Favorite Filmmakers | Vincente Minnelli

Continuing with a director whose films I often turn to when I'm in the mood for something I can rely on to cheer me up or make me smile. To read previous installments of this series, go here. 

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VINCENTE MINNELLI (1903 - 1986)

I don't know why, but whenever I write up one of these posts I always feel like I have to explain certain exclusions from my list. It's probably annoying. However, I do want to add in here that I did not forget Gigi (1958) or leave it out because I haven't seen it. I actually have, and I'm going to be blunt by saying it's really one of the most ridiculous movies I've seen. I don't understand how Vincente Minnelli could have directed it. But then again, I'm really alone on this opinion because Gigi did, after all, win Best Picture. Oh, well. 

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS  | 1944 | Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Tom Drake

I did a review of this film not too long ago, so I won't talk about it very much, but it's one of those movies that I can watch over and over. It's a film that I can always turn to to cheer me up, and it's one of my favorite musicals. Judy glows during the whole, glamorous Technicolor production. On a TCM special, Margaret O'Brien said working with Judy on this movie was a pleasure because she was really in love with Vincente Minnelli at the time, and she was in one of her best periods. 

THE CLOCK | 1945 | Judy Garland, Robert Walker 

This is a really cute movie I watched for the first time last December, and I enjoyed it a lot, actually. Robert Walker plays the All American soldier on leave for two days and he runs into an adorable Judy Garland. They fall in love, and a wartime romance ensues with some of the usual and unusual complications, as well as impulsive decisions. I'm not always that keen about directors directing their wives, but from what I've seen, whenever Vincente Minnelli directed Judy it turned out pretty fantastic. This film has just the right dashes of comedy, drama, and sugar. On all of my 'favorite filmmakers' lists, I've been trying to add one less known work to the list and this would definitely be it for my Vincente Minnelli list. A sweet, enjoyable movie you ought to catch if you get the chance.

FATHER OF THE BRIDE | 1950 | Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett

One of the best comedies MGM produced in the 1950s, a very truly funny movie. The plot is very simple, Elizabeth Taylor is "daddy's little girl," and when she announces her engagement to her boyfriend, it's too much for her father, Spencer Tracy, to handle. Spencer Tracy's Stanley Banks character must realize all the financial, organizational, and worst of all, emotional pains that come with being "the father of the bride." Joan Bennett plays his supportive wife, Ellie. This is another movie that would cheer you up just by watching it. Spencer Tracy is pretty much perfect as Stanley Banks, he was rather good at satire, and I couldn't imagine any other actor playing the role. All the other actors fall just as easily into place. This was one of Elizabeth's "transition" roles, and the character suits her very well. A hilarious, cute, and even relatable film that sure's to make you smile. (Its sequel, Father's Little Dividend - which was released just a year later based on this movie's success - is pretty good, too).

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS | 1951 | Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron

The title says it all. Gene Kelly plays just that: an American in Paris, who falls for a pretty French girl played by Leslie Caron. As luck would have it, his friend complicates the situation by going for her as well. It's been a while since I saw this movie, at least two or three years, but I do remember enjoying it a lot and I had to include it on this list. I pretty much associate Vincente Minnelli with musicals, and this is one of the best examples why. (Of course, I do like Meet Me in St. Louis a bit better...) This is filled to the brim with wonderful songs and fabulous dance routines, executed beautifully by Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly is a true entertainer is this as he always was. I have a bit of a stigma on Leslie Caron because of Gigi (1958), but I probably should drop it because I enjoyed her in this (and Father Goose, as well). The bottom line is if you love lush musicals, there's no doubt you'll love this film.

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER | 1953 | Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz 

So here's a bit of trivia for you: Desi made a bet with MGM writer Benjamin Thau (who had handled the Arnazes' departure from MGM in 1946) - if The Long, Long Trailer could not outgross Father of the Bride, which, up until that point was MGM's biggest comedic box office smash, then the Arnazes would take a $25,000 cut from their quarter of a million fee. But, if The Long Long Trailer DID outgross Father of the Bride, the Arnazes would get an additional $50,000. Thau was so confident he had a clause written up in the contract. Of course, the film did indeed garner more cash than Father of the Bride. Lucy and Desi at the time were, after all, two of the most popular people on the planet (1953 was the year of Little Ricky's birth and I Love Lucy was at the height of its fame - a really fabulous year for these two.). This movie landed up being the seventeenth most popular picture of the year. Lucy and Desi play newlyweds, Tacy and Nicky, who buy a trailer to live in and honeymoon in it on their way to Colorado. As excepted, all sorts of complications fall into place that threaten their marriage. Their characters in this are very similar to that of Lucy & Ricky Ricardo (though I must say, Tacy isn't as wacky), and some liken this to a Lucy episode stretched into a film. Perhaps, but it's still a very hilarious film, the dialogue crackles, both Lucy and Desi do tons of great physical comedy. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, Lucy's wardrobe is the epitome of 50s fashion, Lucy and Desi's rapport/chemistry is perfect. Another movie I've seen over and over, one I just enjoy a lot. How could you not love watching Lucy & Desi "breeze along with the breeze"? Everything about this film is just the poster child for the 1950s and its glamour. Vincente Minnelli himself described this as a "painless" movie to make. (Little Liza hung around her father's set and Lucy played with her; about twenty years later, she and Desi, Jr. were dating!)

TEA AND SYMPATHY | 1956 | Deborah Kerr, John Kerr

This is also a movie I discovered rather recently, but love a lot. (This was when I had a very crazy Deborah high earlier this year, and saw tons and tons of her movies all at once.) Deborah plays Laura Reynolds, the wife of a "manly" camp instructor (of sorts), Burt. He has explained to her many times that she is not supposed to give anything more than "tea and sympathy" to the boys there, but she can't help be troubled by Tom Lee (played by John Kerr), a sensitive seventeen year old boy who is different than his peers, so much so to the extent where they have labeled him "sister boy." Laura lands up endangering a lot of things when she helps Tom find who he really is in side. This was a play and what would seem a great flight risk to take to the big screens in 1956, especially considering one of the main themes of this movie is homosexuality. I haven't seen a version of the play, but Minnelli did a fantastic job in my opinion of transferring such a controversial story into a film. Of course, it was Deborah Kerr who took the challenging, daring role of Laura Reynolds on - and as usual, she was absolutely fabulous. John Kerr was also very believable as the confused seventeen year old boy. But over all, a lot of credit goes to Vincente Minnelli for being able to make this movie in 1956.

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So, that's my list. (I give a very honorable mention to The Bad and the Beautiful). How about you - what are your opinions on the movies I chose/your favorite Vincente Minnelli movies? Leave me some comments, I love to hear! :) 

Sunday Movie Review: "Sex and the Single Girl" (1964)

I can't ignore the obvious. This site has had some... pretty major changes with it's interface within the last few days. It's been quite nearly a three day process (as anyone who's been on here recently might be familiar with; and for that I apologize), but I'm finally finished and quite pleased with it. Gone are the polka dots and the drive in; my new design I (hope) is cleaner & fresher. I'd been wanting to replace the old one for quite sometime (as I've had it for a year and it was becoming way too cluttered from my taste) but never knew just what to replace it with, and finally I was able to settle on a header and a color scheme and everything bloomed from there. So it's staying - for a while, I think. I've also overhauled the 'about me' and 'Sunday Movie Review' pages. (I cleaned up my favorite actor & actresses pages a few weeks ago, as well). Any thoughts?


This is the first review I've done in a month! It's hard to get back into the swing of this so today is a short review from my 'Netflix archives'. I hope no one minds and I promise my next SMR will actually be quality - or as quality as I can get, anyways!

What have you all been watching lately? I've been watching so many more movies from the 60s and even 70s because of Julie Andrews! Would you believe that I only saw one movie from the 40s (my favorite decade in film) last month? My most watched decade in July was the 1960s, so I guess I'm going through a bit of a 60s phase right now. Anyways, here's my archive review, as these always are it's much shorter than my usual reviews so do forgive me.

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SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964): Cast, plot details

A womanizing reporter (Tony Curtis) for a sleazy tabloid magazine impersonates his hen-pecked neighbor in order to get an expose on renowned psychologist Helen Gurley Brown (Natalie Wood). Lauren Bacall & Henry Fonda costar as Tony Curtis's friends who add to a string of misunderstandings. [from IMdb - with doctoring by me]

• Natalie Wood as Helen Gurley Brown
• Tony Curtis as Bob Weston
• Henry Fonda as Frank
• Lauren Bacall as Sylvia 

THE VERDICT: ★★★

Not nearly as exciting as it sounds, it's a 60s rom com through and through, with a finish that's over the top while managing to be only a little funny.

You can tell there were depending one one thing - er rather, one word? - to be able to truly sell this film: Sex. You can tell from the moment the word was blown up onto the screen in the opening credits. Movie-goers in 1964 were scandalized by it, all the while excited to get their tickets. The "scandalous" title was really just a trick to get movie-goers into the theaters. It's truly an innocent, glossy romantic comedy lacking even the tiniest drop of real gritty stuff. Why, Natalie Wood's earlier "Splendor in the Grass," with such a innocent title, was much more high strung than this average 60's rom-com. Very much a Doris Day-Rock Hudson movie with different actors. Natalie Wood is great in this - there is a sadly ironic scene in which she tries to stop Tony Curtis from drowning himself - but from what i read in her biography, she was not pleased with this and wanted more work like "Splendor." Tony Curtis is decent, too (everyone thinks he looks like Jack Lemmon in that movie "where they dressed up like women"). Fun to see Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda in this star studded vehicle, as well. Mel Ferrer (I remember him only as Audrey Hepburn's husband) is in this, too. The last twenty minutes of the movie take place out on the street on a moter-bike, ice cream truck, taxis, cars, and who-knows-what-else. A true 60's romantic comedy - and though the title may suggest more, it sticks straight to the status quo. Since I love pretty much everyone in this, I give this a passing grade. 

PHOTOS & TRIVIA

• This movie inspired the 2003 Renee Zellweger movie Down With Love.
• One of the supporting cast members died on the day of the film's premiere.

A MOVIE TIDBIT

Happy Birthday, Lucy ♥

Today, Lucille Ball would have turned 101 years old.

What can I say about her that hasn't been said? She was incredible. She touched the lives of so many people - and continues to. She passed away twenty-three years ago and yet she still seems very much alive. When Sammy Davis Jr. toasted her on a televised "all star party" in 1984, he stated, "The sun never sets on Lucille Ball," and he was entirely correct. Maybe it's because that at any time of the day, some where in the world, a television set is playing I Love Lucy. Maybe it's because her face has been seen more often by more people than any other person who has lived.


Or maybe it's because the public never saw her as a "star." No doubt she was one, one of the brightest in the galaxy, but our (the audience's) relationship with Lucy was different than going to the movie theater to watch a feature film. Lucy visited us in our homes, in our living rooms, weekly, just like a friend or a family member. In the days long before VHS and now, DVD, Lucy began what was to become perhaps a infinite, intimate relationship with us. You watched Lucy on in your own home, on your sofa, with your family. You were safe in knowing that there would be happy ending. For many people, Lucy is like that best friend we can always count on. We didn't call her "Lucille Ball"; we called her "Lucy." She's one of us. 

"The red hair, the giant eyes, the rubber face: Those were the physical tools that Lucille Ball used to ply her comic craft so expertly. In the process of trying to make people laugh, she also stole their hearts… The depth of feeling for Ball spoke to the power of the medium she helped popularize…Viewers around the world formed an intimate bond with the comedienne, thinking of her not as a star, like Bogart and Bacall, but as part of their extended family who dropped by on Monday nights," said Vanity Fair, best explaining our love affair with Lucy. 

Was there any other person who so helped shaped television? There were many who also started out in the medium's infancy, but none who have risen to such fame as Lucy. I read an article last year, on the occasion of her birthday, that acknowledged her comedic talent but put the question, "Why Lucy?" Its author wondered why none of the other early pioneers of television are so applauded as she. While this may seem unfair, it was something that occurred naturally. From the 1950s, audiences have taken akin to Lucy with a great passion, and continue to do so while those other television shows have faded into our past. She had a special quality, a certain 'it' factor, that made her the darling of the public.  And while there will continue to be television programs that are just as popular and actresses who will win more Emmys than Lucy, it was Lucy who was there at the start. "Let’s face it: any comic actor on TV today, male or female, who claims not to have been influenced by Lucy/Lucille is lying through his or her teeth," said TV Guide. And they were right. Without Lucy, there would be no Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White. There had to be someone to set the wheels turning. 


Before Lucy, comedy had always been a man's profession, but she challenged this stereotype. "Bob and I once told Lucy that  she was a beautiful clown. She didn’t want to hear it because it embarrassed her, but it was true. She might be dressed in a baggy suit and a battered top hat and wearing big, funny shoes - but she was still beautiful," Madelyn Pugh Davis, scribe to many Lucy projects but most famously I Love Lucy, wrote in her autobiography. Lucy's comedy was tasteful and she never compromised her femininity. "She was such an amazing clown, we sometimes forget she was also such a beauty. Ball went from bombshell to grande dame, but she never relinquished her crown as the all-time queen of comedy," said TV Guide.

There is a song, Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning? referring to the 9-11 attacks. In it there are lyrics representative of a person's reaction to first hearing of the attacks. Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin' - And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns? This makes sense for, Lucille Ball and Lucy have always been a comfort to us. There will always be that sense of security in knowing you can laugh until your sides hurt, but there will always be a happy ending - Lucy & Ricky will kiss and make up. Maybe this lyric corresponds to this quote: "The world not only loves Lucy. The world, as it is today, needs her very much," which was penned in 1976, about thirty-five years ago. And in the decades that have passed, I think we can come to the conclusion that we need Lucy even more now than we needed her then. Besides the fact that comedy has lost class and finesse and has quite often resorted to sex and racism for laughs, the world is constantly changing. It does sounds cliche to say it, but we're lost in our digital age, we're whistling in the dark, and we could all use a laugh now and then.

We love Lucy because she was far more than a "star." We love her because she's our Lucy, our favorite redhead, the beautiful clown, the girl we can always turn to no matter what. She is timeless. To me, it is unfortunate that only a few stars from the Golden Age are still vividly remembered in the general society (rather than a smaller cluster of film buffs). These are the icons, and they will always live on no matter how long they've been gone. Lucy is an icon, but it's not because she died prematurely or took a famous photograph - it's because of the years and years of laughter she has left us. We love her and thank her with our laughter, and she loved us back, and though she is gone, she has left us many a valentine.


Now that I have talked about what she meant, and continues to mean, to the world on the public stage - I want to reflect on what she means to me personally, which is a lot.


Have you ever looked at someone for the first time, and yet there was something about them that made you just love them? You could call it "love at first sight," I guess, but that sounds really cheesy. Anyways, that's very nearly what happened with Lucy, from the first episode I saw of I Love Lucy, I was infatuated with her type of comedy, for it was something I've really never experienced before, and I was taken with her. How could you not, because she looked like a living doll - with those humungous blue eyes and cupid's mouth - and all the while this beautiful lady was preforming the most hilarious of pratfalls and delivering the wittiest of lines with the best of them.


I don't think I can even explain how much I love her, because I really do have a deep affection for her, even if it seems silly. I don't think it's frivolous because I don't think I'm alone in this sort of a love for her. And I feel like it makes perfect sense to love her for all she's given me. In my really sad moments, she's the only the person who can cheer me up. I love to laugh; and I love to laugh hard, it's one of my favorite feelings in the world, but I don't always laugh easily. Silly jokes and dumb gags never get me, but Lucy always does. And how can I not love someone who has given me so much laughter? "One of the greatest gifts to mankind is laughter, and one of the greatest gifts to laughter is Lucille Ball," Bob Hope said.

When I'm a fan of a person, I must actually love them both in their profession and in their personal life. This is perhaps unnecessary - I've heard many a person say, "They're a wonderful (insert career) but a terrible a person" - but it's just something I can't help but do. I can't feel happy in enjoying someone who was good in their craft but then realizing I can't respect them in reality, which is why I think of many of my favorite actresses not just performers I like best, but people I truly admire. And Lucy is on the top of that list. There are, obviously, many actresses I have a great affection for but Lucy always is first, no matter what, no matter who I'm currently obsessing over, she's always my number one.

She's my role model, even though I have no plans to become a actress or a comedienne. It is more that I desire so many of the qualities she exhibited that got her to the top. I don't think any ultimately successful actress had such a long and bumpy road to stardom. Lucy faced so much failure in her path, so many people who told her she wasn't better than average, that she couldn't do it, etc., but she never let any of this stop her. And she had patience, so much of it, which is a virtue I'd easily give an arm and a leg for because I don't have it. She had drive, determination, and passion. When she was fifteen they kicked her out of drama school because she wasn't on the same par as her classmate, Bette Davis. They told her mom she was "wasting her money" because Lucy had "no talent." If I were in her shoes, I could imagine feeling like my whole life was coming to an end, but Lucy simply got back up and decided she'd climb the ladder in her on way. She modelled and became the face of Chesterfield cigarettes until a talent scout picked her up to be one of Sam Goldwyn's girls. She went out to Hollywood and never came back.

Even there, though, it was difficult. When she began to get starring roles, they were in B pictures. So many, in fact, she was nicknamed "Queen of the B's." When RKO was through with her, they sent over to MGM, who consequently dyed her hair its famous red color and tried to make her a star. But it was seemingly like trying to jab a square peg into a round  hole, and it didn't work. Everyone knew that MGM was Lucy's last hope at becoming a star, and within a few years they, too, dropped her. She then free-lanced, but still never rose to the title of a "movie star." By the time she became world famous, she was forty. Yet she never regretted or looked back on these years with remorse; she instead took it as a learning experience. For, because she was a B movie queen, she wasn't typecast like the A list stars but put into any sort of vehicles that the studio wanted to put in. So, Lucille Ball in the 1940s made dramas, comedies, film noirs, musicals, and even a Western. She never refused to do any sort of gag or costume, even if it made her seem unglamorous. 

She took risks and she never let anyone tell her she couldn't do something. Going into television was a big risk; because in those early years of the medium, Hollywood saw it as their biggest rival and a war was waged. Lucy knew that if she went into television and she failed, she wouldn't be able to fall back on her lukewarm movie career. And there was her insisting that Desi should play her husband, even though CBS felt that no one would buy them as a couple. They had to go on tour with a vaudeville act to prove their point, but make it they did, and now "Lucy & Ricky" are probably the most famous television couple of all time.

I love her home movies. For those of you that may be unaware of this, in 1993 Lucy & Desi's daughter, Lucie, made a documentary about her parents to refute a disgusting TV movie that exploited their worst faults. In it, she used private home footage of the couple, personal film taken with their own cameras, mostly at their ranch in California. In this, we see Lucy totally candid and raw; what she was like outside of the public's eye, because she likely never excepted these home movies to become public. (Not to sound as if I'm rebuking Lucie for doing it; I'm SO glad she did). She's unscripted, she's herself, and this is the Lucy I love best. Frolicking around the ranch in costumes, making funny and kissy faces at the camera, cuddling playfully with Desi, snuggling with her cats and dogs. I feel like these clips tell more about the private Lucy than any biographer could ever try to.

I think I'll close this post with some of my favorite Lucy stories. I have many, but here are just a few that I think best reflect her personality.

There was the time that Barbara Eden had a role on one of the final episodes of I Love Lucy. (If anyone needs a refresher, she would later play Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie). She was supposed to play a suburban siren, and the dress the set had chosen for her was tight and showed off her curves, but dull looking. Lucy decided to make it more glamorous, and so within breaks, she spent the entire time with her assistant manually applying little rhinestones all over the dress so it would sparkle and look more beautiful. 

Lucy was loyal with her employees, whether they worked for her on set or at home. She hired her housekeeper, Harriet, in the early 1940s and kept her for decades. As time passed, Harriet grew protective of Lucy, and their relationship was more than employer and employee, but friends, gin rummy partners, and confidantes. Whenever the two were in the Bay Area they would drop by Harriet's best friend's house. Her name was Dot, and she had a little girl named Barbara. Knowing Lucy loved barbecue, Dot would make ribs. "I kept staring at this beautiful lady eating messy ribs," Barbara recalled.  She also added, "Lucille loved children and she always treated me like a princess. She had her dressmaker make me pinafores and she sent socks to match. My mother was afraid I would be spoiled rotten, and I was. Lucille made people feel important in her company, because if she liked you, she loved you." Barbara also remembered her mother and aunt Harriet reminiscing about their dancing days, and Lucy about her Goldwyn days, and then they would "push the furniture back and form a chorus line, laughing and giggling and dancing." When Lucy visited Barbara some years later, Barbara had by then given birth to a son. Lucy, who had suffered several miscarriages, was still childless at the time and yearning for one of her own, so she doted on the offspring of others. Barbara recalled of this visit, "When she met my son, she loved him so much she kept stuffing money in his pockets. He was five or six and she thought it a great game."

I think that's the type of a lady she was, and that's why I love her so much. The most beloved performer? Easily. I know it sounds biased coming from me, but I think it's true. It will never be fair to judge the  "best entertainer", because they were all unique and special in their own ways. But "beloved" means  "a much loved person", and our admiration for Lucy was never basking in her intimidating glow, as if she was an idol or a diva, as it with some stars - but true love and affection. She didn't just entertain us, she gave us love. She gave us laughs and smiles. 

I can't think of a really good way to wrap up this post, so I think I'll just end this post with something simple.

Thank you, Lucy, for all the laughs you've given us. Have a very happy birthday and know that we'll always love you. Thanks to television, we'll always have you. And your memory will always be very much alive because you were just that amazing; you'll never be forgotten.

Happy birthday, my queen. 

"I have had every big star come on my stage through the years. Looking back, I have to say that the most beloved star by the American public was Lucille Ball. No one else has captured the hearts of the people out there the way Miss Lucille did, and probably never will again."

- ED SULLIVAN -

Happy Birthday, Lucy

[NOTE: all GIFs in this post are mine]

The Liebster Blog Award (Reprise)

[via. ISN'T SHE ADORABLE??!!!!]

(Firstly, just a big THANK YOU! to all those blogs that participated in The Great Recasting Blogathon! Nat & I had so much fun hosting it and all the entires were entirely creative and fun to read. You all are fabulous.)


I don't know how many of you may remember this, but nearly a year ago I was tagged for a couple of blog awards, one of them being the Liebster Blog Award, which brought traffic over here for the first time and I gained a surge of followers and got to know you all and now we live happily ever after.

Well, about eighty some followers later, I've been tagged for it once again, by Sofia over at one of my favorite reads, Film Flare. Her blog is that perfect blend of new releases and the classics; the interface is also very sleek and professional, so if you haven't checked out her blog yet, I suggest you go click that link up there, go on over to her blog, and hit "follow". Okay? Okay.

Since the last time I was tagged for this award, the rules have changed, and now it's a more elaborate tag. The rules are as follows:

• I have to tell you eleven things about myself
• I answer eleven questions written by the previous awardee, aka Film Flare
• I tag eleven bloggers
• I hand off eleven questions

Looks fun! I love doing blog tags, even though everybody gets them at some point or another, it always makes me feel really special when I get them. So thanks a billion, Sofia! :) Seeing that this is tag requires a decent bit of work, I guess I'll get on with it.

11 THINGS ABOUT YOURS TRULY

1. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," by Betty Smith is one of my favorite books
2. I'm not a morning person; I stay up too late
3. My ringtone is "Whistling Away the Dark" by Julie Andrews (from Darling Lili)
4. My favorite color is turquoise
5. I never write in print; always cursive
6. I am American and have never lived anywhere else (pretty dull, huh?)
7. I'm a compulsive popcorn addict
8. I own over twenty books about Lucy
9. Most recently, I've become addicted to watching Friends 
10. Lately I've been teaching myself how to play songs on the piano (I took piano lessons when I was little, like everyone does, but never came to anything)
11. I could listen to Julie Andrews singing the telephone book and yell out "ENCORE!"

11 QUESTIONS BY FILM FLARE

1. Most embarrassing moment in a movie theater 

A couple months ago, The Avengers (2012) came out. That movie isn't my cup of tea at all. It's not so much the new movie thing, it's more that it's simply one genre I just can't come to appreciate. However, my whole class was planning to see it together, and not wanting to be let out of the memories, I went along. We were sitting in the third row, which is never a good idea. I tried for a while to pay attention but it became useless and I kept dashing out for popcorn and the bathroom, crawling all over people as I got out. Finally, I produced my iPod and decided to close my eyes and listen to some music. But my friends thought it would be funny to take my iPod off my lap and turn the volume all the way up high. I jumped in my seat and yanked my earbuds out; the music was so loud you could hear it in the surrounding seats. I must've been some nuisance that day.

2. Favorite book to film adaptation 

Either Now Voyager or Gone With the Wind, though the James M. Cain novels (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity) were all transferred very well, too.   

3. An actor/actress whose wardrobe you'd steal

I'd love the wardrobe of any classic actress, really. Some no brainers would be Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, Lucy... any classic movie goddess would be fine by me.

4. A film that scares/scared the hell out of you

I don't really watch scary movies that often. Okay, fine, I don't watch them at all, though my friends are always trying to get me to. I'll go with The Innocents (1961). I can't deny that it did creep me out. The song was eerie and I was nervous for Deborah's welfare the whole way through. 

5. A scene from a film that has popped into your mind - just now!

The Long Long Trailer (1953) - going up the mountain at the end of the movie, with Lucy and Desi making nervous pitter patter in the yellow convertible  and the trailer creaking like there's no tomorrow. 

6. Is there a review/article that has been lying around in your drafts for a long time?

Yes! I've had a post entitled "In Defense of Audrey Hepburn" in my drafts ever since May. It's all set to post... I don't know why I haven't done it yet... and my post log is filled with drafts that are half finished, too. 

7. A film you're looking forward to watch (unreleased)

Can't think of anything, really. Hope Springs with Meryl Streep might be interesting, but I probably won't watch it in the theater. 

8. Musicals: yay or nay? 

Yay - sort of. The thing about musicals and I are that when I like a musical, I really love it. In fact, so many of my favorites are musicals: The Sound of Music (1965), Singin' in the Rain (1952), West Side Story (1961), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) ... But otherwise, I can be pretty lukewarm about them. Still, I do think I enjoy them, most of the time. 

9. What was for you the most memorable use of sound (song or effect) in a film?

The SOUND of Music (1965). Lots of musicals I love, but that one sticks with me. 

10. A little known actor or actress you love

I love the character actresses Thelma Ritter & Mildred Natwick. Also, she's not little known but definitely underrated: Anne Bancroft. 

11. Whose life you'd like to see depicted in a film?

Lucy's, but I'd like to see it done properly. I would like to see it be a big budget movie for theaters done with a lot of hype. I'd like to see a actress chosen because she can embody Lucy, not because she has fair skin and blue eyes. And obviously, a good supporting cast that bears at least some physical resemblance to the real life people as well as a nice script that would include plenty of real life anecdotes. 

11 WINNERS

I had to, okay? Not my GIF.

Okay, so tagging winners for these awards are always an ordeal for me. It's not because it's hard to find people to give the awards to (well, it's easy to find options but so hard to narrow down!), but I often feel I tag some of the same people over and over and I feel like a nuisance when I have to go over and comment with a, "I tagged you for something... for the tenth time!" So as usual: This tag is optional, don't feel like you're compelled to do it, etc. If I've tagged you - especially if it's for the second or third time - just know that its because I adore your blog to bits and pieces, okay? (What can I say, I'm super shy. Even online. When you can't see my cringing, blushing face.) 

• Marcela at Best of the Past (her blog is new. she's a fabulous writer & a sweet person so go follow her.) 
• Laura at Who Can Turn the World Off with her Smile?
• Emily at The Silver Screen Affair 
• Jennifer at Films of Yesterday
• Craig at Blame Mame 
• FlickChick at A Person in the Dark 
• Natalie at In the Mood
• Bette at Bettie's Classic Movie Blog
• Irene at And Then they Start to Sparkle
• Sophie at Waitin' on a Sunny Day
• Clara at Via Margutta 51

11 QUESTIONS

Since I did a survey a few months ago and as this is a lengthy tag, I've done "this or that" questions for my round. Feel free to explain your results or just pick one or the other and keep on going. 

1. Ingrid Bergman or Greta Garbo
2. Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney
3. Julie Andrews or Judy Garland
4. Cary Grant or Clark Gable
5. Deborah Kerr or Greer Garson (HA. HA. HA - I couldn't even answer this one myself)
6. Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire
7. Ava Gardner or Lana Turner
8. Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power
9. Myrna Loy or Carole Lombard
10. Montgomery Clift or James Dean
11. Katharine Hepburn or Bette Davis 

Okay, that's it for my side of this tag. I *love* getting tags, thank you so much, Sofia!

The Great Recasting | Barefoot in the Park (1943)

Welcome, guys, to the first day of the blogathon!! Nat and I are really excited and a load of links have already come in and we can't wait to get through them all. :) Once again, as you have your post written you can leave it on this post, or my update post, or any post really - just so long I get them. :D 

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I went through a lot of indecision, but for my recasting I finally came to the conclusion of Barefoot in the Park (1967). A mere two years from our 1965 cutoff date, I'm sure it wouldn't be considered a "modern" movie by most, but it's still a few years off from the "studio era" (of course, Nat and I were well aware that the studio system was nearly long gone by '65, but the 60s fan in me nudged it over a bit. Hope no one minded).

Barefoot in the Park might not be five star viewing, but it's a movie I love - and have loved for quite a bit - all the while. Its stars are Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, two of my favorite actors from that interchanging period between the decline of the studio system and the dawn of modern movies. I really like the both of them and they're absolutely fabulous in the film as a "stuffed shirt" Paul and free spirit Corrie. (They're also seriously beautiful looking together.) They are supported by a very bohemian Charles Boyer and a delicate Mildred Natwick, the graceful character actress I very much love. It is directed by Gene Saks (Cactus Flower).

The plot is a prime example of 1960s fluff, and its one of the main reasons I love it. In the 1967 trailer it's advertised as "one of the happiest movies," and I couldn't agree more. This is a pick-me-up sort of movie that I can always rely on to cheer me up, one I've seen countless times with my mom, so much so that I know all the lyrics to Shama-Shama. Each time I finish watching it, I feel like I've swallowed a big gulp of fresh air and it's always guaranteed to leave me with a smile on my face. And then I feel like running barefoot through the park, too.


Jane Fonda plays Corrie Bratter, a pretty girl with a thirst for adventure and excitement. She's the type of character that'll never turn down the opportunity to do something wild, like dancing to exotic music, tasting strange foods, and appropriately, running barefoot through the park. She's madly in love with a man quite her opposite: Paul Bratter, played by Robert Redford. He's a quiet and neat attorney who likes to follow the rules, stay within the lines, and stick to the familiar. As it so often happens in romantic comedies, opposites attract, and the movie starts off with the newlyweds at the Plaza Hotel for a week long honeymoon that leaves Paul's lips "numb from kissing."

As he heads off to work on the last day of their honeymoon, Corrie rushes off to get settled in their new apartment. A small flat overlooking New York City, there are six flights (plus a steep stoop which Paul calls "that big thing out front") to reach the Bratter apartment at the top. Their apartment complex is also shared by some of "the greatest weirdos in the country," including a couple of whose sex no one is quite sure of. The bedroom can barely fit a bed and to Paul's chagrin, there's no bath, but worst of all, there's a hole in the skylight! They can't figure out how to work the radiator, and it's February, so they spend their first night in the apartment freezing as snow collects in their living room through the skylight.

But Corrie, being the free spirit she is, can't help but love the new apartment, as well as makes friends with the avant-garde bohemian that lives in the attic, Victor Velasco, played by Charles Boyer. He eats strange Japanese foods and scales the building to get into his apartment. Corrie decides to play matchmaker with Victor and her dainty mother, Ethel, (played by Mildred Natwick) who lives out in Connecticut and sleeps on a board each night - more like Paul than Corrie. Naturally, disasters occur which are exemplified by the Bratters' strange living conditions, and puts a humongous stain on the Bratter marriage. And, of course, all these events unfold in utter hilarity.

It's a super fun film. It is based off a Neil Simon play of the same name which premiered in 1963. The dialogue is truly funny, there's a dash of physical comedy involved, and the characters hit their marks. I'm sure there are those that definitely wouldn't agree with me, but in my humble opinion this is a good example of a fluffy movie that can be pretty darn excellent for its genre. To sum the movie up: it's a comical spoof on being newlyweds.

Okay, so now that I'm babbled enough about the movie - and I'm crossing my fingers you grasped the plot, but if you need some help still, check this out - let's get onto the recasting!

I have chosen the year 1943 to recast the film. Twenty-four years before the original release date, my version of the movie would have been released into World War II America, where fluffy, cheerful films were just the kind of getaway moviegoers needed at the cinema. The story is definitely a comedy, requiring a bit of physical comedy  (that mainly has to do with the six flights to reach the Bratter apartment) that, if produced in 1943, could have even resulted in a screwball comedy. That's a entraining thought. The 1967 movie came from the stage as well as by then the screwball comedy was near extinct. But in 1943, this could have easily transferred in a ridiculous romp: with Corrie's vivacious, daffy personality and Paul playing her straight man.

As for the character of Paul Bratter, I have gone with Cary Grant. Cary, my favorite actor was a flawless human being who I would be happily married to  could play anything, and he was particularly fantastic at comedy. Paul is a conservative guy who Corrie accuses of being a "stuffed shirt". Cary was a fantastic straight man to Katharine Hepburn's zany Susan in The Perfect Screwball Comedy (Bringing up Baby), so I think the casting of him as Paul would be spot on.

Then there is Corrie Bratter, a young woman with a magnificent lust for life and thirst for adventure. For this role, I have chosen my second favorite actress, my favorite Swede, that wonderful doll, Ingrid Bergman. Perhaps casting early 1940s Ingrid in this role is against type. After all, there are probably quite a few other actresses at the time who would, by studio moguls, have been considered more appropriate for the role. Though it is true that Ingrid in the 40s did pretty much all dramas (though she did get to show off her comedic flair a little in The Bells of St. Mary's), there's no question that she could do comedy. She got opportunities to do so later in her career: Indiscreet (1958) - also with Cary - The Yellow Rolls Royce (1964), Cactus Flower (1969) - which was a role that had been originally offered to my Lucy - but never in her studio system days. Which is a shame because Ingrid was fantastic at comedy. She had good timing combined with a almost nonchalant subtly to her comedy, and she was fantastic. I adore Ingrid being funny. (She also nearly worked with the Queen of Comedy, Lucy, on an episode of Here's Lucy, but due to some technical difficulties it fell through. ugh. I could DIE.)

I also picked Ingrid because as it is well obvious to anyone who has seen Notorious (1946) - and if you haven't, please go and do so - that Ingrid and Cary have really some of the best chemistry on screen, especially amazing considering they were never romantically involved in real life, wonderful friends, but never lovers. (Though, in my fantasy world, they might've been married...) They re-teamed for Indiscreet twelve years later, a movie that's far from perfect, but I love anyways pretty much because of the two of them. That's a comedy, but I did want to cast them in something when they were younger, hence the year 1943 - Cary would've been thirty-nine, maybe a little long in the tooth for a newlywed but it wouldn't have mattered, and Ingrid would've been twenty-eight - and more youthful. Corrie and Paul are a couple that's really quite in love for a great deal of the picture and Cary and Ingrid would've captured that perfectly. It's the romance of Notorious (which was spoiled when they become bitter to each because of the project, etc.) in the setting of a movie like Indiscreet.


Also, at the end of the day, it only seemed fair that Ingrid & Cary should be the main players of my be recasting, for they were what inspired this blogathon (that time I did a tumblr text post wondering what a 40s version of The Sound of Music would be like with Maria and the Captain played by these two flawless beings).

[all GIFs in this post are mine - the dialogue is from Barefoot in the Park.]

For the role of Victor Velasco, I chose John Barrymore. It was nearly obvious that I was going to have to go with one of the Barrymores for the amorous Victor. Of course, Ethel was out and I couldn't picture Lionel-Mr.Potter.-Barrymore in this type of a role at all. There was always the opportunity to resort to other male character actors of the early 40s - I mean, they were definitely plenty - but none of them deemed the perfect type for the role. John Barrymore, however, I feel would click right into it. Whenever I see John Barrymore, he's playing slightly 'lost' characters, so I could definitely see him tackling on this role. 

And as for an older lady actress appropriate for Victor's affections, I struggled with this quite a bit. All the character actresses I could think of would've sent this movie into a time warp: Thelma Ritter (who didn't seem appropriate besides; for even though I love her I think of her as secretaries and housekeepers), Mildred Natwick (well obviously not!), Mildred Dunnock, etc. All of them were all 50s. I was torn trying to find an actress of the right age. I even considered changing the character to an old maid sister. Finally, I landed up choosing Beulah Bondi. I wish I could have chosen a actress with more star power, but I suppose Bondi would round out the film making it financially possible. (I got to add here, if this film were going to be redone today - I mean, God forbid but still - wouldn't Julie Andrews be a good choice for this role? Maybe Jools is about five or ten years too old in reality, but she doesn't look it.) 

Then there is the director. The director of the '67 film was Gene Saks - Bye Bye Birdie, Cactus Flower, The Odd Couple, Mame. Obviously, there are many directors of the early 40s that would've been compatible with the cast and would've been fit to direct a screwball comedy (for, like I said, I can definitely see it going in that direction). So many choices! Preston Sturges, George Cukor, perhaps an early Billy Wilder - all directors I like very much, but in the end I chose Howard Hawks. Why Hawks? Well, after all, he did direct Bringing up Baby, which, as I said earlier, is my idea of the perfect screwball comedy. Obviously, Cary and Hawks collaborated together but Ingrid and him never did. And so the opportunity for these to greats to have worked together would be too awesome for me to pass up. 

Like I said earlier, this blogathon came as a result of my fantastic imagination dreaming up a 40s version of The Sound of Music with Ingrid and Cary. While that movie most likely would've turned out a hot mess, I have good reason to believe that a film like this could've, in reality, worked. Of course, the point of this blogathon was to play with your imagination and entertain your wildest fantasies - but still, I can't help but have this glimmer of hope that in all honesty, perhaps Barefoot in the Park could've worked in 1943. I mean, after all - The Hayes Code Office would've likely given a stamp of approval to pretty much all aspects of this film (of course, the shots of Corrie in a bra and the newlyweds lying in the same bed together would have to be cut, but otherwise).

And if it were to have actually been made, I could see this being a quality film. Not even the sort you like just because your favorite leads are in it, but a genuinely good movie. This is my own humble opinion of course, and it has to do a lot with the fact that I love the movie. Because, to me, as the script is actually funny, the storyline entertaining, and the score excellent, I can only see turning the decades a few back, adding Ingrid and Cary in the leads, and putting Hawks in the director's chair as enhancing a film which was pretty good to begin with!

Alas, we'll never know, for the play wasn't even written until the 60s. Cest la'vie, I suppose.

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Okay, that's all for my side of the blogathon! :) The running list of links as they come in (as hosted by me) can be found here. The second part of the blogathon will take place tomorrow over at Nat's blog. THIS IS SO MUCH FUN, GUYS! Thanks for joining in with us!