Like many early figures in the slowly-emerging field of animated film, Winsor McCay initially developed his artistic talent as a comic strip artist and vaudevillian. Born in Canada and educated in the United States, McCay got his start in entertainment doing “chalk talks” on the vaudeville circuit. Much like J. Stuart Blackton, a groundbreaking figure in…
Ahh, November. A chill is in the air, Christmas commercials are already playing on television, the anticipation for turkey and dressing is running high, and thousands of writers are revving up their laptops to participate in National Novel Writing Month. Carrie and I have each signed up to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, so in…
This post is our small contribution to Project Keaton, a month-long celebration of all things Buster Keaton. Check out The Kitty Packard Pictorial for more information, and see the Project Keaton Tumblr site for contributions from other bloggers and participating writers from around the world! By the 1940s, Buster Keaton’s days as one of the…
Yesterday’s Google doodle honored the 100th birthday of Disney artist Mary Blair, and you know I couldn’t let that go by without a mention. So this week’s Saturday Morning Cartoons entry is dedicated to the beautiful, bold, and brilliant work of a true pioneer in the art of animation. Blair showed her talent for art…
Early Hollywood actress Barbara Kent, one of the last living stars from the silent era, has passed away. Though not as well-known today as many of her contemporaries, Kent starred with some of the stalwarts of the silver screen in her all-too-brief career (she only made about three dozen movies between 1926 and 1935). In…
We just found out that we won two CiMBA awards from the Classic Movie Blog Association! This calls for a tiny Kermit dance. We were awarded the prizes for Best Classic Movie Event (for the Loving Lucy Blogathon) and for Best Profile of a Classic Movie Performer or Filmmaker (for Celebrating Women in Classic Film:…
Here at True Classics, we’re celebrating two major hallmarks: our 300th post (today!), and our upcoming two-year anniversary in November! And I say, what better way to celebrate than to give stuff away??? Well, I say “give away” when I really mean “participate in an awesome contest and WIN stuff!” Let’s begin with a little…
Today, my blog partners Carrie and Nikki celebrate their (mmph mmphth) birthday! Yes, they were born on the exact same day on the exact same year (and no, they aren’t twins). To celebrate the occasion, for today’s Saturday Morning Cartoons entry, I’m posting the appropriately-titled Disney short “Donald’s Happy Birthday” from 1949. Enjoy! Wishing a…
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