Well all know the big-name directors of old Hollywood: John Ford. Alfred Hitchcock. William Wyler. Howard Hawks. W.S. Van Dyke. George Cukor. Billy Wilder. Frank Capra. Vincente Minnelli. The list goes on, and they’re all well-remembered for good reason. But what about those forgotten fellas who barely get a mention, even in the movie-centric blogosphere?… Read More Fourteen Underrated Directors of the Classic Era
Director, producer, writer, and star… all of these positions in the film industry require talent, knowledge and skill in order to produce good results. Everyone once in a blue moon a super-human artist emerges who can fill all four of these roles successfully. Ida Lupino, an actress of many memorable performances and a pioneering filmmaker,… Read More Ida Lupino: An Anti-Damsel On Screen and Off
“Classics of the Corn” is one of the most popular series on TMP. Today I’m bringing a special (and quite different) post to the series. Usually COTC has me making mildly witty musings on films that are completely packed with cheese, but today, to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the release of one of the… Read More King of the Corn: A tribute to William Castle
Ladies of Leisure: a tale of romance between two people who fall at opposite ends of the wealth and status spectrum. The Miracle Woman: an exploration of a woman’s struggle to find faith in humanity and in God after the loss of her father, and after her own foray into corrupt evangelism. Forbidden: the story… Read More Frank Capra and Barbara Stanwyck: Cinematic Dream Team
Happy 89th birthday to one of my favorite directors and choreographers of the classic era, Stanley Donen! The following are a few of my favorites from his filmography, listed chronologically because I love them all equally. On the Town I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that On the Town is my favorite musical of… Read More Favorite films of Stanley Donen
A girl named Ida was born February 4, 1918 to a comedian father and actress mother in England. Though her parents encouraged her to become an entertainer, none of them knew that she would become the Ida Lupino: a Hollywood star, writer and pioneering female filmmaker in a male-dominated industry. Ida’s career began on the stage,… Read More Ida Lupino: A tribute
George Dewey Cukor was born on July 7, 1899. Had he been born superhuman (which, in terms of talent, he was), last Saturday would have been his 113th birthday. Though he was replaced as the director of the legendary 1939 film Gone with the Wind, Cukor would go on to become a legend in his… Read More FIVE favorite films of George Cukor
