Monday, October 5, 2009

Tuesday Weld is the new Pamela Tiffin

Remember back in the earlier part of the year I had a strange fascination with '60s actress Pamela Tiffin? Of course not. So you should take a moment to look through my archives and readed the series I did for her. Currently I seem to be leaning towards the lovely Tuesday Weld. Stay tuned for all things Weld in this space!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Classic Film Lovers Guide to Hulu

If you missed an episode of Family Guy or Dollhouse, chances are you'll run to Hulu.com to watch said episode online. Full-length TV episodes are what this site is most known for. But did you know Hulu has a big selection of full-length classic film features available for viewing?

I ran across the full-length video of Pleasure Seekers (1964) on Hulu a few months ago, purely by accident. I was doing research on Pamela Tiffin who had been my main interest at the time and who happens to be in that movie. I had caught the last 40 minutes or so on the Fox Movie Channel and wanted to see the whole thing. That's where Hulu came in and I got a chance to see the whole movie!

Fast forward a few months later and I took a couple hours to do some real digging. I went through Hulu's vast collection of full-length movies and grabbed links to any films from the 1920s to the 1960s. I created a guide to the Classic Films on Hulu (see below). I tried to organize them by categories so it's more user friendly.

This list is only temporary as a lot of films on Hulu have expiration dates. In fact, Pleasure Seekers expired today! (boo). So if there any films on here you are interested in, watch them now.

Creme de la Creme

Charade (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/94303/charade (with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn)
His Girl Friday (1940) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63243/his-girl-friday (with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell)
Captain Kidd (1945) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70587/captain-kidd
Dillinger (1945) http://www.hulu.com/watch/66708/dillinger
The Stranger (1946) http://www.hulu.com/watch/34115/the-stranger (with Orson Welles, Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson)
Inherit the Wind (1960) http://www.hulu.com/watch/65442/inherit-the-wind (with Spencer Tracy)

Alfred Hitchcock
The 39 Steps (1935) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63055/the-39-steps
Sabotage (1937) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63051/sabotage
The Lady Vanishes (1938) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63050/the-lady-vanishes

Hidden Gems

Blackmail (1929) http://www.hulu.com/watch/66718/blackmail
Dead End (1937) http://www.hulu.com/watch/39077/dead-end (with Humphrey Bogart)
Moon Over Miami (1941) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80543/moon-over-miami (with Betty Grable and Don Ameche)
Rings on Her Fingers (1942) http://www.hulu.com/watch/64844/rings-on-her-fingers (with Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney
Thunder Birds (1942) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80728/thunder-birds (with Gene Tierney)
Woman's World (1954) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80727/womans-world (with Fred MacMurray and Lauren Bacall)
Big Noise (1944) http://www.hulu.com/watch/81275/the-big-noise (with Laurel & Hardy)
Man in the Middle (1964) http://www.hulu.com/watch/82140/man-in-the-middle (with Robert Mitchum!)
The Train (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70571/the-train (with Burt Lancaster)
The Chairman (1969) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80546/the-chairman (with Gregory Peck)
A Hole in the Head (1959) http://www.hulu.com/watch/88202/a-hole-in-the-head (with Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson)
Bachelor Flat (1961) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70068/bachelor-flat

Film Noir

99 River Street (1953) http://www.hulu.com/watch/95974/99-river-street
Crime Against Joe (1956) http://www.hulu.com/watch/95972/crime-against-joe
Cop Hater (1958) http://www.hulu.com/watch/88185/cop-hater

General

Cynara (1932) http://www.hulu.com/watch/95167/cynara (with Ronald Colman and Kay Francis)
The Last of the Mohicans (1936) http://www.hulu.com/watch/61166/the-last-of-the-mohicans-1936
Secret Agent (1936) http://www.hulu.com/watch/62721/secret-agent
The Little Princess (1939) http://www.hulu.com/watch/66720/the-little-princess (with Shirley Temple)
Earthbound (1940) http://www.hulu.com/watch/66803/earthbound
Happy Land (1943) http://www.hulu.com/watch/64845/happy-land
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943) http://www.hulu.com/watch/81702/sherlock-holmes-and-the-secret-weapon
Love From a Stranger (1947) http://www.hulu.com/watch/61165/love-from-a-stranger
The Noose Hangs High (1948) http://www.hulu.com/watch/75331/the-noose-hangs-high (Abbott & Costello)
Africa Screams (1949) http://www.hulu.com/watch/67432/africa-screams
Prince of Foxes (1949) http://www.hulu.com/watch/69521/prince-of-foxes
Anne of the Indies (1951) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80851/anne-of-the-indies
Fixed Bayonets (1952) http://www.hulu.com/watch/65861/fixed-bayonets
Night People (1954) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80550/night-people (with Gregory Peck)
Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954) http://www.hulu.com/watch/71578/captain-kidd-and-the-slave-girl
Big House, U.S.A (1955) http://www.hulu.com/watch/95170/big-house-usa
Untamed (1955) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80537/untamed (with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward)
Dance with me, Henry (1956) http://www.hulu.com/watch/31470/dance-with-me-henry (Abbott & Costello)
Time Limit (1957) http://www.hulu.com/watch/73938/time-limit (with Richard Widmark)
Counterplot (1959) http://www.hulu.com/watch/97582/counterplot
The Son of Robin Hood (1959) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80850/the-son-of-robin-hood
Circle of Deception (1960) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70078/circle-of-deception
Anatomy of a Psycho (1961) http://www.hulu.com/watch/38088/anatomy-of-a-psycho
Boy Who Caught A Crook (1961) http://www.hulu.com/watch/95973/boy-who-caught-a-crook
Sniper's Ridge (1961) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80725/snipers-ridge
Hero's Island (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/88187/heros-island
Incident in an Alley (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/75334/incident-in-an-alley
Mr. Arkadin (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63043/mr-arkadin (Orson Welles)
California (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/85350/california
Sergeant Deadhead (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/88200/sergeant-deadhead
The Knack, and How To Get It (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/30657/the-knack-and-how-to-get-it

Westerns

Angel and the Bad Man (1947) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63052/angel-and-the-badman (with John Wayne)
Blue Steel (1934) http://www.hulu.com/watch/62722/blue-steel (with John Wayne)
'Neath the Arizona Skies (1934) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63038/neath-the-arizona-skies
The Desert Trail (1935) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63047/the-desert-trail
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1952) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80882/the-outcasts-of-poker-flat
Duel at Diablo (1960) http://www.hulu.com/watch/46783/duel-at-diablo (with Sidney Poitier and James Garner)
Zane Grey Westerns: http://www.hulu.com/zane-grey-westerns

Horror Flicks

Terror in the Haunted House (1958) http://www.hulu.com/watch/37957/terror-in-the-haunted-house The Devil's Hand (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70585/the-devils-hand
The Giant Gila Monster (1959) http://www.hulu.com/watch/38082/the-giant-gila-monster
Atom Age Vampire (1960) http://www.hulu.com/watch/39995/atom-age-vampire
Black Sunday (1961) http://www.hulu.com/watch/85377/black-sunday
The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/73925/the-brain-that-wouldnt-die
The Devil's Hand (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70585/the-devils-hand
The Crawling Hand (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/38782/the-crawling-hand
The Terror (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/73924/the-terror
Taste of Terror (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/82877/tales-of-terror
Carnival of Souls (1962) http://www.hulu.com/watch/37958/carnival-of-souls
House on Haunted Hill (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/70582/house-on-haunted-hill

B-Movies

Reefer Madness (1936) http://www.hulu.com/watch/63039/reefer-madness
The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955) http://www.hulu.com/watch/38781/the-phantom-from-10000-leagues
It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) http://www.hulu.com/watch/65658/it-the-terror-from-beyond-space
Attack of the Puppet People (1958) http://www.hulu.com/watch/12210/attack-of-the-puppet-people
Frankenstein's Daughter (1958) http://www.hulu.com/watch/39996/frankensteins-daughter
The Wizard of Baghdad (1960) http://www.hulu.com/watch/80726/the-wizard-of-baghdad
The Last Man on Earth (1964) http://www.hulu.com/watch/46780/the-last-man-on-earth
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine http://www.hulu.com/watch/13465/dr-goldfoot-and-the-bikini-machine
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966) http://www.hulu.com/watch/13462/dr-goldfoot-and-the-girl-bombs
The Night of the Living Dead (1968) http://www.hulu.com/watch/41065/night-of-the-living-dead

Frankie & Annette Movies

Beach Party (1963) http://www.hulu.com/watch/81684/beach-party
Muscle Beach Party (1964) http://www.hulu.com/watch/81693/muscle-beach-party
Pajama Party (1964) http://www.hulu.com/watch/92145/pajama-party
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/27808/beach-blanket-bingo
How To Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) http://www.hulu.com/watch/59316/how-to-stuff-a-wild-bikini

Monday, September 28, 2009

My Judy Garland Life by Susie Boyt

My Judy Garland Life
A Memoir
by Susie Boyt
ISBN: 978-1-59691-666-1
$25.00
May 2009
Bloomsbury

A memoir that takes readers through the mind of the ultimate Judy Garland fan. In it's chaotic and sometimes unapproachable form it gives us an honest look at a true fan.

What does it mean to be obsessed about a classic film star? You may have your top, all-time favorite actor or actress whose films you devour as though they were the most delicious desserts on the planet. But are you really obsessed with them? Has that person become an intricate part of your life? Do you worry about that person even though they are no longer around? Does every artifact of their legacy become interwoven with memorable moments of your life?

Author Susie Boyt is obsessed with Judy Garland. There is no doubt about that. Her memoir My Judy Garland Life is just that, a memoir about her Judy Garland life. Reading this book is like taking a look into the chaotic thoughts of an obsessed fan. Not to say that Boyt is a lunatic fan, sacrificing her well-being and the well-being of others for her obsession. Rather Judy Garland has such a profound influnce on Boyt and Boyt feels such a strong connection that their lives sort of intertwine. And what's interesting is that Boyt never met Garland, nor even lived during Garland's lifetime. Yet Garland becomes an important figure in Boyt's life. What I think is admirable about Boyt, is that she unabashedly delves right into her obsession with Judy Garland. Reading it, I didn't feel that anything was missing; as though she was being brutally honest and revealing everything she could about how she worshipped Garland. I thought that kind of honesty and frankness was very admirable.

While the topic was interesting, I didn't much care for the book. It was very disorganized and difficult to read. However, that same disorganization that I criticize I also think lends to the element of the book of exploring the author's brain. Whoever said thoughts had to be organized? My biggest problem is that I'm not all that interested in Judy Garland. This lack of interest may have been my downfall. I had hoped to enjoy the memoir given my interest in the personal experience as it relates to classic fim. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Even though I didn't enjoy the book, doesn't mean I don't think others won't. In fact, I would recommend this book to many folks. First are the Judy Garland fans; I think they would appreciate reading about another Garland fan's experiences and how they were affected by the star. If you are intrigued by fandom and obsession, I would also recommend this seeing as it's a peak into the brain of a fan. If you are a fan of Dirk Bogarde, you might enjoy the plethora of instances in which he is mentioned. If you generally gravitate towards memoirs and want something unique and different to try out, this books really stands out amongst the other memoirs out there.
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Out of the entire book, there was one section that really quite struck me. It was when the author discusses the differences between good and bad Judy Garland fans. Boyt says:

Good fans consider that bad fans seek to denigrate Judy Garland's achievements by dwelling first and foresmost on her personal suffering... Bad fans prize embarassment and feelings of excruciation above all other sensations because these are the kinds of strong feelings they prefer.

Just some food for thought...

Special thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book for review!

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