Valentine's Day Movie Meme: Forever Classics Edition

First of all, thanks to the people who left their caption for the first Caption it post . Also thanks to those who answered the poll: seems it's going to be a weekly feature.
 

Now I'm answering a meme for Valentine's Day. It was created by Merdith @ Forever Classics. Sorry I've never been able to pick just one thing per question :)

1. What is your favorite romantic comedy?

Some of my favorites are: His Girl Friday, The Apartment, The Thin Man (because that's what it is, right?), Ball of Fire, Charade, Ninotchka, Roman Holiday, Mr. Deeds goes to town, Vivacious Lady, City Lights, and most of the comedies directed by Mitchell Leisen like Remember the Night, Midnight & Arise, My Love. 

2. What is your favorite romantic drama?

Some of my favorites are: Two for the road, An Affair to Remember, Camille, Holiday (this one is not really a comedy), Gone with the Wind, The umbrellas of Cherbourg, To have and have not, Morocco, Penny Serenade, In name only, People Will Talk, The Quiet Man, Waterloo Bridge, Hold Back the Dawn, Merrily We Go to Hell.

3. Worst romance film you've seen?

10 by far. Then Tender Comrade, The Proud and the Profane, Duel in the Sun, The Garden of Allah, and some others I don't remember because my mind completely erased them.

4. How do you feel about the majority of romantic films being labeled "chick flicks"?

I don't really care. Good movies always get recognition beyond any label. Except for The Notebook.

5. Favorite on-screen couple?

Photoset here.

6. Favorite off-screen couple?

Gable & Lombard. Their story is just epic.

7. Best kiss in a movie?

The first that comes to my mind is the first one in Roman Holiday. It looks real and spontaneous. 

8. Favorite romantic scene?

So many! I like romantic scenes that are not THE romantic scene of the movie, but like the previous moments. Example: when Jack Lemmon prepares a dinner for sick Shirley Maclaine. And I like playful scenes, like the ones from Charade. Oh, oh, and sweet scenes like this one with Cary and Carole:

Ugh, I have so many I need to write a post about them.

9. Who are 2 film characters you wished had gotten together, but never did?

Uhm...like forever? Like Princess Ann & Joe Bradley? Or Armand & Camille?

10. Two actors you think would have great chemistry, but have never done a film together?

Lauren Bacall and Burt Lancaster. Rita Hayworth and Richard Burton. And all these.

11. Favorite romantic song in a film (doesn't have to be from a musical)?

I LOVE the main song from Two for the road, composed by Henry Mancini:

There's a song that I really like from A foreign affair, called Illusions:



There are so many great songs that I'm dying here, like Would you?

And Night and Day (Youtube) , True Love (Youtube) sung by Grace Kelly or the most popular song from The umbrellas of Cherbourg. I really have a lot of favorites.

12. Best score from a romance film?

Besides the obvious, like Gone with the Wind & Breakfast at Tiffany's, I'm gonna pick (again) the one Henry Mancini composed for Two for the Road. Great sound and perfect fit, since it reflects the different stages in the main character's relationship.

13. Most romantic film quote?

My problem with the questions about quotes is that I never remember the ones I want, and then, when the post is published I start "hey, but this is my favorite quote ever? How didn't I mention it? etc". Anyway, here are two pretty romantic:

From For Whom the Bell Tolls:

Robert Jordan: Are you afraid?

Maria: Not now. I love you, Roberto. Always remember. I love you as I loved my father and mother, as I love our unborn children, as I love what I love most in the world, and I love you more. Always remember.

Robert Jordan: I'll remember. 

From Robin and Marian:

Maid Marian (to, uhm, Robin): I love you. More than all you know. I love you more than children. More than fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy, or one more day. I love you... more than God.

14. A film you'd recommend to watch on Valentine's Day?

Any of the mentioned in question 1 & 2 :) Or new ones, like You've got mail, Pride and Prejudice, and Crazy, Stupid Love. The thing is watch anything but 10 :)

Fifteen Movie Questions Meme

The other day read this Meme answered by Meredith from Forever Classic and now I'm answering it too!

1. Movie you love with a passion.

I love a lot of movies with a passion! I mean, I've listed 54 movies I adore, from The Sound of Music to Blonde Venus & 8 Classic Movies I can watch over and over... so you can't make me pick just one!!

2. Movie you vow to never watch.

Uhm, movies from Stewart Granger, one of the few actors I can't stand. I wrote why here. Also horror movies like The Exorcist because then I can't sleep.

3. Movie that literally left you speechless.

Literally? I don't remember being speechless after watching a Classic Movie (modern movies usually leave me speechless, like utterly shocking Requiem for a dream or Chilean Fuga). Old masterpieces make me talk and talk.

Well, some old movies had such sad endings that I couldn't say a word because I had a lump in my throat like The Wedding Night with Gary Cooper (re-watched it yesterday, and, yup, I ended crying again) or Disney's animated The Small One (gosh, this movie, I dare you not to cry!)

4. Movie you always recommend.

To women and girls I always recommend Roman Holiday. To guys, maybe, To have and have not (it's like Casablanca, but with more action I say to them). Then it depends on the old movie knowledge of the people I'm talking to.

5. Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

Audrey Hepburn (you have to be a fan to bare Bloodline or one of the worst movie I've ever seen) & Cary Grant (my least favorite movie from him is Operation Petticoat, looked really outdated).

6. Actor/actress you don't get the appeal for.

Have I mentioned Stewart Granger? Yes? Well, him, definitively.

7. Actor/actress, living or dead, you'd love to meet.

Living actresses: Olivia De Havilland, Lauren Bacall , Joan Fontaine, Maureen O'Hara, Eleanor Parker, Joanne Woodward.

Living actors: Sean Connery and Elli Wallach.

Stars that left us: I'd like to meet everyone really (except for Stewart Granger, obviously). Audrey, Cary, Gary, Errol, Carole, Clark, Deborah, Ginger, Jean Arthur, Paul Newman, Myrna Loy ETC ETC ETC.

8. Sexiest actor/actress you've seen. (Picture required!)

Gary Cooper, hands down

If you liked that pic, you should definitively check this gallery of photos from him I put together. I called it "Mercy". Or check my list of The 10 most handsome men from classic movies .

9. Dream cast.

This is really a difficult question. Some movies have already a dream cast: Cary and Audrey worked together in Charade and nailed it. Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner worked together in The Night of the Iguana and nailed it too. And what about the cast of Grand Hotel?

If I think of stars that I would like to see together I would mention maybe Errol Flynn and Gary Cooper and Cary Grant (Alice in Wonderland doesn't count). In an adventure movie. That would be...dreamy :)

Oh, I've also listed Old Hollywood stars you wish had worked together like Deborah Kerr & Laurence Olivier.

10. Favorite actor pairing.

Sooo many: Cary & Audrey in Charade; Cary & Carole in In name Only; Cary & Rosalind in His girl Friday; Cary & Ingrid in Notorious; Bogie & Bacall; Fred & Ginger; Errol Flynn & Maureen O'Hara in Against all flags; Greta Garbo & Robert Taylor in Camille; Paul Newman & Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... I could go on forever really.

11. Favorite movie setting.

Rome in Roman Holiday. Ireland in The Quiet Man. I also like films that take place in the country, like In Name Only or Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

12. Favorite decade for movies.

Couldn't tell: 30s, 40s, 50s.

13. Chick flick or action movie?

If I really have to choose one, I'd pick chick flick. But I love movies that mix both.

14. Hero, villain or anti-hero?

Villains drive me mad. Anti-heroes make me blue. Heroes are fun :)

15. Black and white or color?

So difficult! Can't choose, each one has marvelous qualities.

.....................................

Hope you enjoyed!

Wanna answer this meme created by Defiant Success? Well, you've been tagged :)

You can copy the questions from the original site.

Remember that now you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook :)

(Video) Poll Results: Irene Dunne is the funniest gal around...

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:

#9 (TIE) Marion Davies (6%)

You know my opinion about her terrific skills for comedy. So I'll just leave you with a clip from The Patsy:

#8 Una Merkel (8%)

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:

#7 Jean 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"

#6  Ginger 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:

#5 (TIE) Myrna Loy (15%)

I know you all have your favorite funny scene from Miss Loy. Maybe a witty line from "The Thin Man", maybe her instructions for painting the house in "Mr. Blandings build his dream house" or even her secondary role in the overall dull  Love me tonight. So I tried to choose a more unknown part, the scene where her character goes out with Clark Gable in Test Pilot (watch until they go to the cinema):

#4 Eve Arden (17%)

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:

# 2  Lucille 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) ^^

Bette's Classic Survey

So 12-years-old Bette from Bette's Classic Movie Blog (she's a fan of Bette Davis but her real name is Bette)...and THAT's a lot of Bette in one sentence, I think I should review my Redaction and Editing notes and also return my degree...anyway, just look at this:

...that's what I was trying to tell you. She came up with a new survey, which I'm proceeding to answer:

1. Favourite Actor? Cary Grant.

2. Actress? Audrey Hepburn.

3. Judy Holliday: love her or hate her? Neither, I just have seen her in Born Yesterday and Adam's Rib and she was good.

4. Steve McQueen, Errol Flynn and Laurence Olivier. Who out of the names listed do you think would be most likely to don a sword and shield and confront a dragon? I don't picture Steve using a sword or fighting with a dragon; Laurence Olivier would talk and talk in a Shakespearian way until the dragon fall asleep (kidding) so obviously I pick Errol Flynn. That would be a nice confrontation to watch.

5. From dragon slaying to sheer madness (not that much of a leap), which crazy movie do you like best: Sunset Boulevard or Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? This one is difficult...uhm, dead monkeys or dead rats? I'd think I go for Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond was crazy in a cool way, but Bette...OMG, too painful to watch.

6. What do you think is the best movie book ever made? To be honest, I haven't read any movie book, just biographies and list books like "1001 movies you must see before you die".

7. Who do you think is the most attractive male movie star? Another difficult one! I can't decide between Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, William Holden or Cary Grant.

8. Female movie star? Probably Audrey Hepburn.

9. If you had to be a maid/butler (?) to someone, who would it be? I don't know, who paid the most?

10. Who do you think Cary Grant worked best with? Oh, Cary work the best with everybody! From the Bennett sisters to Leslie Caron, from Jeanne Craine to Katharine Hepburn.

11. Do you like black and white movies more than colour movies? I don't a priori. I mean there are some b&w movies that I wish they had been filmed in color (early Fred and Ginger films for instance), but I do love black and white movies in general.

12. 1930s films or 1960s films? 1930s definitively.

13. Who would you rather be: a Margo Channing or an Ilsa Lund? Things seem to end better for Margo Channing, so Margo.

14. Is there ever a film you have seen that you thought would be funnier if meerkats played the leads? You mean meerkat as in the animal? Like Simba's buddy? Uhm...LOL, "A streetcar named desire"...you know, something like:

15. What is your favourite "Oh my goodness" phrase from a movie? "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"...that was the phrase, I'm not telling you that I don't give a damn about the question :)
16. Favourite "Yee Haw" classic movie phrase? I'm so bad remembering quotes...but maybe "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!"...Yee Haw!
17. You and your family have to agree on a movie for a night in. What will it always be? Probably "Gone with the wind". Prissy always cracks us up: "Miss Scarlett, Miss Scarlett, I know all about babies...[2 seconds later] ♩♩♩♩♩♩.....Miss Scarlett, Miss Scarlett, I don't know anything about babies!!!" Or classic Disney movies.
18. Doris Day: Dramatic or Frothy? Frothy most of the time, but I like her performance in "The man who knew too much".
19. What male team did you think did a great job in a movie, but never made another one together? Cary Grant and James Stewart in "The Philadelphia Story".
20. You have been asked by your friend to chose your favourite movie title. What is it? "Friend, don't ask me that"...that would be my response, not the title of a movie...then I'd add, I just have too many favorite movies.
21. This is just out of curiosity... have you at some point experienced rivalry on a I-have-seen-that-and-you-haven't level? Uhm, I generally like when people tell me that they saw a great classic movie that I haven't seen, because I'm probably gonna like it and add another favorite to my list. But last week I experienced a rivalry like the mentioned in the question:  the exponent in my Movie Genres Workshop said something like "Well and I saw The Umbrellas of Cherbourg in 35 mm on the big screen". I love that movie and I'd love to see it that way!!

22. Most romantic film you have ever seen..."Roman Holiday" or "Camille".
23. What was the film that really got you into old films? Two actually: first Vertigo (read the story) and then "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (read the story).

Thanks Bette ^^
That's all folks! 

Amanda's Cinema Survey

Amanda from A noodle in a haystack created a new movie survey. Here are my answers (but before, remember to vote for your favorite director, I'm closing the poll this week). OK, now:

1. What is your favorite movie starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, excluding all of The Thin Man films?

"Libeled Lady" (1936).

2. Name a screen team that appeared in only one film together but are still noteworthy for how well they complimented each other.

Cary Grant & Carole Lombard. I LOVE "In name only" (1939).

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' best film together?

"Shall we dance" (1937) is probably my favorite.

4. Your favorite actor named "Robert"?

Robert Mitchum. Solid player.

5. An actor/actress who, when you see one of their movies, you always wish that someone else was in his/her role?

Stewart Granger. ZZZZ. "King Solomon's Mines" would have been even better with another leading man.

6. An actor/actress that someone close to you really loves that you can't stand or vice versa?

Uhm, my parents couldn't stand Barbara Stanwyck, but I showed them some of my favorite movies from her and they are changing their opinion.

7. An actor/actress that you both agree on completely?

We agree pretty much on every great actors and actresses. Ingrid Bergman, Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck, Bette Davis, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, etc, etc...

8. Complete this sentence: Virginia O'Brien is to Ethel Merman as...

I'm really ignorant: I don't get the comparison. I'd appreciate if someone explains it to me. 

Image from disseminateklei

9. What is your favorite film starring Ray Milland?

"Dial M for Murder" (1945).

10. You had to have seen this one coming: what is your favorite movie of the 1960s?

Do you really want me to pick just one of these titles:  "The night of the iguana" (1964), "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961), "The sound of music" (1965), "Two for the road" (1967),  "Les demoiselles de Rochefort" (1967), "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964), "The birds" (1963), "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), "Charade" (1963), "Cool Hand Luke" (1967), "The apartment" (1960). REALLY?

11. An actor/actress that you would take out of one film and put into a different movie that was released the same year?

I can't think of any.

12. Who was your favorite of Robert Montgomery's leading ladies?

I haven't seen much from Robert, but I vote for Carole Lombard in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (1941)

13. You think it would have been a disaster if what movie starred the actor/actress who was originally asked to star in it?

Tough one, but maybe Doris Day as Maria Von Trapp in "The sound of music". 

14. An actor/actress who you will watch in any or almost any movie?

Cary Grant. Audrey Hepburn.  

15. Your favorite Leslie Howard film and role?

Uhm, I just have seen him in "Gone with the wind". And I don't like Ashley very much.

Annie Oakley picture from starz.com

16. You have been asked to host a marathon of four Barbara Stanwyck films. Which ones do you choose?

As a hostess, I would start by saying: "people, I just could pick 4 movies because life is mean. We could sit here and watch movies from Miss Stanwyck the whole week, but you probably have jobs and other boring stuff to do. Anyway, I've picked 4 rare titles that you probably haven't seen, because you can watch her most iconic movies anywhere else"

An "early" one: "Annie Oakley" (1935)

Comedy: "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945)

Drama: "The furies" (1950)

Another drama: "Clash by night" (1952)

Gif from fuckyeahcinema

17. What is, in your mind, the nearest to perfect comedy you have ever seen? Why?

"His Girl Friday" (1940). Reasons: a) Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell b) The dialog.

18. You will brook no criticism of what film?

"The sound of music" (1965) :)

19. Who is your favorite Irish actress?

Maureen O'Hara.

20. Your favorite 1940s movie starring Ginger Rogers?

"Kitty Foyle" (1940)

21. Do you enjoy silent movies?

I'm in a crusade of doing so. I started positively with Marion Davies' silent films (read about it here and here).

22. What is your favorite Bette Davis film?

Probably "All about Eve" (1950). 

Gif from stardustmelody

23. Your favorite onscreen Hollywood couple?

William Powell & Myrna Loy.

24. This one is for the girls, but, of course, the guys are welcome (and encouraged) to answer, too: who is your favorite Hollywood costume designer?

Edith Head.

25. To even things out about, here's something the boys will enjoy: what is your favorite tough action film?

Tough action? I don't know, "Ben Hur"?

26. You are currently gaining a greater appreciation for which actor(s)/actress(es)? 

Marion Davies.

27. Franchot Tone: yes or no?

I had to googled him, so I guess no for now.

28. Which actors and/or actresses do you think are underrated?

I think people don't give enough credit to Veronica Lake's acting skills (see here and this review of my fave movie from her)

29. Which actors and/or actresses do you think are overrated?

I would say Stewart Granger, but I haven't heard much praises about him.

30. Favorite actor?

Cary Grant.

31. Favorite actress?

Audrey Hepburn.

32. Of those listed, who is the coolest: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, or Patrick Stewart?

Paul Newman. He was cool in the movies and out of them.

Image from movieoftheday

33. What is your favorite movie from each of these genres:

Comedy: "His girl Friday" (1940) 

Swashbuckler: "Captain Blood" (1935) 

Film noir: "Laura" (1944) 

Musical: "The sound of music" (1965) 

Holiday: "It's a wonderful life" (1946) 

Hitchcock: "Rear Window" (1954)

Day 19- Who’d you like to party it up with in the afterlife

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!". 

Day 18- Actor or Actress who should have won an Oscar

Uhm, before I start rambling about the many Oscar injustices, let me say that I finished my internship and I'm officially a journalist. So, I'm officially a journalist.

Ok, now let's see...

People who should have won a real non-Honorary-Oscar but sadly didn't because life generally isn't fair...or because their contenders were too good 

(The titles below the pictures correspond to the best movies I've seen of each actor and it doesn't necessarily mean that they are Oscar-nominated roles.)

CLAUDE RAINS: Hello? Mommy's boy in "Notorious", the cop from "Casablanca"?

WILLIAM POWELL AND MYRNA LOY: Together: The Thin Man? Libeled Lady? Separated:  The Best Years of Our Lives? My Man Godfrey?

EDWARD G. ROBINSON: Key Largo? The Whole Town's Talking? Double Indemnity?

GLORIA SWANSON: Sunset Boulevard???

IRENE DUNNE: I remember mama??? The Awful Truth? Show Boat? My favorite wife? Penny Serenade?

JEAN ARTHUR: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town? The more the merrier? History Is Made at Night?

MARLENE DIETRICH: Witness for the Prosecution?? Morocco? Shanghai Express? Der blaue Engel? Blonde Venus??

CARY GRANT: WHAT?????

GRETA GARBO: Camille? Anna Christie? Ninotchka?

ROSALIND RUSSELL: His girl Friday? Auntie Mame? Picnic?

BARBARA STANWYCK: WHAT?????????????

CAROLE LOMBARD: My Man Godfrey? In Name Only? Nothing Sacred? To Be or Not to Be?

ORSON WELLES: Citizen Kane? The Third Man? Touch of Evil?

ROBERT MITCHUM: The Night of the Hunter??? Out of the Past? Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison? The Sundowners? 

MAUREEN O'HARA: The quiet man? How Green Was My Valley? 

MONTGOMERY CLIFT: A Place in the Sun?? From Here to Eternity? Suddenly, Last Summer? The Heiress??

DEBORAH KERR: SIX nominations and NO Oscar??

AVA GARDNER: The Barefoot Contessa? The Night of the Iguana?

LAUREN BACALL: To have and have not?

OMAR SHARIF: Doctor Zhivago? Funny Girl?