Goodbye Again

Goodbye Again
Released Date: 1961
Directed By: Anatole Livak
Actors: Ingrid Bergman, Yves Montand, Anthony Perkins, Jessie Royce Landis, Pierre Dux, and Jocelyn Lane

     This is a huge difference in Anthony Perkins other roles. As in the Crazy Norman Bates in Psycho. But nevertheless, he does a great job. As a sane man, in love and can take care of his mother, girlfriend and himself.

     Watch as Paula Tessier (Ingrid Bergman), chooses between her boyfriend, to who she knows is cheating on her. In fact, he makes it a point to let her know that he is cheating on her. The boyfriend is Roger Demarest (Yves Montand). Or will she make the better move and let Phillip Van der Besh (Anthony Perkins) take care of her? This movie is a little nervewrecking. But very good, and very fast pace. This movie is one I truly enjoyed and I also advise you to rent and watch. :)

Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly!
Release Date: December 16, 1969
Directed by: Gene Kelly
Actors: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, Danny Lockin, E.J. Peaker, Joyce Ames, Tommy Tune and a special guest: Louis Armstrong

     The last musical I talked about was The Sound of Music and I pretty much smashed all other musicals by saying that I disliked them to the max. But when my mom asked me to watch a musical that she always loved, and said that it was the best and most likely would change my thinking of all musicals, I did not believe her. Then I watched it. Hello, Dolly! was a hit. A 10. And I absolutely fell in love. I am very sad about how often I watched the movie since it was first shown to me. It is a sad amount to be honest. I now sing along, and want to join theater in New York just because of this movie.

     Hello, Dolly! is a musical about, well Dolly. Miss Dolly Levi. She is a widow and a very popular woman across New York. From Yonkers to New York, New York. She is a matchmaker and has gotten together a store owner, Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau) and a hat shop owner, Miss Irene Malloy. Horace is a millionaire and owns a store of the same name, Vandergelder. He is the boss of a man who is 28 and three quarters old. His name is Cornelius Hakl (Michael Crawford). Horace leaves Yonkers to go propose to Irene. Horace has Dolly come to take away his niece Ermengarde who is in love with a "7 feet tall nignanpoop" Ambrose Kemper. His clerk Cornelius becomes friends with another of the stores clerks, Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin). After Horace leaves for New York, Cornelius and Barnaby shut down the store and take an adventure to New York as well. To meet girls, and the only way they would return to Yonkers is if they both kiss a girl. Dolly, who is there to pick up Horace's niece over hears the boys talking about women and New York, and has them meet Irene Malloy and her coworker Miss Minnie Fay. This movie is full of wonderful music, comedy and dancing, along with a lot of love. And you will also fall in love with this musical too.

     The one scene about the Harmonia Gardens took an entire month to shoot. The movie is two in a half hours long. And also another tid bit of information is that both Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau did not get along at all. As a matter of fact it is said that they fought all the time. Walter Matthau even said that Barbra Streisand "had no more talent than a butterfly's fart!" It is said that Barbra is very difficult to work with because she is a prefectionist. But she is very talented, however she has a huge fear of singing to a crowd. Live performances are very rare for the talented singer. 

How to Murder Your Wife

How to Murder Your Wife
Released Date: January 26, 1965
Directed by: Richard Quine
Actors: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas, Eddie Mayehoff, Clair Trevor, and Sidney Blackmer

     This movie is funny, fast and exciting. And just to let you know, you may want to watch this movie with someone, just in case you miss a few major details. Like myself. I was watching this movie with my mom, at the same time, saw the same things, and still missed half of the movie, somehow. But once I got it, the movie ended up being wonderful. It is about a man, who is rich, a cartoonist (which is rather cool, because he acts out what he wants to animate, someone takes pictures during the whole thing, and then he draws it out), and has lived the life of luxury as a single man. I would even go as far as to say that he was against marriage. Then one day he goes to a party. Sober, before the drinks, his friend walks in and to start the party off right, screams that the woman he was suppose to marry, left him. After a few drinks, we see Stanley Ford (Jack Lemmon) looking at a woman coming out of a cake. And before you know it, you are looking at him, in his home, looking at a wedding ring on this woman's wedding finger. Her name in the movie is Mrs. Ford (Virna Lisi), her first name is never mentioned. It is known, though, that she does not speak a word of English. But with the help of american movies, she learns fast. And, well you will have to watch and see if Mr. Ford ends up falling in love, or falling into prison. After all, he is a cartoonist, their minds go wild, and he even draws out a silly murder that is featured in the newspapers.

     Virna Lisi was born in Italy. So she is a true Italian in this movie. Another words, the accent is real, and her words were really Italian. When the film was made in Italy, however, the wife ended up being Greek instead.

The Seven Year Itch

The Seven Year Itch
Released Date: June 3, 1955
Director: Billy Wilder
Actors: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, and Oskar Homolka

     Marilyn Monroe, was a huge hit in the 50s and had already developed problems with her second husband. The great baseball star, Joe DiMaggio. The marriage had only lasted nine months, and the marriage ended during this movie. This maybe one of her most well known films, not because of the fact she ended a very famous marriage, but also because she was the main, hot lead actress in this movie. This movie also holds the most famous shot of the great Miss Monroe. The picture of her in a white dress, standing over a train grate, and her dress goes flailing, as she laughs. That scene, was to have been the main breakup reason for the DiMaggio's. But the shooting of this picture was a hard one for Marilyn, not only did she have a divorce, but she was often late for shootings, and was also going through depression as well. She often forgot her lines, and it is said that she cost the movie a lot of money.

     The movie starts off with a man, taking his lovely family to the train station for the summer. They seem like a very happy, well knit family. Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell), after dropping his wife and son off, went to work like any other day. He talks to himself throughout the movie, and also letting his imagination run wild. He was to have quit smoking and drinking. Which, being alone for the whole summer, is all he wants to do. His wife, although trusting her husband, calls promptly at 10:00 PM. Which he believes is horrible, since he likes to go to bed at a reasonable time on a work night. Meanwhile, a new girl enters the apartment complex, right above the Sherman's, again, just for the summer. The girl is Marilyn Monroe, and as anyone would know, is a rather tall glass of water. Which would be nice to have during the summer, right? With your wife away? When he realizes that he is suffering from a very normal disease, known as the seven year itch (which is what one receives when they have been married for seven years), he decides between his wife and son, or the new girl up stairs.

     One thing I have always loved about such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Lauren Bacall, just to name a few. Is the well known fact that they are, well seemed to have been, a healthy weight. Women are made of curves and also a little meat on their bones. Well these actresses, and many more from that era, are exactly what I mean. They look like they can gobble up a Hamburger, and chase that down with a Milkshake, and then walk it off, by walking home. I know that sounds funny, but that is a huge reason why actresses are (in my opinion) more beautiful back then, then they are now. 

The Shop Around the Corner

The Shop Around the Corner
Released Date: January 12, 1940
Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Actors: Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullivan, and Frank Morgan

     It is said that the director, Ernst Lubitsch, had wanted to wait till the main stars, Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan were ready to make the movie. Both actors had been busy at the time, and could not make the movie right away. As a matter of fact, in between them being asked, and waiting till the start of the shoots, Ernst Lubitsch made another movie in between the wait time. It is also said that the director felt like this was his best work. And it is a very good movie. One that has been remade. You've got Mail was the remake movie. The director also had spent his childhood based around this movie. The setting and also the fact that his father worked in a shop, made this movie the director's favorite and also his most personal.

     This movie is based on two people that have met at their job. At a store. They could not stand each other at all. And working together was a terrible job for both of them. They did have one thing in common, however, and that is the fact that they both had a boy/girlfriend. That they only kept in contact with through mail. They had never seen a picture of their significant other, and one attempt at the first meet did not go so smoothly. The company they worked for had been a very successful company, but because of a mishap, the big boss kind of lost his head. Please pick this movie up and let me know what you think!

James Stewart

     I have a lot of classic actors, actresses and also directors that I adore. I love Bette Davis, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Gregory Peck, Alfred Hitchcock, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Anne Baxter, Montgomery Clift, Farley Granger, Robert Mitchum and my absolute favorite, Jimmy Stewart. He is a lot of things, great actor, boy next door, handsome, funny, nice, war hero, family man, and very slim. His different characters, through the years, have made people feel comfortable and also made his characters feel rather familiar.

     He made quite a stir in movie history. His most famous movies include It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, and Vertigo. The first movie I ever saw him in, well two, Harvey, and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. Other famous movies include all of his Alfred Hitchcock movies were: Rear Window, Vertigo, Rope and The Man Who Knew Too Much. He was also big in the early years of movies. Not the silent era but early in the 1900s. His first big break, was one of the Thin Man series. After the Thin Man. Which was made in 1936. He then went on to make movies with his first love, Margaret Sullivan, who married his long time best friend, Henry Fonda. The two of them, Margaret and Jimmy, made quite a few movies together. Including, The Shopworn Angel, The Shop Around the Corner, and The Mortal Storm. He also made movies along side the director, Frank Capra. Those movies included: You Can't Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It's a Wonderful Life. 

     Jimmy Stewart was born on May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and then died on July 2, 1997, in Los Angeles, California. His full name was James Maitland Stewart. In high school he played, not only the accordion but also football, and also ran track. If football did not make that man a true american, then his love for his country made another big obvious answer of his true feelings toward America. He joined the Air Force, while still an actor, where he made a lot of money, making a lot of movies. He had a safe job, and was also safe in California during the war. Instead, he took a chance, and became a pilot for the air force. He had to eat a lot of his favorite food to reach the required weight. Before he was too thin, his favorite food was a good ol' tuna sandwich. He retired from the air force in 1959.

     If you want to get a little more Jimmy Stewart, you can pick up his biography, Jimmy Stewart. You can go to his museum (like I did ;)) which is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania and completely worth it, you can watch his movies, look up some of his interviews on YouTube, and also find that he is very poetic. Some of his writings have been in Soup for the Soul, the dog ones. He has a poem he wrote for his dog Bo, the name of the poem is Bo, and also he told another story of how he hated a dog for killing a dog he knew and loved.

     He was amazing and well loved. Not only by a lot of movie fans, but also the actors and actresses he worked with, and directors he worked with too. He had a lot of friends and succeeded in life. He ended up getting married, when he was in his early forties. Had children, and had passed away at an old age with family around him.

Dark Passage

Dark Passage

Released Date: September 27, 1947

Director: Delmer Daves

Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead, and Tom D' Andrea

     Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall met two movies before this one. They appeared together, and fell in love during To Have and Have Not, their first movie together, Lauren Bacall's first movie as well. The first movie my grandpa saw too. Then they returned together for The Big Sleep, this movie was their most popular film. This time was during the forties. Lauren Bacall was very young, while Humphrey Bogart was rather, should I say older? She was 23, my age. And he was 48. But they made a great pair, and she stayed with him, married till his death in 1957. 

    This movie is about a man named Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), he has escaped from prison for the murder of his wife. The first twenty minutes of the movie is in his view. Meaning you never see his actual face, until you see a newspaper with Vincent Parry on the cover. Then Vincent meets Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), who believes his innocents. He then meets a cab driver, who also believes he did not kill his wife... Long story short, Vincent ends up with a new face, a new woman, and also new friends. This movie may just keep you on your toes. It is very fast and very good. 

     Lauren Bacall, in 1995, was chosen as number six of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. She had two children with Humphrey Bogart, and also a third child with another man. Lauren Bacall was also in the same apartment building as John Lennon, when he was killed. She later said, during an interview, that she thought it was a car tire bust, or a car backfiring.