Thursday, June 15, 2017

Out of the Past: A 10th Anniversary

At Dick Cavett's TCMFF book signing

It was on this day 10 years ago that I started my classic film blog Out of the Past. It all began with a  welcome post followed by a short piece on The Dick Cavett Show with special guest Alfred Hitchcock.  Little did I know the journey this blog would take me on. I started with a post about Dick Cavett and I bookended the decade with my red carpet interview with the man himself. If you told me that back in 2007 all of the wild and wonderful experiences that were coming my way and all the amazing people I would meet I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s been a wild ride and I hope there are many more adventures to come.


Outside the Harvard Film Archive circa 2009

Why did I start the blog? In 2007 I was in graduate school, working full-time and living on my own in an apartment just outside of Boston. When I wasn’t doing homework, working, or hanging out with friends, I was watching classic movies. A lot of classic movies. I couldn’t get enough. I’d mostly watch them by myself or with my mom. This was satisfactory for a while but eventually I found that I couldn’t just watch classic movies. I needed to talk about them. I found myself working classic film into my every day life. It was getting out of control. One day at a company meeting I brought up Cary Grant in conversation because one of my coworkers shared the same first name. My other coworker Frank brought up that same conversation later on and I discovered that we had a mutual interest in classic film. I didn’t realize how desperately I needed someone, anybody to talk to about classic movies until I started bugging Frank incessantly with film chatter. I had a lot to say and I needed an outlet. Then on June 15th, 2007 I started Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. I found the perfect place for my voice and the rest was history.

Me and Carlos in front of the Hollywood sign

When I was coming up with the name for my blog I was looking for two things: something that described the theme of my blog that also worked as a recognizable classic film reference. Out of the Past was perfect. The 1947 noir was my gateway into classic movies. I watched it for the first time as an undergrad when I took a film course. I was mesmerized by this beautiful yet confusing noir. I wanted to know more about the actors and wanted to see more films like it. That led to many more classic movies and lots of time spent watching TCM. The phrase Out of the Past also described the theme of my blog. Anyone who would visit would know immediately that anything discussed would be out of the past. I hoped that name would lure classic film lovers as well as vintage gals and gents and history enthusiasts. The name has confused some folks who visited the blog thinking it would solely be about Film Noir. I still stand by the name and it’s grown to be such a part of this blog that I can’t imagine ever changing it.

First time on the TCMFF Red Carpet, circa 2016

At first my blog started as a way to liven up discussion of classic movies. I wanted about each post being as fun as possible. A few years into the process I became more serious about my writing and started tackling lengthier and more in-depth posts, did a ton more research and started reading and reviewing many classic film books. The blog took on a much different tone. Frankly, I grew up and grew out of that originally goofy style. In fact I look back and cringe at some of those really silly posts. A few have haunted me for years. I hope if anything they're still amusing to some readers even if I can’t bring myself to look at them. When people tell me my blog was one of the first they’ve ever read, I really hope they weren’t reading those early posts.

Making new friends at TCMFF. Max and I at the Charlton Heston Stamp Ceremony

It wasn’t until I started attending the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2013 that my blog started to have a big impact on my life. When I first visited Hollywood I couldn’t believe I would not only be in the epicenter of film history but I’d also be seeing classic film stars in person, I’d finally get to see Robert Osborne and most importantly I’d get to meet face-to-face with all those wonderful film blogger friends I’ve talked to over the years. TCMFF tested my introverted nature but I kept traveling to California each year. In 2014 and 2015 I got very ill while attending, mostly my body’s reaction to the onslaught of social interaction that it wasn’t able to handle. By 2016 I got the hang of it and one of the things that helped me the most was conducting interviews on the red carpet. Not only is it the coolest thing I’ve ever done but it also helped me grow as a person. If I can interview Dick Cavett on the red carpet, I can talk to literally anybody and be okay. Every single TCMFF was a long-weekend packed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. One after the other after the other. I live off of 4 days worth of memories for an entire year. I got to go to 5 TCM Classic Film Festivals thanks to my blogging.

Epic group selfie with a bunch of my classic film friends at the 2016 TCMFF

Over the years of writing this blog I’ve developed wonderful partnerships with brands, studios, repertory theatres, filmmakers, classic film writers, authors, musicians, social media influencers and many more. These have turned into wonderful collaborations as well as friendships. I had no clue when I started this blog 10 years ago how many amazing people would come into my life as a result of this blog. And for that I’m forever grateful.


Meeting my friend Jonas for the first time. Cinefest circa 2015

I took some time to look at my old posts to curate a collection of some highlights from my 10 years.




If you have any memories you'd like to share, either of meeting me at a festival or interacting with me online, feel free to share in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

On Blogging for a Decade: Three Bloggers Share Their Journeys

This month I'm celebrating 10 years of blogging. Before I share the story of my own journey I thought it would fun to highlight some other classic film bloggers who've been blogging for close or more than a decade. A big thank you to Jessica, Laura and Terry for participating.


Jessica at Robert Osborne's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame


Jessica P.

How long have you been blogging?
I started in April 2009, so nearly 10 years! Fun fact: My blog was originally named Living on Velvet, but another film blogger at the time had the same name so I changed it.

Why did you start a blog?
In journalism school, my professor Larry Timbs, PhD., kept urging us in our news and featuring writing classes to start a blog. He said no newspaper would hire us if we didn't have a blog. (I'm not sure that's true now, but blogs and citizen journalism were on the rise then).

On top of that: I felt like I needed a place to voice my classic film love and share classic film information with my friends. I didn’t have that previously. Friends thought my interest was interesting or cute, but I couldn’t carry on a conversation about it. This was pre-film Twitter and I felt pretty alone in my film love and thought, "Maybe if people knew more about classic films, they would be interested." After I started writing, I began meeting others who loved films —something new to me! I don’t know if I shared any new information to film fans or converted anyone into a pre-1968 film lover, but I stopped feeling so alone in my love.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?
Other than the weekly Musical Monday features, I don’t often write standalone film reviews. I figure everyone knows what “Random Harvest” is and has their own ideas about it, so they don’t need my lengthy plot rehash and gushing thoughts.

I try to pick out unique trivia tidbits that I would like to know more about and hope others do too! For example, why did Mae West start making pop records? What did Madeleine Carroll do for the war effort? Bruce Bennett was an Olympic medalist? Sometimes I can find a great deal of information and other times there isn’t, but I hope that I’m introducing someone to new information, since I learned a lot in the process.

How has blogging changed your life?
I didn’t think any other young people liked classic films as much as I did until I started blogging. Blogging allowed me to connect with others, discuss my classic love with others who understand and learn new facts about classic movies. It also allowed me neat opportunities, like interviewing actors James Best and Dolores Hart.

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Terry C.

How long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging for 13 years now. My blog just turned 13 last week, on June 4. I think June must be a very good month to start a blog!

Why did you start a blog?
I've always enjoyed writing. In fact, I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was only in junior high school. As an adult I had articles published in various small press publications. Back in 2004 I had a girlfriend who had a blog and it looked like it could be a good outlet for my writing. I then started my blog to write about what interests me, which was primarily pop culture and nostalgia.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?

I really don't have a single approach to creating content for my blog. In most cases I think of an idea for a post and then I will research the subject. Sometimes that is as simple as re-watching a movie or an old TV show episode. Other times it might mean searching through books and old newspaper and magazine articles. I have had posts that, when the research is factored in, have taken literally days to complete. A lot of times there will be an important anniversary (the birth of an classic actor or the release of a classic movie) and I'll want to write about it. Sadly, I also write a lot of tributes upon the occasions of the deaths of actors, directors, and music artists I admire. I like covering their careers in depth, so they also involve a lot of research. Other posts, such as opinion pieces, simply come about because I simply want to speak my mind about something. This seems to usually be the case when I write about social media. It seems as if social media sites are always making changes I don't like!

How has blogging changed my your life?

I think blogging has enriched my life immeasurably. It has given me the opportunity to write about what I love, which is something I might not have had the chance to do otherwise, at least not to the extent that the blog has allowed me. Blogging would even lead to the publication of my book Television: Rare & Well Done, which is comprised mostly of material from my blog. Most importantly, I have made a lot of dear friends through blogging. I haven't met any of them in person, but I would have to say I feel closer to them than many people I have met in person. Honestly, there is nothing I regret about having taken up blogging, except perhaps the title of my blog. If I had it to do all over again, I would have chosen a more fitting title than A Shroud of Thoughts!

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Laura and I at the TCM Classic Film Festival

Laura G.

 How long have you been blogging?
I'll celebrate my 12th anniversary as a blogger in July 2017!

Why did you start a blog?
I've always loved to write and as my children were growing older and I had more free time, blogging appealed to me as a creative outlet. I learned about blogging via political bloggers and initially my blogging topics were both more random (hence the title "Miscellaneous Musings") and current events based, but within the first three years or so I realized that I wanted to mainly focus on the topics which make me happiest, classic films and my overlapping interest in all things Disney.

How do you approach creating content for your blog?
Quite a bit of the content for my blog is driven by the calendar, whether it’s previewing the upcoming month on Turner Classic Movies, covering a film festival, celebrating an actor’s birthday, or sharing classic film photos with a holiday theme. Another significant percentage of my blog content consists of film reviews, whether it’s DVD or Blu-ray screeners or titles from my personal collection. And trips to Disneyland often result in my sharing a few photos!

I love finding new content to read at my favorite blogs, which helps inspire me to update my own blog regularly. I enjoy creating what I hope is a lively and informative blog, and I thus try to blog most days of the week, though sometimes it’s not possible due to a heavy workload. Conversely, being self-employed sometimes enables me to blog during work breaks! This is particularly helpful for posts which aren’t planned in advance; for instance, as classic film writers it’s a sad reality that we must regularly write obituaries. I’ll also sometimes be inspired to blog by something I see on Twitter, such as a mention of an actor’s birthday.

Generally speaking the only time I take notes in preparation for blogging is during introductions at film festivals, when I see so many films I’m likely to forget key points. Most of the time, though, I like to be “in the moment” and don’t use a notebook, but instead try to blog as soon as possible after seeing a film or attending an event. I find blogging is a great way to help reflect on and “process” films I’ve just watched or to remember an event. Often my blogging is done in the late evening; initially this was because it was a quiet time when I had children at home, but now that my children are older, it remains a good time due to my work schedule, plus it’s often when I’ve just finished watching a movie!

Although I don’t take notes during movies, I’m fairly methodical and organized, which helps me do as much blogging as I do. Reminders for things such as end-of-the-month TCM posts or birthday tributes are calendared in advance. I try to fill in links for my annual "Year in Review" post as the year unfolds, and as soon as I know a DVD screener is on the way to my mailbox, I’ll go ahead and set up the draft post with what I call the “boilerplate” – the cover picture, a link to the DVD company, and basic info on things like the director and running time. This helps me keep track of what’s coming up and plan my viewing and blogging schedule. When it gets really busy, such as during the spring film festival season here in Southern California, I also post a list of blogging ideas on the wall next to my computer and check off reviews and other posts as I complete them. I also keep a list of long-term ideas for future posts; I have many more ideas than I have time to write!

This may sound like a lot of work to some, but I truly enjoy it, and since it’s supposed to be fun, if I’m overwhelmed by demands on my time I may set aside something for a period of time in order to fit other things in. For instance, one of my favorite things to do as a blogger is my weekly “Around the Blogosphere” link roundups, sharing interesting news I’ve come across along with links to writing by my fellow classic film bloggers. During this year’s spring film season, when I attended four festivals in a ten-week period, something had to give, so I haven’t done one of those posts in the last three months. I’ll get back to it soon!

How has blogging changed your life?
 The most important way blogging has changed my life is the many wonderful friendships I've made -- with you being a very special friend, one of the first classic film bloggers I got to know! Some have become "in person" friendships, with the chance to spend time together at movie screenings, film festivals, and local events. I also have wonderful far-flung friends I correspond with, from as far away as Israel and the UK. So many people are supportive and have done many kindnesses for me over the years, for which I'm very grateful. I like to think of my blog as a friendly gathering place for people from varied walks of life who share similar interests.

Blogging has also led to amazing experiences I never could have anticipated when I began, whether it was interviewing a favorite actress, Coleen Gray; being invited by the family of another favorite actress, Loretta Young, to attend and write about her centennial celebration; touring the home of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee with their grandson; and the opportunity to cover a number of film festivals as a member of the media. And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg! It makes me very happy when readers let me know they enjoy my blog and that I’ve helped them find “good things” to enjoy -- but I'm really so fortunate in what blogging and my readers have meant in my own life.
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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

2017 Summer Reading Challenge


It's that time of year again! Break out your best sunglasses. Pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea. Find a sunny spot and get reading.

I'm proud to announce the 5th annual Summer Reading Challenge. This is a great opportunity to dust off those classic film books you've been collecting and to start absorbing all their wonderful content. The challenge is to read 6 books over the summer which averages to 2 books a month. If you don't think you can read 6 in that time span I encourage you to sign-up anyways! Those who read 6 will be eligible for the final prize but you can still participate with fewer books. 1 is better than none.

Make sure you bookmark the official page of the Summer Reading Challenge. You'll find a link conveniently placed in the top navigation bar for easy reference. I'll have some fun prompts too as the challenge progresses. If you have any fun ideas let me know!

Here are the details:

2017 Summer Reading Challenge

Sign up for the challenge here.
Read a classic film book
Write a review and post it on your Blog, Instagram or Goodreads profile
Submit your review link here.
Repeat until you have read and reviewed 6 books!
Review 6 and be automatically entered to win a prize.

Challenge runs from June 1st until September 15th, 2017. Sign-up before July 15th.

See full details below.

What counts as a classic film book?
  • Biographical book about some from the classic film era. Biography, autobiography, memoir or a collection of interviews or letters all count. Can be about an actor, actress, director or other cast or crew member.
  • Book about films – specific film(s), genre, film-making process, etc.
  • A photography or art book related to classic films, fashion, style or a particular person.
  • Film criticism or analysis
  • 20th century novel that was adapted into a classic film
  • Novel fictionalizing a classic film or an actor/actress from old Hollywood.

You can read one book in each category, 6 books in one category or mix it up. Read a book you’ve never read before or re-read an old favorite. The book can be brand new or long out-of-print. I'm flexible about what constitutes "classic film" and I'll accept anything up until the 1970s. Beyond that, please check with me before submitting your review. If you can't read all 6 that's okay! Try your best. Every book counts.

If you complete all 6 reviews by September 15th you’ll be eligible to win your choice of the following two prizes:
  • One single disc DVD-MOD from Warner Archive, film of your chosing.
  • A surprise grab bag of three new classic film books.
Open internationally!
If you have a blog, feel free to use this button!


Grab button for the 2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge
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Sign-up for the challenge here:

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