Love Letters to Old Hollywood

1950 was a big year for William Holden. With the release of Sunset Boulevard , Holden would become a star with a capital "S," no longer to be relegated to forgotten B-films. The movie was an instant classic, with most of the praise being heaped on Gloria Swanson's glorious, go-for-broke performance. Curiously, the same thing happened with Holden's other 1950 hit, Born Yesterday . Judy Holliday's presence overwhelms the film and dazzles the viewer, which ultimately allowed her to win the Oscar over Swanson. While both women were powerhouses on their own, it wouldn't be fair to ignore the importance of Holden's support. It was with this mindset that I rewatched Born Yesterday . I'll admit it was hard to keep my eyes off of Holliday -- that woman was so magnetic! -- but for this viewing, I wanted to focus on Holden. His work as journalist Paul Verrall is seldom discussed, probably because he is the film's least showy character. He is also its mor...

It's finally arrived! The first part of the Third Golden Boy Blogathon is here, and I'm very happy to be your host for the day. All this month I've been catching up on William Holden's filmography (thanks, TCM!), so I can't wait to see the tributes come pouring in over the next few days. Participants, please comment below with your entry and I'll get it posted as soon as I can. Day 2 will be hosted by The Flapper Dame's wonderful Emily , and Day 3 will be hosted by the lovely lady who started this all, The Wonderful World of Cinema's very own Virginie . Let's get to it! Dubsism | Stalag 17 (1953) Caftan Woman | The Remarkable Andrew (1942) Juliet Campbell (guest at The Wonderful World of Cinema) | The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) 4 Star Films | Picnic (1955) The Stop Button | The Moon is Blue (1953) Happy 100th, Bill!

Astaire and Rogers. Fred 'n' Ginger. The most famous dancing duo in history. Everybody loves them, including me and Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood ! Because we adore them so much, Crystal and I have decided to co-host a blogathon dedicated to the massively talented couple for three days in July. (Just a few days after Ginger's birthday on the 16th, actually!) The rules are pretty simple: 1) You can write about anything relating to Fred and Ginger: their collaborations, their other films, their TV appearances/specials, their fashion... whatever you'd like! Leave a comment with your topic(s) on this post or on Crystal's announcement post  or email Crystal at crystalkalyana@yahoo.com -- don't forget to include your blog's name and URL! 2) Since there are SO MANY topics to choose from, we are accepting no duplicates , so be sure to check the roster before leaving a comment. That being said, if someone else has taken, say, Ea...

What’s better than a 1940s romantic drama starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford? A 1940s romantic drama starring two Bettes and Glenn Ford! A Stolen Life has become one of my favorite Davis films, a swooning melodrama about twin sisters Pat and Kate. The movie is a remake of the 1939 British film Stolen Life starring Elisabeth Bergner and Michael Redgrave, which had been adapted from a novel by Karel J. Benes. (Fun fact: the story of All About Eve was inspired by something that actually happened to Bergner. So, in a way, Davis played Bergner when she played Margo Channing!) Beware: tons of spoilers ahead! In a place called New Bedford in New England, Kate Bosworth (Davis) is late to a boat going to a nearby island where she will be visiting her cousin Freddie (Charlie Ruggles). When she hears that Bill Emerson (Ford), the mechanic for the local lighthouse, is headed to the island, she catches a ride with him. Although he wasn't thrilled with the idea at first, Bill war...