12.17.2011
12.16.2011
12.15.2011
what else were they in?
Richard Deacon was a bald and usually bespectacled character actor who often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. Because of his looks and authoritative voice, he was often typecast as a humorless or foul-tempered authority figure.
You might recognize him as:
Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show
Fred Rutherford on Leave it To Beaver
Semu in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Dr. Harbey Bassett in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Policeman in Carousel
Williams in The Solid Gold Cadillac
Bill Hotchkiss in Kiss Them For Me
Dr. Melnick in Lover Come Back
Mr. Miller in That Touch of Mink
Mitch's City Neighbor in The Birds
Drive-in Manager in That Darn Cat
Survival Manual Narrator in Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN
Ralph Yarby in The Gnomemobile
Dean Wheaton in Blackbeard's Ghost
Charlie Wrenn in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
12.14.2011
director: busby berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer who was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. His works used large numbers of showgirls and props as fantasy elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances.
Gold Diggers of 1933: Shadow Waltz
The Gang's All Here: The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Babes on Broadway: Hoe Down
For Me & My Gal
Gold Diggers of 1933: Shadow Waltz
The Gang's All Here: The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Babes on Broadway: Hoe Down
For Me & My Gal
12.13.2011
what a character
Name the movie where Doris Day plays:
1. Kate Mackay
2. Kit Preston
3. Kitty Wonder
4. Katherine "Babe" Williams
5. Calam Cannary
1. Kate Mackay
2. Kit Preston
3. Kitty Wonder
4. Katherine "Babe" Williams
5. Calam Cannary
12.07.2011
best of: gene kelly
Summer Stock
Anchors Aweigh
Jack in the Beanstalk
The Pirate: Be a Clown
On the Town
It's Always Fair Weather: She Likes Me
Singin' in the Rain: Moses Supposes
And of course...
Anchors Aweigh
Jack in the Beanstalk
The Pirate: Be a Clown
On the Town
It's Always Fair Weather: She Likes Me
Singin' in the Rain: Moses Supposes
And of course...
12.06.2011
what else were they in?
Keenan Wynn was an fantastic character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts.
You might recognize him as:
The Drunk in The Clock
Clarence "Clinker" Krause in Song of the Thin Man
Joe Beckett in Neptune's Daughter
Charlie Davenport in Annie Get Your Gun
Irving/Edgar Klinger in Royal Wedding
Fred Bayles in Angels in the Outfield
Lippy in Kiss Me Kate
Alonzo P. Hawk in The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, and Herbie Rides Again
Col. "Bat" Guano in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Old Sailor in The Americanization of Emily
Hezekiah Sturdy in The Great Race
Senator Billboard Rawkins in Finian's Rainbow
Martin Ridgeway in Snowball Express
And many, MANY more!
12.05.2011
the jungle book
the year: 1967
the genre: animated
the plot: Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear have a difficult time trying to convince the boy Mowgli to leave the jungle for human civilization.
did you know: that when Gregory Peck was the President of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science, he tried his hardest to get a full-length animated feature film (most notably the The Jungle Book) not only nominated for Best Picture Academy Award but actually win the award. He resigned as President in 1970 when other members didn't agree with him about animated films being nominated for the award. It would be over 20 years later before the Academy would reconsider, allowing Beauty and the Beast to be nominated.
extra bonus points: if you know why the Beatles ended up not voicing The Vultures as suggested by their manager.
don't miss: "I Wanna Be Like You" with Louis Prima and Phil Harris' off the cuff scatting. Because of their busy band schedules, they recorded the song separately.
12.01.2011
best of: danny kaye
Hans Christian Anderson: Inchworm
Merry Andrew: Everything is Tickety-Boo
The Five Pennies: Lullaby in Ragtime
White Christmas: Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army
The Court Jester
Merry Andrew: Everything is Tickety-Boo
The Five Pennies: Lullaby in Ragtime
White Christmas: Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army
The Court Jester
11.16.2011
what a character
Name the movie where Judy Garland played:
1. Esther Smith
2. Betsy Booth
3. Cricket West
4. Hannah Brown
5. Dorothy Gale
6. Sairy Dodd
1. Esther Smith
2. Betsy Booth
3. Cricket West
4. Hannah Brown
5. Dorothy Gale
6. Sairy Dodd
11.15.2011
11.14.2011
quotes: NYC
Name the movie:
1. Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.
2. I know a place right across the Brooklyn bridge where they'll never find us.
Where is it?
Brooklyn!
3. Would you not agree that Mindy's cheesecake is the best cheesecake alive?
4. The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city.
5. Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away.
6. Where to?
Yonkers, New York, to handle a highly personal matter for Mr. Horace Vandergelder, the well-known, unmarried, half-a-millionaire.
1. Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.
2. I know a place right across the Brooklyn bridge where they'll never find us.
Where is it?
Brooklyn!
3. Would you not agree that Mindy's cheesecake is the best cheesecake alive?
4. The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city.
5. Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away.
6. Where to?
Yonkers, New York, to handle a highly personal matter for Mr. Horace Vandergelder, the well-known, unmarried, half-a-millionaire.
11.11.2011
guess who.
He was of Russian, German, French, Italian and Ethiopian descent, with ancestral connections to Russian nobility as well as the Ethiopian Royal Family.
He served as a private soldier with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment, during the Second World War. He was batman for David Niven and the two became life-long friends.
He had a career as an actor, director, and writer, appearing in more than 100 film and television productions.
He received an Oscar for his role in Spartacus.
He was a regular guest of numerous talk shows and late night comedians.
He made a comedy record in the late 1950s, "Mock Mozart" and "Phoney Folk Lore". He had been performing these as party pieces. Overdubbing allowed him to sing multiple parts.
He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist.
He served as a private soldier with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment, during the Second World War. He was batman for David Niven and the two became life-long friends.
He had a career as an actor, director, and writer, appearing in more than 100 film and television productions.
He received an Oscar for his role in Spartacus.
He was a regular guest of numerous talk shows and late night comedians.
He made a comedy record in the late 1950s, "Mock Mozart" and "Phoney Folk Lore". He had been performing these as party pieces. Overdubbing allowed him to sing multiple parts.
He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist.
11.10.2011
they should remake...
...Moon Over Miami.
Kay Latimer (a single girl whose rich uncle's inheritance didn't pan out) poses as a jet setting socilaite...
...and her kind-hearted sister Barb (equally broke) poses as Kay's personal assistant...
...as they try to find Kay a rich husband.
And who should Kay be pursued by, but...
Jeffrey Bolton III, a likeable millionaire who, despite his father's insistance, would really like to quit the family business and do something meaningful with his life...
...and Phil O'Niel, an - unknown to Kay - (broke) poser who eventually beats out Jeff to win Kay's heart...
...which forces Kay (and Paul) to decide if money or love is more important - and gives Barb an opportunity to appreciate Jeff for who he really is.
What do you think? Would you watch it?
11.09.2011
director: vincente minnelli
In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made many comedies and melodramas. He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 until 1951; they were the parents of Liza Minnelli.
He's most well known for Meet Me in St. Louis, Gigi, and An American in Paris, but he also directed The Reluctant Debutante, The Clock, and Father of the Bride.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Daisy Gamble, an unusual woman who hears phones before they ring and does wonders with her flowers, wants to quit smoking to please her finacee, Warren. She goes to a doctor of hypnosis to do it. But once she's under, her doctor finds out that she can regress into past lives and different personalities, and he finds himself falling in love with one of them.
Bells Are Ringing
Ella Peterson is a Brooklyn telephone answering service operator who tries to improve the lives of her clients by passing along bits of information she hears from other clients. She falls in love with one of her clients, the playwright Jeffrey Moss, and is determined to meet him. The trouble is, he only knows here as an old woman whom he calls "Mom."
Gigi
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship...but it may not stay platonic for long.
The Band Wagon
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition.
He's most well known for Meet Me in St. Louis, Gigi, and An American in Paris, but he also directed The Reluctant Debutante, The Clock, and Father of the Bride.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Daisy Gamble, an unusual woman who hears phones before they ring and does wonders with her flowers, wants to quit smoking to please her finacee, Warren. She goes to a doctor of hypnosis to do it. But once she's under, her doctor finds out that she can regress into past lives and different personalities, and he finds himself falling in love with one of them.
Bells Are Ringing
Ella Peterson is a Brooklyn telephone answering service operator who tries to improve the lives of her clients by passing along bits of information she hears from other clients. She falls in love with one of her clients, the playwright Jeffrey Moss, and is determined to meet him. The trouble is, he only knows here as an old woman whom he calls "Mom."
Gigi
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship...but it may not stay platonic for long.
The Band Wagon
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition.
11.08.2011
abc's: x,y, and z
You Were Never Lovelier
Xanadu
Yours, Mine and Ours
You've Got MailWhat are your favorite X, Y, and Z movies?
11.07.2011
best of: cary grant
Father Goose
Operation Petticoat
Arsenic and Old Lace:
An Affair to Remember:
Houseboat:
Charade:
North by Northwest:
Operation Petticoat
Arsenic and Old Lace:
An Affair to Remember:
Houseboat:
Charade:
North by Northwest:
11.04.2011
11.03.2011
no reservations
the year: 2007
the genre: drama
the cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Kate); Aaron Eckhart (Nick); Abigail Breslin (Zoe); Patricia Clarkson (Paula)
the plot: A master chef, Kate, lives her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. But Kate's world is rocked when her only sister dies and her ten-year-old niece, Zoe, comes to live with her. As Kate struggles to be a parent to a grief-stricken child, the one world she used to control - the restaurant kitchen - is changed by the restaurant's hiring of a second chef, the loose, operatic, Italian-trained Nick, who claims it's an honor to work in Kate's kitchen but who she suspects wants to replace her. Can the music of Puccini and the taste of good pasta soften Kate's heart?
don't miss: when Nick and Zoe meet.
listen for: "What are we going to do about work?" "What we always do. You tell me what to do and then I'll go behind your back and do whatever I want."
did you know: Aaron Eckhart accidentally sliced off one of his fingernails while filming a scene cutting onions, and didn't notice until Abigail Breslin screamed at the blood.
extra bonus points: if you know what tiramisu really means. (It's not food of the gods" like Nick jokingly tells Kate.)
also listen for: "He's late... Men!"
11.01.2011
abcs: w
A Walk to Remember (Sorry, guys - I couldn't find a photo with the pink sweater.)
A Weekend in Havana
While You Were Sleeping
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
White Christmas
What's Up Doc?
We're No Angels
Walk, Don't RunWhat are your favorite "W" movies?
10.27.2011
guess who.
She grew up with the nickname Carly Jane by her family and close friends.
She is one of six actresses who have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
She was discovered by Gene Kelly.
She has said, "Even now I feel furious with myself because whenever there's a camera pointed towards me my MGM training makes me smile. I don't like it. You can see it on all the people who came from that era because there was no question of them not smiling for the camera. Even Katharine Hepburn -- and God knows she was a dramatic actress -- if the camera is on her she smiles."
She and her daughter co-starred on an episode of "The Love Boat", in the parts of mother and daughter, both con artists, engaged in fleecing millionaires.
She is one of six actresses who have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
She was discovered by Gene Kelly.
She has said, "Even now I feel furious with myself because whenever there's a camera pointed towards me my MGM training makes me smile. I don't like it. You can see it on all the people who came from that era because there was no question of them not smiling for the camera. Even Katharine Hepburn -- and God knows she was a dramatic actress -- if the camera is on her she smiles."
She and her daughter co-starred on an episode of "The Love Boat", in the parts of mother and daughter, both con artists, engaged in fleecing millionaires.
10.26.2011
the adventures of bullwhip griffin
the year: 1967
the genre: adventure
the cast: Roddy McDowall (Bullwhip Griffin); Suzanne Pleshette (Arabella Flagg); Karl Malden (Judge Higgins); Bryan Russell (Jack Flagg); Richard Haydn (Quentin Bartlett)
the plot: Young Jack Flagg from Boston heads west to join the California gold rush with the hopes of restoring his family fortune, but his dedicated butler, Bullwhip Griffin, sets out to find him and bring him home.
don't miss: Grandpa's portrait. Classic Disney.
watch for: Bryan Russell. He played the little brother in Bye Bye Birdie. Too bad there wasn't a tortoise on 'roids in the wild, wild west!
listen for: "Grandpa used to say that people are 98% water and if you don't stir them up once in a while, they stagnate."
extra bonus points: Richard Haydn plays the hapless Mr. Bartlett. In addition to providing the voice of the Caterpillar in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, what is one of his most famous roles?
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