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WOMAN of the YEAR
Along our Kate adventure thus far, we have explored her upbringing, her early start on the stage, her romances that eschewed marriage, her ups-and-downs in Hollywood in the 1930s, and now we have arrived at her WW2 era films. And more precisely, this is the origin of the ‘Kate and Spence’ era. As we discussed with THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940), the early 1940s represented her comeback. She was…
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
Today’s film is likely known to many of you. A fan favorite for a long time, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY offers yet another glimpse of Katharine Hepburn as a wealthy socialite. However, unlike the several screwball comedies that star Hepburn as the spoiled rich girl that preceded it, this film goes deeper in themes and allows a tailored yet more complex character study for Hepburn. When we discussed…
HOLIDAY (1938)
In our next stop along our Katharine Hepburn film study, we remain in the 1930s with George Cukor’s HOLIDAY (1938). Many have considered this film as part of a trio for Hepburn during this time. BRINGING UP BABY (1937) and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) bookend this film, with all three featuring Kate as wealthy socialite who is privileged but with a heart of gold. The film HOLIDAY is based on…
STAGE DOOR (1937)
As we begin our Kate Hepburn voyage, let’s explore Gregory La Cava’s STAGE DOOR (1937). This film was her thirteenth. All with RKO, as required by her studio contract. She started off strong, with her third film (MORNING GLORY, 1933) bringing her the first of her Best Actress Oscars and the huge success of LITTLE WOMEN (1933). However, by 1937, Kate was starting to feel the slump of a few…
KATHARINE HEPBURN, a Film Study
Of all the Golden era Hollywood movie stars, it’s impossible not to think immediately of Katharine Hepburn. Her on-screen career spanned decades. The public has been fascinated with her from the very beginning. Truthfully, we still are. A strong-willed and fiercely independent person, she became a feminist icon. It was in her DNA. She grew up in Connecticut to upper class parents- her father…
VERTIGO: A Mid Century Modernist View on Symbols, Sounds, Colors... and Obsession
Hitchcock was in the business of making movies. “The master of suspense” was at the height of his game during his years at Paramount while making VERTIGO, a film that would later become a classic, and many have claimed it as the greatest film of all time. For Hitchcock, his storytelling goes above and beyond a solid murder mystery or a fun whodunnit. With each film, and since his first days…
A Night with Maureen O'Hara
Recently, my husband and I drove to the birthplace of John Wayne of Winterset, Iowa. Every year, the entire town holds a big gala to commemorate the Duke’s birthday with a 3-day series of special events which takes place the weekend closest to his birthday anniversary (May 26, 1907). I’m not gonna lie, I’m a fan of really good classic westerns. Ergo, I’m a John Wayne fan. But when I discovered…
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A Study Guide of a Classic Comedy, NINOTCHKA (1939)
As we discovered through my class, 1939: The Greatest Year in Cinema History, this timeline was an extremely busy year- on screen, in the Hollywood studios, and in the world. Following the discussions of films like CONFESSIONS of a NAZI SPY (1939) and THE MORTAL STORM (1940) which highlighted the rise of Germany’s Nazi party, we transitioned to the Russian side of political arena in Ernst…
My Interview with Vincent Price's Daughter, Victoria Price
On October 4, 2025 I had pleasure of meeting the daughter of Vincent Price, the celebrated author Victoria Price. At the Slash and Bash Film Festival in Topeka, Kansas, where all things spooky from classic to contemporary, convened in fandom. She is the author of a biography on her father, “Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography,” (1999), and inspirational memoirs, “The Way of Being Lost: A Road…
A Fitting Tale for Our Times... THE MORTAL STORM (1940)
For our 2nd film to explore in our journey into “the Greatest Year in Cinema History: 1939,” we’re taking a liberty with the primary goal of our course by discussing a film from 1940. Initially, I had scheduled Anatole Litvak’s CONFESSIONS of a NAZI SPY (1939), starring dynamic Edward G. Robinson. I do highly recommend CONFESSIONS, but I think there is a more finessed approach to the portrayal of…
The Unexpected Delights of DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939)
In the Autumn of 2021, we were attempting how to navigate through a major pandemic. My goal was to continue teaching classic film courses; with masks on and social distance spacing, we somehow managed our best to stay safe while enjoying some old movies. That semester, I chose the topic of 1939: The Greatest Year in Cinema History. My intention was to highlight some magnificent films from that…
THE BREAKING POINT (1950)
While Michael Curtiz would go on to make more films (22 more) in the decade following 1950, it is with good reason that I have chosen THE BREAKING POINT as the film to finish out our Curtiz journey. “Noir Czar” Eddie Muller while being interviewed on TCM by Robert Osborn once described this film as” brilliant,” and his favorite Michael Curtiz film; and yes, he included CASABLANCA on that list. If…
To jazz up your day... YOUNG MAN with a HORN (1950)
As we cruise farther along our Michael Curtiz journey, today we’re pulling over to a little jazz club to discuss, YOUNG MAN with a HORN (1950). At this point, we have explored a variety of film genres that Curtiz not only explored but excelled in directing. Now let’s look at a film that is not only a biopic, but a musical biopic. Doris Day, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall create a toxic…
A Little Noir Gem, THE UNSUSPECTED (1947)
THE UNSUSPECTED (1947) was the very first film Michael Curtiz made under his new production company, Michael Curtiz Productions. As such, it’s an important pit stop in our Curtiz journey. In the end, it was a mix of hits and misses; but overall, an important lesson in his life as a filmmaker. With Hal Wallis’s post-CASABLANCA disgruntled exit at Warner Brothers and with Curtiz’s maiden voyage…
A Film Study: CASABLANCA (1942)
I’m shocked, shocked to find any evidence of a cinematic soul that isn’t in love with the film we’re discussing today, CASABLANCA. It’s not only a film that many a classic film fan would describe as their favorite, but it’s easily a film that could be described as an essentially perfect film. In many ways, with the experience of working within a wide variety of genres so well up until this point…
A Gangster Morality: ANGELS with DIRTY FACES (1938)
Warner Brothers’ house style during the 1930s embraced gangster films, along with the occasional big production musicals. During the Pre-Code years of the early 1930s, those gangster films were gritty and violent and made James Cagney (THE PUBLIC ENEMY, 1931) and Edward G Robinson (LITTLE CEASAR, 1931) big stars. But once the production code became enforced during the second half of the 1930s,…
The ADVENTURES of ROBIN HOOD: A Technicolor Dream in Tights
We venture forth in our Michael Curtiz adventure with our next film, THE ADVENTURES of ROBIN HOOD (1938). To pivot from 2-strip color Pre-Code horror with cannibalistic themes to the Technicolor swashbuckling men in tights of Robin Hood is a perfect example of the Curtiz versatility. As a reminder, the Pre-Code era (late 1929 – summer of 1934) has ended, and as such Joseph Breen has a firm grip…