Quantcast
Channel: Java's Journey
Viewing all 269 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

The Orson Welles Centenary

May 6, 2015, 5:23 am
$
0
0
May 6, 2015 is Orson Welles' 100th birthday. Let us revisit the life of this enormously talented director, actor and producer with bits of trivia.

via sightandsound.org

  • February 8, 1940 - The Milwaukee Journal reports that the citizens of Kenosha, WI dislike a magazine portrayal of their native son, Orson Welles. The piece shows him as extravagant and spoiled, but  Kenoshians set the record straight.

  • May 1985 - Bob Thomas catches up with the filmmaker for his birthday. The star isn't talking to press but his companion does. The article describes Welles' projects, including the status of The Other Side of the Wind, and Welles' method of dieting, which includes having someone taste fatty foods and describe them to him.

  • October 10, 1985 - Orson Welles dies. It's a huge front page news event.

  • October 15, 1985 - The last appearance of Welles on film airs. The star introduces a noir episode of the TV show, "Moonlighting," starring Bruce Willis.

  • Orson Welles' last, unfinished film,The Other Side of the Wind,  which was slated to be released on  the director's centenary (May 6, 2015), is still in production, according to Wellesnet. There is a funding issue which still needs sorting. The film, shot in the 1970s and starring any number of celebrities, including Natalie Wood, follows the decay of Hollywood.

Quote

"I passionately hate the idea of being with it; I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time."

Further Resources:
↧
Search

Mother's Favorite Classic Films (and TV Shows)

May 8, 2015, 1:46 am
$
0
0
It's great to share a movie with your mother. Here are a few of the films and television shows that I watched with both my parents growing up, but were also the particular favorite of mom (after all, it was her house and she controlled the remote).

1. The Bad Seed (1956)


My mother loves a good laugh. Few movies bring several, long chuckles out of her like The Bad Seed (1956).  This film stars Nancy Kelly as Christine Penmark, the mother of a little girl named Rhoda (Patty McCormick) who murders people.

The plot of this thriller may not sound like a laugh fest, but there are moments of hilarity throughout the movie - some intended, others not-  that might leave you winded with laughter.  Mother loves to run this film whenever guests arrive at her house. My family has a sick sense of humor sometimes.

2. Columbo (ABC, 1971-2003)


It's a classic, but not a film. My mother and her sisters introduced me to this TV detective with no first name who wears a wrinkled trench coat as he solves crimes. Criminals always believe that Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) is incompetent, but of course he's not and captures them in the end.  My mother often champions the underdog or the misunderstood and she loves a good mystery. 


3. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (NBC, 1993-1998)

A female physician (Jane Seymour) faces the challenges of balancing work and raising children in the Wild West; this story parallels my mother's life in many ways.  The whole family enjoyed  the show enough to ask an aunt to record it once while we were on a vacation.

We lived in an area where you get "snow" on the screen, the cause of very poor reception. I recently tried to re-watch one of the tapes that my aunt recorded for us; it's filled with snow. I can't believe we watched it so intently with such poor visual quality, but we loved it.

4. The Fugitive (1993) [or any other Harrison Ford film]

Watching films like The Fugitive -when a man's life -and that of his
family- is threatened and he must catch a villain alone - is as risky as this family gets, sometimes.

Mother is an adrenaline junkie only vicariously through films. In real life, she must handle the aftermath of humans doing unwise things to themselves.  It's understandable that she would like to live as long as she can, thank you very much.

5. The Great Escape (1963)

My mother's father fought during WWII. Like his son, grandpa didn't talk about his war days very much. Movies like The Great Escape help mother to understand a little bit what those days were like for her father. Plus, it's filled with action.

The story follows members of the Allied Forces who are grouped together in a POW camp. They plan an elaborate escape. It boasts an all-star cast, including some of mother's favorites -Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Garner.

6. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1964)


Here's another of Mom's favorites that has her in stitches - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  It's an all-star cast of comedians -including Milton Berle and Sid Caesar- who dash after hidden treasure somewhere in California.

Mother runs this one for her guests less often than The Bad Seed due to its long run time. Still, its brilliant cameos and constant hijinks always has our family in tears.


Further Resources


What are your mother's favorite films?

↧
↧

6 Pinterest Tips to Boost Traffic to Your Classic Movie Blog

May 11, 2015, 12:02 pm
$
0
0
You have a blog. Now you want to spread your reach and classic movie authority on a social media platform.  Pinterest.com might be useful to you.

Pinterest - a portmanteau of "Pin" and "Interest"-  allows you to create visual bookmarks.  You gather all the internet images you like (or upload them), keep them in one place and share your findings with the rest of the world (or keep a few private boards). (Learn  About Pinterest here.)


http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2015/05/6-pinterest-tips-to-boost-your-classic.html

According to the Pew Research Center, 28% of all adult internet users use Pinterest.That's a big chunk of traffic. It's greater than the adult internet user traffic for Twitter or Instagram, according to the same study.

To top it off, humans process the information of images faster than they do text. Pinterest - or any other image-heavy social media platform- can potentially get your point across pretty fast and to a wider audience.


People use Pinterest as inspiration boards for their weddings, recipes, travel, fashion and home decor. Some even scroll through for movie recommendations. That's where you come in.


1. Pin Images From Your Classic Movie Blog

Java's Journey's main page on Pinterest
The images that you use on your blog can be placed on your account on Pinterest. You can pin it to your own digital boards using a handy Pinterest Browser Button. Once that is finished, a button marked "Visit Site" is near each photo and leads back to your blog. This is the crucial traffic booster.

The kind of seamless integration that we've come to expect with Twitter and Facebook is not currently available with Pinterest. There is no way to pin your content automatically when you publish your blog post. For now, you must pin every image manually. Here's how to do it:

  1. Visit a page whose image you like.  The url of that page will become the address that people will use on Pinterest to go back to your blog.
  2. Click your Pinterest Browser Button.
  3. Click the image you want to Pin.
  4. Change the description, if you prefer.
  5. Choose which board to use.
  6. Click "Pin It."
  7. Click "See It Now," if you prefer.

You can do the same on other websites. You can also upload images to Pinterest from your hard drive.

In addition, other people can visit your blog and pin your images to their boards. If you wish to make it easy for them, you can create a little "Pin It" button which will pop up on each picture. Go to the Pinterest Widget Builder for instructions.

For technical questions in general, visit the Pinterest Help Center. Their answers are usually spot on; you just have to dig for them.


2. Pinterest Content Has Longevity

One great thing about Pinterest, something that recommends it above many other social media platforms, is the longevity of content.

Other platforms have a time-sensitive, vertical timeline system. On Twitter, for instance, the newest post or picture is at the top of the page. The older ones are pushed down until they are off the front page.  A Twitter post has a few seconds of longevity, which means any image will be right there in someone's face for a very brief amount of time. Facebook posts have a longevity of minutes or hours.

A Pinterest image might grab attention for months. Why?

Pinterest has far less emphasis on when a thing is uploaded; more emphasis is on what is uploaded. It organizes images across the page. Plus, it is easy to search for an image via keywords despite its upload date.

Example
I logged on to Blogger, looked at my statistics and found that Pinterest sent traffic to Java's Journey today.

  
Java's Journey- Blogger Statistics Section


I clicked on the link and discovered that people had traveled from my Pinterest boards to this blog using the "Visit Site" button near a poster of Diamond Horseshoe with Betty Grable that I pinned over a year ago.

Java's Betty Grable Poster on Pinterest


With Pinterest, you have just as much chance to garner traffic from images pinned long ago as you do from more recent images that you've pinned.

3. Remember: Pinterest is Not a Community; It's a Billboard

Be aware that Pinterest is not a community site like you may be accustomed to using. On Blogger, Wordpress or Facebook, for instance, someone posts an image and hordes of people discuss it in the comment section below the image.

On Pinterest, there is a space for comments, but few people use it. This may be due to the lack of emphasis on when an image is uploaded to Pinterest. You may never get a response if you ask a question.

Thus, use Pinterest as a billboard for what you're discussing on your blog; it is not chat time with classic movie fans.

4. Use Tall Images on Pinterest

Pinterest makes vertical images larger and easier to see; horizontal ones tend to be squished.

I learned this the hard way after uploading some great shots from widescreen movies like How To Marry a Millionaire with Marilyn Monroe.


So what do you do? Crop the image into a vertical rectangle on your computer and re-upload. Or simply choose long images from the start.

5. Remember: Text is Important on Pinterest

Pinterest is mostly about images, but remember to use its description box to help people find your pictures. Below each image is a description box. The Pinterest search feature uses your description to find images for other members. The name of the classic movie star helps, name of the movie, year, the words "classic movie," etc.

You can go one further, if you have time, and create one sentence plot lines in your descriptions. I usually get a number of re-Pins and "Likes" when I describe how the scene in the image I've chosen fits into the plot. I also use the words, "Read More" followed by a direct link to the specific blog page. It's another way of ensuring that people come to the blog.

6. Is Pinterest Right For You?

Whether Pinterest can help you depends on your goals. What would you like your classic movie brand to be?

  • If you would prefer long discussions with other classic movie fans, Pinterest is not the place to do it. [Although, it could lead to those in-depth dialogues if someone travels from that website to your blog.]
  • If you simply want your presence out there as an authority on one of the most popular websites online, Pinterest might be what you are looking for.  
  •  If your target demographic includes lots of women, Pinterest is your place. According to the Pew studies, Pinterest users are over 3 times more likely to be female than male.
  • If you want your rare images to remain exclusively within your control, Pinterest is not the place for you. Anything you share there is potentially out in the ether forever even with private boards; there is no reigning it in.
  • If you do not have time to to add any more tech stuff to your social media arsenal, then don't do it, even though it's fairly easy to do.
  • If you want a social media platform that does not need constant updating ,yet still draws readers to your blog, Pinterest works.



Do you use Pinterest? Has it helped your online classic movie presence?
↧

The Heiress (1949) | My Favorite Classic Movie Blogathon

May 16, 2015, 7:45 pm
$
0
0


William Wyler directed some of the greatest, sweeping adventure moments ever captured on film, such as those in Ben-Hur or The Big Country. However, Wyler would often create excitement in internal crises. The Heiress–a drama from 1949-is a case in point.

 It stars Olivia de Havilland who plays a timid and wealthy lady of 19th century New York City who must determine whether her beau –Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift) - loves her or her money. The heiress’ father, Dr. Sloper  (Ralph Richardson), tends to believe the latter – that Catherine has nothing to offer but her inheritance. What is the truth?
The mystery, the ambiguity, will bring you back to this film again and again.


Ruth and Augustus Goetz adapted the popular Henry James novel, Washington Square,  into a hit Broadway play - The Heiress. Olivia de Havilland saw the play and campaigned to have it adapted to film.

Wyler, de Havilland and the rest take advantage of the subtleties offered by the film medium, adding layers of complexity. 

Some of the subtlety includes physical changes in our heroine. In public and around her domineering father, Catherine speaks almost in a whisper, wringing her hands, second guessing her own decisions.
In private and with her Aunt Lavinia, (Miriam Hopkins),  the shyyoung lady speaks at a normal volume and gives  definite opinions. 

When we first meet Morris, Aunt Lavinia stands up and leaves the two alone. Morris takes the vacated seat and eventually becomes the new person in her life who encourages the opinionated, independent woman inside Catherine. With Morris, the heiress unfolds her petals and blossoms. 
 
But can Morris be trusted? Sometimes the script gives lies to the people you like and truths to the characters that you dislike. The audience is placed in the same predicament as Catherine – whom should she trust?

The Heiress makes the internal struggle so vivid that the New York Times critic Bosley Crowther was compelled to say that, 


“…Mr. Wyler has taken this drama, which is essentially of the drawing-room and particularly of an era of stilted manners and rigid attitudes, and has made it into a motion picture that crackles with allusive life and fire.”

You don't need chariot races and big, broad, Western landscapes to create an epic film. This film creates an epic tale in intimate spaces, not the least of which is that inside the human mind.

We could discuss the accolades and awards lavished on this movie, including Olivia de Havilland’s second Academy Award for Best Actress. We could discuss the fact that a prominent song in this film was later revamped and turned into a hit song for Elvis Presley. But all of that is merely the cherry on top. What makes The Heiress great is brilliant storytelling, source material, acting, directing, editing, the score… Everything comes together to bring you a film you will never tire of revisiting. The Heiress should become your next favorite film.
 ----------------------------------------------------------
This post is a contribution to the My Favorite Classic Movie Blogathon  at the Cafe of Film and TV.


↧

Essential Items for Classic Movie Reviews

May 18, 2015, 5:47 am
$
0
0
What items help your classic movie review process ? The following items are essential for my process, but please share in the comment section below what you use to create your best classic movie reviews.


1. LAPTOP

Many people are faster at typing than writing with a pen. Since I’ll have to type it eventually, I just cut out the middleman and type the review on my laptop. Also, if the film is especially exciting (or boring) I can begin to search for behind-the-scenes trivia online while still watching the film. I also enjoy the freedom of using a laptop to watch a film anywhere.

I often type the drafts using Microsoft WORD, then copy and paste the sentences onto my blog. I do this with especially long reviews or ones with footnotes. I also type with WORD when access to the internet is limited. At other times, I type directly onto my blog.

2. NOTEPAD AND PEN (occasionally)

When watching the movie at the cinema or enjoying the stage version of a film, I’ll need the pen and paper to capture my thoughts immediately. However, typing handwritten thoughts is a step I would like to avoid as much as possible since I rarely get around to typing anything once I've written it on paper. Typing thoughts onto the computer helps.

3. THE MOVIE

Naturally, you'll need the movie to review. However, if I’ve seen a film dozens of times before (you know, the kind of familiar film you can quote in your sleep), I will start to write a review from  memory. Following up with another glance at the film might be in order before publishing the completed review. This is just to make sure I didn't miss anything salient to my point.

4. BEHIND-THE-SCENES RESOURCES

We've discussed the many credible online and offline resources which can enhance your review. Gross receipts, back stories, filming dates, what place does the film hold in the trajectory of the actor's career, filming locations, type of vehicle the character drives, interviews with filmmakers, quotes, public domain images, old newspaper articles - any of these might prove useful to your review.  Discover exactly where to find this information here: 15 Classic Movie Review Resources

5. INSPIRATION / BLOG IDEAS

(a) Inspiration is essential. Let's say you want to try something different on your blog. Other writers can inspire you. They might not write about classic movies or even have an online presence, but you enjoy how they formulate words or the fact that they share resources for further study. Whatever it is, figure out why that writer appeals to you and incorporate some of their writing model into your own.

(b) When facing writer's block, thislist of blog ideas comes in handy. Find it here: 100 Classic Movie Blog Ideas.  For the future, start your own list of blog ideas. When frustrated, you can scan some of them. Even if you do not use them, they could be the catalyst for other thoughts.

Of course, when writer's block hits,  you can also free write, which is to think of a topic and just write whatever comes to mind for a couple of pages or for a limited amount of time (Here's an online 25 minute egg timer, if you need it: e.ggtimer.com/pomodoro ). You'll come out with a seed of something blog worthy.


(c) To prevent last minute posts and to always have inspiration, you can use a blogging calendar and map out every topic or movie you want to review in advance. I have used these in the past, and still do for major holidays, but I have yet to discover how best to use the blogging calendar on a weekly basis without feeling bored and confined. [See? There's a blog post right there waiting to happen.]

6. FUN


I don't know about you, but yours truly tends to take things too seriously and wipe the fun right out of it for the reader. I'm so busy trying to get everything right.

Someone recently said, "Do it and then do it right." Meaning start first, then correct as you go. But start. And remember what made you so excited in the first place about the movie you're reviewing.


What are your necessary items for a classic movie review?

For more Classic Movie Blog Tips, click here:TIPS.
↧
↧

The Phantom of the Opera (1943) w/ Claude Rains

May 19, 2015, 11:00 pm
$
0
0
My young nephews are studying The Phantom of the Opera in music class. One of them asked if Aunt Java has the film at home. I do. Yours truly grew up watching various film versions of Gaston Leroux's novel. It is the tale of a man gone mad who lives beneath a Paris opera house and secretly obsesses over a singer named Christine. He will do anything to make her a star, even murder.



At one point it time, there was Phantom-mania everywhere. Andrew Lloyd Webber was slaying Broadway; the soundtrack for Phantom with Michael Crawford and company was a commercial success; people wore sweatshirts and t-shirts with a phantom mask printed on them; every popular singer covered that haunting song, "The Music of the Night." I hadn't picked up any version of this movie since then.

It was a thrill to share with the nephews my favorite of the remakes - the Claude Rains version. 

This is a dark tale of insanity and obsession, but Universal Studios chose to keep it light and family-friendly. The 1925 Lon Cheney version is sinister and dark, lots of close-ups of the Phantom, slow turns, they really want you to drink him in; it's geared towards fans of horror films. More recent versions target adults who enjoy romance novels and desperately wish to be enveloped by the music of the night with Christine. 

On the other hand, once Claude Rains becomes the Phantom, the 1943 film keeps the title character at arms length. He's the mask in the crowd over here; he's the shadow on the wall over there. We spend more time above ground watching people react to his maneuvers. We dip only briefly into the subterranean lair of the mysterious murderer. Other versions keep you in the Phantom's world a little more.



Further, with bright and festive 19th century costumes credited to Vera West and delicious Technicolor,  this film is candy for the eye. There are also silly, comic bits as a singer (Nelson Eddy) and a police detective(Edgar Barrier) vie for Christine's (Susanna Foster) attention. All of this creates a tone that is different from that of most other versions. The tone might be annoying to many who are accustomed to the more frightening versions, but any children watching are not likely to have bad dreams after this light and frothy film.

The Phantom of the Opera (1943) with Claude Rains is recommended, especially for children.

↧

Anonymity: Is It Right For Your Classic Movie Blog?

May 25, 2015, 8:53 am
$
0
0
Note: Yours truly will indulge in self-reference at the beginning of this post. Skip down to around the middle of the page to "Is Anonymity Right for Your Classic Movie Blog?" for helpful tips.


Sometimes it's great to withhold your name and personal information from the public. Sometimes a blogger just wants to discuss classic movies with an online community without attaching her/his real name to anything; it's a fun hobby; there's no reason to make yourself too vulnerable. We all enjoy our privacy, right?  I have done so since starting this classic movie blog under the random name Java Bean Rush.

As the years flew by and yours truly kept writing, when someone offline asked what I enjoy doing, I couldn't tell them about my pseudonym or this blog Java's Journey, this project that was increasingly taking up a lot of my spare time; I couldn't talk about this awesome community of classic movie bloggers with which I am affiliated. When I went away on a trip to ferret out details of a classic movie-related event, I was hesitant even to tell the family. They know I have a blog, but I don't want to bore my nearest and dearest with movie talk all the time.

You, dear reader, are a secret in my life...
  • Partly because I never got around to telling you my real name. (Tempus fugit, doesn't it?)
  • Partly because I'm afraid of making a mistake online and the whole world will know about it. If I do, well, they cannot trace it back to my real name.
  • Partly because I believed it would seem unprofessional if a prospective employer, client or business partner were to conduct an online search and find my chicken scratchings about movies. I might come across as frivolous.
  • Partly because, if I have to talk about this blog, I go into that uncomfortable selling mode. Little Miss Valedictorian must convince the listener that she's doing great things with her spare moments. In those moments when I've slipped up and mentioned this classic movie blog, people have asked me, "who has time for all that?" Suddenly, all of these movie reviews seem absolutely trivial; I feel the need to defend my community of classic movie bloggers. For many people, watching a classic movie is somewhat understandable, but writing about it is a waste of time. I say, that's ridiculous! These treasures are worth watching and writing about.  I finally asked myself, "Well then, if you think these movies are worth watching and worth writing about, aren't they worth talking about? Then, stop being ashamed of telling offline people what you do."

It feels safe and comfortable just writing without the need to give up any privacy. People don't know you personally, they simply react or respond to your writing. However, if I want to take Java's Journey from hobby to business, or if I wish to place all of my different projects under one umbrella, then my actual name might become important.

Hello. My name is Deborah Thomas (You may still call me Java). Some of you know my real name by now, others of you I'm meeting for the first time. (Big internet hug)

I had planned a big roll out of my real name, maybe a prize or two for the best guess, but the more I planned, the more I procrastinated. Rolling it out this way - in a casual, informal way, no big buildup or hoopla- is probably a mistake business-wise, but it's more organic to the author. Baby steps. Baby steps.

Before I decided to reveal my name, I procrastinated considered it for at least five years. You don't have to take that long to make a decision about whether to make your classic movie blog anonymous. Here's the best that I can tell you for now.

Is Anonymity Right for Your Classic Movie Blog?


Keep It Anonymous
  • If you would like to keep as much of your online life as private as possible. For your own reasons, you do not want your offline life associated with the classic movie blog. Somehow it could be potentially hazardous to offline plans.
  • If the blog is a hobby, but not a growing business. Business becomes complicated when you begin using pseudonyms. Someone somewhere will have to know your real name in order to do business with you, even if he or she is your representative.
  • If you feel safer or more comfortable that way.  Sometimes the internet feels like a frenzied crowd and blogging anonymously is a way to participate on your own terms. Just know that these things are not as private as you think. Any online activity potentially leads back to you, if a searcher is persistent enough.
  • If you'd rather people concentrate mostly on your words. If your gender, or hairstyle or other personal or identifying information will distract people from your message, writing anonymously might be of use.
  • If you don't mind people referring to you with the wrong gendered pronouns. I don't know why, but when I write online using the name of an inanimate object, people think I'm a dude. I'm fine with it, because (1)I haven't told people I'm not a guy, so they have a 50-50 chance of guessing incorrectly, (2) it's funny and (3) it creates one more layer of misinformation and privacy.

Use Your Real Name
  • If you want to meet up with your fellow classic movie bloggers. As online movie reviewers become a more common thing, meeting offline with these like-minded people will become an option. Classic movie events, like the TCM Film Festival or cruise, are becoming increasingly popular venues for these meetups. Using your real name might be preferable in these cases; it certainly will be less confusing for your readers.
  • If you want to be able to tell people offline what you do. It's very awkward when people ask about your after-work life and the first thing that comes to mind is your classic movie blog, but it's an anonymous thing, so you hesitate and tell them about some other hobby.
  • If you want to develop a full-time business around your blog. I haven't found a way to do this without connecting my real name to something connected with the blog. If some one knows a way to do everything in business anonymously, please share in the comments.
  • If you want to be a little more vulnerable with your readers. People seem to trust you more and are open with you if you are vulnerable with them first; sharing your name is one way to do it. Yes, some people will take advantage of showing your underbelly, but you must decide if reaching out and connecting with people gels with your goals and is worth it.
  • If you wish to create a cohesive online presence. You might have projects in addition to a classic movie blog and would like them all to come under one banner. Your name could be used as that all-encompassing, permanent umbrella, even if the projects change.
  • If you are willing to appear imperfect in public.  Mark Twain , a man who is known mostly by his pseudonym, said "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." With my pseudonym, Java, I have had the best of both worlds - I can "open my mouth," give my opinions and be totally mistaken and it doesn't hurt my real name. But I was suffering from the Imposter Syndrome.
    When I realized that I put just as much effort into my anonymous classic movie blog as I would any work under my real name, when I realized that my online work is just as important to me as my offline work, when I realized that I have weathered mistakes in offline life pretty well, so perhaps online mistakes can be overcome too, then whether I used my real name didn't matter so much.
  • If you've considered it for a while and have weighed the pros and cons. Since the internet is a fairly new thing, we don't yet know all of the cons to using your real name online. But don't let that stop you completely. If you are the same person everywhere you go, than the internet is just one more place. Just know that once you bring this genie out of the bottle, there's no going back. After all, the world now has the Way Back Machine where anyone can look at old versions of your website.


Are you now, or have you ever been, an anonymous blogger? Why did you decide to blog without your real name?  Did you eventually use your real name? Why? Give us some tips or your story in the comments below.

For more Classic Movie Blog Tips, click here.
↧

Thoughts on The Opposite Sex (1956) w/ June Allyson

June 1, 2015, 5:24 am
$
0
0
Why is the The Opposite Sex (1956) considered a poor remake of The Women (1939)?

The Clare Boothe Luce play made it to the screen with an all female cast, showcasing some of MGM's finest leading ladies of the 1930s. When MGM decided to release a remake in the 1950s, it was again a vehicle to display their top female stars. So far, so good.


The Women follows the failing marriage of Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) who discovers her husband has been unfaithful to her with a gold-digging strumpet named Crystal (played brilliantly by Joan Crawford). In the remake, June Allyson plays the wronged wife and Joan Collins fills in as the money-hungry side squeeze.

Many have argued that The Opposite Sex is terrible becauseit is a musical that does not use the considerable singing talents of Dolores Gray. Ms. Gray does not sing a note, not even over the credits. The singing job is handed over to June Allyson, who is known primarily as an actor who sings. Ann Miller -known for her tap dancing- is also cast in the musical, but her signature talents are not utilized either. The dancing is turned over to Ms. Collins, who is quite gorgeous, but she's not dancing, she's mincing around the stage.


The Opposite Sex is also criticized for the fact that it fails to use the earlier film's gimmick of casting only females. Usually when there is only one gender shown in a film - such as in stories of men fighting in World War II- there is a reason inherent in the story as to why you are not likely to see the opposite sex in the room. In The Women, there is no such excuse. They want to emphasize the female perspective in this story about men but without showing men. This is rare experiment in a film.

The Opposite Sex, however, reintroduces males onscreen. This could have been a fine idea, but the film does so without protecting the male characters.  In both films, Mary is the martyr, a regular Joan of Arc. Mr. Haines has figuratively tied her to the stake and the mistress comes along and lights the fire under the wife. Both movies encourage the audience to despise the mistress and understand the husband, but they are both unsympathetic characters.

In The Women, we can only imagine what is going on Mr. Haines' head. Why does he leave his wife? Does he regret it? We don't know, but we can imagine remorse as the couple considers reconciliation. Once you show the guy onscreen, the actor has a tough row to hoe because there is now a face to the infidelity. With Leslie Nielsen's classic stoicism, Mr. Haines' sophistication and quiet demeanor in The Opposite Sex come across as heartless under the circumstances, especially in scenes with his unsuspecting little daughter. He's too nonchalant. He's too easily giving up everything. That would be fine, if the movie did not want the family to reconnect.

Other husbands are also shown. Often the couples are bickering and you stand aghast at this nest of vipers. No doubt the same happened off-screen in The Women, but the audience is spared these abuses. Ann Sheridan is on hand as Amanda, the only unattached, observing female (Florence Nash's Nancy Blake character from the first film) to comment on how terrible the women are to each other and why. The men are left out of her commentary; no one sheds any light on why the men do what they do in this film.

I thought that with The Opposite Sex we would finally get Stephen Haines' view of the story; perhaps he can explain his actions; maybe he is more complex than we think. Unfortunately, we are privy to Mr. Haines' body, but not his brain. It's as if the movie is saying, "Ok, men, you can be seen but not heard." It's infuriating. The women certainly have motives -good and bad. The men just kind of sit there, not fully realized. What are their ambitions and goals? What are their motivations? We haven't a clue.

The Opposite Sex is a relatively poor film, not because we have a sparkling original which cannot be improved, but because the remake squanders the opportunity to delve into issues that the first film does not address.







↧
Search

4 Ways to Get the Most from a Business Conference

June 1, 2015, 6:15 am
$
0
0
You are set to attend a business conference to gain contacts and resources for your classic movie blog. Here are 4 tips to prepare for this event.


http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2015/06/4-business-conference-tips.html

1. SET 3 GOALS BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

(a) What are my FINANCIAL GOALS for this classic movie blog? (e.g. I would like to make $2K per month by September.)

(b) What are my CONNECTION GOALS during the conference? (e.g. I would like to attain contact information of 10 commercial artists at the event.)

(c) What are my AFTER-THE-CONFERENCE GOALS? (e.g. I will immediately set up an appointment with the artists for sketches that are to be completed by June 30th.)

2. TAKE BUSINESS CARDS

If you attend events whose topics are more web-based, like VidCon, people hand out fewer business cards there. Attendees just search for your web presence immediately on Facebook or Twitter or some other popular online platform. However, at most conferences, handing out a tiny piece of paper with your contact information on it is still expected.

To help your fellow attendee remember you, in addition to your web address, email address and phone number, you can also place your image on the card. To make it even more memorable, print business cards just for the occasion with a little sentence that says "We met at X Conference in California on May 21-25, 2015."

Be aware that anything larger than a business card - such as flyers or brochures or postcards or buttons- tend to be thrown away as they are cumbersome and become extra garbage that people do not feel like carrying around.

3. USE ONSITE COACHING

Some conferences allow attendees to step up to a microphone in the audience and ask a specific question about business to whoever is onstage. Many conferences also offer texting or tweeting your question and the facilitator chooses an inquiry. Avail yourself of that option. More than likely your question is on someone else's mind; you'll end up helping not only yourself, but your more timid compatriots.

Some conferences offer one-on-one business coaching sessions during the event. You ask a question or two at a table with a hired expert who can give you advice for about 5 minutes. This is perfect for those of us who prefer more privacy.

4. GO WITH AN OPEN MIND

Even if you have already been to similar conferences, even though your blog is already successfully drawing traffic, even if you think you've heard it all before, there may be some little nugget of information that can totally shift your paradigm and bring more success to your business. 


What are your business conference tips? Comment below; let me know.

-----------------------------------------------------
This post is a part of the Classic Movie Blog Tips Series. For more, click here.




↧
↧

Book Review: Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. by Jacqueline T. Lynch

June 5, 2015, 9:00 am
$
0
0

Moving. Thorough. Fascinating.  The new Ann Blyth biography will intrigue you. It’s great summer reading.

This month, New England author Jacqueline T. Lynch offers her latest book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. (available onAmazon.com, CreateSpace, and directly from the author on June 18, 2015). The author recounts the life of Ann Blyth -an entertainer who has performed since her childhood in the early 20th century. The star has appeared in a variety of media, including films (garnering an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Mildred Pierce), stage, radio, opera, supper clubs and television. 

If there is one word which can sum up the legend’s career, as presented in this book, it is this: variety.
The parts that Ms. Blyth have played are versatile– from a debutante in lightweight comedies with the charming duo Peggy Ryan and Donald O’Connor, to vicious characters like Veda in Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford, to singing in lush, MGM musicals, to snarling characters in television westerns. These days, the performer’s gigs are as the recipient of plaudits for not only her own career, but also for that of her contemporaries -long dead- who worked during the classic movie era.

Not only are her roles varied, her performance within a role can be complex. The actress and singer would change her speaking voice for a more nuanced performance. These choices make for better entertainment,  but obscures the actress. Says the author,
“Perhaps in the same way a trained singer is able to change keys while singing, so she might also be able to change the key of her speaking voice. A malleable voice is not something common with classic film stars…. Barbara Stanwyck, or Bette Davis, or Humphrey Bogart, for instance, or Katharine Hepburn—one can close one’s eyes while the movie is on and still know who the actors and actresses are, but not, necessarily, with Ann Blyth.”

Hence, Ms. Blyth’s dedication to her work has also been a stumbling block to her memory. She has avoided typecasting, which makes for a difficult “product” to sell. 

However, it is doubtful that Ms. Blyth is worried over the idea that her name is not often listed among the legendary figures of her day, that her voice is not easily parodied. Her identity and sense of self-worth have never been entrenched in the entertainment industry. According to the book, her sense of identity has always been in her faith and family. When explaining her refusal of a television series or her love of the light scheduling of summer theater, the actress notes, “my children and husband come first.”

Ms. Blyth’s life is a tale of humble beginnings, support from a tireless mother, resilience, strong spiritual upbringing and generosity with coworkers. Most of America’s heartland would call this background and behavior “normal.” However, in contrast with Hollywood’s reputation for excessive self-interest and avarice, Ann Blyth is indeed a remarkable person to last so many decades in entertainment without dislodging her integrity (or as one critic calls it, her “halo”).


Much of the book contains a thorough analysis of each recorded performance. The images strewn throughout are also held to detailed scrutiny. They are there not only for general reference;  the author often specifically refers to what is happening in the pictures, integrating them into the chapter. This is a rare practice for any biography.

For the performances which were not recorded, the author relies on original interviews, newspapers and audience impression. The author honors not only the musings of critics who have a prestigious byline, but also the opinions of people without official press passes who encounter the star or her performance. One hopes this is the start of a trend of reviewer egalitarianism in film star biographies.

One is particularly taken by the story of a fan in his eighties - Doug Trembearth of Australia- who recently traveled outside of his homeland for the first time just to see Ann Blyth in the U.S. during an event hosted by Turner Classic Movies. The author creates vivid parallels between the first time Trembearth saw an Ann Blyth film and the first time he saw the star in person. 

In Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star., Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer.
↧

5 Award-Winning Classic Movie Blog Designs (and the Patterns Your Blog Can Use)

June 8, 2015, 4:04 am
$
0
0
Competition is increasingly stiff for the annual Classic Movie Blog Association (CiMBA) Awards ceremony, which occurs in the fall. Each member of the association nominates her/his own blog post for each category and other members vote. There are several categories, including Best Blog Design. I've never won for Best Blog Design, so let's study the winning patterns for this category.

http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2015/06/5-award-winning-classic-movie-blog.html




CiMBA Best Blog Design 2010 - Classicfilmboy’s Movie Paradise,http://www.classicfilmboy.com/

Classic Film Boy
This blog has since changed its design, but in 2010, this was the first winner of Best Blog Design CiMBA category. It's light and inviting with little pops of pastel color. It is a classic Blogger.com template.  There are photos at the top of the post and then strewn throughout the text underneath.

Explore more of the 2010 winning design with the Way Back Machine here: http://www.classicfilmboy.com/


CiMBA Best Blog Design 2011- Via Margutta 51, www.via-51.blogspot.com/


Via-Margutta 51
The next year saw another light and airy design win. Via-Margutta 51 maintains the white background with spots of light green and a unique, personalized font. There are helpful navigationbuttons on the sidebar that take you deeper into the blog. This designfeatures large photos not only in the posts but on the header as well. I recall the header changing with the seasons or the mood. It also uses gifs.



Explore more of the 2011 winning design with the Way Back Machine here:  www.via-51.blogspot.com/


CiMBA Best Blog Design 2012 - Sittin' On a Backyard Fence, http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/



2012 saw a change. Light and airy was out,  noirish was in. The dark background allows the photos to stand out. The blog has the sidebar which tells you more about the author, what she's reading lately, helpful links.

Explore more of the 2012 winning design with the Way Back Machine here:http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/



CiMBA Best Blog Design 2013 -Pre-Code.Com, http://www.pre-code.com/



Pre-Code's header for its win clearly delineates the specific topic,  boasts of large photos with rounded corners. The posts have one large photo at the top and a little cast of characters list with photos  -screenshots from the film- next to their names. Then comes the most of the text.

The blog breaks up the black and white with colorful fonts and splashes of color in the posts.

Explore more of the 2013 winning design with the Way Back Machine here:
http://www.pre-code.com/
 




CiMBA Best Blog Design 2014 - The Blonde at the Film, http://theblondeatthefilm.com/


This blog won the CiMBA Blog Design with a main page which shows photos that take up most of the blog page. Each photo has the name of the movie reviewed and a "Read More" button. This blog tends to stick to reviews (as opposed to musing on the state of the film industry, reviews of film festivals, etc.) and each post has plenty of screen shots from the film.

Explore more of the 2014 winning design with the Way Back Machine here:  http://theblondeatthefilm.com/

    To Sum It Up - The winners for CiMBA's Best Blog Design have some of these 5 elements.

    1. Photo-heavy - Screenshots from the movie itself are best. Publicity stills are second best. Photos should be large.
    2. Sidebar - with lists of popular posts, recent posts, recent comments. It seems you should share links within your own blog higher up on the page and in your high traffic areas; people want to know you and what you have to offer that's different from anyone else. Links to other websites should probably be placed farther down.
    3. Color - The background can be dark, as long as there are lighter colors popping in the foreground. Color palettes are simple and not busy, allowing the film's screenshots to stand out.
    4. Except for the 2014 winner, their main page is open, meaning that the top post is ready to be read immediately and in its entirety without  clicking "Read More."
    5. There is something instantly visually unique about them, even if it's just a weird font .

      Ultimately, there is no formula to guarantee winning CiMBA's Best Blog Design, but you and I can incorporate some of these elements into our classic movie spaces.

      How is your blog designed? What tips can you offer us to improve the reader experience?
      ↧

      The Wizard of Oz Festival 2015

      June 9, 2015, 9:48 am
      $
      0
      0
      ↧

      1 Tip to Convert Social Media Traffic to Your Classic Movie Blog

      June 14, 2015, 10:00 pm
      $
      0
      0
      Twitter. Facebook. Pinterest. You link your classic movie blog to social media accounts to promote your blog. The idea is that this other group of people will then click on the link there and come to your world, your classic movie blog.


      Bloggers often use social media sites solely as distribution centers. On Facebook, we place a link to our blog post about Cary Grant's earliest memories at the movies and wait for the people to come to our blogs. They do come, occasionally. However,  to increase that number, you must vary the content. You should not just link to your blog (that will bore or irritate your readers), but give them a complete thought right there on Twitter, for instance. Eventually, when they think of who can guide them through the world of classic movies, they will think of you.

      How do you convert more traffic from social media to your blog? Create original content for that platform.

      In this classic movie blog tips podcast (3 minutes, 55 seconds), I explain why you might consider this tip for your classic movie blog and how to apply it.

      You may watch this video podcast below.





      Listen to the audio version.


      Download for later. Right click the link and click "Save Link As" : Classic Movie Blog Tips Podcast | Episode 1

      Discover more Classic Movie Blog Tips Here.  


      What are your social media tips? Comment below; let me know.
      ↧
      ↧

      Father's Day Movies

      June 16, 2015, 8:27 am
      $
      0
      0
      Classic movies abound for Father's Day. Help yourself to this list.

      Billy Mumy and James Stewart in DEAR BRIGITTE


      13 Classic Movies for Father's Day
      A list with links to great films you can buy to celebrate Dad.

      Tyrone Power's Acting Lineage
      Read about the actor as a father, his father, his father's father, etc.

      The Long, Hot Summer
      A review of a movie about a father (played by Orson Welles) whose control over the family could be ruinous.

      In Search of the Castaways
      Hayley Mills sets out to find her father in this Disney adaptation of Jules Verne's classic adventure story.

      Dear Brigitte
      James Stewart plays a caring father of a little genius (Billy Mumy) in this family comedy.


      What is your favorite classic movie about fathers?
      ↧

      Ann Blyth Bio Launches Today!

      June 17, 2015, 9:25 pm
      $
      0
      0
      The first biography of entertainment legend, and Academy-Award-nominated star of Mildred Pierce - Ann Blyth- is available today - June 18, 2015.

      The author, Jacqueline T. Lynch has written a stirring tribute to one of Hollywood's best and brightest stars in her book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.





      What is one of your favorite Ann Blyth films?
      ↧
      Search

      Toast of the Town

      June 21, 2015, 10:00 pm
      $
      0
      0

      Let's talk about some of the great classic movie blog information I've stumbled across lately. I'm calling it Toast of the Town for now - the first name of The Ed Sullivan Show.


      • Classic Movie Blog Tips - the series here on Java's Journey where we share tips to improve our classic movie blogs- will become an occasional series instead of  weekly. To read all of the tips click here.


      • The Judy Garland Museum had a grand Oz celebration during the week of the actress' birthday. I didn't know it existed. Clearly it's time for a (yellow brick) road trip.
      • Kimberly Truhler of GlamAmor is hosting another  film and fashion event at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica on July 21st. The inspiration this time is Audrey Hepburn. How have I not known about this series?!
        What classic movie-related news or blogs have intrigued you in the past week?
      ↧

      In Search of the Castaways (1962) - The Costumes

      June 25, 2015, 9:14 pm
      $
      0
      0
      The following is an image-heavy post with little text about a beautiful Disney film that we have reviewed before - In Search of the Castaways (1962). Read the review here. It is also a Father's Day film, of sorts, as it follows the story of a girl who is in search of her missing dad. Last time we discussed plot, this time we take a glimpse at the gorgeous costumes.


      Academy Award-winning costume designer Margaret Furse is credited with costume design for the film version of this  adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel.  The film stars Hayley Mills and Maurice Chevalier. You can almost see the drawings as they wear the clothes. Late 19th century
      steampunk fans of the world, unite.

      In this newspaper clip, Ms. Furse notes her lessons in movie costume making, including, "The most important part of your costume is from the waist up...."


      To the film.

      Mary (Hayley Mills)and Robert wear respectable, if dull, pedestrian clothing.Very functional.





      It's really just to play up the difference in wealth between the Grant children who are desperately searching for their father, and the two people who could help them - the wealthy Glenarvans who are first spotted in tuxedos.




      A professor (Chevalier) shows up who has arrived with the children with a special clue as to Captain Grant's whereabouts. His wardrobe is a major point of reference -filthy spats among the party guests.



      He has the tiniest, tasteful flare - a crimson carnation in his buttonhole.  And a floppy bow, which accents his bend-with-the-wind attitude and contrasts with the beautifully formal white bow ties we see before on everyone else.



      On the yacht, the designer gives Mary a collar reminiscent of sailor suits. It's as if Mary knows she will sail around the world on this vessel.



       





       


       

      The adventure takes them to majestic mountains in South America. Everyone has had a wardrobe change for the arduous journey. They now don ponchos and boots.








      The professor still wears his vest and floppy tie.



      Even Mary wears slacks, which she might not have done in real life, according to the University of Vermont. Ladies would have had some sort of active wear dress which would have allowed for ease of movement. Although some women did wear slacks in Western cultures in the 1880s, it was a rare sight. 

      In fact, in the picture below, John and Mary look very much like a couple of stylish Soho denizens from the 1960s. Very anachronistic, but I love the boots.


      I think they are all streamlined for safety. Since the actors are in a large tank with water, you don't want them weighted down by yards of fabric should they fall in.

       


      This is more like it. This is the kind of active wear a woman might have worn during this era - the a shorter skirt than usual for freedom of movement. I doubt the young man would have been in his shirt sleeves in front of a lady on the yacht, but I love the look.


      It's difficult to see the pin stripes on his pants, but they are there. According to the University of Vermont, stripes were very stylish on men during the 1880s or thereabouts.








      We start on the yacht in party attire and we end the film in the same way. Only this time, the Grants are in formal regalia as well, suggesting that the Glenarvans have accepted the new people in their lives with whom they've just sailed around the world.









      This is one of the few times you get to see the exterior of the vessel. Lovely.





      What is one of your favorite Disney films?
      ↧
      ↧

      What to Watch on Independence Day

      June 30, 2015, 10:00 pm
      $
      0
      0
      The 4th of July is Independence Day in the U.S.  Here are a few classic movies to watch on that day.

      Nice Girl? (1941)


      Deanna Durbin, a very popular star of the 1930s and 1940s, plays the overlooked daughter of a professor  (Robert Benchley) in a small town who is willing to sacrifice her reputation to get attention from someone.  Anyone. Including a visiting professor, played by Franchot Tone.

      It's a  heart-warming, comedic, patriotic film, set during the initial stirrings of U.S. involvement in the European Conflict. There is a scene during the 4th of July that will have you choked up, what with Benchley nearly crying and Durbin singing "Beneath the Lights of Home."Read the review of Nice Girl? at The Amazing Deanna Durbin Blog


      Java Reminisces 
      This is one of my childhood favorites. Franchot Tone always has a bemused smirk on his face, letting you know it's all a silly comedy and everything will turn out fine.The mansion his character owns is to DIE for! I need that gigantic closet!

      This is the first Robert Stack film I recall seeing. He's a gearhead who is more in love with his car than with the girl-next-door. He suddenly needs to compete for Durbin when this sophisticated professor rolls into town. He's almost like the bashful maiden and  Durbin is the Wolf.

      You have to love Stack's final scene with Durbin, because he's almost emotive and human, which works perfectly for the character. You want to follow up with a sequel to see how he continually unfurls his vulnerability.

      Benchley, who is known in real life for his humorous newspaper columns and short films, gives a surprisingly nuanced and sober performance as the understanding father who protects his daughter from wagging tongues and her own foolishness. One of my favorite of his scenes is when he gives his daughter her space and tells everyone not to disturb her, after the neighbors start gossiping about a girl whom they once thought was "nice."

      On the Town  (1949)


      This is a great standby favorite. Turner Classic Movies will show Independence Day-themed films on the 4th of July. Their lineup includes On the Town, a classic movie starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin. It's  a fun little comedy about 3 sailors in the U.S. Navy on 24-hour shore leave in New York City.  Read On the Town and Musical Noir

      Military personnel on leave was a very prominent plotline of the mid-20th century.  The possibilities of life-changing decisions made in an instant during a state of emergency led to rather complicated fun in comedies or trauma in the more dramatic versions of this plot.

      Java Reminisces  
      This is one of those films that I would rewind again and again as a child, learning all the choreography and dialogue.  Gene Kelly indirectly taught me the Time Step.

      The 3 men state from the begining that they only have 24 hours in New York. They end up back on the ship as they said they would at the beginning. But -oh!- what adventures they have in that time frame.

      In terms of the plot, it reminds me of a number in Kelly's later movie, Invitation to the Dance. In the "Ring Around the Rosy" number, we follow a bracelet as it goes from one owner to another, finally ending up with its original owner. Almost as if nothing happened at all.

      Anchors Aweigh  (1945)



      You can compare On the Town with another Kelly-Sinatra movie in Naval uniforms - Anchors Aweigh.  This musical comedy is also about sailors on shore leave; this time they are in Hollywood and meet a budding singing star played by Kathryn Grayson.

      Kelly was actually going into the Navy in real life immediately after wrapping up this film. ReadAnchors Aweigh and the Real Life Seaman

      Java Reminisces 
      Many years ago, my sister and I ran down the steps of the Rose Bowl to reenact a scene in this film. The tour guide had no idea what we were doing, but it was fun.

      It's Always Fair Weather (1955)



      A film that is often contrasted with On the Town is It's Always Fair Weather. It also stars Gene Kelly in uniform with two other men - Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd. This time they are members of the U.S. Army and are happy that WWII has ended. They promise to be friends forever and meet up again. It's starts with an elated dance number in the streets, but the story sobers up as the years wear on and the friends lead separate lives. The bulk of the film is about catching up with each other and the friendship that will never be the same.

      It's a deeply cynical film. Where this tone might have led musicals, we can only speculate. Musicals became less profitable soon after.

      Java Reminisces  
      As a child, I thought this film was trying too hard to capture some of the essence and originality of earlier fare. Gene Kelly  performs an impressive tap dance on skates in the streets as he sings about loving a woman. This is vaguely reminiscent of his famous Singin' in the Rain number where he literally sings in the rain while frolicking on the streets and thinking about loving a woman.

      The so-in-love-I-must-dance-in-the-streets number is common in musicals, but when Gene Kelly does it, you're thinking of his most famous version of it and any other one feels like an also-ran.The dance on skates should be appreciated for itself.

      The Clock (1945)

      Judy Garland Database

      You may also contrast On the Town with the somber atmosphere of The Clock, starring Judy Garland and Robert Young. It tells the story of a lonely soldier on leave in New York who finds a woman he wants to marry within minutes of seeing her. This is a common trope in classic films, and possible marriage to a stranger is often treated lightly, but not this time. See The Clock (1945) - Judy Garland's Intense Boy-Meets-Girl Drama

      Java Reminisces  
      I found this drama later in life, not in my childhood, and I'm glad I did. Kiddie Java would not have appreciated an MGM movie with Judy Garland not singing and dancing and smiling in it.

      There are several long scenes where director/Garland's husband Vincente Minnelli has Garland quietly react to a thought; its almost a silent film in some spots. This treatment encourages you to concentrate on Minnelli's beauteous visuals. Garland is always gorgeous... no, ethereal... when Minnelli is behind the camera. It's like a love letter between the two.

      This might be my favorite Judy Garland movie other than The Pirate... and A Star is Born... and...


      Tomorrow is Forever (1946)



      Also from the 1940s, but not from MGM, is this film about divided loyalties and love. In Tomorrow is Forever,Claudette Colbert plays a woman who loses her husband in WWI, then is on the brink of losing her teenaged son to patriotism in WWII.

      Will she allow him to serve? What are their duties as citizens? The trauma is real. Read Tomorrow is Forever with Claudette Colbert and Orson Welles



      Java Reminisces 
      As it was with The Clock, I found this drama later in life. I was struck by the constant, driving themes of love and loyalty. Wartime decisions are not easy to make, which I'm sure the audience of the day appreciated.

      Colbert's first husband (played by Orson Welles) says, "Let me love you in my own way," as he leaves for war and is later declared missing in action. Her second husband (George Brent) loves her by sticking around. Her son (Richard Long) loves his country and his mother, but is willing to disappoint her for something greater than himself.

      I don't usually cry over movies, but this one had me teary-eyed.

      Hit the Deck (1955)


      From the same year as It's Always Fair Weather is another film about military personnel and their troubles back home. However, Hit the Deckis a light and frothy version of 3 sailors on shore leave. It harkens back to earlier comedic films and plays.

      It stars Russ Tamblyn, Tony Martin and Vic Damone as the 3 men who come home to romantic problems and family troubles. It also stars Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and all the 1950s crinoline you can handle in those big, beautiful skirts.

      Java Reminisces  
      I said during the Film Passion Blogathon that Hit the Deck  is the film that turned me into a classic movie nut, but it was really a combination of films. I just happened to be watching this film as child when I thought to myself, "if I claim to love these films, then I should know when the film was made and what studio made it."

      The Hit the Deck cover art was right there, so I started learning its facts and comparing it with other MGM films. I'm basically doing the same thing today.



      Further Resources

       What are your favorite films for Independence Day?
      ↧

      Why Your Blog Loses Readers (and What to Do About It)

      July 1, 2015, 9:08 am
      $
      0
      0
      Whether you blog about classic movies for money, or for fun, or some other reason you are obsessed with your website's statistics. You analyze them regularly. When you see "2 comments awaiting approval,"  your heart zings a little. You check the little graph which shows how many people have read your articles and you smile or frown with that little blue line. You never want your list of subscribers to dwindle, but sometimes it does.

      Here's why you may have lost them.


      You May Lose Readers When...

      1. ...you change the format or schedule on which they rely.
      2. ...you post too many or too few articles in a day.
      3. ...you use too many guest posts and not enough of your own.
      4. ...you say something controversial for your audience.
      5. ...your blog is filled with annoying advertisement.
      6. ...your blog is not mobile-friendly
      7. ...they feel under-appreciated.
      8. ...you present fluff
       

      What to Do When You Lose Readers

      Change causes everyone to pause and reassess the value of time spent, the worth of continuing, whether they are at the same level of interest or growth that they were when they started reading your blog. So if you change something, be aware that it's not just you shifting and adjusting, your readers are as well.

      Would you like to restore the numbers you have lost? Perhaps even exceed them? Here are a few suggestions.
      1. Stay on a schedule that works for you. Once per week. Once per month. Daily. Whatever the schedule, stick to it. Readers are less likely to stray when they can rely on your regularity.
      2. Discover the perfect timing for your blog posts. It's a trial and error thing for everyone, depending on topic. However, in classic movies, publishing a blog post between once per day and once per month tends to work. Any more frequent and people become annoyed. Any less frequent and people wonder if you have died. (Death is a way of life for classic movie fans, after all.)
      3. Make sure guest posts do not overshadow your contribution. Many bloggers ask for others to write on their blog just to give themselves a breather and to give their readers expertise from someone else.  However, what makes your classic movie blog different from all the rest is YOU. The author of the blog attracts the reader, so keep yourself in there. The only time when you wouldn't consistently write for your blog  (other than death or prolonged illness) is if you are transitioning into a resource that lives on beyond you. In which case, be upfront with your readers about the changes a-coming and you will lose fewer of them.
      4. Only say something controversial when it is related to your topic, when you really believe what you are saying and you don't mind losing readers. There will be those who unsubscribe when you have an opinion contrary to popular thought. However, you might find that you will gain different readers as a result of your outspoken blog post. Controversy is one of the problems that classic movie blogs rarely have to deal with. Anyone who dislikes classic movies tends not to delve into them at all, leaving behind those of us who enjoy them.
      5. Replace your random ads with related ads of companies you have used. Most classic movie bloggers do not bother with advertisement, except when promoting their own services or books. Those who do latch on to programs like Google Adsense, and allow randomly selected ads to be placed on their blogs, might be distracting to the reader to the point of irritation. Instead, you might create sponsored posts - you agree to allow a company's logo to appear on a post in exchange for a set amount of money. Explain to your readers what this is and that your opinion of the film you are reviewing is not swayed by the sponsor.
      6. Go to the following post to make sure your blog is mobile-friendly: Is Your Classic Movie Blog Mobile-Friendly?
      7. Engage your reader. To make sure your reader understands that you appreciate him or her, feature a comment or question from your email or blog or social media platform (e.g. Facebook). If someone leaves a comment, respond to it. If you have such a large following that responding to all comments is not a wise use of your time, then respond to a few that stand out to you. People are here to interact with you and your thoughts. Be responsive. Plus, whatever question one reader has is bound to be a question that someone else has.
      8. Respect your reader by giving them the best information that you can. If the quality of your classic movie blog suffers when you post once per week, then post only every two weeks or once per month. Use that time to write the most outstanding, in-depth classic movie article that you can for that month.
      9. You can set up a subscription service (say, with Aweber or Mailchimp, independent of your blogging platform) that asks the person why they are unsubscribing. The information might help. All of that depends on how much you are willing to invest in your classic movie blog.
      10. Commiserate with other bloggers. Accept the loss, grieve if you have to, revamp and reassess what you want from the classic movie blog. There is a psychological toll on the author when someone leaves. It is rejection and we don't always know why the reader leaves. Gather with other bloggers in any number of Facebook groups (such as Blogging Boost or Daring Creative Workshop or the CMBA Private Screenings Room, if you are a member of the Classic Movie Blog Association) and get some great tips from them.

      Ultimately, you should determine what you want to make of your classic movie blog - a resource guide, a community, a place to dump your thoughts, a record of  film history, a full-time job. Whatever it is you want, keep that idea in front of you constantly. It will get you through the ups and downs of blogging.

      When do YOU lose interest in a blog? Comment below; let us know.

      More Classic Movie Blog Tips can be found by clicking this sentence.
      ↧

      MAME is Lucille Ball's TROG?

      July 8, 2015, 8:09 am
      $
      0
      0
      Mame with Lucille Ball
      Trog with Joan Crawford



      Lucille Ball in the musical Mame is the subject of a light debate over in a Facebook group that I frequent.

      The film today has an amusingly campy legacy. Some have placed it in the so-bad-it's-good category; others say it's just terrible; others say it's a work of art with a few glitches.

      Mame  follows the story of an orphaned boy who is sent to live with his wacky aunt - Mame Dennis- and all the adventures they have. Mame is the musical rendition of Auntie Mame. Auntie Mame is a straight play, a Broadway hit and later a film, starring Rosalind Russell. They are all based on a popular novel by Patrick Dennis. These were successful productions. Why is the hit musical play considered a stinker on film?

      Oft-mentioned reasons for not calling Mame an all-out classic usually are these:
      1. Lucille Ball's voice clearly cannot sustain the notes in this musical; she should have been dubbed.
      2. Ms. Ball's advanced age makes the character unbelievable as the little boy's aunt.
      3. The Vaseline on the lens, or soft focus, to give the appearance of a smooth face on the star to hide her age is distracting. Why not just hire another actress?
      4. Angela Lansbury was perfect onstage as Mame Dennis; she has numerous films under her belt, but they wouldn't let her star. Anyone else in the film's title role is a travesty.

      The Facebook discussion took a slight turn when someone, frustrated with the movie, proclaimed, "Mame is Lucy's Trog," referring to one of the last films of megastar Joan Crawford.Trog was not well-received.

      One can understand why the two might be compared. Each film stars a legend of the silver screen in one of her last films. Each film received negative reviews. Both films have become campfests, where newer fans love to laugh at the craziness.

      However, there is a difference.

      The pedigree of Mame, its classic songs, its star power (in the form of not only Lucy, but supporting cast such as the fabulous Bea Arthur in a scene-stealing role as the best friend) make it the perfect vehicle for the right casting. At the very least, they could have dubbed Lucy's croaky voice, and there would be no doubt that this is a bona fide classic that is worth your time. 

      Lucy in Mame is like having a poor driver in a Rolls Royce- in proper hands it would have driven well.  In this case, it is swerving all over the place, but you can still appreciate it.

      Trog, on the other hand, is intrinsically flawed. It's a low-budget, sci-fi film about an anthropomorphic monster (a man in an ape-like costume) from an earlier time who kills everyone in sight, except a scientist (Crawford) who understands him. This film takes itself seriously. No one, not even Academy-Award-winning actress Joan Crawford, can elevate this film.

      Crawford in Trog is like professional NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt, trying to speed around the track in a beat-up Pinto. What you want to accomplish and what can be accomplished, given the tools you have to work with, are two separate things.

      The two are not equivalent.

      What do you think of Mame? How about Trog? Do the two compare?


      ↧
      Viewing all 269 articles
      Browse latest View live
      Search