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Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) begins in early 1942, when Lt. Col. James Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) calls for volunteers for a top-secret Army Air Force mission, following the surprise Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. One of the many men to offer his services is pilot Lt. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson), who is sent for training at Eglin Field in Florida, along with his B-25 Mitchell crew, including gunner Cpl. David Thatcher (Robert Walker) and navigator Lt. Charles McClure (Don DeFore). Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson as James Doolittle and Ted Lawson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo .   During the first of many briefings, Doolittle informs the men that the mission they are about to undertake will be tough and dangerous, and encourages anyone with doubts to drop out. Ted's friend and fellow pilot, Lt. Bob Gray (Robert Mitchum), suggests that he withdraw from the mission, since he recently got married, but Ted remains determined to go thro...

The 1960s were a decade of social and political unrest. The civil rights movement opposed blacks and whites in a war against unfair treatment of races. The LGBT community demanded a right to be different, while female activists stroke down barriers to women's personal freedom and professional careers. Young people rebelled against the establishment and denounced the Vietnam War, which they criticized as «immoral.» John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Che Guevara were assassinated, Chairman Mao starved 30 million people to death, Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon, the Berlin Wall divided Germany in two, The Beatles started the «British Invasion,» and Woodstock became the biggest music festival in the world. (from left to right) The construction of the Berlin Wall begins (August 13, 1961); The Beatles arrive in New York (February 7, 1964); Neil Armstrong walks on the Moon (July 20, 1969); the Woodstock music festival takes place (August 15-18, 1969).   The «Swinging ...

Directed by Michael Curtiz, Romance on the High Seas (1948) the the story of Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) and her husband Michael (Don DeFore), who suspect each other of cheating. For their wedding anniversary, Elvira books a cruise to Rio de Janeiro, but Michael suddenly cancels the trip for business reasons. Seeing an opportunity, Elvira pretends to go alone, but in fact sends Georgia Garrett (Doris Day), a singer she had met at the travel agency, in her place and under her name. By secretly staying behind, Elvira hopes to discover if Michael is indeed having an affair with his attractive new secretary, Miss Medwick (Leslie Brooks). Michael, however, is suspicious over his wife's willingness to take the trip alone, so he hires private detective Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to see if she is sneaking around behind his back. (from left to right) Janis Paige, Don DeFore, Doris Day and Jack Carson on Romance on the High Seas . Peter joins the cruise and, as part of his job, becomes acqua...

In anticipation to the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on February 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, I thought I would write an article related to the most prestigious awards in the movie industry. So, here are 20 interesting facts about the Oscars.    1. An X-rated winner Midnight Cowboy (1969), directed by John Schlesinger and starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, is the only X-rated film ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Producer John Hellman accepted the statuette at the 42nd Academy Awards ceremony, on April 7, 1970.   (from left to right) British poster for Midnight Cowboy ; John Hellman holding the Best Picture Oscar statuette at the 42nd Academy Awards ceremony.   Bonus fact: Midnight Cowboy was also the first gay-related movie to win Best Picture.   2. Posthumous nominations James Dean is the only performer to date to receive two posthumous nominations in the Best Actor category: the first for East of Eden (1955), ...