On the Waterfront… on the waterfront
This month Levi’s Jeans and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema put on a series of screenings in a locale related to each film. The first three Rocky films are being shown on the steps of the Philly Museum of Art, Robocop will be shown at an industrial center in Detroit, and classic masterpiece On the Waterfront screens on a pier in Hoboken, New Jersey. Brilliant.
Unfortunately, all screenings but one have taken place, but it’s a concept cool enough to mention anyway.
promotional poster created by Olly Moss
Favorite Fridays: Alfred Hitchcock Cameo Edition
Good eeevening. As today marks the anniversary of the birth of a one Mr. Hitchcock, please do allow us to pay tribute to the Master of Suspense with the following post:
Lindsay picks: To Catch A Thief (1954)
I selected this appearance because it’s one of the rare times when the main character interacts/acknowledges Hitch during his cameo. More commonly, Hitch is part of the background, as the man walking along the street or a face in the crowd. In Thief, we get to see one of Hitch’s favorite actors (Cary Grant) react to his presence in a comical moment for the viewer.
Alix picks: Lifeboat (1944)
I selected this cameo because Hitchcock had to get clever to make a cameo appearance in Lifeboat since the whole film takes place in a boat with only ten passengers. His cameo appears 24 minutes into the film on a newspaper advertisement for a fictional weight loss drug.
Save the Dress!
Several of Scarlett O’Hara’s costumes from Gone With The Wind are in need of repair, the Associated Press reports. The University of Texas is trying to raise the $30,000 needed to restore the garments.
Um, did they try asking Ted Turner for the money? The film rights probably earn him $30,000 each week…
If Teddy isn’t interested then it’s up to us, classic film fans!
Don't let this be turned back into curtains!
Goodbye, Patricia Neal
Classic film actress and Academy Award winner Patricia Neal died yesterday after losing her battle with lung cancer. My favorite Patricia Neal film is Hud (1963) which also starred Paul Newman, Brandon De Wilde, and Melvyn Douglas. Neal won the Academy Award for Best Actress that year for her performance in Hud as Alma Brown, the forlorn housekeeper who attracts the attention of Paul Newman’s title character.
Do you have a favorite Patricia Neal film? Tell us in the comments!
Overrated Classics? Or Not?
Entertainment Weekly posted a slideshow of twenty classic films they think are overrated. While I agree that there are overrated classics out there (see Bringing up Baby), I don’t think The Philadelphia Story or the Wizard of Oz are among them. I think it’s perfectly acceptable to dislike a classic film for any number of reasons, but just because Lawrence of Arabia made you fall asleep at eight years old, it doesn’t mean it’s overrated.
Do you agree or disagree with any of the films they chose? Tell us in the comments!
By the way, EW, I think you missed the entire point of Gone With the Wind. Maybe you should read our post on anti-heroes?
Wrong Number, Right Price
Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number
Last week my roommate and I saw the 1948 film noir Sorry, Wrong Number at a summer film festival. Outside. For free.
Check your local city/parks and rec calendar for similar events. Organizers of public events like this commonly show classic films, partly because older media tends to be more “family friendly”. Thanks, Hays Code!
Bobby Speaks!
Kendra of the fabulous Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier site vivandlarry.com recently had the chance to interview AoaC hero Robert Osborne! Mr. Osborne talks about TCM’s Summer Under the Stars, programming “The Essentials” with Alec Baldwin, our “Best Eyebrows in Classic Film” queen Gene Tierney, and more. Listen/read their conversation here.
Great job Kendra. Lucky gal!!
Mr. Robert Osborne, TCM host
The Method Man: Marlon Brando
Life Magazine has posted a slideshow of some previously unpublished photos on their website of Marlon Brando taken during the filming of his first film, The Men (1950). The photos give a glimpse into Brando’s famous method acting process as well as the more personal side of Brando. In honor of the 60th anniversary of The Men, Life also posted another slideshow of previously unseen portraits of the actor.
Classic Classroom: Cleopatra
Ready the ridiculously elaborate headdresses, there is a new film in the works about the life of Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt. While Angelina Jolie is rumored to star in this newest film, three classic film stars have also played the Egyptian queen.
Claudette Colbert starred in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1934 epic, Cleopatra. Colbert’s co-stars included Warren Williams as Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon as Marc Antony. The film is well-remembered for its extravagant art deco sets and more risque imagery due to the Hays Code having just taken effect that same year.
Vivien Leigh appeared in the 1945 film production of George Bernard Shaw’s play, Caesar and Cleopatra with Claude Rains c0-starring as Julius Caesar. This was the most expensive film ever made in Britain at the time and flopped at the box office almost ending director and producer Gabriel Pascal’s career.
Probably the best known portrayal of Cleopatra is by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 epic, Cleopatra. Rex Harrison and Richard Burton starred as Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, respectively. The film was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and cost $44 million dollars to make (about $307 million today), a record high at the time.
