Love Letters to Old Hollywood

Tuesday night was not an easy one. When my sister texted me that Debbie Reynolds had died, I felt strangely numb. Of course I was deeply saddened, but the news didn't seem to sink in until five minutes later when I found myself bawling my eyes out. This probably seems weird, maybe even melodramatic, especially for someone who never even met Debbie Reynolds. While it's certainly true that I didn't come face to face with Ms. Reynolds, the open and frank way that she lived her life made her feel like a great friend to me. The woman didn't pull any punches on any subject, and the sheer delight that she took in acting made it clear to audiences that we weren't seeing Debbie Reynolds the Actress, but rather Debbie Reynolds the Person. She never put up a wall between herself and her fans. What you saw was what you got, and what we got was totally and magnificently fabulous.

Doris Day has become one of the 20th century's greatest entertainers, so imagine my surprise that she hasn't been given her very own blogathon! Since Ms. Day is one of my absolute favorites, obviously that had to change, so I invite you to join me in celebrating the triple threat on April 1-3, 2017! I know, it's four months away, but that just gives you four months to prepare, right? (I also kind of wanted to make sure I announced this blogathon before anyone else could. It's happened before, so you can't call me paranoid. Just kidding, you totally can.) Although it's some time away, April 3rd is Doris's birthday... and she's still with us! Here are the rules: You can write about anything relating to Day -- her films, her music, her personal life, her work with animals, her role as a style icon, the list goes on! I also won't limit how many posts you want to do. Because there is so, so much you can write about, I'd prefer no dup...

If you asked me to name my top twenty list of the most romantic films I've seen, I could say a few of them right off the bat: Notorious, An Affair to Remember, The Thin Man (seriously!), Love Letters, Casablanca ... and Brigadoon . I have a feeling most of you would disagree with me on that last one. Poor Brigadoon is used to it -- the film has been battered around ever since it was first released in 1954. Actually, Brigadoon 's troubles began from the very start of production. It began as a Broadway musical that debuted in 1947, but the film rights weren't snatched up until 1951 by MGM. Gene Kelly was almost immediately cast, as was Kathryn Grayson. Shooting couldn't commence until Kelly completed other commitments, so over the next few years, more actors were considered for parts, such as David Wayne, Alec Guinness, and Donald O'Connor. When Kathryn Grayson was taken out of the cast, there was talk of Moira Shearer replacing her, which would have been fa...