New Books for Classic Film Fans

I found a slew of new (and newish) books out on the market that will be of interest to classic film fans. Not all of them are specifically about classic films but I find many of them tie-in well with related interests. Enjoy!

*To be fair, I'm including a link to Amazon.com as well as to IndieBound.org. IndieBound can direct you to one of your local independent bookstores. Buy local if you can. I'm also including a link to the publisher's page about the book as most bookstore sites don't have much information on these quite yet.
for fans of the great director

Vincente Minnelli
~Hollywood's Dark Dreamer~
by Emanuel Levy
St. Martin's
$35.00
9780312329259
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher

for department store fans. The store was central to the movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Macy's~The Store. The Star. The Story~
by Robert M. Grippo
SquareOne Publishers
$27.95
9780757003097
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher

for B movie fans (aren't we all fans?)

The B List
~The National Society of Film Critics on the
Low-Budget Beauties, Genre-Bending Mavericks,
and Cult Classics We Love~
by David Sterritt and John C Anderson
$15.95
Da Capo Press (hi Lissa!!!)
9780306815669
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher


for fans of the 1920's and flaming youth

Bright Young People
~The Lost Generation of London's Jazz Age~
by DJ Taylor
$27.00
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9780374116835
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher

for fans of comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton

Make 'Em Laugh
~ The Funny Business of America ~
by Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon
$45.00
Twelve
9780446505314
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher


fans of the Philo Vance mysteries of the late '20s/early '30s may appreciate this

Death by Water
~A Phryne Fisher Mystery~
by Kerry Greenwood
$24.95
Poisoned Pen Press
9781590582398
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher

fans of sharp and witty dialogue in classic films who aspire to charm through conversation

The Art of Conversation
~A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure~
by Catherie Blyth
$22.50
Gotham (Penguin)
9781592404193
Amazon - IndieBound - Publisher

Hot Toddy ~ Don Taylor

Name: Don Taylor

Stats: b. 1920- d. 1998. 29 films as actor, 11 films as director. Directed TV in the '80s.

Rating based on level of excellence: 3 out of 5 Humunahs!

Hotness Factors: Tall, gentlemanly stature, great hair and sheepish smile. He's the boy next door who looks innocent enough but will steal your hot daughter away when your back is turned.

Chicks He Digged: Married two actresses. First wife was TV actress Philis Avery and second wife was scream queen Hazel Court, who passed away last year.

For Optimal Hotness Watch:

Father of the Bride (1950) ~ He's the lucky kid who gets to marry virginal Elizabeth Taylor (at least on screen).

The Naked City (1948) ~ He plays a detective who scours the city of New York looking for the man who murdered glamour (see my post about the movie here).

Stalag 17 (1953) ~ He's the WWII Lieutenant who managed to blow up a Nazi train with a hand-made bomb. He's the hero of all the men at the POW camp. (see pictures below)

20 Actors Movie Meme

It was inevitable after the 20 Actresses Movie Meme circulated among the blog world that an Actor one would follow suit. And I was ready! The men were much easier to select from than the women. While it's terribly easy for me to dislike an actress (she looked at me funny), I have high respect for many actors. This list was easy to order as well, since I have formed very strong attachments to certain actors and I could guage what number to put them at based on the strength of my feelings. I also use the giggle-mometer. Whenever I see any of these fine gentlemen onscreen, I let out a giggle. The higher-pitched and more annoying the giggle, the more I like him. I guess you don't want to be around me when I see my King Robert Mitchum on screen do you?

Robert Mitchum

Bobby Darin

Rock Hudson

(Kevin - This image is dedicated to you!)

Clark Gable

Kirk Douglas

Jimmy Stewart

Cary Grant

Richard Barthelmess

Lewis Stone

Buster Keaton
Laurel & Hardy

(Thank you Frank for this wonderful image!)

The Marx Bros.

William Powell

(image from Google-LIFE Archive)

Robert Montgomery

Sidney Poitier

George Sanders

Louis Calhern

Charles Laughton

Sterling Hayden

~Honorable Mention: 5 more to round it out to top 25~

Jack Lemmon

Dennis Morgan

Spencer Tracy

Chester Morris

Ramon Novarro

Now it's my turn to tag some folks, seeing as I tagged myself for this one. And the unlucky SOBs are....

Ibetolis @ Film for the Soul

Ginger @ Asleep in New York

Jonas @ All Talking! All Singing! All Dancing!

Casey @ Noir Girl

Joanne @ Zippin' Along

Good News 1930 & 1947

Here is my submission for the L.A.M.B. (Large Association of Movie Blogs) Blog-a-thon entitled "Do Remakes Give You the Shakes?" Read the rules here. I decided to focus mine on Good News (1930) and it's remake Good News (1947).


Remakes are a good thing only if they are well done. Unfortunately, what we get these days are sad excuses for movies. They are so bad that their mere existence seems like an insult to the glory of the original. While folks these days will tell you that the remake phenomenon is a new thing, classic film fans will tell you it is absolutely not. Many classic films were remade, sometimes within a couple of years of the release of the original. Remakes were an opportunity to update a great story and make it more relevant to contemporary audiences. It was also a great way to use more advanced technology and improved movie-making skills to represent the story in a flashier way. What we end up with are great originals and great remakes. Plus plus!

Good News was a popular Broadway musical about the fictional Tait College and some of its students. You've got a love triangle, a big exam, a football championship and fantastic musical numbers. It's the ultimate collegiate musical.

Good News (1930) was a black-and-white early talkie musical with a 3-4 minute Technicolor finale. Unfortunately, today that last reel is nowhere to be found (please check your attics). Shot at the end of the Roaring Twenties, it best represents the period in style, dress, movement and language. The BEST part of the movie by far is Penny Singleton (then known as Dorothy McNulty). Her little girl voice, flailing limbs and impressive gymnastics make her stand out in a good way her two musical numbers "Good News" and "Varsity Drag". I became a big fan of Singelton's instantly after watching it. Ann Dvorak fans will be tickled pink to see her as one of the student dancers in Singleton's numbers.

Good News (1947) was a Technicolor musical starring June Allyson, Peter Lawford and Mel Torme (the Velvet Fog). While it does not have Penny Singleton, it does have the multi-talented Joan McCracken who single-handedly steals the movie from all its other stars. This remake improves on several things. It takes advantage of being all Technicolor with lots of bright vibrant outfits and set designs. The choreography and dancing are much more sophisticated and polished. There are more songs. So many that a few had to be cut out, including "Easier Way" which happens to be my favorite. The plot is more clearly defined and they improved upon the story by introducing some new characters. In this one, you could easily learn how to do the Varsity Drag and dance it with your friends. Or alone, in your apartment, in the early morning hours, when you are getting ready for work. Like I do sometimes.

While both films are excellent in their own way, the 1947 version was indeed an improvement for that audience. It was an opportunity to take a great movie (musical) and revive it for modern times. This is what remakes should do and can still do if only people would concern themselves with what they could make rather than what they could get.

Special thank you to Jonas from All Singing! All Talking! All Dancing! for sending me a copy of Good News (1930).