Filmland Follies

              Audrey Hepburn. In Paris. Wearing a wardrobe designed by Givenchy, and jewelry by Cartier. The opening credits are enough to sell How to Steal a Million , and it's a film that lives up to its credits! The movie is part comedy, part romance, and part suspenseful, million-dollar art heist.               The film centers around Nicole Bonnet, daughter of a wealthy art collector. Nicole's father has just sold one of his pieces in a major auction, but instead of being proud, she's upset - because her father is actually an art forger. He replicates the style of famous painters to make "undiscovered" masterpieces which he sells for hundreds of thousands. Nicole scolds her father and reminds him that what he's doing is illegal, but he won't listen. (And Nicole won't report him, probably because he's her dad, but maybe also because they live in a mansion and her whole wardrobe is Givenchy, an...

             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...

              It's Fred Astaire's birthday! In honor of one of my very favorite Hollywood stars, here's one of my very favorite movies - and what makes it so wonderful.                              Overshadowed by its copycat Top Hat , and dismissed for its lack of musical numbers, The Gay Divorcee remains one of my favorite Astaire/Rogers movies. The magical combination of actors, gorgeous sets and costumes, catchy songs, and the perfect comedic script makes it one of my comfort films and a worthwhile watch anytime.               The box-office hit Flying Down to Rio  was the first film to feature both Astaire and Rogers. First- and second-billed actors Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond were nothing in comparison to "the Carioca", the dance number that launched a decade of musicals and a legendary dance par...

                             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...

               Nobody wants to marry Ralph Bellamy. After watching lots of Old Hollywood films you start to think, "hey, that guy's been in everything!" And in most major films he's been in, he plays the same character - the "unwanted fiance," the second-best option when the protagonist can't be with their true love. Take Carefree , for instance. Ralph Bellamy's character is going to marry Ginger Rogers, but as soon as Fred Astaire enters the picture, we know he doesn't have a chance. Or His Girl Friday - do we ever want Ralph Bellamy to marry Rosalind Russell? Not when she could re-marry Cary Grant, we don't.               Ralph Bellamy, born in 1904, had an incredibly long and successful screen career. Beginning in 1931 with the Pre-Code drama The Secret Six (also featuring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable), Bellamy didn't stop working until his final film appearance in Pretty Woman in 1990. Yes, t...