Hooray for 1927!! Or 2012 or whatever it is.
Showing posts with label Shirley Temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shirley Temple. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I'm feeling absolutely sklonklish!
I'm back, baby doll! Hopefully. Emma Wallace left a very kind note on my quotes post, asking me to come back. I was very touched! So, here I am! Every time I start getting back into the swing of things, I get slammed with a crazy week and then it all collapses. So frustrating.
Anyway, today I'm going to do a 100 movies post. A good while ago, I did a quotes post with this quote:
"Good work, Junior! Better than working for a living!"
Emma was the only one to guess and get the answer to this one - the movie is The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple. Which just so happens to be #32 on my count-up!
The film is pretty wacky so bear with me on this one. Bachelor Richard Nugent (Grant) has a tendency to attract trouble - not that he causes any and when he is brought before Judge Margaret Turner (Loy), he finds her narrow view of the facts rather frosty. But when Richard speaks at Margaret's sister's school, that's when the trouble really begins because Susan (Temple) falls head-over-heels for him! And when Susan sneaks up to Richard's apartment, claiming that he asked her to model for him, he finds himself in a pretty tricky situation.
Like I said, pretty wacky. I remember lending this one to my aunt and she returned it saying that it was a little "unrealistic." Well, of course it is! That's what makes it so fun! No one would ever actually sentence a bachelor to date a teenager in order to get him out of her system (this movie would really never work today). But, in the movies, it's fun! Especially with such a stellar cast.
As an adoring Shirley Temple fan, this is one of my favorites. The film was the studio's attempts to bring her back into the limelight. I really wish it had worked because I think she is fantastic in this one. (Plus, she's absolutely adorable - but in a different way. Check out her outfit in the clip below and her hair in this photo. How cute is she?)
And then, of course, you have the wonderful pairing of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy and they're wonderful. The storyline causes their relationship to be a little odd but I think they really make it work. I really enjoy Grant's humorous charm and Loy's wry skepticism. So much fun!
I really recommend you check the movie out for yourself but if you're not convinced yet, I'll post my favorite scene below to whet your appetite:
P.S. I feel that I should apologize for actually misquoting my own quote of the week. The original quote, now that I think of it, is actually, "Good for you, Junior!" not "Good work, Junior!"
Anyway, today I'm going to do a 100 movies post. A good while ago, I did a quotes post with this quote:
"Good work, Junior! Better than working for a living!"
Emma was the only one to guess and get the answer to this one - the movie is The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple. Which just so happens to be #32 on my count-up!
The film is pretty wacky so bear with me on this one. Bachelor Richard Nugent (Grant) has a tendency to attract trouble - not that he causes any and when he is brought before Judge Margaret Turner (Loy), he finds her narrow view of the facts rather frosty. But when Richard speaks at Margaret's sister's school, that's when the trouble really begins because Susan (Temple) falls head-over-heels for him! And when Susan sneaks up to Richard's apartment, claiming that he asked her to model for him, he finds himself in a pretty tricky situation.
Like I said, pretty wacky. I remember lending this one to my aunt and she returned it saying that it was a little "unrealistic." Well, of course it is! That's what makes it so fun! No one would ever actually sentence a bachelor to date a teenager in order to get him out of her system (this movie would really never work today). But, in the movies, it's fun! Especially with such a stellar cast.
As an adoring Shirley Temple fan, this is one of my favorites. The film was the studio's attempts to bring her back into the limelight. I really wish it had worked because I think she is fantastic in this one. (Plus, she's absolutely adorable - but in a different way. Check out her outfit in the clip below and her hair in this photo. How cute is she?)
And then, of course, you have the wonderful pairing of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy and they're wonderful. The storyline causes their relationship to be a little odd but I think they really make it work. I really enjoy Grant's humorous charm and Loy's wry skepticism. So much fun!
I really recommend you check the movie out for yourself but if you're not convinced yet, I'll post my favorite scene below to whet your appetite:
P.S. I feel that I should apologize for actually misquoting my own quote of the week. The original quote, now that I think of it, is actually, "Good for you, Junior!" not "Good work, Junior!"
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
If I had one wish to make...
First, I'd like to bring the theme of dancing ladies to a proper close by discussing the poll. Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll! There were 30 votes total. Personality was the winning factor, earning 20 votes (66%). Elegance was a close runner-up with 18 votes (60%). Tapping skills came relatively close behind with 10 votes (33%) and trailing along behind were high kicking legs (5 votes - 16%) and sex appeal (3 votes - 10%). One of the main reasons I chose these factors for the poll is as follows: you may or may not have noticed that Eleanor Powell is not on my list of favorite dancing ladies, despite her fame as the queen of tap. I simply don't care for her much. To me, she lacked a femininity and elegance that I think is important. I think female dancers can get by without it if they enough personality and sex appeal to carry them through. But I don't think she's very sexy and I don't care for her personality very much. So, I thought I'd post the poll to see if other people rate these qualities as highly as I do. Clearly, very few people think sex appeal is important, which is pretty interesting. Anyway, thanks again so much for voting! And thank you for sticking with me through my list of dancing ladies!
Now, to continue with the next list.
For the month of May, I want to highlight my favorite dancing couples. I was going to compile a long list of couples but then I realized that it would be best to tackle this thing in two tiers: dancers who were coupled together multiple times and the ones who were paired up for one film or even one dance. I'm going to go with the first tier first, working my way up to number one couple and then I'm going to go on to the second tier (the 'honorary mentions' if you will, although they're worth more than simple honorary mention). The second tier will all go into one post. The reason I've split these posts up, after all, is because I didn't want to overload you with videos to the point where you wouldn't want to watch them. But if I'm only talking about 5 or maybe 6 couples and, consequently, 5 or maybe 6 videos, that isn't quite so overwhelming. So, here we go. My 10 favorite dancing couples, starting with:
10. Shirley Temple and Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
Favorite dance: oh, so many! But I think I'm going to go with this one from The Littlest Rebel
I love the way they get to infuse their personalities into this number. I'd love to read up on them as a pairing, to see what their relationship was like. I realize that what you see on the screen is not quite reality but when I watch them, it's easy to imagine that they were really good friends. In her dances with him, she's often imitating him and she seems to carry that dancing style into some of her other dances. I don't know. Just speculation. If anybody knows where I can read up on them, do let me know! I think these two are a great example of chemistry in the more platonic sense. They worked so well together.
Now, to continue with the next list.
For the month of May, I want to highlight my favorite dancing couples. I was going to compile a long list of couples but then I realized that it would be best to tackle this thing in two tiers: dancers who were coupled together multiple times and the ones who were paired up for one film or even one dance. I'm going to go with the first tier first, working my way up to number one couple and then I'm going to go on to the second tier (the 'honorary mentions' if you will, although they're worth more than simple honorary mention). The second tier will all go into one post. The reason I've split these posts up, after all, is because I didn't want to overload you with videos to the point where you wouldn't want to watch them. But if I'm only talking about 5 or maybe 6 couples and, consequently, 5 or maybe 6 videos, that isn't quite so overwhelming. So, here we go. My 10 favorite dancing couples, starting with:
10. Shirley Temple and Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
Favorite dance: oh, so many! But I think I'm going to go with this one from The Littlest Rebel
I love the way they get to infuse their personalities into this number. I'd love to read up on them as a pairing, to see what their relationship was like. I realize that what you see on the screen is not quite reality but when I watch them, it's easy to imagine that they were really good friends. In her dances with him, she's often imitating him and she seems to carry that dancing style into some of her other dances. I don't know. Just speculation. If anybody knows where I can read up on them, do let me know! I think these two are a great example of chemistry in the more platonic sense. They worked so well together.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I'll say what you say - even black is blue.
9. Shirley Temple
Favorite dance: "On Account-a I Love You" from Baby, Take A Bow
I adore Shirley Temple. She was such a delightful little mass of talent. Sometimes, I feel a little saddened by how exploited she was, but since she seemed to turn out okay, I get over it. I love watching her dance. She had so much personality when she danced. This song is one of my favorites of hers. I love the part where she starts shaking her head and all of her little curls fly in front of her face - too cute! I also really like her costar, James Dunn. I think he was a good costar for her. Although it may sound weird, I think they had good chemistry as a duo. I always found it easy to believe that they were pals. I don't really know as much about Shirley Temple as I'd like; she's someone I'd enjoy doing a little more research on. If anyone has any recommendations on that front, do pass them on.
By the way, this is one of my favorite Shirley Temple films. I highly recommend it for anyone new to watching Shirley Temple films. This is really the only song in the movie and the majority of the film is a sort of suspense plot (crazy, I know). It's a riot. I remember showing this movie around when I was younger. I'd show it to my cousin who would staunchly say that he didn't want to watch a Shirley Temple movie, and then he'd be sitting at the edge of his seat the whole time. Seriously! It's an incredibly fun film.
Favorite dance: "On Account-a I Love You" from Baby, Take A Bow
I adore Shirley Temple. She was such a delightful little mass of talent. Sometimes, I feel a little saddened by how exploited she was, but since she seemed to turn out okay, I get over it. I love watching her dance. She had so much personality when she danced. This song is one of my favorites of hers. I love the part where she starts shaking her head and all of her little curls fly in front of her face - too cute! I also really like her costar, James Dunn. I think he was a good costar for her. Although it may sound weird, I think they had good chemistry as a duo. I always found it easy to believe that they were pals. I don't really know as much about Shirley Temple as I'd like; she's someone I'd enjoy doing a little more research on. If anyone has any recommendations on that front, do pass them on.
By the way, this is one of my favorite Shirley Temple films. I highly recommend it for anyone new to watching Shirley Temple films. This is really the only song in the movie and the majority of the film is a sort of suspense plot (crazy, I know). It's a riot. I remember showing this movie around when I was younger. I'd show it to my cousin who would staunchly say that he didn't want to watch a Shirley Temple movie, and then he'd be sitting at the edge of his seat the whole time. Seriously! It's an incredibly fun film.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A pretty girl is like a melody
When I wrote my list of favorite 20 actors, I had so much fun that I couldn't wait to make a list of 20 favorite actresses. And then I realized that I should stretch out the fun and let it last all year long! So, the new plan is: every month I'll feature a new list. If you like the list, then please feel free to consider yourself tagged and make your own. So below is a list of my favorite 20 actresses and my favorite of their roles. Enjoy!Oh, and a brief disclaimer: This aren't really in any particular order. Basically, the top ones are my favorites and the bottom ones are slightly less favorite. The top 5 or 6 are my tip-top favorites (I'm numbering them so that I can keep track of how many I have).
(Also, a second brief disclaimer: Grace Kelly is not on my list, despite the photograph of her here for the simple and shameful reason that I've only seen her in 1.5 movies, same goes for Barbara Stanwyck, who I've only seen in 1 movie. I plan to remedy the situation in each, I promise!)
1. Audrey Hepburn
Funny Face and My Fair Lady
2. Ginger Rogers
Roberta and Monkey Business
3. Myrna Loy
The Thin Man and Libeled Lady
4. Claudette Colbert
Midnight and It Happened One Night
5. Cyd Charisse
The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings
6. Olivia de Havilland
The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood
7. Kathryn Grayson
Thousands Cheer and Kiss Me Kate
8. Judy Holliday
Born Yesterday and It Should Happen to You
9. Marilyn Monroe
The Seven Year Itch
10. Julie Andrews
Mary Poppins
11. Irene Dunne
The Awful Truth
13. Donna Reed
It's A Wonderful Life
14. Sandra Dee
That Funny Feeling
15. June Allyson
Two Girls and a Sailor
16. Katharine Hepburn
Bringing Up Baby
17. Shirley Temple (okay, I know she's little, but I love her!)
Little Miss Broadway
18. Ava Gardner
One Touch of Venus
19. Natalie Wood
The Great Race
20. Ruby KeelerFootlight Parade
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Give me a P-I-A-N-O Oh! Oh!
First off, Happy New Year's! Okay, it's New Year's Eve. But I won't see you until next year so... Happy New Year's!! Oh, and I have a special new year's treat: a new movie!
Second off, I'd like to thank my wonderful, wonderful followers for following me because on Tuesday I surpassed my goal of 15 followers by New Year's. Hooray!! And a big, warm, grateful thank you to Amanda Cooper at A Noodle in Haystack for mentioning my blog!
I also want to thank everyone who voted in this week's poll. Tom voiced concern about a possible tie and there actually was one: Susan from Miracle on 34th Street and Zuzu from It's A Wonderful Life both received 4 votes! Daphne and Vanderbilt from Holiday Inn earned 2 votes, coming in second. Thank you again to all who voted! And don't forget to vote in this week's poll: do you prefer light films or dark films or do you prefer both in equal proportion?
And I also want to thank everyone who suggested Cagney movies for me. I've added them to my Netflix queue and I can't wait! Thank you so much! I also realized after I wrote the post that I already knew of two light Cagney movies (oops) that I, in fact, own (oops): A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and Footlight Parade (1933). I plan to rewatch these while I wait for the others to come in the mail. Thank you again everyone who suggested titles to me. I've taken your advice to heart and I will report back when I've seen the movies.
I've decided to do slightly more than just a spotlight on a musical number. Perhaps it's because it's the end of the year and I'd like to have a slam-bang finish or perhaps it's because my growing number of followers has inspired me to new heights... in any case, today I'm discussing "I Love A Piano" from Easter Parade (1948). I decided on this number in part because Andrew at Encore Entertainment asked if Easter Parade is good. The answer? Yes! It's a wonderful movie. The chemistry between Judy Garland and Fred Astaire was so great that the studio made preparations for another Judy and Fred film: The Barkleys of Broadway. Unfortunately, Judy Garland was having difficulties at this time and so a different actress was cast... Anyway, I picked this number (which begins at 3:34) because it is so enjoyable to watch. I love how Hannah's character blossoms as she becomes more like herself. The way she sings, the way they dance - they look like they're having so much fun! I love the way musical numbers develop character (that is, I love when they do). This scene shows Hannah's and Don's relationship perfectly - he grabs her up and swings her around, but is he doing that because he loves her or because it's part of the dance?
As I rewatched the scene in preparation for this post, I realized that there was more to be said about this number: namely, how much fun people seem to have when they're dancing on a piano. Fred and Judy do it here and I've found a few other examples....
Gene Kelly does it in American in Paris (1951).
Shirley Temple does in Curly Top (1935).
Fred Astaire even does it again in Let's Dance (1950).
Apparently Hannah isn't the only one who loves pianos. If you had the chance, would you dance on one?
Second off, I'd like to thank my wonderful, wonderful followers for following me because on Tuesday I surpassed my goal of 15 followers by New Year's. Hooray!! And a big, warm, grateful thank you to Amanda Cooper at A Noodle in Haystack for mentioning my blog!
I also want to thank everyone who voted in this week's poll. Tom voiced concern about a possible tie and there actually was one: Susan from Miracle on 34th Street and Zuzu from It's A Wonderful Life both received 4 votes! Daphne and Vanderbilt from Holiday Inn earned 2 votes, coming in second. Thank you again to all who voted! And don't forget to vote in this week's poll: do you prefer light films or dark films or do you prefer both in equal proportion?
And I also want to thank everyone who suggested Cagney movies for me. I've added them to my Netflix queue and I can't wait! Thank you so much! I also realized after I wrote the post that I already knew of two light Cagney movies (oops) that I, in fact, own (oops): A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and Footlight Parade (1933). I plan to rewatch these while I wait for the others to come in the mail. Thank you again everyone who suggested titles to me. I've taken your advice to heart and I will report back when I've seen the movies.
I've decided to do slightly more than just a spotlight on a musical number. Perhaps it's because it's the end of the year and I'd like to have a slam-bang finish or perhaps it's because my growing number of followers has inspired me to new heights... in any case, today I'm discussing "I Love A Piano" from Easter Parade (1948). I decided on this number in part because Andrew at Encore Entertainment asked if Easter Parade is good. The answer? Yes! It's a wonderful movie. The chemistry between Judy Garland and Fred Astaire was so great that the studio made preparations for another Judy and Fred film: The Barkleys of Broadway. Unfortunately, Judy Garland was having difficulties at this time and so a different actress was cast... Anyway, I picked this number (which begins at 3:34) because it is so enjoyable to watch. I love how Hannah's character blossoms as she becomes more like herself. The way she sings, the way they dance - they look like they're having so much fun! I love the way musical numbers develop character (that is, I love when they do). This scene shows Hannah's and Don's relationship perfectly - he grabs her up and swings her around, but is he doing that because he loves her or because it's part of the dance?
As I rewatched the scene in preparation for this post, I realized that there was more to be said about this number: namely, how much fun people seem to have when they're dancing on a piano. Fred and Judy do it here and I've found a few other examples....
Gene Kelly does it in American in Paris (1951).
Shirley Temple does in Curly Top (1935).
Fred Astaire even does it again in Let's Dance (1950).
Apparently Hannah isn't the only one who loves pianos. If you had the chance, would you dance on one?
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