Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 18, 2010

This is a fantastic analysis of Summertime (1955) with loads of pics (beware: there are spoilers)— Cinema OCD A great interview with Lee Tsiantis who does a lot of film rights research for TCM (this answered a lot of questions for me)— The Self-Styled Siren Pics of classic actresses   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 18, 2010

Goodbye to Kathryn Grayson, the beautiful soprano who made her name in glossy MGM musicals of the forties and fifties. The 88-year-old singer and music teacher passed on in her sleep. Rest in peace Ms. Grayson. An early obituary--AP Here's a nice fan site with lots of pics--Kathryn Grayson I...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 18, 2010

I’ve always been frustrated in my efforts to get a satisfactory glimpse of actress Fredi Washington. She was blessed with beauty, intelligence and talent, but these qualities were not sufficient to make an African American a leading lady in the Hollywood of the thirties. With her pale skin, st   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 17, 2010

A nice tribute to Vera-Ellen-- Noodle in a Haystack I love the pic of Marlon Brando with a cat on his neck!-- Old Hollywood Glamour Silent movie actress Pauline Stark-- Noir and Chick Flicks Is Margaret O'Brien making a Christmas Special with Rob Schneider? I only saw this in CNN's...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 17, 2010

This drama (some call it a horror movie, but I don't see how) set on a banana plantation in Jamaica is a big pile of “eh”, but I watched it to get a dose of Nina Mae McKinney, and I came away satisfied in that regard. Though the running time...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 16, 2010

One of my favorite things about the Judy Garland Show is the way Garland's guests always seemed to let down their hair for her. Lena Horne really hams it up in this 1963 performance of Day In, Day Out, but while she and Garland give the appearance of casual buddies...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 16, 2010

Jeffrey Lynn (1909-1995) Vera-Ellen (1921-1981) Chester Morris (1901-1970) Image Source   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 16, 2010

The starry-eyed film criticism of David Thomson— Slate This is not classic movie reated, but I had to share this subdued and elegant soft shoe by the duo Coles & Atkins— YouTube Ah Tallulah. I don’t think we’ll ever tire of her— New York Times I’d love t   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 15, 2010

Nina Mae McKinney sings Everything I've Got Belongs to You with mischievous glee in the 1932 short Pie, Pie Blackbird. The chefs accompanying her in that enormous pie are Eubie Blake and his orchestra. Though McKinney had musical chops, I think it would have been great to see her in...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 15, 2010

The film preservation blog-a-thon is huge!— The Self-Styled Siren The Classic Movie Blog Association is celebrating Black History Month with a blog-a-thon today— Classic Movie Blog Association Philip French’s screen legends: Vivien Leigh-- The Guardian April 17, 1932 in Holly   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 14, 2010

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Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 14, 2010

If you apply reason and logic to this career of mine, you're not going to get very far. You simply won't. The journey has been incredible from its beginning. So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness. -Sidney Poitier Image Source   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 13, 2010

I can’t think of a more explosively talented screen dance team than the Nicholas Brothers. They were physically impressive dancers, but their artistry was such that their complex acrobatics never looked like a series of stunts. This routine from Storm Weather (1943) has got to be one of the be   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 12, 2010

Great commentary on the many versions of a Star is Born and the upcoming remake-- The Kitty Packard Pictorial A review: Captured!(1933)-- Movie Morlocks Info. about the restored footage from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and a screening in Berlin (I take issue with the article title thoug   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 12, 2010

African American singer and actor Herb Jeffries came to Hollywood in the thirties, determined to make it to the big screen. He connected with a producer, and essentially made his own job as a singing cowboy in the Gene Autry vein. Tall, elegant Jeffries looked a lot more like a...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 11, 2010

Great Valentines Day pics of classic actresses— Gents and Dames A tribute to the stars that Hollywood never gave a chance to— Vintage Film Nerd Fascinating pics of Vivian Leigh, newly available on the London National Portrait Gallery site-- Viv and Larry Haha—it’s &#822   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 11, 2010

I've decided to use Fashion Week as an excuse to post these clips of fashion shows in classic movies that I’ve been collecting. A lot of people become annoyed when they are watching a movie and the action suddenly stops for a parade of outlandish outfits (I hear this a...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 11, 2010

Beulah, a sitcom about a maid and the family she serves, was the first radio show to star an African American actress, but it didn’t start out that way. The character was created by comedian Marlin Hurt, who was not only white, but male. Hurt developed Beulah in several guest...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 10, 2010

Never-published pics of Marilyn Monroe at awards season parties in 1952— Life Part two of the Edna Green interview-- Classic Film and TV Cafe Happy birthday Judith Anderson (AKA Mrs. Danvers)-- Richwah's Blog A rare and marvelous tribute to Constance Collier-- Felix in Hollywood Aleen   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on February 10, 2010

Louise Beavers is one of my favorite African American figures from classic Hollywood, because her real life so thoroughly contradicts her screen image. In nearly all of her films she was a domestic—usually a maid, sometimes a cook. She was jolly, open-hearted, laidback and plump. Off screen,   read more