🌟Star Quote: Olivia de Havilland

"Well yes, there were problems for the studios. I had created one of them. I am the de Havilland of the legal de Havilland decision, which actually changed the course of the motion picture industry, certainly as regarding ownership of star contracts. You know, in the film industry at that time back in the studio system you just wanted to be honest with your work and do a piece of work that you could feel proud of so that you felt you deserved the money that you earned. And you wanted to be treated with respect. Some stars were fine with the fame and the money of course but some of us fought things. Like Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney and of course me. I am the one who finally took it all on. Bette Davis Went to London in the mid-1930s and tried to sue Warners over this issue"-- Olivia de Havilland

Comments

🎥 Review: Key Largo (1948)

"When your head says one thing and your whole life says another, your head always loses." John Huston directed this film-noir masterpiece with an incredible cast which included the legendary Humphrey Bogart, Lionel Barrymore, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, and the fabulous Claire Trevor - who won an Oscar for her outstanding performance. The movie is set in Key Largo, where a hurricane is fast approaching, adding to the already-tense atmosphere inside the hotel. The sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco storms in and takes the hotel owner, James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud, hostage at gunpoint. Fun fact: When Claire Trevor asked John Huston for some insight into her character, he gave her a hilarious description of "a drunken dame whose elbows are always a little too big, voice a little too loud, and a little too polite. Very sad, very resigned." And to top it off, he even showed her how to embody the character by leaning on the

🎥 Review: Shoot the Moon (1982)

There have been motion pictures made about the collapse of marriages. Scenes froth with denial, anger, depression, to bitter custody battles and destructive emotions of jealousy and abuse. Some that comes to mind like Scenes from a Marriage (1974), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), An Unmarried Woman (1979), and more recently A Marriage Story (2019). But none of them in my opinion quite captured the confusion, heartbreak, and turmoil like Shoot the Moon (1982). The phrase "shoot the moon," comes from the card game hearts. It refers to taking a risk when playing your hand to achieve a higher score. Directed by Alan Parker (Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Fame) and written by Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Melvin, and Howard). The film depicts an intense look at marital disintegration from the perspective of both parents and their children. Parker and Goldman called upon their marriages to create the screenplay. The late Albert Finney and Diane Keaton are The Dunlap

🛣️ Road Trip! The Clark Gable Museum

In June of last year, I had the good fortune to take a tour of the Clark Gable Museum located in Cadiz, Ohio. The museum is an exact reconstruction of the original house where Gable was born, which sadly, had been previously demolished. The two-story home is full of Gable memorabilia from his early days in southeastern Ohio, including his prized New Port Blue 1954 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, which was my personal favorite part of the tour. Additionally, famous Gone With The Wind stars Cammie King-Bonnie Blue Butler, Ann Rutherford, and Butterfly McQueen have also left their handprints and signatures on display at the museum. Interestingly, my hand size happens to be the same as Ann Rutherford's, which was a fun fact. However, the tour also contained a somber and poignant moment with the Carole Lombard room. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take any photographs of the personal notes or jewelry that Gable had gifted to Lombard, or any of his childhood memorabilia, including his b

🎥 Review: The Velvet Vampire (1971)

“ever since that night at the gallery, ever since—I knew I wanted you. I was hungry for you as long as I could have you.” Stephanie Rothman's 1971 film, The Velvet Vampire, isn't your average fang-tastic flick. Rothman co-wrote and directed a pioneering film that embodies the creativity and ingenuity of a female director in a largely male-dominated genre. With its unique take on the queer seductress vampire subgenre, Rothman shatters the conventional mold of passive female victims and instead elevates a strong and empowered female character to the forefront of the horror narrative. By standing out from the crowd and daring to tell a fresh and exciting story from a female perspective. Diane LeFanu, portrayed by Celeste Yarnall, is a cultured and affluent individual with a profound appreciation for art and music. She takes a keen interest in the striking married duo, Lee (Michael Blodgett) and Susan (Sherry Miles) and cordially invite them to her desert retreat for

🎥 Review: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

While re-visiting the film Dog Day Afternoon (1975) recently, I was struck anew by the sheer artistry of its opening montage. Set against Elton John's song Amoreena, the film immediately evokes the scorching heat and heady atmosphere of a typical summer afternoon in 1970s New York. Other than Elton John’s song over the opening credits, the film doesn’t have a music score. This critically acclaimed biographical crime drama film, directed by Sidney Lumet, features a stellar cast including Al Pacino, John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, James Broderick, and Charles Durning. Pacino delivers an electrifying and impassioned performance as a gay bank robber desperately attempting to raise the funds needed for his partner's (played by Sarandon) transgender surgery. Al Pacino & Charles Durning Chris Sarandon, with Durning and James Broderick John Cazale & Pacino

🛣️ Road Trip! 20th Century Theater

I have a deep appreciation for vintage movie theaters and murals. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, my local cinema was The Loews Paradise in The Bronx, NYC. This enchanting venue created the ambiance of an outdoor villa courtyard beneath a starlit sky. I cherished the starry ceiling while enjoying some of my favorite films from that era. Now residing in Ohio, I often discover similar classic theaters that occasionally and not often enough screen timeless films. While trying to burn off some of the delightful ice cream from Aglamesis Bro's in Cincinnati, I stumbled upon a massive classic film mural just a block away. Is that Rosemary Clooney? Indeed it is! To my astonishment, the mural was situated above a theater marquee. The theater? The 20th Century Theater. The 20th Century Theater stands as a charming historic landmark in Cincinnati, Ohio, designed by Fred W. Stritzel and inaugurated in 1941 as an opulent movie house. The inaugural film was Blood and Sand, featuring Rit

Search This Blog