Bad Boys: Cagney & Robinson
Two gangster classics, released four months apart in 1931, didn’t just launch the careers of James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. They...
top of page
- Jul 1
- 2 min
Norma Shearer: Spunk Rocker
Remember that episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, when Lou tells Mary, “You know what? You’ve got spunk!” then adds, “I hate spunk”?...
24 views1 comment
- Jun 1
- 2 min
Oscar Shockers (Part Two)
Sometimes, Academy Awards are given to the right actor in the wrong year. Exhibit A: James Stewart was nominated for Mr. Smith Goes to...
46 views1 comment
- May 15
- 2 min
Oscar Shockers (Part One)
In 1950, Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson launched big-screen comebacks in All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard with scenery-chomping...
52 views2 comments
- May 1
- 2 min
Meeting Jimmy Stewart
For me, the big downside to loving classic films is that all of the stars that I want to meet are dead. But once upon a time in...
53 views0 comments
- Apr 1
- 2 min
The Eyes Have It
Nobody looked like her. Spoke like her. Or smoked like her! Bette Davis wasn’t an actress. She was a force of nature. The two-time Oscar...
124 views2 comments
- Mar 15
- 2 min
The Idols of March: Joan Crawford
You’ve probably heard the Mommie Dearest and “No-wire-hangers!” jokes. Or rumors of her Dueling Divas feud with Bette Davis (who quipped,...
37 views0 comments
- Mar 1
- 2 min
The Idols of March: Jean Harlow
Most articles about her open with some variation on “Before Marilyn Monroe, there was Jean Harlow.” It’s true. Harlow was Hollywood’s...
33 views0 comments
- Jan 15
- 2 min
Cary, Cary, Cary
Let’s bust two Cary Grant myths and confirm another, shall we? He never said “Judy, Judy, Judy” on screen. He didn’t respond to a...
63 views3 comments
- Jan 1
- 2 min
Big-Screen Screwball Queen
Screwball comedies ignited movie screens in the depths of the Depression – and the star who lit the match was Carole Lombard. Beginning...
72 views0 comments
- Dec 1, 2023
- 2 min
Holden & Stanwyck
Without Barbara Stanwyck, there would be no William Holden. He admitted as much at the Academy Awards in 1978. By then, the veteran...
42 views0 comments
- Oct 15, 2023
- 2 min
The "Perfect" Couple
They called her “The Perfect Wife.” Best known for playing William Powell’s partner in crime-busting in the classic Thin Man movies,...
168 views2 comments
- Sep 1, 2023
- 3 min
Hollywood Makeovers
Louise Brooks’ bob. Claudette Colbert’s bangs. Lucille Ball’s carrot top. Who’s the mastermind behind these tressed-for-success stories?...
61 views2 comments
- Aug 1, 2023
- 3 min
Films of 1948: Bogie-Huston Double Feature
Cinemagic happens when certain actors and directors join forces. John Wayne and John Ford made 14 gems, like Stagecoach, The Searchers...
44 views3 comments
- May 15, 2023
- 3 min
Classic Kids
Growing older is an occupational hazard in Hollywood -- and not just for sex symbols. Sadly, the career arc of some child actors goes...
68 views2 comments
- Apr 15, 2023
- 2 min
Garbo Unmasked
Winston Churchill called Russia “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Same goes for Greta Garbo: an introvert who sought...
75 views1 comment
- Mar 15, 2023
- 3 min
Noir Star Dana Andrews
“Always understated and all too underrated.” That’s how writer David Stenn describes Dana Andrews. Film historian Jeanine Basinger...
67 views2 comments
- Nov 15, 2022
- 2 min
“Sunset Blvd.” Star Tells All
Want to see a classic film historian geek out? Get her on the phone with the Oscar-nominated star of her all-time favorite movie. The fan...
33 views0 comments
- Feb 15, 2021
- 3 min
Barrymore
Hollywood is a company town, which means celebrity spawn often join the movie business. Think Henry, Peter and Jane Fonda. Judy Garland...
6 views0 comments
- Jan 15, 2021
- 2 min
Classic Couples: Bogie & Bacall
Love is an occupational hazard on film sets. Sexy actors spend endless hours, passionately smooching and faux shagging, in take after...
13 views0 comments
bottom of page