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Showing posts from 2021

Seasonal Pictorials: Merry Christmas from Old Hollywood

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Esther Pressman, Kay Gordon, Bonita Barker, Dorothy Thompson and Dene Myles in a Christmas publicity shot for Paramount Pictures (December 1935).  Boris Karloff and Ginger Rogers at a Christmas party in Los Angeles in December 1932.   Priscilla Lane besides a Christmas tree with a armful of presents (1941).   George Burns and Gracie Allen with their two adopted children, Ronnie and Sandra Jean, at home during Christmas (December 1939)   Cyd Charisse in a Christmas publicity shot (1947).   Butch Jenkins and Lassie in a Christmas publicity shot (December 1947).   Deanna Durbin decorating a Christmas tree (December 1944).   Mara Alba, Anna May Wong and Alga Baclanova at a Christmas party given by the Foreign Correspondents Association (December 1932).   A Christmas parade at the Hollywood Boulevard (December 1941).     Merry Christmas, everyone!

Firsts in Film History

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Do you ever wonder when a certain event happened for the first time in recorded history? Well, if you do, you are in for a treat (hopefully), because today I am sharing with you 10 firsts in film history. From the first motion picture to premiere in Hollywood, to the first «talkie» and the first Technicolor film, these events not only represented advances in cinema technology, but also paved the way for future filmmakers. 1. The first ever motion picture to be made in Hollywood was In Old California (1910). Directed by D. W. Griffith for Biograph Company, then based in New York City, the film was a 17-minute melodrama set in the early 19th century, when California was under Spanish and Mexican rule. It starred Frank Powell, Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard and Henry B. Walthall. The short was considered lost for many decades, until a copy was found in 2004 and screened at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. LEFT: Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall and Arthur Johnson in In Old Californ...

Hollywood at War: Stars Who Served (Part II)

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On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany signed the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht, thus ending World War II in Europe. The event came to be known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) and is celebrated every year in several European countries. Due to time differences, several former Soviet republics, including Russia and Belarus, celebrate VE Day on May 9. At the outbreak of the war, thousands of men from all Allied nations enlisted in the armed forces to join in the fight against the Axis Powers. Some of them were established Hollywood stars, who decided to put their careers on hold to serve their country in its time of need. Others were young men who became screen legends after the conflict. Here are 5 (more) male actors who served in World War II, before and after they were famous. Robert Montgomery (1904-1981) | United States Navy, 1941-1946 After World War II broke out in Europe, Montgomery volunteered his services as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service, moving wounded ...

Countdown to the Oscars: Top 20 Favourite Best Picture Winners

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I love making lists of stuff. Films, TV shows, books, songs... anything. So, in anticipation to the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favourite Best Picture winners. I did a similar thing back in 2017, but I have watched a few more winnings films since then, so this is an updated version of my top 20 favourite Best Picture winners. Please bear in mind that I have not seen every single film that has won the award, so my choices are based on the ones that I have in fact seen so far.   20. Rain Man (1988) Directed by Barry Levinson, Rain Man  is the story of an abrasive and self-centered wheeler-dealer named Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multi-million-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), an autistic savant who lives in a world of his own and of whose existence Charlie was completely unaware. Besides winning for Best Picture, Rain Man also re...

Countdown to the Oscars: 10 Interesting Facts About the Academy Awards

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In anticipation to the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on April 25, I have decided to write a series of articles related to the most prestigious awards in the movie industry. Two weeks ago I talked about the birth of the Academy Awards , and last week I wrote about Wings (1927), the first ever film to win the statuette for Best Picture. For this week, I bring you 10 interesting facts about the Academy Awards, plus some bonus facts. (All of these stand true as of the writing of this post; changes may occur in the future. )   1. The least and most expensive Best Picture winners Moonlight (2017), directed by Barry Jenkins, is the lowest-budgeted film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, with a cost of $1.5 million. In contrast, James Cameron's Titanic (1997) is the most expensive winner, with a budget of $200 million. Bonus fact: Moonlight is also the first film with an all-black cast to win the same award.     2. Dual nominations for the same role Barry F...