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. 

Father Of The Bride

Father of the Bride
Released Date: June 16, 1950
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Actors: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, Leo G. Carroll, Moroni Olsen, Melville Cooper, and Taylor Holmes

     I watched this movie for the first time tonight. And I fell in love. To be honest, I'm rather mad at myself for not seeing it before today. This was a laugh out loud comedy that I adored. I wish the movie lasted a little bit longer. It was cute, funny, sweet and exciting. Weddings are a lot of fun, to prepare... Maybe not as much. But the preparation work for such a quick day is amazing. And sometimes, you never even get to kiss the bride.

     Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) is happily married. He has a beautiful wife, Ellie Banks (Joan Bennett) and three wonderful kids. He is going through, in his mind, the wonders of having three different children. And how the younger boy has different activities then the older boy, and how his oldest son is in college. And then we come across 'Kay' Banks (Elizabeth Taylor), she's happy and he noticed. During dinner Kay is quiet, she's obvisiouly day dreaming, far far away. Mr. Banks take note of this and says she seems happier, and that maybe it is the vitamins her doctor sent. While Mrs. Banks is pretty sure its a man. And That's IT!!! She's in love. And loves being in love. Mr. Banks is not so happy about these turns of events. And who can this wonderful man be? Is it the guy with the big teeth? Or how about the idiot who doesn't even know how to fix a radio? But as we all know, nobody is good enough for any mans daughter. It's a wonder men have daughters at all. The man is Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). He's smart and seems to have it together. But how is poor old pops doing? He is nervous, excited, sad, scared, ect. Everything a man is before his daughters wedding day. After all, a son is with you until he gets a wife, and a daughter is yours for the rest of your life.

     This is a great film, and one I recommend to everyone. To daughters, sons, fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. A must see movie, and one you will not regret. It's a fast one hour and thirty minute comedy, that will have you in tears by the end. :) Oh and you can't go wrong with beautiful purple eyed Liz Taylor or the cute and funny Spencer Tracy. Now I see why Katharine Hepburn fell in love with him. He had me in stitches and in tears. I also enjoyed seeing some of my other favorites, Billie Burke from The Man Who Came To Dinner and also The Wizard of Oz. And Leo G. Carroll who was made famous from Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, Rebecca, Suspicion and Spellbound.

Elizabeth Taylor

I've been reading a book on Elizabeth Taylor, and I must say she is an amazing woman. She worked through pain, heart ache, death and even illness. I have grown to admire many women actresses of the golden age. Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Bette Davis, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, and Priscilla Lane. I will be writing more on my blog here, starting tomorrow with an amazing movie that I just recently saw. I have not been on in a long time due to back issues and also a lot of work. Sorry that I have been away from my laptop for a long time. Miss doing this!!!

What a beautiful woman....

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Released Date: September 20, 1958
Director: Richard Brooks
Actors: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates, and Vaughn Taylor

     Wow, it has been a hot minute since I've written a blog. I miss it, and will be back full force, so be prepared :) I thought I'd come back with a movie that brings summer, southern, and family all together in a movie that I would say, might just be a favorite of mine. I have written a lot on my favorite director, Hitchcock, I've written on Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Grace Kelly, and so much more. But this is my favorite movie of all time. I love Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman together, even if it is tense in the beginning, middle and pretty much the end. Miss Taylor was a very talented actress. Right before shooting began of this film, Taylor suffered the loss of her husband Mike Todd in a plane crash. She came into work ready and would shoot the scenes and then go home to cry her eyes out. Director Brooks noticed that Taylor was not eating and had a scene where the family of this movie was eating, he made sure to re-start the scene over and over to make Taylor eat.
     Did you know that Lana Turner and Grace Kelly were considered for the roll of Maggie the Cat. Elizabeth Taylor was great friends with Montgomery Clift, and he was considered the role of Brick. George Cukor was asked to direct, but he turned down the job due to a reference removal for the film version of this play. The movie was suppose to be in black and white, thank the stars that the movie was done in color. Some movies are 100% better due to the color of the film, like Psycho could have been done in color, but Hitchcock thought that is should be done in black and white, and that sure as heck worked. The writer of this play was Tennessee Williams, and when he wrote the part of Big Daddy, he wrote it with Burl Ives in mind, I'm glad that turned out the way Tennessee pictured it. Also note the ages, Burl Ives plays Big Daddy, his two sons in the movie are played by Jack Carson, who is only a year younger than Ives in real life. And his youngest son is Paul Newman, who is only fourteen years younger than Ives.

     Big Daddy (Burl Ives) is dying of cancer. He is coming home to live out his last days. When he returns, he is welcomed back to his big family. Well, his wife, Big Mama Pollitt (Judith Anderson), his oldest son Gooper (Jack Carson) and his wife, his youngest son Brick (Paul Newman) and also his wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). Brick and Maggie are clearly in a rut and need fast recovery, they are without children and can't even stand to be in the same room together. Well, I say that, but while watching you will notice that Maggie the Cat is trying very hard to win her husband back while Brick is clearly drinking his life away. What is Brick upset about? He had a great sporting life in school and then became a big sports announcer, but he got hurt and is now in a cast, his wife is beautiful and wants him to love her. It is up to Big Daddy to bring the two of them back together before it is too late. Big Daddy needs to leave the house to someone, and Gooper and his wife are fast at work, while Brick and Maggie just want to pay their respects and go home. What will become of the house, of Brick and Maggie, of Big Daddy and his wife? Watch this movie while drinking Sweet Tea, maybe buy some chicken and potato salad, open the windows and enjoy yourself. I sure did. Being born into a southern family sure has its kicks, and watching this movie brings back a lot of nice memories.

Missed writing, and I promise, I'm back full force. ;)

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.