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In 1955, Richard Brooks’s Blackboard Jungle became the first Hollywood film to feature rock & roll music, marking such a historical moment with the iconic notes of “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets playing during the opening titles. A year later, Frank Tas read more

Last week, I read in the news that the Kessler twins passed away. In Germany, assisted suicide has been legalized since 2019, and Alice and Ellen Kessler, 89, chose this way to die together. They were an internationally renowned pair of entertainers and gained the spotlight stateside through their n read more

This is the 10th excerpt from my biography of Esther Williams. You can find the other entries here. In the previous post, Esther tried to adjust to normal life after her summer starring in the Aquacade, and repeatedly turned down MGM’s offers of a movie contract. In this section, MGM tries to read more

Have you ever heard of "How"? I'm sure you haven't....at least, most Americans have not. This was a British series geared towards children but enjoyable for all ages. A panel of four presenters shared various "how-to"s within a half-hour span. The series was so entertaining that it lasted for 17 sea read more

So excited to announceThe Third Annual It Came From Texas Film Festival read more

It’s about that time, y’all! Time for my favorite month of the year, because from August 1st through August 31st, I’ll be basking in the glow of TCM’s Summer Under the Stars! In case you weren’t aware, every August TCM devotes each day of the month to a different classic movie star and airs read more

Every Saturday afternoon for the last 20 years, I've enjoyed the routine of watching cooking shows on PBS. These include Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, and of course Mary Ann Esposito, who hosted Ciao Italia which ranks as the longest-running cooking show on PBS. Ciao Italia firs read more

Katharine Hepburn, Me: Stories of My Life. (via illegitimateredhead)1986, with her brother, Robert. Photo by John Bryson. [I… think? Don’t hold me to that.](via lucilleeffinball-deactivated201)

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William Morris agent Larry Fitzgerald, from an interview in David Rensin’s The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up (via lynnelemon)(via noyoudontoprah-deactivated20130)

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Katharine Hepburn, on hipster buns read more

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week’s musical: Are You With It? (1948) read more

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I was re-watching An Affair to Remember (1957) for the umpteenth time and that got me to thinking about the original film - Love Affair - and what a great job Deborah Kerr did of stepping into Irene Dunne's shoes when she took on the role of Terry McKay in th read more

–Katharine Hepburn, in an interview with John Kobal, People Will Talk, 1985 read more

’…Such a strange flower…’: Cecil Beaton on Katharine Hepburn in ‘Coco’This excerpt is from Beaton’s personal diaries, which I highly recommend any lover of Old Hollywood read. As you can see here, Beaton did not like Kate AT ALL, but he also shot read more

One of the many distinctive factors about Double Indemnity is the look of the film. It’s brought to you courtesy of cinematographer John Seitz. Today’s post shines the light on this talented and innovative cameraman. Seitz was born in Chicago in 1892 and started his career as a lab assistant at read more

I started reading From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir back in the spring of 2024. My writing projects this year have thrown a variety of monkey wrenches into my reading time, but I finished the book today – and just in time for Double Indemnity week read more

 One of my annual outings is attending the Monster Bash Conference held in Western Pennsylvania. Ron Adams (the head honcho of the festivities) and his hard-working staff do a fantastic job, and the weekend is filled with fun and classic horror/sci-fi fan camaraderie. This recent Monster B read more

This is my entry in the Classic Movie Blog Association Screen Debuts and Last Hurrahs Blogathon. Click here for more memorable firsts and lasts.Cagney and the grapefruit make one last joint appearanceSeason is an interesting word. It can mean to add flavor to something, or it can define a period of read more

Book Review: “From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir” Title: From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film NoirBy: Alain Silver and James UrsiniPublisher: Running Press – Turner Classic MoviesISBN: 978 read more

Benny Hill done it, that's who! Before the famed English comedian made a name for himself on television as the star of The Benny Hill Show, he made this fast-moving farce playing a detective who sets out to capture enemy agents bent on destroying England with a weather-making machine. Hill star read more