Announcement: It’s the 8th Annual WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon

It’s hard to believe we’ve been hosting this blogathon for eight years now. But perhaps not that shocking considering that discussing those scene-stealing character actors is a crowd-pleasing pastime amongst cinephiles. Wise-cracking Eve Arden, nurturing Louise Beavers, sassy Thelma Ritter, double-take pro Edward Everett Horton, tart-tongued Edna May Oliver, gravelly-voiced Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, fatherly Charles Coburn, frazzled Franklin Pangborn, bull frog voiced, barrel-chested Eugene Pallette, … Continue reading Announcement: It’s the 8th Annual WHAT A CHARACTER! Blogathon

kelleeprattOctober 6, 2019October 10, 201910 Comments

Blogathon, Classic Film, classic film review, Comedy

THAT TOUCH OF MINK (1962)

Doris Day was 40 years old when Delbert Mann’s THAT TOUCH OF MINK (1962) premiered, cementing her ridiculous (yet popular) reputation as the “world’s oldest professional virgin.” At this point, she was flourishing in her career within a string of crowd-pleasing sex comedies and rom-coms from the late 1950s that continued into the 1960s. THAT TOUCH OF MINK followed a sure-fire formula with successful films … Continue reading THAT TOUCH OF MINK (1962)

kelleeprattOctober 5, 20197 Comments

Classic Film, Biography

My aunt Carolyn

I don’t usually post items so personal. Something so removed from my classic film thoughts. But as my family will come together today to honor my aunt Carolyn’s life, I felt compelled to share a few thoughts of my own. My aunt Carolyn… A summation of one’s life cannot be judged on only one slant of their personality, nor on the declining years if they … Continue reading My aunt Carolyn

kelleeprattSeptember 27, 20196 Comments

Blogathon, Classic Film, Film Noir

BORDER INCIDENT (1949)

Next month marks the 70th anniversary of the gripping film noir, Anthony Mann’s BORDER INCIDENT (1949). It’s a violent, intense, shocking, and visually stunning peek into the slave labor conditions of the braceros who work farming along the American/Mexican border. Here it is 70 years later, and I cannot think of anything more topically relevant. Don’t let the arid, sweltering heat of the Imperial valley … Continue reading BORDER INCIDENT (1949)

kelleeprattSeptember 25, 20195 Comments

Classic Film, classic tv, Comedy

Fangirling Doris Day

My love for Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff is no secret. As a classic film obsessive, I’m often asked who my favorite (male and female) movie stars are. With zero hesitation, Cary Grant and Doris Day. Even her name reflects that Day was destined to be star. Her mother gave her the name “Doris” after the silent film star Doris Kenyon. Later, “Day” was inspired … Continue reading Fangirling Doris Day

kelleeprattMay 14, 2019May 15, 201911 Comments

Classic Film, science fiction

Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

*The following are film study notes, as part of an ongoing Ray Harryhausen course I instruct in Lawrence, Kansas. What do you do when you’re a hard-working special effects guy, but need a European vacation? If you are Ray Harryhausen, you kill 2 birds with one stone by simply creating a monster movie opportunity in Italy. That’s exactly what Harryhausen did when he came up … Continue reading Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

kelleeprattApril 4, 20194 Comments

Classic Film, Biography

Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)

*The following are my notes as part of an ongoing Ray Harryhausen film study course, which I currently instruct in Lawrence, Kansas. We are about to set sail for a new type of adventure in our quest to explore the world of Ray Harryhausen. In this week’s screening and discussion, we take a marked turn from the black-and-white science fiction monsters and aliens. In Nathan … Continue reading Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)

kelleeprattApril 4, 2019April 4, 2019Leave a comment

Film Festivals

Top Picks for 2019 TCM Film Festival

Every year, devoted fans and attendees giddily await the full schedule release of the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. This year, the anticipation was even more palatable as this is the 10th anniversary. Happily, the time has arrived and after much anguishing decision-making, I have outlined my choices. As always, I cannot be held responsible for last-minute changes that often occur. TCM Film Festival Schedule- … Continue reading Top Picks for 2019 TCM Film Festival

kelleeprattMarch 25, 2019April 2, 20199 Comments

Classic Film

Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)

The following are my notes as I presented to my Film Study course, Ray Harryhausen. In this week’s class we discussed the big ape that continues to capture our hearts, sixteen years after the famous Pre-Code ape that started it all. Mighty Joe Young. For this week, we will explore Ray Harryhausen’s first feature, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949). While not his first solo feature, … Continue reading Ray Harryhausen Film Notes: MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)

kelleeprattMarch 15, 20195 Comments

Classic Film

The Ray Harryhausen Film Study

For a couple of years now, I’ve been teaching a series of classic film courses. Film Noir, Screwball Comedy, and Hitchcock are some of the topics we’ve tackled. Starting this week, we’re kicking off with a new adventure into a fantasy world of mythical creatures and monsters. A cinematic dream world created by Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen was so enthralled by the wonder of a stop-motion … Continue reading The Ray Harryhausen Film Study

kelleeprattMarch 3, 2019Leave a comment

Outspoken & Freckled

Kellee instructs on classic film, with historical perspective and deeper study.

Author: kelleepratt