Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 27, 2012

It's that time of year again! If you have a classic movie fanatic in your life, you know the know who has everything and is impossible to shop for, here are some cool gift ideas. I have not included DVDs or Blu-Rays because we are all familiar with that trepidation...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 25, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me! - I share my birthday with the following actors and actresses: Kathryn Grant Charles Emmett Mack Ricardo Montalban Nostalgia and Comfort - 2012 has been a year of major change for me and sometimes I want things to just slow down. I find some comfort in...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 19, 2012

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those stories that has eluded me for years. It was taught at my high school but I had taken certain English classes with certain teachers in a particular arrangement that skirted around having to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn't avoid it,...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 18, 2012

Anna Karenina (2012) - While I love classic movies, what you may not know about me is that I also have a deep love for period films, especially adaptations of classic novels. Anna Karenina is one of my favorite books and I was excited to see that a new adaptation...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 12, 2012

I have had the privilege of interviewing Margaret Talbot, author of the book The Entertainer: Movies, Magic, and My Father's Twentieth Century and daughter of classic film actor Lyle Talbot. Check out the interview below and if you haven't heard about this amazing book yet make sure you read my...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 11, 2012

Oh Wedding Day - Many thanks to J.P. from the blog Comet over Hollywood for sending me this lovely picture of actress Susan Peters on her wedding day with director Richard Quine. I had never seen it before! How well do you know my favorites? - Play my IMDB Quiz!...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 7, 2012

College Coach (1933) is a film that combines two of my favorite themes in early films: sports and collegiate culture. Calvert College is in trouble. They just put some money into their science department and now they are on the brink of bankruptcy. They get the idea to hire Coach...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 5, 2012

The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century by Margaret Talbot November 2012 Riverhead (Penguin) Hardcover ISBN: 9781594487064 $28.95 US retail In her captivating, impeccably researched narrative - a charmed combination of Hollywood history, social history, and family memoir -   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on November 2, 2012

I remember Ginger from Asleep in New York raving about Cornel Wilde and dreaming about him in the buff. And in an episode of Mad Men, Don Draper is asked if he has seen The Naked Prey (1966). It's mentioned that Cornel Wilde is mostly naked in the film. Both...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 31, 2012

Last Wednesday I got the chance to see Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) on the big screen courtesy of TCM and NCM Fathom Events. I had never seen these films and it was a treat for Halloween that's for sure. Before the films were screened, there was...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 29, 2012

It's one thing to watch a silent film but it's quite another to watch it on the big screen with a performer playing live music to go with the film. The movie just comes alive in a way that it doesn't with prerecorded music. Jeff Rapsis is a very talented...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 28, 2012

Oops! I forgot to do one of these last week. Business Cards - New design, new domain and now I have new business cards! The design is by the talented Julianna Rose and they were made using Moo.com. Poll - Please consider filling out the Poll below. I'd love to...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 24, 2012

The Bride Walks Out (1936) stars Barbara Stanwyck as Carolyn, a model who makes decent money and enjoys her independence. She's got her own apartment, a steady job and even a maid. Her beau Michael (Gene Raymond) is an engineer who is down on his luck. It's the Depression and...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 19, 2012

Image Source Clara Bow was one of those mega-watt stars whose light burned bright in the silent film era. What makes an actress like Clara Bow a star? The x-factor and she had “it”. Now the x-factor isn’t one solitary thing. It’s a combination of things including personal   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 17, 2012

Young Ideas (1943) is a fun collegiate/family movie directed by Jules Dassin. Josephine Evans (Mary Astor) is a wildly popular author of novels. Her latest book, As I Knew Paris, is on its 10th edition and she's very in demand. The trouble is, no one seems to know where she...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 14, 2012

Mae West and the Power of Suggestion - Noir Girl retweeted the following from @SonyVine on " Did You Know?: Mae West never spoke a "dirty" word on screen nor did she ever kiss a leading man. http://via.me/-5w8o66c " Wow! Really? That is simply quite amazing. Goes to show you...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 12, 2012

On Columbus Day, I had the day off from work so I decided to make my way to Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA to go to the Brattle Theatre to watch the Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) on the big screen. I was going to go with my good...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 10, 2012

A Millionaire for Christy (1951) stars Fred MacMurray as Peter Ulysses Lockwood, a popular radio advertising spokesperson. He's about to get married to June (Kay Buckley) in an arrangement more about convenience than about love. Little does Peter know that he's about to come into an inheritance of $   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 8, 2012

On Thursday, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Lawrence of Arabia (1962) for the very first time, and on the big screen to boot. What an experience! The film was presented by Sony Pictures and NCM Fathom Events. It started off early with some interviews with industry professionals regarding...   read more

Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog Posted by Raquel Stecher on October 7, 2012

Classic Film Dress at the MFA - Recently I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in the Contemporary Art wing I saw this: The piece is called "Hollywood Stars Paper Dress" and it's from 1968. It's a paper dress which were popular in the late '60s....   read more