Back to Golden Days

I started this blog six years ago as a way to share my passion for classic films and the Old Hollywood era. I used to watch dozens of classic films every month, and every time I discovered a new star I liked I would go and watch their entire filmography. But somewhere along the way, that passion dimmed down. For instance, I watched 73 classic films in 2016, and only 10 in 2020. The other day, I found this film with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. that I had never heard of, and for some reason it made me really excited about Old Hollywood again. It made me really miss the magic of that era and all the wonderful actors and actresses that graced the silver screen. And it also made me think of all the reasons why I fell in love with classic films in the first place. I came up with 80 reasons, which I thought would be fun to share. Most of them are just random little scenes or quirky little quotes, but put them together and they spell Old Hollywood to me. This is part four (the final one) of the 80 r...

In honour of Gregory Peck's 100th birthday, which was on Tuesday, this week on «Film Friday» I am bringing you the first Gregory Peck film I ever saw. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Designing Woman (1957) tells the story of Mike Hagen (Gregory Peck) and Marilla Brown (Lauren Bacall), a sportswriter and a fashion designer who meet while they are both in California on business. After a whirlwind romance, the couple marries and returns to New York, where Mike abandons his small apartment for Marilla's East Side home. It is not long before the honeymoon disintegrates. When Mike's poker-playing friends arrive at the apartment for their weekly game, they clash directly with Marilla's production team that is busy designing costumes for a new Broadway show. Mike seems to be especially offended by the presence of choreographer Randy Owen (Jack Cole), whose virility he questions.   Starring in Marilla's new production is Lori Shannon (Dolores Gray), Mike's previous gir...