A Movie that Grows on You: April in Paris (1952)
Have you attended a theatre or cabaret show in Paris? We, sadly, have not. That was something we missed on a trip to Paris many years ago, even though there was much else to enjoy. We were reminiscing...
View ArticleJoyful Anarchy: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Sometimes we need a film where society’s rules are cheerfully trampled upon. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) is the perfect example of joyful anarchy. The titular character, Ferris Bueller, is a high...
View ArticleHow to Take Revenge on Your Fiancé
The best thing about 1930s screwball comedies is the practical solutions they offer for everyday problems. Look at A Bride for Henry (1937). Not only is it an excellent guide for choosing a marriage...
View ArticleFilm, Release, Repeat: Blondie & Dagwood Movies
We loved newspaper comic strips as a kid. We felt there was something Grown Up about reading a newspaper, even if it was just the funny pages. Lots of adults read the funny pages, too, we told...
View ArticleBob Hope’s Double-Crossing Christmas Scam
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) is a movie about con men, lemon drops, and substantial debts at Christmas. It’s not an obvious holiday theme, but someone did have the Bright Idea to mix a Damon Runyon* short...
View ArticleMr. & Mrs. Smith: Alfred Hitchcock’s Romantic Comedy
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) is a perfectly lovely romantic comedy about a married couple who briefly separate, then reunite when they realize how much they love each other. This is a popular trope for...
View ArticleIf You Could Only Cook (1935): A Delicious Screwball Comedy
We love studying the meals people eat in old movies. Classic filmmakers’ food choices are interesting to us. What did previous generations think was an upscale meal? What were fashionable desserts? Why...
View ArticleAlec Guinness vs. the British Textile Industry
Confession: We (yours truly) love browsing through clothing shops, both new and vintage. We find it truly intriguing to see What’s New in the fashion world. You’d think, after centuries of clothing...
View ArticleIngrid Bergman & Gal Pals in German Romantic Comedy
In the 1930s, a young Ingrid Bergman went to Nazi Germany to make a romantic comedy. The Four Companions (1938) is the tale of four female graphic design graduates who pool their resources to open...
View ArticleColleen Moore, Wholesome Gold Digger
We’ve just become a huge fan of silent film actress Colleen Moore. If you haven’t heard of Moore – we hadn’t until recently – she was a hugely popular movie star in the 1920s. When she was at the Top...
View ArticleAmerica Declares a Cold War on Canada in “Canadian Bacon” (1995)
Well, we never thought relations between Canada and the United States would ever be as testy as they are during the current trade disputes. This bickering is new in our lifetime. There have been...
View ArticlePolitical Enemies as Friends: A Hollywood Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, Hollywood produced a movie about Russians accidentally invading America. The movie, The Russians are Coming the Russians are Coming (1966), is a political satire made during the Cold...
View ArticleThe Drudgery of Spending a Million Bucks
What would you do if you unexpectedly inherited a million dollars? Would you put it towards your children’s education? Donate it to charity? Or would you spend the whole thing frivolously, because Why...
View ArticleAmerican Soldiers vs. an Aristocratic Ghost
In 1944, before the D-Day landing and while WWII was still grinding on, MGM made a heartwarming movie about American soldiers successfully diffusing a notorious British ghost. The Canterville Ghost...
View ArticleLove & Finance in “The Rage of Paris” (1938)
Here’s a line you don’t often hear in a classic movie. A man greets a friend with, “How’s everything in Winnipeg?” You heard that right: Winnipeg. And why not? There was a time when Winnipeg was touted...
View ArticleAmerican Mobsters vs. German Nazis
All Through the Night (1942) is a comedy-gangster flick about a turf war in New York City. The war is between fast-talking mobsters, who are used to getting their way in New York, and German Nazis, who...
View ArticleShakespeare for the 1950s
What is your opinion of the Shakespearean play, The Taming of the Shrew? Do you see it as satire, poking fun at the roles of men and women? Or do you think it’s barely-disguised misogyny? We ask...
View ArticleBob Hope: Accidental Genius
Have you ever had an accidental stroke of genius? This normally doesn’t happen to us (yours truly), because “genius” is not our defining quality, although we’ve had moments of extraordinary good...
View ArticleThe Last Movie of Douglas Fairbanks’ Legendary Career
Every film actor has a last movie, whether intentional or not. For silent film superstar Douglas Fairbanks, the last entry in his swashbuckling, grand-adventure film career was a cheeky British...
View ArticleWhy You Should Never Star in a Movie with Carmen Miranda
Poor Groucho Marx. The famous comedian and member of the Marx Brothers once made the unfortunate decision to star in a musical comedy with the über-charismatic Brazilian actress and dancer, Carmen...
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