The Andrew Sisters - Gimme Some Skin, My Friend

Abbott & Costello - "You Are Not Here..."

Abbott & Costello - "Find the Submarine"

It's A Wonderful Life {1946} - "The Phone Scene"

It's A Wonderful Life {1946} - "Lasso the Moon"

Abbott & Costello - A sequence from "The Noose Hangs High" {1948}

The Egg & I {1947}

Well, to take a break from all these Mickey Rooney movie reviews. How about some Colbert & MacMurray? Sounds good. Wonderful! :) 

The Egg & I is the story of a young married couple, who are city slickers, move to the country to start a chicken farm. You will follow their ups and downs of chicken farmers, and just young married life in general.

Trivia -

On May 5, 1947 Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray starred in radio version of this film that was broadcast on the Lux Radio Theatre. Click here to listen (Right click to download mp3).

This was the sixth of seven movies that paired Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. 

I loved this movie! It was quite funny and full of laughs. Also I love the pairing of Colbert & MacMurray. This is the first film I've seen them together and I loved them acting together!


If you haven't seen this film, you must. As it is sure to bring a smile to your face. 

~Ashley

Young Tom Edison {1940}

One of my favorite movies growing up was the Edison film series that came out in 1940. The first one was, Young Tom Edison starring Mickey Rooney as a young Tom Edison, Fay Bainter as Mrs. Nancy Edison, and Virginia Weidler as Tannie Edison (Tom's sister).

Most of the movie is based on true events, but they got the age and birth order of Tannie wrong. She is suposed to be Tom's older sister, like much older sister. :) But, we enjoy this small mistake in the movie.

The movie follows the life of Tom Edison. Well, at least the basic events. I must say though, that Tom Edison was much younger when his parents pulled him out of school and his mother started home-schooling him. Yes, Tom Edison was a home-school graduate. :) All in all, I love this movie!

If you have TCM it on this Thursday, December 23rd, 2010 at 2:00 PM.

Trivia - 

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 23, 1940 with Mickey Rooney and Virginia Weidler reprising their film roles. You can listen here (Right click link to download mp3).

Trailer -

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?cid=150543

~Ashley 

Abbott & Costello - Mustard

Abbott & Costello - 13 X 7 is 28

I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite Abbott & Costello routines.

Miracle on 34th Street {1947}

Miracle on 34th Street is a charming story Christmas story. About a wonderful old man who claims he is Santa Claus and is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. He also brings a new idea to Macy's, he is their Santa Claus, if Macy's doesn't have what the costumer wants, tell them what store does carry it.

The little girl in the movie is just adorable!!! Her name, Natalie Wood.

But guess what?!? William Frawley is in the movie too! You know, Fred Martz of the I Love Lucy show.

Favorite Quotes from the Movie:

District Attorney: What is your name? 
Kris Kringle: Kris Kringle. 
District Attorney: Where do you live? 
Kris Kringle: That's what this hearing will decide. 
Judge Henry X. Harper: A very sound answer, Mister Kringle. 
District Attorney: Do you really believe that you're Santa Claus? 
Kris Kringle: Of course. 
District Attorney: [long pause] The state rests, your honor. 


Kris Kringle: You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity for me. For the past 50 years or so I've been getting more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we're all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle.





What are your favorite Christmas movies?


~Ashley

Meet John Doe {1941}

I love Frank Capra's movies! So far I've seen four of his movies and I love every single one. They are some of my top favorite movies. =)

A man needing money, John Willoughby {Gary Cooper} who was a former baseball pitcher, agrees to become an nonexistent person, John Doe, that was created by Ann Mitchell {Barbara Stanwyck} a  newspaper woman. This John Doe says he will be committing suicide as a protest to what is going on in the world - thus a political movement begins.  

And guess what?!?! The voice of Winnie-the-pooh is in it too! You know, Sterling Holloway. 


Quotes from the movie:


Long John Willoughby: Hey, stop worryin', Colonel, fifty bucks ain't gonna ruin me. The Colonel: I've seen plenty of fellas start out with fifty bucks and wind up with a *bank* account! Beany: Hey, what's wrong with a bank account, anyway? The Colonel: And let me tell you, Long John, when you become a guy with a bank account, they gotcha! Yes sir, they gotcha! Beany: Who's got him? The Colonel: The helots! 
Beany: What's a hee-lot? The Colonel: You've ever been broke, sonny? Beany: Sure, mostly often. The Colonel: All right. You're walking along, not a nickel in your jeans, your free as the wind, nobody bothers ya. Hundreds of people pass you by in every line of buisness: shoes, hats, automobiles, radios, everything, and there all nice lovable people and they lets you alone, is that right? Then you get a hold of some dough and what happens, all those nice sweet lovable people become hee-lots, a lotta heels. They begin to creep up on ya, trying to sell ya something: they get long claws and they get a stranglehold on ya, and you squirm and you duck and you holler and you try to push them away but you haven't got the chance. They gots ya. First thing ya know you own things, a car for instance, now your whole life is messed up with alot more stuff: you get license fees and number plates and gas and oil and taxes and insurance and identification cards and letters and bills and flat tires and dents and traffic tickets and motorcycle cops and tickets and courtrooms and lawers and fines and... a million and one other things. What happens? You're not the free and happy guy you used to be. You need to have money to pay for all those things, so you go after what the other fellas got. There you are, you're a hee-lot yourself.


As the movie is in the public domain you can download it for free from internet archive. Or watch it here. 



~Ashley

Desperate Journey {1942}

The very first Errol Flynn movie I watched was Desperate Journey {1942}. Starring: Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Ronald Sinclair, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale, and Arthur Kennedy. I must say, I loved this movie! It began my love of Errol Flynn's movies.

I found it interesting that Errol Flynn played an Australian and Ronald Reagan an American in the story. As Flynn was from Australia, and of course Reagan was from America.

The chemistry between the actors was right on. It felt real. The jokes between Flynn and Reagan were marvelous. They gave me plenty of laughs.

When Flight Lt. Forbes (Flynn) and his crew are shot down after bombing their target, they are captured by the Nazis and discover valuable information about a hidden German aircraft factory, that they must make it back to England. They escape cleverly from the Nazis and are on a race to get across Germany without getting recaptured and causing as much damage as possible. They eventually become the "Three Man invasion" as one man after the other gives up his life. Then when the Nazis are about to recapture them they find a brilliant way to escape.  

One of our favorite lines to quote in our house is:


Flying Officer Johnny Hammond (Reagan): The iron fist has a glass jaw!









~Ashley

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House {1948}

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House {1948} with Cary Grant & Myrna Loy. This is one hilarious movie. Plus it has Cary Grant who is as funny as usual.

 The Blandings live New York City in a tiny apartment with their two girls. One day Mr. Blanndings decides that they should move out to the country - Connecticut that is.  They find a old tumble down house that leans and buy it. Thus begins their adventure.  

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the movie.

Jim Blandings: It's a conspiracy, I tell you. The minute you start they put you on the all-American sucker list. You start out to build a home and wind up in the poorhouse. And if it can happen to me, what about the guys who aren't making $15,000 a year? The ones who want a home of their own. It's a conspiracy, I tell you - -against every boy and girl who were ever in love. 

~Ashley

The Noose Hangs High {1948}

The Noose Hangs High {1948} is just like every other Abbott & Costello I have watched. It is filled with their jokes and silly antics.  

  

Abbot and Costello are two window washers who are mistakes by Nick Craig, a bookie, as the messengers he sent for to pick up $50,000. Now the person he sent them to sent two of his own men to get the money back.  Abbott and Costello try to mail the money to Craig but end up sending it to the wrong person - a woman. The woman has spent all but $2,000 when Abbott and Costello catch up with her. So they have to go out to the track and to try and collect $50,000 to give it back to the rightful person. 

You can watch the movie online at hulu.com. 

~Ashley

In the Good Old Summertime {1949}

I taped In the Good Old Summertime {1949} off of TCM yesterday. And today I watched it for the very first time. I loved it!

Starring Judy Garland & Van Johnson. In the Good Old Summertime {1949} is a musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner {1940} with James Stewart & Margaret Sullavan.  Can you believe it!?! They made a remake only nine years after the original.

It's the turn of the century America in Chicago when Andrew and Veronica first meet - by crashing into each other. They develop an instant and mutual dislike of each other right away. Which only grows when, later on, Andrew hire's Veronica as a saleslady at Oberkugen's music store. What they both don't know is, at night they both engage in an anonymous correspondence - with each other.  =)

For all you historical, or modern sewers out there. You will be excited to see a turn of the century sewing room. Plus, Judy has some really pretty clothes that she wears in the movie.

Also you can see Judy Garland's daughter in the closing scene. And she is the cutest thing ever! =)

~Ashley

Strike Up the Band {1940}

Strike Up The Band {1940} is one delightful, charming, feel good movie. I saw it for the first time this past Friday with Gabrielle and Hanne-col - we loved it! In fact, it was our first Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney film we ever saw. For that matter, it was our first Judy Garland movie we ever saw. =) Needless to say, she is a darling.

Judy was lovely. Mickey was hilarious. They made us laugh and feel oh, so happy. It had great songs and some fun dance routines. Plus, Judy's wardrobe was one I wouldn't mind owning myself. Her wardrobe is great for some 1940s teenage sewing inspiration. ;-)

Some of my favorite songs from the movie were, Our Love Affair, Drummer Boy, and Nobody.

For more information about the film check out these links.

http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/S/Strike%20Up%20the%20Band.htm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033110/

~Ashley