Gaslight

Gaslight
Release Date: May 11, 1944
Director: George Cukor
Actors: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Dame May Whitty, Angela Lansbury, Barbara Everest, Emil Rameau, Edmund Breon, Halliwell Hobbes, Tom Stevenson, Heather Thatcher, Lawrence Grossmith, and Jakob Gimpel

     Angela Lansbury's birthday was not too long ago, so I thought I would write about her first movie, and one of my favorites! She was only 17, and today, at 88, she is still going strong. Ingrid Bergman is amazing in this as well, and even went to a mental institution for inspiration, pretty neat huh? Ingrid Bergman won Best Actress in a Leading role at the Oscars the following year, in 1945, this movie also won the Oscar the same year for Best Art Direction (Interior Decoration, Black and White). Nominated was Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Angela Lansbury), Best Writing (Screenplay), and Best Cinematography too. They sure did make a great movie!!

     Paula Alquist's (Ingrid Bergman) aunt was murdered in the house she grew up in. Paula never wanted to go back to that house, the memories, she was afraid, would forever haunt her. But when her new husband, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) wants to move into the house, Paula caves, and decides to go ahead and move back. Paula's fears proved correct, memories were all around, she was afraid. And to make matters worse, she starts losing her mind!!! Her husband is worried that she is ending up like her mother, who was hospitalized for mental issues many years before. But someone is watching over Paula, and it is not her loved ones that have passed. It is Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten), who believes that it is not Paula that is mad, but her husband Gregory, that is up to no good. Is Brian correct? Their house maid, Nancy (Angela Lansbury) believes she is nuts as well. It is hard to go on with the story without giving away the ending. But I would highly recommend this classic treasure. :) enjoy!!!

Happy Birthday Angela Lansbury

Happy Birthday to an amazing actress. Who has wowed us with movies and television alike. And who is still going strong. Angela Lansbury was born on October 16th, 1925 and will turning 88 in just two days. But the reason why I have come on here to wish her a Happy Birthday so early is because they are having a Angela Lansbury day on TCM on the 16th as well, and I don't want anyone to miss it ;). You can see the following:

- Gaslight at 7:30 AM (or tape it ;) with Ingrid Bergman)

- The Harvey Girls at 9:30 (with Judy Garland)

- Kind Lady at 1:00 PM (with Ethel Barrymore)

- Mister Buddwing at 2:30 (with James Garner)

- In the Cool of the Day at 4:15 (with Jane Fonda)

and

- The Manchurian Candidate at 5:45 (with Frank Sinatra)

You can also find Murder She Wrote any day as well :)

Hope to see you all there with birthday cake, you don't even need your sleuthing hat on!!! 

National Velvet

National Velvet
Released Date: January 26, 1945
Director: Clarence Brown
Actors: Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Crisp, Anne Revere, Angela Lansbury, Jackie "Butch" Jenkins, and Juanita Quigley

     After the movie was made, Elizabeth Taylor got to keep the horse. But did you know, that Elizabeth Taylor had a lot of back issues. And it was from riding a horse, around this time that she got back issues. She jammed a few of her vertebra and did not get it checked out for many years later. I enjoyed watching this movie for many reasons. I love Elizabeth Taylor, and Angela Lansbury. The mother in this, Anne Revere is a great actress. Seeing Elizabeth Taylor with one of her loves, horses, is a pure enjoyment.

     Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor) is a huge horse lover. She meets Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) one day while she was out watching a horse running around while Mi was out walking the dusty road. Her family decides to let Mi in off of the streets. Mi does not have a home after his father died years before. Velvet's family is very loving and takes in Mi without questions. Back to how Mi and Velvet met, Velvet always watches Pie, a horse she finds beautiful and loves from a distance. The owner of the horse decides to get rid of her after Pie ran loose through the town. So they have a raffle and Velvet wins. Mi, was a horse rider for a while but then after a horrible accident, decided not to ride anymore. But he takes time and teaches Velvet the ends and out of riding on a track. One day, Mi tells Velvet about a horse race in England. It's a huge race that even the queen shows up for. Mi gets everything together, the money to get the Pie in the race, to find a rider and to get the horse over to the race. When the rider shows his heart is not in the right place, Velvet decides to ride instead. But females are not allowed to ride the horses, but Velvet takes it on. She even has Mi cut her hair short. Does she win? Do they find out that a girl rode Pie? Find out by watching this amazing movie :) I enjoyed it a lot and hope that you do too. 

Facts..

I have always been a huge fan of Bette Davis, Maggie Smith and Angela Lansbury. I saw them together in Agatha Christie's book turned into a movie, Death on the Nile. I was amazed to find out that the three of them shared a room together during filming. Oh how I wish I was a fly on the wall during the making of such a neat movie, with such amazing actresses.