Hollywood Makeovers
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.
(1)Louise Brooks’ bob. Claudette Colbert’s bangs. Lucille Ball’s carrot top. Who’s the mastermind behind these tressed-for-success stories?...
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- Aug 1
- 3 min
Films of 1948: Bogie-Huston Double Feature
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.
(1)Cinemagic happens when certain actors and directors join forces. John Wayne and John Ford made 14 gems, like Stagecoach, The Searchers...
37 views3 comments
- May 15
- 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...
55 views2 comments
- Apr 15
- 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...
67 views1 comment
- Mar 15
- 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...
54 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...
28 views0 comments
- Dec 31, 2021
- 2 min
Spencer Tracy
The best part about Spencer Tracy’s acting is that you rarely catch him doing it. There are no visible “Method” gears grinding, no hammy...
6 views0 comments
- Nov 30, 2021
- 2 min
Ginger Rogers
Betcha if I say “Ginger Rogers,” you think “Fred Astaire.” It’s the classic-movie equivalent of the patellar reflex. Paired by destiny...
10 views0 comments
- Nov 15, 2021
- 2 min
Bing
Pop music is littered with One-Hit Wonders. Movie stars are hot...until they’re not. And then there’s Bing Crosby, who reigned for nearly...
3 views0 comments
- Oct 15, 2021
- 2 min
(Femme) Fatale Attraction
The honey-soaked hive of Film Noir Bad Girls is always buzzing with Queen Bee candidates. Barbara Stanwyck from Double Indemnity. Jane...
5 views0 comments
- Sep 30, 2021
- 2 min
Jean Arthur
“Never have I seen a performer plagued with such a chronic case of stage jitters. I’m sure she vomited before and after every scene. When...
5 views0 comments
- Jul 31, 2021
- 3 min
Omaha Idols
When I was a kid, I assumed most great actors came from New York, as if proximity to Broadway bestowed talent by osmosis (see: Bogie,...
3 views0 comments
- May 31, 2021
- 3 min
Gable & Niven: Star-Crossed Stars
Like us mere mortals, actors form close friendships, too. Myrna Loy and William Powell shared a tight bond, on screen and off. Before...
5 views0 comments
- Apr 30, 2021
- 2 min
Shirley Temple
In the 1930s, two of the most powerful antidotes to the Great Depression were a race horse named Seabiscuit and a little girl named...
3 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...
9 views0 comments
- Nov 30, 2020
- 2 min
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...
2 views0 comments
- Nov 15, 2020
- 3 min
Mitchum
I was late to the Liking Robert Mitchum Party. No particular reason why. His droopy eyes and “Whatever” nonchalance always made him seem...
8 views0 comments
- Sep 30, 2020
- 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...
3 views0 comments
- Aug 31, 2020
- 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,...
5 views0 comments
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