Love Letters to Old Hollywood

A gorgeous, underrated talent, Rock Hudson has been unfairly overlooked for many years. The man was always more than what people reduce him to -- more than his tragic death from AIDS, more than his sex comedies with Doris Day, and more than a closeted gay man. With all that in mind, Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and I have decided to collaborate again to celebrate lovely Mr. Hudson, and just in time for his 93rd birthday, too! The guidelines are pretty simple: You can write about anything relating to Rock: his films, his TV work ( I Love Lucy, Dynasty, McMillan and Wife , etc.), his partnerships with such great women as Doris Day or Dorothy Malone... whatever you'd like! Leave a comment with your topic(s) on this post or on Crystal's announcement post or email Crystal at carolelombardforever@yahoo.com -- don't forget to include your blog's name and URL! Although we'd love a wide variety of topics to be covered, we will not include...

It's that time again! For the next three days, I'll be hosting the Second Van Johnson Blogathon, which is my minor way of saying thanks to Van for being such a delightful part of my life as a classic film fan. I can say without hesitation that Van is one of my very favorite actors, and I'm thrilled that so many bloggers have decided to join this event to help celebrate the man and his 102nd birthday. To the entries! I start things off with Van Johnson: A Tribute . The Midnite Drive-In reviews one of Van's most critically-lauded films, Battleground (1949) . Realweegiemidget Reviews finds Van wonderful in Divorce American Style (1967) . Caftan Woman discusses one of Van's early TV roles with the Zane Grey Theater episode "Deadfall." Dubsism stops by with his feature Sports Analogies Hidden in Classic Movies: The Caine Mutiny . Champagne for Lunch gives us a double dose of Van with his work in Scene of the Crime (1949) and The...

I fell in love with Van Johnson on a summer day in 2008. It wasn't a moment I was expecting, to be sure. But as I watched an underrated romantic comedy called Three Guys Named Mike , I felt my breath being taken away the moment a freckle-faced scientist named Mike Lawrence appeared on the screen. Lost in a book while on a flight, he barely notices that his stewardess is lovely Marcy, played by the even lovelier Jane Wyman. As time goes on, though, Mike and Marcy find their way to one another, despite the other two Mikes (Barry Sullivan and Howard Keel) in her life. There was a warmth and vulnerability to Mike Lawrence that, to me, made him the most obvious choice for Marcy. When he looked at her, he did it with a sweetness that made my knees weak, and when he spoke, there was a calming hush to his voice that felt wildly romantic. As if all of that wasn't enough, at the end of the film, when Marcey finally has to choose which man she wants to be with and they all give ...