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Every family has a Christmas ritual.  It might be as simple as singing carols.  It could drinking drinking eggnog.  It could be helping to feed the homeless.  Whatever it is it usually makes memories that are pretty special. Every Christmas my twin brother and I (and before you a read more

Wow, it’s been both a short, too-fast week and a really long one. Things have been pretty quiet on the blog, but Pretty Clever Film Gal has some awesome things in the works. And let me just say, friends and neighbors, Toronto is a great place to hang your hat if you love classic movies. I kno read more

At long last, in response to a request from a Shadows and Satin subscriber (Hello, Jörn!), I’ve finally managed to compile another list of Top 10 films noirs – not the better-known features like the ones I covered here, but the lesser-known gems. These are the movies that are not often mentioned read more

Yes, that's Carole Lombard (wearing a man's style tie!) at age 16, playing leading lady for cowboy star Buck Jones in Fox's 1925 oater "Hearts And Spurs." This film, and the several silents Lombard made for Fox, perished in a 1937 vault fire -- some five years before Jones himself would suffer the s read more

I have never considered myself a huge Judy Garland fan, but that’s not to say I don’t like her. I adore her. I respect her. I hold her in the highest regard. I suppose I never considered myself a fan because I do not feel worthy of that title. Honestly, like those who abused and exploite read more

Whoa you guys… in my daily Buster Keaton foray (how do you start your day?), I came across this short film made by Sam Beckett in 1965. This is Beckett’s only attempt to crack the film medium, and it stars none other than Buster Keaton. This is more classic Beckett than classic Keaton, read more

Marie Doro (May 25, 1882 – October 9, 1956). She was a talented, beautiful star and the few silent films of hers that survive show a gifted natural actress who was an expert on Shakespeare and Elizabethan poetry, and possessed a wicked humor. She had portrayed the role of Oliver Twist on s read more

Pretty Clever Film Gal was feeling a little empty to kick off this week. Buster Keaton month – over. Classic horror movies – over. My birthday – over. Then I remembered, Silent Sundays, the Grace Kelly exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, a slew of Hitchcock at the Lightbox, a doubl read more

Attention, all prospective attendees! Passes for the 3rd annual TCM Classic Film Festival will go on sale November 9. GET YOUR PASSES EARLY–last year they had 25,000 attendees. The theme this year is Style in Movies, and the opening night Gala screening will be a newly remastered version of read more

Hi all. In addition to numerous essays in the queue, I’m working on a few large poster projects (particularly a major top 100 countdown) that I’m planning to begin posting during the winter break between semesters. In the meantime, I’ve been working on some smaller star-centric mov read more

Pretty Clever Film Gal has had a fabulous week, ya’ll. Really, the universe has been all smiles at me. And the cap of my great week is the most awesome time of year – Halloween! I love the tricks and treats, the thrills and chills, and, oh yeah, it happens to be my birthday. To celebrat read more

One of my favorite title card designs Silent film fans understand the importance of title card design. Sometimes title cards support, sometimes they distract, but they are always key in a silent film. Like everything else about silent movies, title cards were an evolving form. Just as narrative for read more

Barbara Kent (December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011). Was one of the last surviving stars of silent films, passed away in Palm Desert, Calif. She was 103. She began her Hollywood career in 1925, aged 17. She is best known for her performance with Greta Garbo in the film, Flesh and the Devil(1 read more

The weather has turned icky here, friends and neighbors. Cold, dreary, rainy… perfect movie watching weather! Pretty Clever Film Gal is gearing up for a cozy weekend at Headquarters. I’m going to pop the corn, cuddle up with Classic Movie Puppy (she’s a HUGE Buster Keaton fan) and read more

It’s been a quietish week here at PCF headquarters. Pretty Clever Film Gal has been busy, busy, busy! But we’ve got a blogroll now! Check out the sidebar to find links to my favorite silent and classic film bloggers, and a special section just for Toronto. Toronto is a pretty awesome fi read more

'The Lubitsch Touch' has been dissected and analyzed for decades. Billy Wilder, who had been protégé to director Ernst Lubitsch early on, put it succinctly: "The Lubitsch Touch is a light touch. But there are serious overtones in Lubitsch. He understood life..." In 1941, Lubitsch signed a three read more

Another bright and shiny Big Apple morning. Three fashion-oriented films were on the menu, so shopping and photo-ops had to be appetizer-sized only. The main courses would start at 2:00 p.m . French cuisine for Lunch: LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (1964) The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, by J read more

'The Lubitsch Touch' has been dissected and analyzed for decades. Billy Wilder, who had been protégé to director Ernst Lubitsch early on, put it succinctly: "The Lubitsch Touch is a light touch. But there are serious overtones in Lubitsch. He understood life..." In 1941, Lubitsch signed a three read more

For Carole & Company's "Carole-tennial (+3)," marking the 103rd anniversary of Hollywood legend Carole Lombard's birth, I'm taking a look at my favorite Carole Lombard film, director Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942). This was Lombard's last film, released just a month after her death. read more

Wowee! It’s been quite the Buster Keaton -centric week! Buster is near and dear to my heart, so to see such an outpouring of affection and appreciation for him gives me the warm and fuzzies (I think that’s the correct technical term). Pretty Clever Films will be Bustering it up all mont read more