Love Letters to Old Hollywood

A newspaper editor gleefully awaits the big news of the death of billionaire Jonathan Reynolds (Charles Laughton), a story that is sure to feed the paper for weeks. While he impatiently grumbles about the old man delaying the inevitable, in a dark, quiet mansion, the great Mr. Reynolds lies on his deathbed, weakly telling his son, Johnny (Bob Cummings), that he wants to meet his fiancee before it's too late. Desperate to fulfill his father's wish, Johnny hurries to his hotel to get his fiancee, Gloria, who went out and can't be found. Who is found, however, is hatcheck girl Anne (Deanna Durbin) -- Johnny whisks her away to the house to pretend to be Gloria in order to make his father happy one last time. Feeble but still with a twinkle in his eye, Reynolds is delighted that Johnny has picked such a beautiful woman, her eyes filling with tears as he holds her hand and whispers "Don't cry, dear, there's nothing to be sorry for. I had a good life. I didn...

I'm thrilled to say that I'm taking part in the Star-Director Blogathon, hosted by the marvelous Theresa. Click here for the giant, amazing list of entries! ************************************************************** If you've read my blog before, you've probably noticed that Esther Williams is one of my favorite people ever. I love the gal, and I'm determined to spread the word of her brilliance for as long as I can. Every time I sign up for a blogathon, I instantly think of how I can talk about Esther because, if we're being honest here, blogathons are when I get the most traffic and I don't want people to miss learning about an Esther Williams film. Maybe it's just that others aren't as vocal as me, but it seems like she's fallen to the wayside, a possibility that obviously I can't accept. Writing for this blogathon affords me the chance to shed some light on a collaboration that isn't as celebrated as Jack Lemmon & Bill...