Filmland Follies

              "Hello, friends and enemies." Oh, The Philadelphia Story . One of the best romantic comedies out there, Old Hollywood or not. With a cast of familiar favorites, filled with one-liners and Oscar-winning acting and Jimmy Stewart singing "Over the Rainbow," it's hard not to love this movie.             After Top Hat , this was the second classic film I watched, and the one that I've rewatched the most. It also has one of the most compelling backstories. Katharine Hepburn, spurred by a late 1930s lull in her popularity (which included a feature on 1938's list of "Box Office Poison" actors), had made her way to New York City to return to her Broadway roots. In 1939, she was starring in Philip Barry's play The Philadelphia Story, which he had written specifically for her. The show was a smash hit, and completely reversed the Great Kate's negative publicity - the only remaining question was,...

            By 1949, musicals were in a bit of a slump. MGM had been churning out song and dance movies like  Good News  and  Anchors Aweigh  through World War II, largely due to the star power of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, but nothing compared to the glittering productions of the 1930s. At the same time, Fred Astaire's career was reaching its second peak. After retiring briefly in 1946, he replaced an injured Gene Kelly in 1948's Easter Parade and quickly became MGM's musical star of choice. The smash success of Easter Parade led the studio to re-team Fred and co-star Judy Garland in  The Barkleys of Broadway.               Sadly, by this point in her career, Judy was already struggling with addiction and her mental health was too unstable for her to work regularly. After a few rehearsals for the Barkleys , she was forced to drop out. The studio scrambled to find a replacement...

                Everyone loves a madcap remarriage rom-com, especially when it stars two of Old Hollywood's best and most gorgeous stars. Meet The Palm Beach Story , the perfect summer watch for comedy lovers, costume design lovers, and Joel McCrea lovers (so, everyone).                 The movie starts with a wild credits sequence in which we see our main characters, Tom and Gerry Jeffers (Joel and Claudette Colbert), race to the altar and get married. Five years later, they're broke (but somehow living in an amazing Art Deco apartment, of course). An old couple come to tour the now-for-rent apartment and find Gerry. The old man, who turns out to be the incredibly wealthy owner of a sausage company, likes Gerry enough to give her 700 dollars to pay off the rent and buy some nice things. As one does.               Tom, who is a struggling inve...

                             Only five?!                I suppose if one is stranded on a desert island, the best thing to do would be to watch some classic movies. (Maybe this desert island has a DVD player somewhere). A big thanks to the Classic Movie Muse for nominating me! Here are a few rules: Nominate one or more people to review the film or films of your choice. Or you can request they review something from a certain year, genre, or star. Everyone can review the same thing, or you can request each person cover something different. As long as it’s something they haven’t written about yet, you’re good. Nominees are allowed to request a different pick for whatever reason no more than five times. Stuff happens. We all know it. Nominees must thank the person who nominated them and provide a link their blog. Nominees may nominate others to keep...

             Hollywood loves to make fun of itself, and It's A Great Feeling is yet another vehicle for a studio system spoof. It's also a vehicle for Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan to be "the world's biggest hams," and a relatively-newfound singing sensation in her third film appearance - Doris Day!             It's also Doris's centennial this month, and I'm participating in  Love Letters to Old Hollywood's blogathon to celebrate!             After her successful debut in Romance on the High Seas , Doris Day became everyone's favorite cinematic songstress. She was quickly re-teamed with Jack Carson for a second movie, and then a third when  It's A Great Feeling   was dreamed up. Originally it was a Morgan-Carson comedy under the potential names of Two Guys and a Gal, Two Guys of the Nineties,  and Two Guys from Hollywood . (Dennis Morga...