Movies I Watched in August

River's End (1940)

This month I started watching M*A*S*H again (I had stopped after Frank left). So far I've watched season 6-8. They are definitely more serious in tone. I also started The Persuaders (1971-1972), starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. I liked the first couple of episodes enough to buy the complete series on dvd ($10 on Amazon for 24 episodes). 

* indicates a rewatch

1. A Lady of Chance (1928) - Norma Shearer 
2. Cynara (1932) - Ronald Colman & Kay Francis
3. My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937) - Edna May Oliver, Maureen O’Sullivan & Walter Pidgeon, Rita Johnson
4. The Drum (1938) - Sabu, Roger Livesy, Raymond Massey
5. River’s End (1940) - Dennis Morgan, George Tobias
6. Meet the Stewarts (1942) - William Holden & Frances Dee
7. In Which We Serve (1942) - Noel Coward, John Mills, Celia Johnson, Richard Attenborough 
8. Dear Ruth (1947) - William Holden & Joan Caufield, Edward Arnold
9. *Every Girl Should Be Married (1948) - Cary Grant & Betsy Drake, Franchot Tone
10. Little Women (1949) - June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O’Brien, Peter Lawford, Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Rossano Brazzi 
11. Barricade (1950) - Dane Clark, Raymond Massey, Ruth Roman
12. *Shane (1953) - Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon de Wilde
13. Dunkirk (1958) - John Mills, Richard Attenborough 
14. *Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) - Steve Martin + archive footage of old Hollywood stars 
15. Captain Ron (1992) - Kurt Russell, Martin Short
16. Little Women (1994) - Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Christian Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Mary Wickes
17. We Are Marshall (2006) - Matthew McConahay
18. *The King’s Speech (2010) - Colin Firth
19. *The Tourist (2010) - Angelina Jolie & Johnny Depp
20. Elvis (2022) - Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia Delange (in theaters)

Least Favorite Film: Cynara. No one likes a girl who steals another woman’s husband than gets hysterical when he goes back to her.

Favorite Movie: Meet the Stewarts was really cute and funny. I also really enjoyed the 1994 Little Women. I've never really been a huge fan of the book (when I first read it I saw that one of the girls died and didn't finish it). I really liked Christian Bale as Laurie. In most adaptations the character of Laurie is forgettable, or too... for lack of a better word, feminine - maybe it's because his name is similar to mine (Laura). Anyway, Bale did a great job and I think this adaptation is my favorite, followed by the 1978 TV mini-series, which had a great cast. Captain Ron was pretty funny. 

I thought Elvis (2022) would be added to HBO Max in early August and, since I hadn't gotten around to going to see it in theaters yet (I like early weekday showings when there's not a lot of people - even pre-covid I preferred it that way), I had decided to wait. Then they pushed the date and, since it stayed in theaters so long, I finally had a chance to go. I'm glad I saw it on the big screen. Not going to lie, the first hour dragged a little but once we got to the '68 Special it was really good. That was my favorite part of the movie, partly because it was more like a regular biopic, had more actual Elvis songs than the first hour, and had less of Colonel Tom Parker. Austin Butler, who I thought he was a horrible choice when he was cast (despite having never seen him act), was absolutely incredible. He had the moves and voice down to a T. He even managed to catch that twinkle in his eyes that Elvis had. I really do hope he is nominated for an Oscar and wins. He seems like a pretty humble guy in his interviews too and seems to genuinely love Elvis. I hope that one day an extended cut is released. I sobbed at the end of the movie and had trouble holding it together the entire drive home (20 min - while listening to an Elvis cd). The end was perfect (I usually stay until the credits finish but it moved on to a rap song so I hot footed it out of there). The film was added to HBO Max today. 

Cinema Wedding Gowns: Spinout (1966)

Since the Star of the Month for July on Turner Classic Movies is Elvis Presley, I thought it would be fun to highlight a wedding scene from one of his films: Spinout (1966). The brides are Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain, and Deborah Walley. None of the grooms are Elvis but, in true Elvis fashion, he kisses all of the brides ;)

From left to right: Faberes, McBain, and Walley.

All three girls are wearing identical shoulder-length tulle veils. The base is donut shaped and rests on a circle of tiny white floral sprigs. Tiny white petals are scattered over the tulle as well.

We only get glimpses of their dresses. Fabares wears a lace gown with a wide neckline, flutter sleeves, and a fitted bodice that seamlessly moves into a medium-full skirt. 

Diane McBain wears a gown made of plain white fabric with a lace shawl/cape-like piece attached to the front of the bodice and going down into a point in the back, also creating the lace "sleeves." The nipped in waist goes into a full skirt with a substantial train. There are also sheer sleeve pieces that go from the wrist to the elbow, lending to a long-sleeve effect (You can see it better in this photo). The groom is Carl Betz, who played Faberes' father both here and on The Donna Reed Show.

Deborah Walley has the prettiest gown, in my opinion. Floral applique over a sheer white fabric with short sleeves and an empire waist. All three brides wear short white gloves and white heels. 

Which gown is your favorite?