Miss Linda Seton, on New Year's Eve, entertained a small group of very unimportant people

from Doctor Macro

Ok. Here we go. The last post for the New Year’s themed movies. There are, of course, more movies centered around New Year’s Eve, but we’re going to end with this one for now. Ready? Here we go…

from Doctor Macro

Holiday (1938)

Columbia

Directed by: George Cukor

Featuring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton, Jean Dixon

Plot in a Nutshell:

from Doctor Macro

Johnny Case (Grant) is a young man with a bright future ahead of him. He’s just gotten engaged to a lovely girl he just met, Julia Seton (Nolan) and he’s about to make a lot of money on a deal that will enable him to pursue his dream: quit his job and take a long holiday to travel and find out what life is really all about. Unfortunately, the only people who believe in his dream are his two friends, Professor and Mrs. Potter (Horton and Dixon) and Julia’s sister Linda (Hepburn) and brother Ned (Ayres). As Linda struggles to persuade her sister to believe in her fiancé, she starts to realize that she has fallen in love with Johnny as well.

 from Doctor Macro

Trivia:

- Edward Everett Horton repeats the role of Nick Potter, which he also played in the previous version of the film, Holiday (1930). (IMDb)

- George Cukor considered Rita Hayworth for the role of Julia Seaton, given her dark hair and slight resemblance to Hepburn. However, she was judged too inexperienced and Doris Nolan took the part. (IMDb)

- In 1936, Columbia Pictures purchased a group of scripts, including the script for Holiday, from RKO for $80,000. Although the film was originally intended to reunite The Awful Truth co-stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, George Cukor decided to cast Hepburn instead, and Columbia borrowed her from RKO, where she had refused the lead role in Mother Carey's Chickens.^[5] Joan Bennett and Ginger Rogers were also initially considered to play Hepburn's role. (Wikipedia)

- A scene that was to come before what is now the first scene of the film was set in the snows of Lake Placid, although it was shot in Bishop, California. The idea was to "open up" the stage play by utilizing an exterior scene, but when director George Cukor saw the scene, he did not like it, and decided to cut it. A few still photographs, one of them on a lobby card that was distributed to theaters, are the only known remnants of this scene. (Wikipedia)

The working titles for the film were "Unconventional Linda" and "Vacation Bound". (Wikipedia)

Thoughts on the film:

from Doctor Macro

It took me years to watch this one. For some reason, the description of the plot on the box made me think it would be sad so I avoided it for a while. I’m so glad I finally watched it. I love this movie! It’s so wonderful! I love Johnny and Linda and the Potters. And Ned. I love Ned. He’s my favorite character in the movie. Obviously I like Johnny – who couldn’t? And of course I’m rooting for Linda all the way. And clearly I’m happy every time the Potters show up. But, Ned is my favorite. He’s the backbone of the family and he gets no credit for it. He’s the only person in the movie who really understands everyone around him. It’s sad that he has to drink to escape his misery, but I’m convinced that Linda and Johnny come back for him.

Favorite scenes/quotes:

from Doctor Macro

The meeting of the 5^th Avenue Anti-Stuffed Shirt and Acrobatics Club is definitely my favorite part of the movie. Although I like the very first scene with the Potters and Johnny and the scene where we first meet Linda, and then the scene where the Seton siblings all try to prepare Johnny for his introduction to their father. And then the last two scenes are really fantastic. Basically, the whole movie is wonderful.

A lady killer? Why, he's a regular Don Swan.

I don't really understand YouTube's weird embedding disabled thing. I mean, what exactly can you do by embedding that you cannot do by linking? It's just that embedding is more convenient. I honestly don't get it. And it makes for a very frustrating thing because I keep finding scenes that I really want to post up and then I can't embed them. So, I'm just going to start linking them via photos. It's not as nice as embedding, but then I can still share videos, such as one of my favorite scenes from Bringing Up Baby. So, click on the photo and it will take you to the scene.

'S in the box?

I'm in the process of transcribing all of my notes onto blogger so that I can finally start this month's themed list. But for now, continuing in my list of 100 movies...

#29 Bringing Up Baby (1938)


This is one of those movies I watch and remember how funny it is. So many great lines, so many memorable moments! The basic plot is as follows: David Huxley (Cary Grant) is work hard to complete the brontosaurus skeleton for his museum. On the afternoon before his wedding, he goes to talk to Mr. Peabody, a lawyer whose client is planning to give away $1 million. While trying to convince Mr. Peabody during a game of golf that the museum deserves this generous donation, David meets madcap heiress, Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn). Susan takes a liking to David and tricks him into helping her transport a leopard, Baby, to her farm in Connecticut on the day of his wedding. Misadventures and misunderstandings (along with a great deal of hilarity) ensue.


This movie is filled with fantastic dialogue and scenes. This is one of my favorites of Hepburn's performances - she's so crazy but likeable. Cary Grant is absolutely adorable as the strait-laced Dr. Huxley. This is the film with Cary Grant's famous "I just went gay all of a sudden" line, which has always been a curiosity to me (the line, that is, not the placement of it).


I found an interesting bit of trivia on IMDb about that line. I'll quote it because I don't think I would be able to paraphrase it properly: "David's response to Aunt Elizabeth asking him why he is wearing a woman's dressing gown ('Because I just went gay all of a sudden!') is considered by many film historians to be the first use of the word 'gay' in its roughly modern sense (as opposed to its archaic meaning of "happy, carefree") in an American studio film. Among homosexuals, the word first came into its current use during the 1920s or possibly even earlier, though it was not widely known by heterosexuals as a slang term for homosexuals until the late 1960s. The line was not in the original shooting script for the film; it was an ad lib from Cary Grant himself." Interesting, huh? I found that little tidbit while looking up trivia for the movie. I also found out that Cary Grant was not fond of the leopard, although Katharine Hepburn was (which, ironically, is how it works in the movie too) and that Katharine Hepburn needed coaching in her comedic timing, which is interesting.


Anyway, the film contains many more memorable lines than just the one discussed above. Here are some of my favorites:

"But isn't it chilly without a gun, Elizabeth?" - Major Horace Applegate

"Well, it isn't that I don't like you, Susan. After all, in moments of quiet I'm strangely drawn to you but, well, there haven't been any quiet moments." - David

Susan: Well you can't do the trick without dropping some of the olives, it takes practice.
David: What, to sit on my hat?
Susan: No, to drop an olive.

Elizabeth: Who are you?
David: I don't know. I'm not quite myself today.

And, finally, I'm linking to a movie clip (our introduction to Baby) for your enjoyment.

Wife, do we know anyone who smells of violet?

Today, I'm going to highlight a particularly good scene. (It seems like a long time since I've said that, doesn't it?)

This scene is from Holiday (1938) with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. It's my favorite part of the entire movie and when I think of this movie, I'm usually thinking about this scene. You can probably guess which one I'm talking about. It's the scene where Linda entertains her party of "very unimportant people."


You get to see all of the best people in the film all thrown together in a room, having a marvelous time. They're all getting drunk, playing instruments, putting on puppet shows, and performing acrobatic feats - another one of those scenes that makes me want to jump into the movie and join them! I'll embed the video below. I came across this clip from the incomparable Curious Mel, whose own blog is perfectly delightful. Enjoy!



And I realize I already used this photo for the last time I discussed this movie, but I don't care. It's such a neat photo and I love the way it's at an angle. I just find it a very fascinating shot.


Click on photos for sources.

Is everybody fine? That's fine.

Today's segment is about Old Hollywood and New Hollywood. But I've actually decided to temporarily change it a wee bit, if you don't mind. I think it's fascinating that there seems to be a whole musical sub-genre: the musical remake. Musical remakes made a surge in the 50s and 60s and I find it very odd. Sometimes the musical remakes were better than the originals because music and dancing have a unique power and sometimes the original was, in fact, much better than the remake. I wanted to give the Old Hollywood/New Hollywood segment a break, but rather than do away with it entirely, I'm going to discuss musical remakes vs originals for a little while and see how that goes. Let me know what you think!

So, to start off, I want to discuss one of my favorite movies ever: The Philadelphia Story (1940) which starred Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart. The musical remake, High Society (1956) starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.

Tracy Lord
Katharine Hepburn vs. Grace Kelly


I think Katharine Hepburn is great in the movie. She's strong, willful, and beautiful. However, I have an easier time believing a bunch of men would fight over marrying Grace Kelly. She's so gorgeous. Sorry, Katharine.



C.K. Dexter Haven
Cary Grant vs. Bing Crosby


Okay, I have a few thoughts on this one. First off, I don't particularly care for Bing Crosby (he's okay) so I would definitely go for Cary Grant. I think alcoholism was a very good flaw for Grant's Dexter to have. I mean, that really can be a major issue and Cary Grant, as gorgeous and amazing as he is, would be an unappealing husband if he were an alcoholic one. But jazz? Really? Jazz as a flaw? I can imagine Tracy being scornful over her husband's obsession but I think divorcing him over such a thing is a little crazy. Then again, I wouldn't want to marry Bing Crosby in the first place - jazz or no jazz. He doesn't have the suavity of Cary Grant (who does?). In competing for the most divorce-worthy flaw, I'd definitely go with alcoholism over jazz and in competing for the most fight-worthy husband, I'd definitely go with Cary Grant.


Macaulay Connor
James Stewart vs. Frank Sinatra


This one is a little tougher because I love Frank Sinatra and I love Jimmy Stewart. I have to say, though, that I really think James Stewart was incredible as Mike (as evidenced, I suppose, by his Oscar). I love the scene when he comes to call on Dexter. I think it's one of my favorite movie scenes ever.



The Music
Cole Porter was brilliant. One of my very favorite songwriters. There are some great songs in this one too: "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" "Well, Did You Evah?" Sometimes music can really do something that dialogue can't. For instance, you can see Dexter and Tracy's relationship when he's singing "True Love" to her. However, as much as I love Cole Porter and I adore his music, I think the dialogue and plot of this movie work so seamlessly, that the music isn't really necessary to drive the plot or the characters along.
But, I do love this song:



My decision? The Philadelphia Story. This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise as I did preface this post with, "this is one my favorite movies blahblahblah." But I do think High Society is a wonderful movie. When not comparing it to the original, it's fantastic. In comparison to the original, I'd take the original.

Thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree? I'm going to post a poll so that you can vote over which one you prefer and we can compare notes.

I really hope I didn't come off as mean or anything in this post. I'm always afraid that if I state a strong opinion I'll come off as pushy or nasty or something.

The elevator is to the rear and right.

Continuing in my list of 100 movies now. To be honest, I've more or less lost track of the point of this list, really. I'd originally intended it to be a sort of AFI list of 100 best films. The problem is, how do you define "best?" Does it mean I'd have to include movies I don't like? Does it mean I ought to stick primarily to movies that are serious and weighty as many people tend to think that serious and weighty movies are superior to light and fluffy ones? Or is it really a list of 100 movies that I like best? In which case, do I even have 100 movies that I like best? As opposed to 100 movies that I like at all? I think I'm beginning to confuse myself with these silly questions so I'll stop. Suffice it to say that this count-up has basically become a list of 100 movies that I like very much. What happens when I get to 100? Well, I'll worry about that when I get there. In the meantime...

#23 Holiday (1938)

The basic plot is as follows: Johnny Case (Cary Grant) has impulsively become engaged to Julia Seton (Doris Nolan). While he wins the affections of Julia's sister, Linda (Katherine Hepburn), and brother, Ned (Lew Ayres), Julia's wealthy father is a harder one to charm. And when Johnny tells them of his plans to take an extended holiday as soon as he has enough saved up, tempers clash. No one understands Johnny's desire to travel and figure out the meaning of life, except Linda.

I'm always forgetting how great this film is until I watch it. That may sound silly, but it's true. I watched this one a good while ago, put it on my wishlist, rated it 5 stars on Netflix, and then forgot about it. When my mom checked it out of the library a few weeks ago, I was able to realize why I loved it so much in the first place. This movie is emotional, funny, and uplifting all at once. I love the romance in it. My sister commented that there isn't much of one and I kind of like that. I find the romance slightly more true to life. I can completely imagine myself in Linda's shoes, being completely in love with someone (especially Cary Grant) and feeling unable to do anything about it. She loves him but never actually tells him. It's easier for me to relate to that then something like a Fred and Ginger sequence - where he loves her at first sight and can't rest until he finds her again. I love that, but have a hard time imagining it actually happening. Same with things like That Funny Feeling which is even slightly more possible - playboy playing around with a pretty girl. But falling in love with someone and quietly doing nothing about it? That I can relate to! Now, please don't get the wrong idea from this, this film is a comedy, a romantic comedy at that. I promise to never post a movie with an unhappy ending without giving you fair warning. I think happy endings are very important. And this film, believe me, has a very, very happy ending!

Sadly, there's very little trivia on this film, (except that Edward Everett Horton reprised his role from the 1930 version - how cool is that?) so instead I'll highlight a couple of my favorite people in the film.

And I won't highlight Grant or Hepburn's characters even though they're completely wonderful.


First, I want to talk about Ned. Ned is one of the coolest characters in the film, if not the best. He's the most discerning, self-reliant, and supportive character. He's the only one who truly understands Julia's character, which is noteworthy because it's a pretty major part of the film. He's a truly sad character because he has to escape his misery through drunkenness but I like to think that Linda is true to her word and comes back for him eventually. Ned is a backbone character. He's truly supportive of Linda through and through, never asking her to compromise and come down to the party, always validating her (which is something she needs), and the only one who believes she can attain happiness.


The Potters are next. This is probably my favorite Edward Everett Horton role. It's the only one in which he doesn't louse things up or play some foolish jerk. Don't get me wrong, I love Horton. I think he's a delightful character actor and I love the way he responds to things without realizing what he's saying. But in this film, he's intelligent, genuine, and a true friend. His wife, played by Jean Dixon, is also a treat. I spent the entire film trying to figure out where I'd seen her. When I looked it up, I realized it was My Man Godfrey. Phew!

I decided to choose this movie today because I just bought it! Hooray! I had a $15 gift card from my grandparents for Target. I kept saving it and was thinking of being sensible and buying shoes for work. But when I realized that none of the shoes at Target that are completely black are waterproof (which is what I need), I decided to not be sensible and buy what I really wanted. I can't wait until I get it in the mail!!

I'm gonna tell him just that!

This past weekend I spent well over an hour perusing classic movie blogs. I've now subscribed to several (I have a list in the side bar) and I love the daily updates from fellow classic film enthusiasts. A few things I've learned in my perusals: bloggers love pictures, an interesting header entices people to continue reading a blog, and polls are fun! So, with that new knowledge I'm going to start playing around more with my site. I want to try and create a new poll every week. I'm really excited about this and it really hope people respond to it, but we'll see. I'll let you know when I've put up the new blog (maybe Thursday?).*** Also, one of these days I'm going to try and fix my header to make it more interesting. I've kind of liked the current look - I think the minimal aspect of my page makes it look sort of classy, but there is something to be said about a really cool picture (this one from Hollywood Dreamland is my particular favorite, so far). As for the pictures, I'm still debating. Old photographs and old movie posters are undeniably fun and classy. I like the way Classic Forever does photos of the day. But sometimes too many pictures gets distracting, in my opinion. I have to admit, I kind of like the way I use just a few photos here and there. But, looking through blogs has renewed an interest in old photos and I love the way some bloggers (like the writer of Some Parade) use photos as illustrations. I'd like to work on using photos in an effective way (without stealing the idea, of course). But we'll see where that goes. I'm not making any promises.

In other news, continuing in my list of Top 100 Movies:

#2 The Philadelphia Story


*** I broke down and posted the poll anyway. I couldn't wait! It's along the theme of my movie choice above. I'll leave the poll up for the week and change it next Tuesday.