It’s August, which means it’s time for TCM’s annual Summer Under the Stars marathon, where the channel invites us to spend 24 hours in the company of a different star every day of the month. This year’s line up is a cheerfully eclectic mix, with stalwarts like Barbara Stanwyck and Humphrey Bogart rubbing shoulders with […]
The Criterion Channel Celebrates New York
As part of its September lineup, the Criterion Channel just launched New York Stories, a dazzling tribute to New York City celebrating its boroughs and byways, its idiosyncrasies, struggles and triumphs. Just the trailer made my heart leap with joy, then brought me close to tears as I realized what the series also commemorates. I […]
We’re Jungle Creatures: ‘The Lion in Winter’ (1968)
Christmas, season of peace and good will to all men, when families congregate by the hearth to eat, drink and rejoice in the warmth of each other’s company. Unless you’re a Plantagenet, in which case you’d best keep your wits sharp and a blade handy. It’s December 1183 and Henry II (Peter O’Toole), King of […]
Celebrating Black History Month: Part Four
The final set of Facebook posts celebrating Black History Month. Day 22: Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll refused to let herself be limited by others’ expectations. The first African American woman to win a Tony, she also broke ground by starring in ‘Julia’, the first television series to focus on the life of a Black professional […]
Celebrating Black History Month: Part Three
The penultimate batch of Facebook posts. Day 15: Juano Hernandez Born in Puerto Rico, of Puerto Rican and Brazilian heritage, Juano Hernandez took a roundabout route to acting. He worked as a sailor and moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a circus and became an acrobat. After that he became a professional boxer, […]
Celebrating Black History Month: Part Two
Here’s another batch of Facebook posts I wrote for Black History Month, all from week two. Day 10: Paul Robeson A true Renaissance man, Paul Robeson was an actor, singer, athlete, lawyer, author and linguist, as well as the blueprint for African American performers who wanted to combine art and activism.
Screen Escapes: A Year of Pandemic Viewing
It’s been one year since the coronavirus pandemic began: a year of lockdowns, social distancing, mounting anxiety and masks. I’ve watched a lot of films since last March (I don’t think I’m alone in that), but looking back I realize many of them weren’t new to me. As reality edged uncomfortably close to fiction, I […]
Celebrating Black History Month: Part One
For Black History Month this year, I tried something new and set myself a challenge: writing a Facebook post a day about a Black actor or actress. Some of the performers I chose were familiar; some were people whose work I’d just begun to explore. I had no idea what the response would be like […]
Free Bird: ‘Christopher Strong’ (1933)
The curiously-titled Christopher Strong is really all about Lady Cynthia Darrington, an aviator and aristocrat with a hankering for danger, a cavalier disregard for convention and quirky fashion sense. Katharine Hepburn plays Cynthia. Of course I had to see it. The film opens in London at a scavenger hunt for the well-heeled. Female contestants are […]
Fancy Free: ‘Top Hat’ (1935)
This post is part of the TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon, hosted by Journeys in Classic Film and Musings of a Classic Film Addict. See the other posts here. Top Hat opens on two pairs of dancing feet. The man wears a tailcoat; the woman an evening gown. As they twirl across the screen, […]
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