"The Philadelphia Story"

What happens when you combine Kat Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, and George Cukor? Amazingness, that's what! This 1940 film stars Katharine as a rich divorcee ready to remarry. Cary is her ex and he is out to make her day miserable. He gets reporter James and his photographer gal pal Elizabeth (played beautifully by Ruth Hussey) to act as friends of the family and get an inside look to this private bride's special day.

We learn right away that Cary and Kat were over!

Cary's plan seems like it is going to work until he confronts Kat and tells her the truth about who James and Ruth really are. She goes along with it though and welcomes them in.

As the family plans the wedding, which is going to be held the next day, they talk about Cary and why he has suddenly shown up! But after a while the act like they don't mind that the ex is around and even include him in the festivities!

The family puts on a show especially little sister Dinah who parades around like a fool to make a good headline for James and Ruth. After a while, father has had enough. He tells them they are on to their ploy and invite them to stay! Katharine is fine with this because we see her start to have some kind moments with James. Cue in the foreshadowing. As it happens, she is never with her groom, George!

As James and Katharine start to canoodle, she learns from her friends and family that maybe she is acting like a queen. This is taken not well by Kat and she gets into a quarrel with Cary, and James, and father. Kat blows off some steam by taking a swim. Cary swoops in with a gift...a replica of the boat they sailed on during their honeymoon. Cary is laying it on thick!

Let's just take a second and drool over Kat's fabulous dress. Designed by Adrian, and one of my favorite oh his creations, this gown steals the show!

As the night progresses, James and Kat get closer while she and hubby begin to grow apart. Lots of booze is consumed which results in some late night swimming and heavy petting. Fiancee George catches James and Kat in the act as Cary watches with enjoyment.

The next morning everyone is hungover and trying to recall the events of the night. Katharine must face her fiancee and explain her actions. The wedding is nearing and us viewers must watch as she decides who to marry! Her fiancee? Her ex husband? Her new reporter boyfriend? What to do?

Nothing says "bride" like a lace up cummerbund and prairie hat with ribbon!

Katharine had the rights to this film, given to her as a gift from beau Howard Hughes. She wanted Clark Gable to play Cary's role and Spencer Tracy to play James' role, without ever meeting either of them. This film was shot without any retakes (unusual) and there are some improve scenes where you can see Cary giggling and looking down, as he was having too much fun on set. Cary gave his salary from this film to the British War efforts, and James won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. 

Quote Of The Day

"Fame was thrilling only until it became grueling. Money was fun only until you ran out of things to buy."

-Gloria Swanson

Movie Star Houses: Then and Now

Once upon a time in La La Land, all movie stars lived in town, and thanks to the internet you can reminisce  at the homes of our favorite oldies. Times may have changed, but these gems are still standing, Let's take a tour!

Bette Davis' House

Built in 1929, Bette lived here only a short time (the woman liked to buy houses). Located in one of my favorite Los Angeles neighborhoods, Toluca Lake. 

9918 Toluca Lake Ave. Los Angeles

Gloria Swanson House

Built in 1926, Gloria loved to entertain here with oldie visitors such as Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Doris Day, and even President Nixon. It sold in 2009 for $3.2 million and was up for sale again in 2011 for 1.9 million. Times are tough.

Go see this fab Spanish style for yourself.

418 Cazador Lane, San Clemente

Marilyn Monroe's "Suicide" House

Why would you take a bunch of pills when you have such a fabulous backyard? This is the house where Norma Jean was found dead. Built in 1929 in cozy Brentwood, this house was listed in 2011 for 3.9 million. Not too shabby!

12305 5th Helena Drive, Los Angeles

Bing Crosby House

Bing and the fam lived here from 1936, when the house was built, until 1943 when they moved due to a fire that killed their dog and destroyed Bing's record collection. Bummer. 

Jean Harlow House

Miss Harlow lived in this Beverly Hills home during her "Hells Angeles" days and married Paul Bern in the living room. Built in 1929, this house is now owned by a doctor and it is rumored to be haunted but not sure by who. She was living in another house on Palm Drive at the time of her death. 

1353 Club View Drive, Los Angeles

Katharine Hepburn Connecticut Estate

In the Hepburn estate since 1913, this house went up for sale in 2011 for a fresh $28 million. Something about this house no longer being in this eccentric family makes me sad. Kat lived in this house until 2003 when she passed away. She even swam in the sound every morning rain, snow, or shine.

Judy Garland House

Judy lived in this house right after "Wizard of Oz" with her momma, grandmother, and sister. Built in 1938, this house which was just flipped and put back on the market for over $7 million, features 5 bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms. 

848 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles 

Lana Turner House

What a house! This is where Lana's daughter Cheryl stabbed Lana's boyfriend Johnny Stompanato to death. Some called it justifiable, some called it a conspiracy, but the house where all this went down is still around today (and looking beautiful!).

730 North Bedford, Los Angeles

These houses are all privately owned so no snooping allowed, but if you are in the area, a quick drive by never hurt!

Time Flys When You're Having Fun

I realized the other day that between planning a wedding, looking for a better job, and having my usual amount of fun, I had forgotten my blogging birthday. Yes, The Affair has turned 1!

Happy Birthday Silver Screen Affair! 

For Me? Why Thank You!

Thanks to Monty over at ALL GOOD THINGS for the 7x7 Award!

Yes, this was over a week ago, but that is what wedding planning does to you. I am very honored, since Monty was my first non relative to follow my little blog. This award comes with some rules, they are as follows:

1. Tell the little people out there in the dark something no one knows about.

Something no one knows is that I never cry at movies. Never. Except one. It's random and not an oldie, and I have no idea why, but Tim Burton's "Big Fish" got the water works going. I loved the ending of this film, it is sweet and beautiful. Go check it out.

2. Link on of my posts that I personally best fits the following categories: most beautiful, most helpful, most popular, most controversial, most surprisingly successful, most underrated, and most pride-worthy.

Most Beautiful: Not sure what makes a blog post beautiful. Maybe one with Audrey Hepburn in it, since she is perfect. http://thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com/2011/04/picture-of-day.html

Most Helpful: I try to make all my posts helpful, without giving the best parts of films away. I would be so stoked if I knew readers, or a singular reader, went out and watched a movie I blogged about that they have never seen. 

Most Popular: Easy, the post I did about the MGM lion(s). What a hit! I have over 18,000 page views on this post. I even had a journalist call me about this piece to confirm some facts. I did tons of research on this topic before I posted it. Either people really like this topic or many children are Googling lions for school!
http://thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com/2011/04/mgm-lion.html

Most Controversial: I try to stay away from mixing the pot. This is a fun blog after all. I do get anonymous comments correcting my little mistakes. I like that because I try to be as accurate as possible with facts and spelling!

Most Surprisingly Successful: I am going to base this award on the number of comments it received. My post on "Life With Father" got some people talking. I didn't like this film, but I guess I was alone on that thought.
http://thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com/2011/06/father-is-going-to-hell.html

Most Underrated: This is like saying the post I liked the most that others mihgt not have. That would be my Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties post. I loved writing this and I have always been intrigued with these ladies. It was the first projected "sex sells" campain that I can think of!
http://thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com/2011/05/macks-beauties.html

Most Pride Worthy: I would have to say "The Women", because it is my favorite film, I waited forever for the right time to blog about it, and because since I have seen it umpteen times, I figured I know a lot about it!
http://thesilverscreenaffair.blogspot.com/2011/04/ive-had-two-years-to-grow-claws-mother.html

3. Pass this award to seven other bloggers. 

Well number three won't happen since I lag. Most people, at least in the film blog scene, already have one. This is of course because so many of my blog friends out there have fabulous blogs!

 Here is one for a very deserving blog:

Mr. Tiny from Wacky Tacky.

This blog is amazing! I am not just saying that because he is a good friend of mine. From kitschy roadside stops to fun music and old movies, his blog keeps getting better and better!

Picture Of The Day

Cary and Randolph...out for a run.

Best Dressed

Bette Davis wore this beautiful Edith Head creation in "All About Eve". Brown with fur cuffs and pockets. So gorgeous! The day the dress was to be used on set, Bette tried it on and to Edith's horror, the dress was fitted too small and didn't fit up past Bette's shoulders. Bette had the idea of pushing it down below her shoulders and the problem was solved. This dress makes her performance, rated one of the best ever in a film, all the better.

Film Noir Greatness: Double Indemnity

What a film! This fantastic picture from 1944 stars Fred MacMurray, Barb Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. Film noir is not my favorite genre of oldie films, but this one quickly became one of my favorites. Directed by Mr. Wilder and produced (uncredited by the way) by Buddy G. DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The scene opens to Walter Neff (MacMurray) walking into his bosses' office to record the story of his life, the story of how he murdered a man for money and a broad, and how it ended up hurting him in the end.

Classic film noir scene with the shadow of window treatments!

Neff sells insurance and starts his story at this amazing Spanish style house in LA where he meets his client's wife, Phyllis. She is half naked but gets dressed to come and see what Neff is all about. 

With all that is torn down and demolished in Hollywood, it pleases me to say that the house is still there and virtually unchanged with exception to the garage door and some landscaping. 

Phyllis comes down the stairs in nothing more than a towel and an anklet, and right away Neff wants more than just to sell insurance. 

Neff gives her the sales pitch with some flirting added in as Phyllis tries not to notice. She mentions she wants accident insurance for her hubby but that she doesn't want him to know about it. She tells him to come back in a few days when her husband is supposedly going to be home. Neff thinks nothing of this conversation and practically drools out the door. 

Neff tries to concentrate at work but can't stop thinking about Phyllis. Boss Barton Keyes played masterfully by Robinson and Neff talk insurance business. Keyes is no nonsense and relies on his gut to help him decide which insurance claims are fraud and which ones are legit. You don't mess with Edward. 

"I want to commit adultery!"

 I don't want to give too much away, so if you haven't seen the film yet, beware. This is a rare oldie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, so this is your official spoiler alert! Needless to say, the two fall in love and devise a plan to knock off the husband, make it look like an accident, collect insurance money, and live happily ever after.

The plan seems to work until Keyes hears about it and gets that gut feeling.

Neff is super paranoid and only wants to meet Phyllis at the grocery store. 

A great set designed by the art department team at Paramount including Hans Dreier, Hal Pereira, and Bertram Granger

Phyllis goes for the "discrete" look by wearing sunglasses indoors. 

Neff is worried the plan is going to fail and Phyllis gets mad that Neff won't hang out with her unless they are purchasing food. 

Their love is being complicated by Neff's paranoia, his boss, and the attention that Phyllis desires as she chose him over her late husband. The pressure is intense for Neff and he finds himself not sure what to do. A definite cliff hanger, which is rare in old films, that you will have to watch to find out.

Wilder had no trouble getting male lead for this part, many wanted it including George Raft, Alan Ladd,  and Dick Powell. Wilder wanted Barb but she was worried about her reputation playing an adulteress. Wilder asked her," Are you an actress or a mouse?" She was so furious she signed on that instant.  Edward didn't want the part as he was far from the lead, but after learning he was receiving the same salary as Barb and Fred he signed on, and we are all glad he did. He might have been third billing, but his role intensifies the plot and makes this film much more suspenseful. A fun goof in this film is where Neff and Phyllis first kiss. You get a glimpse of Fred's personal wedding ring on his finger, as in reality he was married to wife Lillian Wehmhoener. It wasn't noticed until post production.  Double Indemnity was nominated for 7 Academy Awards for Barb, and Billy, including best picture, but it won none, losing to Going My Way for best picture.