Monday, February 27, 2012

I Love Lucy Season Two

I Love Lucy Season Two
And Remember that I will not go over every single episode :)

9-15-1952 Job Switching: It is the girls against the guys in this funny, and memorable episode. The men decide to become house wives and the women will bring home the money. Ethel and Lucy become hired at a chocolate factory and let's just say that the job becomes stuffy and entertaining.

10-27-1952 Vacation from Marriage: When the girls decide that they want to take a break from their loving husbands, they decide to take a mini vacation by switching apartments, or should I say, Fred goes to the Ricardo's with Ricky and Lucy goes over to the Mertzes with Ethel. The girls end up stuck on the roof of the apartment complex.

11-10-1952 The Courtroom: It is The Mertzes 25th wedding anniversary and Ricky and Lucy decide to give them a TV for it. The TV ends up blowing up and they all go to court. Watch as the four best friends battle it out and end up hugging and holding hands by the end of the feud.

12-08-1952 Lucy is Enceinte: This is the sweetest episode, and one that I promise will make you cry. I know I did!!! But in this episode, Lucy needs to tell Ricky she is pregnant. She decides that the club is the best place to do so.

1-19-1953 Lucy goes to the Hospital: In this episode, again, will make you cry. It is time for Lucy to give birth and everyone at the hospital is surprised to see a creepy man with makeup in the daddy waiting room. Due to the fact that Lucy told Ricky to go onto work since the baby would take a long time to come out, they call him during his performance and he finds out that he is a brand new father.

3-9-1953 The Black Eye: Ricky remembers a time when Lucy ended up with a black eye and the Mertzes are afraid that Ricky was using his wife as a punching bag. When in reality, Ricky just threw a book and it hit her in her face. Watch as everyone ends up with a black eye.

3-30-1953: Lucy Changes her Mind: Lucy can't seem to make up her mind with anything. Clothes, food, drink, restaurant or even a movie.

6-8-1953 The Camping Trip: Lucy wants to do everything with Ricky, even read the sports page. So Ricky decides to teach her a lesson and take her on a very manly camping trip.

6-29-1953 Never Do Business with Friends: When the Mertzes decide to buy the Ricardo's old washing machine, Ricky is unsure since his dad told him when he was child, to never do business with friends.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I Love Lucy Season One

     In this blog I'm doing episodes from the first season of I Love Lucy, please bare with me since I have not done a TV show before, or at least episode information. I also want to let you all know that I am not planning on doing every episode since I have not seen all of them. But please let me know what you think, there is a comment or suggestion area of these things and I would love feedback.

10-29-1951    The Diet: There is a part in a show and Lucy sneaks into it. But the costume is only a size 12, so Lucy brings it upon herself to lose weight and fast. So she starves herself and does steams to lose that weight.

11-15-51     Lucy Thinks Ricky is trying to Murder her: In this episode, Lucy hears the end of a phone conversation between Ricky and someone down at the studio. Between the phone conversation and a murder mystery book Lucy is reading, she is convinced Ricky is trying to murder her. My favorite part is when Ricky closes his desk drawer after pulling out a fake gun and he shuts the drawer, Lucy does a dramatic fall to the couch since she believes he has shot her and is waiting for death.

12-10-51     The Fur Coat: Ricky brings home a fur coat which is for an act. But Lucy thinks it is hers. And she never parts ways with it. Ricky can't find the heart to tell her it's not hers so Ethel ends up being the bad guy. To get back at Ricky, Lucy buys a fake one and cuts the coat up with scissors right in front of Ricky. He about has a heart attack.

12-24-51     Drafted: In this episode, Lucy is convinced that Ricky has been drafted into the army, and Ethel believes that Fred enlisted. Because of their tears, both of the boys believe their wives are pregnant. Both women and both men decide to throw a party with friends. The boys are to have a surprise going away party and the girls are to have a conjoined baby shower.

1-28-52     Lucy Fakes an Illness: Lucy pretends to be sick and Ricky knows it. So he hires an actor to play doctor. The actor is to give horrible news to the almost late Mrs. Ricardo.

3-17-52     The Moustache: Ricky is growing a moustache for a part in a moving picture. Lucy hates it and begs him to shave. When he refuses, she glues a moustache on her upper lip to teach Ricky a lesson. The moustache turns out to be a difficult lesson to remove.

3-31-52     Pioneer Women: It's a contest between Fred and Ricky against Lucy and Ethel. They re to not use any modern appliances. Everyone is enjoying it till Lucy ends up making bread that she could share with everyone in New York.

4-28-52     The Freezer: In this exciting episode, Lucy ends up buying a walk in meat locker. She ends up being frozen meat herself when she locks herself inside the freezer. On a good note, everyone ends up with enough meat to last two or three years.

5-5-52     Lucy does a TV commercial: This is probably I Love Lucy's most famous episode. Lucy becomes a drunk Vitameatavegamin girl.

Please check me out tomorrow for the next seasons greats.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

I Love Lucy part One

I Love Lucy
Original Air Date: October 15, 1951
From: 1951 - 1957 and 181 episodes all together
Actors: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley

     I, like a lot of cool people of his world, Love Lucy. Her humor is clean and makes me feel at home. She's wild and on fire just like her hair. She doesn't cuss, she doesn't use bathroom jokes, and she doesn't tell sexual jokes either. Yet she's the funniest woman in the history of show business. Now that is what I call talent. TV nowadays seems to have run out of ideas. We are now seeing a list of shows that are going into people's personal lives and making a lot of people look like idiots. I have not been a huge fan of television in a long time. Actually, the only show's I've ever enjoyed were Seinfeld, Friends, Will and Grace, Hitchcock Presents, I Love Lucy and selected game shows. Otherwise shows to me are silly. These days, I often find myself watching these old shows and of course old movies. The TV I have in my room could have been a black and white television.

     This show has a great and talented cast. At first Lucille Ball was on a radio program called My Favorite Husband, and then the show made to into a television program and that is where I Love Lucy became into play.  Vivian Vance and William Frawley did not get along at all. I think it's safe to say that they hated each other. And I think that makes them great actors too because they acted like an old married couple but they also acted like they loved each other too, and you cannot honestly tell that they hated each other. One cool thing heard was that actor William Frawley's only request was to have days off when his favorite baseball team played. His favorite team was the New York Yankee's, and in contract he was to have off if the Yankee's were to go into the playoffs or the World Series.

     The show has a lot of memorable moments. And a lot of people have seen every episode. My mother is one of those people. She loves every episode, and literally has seen every episode. Some of the episodes have made fans cry and every episode has made them laugh. I have four seasons that I will talk about. And from that I'll write about each of the popular/famous episodes and the episodes that I simply love and have enjoyed a lot. There will be four more blogs on I Love Lucy because each blog will be one season and the episodes from them. I hope all you I Love Lucy fans enjoy these blogs.

Holiday Affair

Holiday Affair
Released Date: December 24, 1949
Director: Don Hartman
Actors: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey, and Gordon Gebert



     I have always enjoyed Christmas movies. As you all know, Christmas movies can only be seen once a year where as every other movie can be watched at anytime of the year, even at Christmas. Black and White is naturally my favorite type of Christmas movie. Well Black and White is my favorite type of movie, period. My favorite is of course It's a Wonderful Life. And all of the clay-mation films that they show on ABC family every year. But this movie too, has become one of my favorites. And the cool thing is, I found it one day because I was home from work due to a snow day. I was curled up in our basement watching TCM nearly the entire day, and this movie came on. This movie oddly enough became popular because of TCM. This movie was not popular when it first came out.

     Holiday Affair is about a young single mother named Connie Ennis, played by Janet Leigh. She is a comparison shopper and for her job ends up buying a train at a store in the same mall she works in. The man who soled her the train was Steve Mason, played by Robert Mitchum. Connie does have a son, Timmy, who she says the train is for. Steve knew better, for she had the right amount already for him and knew what she wanted and did not even ask questions. She did end up taking it home and sadly enough, her son Timmy thought the train was his. He finds out about the train because he takes a peek at the present. Connie takes the train back the next day and because Steve has a soft spot for Connie, does not write her up for being a comparison shopper, then he himself gets fired for not doing so. Connie ends up taking him out for lunch that day. And when she gets home to her son and fiance, Carl Davis, who is played by Wendell Corey, Steve is not with her but ends up coming to her house that day with the presents he was carrying for her. Carl is not happy. He ends up jealous at first but when he realizes that the woman he loves is in love with someone else, well you will have to watch the movie to find out. This movie is very cute and rather short, less than an hour and half. But I love it, and I think you will too.

     Robert Mitchum was a bad boy of his time. He smoked weed and was caught with it and did time in the big house because of it. This movie was suppose to lighten up his image a bit after his drug/jail time. But Mr. Mitchum did weed, reportedly for the rest of his life. Even after he ended up getting lung cancer. He was a great looking guy, one of which I rather think is hot for back in the day. But he was a very tough man. He was a boxer at one point in his life. His eyes, you'll notice are very saggy, almost pug like (I'm not sure if that is why I think he is good looking), which he says is because of his boxing days and also insomnia. He died the day before Jimmy Stewart.

     Janet Leigh was at the top of her game that year, for she even came out with Little Women that year as well. She is the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis and was discovered by an actress named Norma Shearer from a picture that was on Miss Leigh's father's desk. Janet Leigh and I share the same birthday, July 6. However, we are not born the same year, in case you were wondering.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Released Date: June 1, 1956
Directed: Alfred Hitchcock
Actors: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda De Banzie, Bernard Miles, and Ralph Truman



      This movie was a remake of the same name, and done by the same director. The first adaptation was done in 1934. Alfred Hitchcock said of the movies "the first was made by a Talented Amateur, and the second was done by a Professional." He also had said that he wanted to remake the movie before because he did not think that the first one was great. I personally loved the first one too. Although I'm probably not the best judge of what is better because I think all of his movies are amazing. The man had a great talent, and I think he could have picked up anyone off of the streets and made a great movie with that person.

     This movie is about a family, a husband, a wife and their son. They go on a family vacation and everything that could possibly go wrong, does. The husband is a doctor and the wife is a famous singer. Funny that Doris Day would play the famous singer since the woman did both acting and singing. They go to Morocco for the vacation. They meet a very nice but strange man on the bus, and the rest they say is history. The wife is skeptical of the strange man on the bus and tells her husband, James Stewart. He does not think so however. They are to go out to eat dinner that night with the man from the bus, but they end up being ditched because of "important business." They shrug it off and go to dinner together without the man. They end up meeting another couple at dinner that night and the two couples get along well. The other couple ends up asking if them if they want to go to the marketplace with them the next day. Unfortunately they say yes and go. This movie will keep you on your toes. It also takes you from Morocco to England as well. And it also has a great song that is sung by Doris Day called "Que Sera Sera" which means, whatever will be will be.

     The music in this movie was done by a man that Alfred Hitchcock used in a lot of his movies. The man was Bernard Hermann. Mr. Hermann is actually in the movie at one point, conducting music at the Albert Hall at the climax of the film. This movie was part of, what movie buffs call, along with others, a part of the "five lost Hitchcock's." This means that the movies were re-released in the year 1984, after a 30 year absence. This problem was due to an issue with the rights of the film and the directors daughter. The other films might be shocking, but are: Rear Window- which is highly popular, Rope, The Trouble with Harry, and (this may come as a shock too) Vertigo.  I hope you see this movie and just realize how lucky you are to see it, due to the fact that you might not have had a chance. :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story
Released Date: December 26, 1940
Director: George Cukor
Actors: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, and Virginia Weidler





         The Philadelphia Story went from stage play, to movie and then onto a radio program known as the Lux Theaters. Katharine Hepburn played the same roll as Tracy Lord in all three adaptations. She ended up owning the rights to the story bought by the famous airplane pilot Howard Hughes, which Miss Hepburn admitted to sleeping with the pilot to get the rights. Miss Hepburn got to pick the actors in the movie version and at first wanted Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Both men were busy and could not take the parts. The second choice group took the roles which were Cary Grant and James Stewart. James Stewart ended up winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar award that year. His father owned a shop in Indiana, PA which was located on Philadelphia Street. The Oscar had misspelled Philadelphia with another a instead of e.

        This movie is based on a wealthy woman named Tracy Lord. She is married, at first to Cary Grant's character, one C.K. Dexter Haven. They divorced and Tracy ends up engaged to another man. Upset and wanting his woman back, Mr. Haven ends up going to the wedding to hopefully win her heart back. Macaulay Conner, played by James Stewart is a writer for a magazine and thinks at one point, that he has fallen in love with Tracy Lord. Macaulay Conner was hired to make Tracy Lord angry. A comedy and Romance, this movie takes you through ups and downs, hits and swimming, marriage and divorce, and so many laugh out loud moments that will keep you entertained.

        Tracy Lord is a swimmer in the movie and at one point she takes a dive in her family owned pool. Usually back in those days, and even today, actors will use a double to do most athletic move but Katharine Hepburn was a very active woman and did her own dive in this movie. She was mostly known for her golf skills and was actually told that she could have gone pro. Although she does not golf in this movie, it is a very neat piece of information and one that makes her a very cool actress. This movie was made to save Katharine Hepburn's career and also James Stewart's as well. Cary Grant, however, was doing fine in his career and did not need saving. But the movies made a huge splash and ended up making this a movie that most fans of any of those actors say is their favorite.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Alfred Hitchcock



So, I'm so very sorry that I have not been writing on here in a long while. Kind of had a set back because the house has been having a lot of renovations and the computer area in our basement is filled right now. I'm not even using the regular computer I use right now. I'm using my aunt's laptop.

Anyways I decided that my first blog when coming back would be about Alfred Hitchcock. I'll tell you what I love about his movies and what makes him so well liked and popular.

 He is amazing for a lot of reasons. His movies have been a very good good relaxation time when getting off of work, before going to bed, movie time one summer night, snowy days, rainy nights, something to watch while sick, and also something to watch with a friend. I remember watching Psycho with my best friend from high school after playing outside in the snow :)

One thing that I don't know if everyone knows, something I have always thought was rather neat is that he made all sorts of movies. And what I mean by that is he made silent movies, black and white, color, 3D (the first 3D movie), scary, suspense, a comedy and of course home made movies too. That is something I have always found rather neat.

He has also worked with some of hollywoods most famous, beautiful, talented women and men as well. Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Bette Davis (tv show), Janet Leigh, ect. He is also known for his jokes on set. The man had a very dry witty sense of humor and was very good at knowing where the camera should go. He was very talented and very well known. Actors and Actresses must have been proud and excited to have worked with him.

I'm sorry again for not writing a lot lately but I promise I am back :)
I'll talk to you guys again real soon. And as Alfred  Hitchcock would say "good evening" :)