The CMBA profiles two classic movie blogs per
month, on the 1st and the 15th of the month. Today we're featuring David from A Trip Down Memory Lane.
David’s experience with blogging likely sounds familiar to a lot of
people. You might start a blog with a specific goal, only to have it morph into
something else.
“I started my blog in March of 2010,” says David. “I started it so I
could put all the information and tidbits of classic Hollywood in one place,
but then it evolved into a blog showcasing memories of great entertainment and
stars that I enjoyed. My blog was originally called The Great Entertainers
Archive, but a year later I changed it to A Trip Down Memory Lane.”
A Trip Down Memory Lane is a valuable resource for those looking for
information on celebrities of classic Hollywood. David chronicles lesser-known
personalities, too, such as Nedra Sanders Broccoli.
“She was the widow of singer Buddy Clark as well as the
wife of James Bond producer Albert Broccoli,” explains David. “Nedra had a
lifetime of heartache and disaster. There were no other stories on her
anywhere, so I researched what I could find on her for months. I was proud of
the reaction I got, and it was used on other websites and publications. I also
got emails from her two children who were toddlers when she died thanking me
for writing the article on her. Even though her story was a sad one, I felt
happy that I had the opportunity to tell it.”
CMBA: What sparked your interest in
classic film?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Growing up I was
very close to my Grandfather, and he instilled in me a love of old music and
movies. He has been gone for 13 years now, but the memories of my Grandfather
and I crying as we watched the drama Penny
Serenade (1940), or singing along to the musical Good News (1947), remains with me to this day as I raise my young
children.
CMBA: What makes a film a
"classic" in your opinion?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: I used to say that
a classic film was one that was made before I was born (pre-1974). However, to
me a classic film is a film that generations can enjoy and a film that is
timeless.
CMBA: What classic film(s) do you
recommend to people who say they hate old movies?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: It has taken me 11
years of marriage to convince my wife that not all old movies are truly “old”.
I started off by showing my wife movies that did not really age such as Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and White Heat (1949). Then I moved on to
more obscure movies like The Face Behind
The Mask (1941). I have watched every genre of movies with her now – except
for silent movies. I need a few more years of marriage for that!
CMBA: Why should people care about
classic film?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: I think people
should care about classic films, because each film – whether a good movie or a
bad movie – tell a person of what life was like in that time. Each film is a
time capsule to a bygone era.
CMBA: What is the most rewarding
thing about blogging?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: The most rewarding
aspect about blogging is sharing a love of classic movies and entertainment
with like-minded individuals. It is great to meet people who think Gigot (1962) is a great movie or who always
wondered what happened to singer Dick Todd.
CMBA: What challenges do you face
with your blog, and how do you overcome them?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: It gets
discouraging sometimes when you put your whole heart into writing an article
and no one comments or you have only a few views. To overcome it, I remind
myself that I am writing this blog because I love talking about old movies, and
I also remind myself that sometimes I can publish a story on my blog years ago
and it just gets discovered. Whatever you publish on the internet never is
truly forgotten or lost!
CMBA: What advice would you give to a
new blogger?
A Trip Down Memory Lane: What advice I would
have for a new blogger is to not get discouraged. Publish a blog for the right
reasons, and also be patient. It takes awhile for your blog to be discovered
and to build up a fan base.
Thank you for joining us, David! You can
visit his blog by clicking HERE.
This is a blog I always look forward to. Important history is being preserved by a loving hand.
ReplyDeleteGreat spotlight and interview. I enjoyed the honesty of David's answers and can relate to some of what he discusses. This series is enlightening and - I think - goes far to bringing this group together.
ReplyDeleteAs always, great job, Ruth.
Aurora
Once Upon a Screen