, at the point you don't know who they are. The ending is ludicrous.
4. Man of the World (1931: William Powell, Carole Lombard): A con man (Powell) falls in love with the nephew of one of the man he defrauded. This could have been great, but Carole's character was too good, simple and nice (and boring) for her and you forget the whole film after "The End" can be read on the screen.
3. Paris Blues (1961: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong): Boring, boring, boring. Two girls go to Paris and fall in love with two musicians. They go to some endless jam sessions and talk a lot.
2. Man-Proof (1938: Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, Walter Pidgeon): Use it in case of insomnia. Myrna is in love with a terribly dull guy that marries Rosalind Russell playing an awfully plain character.
1. Bloodline (1979: Audrey Hepburn,Omar Sharif, James Mason, Romy Schneider): The worst movie I've ever seen. Avoid it. After Audrey's dad is killed, she becomes the president of a great company and the new target of...I don't know, some killer. I never liked Ben Gazzara as a “romantic” lead, he's so unattractive. The whole movie is awfully edited, it looks like a trailer: some scenes don't seem to have a real connection. It even has a flashback to early XX century that seems out of place. There are a lot of shocking scenes (sex and murder) that weren't really needed, and what's more stupid, they are repeated along the movie, when they could have been suggested. The story is really badly developed, at some points you really don't understand where it is going. Most of the characters are despicable and there are some plot holes (if you think that someone wants to kill you, and you have escaped from death in several occasions, would you go alone to dark and solitary places and expose yourself?). Well, the worst (and saddest) thing is to see great actors like Audrey and Omar Sharif in this... thing.
What do you think? Do I need to re-watch any of these?
Maybe you'd like to have "Deborah's Opal Affair" ( $170.00) ring from "An affair to remember"...
...or "Vivien's Southern Emerald" earrings ($155.00) from "Gone with the wind"...
...looking for a band? Maybe you'd like "Joan’s Diamond Stackable Band" ($270.00) from "Suspicion"...
Really, hollywoodroyaltycollection.com site is so much fun! They recreate jewelry used by Classic Actresses (and actors) in their films...and each piece is accompanied by interesting descriptions regarding the films and performers. The list includes: Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart, Irene Dunne, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable and more!
Some of my favorites:
"Lombard's Champagne Wedding ring" ($145.00) from "Mr. a Mrs. Smith"...
...and marvelous "Deborah's Pink Diamond Debut" ($150.00) from "The Hucksters"...
William Powell and Myrna Loy of course (yeah, I'm thinking really in Nick and Nora Charles). And Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (he would be in charge of the music obviously). I'd invite Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra to sing some of their hits. Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers to show some moves. Oh, oh, and Bette Davis and Joan Crawford :) I would go with Cary Grant so we two will laugh about all the craziness around, while S. Z. Sakall tell us some interesting gossip. Everyone would go —just like in Well, did you Evah? lyrics— "what a swell party this is!".
Introduction: Well, this is one of the few times that I didn’t like a movie starring Ginger Rogers. Even when I think that Dalton Trumbo (“Roman Holiday”) was a great screenwriter I think he failed to correctly tell this story and director Edward Dmytryk didn’t help very much with the audiovisual resources he chose. More than that, seems that this movie was edited after the opening, altering its ending (maybe it was better before). This is not really a film review because I tell the whole movie, it’s more a critic to the movie structure. I know, it’s ironic but believe me I’m not making fun of its creators or their beliefs, just of how the movie ended to be.
Tender Comrade is a film about how war was lived by the ones who had to stay at home. I guess at that time it maybe helped women in the US to realize they were not alone, to give them strength and to reaffirm a patriotic feeling. It's just that in my opinion the movie is a mess.
Ginger Rogers plays a worker whose husband (played very dully by Robert Ryan) had a free night and came to see her. Only when he goes she realizes that her apartment is too tiny and she convinces some of her workmates to rent a house and live together.
But don’t expect anything like” Stage Door”. These women are kind of repetitive and stereotyped: Ginger is the leader always making ballots and asking the youngest girl (Kim Hunter) how does her husband look and how he proposed just because “it’s fun”. This younger girl is always very soft and sweet and giggles all the time etc. There’s also an older woman (Patricia Collinge) who has a husband and a son fighting in the war.
So, what conflict could be between these nice girls? None! So what do we need? Exactly: a sassy woman/friend (Ruth Hussey) that dates any man around even when her hubby is in the war. So, everyone criticizes her because of her loose morals and that also gives Ginger’s character one of the many opportunities to give a long speech…
Uhm, this is not very fun yet. What can we add to this movie intended for lonely women in the US? Exactly: romance. But all the men are overseas! Well, that’s easy: you make the girls talk with the pictures of their hubbies (really). Oh, we can also use a little thing called “flashbacks”. Yeah, every now and then make Ginger remember her love story, since he proposed and she was annoying. Oh, I have another great idea: before each memory let’s put a splendorous image of their figures like in sunny a valley. That’s great. Oh, oh, and let’s add some of the most corny-romantic music...
...and we're done.
Uhm. but I think we mixed too many things. I mean, how will the audience know what is this movie about? Are we going to tell the story of a bunch of girls managing to survive in the middle of the war? Are we going to tell the story of Ginger and her husband? Uhm, whatever.
[spoiler] Well, we have almost ¾ of our movie, how can we end it? Let's scare the sassy girl with the news that her husband is dead. Great idea, that way she realizes that she loves him. Also, let's bring the famous hubby of the young girl to have dinner with her. Cool. Hey, let's make something really dramatic. Something like Ginger having a baby. Yes that's great! But it's not very dramatic. I mean maybe if Ginger's husband has some injure…or maybe…let's kill him! That's perfect, but we still have 7 minutes to fill, what can we do? I have a brilliant idea: maybe poor Ginger can learn a seven minutes speech to her baby while we insert some of her husband lines. Terrific. Oh, oh, please end it with one of the splendorous image of their figures like in sunny a valley. OK. [/spoiler]
The first poll at Via Margutta. The feet on the picture belong to:
a) Myrna Loy
b) Rosalind Russell
c) Ginger Rogers
d) Irene Dunne
e) Carole Lombard
f) Marlene Dietrich
Choose an actress on the sidebar. Name the movie for extra kudos. I still haven't decide what's the point of this poll. Maybe if the most of the voters answer correctly...my readers are really attentive. Whatever.
Or Ginger Rogers and Barbara Stanwyck! Everyone was talking about these girls' birthday (yesterday) so I'm going to make a random post about them.
Uhm, did you know that Barbara wrapped packages for a living at the age of 13? Or that she changed her original name, Ruby Stevens, because producer Willard Mack said that it sounded like a stripper? He selected Stanwyck after glancing at an old programme listing Jane Stanwyck.
Did you know that —according to screenwriter Allan Scott— when Ginger had difficulties playing a scene (because she had partied the previous night) she used to say "There's something terribly wrong in this scene"? (but he adds that she worked very, very hard).
Did you know that the most expensive costume designed and made specially for a film was Edith's Head mink and sequins dance costume for Ginger in Lady in the dark, which cost $35,000?
Well, I didn't remember these facts but I just read them in "The Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats" & "Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age" :)
Now let's talk about their movies. I first heard about Ginger from my father, because he loves all the Astaire-Rogers films (well, not the films per sé, but the dance sequences). I met Barbara recently, like 3 years ago, because all the bloggers I followed talked about her. The first movie I saw starring her was "The furies". I watched it with my parents and when we read the opening credits they went: "Oh no, Barbara Stanwyck, that old woman! We hate her!" (or something less dramatic than that). They said she played a horrible character in a tv show that I'm not going to watch. But then they loved the movie and kind of forgave Barbara.
So, I think it's time for...my TOP-LUCKY NUMBER-movies starring Ginger and Barbara, in a table and with just adjectives:
My fave Ginger Movies
My fave Barbara Movies
1. Bachelor mother: Funny, fast paced, lovely.
1. Meet John Doe: Great chemistry, lovely, Cooper.
2. Vivacious Lady: Funny, magnetic, energetic.
2. Ball of fire: Great chemistry, funny, lovely, Cooper, Drum Bogie.
3. Stage Door: Witty, amazing casting, realistic.
3. Remember the night: Warm, lovely.
4. Kitty Foyle: Great script, great performance.
4. Christmas in Connecticut: Hilarious.
5. Shall we dance:Lovely music, awesome dance sequences.
5. Double Indemnity: Billy Wilder.
6. Follow the fleet:Lovely music, awesome dance sequences.
6. Stella Dallas:Dramatic, heart breaking, awesome performance [Ginger and Lombard were offered the role].
7. I'll be seeing you: Nice, dramatic but lovely.
7. The furies: Cool bread sharing.
Oh, just one more thing: I really hope you like my new blog design. I was tired of the old one and changed it yesterday. Have a great weekend.
I'm gonna cheat a little bit here. If I'd be the Guest Programmer for Latin American TCM, I'd pick movies that I really want to see, but I can't just because I can't find Spanish subtitles for them. The four I'm thinking right now are:
1.- Virtue (1932): I've heard it's a good pre-code drama, starring Carole Lombard. Since "In name only" is one of my favorite movies from her, I'd like to see her playing another dramatic role.
2.- Thirteen women (1932): Myrna Loy and Irene Dunne in the same movie.
3.- Joy of living (1938): Mostly because my friend Rena uploaded this tribute and presented me this ridiculously lovely song:
4.- Romance in Manhattan (1935): Ginger Rogers in love with a Czech immigrant. It seems like an interesting movie.
I know, what a brief post.
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Day 01- Four films you’d pick as the TCM Guest Programmer
Day 02- Film that got you interested in Old Hollywood
Day 03- Favorite Actor
Day 04- Favorite Actress
Day 05- Actor or Actress you think is underrated
Day 06- Favorite movie from your favorite Actor
Day 07- Favorite movie from your favorite Actress
Day 08- Favorite Old Hollywood couple
Day 09- Old Hollywood stars you wish had worked together
Day 10- Favorite movie
Day 11- Team Bette or Team Joan
Day 12- Favorite Barrymore
Day 13- Classic movie you just couldn’t get into
Day 14- A legend everyone appreciates, but you can’t personally stand
Day 15- An Actor or Actress you’ve been meaning to give a chance, but haven’t gotten around to it yet
Day 16- Favorite director
Day 17- Favorite line from a film
Day 18- Actor or Actress who should have won an Oscar
Day 19- Who’d you like to party it up with in the afterlife
Day 20- Favorite Silent film star
Day 21- Old Hollywood couple you’d watch a sex tape of
Day 22- If you could go back in time and trade places with an Old Hollywood star, who would it be
Day 23- A film you think is underrated
Day 24- Favorite film from Hollywood’s greatest year, 1939
Day 25- Which character from a film do you fantasize about being
Day 26- Which unsolved scandal would you most like the answer to
Day 27- Who’s death hit you the hardest and why
Day 28- A movie you never expected yourself to enjoy
Day 29- Who’s private lifestyle shocked you the most
Day 30- Which 5 Old Hollywood stars would you invite to dinner
Today I was listening to my mp3, and I thought to make a series of post just with music charged with positive energy...here are the first three:
"Goody Goody" cover by Julie London.
Julie is one of my favorites singers, her voice is so cool and her singing style transmits freedom: it's like 'hey, whatever, life is nice, just relax'. And listen to the beginning of this version, isn't it great how she tries once and then she just starts with the song?
I noticed that the song wasn't in Youtube, so I just had to upload it :)
"Let's Misbehave" cover by Trevor Ashley.
Every time I listen to this song I forget everything else, its rhythm is so captivating and the lyrics so liberating (There's something wild about you child, that's so contagious, let's be outrageous, let's misbehave!!!). And if you add to this song clips from screwball comedies, you have a happiness bomb:
"The Charleston", original melody by James P. Johnson (1923)
Isn't it swell? : ) I was dying on the exercycle, but then this song came and my legs started to go faster :)
Well, and you have Ginger dancing to it, what else do you want? I know, my next happy old songs post ^^
While I was totally disconnected from world, Ginger Rogers happened to be 15 years dancing in Heaven. And that reminded a very cool part of "Can't wait to get to Heaven" a book by Fannie Flag (the writer of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" and its movie script "Fried green Tomatoes").
Well, in this passage the main character, an old lady called Elner just died but she hasn't realized what's going on yet:
"Yoo hoo!' she called out. 'Anybody here?' She had walked for quite a while when she suddenly saw a pretty blue-eyed blond lady rushing down the hall toward her, carrying a pair of black tap shoes and a white feather boa.
'Hey,' said Elner. The lady smiled at her and said, 'Hello, how are you?' but she went by her so fast, Elner didn't have a chance to ask where she was. A few seconds after the lady passed, Elner thought to herself that she hadn't known better, she would have sworn the woman was Ginger Rogers! She knew exactly what Ginger Rogers looked like because she had always been Elner's favorite movie star, and Dixie Cahill, who had run the Dixi Cahill School of Tap and Twirl in Elmwood Springs, where Linda had taken dancing, had a big picture of the dancer up in her dance studio. But the more she thought about it, she realized that even though the woman was the spitting image of Ginger Rogers, it couldn't have been her. What in the world would Ginger Rogers be doing in Kansas City, Missouri? It didn't make any sense, but then she suddenly remembered, Ginger Rogers was originally from Missouri, so even if it wasn't her, it was for sure one of her relatives." (p.68-69)
( .. .)
"Now Elner was starting to get upset. 'How should I know, Ida? I just fell off a ladder, I'm so addle-brained at this point, I thought I just saw Ginger Rogers go by...and now you're telling me you're dead, when I can see you plain as day. I must have knocked my brain out of whack because none of this is making any sense to me"
"Think Elner,' Ida said. 'Me? Ginger Rogers?'
Elner thought for a second; then it dawned on her, Ginger Rogers had been dead for years, so had Ida; not only that, she suddenly realized that she could hear every word Ida was saying without her hearing aid!" (p.72)
![Alice [Ginger]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/355777461_038d7af690.jpg)
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