News for today's 2018

Happy Birthday, Tyrone Power!

3:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

artwork by Rob Kelly 99 years ago Tyrone Edmund Power was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. 22 years after that he became a movie star and would re...

31 Days of Oscar: The Rains Came (1939)

3:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ghgoCNNewLQwEwHmduCMjJqhyphenhyphenbI5TZL5cmp0QI0b9GBZkBLxc5fnCql6X2iBaF87t9zSRIDGP9NIKkdGcJC7a2LytDi6vxscdgc1rfpcNPHcE71KLzJ5XHgj51kwAQ6_kmu5wdnAzHk/s1600/Ty+Myrna+and+Brent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ghgoCNNewLQwEwHmduCMjJqhyphenhyphenbI5TZL5cmp0QI0b9GBZkBLxc5fnCql6X2iBaF87t9zSRIDGP9NIKkdGcJC7a2LytDi6vxscdgc1rfpcNPHcE71KLzJ5XHgj51kwAQ6_kmu5wdnAzHk/s400/Ty+Myrna+and+Brent.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> There is no mistaking that drama on a grand scale is about to take place even before the first scene of The Rains Came (1939) begins. Alfred Newman's commanding score pounds, the title sequence rolls over the dark image of a rain drenched ancient city, and as each hand-lettered title appears it is soon washed from the screen as if swept away in a downpour. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTajSjs6tWWsJy0X_Wk1y3t9xHMm0L37b2ZtMOOai0gJ-8mrGgUSwOAqch1cbUH5FnHGW9bue2aDSIs8yw1l_p8Dn2-b_DHr71USAR1dIu-w7NrqRAGEvZeaTQCdS9SNt_kyi31zJfAI/s1600/the+rains+came+titles_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTajSjs6tWWsJy0X_Wk1y3t9xHMm0L37b2ZtMOOai0gJ-8mrGgUSwOAqch1cbUH5FnHGW9bue2aDSIs8yw1l_p8Dn2-b_DHr71USAR1dIu-w7NrqRAGEvZeaTQCdS9SNt_kyi31zJfAI/s640/the+rains+came+titles_opt.jpg" width="291" /></a></div> <a name='more'></a> The film opens on a more languid note. A group of Indian musicians plays a song, hypnotic and dreamy, beneath a tree filled with chattering monkeys. A white man, taking shade from the heat, observes from the broad veranda where he lounges. This lighter tone persists as the man, British expatriate Tom Ransome (George Brent) is visited by his good friend, Major Rama Safti (<a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2012/08/remembering-tyrone-power.html">Tyrone Power</a>), and then by an American missionary's wife bearing a party invitation. Later on, lovely and wayward Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy) arrives in India and the mood begins to shift with her troublesome presence. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkCtbgcynkD3fOWYltgi3Y6Ap0Qw_swyaNfxO3_3VcwFAwTrgu4tt8gE9j1iAfgR7-8GCAnhyphenhyphenoqMS7RYswfXPd75bdBkMN-tKwYXpp7QySujU6cujvCEJidilvXOt4pFwo1HEF53iLEc/s1600/Brent+and+Loy+tryst_opt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkCtbgcynkD3fOWYltgi3Y6Ap0Qw_swyaNfxO3_3VcwFAwTrgu4tt8gE9j1iAfgR7-8GCAnhyphenhyphenoqMS7RYswfXPd75bdBkMN-tKwYXpp7QySujU6cujvCEJidilvXOt4pFwo1HEF53iLEc/s320/Brent+and+Loy+tryst_opt.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Brent and Myrna Loy, alone in a darkened room somewhere in the palace</td></tr></tbody></table>Halfway into this lavish forbidden love/disaster epic, a massive earthquake strikes and triggers a catastrophic flood. As the plot's steamy intrigues have stirred the emotions, so the cinematic vision of quake and flood overwhelms the senses. For these thrilling sequences the very first Oscar for Best Special Effects was awarded to <a href="http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2010/12/fred-sersen-burns-chicago-and-floods.html">Fred Sersen</a> (visual effects) and E.H. Hansen (sound effects). The Rains Came, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0113284/">Clarence Brown</a> for 20th Century Fox, was nominated for another five Academy Awards. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It's believed that the first in-camera special effect was part of a short film sequence titled The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895). The effect of a be-heading was achieved with the use of a dummy and a shot known as a substitution shot or a stop trick. A few years later pioneering George Melies produced his 14 minute effects-laden La voyage dans la lune/A Trip to the Moon (1902) and by 1923 Cecil B. DeMille was able to simulate the parting of the Red Sea for the first time with his original version of The Ten Commandments. When the first Academy Awards were presented for 1928 a plaque for Best Engineering Effects was given to Roy Pomeroy for Wings, but the category did not continue. An honorary award was presented to Gordon Jennings (and shared with others) for effects created on 1938's Spawn of the North; the following year the Best Special Effects category was established. 1939, that banner year of legendary Hollywood films, was  Gone with the Wind's year when it came to record-breaking Academy Award wins (eight). Among the five it did not win was the special effects award taken by The Rains Came; a total of seven films had been nominated in the category including The Wizard of Oz. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpB8meI4Z83Vt8lfSpgHBlISHiw6PuGh8lTlIy0OiMgb5ggJB783T6f4ATC7IS1zSBOCfhjvdUNhbw-GLSLB7g30nvxxnqGIVR78cZ_8PpW92ZaIZeRgy7PajxH9UI72Ac7SrMU84TGU8/s1600/Loy+and+Power_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpB8meI4Z83Vt8lfSpgHBlISHiw6PuGh8lTlIy0OiMgb5ggJB783T6f4ATC7IS1zSBOCfhjvdUNhbw-GLSLB7g30nvxxnqGIVR78cZ_8PpW92ZaIZeRgy7PajxH9UI72Ac7SrMU84TGU8/s320/Loy+and+Power_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myrna Loy and Tyrone Power at the Maharani's music school</td></tr></tbody></table> The Rains Came was based on <a href="http://www.ohioana-authors.org/bromfield/highlights.php">Louis Bromfield</a>'s best-selling 1937 novel, The Rains Came: A Novel of Modern India. Set in the fictional Indian state of Ranchipur during the last years of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/independence1947_01.shtml">British Raj</a>, the story follows three principal characters. Tom Ransome (Brent) is a charming sot of a British 'younger son' (aristocrat) who arrived Ranchipur seven years earlier to paint a still unfinished portrait. Lady Edwina Esketh (Loy) is the jaded and promiscuous trophy wife of the much older and unrelentingly boorish Lord Esketh (Nigel Bruce). Major Rama Safti (Power) is a high-caste Indian doctor who trained in the U.S. and returned to Ranchipur, bringing with him the modern practice of medicine and enlightened social values. Early on, Ransome and Lady Esketh, former lovers, meet at a party in the royal palace. After the two slip away from the festivities for a bit of private passion, they return and Lady Esketh's roving eye falls upon the handsome 'pale copper Apollo,' Major Safti. To Ransome's displeasure, Edwina makes it clear she plans to seduce the young doctor. Meanwhile, Ranchipur looks forward to the end of its dry season and all anxiously await the coming of the rain. When it comes, it arrives in an unending torrent. Soon a powerful earthquake hits and the swollen local dam collapses. The ensuing calamity disrupts the best laid plans, virtuous and scandalous alike, of everyone in Ranchipur. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YZzkJyxyqnPG9TqUVTscA3fNNIOxqb2txOqH7r-StiQGNXWE6_Gy3j6yt9OnA_eVShauw55sklFBTYaLTItikfjGc2uci4jsi4RVlTer82y_b9CovKUh32W1SVlpK_9-160DGjqegLo/s1600/Rains+Came+Fred+Sersen+dwg+for+TRC_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YZzkJyxyqnPG9TqUVTscA3fNNIOxqb2txOqH7r-StiQGNXWE6_Gy3j6yt9OnA_eVShauw55sklFBTYaLTItikfjGc2uci4jsi4RVlTer82y_b9CovKUh32W1SVlpK_9-160DGjqegLo/s400/Rains+Came+Fred+Sersen+dwg+for+TRC_opt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred Sersen's drawing for flood scene</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr1VHSuEa51FG6u5Hdl9dgPp-Z0qos0RGmbK_h268vD9GP-XGyquJTT0ewg8JvCpx01eju1PJiu5kGP6wTwcaJ63w7s76T7BnlmpbFx3bi-Qg3o4Q1iYzOekfSsUR2PBZStwehLziEpw/s1600/Rains+Came+flood+scene_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr1VHSuEa51FG6u5Hdl9dgPp-Z0qos0RGmbK_h268vD9GP-XGyquJTT0ewg8JvCpx01eju1PJiu5kGP6wTwcaJ63w7s76T7BnlmpbFx3bi-Qg3o4Q1iYzOekfSsUR2PBZStwehLziEpw/s400/Rains+Came+flood+scene_opt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flood scene</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was budgeted at $2,500,000 with $500,000 for sets and $500,000 for the flood and earthquake scenes. A tank holding 50,000 gallons of water was constructed on a Fox sound stage to create the effects for the flood scenes. 350 grips, carpenters and others worked on these sequences for more than a month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <it and="" author="" background="" bromfield="" characters="" environment="" grow="" must="" of="" out="" philosophy="" rathe="" s="" span="" story="" that="" the="" their="" was="">It was author Bromfield's philosophy that "the story must grow out of the characters, their environment and background" rather than "be imposed on a plot."  </it>The natural disaster of the earthquake, along with the flood, fires and cholera that follow, profoundly alters each main character. Tom Ransome and Lady Esketh, both molded in the world of the British aristocracy, are transformed. Ransome, whose expat life in exotic Ranchipur had grown dissolute and stale, is restored, finding new purpose in the aftermath through service to the Maharani and in discovering new love. Edwina Esketh, once the incarnation of chilly self-indulgence, volunteers at Major Safti's hospital. Having fallen in love with the doctor and no longer in predatory pursuit of him, she wishes to be useful and helpful in his work. Noble Major Safti, who has been a model of duty and devotion to his country as well as a symbol of "the new India," realizes that he cannot - and will not - reason away what has awakened in his heart. These characters and a narrative of illicit love set in a colonial outpost are what make The Rains Came connect as something more than a beautifully filmed and scored special effects extravaganza. Cast against type (something that rarely happened once she became MGM's "ideal wife"), Myrna Loy is entirely believable as man-eating Edwin Esketh, a spoiled woman who is humbled and changed by love and circumstance. Sparks fly when Loy shares the screen with Tyrone Power. One of Power's strengths is his ability to underplay in intimate scenes. His resonant voice softens and takes on a hint of velvet as he communicates emotion through his eyes. The effect is heart-melting warmth. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Loy and Power share one especially tender scene that takes place in the early morning on a hospital ward. That scene is included at the end of the following clip which also contains a classic sequence in which the very tired Lady Esketh makes and then realizes that she's made a horrific mistake (listen for the sustained-string musical cue): 6/3/13 update: the YouTube clip originally included below was recently deleted from the site. <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q08NLpvtdKw" width="420"></iframe></div>     George Brent, who received third billing, is the actual male lead and he, like Loy, believably conveys his character's transformation, in Ransome's case from roue to responsible citizen.  Ransome's involvement with infatuated young Fern Simon (Brenda Joyce) is the film's other dangerous romance.  She is very young, he is decades older and has a reputation. This was Joyce's film debut and it shows. She is a beautiful girl but green and awkward onscreen. Zanuck had initially considered Lana Turner for the role but, unfortunately, settled on the Fox starlet instead. Solid in supporting roles are Nigel Bruce (Lord Esketh), Maria Ouspenskaya (Maharani), H.B. Warner (Maharajah) and Mary Nash (Miss McDaid). As was the custom then, all the key Indian characters are portrayed by Caucasian actors: Power, Ouspenskaya, Warner and Joseph Schildkraut (Mr. Bannerjee). <a href="http://www.americancomposers.org/raksin_newman.htm">Alfred Newman</a>'s stunning score for The Rains Came is a favorite of mine.  Dramatic (the main theme) and romantic (he uses the sweet and haunting "Hindoo Love Song" as Lady Esketh and Major Safti's love theme), it is also chilling (the music cues that signal danger, as in the scene shown above). Newman received an Oscar nomination for his score (as well as for three other films he scored that year: Wuthering Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and They Shall Have Music). In all, Alfred Newman was nominated for 45 Oscars, won 9 (a record) and is considered one of the "three godfathers" of film music along with Max Steiner and Dmitri Tiomkin. The Rains Came does not masquerade as a realistic depiction of India in the 1930s (there is no mention of Gandhi or British oppression), it is a visually dazzling romantic epic - a true Hollywood Movie - and irresistible. <div style="text-align: center;">~</div> The Rains Came airs Friday morning, February 8, at 9:30am Eastern/6:30am Pacific on Turner Classic Movies as part of its annual "31 Days of Oscar" celebration. <div style="text-align: center;">~</div> Oscar Nominations Special Effects  - Fred Sersen, E.H. Hansen (winner) Music/Original Score - Alfred Newman Cinematography - Arthur C. Miller Art Direction - William S. Darling, George Dudley Film Editing - Barbara McLean Sound Recording - E. H. Hansen <div style="text-align: center;">~</div> This post is my entry in the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon hosted by Once Upon a Screen, Outspoken & Freckled and Paula's Cinema Club. <a href="http://aurorasginjoint.com/2013/01/25/31-days-of-oscar-blogathon-update/">Click here</a> for a link to a listing of participating blogs. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3eoOGICxHW-Y6uyYwtrldKgho0M892BimA6IloWOnzR_VZMOBkQ6RsdreIOVnnncnqdBlujJOP5yeC98mBzdrGFPaCLFPAvjjoxSS2UXfFTS8VSyHH_PNkfLwAnrXyMegSVWYwDe-24/s1600/31days-800_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3eoOGICxHW-Y6uyYwtrldKgho0M892BimA6IloWOnzR_VZMOBkQ6RsdreIOVnnncnqdBlujJOP5yeC98mBzdrGFPaCLFPAvjjoxSS2UXfFTS8VSyHH_PNkfLwAnrXyMegSVWYwDe-24/s320/31days-800_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>

1939 31 Days of Oscar 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon Best Special Effects Clarence Brown Fred Sersen George Brent Myrna Loy Special Effects TCM The Lady Eve (author) The Rains Came Tyrone Power 31 Days of Oscar: The Rains Came (1939)

There is no mistaking that drama on a grand scale is about to take place even before the first scene of The Rains Came (1939) begins. Alfred...

SWORD PLAY AND NOIR ON A MONDAY NIGHT

9:12 PM Tukiyooo 0

Errol Flynn; Jose Ferrer; The Mark of Zorro; Adventures of Don Juan; Cyrano de Bergerac; The Lady Eve; Noir City XI Sword Play TCM Tyrone Power SWORD PLAY AND NOIR ON A MONDAY NIGHT

I wasn’t sure, exactly, what the word meant and was curious, so I went to the Internet in search of an answer. There I found the verb swashb...

A Noir Year Begins...

6:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b1DDB1Rj6ryDm8pJT9N1a0z7gbynqtKfxLDY_CVXhzSB3gRgChu5i8TkvdOnndcItqBk-2swsLOJwR20N8YNw7fDIHqbHCfC2JSUdEKSWldo1I84xOg6Wz7iIuab_qra8GjMVcPn_Rk/s1600/Noir+City+XI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b1DDB1Rj6ryDm8pJT9N1a0z7gbynqtKfxLDY_CVXhzSB3gRgChu5i8TkvdOnndcItqBk-2swsLOJwR20N8YNw7fDIHqbHCfC2JSUdEKSWldo1I84xOg6Wz7iIuab_qra8GjMVcPn_Rk/s400/Noir+City+XI.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">January 2013 brings, at last, the much-anticipated Noir City XI, San Francisco's 11th annual film noir festival. Presented by the Film Noir Foundation at the city’s landmark movie palace, the Castro Theatre, the festival runs from January 25 – February 3 and will showcase 27 films! <a name='more'></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehayca4cPbOQIFjNMSaCn0wUgcajvj3Kum_zyT-FOh06P2MyfOuGhpvtyMAidl9RpwJ0D6deEKmwcomgBote3khou4VQih7wYasYACxz1FDKmFinQbobZBIM4mKX4WUXXBYGRrS6DYHc/s1600/Noir+City+Schedule.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehayca4cPbOQIFjNMSaCn0wUgcajvj3Kum_zyT-FOh06P2MyfOuGhpvtyMAidl9RpwJ0D6deEKmwcomgBote3khou4VQih7wYasYACxz1FDKmFinQbobZBIM4mKX4WUXXBYGRrS6DYHc/s400/Noir+City+Schedule.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal">Noir City XI begins with an opening night tribute to genre legend Peggy Cummins. Following Film Noir Foundation founder/<a href="http://www.eddiemuller.com/inprint.html">author</a>/film historian Eddie Muller’s onstage interview with Miss Cummins, Gun Crazy (1950), the noir classic that made her an icon, will screen. Other festival highlights include three world premiere restorations along with the U.S. premiere of 4K digital restorations of Sunset Blvd. (1950) and Experiment in Terror (1962). Also premiering will be 4K digital restorations of two of 1953’s first 3-D films, Inferno and Man in the Dark. But wait, there’s more… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROtlqPsoNY8Zo4G0O15zbZ2iwovG3eMRnY8nzM31UI9wzcFhMI6nez-y8ViJd_SfzVh4HmD3QNVfdqkjJaqYdAudDgWQgVeVodKQh7ntpOj9xsl2Sd_GhFA8QpL99yNRQekuyWYuBsNw/s1600/Noir+City+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROtlqPsoNY8Zo4G0O15zbZ2iwovG3eMRnY8nzM31UI9wzcFhMI6nez-y8ViJd_SfzVh4HmD3QNVfdqkjJaqYdAudDgWQgVeVodKQh7ntpOj9xsl2Sd_GhFA8QpL99yNRQekuyWYuBsNw/s320/Noir+City+Party.jpg" width="102" /></a></div>Returning with the 2013 festival will be the Noir City Nightclub event, set for Saturday night, February 2, at San Francisco's Regency Lodge. There'll be music - from jazz to noir-pop to the torch stylings of songstress Laura Ellis - and dancing and cocktails and a walk on the wild side courtesy of "international striptease sensation" Evie Lovelle. Czar of Noir Eddie Muller, who not only founded the FNF in 2002 but also emcees the San Francisco festival (and nightclub), is also about to appear on Turner Classic Movies. Beginning at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific on Thursday, January 17, Muller will co-host "A Night in Noir City" with Robert Osborne. On the schedule are five films: Cry Danger (1951) starring Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming, Phil Karlson's 99 River Street (1953) with John Payne and Evelyn Keyes, Tomorrow is Another Day (1951) with Steve Cochran and Ruth Roman, Michael Curtiz's The Breaking Point (1950) starring John Garfield and Patricia Neal and The Prowler (1951), directed by Joseph Losey and starring Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBp5s8G66WUUtR9kr_5EqLM9eXKXipU_WQ4zgXBBoZLXxXhFpSMsVdQ9JmQp5-oHxmMXrnAB5UTQzjky9NlXQMw4ueNTKZRHOMhCtNxSdKxN1dDbZrxz3BWTy8id3pfMMC3zGbMtjxac/s1600/Osborne+and+Muller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBp5s8G66WUUtR9kr_5EqLM9eXKXipU_WQ4zgXBBoZLXxXhFpSMsVdQ9JmQp5-oHxmMXrnAB5UTQzjky9NlXQMw4ueNTKZRHOMhCtNxSdKxN1dDbZrxz3BWTy8id3pfMMC3zGbMtjxac/s400/Osborne+and+Muller.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Osborne and Eddie Muller, A Night in Noir City, January 17</td></tr></tbody></table> In his 1998 book Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, Muller contended that among the many film varieties to come out of the studio era, film noir held up best: "Film noir pointed toward the black core of corruption in our "civilized" society and our primitive essence. The struggle of the individual to transcend or escape provided the emotional tension. That's the theme that makes noir so compelling for the contemporary crowd." Muller was onto something, for over time film noir has proven to be a genre of lasting appeal. With each successive year, the popularity of Noir City has grown, its program schedule has expanded and the Film Noir Foundation has been able to restore ever more films. Today, San Francisco's noir-fest is the kick off point for other film noir festivals around the country, with Noir City events following in Seattle in February, Los Angeles in April, Chicago in August and Washington, DC, in October. <a href="http://www.noircity.com/index.html">Click here</a> to learn more about Noir City <a href="http://www.noircity.com/foundation.html">Click here</a> to learn more about the Film Noir Foundation <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlTjWLl_WHVr178XvMV4daAWTjFf0nSNF944Jt99yyWUcGtODvax1uh6VvREyRce2qscg84oiXpqXVQtuD0Q6AUmTeKXuo4m646QaFCsXHSa97zSIAghyphenhyphenXV0CO9oxbZXVgGvZlTwidhc/s1600/Eddie-Muller-Gun-Crazy-star-Peggy-Cummins-485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlTjWLl_WHVr178XvMV4daAWTjFf0nSNF944Jt99yyWUcGtODvax1uh6VvREyRce2qscg84oiXpqXVQtuD0Q6AUmTeKXuo4m646QaFCsXHSa97zSIAghyphenhyphenXV0CO9oxbZXVgGvZlTwidhc/s320/Eddie-Muller-Gun-Crazy-star-Peggy-Cummins-485.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy Cummins and Eddie Muller backstage at TCM's 2012 Classic Film Festival</td></tr></tbody></table>  </div>

Eddie Muller Film Noir Film Noir Festival Film Noir Foundation Noir City XI Peggy Cummins TCM The Lady Eve (author) A Noir Year Begins...

January 2013 brings, at last, the much-anticipated Noir City XI, San Francisco's 11 th annual film noir festival. Presented by the Film...

Halloween Treats

6:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxwlzA8oK8wf0VYIaqBupsZEjT3OLbVnO2kYYDguCeZT6x1onHqUFchaQVX-gUoFBut6xZwtIHZJA0LyEZMmCs6RVx353lI2dyID_GeG9wcVp9qRVZczUKO8dGiX0d_X3KgUnqSIumO4/s1600/meet+me+in+st+louis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxwlzA8oK8wf0VYIaqBupsZEjT3OLbVnO2kYYDguCeZT6x1onHqUFchaQVX-gUoFBut6xZwtIHZJA0LyEZMmCs6RVx353lI2dyID_GeG9wcVp9qRVZczUKO8dGiX0d_X3KgUnqSIumO4/s400/meet+me+in+st+louis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joan Carroll and Margaret O'Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis</td></tr></tbody></table>The origins of Halloween go back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced sow<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ˊ-in). Samhain began on the eve of October 31 and heralded the Celtic New Year on November 1. The Celts believed that during Samhain the divide between the living and the dead vanished, allowing spirits of the departed to briefly visit the world of the living. With the advent of Christianity, the Celtic New Year was <a name='more'></a> refashioned as All-Saints Day (November 1) and October 31, now known as All Hallows Eve, ushered in a festival called All Hallows. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovGAj-VERPwhuvuEijlT6CZI7WCZ26HS-6641oN_1gyjwrJhc58DHBfwwUUGTUwaNwmPMUK_8jT5mKvoCBQRG9lzGzY94SM4VQ7EugVp65ROhMKXe652Ri71pzOPWIVIfSa1VerK-OX0/s1600/innocents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovGAj-VERPwhuvuEijlT6CZI7WCZ26HS-6641oN_1gyjwrJhc58DHBfwwUUGTUwaNwmPMUK_8jT5mKvoCBQRG9lzGzY94SM4VQ7EugVp65ROhMKXe652Ri71pzOPWIVIfSa1VerK-OX0/s400/innocents.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Innocence</td></tr></tbody></table> Today, October 31st is celebrated as Halloween, a night of costumed revelry and, if we're young or young at heart, "trick or treating." We classic film buffs usually include classic ghost or horror films as part of the holiday's festivities. This October, Turner Classic Movies has been offering "spooktacular" "fright films" with 'Classic Horror' every Wednesday though Halloween. Among the films featured so far was one of my own eerie favorites, Jack Clayton's <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/09/nuanced-terror-jack-claytons-innocents.html">The Innocents</a> (1961), based on a stage play of the same name that was an adaptation of the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw. Deborah Kerr starred and considered her performance as the distressed governess of two precocious children the best of her career. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXvzxFor2xSg2soRUJvFdTxRBRHv9S4at3yMSKnlhXUsIiij8OPr1T_YkUlrtfdTUHQAkXrXLKQ9oRRzNE1Jwup5L_REoa3EM7TZlkBsR-ZW2VyIxKN8rMu7IpUCnYWDK4wGugSN8DDg/s1600/Uninvited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXvzxFor2xSg2soRUJvFdTxRBRHv9S4at3yMSKnlhXUsIiij8OPr1T_YkUlrtfdTUHQAkXrXLKQ9oRRzNE1Jwup5L_REoa3EM7TZlkBsR-ZW2VyIxKN8rMu7IpUCnYWDK4wGugSN8DDg/s320/Uninvited.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...uninvited</td></tr></tbody></table> TCM also aired the 1944 ghost classic The Uninvited as part of this month's "scarefest." Lighter but reminiscent in some ways of the Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), it stars Ray Milland, features the film debut of Gail Russell and introduced Victor Young's classic song "<a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/10/haunting-melody-of-uninvited-1944.html">Stella by Starlight</a>." I took a closer look at both The Uninvited and Rebecca last November with <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/11/chill-in-air-part-i.html">A Chill in the Air Part I</a> and <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/11/chill-in-air-part-ii.html">Part II</a>. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8koTCQAukMVQ5JD49HhgxuGNCPHDHo8tY-2UbyLdzp8iWDbf6Njp_nWNf7dBp3U6yQoA8sE8gi73VHXnlYcwJ4j9_Jp-q_HVkzZEHaoVFyxZAntPhXmZ5y22IB-S-cx033Hjl9aVc5Q/s1600/a+witch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8koTCQAukMVQ5JD49HhgxuGNCPHDHo8tY-2UbyLdzp8iWDbf6Njp_nWNf7dBp3U6yQoA8sE8gi73VHXnlYcwJ4j9_Jp-q_HVkzZEHaoVFyxZAntPhXmZ5y22IB-S-cx033Hjl9aVc5Q/s320/a+witch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...a witch</td></tr></tbody></table> Also spotlighted on TCM this month, though as part of its political series rather than a lead-in to Halloween, was Rene Clair's I Married a Witch (1942), starring Veronica Lake as a 300 year old witch and Fredric March as a rising politician. <a href="http://anotheroldmovieblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/i-married-witch-1942.html">Click here</a> for Jacqueline T. Lynch's thoroughly entertaining review at Another Old Movie Blog. Tonight, All Hallows Eve has finally arrived and Turner Classic Movies is featuring Universal horror classics: Frankenstein (1931), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), The Mummy (1932), The Mummy's Hand (1940) and Island of Lost Souls (1933). And my costume choice this year:  <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4whrqnLb-Mup_LrqE4lTdSUvf2CFmT_wnjJ_vqS6NrpfNJXpN7cvhR_uj5nwi5u4d4QChHGKhlwaaG9hw85LPZDyUlqGOMW9vzKCk68wHJdXYhND1hTc_AxSHmiS-RwFpbz48ZvZehg/s1600/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys_Audrey-Hepburn-cat-mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4whrqnLb-Mup_LrqE4lTdSUvf2CFmT_wnjJ_vqS6NrpfNJXpN7cvhR_uj5nwi5u4d4QChHGKhlwaaG9hw85LPZDyUlqGOMW9vzKCk68wHJdXYhND1hTc_AxSHmiS-RwFpbz48ZvZehg/s400/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys_Audrey-Hepburn-cat-mask.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>

halloween I Married a Witch Rebecca TCM The Innocents The Lady Eve (author) The Uninvited Halloween Treats

Joan Carroll and Margaret O'Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis The origins of Halloween go back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samha...

Prize Pack Giveaway this Weekend for Upcoming "To Kill a Mockingbird" Screening...Plus...

12:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjIANNiG0J-GTBlgvQZkxBD3KjrN0uzwkQ0hKspP4_P15LBTOrLNkC8HLGqvWqLcTrUIuNk5pZoyomeN-2bTKiWjhkK-siJDpIlbNYWHNhM-ZPl4B-NkQYF1eNm4VB-Q7Hv6IM3FxhE0/s1600/To+Kill+a+Mockingbird+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjIANNiG0J-GTBlgvQZkxBD3KjrN0uzwkQ0hKspP4_P15LBTOrLNkC8HLGqvWqLcTrUIuNk5pZoyomeN-2bTKiWjhkK-siJDpIlbNYWHNhM-ZPl4B-NkQYF1eNm4VB-Q7Hv6IM3FxhE0/s1600/To+Kill+a+Mockingbird+2.jpg" /></a></div> The Lady Eve's Reel Life is pleased to take part in a "prize pack" giveaway sponsored by Fathom Events and Harper Perennial books in celebration of the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1962 film version of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1289793/Dont-mention-mockingbird-Meet-Harper-Lee-reclusive-novelist-wrote-classic-novel-mesmerised-40-million-readers.html">Harper Lee</a>'s acclaimed novel. </div><div class="MsoNormal"> <a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The prize pack consists of a pair of tickets to the special presentation on Thursday, November 15th, when movie theaters throughout the U.S. will screen the film - as well as a copy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Update: ClassicBecky's name was drawn, she's been contacted and will soon receive her prize, a pair of tickets as well as the novel, from Fathom Events/Harper Perennial. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">To participate, first <a href="http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/alllocations.aspx?eventid=1106" target="_blank">click here</a> for a list of participating theaters to make sure there is a screening at a theater near you. Next, comment on this post (and feel free to share it on your own blog, Facebook and/or Twitter). Finally, I'll select a winner at random on Sunday, October 28. (For more information contact <a href="mailto:ladyevesidwich@gmail.com">ladyevesidwich@gmail.com</a>.) </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzB6MOWGrxLXzBF8EBYkmZyOCVW1oSbjARjeAo8pRxNrD1u2B9mVzcHDyIL8h3P-x7iaXsJumPel_DaLcRyoJtF_3pa0IupeBTTnKen0urv1l7Vyt-g9LVj_CAYVJu_TBgL8FiBruyIQ/s1600/Gregory+Peck+with+Oscar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzB6MOWGrxLXzBF8EBYkmZyOCVW1oSbjARjeAo8pRxNrD1u2B9mVzcHDyIL8h3P-x7iaXsJumPel_DaLcRyoJtF_3pa0IupeBTTnKen0urv1l7Vyt-g9LVj_CAYVJu_TBgL8FiBruyIQ/s200/Gregory+Peck+with+Oscar.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gregory Peck with Oscar and Sophia Loren</td></tr></tbody></table>This special presentation is the fourth event of the TCM Event Series in conjunction with NCM Fathom and Universal pictures. The film has been newly restored by Universal in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The presentation will begin with an introduction by Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz, who will take viewers behind the scenes on the making of the timeless classic via interviews from the TCM Archives. To Kill a Mockingbird was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It garnered three - Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Sceenplay and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. Future Best Actor Oscar-winner Robert Duvall made his big screen debut in the film as the enigmatic 'Boo Radley.' To Kill a Mockingbird is a film with both a message and a heart. The event and book make for a perfectly serendipitous lead-in to the Thanksgiving season. <div style="text-align: center;">   </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9C9p5eHeLOM" width="560"></iframe></div>

Gregory Peck Harper Perennial NCM Fathom TCM The Lady Eve (author) ticket giveaway To Kill a Mockingbird Prize Pack Giveaway this Weekend for Upcoming "To Kill a Mockingbird" Screening...Plus...

The Lady Eve's Reel Life is pleased to take part in a "prize pack" giveaway sponsored by Fathom Events and Harper Perennial bo...

A Film to Watch for...on TCM Next Week

6:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SIpQIIOqfroYZX3nwXvMP9JhV_F_UleKT6kYTVQAsVPcRjG1QY5YAUGkiXmjndMQXqVU-HLUw-YxlzX08Y7MBc8IQquZO3zdAEjxOa2CUm2twMaRnKL4Z_4dFdoF9nrCf-2-IIB6zqI/s1600/Poster+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SIpQIIOqfroYZX3nwXvMP9JhV_F_UleKT6kYTVQAsVPcRjG1QY5YAUGkiXmjndMQXqVU-HLUw-YxlzX08Y7MBc8IQquZO3zdAEjxOa2CUm2twMaRnKL4Z_4dFdoF9nrCf-2-IIB6zqI/s1600/Poster+3.jpg" /></a></div> Actress Jeanne Eagels, one of the great legends of early 20th century American theater, became the toast of the New York stage by the time she was 30. She most famously originated the role of Sadie Thompson on Broadway in John Colton's Rain (based on a Somerset Maugham short story); the play ultimately ran for a record-setting 648 performances. Eagels appeared in only a handful films during her career, most of them silents. The two sound films she did make were both produced in 1929, and she received a Best Actress nod for her performance in the first, a film adaptation of Somerset Maugham's The Letter. But Eagels' contention for an Academy Award occurred posthumously, for she had passed away, at age 39, in October 1929. <a name='more'></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The acclaimed <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2012/06/william-wylers-letter-1940-starting.html">Bette Davis/William Wyler re-make of The Letter</a> (1940) has been seen far more widely than the earlier Eagels/Jean de Limur version, but on October 24, Turner Classic Movies will air the 1929 original. New York Times film critic Dave Kehr has described Eagels' acting style as "radically innovative," and next Wednesday morning TCM viewers will have a chance to find out why. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31tJT3mXKvdrDOcGHmKaZz79JN4eNPtIaBRsQGy6tcbCmd7hotrnMHCT8xYvGnMkiKdZKDjQ609ena47leTjN1z_cYHrNMfkPfV9shai54m37ZYEgIrI7Oip53KLLfjhlVrlYH2g0pXA/s1600/Eagels+and+Marshall+The+Letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31tJT3mXKvdrDOcGHmKaZz79JN4eNPtIaBRsQGy6tcbCmd7hotrnMHCT8xYvGnMkiKdZKDjQ609ena47leTjN1z_cYHrNMfkPfV9shai54m37ZYEgIrI7Oip53KLLfjhlVrlYH2g0pXA/s400/Eagels+and+Marshall+The+Letter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanne Eagels and Herbert Marshall in The Letter (1929)</td></tr></tbody></table> Jeanne Eagels was born Eugenia Eagles in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1890. She left school to go to work while still a child and joined the Dubinsky Brothers traveling theater company as a dancer sometime between the age of 12 and 15. There she would eventually take lead roles in popular dramas such as "Camille, " "Romeo and Juliet" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Eagels later joined another touring company and made her way to New York where she hoped to develop her career. Though she was, for a time, a 'Ziegfeld Girl,' her primary focus was to build a theatrical reputation on the 'legitimate stage.' She was cast in a variety of small roles and, at some point, apparently developed a distinctly British accent off-stage. It was while she was vacationing in Paris that American actor Julian Etinge noticed and admired her, though they did not meet at that time. As it turned out, Etinge and Eagels would soon co-star in "The Crinoline Girl" (1914). <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RI0GrhW-iFRJd9ITlMjk6zTO_a1iMUUAw6wn35D8sHPyy4eMU7S3CZQlWSuzNRhotVfEv4ewHFyxRfaefmVSWOJEc5bpAL47MaImvwjEBO7R2ishVfKZM-6fD5Xvo76-EfN4keFQLg/s1600/Portrait+of+Eagels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RI0GrhW-iFRJd9ITlMjk6zTO_a1iMUUAw6wn35D8sHPyy4eMU7S3CZQlWSuzNRhotVfEv4ewHFyxRfaefmVSWOJEc5bpAL47MaImvwjEBO7R2ishVfKZM-6fD5Xvo76-EfN4keFQLg/s320/Portrait+of+Eagels.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Jeanne Eagels, 1918</td></tr></tbody></table>In early 1916, Eagels earned her first Broadway credit with a featured role in "The Great Pursuit," which ran for just 29 performances. It was in 1917 that her star truly began to rise over The Great White Way with co-starring roles in three plays opposite George Arliss: "The Professor's Love Story," "Disraeli," and "Hamilton."  She went on to appear opposite George Abbott in David Belasco's hit, "Daddies," from 1918 - 1919. Eagels was so popular in her 1920 starring role in "The Wonderful Thing" that her entrances were greeted with such enthusiastic applause she had to wait for the house to quiet before she could go on. She opened in "Rain" in 1922 and it ran on Broadway and on tour over the next four years. She turned down many roles following the play's enormous success (including the role of Roxie Hart in the 1926 production of "Chicago"), but returned to Broadway in 1926 for George Cukor's production of "Her Cardboard Lover" with Leslie Howard. Before going on tour with "Her Cardboard Lover," Eagels took time out to star in MGM's silent production of the Monta Bell-directed "Man, Woman and Sin" (1927) opposite silent screen idol John Gilbert. Bell would produce and write the dialogue for her talking debut in The Letter two years later. At the height of her stage career Eagels, who had health issues along with a fondness for alcohol, became notably unreliable. When, in 1928, she failed to appear for scheduled performances of "Her Cardboard Lover" in Milwaukee and St. Louis, the show's producers requested that Actor's Equity ban her from appearing on stage with other Equity members. An 18 month ban ensued. During that time she appeared on the vaudeville circuit performing scenes from "Rain."  She was also free to make films - for which stage actors with trained voices were now in great demand. Following her high-voltage performance in "The Letter," Eagels starred opposite Fredric March in Jealousy (1929). This film was also re-made much later with Bette Davis in the starring role - as Deception in 1946. Eagels' next film was to have been The Laughing Lady (1929), but she dropped out of the project and her role went to Ruth Chatterton.  <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaqRkJNZPx65fL9R6zY1vHPXsrX8GzJ0Q3Vy4hOMyRUgiyAXpFEN45ybzxRUB8LgKEI4A6Zl6qQ29DEHBZrqxfnmFsZCiRU7-OAr3Q5fo31l6m-5CfZMrZUU3wJlaeMyUsm27hArlXGk/s1600/Jeanne+Eagels+1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaqRkJNZPx65fL9R6zY1vHPXsrX8GzJ0Q3Vy4hOMyRUgiyAXpFEN45ybzxRUB8LgKEI4A6Zl6qQ29DEHBZrqxfnmFsZCiRU7-OAr3Q5fo31l6m-5CfZMrZUU3wJlaeMyUsm27hArlXGk/s400/Jeanne+Eagels+1921.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanne Eagels, 1921</td></tr></tbody></table> While in New York in September 1929, Jeanne Eagels underwent successful in-patient surgery for ulcers on her eyes.  A few weeks later, apparently fully recovered, she suddenly fell ill. She was taken to a private hospital where, as she waited to be seen by a doctor, she went into convulsions and died.  Three different coroner's reports followed and all agreed that her demise was caused by an overdose - but each named a different substance. One report pointed to alcohol, another blamed chloral hydrate and a third attributed her death to heroin. Jeanne Eagels was admired as an actress by many in her day. Bette Davis was reportedly a fan and Louis B. Mayer, taken with Eagels' performance, purportedly deemed The Letter required viewing for actors under contract to MGM at the time. But Eagels' turbulent life off-screen also inspired. "The Shooting Star," a Broadway play of 1933 starring Francine Lattimore was based on her life. The storyline for Dangerous (1935), the film in which Bette Davis portrayed a declining Broadway star (and for which she won her first Oscar), reflected elements of Eagels' own decline. And, in 1957, Kim Novak starred in the biopic Jeanne Eagels, a film that played fast and loose with the facts of Eagels' life story.   <div style="text-align: center;">~ </div> The Letter (1929) starring Jeanne Eagels, Reginald Owen and Herbert Marshall airs on TCM Wednesday, October 24 at 8:45 am Eastern/4:45 am Pacific. A few hours later, at 11 am Eastern/8 am Pacific, TCM will air the Lewis Milestone-directed version of Rain (1932) starring Joan Crawford. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUQ14UdtR2cYAWaako1MpFkuGU0APGXNGBXza96gwnV5GEzpYl9Q5C_99kHaww7Jmdqy4Z6F5um25bfdu7eXdIb4Qlmfj_cP0PJmxfB6uprtTSgub6I28HXzBOHdF17pfnyk8kCJt2CU/s1600/Eagels+in+The+Letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUQ14UdtR2cYAWaako1MpFkuGU0APGXNGBXza96gwnV5GEzpYl9Q5C_99kHaww7Jmdqy4Z6F5um25bfdu7eXdIb4Qlmfj_cP0PJmxfB6uprtTSgub6I28HXzBOHdF17pfnyk8kCJt2CU/s400/Eagels+in+The+Letter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanne Eagels as Leslie Crosbie in The Letter (1929)</td></tr></tbody></table>Sources: <a href="http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=67400">Internet Broadway DataBase</a> <a href="http://www.jeanneeagels.com/index.html">Jeanne Eagels website </a>

Bette Davis Jean de Limur Jeanne Eagels TCM The Lady Eve (author) The Letter William Wyler A Film to Watch for...on TCM Next Week

Actress J eanne Eagels, one of the great legends of early 20th century American theater, became the toast of the New York stage by the time...

One of Ours...on Turner Classic Movies

7:04 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMCaLOTqRuXXJPZV2mCTU08N4jBwsv7_fN_5t7GGnJ5tfxljU3wobq79I65uli8IHNAMpm_tdH9zVGIM_jW7OutAc5TMem6FCxpbYTYqVuDdCiJGRBTXL8ROsHHbwbxV8rbWufFZgbM4/s1600/moviemorlocksbanner+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuMCaLOTqRuXXJPZV2mCTU08N4jBwsv7_fN_5t7GGnJ5tfxljU3wobq79I65uli8IHNAMpm_tdH9zVGIM_jW7OutAc5TMem6FCxpbYTYqVuDdCiJGRBTXL8ROsHHbwbxV8rbWufFZgbM4/s1600/moviemorlocksbanner+2.jpg" /></a></div> Moira Neylon, aka/moirafinnie, blogger on TCM's Movie Morlocks site and member of the Classic Movie Blog Association, will be a guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies next month. Moira and three other Morlocks will be featured in segments with host Robert Osborne on Friday, November 30; each will discuss a film they've chosen to be screened that evening. <a name='more'></a> I was delighted to discover (thanks to the new issue of TCM's "Now Playing") that Moira selected the classic Jacques Becker crime drama, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (1954), starring the incomparable Jean Gabin in what has been called his "comeback" performance.  It is one of his best. The film also features a young Jeanne Moreau. Keep an eye out for Moira on TCM in November and, if you haven't already, check out her work at <a href="http://moviemorlocks.com/author/moirafinnie/">Movie Morlocks</a> and on her blog, <a href="http://moirasthread.blogspot.com/">The Skeins</a>. On Twitter, she's <a href="https://twitter.com/moirathefinn">@moirathefinn</a>.  She's also active at <a href="http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/">The Silver Screen Oasis</a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyrULspe7JtW4RxPitW_6QF-CMclmPrqk-ksVzg4DGwRS-iGLEMfEVJ8fAylaWvZHM6qXk8gnm-mRbRsWJcVbk32eN39vFYrqWCdm7zFmCBAMVuEZ0w-0TRv1GCo8mY05MSHHeTtRZU/s1600/touchez+pas+au+grisbi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucyrULspe7JtW4RxPitW_6QF-CMclmPrqk-ksVzg4DGwRS-iGLEMfEVJ8fAylaWvZHM6qXk8gnm-mRbRsWJcVbk32eN39vFYrqWCdm7zFmCBAMVuEZ0w-0TRv1GCo8mY05MSHHeTtRZU/s400/touchez+pas+au+grisbi.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>

Moira Neylon moirafinnie Movie Morlocks TCM TCM guest programmers The Lady Eve (author) One of Ours...on Turner Classic Movies

Moira Neylon, aka/moirafinnie, blogger on TCM's Movie Morlocks site and member of the Classic Movie Blog Association, will be a guest pr...

Ticket Giveaway: "The Birds" is Coming!

11:11 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OEaWy6HM3RuNAOT4zJfdXkl1JQzfsRHUN6pHYSPZDKzboVL8KmAyKtc46WGx6fN87P6XQfZp2UNsUXcuwB5IaTiuNtT5B22Z3AmIsG-827rIiVCMZG34xfYlpa8A5lrwKmklMH1eITE/s1600/BIRDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OEaWy6HM3RuNAOT4zJfdXkl1JQzfsRHUN6pHYSPZDKzboVL8KmAyKtc46WGx6fN87P6XQfZp2UNsUXcuwB5IaTiuNtT5B22Z3AmIsG-827rIiVCMZG34xfYlpa8A5lrwKmklMH1eITE/s400/BIRDS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The much-anticipated Turner Classic Movies/NCM Fathom Events presentation of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds screens in theaters nationwide next Wednesday night, September 19, and I'm happy to announce a random drawing for a pair of tickets to the event will be held here at Eve's Reel Life this Sunday, September 16. <a name='more'></a> Please send your entry, including your name, mailing address (no P.O. boxes, please), and theater selection (I need all three) to <a href="mailto:ladyevesidwich@gmail.com">ladyevesidwich@gmail.com</a>. The winner will be contacted immediately and tickets will be sent directly from a representative of  NCM Fathom. <a href="http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/alllocations.aspx?eventid=1104" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a list of participating theaters. Update: On Sept. 16, a winner was selected by random drawing - congratulations to Rebecca in Indiana (and thanks to everyone else who entered the drawing)! This presentation of Hitchcock's 1963 classic thriller, Oscar-nominated for its special effects, will screen at 7pm local time. Special features include an introduction by TCM's Robert Osborne as well as his interview with the film's leading lady, Tippi Hedren. Co-stars Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette will also share on-the-set stories via archival TCM footage. The film itself has been newly restored by Universal in celebration of its 100th anniversary.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7bvNkSvjLnI" width="560"></iframe>

Alfred Hitchcock NCM Fathom TCM The Birds The Lady Eve (author) ticket giveaway Universal Ticket Giveaway: "The Birds" is Coming!

The much-anticipated Turner Classic Movies/NCM Fathom Events presentation of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds screens in theaters nationwid...

Celebrating Choreographer Jack Cole

10:22 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-7DhrEymelKTsCEzJKFimAxcfxdG8eOuKN9rPIOKL-2XNai68QcGhUS98SV_ADZ-B0suFIJOqgmsENfLaMHzEU4h78Dw2NfhK0THdWW0u2QHN59SYNoagmS9ppW9q-PPQ4S60mFyh5Y/s1600/Gilda+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-7DhrEymelKTsCEzJKFimAxcfxdG8eOuKN9rPIOKL-2XNai68QcGhUS98SV_ADZ-B0suFIJOqgmsENfLaMHzEU4h78Dw2NfhK0THdWW0u2QHN59SYNoagmS9ppW9q-PPQ4S60mFyh5Y/s1600/Gilda+resized.jpg" /></a></div> Turner Classic Movies honors jazz-dance pioneer Jack Cole on Monday night, September 10, with a five-movie tribute to his film work. The choreographer, credited with playing a key role in defining the onscreen personas of Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe, has been the subject of several articles by noted Los Angeles Times dance writer and critic, Debra Levine, who co-hosts TCM’s tribute with Robert Osborne.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">If Jack Cole’s name doesn't ring a bell, here are a few examples of his choreography… From Gilda (1946):</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b8rCamyhx34" width="420"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>From Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953):  <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GfNQpnbwH14" width="420"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>From There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954): <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AvhSBBPkrvI" width="420"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>From Designing Woman (1957): <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dT9ZH9r6U7I" width="420"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>From Les Girls (1957): <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ROXbYtzu2y0" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div>In all, Jack Cole worked on two dozen films from the ‘40s to the ‘60s. He had been in great demand from the beginning - Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth sought him - and, after she worked with him on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe insisted on his participation for every film she made that included a musical routine. <div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Cole also worked in TV, in clubs and on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1966 for Man of La Mancha(1965 – 1971). <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBV6yCxT2nl0Wpogu7h3NR6qvACf-V-WwO45yDV0DgB1IkK9q1zDiUp5vYm8ejywWxmzCBdP-1HGyZ8kPthISMjRkOI2T2buN9QX7qBGINilSGStF5NC23UZcd2IVPbyuT2tAKNPHUvg/s1600/rehearsing+Diamonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBV6yCxT2nl0Wpogu7h3NR6qvACf-V-WwO45yDV0DgB1IkK9q1zDiUp5vYm8ejywWxmzCBdP-1HGyZ8kPthISMjRkOI2T2buN9QX7qBGINilSGStF5NC23UZcd2IVPbyuT2tAKNPHUvg/s400/rehearsing+Diamonds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Cole and Marilyn Monroe rehearsing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"</td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="text-align: center;">Choreography by Jack Cole on TCM Monday, September 10 (all times Eastern/Pacific)</div> 8pm/5pm - Tonight and Every Night (1945) starring Rita Hayworth 10pm/7pm - On the Riviera (1951) starring Danny Kaye and Gene Tierney 11:45pm/8:45pm - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell 1:30am/10:30pm - Les Girls (1957) starring Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor and Kay Kendall 3:30am/12:30am - River of No Return (1954) starring Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum Debra Levine has written several detailed pieces on the life and work of Jack Cole. Click on titles for links: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-marilyn-monroe9-2009aug09,0,5569636.story" target="_blank">Jack Cole Made Marilyn Monroe Move</a> <a href="http://www.danceheritage.org/treasures/cole_essay_levine.pdf" target="_blank">Jack Cole (1911 - 1974)</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debra-levine/american-master-choreogra_b_687036.html" target="_blank">American Master Choreographer Jack Cole Feted at Jacob's Pillow</a> <div style="text-align: center;">"Amada Mio" from Gilda </div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FEKLBfjG05c" width="420"></iframe></div></div>

Debra Levine Jack Cole Marilyn Monroe Rita Hayworth TCM The Lady Eve (author) Celebrating Choreographer Jack Cole

Turner Classic Movies honors jazz-dance pioneer Jack Cole on Monday night, September 10, with a five-movie tribute to his film work. The cho...