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This week on «Film Friday» I am celebrating William Powell's 124th birthday by telling you a little bit about what is arguably his most iconic picture. Incidentally, this was the first William Powell film I ever saw and it remains my personal favourite.   Directed by W. S. Dyke, The Thin Man (1934) begins when Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O'Sullivan) announces to her inventor father, Clyde (Edward Ellis), her plans to marry Tommy (Henry Wadsworth). Shortly after, Wynant goes on a secret business trip, but promises to be back in time for Dorothy's wedding. As the day approaches and Wynant fails to return, Dorothy worries, while her mother Mimi (Minna Gombell) is frantic that her ex-husband is unavailable to give her and her new spouse, Chris Jorgenson (Cesar Romero), more money. When Mimi visits Wynant's mistress, Julia Wolf (Natalie Moorehard), to ask for money, she finds only her dead body. Evidence points to Wynant as the main suspect, but Dorothy refuses to believe her ...

Directed by Frank Capra, It's a Wonderful Life (1946) opens on Christmas Eve 1945, in the town of Bedford Falls, New York, as guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) is sent to Earth to stop George Bailey (James Stewart) from committing suicide. In preparation for his task, Clarence is shown flashbacks of George's life. At age 12, George saved his brother Harry (Todd Karns) from drowning in an icy pond, and prevented his druggist boss, Mr. Gower (H. B. Warner), from accidentally prescribing poison to a child. After the death of his father (Samuel Hinds) in 1928, George is forced to postpone his plans to travel the world to take over the family's building and loan society to keep Henry F. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), the richest and meanest man in Bedford Falls, from having financial control over the town. Four years later, Harry returns home from college with a wife (Virginia Patton) and the promise of a good job in New York. Once again, George postpones his plans a...

Since Easter is two days away, I thought it was only appropriate if this wee k on "Film Friday" I told you about an Easter film. Well, it has "Easter" in the title anyway . Theatrical release poster Directed by Charles Walters, Easter Parade (1948) opens on a spring day in 1912, when dancer Don Hewes (Fred Astaire ) learns that his partner , Na din e Ga le (Ann Miller), wants to break up the act t o star in a Broadway show as a sol o ist . Don, who is in love with Nadine , gets angry and heads to a bar to drown his sorro ws. At the height of his drunken ess, he brags that he can make a star out of any common girl and selects Hannah Brown (Judy Garland), a girl at the bar, to be his new dancing partner. The following day, they meet for rehearsal, but Don struggles to teach Hannah his dance moves. Moreover, he tries to turn her into a copy of Nadine and even changes her stage name to "Juanita" to make her seem more exotic.  After they have a d...