Filmland Follies

            The theme of this CMBA blogathon, Blogathon and the Beast, includes "complex protagonists who challenge social norms" - and what could challenge social norms more than Katharine Hepburn, directed by a woman, playing an Amelia Earhart-inspired character in Christopher Strong ?              Christopher Strong is a misleading title for this movie, because it's really about three women. True, their lives are intertwined through their relationships with Christopher Strong, but the film is constantly showing us that they can do without him. Pre-Code heroines already tend to be independent and self-sufficient - put a woman behind the camera, and suddenly the movie examines what these women can achieve when men aren't holding them back.             Dorothy Arzner began her career as a script writer and editor who became so valuable to Paramount Studios that s...

              After their success in Flying Down to Rio and the Gay Divorcee , Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were teamed for the third time in 1935's Roberta . Strangely enough, the duo was billed under star Irene Dunne and relegated to comedic relief. They only dance together twice in the film - but those two dances are some of their best work.               Fred plays Huck Haines, a band leader from Indiana who's been hired to play a gig in Paris. He brings his band overseas only to discover he's out of a job because the man who hired Huck's Indianians wanted Indians instead. Huck and his friend John (Randolph Scott) remember they both know people in Paris who might be able to help them out - Huck's childhood neighbor Lizzie Gatz and John's Aunt Minnie, known as the famed dress designer Roberta.               The band shows up at Roberta's where they meet Step...

                 A few days ago, on July 16, Ginger Rogers would have been 112 years old. A regular kid who turned dance champion then Broadway star then Hollywood sensation, Ginger inspired generations of movie audiences. She fought for fair pay for female actresses, spoke out about the man's world that was - and still is - Hollywood, and showcased a rare combination of comedic timing and musical talent. Ginger's onscreen characters are a magic blend of clever, witty, emotional, and genuine - and it's hard to find a more classic Ginger character than Top Hat 's Dale Tremont.               Dale's first appearance is in a gloriously ruffly nightgown, rising from her palatial hotel bed to the sound of tap dancing. In normal circumstances, she'd probably be tap dancing too, but right now she's trying to sleep. Fred Astaire giving himself a solo in the room upstairs isn't helping. She marches upst...

             Since it began in 1928, RKO Radio Pictures was a B-movie factory. As fast as they could find a hundred chorus girls and a script, they'd be in production - often for a mere three weeks before the film raced into theatres. Most of these attempts were flops, a few turned newcomers into stars, but every so often they'd land on a smash hit. Flying Down to Rio , a pre-Code B-movie musical, ended up launching an era.               Like most B-movies, it followed the common advertising formula - "Stupendous musical! 200 beauties!" It promised audiences an exotic South American summer, complete with sunny beaches, catchy songs, and chorus girls performing airplane stunts. They got what they bargained for - and then some. Special effects, including ghost-like clones of the characters representing their inner thoughts. Dolores del Rio, a Mexican actress considered the first and biggest Latin America...

               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.)            ...

          They say not to judge a book by its cover - but a movie titled The Richest Girl in the World is already intriguing, at least to me. And if I know anything from Downton Abbey , starting off with the sinking of the Titanic is a surefire way to interest an audience.          The Richest Girl in the World stars Miriam Hopkins in the title role, Joel McCrea as her love interest, and Fay Wray as her friend and secretary. I had never seen a Miriam Hopkins film before this one, but I thought her wonderful. I found her to be one of those actresses who can convey a head full of thoughts with just her expression. Hopkins and McCrea would go on to make four more films together after Richest Girl .               So what happens in a movie about the richest girl in the world?               When the Titanic sinks, baby Dorothy Hunter is left ...