John Wayne in "True Grit" and "Rooster Cogburn", "Rio Bravo" and "The Sons of Katie Elder"5/26/2020 Hello all, today's star is John Wayne. John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison (Later changed to Marion Mitchell Morrison) May 26, 1907 and died of Stomach cancer NOT lung cancer, which he did have but treated earlier. He died on June 11, 1979. The first John Wayne movie I saw was True Grit starring: Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, and of course John Wayne! In short I absolutely loved it and so did my friend who is now a John Wayne fan too... but not a bigger one than me! My favorite scene was towards the end when, in true Duke fashion, he puts the horse's reins in his mouth and (though obviously outnumbered) shoots at a "posse". John Wayne has a bigger legacy than just a cowboy, he was legendary, as Maureen O'Hara put it he was "John Wayne- American." True Grit could not have a more perfect name or cast, I definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of westerns or John Wayne. My rating is 4.5 stars. Fun fact: John didn't like the movie, he actually tried to get one of his daughters to play Kim Darby's role and was dissatisfied overall with the cast and outcome. Rooster Cogburn, starring Katharine Hepburn, and John Wayne. I was a bit disappointed when (Spoiler!!!) Kate didn't end up with John at the end of the movie but, a western is a western so c'est la vie. Very enjoyable with playful banter between the two legends, along with some hilarious jokes on Christianity (as Kate's character is a ministers/reverend's sister). I was rolling on the floor with some of the sharp wit and "prayers" as I'm Catholic myself. You had better watch this if you like(d) True Grit! My rating is 5 star. Rio Bravo, a "cult classic" starring Dean Martin (Dino Martini, my own little nickname ;), Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson and you know who... John Wayne. I'd like to add Ward Bond even though he doesn't have a very big part, I wanted to include him because of his history in movies with John especially as Fr. Peter Lonergan in The Quiet Man. Me and my friend both have the craziest crush on so many old stars its not even funny, I'm actually going to make and post a list of my top --- most handsome actors. John Wayne and Dean Martin are DEFINITELY at the very top of that list so I was so excited to see a movie with the two of them in it, so was my friend. The movie itself wasn't legendary, nor was the script, but the way the actors portrayed their characters and the cinematography helped it so much, I didn't even notice it! My brother has a fascination with looooonngg "cowboy" songs and anything Andy Griffith sings (he plays the acoustic guitar) and was so shocked when I started singing "My Rifle Pony and Me" and "Get Along Home Cindy" (both from the movie). Dean plays a very believable drunk and "deputy" to Duke's sheriff, Walter Brennan plays a somewhat foolish but well meaning "kind-of-deputy" to Duke's sheriff, also named John. Ricky Nelson, plays a young helper to Duke's sheriff. If you think Ricky's hair-do and "look" looks familiar, it is, he pretty much copied Elvis' look and though Ricky was cute, I pick Elvis ;) You should watch Rio Bravo if you like westerns or any of the stars in the movie. My rating is 3.5 for it. The fourth and final Duke movie, is The Sons of Katie Elder starring: Dean Martin, John Wayne, Micheal Anderson Jr, Martha Hyer and Earl Hollimann. The movie is about four brothers ( John, Dean, Micheal and Earl) who get re-united after their mothers death. After realizing she died broke, they set off to find why and who took their fathers land leaving their mother broke. They discover a conspiracy against themselves, especially against the renowned gunslinger and oldest of the four brothers played by Duke and again named John. Martha Hyer plays a local women who became close friends with Katie before she died, at first she holds a grudge against John and his brothers for neglecting their mother, but soon becomes enamored with John. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and constantly watch it over and over again, I mean really a movie with John Wayne and Dean Martin as Brothers!!!????! (as unbelievable as it seems) How can you only watch it once? My rating for it is five stars. Many people have turned their backs on John Wayne recently, because of a "racist" "interview" would you really believe Playboy magazine!? I know I don't, so no matter what, in my eyes John Wayne is America and an amazing, legendary father, actor and person. If you do believe he is racist, then that is your opinion and nobody ( at least I don't😁) should tell you otherwise. Thanks for reading, and remember "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."-- John Wayne
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Hello all, I apologize for not posting anything recently, but I have been (believe it or not 😁) quite busy. I have discovered the magical, very British Downtown abbey. I am currently on the first season. I was first attracted to it because of the early 1900's aspect and watched it because of Dame Maggie Smith. I first saw Maggie on the Carol Burnett show and her character, Violet Crawley is my absolute favorite character so far, along with her son, Robert Crawley played by Hugh Bonneville. I just adore the costumes and sets and especially all of the jewelry. I must admit, I am quite late to the scene, but better late then never!
Thanks for reading! Stay safe Hello all wishing you a happy, blessed Easter! Stay safe!
Debbie Reynolds: Hit The Deck, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Singing In The Rain and her birthday!4/2/2020 Hello all, I'm writing this post a day later than I intended to, but better late than never!
First off, just making sure you and your friends and family are healthy during these trying times, and now let us get on with the post! Debbie Reynolds' would-have-been 88th birthday was yesterday April 1st, She was born April 1, 1932 and died December 28, 2016. These reviews are my simple tribute to her, RIP Debbie 🤩! Also, for some fun facts I will be posting them tomorrow on the Hollywood Stars section of my Blog. The first review will be on Hit The Deck a 1955 musical/Rom-com, starring: Debbie Reynolds (of course!), Ann Miller the tap-dancer extraordinaire, Jane Powell, Vic Damone, Tony Martin and many more. The movie was very enjoyable and light with excellent songs ranging from Ann Miller's Keepin Myself For You and both renditions of Hallelujah! to Debbie Reynolds' Loo Loo. Spoiler! Ann Miller does an incredible, showstopping tap routine in the end of the movie. With a charming cast and handsome leading men, I am very glad that this was my first "Debbie" movie. My rating is 4 star. The Unsinkable Molly Brown another musical/ ROM-com was loosely based on a true story, about the life of the real unsinkable Molly Brown. Starring Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell, I almost stopped the movie during the beginning simply because I was kind of wierded out by the rough, tomboy Debbie wrestling and acting as if she was a brute but I am sooooo glad I stayed and watched through it. The movie starts with a broke somewhat manly Debbie, who looks for jobs and sings Belly Up To The Bar in bars ( who would have guessed?), she later meets a man Johnny who has a Colorado cabin, he sells his silver mine shares and through a series of mishaps (not telling:) they lose the money, only to strike gold ( believable right?) and become rich socialites, many parties and funny events occur and later Debbie goes on the Titanic, it sinks and she escapes with other people and cheers them up by singing. By the time she reached home she was a bona fide hero, there are more events before the end but I'll leave that to you. Mt review for the movie is 3.5 star. And last but not least, Singing In The Rain. Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and a relative newcomer Debbie Reynolds. The movie is set in the twenties, based around the transition from silent films to "talkies". A musical with excellent dance numbers. I have to say, I think Donald was very talented and i enjoyed his performances better than Gene Kelly's. Though I do appreciate Gene's talent and his great dancing skills, I feel that he looks too rehearsed and according to quite a few sources he was quite the tyrant. Apparently, Debbie was crying under a prop because she was nervous and Fred Astaire came over and consoled her. My favorite numbers were Make'em Laugh sung and amazingly performed by Don, Singing In The Rain (of course), Good Mornin and Moses Supposes. I found Gene's dance scenes somewhat bizarre and forced into the movie but of course He and Cyd Charisse were wonderful. I did wish to see more of Don's comedic antics and more of Debbie in general. Lena was hilarious, acting as a dumb blonde one minute to practically blackmailing everyone in the studio! My rating for this classic is 4.5 star! I definitely recommend it! Thank you all and Goodnight! (Or Good morning 😁) Hello all, I am posting this quite late. In case you couldn't tell by the title, today's post is about The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty starring: Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo and Boris Karloff in a supporting role. From its tongue-twisting musical numbers to its comical daydreams and "fight" scenes. It had me and my family guffawing with laughter and somehow managed to keep us on the edge of our seats.
With the talented Danny Kay daydreaming as many different characters such as "The Anatole Of Paris" singing in a myriad of accents, to his comical faces when frightened or when daydreaming. Psst... even my mom liked it and laughed along with me and my siblings. The movie was excellent; there were some outdated subjects and nuances pertaining to the 30s-40s. Even if you aren't a crazy fan of the older eras like me, I'm sure you will find it funny, at least "crack a smile when nobody is watching funny." My rating for this bundle of laughs is 4.5 stars. Thank you all and Goodnight! Hello all! Happy Holidays! Today's post is in honor of Humphrey Bogart (also known as "Bogie") one of old Hollywood's most handsome and talented leading men. Bogie's birthday was on December 25, 1899.
The first movie review for today is Sabrina, starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. The movie was very sweet and romantic. Audrey Hepburn played a wonderful chauffeur's daughter turned french beauty, with William Holden as her playboy crush and Bogie as the older, more responsible brother. This movie brought the wonderful song La Vie An Rose to my attention and I am now an avid fan of both the English and French versions of the song. With lots of playful, flirtatious banter between Audrey and William and Audrey and Bogie the movie was pure delight and I definitely recommend it to anybody who likes: France, Bogie, Audrey, William or romantic comedies. My rating for this movie is 4.5 stars. Next up is Casablanca starring, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Though it came highly recommended and I know it is and was a great classic I never got a chance to watch it until recently and may I just say, Bogie in a white tuxedo is one of the most handsome men I've ever seen! The onscreen chemistry between Bogie and Ingrid was amazing and every line, facial expression and movement was perfectly executed. If you are a fan of this movie, watch the Looney Toons parody of this called, "Carrotblanca" I had a great many laughs. And I am definitely going to make this a staple in my movie collection. My rating is 5 stars for this masterpiece. I didn't really know what The African Queen was about, but I saw that Bogie was starring in it and I wanted to watch it. Starring in The African Queen was Humphrey Bogart and his very good friend, Katharine Hepburn. The movie was very good except for some pretty obvious parts like: when Katharine fervently prays to be saved and spoiler! they don't die at the end. My favorite part was when Bogie asked the ship master to marry him and Katharine. It is available on Amazon Prime Video. My rating for this movie is 4 stars. And last but not least! To Have and Have Not starring, Humphrey Bogart and his future wife, 19 year old Lauren Bacall. The movie was very similar to Casablanca, set somewhere in France, a neutral standpoint American makes up his mind to help French patriots and has a very gorgeous, bombshell girlfriend. One part I was very surprised was when Lauren started to sing, not speaking ill of the dead but lets just say that Lauren was not a singer. The chemistry between Lauren and Bogie was so intense just watching the movie one can feel their attraction towards each other. It has a certain level of cheesiness but it was very cute. My favorite character was the sweet old "Rummy" Eddy. my rating is 4 stars. Thank you for reading. Please stick around for more. Happy Holidays! Today is going to be one of my catch up days, I have watched so many Doris movies and haven't had time to post my ratings so bear with me.
First up is Pillow Talk, starring: Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Pillow talk is the first movie Doris made with Rock and was the beginning of an amazing friendship on and off screen. With a dynamite cast and script the movie was a big hit then and it is definitely a big hit with me and my friend now! With sly jokes and an overall humorous script the movie was a delight to watch and is very recommended if you are A Tony, Doris or Rock fan or you just want to relax and watch a fun movie. My rating is 5 star for this movie. Next is Lover Come Back, also starring: Doris Day, Rock And Tony Randall. The plot is very similar to Pillow Talk and the producers even had the same three actors playing the main characters. I actually watched this before Pillow talk and loved it so much the next day I watched it again. It's a very cute and romantic movie, plus Rock and Doris always made an excellent couple. My rating is 5 star for this masterpiece!!! Third, That Touch Of Mink starring: Doris Day and Cary Grant.The movie was wonderful, filled with fun and lightheartedness the whole way through. Though the plot was kind of lacking, overall the movie was amazing! This movie gets a 4 1/2 star rating. Spoiler!!! Doris and Cary have a baby in the end scene and it is so adorable! The fourth movie of the Doris Marathon is Midnight Lace, starring Doris Day and Rex Harrison. The movie was very well made and Doris' clothes were superb even though they always are , in this movie her outfits are especially beautiful . I kind of spoiled it for myself by reading everything that happens and then watching it so DO NOT read what happens in the movie if you want some suspense. The only change I would make is Doris' reaction to the phone calls, I feel that she was overacting a bit and could have become weak and started crying instead of acting hysterical and becoming weak. The movie was excellent and I am definitely adding it to my personal collection. My rating is 4 star for this. Spoiler! the movie is called Midnight lace because that is the name of the black lace top Doris is wearing during the climactic scene. The fifth and final movie of the Doris marathon is Caprice. Caprice is a fun light spy/comedy movie starring Doris Day and Richard Harris. I thought he was Richard Burton because in some shots he looked like it! Caprice is a winding movie that kept me, my sisters, my mom and friend trying to guess who was a spy for who and who was a back stabber. Doris as always looked very cute in her all polka dot outfit with matching dress and headband! Spoiler ahead!!! my favorite part is when Doris knows Richard has a microphone and purposely eats chips, stirs her glass etc. to annoy him. My rating for this movie is 5 star. Bonjour, the theme today is Paris because of the movie Funny Face starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.
In the movie, there are some amazing song and dance numbers with Fred. My favorite is the number which he sang in disguise with Kay Thompson. It overall was a very good production and is a must watch for people who love fashion. There was an excellent cast and the plot developed very nicely. The best part is, most of it was set in Paris! Spoiler ahead!! there is a scene in which Audrey does a very bizarre dance in a cafe, me and my brother started laughing so hard. Can you imagine having to dance like some type of monkey thing in front of The Fred Astaire?! I'm certain it was awkward and I don't think Fred was acting when he made all those faces. My rating for this movie is 4 1/2 star. It was very enjoyable and is a must if you are a fan of musicals, Fred or Audrey. Funny Face is available for free on Amazon Prime Video. Here is the link to Audrey's awkward dance scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JGCktc_FXU . Hello all, I am writing this a bit late but all of this occurred on July 23. July 23 is Ginger Rogers day but not her birthday.
I watched The Gay Divorcee with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.The movie was their first together playing romantic leads, but it was the second movie Ginger and Fred made together. Flying Down To Rio was their first on screen performance together though they were fourth and fifth billed. The billing is the names of the actors and actresses in the movie, the stars who have the main roles are billed first so their name is listed first then their co stars who don't have main roles are listed after. In Fred and Ginger's first movie, Flying Down To Rio, Dolores Del Rio was the star so her name was billed first, Ginger was fourth billed and Fred was fifth billed. The Gay Divorcee was excellent and so were the songs and dances of course. RKO wanted to start another dance craze called "The Continental" which is the dance that Fred and Ginger did when they snuck out. But it never caught on, unlike the "Carioca" which Fred and Ginger made famous in Flying Down To Rio. The only thing I would change in The Gay Divorcee is the length of "The Continental" when Fred and Ginger weren't even dancing. I think it showed that RKO was trying too hard to popularize it. If they cut out half of the dancing that the back-up dancers did it would have been better. But overall everyone gave an amazing performance, including Betty Grable who had a small scene in "Let's K-knock K-knees." My rating for the movie is 5 out of 5 stars. I am going to be starting a Youtube channel very soon and on it I will have my reviews and many other things so stay tuned.
Hi all, today is July 16, Ginger Rogers' 108th birthday. I don't have time to bake a cake or celebrate but I am honoring her by wearing all clothes colored pink (her favorite color) and by wearing pink eye shadow. Last night my friend and I watched Charade, with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was a very good movie that kept us on the edge of our seats until the last moment. A few days ago we watched The Man Who Knew Too Much, it was the second version from 1956, not the first version. It starred Doris Day and James Stewart. It was a very good movie except for some obvious parts in the script where you would know exactly what they would say or what would happen because of how much older it was than the newer murder/kidnapping mystery movies. I still give both movies a 4.5 star out of 5 star rating.
I have watched 5 of the ten famed Rogers-Astaire films. They are exquisite in every way, shape and form possible.They are, in the order that I watched them: Roberta, Top hat, Barkelys of Broadway, Follow the Fleet, and Shall We Dance. All of my ratings for those movies are 10 out of 10. I have also watched: Stage Door, Teenage rebel, I'll Be seeing you, Once upon a honeymoon, Roxie Hart, Monkey Business, The Major and The Minor, The Groom Wore Spurs, Heartbeat, A Shriek in the Night, The Thirteenth Guest, and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. ( Not the original Black and white one Julie Andrews was in, though that one was excellent also. Ginger played the small part of the queen. Before I discovered her I watched it twice and the queen was always my favorite.) All of the movies I have listed have a 10 out of 10 rating because though there can be a few tweaks and changes, they are amazing and the never lip-sync; it was all their raw talent.
One my goals this summer is to try and find or watch All of Ginger's 73 films and so far I have watched 17 so I have 56 more to go. As I watch them i will post my ratings and opinions of them on my blog and my Youtube channel called Golden Days Forever, I will also do that for all the movies I watch that pertain to the topics on this blog. I have watched some Cary Grant movies such as: Penny Serenade, To Catch a Thief, Houseboat and My Favorite Wife. I Watched: White Christmas ( Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney), Yours, Mine, and Ours( Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda), Holiday Inn ( Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby), Hans Christian Andersen ( Danny Kaye) and Calamity Jane (Doris Day). Before I even became interested in these actors and the Golden Age of Hollywood, my siblings and I loved and still love watching: I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, The Doris day Show, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Carol Burnett Show and many more. |
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