Discussion of old movies and the culture that made them.
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The days of summer theatre when big screen stars came to a tent or barn near you. Here's Myrna Loy at the Colonie Summer Theatre in Colonie, New York from 1967, in Barefoot in the Park. In two years, the tent was replaced with a permanent building, then called the Colonie Coliseum, and after plays gave way to musical acts in the 1970s, the venue closed in 1997 and was demolished in 2012. One…
Ann Blyth left us last night at 98 years of age. Her millions of fans join her family and friends in sorrow for her loss, but we can continue to celebrate her memory as a profoundly talented actress and singer, and a wonderful human being. I have written so much about her career, I will not repeat it here, but here is a link to a People online obituar y that summarizes her achievements. She was…
I offer this re-post about observations on both the film 1776 and the 250th on July 4th, which at the time of this post was still eight years away. I reread with it chagrin and sadness, but still with a stubborn hope that revolutions come in many forms and the Republic is still alive with some hope that the courage that gave birth to it may yet save it. The nostalgia in the piece remains a warm…
Memorial Day, when heroes should be remembered with reverence for fighting not only for our country, but for the very idea of democracy. Robert Cummings in Saboteur (1942) has an inspirational showdown of words with Otto Kruger . Copyright 2019 by Jacqueline T Lynch. No reuse is permitted without permission.
Happy National Classic Movie Day! I celebrate the continuing relevance of classic films. Here, Spencer Tracy in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). I celebrate when movies took a stand. ******************* ************ Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star . and Movies in Our Time - Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century and Hollywood Fights Fascism and…
Sons of the Desert (1933) brings Laurel and Hardy into the fold of a fraternal organization that, with manly promises of fidelity to the club, gives them courage to deceive their wives and escape for a holiday at the annual convention without them. This is my entry in the “Make ‘Em Laugh” blogathon hosted by the Classic Movie Blog Association. Have a look here for more great bloggers . The hijinks…
Happy National Cartoonists Day to my twin brother, John! Arte Acher's Falling Circus , a collection of silly cartoons! In paperback or eBook! Copyright 2019 by Jacqueline T Lynch. No reuse is permitted without permission.
Easter silliness is celebrated with misadventures on Our Miss Brooks , when Eve Arden and her stellar cast get themselves covered in Easter egg dye. This radio program was actually aired Easter Sunday, April 9, 1950. Over in The Great Gildersleeve' s neighborhood, the cast prepares for a more spiritual Easter, with plans to attend the Easter Sunrise Service, at which Birdie, played by the…
Ward Cleaver sat sipping coffee with his wife, June, in their suburban kitchen and mentioned, “When I was in the Seabees, I got into a fight over a picture of Lana Turner.” It’s not something we expect of Ward, but little droplets of his life through the series, before he came The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and his children’s go-to guy for getting them out of trouble, were fascinating. More than…
Inherit the Wind (1960) pits Fredric March versus Spencer Tracy, and fundamentalist religion versus science, but at its core is the premise that knowledge should not be repressed because the religious right is uncomfortable with it. This is obviously a timely message for our present era, but the script was based on the 1955 play by Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence, whose message was more about…
