“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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- Oct 14, 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...
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- Sep 29, 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...
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- Jul 30, 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,...
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- May 30, 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...
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- Apr 29, 2021
- 3 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...
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- 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...
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- Jan 15, 2021
- 2 min
Bogie & Bacall
Love is an occupational hazard on film sets. Sexy actors spend endless hours, passionately smooching and faux shagging, in take after...
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- 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...
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- 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...
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- Sep 29, 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...
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- Aug 30, 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,...
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- Jul 30, 2020
- 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”?...
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- Jun 14, 2020
- 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...
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- May 29, 2020
- 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...
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- May 14, 2020
- 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...
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- Apr 14, 2020
- 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...
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