CMBA Profile: A Vintage Nerd

 

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month we're featuring Daffny Laurito, who writes at A Vintage Nerd. 

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Daffny Laurito: I grew up watching classic tv shows like I Love Lucy, Bewitched, Lassie, and The Brady Bunch but I wasn't introduced to classic films until I was 11. My grandmother introduced me to Gone with the Wind (1939) and that experience changed me forever. Fast forward many years later and after the birth of my third child, I felt like I needed to get back to my passions. I started blogging and because of this I am constantly learning and honing my writing skills. I blog because I love to write, to share, and to connect with others. One of the major aspects of my blog is exploring old Hollywood. There is so much to learn, see, and discover when it comes to classic films and tv. Needless to say I am a big vintage nerd 🤓

CMBA: Besides classic movie blogging, what are some of your other passions?

Daffny Laurito: I am passionate about my family and raising my three children. I started showing them classic films and TV shows starting when they were little and we explore a few each month. I love showing them episodes of the Twilight Zone or watching a classic film on the big screen together. I also love to travel, going to museums, exploring my city (I'm a New Yorker), enjoying art, reading, and having fun with my personal style.

CMBA: If you could program a perfect day of classic movies for TCM, what would be the seven films on your schedule?

Daffny Laurito: This would be a dream come true other than hosting a series for TCM. If I could program a perfect day of classic movies for TCM I would want to give the audience a little taste from each decade. I would start with The Kid (1921), The Women (1939), Between Two Worlds (1944), Rebecca (1940), Queen Bee (1955), To Sir, with Love (1967), and Harold and Maude (1971). 

CMBA: What is a classic movie that you love, but most people don't know about -- and what do you love about it?

Daffny Laurito: I love exploring films from the 1960s and 1970s, especially British films. They tend to have a quirkiness to them that American films don't always have. One film I love is Georgy Girl (1966). It stars Lynn Redgrave, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling, and Alan Bates. I love so many things about this film. I love how awkward Georgy (Redgrave) is and how much she is like a regular girl, albeit a bit quirky. I love seeing London in the 1960s and you see a lot of it in this film. I also love how the film talks about different types of love and different ways of fulfilling your dreams. It is a unique movie, for sure.

CMBA: What is something that most people don't know about you?

Daffny Laurito: There are a few things most people might not know about me. I was born with a physical disability called Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT). It is a peripheral nerve disease that causes weakness in the arms and legs and fatigue among other things. I was also a teacher for seven years in an all-girls high school. It was a special experience. I am also a big horror and sci-fi movie/TV fan. I used to go to horror conventions and now I attend the Chiller Theater Expo once a year with my family. It's a great way to meet stars of yesteryear. I was lucky to have met Patty Duke (Valley of the Dolls), Ann Robinson (The War of the Worlds), David Bean (West Side Story), Tony Mordente (West Side Story), and Betsy Palmer (Queen Bee), just to name a few. 

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We thank Daffny for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit A Vintage Nerd!  

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