Pages - Menu

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Classic Movie Star Quote on Merriam-Webster Online

Guess who is featured in a Merriam-Webster Online Top 10 List!  Ingrid Bergman. The list is the M-W  "Top 10 Favorite Quotations About Words."
Here's a screen shot:

It reads as follows:
“A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop speech when words become superfluous.” – Ingrid Bergman
Classic movie stars are just everywhere.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

5 Radio Shows for December

If you find yourself with some downtime this month, gather the family around the cozy computer and listen to classic movies adapted for radio. Below is a list of five radio theater productions in the public domain that were originally broadcast in December.

You can listen to them on this blog or go to their source - The Internet Archive - and listen there. If you'd rather enjoy these episodes later, download the mp3 file. Have fun!

Anchors Aweigh 
Genre: Musical
Show: Lux Radio Theater
Originally Broadcast: 12-29-1947
Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson in their original roles.
Plot: Two sailors meet adventure and romance during shore leave.


Listen to the Anchors Aweigh now: (Flash player required)
(Duration: approximately 50 minutes)







Download the MP3 file for Anchors Aweigh to your iPod or media player (right-click to Save)





The Lemon Drop Kid
Genre: Comedy
Show: Lux Radio Theater


Originally Broadcast:12-10-1951
Stars: Bob Hope in his original role
Plot: A gangster starts a home for the elderly during Christmastime. The business may be less than legitimate. 

Listen to the The Lemon Drop Kid now: (Flash player required)
(Duration: approximately 50 minutes)









Download the MP3 file for The Lemon Drop Kid to your iPod or media player (right-click to Save)


Lost Angel
Genre: Drama
Show: Academy Award Theater
Originally Broadcast: 12-18-1946
Stars: Margaret O'Brien in her original role
Plot: An orphaned genius, raised as an experiment, discovers the outside world.



Listen to the Lost Angel now: (Flash player required)
(Duration: approximately 30 minutes)









Download the MP3 file for Lost Angel to your iPod or media player (right-click to Save)


Ruggles of Red Gap  
Genre: Comedy
Show: Screen Actors Guild Theater
Originally Broadcast: 12-17-1945
Stars: Charles Laughton in his original role
Plot: Based on the Harry Leon Wilson novel about an English butler who finds himself in the Old West.


Listen to the Ruggles of Red Gap now: (Flash player required)
(Duration: approximately 30 minutes)









Download the MP3 file for Ruggles of Red Gap to your iPod or media player (right-click to Save)


State Fair 
Genre: Drama
Show: Theater Guild On The Air
Originally Broadcast: 12-31-1950
Stars: Van Heflin and June Lockhart
Plot: The farmer's daughter finds romance at the state fair. Will it last?
 
Listen to the State Fair now: (Flash player required)
(Duration: approximately 50 minutes)









Download the MP3 file for State Fair to your iPod or media player (right-click to Save)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Doris Day and Gene Nelson are so cute

From Lullaby of Broadway(1951). My sister and I learned Doris Day's dance steps throughout the film. I loved these steps for their simplicity and effective storytelling. (And I love the little black shrug she wears over her pale yellow blouse.)

Monday, December 05, 2011

"You can't hold comedy back, because it needs to be exposed."

GQ Magazine published an interview with Jerry Lewis this past August. Interviewer Amy Wallace commits to the usual recap of the comedian's life, a description of his current state of health and a snapshot of how he lives. Although Ms.Wallace relies a tad too much on endorsements from current film directors and comedians, hers is an interesting read. The journalist helpfully labels each section so that I could skip over the paragraphs marked "Libido." (I've read enough about Lewis' sex life from the autobio Dean and Me to last a lifetime.)

Lewis takes note of specific comedians popular today and predicts each one's longevity in the business and gives reasons for his assessment. Out of the ones mentioned, our star seems to think that most of them are more than flavors of the month. That was a lovely surprise. Note, however, that Will Ferrell does not make it out of this interview with his career intact.

Current projects intrigue  me. Jerry Lewis plays the title character in a new movie - Max Rose - that is slated to be released in 2012. He's in talks with John Travolta who wants to remake The Family Jewels (1965). And, perhaps most exciting, Lewis is preparing and directing a Broadway musical version of The Nutty Professor (1963)! If this last project gets off the ground, you'll find me front row, center.

Head on over to the GQ interview by clicking here.


[Be forewarned that the title of the article and the summary are a bit disrespectful to the film star, which is completely incongruous with Ms. Wallace's article.]
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/humor/201108/jerry-lewis-interview-gq-august-2011#ixzz1fX7mPFFH

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Deanna Durbin Has a Birthday Party

Deanna Durbin's 15th Birthday (Click to enlarge)
Deanna Durbin David celebrates her 90th natal year this December. Happy Birthday, Ms. Durbin!

You'll find birthday wishes to Universal Studios' singing star at the following links: