Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on June 30, 2015

From the first moments of 1947's Possessed, Joan Crawford sketches a character different from, deeper than, and profoundly stranger than any I've seen her play in what was even then her two decades on screen. I'm embarrassed to say that until yesterday, I'd not seen this one. Somehow I vaguely...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on April 19, 2015

I'm starting to think I may have too much time on my hands... My latest jaunt down Poverty Row took me through the hallowed gates of Monogram Pictures to this genial little number from 1942, and I'm sure it was just the thing for wartime audiences looking for a little...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on April 19, 2015

I'm starting to think I may have too much time on my hands... My latest jaunt down Poverty Row took me through the hallowed gates of Monogram Pictures to this genial little number from 1942, and I'm sure it was just the thing for wartime audiences looking for a little...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on April 15, 2015

It occurred to me that I've been remiss of late in my occasional mission to bring to a wider audience the splendors of Arab pop; the little gem above should take care of that for a while, with a new twist... Yes, it's the just-released latest magnum opus from veteran...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on April 15, 2015

It occurred to me that I've been remiss of late in my occasional mission to bring to a wider audience the splendors of Arab pop; the little gem above should take care of that for a while, with a new twist... Yes, it's the just-released latest magnum opus from veteran...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 29, 2015

Sometimes the depth of what I don't know really startles me. How, for example, could I never have heard of Folies Bergère de Paris, a nifty little confection from 1935 that ends with this remarkable number? I have to confess, too, that this is all I've seen of it, although...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 29, 2015

Sometimes the depth of what I don't know really startles me. How, for example, could I never have heard of Folies Bergère de Paris, a nifty little confection from 1935 that ends with this remarkable number? I have to confess, too, that this is all I've seen of it, although...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 25, 2015

For no particularly good reason other than I must be on the mend, as eye candy is once again appealing, Mr. Elliott Gould, once upon a time. I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued; say what you will, Babs has good taste in more than just music...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 25, 2015

For no particularly good reason other than I must be on the mend, as eye candy is once again appealing, Mr. Elliott Gould, once upon a time. I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued; say what you will, Babs has good taste in more than just music...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 23, 2015

It's her birthday, making her - depending on what source one prefers - anything from 111 to 107. He we see a variety of her earlier moods, which is a very good thing. It's too easy to remember only Late Joan, the half-monumental, half-ludicrous Legend, all eyebrows and lipstick and...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 23, 2015

It's her birthday, making her - depending on what source one prefers - anything from 111 to 107. He we see a variety of her earlier moods, which is a very good thing. It's too easy to remember only Late Joan, the half-monumental, half-ludicrous Legend, all eyebrows and lipstick and...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 20, 2015

I'm just going to let dear Miss Durbin (looking uncharacteristically sultry - she is rocking that Vera West gown) sing us into the new season. Which started, this morning, with snow. Bother. One thing about having a little more time on my hands than usual is that I'm feeling terribly...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on March 20, 2015

I'm just going to let dear Miss Durbin (looking uncharacteristically sultry - she is rocking that Vera West gown) sing us into the new season. Which started, this morning, with snow. Bother. One thing about having a little more time on my hands than usual is that I'm feeling terribly...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 18, 2015

I'm in transit, but when the plane touched down in Tokyo and my phone whirred back to life, I was faced with a downpour of sorrow from Cairo, for Egyptian film lovers have lost "The Lady of the Arab Screen," the incomparable Faten Hamama. This really is going to be...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 18, 2015

I'm in transit, but when the plane touched down in Tokyo and my phone whirred back to life, I was faced with a downpour of sorrow from Cairo, for Egyptian film lovers have lost "The Lady of the Arab Screen," the incomparable Faten Hamama. This really is going to be...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 13, 2015

A swirling combination of furs, cigarettes, cocktails, mascara, and long, searching glances - this extraordinary combination of Pre-Code clips and the music of Florence + the Machine combines as well as anything I've ever seen to answer the question: Why does one so love film? Movie clipfests are   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 13, 2015

A swirling combination of furs, cigarettes, cocktails, mascara, and long, searching glances - this extraordinary combination of Pre-Code clips and the music of Florence + the Machine combines as well as anything I've ever seen to answer the question: Why does one so love film? Movie clipfests are   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 11, 2015

2015 is really shaping up to be a bad year for legends, isn't it? Miss Rainer would seem, as the old year passed, to have set the tone, and today we say goodbye to Miss Anita Ekberg, seen here defining "fierce" in a casual little snap by that sweet beacon...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 11, 2015

2015 is really shaping up to be a bad year for legends, isn't it? Miss Rainer would seem, as the old year passed, to have set the tone, and today we say goodbye to Miss Anita Ekberg, seen here defining "fierce" in a casual little snap by that sweet beacon...   read more

Café Muscato Posted by Muscato on January 9, 2015

Now, Rod Taylor may not have been an actor for the ages, but I think we can agree that he was easy on the eyes. And I have to admit I had no idea he was Australian. Also, I would have sworn that he was one of Joan Crawford's boy...   read more