Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 10, 2014

I got to meet the lovely Sheana Ochoa at Book Expo America back in May . Her book Stella! Mother of Modern Acting is one of the best biographies I've ever read. She graciously agreed to an interview for this blog which you can read below. -------------------------------- What made you...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 9, 2014

Marlene Dietrich, Astrology "Astrology! Of course. After all, everyone knows that the moon pulls the sea away from the land, and farmers don't plant when the moon is wrong. "Why should humans escape?"- Marlene Dietrich Marlene Dietrich was influenced by astrology. She followed her own horos   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 8, 2014

"Racing is the most exciting thing there is. But unlike drugs, you get high with dignity." - Steve McQueen Becoming a professional race car driver wasn't in the cards for Steve McQueen but that didn't stop him from pursuing racing as a hobby. Over the years he spent much of...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 7, 2014

Lana Turner, Deep Sea Fishing On wanting her next role to be worthwhile... “Otherwise I’ll go fishing.” – Lana Turner Thanks to J.P. of Comet Over Hollywood for the tip on this one! Lana Turner had several hobbies and by far the most interesting of them was deep sea f   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 6, 2014

James Dean, Bongo & Conga Drums "When I can't sleep at night I like to get up and beat the skins. It drives away the blues." - James Dean Playing the bongo and conga drums was meditative for James Dean. He lived hard and died young but even during his...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 5, 2014

Edward G. Robinson, Art Collector “I remember well what it was like to be a true collector, that soft explosion in the heart, that thundering inner 'yes' when you see something you must have or die"- Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson didn't like to think of himself as a...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 4, 2014

Sammy Davis Jr., Photography "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter during the Ciro's period, early '50s, and he hooked me... I met Milton [Greene]. He got me involved with serious photography and using available light." - Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy Davis Jr. lost   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 3, 2014

Spencer Tracy, Polo "There's something about horses which, once you really become interested in them, just naturally makes you think this is a pretty good world." - Spencer Tracy Director John Cromwell encouraged Spencer Tracy to take up polo and Tracy trained with Reginald Leslie "Snowy Baker a   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 2, 2014

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's summer reading challenge. I'm impressed with everyone's efforts and I loved reading the reviews. I only managed to get 3 books in this summer, life got in the way and I should have paid more attention to my own advice. Alas,...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on September 1, 2014

Joan Crawford, Knitting "I took my knitting along so I could keep my hands busy, because I was so nervous." Joan Crawford As any knitter will tell you, there is a lot of comfort to be found in the repetitive motions of a pair of knitting needles and some yarn...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on August 31, 2014

Steve McQueen: A Passion for Speed by Frederic Brun Hardcover - 192 pages ISBN: 9780760342480 MotorBooks October 2011 Barnes and Noble IndieBound (Your local bookstore) Powell's "McQueen will be remembered as one of the finest exponents of speed to ever grace the big screen." - Brun Steve McQue   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on August 15, 2014

A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940 Volume #1 by Victoria Wilson Hardcover – 9780684831688 1,056 pages Simon and Schuster November 2013 Barnes and Noble Powell's IndieBound Imagine you’re on a nature walk in a historic park. If you just want fresh air and exercise, you&#82   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on August 13, 2014

Lauren Bacall (1924-2014) When I heard the news about Lauren Bacall's death, I didn't want to believe it. One of the things I always admired about Bacall was her resiliency. Surely she could survive death rumors! Alas, it was then confirmed by the Bogart estate that Bacall passed away yesterday.   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on August 4, 2014

Woah. Hey there, Summer. Why don't you slow down a bit? The days of June and July felt like they were on fast forward. Next thing I noticed it was already August and I only have 1 out of 6 books reviewed. Yikes! I have to catch up. Right now...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on July 21, 2014

James Garner and his wife Lois Fleischman Clarke. Source: AP James Garner 1928-2014 I was very sad and somewhat shocked to hear of the death of actor James Garner. On screen, he was always charming and gave consistently good performances. And boy was he handsome! James Garner was a talent...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on July 9, 2014

Sam Gatlin (Jack Webb) is the managing editor of an L.A. newspaper’s morning edition. We follow him and his staff through their nine hour evening shift as they put together the morning’s paper. -30- (1959) is more of a slice of life tale than a plot-driven movie and there are...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on July 7, 2014

I've had the pleasure of interviewing Richard Barrios, author of Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter. Check out my review of the book here. Raquel Stecher: Some people love musicals and other people hate them. It always seems to be one extreme or the other. Why do film lovers have...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on June 26, 2014

What’s not to love about Eli Wallach? He could play despicable characters and still be utterly charming. And over the years his charisma grew and as an old man he was just adorable in both a sweet way and one that just lent itself to adoration. Eli Wallach is one...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on June 17, 2014

This is my first review for the 2014 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge. Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter by Richard Barrios Oxford University Press ISBN 9780199973842 Hardcover - 288 pages May 2014 Barnes and Noble IndieBound (your local indie bookstore) Powells Amazon   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on June 10, 2014

Stella! Mother of Modern Acting by Sheana Ochoa Applause Theatre and Cinema Book Publishers (an imprint of Hal Leonard) ISBN 9781480355538 Hardcover - 354 pages April 2014 Barnes and Noble Powells IndieBound (Your local Indie bookstore) Amazon "…a vibrant woman, full of idealistic dreams an   read more