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Our “Blue” choices this time are two films you should definitely see: 1946’s The Blue Dahlia and 1953’s The Blue Gardenia. Let’s start with the former, which brought audiences one of classic Hollywood’s renowned pairings. They were one of the hottest duos in the 1940s, rivaling even Bogart and Bacall. Alan Ladd once said of himself that he had the […]
How much did you remember about these films? We’re talking about 1947’s Black Narcissus and 1949’s White Heat. Ok, let’s get to the answers to our Black and White Quiz. First up is White Heat: 1) Question: Although Cagney made many crime thrillers White Heat was by far his personal favorite picture. a) True; or […]
We thought it might be fun to list some of our favorite films with Colors in the Title. We’re starting with Black Narcissus and White Heat. What do you know about these classics? Let’s start with 1949’s White Heat, in which a very nimble mama’s boy/jailbird (James Cagney) jumps off prison cafeteria tables and clambers up gas […]
It was a prize winning play and translated to a tough, gritty film. And who better to play the lead — a maniacal s.o.b presiding viciously over his local precinct house — than Kirk Douglas. We especially like Douglas in such roles as opposed to his loftier and more pretentious characterizations of, say, Spartacus or […]
He was a name-above-the-title star in his own right. And he dated a lot of women. He had great taste. Howard Duff, born in the state of Washington in 1913, was a handsome actor endowed with an authoritative speaking voice memorable, among other ventures, for his role on radio as private eye Sam Spade in […]
A beauty billed as the Italian Dietrich. But who the hell was she? We realize that Italian actress Isa Miranda isn’t exactly a household name among classic movie fans. But consider that Hollywood in Thirties and Forties yearned for sexpot/glamourpusses from Europe to internationalize and spice up their femme roles. Some stuck around (Hedy Lamarr, […]
Yes, there is our man posing thoughtfully above with Greer Garson, his costar in 1939’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips, in which Robert Donat portrays a British head master recalling 63 years of his life between 1870 and 1933. (The actor was 34 years old when he played the part.) The movie is perhaps notorious today since […]
Almost forgotten, except as the actor who beat out Clark Gable for the Oscar in 1939. And, as the Englishman passing as Russian during the revolution who rescues an appealingly feminine countess (Marlene Dietrich, above) from the clutches of heartless Bolsheviks. (Can you name the movie?) Then there is Madeleine Carroll (above), who was literally linked […]
Her career as a character actress is unparalleled. For more than a half century, she was an extraordinarily durable performer on both sides of the Atlantic in films and tv. And in 1967 she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for “her services to drama.” One look at the […]
We hate to overlook any specimen of leading man dating from Hollywood’s Golden Era. And while never a major star Robert Stack was certainly present on screen from the late 30s until the 1960s. Most today recall Stack from his superb work in television. He was one of the few actors who played the lead […]