Early in the 1941 film The Little Foxes, there is a brief, exquisitely-crafted scene that tells us everything we need to know about these characters. The Hubbard family, having just finished dinner with a wealthy guest and potential business partner, has gathered in the parlor for a musical performance. But this is no pleasant interlude; the…
I ran into this one on TCM on Saturday quite by accident. I thought immediately of the short story “Weep No More, My Lady” and had to do a little research. The author, James H. Street, wrote the short story, which he then expanded into the 1954 novel Good-bye, My Lady. It’s about an orphaned…
Let me preface my discussion of Song of the South by assuring you that I understand the issues some viewers have with this film. I know that this film rubs some people the wrong way, and that there are some who would vilify Disney should they ever try to release this film on video or…
To kick off our Maudlin Mondays series, which looks at some of the biggest, most manipulative tearjerkers ever to grace a screen, I want to begin with a look at a relatively recent film–one that many down here in the South (well, many women, anyway) consider a modern classic–1989’s Steel Magnolias. Let me insert a…
True Classics 