Party like it's 1939... and you're Betty Grable! (Image: Classic Cinema Gold)
Party like it’s 1939… and you’re Betty Grable, gettin’ your groove on in “gay ’90s” style with Ken Murray! (Image: Classic Cinema Gold)

On January 18, 2012 I started this blog as a way to keep track of my thoughts on the plethora of films I was watching and discovering. I never expected to get any views or make any blogger buddies. (And in fact, in my entire first month of blogging I only got a little over 30 views.) I wasn’t even sure how long I’d keep the blog, since I’d had many failed attempts at sharing my own written content in the past.

It doesn’t seem like that was an entire year ago, but here we are, 430-some odd posts later and still kickin’. I’ve been mildly (read as: seriously) amazed by how much progress I’ve made as a reviewer and how much this blog has grown over the past twelve months.

In the first year of this blog’s existence, it was accepted into three great blog associations: LAMB, VAMP and the CMH BlogHub. I also participated a few cool blogathons (Future Classic Movies, My Movie Alphabet, Nostalgiathon and What a Character!), was nominated for a Golden Katz award, and received two more awards from bloggers with much greater talent than I!

But this ain’t all about me, and more than anything I marvel at the fact that people are interested in what I have to say about classic film. When I began blogging I was surprised to find that so many people had the same intense interest in Hollywood’s “golden era” as I do. But even with so many of us classic buffs populating the internet, what qualifies me to have gained so many thoughtful, enthusiastic friends and readers?

Party like it's 1939... and you're Clark Gable in Idiot's Delight, surrounded by dancers with strangely proportioned heads! (Image: Fanpop)
Party like it’s 1939… and you’re Clark Gable in Idiot’s Delight, “Puttin’ on the Ritz” while surrounded by glittery dancers! (Image: Fanpop)

In short, and to echo the sentiments made in my 400th post last month, this blog wouldn’t be what it is without everyone who has visited the site even once.  So I want to show my appreciation!

I’ve decided to do a giveaway. (A small one, because my budget is reeeeeally small).

There will be one winner who will receive a gift card from amazon.com. (This gift card is in no way affiliated with my participation in the Amazon Associates program — I was going to use a shop.tcm.com gift card, but their minimum is $25. Maybe next year!) The winner will be chosen at random and the gift card will be worth $15. You can use this gift for anything on Amazon, but of course I’d prefer that you use it toward a DVD! To enter, simply follow the instructions below:

1.  Leave a comment below telling me either your specific favorite post or favorite type of feature on TMP. (The Index and Projects/Features pages may be helpful in making your selection.)

2. Be following this blog – either through email, WordPress, Twitter or Tumblr. Include your username for whichever site you follow TMP through in your comment, so I can double check and make sure you’re a subscriber (though I’m sure I’ll know who most of you are already!).

3. Leave a recommendation of one film you think I should add to the top of my watch list (and include where I can find it – NO ILLEGAL STREAM/DL LINKS, just whether it is in the public domain/on DVD/etc. – if possible).

Please try to leave all of your answers in a single comment; leaving multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning.

Because the winner will be chosen at random, your answers to these questions will not influence your chances of winning, nor will following the blog through more than one channel (i.e. both WordPress and tumblr). You must fulfill all three requirements in order for your entry to count. This giveaway is open internationally, since Amazon has an “e-gift card” option and offers international shipping (but please keep in mind the price of shipping to your location if entering from outside of the US).

The winners will be notified/announced in this month’s wrap up post on February 1, so you have until noon on January 31 to enter. Good luck to all who enter, and thanks again a million times for giving my lil’ ol’ blog the time of day!