It's New Year's Eve AGAIN
December 31, 2016Written by Joe Morella and Frank Segers
See if you can find a copy of 1947's Repeat Performance. It was one of those unusual films because small indie studios had to use talent that wasn't tied up by major studios. Joan Leslie had gotten out of her contract at Warners and the story is that Jack Warner blacklisted her at other major studios. But […]
A Farewell Salute — DEBBIE REYNOLDS
It came as an unwelcome shock to the film community that 84-year-old Debbie Reynolds died suddenly only one day after the death of her daughter, actress-writer Carrie Fisher. The fact is that much like Molly Brown, Reynolds — a former Miss Burbank (Calif.) of 1948 — endured all manner of setbacks ranging from faithless husbands, […]
JUST SOME PHOTOS WE'D LIKE TO SHARE
He was famous in racing circles. In fact, it's said that many of his buddies in that world didn't know he made movies for a living. And the photo below –well you know two innovators when you see them, don't you? Did you like this? Share it:Tweet
TAB Tells All — The Big Masquerade
To say that Tab Hunter was a Fifties heart throb would be an understatement. He was billed as that All-American boy, six feet of rugged manhood to stir the heart of every woman. He was deemed immensely sexy especially to teenage girls, encouraged to take his shirt off onscreen as often as possible. Yet he had that clean-cut […]
The MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE Quiz — Answers
Yes, she is almost forgotten today, but her distinctively husky voice lives on. Mercedes McCambridge was an accomplished actress on radio (she's seen above sharing the mike with James Stewart) before attacking Hollywood. Then there is the issue of onscreen credit relating to the actress' most memorable VOCAL performance — as the satanic voice of the […]
A QUIZ — Mercedes McCambridge
She has been maligned through the years because she played strong women in the movies. But oh, that voice! Mercedes McCambridge was raised a Roman Catholic in Joliet, Illinois, and made the most of a naturally raspy voice highlighted by frequent bouts of bronchitis and professionally refined on radio, earning Orson Welles' designation as "the greatest radio […]
A Christmas Movie with BOGART
That's right, a Christmas film starring Humphrey Bogart. And a lot of other old pros. We nominate We're No Angels, as a film to join the more sugary fare that's usually viewed around this season. It's a 1955 comedy from Paramount based on a successful stage play, My Three Angels, which was in turn based […]
We Get E-Mail: Beatty's Box Office Bungl
Time once more to take a dip into our E-Mail bag, to check in with our ever alert readers. The recent box office woes of Warren Beatty were highlighted in our Nov. 30 blog WARREN B. — As in Bomb. The blog was inspired by truly dreadful opening weekend box office for Beatty's latest movie, […]
Whadda A Classy Dame — Farewell Zsa Zsa
We've recently run what we hope are some interesting blogs about classic movie centenarians still alive and kicking. We sadly report that one of our all-time favorites, Hungarian born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, died on Dec. 18 — at age 99, narrowly missing the 100-plus club. More personality than actress (her biggest career award was […]
JOANNE DRU Quiz — The Answers
She had a knack for marrying famous husbands. There's her second (above, John Ireland) with whom our winsome Quiz subject (pictured in full makeup) costarred in Howard Hawks' super 1948 western, Red River. Our Quiz subject, of course, is Joanne Dru, whose first marriage spanning most of the Forties was to someone even more famous […]