Happy Birthday To You

Happy b-day William. Because not too many other men looked this good in black and white.

Picture of the Day

Bogie checking out the goods.

"Cactus Flower"

In Goldie Hawn's acting debut comes the cute movie "Cactus Flower", which also stars Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman. 

Goldie plays Toni, a young girl about town who works in a record shop and is about to kill herself when we meet her. She sends her bf a letter and goes upstairs to end it.

She is saved by neighbor Igor whom she has never met. Toni tells Igor that her bf (Walter) has stood her up yet again. We learn that Walter is a dentist and married with three kids. Toni promises not to off herlself and they call it a night.

Next we meet Walter and learn that is isn't married, but told her he was so he would never have to get married. But he decides he wants to marry Toni once he learns of her failed attempt through the letter that she sent him. Toni doesn't want to be a home wrecker, and wants to get the 'OK' from his wife. But since there is no wife what will Walter do?

Walter asks his trusted secretary (Ingrid) to cover for him and say she's his wife. Ingird is furrious then decedes to go along with it (secretly, she has the hots for Walter too). Toni believes her, but now she wants to meet the kids!

 Walter feels stressed when Toni tells him she thinks his wife still wants him and can't marry him knowing that. Walter decides to convince Toni by saying Ingrid has her own bf, played by Walter's goofy friend. They all meet up and double date.

Things go well until Toni decides that Ingrid's fake bf is embarassing Ingrid and Toni won't allow that. Eventually Igor joins the bunch and everyone has a lot of fun.

Ingrid feels bad and decides to tell Toni the truth, and you must watch it to find out what happends next...

This first film of Goldie's earned her an Oscar for best supporting actress. I love Golie in this film, she is adorable and has the best 60's wardrobe. Walter and Ingrid arn't too bad either... 

Picture Of The Day

Douglas Fairbanks, New York City, 1918. Rallying war bonds for WWI with nothing more than a megaphone. Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Doug sold more war bonds than anyone else ever. And you thought Brad and Angie brought the big crowds...

"Adam's Rib"

One of the best Hepburn/Tracy films is the great "Adam's Rib". This 1949 picture also debuted the adorable Judy Holliday which kicked off her career that would span 20 years.

Judy's husband is a flop and is getting busy with another gal. Judy decides to kill him, scare him, what have you, and buys a gun. She finds him with the "tall job" and fires! Judy's husband is only hurt but she is in need of a lawyer.

Next we meet the Bonner's aka Katarine (Amanda) and Spencer (Adam). They are both lawyers and as it ends up, Kat will defend Judy while Spence is prosecuting her. They both get to work and the fun begins...

The Bonner's obnoxious neighbor, played by David Wayne, has the hots for Kat (even though I get the gay vibe) and Spencer doesn't like it. Tension rises as both lawyers try to win their case.

Katharine is trying to prove that Judy had the right to shoot her husband because he was cheating on her. Spencer is more of a by-the-books man and tries to convice the jury that nobody has the right to try to kill another person.

They fight, they question thier relationship, and in the end they decide if they want to be with each other or not. Plus there is a verdict! There are many fun scenes in this film, one where Spencer attempts to shoot Katharine, and another when they show their party guests some cute home movies. 

Everyone knew how wonderful Judy Holliday was. Katharine even started a rumor that Judy's performance was better than hers and that she was "mad" about it, hoping to get Judy more press. The film was a hit and Judy was quickly chosen to star in her theater role of "Born Yesterday". The rest is history...

The MGM Lion

When it comes to Hollywood studios, the most iconic and recognizable production logos is that of MGM. Founded in 1924, when Samuel Goldwyn, Marcus Loew's Metro Studios, and Louis B. Mayer joined studio forces to become a powerhouse,  MGM used several lions before settling on Leo in 1957. First came Slats who wasn't as magnificent as the roaring lion we are familiar with today. Slats started things off before talkies, so he just looked around checking things out before the film's titles rolled in. Volney Phifer, or Captain Phifer as he was known was his trainer, and the chief animal trainer for the MGM for almost half of the century. He loved Slats so much he had him buried on his property after his death in 1936. 

Next was Jackie, also trained by Phifer, who first gave his roar to the audience as sound was coming into use until 1956. He was also the first Lion to be used in technicolor and is the lion seen in The Wizard of Oz and was used for over 100 films. Later came lions Coffee (1932-1935), Tanner (1934-1956), George (1956-1957) and finally Leo, which is the longest standing lion used for MGM. 

           

                                                                  Captain Phifer and Slats

Slats

 Jackie

Coffee

Tanner

 George

 Leo

Ralph Helfer was Leo's trainer and cared very deeply for him. Ralph started a new way of training called "affection training" that didn't involve whips or chains, but was based on respect and love for the animal. 

MGM lions at work:

Slats 

Jackie

Alfred and Leo

Greta Garbo and Leo. She doesn't look to thrilled to be at work that day.

MGM now uses a digitally enhanced lion for it's logo. Not as triumphant or as exciting as the lions used throughout it's history. One thing is certain, the visuals and audio of the MGM logo is a direct connection to film, and one can recognize what is to come by just a glimpse of the lion on the screen. Next time you go to watch an MGM film, pay attention to the fuzzy animal on screen, you might be able to decipher which lion you are seeing, and have a more nostalgic feeling about how he got there.