13 Favorite Halloween Flicks

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Dana Walas

13 Fun and Scary Classic Halloween Films

Halloween is without a doubt my favorite holiday. It’s also my family’s favorite holiday, so I grew up watching a variety of scary movies around the month of October. Here’s my list of classic films that are perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit!

1.  House on Haunted Hill (1959)  
For me, House on Haunted Hill embodies the spirit of Halloween perfectly. Complete with walking skeletons and corpse heads, it’s a brilliant combination of silly and spooky. In retrospect, the film’s cheesy effects shouldn’t scare me now that I’m an adult but there are still scenes that make me squirm. It’s horror on a budget, and it works.

House on Haunted Hill 1959 film

House on Haunted Hill, 1959. Directed by William Castle. Starring Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Elisha Cook Jr., Richard Long, Carolyn Craig.

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2. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948)
This is the best Halloween movie for someone who’s not a fan of getting scared. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a fun Halloween comedy that features all of the classic Hollywood monsters together in one film.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, 1948. Directed by Charles Barton. Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange.

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3. The Haunting (1963)  
The Haunting is one of the most impressive horror movies I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely terrifying and there are hardly any special effects. All the fear from this film comes from the ideas and the acting, which is what makes it so exciting.

The Haunting 1963

The Haunting, 1963. Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn.

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4. Frankenstein (1931)
Frankenstein is an absolute classic and a must-see for any Halloween fan. Boris Karloff as the creature is a horror icon and this film is pretty much required viewing for classic Halloween scariness and fun.

Frankenstein 1931

Frankenstein, 1931. Directed by James Whale. Starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff.

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5. Dracula (1931)
Like Frankenstein, Dracula is a Halloween essential. I mean, Halloween wouldn’t be what it is without vampires, right?

Dracula, 1931Dracula, 1931. Directed by Tod Browning, Karl Freund. Starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners.

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6. Tales of Terror (1962)
Tales of Terror is a compilation of three Edgar Allen Poe short stories, and each is as different from the next. It begins with the bone-chilling story “Morella” and in all honesty I still can’t watch the scene where Morella’s ghost is floating around the old house. The next episode “The Black Cat” is more comedic, however, and Vincent Price as the famous wine-taster Fortunato Luchresi is priceless. Ending with “The Case of M. Valdemar”, with Basil Rathbone playing what could be his creepiest role, Tales of Terror is a wonderful blend of dark Poe tales.

Tales of Terror 1962

Tales of Terror, 1962. Directed by Roger Corman. Starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone.

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7. The Haunted Palace (1963)
At first glance, The Haunted Palace is your typical cursed old house tale, but then you find out about the cursed mutant townspeople, the evil ancestors being burned at the stake, and the mysterious primeval creature in the dungeon — which makes for one pretty scary film.

The Haunted Palace 1963

The Haunted Palace, 1963. Directed by Roger Corman. Starring Vincent Price, Debra Paget, Lon Chaney Jr., Elisha Cook Jr.

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8. The Exorcist (1973)
Nothing says Halloween better than a can of Anderson’s Pea Soup (Campbell’s didn’t have the right “effect”) being vomited onto a priest. Also exorcism.

The Exorcist 1973

The Exorcist, 1973. Directed by William Friedkin. Starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller.

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9. Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu is in the Horror Hall of Fame and for good reason. To pull off such a frightening film with no sound and limited technology is absolutely amazing. It is no wonder that the film is considered a masterpiece of silent cinema. Well done, Murnau. Well done.

Nosferatu 1922

Nosferatu, 1922. Directed by F.W. Murnau. Starring Max Schreck, Greta Schröder, Ruth Landshoff.

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10. House of Wax (1953)
House of Wax features a compelling story and a strong cast (including a very young Charles Bronson) but the real magic is in the wax figures and Vincent Price’s character Jarrod’s obsession with them. It’s like a love story turned tragic as all hell breaks loose and Jarrod goes to extremes to perfect his “children”. Plus wax figures are just creepy in general.

House of Wax 1953

House of Wax, 1953. Directed by André De Toth. Starring Vincent Price, Phyllis Kirk, Paul Picerni, Charles Bronson.

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11. The Omen (1976)
It’s pretty much law that all children in horror movies have to be absolutely terrifying. And, this film is a prime example, for sure. What I find really scary about this movie, however, are all the strange occurrences that happened during filming. After reading the stories about how this movie is cursed, watching it is a six times worse.

The Omen, 1976

The Omen, 1976. Directed by Richard Donner. Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Stephens.

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12. Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
William Castle is known for cheesy fun horror, but Mr. Sardonicus is surprisingly dark. It’s mysterious and unnerving and there are some serious psychological elements at work. But all that aside, the film teaches a very valuable lesson about what a ghoul really is (and why it’s such a bad idea to be one).

Mr. Sardonicus, 1961.

Mr. Sardonicus, 1961. Directed by William Castle. Starring Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe

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13. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is such a classic story and it’s been made into many films, but what gets Rouben Mamoulian’s 1931 version onto this list is the hands down best Jekyll to Hyde transition I have ever seen. EVER. I am consistently blown away by it, even after finding out how it was done.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1931

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1931. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins.

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–Dana Walas for Classic Movie Hub

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Texas honors Audie Murphy with Legislative Medal of Honor

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

 

Audie Murphy awarded Texas Legislative Medal of Honor

Governor Rick Perry will formally present the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor posthumously to Major Audie L. Murphy on October 29, 2PM in a public ceremony in Farmersville, Texas.  The award will be accepted by Murphy’s sister, Mrs. Nadine Murphy-Lockey.

Audie Murphy

Murphy was America’s “most decorated” World War II combat soldier, earning an unprecedented thirty-three decorations, medals and citations, including the US Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart.  Throughout his military career he received every valor decoration the service awarded at that time and some of them he received twice.

Audie Murphy Medals

After the war, Audie Murphy appeared in over 50 films, spanning a 21-year career — most notably playing himself in the 1955 autobiographical war film To Hell and Back (based on his 1949 memoirs) which set a box-office record for Universal which wasn’t broken until Jaws was released in 1975.

To Hell and Back, Audie Murphy

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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Preserving History: The Essanay Studios Indiegogo Campaign

Posted on October 28, 2013 by minooallen

Preserving History: The Restoration of Iconic Essanay Studios

The Famous terracotta entrance to present-day Essanay Studios.

History is such a beautiful thing. Like a giant puzzle with endless pieces, History provides us with context for concepts and events as infinite in scope as Humanities’ past. History provides us with the many legends that help us understand who we are as human beings and how we have evolved over time. By studying history, by studying its patterns and cycles; its glories and its atrocities, we can create a blue print for our future because, as the famous saying goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

And of course, another beautiful thing about history is that it does not just live in books. It lives in the paintings at the MET, the peaks of The Selimiye Mosque; in the fields of Gettysburg and the ruins of The Colosseums. History is all around us like an all-encompassing reminder of our collective culture: of our humanity. However, for history to survive, for us to remember where we came from, it sometimes takes a little effort.

Restoration is an important part of historical preservation. It offers us a new link to our collective past, giving us a fresh perspective and appreciation of our history. And that is just what the Indiegogo Campaign for the Restoration of Essanay Studios is trying to do.

Essanay Studios at the turn of the century.

Essanay Studios has an interesting history. Founded in 1907 by George K. Spoor and Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson, Essanay had an important role as one of the top film studios during narrative films’ formative years. The film studio boasted some of silent films’ greatest stars such as Bebe Daniels, Wallace Beery, Edward Arnold, Gloria Swanson, Francis X. Bushman — and its most famous player, Charlie Chaplin. In fact, it was while under contract at Essanay Studios that Chaplin filmed The Tramp and crafted his now signature character into the lovable, pathos-riddled character that won the hearts of the entire world.

Charlie Chaplin with Ben Turpin and Charlotte Mineau in His New Job (1915, Charlie Chaplin director)

The Studio, however, would only enjoy a short time atop the silent film studio totem pole. Thanks to Chicago’s relentless winds and unpredictable weather, filmmakers sought locations that offered more control over their projects and within a decade nearly every major studio either went west or went broke. Although Essanay did open up a California branch of their studio (the Essanay-West studio in Niles), by 1920 the company ceased production all together.

However brief their reign as champion of the Silent Era, Essanay undoubtedly remains an important contributor to film development, having released over 1,400 films including the first American Sherlock Holmes (1916), the first American A Christmas Carol (1908), the hugely popular Broncho Billy westerns, and 14 Charlie Chaplin comedy shorts.

By donating just five dollars, you can help preserve film history, by helping to restore Chicago’s rightful place in the lexicon of American Film History. But don’t just take my work for it. Check out the Video below and see for yourself.

Help to Restore Essanay Studios

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Minoo Allen for Classsic Movie Hub

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Mini Tribute: Mark Sandrich at Work

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Born October 26, 1901 (?) Director Mark Sandrich!

Director Mark Sandrich began his film career working in the prop department, then moved on to directing shorts, and finally to directing feature length films.  During his 20-year film career, he directed over 75 shorts and films but he is probably best known for his work with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Bing Crosby: The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Shall We Dance, Carefree, Holiday Inn, Blue Skies.

So, to celebrate his successful musical career, let’s take a look at some fun behind-the-scenes photos…

Mark Sandrich, Ginger Rogers, Jerome Cowan, Shall We Dance Behind the ScenesGinger Rogers, Jerome Cowan and Mark Sandrich on the set of Shall We Dance (Mark Sandrich director, 1937)

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Mark Sandrich and Ginger Rogers Behind the Scenes Top Hat

Mark Sandrich and Ginger Rogers, Behind the Scenes at Top Hat (1935)

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Choreographer Hermes Pan, Director Mark Sandrich, Ira Gershwin, musical director Nat Shilkret, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, George Gershwin at the piano Production Still from Shall We Dance

How much talent can fit in one room???  Back row (left to right): Choreographer Hermes Pan, Director Mark Sandrich, Ira Gershwin, Musical Director Nat Shilkret; Front Row Seated (left to right): Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, George Gershwin (at the piano); on the set of Shall We Dance (1937)

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Mark Sandrich, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin

Mark Sandrich, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin

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Mark Sandrich and Fred Astaire

Couldn’t believe my eyes on this one, but yes indeedy, Mark Sandrich is dancing with Fred Astaire!

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

 

 

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All in the Family: Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti


Sisters Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett…

Constance Bennett was born Constance Campbell Bennett on October 22, 1904 in New York City. Her elder sister, actress Joan Bennett, was born Joan Geraldine Bennett on in Palisades, New Jersey.  Middle sister, actress Barbara Bennett was a little-known silent film actress, born on August 13, in 1906, also in Palisades, New Jersey. Their father was silent film star and matinee idol Richard Bennett and their mother was stage actress and literary agent Adrienne Morrison whose father was the stage actor Lewis Morrison.

Sisters Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett

Sisters Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett

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Barbara Bennett actressMiddle sister Barbara Bennett

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

 

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All in the Family: Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland…

Joan Fontaine was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917 to British parents Walter Augustus de Havilland (patent attorney) and Lilian Augusta (former stage actress). Olivia de Havilland, her elder sister,was born Olivia Mary de Havilland on 1 July 1916. Both sisters were in born in Toyko, Japan.  Their mother returned to acting  as Lillian Fontaine in 1945 (after both daughters achieved fame) debuting in the film The Lost Weekend as Mrs. St. James. 

Sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

Sisters: Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine

To date, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine are the only siblings to have ever won a ‘Leading Role’ Academy Award.  Fontaine won the Best Actress Oscar in 1942 for her role as Lina in Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941), and de Havilland won Best Actress in 1947 for her role as Jody Norris in Mitchell Leisen’s To Each His Own (1946), followed by a second Best Actress Oscar in 1950 for her role as Catherine Sloper in William Wyler’s The Heiress (1949).

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Lillian Fontaine: Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine's mother

And their mother, Lillian, who later returned to work as an actress under the stage name Lillian Fontaine

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Coincidence: Bela Lugosi and Arlene Francis

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Bela Lugosi and Arlene Francis share a birthday and a film:

Both Bela Lugosi & Arlene Francis appeared in Murders in the Rue Morgue — and both were born today October 20 (25 yrs apart!).  Murders in the Rue Morgue was Arlene Francis’ debut film role.

Bela Lugosi and Arlene Francis in Murders in the Rue Morgue 1932

Bela Lugosi as diabolical mad scientist Dr. Mirakle and Arlene Francis as the ‘Woman of the Streets’ who falls prey to him in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932, Robert Florey director). Lugosi was born on October 20, 1882 in Lugos, Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania) and Francis was born on October 20, 1907 in  Boston, Massachusetts.

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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TCM’s October Star of the Month: Vincent Price – Master of Horror

Posted on October 19, 2013 by minooallen

Vincent Price: Master of Horror

The reasons to love Vincent Price are too plentiful to count. He was a master of acting and a collector of art, a gourmet chef and a published author, a lover of poetry and a political activist. Yes, Vincent Price can be counted amongst the great renaissance men of the twentieth century but that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Although Price is a man of many, many titles, one title remains his most remembered and most beloved: Master of Horror.

The dastardly and debonaire Vincent Price

Although he may have started his film career as a debonair character actor, Price’s legacy will forever be linked to his impressive resume of horror films. Believe it or not, his first leading role in a horror movie did not even occur until almost 20 years into his acting career. After years of playing the vengeful anti-hero or villainous cad, Price solidified his legacy in 1953 with his starring role in House of Wax.

 

Warning, there are some spoilers ahead for House of Wax (1953 director Andre De Toth)

In House of Wax, Price plays ambitious museum owner/artist, Henry Jarrod, driven to madness and murder by a societal force not within his control. Not inherently an evil or cruel man, Jarrod’s evolution from a man of culture to a man of murder stems from when his years of work as a wax sculpture artist are stolen away from him as his business partner sets fire to their museum for the insurance money. Although Price’s transformation is violent, it is not entirely unsympathetic.  With this portrayal of culture and madness, of vulnerability and menace, Price molded the prototype that would lead him to silver screen immortality.

Very fittingly, Turner Classic Movies has chosen Vincent Price as their October Star of the Month. So, if you have not had the chance to engage yourself with Mr. Price yet then this is your chance. The last Thursdays in the month are entirely dedicated to his status as Horror Icon, starting with House of Wax, The Tingler, and House on Haunted Hill among others on October 24th. And of course, Halloween falls on Thursday this year, so if you’re like me and are finally ready to admit that you are too old for trick or treating, then just stay home, and join Robert Osborne to watch Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, and more.


Vincent Price in The Abominable Dr. Phibes, airing 1:00a.m Halloween night on Turner Classic Movies. For the rest of the schedule check out http://www.tcm.com/schedule/

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

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Classic Movie Coincidence: Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Annmarie Gatti

Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth share a birthday and a film:

Both Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth starred in Only Angels Have Wings — and both were born today October 17 (18 years apart!).

Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in Only Angels Have Wings

Rita Hayworth as Judy MacPherson (left) and Jean Arthur as Bonnie Lee (right) opposite Cary Grant as Geoff Carter and in Howard Hawks‘ Only Angels Have Wings.  Hayworth was born on October 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, NY and Arthur was born on October 17, 1900 in Plattsburgh, NY.

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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Musicals 101 (Part Four): Analyze the Dance. Part 2: The Spectacle

Posted on October 16, 2013 by minooallen

 

Musicals 101: Analyze the Dance.

Part 2: The Spectacle.

The backstage musical is a beautiful thing. While it is true that all musical numbers are ripe for spectacle, it is in the backstage musical where spectacle reigns supreme. The marriage of storyline to the musical number typified by the integrated musical is innately limiting to spectacle (in order to favor plot and character progression). In the integrated musical – when, where, and how the musical number takes place is dependent on how the the rest of the film will unfold. In short, the musical number must take place in the same world created by the plot. If “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” all of a sudden took place on the Brooklyn Bridge, it wouldn’t make much sense because New York City is not the world created by plot – Oz is.

Unless you are watching The Wiz. If you are watching The Wiz, disregard everything I have said.

The backstage musical, on the other hand, has no responsibly to the plotted world of character and story development.  Absent is the need to recall and incorporate previous numbers, for the backstage musical number exists in its own bubble of time. Isolated from the rules that dictate the rest of the film, the backstage musical number can transport the audience, well, anywhere it pleases. Let’s look at two numbers from Gold Diggers of 1933. “We’re in the Money” and “Remember My Forgotten Man.”

We’re in the Money. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933, director Melvyn LeRoy )

Both songs were choreographed by Busby Berkeley and share a similar theme to the film as a whole: Life during the depression. “We’re in the Money” takes place on the fantasy world of a stage. In this fantasy realm Ginger Rogers sings directly to the audience, informing them their troubles are over because, well, she is quite literally in the money. Rogers, along with her fellow dancers, is outfitted in a costume made almost entirely of coins, of money. Giant 30-foot coins act as background décor and the only props used by the dancers are, you guessed it, more coins. There are no subtleties here, only spectacle and since money is the theme of this song, it is money is you will get. This is the fantasy, the dream: a life outside of the poverty stricken depression the performers and its audience must live. A place where you can let go of your troubles and surround yourself with gold. “Remember my Forgotten Man”, however, is just the opposite.

Remember My Forgotten Man. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933, director Melvyn LeRoy )

“Remember My Forgotten Man” is the antithesis of “We’re in the Money.” The lyrics tell the tale of a war veteran who, upon returning home from war, is thrust into economic depression. The number begins on the streets, as a woman sings to the audience about her forgotten man, her wartime veteran. We then see the man, slumped on the ground, looking world weary and defeated. He’s almost arrested for loitering, his military metal acting as his only savior, the only proof of his personal sacrifice. Then, we’re whisked away to the past, watching lines of soldiers march in time, gleaming with pride as they parade down the street, saying goodbye to their wives and lovers. They continue to march as they are transported to the rainy aftermath of a wartime battle, forced to carry the wounded and the dying.  And we follow them as they march to their final destination, the breadlines, as rows and rows of veterans are now forced to live in poverty for the country they sacrificed so much for. Below is a link to the number.

Remember My Forgotten Man Number

If you were to follow the logic set forth by the plot, the musical number is literally impossible. The set changes, the time jumps and the sheer number of people could never happen in what I shall call “the real world.” But that doesn’t matter because the backstage musical number isn’t about “the real world.” It’s about creating spectacle, and if the musical number just happens to make a comment on the real world in the process, well that’s just a big ol’ plus.

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Minoo Allen for Classic Move Hub

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