A Classic Hollywood Thanksgiving [In Emails]

Hello everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so many things: my family, my friends, the roof over my head, getting the chance to write all I want, all the people who have taken the time to read this blog... (that means YOU!)

One thing I'm also thankful for is Classic Hollywood. I mean it, too. What on Earth would I do without classic movies???

My first idea was to do a Thanksgiving post about Classic Hollywood having a Thanksgiving dinner together. Who would come, who would say what, etc., etc. But the more I thought about it it seemed awful hard so I decided to take a new approach. Basically, a bunch of movie stars met up at someone's house (not exactly sure, but it's pretty obvious Rita Hayworth did a lot of cooking and Bogie and Lauren Bacall helped out.. you'll see), and now they're reflecting back on it through emails. I guess I was kind of inspired by the "Tweets of Old Hollywood" thing that was published in the recent Vanity Fair (I think I left the link a few posts back).

This is what I put together. I honestly don't know what you'll make of it, but it was fun to write! :D

Also, they might be hard to read in the size presented to you here. So you can hover over the picture with your mouse, right click, and hit "open in new tab", and it should be big enough for you to read! I couldn't make them any bigger without it going into the sidebar. :)

Walter Pidgeon couldn't make it to the gathering (he had a bad cold), so Greer has sent him an email letting him know how things went.

Next, Lucy sent Ginger Rogers an email with a few photos she and Desi had taken at the event. (Ginger also attended, but her camera ran out of film, you see). By "LeeLee", she means Ginger's mother. 

Ingrid really enjoyed the mashed potatoes Cary brought to the gathering (it was kind of a potluck), so she traded recipes with him for her Swedish meatballs. Here he sends her the recipe.

Joan and Bette got into a spat, of course. Barbara Stanwyck, Joan's best friend, helped break it up and here Joan thanks her for it.

Here Bette relays her side of the story, with a little gossip on the side, to best friend Olivia de Havilland.

And lastly, Spencer shoots Kate an email asking her how Thanksgiving went. He was busy shooting a film and couldn't come, but they can't be seen together in public anyway.

***

I don't know. It was fun to write! Have a happy Thanksgiving! :)

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. ;)

Sunday Movie Review: "East Side, West Side" (1949)

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I had a great one; spent time with my friends (even got them to watch "Gone With the Wind"; I think there were mixed reactions) and even better, the weather has gotten chilly over here! In fact, it was so cold yesterday I wore boots, a sweater, and even gloves. Not exaggerating! Fall starts this week and I'm happy in my chilly element more than ever. I plan to savor winter. (And I don't feel so crazy anymore in doing so ever since some of you commented and let me know that you too love winter).

Before I do my review of "East Side, West Side", I will be revealing the faces behind this Here's Looking At You Kid that I should have done quite a while ago, only it indeed slipped my mind. Many apologizes!

Anyhow, thank you everyone who participated! I got some wonderful guesses. It appears that everyone happened to get the lady's face right -- it is indeed, the lovely Olivia de Havilland:

As for the man, I got a few of you who guessed it was either Robert Taylor or Gary Cooper. And the rest of you guessed Robert Taylor. Well, as it turns out, it is --

It's Coop!

***

Today, I have pulled the summary from IMDb because I felt the Netflix summary gave too many spoilers.

Brandon and Jessie Bourne has been married to each other for many years. A few years ago, Brandon had an extra-martial affair with Isabel Lorrison. Now she has come back to New York intending to start over with the relationship once again. Meanwhile, Jessie is attracted to Mark Dwyer, just arrived from a secret mission in Italy. [summary from IMDb]

The star-studded cast has:

• Barbara Stanwyck as Jessie Bourne
• James Mason as Brandon "Brad" Bourne
• Ava Gardner as Isabel Lorrison
• Van Heflin as Mark Dwyer
• Cyd Charisse as Rosa Senta
• Nancy Davis as Helen Lee
• William Frawley as a bartender (!!)

Can you count all the stars? I was excited by the large number of big names in this. I hope everyone is familiar with Nancy Davis, who would later marry Ronald Reagan and become First Lady of the US, as well as William Frawley - who is our own Fred Mertz from "I Love Lucy."

I must say, I did find the plot to be a little far fetched. But if you can ignore some of the bumps and creases of it, I think it gives us a nicely polished view of elite 1940's Manhattan and the politics that its residents suffer through: romance, drama, murder.

Stany is really appealing as Jessie Pearce and I enjoyed her performance. She represents the sophisticated East Side woman in great contrast to Van Heflin's Mark, who is West Side, and yet they get along better and sparkle with more chemistry than Jessie and her own husband, Brad. Anyway, I think she does an excellent job and you can feel Jessie's many mixed feelings; her heartbreak, the fact that she does love her husband, but she cannot stand any longer what he is doing to her. Hard to play but Barbara is very good. 

Van Heflin does quite well with the Mark character; he and Stany have nice chemistry. At first I found Ava Gardner's "other woman" portrayal to be somewhat stereotypical but as the film progresses on, she cleans her up act even when she is given some pretty sorry lines to deal with. She is sultry above all, which is a necessity for her notorious character. In the end I found I liked how Ava played her and wished that her character would have been given more lines and camera time to work with. Anyhow, Ava does try her best with what she is given. I think she is at her very best in this scene --

All the supporting characters are wonderful. Nancy Davis sparkles as the nosy friend, Cyd is good as the nice Italian girl; William Frawley is only a bartender, of course, but a cheer for him, anyway.

Now it comes to James Mason. To begin with he is a character we do not like. We feel sympathy for Stany's Jessie, we are excited that Van Heflin is there to lend a shoulder for her to cry on, we don't like Ava's character either but we do get where she is coming from, and we are charmed by Cyd's Rosa. I found I didn't like James Mason's way of playing the Brad character at all. He fades, pales, to the selection of other actors he is playing against. He seems kind of out there; very one dimensional and no chemistry whatsoever with Ava. He is plain, like cardboard, just standing there; he lets the others carry on the film.

So with that exception, this is a very well acted and interesting film. I just had many problems with this plot, though. It was kind of all over the place in my opinion. Here are the "bumps and creases" I found -- the Rosa character gets dropped quite fast, the mystery element was solved too easily (there is a mystery element indeed, and I was shocked by the simple way it is solved. I am used to Nick and Nora Charles, thank you very much), there were just some holes and it made it look a little sloppy.

The script is for the most part intelligent, though I did find some stupid exchanges, for example one scene where Isabel calls Jessie over to her apartment and starts rattling off about how Brad is all hers and Jessie, his wife, will only see him when Isabel permits and excreta. I found that a little too silly.

The ending is left open ended. Though mostly satisfying, it leaves a lot to the imagination. I guess we can't have it all.

Over all I found this film to be entertaining and interesting. The cast does a magnificent job (James excluded; I'm sorry, Mr. Mason!), and the weaknesses fall instead in the plot and script. I will have to give it a three and a half out of five stars. I would say to go ahead and watch it, too, only, it is not a perfect film.

***

Before I leave --

Happy birthday, Greta! Wow, how many birthdays did we celebrate this week?? Hmm..!

"Gone With the Wind" ISN'T a great love story! Yes, really!

The contest results came in yesterday from Film Classics (it's also on my blog roll, - they generously added me into theirs! - please see it; it's a wonderful website, many classic films and "I Love Lucy"s), and shockingly enough, Frankly, My Dear has managed to pick up a few awards in the categories it was entered into!

For the film noir article - yes, yes, the one I was so nervous over - I came in second place. You want some more shocking news? I managed to swing 98 votes. So: A billion and ten thanks to all of you who voted! I appreciate it so much that you took the time to do so... 98 votes??? I could never imagine so much. Thank you! :) Here's the cyber-award I received, which will now hang on my sidebar under the "Awards" portion --

Also, I entered my hundred birthday video for Lucille Ball into the video contest. There were three categories -- "Best Video", "Best Editing," and "Best Music Choice." My video came in second in all of the categories except the first, where I managed to squeak into first place by  one point. Once again: Thanks so, so, so, much everyone who voted! :)

Okay, now for the other contestants. The winner of the film noir contest is Kevyn from The Most Beautiful Fraud in the World, who won last season as well. It was actually a neck in neck race; Kevyn came in with 102. Anyhow, I believe he wrote a nice piece on the B film noir "Detour". Congratulations on winning, Kevyn, it's well deserved! And also considering that Kevyn appears to be a professional and I am just starting out in the blogging business (well, I've been writing since I was five but blogging is an entirely different thing of it's own), it was an even greater prestige to place second next to him. I hope to be half the critic you are, Kevyn!

The other two contestants were Natalie from the always fun and well written In The Mood and Meredith from the wonderful Forever Classics blog. Natalie and Meredith have been following my blog from it's earliest days and have always left such encouraging and lovely comments; as all of you readers do! (Really, you don't now how much I appreciate hearing your kind words. It brightens my day!). Anyhow, my friend Natalie wrote about Ministry of Fear; a Ray Milland movie. It was such a lovely piece and so convincing, so much so I went right over to Netflix and added it into my queue! (Despite the ending - I'll have to watch out for that, Natalie!) And Meredith wrote about a film I already have loved and have for while, Sunset Boulevard. It was a wonderful piece and described quite vividly the things we all love about the classic film noir. 

All of the above mentioned are forever lovely writers and let me say: it was so wonderful competing with you all!!! I think I was in some of the greatest company. And this also reminds me, I just wanted to mention how wonderful it is to be a part of the classic film blogging community. Finally, people who know what I mean when I say "Team Bette or Team Joan?"! But in all seriousness, this is such a kind and gracious community and it's a joy to be a part of. It really is! And for more lovely blogs, be sure and check my blog roll.

Anyway, the topic of today's post is something I have pondered about for quite a while; don't worry, it's not a rant post. 

"Gone With the Wind" has always been praised as one of the greatest love stories ever, and etc. Now before I continue I don't think you all need to know how much I love GWTW. Look at my blog title! I just adore this film. It is wonderful on so many levels, the acting and all of that is just amazing, it's true in the meaning of "classic."

However, as much as I love GWTW, I have to admit: it never seemed to me like a great love story, even though it is often praised and labeled as one. Let me explain. And before I continue, IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN GONE WITH THE WIND (though please, I really really really hope you have!), DON'T READ ANY FURTHER. This is just for people who have seen the movie.

Anyway, let's face the facts: from the very beginning, the only person who Scarlett truly wants is Ashley, despite the fact she has about every man in Georgia at her feet. Yes, Ashley. Wimpy, wimpy Ashley. 

Yes, I always think of Ashley as a wimp. I also often wonder about what Ashley's true feelings for Scarlett were - did he love her? At all? Then why didn't he marry her? (It would have saved a lot of trouble...) Was it because he felt committed to Melanie?

Ashley is all Scarlett wants, even when she meets the dashing Rhett Butler. For the earlier parts of the film I think Scarlett flirts with Rhett alot - like, for example, dancing with him in her black mourning dress and letting him buy frilly hats for her. She also obviously cares a lot about the way she looks for Rhett, like when she has Mammy make the curtain dress for her. She doesn't restrain asking Rhett for help when she really needs it, like when Melanie is giving birth or when they go broke. Here's a good example; the "you need kissing badly" scene:

Yeah... I'd much rather take Rhett.

The thing is, I think deep down Scarlett knew she loved Rhett but she was never willing to admit it. Because Scarlett always had to have what she wanted, and what she wanted was Ashley. Though she and Ashley never have a real affair, I think they kissed more than once when he was married to Melanie.

Melanie, is, of course, too good to be true. God bless her heart. I actually thought she and Ashley made a pretty good pair. Melanie, so soft spoken and kind all the time, and Ashley... the wimp.

The thing is, those who claim GWTW is a great love story, I ask you: what love story? Despite the fact Scarlett truly does love Rhett and he loves her a lot, she only realizes she loves him once he's gone. Remember? At the end of the film when Melanie dies and Ashley is finally offered to her, she can't take him. Because she realizes it's Rhett she wants, Rhett she needs. Unfortunately for her, Rhett "doesn't give a damn" anymore. 

I guess it is the perfect example of you didn't realize you had it so good until it is all gone. What happened to Scarlett, we'll never know. Did she get Rhett back? She was forever scheming and she is at the end of the film - "Tomorrow is another day." Melanie is dead and Bonnie Butler is dead, but Scarlett knows there's another day and she can get Rhett back if she wants to; or if so she believes.

One thing is for sure, I don't think Scarlett would have gone to Ashley, even though she can finally have him. The situation becomes reversed. What a sequel that would have made! If she did get Rhett back, perhaps that would have made a good love story.

I found a little snippet about GWTW in my Social Studies textbook; it said the film "portrayed the Civil War in a romantic light." I do agree with this statement, I think the film has a very romantic air and lots of romantic scenes, like, for example, the famous kiss Rhett and Scarlett share while Atlanta is being burned down --

However, though it appears to be quite a passionate scene, the fact remains that Scarlett was pushing Rhett away!

I think perhaps the only time Scarlett submitted to Rhett showing affection for her - and he was willing to give it, unlike the end of the film after Bonnie dies, was this particular scene when Rhett decides to marry her. It's the "haven't you been kissed enough?" scene; unfortunately, I could not find a clip of it.

He loves you Scarlett, he really does!

So yes. I think GWTW is filled with beautiful scenes and a romantic air, but there's not really a love story. Scarlett and Rhett never love each other at the same time.

Anyway, I am not criticizing GWTW the wind at all. I think it showed the Civil War from the point of the South quite perfectly, without glamorizing it either (I mean, for how long was Scarlett in that purple dress?). The characters - with the exception of Melanie, who we all can't help but love anyway, probably because of how beautifully Livvie played her - are very alive and very human. I adore this film. It's not just the world's greatest love story, is all!

What do you think? Do I make sense? Well, this time around I think I do. I do, after all, know my GWTW!

Speaking of GWTW, I was able to talk my teacher into letting us watch GWTW at school! I take an enrichment class each week which is just to enrich us with a deeper look into information we may gloss over in other classes, and since we are currently looking at the Civil War in Social Studies class, my teacher agreed into letting us watch GWTW. I think it'll take a month for us to watch it, but I can hardly wait! The teacher and I got into a big discussion about the film, and she gave off several spoilers but I don't think anyone understood. In fact, everyone thought Ashley was a girl, obviously... so they'll have to wait and see. But yes. I am THRILLED. I love watching the classics at school!

The Big 10: My Favorite Actresses REVISED

Hi everyone,

Way back about a month and a half ago, when I first started this blog, was totally naive to this funny blogging game (it's strange how much you can learn in just a little bit) and I had like, zilch, followers, I made a list of my favorite actresses as well as my favorite roles they played.

Well, I guess blogging did it because over that short period of time my taste in actresses has changed slightly. I stepped out of my comfort zone and watched more movies from the actresses mentioned in this list, a list of ten actresses I loved but I swore I needed to see more of. I kind of stuck to that list and as a result, I moved around my list a little. Some things will always stay the same, like my Top Five, for example, which are featured in "My Favorite Actresses and Actors" tab. But I did alter the rest of my list.

I was forced to remove a few favorites from the original list; I still love these actresses, only an adventure farther into this world of classic film has set them back, just a little. If I did a top 20 list (hey, maybe I should do that someday!) they'd most certainly be right behind my top ten.

But anyway, you see, that's how the ball bounces. Here is my REVISED and currently withstanding list of my ten favorite actresses and my favorite movie roles they played - I made some revisions on that, too.

After Lucille Ball, it is in no particular order.

1: Lucille Ball

Look, this will never change. Ever :)

However, I did make a revision to my favorite role of hers. In the original I listed it as Bubbles from "Dance, Girl, Dance." Now I have changed it to Gloria from "The Big Street." This is not a good movie, either. Gloria is not a likable character at all. She is mean and has a cold heart. But I think it was such a change of character from anything we have EVER seen Lucy in, and she does so wonderful, and it's fun to see her glamorous.

2: Ingrid Bergman

My favorite role of hers is still Alicia Huberman from "Notorious."

3 : Natalie Wood

Not much change with Natalie, either; it's still Alva Starr from "This Property is Condemned."

4: Audrey Hepburn

Yesss... it's still going to have to be Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

5: Grace Kelly

I have decidedly changed this to her role as Frances from "To Catch a Thief." Now, I didn't love this movie as much as I hoped it would, despite the triple threat combination of Grace, Cary, and Hitchcock. However, I liked her character and her ambitions and her chicness and all of that.

6: Elizabeth Taylor

I decided to go for Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Yeah, I did find this character annoying but I liked the way Elizabeth played her. And, as much as I love Liz, I kind of have to remedy  the films of hers I've seen. I've seen plenty, but not the substantial ones that won her an Oscar.

7: Katharine Hepburn

Mhm... this won't change, either! :)

8:  Vivien Leigh

Yes, yes, yes, I landed up adding Viv into the top 10! She was on my list of actresses I wanted to see more of and I have an I have really been enjoying her. So, welcome to the top ten, Vivien. And - of course, my favorite role will be Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With the Wind."

9: Olivia de Havilland

Yes, it would seem that Viv's co-star and pal, Olivia de Havilland, would make it into my top ten as well! I am strictly Team Olivia and I really have been loving her films. My favorite role as of now will have to be Virginia from "The Snake Pit," a really great movie, but that may change as I have lots of more Olivia flicks waiting in my Netflix queue for me.

10: Bette Davis

YES, BETTE HAS MADE IT INTO THE TOP 10! :) I'm Team Bette, I have decided. However, I really don't hate Joan Crawford or anything. I saw her in "Mildred Pierce" last night, by the way, and I loved it and her performance and everything. Joan  would probably be in my top 20. But, alas, it is Bette who would make it into my top 10. My favorite role is of course Charlotte Vale from "Now, Voyager" -- I'm sorry there was no proper clip, you'll have to settle for the trailer!

So, there it is, my current top 10 with all the revisions in place and all of that. I'm happy with it, I think. I was forced to remove the lovely Doris Day, Jean Arthur, and Sophia Loren! It's not that I don't love them anymore because I still do.... just... oh well. I may continue onto a top 20 list so you all will know where the latter mentioned actresses still stand with me, because I still really like them.

Okay, that's all. I'll be back tomorrow with the Sunday Movie Review, as usual, and a little rememberance of 9-11 thing.

Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Movie Review: "The Snake Pit" (1948)

Bonjour!

So, today is the first edition of the "Sunday Movie Review" (I know, such a clever title). I created this segment for a couple of reasons. One, in keeping with the tradition of movie blogs, I should probably be doing way more movie reviews than I already do. And it's not that I don't enjoy doing them, it's only that I don't think I'm real great at them... especially doing long ones. I'm used to do shorter ones on Netflix. But here I have all this space for pictures, and video clips, and well, they become quite extended.

But I guess writing a movie review each Sunday will give me enough practice to get really good at it... eventually. Anyhow, I am also staring this because of my new "drive in" header. This week will be the only one in which I am not going to change the header... I've decided to leave Clark and Vivien up until next Sunday so they can complete a full week (and a little more), and then I'll change it next Sunday. But most weeks I will probably be changing the movie that's playing at the drive in depending on what I watched (and reviewed)... which is why I've decided to write these reviews at the beginning of the week.

Also, school will be starting for me in a couple of weeks (ugh!). This will be quite an important year for me with my studies and all, so I probably won't be able to post every day like I do now. I know it's hard to believe with the amount I write these days, but for fear of neglecting this blog, the Sunday Movie Review will force me to update here at least weekly. And since I don't want this blog just to be made up of movie reviews, I will try to update once in the work week (Mon - Fri) and once over the weekend with my Sunday Movie Review. (I usually land up watching a movie either on a Friday or Saturday night, even during the school year, so don't worry about me not having a movie to review). At the LEAST. (Because I love blogging.)

Anyway, now that I've got all of that explained, I guess it's time to start. In the past couple of days, I watched two very different movies: "The Snake Pit" (1948) and "Inside Daisy Clover" (1965) and I had a hard time choosing which one to review for you. "Inside Daisy Clover" is a part of my Natalie Wood Movie Collection (which came yesterday), but not a very good movie. In fact, it was pretty awful. And even though I was thinking about doing a negative review about this quite terrible film, I'm think I'm going to have to go and do a review for "The Snake Pit."

***

I'm really loving this poster. It looks like the cover of one of those Nancy Drew Mysteries I used to read as a little kid.

I decided to rent this movie after it was on TCM about a year ago. I happened to catch it someplace in the middle. For some reason, it left a very loud and creepy impression on me (well, it is a movie about a mental hospital - but after watching it all the way through, that's not the feel that I got this time) and I didn't watch it. But my dad told me it was a good movie, and since recently I've really been loving Olivia de Havilland films, I decided to give it a try.

Here's the summary for those of you who don't know:

Deeply troubled Virginia Cunningham (Olivia de Havilland) finds herself in a mental hospital. Her world is a confused blur as the determined Dr. Kik (Leo Genn) tries to find a way to save her. Tortured by tarnished memories of her past, Virginia is forced to come to terms with her mental illness  (with her husband and doctor by her side) as she journeys through the several terrifying wards of the "snake pit." Celeste Holm makes an appearance as her nearly sane friend, Grace.

The cast has:

• Olivia de Havilland as Virginia Cunningham
• Mark Stevens as Robert Cunningham, her husband
• Leo Genn as Dr. Kik, her determined doctor
• Celeste Holm as her friend, Grace
• And a series other supporting players as mental patients and a super annoying nurse

It's directed by Anatole Litvak. 

Olivia was nominated for an Oscar for this, and I really enjoyed her performance. It's quite a shame she didn't win because she is really terrific. She brings life to Virginia's character, and makes her human. Not only that, she makes Virginia a lovable character, one that you want desperately  for her to get better.

One of my favorite parts was Virginia's very sane (yet confused) thoughts that we only hear. This is a serious movie, but what goes on in her head brings light and even some laughter to the film. For example, there is a scene early on in the film when one of the nurses greets her with a, "Hello, Virginia." In her mind, we hear hers say something along the lines of: How do you know my name? And what am I supposed to tell you - Hello, Kiddo? Later on, her husband comes to visit her and Virginia thinks he's a fake. She tells herself, My, they do a good job.

She also delivers really cute lines throughout the film. In one scene, another patient boasts to her that she owns the Hope Diamond. Virginia says quickly in return, "Well, I have the Hopeless Emerald."

In another scene, we get a look into Virginia's head: she thinks she's drowning in a huge ocean. But in reality, she is only in a tub screaming her head off while nurses tend to her.

Virginia clutches on for dear life in her "drowning scene"

I really loved her character.

This is all Olivia, all her film. The performance of the doctor by a Leo Genn was good, if only stereotypical. I was not pleased with Mark Stevens as the husband. His character is stale. To be fair to him, he gets pretty bland lines, but he doesn't do much with them. Olivia gets all the great lines though and she really has fun with them and eats it up. I read that in preparation for this movie, she visited several mental hospitals and sat in on therapy sessions, and even attended a dance between two mental hospitals like you see in the film. No wonder she sparkles as Virginia!

Celeste Holm gets pretty big billing for this considering you really only see her character for ten minutes, as one of Virginia's friends.

A "Helen Craig"  plays Nurse Davis, or the super annoying nurse I mentioned. She is a fantastically wonderful character to hate. You know, like one of those really awful people who always manages to get her way and you just kind of want to sock her in the nose.

I guess to just put it simply, this is a really good film. They don't really make them like this anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I know I haven't really talked all that much about it, and this review is kind of short. But I guess it ought to show you its brilliance through that alone, because when a film is so good, it usually leaves you a little at a loss for words. (If I had reviewed "Inside Daisy Clover," which I will probably land up doing eventually, I would've gone on for quite a while...) 

Lastly, the movie is right here on Youtube:

So you don't have an excuse not to watch it! I give it four of five stars. Really a rather good movie, and since it's not one of those films with the "classic" label stamped on it, totally deserves more credit.

***

Well, that's it for the first edition of the Sunday Movie Review. Before I sign off, I'd quickly like to note the passing of a great foreign film star from Bollywood's own "classic era." It is Indian actor Shammi Kapoor, who, as I was informed by my mom, died today aged seventy nine. I'm not all that into Bollywood films (and I haven't seen any of his) or foreign films at all for that matter, but in India he was hailed as a great actor of Bollywood's own golden era of the 50's and 60's, so I thought he most certainly deserved a mention.  

Anyhow, hoped you enjoyed the first Sunday Movie Review!

Olivia vs. Joan (and a multitude of other things)

Bonjour!

I've got, as the title says, a multitude of different things to talk about today, so we'd better get started. You're forewarned: this blog may get a little long.

The first thing I guess is today is July 31st, or AKA, the last day of July. Making tomorrow the first of August, and that marks six days away from the All Time Exciting Event: (drumroll please) LUCILLE BALL'S 100TH BIRTHDAY!

As you can tell, I'm super-excited.

So, starting tomorrow, I am going to begin Six Days of Blogging for Lucy. That's exactly what it sounds like: On the 1-6, I will be blogging solely about Lucille Ball, and any topics related to her. I mean, it's Lucy, so I have tons of material and promise to keep you all entertained. Plus, a few specials from Frankly My Dear TV. This is, of course, also in addition to the Loving Lucy Blogathon that I have joined.

Next, since today is the last day of July (which I already said, of course) I thought I'd do a little, "My Month in Old Hollywood Film" tidbit. Basically the highlights of what I've watched over the month - or anything relating to classic film, excreta.

So here is my Big 10:

• I start my classic film blog, and call it "Frankly, My Dear."
• I start "Frankly My Dear TV" on Youtube. The first video goes up on July 20th as a tribute video for Natalie Wood's birthday. I have now reached 100+ views, and have gotten 3 likes and 1 dislike (obviously from a person who's got problems in their life... lol).
• I get four new Old Hollywood related books. See them here.
• I watch the epic "Gone With the Wind" (1938) all over again, over the course of two days, in the big movie theater in our basement.
• Films of note - "The Big Sleep" (1946) (yes, believe it or not, I hadn't seen it yet and it confused the bloody L out of me!), "Sex and the Single Girl" (1964), so to chalk up another point in my Natalie Wood movies, "Mogambo" (1953) - everyone said it was going to be bad, but I actually rather enjoyed myself. Of course, I have yet to see the original, "Red Dust," so we'll see what happens after that.
• Best Movie of the Month: "Gone With the Wind" ~ revisited, but still. Still 5/5 Still amazing when they burn Atlanta down. ;)
• Worst Movie of the Month: "Bombers B-52" (1957) with Natalie Wood and Karl Malden. Bought it on pay-per-view to chalk up another Natalie movie, but it turned out to be a man's movie with airplanes and little to no romance, really.. then landed up fast forwarding through the whole thing. So :(
• I got my friend to watch "West Side Story" (1961) and "What ever Happened to Baby Jane?" I think she enjoyed herself, especially with WHTBJ? and they're old movies, so yay :)
• Actresses that most sparked my interest in this month were: Bette Davis, Ava Gardner (especially because of "Mogambo"), Olivia de Havilland.
• Actors that most sparked my interest: Gregory Peck.

***

So, I will also be bringing some new rules to the polling game. I'm going to allow a longer period of time for people to vote in the poll - at least a full week, so we can get more results. The results of the first poll were good with nine votes, but in the past two polls, we have been fading. 

This week's results were: One point for Olivia de Havilland, one point for Undecided, and zero points for poor old Joan Fontaine!

Anyway, as promised here is your "Olivia vs. Joan" Blog.

For starters, who's side am I on? I am Team Olivia. Especially with the amount of interest her movies sparked in me this month - not to mention I watched two films of hers - I am quickly starting to like Olivia more and more. In all fairness to Joan, I have not seen that many of her movies. But I still like Olivia better. ;)

OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

"The Big Sister"

born July 1st, 1916, in Toyko, Japan (hey, she's got the same birthday as Princess Diana! Well, not the same year. But STILL.)

JOAN FONTAINE

"The Little Sister"

born October 22nd, 1917, in Tokyo, Japan

Sibling Rivalry

The fact was that little Olivia and Joan as kids had never really liked each other. When Olivia was nine, she made up a will and the legend goes that she bequeathed a very special gift to sister Joan: her beauty, for "since she has none." (I laugh a little at this, because I'm thinking of Olivia as Melanie in "Gone with the Wind" as I write this). Another rumor claims that Olivia used to rip up Joan's hand me downs so Joan would be forced to sew them back together for herself. (Uhm, seriously??)

Of course, Hollywood didn't help. You can imagine how the animosity between the two of them grew when they were both nominated for an Oscar in 1941 - Olivia for "Hold Back the Dawn" and Joan for "Suspicion." (What was the Academy thinking??!!) Matters got a lot worse when Joan won for "Suspicion." That did it.

Apparently at the ceremony, Olivia extended a hand to Joan to congratulate her. In return, Joan ignored her and turned to the next person as she flaunted her Oscar.  Another story claims that it was the other way around. I guess it's a matter of dispute - but in all fairness, Olivia went on to win two Oscars of her own... one more golden man than Joan.

Still, they weren't totally estranged from each other until the 1970's. It is said that their mother always favored Olivia, and forced Joan into making up her own surname when she decided to venture into Hollywood herself (Olivia, however, became an actress first - using their own last name). Joan claimed in a 1979 interview that Olivia wanted their 88 year old mother to be operated on, a the time in which she was dying, and Joan became so annoyed she stopped speaking to her. (??) Apparently, Olivia also neglected to inform her about a memorial service for their mother, and also "didn't call her" when their mother had first passed away.

It's hard to imagine Olivia being the mean one since she always had that "sweet face." Of course, a lot of this is hearsay. who knows? Maybe it's a publicity stunt (but how boring would that be?) from way back when. it also depends who's side you choose, and then what stories you believe.

Of course, we're lucky to still have both Olivia and Joan with us - one of the few leading ladies from Old Hollywood left. They're both in their 90's, but they still haven't patched things up. Last September, the president of France honored citizen Olivia (who has been living their since the 1950's), and Joan refused to attend the ceremony.

(Wow - they must have good genes!) Anyway, I think they should clean things up between the two of them! That's just my opinion. And it's pretty easy for me to say, because I don't have a sister - or a sibling at all. ;)

I hear a biography about their sibling rivalry comes out next year, so I'll be excited to read that and learn more about it.

That's all for now - and don't forget, blogging for Lucy starts tomorrow.

Ciao!