Genre: drama/film noir Description: In Laura police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is investigating the murder of the beautiful and successful Laura Hunt (Gene Kelly).
12 Angry Men (1957)
Genre: Drama Description: 12 Angry Men begins in a courthouse where an eighteen year old boy from a bad neighborhood is on trial for allegedly stabbing his father to death.
Quote of the Week
It is impossible to get anything made or accomplished without stepping on some toes; enemies are inevitable when one is a doer. – Norma Schearer
Maureen O’Hara dies at the age of 95
Irish-American actress Maureen O’Hara, one of the last living stars from the golden age of Hollywood, has died aged 95, her manager said.
Facts: Jean Harlow
Read facts you never knew about Jean Harlow: Jean’s mother is seen as the original ‘stage mother’, the modern phrase for a woman who vicariously lives out her own dreams of stardom through her child. Jean was photographed nude at the age of 17 by photographer Edward Bower Hesser in Griffith Park in 1928. She …
James Dean: the legend
Today marks the sixtieth anniversary of James Dean’s untimely death. James was 24-years old and had starred in just three movies when he died. In many ways he was just beginning. Still, he’s one of the few Classic Hollywood actors who’s fame survived the test of time.
Classic Hollywood and the Rise of Television
A television started to become a staple in households all over the world in the 1950’s. For Classic Hollywood this was very unfortunate timing: in 1948 the decline of the studio system had begun.
Quote of the week
Tough times don’t last, tough people do. – Gregory Peck
Classic Hollywood Love Stories: Clark Gable & Carole Lombard
They were at the height of their fame when they became the ultimate celebrity couple: Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. He was known as ‘the King of Hollywood’ and she was America’s Sweetheart. They were in it for the long haul, but fate got in between. Classic Hollywood Central takes a look at some of …
From Here To Eternity (1953)
Genre: Drama Description: From Here to Eternity focuses on the Schofield Army Barracks in Honolulu, in the languid days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Jean Harlow
Birth: March 3, 1911 Kansas City, United States Death: June 7, 1937 Los Angeles, United States Jean Harlow was born as Harlean Harlow Carpenter on March 3, 1911 in Kansas City. She was never called by her given name though; everyone who knew her called her Baby and would do so for the rest of …
Quote of the Week
You know, there’s nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. There are a lot of strong women you do not see who are guiding, helping, mothering strong men. They want to remain unseen. It’s kind of nice to be able to play a strong woman who is seen. – Ginger Rogers …
Marlon Brando in his own words in new documentary
A new documentary on Marlon Brando called “Listen to Me Marlon” has just been released. But this is not just any documentary: “Listen to Me Marlon” is told in the late Brando’s own voice, culled from some 300 hours of audiotapes the actor made over the decades.
Facts: Paul Newman
Read facts you never knew about Paul Newman: Paul’s father was Ashkenazi Jewish and the son of immigrants from Hungary and Poland. His mother was from an ethnic Slovak family in Hungary. He was so ashamed of his debut in the failed costume drama The Silver Chalice that he took out an ad in Variety …
Giant (1956)
Genre: Drama Description: Giant is an epic that follows the family of a Texas cattle rancher over the course of 25 years. Bick Benedict Jr. (Rock Hudson) falls in love and marries socialite Leslie Lynton (Elizabeth Taylor) from Maryland.
‘Wizard Of Oz’ fan offers $1 million reward for stolen slippers
In anticipation of the 10-year anniversary of the theft of a pair of the ruby-red slippers Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz from a Minnesota museum, an anonymous donor has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the return of the iconic shoes.
Omar Sharif dies at the age of 83
Omar Sharif, the actor known for roles in Hollywood classics like Doctor Zhivago, has died at age 83.
Facts: Marlene Dietrich
Read facts you never knew about Marlene Dietrich: Marlene used to call her daughter ‘the child’ and shaved years off her age for publicity purposes, causing her daughter much confusion as to what her actual age was. She was the first German actress to be nominated for an Academy Award. Marlene and Joseph von Sternberg …
Facts: Laurence Olivier
Read facts you never knew about Laurence Olivier: Laurence’s role models as a young actor were Douglas Fairbanks and John Barrymore. When Laurence had to go to college he told his father he did not want to go and that he was going to follow his brother and become a rubber planter in India. Although …
