It's Almost Here!

Once again the greatest holiday in the free speaking world is upon us, and by that I mean Halloween. With my busy teaching schedule lately I have had to put Halloween on the back burner. But it is never too late to start enjoying some Halloween haunting fun!

Clara with a creepy over sized pumpkin

Judy getting into the spirit with some light reading

Theda laying the spooky-ness on thick. Oh, I love this picture!

Veronica vamping up an old witch hat.

Boo!

Picture Of The Day

What I wouldn't do to sit and have lunch with these fellas.

Key To The City 1950

For as much as I love the oldies, there are few that I come across that are up to speed with modern cinema as far as wit and smart remarks. We love the oldies because many of them are predictable but fabulous.  Key To The City is one of those films that surprised me for being "hip".

Loretta Young plays Mayor Standish, with a city of 30,010 to look after and a tight stick up her a-line skirt. She heads into San Fran for a mayor's convention and meets long shore man turned playboy mayor, Steve Fisk (Gable).

They immediately hate each other but end up at a bar together where Loretta learns Steve is a bit of a ladies man and they watch one of his gal pals do her "atom dance". What a great scene! A fight breaks out and eventually they are taken in by the cops. A great part in the film is when Loretta tries to lighten the bar fight mood by jumping on the piano and playing a tune as bottles are thrown around her. 

Being that they are mayors and all, the cops let them go but not before the press gets to them and covers the papers with the news. Loretta is mortified but Steve has no worries. She is so mad at him that she ignores him all the way through next morning brunch. The next evening they end up in jail again after a costume party gone wrong. 

Eventually they fall in love. But as soon as they decide to get hitched, they get into an argument and Loretta runs off. Steve chases after her but gets into a pickle when he can't locate her! He hires a band to meet her at the airport and then the train station, but still no Loretta.

Steve has to track her down while at the same time try to save his city from corruption. Loretta learns to lighten her mood a little and have some fun. 

 15 years prior, Clark had an affair with  Lorettea which resulted in a secret love child. She tried to play off an adoption, but everyone knew because their daughter was a spitting image of Clark! Loretta wanted to turn down this film, but signed on after thinking that people would be suspicious if she said no. Talk about awkward. In any case, this film is very cute with endless smart remarks and witty comebacks. My  husband was cracking up out loud, which is a real seal of approval! Go find this one, it is a funny oldie!

The Atom dance...does she look like a bunch of atoms to you?

Marked Woman 1937

Oh how I love a good Bette Davis flick! This film also stars Humphrey Bogart as the lawyer who is trying to convict some mobsters of wheeling, dealing, and murder. Bette plays a club hostess who lives with her co workers and who's bosses are mobsters when they take over the club management.

One night, a gentleman spends a load of cash at Bette's club but tells her later that he is broke and was trying to swindle the club. Bette tells him he has made a bad choice and that the mobsters will track him down and to leave town.

Before you know it, the guy is dead and the mobsters are on trial. Bette meets Humphrey, the lawyer trying to put the bad guys in jail. Bette tells Bogie she wants to rat them out, but ends up sticking up for her boss instead. 

Soon Bette's kid sister comes to visit and she gets wrapped up in the night life. With help from frenamie roommate Emmy, Bette's sister gets hooked up with the wrong people and killed. Now Bette wants real revenge on the gangsters.

Bette goes to Bogie again, but he thinks she is full of it. The mobsters know what is happening and rough Bette up right before court. 

The new court date comes. Bette is battered but strong, and this time has brought her club gal friends to back her.  But what will happen? Will the mobsters prevail and go after Bette? Will Bogie believe her enough to help her prosecute?  This film is witty with great costumes and great gal talk. Up to this point in her career, this film was considered her best. 

Don't mess with these bitches.

Everyday Alfred

Filling out his big boy pants!

A Closer Look At...

...Franz Waxman

Born in what is now Poland in 1906.

Suffered from vision problems his whole life after a pot of boiling water fell in his eyes as a small child.

Worked on 1930’s The Blue Angel before heading to America to work on the score for Bride of Frankenstein in 1935.

Wrote the score for 4 Hitchcock films: Suspicion, Rebecca, The Paradine Case, and Rear Window.

Nominated 12 times, wining back to back awards of Sunset Blvd, and A Place In The Sun.

Composed concerts and founded the Los Angeles International Music Festival in 1947, which he headed for 20 years.

Known for his work in Humoresque, The Philadelphia Story, Peyton Place, and A Nun’s Story.

Worked for Universal, MGM and Warner Bros.

Married once until her death and had 2 children.

Died in 1967 at the young age of 60 in Los Angeles

Picture Of The Day

For a second there you would think they were friends...