Movies I Watched in June

We canceled our Netflix this month so I spent a lot of time finishing up some tv shows and documentaries. I also finished a film series this month, the Andy Hardy series! And watched a movie from this year!! *gasp!* I rarely watch a film the same year it's released lol.

1. Harold Lloyd shorts (1917-1919) - Harold Lloyd & Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard
2. A Woman's Face (1938 - Swedish) - Ingrid Bergman
3. Father Takes a Wife (1941) - Adolph Menjou & Gloria Swanson 
4. Moon Over Miami (1941) - Betty Grable & Don Ameche, Robert Cummings & Carole Landis
5. Bathing Beauty (1944) - Esther Williams & Red Skelton 
6. Uncertain Glory (1944) - Errol Flynn, Faye Emerson 
7. Three Strangers (1946) - Geraldine FitzGerald, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
8. Fiesta (1947) - Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalbon, Mary Astor
9. The Clay Pigeon (1949) - Bill Williams & Barbara Hale
10. Callaway Went Thataway (1951) - Howard Keel, Fred MacMurrey, Dorothy McGuire 
11. Anastasia (1956) - Ingrid Bergman & Yul Brenner, Helen Hayes
12. Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) - Mickey Rooney, Faye Holden, Sara Haden, Cecilia Parker
13. A Global Affair (1964) - Bob Hope
14. The Double Man (1967) - Yul Brenner
15. The Devil’s Brigade (1968) - William Holden, Cliff Robertson 
16. Tomb Raider (2018) - Alicia Vikander 

This is Bob Hope (2017)

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017)

 

Bill Williams and Barbara Hale in The Clay Pigeon. They were married in real life.

ANNOUNCING The Fred MacMurray Blogathon!!!

Fred MacMurray had one of the most diverse film careers in Hollywood. Screwball in the 30s, Noir and War films in the 40s, Westerns in the 50s, Disney and Television in the 60s, the man did it all. He also had an impressive list of leading ladies: Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, Katharine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, Jean Arthur, and Madeleine Carroll to name a few. For quite some time I've been wanting to host a blogathon celebrating his incredible career and this year I've finally decided to do it.

The Blogathon will start on August 30th, our honoree's birthday, and conclude on September 1. Topics may cover any aspect of his career. Since MacMurray has such a huge amount of credits to his name I'm asking for no duplicates. You can view his filmography here.

Once you've decided on a topic, please drop a comment below with your choice, blog title, and blog link. Share one of these banners on your site and you're done!

I can't wait to see what everyone chooses and I look forward to celebrating this truly versatile yet underappreciated actor with you all!

 

ROSTER:

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: Life Story & A Millionaire for Christie (1951)
In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood: Fred MacMurray and Carole Lombard
Caftan Woman: There’s Always Tomorrow (1955)
Widescreen World: Too Many Husbands (1940)
Love Letters to Old Hollywood: Murder, He Says (1945)
Realweegiemidget Reviews: The Apartment (1960)
Hamlette’s Soliloquy: Good Day for a Hanging (1959)
Back to Golden Days: The Collaborations of Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert
Critica Retro: The Collaborations of Fred MacMurray and Billy Wilder
The Midnite Drive-In: The Caine Mutiny (1954)
The Flapper Dame: The Princess Comes Across (1936)
Silver Screenings: Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
The Story Enthusiast: The Happiest Millionaire (1967)
Taking Up Room: Double Indemnity (1944)
The Stop Button: Pushover (1954)
Top 10 Film Lists: Remember the Night (1940)
Alex Windley: The Forest Rangers (1942)
It Came From The Man Cave: The Oregon Trail (1959)
Mary's Monday Matinee: Fred MacMurray's Disney Films
Nobody's Perfect: The Egg and I (1947)
Old Hollywood Films: Hands Across the Table (1935)
Pop Culture Reverie: The Shaggy Dog (1959)
MovieRob: The Absent Minded Professor (1961) & Kisses for my President (1964)


***If you want your blog linked please make sure to include it in your comment. A lot of your names bring me to a Google+ profile and your blog isn't always linked, which means I have to Google your name/blog for a link.***

ANNOUNCING The Third Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon!!!

Okay, so I know I am announcing this way late but I couldn't motivate myself to make banners and then I had a funeral to sing at, a cold, and a heat rash. But I'm all good now and happy to announce that once again Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and I are hosting the Third Annual Olivia de Havilland Blogathon.

RULES:

Drop us a comment letting us know which movie or topic you want (no duplicates please) and the link to your blog. It would also be great if you could display one of the banners of your blog to help advertise. That's it! Check out the roster below to see which topics have already been claimed.

Don't you just love these recent photos of our beloved Olivia?

ROSTER:

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: The Dark Mirror (1946)
In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood: The Heiress (1949) & TBD
Realweegiemidget Reviews: Murder Is Easy (1982)
The Stop Button: My Cousin Rachel (1952)
Caftan Woman: The Proud Rebel (1958)
Movies Meet Their Match: Santa Fe Trail (1940)

The Dream Book Blog: Devotion (1946)

The Wonderful World Of Cinema: The Snake Pit (1948)

Old Hollywood Films:  The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

Critica Retro: Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

Taking Up Room: It’s Love I’m After (1937)
Musings of a Classic Film Addict: In This Our Life (1942) & possible recipe post
Pure Entertainment Preservation Society: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

Thanks for joining!!

Movies I Watched in May

This month was another light movie month. I've started watching Our Miss Brooks on Decades TV, which is five episodes a week.

* means a rewatch

1. Blonde Venus (1932) - Marlene Dietrich, Herbert Marshall, Cary Grant, Dickie Moore
2. Angel (1937) - Marlene Dietrich, Melvyn Douglas, Herbert Marshall 
3. Having Wonderful Time (1938) - Ginger Rogers & Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Eve Arden, Jack Carson
4. Four Wives (1939) - Lane sisters, Claude Rains, Eddie Albert
5. Secret Enemies (1942) - Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson
6. Andy Hardy Leads a Double Life (1942) - Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Ann Rutherford, Esther Williams
7. Ladies Day (1943) - Eddie Albert & Lupe Velez, Patsy Kelly
8. Sabotage Agent (1943) - Robert Donat, Glynis Johns (also known as The Adventures of Tartu)
9. My Reputation (1944/46) - Barbara Stanwyck & George Brent, Eve Arden
10. Mildred Pierce (1945) - Joan Crawford, Anne Blyth, Jack Carson, Eve Arden
11. Whiplash (1948) - Dane Clark & Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, S.Z. Sakall
12. The Winslow Boy (1948) - Robert Donat
13. To Please a Lady (1950) - Clark Gable & Barbara Stanwyck, Adolph Menjou 
14. *Battle Cry (1955) - Van Heflin, James Whitmore, Aldo Ray, Nancy Olson, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone, Anne Francis
15. The Inn of Sixth Happiness (1958) - Ingrid Bergman, Robert Donat
16. Cash McCall (1960) - James Garner & Natalie Wood, Dean Jagger
17. Murder at the Gallop (1963) - Margaret Rutherford, Flora Robson
18. Murder Ahoy! (1964) - Margaret Rutherford
19. *Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) - James Garner
20. Volunteers (1985) - Tom Hanks, John Candy, Rita Wilson

Least Favorite Movie: I'm going to go the unpopular way and say Mildred Pierce. Don't get me wrong, the performances were top notch but I just didn't like the story. Veda made me angry and I like movies to leave me in a good mood. Cash McCall was kind of bland.

Favorite Movie: Sabotage Agent was really good. I'm trying to watch all of Robert Donat's movies, as he only made 19. Also Glynis Johns, a fave of mine, was absolutely amazing in it. I highly recommend it. It's on YouTube I believe.

The Many Weddings of Lucy & Desi

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the ultimate Dynamic Duo. Married in real life, they perfectly complemented each other. Not only were they paired in the classic and groundbreaking TV show I Love Lucy, they also shared the screen in two movies (they met on the set of Too Many Girls in 1940 but don't share the screen much). And in both of those films, The Long, Long Trailer (1953) and Forever, Darling (1956), their characters were married.

Searching for wedding pictures of Lucy and Desi on the internet is not an easy task as every on-screen wedding can be, and usually is, labeled as their REAL wedding. The couple actually eloped on November 30th, 1940, just six months after they met. In 1949 they renewed their vows, which we have photos of.

For the Catholic Church service, Lucy wore a blue satin dress with a full skirt and portrait neckline, which she paired with a chic white flowered hat, ruffled gloves, and strappy peep-toed heels. Desi looked sharp in a white suit.

In season 1 of I Love Lucy, Lucy and Desi had their first on-screen wedding. In "The Marriage License," which aired on April 7, 1952, Lucy finds a misspelling on her marriage license and believes her marriage to Ricky (Arnaz) isn't legal. Lucy makes Ricky recreate his proposal and the two get married at their hotel (which incidentally was the Byram River Beagle Club in Greenwich, Connecticut where Lucy and Desi had been married in 1940). You can watch the full episode here.

 

Lucy wore a full skirted dress with spaghetti straps, a lovely tulle veil attatched to a floral headpiece, multi-strand pearl choker, and satin peep-toe heels with an ankle strap.

For The Long, Long Trailer (1953) Lucy wore an exquisite lace gown designed by Helen Rose. It had a strapless bodice with a lace overlay featuring a high stand-up collar and long sleeves. A lace apron-like skirt fell over a full skirt. A flowered headpiece worn on the back of the head held the long tulle veil.

In Forever, Darling (1956) Lucy wore a similar dress with a more elaborate veil, this one designed by  Eloise Jenssen. The headpiece has lace and flowers that frame the face closely and the dress has a dramatic pleated skirt.

The sketch by Jenssen shows a different veil. To see more photos check out my more in-depth post.

Lastly, here are some wedding anniversary photos that could be mistaken for wedding photos.

This post is for the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon hosted by Once Upon a Screen and Classic Movie Hub. Be sure to check out all of the other Dynamic Duos!

Day 1 | Day 2

Movies I Watched in April

I didn't watch a ton of movies this month (I've been watching Cheers) but the ones I did watch were pretty much all winners.

* means a rewatch

1. The Telegraph Trail (1933) - John Wayne & Marceline Day, Frank McHugh
2. Back in Circulation (1937) - Pat O'Brien & Joan Blondell
3. *The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland, Alan Hale, Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone
4. The Girl of the Golden West (1938) - Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy, Walter Pidgeon, Buddy Ebson 
5. There Goes My Heart (1938) - Fredric March & Virginia Bruce, Patsy Kelly
6. Wonder Man (1945) - Danny Kaye & Vera-Ellen, Virginia Mayo, S.Z. Sakall
7. Till the End of Time (1946) - Dorothy McGuire, Robert Mitchum, Guy Madison
8. Rachel and the Stranger (1948) - Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum
9. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams
10. Force of Arms (1951) - William Holden & Nancy Olsen
11. The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) - Peter Sellers, Margaret Rutherford
12. The Girl Most Likely (1958) - Jane Powell, Cliff Robertson
13. *Period of Adjustment (1962) - Jane Fonda & Jim Hutton, Anthony Franciosa (rewatched it with my brothers)
14. Hour of the Gun (1967) - James Garner, Jason Robards, Robert Ryan
15. *Ghost (1990) - Patrick Swayze & Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
16. *The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) - Jim Caviezel, Guy Pierce, Dagmara Dominczyk, Ricahrd Harris, Luis Guzman, Henry Cavill ♥

Least Favorite Movie: None.

Favorite Movie: Hands down The Smallest Show on Earth. If you've never seen it drop everything and get your hands on a copy!! I also really enjoyed the three new-to-me Holden movies I watched as well as There Goes My Heart and Back in Circulation. So basically I loved almost all the movies I watched this month ;)

TCM Presents: Mad About Musicals!

It's that time of year again when TCM announces it's next free online class. We've had Film Noir, we've had Slapstick, we've had Hitchcock, and now we're getting Musicals! (still waiting for one on Screwball...)

Offered in collaboration with Ball State University and offered on the online platform Canvas, these classes give everyone a chance to major in MOVIE! And the great thing is it's free! And, you only have to spend as much time on it as you have available. The readings and lectures are easy to keep up with and the quizzes are just right - not to hard, not to easy. You can get as involved as you want: message boards, movies, and games all make for a fun learning experience. I know, I've taken them all :)

This years class is going to be a little different in that it is being taught by Vanessa Theme Ament instead of our beloved Richard Edwards. I'm sure she will do a fantastic job though :)

The class runs from June 3rd through July 1st and covers musicals from the 30s to the 70s. You do not need TCM for the course. Many musicals are readily available on dvd and at your local library!

Here is the course syllabus on the sign-up page:

WEEK 1: Introduction / Musicals of the 1920s & 1930s

• The beginnings of sound technology and the first film musicals in the 1920s and 1930s: The Great Ziegfeld, Top Hat, Broadway Melody, and other films
• Important musicals that set the standard for the decade: The Great Depression
• The transition from Broadway to Hollywood
• New stars in musicals, directors, editors, and other creatives that influenced the decade: Ernst Lubitsch, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and others
• Key song numbers that typify the movie musical in the 1930s

WEEK 2: Musicals of the 1940s

• The changing terrain of the 1940s movie musical surrounding WWII: Yankee Doodle Dandy, On the Town, Meet Me in St. Louis, and other films
• Performers who developed during the 1940s, choreographers who direct and musicians who produce: Busby Berkeley, Ester Williams, Red Skelton, Judy Garland and others
• Studios, stars, and stories for wartime America: the transition to nationalism
• Pre-recording, post-sound, and location scenes
• The emerging films of diversity: Cabin in the Sky, Showboat, and other films

  

WEEK 3: Musicals of the 1950s

• The high times of the 1950s and the Blacklist: The Bandwagon, An American in Paris, High Society, and other films
• The development of camera, sound, and exhibition
• Glamour and the expanded role of design
• The broadening of the composer, producer, and editor
• Key figures who expand their scope: Gene Kelly, Vincente Minnelli, Elvis Presley, and others

  

WEEK 4: Conclusion / Musicals of the 1960s and 1970s

• The disruption of the studios: independent film influences
• Turbulence in the country and cultural challenges: Tommy, Cabaret and other films
• Changing musical tastes, youth, and historical films: Funny Girl, 1776, My Fair Lady, and other films
• The British Invasion: The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night
• Directors, stars, and producers who transitioned into the 1960s

Hope to see you all in "class"!! ;)

"The Trolley Song," Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).