TCM couldn’t have foreseen the death of actress Debbie Reynolds when they scheduled Singin’ in the Rain to kick off their 2017 Fathom Events series. Watching the film knowing Reynolds is gone … Continue Reading Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
“Murder starts in the heart, and its first weapon is a vicious tongue.” You can’t sum up the macabre lunacy of Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte any better. A film more well-known for what … Continue Reading Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Often considered the outlier of the Mickey and Judy films, Girl Crazy is the rare feature adapted from a successful play (Babes in Arms was significantly changed from its original … Continue Reading Girl Crazy (1943)
After Babes in Arms’ (1939) rampant success MGM thought, “Hey, those crazy kids have something special.” The eventual follow-up, Strike Up the Band sees Mickey and Judy go bigger with a … Continue Reading Strike Up the Band (1940)
The final week of the July Four gets musical with those lovable scamps Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The third film the two musical dynamos made, Babes in Arms was … Continue Reading Babes in Arms (1939)
Doris Day tested her image’s bounds as Ms. Wholesome when she took on the role of torch singer Ruth Etting in Love Me or Leave Me. We’ll never know for certain, … Continue Reading Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Originally published January 28th, 2015 Second-wave feminism (you’ve already stopped reading, haven’t you?) wouldn’t crop up for another couple of years, but that’s not to say Hollywood wasn’t doing its … Continue Reading The Thrill of It All (1963)
Originally published March 21st, 2012 Calamity Jane was the latest film I watched for my Women in Film class and this movie is frustrating. It’s cute and has some good … Continue Reading Calamity Jane (1953)
By the 1960s Doris Day represented everything good and wholesome about Hollywood, a concept that would soon be at odds with the nine years that would follow. As Day’s star … Continue Reading Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960)
Van Johnson week closes – or lies dormant until his Summer Under the Stars day – with his role in a remake of a popular Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic! A turn-of-the-century … Continue Reading In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Originally published November 12th, 2014 Slander’s off-kilter air manifests itself the minute you realize there’s no actual slander found in the movie. I guess the screenwriters thought “Libel” didn’t pack … Continue Reading Slander (1957)
You wouldn’t expect me to devote a week to Van Johnson and avoid reviewing his work with Esther Williams, would you? Actually, he and Williams teamed up so frequently I could … Continue Reading Thrill of a Romance (1945)
This week is devoted to actor Van Johnson! Originally published March 16th, 2015. The addition of a wide-screen format can provide a grander sense of scope for particular films. The … Continue Reading Brigadoon (1954)
I belatedly close out Hitchcock week with the film that tore his professional relationship with actress Tippi Hedren. Hedren, despite the issues she’s recounted of working with the director, cites … Continue Reading Marnie (1964)
ORIGINALLY POSTED JANUARY 2013 I haven’t watched Rebecca in a few years, so at this point I’m declaring that Notorious is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film (at the moment). There’s … Continue Reading Notorious (1946)
We’re going back a few years to examine a film from Hitchcock’s 1940s output. A year after winning the Academy Award for Rebecca, Hitchcock reteamed with star Joan Fontaine for another … Continue Reading Suspicion (1941)
