Let's Go to the Movies!

Friends, I don't have anything sewing-related I want to share today so let's talk old movies.

I have been a movie buff since I was a kid and I continue to be one, though my tastes have evolved over the decades.

There's a lot of be critical of when it comes to old Hollywood, most specifically the way they presented racial and ethnic minorities when they bothered to present them at all.  The way they depicted the relationships between the sexes was often cringe-worthy.  To say the movies reflected their times sounds like a cop-out.  They both reflected and reinforced these attitudes which today are considered (by most but sadly not all) offensive.

All that said, there's still a lot to admire about a great many old films, particularly the skills on display in everything from cinematography to scoring to costume design.  And then there are the old stars whose charisma and artistry keeps them famous to this day.

Most of us are familiar with the great classics; the four films below are what might be regarded as second tier, not because they are less entertaining or low budget (they aren't) but because they're lesser known.  Perhaps that's why they seem fresher to me.

These films are all hosted on the site OK.ru, which is like the Russian Facebook or YouTube.  The links are provided, you just have to supersize the viewer screen as you do on YouTube.  American copyright laws seem not to be enforced there and that's fine by me. None of the people involved in making these films would benefit even if they were.

If you watch any or all of these films, I'd love to hear what you think of them!

The Gilded Lily (Paramount, 1935)  Costumes by Travis Banton.

Claudette Colbert was one of the most delightful light comediennes of the 1930's and 40's, and some of her best performances were opposite the underrated Fred MacMurray (this is one of his earliest films).   The Gilded Lily is relatively obscure, overshadowed by the classic It Happened One Night of the previous year.  I find it charming: extremely romantic and earthy in a way that Depression-era films often were.  It includes some wonderful background footage of mid-Thirties New York City though it was filmed entirely in Hollywood.  The Travis Banton costumes are beautiful and Colbert wears them to perfection.  Great screen chemistry between the leads and there's one hilarious musical number: Colbert could also sing.

Watch it here.

Two Girls on Broadway (MGM, 1940)  Costumes by Dolly Tree

Lana Turner isn't everybody's cup of tea.  She's often dismissed as a wholly "manufactured" star who wasn't particularly talented.  But before all of the scandals, shellacked hairdos and Jean Louis wardrobes, when she was just getting started, she proved she could handle anything, including this somewhat hokey quasi-musical in which she dances up a storm.  At just 19, she is already a pro (and stunning).  This is a very different Lana than you'd expect if you've only seen her late-career melodramas like Peyton Place or Madame X.

Watch it here.

Road House (Twentieth Century Fox,1948)  Costumes by Kay Nelson 

Ida Lupino rarely got the top-notch roles that dramatic actresses like Bette Davis or Joan Crawford did, but she was tremendously talented (and not only as an actress but also as a director).  Even though she was British (from a family of stage performers), she was utterly believable as a tough American girl treated badly by men, which was the the role she most often played.  Road House has everything: hunky men, sexual tension, great film noir atmosphere, and some classic songs sung in Ida's vodka voice.  I could watch this one again and again and have.

Watch it here.

The Pajama Game (Warner Brothers, 1957) Costumes by William & Jean Eckart

What can you say about Doris Day that hasn't been said already?  She could do it all: drama, musicals, light comedy, even Hitchcock.  She was always committed, always gave it her all.  The Pajama Game is one of the best screen adaptations of a Broadway musical ever: they get everything right. Though she's the only lead not from the original Broadway cast, Doris fits in perfectly.  As a bonus, this film features a LOT of sewing machines!

Watch it here.

Readers, I hope these help to keep you smiling during these trying times.

Enjoy!