Sunday Movie Review: "Hands Across The Table" (1935)

Yes, I am alive, and yes, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet!

I know I was supposed to do a SMR last Sunday, but I was way too busy, I had a nasty cold, & so I missed it. So yes, it's been three whole weeks since I've done a review but here I am this Sunday with one & I assure you it was a really great film in fact, so hopefully that'll make up for my screwing up the SMR schedule. And for not writing in like, nearly two weeks, which isn't a very long time for most bloggers but then this is the girl who used to write like every single day. I do miss that. ;) 

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HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE (1935): Cast, plot details

Hotel manicurist Regi Allen is a cynical golddigger who meets her match in Theodore 'Ted' Drew III. After a date with Ted, she lets him sleep on her couch when he's too drunk to go further; but what is she to think when he wants to extend the arrangement? [from IMdb]

• Carole Lombard as Regi Allen
• Fred MacMurray as Theodore Drew III
• Ralph Bellamy as Allen Macklyn

THE VERDICT:  ★★★★

This is a charming romantic comedy starring two of the experts on the genre, with plenty of both funny & sentimental moments. Give it a watch.

I really enjoyed this mostly light, sentimental romantic comedy! I mean, it's not one of my new all-time favorite films but I had fun watching it and laughing at all of the punchlines. It was a film that really did put a smile on my face. I recently bought The Carole Lombard Glamour Collection box set which contains six films (and I got it  for about $10, isn't that incredible?), one of which is this and I'll be pleased to own it because I did really like it.

Carole Lombard is right at home with this type of comedy; not exactly screwball in this (though that is, of course, what she is the queen of) but still really funny. It was one of greatest Carole's assets, her ability to make even small actions seem hilarious. Like, for example, there's one scene in which she tries to wake up Fred MacMurray by loudly shaking a teacup. So yes, if you need just one reason to watch this film, it's Carole, because she's just adorable and lovely as always in this.

Fred MacMurray has great chemistry opposite her. As we all know, he can do drama wonderfully (a la Double Indemnity), but I also enjoy him in his fluffy roes and this is one of them. He and Carole doing comedy together are so wonderful! They had a few other pairings and I don't think I've seen any of them (or I might've & I'm just blanking right now), but I'll definitely be looking forward to watching them now. Ralph Bellamy plays as he always does, the man who doesn't get the girl, and you can't help but feel especially sorry for him in this because he's wheelchair bound. 

Maybe the plot isn't thrilling or original, but the stars really make it shine. I was kind of surprised that the censors okayed the idea of Carole and Fred's unmarried characters sharing an apartment (because Fred's fiancé thinks he's in Bermuda, except he missed the boat because he got drunk after a date with Carole and landed up on her couch, and well - well, it's hard to explain), even though during Fred's stay there are uninvolved and Fred sleeps on Carole's couch. Oh, well, I really liked this movie, it was charming & fun & light and you should definitely give it a watch!

PHOTOS & TRIVIA

• Samuel Goldwyn originally wanted Miriam Hopkins for the Carole Lombard role, but she was unavailable
• Gary Cooper was the first choice for the Fred MacMurray role

A MOVIE TIDBIT


You can also find the whole movie on Youtube.

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That's all for this Sunday, and once more, I apologize for messing up the SMR!

Also, the poll closed sometime ago. Ingrid won by one vote, and I do believe I will actually write a post about it, that should be up in a week or so, as I already have something planned for this week.

See you soon! :)

Book Review | "Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado"

I have a book review for you today, dear readers! I'm an avid reader of Classic Hollywood biographies and I always love the opportunity to do book reviews for them. Today's review will be for Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado by Wes D. Gehring, a book I received 'long ago' for Christmas.

***

CAROLE LOMBARD: THE HOOSIER TORNADO 

BY WES D. GEHRING 

264 pages | Published: October 2003 | Indiana Historical Society

★★★

How can it not be exciting to read about Carole Lombard? Because honestly, who can say that they don't love Carole - Carole, our screwball queen. Carole, who was dubbed the "Profane Angel" because she swore like a sailor (Fred MacMurray complimented, "She swore like a man - some women try, but she really did.") but had blonde, blue eyed angelic beauty. Carole, who was the better half of Carole & Clark (Gable), a couple that was true product of Hollywood royalty to a Depression era audience. And Carole, who died tragically and certainly prematurely in a plane that crashed into the Nevada mountains in January 1942, killing her instantly.

So I was really excited to jump into this biography. As of 2012, it's the only easily available, in print work on Carole's life so I was really crossing my fingers that it would be good. I'm sorry to report that for me, at least, it fell terribly short.

I am far from an expert on Carole's life and body of work, but being an avid reader of Old Hollywood bios I could tell this book did her no justice. Firstly, the actual biographical portion of this book (so this is albeit a preface, prologue, epilogue, filmography, notes, & "selective" bibliography) comes down to 200 pages, easily the shortest bio I've read. Now, I know Carole died young (at 33), but I think her life was intense enough to fill up more than 200 (short in ratio, double spaced) pages, don'tcha think?

This book was the first to premiere in what is a series of Indiana biographies, life stories of famous people who were born in the Hoosier state. Carole was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana and left the state at the age of six only to return on a few occasions. This is not to say blue collar Carole was ashamed of her Fort Wayne roots; only that Hollywood kept her busy. I'm sure Carole was a proud Hoosier, considering her patriotism and ability to schmooze with "the man on the street" or any "Walter Mitty", despite being a glamorous movie star. 

Anyhow, considering this, and also that this book was published by the Indiana Historical Society, it became clear to me from the start that the sole point that the author was setting out to prove, throughout the book's slim life, was Carole's Indiana roots. Gehring has an annoying habit of obsessively using the same word multiple times, which gets tedious, especially in a book so short - "Hoosier" is one of them. He brings up every apt opportunity to use this word, even if it doesn't apply to Carole - sometimes taking up three sentences describing the Hoosier roots of another famous Indiana native, like Irene Dunne. (Usually I wouldn't care about three sentences but in a book this short every word is precious). I mean, WE GET IT. SHE WAS BORN IN INDIANA. But she's in Hollywood making pictures now, so get over it! Still *sighs* being an Indiana Historical Society book, and the title alone should entail this, so I can't complain: I had coming. (You know some other words Gehring has an obsessive habit of overusing? You'll be sure to see "catalyst" and "smoke screen" on ever page.)

The research for this biography also seems quite poor. Gehring could more or less have Googled quite a lot of in the information. Also, he quotes on more than one occasion passages from other biographies, and then takes the time to agree or disagree with that previous biographer's statement, when the honest truth is that he ran out of information and is simply trying to fill pages with this hogwash. And if it's not passages from other biographies, it's snippets from what Gehring refers to as "period reviews." It's nice to read these, but one or two snippets will do. Gehring pulls out about ten after each Carole film.

Another issue for me was the photographs, which are a joke. Gehring produces no interesting or new photographs; and nothing rare or candid. The collection of photos are small, sprinkled about the pages rather than inputed in a few glossaries at different intervals throughout the book, as most biographers do. Even worse; whatever little photographs there are, some of them aren't even of Carole. Instead there are photographs of Charlie Chaplin, George Stevens, W.C Fields, etc. if they happen to have  been mentioned on the page. I think that's ridiculous but it doesn't surprise me considering that Gehring spares plenty of paragraphs on information about other actors or directors that is insufficient to a biography of Carole Lombard.

Okay, now that we've gotten most of the cons of this book out, I must admit, there are a few pros which is why I manage to give this biography three stars. One of which is that Gehring obviously does have affection for his subject, restraining from throwing her under the bus at any point, which is something I incredibly admire for any biographer. I can't stand a biographer who writes a book simply to tear their subject apart; even though this isn't exactly good either, I much rather prefer a biographer who sticks with their subject through and through. And Gehring obviously likes Carole, likes her movies, has warmth for her, etc. which is nice.

The coverage of her films is pretty much consistent, though some reviews I read on Amazon written by hard core Carole fans accuse Gehring of skipping over some movies. (This is probably wrong of me, but when I read a bio I'm more excited to learn about the person's personal life than the movies they made... because I can always just watch the movies, so I'm not really a fan of three page summaries with spoilers.) His cover of her personal life also is not awful either, though I have a feeling - knowing how playful Carole was - there were more stories to have been shared. I loved reading about the pranks she pulled (sending Clark a rubber ham with his face on it for example), about her campaign to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939) (even conjuring up a crazy plot with Gary Cooper to help herself get the role), and her attempts to become a parent with Clark (one friend claimed that they would have even made love hanging out the window if it would have gotten Carole pregnant).

I also really enjoyed a detailed coverage over the ranch style house Carole & Clark bought in the San Fernando Valley. It seems like the second and third floors were turned into his and hers bedroom suites, and it was really interesting to read the descriptions and contrasting styles of the two! Clark's bedroom suite was all manly mahogany, whereas Carole's was elegant down to the chandeliers, pale blue color scheme, & white fur throw rugs. (She once described her bathroom in a way only Carole could put it, "the most elegant sh*thouse in the San Fernando Valley".)

As for Gehring's coverage of her plane crash in the Nevada mountains, he covers it in the prologue as if trying to be clever, but sums it up "she died in the plane with her mother, instantly killed" and that's it. No in depth analysis or anything. Just finished and close. The actual end of the biography (excluding the epilogue) ends equally abruptly, very suddenly, & you think since there's an epilogue there will be more closure but there's only a short discussion of the box office receipts of To Be or Not to Be (1942) and a note to the S.S Carole Lombard, the ship christened in her name after her death. Therefore, Gehring doesn't want to talk about the plane crash at all. And it's not something pleasant to write about but, you know, honestly? (As her note, her childhood, which was given about fifteen quick pages, was not done well either.)

This was a brisk, brief biography, leaving a lot to be desired. Though it shares a few nice stories, it just doesn't do someone like Carole Lombard justice. For that matter, since it's only 200 pages (I'm not including the other 56 pages of filler), it's not a waste of time - nothing about Carole could be a waste of time - so I'm not going to advise you to avoid it... just to know that it falls really short. If you would like to purchase it, you can do so here.

One nice touch was a poem inscribed in the beginning of the book that I thought really cutely describes the genre Carole is most famous for, and so I'll  close this book review with just that.

Carole Lombard (1908 - 1942)

 

CAROLE LOMBARD: THE SCREWBALL GIRL

by Wes D. Gehring 

"Screwball comedy is essentially about 

The crazy rich girl next door

And the comic antohero boy

Who doesn't love her... at first

And though there are several

Recipes available to create

This fruitcake of a genre

All require lots of mixed nuts

For best results, add one 

Zany heiress to the world

Of some mild -mannered male,

Unaware of his own unhappiness

Then sprinkle lightly with comic

Character actors, childlike pets,

And oodles of decadent playtime

In the most la-de-da of settings

Stand back as the ingredients start

To bubble, noting how the male's goose

Is cooked as the screwball heorine 

Wears him out with her wackiness

Properly pampered, this comedy dish

Has served audiences endlessly since

The 1930s, Hollywood's version of the loaves

And the fishes, in 35mm topsyturvydom."

***

That's all, hope you liked the review, and if you have any questions be sure to ask! Or perhaps you read the book and prefer to defend Wes D. Gehring from my wrath, pitch in! ;D 

Happy Valentine's Day | 6 Favorite Couples

Happy Valentine's Day, readers!

Since February 14th is officially the sappiest day of the year, I thought I'd talk about my six favorite Classic Hollywood couples! {Legit couples, not the ones that only exist in my head... like the Pidgeons... and the
Powells... and Errolivia... and Ingrid and Cary...}

Well, yeah, here we go. Hope this'll get you all in a sappy mood! :D Oh, and guess what, this is actually for once in order, though I wouldn't put too much weight into the order of these couples, until you get to my number one. I'm going to completely dumbfound you all when you see who I've chosen for that spot. COMPLETELY, guys. ;)

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  6.                                               

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner | November 1951 - July 1957


I knew their relationship was tumultuous, and then I read Lee Server's biography about Ava and I learned so much more about these two! Frava definitely did have a stormy relationship. The book I read went into detail about some of their fights, when plates went flying and it didn't matter who was around. But they also loved each other a lot, and this combination makes me think of Lucy and Desi, who admittedly would "love and fight furiously." Any any couple that reminds me of Desilu, well, I'm bound to like. :)

Albeit the fact they couldn't say together, and there were all those terrible fights, I think Frank and Ava in general would make a good pair. I think of Ava as the barefooted free spirit ought of a poor town in North Carolina, who liked to party and dance and have a good time. Frank's liveliness is a good match, I think.

 D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Frank gave Ava her first Corgi, which she named Rags. This hooked Ava on a sort of a Corgi obsession, she would keep Corgis until she died. After Rags, she had Cara, and after that, Morgan, who was with her when she died and was then taken in (along with her housekeeper) by good friend Gregory Peck.
• The statue of her from The Barefoot Contessa (1954) was gifted to Frank, who kept it in his backyard garden long after the divorce. Finally, upon marrying Barbara Marx, she forced him to get rid of it.
• Frank's nickname for Ava was "Angel."

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 5.    

                                                                                                      Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall | May 1945 - his death

I didn't really know much about Bogie and Bacall until I read Lauren's fantastic autobiography, By Myself and Then Some, last fall. I don't really know all the nitty gritty details about their relationship, and I've heard rumors that things got bad for them towards the end, but I don't know if it's true or not. All I know is the picture Lauren painted in her book, and that picture of this couple was sweet and wonderful to read about, and that's the way I'd like to think of them. :) If you'll remember, in my review of her book, I said that upon reading about Bogie's death I just burst into tears. It really got to me, and I could feel Lauren's suffering at the time. Also, in her book, she described several occasions where Bogie would call her in the middle of the night and tell her to please come, because he genuinely needed her, and that's just asdfghjkl. 

I really find these two adorable and am endeared by the fact that, despite their great age difference, they truly were a couple that could stick. After all, they never divorced - it was Bogie's death that broke them apart.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Bogie and Bacall were married on May 21st, 1945 at the farm home of a Pulitzer Prize winning author in Ohio.
• Lauren placed a small, gold whistle in his coffin, a symbol of the famous line she tells him in To Have and Have Not (1944) - the movie that on the set of they fell in love - "You know how to whistle, don't you? Just put your lips together and blow."
• Bogie's nickname for Lauren was "Baby."

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4. 

                                                                                                      Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier | August 1940 - January 1961

Viv and Larry, these two! I learned a lot about them by watching this documentary, The Oliviers in Love. These two is just another couple that you could really tell truly loved each other, and you can feel that love when you watch them together on screen or, better yet, see personal photos, telegrams, etc. You all probably knew it anyway, but the premiere website for these two is vivandlarry.com. It has a lot of wonderful photos and etc.

Viv and Larry are really just a perfect pair, though! Besides them both being British and beautiful, they're just lovely together. Too bad they couldn't last, Vivien's struggles with her bipolar disorder really put strains on their marriage.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Viv and Larry were married at a ranch in Santa Barbara, with Katharine Hepburn as her maid of honor. They later honeymooned on Ronald Colman's yacht.
• Vivien had an affair with Peter Finch and was ready to leave Larry for the other actor. Just as Vivien was about to board the plane with her lover, Larry wooed her into staying back. This was the basis for the 1963 film The V.I.Ps, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
• Viv called Larry "Baba", and he always referred to her as "Pussycat."

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3. 

     Clark Gable and Carole Lombard | March 1939 - her death

Clark and Carole are just plain amazingness. I don't know how could you not love the two of them together because they are just perfection. I mean, they used to go duck hunting early in the morning in red thermal underwear. They were just best friends and they did all these things together. Lucy and Desi were good friends with these two, and Lucy in her autobiography recounted how she kept hoping her marriage with Desi could be like Clark and Carole's. Because they were just that awesome. 

And then, the tragedy that was Carole's death in that awful plane crash. Lucy also wrote that after Carole's death, Clark used to tear around the San Fernando Valley on his motorcycle and she was convinced he was trying to kill himself. So she'd invite Clark over to the Desilu Ranch and they'd talk about Carole and watch her films. Such a tragic ending to a couple that was just so perfect together.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Carole had a little dachshund named Commissioner who would completely ignore Clark during their marriage. After her death, the dog never left Clark's side.
• After Carole read Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Carole sent Clark a copy of the book with a note saying, "Let's do it!" Clark took this as a sexual advance and called up Carole. When he learned she wanted to play Scarlett to his Rhett in a movie version, he scoffed and said he'd never do such a mushy movie. When he actually did do the film in 1939, he only agreed to it on account of the salary, so he could divorce his current wife and marry Carole.
• Carole called Clark "Pa" and he called her "Ma".

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2. 

     Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy | 1942 - his death

This is the only couple on this list that was never really married. But it doesn't matter, because in my head, you know, they're married anyway. :) They made some of the most amazing movies together, these two. My favorites would probably have to be Woman of the Year (1942) and Adam's Rib (1949). I just love seeing these two on screen, because they have perfect chemistry. It's sad that they couldn't get married in real life, but I guess Kate wasn't really one to be gung ho over marriage anyway. What's important is how well they suited each other. 

I'll wrap this up by saying that they are just you know, excellent. They are Kate and Spence. I mean, really, what more can I say?? If you've ever seen a movie with the two of them you'll just know all the feelings that I'm referring to. <3

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• The night Spence died, he got up to get a drink of milk. Kate followed him, but before she got there she heard a thud and the sound of glass shattering. She found Spence lying dead on the floor, having been a victim of a heart attack. The year was 1967 - Kate would die thirty six years later.
• Kate never watched Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), their last film together, because the memories were too painful. Nor did she attend Spence's funeral, out of respect for his family. She did, however, call his wife, offering her condolences and wanting to patch up any hard feelings between them. To this, Louise Tracy replied, "I thought you were a rumor."
• They were first introduced by Joseph Mankiewicz on the set of Woman of the Year (1942), to which Kate sized Spence up and said, "I'm afraid I may be too tall for you, Mr. Tracy." To this, Joe replied, "Don't worry - he'll cut you down to size."

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1. 

     Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz | November 1940 - May 1960 

Ohhh, guys, excuse me, I must get my Kleenax out. I must. :) Okay, I've got my box. Okay, I can go on now. I swear, these two always tear me up. Their story is just amazing, and I have yet to see one like it. ♥ I could really go on for hours, but don't worry, I won't. 
I love how when

Lucy first saw Desi, it really was a love at sight (though she would 
claim it took a "full five minutes"!). As everybody knows, their marriage was far

from perfect, and I'm not saying it was. But then, what marriage is perfect 
(save the Minivers)? Of course, the

problems in their marriage were tough and it's what ultimately let to the divorce of course. But the 

fact is they

always loved and cared for each other, even after the divorce. There are so many things to prove that. 

I just love so many things about these two.

This is my official favorite couple, and I just love reading all the sweet amazing things. Their story really 

was amazing. Marcella Rabwin, one of their close friends, once said, "Their relationship was so deep in

 it scared me." As well as, "They loved each other more than any other famous lovers in history."

I guess so.

D I D  Y O U  K N O W? {My Favorite Facts}

• Lucy and Desi’s original wedding band was a cheap ring from Woolworth’s. They eloped in Greenwich, Connecticut, on a Saturday, and all the jewelry stores in town were closed. So this was their only option. Lucy loved it, and always kept it, no matter how green and skinny it got, and even when Desi replaced it with a bejeweled ring.
• Desi died from lung cancer on December 2^nd, 1986. Two days before, Lucy called Desi up. Lucie was nursing Desi and she heard her parents conversation, for she had to hold the phone to her father’s ear – he was too weak to hold it himself. What Lucy told Desi was, “I love you, I love you Desi, I love you.” To this replied, “I love you too, honey.” Lucy was one of the last people to speak to Desi, for he died forty eight hours later. This conversation had taken place on November 30^th, which would have been their forty-sixth wedding anniversary.
• Lucy made an attempt to divorce Desi in 1944. The day before she was schedule to appear in court, Desi called her up and asked her what he was doing that evening. She said, “You know I’m divorcing you tomorrow,” to which he replied, “Yes, I know, but I’d like to take you out to dinner.” She gave in and he did. They spent the night together. The next morning Desi woke up to Lucy getting herself dolled up for court. “You’re not going to go through with it now, are you?” he asked her. She said, “I’ve got to, the press is expecting me.” She went, got the divorce, satisfied the press, and returned home and instantly annulled the divorce. The law in California at the time was it took a year for a divorce to become final, and if the parties had an affair in that time, it was annulled. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

***

Well, that's it for this Valentine's Day. I love Old Hollywood couples. Celebrity marriages don't have a

habit of sticking, but at least back then it was geninue love and not, you know, lust - and marriages lasted

more than two minutes.

Hope you have a swell Valentine's Day, or, if February 14th isn't really your thing, that you had a good
day anyway :)

xoxo 

Sunday Movie Review: "Made for Each Other" (1939)

Hello lovelies,

Firstly, a big thank you to Clara at Via Margutta 51 for publicizing my "Classic Hollywood Thanksgiving [In Emails]" as recommend reading on her blog's Facebook page! (As well as my friend Natalie who shared the link to the post on her blog). And also a big thank you to everyone who left such sweet comments complimenting my post. I'm glad everyone liked it. :)


Now, onto the Sunday Movie Review. This Sunday I present to you "Made for Each Other", released in Hollywood's Golden Year:  1939.

***

The poster: I really like it. I think it's very neatly done. Quiet honest by screaming "heartbreak"!

The plot:

Charming singles Jane (Carole Lombard) and John (James Stewart) enthusiastically fall in love, get hitched and have a baby. But soon enough, harsh realities -- including meddling in-laws, money problems and a family illness -- intrude on the couple's dream of living happily ever after. While the floundering lovebirds may be meant for each other, they'll have to work together to weather life's ups and downs. [from Netflix]

The starring players:

• Carole Lombard as Jane Mason
• Jimmy Stewart as John Mason
• Charles Coburn as Judge Joseph Doolittle

The verdict: 

3.5/5

This film stars two of my favorite people, Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard. That alone should be a reason to watch this film - and honestly, when I rented this out from Netflix, I didn't know exactly what it was about, only that I was looking forward to seeing Jimmy and Carole together. You have those two, and then you throw in the fabulous Charles Coburn, not to mention this is produced by David O. Selznick - in the same year he'd be releasing "Gone With the Wind." (I'm guessing this was one of his many side projects during the production of The Epic Film).

I was looking through the reviews for this movie on Netflix and I was appalled by the bad reviews it was getting: 2 stars, even 1 star! It certainly wasn't as bad as all that. I think the biggest flaw in this film, and what prevented it from me being able to give it a full four stars, was the strange story structure and awkward plot. This film really brings definition to the "dramedy". I think for the first hour of the movie it did well with this and stayed consistent. The last half an hour, which consists of a family tragedy, a faulty airplane, and a snowstorm threw everything off. The last half hour was so melodramatic you didn't really know how to react because the earlier part of the film had been touching on comedic at points.

This made the film overall messy, and it kind of felt like too many things were trying to be crammed into one film. But onto the acting: Jimmy Stewart is in the niche of the roles he was typecast for - the idealistic, all American boy. These were the roles he was made for, the roles we love him best in, and so obviously he does well. Then there is Carole as his sympathetic wife and she is also lovely. This is probably the first drama I have seen the Queen of Screwball in, and though I do like her better in comedies, that isn't to say I didn't like her in this because I really did. She is quite adorable in the way she puts up with her annoying mother-in-law ("I won't say anything, I won't say anything, I won't say anything!" she mutters through gritted teeth) and playing the doting mother of their baby boy. 

As for the pairing of the two, I thought their chemistry was pretty good though they did not get many scenes to show it off. So it may be better put by saying, "Their chemistry had potential." Teensy tiny Carole (5'2) was about a head shorter than Jimmy Stewart which I found pretty funny. :) Then there was Charles Coburn as the Judge and I also thought he was quite good. He was a character you didn't like at first but by the end you'll be able to warm up to him.

The bottom line:

This movie's fault does not fall in the acting but in the plot. Had the ending not been so dragged out with such melodrama I think I would have been able to give this movie four stars. I wouldn't discourage you to watch it. if you are a big fan of Jimmy and Carole, or just want to see the two paired together, then go ahead and watch it; it's only an hour and a half. Disappointing towards the end but otherwise a nice sentimental film about a couple "made for each other" trying to scrimp and pinch to make things work for them.

Some photos:

Some trivia:

• A special effects technician was killed when he fell from a 40 foot catwalk while trying to release balloons for the New Year's Eve party scene. I must say, he died in vain...
• Both Carole and Jimmy would reprise these roles for the lovely Lux Radio Theatre, just not at the same time. Carole would in February of 1940 and Jimmy in December of 1945.
• The melodramatic tragedy at the end of the movie was based on David O. Selznick's real life experiences with his critically ill brother. But was this really the right movie to add that into?

A movie tidbit:

You can watch the whole movie here

***

That's it for this week's SMR. I'm back to school tomorrow after four days of vacation for Thanksgiving :( Not to mention I have some pretty major standardized tests to take on Wednesday (which also happens to be Lucy and Desi's would be 71st wedding anniversary... (; ) But this week also marks the beginning of December and Christmastime. I can hardly wait! :D

Happy Halloween! ♥

Hello readers,

I'm having a great day. I discovered that I got one of the leads in the school play, and it also happens to be Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays! ♥


Though now I'd probably have to list Christmas as my favorite holiday, when I was a little kid Halloween was my favorite. Trick or treating always seemed so exciting - though, to be fair, it was never the candy I cared about. Yes, I love candy (I'm a confessed chocoholic), but for me it was more fun to dress up and just that I had the opportunity to run around the neighborhood at night, in the cool Autumn air, thrilled me.


I still love Halloween, only now that I'm older and not trick or treating, you kind of grow out of the fun of it. But I still love the spookiness, the crisp Autumn air (all the snow has melted, but it's still nice and chilly outside), snatching candy and seeing all of the neighborhood dressed up in costumes and decorations (though let's be fair: my neighborhood is a little on the dull side. A pumpkin and maybe a wreath of glittery leaves is enough to cause excitement).


Anyway, in honor of Halloween I did a review for one of those classic, cheesy, but still fun horror flicks for yesterday's SMR (you can read it here) and today here's my attempt at scrapping up some Halloween/classic movie related stuff.


A lot of these photos have been circulating around the blogosphere lately for Halloween; nothing really original but it's hard to find Halloween/classic movie stuff so I gave it my best! :) 

Lucy! <3

Joan Crawford

Judy Garland

Pier Angeli

Debbie Reynolds (sorry for the blurriness!)

Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and company [they're dressed up, so I guess it counts as a Halloween photo..]

Carole and Vivien with black (well, blackish for Vivien..) cats.

And, one of the most awesome Halloween stories ever about Lucy, told by her daughter, Lucie Arnaz --

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! ♥

Caroletenniel (+3) || My 5 Favorite Things about Carole

Happy Birthday, Carole! 

This is my contribution for the Caroletenniel(+3) blogathon at Carole and Co. The blogathon runs from today until the 9th so stay tuned at the Carole and Co Blog (link up there) for the other great posts. I decided to write my post on Carole's actual birthday. My topic will be the five things I love about Carole the most, in no particular order. <3

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#5: She was the screwball queen.

Though plenty of actresses did screwball comedy and were quite wonderful at it, Carole excelled in the genre and I would have to say her best films were of this sort - "To Be or Not To Be"? "Nothing Sacred"? "My Man Godfrey"? This is not to say, of course, that Carole couldn't do drama. I'm not all that acquainted with her lesser known films and there might be dramas sprinkled throughout there, but as they say, comedy is harder than drama. She was just really brilliant in playing those glamorous tomboy roles, if that even makes sense. Her screwball comedies are always fun and refreshing. I'm going to have to go with "To Be or Not To Be" as my favorite Carole Lombard picture. Her last film; an excellent screwball comedy, provoking laughter and light in a heavy time in history without being obnoxious or disrespectful. Carole carries an air of more subtle comedy in that film versus the more familiar "let's misbehave!" attitude of screwballs, but hilarious and lovely none the least.

#4: The men she married.

Carole twice married, and to two very awesome people. The first was William Powell, who I love for sure, but the second was Clark Gable. I love it when awesome people hang out together (I've mentioned this several times), but also when they get married! Clark and Carole are an exceptional example of this amazingness and they are really quite adorable together. They made several films but their relationship did not  turn romantic until 1938. In fact, the story goes that Clark Gable only did "Gone With the Wind" so he could get the money to divorce his wife and marry Carole. (It has also been said a while earlier, Carole sat down with GWTW, read it, loved it, and sent a copy to Clark with a note saying, "Let's do it!"... Clark took this as an advance and scoffed when he learned she meant for them to do the movie with her playing Scarlett and he Rhett. "I'll never do a picture like that!"). He called her Ma, she called him Pa, which I love. They had their differences - for example, he was staunch Republican while she was staunch Democrat - but they were married at the time of her death and I would have liked to think had she not died so tragically and early, they would have stayed together. Here are some of their home movies:

#3: Her colorful way of speaking.

When Carole got to Hollywood, she decided she didn't want to be pushed around by sexist men who controlled the production studios and companies. She thought that if she had a sailor's mouth, men in power would understand she was a woman who could not be shoved around and therefore she asked her brothers to teach her all the swearwords they knew. Now, I am not the world's biggest fan of profanity. On occasion it is okay if it really needs to be used to express a certain point of frustration, though at the same time I'm not one of those people who will openly tell someone to stop swearing (my shyness, I suppose). It annoys me to hear slang and profanity stabbed through scripts of every single television show and movie today -- though to be fair, even if Classic Hollywood never swore onscreen if you'll look at their bloopers (many of which can be found on Youtube), you'll discover that even the sweetest (like Olivia de Havilland) had their moments of... swearing. HOWEVER, I think if I ever met Carole I'd make an exception for her because it became a part of personality and made her stand out. Lucy in her autobiography wrote that Carole had "a very lively vocabulary", but she got away with it. It must have really shocked the pants off some sexist bigwigs, too, so Carole wins brownie points for that.

#2: Her friendship with Lucy.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo of Lucy and Carole together, so we'll just have to settle for this photo of Lucy clutching a magazine with Carole's face from an episode of "The Lucy Show"

Lucy loved Carole Lombard, admired her style of comedy and everything. It is has been said that Carole was her favorite actress (along with Katharine Hepburn) and if you've read her autobiography (PLEASE read it if you haven't because it's AH-MAZ-ING), you can tell her affection for the star - she calls Carole her "idol". The two became great friends. Carole and Clark would come over to the Desilu Ranch all the time and spend weekends with other friends full of swimming and music and good food (cooked by Desi). They even threw Lucy and Desi a wedding party at Chasen's after the two eloped. Lucy felt awful upon learning of Carole's death, but would say that later in life she would ask herself the question "What would Carole do?" if she needed to make a decision. Carole helped out in a very important one: whether or not Lucy should wander into the risky world of television. Carole appeared to Lucy in a dream and told her to "Give it a whirl!". Thanks so much, Carole!!  This is one of my favorite things and I think it's awesome that they were such good friends.

#1: Her patriotism.

Carole selling bonds before that ill-fated trip home. 

Just about everyone knows how Carole died. She was on a plane back from selling war bonds and the plane crashed someplace in Nevada; everyone on board was killed, including Carole. It was January 1942 and the country was barely a month into World War 2; thus making Carole the first official female causality of the war, as the reason for her plane trip was to sell war bonds. Carole sold, I believe, more than $2,000,000 in bonds on that trip. She was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by the President, and I think Carole was a true patriot - putting effort into selling the bonds, never minding that part of her salary went to taxes because she knew it was all for good causes. What a kind heart she must have had.

***

Well, there it is for you, my top 5 favorite things about Carole. I am sure there are more and I couldn't include them all (like, for example, her love for animals or the fact she did not request dressing rooms, preferring to chat with the cast and crew). Happy 103rd, Carole, and don't forget to stay tuned with Carole and Co for the entries! This was so much fun to be a part of! (As all blogathons are).

Being an icon: remembered fondly or simply becoming overrated?

Okay, so I'm going to keep today's post fairly short... mostly because otherwise this will turn into a rambling post, and also because I have stupid summer homework I have to do. School opens in about a week, so... but I did finish reading one of the books, so I'm going to treat myself to a little break by writing here. (Yes, I know, I'm an awful procrastinator!)

So you may have noticed that during the month (and a little more) that I've been writing on here, I have not once mentioned a name so frequently linked with Old Hollywood -- Marilyn Monroe.

You may find this strange, usually because Marilyn has become over the years (unfortunately) the poster child for Classic Hollywood. The platinum blond hair, red lips, and beauty mark (or you could. call. it. a. MOLE. I mean, that's what it is, isn't it??!!) have become an icon of sorts that is frequently the only common link between today's generation (with the exception of those of us who watch classic film) and Yesteryear.

Which is, I guess, why I have neglected to mention her.

Before I continue: don't get me wrong. I most certainly don't hate Marilyn Monroe or anything and I don't want to offend any of her fans. It's only, I often wonder about her popularity. Does this spark from the somewhat scandalous life she lived - Happy birthday, Mr. President - to her early death, which was, of course, above all a tragedy... but still, attention getting? Is it because people find her a good actress? 

I think that I can surprisingly find Marilyn a good actress, more than a sex symbol, etc. when you watch her at some of her very best in the films. But why do we remember her as the iconic dumb blond, then, or the skirt flying up above the subway grate?? 

Here's my opinion on Marilyn: she's not an awful actress and I have been known to enjoy her movies. I think she was pretty, but I have to admit there are other actresses of the Golden Era that were more beautiful. So I don't hate her or anything and I'm not trying to write a bashing Marilyn post here.... but I must admit, I do find her a little overrated...

But, in  fact, I think people are often unfair to Marilyn by remembering her as the girl who first posed nude for Playboy or had an affair with JFK because she did not come into Hollywood with the intent of being a media toy - she came to act, didn't she? 

I'm a little all over the place, so let me try to make my point a little clearer. I happen to know a girl.... She claims to really like Marilyn Monroe and has a picture of her on her bedroom wall. But the thing is, she doesn't know anything about her life or career. And she hasn't even seen one of her films. I think this a very good point of someone liking Marilyn simply because they find her iconic and not because they enjoy her movies - and personally, as someone who loves Old Hollywood so much, it does make you kind of annoyed, doesn't it?

I think all of this has got a lot to do with being an "icon."

I wouldn't call Marilyn the only victim of this whole "icon" business, either. What about Audrey Hepburn? Now, you all know that I really love Audrey (it's kind of impossible, not to). But through stills of Breakfast at Tiffany's in that gorgeous (but most certainly overused) black dress, with the cat and the diamonds and the long cigarette holder, she has, too, become an icon to hang on teenage girls' bedroom walls without a clue to who she really was.... or to the fact that she made other films....

I happen to have a big decal of Audrey on my bedroom wall myself. But before you call me a hypocrite: I actually know a lot about Audrey's life and career. I've read several books and I've seen plenty of her films. I don't love her as an icon, but as an actress.

Another icon: James Dean. He did about three films before his death in a car accident and he has henceforth gotten the "iconic" treatment, too. It's a little different with the guys. The girls (like Audrey and Marilyn), find themselves plastered on bedroom walls, t-shirts, and jewelry. I have yet to find James Dean's face on a coffee mug, but gets the celebrity treatment of not a legend but a modern day star. Take a look at his website, for his example - www.jamesdean.com. If you wouldn't have known better, you think it was a prospering, up and coming male model (at least, that's what I would have thought.)

I mean, the man only did make three movies...

Take Humphrey Bogart, for example. He, too, has become an icon of sorts: a "Bogie", with the trench coat and the fedora hat, speaking in that ever so memorable lisp. Maybe his icon has dimmed in recent years, but I can still remember that episode of "The Brady Bunch" - "Pork chops and apple sauce," Peter says.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against these particular actors. Audrey and Bogie are two of my own personal favorite actors. I'm not really the world's biggest Marilyn fan, but I don't hate her and James Dean was probably okay, too.

I'm not trying to bash the whole "iconic" deal, either. In a couple ways, it's a good thing. "Icons" help the newer generations remember the stars of the past, even if it is through posters on their bedroom walls of celebrities they could know less about. 

What makes a person iconic? Why is Marilyn Monroe the iconic of them all? Why... why not Ava Gardner? (Just pulling someone random out here). 

Some may argue that Lucille Ball is an icon, too. I agree that she most certainly is an icon... her flaming red hair and humongous blue eyes won't be forgotten for decades to come. But she is an icon in the way that Elizabeth Taylor is  -- both still popular with the public after their deaths and regarded as icons, you're not likely to find them stamped on merchandise the way you would with Marilyn or Audrey.

Is that it? Do these icons sell money? Once I remember watching a TV special on dead icons and how much money they bring in. (Among them were those I've mentioned, including Lucy... as well as Elvis Presley, which is another good example, but I won't get into that because that kind of detours into the music industry... and that would bring me to the Beatles, and then I'd go on forever.)

I'm also not trying to say that it's unoriginal to have one of these icons as your favorite actor. That would be totally hypocritical considering how much I love Audrey and Bogie. It's just... I don't know. I kind of hope I made myself clear otherwise this would totally become a rambling post.

What is your opinion on turning particular stars into icons (and not others... Case in point: why Marilyn, not Ava? Or to even go farther, why not pick someone randomer... like, Marilyn vs. Susan Hayward??!!)? Does it overpower what good actors these people actually were and instead turn them into nearly a brand name of sorts? Or does it keep the memory of Golden Hollywood alive? And also... is there any explanation for why some become icons and others don't? Which icons do you love - any of the ones I mentioned?

Okay, so screw that whole "fairly short" thing, because I did go on for way too long. But I would love to hear your opinions on this... and if I make any sense at all. * smiles sheepishly *.

Well, I've got to go and write a book report now. But thanks for reading this  random rant... 

(Oh, and by the way -- I finally threw my hat into the ring for the Carole-tennial [+3] blogathon, as the new banner on my sidebar should tell you. It's sponsored by Carole and Co, and it looks like it's going to be great fun!)