All Else Confusion

Being a huge classic movie fan, I've been wanting to order TCM's monthly movie guide for years, mostly because of the Classic Movie Crossword in each issue. Today, my first issue arrived. I can't wait to test my movie knowledge! Somebody find me a pencil!

Labels: movies, TCM

As promised, here are my notes introducing last month's movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was directed by famed director, Frank Capra, director of It’s a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, and Meet John Doe. It stars Jimmy Stewart as an idealistic, naive young man who is appointed to a senate seat only to find that the politics of his state are run by a political machine which is sponsoring a bill for graft. (Note: no political party is ever identified in the movie)

Stewart’s character represents the powerful forces of American freedom, democracy and morality over oppression and evil. It is the movie that made Jimmy Stewart a major movie star. The film also stars Jean Arthur, the queen of screwball comedy, and a superb supporting cast including the incomparable Claude Rains as Senator Taylor. Look also for Beulah Bondi as Ma Smith, perhaps most recognizable as Ma Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life and Thomas Mitchell as the newspaper man Diz Moore, also in It’s a Wonderful Life as Uncle Billy.

The film was shot entirely on a sound stage at Columbia, where Capra had an exact replica of the senate chambers constructed. The exception (to the sound stage) was Stewart’s sightseeing tour. The scenes where James Stewart wanders around in amazement at the Washington monuments were "stolen", since the US Parks Service had denied the studio permission to film near them. Not only is the representation of the senate chambers accurate, the film also accurately portrays senate rules and procedures – I don’t remember how old I was when I first saw the film, but I remember being shocked when hearing of a senate filibuster and realizing that it was being staged by a group of senators and not just one!

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is ranked #26 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies. It is ranked #5 on AFI’s list of the 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. That same list is headed by another Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart film – It’s a Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jefferson Smith, was voted #11 on the AFI list of 50 greatest film heroes.

At the time the movie was released it caused an uproar in Washington. The Washington Press Club sponsored a premiere showing for more than 4000 viewers – including congressmen, senators and supreme court justices. About 2/3 of the way through people began walking out, including the senator from Montana. Some shouted “Outrage” and “Insult” The Washington Press denounced Capra for daring to show graft in the Senate. According to Capra, he received a cablegram from Joseph P. Kennedy, then the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, saying that the film would damage "America's prestige in Europe" and should therefore be withdrawn from European distribution. Ironically, while American politicians were upset over the film’s portrayal of political corruption, the film was banned in fascist states for fear that it showed democracy working! And, In 1942, when a ban on American films was imposed in German-occupied France, the title theaters chose Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) for their last movie before the ban went into effect. One Paris theater reportedly screened the film nonstop for thirty days prior to the ban.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington received 11 Academy Award nominations, but up against stiff competition in 1939 from Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Wuthering Heights and The Wizard of Oz, it won only one Oscar – for Best Original Screenplay. The 1939 Best Actor Oscar went to Robert Donat for Goodbye Mr. Chips. The following year Jimmy Stewart would win the Best Actor Oscar for his role in The Philadelphia Story, which was largely considered a consolation prize for losing on his more impressive performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Labels: movies

At my graduate school, the new social director (that's me) has started a monthly classic movie series. It all started with a Theology on Tap talk by Fr. James Searby entitled, Lights, Camera, Faith! A Catholic at the Movies. Fr. Searby talked about the importance of viewing good films and of developing our understanding of films by becoming involved, by relating to the story in they way that we do when we attend a theater performance. That is, we need to put something of ourselves into our viewing - not just passively absorb the images on the screen. Fr. Searby also asked who in the audience had seen some great old movies like Citizen Kane or The African Queen, which started some friends asking questions about those movies - questions that I was more than happy to answer! So, we came up with the monthly classic movie night. Each month I pick a classic movie to show connected to the previous month's movie by a supporting character. Before showing the movie I try to give some background into the making of the movie, the historical situation in which is was made, and the effect that the movie had when it was released on the culture.
Last month we watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. This month, following supporting actor Claude Rains, we're going to be watching Casablanca. Next month, following Peter Lorre from Casablanca, we're moving to zany comedy with Arsenic and Old Lace. I thought that I would share my research into the background, themes and effect of each movie. Hopefully, the next time you watch that movie, you'll be able to relate more and have a deeper appreciation for the movie.

Labels: movies

"There comes a time in everyone's life when something happens that changes them forever and their life will never be the same. If it hasn't happened to you yet...it will. BELLA is a true love story that shows how one day in New York City changed three people's lives forever. Powerful, passionate and always unpredictable, BELLA reminds us of the surprises that await us in each new day and that sometimes it takes no more than a moment to transform our lives forever."

I was invited to a private showing of the movie Bella last night. This movie has generated quite a buzz due to it's pro-life content and surprise People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. The background of the movie is fascinating. The movie's star, Eduardo Verástegui, started in a boy band before becoming famous in Mexico as a soap opera star. But, he knew that there was something deeper inside of him, so he left the path he was following to join with Alejandro Monteverde and Leo Severino, both of whom have similar stories, to start Metanoia films. Eduardo also tells an amazing story about preparing for his character in Bella. Because his character spends much of the film listening, and because they didn't yet have an actress with whom he could rehearse, Eduardo decided to go to an abortion clinic for research. He had never been to an abortion clinic before. At the abortion clinic, he was overwhelmed by the sight of young women entering the clinic. He joined a group who was praying and was soon approached by a woman who wondered if he would speak to a couple who didn't speak any English. Not knowing what to say, but wanting to help, he agreed and ended up spending nearly an hour talking to the couple. Several months later, after returning home from filming Bella, Eduardo received a call from the man. They had a son and wanted permission to name him Eduardo.

The mission of Metanoia films is to "entertain, engage, and inspire," and they've started out with a bang in their first film. Bella is the story of two people who are hurting and are able to open up to each other. Nina is a waitress who discovers she is pregnant. José is a chef at his brother's restaurant who has closed up following tragedy. Together they discover the healing and hopeful power of love. This is a love story, but not a romance. It's about the love of family and the love of friendship. It's about risking everything for someone else.

The producers of the movie have made a conscious decision not to market the movie as a pro-life movie. They've made this movie for all the Nina's of the world, and they're hoping that not emphasizing the pro-life message in the advertising will enable them to get the movie out to mainstream audiences to touch those Nina's. Unfortunately, the movie isn't opening in Boston. The closest theater will be New York. But, I hear that Cardinal O'Malley will be hosting a screening.

Labels: movies, pro-life

I was once paid the ultimate compliment of being compared to Maureen O'Hara. In reality, we look nothing alike except for our red hair, but I'll still take it! Born August 17, 1920 in Ranelagh, Ireland, Maureen O'Hara, with her red hair and green eys, was perfectly suited to technicolor. A versatile actress, O'Hara excelled in both comedic and dramatic roles. Her athletic talents were frequently on display, especially in movies with her most famous co-star, John Wayne. In several adventure movies her prowess with a sword proved her the movies' only genuine female swashbuckling star.

In 1941 John Ford cast Maureen O'Hara in How Green Was My Valley, the beginning of a long professional and personal friendship between the two. Together they would make 4 more films including The Quiet Man. Ford considered O'Hara "the best bloody actress in Hollywood."

Check out The Wings of Eagles tonight at 6:00
Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne play in the true story of Frank "Spig" Wead, directed by John Ford. Wead was a personal friend of Ford's and the picture is as true to life as he could make it. Look for an outstanding performance by John Wayne as "Spig" Wead.

As Wead, John Wayne is excellent. He's a difficult fellow to like, especially because he turns away from his wife and family so often, but the Duke's full, 3-dimensional performance movingly captures the frustrations and dreams of this tragic character. In a sign of his commitment to the role, Wayne even went without his toupee for sequences as the older Wead. He's still John Wayne, though... Look for him doing the dishes in one scene; no one ever made it look more manly.

Read the rest of the TCM write-up here.

Labels: movies

Today TCM features one of my two favorite red-headed actresses (the other being Maureen O'Hara whose day is later in the month). Dubbed "The Perfect Wife" for her portrayal of Nora Charles in the 6 Thin Man movies and Milly Stephenson in The Best Years of Our Lives. (which she considered her best role), Myrna Loy was the epitome of style, wit and perfect comedic timing. After the original Thin Man movie catapulted her and co-star William Powell to stardom in 1934, she was voted "Queen of the Movies" by the fans in 1936 to Clark Gable's "King." Witty, intelligent, wise-cracking, and always feminine, she held her own against such stars as Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and especially William Powell with whom she would make 14 movies.

Fun Trivia: Myrna Loy was supposedly John Dillinger's favorite actress. It was her picture Manhattan Melodrama that he had just seen before he was gunned down in front of Chicago's Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934.

Check out: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer 11:30 PM Winner: Best Original Screenplay (Sidney Sheldon) 1947

Susan Turner, a teenager from a family of judges, falls for artist Richard Nugent, an older man, which causes complications, especially when her older sister, Judge Margaret Turner, falls for the same man. When Susan sneeks into Richard's apartment Judge Turner, following her uncle's advice, sentences him to "date" her teenage sister with the hope that Susan will soon tire of Richard. The result leaves both Susan and Margaret's boyfriends jealous and Richard acting like a teenager with Susan and trying to court Margaret. Also starring Cary Grant, Shirley Temple (as a teenager), and Rudy Vallee.

This film is filled with great one-liners. Watch for this exchange - it gets lots of play at my house:

Richard Nugent: Hey, you remind me of a man.
Susan Turner: What man?
Richard Nugent: Man with the power.
Susan Turner: What power?
Richard Nugent: Power of hoodoo.
Susan Turner: Hoodoo?
Richard Nugent: You do.
Susan Turner: Do what?
Richard Nugent: Remind me of a man...

Labels: movies

Dana Andrews was born January 1, 1909. He was an accountant with the Gulf Oil Company before making his debut at the Pasedena Playhouse in 1935 and signing a contract with Samuel Goldwyn abd 20th Century Fox. He was a popular leading mann of the 1940's, propelled to stardom in part because of a shortage of leading men in Hollywood during World War II. His laconic, matter of fact style was perfectly suited for his most famous role as Homicide Detective Mark McPherson obsessed with a murder victim in Laura.

Andrews suffered from alcholism and became the spokesman for the National Council on Alcholism once his own battle with alchol was under control. He also served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1963-1965.

Check out: The Best Years of Our Lives 8:00 PM Winner - Best Picture of 1947
Three men returning from World War II struggle to get readjusted to civilian life. Al Stephenson comes home to a family that has grown up while he was away. Fred Derry faces a job shortage and war bride he barely knows. Wounded, Homer Parrish has a harder time facing the pity and helpfulness of others than adjusting to physical challenges. This film deals perceptively and sensitively with the issues facing soliders and their families as they return home from war and remains just as pertinent today as in 1947. Also starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March (winner - Best Actor), Teresa Wright, Viginia Mayo and Hoagy Carmichael.

Look for an especially outstanding performance by Harold Russell who earned the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Homer Parrish, the wounded sailor, and a special Oscar "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans." Russell lost both his hands in an accident while working on an army film in 1944. William Wyler, director of The Best Years of Our Lives, saw him in an army training film and asked him to play the part of Homer, changed from a spastic to amputee, in the movie. Wyler encourgaged Russell to finish college after making the movie, noting that there are not many parts for someone without hands. Russell followed that advice, earning a business degree from Boston University and becoming a successful businessman as well as advocate for the handicapped. He lived in Massachusetts until his death in 2002. Russell is the only actor ever to win two Oscars for the same role.

Labels: movies

Time for Summer Under the Stars on TCM. Every August, Turner Classic Movies devotes each day to a different star. It's a great way to get to know about some new stars or to see some lesser known work of a big star - or to revisit a classic. This year started with a day of Elizabeth Taylor movies, followed by days dedicated to Peter O'Toole, Joan Crawford, William Holden, Jimmy Stewart, Robert Mitchum, and Jane Russell. Today's star is Dana Andrews. One of the fun things about Summer Under the Stars is that it's not always the same big stars who get a day. Elizabeth Taylor started it and Sean Connery is ending it, but in between there are days dedicated to Joan Bennett, Rosalind Russell, Ann Miller, and Broderick Crawford. And then there are a few stars whose names you might know, but whose movies you don't. Check out August 24 when Ronald Reagan is featured or August 28 with Roy Rogers or get acquainted with Hollywood in the early days with Buster Keaton on August 30.

So pop some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy some of the best Hollywood has to offer.

Labels: movies

Just for fun...

Match the title character to her last name:

1. Laura
2. Sabrina
3. Rebecca
4. Gilda
5. Marnie
6. Margie
7. Lili
8. Desiree
9. Lolita
10. Pinky


a. Mundson
b. Clary
c. Hunt
d. MacDuff
e. De Winter
f. Johnson
g. Haze
h. Fairchild
i. Daurier
j. Edgar

Labels: movies

Preston Sturges: The Filmmakers Collection is now available on DVD. Be still my beating heart! Sturges is one of my favorite directors. Screwball comedy is my favorite movie genre and Sturgest took it a a new level. His snappy, at times sarcastic, dialogue is considered by many to retain its freshness, even 60 years later. And, his movies are funny! I don't think anyone could match wits with Sturges.

The set contains 7 famous Sturges films made between 1940 and 1944. The titles include, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, Hail the Conquering Hero, Christmas in July, The Great McGinty, and The Great Moment. For some reason, Miracle a Morgan's Creek is missing - which will be a great loss for anyone who buys the set, though it doesn't matter to me because I already have it. In fact, amazingly, the only DVD in the collection that I already own is Hail the Conquering Hero.

This could make a great Christmas present!

Labels: movies

Glenn Ford
May 1, 1916 - August 30, 2006

Hollywood movie star Glenn Ford died Wednesday at the age of 90. When asked how he wanted to be remembered Ford replied, "he did his best and he believed in God."

Ford's movie career spanned 6 decades, with over 100 movies and numerous television productions. It's hard to believe today that he struggled to get his career going. Following several small roles at Columbia pictures in the late 30's, Ford joined the Marines and spent World War II building safe houses in France. It wasn't until after his return, with his role as Johnny Farrell in 1946's Gilda that he achieved stardom. Ford would be re-teamed with his Gilda co-star Rita Hayworth for three more pictures.

Over half of Glenn Ford's movies were westerns (he was called the fasted gun in Hollywood because he could draw and shoot in .04 seconds, faster than John Wayne or James Arness). Check out the appropriately titled, The Fasted Gun Alive. But, some of his most memorable movies were were also crime dramas, contemporary dramas, war movies, and comedies. In The Big Heat, he played a police detective who takes on a powerful crime syndicate, and in the process loses his wife (played by Marlon Brando's sister, Jocelyn Brando) to a car bomb. In Blackboard Jungle, Ford played a soft-spoken teacher who confronts inner-city delinquents (one of whom was Sidney Poitier, who would go on to play the teacher in To Sir With Love). In Ransom! he played a father whose son has been kidnapped, a role later revived by Mel Gibson. He would play a military captain in Teahouse of the August Moon with Marlon Brando; in The Courship of Eddie's Father he played the widowed father of a young and very cute Ronnie Howard, who is determined to find his father a round-eyed girl for his next wife.

In 1961, Glenn Ford won the only award of his career, a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Dave "The Dude" in Frank Capra remake of Pocket Full of Miracles, which he produced.

Glenn Ford often said that he didn't act, he just played himself. If so, he must have been quite a man.

Check out the six movie tribute to Glenn Ford on September 10 on TCM starting at 8AM.

Lineup:
8:00 AM The Desperadoes ('43)
9:30 AM Stolen Life ('46)
11:30 AM Gilda ('46)
1:30 PM Blackboard Jungle ('55)
3:30 PM The Teahouse of the August Moon ('56)
5:45 PM The Courtship of Eddie's Father ('63)

Labels: movies

Check out Barbara Stanwyck as she teaches Gary Cooper and his seven companions American slang in Ball of Fire. Stanwyck plays a stripper, Sugarplum O'Shea, who needs to hide out from the law for a while. What better place to hide than with a group of old professors (and one young one, played by Cooper) who are researching slang? Sugarplum teaches the professors how to cha-cha and teaches Cooper the meaning of "yum-yum"! Besides Stanwyck and Cooper, this film features delightful characters like S.Z Sakall, Dan Duryea, Elisah Cook, Jr., and a young Dana Andrews. Stanwyck is lots of fun as the jiving Sugarpuss, and Cooper is great as the nerdy, but very attractive, professor.

Labels: movies

Sidney Poitier was born 2 months premature, weighing just 3 pounds, to a poor Bahamian tomato farmer and his wife. His father went to the undertaker and returned with a coffin the size of a shoe box. His mother went to a fortune teller where she was told, "He will be rich and famous. Your name will be carried all over the world."

Poitier left the Bahamas at 16, heading first to Miami, where he encountered racism, and eventually to New York, where he encountered snow. He lived in train stations, bathrooms, under newspapers. He would listen to radio announcers and imitate them to improve his accent. Finally, after three years in America, he won a place as a student in the American Negro Theatre. Three years later, he was seen by a Hollywood talent scout and given a role in No Way Out with Linda Darnell and Richard Widmark. In 1958, he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in The Defiant Ones with Tony Curtis. In 1964, he was again nominated, and this time he won for Lilies of the Field, the story of German nuns who come to America and build a chapel, with the help of a drifter, on nothing but faith.

In 1997, the Bahamas appointed Poitier Ambassador to Japan. His name was carried all over the world.

Check out In the Heat of the Night with Rod Steiger. Poitier plays Philadelphia police detective, Virgil Tibbs, who is asked to help investigate a murder is a small, southern town. Steiger is the local sheriff, Chief Gillespie,who must keep peace among the town's racist population, and deal with his own racism. Tibbs poses several problems to the towns people besides his race. He is an outsder and his knowledge of forensics threatens to make the local police look ridiculous. Tibbs and Gillespie are finely drawn characters; as they work together they slowly come to the understanding they they have more in common than they want to admit, and even develop a grudging respect for each other. Thus, instead of an obvious movie with heavy-handed stereotypes, it is a subtle, wonderfully played gem.

Labels: movies

I wonder if there's something in the air? Every time I'm thinking of a post, Dom posts it. This weekend, I already had Fr. Cantalamessa's comments on Ephesians picked out for comment, when I found Dom's post. Not so surprising you say, since it was the main topic of conversation this weekend.

But, now Dom's commenting on Hollywood and asking why Hollywood is so liberal. I've been thinking about the same idea, though from a little different angle for a few days. While doing research on all the classic movie stars being featured on TCM this month, I've been amazed that the number of stars who gave of themselves to their country in different ways, especially during World War II.

Many stars enlisted in the military, especially the Air Force. Jimmy Stewart was the first Hollywood star to enlist. He enlisted as a private in the Air Force after being reject by the Navy for being underweight. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and seven battle stars, becoming one of the most decorated stars in Hollywood. Stewart would stay in the Air Force Reserve after the war, eventually becoming a brigadier general, the highest ranking military officer in Hollywood. Clark Gable enlisted as a private, though he was over draft age, and flew missions over Nazi Germany; Tyrone Power joined the Marines and flew wounded Marines out of Iwo Jima; Alan Ladd thought it his duty to go to war, considering it "embarrasing to be living in the lap of luxury in Hollywood when other men were out dying"; Eddie Albert earned the Bronze Star for his action as a naval officer aiding the Marines at the battle of Tarawa; Lee Marvin was a U.S. Marine sniper/scout and was wounded on Iwo Jima; Leslie Howard was killed when his plane was shot down by the Luftwaffe.

Not all stars could join the military, but they helped out in a variety of ways. Carole Lombard was killed when her plane crashed returning to Hollywood after a bond drive in her hometown. Kay Kyser, Bette Davis, and John Garfield started the Hollywood Canteen where soldiers stationed on the West Coast could socialize and maybe bump into a movie star volunteer. Marlene Dietrich ignored Hitler's summons to go back to her native Germany and instead entertained American troops all over Europe - as close to the front as she could get. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and many others conducted USO tours. Frank Capra directed a series of military films called Why We Fight, while other stars who remained at home, like John Wayne, Fred Astaire, and Judy Garland made movies that portrayed America as noble and winning the war or light-hearted movies for the troops and those they left behind. Hedy Lamarr invented "frequency hopping" with George Antheil as well as working on many bond drives; one story goes that she raised $7 million in one day selling bonds - by offering a kiss to each buyer. James Cagney brought the most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, to Hollywood. Murphy starred in The Red Badge of Courage and To Hell and Back (where he played himself).

These stars gave of their time, their celebrity, their fortunes, and their lives to serve their country. As I think about Hollywood today, just 60 years later, there aren't many stars I can picture who would be willing to do the same.

Labels: movies

Ingrid Bergman is best known for her role of Ilsa opposite Humphrey Bogart's Rick in Cassablanca. But, she could play a variety of roles, and even some comedy. In 1945 Bergman had starring roles in such various films as Saratoga playing a New Orleans vixen with Gary Cooper, in Hichcock's Spellbound as a pyschiatrist with Gregory Peck, opposite Bing Crosby as a nun in The Bells of St. Mary's. The next year, she played the extremely complex role of a woman who is bent on self destruction until she is redeemed by the love of a federal agent, played by Cary Grant, in Hitchcock's espionage thriller, Notorious. Ingrid Bergman won three Oscars - for Best Actress in Gaslight and Anastasia and Best Supporting Actress for Murder on the Orient Express.

Fun fact: Bergman was 5' 10" so she especially liked working with Gary Cooper - she didn't have to take off her shoes!

Check out Ingrid Bergman in Cactus Flower with Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn, in her screen debut (which won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar). In this farce, Matthau plays a dentist whose young girlfriend, Hawn, believes that he's married with children. When he finally agrees to leave his wife and marry his girlfriend, he runs into all kinds of problems. You see, he's not really married, but his girlfriend wants to meet his wife! Matthau persuades his receptionist, Bergman, to play the part of his wife, causing the prickly receptionist to blossom like the cactus flower of the title.

Labels: movies

Hedy Lamarr, the Viennese beauty, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, was more than just a pretty face, though she once famously quipped, "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid." Through her first husband, Hedy had been personally aquainted with Hitler, whom she hated and feared. After she escaped from her husband, she wrangled a contract from Louis B. Mayer and began to make her way in Hollywood. There, she met George Antheil, a composer. Together with Antheil, Lamarr invented a way of radio controlling torpedos using "frequency hopping", called spread spectrum. The invention used slotted paper rolls similar to player-piano rolls to synchronize the frequency changes in transmitter and receiver and it was cumbersome. When the transitor was invented, the technology could be applied more easily. It is still in use today in secure military communications and cell phones.

Interesting fact: Hedy Lamarr owned the house used in the filming of The Sound of Music at the time it was filmed.

Labels: movies

What can you say about "The Duke"? His presence was larger than life. You could say that, in a sense, he personified the American Spirit, fighting his way through the Old West and nearly every war America ever entered. While other stars of Hollywood's Golden Age entered retirement, the Duke never quit, working steadily through the '60's and into the '70's. His final film The Shootist is about an old gunfighter, who has learned that he has cancer and is looking to live out his last days in peace and quiet. Like his character, J.B. Books, Wayne died of cancer 2 years later. On June 9, 1979, the Archbishop of Panama arrived at the hospital and baptized Wayne into the Roman Catholic Church. He died 2 days later and was given a Catholic funeral service.

He once said, "I don't want ever to appear in a film that would embarrass a viewer. A man can take his wife, mother, and his daughter to one of my movies and never be ashamed or embarrassed for going."

Check out John Wayne with his most famous leading lady, Maureen O'Hara tonight in McClintock!. This western take on the Shakespeare classic The Taming of the Shrew is Wayne and O'Hara at their comedic best in an all-out battle of the sexes. Wayne plays George Washington McClintock and O'Hara is his wife, Katherine. G.W. is a land and cattle baron whose wife, Katherine has packed up and moved back East to "civilization", but returns to greet their daughter returning from school. Fireworks ensue between G.W. and Katherine as he attempts to learn why she left. The feud eventually ends in a decidedly chauvanistic (but still lots of fun) finale at the town's Fourth of July picnic. Look for sparks to fly between McClintock's daughter, played by Stefanie Powers, and his new hired hand, played by the Duke's son Patrick Wayne as well. This boisterous, raucous western is filled with laughs.

Labels: movies

Suave and debonair, Cary Grant excelled at screwball comedy, romancing the ladies, adventure, and arousing fear and suspicion - not for nothing was he one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite leading men. Grant even brought class to the one role in which he played a "drunk, disgusting, irasible, misanthropic character", Walter Eckland in Father Goose; even then he won over the girl (and girls).

Check out Grant at his screwiest in Arsenic and Old Lace with Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, and Jack Carson. Grant plays Mortimer Brewster, a New York drama critic, whose family is...well, a little derranged. His younger brother thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, his older brother looks like Boris Karloff, and his aunts are full of compassion for those who are alone in the world...to the point of sending them out of the world. It all adds up to a black comedy with lots of laughs.

Labels: movies

Jimmy Stewart's aw-shucks, country boy demeanor may have seemed odd at first for a star, but his shy, engaging manner soon won the hearts of the movie-going public.

Stewart's country boy, idealistic appearance made him a natural for Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Stewart plays a naive man who is chosen to fill a vacant spot in the Senate left by the death of the junior senator. He idolizes the senior senator, but soon finds out that the senator is part of a graft machine in his state. Stewart refuses to fall in with the wishes of the machine leading to one of the best David and Goliath fights on screen. The fight culminates in the famous fillibuster scene which served to cement Stewart's on-screen persona as the common man with dignity, striving to live up to his ideals.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a must see. It has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and is number 29 on the AFI top 100 list.

Labels: movies

Who are you?

My sister sent me this quiz a while ago and I thought I would post it now - it seems to fit in with the Summer Under the Stars theme of August.

There's only 10 questions so it doesn't take long. Answer each question with
the choice that most describes you at this point in your life, and then add
up the points that correspond with your answers and find out which movie star you are.

1. Which describes your perfect date?

a) Candlelight dinner for two
b) Amusement Park
c) Rollerblading in the park
d) Rock Concert
e) Have dinner & see a movie
f) Dinner at home with a loved one

2. What is your favorite type of music?

a) Rock and Roll
b) Alternative
c) Soft Rock
d) Classical
e) Christian
f) Jazz

3. What! is your favorite type of movie?

a) Comedy
b) Horror
c) Musical
d) Romance
e) Documentary
f) Mystery

4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only these
choices?

a) Waiter/Waitress
b) Sports Player
c) Teacher
d) Policeman
e) Bartender
f) Business person

5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste?

a) Work out
b) Make out
c) Watch TV
d) Listen to the radio
e) Sleep
f) Read

6. Of the following colors, which do you like best?

a) Yellow
b) White
c) Sky blue
d) Teal
e) Gold
f) Red

7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now?

a) Ice cream
b) Pizza
c) Sushi
d) Pasta
e) Salad
f) Lobster Tail

8. Which is your favorite holiday?

a) Halloween
b) Christmas
c) New Year's
d) Valentine's Day
e) Thanksgiving
f) Fourth of July

9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it be?

a) Reno
b) Spain
c) Las Vegas
d) Hawaii
e) Hollywood
f) British Columbia

10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with?

a) Someone who is smart
b) Someone with good looks
c) Someone who is a party animal
d) Someone who has fun all the time
e) Someone who is very emotional
f) Someone who is fun to be with



Now total up your points on each question:

1. a-4 b-2 c-5 d-1 e-3 f-6
2. a-2 b-1 c-4 d-5 e-3 f-6
3. a-2 b-1 c-3 d-4 e-5 f-6
4. a-4 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-1 f-6
5. a-5 b-4 c-2 d-1 e-3 f-6
6. a-1 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-4 f-6
7. a-3 b-2 c-1 d-4 e-5 f-6
8. a-1 b-3 c-2 d-4 e-5 f-6
9. a-4 b-5 c-1 d-4 e-3 f-6
10. a-5 b-2 c-1 d-3 e-4 f-6



NOW, take your total and find out which Movie Star you are:

(10-17 points) You are MADONNA: You are wild and crazy and you know it. You
know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are
doing though, and are much in control of your own life. People don't always
see things your way, but that doesn't mean that you should do away with your
beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself
and others.

(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY: You are fun, friendly, and popular! You
are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share
of times, yet you come home with the values that your mother taught
you. Marriage
and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don't
let the people you please influence you to stray.

(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS: You are cute, and everyone loves
you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing. You never
hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a breeze. You
are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back stabbers, and
you are worry-free.

(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY: You are a lover. Romance, flowers,
and wine are all you need to enjoy yourself. You are serious about all
commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and
never forget a Birthday. Don't let your passion for romance get confused
with the real thing.

(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN: You are smart, a real thinker.
Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and
body. You don't take crap from anyone. You have only a couple of individuals
that you consider "real friends". You teach strong family values. Keep
your feet
planted in them, but don't overlook a bad situation when it does happen.

(51-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Everyone is in awe of you. You
know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know
what to do with. Your word is your bond. Everyone knows when you say
something it is money in the bank. You attract the opposite sex. Your
intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to
photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and
lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.

Labels: movies