The Dark Ladies of Warner Brothers: Ann Dvorak and Kay Francis

I've sung their praises before, but Ann Dvorak and Kay Francis are two of my favorite actresses.Ann DvorakBesides being beautiful brunettes, both ladies had a lot in common.Kay FrancisBoth Ann and Kay:a Spent the best part of their careers under contract at Warner Brothers (although Kay made some stunners first at Paramount)a Were utterly unique in appearance (Warners had an eye for players who were not like anyone else)a Wore...

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THE PRODUCERS: Zero Bats a Thousand and Mel Hits a Home Run!

This is my entry in the Classic Movie Blog Association's Comedy Blogathon. Please click here to see the entire gleefully, hysterically, deliriously funny line-up.Great drama, action, and romance are fine, but there is no greater gift to the world than the pure joy of a good laugh that comes from way down deep.May I seriously say that Mel Brooks is a genius? Yes? Thanks. But first, I have to stop laughing. In my lifetime there have been...

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ATTENTION GOSSIP HOUNDS! PHOTOPLAY - JANUARY 1931

Oh, to be a movie fan in January 1931! I admit it - I love Hollywood gossip. It would be nice to say I'm above all that and I love the movies for their artistic merit, but I'm not. I love the dish, the dirt, the spectacle, the drama and those little, juicy tidbits about how the west coast glamorous set lived (and lives). Admittedly, today's celebrity gossip runs to trash, but, boy, back in the "golden age," if you plunked down 25 cents for a Photoplay...

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MOVIE BOOKS I LOVE: A SONG IN THE DARK: THE BIRTH OF THE MUSICAL FILM by Richard Barrios

This is an occasional series featuring my favorite movie books. Before TCM and the internet, the only way to satisfy my passion to know more about Classic Hollywood was through books, books and more books. I've cleared away the clutter over the years, but many remain permanent residents in my home. You'd never throw out an old friend, now, would you? This is another book in my library that is so worn by repeated readings and look-ups that I am ashamed...

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Mary Astor (Bitch)/George Sanders (Blaggard)

This is the first in the "Bitches and Blaggards" series; monthly posts devoted to my favorite movie bad girls and rogues. A bitch is a selfish, malicious woman. A blaggard is a villain, a rogue and a black-hearted man. Both are bad, both are devastatingly alluring.Mary AstorMary Astor is my favorite "movie bitch." Like a jagged shard of glass, she glitters, she shines, but she is hard and she can cut deep. As an actress,...

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