"And the Oscar goes to..."

Before I start today's posts, two notes: I got some positive feedback on making the Sunday Movie Review a bi-weekly segment, so we're going to give it a try! Therefore, since I posted a review for Keeper of the Flame (1943) last week, the next review will be next Sunday, and so forth, etc. And the second is thank you all so so so much for your birthday wishes on Thursday. You all the are the sweetest! <3

As you all probably know, tonight is the night of the 82nd Academy Awards. 2011 was a great year for classic film fans, I felt. You had a movie about Marilyn Monroe, a silent film, a movie structured around the splendor of silent film, and several other movies that took place in the 20th century. Not to mention that both Meryl Streep and Christopher Plummer are nominated for Oscars; and if The Artist (2011) wins Best Picture, it'll be the first silent movie to win Best Picture since 1929 - and the first black and white since The Apartment (1960).

But on this Oscar Sunday, I'm not going to sit around predicting who's going to win what awards and etc. - though I really hope The Artist (2011) sweeps it all; and The Help (2011) I enjoyed as well - since we all know by now who's going to win what anyway. Plus, of course, this is a classic film blog, and despite the tight ties between the films at this year's Oscars and the Golden Age, they still qualify as 2011 movies.

So I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my favorite Oscar moments with Golden Age stars! This is just a fun, rambling list of Oscar memories, mostly with my favorite actors, no particular order or anything. I hope you enjoy, and if you want to discuss this year's Oscars, or 1939's Oscars (which, hey, guess what? - took place on my birthday!), or the Oscars of any other year, feel free to leave a comment and give your input!

Lucy's last public appearance

61st ACADEMY AWARDS | 1989, presenting 

My darling girl had her last public appearance at the 1989 Oscars, about six weeks before she passed away. She and Bob Hope were presenting and they got a big standing ovation. It's bittersweet watching this; and ironic that her last public appearance would be at the Oscars, despite the fact that Lucy was never nominated for one, and is famous as a television star, despite the fact she made more than 100 films. Her sparkling, black sequined dress is definitely a product of the 1980's, but I appreciate the slit that shows off her legs, which were still lovely at 77. She's so perfect. :')

Greer's Best Actress acceptance speech

16th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1943, Mrs. Miniver 

If anyone knows anything about my lovely Greer, they ought to know that she loved to talk. I think if talking was a sport, Greer could win all the Olympic medals. She had a habit of being able to go on and on about nearly any topic (except for herself; she didn't enjoy talking about personal matters, but to the chagrin of Hedda and Lolly) in that gorgeous voice of hers. When she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1943 for Mrs. Miniver (1942), it was about 1 AM in Hollywood when she took the stand. It is said that her speech might have been anywhere from five minutes to twenty; though the latter is likely an exaggeration, being so late into the night it might have felt that way to the other attendees. It is said she thanked everyone from the doctor who brought her into this world in London to all the cast members of Miniver and beyond. This speech is the longest in Oscar history as of; and the year following the Academy Award instilled a new rule that limited the winner to only forty seconds to thank those who needed to be thanked. Greer, alongside Bette Davis, holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations in a row (from 1941 - 1946), but she only won once, despite her amazing performances. I'm a little nervous that it might be because of this 1943 speech? There's no full footage or transcript of it, unfortunately, but Miniver DVDs tend to have a little tidbit of her speech in a newsreel or such.

Ingrid's Best Supporting Actress speech

47th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1975, Murder on the Orient Express

Ingrid won the Oscar three times. The first was in 1945, for Gaslight (1944), and then in 1957 for Anastasia (1956). The latter Oscar was accepted by her good friend and secret husband Cary Grant; that was when Ingrid was in Italy and married to Rossellini, recovering from the waves of scandal her affair with him had caused a few years before. Anastasia was her comeback film and her winning the Oscar for that movie was America's way of forgiving her. But her last Oscar was a Best Supporting Actress for Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and it's this one I chose to share, simply for the reason it starts with, "It's always nice to win an Oscar..." I couldn't post the link, but you can watch it here, and I strongly suggest that you do, because it's adorable.

Grace vs. Judy

28th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1955, The Country Girl & A Star is Born

Ahh, the age old debate of whether or not Judy Garland should have won the Oscar in 1955! Every classic film fan has heard about this controversy; when Grace won Best Actress in 1955 for her fine performance in The Country Girl (1954), but it wasn't the right year to win for everyone had expected Judy to win for her comeback movie, A Star is Born (1954). Even Grace Kelly's father released a statement after the awards ceremony, revealing that even he had expected Judy to win. I can't fairly judge this situation because I haven't seen A Star is Born (1954) - I plan to remedy that soon. And though I love Judy Garland, as we all should, Grace is one of my very favorite actresses which I guess would make me look biased. So I'll just keep my lips shut. But I'll say that I'm quite grateful Grace won in 1955; everyone thinks of her as only a gorgeous fashion plate, when she is so so much more.

Audrey's Best Actress speech

27th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1954, Roman Holiday

Audrey's win for Roman Holiday (1953) in 1954 is another subject of controversy, but Roman Holiday (1953) is one of my favorite movies; it's the movie that made Audrey a star and I just love it to pieces. I'll never have a problem with her having won that year, or any year, for that matter. Plus I think it's totally adorable how when she gets on stage, she goes in the wrong direction (I totally would have done that too) and her dress is gorgeous!

The double Best Actress of 1969

42nd ACADEMY AWARDS | 1969, Funny Girl and Lion In the Winter

The only time there was a tie for an Oscar was in 1969, for Best Actress. Both Katharine Hepburn, for Lion In the Winter (1968) and Barbra Striesand, for Funny Girl (1968) won the Oscar. Katie never showed up to accept her Oscars, but Barbra was there to collect her award in a very interesting outfit; handed over to her by none other than Ingrid - who was back in popularity thanks to Cactus Flower (1969). I LOVE the surprise on Ingrid's face when she realizes that it's a tie! Plus, as we all know, I consider Katharine Hepburn to be flawless and I really like Barbra Striesand too, she's adorable. Funny Girl (1968) isn't really my favorite film of hers, but I did like her performance in it; I mean, it made her a star, didn't it? And I know, it's terrible, but I've yet to see Lion in the Winter (1968); don't worry, I will really soon. You can watch it here.

No Natalie Wood unfortunately, because she never won an Oscar, despite being nominated four times. How stupid is that? I like to think that had she not drowned in 1981 she would've either made a comeback and been one of those winners who gets an Oscars in her late 40's or 50's; or later on she would have been awarded an Honorary Oscar.

Humphrey's Best Actor speech

25th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1952, The African Queen

Why it took as long as 1952 for Humphrey Bogart to win an Oscar, I'll never understand, but thankfully he finally did and The African Queen (1951) was a good movie for him to win it for. I love Greer's little intro and reference to her long, 1943 speech - "I have ten minutes left over from a highly emotional speech I gave a few years ago; I'll be happy to let you use it!" as well as reminding everyone of those "anticipatory noise reduction devices". And then the look of glee on her face when she realizes Bogie won; and Bogie's short and simple acceptance. I mean, I know he wasn't into that whole Hollywood scene, but from what I read in Betty Bacall's autobiography, everyone was thrilled to have him win. You get that impression from the cheer that comes up from the audience, too. You can watch it here.

Cary's Honorary Oscar speech

43rd ACADEMY AWARDS | 1970, Honorary Oscar

All I'm going to say is that this was a long time coming. A long, long, time coming. #WHYYY?

I think this might have been with Ingrid's Oscar, because he was much older when he won his Honorary one.

Sidney Poitier's Best Actor speech

37th ACADEMY AWARDS | 1964, Lilies of the Field

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but I love Sidney Poitier! He's one of my favorites. He's so sophisticated and distinguished, and really helped smash those racial barriers; I mean, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), anyone? The film that he won the Best Actor Oscar for, in 1964, was Lilies of the Field (1963), which I have yet to see. But I love this footage of him accepting the Oscar from Anne Bancroft, another person I adore and don't talk enough about. I mean, it was 1964 and racial tension was high, but Anne just throws her arms around Sidney and you can tell how excited she is for him. Therefore, this all results in one of my favorite Oscar moments. You can watch it here.

To prevent this list from becoming forever endless, I'll stop here. But there are sooo many Golden Age Oscar moments I love. So I'll also add the links to these: Vivien Leigh's 1940 Best Actress speech / Hattie McDaniel's 1940 Best Supporting Actress speech / Myrna Loy's 1991 Honorary Oscar speech / Greer Garson's 1962 acceptance for Sophia Loren's Best Actress and I hope you check them out because they're just as wonderful <3

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Alright, that's it for this Sunday. I had a lot of fun writing this post! Do you have any favorite classic Oscar moments? Let me know in the comments!

Despite being hardcore classic film, I'll certainly be watching the Oscars tonight, how about you all? If so, Happy Oscar watching and if not, well, I hope you have a good evening anyway, my dears!

New Year's Movie Meme

Hi everyone! I'm on my holiday vacation (and I've still a week more) and have been having a wonderful time! I actually plan to do a post about what I've been up to later this week, but for now I'm going to do Rachel's New Year's meme.

I love surveys, though I haven't done any yet on this blog so I'm excited to do this! Rachel's doing this in celebration of her reaching fifty followers. I too reached fifty last week, and I also had been pondering about taking the leap of faith and doing my own movie survey. I don't know, what do you guys think? Let me know - if I know people are interested I'll have more confidence to make one! (If I do, it'll probably be in a month or so).

As for now, here are my answers to Rachel's!

1. What is your all-time favorite Grace Kelly costume?

This is a cruel question. I really can't pick just one, absolutely everything Grace wore was beautiful and gorgeous. I don't think I could possibly choose an all-time favorite but for me, here's one of the strongest contenders for that title:

from "High Society" (1956)

I honestly didn't even like "High Society" all that much, but this dress is simply gorgeous. *swoons*

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?

This is also a hard question because I don't really believe in remakes of the classics. Even if a film wasn't all that good the first time, well, Hollywood today couldn't make it any better than it originally was. So out of my devotion to Classic Hollywood I can't really come up with an answer for this one.

3. Name your favorite femme fatale.

Gilda.

She was my first experience with a femme fatale, and I think Rita Hayworth did a wonderful job. To me Gilda is the posterchild for a femme fatale, and especially since she was willing to simply "put the blame on Mame," for everything she did.

4. Name the best movie with the word "heaven" in its title.

Hmmm... See the sad thing is, I haven't even seen "Leave Her to Heaven," which I know is pretty terrible and I'll have to remedy that soon enough. (I also really need to see "All This and Heaven Too".) The only movie I can think of (which also happens to have Gene Tierney in it), though it's probably not the best, but I'll go with it anyway, is: "Heaven Can Wait." (1943). Don Ameche stars in it.

5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you’ve ever seen (since Laura gave me the idea).

Don't kill me, guys. Don't send me hate mail or anything! But I'll have to go with Shirley Temple in "The Littlest Rebel" (1935). I actually detest that movie on several levels, and here's another confession: I'm really not that much of a Shirley Temple fan. I respect her because she was one of the biggest movie stars of that era, and I do like a number of the films she made as a teenager, but... still not her biggest fan.

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?

Guys, I'm sorry to be annoying again, but I really haven't seen any monster films at all! So I'm going to have to pass on answering this. But for that matter, do you have any suggestions for monster movies?

7. What is the one Western that you would recommend to anybody?

I'm not much of a Western person either but I'm going to say "The Searchers" (1956). My dad had to force me into watching this (he also forced me into "High Noon", but I like this one better), and in the end I had to admit it was pretty good. (NO, I was totally not influenced by Natalie Wood's presence in this movie... what? what are you suggesting there?...)

 

What? No? Natalie had nothing to do with it....

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner?

Pretty much anyone who is a classic movie lover. Anybody who has ever watched a classic film with someone who isn't a fan of it will know what I have endured. Partly it's my own fault because I decide to be all stubborn and force some of my friends to watch classic films because I think by some miracle they'll be converted and we'll just sit around and have conversations about Greer's voice or Bette vs. Joan or the horrors of Cary Grant growing a mustache. A good example is when I made a group of my friends watch "Gone With the Wind" (1939). I told them about Rhett trying to smash Scarlett's skull and Atlanta burning to the ground and Rhett swearing and all that exciting stuff, and I put it on. But they only lasted about twenty minutes before taking to Facebook. And I was sitting there like an idiot, going, "Look! Atlanta's burning! Melanie's dying!"  (Mind you, these are the same people that said that Greer's voice wasn't perfect...)

I will never get people who don't love classic film. But, each to their own, as they say...

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film?

As much as I love film I can't think of one particular film that changed my life. I try not to let things influence me to that certain of an extent. But classic film in general has a big influence on me and the way I act though. (Does that totally override my last statement?). Classic movie stars are my role models and inspirations, which some people may roll their eyes at, but I think I'm getting a lot more out of looking up to Lucy than I would Kim Kardashian (or any other "reality star" of today for that matter). So the basic answer is not one particular film but just classic movies in general. They have a positive influence on me definitely.

10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/movie/performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.

Hmm. Well one performer that I obviously truly love is Lucy. And I will watch her in absolutely anything, even an advertisement for Snuggies. However, I have to admit, "The Big Street" (1942) is uncomfortable to watch because Lucy is really mean in it. Like, her character is awful. Not to mention it's also a pretty bad movie, THOUGH at the same time I feel she gave one of her best performances (she also looks really gorgeous in this movie). Does that make any sense at all?

I guess what I basically mean is that it was hard seeing Lucy play a character so mean and heartless because we're used to the Lucy we all love. But at the same time she did a really good job of playing this cold character, in what is still a 2 star movie. (??? sigh).

11. On the flip side, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.  

Before I answer this, I want to make a point of saying that I DON'T LOATHE HER, she's just not one of my favorites and I do think she is overrated. Yes, just a little. But please don't send me hate mail (and besides, I'm actually praising her in this answer).

So who is this "her"?

Yes, Marilyn Monroe. But I really liked her in "Some Like it Hot" (1958) - it's one of my favorite films in fact and she was quite good in it. In general, Marilyn tends not to be one of my favorites, but I really did like her in this. 

12. And finally, since it will be New Year's soon, do you have any movie or blogging-related resolutions for 2012?

I think to get better at my movie critiquing and a little more serious about it. So basically to become a better movie reviewer. And I think to also be able to strip down layers of the film - stuff like the actors, the movie score, heck, even the poster - to its core and really be able to analyze that better. I think that's what a real critic would do, and then think about the other stuff afterwards, whereas for me it tends to be in reverse. And since I review a movie every Sunday, I'm definitely going to get a lot of practice in doing this!

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I had a lot of fun answering these questions and finally being able to do a meme! Thanks for making this, Rachel, and congratulations on reaching fifty followers! :)

I'm probably going to write another blog sometime later this week about the fun classic Hollywood related stuff I've been doing over break. But if I'm not able to get around to doing it, well.. then... Have a really happy New Year! And I'll see in you in 2012!

PS: If I made a meme of my own and you think you'd do it, let me know. :) 

Happy Birthday, Grace! [5 Things I Love]

I know... deja vu post title. Wasn't it exactly a week ago that I posted 5 things for Vivien's birthday? Yes and yes. But Grace Kelly is one of my favorite actresses, and I simply cannot ignore her birthday!

Especially since I feel quite guilty.... that I don't have a tribute video for her! At least, one in particular for her birthday. I made one for her a few months ago in those long forgotten, hunky dunky (did anyone get that reference? hm?) summer days, which will be at the end of this post. I just didn't have the time to get around to doing it, and it's hard to do tribute videos for Grace simply for the lack of footage. She did only make like five movies after all.

I also feel guilty because I feel like I've neglected her a whole lot in the past four or so months of writing this blog. My Grace tag isn't very big, and I adore her so much. But I want to make up for it, right now, on this lovely lady's birthday. I present to you the five things I love about her the most (and yes, it was so hard to narrow it down to five).

"You know, I just love Grace Kelly. Not because she was a princess, not because she was an actress, not because she was my friend, but because she was just about the nicest lady I ever met. Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft, warm light every time I saw her, and every time I saw her was a holiday of its own. No question, I'll miss her, we'll all miss her, God bless you, Princess Grace."

- Jimmy Stewart's eulogy at Grace's memorial service, 1982

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#5: I relate to her.

Okay, that may be a strange, somewhat pompous way to put it: "I relate to Grace Kelly!" Let me explain a little. I've read two or three books on Grace, and when reading I enjoyed the little things that I noticed I had in common with her... She wasn't very athletic, no matter how hard she tried (and despite the fact that her father was an Olympian - very much the "maverick" type - and the rest of her family followed suit), with the exception, I believe, of swimming. In her high school yearbook she listed Ingrid Bergman as her favorite actress. She attended a private school, and.... I quote, from the book Touch of Grace: "Grace and her northern roots preferred the cold. Monaco's semi-tropical weather never agreed with her." (!!!)

"I get a dull feeling when it's hot and sunny. I feel tired. I don't want to do anything. I usually stay in the house when the sun is out. At night I take walks."

- Grace

#4: She WAS a wonderful actress.

People often argue that whereas Grace was a pretty princess, a fashion plate, and a lovely lady, that she couldn't really act. I beg to differ! Grace could act, and from what I read she climbed up the Hollywood chain just like everyone else. She wasn't automatically in the door because of her good looks, she earned it and was an excellent actress. Among the different complaints about Grace I've heard is, "she's the same in every movie." I understand that she did play similar characters, but perhaps that simply makes her another victim of typecasting - and I must admit, I really liked the characters she played anyway. The other big argument is that Judy Garland should have won the Oscar in 1955 and not Grace. I haven't seen "A Star is Born" (I do plan to remedy that soon), so it wouldn't be fair for me to pick sides on this one, but I do think Grace shone in "The Country Girl", and broke the usual mold of her characters for sure.

with her "The Country Girl" Oscar

#3: She was Hollywood's princess.

Literally, of course. I do wish that her marriage in 1956 to Prince Rainier of Monaco would not have ended her movie career, leaving us with only a few of her movies. But I once remember reading a quote that Grace really was a princess even before she officially became one: in her elegance, class, and appropriately, grace. After leaving Hollywood, being Princess of Monaco became her job, I suppose, and she was good at it. I remember reading she struggled in her new surroundings at first, sometimes longed to return to Hollywood (Hitchcock tempted her with the Tippi Hendrin role in "Marnie", but Monaco did not want to see their princess romancing Sean Connery), but she managed and she was magnificent. Plus, wasn't her wedding gown and her royal wedding gorgeous? You can watch the wedding here.

#2: She was one of the most fashionable people, ever.

I don't really think this is news to anyone, but let's face it: she is! She was always impeccably dressed and she is for sure one of my most favorite style icons ever. I swear, everytime I see a photo of her, whether it is on screen or off, I get jealous of what she is wearing. I cannot even pick a favorite outfit of hers. The blue gown from "To Catch a Thief"? The taffeta black and white dress she wore to cheer up Jimmy in "Rear Window"? The glittering grey gown or baby blue day dress from "High Society"? She could be casually chic or smartly dressed, too. And lest we not forget that gorgeous wedding gown pictured in #3. Like I said, it is simply impossible to pick a favorite outfit, and she was chic and elegant down to the last detail: the pearls on the neck, the handbag on her arm, the earrings in her lobes, etc. Her style seemed to have been very simple and always come across as effortless. She was so easily chic and I really j'adore about every single thing that Grace ever wore.

Did you know? Hermes named a bag of theirs after her- "The Kelly Bag". It got its title after Grace used the large, fashionable purse to cover up her growing stomach due to her pregnancy from the paparazzi.

#1: She was simply a nice person.

And she really was. On screen she seemed to emulate the ice goddess qualities; very fire and ice. But off screen everyone who knew her said her personality was in sharp contrast: Grace was loving and warm, and one of the nicest persons, as Jimmy Stewart put it. Many a lovely story I've read about Grace. About how she was completely anti racist: when the singer Josephine Baker tried to treat her friends to a night at the Stork Club in the 1950's, they were denied a table because of their skin color. Grace was at the Stork Club that night. She shot up from her table, took Josephine by the arm, and stormed out of the club, vowing to never return again  - she never did. Not only that, she and Josephine became excellent friends and Grace supported Josephine financially as well in later years. Fast forwarding to the year 1981, Grace met the Prince of Wales and his shy new fiance, Lady Diana, at one of the first events attended by the new couple. Diana arrived in a too tight black dress that showed too much cleavage. Grace sensed Diana's discomfort; in the washroom Diana burst into tears in front of Grace and the whole situation in which Grace hugged and comforted the soon-to-be princess. (Irony that they would both die in a car crash?). Most of Grace's co-stars made friends with her: William Holden and Clark Gable fell in love with her, Ava Gardner brought out the rebel in her (Ava was also invited to the royal wedding), and Cary Grant remembered her as his favorite co-star. From the pictures she may seem intimidating, but I feel that it would have been amazing to be friends with someone so understanding, sweet, and unprejudiced.

This was the tribute video I made a while back. I'm sorry to be "recycling" it, but I hope you'll like it all the while. The piece is "Clair de Lune" by Debussy, which was Grace's favorite as a child. I, too, really adore the music. Slightly irrelevant, but Spencer Tracy played it on the piano in "Without Love", remember? It's a beautiful piece and fits Grace and her loveliness.

Happy Birthday, Grace. 

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That's all for today: try and squeeze a little Grace into your day! 

See you at the Sunday Movie Review, dear readers. 


PS: Did you hear about that idiot Jeopardy contestant who didn't know Joan Fontaine existed, non the less was Olivia's sister? some people... geesh... 

Sunday Movie Review: "High Society" (1956)

Boy, have I had a busy weekend!!!

And because of that, I have been (sniffles) unable to watch a movie this weekend. :( I know, I get really sad too when I don't get to watch a classic movie over the weekend, because, you know, when I'm watching one of those I'm at some of my very happiest.

HOWEVER, I still have a movie review for today. Though it's going to be extremely short, and so let me explain a new set of rules I'm going to apply to the Sunday Movie Review.

1. We can refer to it as "SMR" - is that a clever acronym or what? (Yeah, I'm being sarcastic).
2. Now here's the more important part: so something I realize is that my reviews are short to begin with, but if I have not just seen the film the past couple of days, I stumble over my words and use too many photos and overall the review tends to be extremely short and choppy for me. I don't like producing work that falls short of what I want to do, so...

So, now when I go ahead and admit to you "Dahhlings, I didn't watch a movie this weekend", I'll label that SMR a short review. Basically, I take a review from my Netflix reviewing history and paste it into here. Since Netflix doesn't give you all the space in the world to you know, write reviews, these reviews will just be, well, short. 

I will try and not do this often, only on the weekends when I do not get the opportunity to watch a movie and have to pull something from my movie past.

As for this first SMR short review, I'll start with one of the longer short reviews I could dig up. The movie is "High Society".

Also, you may notice I have tweaked my format for these movie reviews slightly - this will apply to all of my SMRs. I have decided to make it a little more organized and neater, which hopefully make the over all review seem more.. polished?? Any feedback on this is greatly appreciated. 

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The poster: I like it. Simple, perhaps, but fun and it's cute :)

The plot:

In this musical reworking of The Philadelphia Story, Newport blueblood Bing Crosby tries to win back his ex-wife, "ice goddess" Grace Kelly, while Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm (reporters for Snoop Magazine) gum up the works. Cole Porter wrote the score (which includes the Oscar-winning song "True Love"), and Louis Armstrong and his band are on hand to syncopate all the shenanigans. [from Netflix]

The starring players:

• Grace Kelly as Tracy "Samantha" Lord
• Bing Crosby as C.K Dexter-Haven
• Frank Sinatra as Mike Connor
• Celeste Holm as Liz Imbrie
• Louis Armstrong as himself

The verdict:

3/5

***

This film had a lot of things going for it for me. 1) the lovely soon-to-be-Princess-of-Monaco, Grace Kelly, 2) the supporting talents of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm, 3) the sophisticated setting of Newport high society, and 4) brilliantly bright Technicolor filming. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The original "Philadelphia Story" is one of my favorite films and I wanted to see what they would do with it. They use some of the same dialogue, except they throw in awful bits and pieces - "I want you to marry me not because I'm worthy, but because I'm unworthy," (?) Grace insists - and string in some songs. If you are a music enthusiast, you'll probably be excited to hear Crosby and Sinatra, the two greatest crooners of all time, sing together but trust me, it's not as fun as it seems. Grace is sophisticated and wears some gorgeous outfits, but as lovely as she is she is not enough to save this film. At an hour forty minutes, it dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. It was a sticky and as slow as molasses when it came to the point where we began fast forwarding it. If I despise it so much, you wonder, why do I bother to give it 3 stars?? Grace, Bing, Frank, and Celeste deserve some sort of a cheer for forcing themselves through this. It gets some brownie points for sophistication. Perhaps if I had never seen Philadelphia Story (gasp!), I could bring myself to like it more. But I was raised on that movie, and this is hodgepodge in front of it, I'm afraid. Watch the original instead and you'll have a lot better time.

The bottom line:

Though I liked particular elements of this film (the star studded cast, the beautiful clothes worn by Grace, and the "high society" setting), I just could not like the whole thing very much. Everyone makes a good effort, and the intentions are good, but as a great lover of "The Philadelphia Story", it was not very easy for me to love this movie. If you have a hardcore musical lover and perhaps not a big fan of the original, you may like it, but each to their own, I suppose! Three out of five stars.

Some photos:

Some trivia:

• The first choice for Tracy Lord was Elizabeth Taylor, but she was unavailable so it was given to Grace. It would be her last feature film before leaving Hollywood to become Princess of Monaco.
• Tracy Lord's engagement ring in the film was in reality the ring given to Grace by her real life fiance, Prince Rainier of Monaco.
• Features the song "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", which is where the TV quiz show of the same name would get it's title.

A movie tidbit:

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There it is, my first SMR in it's newly revamped edition. I like the structure myself - hopefully it'll be better for you readers and I must admit, it was a lot easier for me to put together, as well. Oh, and my first "short review", too. Hopefully they won't be that frequent.. .but it wasn't that bad, was it? :) 

By the way, I found this on Tumblr the other day and decided to share it... if I could choose which place and year I could live in, this would probably be one of my very top choices:

New York in the late 1930's. ;) Isn't it glorious?

Fashion In Film || Paper to Reality: Edith Head Defining an Era

This here is my little contribution to the Fashion in Film Blogathon that is being hosted by Angela at The Hollywood Revue - thank you for holding this, Angela! It's going to be exciting to see all the other posts, to read them, maybe even discover new blogs. Yes, blogathons are a ton of fun. And I know a bunch of my favorite blogs are participating in the event, so this will be a real treat!

This was a vast topic to cover, and in the end I came up with this post. A shroud of my thoughts on two topics I love: fashion and movies. Put together, I think they equal "Classic Hollywood."

Let's face it: Among one of the many things modern movies lack is fashion. Oh, sure, there are some pretty dresses and nice ensembles here and there, but you're just as likely to find the main character stretched out on the couch in a pair of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Classic Hollywood was different, though. And to be fair, the times were completely different. It wasn't acceptable to be walking around in baggy sweatpants then in the way it is today; in the 40s and 50s one had to look put together and neat upon going out - or even being around the house. Today, sweatpants (sorry to keep picking on this piece of attire for you sweatpants lovers!) add realism to a film just in the way that chic costuming did in Classic Hollywood.

My favorite designer of this era - and this may be deemed the default answer - would be Edith Head. She was a genius and probably dressed every leading woman in Hollywood at least once.

"Edie knew the truth about all of us. She knew who had flat fannies and who didn't -- but she never told."

- LUCILLE BALL

Edith knew how to dress a woman exactly according to her figure. As Lucy's words explain, Edith knew how to conceal imperfections by making it work to an actress's advantage or instead spotlighting her other assets. Marlene Dietrich was not very busty at all, but she had long legs and Edith understood this and pulled out the stops. Audrey Hepburn had a spindly neck, legs, and arms; Edith concealed this by staying away from short sleeves, full dresses, jewels on her neck. She could fix anything -- was Veronica Lake's neck too thin, Loretta Young's too long? Bette Davis pulled a "diva" to get Edith for All About Eve and it is said Joan Crawford would not buy a pair of socks without Edith's consent.

The woman had power.

She won Oscars for it, a proud collection of golden men. She took complete pride and credit in her work. Some actresses loved her and others butted heads with her, but each one became grateful to her in the end. Sometimes she was a snob. In 1955 she brought home the Oscar for "Sabrina" -- yet 90 percent of the film's costumes came hand selected by Audrey Hepburn from Givenchy, Audrey's favorite designer. Edith did not speak of Givenchy once in accepting her award.

Still, this was only a rare occasion in which Edith's success was downplayed. She could turn out genius things, she made every women in Classic Hollywood a fashion icon in her own right. Her favorite protegee was said to have been Grace Kelly, but she could fit any figure, from skinny (Audrey Hepburn) to curvy (Sophia Loren).

Edith was tops, but there were other designers. Helen Rose was of her own prestige and designed Grace Kelly's wedding gown; Adrian was on a first name basis and designed for "The Wizard of Oz."

Together, these designers and all the little people created a definitive era of fashion in movie making. The makeup was never smudged, a hair never out of place, and her outfit? It was always superb. 

They were all wonderful, but today and for this particular blogathon, I think I'll stop and spotlight Edith.

From Paper to Reality

It seems that for almost every actress of Classic Hollywood, combine her name with "Edith Head" on Google and you come across an gorgeous treasure trunk of sketches. Some dresses we know so well; others not so familiar but beautiful. The following is a tribute to Edith Head. If I could find a picture of the actual actress wearing the sketched dress, it appears alongside the photo. 

Sketched: A pale, blue chiffon dream for "To Catch a Thief"

Pictured: Grace Kelly in the finished product. 

Sketched: A chic and modest brown gown for All About Eve

Pictured: Bette Davis shows off the Edith Head creation

Sketched: A gorgeous and elegant black dress for "Sabrina."

Pictured: Audrey Hepburn brings it to life.

Sketched: One of my personal favorite dresses, a simply elegant number for "Rear Window"

Pictured: Grace Kelly showing off her dress to an uninterested Jimmy Stewart from a vivid Technicolor frame

Sketched: The outfit sketched must have been something for Joan Crawford to wear on her day off, as it appears that Edith Head never did design for Joan in a movie -- yet off screen, Joan relied on her totally. Hmm. If only we had a "Pictured" for this one!

Sketched: A slinky, shimmery black ensemble for "The Lady Eve"

Pictured: Barbara Stanwyck, who adored her, showing off the dress. It seems to have captured Henry Fonda's rapt attention!

Sketched: A delicately glamorous gown for "A Place in the Sun"

Pictured: Elizabeth Taylor is the lucky girl who gets to wear this creation.

Sketched: An ornate, fabulous period piece for "The Heiress"

Pictured: Olivia de Havilland flaunting it in said film!

Sketched: For Katharine Hepburn... I am not sure what film this is. If I were to take a guess, I would say "Little Women."

Sketched: A Cinderella style dress for "Inside Daisy Clover"

Pictured: Star Natalie Wood in the end product.

Sketched: Another design for Natalie Wood, this time for "Love With the Proper Stranger"

Sketched: A simpler, peasant girl style dress for Sophia Loren in "Houseboat"

And, now, of course, for my personal favorites....

Sketched: A chic outfit for Lucille Ball in "The Facts of Life"

Sketched: Also for "The Facts of Life", another gorgeous ensemble for Lucy

Sketched: Peach, beige chiffon for "The Facts of Life" and Lucy once more!

Sketched: Edith would even design for Lucy on "The Lucy Show"

***

Okay, so, perhaps I got a little carried away with the pictures there. But each time I found a new sketch I had  got more excited and just had to post it. ;) Also, I thought it was so interesting to see how each sketch seemed to be a near perfect definition of the actress's likeness as well as captured her personality and the personality of the dress -- I do not think Edith was the actual artist of the sketches (correct me if I am wrong),  but I found it quite interesting anyhow. But Edith was amazing, for sure.

That's all for me - though that was quite a lot of "all"! Once again tons of thanks to Angela for hosting this, and be sure and go over to The Hollywood Revue and check out the wonderful blogs. And comment with what you think!

PS: Edith Head is so fabulous, I think I'll just go ahead and make a tag for her on my blog. ;)