Few actors (at least in my mind) have ever been able to match the comedic physical prowess of the former Archibald Leach. When the athletic young Brit rechristened himself as the smooth, charming Cary Grant, he balanced his new romantic persona with a seemingly endless streak of youthful exuberance that shone through even the…
Our trio of True Classics musketeers (as it were) is excited that TCM’s annual 31 Days of Oscar celebration is finally upon us! Now, last year, we tried a grand experiment in writing a post a day with our recommendations for a must-not-miss film in that particular day’s schedule. For a variety of reasons, that…
The Disney track record for adapting classic works of literature continued with the release of The Jungle Book in 1967. Based on the tales of British writer Rudyard Kipling, the movie is perhaps most notable as the last film to be produced by Walt Disney, as he passed away before it was completed. The film tells…
In 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan and Rosie O’Donnell sob their way through a viewing of An Affair to Remember. Who can forget the characters mouthing along to the dialogue, their eyes welling up with tears? Director/screenwriter Nora Ephron could not have chosen a more appropriate inspiration for her modern-day romantic fairy tale–if you’re looking…
The Sword in the Stone’s Archimedes the Owl is awesome and underrated. He’s absolutely hilarious: dry, ironic, grumpy, and sarcastic. Everything we need in a sidekick for a bumbling wizard. The Sword in the Stone (1963) is Disney does Medieval almost like Terry Pratchett (Merlin is somehow just his wizard style. Did he get inspiration…
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…
Alfred Hitchcock’s oeuvre is so filled with victimized women that it seems to indicate an almost uncontrollable fetish on the part of the prolific director. Feminists have long had a field day with interpretations of feminine behavior and characterizations within Hitchcock’s work, and it’s little wonder why. Think about some of the most famous montages in…
101 Dalmatians (1961) I had to rewatch this one, even though it’s pretty iconic. I came to a number of realization watching it again. First, I adore Lucky. He’s funny in that small child, endearing way. Thus, we love him. I won’t go into the plot description, because Cruella de Vil’s villainy is so famous,…
