Filmland Follies

               Part of being an old movie nerd means you're familiar with plenty of actors and actresses. However, there's always that one star you love a little bit more, whose movies you're always excited to see, whom you tend to go on and on about until everyone around you knows who they are. Presenting... Ginger Rogers!               At the beginning of the pandemic, I stumbled across a lovely movie called Top Hat - and the rest is history. I had never seen a film quite like it before and it was magical. I probably waltzed around the house singing "Cheek to Cheek" for a week afterward. To make a long story short, my Old Hollywood obsession was born! And along with it, my new favorite actr ess was discovered.               Born on July 16, 1911, today is the 110th anniversary of Ginger Rogers' birthday. Happy birthday, Ginger!      ...

               What to do on a long car ride but find a new (old) movie? This 4th of July weekend, I was en route to the beach with my sister. (Nothing says “siblings” like listening to Edith Piaf while your sister’s listening to Dua Lipa. Levitating/ Non Je Ne Regrette Rien mashup, anyone?) I stumbled upon Finishing School and immediately had to watch it: it’s a Ginger Rogers movie that I hadn’t seen, and sassy-pre-Code-bad-girl Ginger makes any film worth watching.                  A quick Wikipedia of Finishing School will tell you that it was one of the last movies to slip out before the Hays Code was implemented in June of 1934. As soon as it was released, it was banned by the Catholic Legion of Decency, the masterminds behind cinema censorship. (You know how banned books are always recommended for how good they are? Same rules apply.)            ...