Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on April 8, 2022

George Stevens was a highly accomplished director during the Golden Age of Hollywood, having worked on films including A Place in the Sun (1951), Shane (1953), Giant (1956), and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). In My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on April 8, 2022

Classic Hollywood would certainly not have been the same if it were not for the many beloved musicals that were produced during the filmmaking industry’s golden years. From films like The Jazz Singer (1927) to 42nd Street (1933), Darryl F. Zanuck, in particular, revolutionized the movie musica   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on April 8, 2022

Many classic films were made all the more invigorating, exciting, and memorable through the incorporation of high-energy action sequences and impressive stunt work. In Danger on the Silver Screen: 50 Films Celebrating Cinema’s Greatest Stunts, Scott McGee takes readers on a fascinating adventu   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on April 8, 2022

The names Herman J. and Joseph L. Mankiewicz are nothing short of legendary, as the brothers wrote, produced, and directed over 150 films. Among their many achievements, Herman wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941), while Joseph wrote and directed All About Eve (1950). Though the brothers dr   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on April 1, 2022

Lola Lane was borne Dorothy H. Mulligan on May 21, 1906, in Macy, Indiana, to Lorenzo and Cora Mulligan. Her father worked as a dentist in addition to renting out parts of their 22-room home to Simpson College students. Her mother was a former reporter with dreams of becoming an...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 30, 2022

In honor of the 2022 Academy Awards, I was invited to participate in Karie Bible’s Hollywood Kitchen Oscar Cook-Along for 2022. This year, the theme was “They SHOULD have won an Oscar…they didn’t…and that stinks!” For this episode, I baked Irene Dunne‘s vin   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 29, 2022

For a few months in 2021, I had excitedly been anticipating the launch of Breakfast at Dominique’s Coffee Co. on Twitter. At that point, the online coffee business was about to launch and start off its first sales with three coffee blends that honored three classic film stars: Hedy Lamarr,...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 24, 2022

“I had a normal life; we didn’t meet movie stars. We lived in Texas, where you had rollerskates–and if you got a bicycle, that was a very big gift.” –Debbie Reynolds Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman, with a career that lasted nearly 70   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 23, 2022

Classic Hollywood and the racetrack had quite the love affair from the 1930s to the 1960s. With numerous films alluding to bets on the track and Hollywood stars attending races or even entering their own horses into the events, the history of horse racing is partially intertwined with Hollywood hist   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 22, 2022

Fay Wray and Robert Riskin were one of Hollywood’s lasting couples, with both Wray and Riskin being notable talents in their own right. Shining during Hollywood’s Golden Age, Wray and Riskin made an impact upon the film industry through their on- and off-screen work. Wray, an actress, i   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 21, 2022

Director Clarence Brown worked with some of the greatest screen legends of classic Hollywood, including the likes of Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy, and more. He was Greta Garbo’s favorite director and was well-known for putting his stars at ease in order to elicit st   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 20, 2022

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., was a master showman and impresario of the twentieth century. His Follies highlighted some of the most celebrated talents of the day, including the likes of Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Marilyn Miller, W.C. Fields, Will Rogers, and more. In Ziegfeld and His Follies, authors Cyn   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 19, 2022

Betty White was a beloved comedienne and humanitarian whose legacy continues to be celebrated today by fans all over the world. In honor of what would have been White’s centennial, I was delighted to be a part of a special Hollywood Kitchen tribute to her. In this episode of Hollywood...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 19, 2022

Patricia Neal was an acclaimed star of stage, film, and television for over six decades. From making appearances on Broadway to working alongside many other Hollywood legends, she would make her mark as a performer, eventually earning the Academy Award for Best Actress. Born in Kentucky and raised i   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 19, 2022

An actress of the stage and screen, Maureen O’Hara was known for her depictions of bold heroines and striking on-screen presence. Appearing in films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), The Quiet Man (1952), and more, her...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 8, 2022

Actor John Gilbert was one of the most revered silent film stars of his day. Often a daring swashbuckler on screen, his off-screen life was equally as exciting during his heyday. He romanced the likes of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich in addition to sparring with Louis B. Mayer, among...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 8, 2022

TCM: Turner Classic Movies is the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to connecting film fans of the present to the great classics of the past, TCM has released an exciting trivia game for cinephiles to enjoy Turner Classic Movies Ultimate Movie Trivia Challenge: 400 Questions to Test Your...   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 8, 2022

Hollywood history holds several legendary romances, with the relationship between Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier as one of the most storied and tumultuous. Both phenomenal talents on-screen and off, their love affair continues to intrigue classic film fans to this day. Leigh and Olivier were fam   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on March 1, 2022

A longtime voice actor, John Fiedler made his mark upon the stage, film, and radio, in addition to notably voicing the beloved Piglet in Disney’s Winnie the Pooh. Fiedler was born John Donald Fielder on February 3, 1925, in Platteville, Wisconsin, to beer salesman Donald Fiedler and wife Margaret. H   read more

Hometowns to Hollywood Posted by Annette Bochenek on February 25, 2022

Dr. Annette Bochenek loves to take Hometowns to Hollywood on the road–in person or virtually–in order to offer fun and engaging presentations about Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her presentations range from focusing on various subjects related to Golden Age Hollywood, in addition to pres   read more