LIFE! What a racket!

 Fred Astaire

 Ginger Rogers

 Joan Crawford

 Dennis Hoffman

 Claudette Colbert

Lana Turner

Merry Christmas!

Hope you find something wonderful beneath the tree!

Today on TCM!


Susan Slept Here (1954) Powell's last film before getting behind the camera!
A Hollywood screenwriter takes in a runaway girl who's more woman than he can handle.
Cast: Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Anne Francis, Glenda Farrell Dir: Frank Tashlin 


A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Terry Kilburn Dir: Edwin L. Marin 


Ben-Hur (1959)
While seeking revenge, a rebellious Israelite prince crosses paths with Jesus Christ.
Cast: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins. Dir: William Wyler


The King of Kings (1961)
Epic retelling of Christ's life and the effects of his teachings on those around him. Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Robert Ryan, Hurd Hatfield Dir: Nicholas Ray 

Holiday Inn (1942)

A while back, Sally from Flying Down to Hollywood came up with a wonderful holiday project called The 12 Days of Christmas in order to compile 12 different Christmas film favorites. Here's mine:

Holiday Inn begins on Christmas Eve when the performing trio of singer Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), dancer Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), and singer and dancer Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) perform what Jim thinks to be their last show together. He plans on marrying Lila that night and heading to the Connecticut farm he’s bought for them. Unfortunately, Lila isn’t ready to give up the limelight and chooses to marry Ted and continue performing instead. Jim admits defeat and heads to his farm with plans to finally relax.

 After a year of struggling to keep his farm going, Jim lands himself in the sanitarium for much needed recuperation where he comes up with the less exhausting occupation of turning his farm into a club called Holiday Inn, which features home cooked meals and live entertainment but only on holidays. So on Christmas Eve, Jim heads off to New York to tell Ted and Lila his plans and let his former agent, Danny Reed (Walter Abel) to gather up any talent that may be interested. When Danny runs into Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds), an ambitious performer who works in a florist shop, he sends her to Connecticut to audition for Jim where she promptly gets a job.

On New Year's Eve Holiday Inn opens to a crowded house and back in New York Ted finds himself jilted by Lila who has run off with a Texas millionaire. Ted arrives at Holiday Inn quite intoxicated and engages in a dance with Linda where he eventually collapses in a drunken stupor. Thinking it all a big gag, the patrons applaud Ted and his “new partner”. However, Jim has fallen for Linda and wonders how to keep her from running off with Ted like Lila did. Much to Jim’s relief, Ted cannot remember who Linda is, however he’s determined to find her, it destiny!

Thus Jim takes on the task of making sure Ted never finds out who Linda is. He makes it through Lincoln’s birthday and even proposes to Linda who readily accepts. However, Ted discovers her on Valentine’s Day and insists that they perform together for Washington's birthday. Though Linda is excited to be Ted’s partner, she wants to stay at Holiday Inn and eventually marry Jim.

When Jim overhears that Danny has brought two Hollywood film producers to see the Fourth of July show and still doubtful that Linda won’t give him up for a bigger career in the spotlight, he asks his driver, Gus (Irving Bacon), to make sure that Linda does not arrive in time for the show. He also invites Lila, who didn’t get marry after all, to perform. Gus, who’s at a loss for how to keep Linda from arriving on time, drives his cab into a pond. When Linda hitches a ride on the road, she is picked up by Lila and learns of Jim’s deceit. She then switches to the driver seat, telling Lila she knows a great shortcut and drives her car into the pond as well.

Forced to perform alone, Ted does a wonderful firecracker dance and Linda shows up after the show is over. She accuses Jim of not trusting her judgment and for letting her miss out on the opportunity. The producers offer to buy the idea of Holiday Inn to use as the basis of a musical and Jim reluctantly agrees to the idea, but insists on remaining in Connecticut to write the music while Ted and Linda go to Hollywood.

On Thanksgiving Day, a lonely and dispirited Jim has closed up Holiday Inn, reading that Ted and Linda are engaged he is in no mood to celebrate. His housekeeper, Mamie (Louise Beavers), convinces him to fight for Linda because she knows Linda really loves him. So Jim arrives in Hollywood on Christmas Eve, just before Ted and Linda's wedding and despite Ted and Danny's efforts, wins Linda back. Finally, on New Year's Eve, the two couples, Jim and Linda and Ted and Lila, perform together at the newly opened Holiday Inn.

Holiday Inn is one of my favorite holiday movies. I like it because it encompasses all the holidays celebrated including Lincoln and Washington's birthdays which we no longer observe separately. Bing Crosby is hilarious as the jilted and cautions inn owner. His singing, combined with Irving Berlin's music is divine. Then we have Fred Astaire's dancing which is always a treat and escpecially so with his Fourth of July dance. There are many quirky moments in the film and some are quite hilarious such as Jim's explosive peach perserves.
I have only watched the black and white version of Holiday Inn though I hear there is  new special edition out that features the film in color as well. It's definitely worth watching just to see the ultimate song and dance duo perform together.

Trivia:
The animated Thanksgiving turkey that walks between the Thursday dates of the 20th and 27th is a reference to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s failed attempt to change the date of the holiday.


The reason behind his change via Wikipedia:

Abraham Lincoln's successors as president followed his example of annually declaring the final Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving. But in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with this tradition. November had five Thursdays that year (instead of the usual four), and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving rather than the fifth one. Although many popular histories state otherwise, he made clear that his plan was to establish the holiday on the next-to-last Thursday in the month instead of the last one. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would help bring the country out of the Depression. At the time, advertising goods for Christmas before Thanksgiving was considered inappropriate [IMAGINE THAT!]. Fred Lazarus, Jr., founder of the Federated Department Stores (later Macy's), is credited with convincing Roosevelt to push Thanksgiving back a week to expand the shopping season.
Republicans decried the change, calling it an affront to the memory of Lincoln. People began referring to Nov. 30 as the "Republican Thanksgiving" and Nov. 23 as the "Democratic Thanksgiving" or "Franksgiving". Regardless of the politics, many localities had made a tradition of celebrating on the last Thursday, and many football teams had a tradition of playing their final games of the season on Thanksgiving; with their schedules set well in advance, they could not change. Since a presidential declaration of Thanksgiving Day was not legally binding, Roosevelt's change was widely disregarded. Twenty-three states went along with Roosevelt's recommendation, 22 did not, and some, like Texas, could not decide and took both days as government holidays.

Tonight on TCM! Actually, it's not until 2AM tomorrow morning but I cannot wait to see this film!
8 1/2 (1963) A world-famous film director juggles his romantic relationships while trying to come up with an idea for his next picture.Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo Dir: Federico Fellini

Babes In Arms

James Cagney, mean mugging already!

Errol Flynn

Jean Harlow

Fred Astaire

Ginger Rogers

Harold Lloyd

Merle Oberon (strangely looking exactly as my grandmother did at this age)

Marlon Brando

Natalie Wood

Tonight on TCM!

THE ESSENTIALS: LOUIS JOURDAN

Speakeasy: Crosby and Astaire

Click on pic to enlarge.

Blue Skies (1946)

I saw Blue Skies the other night and instead of going into a lengthy synopsis, I thought I would highlight my favorite parts of the film. Blue Skies was supposed to be Astaire's swan song until fate gave him the chance to work with Judy Garland two years later as a replacement for Gene Kelly in Easter Parade. Though Astaire thought he was getting on in years and wanted to stop dancing in 1946, Easter Parade brought him fully out of retirement and he did several films afterwards.

Best Puttin' On the Ritz routine ever!



Watching Bing dance is hilarious!!



I couldn't find the wonderful skit Billy De Wolfe did in Blue Skies but I see they took advantage of the same character for this Ban deodorant commercial from the sixties.

Tonight on TCM! If you like Walter Matthau, you'll get plenty of him here!
Plaza Suite (1971) A New York hotel room is the setting for three stories of romantic squabbles. Cast: Walter Matthau, Lee Grant, Barbara Harris, Maureen Stapleton Dir: Arthur Hiller

Quotables

This quote was on my iGoogle this morning. It's one of Bob Thaves best lines in his comic strip Frank and Ernest.

The Fred n' Gingers: Roberta (1935)

John Kent (Randolph Scott), a former star football player at Harvard, goes to Paris with his friend Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) and the latter's dance band, the Wabash Indianians. Alexander Voyda (Luis Alberni) has booked the band, but refuses to let them play when he finds the musicians are not the Indians he expected, but merely from the state.
John turns to the only person he knows in Paris for help, his Aunt Minnie (Helen Westley), who owns the fashionable "Roberta" gown shop. While there, he meets her chief assistant (and secretly the head designer), Stephanie (Irene Dunne). John is quickly smitten with her.
Meanwhile, Huck unexpectedly stumbles upon someone he knows very well. "Countess Scharwenka", a temperamental customer at Roberta's, turns out to be his hometown sweetheart Lizzie Gatz (Ginger Rogers). She gets Huck's band an engagement at the nightclub where she is a featured entertainer.
Two things trouble John. One is Ladislaw (Victor Varconi), the handsome Russian doorman/deposed prince who seems too interested in Stephanie. The other is the memory of Sophie (Claire Dodd), the snobbish, conceited girlfriend he left behind after a quarrel over his lack of sophistication and polish.
When Aunt Minnie dies unexpectedly without leaving a will, John inherits the shop. Knowing nothing about women's fashion and that his aunt intended for Stephanie to inherit the business, he persuades Stephanie to remain as his partner. Correspondents flock to hear what a football player has to say about feminine fashions. Huck gives the answers, making a lot of weird statements about the innovations John is planning to introduce.
Sophie arrives in Paris, attracted by John's good fortune. She enters the shop, looking for a dress, but is dissatisfied with everything Stephanie shows her. Huck persuades her to choose a gown that John had ordered discarded as too vulgar. When John sees her in it, they quarrel for the final time.
John reproaches Stephanie for selling Sophie the gown. Terribly hurt, Stephanie quits the shop. With Roberta's putting on a fashion show in a week, Huck takes over the design work, with predictably bad results. When Stephanie sees his awful creations, she is persuaded to return to save Roberta's reputation.
The show is a triumph, helped by the entertaining of Huck, Countess Scharwenka, and the band. The closing sensation is a gown modeled by Stephanie herself. At the show, John overhears that she and Ladislaw are leaving Paris and mistakenly assumes that they have married. Later, he congratulates her for becoming a princess. When she informs him that Ladislaw is merely her cousin and that the title has been hers since birth, the lovers are reunited. Fred and Ginger do a final tap dance sequel. - Wikipedia






I'm sure I have seen an Astaire/Rogers picture before but I can't seem to recall which it was so I am using Roberta as my first. Roberta is the third of ten dancing partnerships of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and I thought it was an injustice that they received second billing on this film because they totally carried it. Irene Dunne is a favorite of mine but I guess I only like her as a screwball comedienne, she was simply flat in this picture. An accomplished singer in her own right, I couldn't help but feel that she sang too much in this film- though I did enjoy her version of "Smoke Gets in your Eyes" which was written specifically for the Broadway version of Roberta (My favorite song from The Platters, I assumed they had written it). The storyline for Roberta is weak with a lot of attention to the fashion including a fashion show. Though there were some awfully beautiful gowns, even the one John finds "vulgar", it was reminiscent of Fashions of 1934 sans William Powell to give it a little punch and so I considered it a snore. The only highlights of the film are when Astaire and Rogers dance and sing- especially when Rogers sings "I'll Be Hard to Handle". Her accent which was an homage to the Polish-born actress Lyda Roberti who played the role on Broadway was impeccable.



Side note:
Before she became the world's most famous housewife, Lucille Ball, who appears uncredited in this film as a fashion model, really was a fashion model for designer Hattie Carnegie. With a body and face similar to Carole Lombard, she ironically modeled clothes for Lombard once.

Tonight on TCM!
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Three prospectors fight off bandits and each other after striking-it-rich in the Mexican mountains.Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett Dir: John Huston

Happy Father's Day!

Gary Cooper and daughter

Vincent Minnelli and daughter



Mickey Rooney and son

John Wayne and daughter

Stan Laurel and daughter

Orson Welles and daughter

James Stewart and family

Humphrey Bogart and son

Henry Fonda and children

John Huston and children

Fred Astaire and son

Robert Montgomery and daughter

Leslie Howard and daughter

David Niven and daughter

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and son

Charles Chaplin and children

Cary Grant and daughter

Tonight on TCM!

Vincent Minnelli!