College Life, or What To Do When Gone With the Wind's Over

So here I am, in the university. Which I'm fairly certain you all knew.

It's swell really. The people are grand, and I'm kept pretty busy.

I rise at seven, class at nine, lunch at noon, class at 2, dine at 6, and so on.

After about 7, though, anything goes. It's a sort of no man's time, if you will.

Lately we've been filling these wee hours by watching a movie or two in the commons. And this, my friends, is precisely where the problem arises.

I couldn't possibly list all the movies we've been watching, but I'll try to name a few, just to give you a sort of general idea of the sitch I'm in.

Let's see...

- Juno (don't get me started)

- Twilight (you're kidding me, right?)

- Pay It Forward (seemingly out of left field)

- Step Up 2 (not that I've seen the first one, mind you)

To be fair, we did watch BBC's Pride and Prejudice as well, which I adore. But let's just brush that fact under the carpet, shall we? Makes my argument sound a heck of a lot better.

I know, I know, I'm sounding like a movie snob. And I don't mean to. These movies (well, not these movies, but movies like them) are fine-- just not one after the next, with nothing in between. Ya dig?

And all this time, Judy sits abandoned in my dorm room, along with Fred, Ginger, Cary, and Bette...

I feel like a mother who's left her children in Disney World or something. Not cool.

But what am I supposed to do? I cannot force people to like things. Believe me, I've tried. And it's backfired all times but one. Which is the reason I'm not allowed to play any Streisand around any of my family members, with the exception of my supercool mother. Yeah, we'll go with supercool.

Plus, isn't it known that persuasion works far better than force anyway? Ah, maybe not. Maybe I just need to work on a menacing pose...

Anyway, the point I'm getting at is...how does one go about introducing others with little to no exposure to classic film to the greats? I don't want it to be, you know, a total shock to their systems, but gosh darn it-- I hafta do something, right?

We did try Gone With the Wind, and that seemed to work. But what next? I toyed with the idea of Laura, but didn't know how it'd be received.

Any thoughts, suggestions? I do so want to be reuinted with my wonderful (albeit dead) buddies in film, and cannot wait four years to do so.

In other news, I've just discovered the fabulous Lupe Velez.

Also, I'm planning another Monday Murder. Still trying to decide between this...

and this...

Monday Murder Series

I've been in a mystery type mood lately-- blame it on Dame Agatha. Anyway, I thought I'd give a new series a go. The Monday Murder Series. Nothing criminal, mind you, just good old fashioned murder... mysteries. ;)

If nothing else, this'll be an excuse for me to watch some of my favorite movies (and, of course, prattle on about them here). Good, huh?

To start off the series, I chose one of my favorite Ginger Rogers films-- Star of Midnight. Judging by the number of Ginger devotees out there, this one is by no means obscure or unpopular. (Can I get a "wise choice, Juliette"? ;)


Ginger and William Powell with their Star of Midnight director.

Directed by Stephen Roberts, it stars Ginger acting alongside my love William Powell. Most people tend to criticize this one as being a Thin Man rip-off (and I s'pose it is), but I adore it. Possibly more than The Thin Man.*

Because the only thing more tedious than reading a dry plot synopsis is writing a dry plot synopsis, I'll skip it-- for my sake as much as yours. The plot's rather silly anyway, but thatd doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

Some girl performer (the, uh, star of "Midnight") has disappeared and one lad's convinced she was his lover Alice, and another guy gets shot in William Powell's apartment and Eric Blore says "yessir" a lot and Ginger wears a ton of gowns. Yeah, that's it. Ish. There's a complicated climax followed by what the filmmakers would have you believe to be a laughably simple resolution.

However, in the midst of all this silliness and complexity, there is room for great performances and great banter. Makes me wish Ginger and Bill had partnered up quite a bit more, but I suppose that would be too much goodness for the universe to allow.

Anyway, if you've not already done so-- check out Star of Midnight. You'll like it, I promise. :)



*The juries still out on that one.

Gregory La Cava, Director and Producer.

Guess who's currently in Colorado? I am, I am!

Anyway, this was supposed to be a scheduled blog, so hopefully that's worked out. If not...well, I suppose it doesn't matter if not, as you won't be reading this. Anyway...

He's the guy W. C. Fields said had the "best mind for comedy in Hollywood."
Ginger Rogers called him "masterful" and Pandro Bergman said he "amazed me."


La Cava with Irene Dunne.

Despite having over 150 directing credits (and a series of hits including My Man Godfrey, 5th Avenue Girl, The Half Naked Truth, Primrose Path, and Unfinished Business), La Cava's name is not as instantly recognizable as one might think.

On the set of Stage Door, with Adolphe Menjou, Ginger, and Kate.

In the 1950s, with the release of Sarris' American Cinema rankings, movies focusing on male-centered worlds (westerns, film noir, and action pictures of Hawks and Ford in particular) gained popularity, with many film critics and theorists revisiting and reanalyzing them. Perhaps one reason La Cava has mainly been ignored by those film historians is the fact that he was primarily a "woman's director," and the majority of his later films portray women as the heart of the film, with men acting more or less as accessories.

Carole Lombard and William Powell in La Cava's My Man Godfrey.

I'd never really heard of him until two or three years ago, when I watched Stage Door. However, I'm finding out he was a lot more influential than his fame (or lack of it, rather) would have one believe.

Beginning in 1916 with animated shorts, La Cava moved on to live action in the early twenties. During the silent era, La Cava worked beside stars such as Bebe Daniels, W.C. Fields, Richard Dix, and Esther Ralston.

Irene Dunne and her director, on the set of Unfinished Business.

In his most productive decade, the thirties, La Cava was employed at some time by nearly all the major studios, directing the likes of Claudette Colbert, Irene Dunne, Joel McCrea, William Powell, and Ginger Rogers (three times, isn't it marvelous?).

Gregory La Cava directing Walter Huston, Franchot Tone, and Karen Morley in Gabriel Over the White House.

Even David O. Selznick, Hollywood's resident humbug, said of La Cava: "Ninety-nine directors out of a hundred are worthless as producers. However, there are exceptions... I believe that La Cava might be an exception."

Then again, maybe not.

Well I did it...finally chose which movies to take with my to the university.

Of my movies (http://juliette713.dvdaf.com/owned and http://juliette713.dvdaf.com/owned/classics, respectively), I selected 56 of 'em. Well, 51...the others aren't really "movies."

I'm sure I'll still come home often to switch things around, but as of now, my college movies are (would it be terribly inconvenient to ask for a drum roll?)....

The 39 Steps

All About Eve

Amelie

Babes in Arms

Babes on Broadway

Bachelor Mother

Bella

Bonnie and Clyde

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Bringing Up Baby

Cabaret

City Lights

Clueless

Double Indemnity

Easter Parade

Enter the Dragon

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

For Me and My Gal

Freaks

Freaky Friday (1976)

Girl Crazy

Gigi

Gone With the Wind

Grey Gardens

Heathers

How to Marry a Millionaire

The Lady Eve

The Lady Vanishes

The Last Picture Show

Laura

Lili

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

The Love Parade

Marked Woman

Meet Me in St. Louis

The Moon Spinners

Night of the Hunter

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

Paper Moon

Singin' In the Rain

Splendor in the Grass

Strictly Ballroom

Strike Up the Band

Sybil

Tammy and the Bachelor

Top Hat

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Up the Sandbox

Wait Until Dark

What's Up Doc?

Woman of the Year

Mary Pickford: A PBS Documentary

Liza Minnelli at Radio City Music Hall

The Judy Garland Show, vol. I

Gidget: The Complete Series

Arrested Development: The Complete Series

Yea? Nay? How could you forget insert film title here Juliette, you stupid git?

Because that's pretty much the extent of my post for today, and I wouldn't want you little dears to hate me, here's some randomness!

Ginger. Dig those shades.

Doris, at home.

Kate, on the set of Sylvia Scarlett. I assume. ;)

Rita and Orson, bullfighting. Nearly.


Random thought for the day....I'm currently listening to "June Is Busting Out All Over" from Carousel. When I was little I thought June was the girl's name. Yikes.


And a very happy birthday to Miss Jean Hagen. A gifted comedienne, but also a whiz at dramatics.

Movies! Movies! Movies! and Gal of the Week

I'm going away to college soon, and still I've no idea which movies to take. I wanted at first to take my entire collection, but shudder at the thought of packing them away under my bed or something. They need to breathe. ;)

There are certain films in my possession that I view just once, but others I go to again and again-- even if I watch only certain scenes.

I wonder what the difference is, of those movies. Instead of analyzing it (which would probably be somewhat interesting but rather difficult and time-consuming), I'm going to make a list of some movies I can watch over and over again. Less interesting for you maybe, but infinitely more fun for me.

1) Auntie Mame

I don't know what it is about this movie (actually, I suppose I do-- Ros Russell) ...it's not my favorite film in the world, but it has this unique quality to it that makes it incredibly re-watchable. Which means it's grand in my book.

2) Sybil

Oh the script! So much to choose from-- so many lines to quote!

My personal favorite? "They were Sybil's tonsils, but my throat hurt too."

3) Paper Moon

This is the most dependable movie I know...no one I've ever shown it to has disliked it. Thank goodness.

4) Love with the Proper Stranger

Steve McQueen is just adorable, especially near the end. Sometimes (and I don't blame her one bit) Natalie Wood is too much for me, but not in this one.

5) What's Up Doc?

The first Barbra Streisand movie I ever saw. Which means it still holds a special place in my... collection. ;)

6) Easter Parade

Judy. Fred. Not to mention (though I'll do so anyway) the songs by Irving Berlin...like a gazillion of 'em.

7) Stage Door

The movie that started my Ginger obsession. Oh, I owe it all to this one. Kind of odd that Kate and Mr. Menjou look so close on the poster.

8) Gone With the Wind

I don't even think I'm capable of explaining my love for this movie.

9) Wait Until Dark

When I was littler, Audrey Hepburn was tops as far as I was concerned. This one and Charade made me fall for old movies.

10) The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

For this list, it was a toss up between this and Freaky Friday. Guess I'm feeling dark today, huh?

11) Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Might just be a matter of opinion, but this one's oodles better than What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, yeah?

12) Romance on the High Seas

Doris Day's first movie, also with my hero, Oscar Levant, who once said he knew Doris "before she was a virgin."

13) Laura

Never tire of this one. Clifton Webb's performance near the end always freaks me out tremendously. I think I like it.

14) Clueless

C'mon, there had to be one pick on here like this, right?


15) The Heiress

Each time I watch it, I'm more impressed with Olivia de Havilland's performance. Good stuff.

As for the gal in the title of this post, this week it's...

Julie London

1) Because Amanda Cooper from A Noodle in a Haystack mentioned her in a post and

2) ...because who else has such groovy (yeah, groovy) album covers?

That was a rhetorical question, by the way. ;)

Now with 50 percent more needless pictures!

Louise Brooks: Pistol Packin' Mama

I learned two new words yesterday..."garrote" and "kabal." Also did some research on Erica Jong, who is a psycho, and Marge Piercy, who is not. Then I was reminded of Looking for Mr. Goodbar (for some reason, shady feminist writing almost always makes me think of Diane Keaton), thus spent some time researching that as well. All in all a productive day, as far as summer days go. I adore days like that...just reading about arbitrary topics and learning. I think William Desmond Taylor is my favorite go-to topic, but the gal who offed herself on TV --Christine something-- gets an honorable mention. Even when I was little I enjoyed researching...mainly conspiracy theories and Jim Jones and all that contentious jazz. Ah well, it passes one's time.

Esther Williams and her sisters. Or maybe not.

Speaking of attempts to pass the time, I've been trying to write another short story. But it's always difficult to start, because names are so terribly hard to invent. Either you're trying too hard or not hard enough. My names always sound put-on, almost too perfect...detectives names from the forties or something (think: Sam Spade).

I'm not sure either if it should be a girl or boy, man or woman, etc. If it's a female, people will automatically assume it's me. If it's a guy, they'll take it that I'm doing one of those gender swap deals...y'know, putting one's traits to the opposite sex. There's no winning...or perhaps I'm just paranoid. It's because of that quote, that anything in art is a narrative, whether we want it to be one or not. That really has influenced the way I write (or don't write, ha-ha). I was toying with the name Rue, but it's too unique. No one in life is named that, only people in stories. People in life are named Jessica or something. Ho hum.

Jean Harlow about to get whacked by Anita Loos.

I don't really know what'd make me happy now. I'm restless, but don't want to go anywhere, do anything. I want to be still...sit, write. Forget about whatever. But the thing is-- I've nothing to forget, not really. I'm not troubled or plagued by any malady, physical or otherwise. What's a normal girl to do?

Fred, Ginger, and Judy...judging by costumes, about 1948.

Oh! I know...I was thinking earlier (oh really?) and tried to make a list of things (actors and actresses, what have you) I've never really "gotten into," as they say. Funny thing is, I can totally see myself becoming interested with these names in say, a year or so. But I guess I shall have to wait and see.

First off: The Marx Brothers. Hear me out...I've been willing...wanting to see something of theirs, but every time I ask someone what would be best to start with, I get a different answer. I was thinking Duck Soup, but then some chump down the street told me A Night at the Opera was better. Then, another kid gave me the idea to start with a lousy one (well, not lousy, but you know) so all the others'd seem better by comparison. So I thought maybe The Big Store. It does have Virginia O'Brien after all. But that one doesn't seem to be available. So I ask you...which would be best?



Next is Ingrid Bergman. Sorry, I know she's "mahhvelous," I just never knew why. Then again, I've only seen the more famous stuff she's done plus The Bells of St. Mary's. I've never disliked her, just haven't gone wild over anything she's done either. And for that I blame Christopher Andersen, the guy who wrote An Affair to Remember (the book, not the movie) about Tracy and Hepburn. He said some things about Bergman that didn't rub me in quite the right way, so there you have it. As I said earlier, though, I'm sure my mind will change...as soon as I watch the right movie. In fact, I can see the Ingrid thing turning into a full blown obsession.





Then there's Myrna Loy, though I can see now she won't be on this list very long. As soon as I thought of her, I YouTube'd (Is that a verb? I'm making it a verb.) her name...she seems likeable enough, but I have a feeling I'll have to view some of her earlier stuff before I make up my mind. I've always liked the Thin Man series, but more for William Powell than anything. We'll see, I suppose. :)

Marlene Dietrich finishes off the list...for now, at least. I've seen her in Judgment at Nuremberg, Witness for the Prosecution, and Destry Rides Again. 'Fraid I know who's influenced me in this case too-- Judy Garland. Judy made me like oh so many people....Jack Jones, Martha Raye, even Mickey. Fortunately, she's only made me dislike two. Unfortunately, however, one of those two is Marlene Dietrich. But like I said, I can be quite fickle about stuff like this, so maybe The Blue Angel will change my mind. Your guess is as good as mine. Close, anyway.


http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/minisites/barbra/popquiz.html

Took this little quiz and got 26 correct. And no, I didn't look 28 up, you silly online quiz-judge, you.

Obsession is not too strong a word...

I've been trying (oh, alright, I've just started trying) to think up the people I'm more or less (more! more!) obsessed with. Ouch, prepositions can hurt, huh? I'll try again.

I've recently attempted to create a list of people whom...with...oh dear. You get the picture, I think. People with whom I'm obsessed. Yeah?

Anyway, Judy Garland was first, natch. Then Ginger, William Powell, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, and Sally Field (just humor me for a second, 'kay? ;) )

And then, of course, there are the people who have very little (or nothing) to do with movies. Edith Beale the younger, Dorothy Parker, Patty Hearst, and Tiny Tim. That made ten... a nice, round number.

So darn it all, Linda Darnell...you just had to make it eleven, didn't you?

I'm afraid it took me 19 long years to see A Letter to Three Wives, though I shouldn't count the first ten or so...I wasn't really conscious until age nine or ten, I think.

Anyway, I saw it last week. And again he next day. And then I watched that nice, if extraordinarily depressing A&E bio of Linda Darnell. And I was hooked (Ask Amazon-- they know). Oh well, I guess I could always clear more shelf room.

(Psst..does anyone know the deal between Linda and Otto Preminger?)

EDIT: Evidently Preminger gave Darnell a hard time on Forever Amber...but that's still too vague for me. :)

EDIT 2 (A P.P.S., if you will)