Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 23, 2012

Spoiler alert! This essay discusses the ending of the film at length. Viewers who want to be surprised by the ending should not read this post until after they have seen the movie for themselves. Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1955 French thriller, Les Diaboliques (also known as Diabolique), is   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 23, 2012

Frank Capra’s favorite themes are all in play in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), which stars lanky Gary Cooper as a typical Capra hero, an all-American everyman standing in opposition to a corrupt and selfish world. Equal parts social commentary and romance, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town sets the...   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 23, 2012

Spoiler alert! This essay discusses the ending of the film at length. Viewers who want to be surprised by the ending should not read this post until after they have seen the movie for themselves. Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1955 French thriller, Les Diaboliques (also known as Diabolique), is   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 23, 2012

Directed by Charles Walters, Summer Stock (1950) is the third and final pairing of Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, two of the greatest musical performers of all time. Many classic movie fans regard it as the best of their pictures together, not only because of their own performances and songs...   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Lon Chaney set the standard for Phantom of the Opera performances way back in 1925, and it’s no surprise that later adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s original tale have failed to measure up to the iconic silent classic. The 1943 version, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Claude Rains in   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

TurnerClassic Movies celebrates the 100th birthday of musical legend Gene Kelly with a full day of Kelly films on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Part of the ongoing Summer Under the Stars event, the programming features Kelly in a dozen movies throughout the day, including his signature roles in An Amer   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Before they made well-remembered classics like Bringing Up Baby (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant first starred together in the more obscure Sylvia Scarlett (1935), a George Cukor picture with a plot straight out of Shakespeare’s play book. The story, a   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

TurnerClassic Movies celebrates the 100th birthday of musical legend Gene Kelly with a full day of Kelly films on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Part of the ongoing Summer Under the Stars event, the programming features Kelly in a dozen movies throughout the day, including his signature roles in An Amer   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Lon Chaney set the standard for Phantom of the Opera performances way back in 1925, and it’s no surprise that later adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s original tale have failed to measure up to the iconic silent classic. The 1943 version, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Claude Rains in   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Before they made well-remembered classics like Bringing Up Baby (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant first starred together in the more obscure Sylvia Scarlett (1935), a George Cukor picture with a plot straight out of Shakespeare’s play book. The story, a   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

TurnerClassic Movies celebrates the 100th birthday of musical legend Gene Kelly with a full day of Kelly films on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Part of the ongoing Summer Under the Stars event, the programming features Kelly in a dozen movies throughout the day, including his signature roles in An Amer   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Lon Chaney set the standard for Phantom of the Opera performances way back in 1925, and it’s no surprise that later adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s original tale have failed to measure up to the iconic silent classic. The 1943 version, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Claude Rains in   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 22, 2012

Before they made well-remembered classics like Bringing Up Baby (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant first starred together in the more obscure Sylvia Scarlett (1935), a George Cukor picture with a plot straight out of Shakespeare’s play book. The story, a   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 19, 2012

Her Face was Her Fortune: Changing Women’s Fates and Faces in Three Classic Films In Sunset Boulevard (1950), Norma Desmond contends that silent movie stars “didn’t need dialogue. We had faces.” Indeed, motion pictures have been obsessed with faces from the very beginnin   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 19, 2012

Her Face was Her Fortune: Changing Women’s Fates and Faces in Three Classic Films In Sunset Boulevard (1950), Norma Desmond contends that silent movie stars “didn’t need dialogue. We had faces.” Indeed, motion pictures have been obsessed with faces from the very beginnin   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 19, 2012

Her Face was Her Fortune: Changing Women’s Fates and Faces in Three Classic Films In Sunset Boulevard (1950), Norma Desmond contends that silent movie stars “didn’t need dialogue. We had faces.” Indeed, motion pictures have been obsessed with faces from the very beginnin   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 2, 2012

Although rock solid supporting player Claude Rains is certainly best remembered today as the mercurial Louis in CASABLANCA (1942), the English actor also made huge contributions to the genre of horror, and Turner Classic Movies will put the spotlight on that aspect of Rains’ career with its pr   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 2, 2012

Although rock solid supporting player Claude Rains is certainly best remembered today as the mercurial Louis in CASABLANCA (1942), the English actor also made huge contributions to the genre of horror, and Turner Classic Movies will put the spotlight on that aspect of Rains’ career with its pr   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on August 2, 2012

Although rock solid supporting player Claude Rains is certainly best remembered today as the mercurial Louis in CASABLANCA (1942), the English actor also made huge contributions to the genre of horror, and Turner Classic Movies will put the spotlight on that aspect of Rains’ career with its pr   read more

Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on July 31, 2012

The Virago is not a sports fan, generally speaking. In fact, the only time she ever cares about sports is the Olympics. It's supposed to celebrate the best of humanity, to show that nations can come together in a spirit of peaceful competition and inspire the rest of the world...   read more