Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 13, 2013

Comet Over Hollywood is doing a mini-series of “Classics in the Carolinas.” I’ll be spotlighting classic movie related topics in South Carolina (my home state) and North Carolina (where I currently live and work). Stanley Donen in 1950 He directed and choreographed some of the most famous musicals   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 10, 2013

Doris Day and James Cagney seem like an unlikely screen team. But Cagney regarded Day as a great actress, however their first teaming in “The West Point Story” wouldn’t show it. On the surface, “The West Point Story” (1950) isn’t much to look at. It’s a run-of-the-mill Warne   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 8, 2013

Just thinking about her makes me smile. Annette Funicello Annette Funicello has always been a source of happiness in my household. Her films, the Annette mystery book series, her music- she has always been a favorite of the Pickens’ family. Though I didn’t grow up in the 1960s, I grew...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 7, 2013

It started when James Tumblin, saw a dress from “Gone with the Wind” lying on the floor at Universal Studios in 1962. It was the dress Scarlett O’Hara wore while riding through the shanty town in the 1939 film. Found on the floor about to be thrown away, this was...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 3, 2013

Doris Day. The sunny blond who can brighten a day with a smile. On her 91 birthday, I wanted to remember one of my favorite leading men who starred in five films with her. But I don’t mean Rock Hudson. Day and Hudson joined in the late 1950s to create...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on April 1, 2013

Hello folks, No, this isn’t an April Fools joke.  Comet Over Hollywood is hosting it’s second blogathon. It’s been nearly a year since I held my first blogathon: “Gone Too Soon” honoring actors who passed away before the age of 50. Child stars in “Our Gang”   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on March 31, 2013

The Hollywood Bowl has held historic performances from Olivia de Havilland and Mickey Rooney in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1934 to the Beatles in 1964 and 1965. It also holds an Easter sunrise service every year. The tradition started in 1919 when silent film stars held a sunrise service...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on March 30, 2013

Nightclubs would play “You Stepped Out of a Dream” as she entered. Men adored her, including actor William Powell, and showered her with gifts. Though Lana rarely wore low cut dresses, this fuchsia gown was a favorite. Lana Turner’s glamor, beauty and style made her one of the top film...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on March 24, 2013

Actress, opera singer Rise Stevens in 1941 A Kennedy Center Honoree, 351 performances at the Metropolitan Opera House and handful of Hollywood films. Opera singer and actress Risë Stevens had an impressive resume, including a 62 year marriage. The singer who performed “Carmen” 124 times passed away   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on March 19, 2013

Comet Over Hollywood is doing a mini-series of “Classics in the Carolinas.” I’ll be spotlighting classic movie related topics in South Carolina (my home state) and North Carolina (where I currently live and work). Annie Get Your Gun, Bandwagon, Singin’ in the Rain and Meet Me in St. Louis are   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on March 15, 2013

What do I have in common with two Academy Award winning actresses, Celeste Holm and Gloria Graham? The three of us have all played Ado Annie in the musical “Oklahoma.” Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRea in “Oklahoma” I open tonight and will perform the role this weekend and next weekend...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on March 3, 2013

**Above quote said by Clark Gable. Today, Comet is remembering Jean Harlow on her 102 birthday, one of the most beautiful women to grace Hollywood. “In the first sitting, I fell in love with Jean Harlow,” said photographer Charles Sinclair Bull. “She had the most beautiful and sed   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on February 23, 2013

An actress won an Academy Award in 1948 for not saying a word. But the actress I feel like should have won, spoke with a Norwegian accent. Jane Wyman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for role as a deaf/mute in “Johnny Belinda.” Jane Wyman winning the Academy Award...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on February 17, 2013

  Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake. The three very different Paramount Studios actresses are brought together to star in one of my favorite 1940s films, “So Proudly We Hail” (1943). The film follows a group of U.S. Army nurses-   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on February 14, 2013

Last Valentine’s Day I reviewed the many unsuccessful relationships of actress Lana Turner. This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to look at some of the successful Hollywood relationships. As I started making my list of couples I was dumbfounded to find I had a list of over 60 long Hollywood m   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on February 8, 2013

This post is part of the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon, hosted by Once Upon a Screen, Outspoken & Freckled and Paula’s Cinema Club. It runs Feb. 1 – Mar. 3, in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies’ 31 Days of Oscar.  Occasionally you look at Academy Award winners, raise an eyebrow and say, “Real   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on January 29, 2013

This is the twenty-eighth installment of the monthly classic actress beauty tips that I have read about and tested.   Healthy, clear skin is something I struggle with on a daily basis. I’ve tried numerous products from exfoliates to acne cream. Norma Shearer, Mae Murray and Viola Dane in a...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on January 28, 2013

This is January’s edition of Comet Over Hollywood’s classic film references in music videos. The English alternative band Muse released the track “Time is Running Out” in the United Kingdom in 2003 and the United States in 2004. The single was from their third studio released album, Abs   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on January 26, 2013

The heavens gained several stars this year as classic film stars passed away in 2012. Since Comet Over Hollywood did not give several of them the full attention they deserved, the first month of 2013 will be dedicated to some of the notable celebrities who left us. This is the...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on January 13, 2013

The heavens gained several stars this year as classic film stars passed away in 2012. Since Comet Over Hollywood did not give several of them the full attention they deserved, the first few days of 2013 will be dedicated to some of the notable celebrities who left us. Eyes twinkling...   read more