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.

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. :)

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.

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" :)

Dial M for Murder

Dial M for Murder
Release Date: May 29, 1954
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Actors Include: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, and Anthony Dawson

I have always enjoyed watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, mostly because they always have a great plot, always suspenseful, not exactly scary, and always just plain old fun. His movies have always gotten me through sick times, winter, summer, spring, fall, Christmas break from school, days off of work, watching his movies before going to bed and also watching a lot of his movies with my Grandpa and my mom. A lot of people know who Alfred Hitchcock is because of Psycho, being his most famous movie and also The Birds. But my favorites are his most not so famous ones. Which include the first Alfred Hitchcock movie I wrote about which is Shadow of a Doubt, and then this one is definitely one of my favorites.

This movie has one heck of a cast. The beautiful Grace Kelly and also Ray Milland are the main stars in this movie, and also includes a man that appears in the most of AH movies and also television series, John Williams. The movie is set, as well as Rope which I also Blogged about earlier, in a apartment in England. Again, you never feel trapped. And you never find yourself sitting during the movie saying "man, we have never left the apartment". Which is a true Alfred Hitchcock experience.

The movie is about a man who is married and a very well known Tennis Star. He finds out that his wife is doing something she shouldn't and he wants nothing but to teach her a lesson, which she will never get to learn. He decides it is best to murder his wife, and he also decides that it should be by someone that he knows has already done a crime in the past, and is also someone he feels he can trust. The movie has a lot of twists and turns and ends on a happy note. It very much keeps you on the edge of your seat.

You can also find the director in this film as well. He is located in a picture the Ray Milland shows us during his discussion on the plot to murder his wife. And one thing you can think about during the movie, is how well the story is written. The fact that most directors take forever in showing you a certain detail of one's character, and it only takes two minutes to figure out what is happening with this story.

Another thing I have always loved about Alfred Hitchcock is the fact that he always has great one liners in his movies. One in Dial M for Murder that always left me with chills is this part where Ray Milland is talking about how he wants his accomplice to leave the scene of the crime:
"...and that is what I shall tell the police"
"yes, but she may say"
"but she isn't going to say anything, will she?"

The one character I have always loved to watch is the detective, which is played by John Williams. He is funny and witty. And also a lot of fun to watch. I hope you watch this movie and enjoy it as much I have. I have probably seen this movie a million times.

Psycho

Psycho
Released Date: August 25, 1960
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Actors: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, and Patricia Hitchcock

This movie is probably one of the scariest movies ever. And by far THE scariest villain to date, Norman Bates. Or Ms. Bates?? Who knows right??

The movie starts off with a woman who is clearly in love but cannot do a thing about it. The man she is in love with is going through a divorce that is costing him a lot of money, and he lives in another town. He is also paying for his late father's bills and can't afford to pay for a little thing called marriage with this woman. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say she figures out a way to get a hold of a bunch of money that can easily pay the late father's bills, his alimony, and also a marriage. However, her way about having the money is completely wrong and well let's just say karma stinks. She ends up at Bates Motel and the rest, they say is history.

Now Alfred Hitchcock never ended up winning any Oscars, but this movie did end up giving Mr. Hitchcock 4 Oscar nods and this movie is rated 8.7/10 according to IMBD. I would give the movie a 10/10 but of course everyone has different taste. :)

Alfred Hitchcock had a chance to make this movie in color but decided that the movie would benefit in black and white. And he was right. The movie is much more creepier and not to mention that most if not all black and white scary movies are much more creepy than color scary movies. I don't know if it is because of the dark shadows or if it is because Alfred Hitchcock is just that brilliant, but this movie is GRAND. The movie also has the directors daughter in it. Patricia Hitchcock, she was in a few of his movies actually. You can see the proud daughter talk about his movies on all of his movie DVDs.

This movie also has a lot of very great creepy lines such as, "A boys best friend is his mother" said by Norman Bates.

I hope you all watch the movie. It is a very son/mother type of film that will keep your heart racing and will keep you out of hotels and showers for a very long time. Literally, the main actress from this film, Janet Leigh, could not shower after making this film. And she also admitted to having to have her maid stand in the bathroom with her as she showered sometime in 2000 after having broke her leg and the Dr telling her to take showers instead of baths.

It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown!!!

I love the holidays. Plain and simple. Holidays are fun. Decorations, cookies, sweaters (I like to call my holiday sweaters Bests, for instance Christmas sweater is my Christmas Best :)), family, friends and TV movies. We all wait for the clay-mation Rudolph the Red nose reindeer to come on. And naturally Charlie Brown comes to mind. All of our favorite gang to give us the inside scoop of what the holidays are all about.

My favorite character is Linus. Watch as he waits for the Great Pumpkin in a field of pumpkins while all of his friends and sister are trick or treating. He is literally out there all night till his sister comes out and brings him inside. And hopefully she shares all of her candy with him since he missed out on all the fun of getting the candy. My other favorite Peanut gang member is in the movie too but you never see her, and that would be Peppermint Patty. :)

We all remember the "I'll go ahead and throw that away" candy. The candy we usually threw away though was actually candy. Such as the candy without a rapper, the gum, the no brand named stuff too. Well watch as poor ol' Charlie Brown gets nothing but "bad" candy.

I hope you all get to catch this movie every year like I do. Usually on channel five?? Yup, that's where I see it. Along with all the Christmas movies too.