Auld Lang Syne

Hi everyone! I just wanted to write a more personal blog sharing some of my recent adventures in classic film that didn't take place on the silver screen. :D

What I got for Christmas. Since my lovely family knows me so well I got a bunch of Classic Hollywood things for Christmas, so I thought I'd share! By the way, this is in no way bragging. What I was most thankful for on Christmas was to my have my family with me. (It's a cliche but true). Anyways, here's what I got!

• [BOOK] Carole Lombard: The Hoosier Tornado
• [BOOK] Frankly, My Dear: Gone With the Wind Revisited
• [BOOK] Ingrid: A Personal Biography
• [BOOK] A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson
• [BOOK] Laughs, Luck, and Lucy
• [BOX SET] Tracy & Hepburn: The Definitive Collection
• [MOVIE] The Valley of Decision (1945)
• [MOVIE] Julia Misbehaves (1948)
• [MOVIE] Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993)

The Tracy & Hepburn boxset, which was in my holiday gift guide, is wonderful. It was at a really really good price on Amazon - $17!!! - and it contains all nine films, plus a tenth disc: The Spencer Tracy Legacy, narrated by Kate. I was so excited when I saw it. I just adore it. It's so beautifully put together and I really recommend it.

I'm currently reading the Greer Garson biography, I'm not all that far in but I think it's going to be good and I'm excited to learn more about Greer. I was thrilled when I saw Julia Misbehaves of course, because I've been wanting to see it since - well, since I became Greer obsessed (which was maybe a little over a month ago), BUT I'm quite an impatient person. Anyways, I saw it the other day and I just LOVED it. I plan to do a review for it soon. I haven't seen The Valley of Decision yet but I want to before my break finishes.

Then there's Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie - at three and a half hours long, it's just about as long as Gone with the Wind, which makes me really happy! The longer the better! I started it the other night and haven't finished it yet but so far I just love it. It's turning out to be all I expected and then some. I can't wait to watch the rest of it!

I also got one more vintage thing for Christmas, and honestly it's probably one of the best presents I've ever received. It's:

A vintage telephone! The candlestick type, like in His Girl Friday! I love it to pieces!! It even has a vintage ringing sound, and it clashes with the more modern shrill of the other phones in the house, but whatever. Listening to it is music to my ears - I actually came this close to recording its ring for you all but I was too lazy. ;) Anyhow, I'm one of those rare teenagers who doesn't talk on the phone all that much but now I'm using every possible excuse to make a call! Even if it's just to order Chinese takeout I'm getting a kick out of my vintage phone! :)

On Christmas Day, we had dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, and Classic Hollywood filtered into the conversation several times. My uncle is a HUGE Jimmy Stewart fan and he has his autograph. He got it when he met Jimmy in the 90's, it was at a local signing at a bookstore. My uncle had to wait in line for a really long time and when he got up there he told Jimmy how he was his favorite actor of all time. Jimmy was pretty old by then, and all he could manage really was a friendly grunt to my uncle, but it made my uncle happy anyway. He claims that he didn't grunt at anyone else and so it was a big deal. ;) Can you imagine, getting to meet a Classic Hollywood star in person? Well, a girl can dream.

The Artist (2011). It was a long time coming, but I finally was able to see The Artist (2011). I went with my dad and I was the only young person in the theater but that was okay.

I have been anticipating seeing this film since I first heard about it back in September. And it was worth the wait - this didn't disappoint! It was one of the best moderns I've seen in a long while. Elements of this film reminded me a lot of Singin in the Rain (1952) and Sunset Boulevard (1950), and the final dance sequence seemed to be a Fred and Ginger homage. But it was original enough to still be good and I had a lot of fun watching it. It was even filmed in the vintage 35 mm, and the print even contained the good old burst of double black dots, signaling the time to change the reel.

The actors were very good, too. Something I often find when watching moderns that take place in the 20's, 30's, 40's, etc. is that the actors simply don't appear to look vintage, more like modern actors playing dress up. This film, however, definitely did not have that problem. The main actor looked a lot like Gene Kelly and though the actress was not as spot on, she did make a convincing flapper type.

Speaking of the actors, both of them did a good job working without sound. My favorite character, actor, whatever of all though was definitely Uggie, the faithful dog. He's nominated for some canine awards I believe, and he should carry them all. He was wonderful.

So the bottom line is I really suggest you go out and watch this film.

I Love Lucy exhibit [and then some]. This was a local tribute to the "American dream" show, and it's been up since August but I didn't get to see it until Wednesday! I decided to take my camera so I could take photos, but I really pulled a Lucy: I put the battery in for charging and grabbed my camera, but it wasn't until I got there that I realize I'd forgotten to put the battery back. >.< Yeah, I know, quite smart. Anyway, I had to take photos with my cell phone camera then, so I'm sorry if they're blurry. Also, I didn't take too many photos because no one else was and I didn't want to look weird. :D

It was small, actually, and it wasn't exactly filled with novelties but I enjoyed it anyway. It was mostly a lot of pictures (that I'd seen before - "That's amateur stuff," I scoffed), newspaper articles from the time, and one or two script pages. It was nicely put together though and it's always fun to see a tribute to the classics.

There was a small module displaying clips from different episodes, and most people were crowded around there. It was fun to listen to bits and pieces of their conversations and correct them in my head: for example, one person wondered aloud if "enceinte" (in reference to the title of the episode in which Lucy tells Ricky she's pregnant), was the Spanish word for pregnant. It's actually the French word.  Another person knowingly rattled off that Lucy had children at the age of 40 and 42, which was "quite unpopular at the time," but technically, that's wrong, too. Lucy was 39 when she had Lucie and 41 upon having Desi, Jr. But, hey, not everyone can be a Lucy fanatic. :)

Here's the photos I took:

A display of articles about the show, circa 1957. 

One of the script pages that was framed and displayed. This one is from "The Great Train Robbery", 1956.

Since this exhibit was so small and we had time to kill afterwards, we checked out this thing called "The Bob Hope Gallery." This was bigger and a lot of fun. There was a sign asking for no photography so I took no pictures, but it was basically many photos, articles, newsreels, etc. about Bob poking fun at politics, being a Yankee during World War 2, and the like. Also included in these were other celebrities like Lana Turner, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Robert Taylor, and many more. It was great fun and I enjoyed seeing the looks on adults' faces as I pointed out Claudette Colbert in a photo of a bond tour to my dad. There was also some things about McCarthyism.

We also stepped by "The Gershwin Gallery," which contained George Gershwin's piano and typewriter among other things. There was a lot of Fred and Ginger in this exhibit, mostly "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" from Swing Time (1936), which is one of my favorite Fred and Ginger sequences.

It was fun to see all of this, I just love seeing Classic Hollywood in public places!

***

Well, that's what I've been doing over my break. And since today is New Year's Eve, this is my last official post of 2011. I thought of doing a end of the year wrap up post like many other blogs are doing, but the thing is, I've technically been only blogging for half a year, this blog started in July, and therefore... maybe we can try an end of the year wrap up thing next year! As for now: A big thank you to all of you that have read this blog this year. I appreciate it so much and I'll see you all in 2012! Keep reading and have a Happy New Year's! ♥

I'll leave you with the traditional New Year's song, sure to be found in 95% of New Year's scenes in movies, old or new -

NOTE: Tomorrow being New Year's Day, I'm using that as a valid excuse to skip the Sunday Movie Review. It'll be be back the following Sunday, January the 8th, with the first review of 2012!

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!

***

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. :) 

Merry Xmas! [Part 2]: It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

I wrote part one of this post yesterday. 

Merry Christmas, everybody!!! :) I hope you all have a wonderfully bright Christmas filled with prettily wrapped presents to open, and lots of time with your families, and maybe even room for a classic movie or two! I've also gotten some wonderful, vintage Classic Hollywood things for Christmas, so perhaps I'll do a post sharing what I got with you later this week.

As for now, I present to you the final Christmas movie in my Christmas movie blogathon. It happens to be my favorite, and that's why I saved it for last. But before we get onto it, a recap of what I previously reviewed:

• Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
• Holiday Affair (1949)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

With each movie I also added in a classic Christmas carol. This last one is:

"We Need a Little Christmas" by Lucille Ball <3

I guess you can really press yourself and try and think what I might have chosen for this last review. Well, you guessed it: "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, as well as simply one of my favorite movies period. It may be a cliche to love this movie, but I really do so much. However, since this film is really hard to review because there's basically nothing wrong with it, and you know what it's about and how beautiful Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and everyone else is, you know all of that - so I'm just going to talk about my favorite scenes, and why this movie gives you that lovely warm feeling.

***

It's a wonderful film. Frank Capra's inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born.

[from Netflix -- as if you NEED any description]

My favorite scenes

I honestly think every scene in this movie is my favorite! But there are a few that always stick out to me, I always remember, and when I re-watch the movie I forever anticipate them. 

•  The scene early into the movie, when George and Mary are kids. George is working for the druggist, Mr. Gower, and is making Mary the soda she ordered. Mary leans over and whispers into George's left ear, his deaf one:

[I didn't make this, but I really can't remember where I got it from - sorry!]

• Fast forwarding to the year 1928: George and Mary at the dance. I love how the moment they lock eyes with each other, George takes her in his arms and they began dancing. And then - when they're doing the Charleston, and the pool opens from out underneath them, and they fall inside, still dancing and laughing - and everyone joins them in the pool. How can something like that not make you grin from ear to ear? 

[via]

• This is probably one of the greatest scenes in the whole movie - after the dance, with Mary in the robe and George in the funny letter sweater and baggy pants. They sing "Buffalo Gals" (won't you come out tonight - won't you come out tonight!) and  to me they always seem kind of drunk, but not on alcohol but life. :) Then they make wishes and throw rocks at the windows of the old house, and then comes yet another romantically adorable line: "You want the moon, Mary? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." Then Mary loses her robe and has to hide in a bush, and of course George won't give her her robe back. All of this fantastic fun is ruined when George gets word of his father's stroke - but it's still one of my very favorite scenes in the whole movie. (I love how all my favorite scenes are with George and Mary).

[via]

• The phone scene. This scene really needs no explanation. I love it. From Mary's "Hee-haw Hello" to George shaking Mary by the shoulders and insisting he'll never marry anyone, and then he takes her in his arms and tells her he loves her. I love everything leading up to this scene, too - Mary's frustration [like when she breaks the "Buffalo Gals" record], "He's making violent love to me, Mother!", Mary's mother watching on in awe, the needlework "George lassos the moon" - all of it! This movie was the first one Jimmy did upon coming back from the war, and he was afraid he would be a little out of practice for the intensity of the phone scene. But it turned out the scene was so very passionate that the Hays Code office had to edit some of it out!

[via]

• When George comes back from yet another terrible confrontation from Mr. Potter, and climbs into bed with Mary and asks her why would she marry someone like him. Then Mary reveals that she's pregnant, and says this adorable line:

[via MYSELF!]

• This is later into the movie, when George is having the worst day of his life and when he's coming to terms with the fact that he's probably going to land up in jail. He gets home and things aren't much better, his short temper frightens his children and Mary, and then he discovers that one of his daughters, ZuZu, has a slight fever after walking home without a coat. He goes upstairs to talk to her, and she shows him the flower she won at school - a few petals fall off and she asks him to "paste them back on." Since he can't really, he slips them in his pocket and pretends to. One of my nicknames when I was a little - and still, sometimes ;) - was "ZuZu," because of this movie.

• This is more than one scene, more appropriately a whole chunk of scenes - from the time Clarence shows up and jumps in the water to save George's life, to George's final plea to God for his life back. Everything in between: the nightmare George visits, in this strange town called Pottersville, is definitely the "grim" part of the film, but I still like it. Because George realizes how important he was, and all the kind things he did, and how he really helped people out. Sure, some of it doesn't make sense - like, for example, Mary probably wouldn't have landed up an old maid, she likely would have married Sam. But still. This is the most thought provoking part of the film, and every time I watch it I ask myself: "How would everyone be if I was never born?"

[via]

• When George does get his life back, he races through Bedford Falls, screaming hello to every person and place he passes. He passes the cinema, and what happens to be playing there but no other than Leo McCarey's 1945 vehicle with Bing and Ingrid (another movie I love):

• The ending.   Every thing from the moment George races in the door to his home, screaming happily, "I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail!" And then he runs up to see his kids and hugs them all, and then Mary comes in the door - and they all race down the stairs, and he hugs her, in that very iconic frame of the Baileys on the staircase. But nothing really gets better then when all the citizens of Bedford Falls come inside and began pouring all this money on the table, ready to pay the $8,000 for their friend George. Then the warrant for George's arrest is torn up, and Harry comes, and then the copy of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" appears with the special inscription from Clarence to George. Everyone breaks excitedly into "Auld Lang Sygne", and a bell on the Christmas tree begins to ring. ZuZu says, "Teacher says everytime a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings," and we all know for sure Clarence has gotten those wings that we all know he deserves. Yeah, sappy sappy sappy, but you can't help but just grin and be happy when you watch this scene. Really happy. One of the most satisfying endings a movie ever had!

And then everything is over, and you're left with a grin on your face and this:

I just love this movie. ♥

***

Those are my favorite scenes, which ones are yours??

It's been so much fun sharing my favorite Christmas movies each Sunday, and Christmas carols, too. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Once again: Merry Christmas from me to you, readers! I hope you all have a really lovely holiday. :)

Merry Xmas! [Part 1]: A Classic Hollywood Christmas

Okay, if you read my post for the Bogie blogathon earlier today, you'll know how I screwed up the blogging schedule I've quite carefully figured out for this week (with two blogathons, several birthdays, and CHRISTMAS). I really wanted to follow up with the post I'd planned for today, Christmas Eve, so I'm going to go ahead and write it anyway, despite the fact I'll be showing up twice in your feed today (at least, in my time zone). Apologies once more (I don't like to overhaul people with posts, lol).

All December I have been spotlighting my favorite Christmas films as a part of my Sunday Movie Review. Tomorrow is a Sunday, and is also happens to be Christmas Day, and therefore I'll be following up with my little Christmas blogathon by reviewing my favorite Christmas movie of all time.

However, in pledging myself to do this I realized I'd be missing out on some of the other Classic Hollywood/Christmas stuff there is to talk about, and so I decided to do a two part post. This is the first part, and the second part will be tomorrow, which will consist of my movie review.

For this first part I present to you all a list of ten random, Classic Hollywood Christmas things I felt compelled to share with you all.

10 Things That are Classic Hollywood and Christmas

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AVA

Ava and one of her pet corgis wishing you a merry Christmas! Ava is one of my favorite actresses and I like her despite her faults because over all, she was still an awesome person. And she had good values about particular things, like she was ahead of her time when it came to racism: she didn't believe in it. But anyway, the point is that today, Christmas Eve, is her birthday! I read in her biography that it was a ritual on the 24th for two cakes to be baked: one chocolate and one coconut. One was supposed to be for the baby Jesus and the other for her but she always thought of them both for her. Anyway, any person born on Christmas Eve must be awesome, and Ava was. Happy birthday, Ava!

2. I LOVE LUCY: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

I'm sorry, I could only find the colorized version (yuck!) on Youtube. However, this is a flashback episode and the flashbacks are still in B&W, I believe. Anyhow, try to ignore the colorization and enjoy this. It's a "walk down memory lane" episode for the Ricardos and Mertzes, and it takes place on Christmas Eve so I guess it's particularly appropriate for today. This episode isn't run in syndication with all the others, so if you watch Lucy on TV (versus online or on DVD) you might haven't gotten the chance to see this yet.

3. THE DONNA REED SHOW: A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just watched this the other day, I'd never seen an episode of the Donna Reed Show before. I liked and it so I'm sharing it! It was a little mushy but mush never hurts anyone in the holiday season [expect perhaps the Grinch and Scrooge]. Plus, this show's got Donna Reed, who should be the queen of holiday mush as she starred in The Best Christmas Movie of All Time (can you just guess what movie I'll be talking about tomorrow). I like her a lot, I think she's an underrated actress. (Donna Reed, I mean.)

4. GREER AND AN ADORABLE LITTLE BOY WISH YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS

[via]

I would SO much rather get this in my mailbox instead of the usual tacky Christmas cards (just saying). The GIF (which isn't mine, you know where to click, yep, that's right, the "via" link, because that Tumblr is pretty awesome) is from "Blossoms in the Dust". (A Greer and Walter movie, I saw it but never did a review of it. It's good, though, so watch it! Albeit, not a Christmas film, it only has a Christmas scene in it, just so you know.)

5.  CHRISTMAS PIN-UPS

So many awesome Classic Hollywood Christmas related pin-ups! This is a handful of so many. From left to right: Paulette Goddard opening presents, Elizabeth Taylor showing off her kitten and wishing us a happy holiday, Mary Pickford changing the street sign from "Hollywood" to "Santa Claus Lane", Ginger Rogers fooling around with the Christmas tree, Doris Day boasting the presents she's got, Carole Lombard admiring her presents, Natalie Wood smiling through her adorned wreath, Audrey Hepburn hugging Santa Claus, and Lucy and Desi bashfully exchanging gifts with one another. :) 

6. CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST


"The Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby

"Silent Night" by Lena Horne 

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Doris Day

"We Three Kings (of Orient are)" by Ella Fitzgerald

Some Christmas carols I love. I know I've been adding a Christmas carol with each movie review, but these are a few that I like that I didn't get the chance to share!

7. SUSPENSE RADIO: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

"Twas the night before Christmas..." Christmas Eve with a mysterious twist! Greer Garson stars in this Suspense Radio Theater production that was broadcast on December 21st, 1953. A suspenseful take

on one of the most cheerful holidays of the year! 

8.  I ♥ ASTA ORNAMENT

I made this myself. Honestly, who WOULDN'T want this ornament. Seriously,  if this were a real item it would totally have been in my holiday gift guide. Because who DOESN'T love Asta, I tell you. [Lassie?? Pfffhtttt].

9. LUCY: SANTA LUCIA

"I squinted up into the blazing sun and saw a figure hovering over me dressed all in black with a Santa mask and beard and rolled up orange hair. "Santa Lucia!" I cried out."

- I LOVED LUCY by Lee Tannen

* did you ever see a more beautiful Santa? *

10.  THE MOVIES I MISSED

I decided to share with you my favorite Christmas films this December, and I only had four Sundays, which meant only four movies. I had to leave out a few that I love. Here are clips from them --

THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)

Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan 

THE THIN MAN (1934)

Myrna Loy, William Powell

HOLIDAY (1938) [New Years]

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant 

***

The second part of this post will be up tomorrow [the movie review]. Now, I'm off to enjoy "It's a Wonderful Life" (I always watch it on Christmas Eve! ;D).

But in advance: Merry Merry Christmas, my readers - or whatever holiday you're celebrating this time of year!

Humphrey Bogart Blogathon || Interview with a Bogie Fan + Me!

NOTE: This post was written a few days ago in anticipation of how busy I would be these past few days, and therefore I was supposed to get online and post it yesterday. But I had a lot of friends over, and was really busy, and I didn't get to do it :/ So I'm posting it today - the thing is, I already had another post planned for today. Since I already pledged myself to reviewing my very favorite Christmas film tomorrow, I'll still be going through with that post and will be publishing it later today. Yeah, I'll be popping up in your feed twice today. I don't like to bombard people with posts in one day, so I'm really sorry, guys! The post originally planned for the 24th will be up later. Thanks and sorry, everyone!

It's finally time for Meredith's "Humphrey Bogart Blogathon," in honor of Bogie's birthday! His birthday is actually on Christmas Day, but we're celebrating early here. Anyway, plenty of blogs have joined on this fun occasion and I'm sure there are going to be plenty of great posts, so be sure and check out the lineup at Meredith's blog, Forever Classics.

My love of classic films should be credited to my dad - he's the one who showed me my first one, and ever since I lost my heart to Classic Hollywood. He himself is a big movie buff, and one of his favorite actors is none other than Bogie! So for this post, I took it upon myself to interview him about Bogie. It took a lot of persuading (ME: Dad, I'm going to interview you for my blog! DAD: ....) , but I did manage to get some answers out of him, and then I took my own survey. So here is his answers and mine on the one and only, Humphrey Bogart! [My comments are in italics.]

Bogie Q/A With my Dad 

1. Which Bogie movie is your favorite?

DAD: (jokingly) Well, let me see... I really liked "We're No Angels," and then I loved "The Petrified Forest"....

ME: (rolls eyes) How about "Casablanca"?

DAD: Was he in that? Well, okay, I guess "Casablanca."

"Casablanca" is one of my dad's favorites movies ever. I dug up one of his old movie reviews for it, and  he says, "It doesn't get much better than this tale of intrigue and romance." He ended off his review by saying, "Thankfully, we'll always have Casablanca!"  I must agree.

The Bogie statue that my dad keeps in his office

2. Which Bogie co-star is your favorite?

DAD: Lauren Bacall.

ME: Why, and which movie?

DAD: Because they were married in real life, and "To Have and Have Not." 

ME: They fell in love on the set of that movie.

DAD: Yes. They used to tell Bogie's wife at the time [the incredibly jealous Meyo Methot], when he was out with Lauren, that he's "with the cast," as if to mean the whole cast - but it was just Lauren, really.

3. What's your favorite Bogie character?

DAD: Rick Blaine ("Casablanca"). Though it's hard to pick, he did play such hard boiled characters. They were always the toughest of guys.

4. What's your favorite Bogie line?

DAD: (still teasing) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"?

ME: (rolls eyes again) I said Humphrey Bogart, not Clark Gable!

DAD: Okay, okay. "We'll always have Paris." (Casablanca).

I was pretty sure he was going to pick "Here's looking at you kid," obviously from the same movie, but I like this line, too. Then again, it's probably because I like Paris so much. 

5. "The Big Sleep" vs. "To Have and Have Not."

DAD: "To Have and Have Not."

ME: There was really no point in asking this one, was there? I can't blame you, "The Big Sleep" is so confuzzling!

He still likes "The Big Sleep", though. I think I liked "The Big Street" better - with Lucy and Henry Fonda. Okay, just kidding. Or maybe not... ?

6. What's your favorite Bogie/John Houston collaboration?

ME: (by accident) What's your favorite Bogie/John Ford collaboration?

DAD: (incredulous) Bogie and John Ford? They only made like one movie together...

ME: Ooops. I meant, Bogie and John Huston. They made plenty of movies together, didn't they?

DAD: "The African Queen."

Believe it or not, that's actually the book's
cover - then it's got "Humphrey Bogart" and
the author's name on the  back. Interesting...
to say the least.

7. What's the best book written about Bogie [that you've read]?

DAD: "Humphrey Bogart," by Nathaniel Benchley.

ME: (suspicious) Isn't that an old eighties biography on Bogie?

DAD: I guess so, but hey, upon it's release it was called the best book on Bogie to date!

ME: Yeah, but that was way back in 1985!

I'm just kidding. Honestly, the eighties aren't old to me at all, because this is coming from a girl who stares at her friends and insists that if something occurred seventy or sixty years ago, it's still technically "modern" times. (When you speak of history, anyway...)

8. Who directed Bogie best?

DAD: Howard Hawks.

ME: (pressing for more) And why? Which movie? Wait, let me guess - "To Have and Have Not"?

DAD: Yes and because he brought out the real Bogie!

I honestly don't know if he was joking here or not... [about the "real" Bogie] lol. :D

9. Who is someone you wished Bogie had worked with?

*mulls it over.* DAD: Alfred Hitchcock would have been cool.

ME: Good answer!

I really have to agree, why didn't that happen? That would have been really awesome, a Bogie/Hitchcock collaboration.

10. What's a character that Bogie was miscast in?

DAD: Finally, the last question!

ME: Okay, okay! So, what was Bogie miscast in?

DAD: Well, I don't really think he was right as Linus Larrabee in "Sabrina" (1954).

ME: I agree with you. But why?

DAD: Well, I just think he was too old - and it was a little hard to believe that Audrey Hepburn dumped William Holden for Humphrey Bogart.

Then it was my turn to answer my OWN questions!

Bogie Q/A With Me!

1. Which Bogie movie is your favorite?

The same as my dad - "Casablanca." I don't care if it's a stereotype to love this movie, it will forever be one of my favorites!

2. Which Bogie co-star is your favorite?

I really love Lauren Bacall, and Bogie and Bacall are one of my favorite off screen couples. But I'm going to have to go with Ingrid Bergman, as in "Casablanca." I just loved Ingrid and Bogie together! I mean, Bogie did once say: "I didn’t do anything I’ve never done before, but when the camera moves in on that Bergman face, and she's saying she loves you, it would make anybody feel romantic." But Lauren Bacall is a definitely a  close runner up, and Katharine Hepburn ("The African Queen"), too. 

3. What's your favorite Bogie character?

I have to agree with my dad here, too - Rick Blaine. But I also liked Charlie Allnut, from "The African Queen" (in terms of being a little more original).

4. What's your favorite Bogie line?

Again, totally unoriginal, but "Here's looking at you, kid." 

5. "The Big Sleep" vs. "To Have and Have Not."

"To Have and Have Not" - "The Big Sleep," confused the heck out of me, which I probably shouldn't feel so bad about, because that's what it usually does to most people. I don't think I'd be able to follow its plot if you paid me money, lol!

6. What's your favorite Bogie/John Houston collaboration?

"The African Queen", without a question. I loved Kate and Bogie together, and I really want to read the book she wrote about her time in Africa with Huston, Bogie, and Bacall. 

[via]

7. What's the best book written about Bogie [that you've read]?

I actually haven't read anything on Bogie yet! But I really loved Lauren Bacall's autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some." She talks lovingly of Bogie in it, and she actually made me cry when she talked about the last years of his life, and when he died. I really recommend it. You can read my review of it here.

8. Who directed Bogie best?

I think perhaps John Huston, but I also want to give a special nod to Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca"). An underrated director despite the famous film "Casablanca" is.

9. Who is someone you wished Bogie had worked with?

I too would have loved to see him work with Alfred Hitchcock. But in terms of co-stars, I don't know if this is weird or random - but I think it might have been interesting to see him and Vivien Leigh together. Okay, yes, weird and random for sure, but she's honestly the first one that popped into my mind. (Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me either).

10. What's a character that Bogie was miscast in?

Linus Larabee all the way. Don't get me wrong - I love "Sabrina." I just have to agree a lot with what my dad said. Plus, if you read about what was going on backstage, it's not very pleasant. Bogie and Audrey didn't get along, he once said something like, it's okay to work with Audrey Hepburn so long you don't mind fifty takes (or something like that). Too bad, because both Bogie and Audrey are favorites of mine and I would have wanted them to get along! :/

***

Okay, I hope this post did manage to be entertaining, I really had to badger my dad to get take my interview! lol. And I also apologize once more for throwing off the blogging schedule I had already set out for myself, with so many posts to do this week. The other post should be up later today, and it'll set me back on track. But like I said, I don't like publishing two posts in a day so I'm real sorry, guys.

A big thank you to Meredith for hosting this blogathon, happy birthday to Bogie, and a merry Christmas in advance!!