Let's face the music - and talk : poll results (AMÉLIE)

The AMÉLIE poll results are quite clear I may say:

For two people to vote

– and one of them voting for “I don’t attend polls on principle” ~ thank you for that! Happy that someone out there shares my kind of “humor”..;”) ~

we have a clear winner with GUILTY.

I guess that Sally of FLYING DOWN TO HOLLYWOOD will be quite glad about this result.. Oh – and if you haven’t yet: Please, visit her blog! It’s amazing – love her game of guessing quotes from movies.. I always know I heard it somewhere but I can’t remember where.. Love it! This is really something for champs..

So here is the winner of the last poll:

And a bit of information about singer Al Bowlly:

He was born in 1898 to Greek and Lebanese parents in Mozambique and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He did a few jobs before heading into music business as a singer. He eventually became one of the most popular singers in the 1930s in the UK. Sadly he died in 1941 due to an exploding parachute mine during the Blitz in London.

Here he sings one of my all-time favourite songs – yes, I admit that: I love BLUE MOON!:

Well – there is another song I have to mention here because the incredible Mythical Monkey – What? You don’t know his blog A MYTHICAL MONKEY WRITES ABOUT THE MOVIES?? Visit it ASAP!!! – brought it up as his favourite in his comment to my AMÉLIE post.. (so many songs to present from that film – was hard to choose.. - I am sorry for just leaving your favourite out, Mr. Monkey, Sir!)

To make good .. a bit.. - here it is:

SI TU N’ÉTAIS PAS LÀ sung by French singer and actress Fréhel:

So: thank you both (who ever you are) for voting – and an extra thank you, Mythical Monkey, for mentioning that song.

– and of course thank you all for listening and commenting!

Yours (well and) truly

Irene

Let's shed some light on ELLA RAINES....OK?

Ella Raines birthday is today and it seems not too many people know that much about her, including my friend here Irene.
No  need to worry, I will try to shed some light on this wonderful actress. I so love that name too. Ella. So beautiful.

She was born Ella Wallace Raines near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington on August 6th, 1920. She studies drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by director Howard Hawks. He quickly signed her to a contract and her first film was Corvette K-225 in 1943, co-starring Randolph Scott. She then appeared in a string of big studio films include Cry Havoc (1943) with Joan Blondell, Ann Sothern and Maureen Sullavan; the film noir classic, The Phantom Lady (1944); Preston Sturges comedy Hail The Conquering Hero (1944) with Eddie Bracken; and the John Wayne western, Tall in the Saddle (1944).

But then just like that she was handed B films and her career kind of cooled after such a hot start. Ella retired from acting in 1957 but return to TV in 1984 for an episode of the private detective series Matt Houston, which I fondly remember.

One of Ella's biggest films, Hail The Conquering Hero with Eddie Bracken

Ella was married twice. Her first marriage to Kenneth Trout lasted just three years in the mid 40's. Her second marriage to Robin Olds lasted a lot longer, nearly 30 years and produced two children.
Ella died from throat cancer on May 30, 1988.  She was also a very big animal lover.

I've seen a few of her films and thought she was very talented but never had the career she deserved. I would say if you want to watch some of her films that show Ella at her best I would say start with Hail The Conquering Hero and Cry Havoc. Two of her very best. I hope this little post has shed some light on such a marvelous and talented woman.

The photos below show how much Ella loved her animals....

This one is for you Irene....

Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe have some MONKEY BUSINESS on their minds...

Marilyn looks terrified of Ginger doesn't she?

A wonderful comedy that re-teams director Howard Hawks and star Cary Grant. The duo have worked magic before in other screwball classics like His Girl Friday (my all time favorite movie) and I Was A Male War Bride. In this one, Grant is absent minded chemist Barney Fulton who discovers a fountain of youth potion that he has been testing on chimps. Well he accidentally takes it himself and reverts to being a teen-ager. Which includes spending time with his gorgeous secretary Miss Lois Laurel (played by Marilyn Monroe). Well Mrs. Fulton (a sharp and funny Ginger Rogers) takes an even bigger dose and reverts even further to a 9 year old and all kinds of chaos ensues. Monkey Business is a hilarious comedy that lets the stars just have all the fun they want. A must see.

I'm ok...


Ummm Cary..down there..I'm trying to show you my leg..


Awwww....Cary and Ginger do make a lovely couple

Wait..what was I saying? Marilyn distracted me a bit...

Completely having kittens (5)

Michelle @ THE TRUE BOOK ADDICT hosts this meme..

One lovely lady with a lovely cat:

Bette Davis with a furry friend who hopefully won't "glide" down..

(- been there.. *ouch*)

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) is a modern classic

I loved this film mainly because Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet acted so well together, playing sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Their performances are terrific and they should have won Oscars that year easily. But I may be bias, I think Emma and Kate should win an award every time they act. And the supporting cast is to die for. Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Hugh Laurie and Imogen Stubbs round out the cast. Wonderfully directed by Ang Lee, I would recommend this film to everyone.

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood....

This film is amazing. The costumes, the story, the performances, the music score. Everything adds up perfectly. One of those rare films where everything just goes together great. I own it on VHS but need to upgrade to DVD so I can re-watch this wonderful film.

Elinor: "You've not said a word to her for a week."
Marianne: "I have. I've said yes. And no."

Wait..is that Hugh Laurie? Why yes it is...JOY!

Oh and case you're wondering what my rating is for this wonderful film....it is....drumroll please........B+

Ahhhh..what a lovely day..isn't it ladies?

Oh - there's just one more thing... (5)

Have you noticed that Janet Leigh is POINTING A GUN AT YOU?!??

THEODORA GOES WILD (1936) is Irene Dunne at her most hilarious best...

Screwball comedies are probably my favorite type of movies. I just love the zany situations the characters find themselves in. Recently I just watched the 1936 classic Theodora Goes Wild with a marvelous Irene Dunne.

Dunne plays small town girl Theodora Lynn, who lives with her two aunts in the quaint little town of Lynnfield. The town is small and pretty much ran by the women who likes to keep things simple and nice and decent. The women's literary club are at constant odds with the local newspaper who likes to run articles about the author Caroline Adams, who is a famous writer, known for her scandalous stories. The catch is Theodora is actually Caroline and lives a double life, keeping her family and townspeople in the dark about her other half. Theodora visits her uncle in New York, who has been written off by the family because of his own reputation. She uses that as her cover to see her publisher, who constantly tries to convince her to meet her adoring fans. Theodora holds her ground and ends up meeting Michael Grant, who is her book jacket illustrator, played by the always entertaining Melvyn Douglas. Once Theodora leaves New York to head back home, Michael follows her and makes life for her very complicated. The nosy townspeople wonder what he's doing in town and Theodora quickly puts him to work around her family's house. Of course things become harder and harder to keep secret especially when Theodora falls in love in Michael.

I just love this face Irene makes with her nose scrunched up....

There are a few dramatic scenes in this movie, like when Theodora goes off on the other women in town about her relationship with Michael. And a subplot involving a friend of Theodora who is run off from town because of the man she chose to marry, and eventually have a child with. But there are lots of moments of screwball hilarity that will have you busting a gut. Irene Dunne, one of my favorites, excels in these types of roles and she hits the mark again with this one. Her natural flair for comedy is most evident in her scenes with Douglas. They make quite the charming pair.

Theodora Goes Wild is one of the best screwball comedies ever made. And Dunne proves she is definitely one of the queens of comedy. I would rank her right up there with Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy. I enjoyed this film from start to finish. I loved the dog that Douglas's character picked up on the way into town and named him Jake...and the bond the two formed. I loved Theodora's two aunts, who were at first like all the other women in town, wound too tight and didn't care for any signs of questionable characters. But once they found out that their niece was the scandalous novelist, they didn't hesitate to have Theodora's back and slam anyone else for thinking bad of her. I also loved the newspaper editor who liked irking the Women's Literary Group just for the heck of it. All so many little things and other characters made this a highly entertaining movie. One I could watch over and over. Theodora Goes Wild will definitely make those weekdays much more bearable.
B+