Last week, “winter storm advisories” began piling up on my phone, predicting that all of Ohio would die under a full seven inches of snow. I just chuckled, suggested there’d be a couple of inches, and moved on—though I did make this collection. Sure enough: Two and a half inches of snow. Thanks for whipping folks into a panic, weather media!
I also wanted to direct you to two Christmas-related posts—one to help you if you’re still shopping for gifts and another to help you deck your halls! Continue reading →
This would have gone up earlier, but it has been a heck of a day around here—you name it, it has probably happened! Second Mondays are never my favourite. But TCM has the cure tonight: A terrific lineup of mobster films for our enjoyment! Right now, they’re screening 1931’s The Public Enemy, starring James Cagney, Edward Woods, and Jean Harlow; it’s followed up with 1949’s stupendous and famous White Heat (another Cagney vehicle, though this time his moll is played by Virginia Mayo) at 8PM Eastern.
My husband chuckled when I excitedly told him about the night’s lineup, noting that “nothing says Christmas like Public Enemy and White Heat“, but he’s also sitting beside me watching the films, so there you go!
There’s also Cagney, Bogey, and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939, 10PM), Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame in The Big Heat (1953, 12AM), Bogey, Bacall, Edward G. Robinson and Lionel Barrymore sparring off in Key Largo (1948, 2AM), and Bette Davis melting over Leslie Howard under the heartless eye of Bogey within a stone’s throw of The Petrified Forest (1936, 4AM). These are worth staying up all night for!
Also note that tomorrow night also marks the start of Fred Astaire’s reign as Star Of The Month at TCM, beginning with 1933’s Flying Down To Rio. Tune in!
An intentionally bad manipulation featuring one of the pets and entirely for the sake of plain old fun has become a minor holiday season tradition ’round here.
Happy Thanksgiving! And please, as you celebrate, keep our men and women in uniform as well as their families, so often parted this time of year, on your heart and mind.
Tuesday, November 5 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of talented beauty Vivien Leigh, and as you’d expect, TCM will celebrate with a full day and then some of her films. It’s a good lineup, too—though (some of you won’t believe what I’m about to say) I do wish they’d chosen to screen some of her lesser-known films during prime time instead of what is perhaps her most famous movie, 1939’s epic tale of the South Gone With the Wind (10:15PM, which makes it prime time for the west coast and near bedtime for many on the east),one most have seen (or should have seen!); still, they’ve chosen some fine examples of the actress’ work, and I promised to give you a heads-up regarding the highlights. I’ll be setting my DVR for several of these myself.
Astoundingly, this British talent, who suffered cruelly with mental and emotional difficulties, was never quite sure her success was due to her acting ability instead of her beauty, which all must admit was incredible, head and shoulders above even the most pulchritudinous stars of her (or any) age. Marrying Laurence Olivier may or may not have exacerbated her fears, but to anyone willing to sit and absorb some of her work, Leigh’s skill was apparent quite early, requiring only a little honing. She brought not only talent, but her own tremendous vivacity, fueled by some internal fires, to each role she played, thus bringing to life every character she played—it is a true shame there were not more of them.
Growing up, of course, I was most familiar with Leigh from the aforementioned Gone With the Wind, a role for which Leigh was perfect, if far too beautiful (I believe Mitchell’s first lines note that Scarlett was no beauty). But over the years I’ve been able to view many of her other films, and they’re a revelation of her incredible talent, one of great breadth and depth that make it look easy, though she must have worked hard to overcome her insecurity. Vivien Leigh’s beauty is undeniably arresting—but her gifts as an actress surpass even her glorious appearance.
Of them all, though, if you’ve only time for one, the first film of the day—1940’s affecting Waterloo Bridge—is the one you must see, you must.
Unfortunately, I could not find postable clips or trailers for every film, but I’ve found some other interesting things regarding Leigh, and those I’ve interspersed through the reviews of her films. It’s rather fun to see what a spitfire she was in real life! Don’t worry, there’s a little Gone With the Wind love for you to enjoy, too—and there’s even a clip of Leigh cutting a rug tucked in here.
What’s your favourite Vivien Leigh film?
Waterloo Bridge ’40
9:30AM
Our contemporary cynicism and nihilism robs us of much beauty and much of our humanity that responds to sentiment, so do your best to put that aside in order to enjoy this tragic romance. Waterloo Bridge is actually one of the films I think I’d have loved to see in prime time this evening, but set your DVR for it. Mervyn Leroy directs this tearjerker, one that is sentimental, yes, but in the near best way, I think—thanks in no small part to its stars, Leigh and Robert Taylor, who play their parts so wonderfully well.
Waterloo Bridge is what I would call a painfully beautiful film; the performances and story are heart-wrenching but so tenderly wrought that we happily allow ourselves to be wounded for their sake. Keep your Titanic; it hasn’t the gentleness, charm, or poignance of Waterloo Bridge.
Personally speaking, this is my favourite Vivien Leigh performance. After her portrayal of the steel-spined, fire-breathing, Jezebel-like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind the year before, in Waterloo Bridge she turns in a truly exquisite, luminous performance as Myra, a ballerina who meets a handsome young soldier (Taylor) on Waterloo Bridge during an air raid. Taken with one another, they quickly fall in love and are preparing to wed when he is shipped out. Continue reading →
I’ve been hoping and trying to get a few photos of Ben looking handsome on our be-pumpkin’d front porch, but unfortunately, the weather has been less than cooperative—the only day this week we’ve had morning sunshine, I was on my way to visit an out-of-state doctor! Alas! I’ll keep trying, though. It looks so pretty with all of those bright squashes!
In the meantime, tomorrow is the big day, and of course we’re getting rain predictions. We had rain combined with bitter cold last year, resulting in our having far too much candy left over and not seeing as many crumb-crunchers—I’m hoping the weathermen are wrong regarding tomorrow. Trick-or-treating is from 6 to 8 and we are looking for a big turnout!
“Clawing”
Of course, after eight, we’ll likely be sitting down with some pulled pork from the crockpot and seeking out some creepy movies. As you’ve likely anticipated, Thursday—All Hallows’ Eve—TCM gives us all horror films, all day long. Daytime brings us various movies featuring Christopher Lee, and in prime time, we get to enjoy our final few films with Star Of The Month Vincent Price. (As always, I am disappointed not to see the always-funny Young Frankenstein in the mix, though, Price or no!) And that lineup of Price films (only one of which I’ve seen, and it’s been a while on that count.) is creepy indeed, all deserving of inclusion for this week’s TCM look-ahead.
After that, we’ll skip straight along to Tuesday, birthday of Vivien Leigh; from morning ’til well after dark, TCM will be airing some of that beautiful lady’s fine films—but I’ll work on getting that sneak peek Saturday or Sunday so you can set your DVR; a few favourite Leigh movies are scheduled, and it seems to me they deserve their own post.
Shagbark Hickory tree in West Virginia
No newly-released photos to share with you this week; frankly, I’ve not enough in the realm of “creepy” and “scary” save the photos I’ve posted here already; anything else seems less than fitting. I could of course go out photographing politicians and bureaucrats, but that’s not very appealing. Instead, I’ve embedded the movie trailers right into the post for you.
Pit And The Pendulum ’61
8PM Thursday
Only modestly related to Poe’s tale about a victim of the Spanish Inquisition, it nevertheless has earned the distinction in the eyes of some as allowing Price to play the most fantastic character he ever played. Shocked by the sudden death of his unfaithful wife, Nicholas Medina (Price) is confronted by her suspicious brother, who may, based upon Nicholas’ father’s job as regional inquisitor, feel at least vindicated in his concerns…to say nothing about the odd happenings seeming to indicate that Medina’s wife has come back to life. Continue reading →
Just a quick Friday skip around the magical internet, where I’ve found some things sure to amuse you this chilly Friday.
First of all, fitting with the approach of Halloween next week (hope you have your candy ready for the little ones!) are these ads for a Danish men’s clothier featuring Christopher Walken as a rather unusual tailor. Of the three, the last is my favourite:
And every seamstress laughs, saying, “If only!” (Pressing is my least favourite part of sewing, by several miles at least.)
For my fellow design buffs are these gorgeous and carnival-coloured examples of chromatic wood type from 1874’s Specimens of Chromatic Wood Type, Borders, Etc., featured at Bibliodyssey (those following along on Pinterest have already seen a couple). Blogger Peacay has posted several of these confections for the eye, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy looking at them.
Firstly: I cannot believe October has nearly reached its end. We’ve been so busy with family events and concerns that we seem to have barely noticed fall’s approach—then, returning home from a wedding in Michigan Sunday, the season asserted itself quite undeniably! The colours here in Ohio are really just beginning to turn; a few trees here and there are aflame with orange and gold, but many remain as green as they were in August and September.
Secondly, this is of course the final weekend before Halloween, an event with which I have a weird relationship. My parents refused to let my sister and I trick-or-treat because of the origins of the holiday, and they wouldn’t even pass out candy themselves. They have lightened up a great deal since I grew up and moved out, happily (really, I hardly needed all of that old-age and sickness-inducing sugar…), and of course I was very excited to be able to pass out candy to kids when I moved into my first home—they’re all so flat-out cute in their costumes (up to a certain age, of course, it must be said). I don’t dress up, tempting as it is—frankly, since I dress 40s or 50s daily, people seem to think I’m in costume no matter the time of year—but have more than enough fun seeing all of the little crumb-crunchers doing their best to surreptitiously wiggle out of their coats so as to better display their costumes.
At any rate, TCM is of course overflowing with creepy films in the final run-up to the big night for all the kiddies, and I say “let’s go with it” and have a good time. There’s not much gore, as that’s not at all my cup of tea, but plenty of suspense and even a little camp. Some of the movies are so familiar a description is hardly necessary. In fact, there’s only one non-creepy film in the picks this week, the drama Mr. Skeffington with Bette Davis and Claude Rains on Sunday night. The film is so dear to me it had to be included—it’s one of Bette’s best performances, yes, but the story is tremendously powerful.
But other than that, it’s all suspense and creepy-crawly and very appropriate for Halloween, no matter how much the trees have turned or not in your neck of the woods. Let’s take a look, with some creepy photos to accompany the peek. Continue reading →
Tuesday, November 5 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of talented beauty Vivien Leigh, and as you’d expect, TCM will celebrate with a 
Victory Rolls and V8s 