Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on December 8, 2010

1940s: Subtle lashes on Claudette Colbert This is the seventh installment of my monthly classic actress beauty tips that I have tested. Sorry that this is a week late, finals have started at Winthrop and life has gotten busy! Whether it be minimalistic eye make-up of the 1940s and 1950s...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on December 2, 2010

1942: Gene Tierney, Gary Cooper, Betty Hutton and Bob Burns doing a show for soldiers “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m (Eastern time). This will be my  last show until January so be sure to listen in! Topics for Dec....   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 25, 2010

Here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and hoping that you are having a better time than Bing Crosby appears to be in this clip from “Holiday Inn” (1942).  A bit of trivia: The cartoon turkey at the beginning of the clip is parodying F.D.R’s attempt to change the date   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 21, 2010

In my classes and extracurricular activities at Winthrop University, I try to incorporate old movies as much as possible. Recently in my Media Ethics (MCOM 410) class, we were required to write a 10 to 12 page paper on an issue in diversity in the media. It could be movies,...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 18, 2010

Shirley Temple's 9th birthday in 1938 “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live this Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m (Eastern time). But this Thursday is a special edition of “Radio Waves.” November 18 is the birthday of some very important people: Mickey Mouse, John   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 11, 2010

Joan Blondell in "Gold Diggers of 1933" singing "Remember My Forgotten Man" Since Veteran’s Day celebrates men and women who served in the armed forces and helped fight for our country, I wanted to mention celebrity veterans who fought.  Veteran’s Day was origina   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 7, 2010

A friend shared a CNN story with me about a woman on a cell phone passing by in the background in the 1928 Charlie Chaplin film “The Circus.” What do all of you classic film fans think of this? Circled person is supposedly holding a cell phone. I personally think it’s...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 4, 2010

Gertrude Lawrence and Robert Benchley on Lawrence's radio show in 1943. From LIFE magazine “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m (Eastern time). Topics for Nov. 4: -Lon Chaney: Never a happy ending in his movies or life -Which feud is...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on November 1, 2010

This is the sixth installment of our monthly classic actress beauty tips that I have read about AND tested. Doris Day showing off some skin How did Doris Day keep her skin so smooth and clear looking? In her autobiography “Doris Day: My Own Story,” Day said that once a month...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 31, 2010

Jessica Pickens by day, Carmen Miranda by night This year I was Carmen Miranda for Halloween-other wise known as “The Lady with the Tutti Fruitti hat.”  Miranda was popular for her crazy outfits, samba singing style and was one of the highest paid actresses in the 1940s. I’ve alwa   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 28, 2010

RIP James MacArthur Long before I ever sighed for Van Johnson, swooned over Joseph Cotton or dreamed of Douglas Fairbanks Jr., there was James MacArthur. I was probably five or six years old and my family was watching one of our favorite movies “Swiss Family Robinson” (1960).  Even as a   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 25, 2010

"Calling Dr. Kildare" (1940)-(left to right) Dr. Gillespie, Mary Lamount, Dr. Kildare Each movie was cute, somewhat suspenseful and always had a bit of comic relief from Dr. Gillespie-who was wheel chair bound due to Barrymore’s arthritis. The most interesting thing about the Dr. Ki   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 21, 2010

For the 8th time, “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will airing, but unfortunately  the steam is down. I had topics planned, but I’d rather save those until I have my usual listeners who can listen online. Instead of the scheduled old movie discussion, I will be doing another musical show. For...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 16, 2010

We all have bad days sometimes. (Bette Davis in "The Letter")   Garbo in "As You Desire Me" (1932) Greta Garbo mood:  Sometimes I get down,  sad and just want to be alone. This is what I call my “Greta Garbo mood.”  Garbo’s character Grusinskaya in “Grand Hotel” (1932) says, “I   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 14, 2010

Despite fall break starting today, “Radio Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live tonight (Thursday) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tonight “Radio Waves” has a special Musicals Edition! "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (1954) So be sure to listen at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.    read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 13, 2010

Hollywood in the 1940s employeed a pleathora of attractive men: Van Johnson, Clark Gable, John Hodiak, James Stewart, John Wayne… The list could continue for hours, but who are the two men that stand on top of the whole stack of them? Robert Taylor and Tyrone Power   Famous for...   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 7, 2010

For the 6th time, “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Basil Rathbone on the radio Topics for Oct. 7: -State and county fairs in the movies -Ronald Reagan-a good actor, skewed by late night television -Learning history from the movies -Actor   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on October 2, 2010

Jean Harlow, Hollywood's first Platinum Blonde Jean Harlow was the first “Blonde Bombshell;” pre-dating the pin-up girls of the 1950s and serving as Marilyn Monroe’s role model. Harlow practiced many methods to be sexy and attractive such as only eating salads and vegetables   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on September 30, 2010

Greer Garson in the 1940s For the 5th time, “Radio  Waves Over Hollywood” will be streaming live Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Topics for Sept. 30: -Movie fan pet peeves -Mistreatment of actors in silent films -Similar movies that aren’t remakes -Books made into movies “Radio Wa   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by Jnpickens on September 30, 2010

Tony Curtis 1925-2010 I remember the first time I saw him as a child he was dressed as a woman. When I was seven-years-old, I remember thinking he was cute as his tooth twinkled in “The Great Race” (1964). Though Tony Curtis might not be one of my favorite actors,...   read more