Classic Movie Hub Blog

Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Lauren Bacall

Posted on September 16, 2012 by minooallen

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Lauren Bacall, born on September 16, 1924!

Lauren Bacall is a survivor. And not just in a sense that she survived her late, idolized husband Humphrey Bogart. No — her will to survive goes beyond that. What I am talking about is her will to survive in the Industry that created her: Hollywood. Although she is a product of the old Studio System of Classic Hollywood, she is not a relic of it. Her ability to evolve with the ever-changing Hollywood landscape has offered her longevity in a town that cherishes youthful beauty above all else. While other living legends born of the Classic Hollywood era have either stopped acting altogether or serve as a reminder of what once was, Bacall remains relevant in the current mode of Hollywood production by engaging with, and in, it. She has survived the death of a husband, the death of the studio system and the death of the industry paradigm that molded her, all while ‘maintaining’ within the fickle world of Hollywood super stardom. So, let us celebrate this survivor by looking at her evolution from Studio Star to modern Actor.

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Lauren Bacall at the start of her career in To Have or Have Not (1942, Howard Hawks director)

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Lauren Bacall evolving with the Industry in Murder on the Orient Express (1974, Sidney Lumet director)

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Lauren Bacall surviving in the modern industry in Birth (2004, Jonathan Glazer director)

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Lauren Bacall by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Birthday Legends, Legends Tribute, Posts by Minoo Allen | Tagged birth, Classic Movie Actress, howard hawks, humphrey bogart, lauren bacall, murder on the orient express, sidne lumet, to have or have not | 1 Comment

What a Character! Blogathon Update

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Counting down the days ’til the “What a Character” Blogathon! My first ever Blogathon, I might add, and I’m greatly looking forward to it!

Some of the marvelous Character Actors being covered are: Ann Miller,
Beulah Bondi, Charles McGraw, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Edward Everett Horton, Eli Wallach, Elsa Lanchester, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, Louise Beavers, Marjorie Main, Erik Rhodes, Una O’Connor, Ward Bond and Eric Blore. For the Complete Listing, click here.

AND…
If you are interested in joining the Blogathon, please visit one of the three host sites for further information:

Kellee – Twitter @IrishJayHawk66 email – prattkellee@gmail.com Blog – Outspoken and Freckled

Paula – Twitter @Paula_Guthat email – Paula.Guthat@gmail.com Blog – Paula’s Cinema Club

Aurora – Twitter @CitizenScreen email – Citizenscreenclassics@gmail.com Blog – Once Upon A Screen

See you in a few days!

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Blogathons, Character Actors, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Leave a comment

Mini Tribute: Scream Queen Fay Wray

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Born September 15, 1907, Fay Wray!

‘Scream Queen’ Fay Wray is (of course) best remembered as King Kong‘s Leading Lady.

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Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Fay Wray by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Mini Tributes, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged Fay Wray Scream Queen, King Kong | Leave a comment

Mini Tribute: Child Actor Jackie Cooper

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Born September 15, 1922, Child Actor Jackie Cooper!

Jackie Cooper was the First Child Actor ever to receive an Oscar Nomination (Best Actor Nominee for Skippy in 1931). He remained the youngest Oscar Nominee (at age 9) in any category until Justin Henry’s Nomination at age 8 for Best Supporting Actor in Kramer vs Kramer in 1980.

I, however, know him best from the Our Gang series, and of course as Dink in The Champ (1931).

(Wallace Beery with Jackie Cooper, as Dink, in The Champ, 1931)

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Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Jackie Cooper by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Child Stars, Mini Tributes, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged Jackie Cooper, Our Gang, skippy, The Champ 1931, wallace beery | Leave a comment

The Birds is Coming! (TCM Fathom Movie Event)

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

“The Birds” is Coming to Town: I’m already getting chills just thinking about it!

Oh Boy! “The Birds” is Coming — thanks to NCM Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Universal!

On Wed, Sept 19, at 7PM — in celebration of Universal’s 100th Anniversary — The Birds will be shown at select theaters nationwide (see link below). This movie event will begin with an exclusive TCM Robert Osbourne interview with Tippi Hedren. Hedren will reveal how this movie launched AND ended her career! The featurette will also include archival footage of Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette sharing stories about the making of the film.

List of Participating Theaters

For more details: The Birds TCM Fathom Event Details

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Fathom Events, Posts by Annmarie Gatti, TCM | Tagged alfred hitchcock, Fathom Events, movie theater screenings, Rody Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, TCM, the birds, tippi hedren, Universal Pictures | 2 Comments

Mini Tribute: Character Actor Billy Gilbert

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Born September 12, 1894, Character Actor Billy Gilbert!

Billy Gilbert appeared in over 200 films, shorts and TV shows. He played lots of comic villains and was most famously a fabulous foil for Laurel & Hardy. He was particularly well-known for his comic sneeze routine — and was the voice of Sneezy in Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs!

Billy Gilbert as Professor von Schwarzenhoffen in The Music Box with Laurel & Hardy.

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Billy Gilbert as the model and voice of Disney’s Sneezy in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

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Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Billy Gilbert by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Character Actors, Mini Tributes, Posts by Annmarie Gatti, Video Clips | Tagged Billy Gilbert, Disney, Laurel & Hardy, Oliver Hardy, Sneezy, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Stan Laurel, The Music Box, Walt Disney | Leave a comment

Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Maurice Chevalier

Posted on September 12, 2012 by minooallen

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Maurice Chevalier, born on September 12, 1888!

Maurice Chevalier is what some like to call a born entertainer. His impeccable comedic timing and exaggerated heavy French accent combined with poor-working class background made him an extremely approachable star in any country he entered. With a career that includes singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics and Sprechgesang, it’s no surprise that Chevalier was the biggest French export to hit the American shores since, well, Napoleon. So, let us pay tribute to this amazing performer by highlighting three separate aspects of this amazing performer: The Man, The Actor, and The Voice

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Maurice Chevalier, the man, in uniform. He fought for the French Army during World War One.

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Maurice Chevalier, the actor, in Gigi. (1958, Vincent Minnelli director)

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Maurice Chevalier, the voice, singing the theme song to The Artistocats. (1970, Wolfgang Reitherman director)

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Maurice Chevalier by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Birthday Legends, Legends Tribute, Posts by Minoo Allen | Tagged classic film acor, classic movie, french, french army, gigi, hollywood, maurice chevalier, the aristocats, vincent minnelli | Leave a comment

Classic Movie Legend Tribute: Robert Wise

Posted on September 10, 2012 by minooallen

Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Robert Wise, born on September 10, 1914!

Some directors become legends by carving a cinematic niche for themselves. Alfred Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense. Frank Capra has a tendency to champion the everyday man. George Cukor is synonyms with melodrama. And then there are the directors at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are the directors who defy genre, working in any and all modes of storytelling. Although they may lack the public acclaim that the before-mentioned niche directors have, many of them have directed beloved films that hold a special place in the collective minds of movie goers. Robert Wise is one of those directors. Starting out as an editor for Orson Welles, Wise would go on to direct some of classic Hollywood’s greatest crowd-pleasers. So, to pay tribute to this multi-faceted director, let’s look at some of his greatest accomplishments. A best of, if you will.

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Robert Wise, the sci-fi director for The Day the Earth Stood Still. (1951)

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Robert Wise, the musical director for The West Side Story. (1961)

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Robert Wise, the horror director for the haunting. (1963)

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Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub

Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Robert Wise by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.

Posted in Birthday Legends, Directors, Legends Tribute, Posts by Minoo Allen | Tagged classic film, classic fim director, Robert Wise, the day the earth stood still, the haunting, the west side story | Leave a comment

DVD Giveaway: Gregory Peck His Own Man

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Hollywood Collection DVD Giveaway Week Two: Gregory Peck His Own Man

For Week Two of this very special month-long promotion (courtesy of Janson Media) CMH is giving away FIVE copies of the Hollywood Collection DVD: Gregory Peck His Own Man!

All you have to do is be one of the 1st five fans to rate 12 posts on CMH’s BlogHub. Simple as that! CMH has 14 BlogHub Member Blogs now — and I’m hoping that, as you browse and rate posts from these really terrific Classic Movie Bloggers, you’ll discover some new and exciting blogs to follow!

And if you don’t win this week, you can enter again next week to win yet another Hollywood Collection DVD (Grace Kelly, The American Princess). And there will be even more prizes to follow!

About the Gregory Peck His Own Man DVD:
One of Hollywood’s most enduring and popular stars draws on his memories to tell the amusing and touching story of how it was when the studios ruled supreme, and how a shy and inarticulate boy from a broken family could rise to super stardom to become one of the most handsome, attractive and respected of movie leading men. This entertainment special includes clips from Peck’s most important movies including The Yearling, To Kill a Mockingbird, Spellbound, Moby Dick, Roman Holiday, Duel in the Sun, The Guns of Navarone, MacArthur, Captain Hornblower, The Boys From Brazil – and features interviews with Jane Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Liza Minnelli, Anthony Quinn, Jack Lemmon, Lauren Bacall, directors Robert Mulligan and J. Lee Thompson, and Peck’s son Stephen. LENGTH: 54 Minutes – Total Content: 90 Minutes

Contest Information

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Contests & Giveaways, Posts by Annmarie Gatti | Tagged DVD Giveaway, Gregory Peck His Own Man, Hollywood Collection, Janson Media | Leave a comment

Mini Tribute: Character Actor Roscoe Karns

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Annmarie Gatti

Born September 7, 1891, Character Actor Roscoe Karns!

Roscoe Karns appeared in over 145 roles, many times as a street-wise, wisecracking fellow. My favorite Roscoe Karns role??? Well, that would have to be Shapely in It Happened One Night!

You know, there’s nothing I like better than to meet a high-class mama that can snap ’em back at ya. ‘Cause the colder they are, the hotter they get. That’s what I always say. Yes, sir, when a cold mama gets hot, boy, how she sizzles.
–Roscoe Karns (as Shapeley) to poor Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night