Welcome! In this series we will explore the legendary actress Bette Davis through an introduction of her life and a selection of her films. By examining her life, we gain a glimpse into understanding her drive to become one of the best actresses on the Hollywood screen. Fans beloved her but the larger-than-life Bette was frequently misunderstood. The brutally honest but hard-working yank has often … Continue reading A Film Study: BETTE DAVIS
By the Autumn of 1945, Cary Grant, along with our global allies, surely breathed a collective sigh of relief. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan followed by surrendering on September 2, 1945. The second world war was over, but this was the deadliest global conflict in human history, with an estimated 50 to 85 … Continue reading Cary Grant Builds Trust Issues in NOTORIOUS (1946)
Today we’ll meet Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, a very different sort of ‘challenged married man’ than we met in his prior film, PENNY SERENADE. In contrast, Frank Capra’s ARSENIC and OLD LACE is madcap macabre whirled into a hilarious, bigger-than-Brooklyn tale. Before being made into a film, ARSENIC and OLD LACE was a huge hit on the Broadway stage. Playwright Joseph Kesselring was said … Continue reading A Spooky Study: ARSENIC and OLD LACE
Get your hankies ready. Today, we’re discussing George Stevens’ PENNY SERENADE. This is the third feature film pairing of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. While audiences had seen both Dunne and Grant in some dramatic roles in the 1930s, each had gained their biggest successes via comedies. This film takes a dramatic turn to melodrama. Director George Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) … Continue reading Beautiful Tearjerker: PENNY SERENADE (1941)
As we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day under polarized politics that grows increasingly similar in tension to an era over one hundred sixty years ago when our union was splintered in turmoil, let’s explore a cinematic tale of likely the most iconic of all American figures in John Ford’s YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939). In the role of the young Abe Lincoln is Henry Fonda. Fonda … Continue reading The Fate of Freedom, Ford, and YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
In my last entry, we discussed Cary Grant’s first feature-length film, Frank Tuttle’s THIS IS THE NIGHT. That year, Cary starred in many Paramount films, under the first year of his contract. Today’s session, we’ll cover MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940). From 1932 to this film in 1940, Cary worked in 35 films. By the late 1930s, Cary finished up his Paramount contract, signed onto a … Continue reading Cary Grant Steps Out in MY FAVORITE WIFE
More than likely, if you are a Cary Grant fan, your first introduction came via films like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or another Hitchcock classic, or perhaps one of his earlier films co-starring Kate Hepburn. Less likely, you probably didn’t receive your first glimpse of Old Hollywood’s legendary leading man via his first feature length film, THIS IS THE NIGHT. As we mentioned in our overview … Continue reading A Cary Grant Pre-Code-THIS IS THE NIGHT
Recently, as I was tuning into TCM, I stumbled across THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Even though I’ve watched it countless times, I rarely pass up the opportunity to indulge in this cinematic pleasure. As I was enjoying the incredible performances of Lana Turner and John Garfield, I pondered Garfield’s impressive cinematic career. Like a star that shines brightly and burns out too soon, his … Continue reading John Garfield- The Final Bow
In the Golden age of Hollywood, few names are as infamous as Cary Grant. He was the very definition of dapper sophistication on the big screen. He could do drama, comedy, and was the most desired of romantic leads. Fans either wanted to be him or be with him. But the truth was far from the popular image on the screen. Cary Grant was born … Continue reading CARY GRANT, a Film Study of the Man and the Myth
(The following was included as part of my John Ford Film Study course which I taught in the winter/early spring semester of 2023. This is the last film featured in this Ford series. Please enjoy…) For our last film of this John Ford study, it seems rather fitting to end with the film that many consider to be Ford’s last great film, THE MAN WHO … Continue reading Ford’s Cinematic Send Off: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
Outspoken & Freckled 