CMBA Blog Profile: Stars and Letters

The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per month. Today we're featuring Janet from Stars and Letters.

Stars and Letters is a movie (and history) lover's dream.

The site provides letters written by Classic Hollywood filmmakers such as David O. Selznick, Marilyn Monroe and Richard Burton, among many others. With each letter (or note or telegram), Janet provides a transcript in case the image of the original is somewhat illegible.

These letters are gems, providing an intimate snapshot of contract negotiations, responses to fans and even celebrity life. For example, look at Greta Garbo's 1963 letter to Jackie Kennedy.

"Although Garbo's letter is just a very short thank-you to her hostess," says Janet, "I really like the story behind Garbo's letter, the fact that it solved the mystery of President Kennedy's missing 'tooth'."

You can read Greta's letter to Jackie HERE.

 

CMBA: What sparked your interest in classic film?

Stars and Letters: Both my parents are classic film fans so I grew up watching old films. The films I saw during my childhood were mainly westerns, swashbucklers and MGM musicals, and most of them I initially watched dubbed in German. (I am Dutch, grew up without cable television and classic Hollywood films were mainly shown on German television.) Much later I discovered other films I liked, like film noirs and even later pre-codes. Although I also like a good modern film, I do have a strong preference for classic films. (And there are enough classic films I haven't seen yet to last me a lifetime!)

CMBA: What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Stars and Letters: I would call a Hollywood film a "classic" if it was made between the late 1920s and mid-1960s (my favourite decades being the 1930s and 1940s). Obviously, in a different sense, a "classic" is a film that has stood the test of time, that can be viewed over and over again and still be amazing, whether an old classic like Casablanca or a modern classic like The Shawshank Redemption. 

CMBA: What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old movies?

Stars and Letters: I would simply recommend some of my personal favourites, such as Stage Door, His Girl Friday, The Apartment, The Adventures of Robin Hood (my favourite swashbuckler), Remember the Night (my favourite Christmas film). How can anyone not like these?!

CMBA: Why should people care about classic film?

Stars and Letters: Because they are so sophisticated and stylish, and not just because of the way they look (set design, cinematography, costumes, glamorous looking actors/actresses), but also because of the way people talked, the dialogue, without using the f*word all the time. And even with a bad classic film (and there are a lot of those), there is almost always something in it worthwhile. Also, classic Hollywood provided genres which have basically disappeared now. Screwball comedies, film-noir, westerns, swashbucklers, musicals and pre-codes (if you can call the latter a genre) – they are part of a bygone era and should all be cherished.

CMBA: What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Stars and Letters: My blog is different from other CMBA blogs. I post classic Hollywood correspondence along with related background information. I love searching the internet for letters and the stories behind them. And when I find something interesting or surprising, I can really get a kick out of that! That Clara Bow was a Marlon Brando fan, for example, I never knew before doing this blog.

CMBA: What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Stars and Letters: I rely on material I can find on the internet and while there is enough classic Hollywood correspondence to be found, it's not always easy to come up with something exciting. And because of the lack of time, I don't post as much as I want to.

CMBA: What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Stars and Letters: Pick a topic you like and write about that (whether it's reviews or something else). I think it's imperative that you love what you're doing, it should be fun and not feel like homework. Only when you enjoy doing your blog, it will be able to survive. And try to post on a regular basis (I should follow my own advice!). But even if you don't post regularly, if you love your blog you will always come back to it.

Thank you for joining us, Janet! You can visit Stars and Letters HERE.

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CMBA Blog Profile: Old Hollywood Films

The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per month. Today we're featuring Amanda from Old Hollywood Films.

Amanda at Old Hollywood Films brings a clear-eyed, journalistic approach to classic film.

Like any good journalist, Amanda concentrates on the important or most interesting aspects of a film she's reviewing. Her posts are lively and informative.

In addition to film reviews, she presents a weekly TCM Viewer's Guide that includes celebrity birthdays, TCM daily highlights, and a helpful feature entitled "Best Day to DVR".

Old Hollywood Films provides historical context with film reviews, which reflects Amanda's interest in history. One example is The Grapes of Wrath (1940).

"I think this film is a good illustration of films depicting history (in this case the Great Depression)," she says. In her review she notes, "[N]o one experienced more misery than those Americans who survived the Dust Bowl, which was one of the worst environmental disasters in American history."

You can read Amanda's post on The Grapes of Wrath HERE. 

CMBA: What sparked your interest in classic film?

Old Hollywood Films:I've loved classic movies since I was a child. The local PBS station used to air a rotation of classic movies every Saturday night that included Maytime, Wuthering Heights, West Side Story, Summer Stock, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, and An American in Paris. My dad also had a collection of home videos that included most of the best John Ford films.

CMBA: What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Old Hollywood Films:For the purposes of my blog, I consider a "classic" movie anything made between roughly 1927-1970. I mostly write about sound films made within the old Hollywood studio system, but I do sometimes write about silent movies and foreign films. Of course, the quality of these "classic" films vary, but, because of the manner in which the studio system operated, most of the movies are well-made and entertaining. Even the B pictures are better than some of the Hollywood product released today.

CMBA: What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old movies?

Old Hollywood Films:His Girl Friday because it's fast-paced and has modern gender roles and The Spiral Staircase for horror/suspense fans. For those who don't like black-and-white movies, I would pick late fifties Hitchcock (To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest).

CMBA: Why should people care about classic film?

Old Hollywood Films:No. 1, classic movies are an art form. In my opinion, the movies of the old Hollywood studio system represent one of the greatest artistic achievements in history, right up there with the painters of the Italian Renaissance and the 19th century English novel (I know that sounds grandiose, but I think it stands up to scrutiny). Second, the movies are a living history of the 20th century from World War I right through to the atomic age. If you want to learn about Prohibition watch the gangster movies of the thirties, or if you want to understand nuclear paranoia watch the sci-fi movies of the 1950s.

CMBA: What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Old Hollywood Films:I enjoy the creative process of writing the articles, but the best part is when people say that my articles have encouraged them to watch a classic movie.

CMBA: What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Old Hollywood Films:I never have enough time to write all the articles I want. I haven't figured out a solution to time management yet, but that's life.

CMBA: What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Old Hollywood Films:First, watch as many movies as you can and pay attention to the films while you are watching them. You will learn so much by simply being observant to camera placement, dialogue, style, etc. Second, go to the library and read as many books about classic movies as you can. There's a treasure trove of material out there about classic movies.

Thank you for joining us, Amanda! You can visit Old Hollywood Films HERE.

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CMBA Blog Profile: Strictly Vintage Hollywood

The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per month. Today we're featuring Donna from Strictly Vintage Hollywood.

Strictly Vintage Hollywood is a prime example of what makes the CMBA an exceptional organization.

Donna's lively and well-researched site reviews films and books, details festival experiences and shines a spotlight on classic Hollywood filmmakers.

One classic Hollywood celebrity has a special place in Donna's heart: Rudolph Valentino. (And who doesn't have a special affection for Mr. V.?) She's published one book on Valentino, and is working on a second, tentatively entitled The Films of Rudolph Valentino - A Chronological History.

"I have studied Valentino for decades," says Donna, "and I am still researching, learning, and enjoying the process."

Donna has also researched Valentino's mentor, June Mathis. “It began with a tango – June Mathis and her unique friendship with Rudolph Valentino," she says. "One of my earliest researched pieces is a subject I love, Valentino and June Mathis as well as roping in my favorite silent film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The collection was represented in my book Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol: His Life in Photographs."

You can read Donna's post on June Mathis HERE.

CMBA: What sparked your interest in classic film?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: I like to say I was born loving movies. My parents instilled in me the love of what are now referred to as classic films because we shared going to movies when I was a child; both at the Drive-In (how I miss that, Disney films in my jammies) and going to see first run films at Century 21 Dome (dressing up in our Sunday best the process). We also shared time watching classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Portrait of Jennie on television. For my parents, these were the films of their generation and they became mine. 

This is probably too much information, I also learned to love classic films seeing them on television, late night television such as TV 36 in San Jose and KBHK where classics from 20^th Century Fox, MGM, RKO, Paramount and Warner Brothers were on regular rotation. Once I got my library card and discovered the film history section, a whole new world opened up for me, film bios and film history.

Once I could drive, I became a loyal patron twice weekly at my local revival movie house (The Vitaphone). There I experienced familiar favorites, except, they were Three Strip Technicolor prints newly struck from the camera negative, on the big screen, it changed my life. Films on television never looked like this! Gob smacked is a good word to describe the feeling. For a film geek, it’s like a drug.

Getting to know the owners, working at the theater over a summer and learning how to run the large 35mm projectors; that was a thrill. It was also a thrill to stand in the back of the theater and watch the chariot race from the 1959 Ben-Hursix nights in a row. To see Random Harvest, a pristine new print, so clear you felt you could walk into it. The Garden of Allah, Dietrich and Boyer, impossible silly romance, in glorious Technicolor.

CMBA: What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: Literally, to me a classic film is anything from 1900 to about 1965, the dawn of film to the end of the studio era in Hollywood. This would include foreign films, too. A classic, does not even really have to have the best script, or acting, to me. It is a film that stands the test of time and repeated viewings.

CMBA: What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old movies?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon, Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain, just about any Laurel & Hardy film and the same for Buster Keaton, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Now Voyager, The Heiress, The Mark of Zorro (silent and talkie versions), The Son of the Sheik, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Sunrise. (I could name a dozen more!) It is inconceivable to me that someone could actually say they “hate” old films. For those that do, I can only imagine that they have not really seen any. So many genres, gangster, musicals, comedies, drama, women’s pictures, adventure films, romance, sci-fi, you name it, there really is something for everyone if they could be introduced to seeing a film as it was meant to be seen, i.e. on the big screen. At the very least, on television without commercials, like TCM.

CMBA: Why should people care about classic film?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: In today’s world of instant news, the 24 hour news cycle and endless tweets and Facebook posts, sometimes I think people need to care about classic films as a way to let go, lose themselves and enjoy 90 minutes (or two hours) of solid entertainment. Any classic film is a reflection of the era in which it was produced, but, the bottom line is all are human stories. They can touch you, empower you and make you feel great just when the real world has got you down. In other words because they are so very entertaining.

Why should they care about preserving them? Cinema is the most American of art forms. Film can be a snapshot of the period. Once lost, they likely remain so and a part of our history is gone forever, except stills and lobby art. Imagine a world without Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz?

CMBA: What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: The best thing I have found in blogging and writing about film is the people I have met. I mean, I follow several blogs and I love to read other viewpoints and learn about films I have not yet seen. I enjoy writing, and blogging is a tool for me to improve my writing and to share about films I love. If I get one comment telling me they’ve loved a film I’ve written about, that’s the best icing on any cake, metaphorically speaking. This takes me back to seeing films with my parents, blogging and classic film is a shared experience, and it’s wonderful. I’ve met some of my best friends this way.

CMBA: What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: The biggest challenge is finding time, and trying to be regular in posting. A challenge especially now as I am researching and writing a manuscript. I am trying to be proactive this year, bet in the habit of a weekly post, even a small one. For the manuscript, taking inspiration from my friend over at Backlots, Lara, to write something every day on the manuscript no matter how small.

CMBA: What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Strictly Vintage Hollywood: Write about what you love. That, to me, is the biggest motivation. Be receptive to constructive criticism and ignore the trolls. 

  

Thank you for joining us, Donna! You can visit Strictly Vintage Hollywood by clicking HERE.

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CMBA Blog Profile: Blame Mame

The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per month, on the 1st and 15th of the month. Today we're featuring Craig from Blame Mame.

Blame Mame celebrates the glamour and beauty of classic Hollywood.

As you may have guessed, "Blame Mame" is taken from the song "Put the Blame on Mame"  famously performed by Rita Hayworth in the 1946 film, Gilda.

Craig, the brains behind Blame Mame, is a personal and friendly host who shares fascinating research on classic Hollywood. He’s written on the influence of costume designers, the early careers of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, and some history of Hollywood (the town) itself.

You'll find some surprises on here, too, such as Bette Davis’ singing career.

“Bette is one of my favorite actresses,” says Craig, “and her music is more camp that you can shake a stick at. It is one of my first posts I put together when I started this blog and I still enjoy reading it.”

You can read about Bette Davis, recording artist, HERE.

CMBA: What sparked your interest in classic film?

Blame Mame: I spent a lot of my childhood at my grandmother's house where we would watch classic films and a lot of I Love Lucy. When I was in sixth grade, I needed a subject for my Social Studies Project, and after looking around my room I saw the porcelain doll of Marilyn Monroe my grandmother had given me. I decided to write my report about her and it all took off from there. I started watching Marilyn's films, which introduced me to other classic actors such as Jane Russell, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall. It was one big domino effect and I haven’t looked back since. 

CMBA: What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Blame Mame: When I think of a 'classic' film, I think of a film that is timeless and can transport you into another world. Now for me, most of these films come from the 30's-60's, mainly because there was still an other-worldly feel to the actors we saw on screen. Sometimes today's films are just too real for my taste. I want to be taken away from reality when I am watching a 'classic' film.

CMBA: What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old movies?

Blame Mame: I usually tell people to watch The Women (1939), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Some Like It Hot(1959), Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?(1962), and Funny Face (1957)... mainly because these are some of my favorites that I can watch over and over.

CMBA: Why should people care about classic film?

Blame Mame: The films of the Classic Hollywood period set the stage for the films being made today. The stories, the fashion, the acting, the cinematography... it all has it roots in classic films. Why wouldn't you want to know such a rich piece of history?

CMBA: What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Blame Mame: Blogging, along with photography and performing, is a creative outlet for me. Since I was a child I have had a huge imagination and have had to find many ways to express that. Blogging allows me to share my love of Classic Hollywood with other people like me. It is very rare in my day-to-day life that I come across someone who can hold a conversation about anything that isn't about politics or the Kardashians.

  

CMBA: What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Blame Mame: My main challenge with blogging is making myself sit down to write. My life has become pretty busy over the last four years and my free time is few and far between. I have a notebook full of things I have jotted down and ideas for things I want to write about. Maybe I need to write a schedule for myself so I have at least one time a week to dedicate to my beautiful blog.

CMBA: What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Blame Mame: New bloggers just need to blog because it's something they want to do. They should be writing to express themselves and to share their love of their blog's subject. Do not get caught up in who follows you, how many comments you get, or if people will like what you write. It is your art... do it your way and for you.

  

Thank you for joining us, Craig! You can visit Blame Mame by clicking HERE.

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CMBA Blog Profile: Spellbound by Movies

The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per month, on the 1st and the 15th of the month. Today we're featuring Beth Ann from Spellbound by Movies.

Beth Ann Gallagher knows how to "sell" classic film.

Her blog, Spellbound by Movies, is an eclectic collection of all things classic film – filmmakers, film events, and the films themselves. She's one of those bloggers who make classic Hollywood seem fresh and hip.

Her blog is like a vintage boutique that specializes in unique pieces. One example is a look at Alfred Hitchcock and his terriers.

“It remains my most popular one four years after posting,” says Beth Ann. “I love animals, and I'm a Hitchcock fan, so I had a lot of fun writing the piece, and I'm sure that shines through.”

You can read her post on Hitchcock and his terriers HERE.

CMBA: What sparked your interest in classic film?

Spellbound by Movies: As a child, classic film was around me and part of everyday life. It was readily available on TV, and my family watched it with me. On Saturday mornings, a local station called WLVI would run comedies like Our Gang/The Little Rascals, Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, and Laurel & Hardy. Comedy is a great entryway to classic film! Later that day, the network would run their Creature Double Feature and show films like King Kong, Universal's horror pictures, Hammer Studios flicks from the fifties, and Toho Studios giant monster movies like Godzilla. My mom would put the Million Dollar Movie on, and we'd watch classics together. I remember watching classics at her parents' place, like Yankee Doodle Dandy. I also grew up in a New England town with a lot of history in and around it. Classic movies don't seem old when your town history includes losing its Revolutionary War naval battle. As I got a little older, VHS and AMC made classic movies even more accessible before TCM came about. There was something wonderfully aspirational to me as a kid about the people in screwball comedies. I loved the glamour of the stars' clothes and stylings and the rapid-fire repartee.

CMBA: What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Spellbound by Movies: I see the phrase “classic film” meaning different things in different contexts. There's the classic film era, which stretches from the silent

era to the 1960s. Something like The Torchy Blane film series was made in the era, but it's not well-known outside of film buff circles. Then there are classic films everyone agrees on. These are the movies that everyone agrees are part of the official canon, like Bringing Up Baby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Wizard of Oz. The final category of classic is personal. They're the movies someone loves and can watch over and over again without diminished enjoyment. These classics might not always have the quality of a prestige picture like Now, Voyager, but they pack as strong an emotional wallop. They may be "contemporary" classics, made outside of the classic film era. A Christmas Story is a great example of that kind of picture. It's become part of people's Christmas traditions due to its subject matter, the feeling of family and the holidays it shares, and how smart it is in depicting kids, their inner worlds, and the scrapes they get into. If a film is going to end up either type of classic, it has to have a strong emotional impact and material that appeals, that will remain of its time yet timeless, and that will endure repeated viewings.

CMBA: What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old

movies?

Spellbound by Movies: I would find out what topics or genres of movies people like, and then I'd find a corresponding classic film to recommend to them. For example, if they like fashion or biting dialogue, I'd recommend The Women. If the person was a complete blank, I'd recommend a comedy. People are more open to comedies than other types of pictures. Laurel & Hardy's The Music Box would be a great one to start with. It's short, and slapstick is a universal visual language. If the person was up for something more verbal and anarchic, I'd suggest The Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers.

CMBA: Why should people care about classic film?

Spellbound by Movies: Some people are put off by black and white movies or the phrase "classic film", but the best of these films are wonderfully alive and engaging. They may show the people and fashions of their times, but they have a timeless quality. They preserve the culture of that moment which usually has something to say about this moment. People don't change that much at the core however more sophisticated education, media, and technology have made the average person. If you can be open to classic film you can be open to a lot of experiences in life, and you can have a lot of fun at the same time. You'll learn about yourself, too.

  

CMBA: What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Spellbound by Movies: I love learning more about movies from writing about them. That makes me re-watch them more closely, research them, and better understand what works and doesn't work about them and how they affect me and other viewers. Writing is a type of thinking for me. Beyond that, I hope to connect with other people online about movies. I'm a relocatee to California, and my job as a field representative involves travel, so blogging and tweeting about films helps me with my online social life, which has solidified in some face-to-face friendships.

CMBA:  What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Spellbound by Movies: My job often can take up more than full-time hours in the week. Sometimes I'm travelling and sometimes I'm commuting. Either way that can be a lot of hours stuck in traffic. All of this can be very energy depleting, which affects how much I writing I can produce. I try to write more outside of my job's hectic periods. Another issue is making sure not every post has to be a big, obsessively detailed one. My goal is to fit in more shorter pieces into my blog along with the in-depth ones. I want to make sure my blog reflects more of what I'm watching and festival going-wise and to add some fun features like lists, which can be short and snappy.

  

CMBA: What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Spellbound by Movies: A lot of people can seem like experts on classic film or film in general. That can be intimidating. Everyone started out watching and loving movies. Let that passion propel you into being an active blogger. Get well-versed in films from watching them and start forming your own opinions and reactions. Then read up on the movies and find out the histories behind them. With so many people blogging out there, your blog's biggest asset is what you feel and think, your individual reactions, and how you present them. If you can, never hit the post button the same day you finish a write-up. At least give yourself an overnight to see if any new ideas or changes come to mind. Re-read your posts before they go live. Then you can spot gaps in your explanations, factual errors, jumps in reasoning, or writing errors. Find a friend or family member who's a good at editing or commenting on your writing. No matter how good a writer is, she or he is better with constructive feedback. Join blogathons to get practice writing something you might not have, to meet other bloggers, and to promote your blog. You will grow a lot as a writer and as a person through blogging, but don't forget to have fun with all of this!

  

Thank you for joining us, Beth Ann! You can visit her blog by clicking HERE.

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