Hollywood Glamour.
I love old Hollywood. I don't know why. Even though my last novel, Fly Away Home, has nothing specifically to do with Hollywood Glam, I can definitely say that the shimmer-glimmer-glamour of the 1930's, 1940's, 1950's cinema-life impacted the general DAZZLE of FAH.
Let me count the ways...
1.) Appearance
Is it just me, or did they grow them handsomer/more beautiful back then?
2.) Humor
I love the sometimes-corny musical humor, the slapstick stage-hand gags, the funny dancing, the witty lyrics. It's all so simple and relaxing, clean, family-friendly, clever.
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| Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly in "Anchors Aweigh" |
3.) Values
Like I said, old movies have better values. One of my besties grew up in a family where they weren't allowed to watch any movie made after 1960. Hence, she's my go-to for which movies are the most amazing. With most of the old classics you can be certain there won't be a mad dive for the remote when a "shocking part" comes up. Relaxing. Entirely. (Weren't the kids in My Favorite Wife {1940} adorable?)
4.) Dancing & Music
In our family, we proclaim loudly that there is a song lyric for any occasion. Our love of Broadway was born from a love for old musicals, and these still have a place deeply imbedded in our hearts. (Though The Sound of Music was probably the oldest of the movies we saw growing up) And I swear you'll never see dancing again as good as that given us by Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and so many others.
5.) Wit
The best of the old movies are often referenced in the writing how-to books and I love to watch films like Casablanca to hear the verbal sparring, the fencing-with-words, or the downright awesome-sauce of a brilliantly constructed screenplay. Here are some quotes from my favorite old movies:
Nick Arden: (discussing how to tell the children that Ellen is their mother) "Would it help if I wrote a letter?"Ellen Arden: "Oh yes. 'Enclosed, please find your mother.'"-My Favorite Wife (1940)
Jerry Mulligan: "Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French."-An American in Paris (1951)
Captain Renault: "What in Heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?"Rick: "The health. I came to Casablanca for the waters."Captain Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert."Rick: "I was misinformed."-Casablanca (1942)
Irving Radovich: "She's fair-game, Joe. It's always open season on princesses."-Roman Holiday (1953)
6.) Costumes
I love vintage fashion (but you already knew that) and in these Golden-Era films, fashion shines. Some of it is downright absurd, and some of it is absolutely adorable. Glamorous, cute, insane or awesome, the clothes in these movies are (in the main) so much cooler than today's modern movie.
These, then, are my top six reasons why I love old movies. I only wish Netflix had more uploaded! I can't seem to find any of the ones I'd like to see on there. Below is a list of the B&W (Black and White) films I've seen. When I say "Black and White" it's a general term for movies made in the 40's and 50's. Technically, some of them were made in color, but I'm a sloppy hand at categorizing. ;)
My Favorite Wife (1940)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
An American in Paris (1951)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
This is the Army (1943)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Holiday Inn (1942)
The Music Man (1962)
Carousel (1955)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Singing in the Rain (1952)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Cinderella (1957)
State Fair (1945)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Oklahoma! (1955)
Charade (1963)
Sabrina (1954)
Funny Face (1957)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Casablanca (1942)
The African Queen (1951)
Captain Kidd (1945)
I think that's most of them! (I intentionally failed to mention any Shirley Temple films. Somehow those don't exactly count.) What are some of your favorite old films? Any must-sees that I've missed? I know I am totally missing some Grace Kelly films as well as needing to re-watch most of these. (I don't really remember Singing in the Rain at all.) Any-who, this was a fun post to write up and I'm glad to see that my list of Have-Seens is actually not so very short after all. And as an interesting piece of trivia, I can totally recommend any of these movies to any of you as far as my judgment takes me. See? Isn't that amazing? No "Well....umm...there's that ONE part..." ;) Toodle-loo, darlings, and in the words of Teddy, "CHARRRRRRRGE!"
I SO have to agree with you! Movie stars these days are so "blah" next to these great Hollywood stars. =)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, they were waaay better looking back then.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the movie list! Old movies are truly the BEST and I loved how with such clarity you put the "feel" of those wonderful classics into words. BTW, you MUST see the 50's "Robin Hood" TV show with Richard Greene and the 1954 Brigadoon with Gene Kelly. I am a huge fan of old movies, but those are two of my all-time favorites. I would love to hear what you think of them. :)
Eowyn
Rachel, have you searched Amazon Instant at all? We've been using that this year instead of Netflix—you rent movies individually instead of paying a monthly fee. (And if you have Amazon Prime there's a selection of free ones.) They've got quite a few of the classics...which means I've already seen a lot of them and am now scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding something for a movie night. :)
ReplyDeleteLet's see...some of my favorite movies that are not on your Have-Seen list:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
First Love (1939) - a Cinderella retelling starring Deanna Durbin; it's adorable
A Night to Remember (1958)
Miracle on 34th Street (1948)
National Velvet (1944)
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
So Dear to My Heart (1948)
I Remember Mama (1948)
North West Frontier (1959)
Green For Danger (1944)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
That's just a few. Do you like Westerns, too? My favorites of those are Rio Grande (1950), The Tin Star (1957), Shane (1953)...I'm also fond of some lesser-known ones like Dark Command (1940) and Tall in the Saddle (1944). And of course Stagecoach (1939) and High Noon (1950) are good. (There's a Grace Kelly film for you!)
Oh, and when it comes to musicals—I've been having a lot of fun watching the old Donald O'Connor/Peggy Ryan swing musicals from the early '40s. A bit thin on plot, but full of fun and tap-dancing! My favorite is Mister Big (1943).
Love old movies! You MUST watch It's A Wonderful Life this Christmas. Cliche, I know, but seriously. You will fall in love with Jimmy Stuart and every moment will be endearing. This movie has made me WANT a rainy wedding (just watch it and you'll understand. :P) Definitely a top favorite! I also love the African Queen, and Roman Holiday and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington have been on my to-watch list for awhile. :)
ReplyDelete~Gillian
youngyankeelady.blogspot.com
Yes!!! I love the old films!! Singin' in the Rain is a definite favorite, and we just happened to have watched it last night! Oh, aye, Holiday Inn, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers... you are so right, Rachel. They don't make movies like they used to.
ReplyDeleteAnother favorite B&W of mine are the original Nancy Drew movies starring Bonita Granville as the lead role. If you don't mind that they took a few liberties with the original stories (i.e. Ned's name is changed to Ted, and Nancy tends to not be the perfect heroine she is in the books), they're hilarious to watch! They made 4 about 1-hour films, and my siblings and I are majorly guilty of way over quoting those films!
I love old movies also, but it is important to note that a lot of the appeal that they have comes from the fact they were made to be fake. They were made to take the viewer away from the world's problems for an hour, or at least romanticize them. Many of the actors and actresses themselves were fake, given new names and personalities when they started working for MGM or other movie companies. Many of the actors died early, or had to retire early because of alcoholism, or other problems related to self image issues. They also wore loads of make up, even the guys,and they all have a normal amount of attractiveness without it. They did seem to have better dancing skills then, and were very talented musically.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey