• Movie Monday: White Christmas (1954)

    Arguably one of the greatest holiday films of all time, White Christmas is still enjoyed by audiences everywhere. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas in order to enjoy the talented actors/actresses who brought to life the characters in this film. The dancing scenes and musical numbers are instantly recognizable, and those comedic moments between Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are equally unforgettable! When White Christmas debuted in theaters in 1954, it was massively popular and became one of the highest grossing films of that year. All of the actors in the starring positions were greatly benefitted from the success of this movie. Crosby and Kaye were ranked high on the…

  • Movie Monday: Home Alone (1990)

    Since we have officially entered the month of December, I felt it was time to begin our film celebration for the holidays. What better way to kick it all off than with one of the all time best holiday films Home Alone! These photos are not mine. This movie remains one of my favorite films to watch this time of year because the soundtrack is so on point! Every song is such a classic, and I get excited when I hear them on the radio because it reminds me of Home Alone. Chris Columbus had a talent for finding the right music for all of his holiday movies. This reminds…

  • Movie Monday: It Should Happen to You (1954)

    It Should Happen to You is yet another classic film that loves to play around with the idea of advertising/advertisements. In this film, Judy Holliday plays a character that comes up with the very original idea to advertise her own name on a billboard in the hopes of becoming famous. Well, the billboard project works! But I will leave what happens in the rest of the film out in case you haven’t ever seen it before. It is a great film though, and I highly recommend watching it! These photos are not mine. This Jack Lemmon’s first role in a Hollywood film! Unlike his role in Some Like It Hot,…

  • Movie Monday: Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

    On this Movie Monday, we a discussion one of the last great noir films: Leave Her to Heaven. The color pallet used in this film is not one you would expect of a drama/mystery. Technicolor was used to its utmost in this movie and it added to the intense plot that thickened as it went along. These photos are not mine. Although today we consider Leave Her to Heaven a classic, this movie did not go over as well with critics in 1945. Despite this, the story arch in this spoke to audiences at the time and was one of the highest grossing movies for 20th Century Fox in the 1940s.…

  • How Veronica Lake Changed Her Hair and Career

    If you ever feel like your hair is a large part of what makes you feel like yourself, you may not be the only one. Hair is such a influential part of how we are viewed and there is one fantastic example of this. Veronica Lake was a Old Hollywood actress who became famous for her “Peek-a-Boo” hairstyle. Unfortunately, being known for this hairstyle would ultimately be the demise of her acting career. These photos are not mine. The story goes that Veronica Lake was like any other Hollywood actress when, one day while filming, Lake’s hair randomly fell over one of her eyes. It instantly became her signature look!…

  • Movie Monday: Frankenstein (1931)

    Since Halloween is this Wednesday, I am going to end our month long scary themed classic films series with a classic: Frankenstein. This household name and story has been around for 200 years, and what better way to end the Halloween theme than to celebrate this milestone! These photos are not mine. This classic horror film set the tone for the whole genre when it premiered in Santa Barbara in 1931. The Frankenstein novel was written by Mary Shelley and, when made into a film, the set was created to be all that the readers of the novel had dreamed of and more. Even to this day you can see…

  • Movie Monday: I Married a Witch (1942)

    Continuing on with the monthlong theme of classic films that are perfect for Halloween, today’s film is one that inspired a television show! I Married a Witch was the movie that cause Bewitched to come to life. The classic 60’s, Bewitched, was one of the reasons I decided to go into the advertising profession, I used to watch Darrin Stevens work on all of the ad campaigns and it excited me. What a chain of events! Technically, I suppose you could say that I Married a Witch gave me my career path! These photos are not mine. This film, starring Veronica Lake and Fredric March, had some onset secrets. Behind the scenes…

  • Movie Monday: Rope (1948)

    Hitchcock films are always fun to watch, but they especially get the adrenaline pumping during the Halloween season! One of the best and (in my opinion) highly underrated Hitchcock movies is the cinema classic Rope. These photos are not mine. This is yet another Hitchcock film where James Stewart stars as the leading man. It is said that Stewart was Hitchcock’s ideal leading man like Grace Kelly was his ideal leading lady. People have also said that Stewart was the only actor that could ever hold his own against Hitchcock in a screaming match. I suppose the director respected him a little more because of that. Rope was based off…

  • Movie Monday: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

    For years all I have heard is how Hocus Pocus is the perfect Halloween. Trust me I love that film too, but Arsenic and Old Lace takes the cake for Halloween movies. This film has it all! It even takes place on a Halloween! These photos are not mine. There are not too many Halloween themed films that can make you laugh, but Arsenic and Old Lace manages to do just that! We initially see that the day which we observe this entire movie is, in fact, Halloween. After that fact is established, it all goes downhill for Cary Grant’s character. The reactions Grant makes in Arsenic and Old Lace…

  • Movie Monday: The Big Heat (1953)

    If you are like me and enjoy a good drama film every now and then, The Big Heat is the movie for you! This black and white classic is real, raw, and gripping. It is no wonder critics and fans alike view it as a timeless piece of cinematic history! The Big Heat is held is such high regard that it even made it on the National Film Registry list of the Library of Congress in 2011. These photos are not mine. Before this film was made in 1953, gangster movies were always portrayed in a more Al Capone kind of light where it was the mob versus the police.…