Christmas In Connecticut

Christmas In Connecticut
Released Date: August 11, 1945
Director: Peter Godfrey
Actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner, S.Z. Sakall, Robert Shayne, Una O'Connor, Frank Jenks, Joyce Compton, Dick Elliott, and Betty Alexander

     I'll tell you why this is a great Christmas movie. First off, as a person, what do we enjoy? Food? Holiday happiness? Love? Military (no matter where you are)? Well this has everything in it. This is a great film, and one that I have enjoyed many times. When I first saw this movie on a shelf at a store, I didn't think it looked that great. But because of the picture on the DVD case, it did look cute at least. And then I bought it, since it was on sale too. I took it home and watched it. And I fell in love. It is cute, for sure, but it is more than that. It is funny, you can almost taste the food they describe. I hope you'll watch it and fall in love too.

     Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) is stuck on a raft for a few weeks, starving and thirsty. Clearly in the military and waiting for their ship to come in, literally. Along with his partner Sinkewicz (Frank Jenks). Finally saved and being taken care of at a hospital, Jeff is hungry and unable to eat a fulfilling breakfast/lunch/dinner because of how long he was without food. He tries to get a better meal by making his nurse believe he is in love with her.
     Meanwhile, Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is a very popular author. She writes a column in a magazine, about making a home made meals in the country for her child and husband. However, she lives in an apartment alone, and in the city. Far away from the country.  Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) gets a letter from Jeff's nurse. Alexander is the magazine's top man, and is the boss of Miss. Lane. The nurse wanted to marry Jeff, and figured that the reason he did not want to get married was because he didn't know how wonderful a home cooked meal is, and also how wonderful having a family is. She wants him to spend Christmas with Elizabeth Lane, and to be fed everyday with her wonderful cooking. Thankfully, John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner), who is in love with Elizabeth, also owns a farm in Connecticut. So he proposes to her, and she says okay since she wants to keep her job. Even though she does not love John. So there, Elizabeth, in one big swoop, has a farm, and a husband. All she needs is to learn how to cook, and also a baby. Thankfully John's maid watches a baby for a nearby neighbor and Elizabeth has a friend that cooks for her. Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall) is a cute little guy that is an amazing cook and makes everything that Elizabeth writes about. You will be a happy camper watching this film, and will feel like you really are in the country. Will Elizabeth end up marrying a man she does not love? Will Jeff end up marrying a woman he really doesn't love? Or will the two fall in love, and end up together? Watch and find out :}

Love Crazy

Love Crazy
Released Date: May 23, 1941
Director: Jack Conway
Actors: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Gail Patrick, Jack Carson, Florence Bates, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Ruman, Vladimir Sokoloff, Donald MacBride, Sara Haden, Kathleen Lockhart, Fern Emmett, Joseph Crehan, and George Meeker

     Have you ever seen William Powell without a mustache? Well this happens to be one movie you can watch and see Powell without his mustache. He shaves it during a very Creepy scene where he dresses up as a woman. This also happens to be the tenth movie where Powell and Myrna Loy are paired together. This movie was so great, I just watched it for the first time, and I wanted to share it with you. I have not written about a movie in a while, and thought I would start myself off again with my favorite film couple.

     Setting: Mrs. Cooper (Florence Bates) is on her way to visit her daughter.... Steve Ireland (William Powell) is on his way to have dinner with his wife, on their anniversary might I add.... Susan Ireland (Myrna Loy) is getting ready to have a very special dinner with her husband and to go on their annual walk. The same walk they did on their first night as husband and wife, and now their fourth time coming. Martha (Fern Emmett) is cooking for the Ireland's.... Isobel Kimble Grayson (Gail Patrick) and Ward Willoughby (Jack Carson) are doing their own thing, not together.....

      Scene: Steve is on the elevator to his apartment to have dinner with his bride, when the elevator gets stuck. But the elevator operator gets the wheels in motion again, and Steve gets to the apartment in one piece. The Ireland's are discussing their night plans when all of a sudden, Mrs. Ireland's mother comes in. With a hideous rug and a loud mouth. Mrs. Cooper, Susan's mother, is to meet a relative at the train station but decides to crash the night by eating dinner with them. Mrs. Cooper, meanwhile, asked Steve to mail a letter for her, and he leaves the apartment to go do so. On his way back up he runs into his ex girlfriend, Isobel, on the elevator. She too is married. They get stuck and Steve ends up getting hurt with his head hanging out of the elevator door. So Isobel asks him to her apartment so that she can give him some alcohol and so that he can have a little rest before leaving. When Steve finally gets back, the mother in law is on his tail about the fact that he was in this other woman's apartment. After dinner it is time for Mrs. Cooper to leave and grab the relative but she ends up slipping because of the rug. Now she has a hurt ankle and will need to stay for a couple of hours to rest her legs. So Susan ends up leaving to go get the relative. While Steve stays at home with his mother in law. Steve ends up talking to Isobel again outside, because her apartment is right below, and the deck is right there. Guess who heard the conversation between Isobel and Steve? If you guessed the mother in law, you are correct! Which has poor Susan upset when she returns back home. She decides to teach her husband a lesson by going into Ward Willoughby's apartment. Poor guy had no idea what was happening. What do you think ends up happening? A divorce? A break? Or just a fast makeup? Find out by watching this very cute, very fun and very funny film with the cutest on screen couple.

A Thin Man Christmas

It's almost Christmas. And what a great way to spend it watching Nick and Nora movies. Or as we also call it, a Thin Man Christmas.

 After all, the first Thin Man we see the couple spending Christmas morning together. The best gifts are spending time with family, the Christmas feel, the music, the movies, the lights, the food, the cookies... But for Nick and Nora, you best believe you'll be seeing Alcohol and guns, a Christmas tree and a Christmas party. 

With their one and only dog, Asta. 

Whoa Christmas Tree

Did you know that Bette Davis, when a younger lady, had been playing good ol' Santa Claus and caught her face on fire? Well, at least her beard. Because back in the old days, people put candles on their Christmas Tree's and the Tree had caught on fire. You can imagine what would happen to the dried out pine. 
This is the first picture after the accident.... 

My Top Hitchcock Movies

I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, and any time I want to watch a great movie, I pick him. I love all of his films but I wanted to share with you my favorite picks, so without further ado I give to you my top ten Hitchcock Movies:

1. Psycho: 

2. Shadow Of A Doubt: my favorite

3. Dial "M" For Murder:

4. Rear Window:

5. Rope:

6. North By Northwest:

7. The Birds:

8. Strangers On A Train:

9. Lifeboat:

10. Rebecca:

I Love Hitchcock <3

Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn
Released Date: April 4, 1943
Director: Mark Sandrich
Actors: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, Walter Abel, Louise Beavers, Irving Bacon, Marek Windheim, James Bell, John Gallaudet, Shelby Bacon, Joan Arnold, and Bob Crosby and His Orchestra

     Bing Crosby's beautiful voice and Fred Astaire's beautiful taps are a treat in this holiday classic. "White Christmas" being Bing Crosby's classic Christmas song was an Academy Award winner for Best Song, and also went on to be one of the biggest selling songs in history. Which is not surprising as it is well sung and well written. Crosby sang this song in four of his movies. Did you know that the set, and actor and composer were used twice. The set can be seen in White Christmas, with Bing Crosby as a main actor, with him singing White Christmas and Irving Berlin wrote songs for both films. You can also witness Fred Astaire doing a Drunk Tap in this movie, and guess what! He really was drunk. He had two drinks of bourbon before the first take was done, and then before every take after that he had one glass of bourbon. The take you saw in the movie was take SEVEN. Can you imagine, that would make it nine drinks of bourbon later and that makes it a real drunk dance. What a great day at work, huh? Can you imagine your boss asking you to have a drink before doing a task?

     Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) are a famous three man group. Jim and Lila are a couple, at least Jim thinks so. And he asks Lila to marry him and move to the country and live a life of lazy. Lila has other plans. To keep on touring and with her other man, Ted. Jim's heart is broken, but he goes ahead and moves to the country by himself. He no longer wants to tour and most importantly, he is done working all the time. But boy is he wrong that living on a farm equals a lazy life. He works and hard! Jim soon realizes that he can turn his old barn into a nightclub, and the catch? Only to be open on Holidays, all Holidays. And he wants to hire a few people to sing and dance with him. So Jim goes to New York to ask Ted and Lila to come see him when it opens, but then also asks his old manager Danny (Walter Abel) to find him some great acts. Danny ends up running into a girl at a flower shop and gives her Jim's card. Her name is Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) and she ends up being an amazing girl and who happens to be what Jim needed. They quickly fall in love but all goes haywire when Ted the love blocker comes back into Jim's life. Will Linda leave Jim to go with Ted? There is promise with Ted, a life in Hollywood and Jim is just staying in the country. Find out by watching this Holiday classic today!!!

Mr. Bing Crosby

Wanted to say that I'm dreaming of a White Christmas along with the one and only, Bing.

Turn your PJs around and dance everybody.

What's this Snow I hear?

Have You Ever Wondered What the Snow was made of in all of those early classic films?

Well here's the answer.

Classic Cinema first started out using painted white Corn Flakes. 

Then when It's a Wonderful Life was made, due to the loud noise the flakes made, Frank Capra used foamite with soap and water. The effect... Classic. Which also won an award for the new technology. Pretty cool, huh?

December :)

Love This Month, Happy December!!!

Almost Christmas, and what are your plans?

Which Holiday movies are in your DVD player during this holiday season?

Little Woman:

Christmas In Connecticut:

Abbott and Costello: Hit The Ice:

It's a Wonderful Life:

The Bishop's Wife:

Miracle On 34th Street:

Holiday Affair:

Buy Your Christmas Tree, Get Your Lights Out, Get a Fire Going and watch some holiday classics All Month LONG. Man I love this season.

A Place In The Sun

A Place In The Sun
Released Date: October 11, 1951
Director: George Stevens
Actors: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Herbert Heyes, Shepperd Strudwick, Frieda Inescort, and Kathryn Givney

     This movie is based on a book by Theodore Dreiser called An American Tragedy. Which the book was based on a real life story about a man by the name of Chester Gillette. Try to not look up Chester Gillette online before watching the movie, it will give away the ending ;)

     When I think of classic beauty, a few names come to mind... Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Bette Grable and.. You got it, Elizabeth Taylor. Classic handsome falls under Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and.. You got it, Montgomery Clift. The two worked together and became lifelong friends, until Clift's death in 1966. You may have heard about the car accident that involved Montgomery Clift, it was Elizabeth Taylor's house that he was leaving when the accident occurred, and it was Taylor that found him.

     Poor George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), is on his way to see his extremely rich uncle, Charles Eastman (Herbert Heyes). George starts working for his uncle in his factory and tries hard to impress him. The one rule that is given to George, is that he cannot date any of the girls he works with. So what does he do? He ends up dating a coworker, Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters). They go out a few times, and fall in love. George ends up going to a party at his uncles house. He starts to talk to a very attractive and popular girl, Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). And once again, the boy is in love. Which causes a huge fight between George and Alice. When Alice announces that she is pregnant, she believes that this means marriage with George before she starts to show. A big vacation from work is coming up, and Alice wants that time spent getting married and going on a honeymoon. But Angela wants George to go to her lake house. What will he do? He ends up going to the lake house, but telling Alice that he is going with his uncle, NOT Angela. But a newspaper reveals the truth, and Alice sees what he is really up to. She is not happy, and threatens George and wants to get married right away. What does George do? How does he keep Alice from finding out his second life, or is he able to keep that news away? Find out by watching this very shocking film, based on a true story, a true Love Triangle.