For this installment of our Bette Davis study, we’ll explore another significant role for Davis as “Julie Marsden” in William Wyler’s JEZEBEL (1938). As we have addressed in our introduction, the often contradictory and complicated, undoubtedly attention-grabbing, and fiery, yet with a heart-of-gold persona of Bette Davis, “Julie” will pull us in to a similar path of discovery. JEZEBEL was nominated for the Academy Award … Continue reading Exploring JEZEBEL (1938)
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
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)
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
For classic film fans, the holiday season represents a time to wax nostalgic over those classic films that pop up this time of year. Everyone has his or her own must-see favorites. Perhaps you prefer a mainstream flavor like WHITE CHRISTMAS or IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, or perhaps you go for something a bit under the mainstream radar like HOLIDAY AFFAIR or IT HAPPENED ON … Continue reading Christmas in Connecticut – Holiday Classic or Feminist Screwball?
Many a cinephile enjoy debating what films merit the definition for a holiday movie. Ever since Preston Sturges directed THE MIRACLE of MORGAN’S CREEK (1944), the controversy surrounding the film was less focused on whether it’s a Christmas movie, but more on the shock that it ever passed the production code under Breen’s watchful eyes. Written and directed by the king of screwball comedies, Preston Sturges, The Miracle … Continue reading A Christmas Miracle Comes for Trudy Kockenlocker
With this Ford film, we’ll continue the themes from rugged wilderness and racism as discussed in my coverage of THE SEARCHERS, into similar territory in SERGEANT RUTLEDGE. We will take a closer look at the ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ of the U.S. Cavalry history, but with the suspense of a courtroom drama. For discussion of this film’s story, it’s important to note the historical relevance of Black … Continue reading A Western Rarity: SERGEANT RUTLEDGE (1960)
We’re in for a real treat. Many consider, and I’m in full agreement, that James Whale’s THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) to be the best of the Universal classic monster films. The question is WHY? We’ll discuss that, and perhaps you’ll have your own opinions on this. We have studied several Universal horrors up to this point, along with the details of what was transpiring … Continue reading A Case for Campy or Creepy-THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
Outspoken & Freckled 