Backlots Posted by Lara on October 24, 2013

By Lara Gabrielle Fowler The life of Barbara Stanwyck has fascinated film lovers for decades. Her particular combination of sex appeal, toughness, and grit makes for an intriguing character and was doubtless informed by a private life about which she was extremely reticent. This, along with innate   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on October 22, 2013

Joan Fontaine cuddles with a dog on the set of The Constant Nymph, 1943. By Lara Gabrielle Fowler October 22 marks the 96th birthday of Oscar-winner Joan Fontaine, an actress with the exceptional talent and intelligence to become a veritable Hollywood legend. Graced with a delicate, porcelain beaut   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on October 17, 2013

Today marks what would have been the 95th birthday of Rita Hayworth, the legendary screen goddess best known today for her seductive portrayal of Gilda in the 1946 film of the same name. Beautiful, long-legged, and mysterious, she was Columbia’s biggest star of the 1940′s and became a   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on October 9, 2013

By Lara Gabrielle Fowler Though many outside of the classic film world might not know her name, Carmen Miranda is, nonetheless, one of the most widely recognized figures of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her signature look, always featuring an elaborate hat often made of fruit, has inspired countle   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on September 30, 2013

Hello dear readers, Lara here to update you on what is coming in the month of October on the blog. There are a few very exciting things on the horizon, and here is what you may expect to see this month. In my last blog update, I spoke of a special...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on September 21, 2013

My good blogging friends Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood and Lindsay of Lindsay’s Movie Musings have collaborated on a blogathon focusing on journalism in film–a topic that yielded some of the most intricate films to come out of Hollywood. From the epic Citizen Kane to the quirky and c   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on September 16, 2013

Marion Davies and real-life director King Vidor in a scene from “Show People.” For many decades, Hollywood has been fascinated with movies about movies. Ranging from the highest celebrations of Hollywood stardom (Singin’ In the Rain) to analyses of the most terrible tragedies of t   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on September 2, 2013

Today was a very special day at Cinecon, as guests anxiously awaited a much-anticipated Q&A session with the legendary Shirley Jones following a screening of April Love. As you may know, I am a big fan of Jones’ portrayal of the prostitute Lulu Barnes in Elmer Gantry and I was excited...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on September 1, 2013

A hysterically funny screwball comedy about a female marriage counselor in the army who is going through a divorce with her own husband, Suddenly It’s Spring has been the #1 highlight of the festival for me thus far. I was very excited to see it, as it was the sleeper hit of...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 31, 2013

After an exhausting day of movie-watching and hours of research at the Margaret Herrick Library, I was ready to head home around 11:00 after 3 evening movies. But when I learned that the final movie of the night was about a newspaper reporter who covers the story of why a...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 30, 2013

Hello readers, I have had a very full day at Cinecon and am back with the latest returns! I have decided that this year I will do things a bit differently. Normally when I cover festivals, I give a brief rundown of the experience and a bit about each movie...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 29, 2013

It’s here, readers! Cinecon 49 starts today at 2:00. Please stay tuned for live tweets and frequent updates throughout the festival, in addition to nightly rundowns on the blog. Here is the schedule of the festival, taken from the Cinecon website: I am turning on live tweets now. See you...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 28, 2013

Today’s star of the day on TCM is the ever-popular Shirley Jones, a talented and versatile performer who made a name for herself in movie musicals and ultimately went on to steal America’s heart as Mrs. Partridge on the 1970′s television series “The Partridge Family.”   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 21, 2013

Hello dear readers, your author Lara here to give you an update on what Backlots is up to this month and beyond! We have a few very exciting things on the horizon, and I would like to share them with you so that you may tune in and experience them...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 8, 2013

Mark your calendars folks, Backlots is going to be hosting another blogathon! To complement the Dueling Divas blogathon that I host every December, this year I am beginning a new tradition. Avoid those birds and be watch your back in the shower folks, because Hitchcock Halloween is coming to Backl   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 6, 2013

Joan Fontaine and her mother, Lilian, relax at home. First off, thank you to Jill at Sittin’ On a Backyard Fence and Michael Nazarewycz at ScribeHard On Film for hosting this terrifically clever blogathon, focusing on one star per day via the TCM Summer Under the Stars lineup. Since many read   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on August 5, 2013

A draft of one of Marilyn Monroe’s poems, in her own hand. August 5, 2013 marks 51 years since the death of Marilyn Monroe. Though I try to keep Marilyn to a minimum on this blog because of her overwhelming overexposure in the media, the fact remains that Marilyn may...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on July 27, 2013

Even among devoted classic film fans, the name Marion Davies does not come up often in conversation–if she is mentioned at all, it is normally in the context of her ostensible inspiration for the character of Susan Alexander Kane in the immortal Citizen Kane, or for her semi-covert liaisons   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on July 22, 2013

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival came to a close last night, in a veritable smorgesbord of a day in which audiences were treated to a wide variety of films representing everything from tragic drama to side-splitting comedy. The day began with a series of shorts from some artists considered...   read more

Backlots Posted by Lara on July 21, 2013

Yesterday’s programming was perhaps the most phenomena lof the entire festival thus far, and consisted of some of the best offerings I have ever seen here. With an Academy Award-winning animator and a full Balinese gamelan ensemble highlighting the day, this was oe of the most unique and mem   read more