Originally posted on cinematically insane:
Charles Durning was unforgettable as Jessica Lange’s rough-hewn father in Sydney Pollack’s TOOTSIE (1982), falling for Dustin Hoffman’s faux female leading lady in a performance both hilarious and heartfelt. He received Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nominations as the governor in Colin Higgins’ THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (1982) and Col. Ehrhardt in Mel Brooks’ TO BE OR NOT… Continue reading Charles Durning: War Hero

“We all respect sincerity in our friends and acquaintances, but Hollywood is willing to pay for it.”                                                               … Hattie McDaniel  Hattie McDaniel was a character actor whose presence on the silver screen is one we shall never forget. In addition to her memorable performances on screen, her impact beyond the celluloid made this actress into a cinematic legend and a true pioneer in the … Continue reading HATTIE McDANIEL: Pioneer Character

Originally posted on Paula's Cinema Club:
Frank McHugh was perhaps the epitome of a reliable supporting player. You know this guy — you might not know his name, but you know his face. As a Warner Brothers contract player in the ‘30s and ‘40s, no one backstopped stars like Bing Crosby, William Powell, and James Cagney better than McHugh. He was an expert at… Continue reading Frank McHugh’s Most Important Role

Hello classic film fans!  Today we kick-off the 2nd annual WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon. Created by the classic-film-jonesing, blogging trio of  Aurora @citizenscreen of Once Upon A Screen, Paula @Paula_Guthat of Paula’s Cinema Club and myself, Kellee @Irishjayhawk66 of Outspoken & Freckled and inspired by Turner Classic Movie channel, we celebrate our favorite scene-stealing, quirky character actors. Time and time again, we find ourselves looking … Continue reading Day 1: WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon 2013 is HERE!

Continue reading Kenji Sahara – What a Character!

With as much excitement as Steve Martin in THE JERK (1979) with the arrival of new phone books, I enthusiastically offer you the 2013 WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon schedule!! Back by popular demand, the zany classic-film-loving and blogging trio of Aurora (aka @citizenscreen) of Once Upon A Screen, Paula (aka @Paula_Guthat) of Paula’s Cinema Club and Kellee (aka @IrishJayhawk66) of Outspoken & Freckled (moi!) bring … Continue reading WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon Schedule

Originally posted on Once upon a screen…:
Co-hosts, Kellee of Outspoken & Freckled, Paula of Paula’s Cinema Club and Aurora (me) of Once Upon a Screen announced this year’s WHAT A CHARACTER! blogathon on September 10th.  And now – it’s over!  Over forty bloggers submitted entries on some of the most beloved character actors in classic film – a truly impressive list of actors that represent all genre of… Continue reading WHAT A CHARACTER! blogathon Schedule

Originally posted on Once upon a screen…:
The camera pans across a courtyard bypassing windows, showing glimpses of life.  The view is – counter-clockwise and in full circle – from a rear window.  Our perspective changes as the camera dictates and as it completes the circle we enter through that rear window and land upon the sweaty forehead of a sleeping man.  The thermostat reads… Continue reading Hitchcock’s masterpiece, REAR WINDOW