CMBA Profile: Classic Film & TV Cafe

 

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Rick Armstrong, the founder of the Classic Movie Blog Association and the reason why we’re here! Rick blogs at the Classic Film & TV Café.

CMBA: Why did you start your blog?

Rick: I’ve always enjoyed writing about films. I moonlighted as a newspaper film critic for several years and then my wife Mary and I wrote the Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings and Series (aka The Movie List Book). Around 2008, I discovered TCM’s Classic Film Union, which was sort of a “Facebook for classic movie fans.” I had a lot of fun writing about classic movies and interacting with other film buffs. Unfortunately, a couple of folks started flooding the site with their content or using it to discuss topics other than cinema. So, in September 2009, I decided to create my blog: the Classic Film & TV Café. Like many CMBA members, I knew nothing about blogging, so it was an adventure at first. Also, my original intent was to manage a collaborative blog and I invited a handful of other people to join me (including former CMBA head Patty Schneider). Over the years, the others dropped out for personal reasons or to start their own blogs. Since 2015, my wife and I have written all Café content except for occasional guest posts.

CMBA: In your 2015 profile on the CMBA website, you mentioned your interview with Piper Laurie. Who are some of your other favorite interviews?

Rick: I’ve been fortunate to interview some wonderful actors. Piper Laurie was indeed delightful and I was able to spend an afternoon sitting next to her at a nostalgia convention. Elke Sommer, Julie Adams, and Audrey Dalton were utterly charming. Barbara Bain, Ruta Lee, Jacqueline Scott, and Constance Towers shared some wonderful anecdotes, especially in regard to working in television in the 1960s. I was particularly impressed by the respect that Barbara Bain held for ex-husband Martin Landau as an actor and a drama teacher. Ron Harper was a friendly, frank, down-to-earth person (e.g., he didn’t like working with George Burns). We talked at length at another convention and watched one of his rarely shown movies, Savage Season (1971), together.

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

Rick: Watching classic films and TV shows with my wife Mary is my #1 passion! We also enjoy watching British detective shows like Shetland, Foyle’s War, Poirot, and Endeavor. I also love to walk our two dogs, Tony (a long-haired Chihuahua) and Sienna (a Dachshund-Terrier mix), daily. We’ve been blessed to have loved several dogs over the years. Dogs are the most wonderful of all animals!

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

Rick: Two little-known shows that I always recommend are Man in a Suitcase (1967-68) and Coronet Blue (1967). The former is a sharply played, well-written British series starring American actor Richard Bradford as a disgraced former espionage agent known only as McGill. Branded a traitor by U.S. intelligence, he makes a living doing freelance work in Europe and Africa – dealing with blackmailers, protecting stool pigeons, finding kidnapped victims, recovering lost art treasures, etc. Coronet Blue stars Frank Converse as a man who is attacked aboard a luxury liner and tossed overboard. He is rescued, but with no memory of his past except for the words “coronet blue.” It’s also well-scripted with intriguing plots, and features great guest stars such as Juliet Mills, Susan Hampshire, and Denholm Elliott.

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

Rick: I have a doctorate of education degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. My major was instructional systems technology.

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

Rick: Assuming TCM could get the broadcast rights to these films, I’d opt for a day of classic made-for-TV movies. The 1960s and the 1970s were a “Golden era” for television films and featured stellar writers (e.g., Rod Serling, Richard Matheson, Gene Roddenberry) and good actors (e.g., Angie Dickinson, Suzanne Pleshette, Ray Milland, Myrna Loy). I’d limit my seven picks to lesser-known films that appeared on the ABC Movie of the Week (1969-75):

 Seven in Darkness (1969) – A plane crashes in the wilderness and all its passengers are blind.

 Daughter of the Mind (1969) – A psychic researcher investigates when a famous scientist claims his dead daughter has been appearing to him. Stars Ray Milland and Gene Tierney.

 Along Came a Spider (1970) – A thriller with Suzanne Pleshette. It’s a wonderfully twisty plot, so no details.

 How Awful About Allan (1970) – A man (Anthony Perkins) suffering from psychosomatic blindness returns home to live with his sister (Julie Harris), but thinks someone is trying to kill him.

 Dr. Cook’s Garden (1971) – Is there a pattern to the deaths in a small rural town where a kindly physician (Bing Crosby) and his protégé (Frank Converse) practice?

 The Birdmen (1971) – During World War II, POW prisoners try to fly to freedom by building a glider. Incredibly, most of the film really happened! The unusual cast features Richard Basehart, Chuck Connors, Doug McClure, Tom Skerritt, and Max Baer, Jr.!

 Assault on the Wayne (1971) – Sabotage aboard a nuclear submarine with Leonard Nimoy, William Windom, Lloyd Haynes, and Sam Elliott.

CMBA: If you had a bucket list, what would be on it?

Rick: I’ve done most everything on my bucket list: wrote a book; got a doctorate degree; visited England, Scotland, and Prince Edward Island; and – of course – married a fabulous person who loves classic movies and TV, too. However, there are some DVD sets that I’d love to see produced: the complete ABC Movie of the Week (see above!) and seasons 2-4 of the brilliant 1961-65 legal TV series The Defenders. Those would be awesome.

I also want to reach 25,000 followers on Twitter. If all goes well, that may happen this year. I have a grand time with my Twitter followers. I host monthly “tournaments” on classic films and TV shows. The results are interesting, but the comments from my followers are the best part!

----------------

We thank Rick for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit the Classic Film & TV Cafe!

Tweet

CMBA Profile: The Silver Screen Affair

 

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Emily Hernandez, who writes at The Silver Screen Affair .

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Emily: I started blogging back in 2011 as a way to connect with other old movie fans and to get my wiggles out. I have loved oldies since I was very young and found that I had no outlet to share my passion. After a few years I stopped and my blog was dormant until last year. I started up again because I still have that passion to share my knowledge and I enjoy writing about the stars, the sets, the studios, and all the fun facts I have acquired over the years.

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

Emily: My other hobby is sewing. I have an Etsy shop where I sell vintage inspired pieces. I also love the beach, road trips, old cars, and baking. 

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

Emily: My TCM line up would have no theme. I would just want to play some solid films I love that I think everyone should see. In no particular order I’d choose Now, Voyager, My Man Godfrey, It Should Happen To You, Thrill Of A Romance, Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity, and The Women. 

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

Emily: I love the film Blonde Comet from 1941. It stars Virginia Vale and Robert Kent. It’s a small production film about a girl race car driver that stands up to all the boys. I love old cars and my husband drag races as a hobby, so this film checks off the boxes. It’s an action film but finds a way to have style. It also has a great meet cute between some of the characters.

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

Emily: A silly story starts off with my grandparents who lived in Arizona. Their neighbor happend to be Don Ameche. My grandmother, being a big fan, would go over there to try to chat with him and ask him for a cup of sugar now and then, but I never got a sight of him when I visited as a kid. When he passed away his son asked my grandparents if they needed an extra refrigerator as they were going to just get rid of it. So my grandparents obtained the fridge and used it in their garage.  When my grandparents passed away the fridge was put in storage and later on when I needed one it came to me. I would tell people at parties that I had Don Ameche’s fridge and nobody cared. But I thought it was awesome! 

--------------------

We thank Emily for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit The Silver Screen Affair! 

Tweet

The CMBA Presents the 2023 Spring Blogathon: Big Stars on the Small Screen -- In Support of National Classic Movie Day

The Classic Movie Blog Association is pleased as punch to present the 2023 CMBA Spring Blogathon: "Big Stars on the Small Screen: In Support of National Classic Movie Day." The blogathon, for CMBA members only, runs May 15-19, 2023, and focuses on classic film stars appearing on TV, including regular TV series, mini-series, variety shows, made-for-TV movies, or even commercials! 

The entries submitted by our CMBA members can be accessed below – please stop by their blogs to read and comment on these offerings. Enjoy!

Monday, May 15, 2023

Diana Dors on Hammer House of Horror – Real Weegie Midget Reviews

Vincent Price on The Brady Bunch – Whimsically Classic

Ray Milland and the Columbo Surge – Cary Grant Won't Eat You

The Fourth Star - Ida Lupino Takes on Television – Let Yourself Go . . . To Old Hollywood

Lee Remick and the Dawn of the Mini-Series – Lady Eve's Reel Life 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Hollywood Palace – A Person in the Dark

Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier in Love Among the Ruins – Filmland Follies

Seven Things to Know About The Jimmy Stewart Show – Classic Film & TV Cafe 

Classic Movie Stars on The Muppet Show – Virtual Virago

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

John Cassavetes on Johnny Staccato – Twenty-Four Frames

Murder, She Wrote and Classic Hollywood – Watching Forever

Film Noir Vets on Alfred Hitchcock Presents – Shadows and Satin

Five Stars Turned Columbo Murderers – Once Upon a Screen

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Greer Garson on Father Knows Best – Another Old Movie Blog

Ava Gardner on the Small Screen – Ava Gardner Blog

Classic Hollywood Stars on The Dick Cavett Show – 4 Star Films

The Women of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – The Last Drive-In

Friday, May 19, 2023

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason – Critica Retro

Old Hollywood Actors Who Starred in Night Gallery – A Vintage Nerd

Ginger Rogers Glitters! – Box Office Poisons

Barbara Stanwyck in Dick Powell's Zane Grey's Theater – The Everyday Cinephile

Leave it to Donna Reed – Poppity Talks Classic Film

Tweet

CMBA Profile: MOCNE PUNKTY

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Rafal Glapiak, who writes at Mocne Punkty: https://mocnepunkty.pl/

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Rafal Glapiak: The reason why I started blogging is quite prosaic. I usually publish reviews in the Polish press and on the Internet. When the coronavirus pandemic began, the situation became uncertain. Articles requested by publishers and editors waited their turn until I finally had to put them away in a drawer. So that the texts already written would not go to waste, I decided to start my own website where I could post what had not been printed.

When the blog was created in June 2020, I decided that I did not want to write only about contemporary cinema. I'm a fan of Hollywood's Golden Age, so I've decided that once a month (now quarterly) I'll write extensive analysis (sometimes as long as 40,000 characters with spaces) about the pictures from the 1940s that made the biggest impression on me in the past (I started with George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story). I focus on the context of the creation and its reception (both by critics and the audience), and then I analyze it.

In 2021, however, I started a cycle that I will run for 10 years. I called it Kino pokryte pyłem, which means Cinema Covered with Dust. It's about the dust that covered America in the 1930s (along with the Great Depression) and the dust that covered many of these movies, especially in Poland, where the old cinema has been replaced by the current repertoire (my blog may be the only one in the whole country so heavily focused on films from the first half of the 20th century). I watch – year after year, premiere after premiere (if that's possible, of course) – pictures from the 1930s. Then I choose 60 of them and describe them briefly on the page, creating a subjective guide through the decade. Now I started watching movies from 1932.

I share my knowledge on my blog. I watch, read and write to bring Polish readers closer to the cinema that gave rise to what they see on screens today. I look at known and unknown films, those that have won awards, and those that do not even have Polish titles and are not mentioned in any textbook. It's a huge job that will take a few more years, but I hope it's worth it.

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

Rafal Glapiak: I graduated in film studies, so what I like most is watching movies and writing about them. This is how I make my living, so I spend a lot of time in front of various screens and books. I am also interested in the history of the United States, especially the first half of the 20th century (also due to the series I run). I like to travel. I have been to America twice: in 2018 and 2019. The first time I visited four cities: New York, which I love, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles (I was at Paramount Studios, where I took a picture of myself in front of the Preston Sturges building, on which I was writing my thesis, and at Warner Bros.). The second time I rode the East Coast with my girlfriend and friends. I miss the US and look forward to my next trip.

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

Rafal Glapiak: I'd probably focus on screwball comedies. I would start earlier than 1934, with Private Lives (1931), directed by Sidney Franklin. Then the classics I love – It Happened One Night (1934, Frank Capra), Libeled Lady (1936, Jack Conway), Easy Living (1937, Mitchell Leisen), Bringing Up Baby (1938, Howard Hawks), Midnight (1939, Mitchell Leisen) – and finally, to make it more serious, but still funny, I would show the American audience a Polish film noir (retro-noir, I guess): Reverse (2009) by Borys Lankosz, set in the era of the Polish People's Republic.

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

Rafal Glapiak: Most of the films I write about in the Kino pokryte pyłem series are films unknown to the Polish audience. I will give you a few examples that you probably know, and I will give you the number of ratings on Filmweb, which is the Polish database that is the equivalent of IMDb or Letterboxd.

Waterloo Bridge (1931, James Whale) – 47 votes

The Smiling Lieutenant (1931, Ernst Lubitsch) – 68 votes

Bad Girl (1931, Frank Borzage) – 57 votes

Blonde Crazy (1931, Roy Del Ruth) – 45 votes

Platinum Blonde (1931, Frank Capra) – 104 votes

Midnight (1939, Mitchell Leisen) – 88 votes

The Lady Eve (1941, Preston Sturges) – 505 votes

This, of course, does not mean that only so many people watched it, but you understand the difference. I would very much like Poles to watch these pictures, get to know them and like them. After all, these are great titles that are often considered masterpieces in the United States.

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

Rafal Glapiak: As I prepared to answer these questions, I realized how much I dislike writing about myself. I am modest and shy, preferring to hide behind texts about cinema, but it was a pleasure to share this information with you anyway.

---------

We thank Rafal for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit Mocne Punkty at https://mocnepunkty.pl/ !

Tweet

Introducing the Spring 2023 CMBA Blogathon: Big Stars on the Small Screen: In Support of National Classic Movie Day!

It's almost time for the CMBA Spring Blogathon! This year's topic is "Big Stars on the Small Screen: In Support of National Classic Movie Day." Topics can be on anything related to classic film stars appearing on TV, including regular TV series, mini-series, variety shows, made-for-TV movies, or even commercials! There’s a wide-open field of small screen productions to explore! 

The blogathon, for CMBA members only, will run May 15th through May 19th. Our participants to date are listed below. If you haven't yet picked a topic, there's still time to join in the fun! Just email the CMBA Board (classic.movie.blog.assoc@gmail.com) with your topic choice, blog name, and preferred date for posting, if any. Because there is such a variety of topics to choose from, we won't be accepting duplicates. (Please note, however, that it's acceptable to have one topic focus on an entire series, and others that cover specific episodes from that same series.) Topic selections will be accepted in order of receipt.

To promote the blogathon on your blog, take your pick from any of the banners at the bottom of this post.

We look forward to another great blogathon!

Monday, May 15, 2023

Diana Dors in "Children of the Full Moon on Hammer House of Horror – Real Weegie Midget Reviews

Vincent Price on The Brady Bunch – Whimsically Classic

Ray Milland on Columbo: "Death Lends a Hand" and "The Greenhouse Jungle" – Cary Grant Won't Eat You

Ida Lupino and Four-Star Playhouse – Let Yourself Go . . . To Old Hollywood

Lee Remick's TV Work – Lady Eve's Reel Life 

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Hollywood Palace – A Person in the Dark

Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier in Love Among the Ruins – Filmland Follies

The Jimmy Stewart Show – Classic Film & TV Cafe 

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Classic Movie Stars on The Muppet Show – Virtual Virago

John Cassavetes on Johnny Staccato – Twenty-Four Frames

Murder, She Wrote and "The Days Dwindle Down" – Watching Forever

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Father Knows Best: "Kathy's Big Chance" starring Greer Garson – Another Old Movie Blog

Ava Gardner on the Small Screen – Ava Gardner Blog

Classic Hollywood Stars on The Dick Cavett Show – 4 Star Films

The Women of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – The Last Drive-In

Friday, May 19, 2023

Classic Stars as Columbo Murderers – Once Upon a Screen

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason in The Case of the Sinister Spirit – Critica Retro

Film Noir Vets on Alfred Hitchcock Presents – Shadows and Satin

Old Hollywood Actors Who Starred in Night Gallery – A Vintage Nerd

We look forward to another great blogathon!

Tweet

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. 

----------

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

Tweet

CMBA Profile: The Silver Screen Surfer

 

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Daibhid James, who writes at The Silver Screen Surfer.

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Daibhid James: I started out as music writer for a number of underground music papers in the 1990s (Reargarde in Montreal, Exclaim & Inside Tracks in Toronto) and host of radio shows at Toronto stations CKLN and, currently, CIUT playing music ranging from rock and roll, rockabilly, surf, garage, blues, doo wop, honky tonk, gospel, and ska from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, to punk and new wave of the 1980s to today. But besides music, I've always been a fan of black and white films, especially silents. I'm particularly interested in German Expressionist and related genres, horror films, Dadaist and other short art films from the 1920s to the 1960s, films of silent starlets such as Louise Brooks, Alla Nazimova, Brigette Helm, Clara Bow, Theda Bara, Colleen Moore, etc. I'm also interested in silent films from countries that are usually bypassed by usual film texts like China and Japan, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Canada. Besides silents, I also like film noir, horror and sci-fi films, as well as cartoons from the Golden Era.

For most of my life I've been more focused on music, but in the past few years, for various reasons, I have frankly found myself taking less interest in the modern music scene and more interest in film and getting back into writing. Thus, my blog at The Silver Screen Surfer, the title obviously taken from the Silver Age Marvel Comics character.

Articles planned for the coming year include the life and career of Florence La Badie, more films of Brigitte Helm (I already did an article about her horror film Alraune last year), the life and career of Dorothy Davenport, the silent films based on the works of Jules Verne and possibly the sound ones too, the art films of Canadian filmmakers David Rimmer and Michael Snow, silent films from Latin America, Canada and China, and some Yiddish films I found on a Russian website that haven't been loaded on to YouTube yet.

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

Daibhid James: I have been combining my musical interest with film by adding electronic soundtracks to various silent films that I've been writing about (and posting them on YouTube). I also set up a public performance last Halloween with a showing of the silent version of H.P. Lovecraft's Call Of Cthulhu with live musical accompaniment, and I plan more showings in the future as an annual Halloween show. In addition, I'm planning a showing of some of the various Dada shorts and Warhol films with electronic music accompaniment. One of my COVID projects was designing a soundtrack for Warhol's 1965 eight-hour silent film Empire, so that should be interesting to stage. I'm also thinking of starting a YouTube show. I'm still involved with radio as well. I did once run for the Green Party and that was fun, but I'm not likely to do so again; politics isn't fun anymore. I'm a distance runner who needs to get back into shape. I should get on that.  

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

Daibhid James: The classic 1950s and 1960s films based on the books of Jules Verne would be a great day: Around The Earth In 80 Days (1956), 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954), Mysterious Island (1961), Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959),  From the Earth to the Moon (1958), Master Of The World (1961), Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962), plus the George Melies version of Journey To The Moon (1904). (That's actually eight films, but the last one is a short so I'm adding it.) They are slightly out of chronological order but Mysterious Island is effectively a sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I loved all these films as a kid and saw them several times as well as reading the books and they still have a charm in the CGI era. I think audiences would enjoy them. 

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

Daibhid James: The three surviving films of Alla Namizova; Red Lantern (1919), Camille (1921) and Salome (1922) should be better known. In fact, Alla should be better known. She's a fascinating figure and a pioneer for women filmmakers. Although not actually a director, she was effectively her own producer and art director, and while not the first woman to do so, she was arguably the first with a real artistic vision. In fact, I did argue that in an article a few years back. I adore her.

After Metropolis, Brigitte Helm made several great films: At The End Of The World (1927), The Love Of Jeanne Ney (1927), Alraune (1928), and Abwege (1928). Metropolis was her first film; she was only 19, and while she had beauty and presence, the role was two-dimensional. However, she soon turned into an excellent actress with a slinky charisma in some complex roles. I have such a crush on her.

The 1934 Chinese silent film The Goddess, starring Ruan Lingyu, should be seen by every silent film fan. It's a gorgeous and tragic film and Lingyu has great depth and presence. They were making silents in Asia for a full decade after the West and some are excellent but little known in the West.

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

Daibhid James: On the advice of counsel, I take the Fifth.

------------

We thank Daibhid for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit The Silver Screen Surfer!

Tweet

CMBA Profile: Life and Death in L.A.

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Paul Parcellin, who writes at Life and Death in L.A.

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Paul Parcellin: Other than blogging’s potential to reach readers instantly and attract a worldwide audience, I blog about films because it’s akin to thinking out loud. In my experience, there are few better ways of discovering how I really feel about any topic, film included. Each time I sit down with the laptop, I challenge myself to sum up my cogitations about the stuff that I’ve watched and try to put it into context.

When I begin, my opinion is not fully formed. It’s only when I’m pounding it out on the keyboard that I’m confronted with my initial reactions and sometimes it’s surprising — do I really feel that way? But there it is on the screen, staring at me, challenging me to flesh out my perceptions and present those ideas in a way that’s coherent and interesting to readers. I ask myself if what I’m saying makes sense. I wonder if it’s an accurate reading of the filmmaker’s intent, or if I’m carrying my own baggage that alters my take on a film. It’s tough to answer some of these nagging questions, but asking them keeps the writing process interesting. For me, there’s an urgency that’s part of film writing. Thoughts are ethereal things that will soon dissipate. It’s important to get them down on paper — or in pixels.

But perhaps most important of all, blogging is a two-way street. If my facts are inaccurate, my

opinion is spotty, my reasoning is skewed, the readers will let me know about it. We can learn
from each other.

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

Paul Parcellin: I am into the visual arts — painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography. I like to visit museums and galleries. Fortunately, L.A. has a lot to see. I also collect DVDs and Blu-rays — not a big surprise for a classic movie blogger. I don’t have an enormous number of titles, but I prefer discs to streaming or digital downloads. I’m also a dedicated amateur guitar player — I grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, so it was practically mandated by law that I would play.

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

Paul Parcellin: My idea of a perfect day of TCM programming would include crime, comedy and foreign films. Here are my top seven in no particular order:

Double Indemnity (1944). The gold standard of noir. It’s got classic voiceover narration and
knockout performances by Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwick and Edward G. Robinson, and
lots of quotable dialogue — “I never knew that murder could smell like honeysuckle.”

Bringing Up Baby (1938). Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Howard Hawks; need I say more?

La Dolce Vita (1960). Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, the Trevi Fountain; wonderful Fellini.

Get Carter (1971). The one starring Michael Caine, of course. It’s unrelenting in its bleakness,
like the steel-gray sky hanging over Newcastle.

Sullivan’s Travels (1941). Whip-smart Preston Sturges. Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake and a cast of Sturges’s regular comedic actors. A great send-up of a film director who takes himself a little too seriously.

Breathless (1960). Jean Luc Godard said all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun, and he showed us all how it’s done. A classic crime film of the French New Wave.

Out of the Past (1947). Jane Greer is one of noir’s most stunning and ruthless femmes fatales. Robert Mitchum is the fall guy who knows he’s doomed but can’t walk away from Jane. Who could?

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

Paul Parcellin: Straight Time (1978), with Dustin Hoffman as Max Dembo, an ex-convict who wants to stay on the right side of the law but is having a hard time of it. Great performances by Hoffman, M. Emmet Walsh as an oily probation officer, and Gary Busey and Harry Dean Stanton as Max’s partners in crime. Based on Edward Bunker’s novel “No Beast So Fierce,” the film’s many small details feel authentic, probably in large part because Bunker knows of what he speaks. He led a life of crime and was incarcerated, then turned to writing. He also acted in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, playing a member of a gang that holds up a jewelry store. Straight Time also features a jewelry store heist that is one of the more intense and realistic action sequences seen in 1970s crime dramas. But the film’s shoot ’em up aspects get a minor amount of screen time. It’s really a character study in which we see Max’s good intentions crumble until we realize that he isn’t really what he seemed to be. The ending is bleak — it is a 1970s crime drama, after all. And for Max, no other conclusion would seem as true to life or as inevitable.

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

Paul Parcellin: I moved to L.A. just in time for the big economic meltdown of ‘08 and there were hardly any jobs to be had. I did manage to find some spotty work, including being an extra on TV shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and a short-lived sitcom called Better Off Ted — in one episode I’m in the opening shot with a bunch of people who are supposed to be attending a business meeting. It was sort of fun, and in addition to getting paid, we got free food from craft services, which was a great fringe benefit for starving extras. I was also cast in NCIS as a Marine colonel with severe wounds. I was in the makeup trailer for hours with two
artists who made me look like a corpse that had been stitched up. On set, as I lay down on a
stainless-steel autopsy table for some photos the director said to me, “Welcome to the
worst job in Hollywood.” I smiled, but frankly I’d had much worse jobs that paid a lot less
for my trouble, and besides, this one was a pretty cool adventure. Of course, I was bursting
to tell everyone I knew about my impending appearance on a network TV show, but
something told me to hold off on that, and it’s a good thing that I did. When the episode
finally aired, I was disappointed to find that my scenes ended up on the proverbial cutting
room floor, so I never made it onto the show. That happens a lot, I guess. But I still have
photos of me in full makeup as a reminder of what my NCIS debut would have looked like,
and that’s OK. It was certainly not an average day at the office.

----------

We thank Paul for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit Life and Death in L.A.!

Tweet

CMBA Profile -- Real Weegie Midget Reviews

Each month, the CMBA profiles a classic movie blog written by one of our members. This month, we’re featuring Gill Jacob, who writes at Real Weegie Midget Reviews.

CMBA: Why do you blog?

Gill Jacob: As a lifelong movie and TV lover, my first blog post was a review of Love and Mercy (2014), a mental health-themed biopic. The review was written for my Darlin Husband while he was away on a work trip overseas. It then kind of snowballed from there. I love how supportive, caring, and friendly the blogging community is, and I have met so many wonderful people -- famous and non famous -- who have distracted me with their friendship and friendly comments and blogathons, which have helped me with my on/off homesickness for Scotland and its people. I still have pangs but not as much now, so thanks!!!. 

As a classic blogger, I love finding obscure films from a star's career and tributing stars in all sorts of ways. I also love to give something back to those stars that I have enjoyed in movies and TV, from childhood favorites to beyond. I always tag them on social media. I'm thrilled if I get a personal reply or a like (see my Starry Mentions pages). I guess it reminds me of the excitement I used to get when I asked for signed photos as a child and an envelope with a reply came through the letterbox. I love reviewing for others and am constantly touched that many of those filmmakers and authors that I have written for have returned to ask me to review more of their content. I've also made a few good friends that way, too.

I love the entertainment blogging community and through entering those blogathons, I have met some lovely bloggers and discovered lots of great movies and TV. I also love interviewing filmmakers and I've made good friends with a few filmmakers. My childhood self has to pinch herself as I've had so many lovely likes, follows, and comments from stars I adored then and still do now, such as Judy Matheson (Jarvis), Morgan Brittany, Joan Collins, Lee Grant, Emma Samms, and William Shatner.  My most personal thrill to date was writing a recent movie review for Valerie Perrine on her documentary about her current personal experience of  Parkinson's Disease. I was deeply touched when she asked me to do this for her. I also interviewed her friend and the director of this movie, Stacey Souther, and it was lovely to learn more about this wonderful and inspiring actress from a best friend.

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

Gill Jacob: I adore reading entertainment-themed books, memoirs, and biographies. I have a huge collection at home (mostly unread) and I particularly enjoy audible autobiographies (which are read by the person who wrote the book). I prefer autobiographies, as you have that person's view on their life and not the gossipy version. Dallas (1978-91) is another obsession, and I have a big post planned about one of the cast members coming up next year. But even if it doesn't happen, I am super excited about what has been happening behind the scenes with this lovely cast member so far . . . this will make sense when I reveal all.

I also am passionate about mental health issues. I used to work in mental health and chose this career after seeing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I disliked Nurse Ratched and was at first a staff nurse running activities with patients. However, I had wanted to work in mental health in more of a Jack Nicholson role, as the person who took them fishing, and this prompted me to train as an occupational therapist. I also get passionate about putting right misconceptions about mental health, as more than a few people can justify.

I am also passionate about my Darlin Husband, as he is my best friend and the love of my life. He is also generous, fun, supportive, caring, and one of a few people who make me laugh out loud. He can make a bad movie good with his riffling and can do many retro impersonations such as Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, and Sean Connery. What's not to love???

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

Gill Jacob: Now that's a toughie . . . these are pretty random (and all have been reviewed on my blog):

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) - I LOVE Richard Burton and I adored watching him with his then-real life wife, Elizabeth Taylor. His character is wonderfully played and no one can insult in films as beautifully as Burton. 

Endless Night (1972) - Favorite film adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, with a fabulous Bernard Herrmann score, Hywel Bennett, and as the trailer says, "a love story."

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Favorite role with Jack Nicholson and has a fabulous behind-the-scenes story and ensemble performances.

Somewhere in Time (1980) - A timeless and sumptuous time travel romance with a fabulous John Barry score (and Christopher Plummer at his most on-screen villainous).

Fedora (1978) - an underrated Billy Wilder movie and a wonderful satire on the film industry and I love it!.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) - another film satire from Wilder, fantastically immersive until the final shot. 

Airport 77 (1977) - my favorite disaster movie (as I said in my review, "It's a soap in the skies") with an amazingly silly plot including the Bermuda Triangle, an all-star cast -- shoutouts to Christopher Lee and Lee Grant -- and some wonderfully intriguing cut scenes that suggest a completely different plot.

 

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

Gill Jacob: I adore the British black and white movie, Whistle Down the Wind (1961). It has a teenage Hayley Mills as one of three siblings who find a man (played by Alan Bates) in their barn and think he is Jesus. They don't realize that he's actually a fugitive who is on the run. The children in the film are beautifully cast and the movie is based on a credible plot written by Hayley's mother. It's a really sweet and touching film. I read it does have religious themes but as a kid, I only noticed the more obvious ones, I love the innocence of the kids in this movie and their Northern English (Lancashire) accents add to the ambience.

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

Gill Jacob: When I was wee and painfully shy, I entered a debating competition where you had to choose a real-life person or fictional character and argue why you should be the only person to stay in a sinking hot air balloon heading towards the sea. I entered as Sue Ellen Ewing (from Dallas), then launched into my impersonation of her and won hands down. Years later, I also entered this true tale in a Dallas-themed competition, as my reason to see Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy interviewed on a TV show and won two tickets!

------------

We thank Gill for participating in our Q & A profile and encourage you to visit Reel Weegie Midget Reviews!

Tweet