Search found 114 matches

by Ayres
April 18th, 2008, 10:54 am
Forum: Musicals
Topic: How do you categorize musicals?
Replies: 15
Views: 6435

Re: How do you categorize musicals?

Wow--great question. I could probably write a treatise about this, of course, but I guess the short answer would be First of all, are they Astaire or non-Astaire? [wink] Mainly I tend to think of them by studio, because there was a style that each studio imprinted on them and many other genres. Some...
by Ayres
April 10th, 2008, 8:39 am
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Who is Virginia O'Brien?
Replies: 13
Views: 6896

Musicals

As I wrote a few years back on the old site, to like musicals (and nobody says you have to!) you must accept their conventions, just as to like action/adventure movies you must accept theirs. In action/adventure, you have to suspend disbelief on a number of fronts: One man can easily elude several a...
by Ayres
April 9th, 2008, 8:16 am
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Who is Virginia O'Brien?
Replies: 13
Views: 6896

Did you see this article, Ollie?

http://www.classicimages.com/1999/janua ... brien.html

The thing that intrigues me about O'Brien is how lovely she was, with those tilted eyes and (when you can glimpse it) a very sweet smile. Like Lucy, a gorgeous comedienne.
by Ayres
April 9th, 2008, 8:12 am
Forum: Games and Trivia
Topic: What do you know about moviemaking superstitions?
Replies: 2
Views: 12586

There may be superstitions unique to moviemaking, but I imagine that many of the ones observed are, as you point out, simply theatrical superstitions that carried over. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrical_superstitions By the way, I've got professional actor friends who have never worried about ...
by Ayres
March 27th, 2008, 1:54 pm
Forum: The People of Film
Topic: Celebrity Lookalikes
Replies: 24
Views: 9247

I hope no one thought I was being disrespectful to Fred Astaire or Stan Laurel. I love them both. I could never imagine Stan dancing with Ginger though. Gosh, no. Astaire himself often remarked on the resemblance (though I generally find Fred handsomer), and it's especially startling in photos of t...
by Ayres
March 11th, 2008, 3:14 pm
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Follow the Fleet/Roberta - Fred & Ginger
Replies: 23
Views: 32057

I'm just about there on the Chaplin. I'll get there on the Fred and Ginger movies, eventually. My small daughter can tell Gene Kelly from Fred Astaire :D Please give her a big hug for me! My favorite is when someone asks me, "What was that movie where Fred Astaire is wearing tails and dancing ...
by Ayres
March 11th, 2008, 12:25 pm
Forum: Games and Trivia
Topic: Money: How Far Does a Buck Go in Classic Film?
Replies: 52
Views: 62603

This is a fascinating, and very useful, thread. I'm writing a romance novel in which a student wins a cash prize for writing in 1938. I originally had her winning $50, but my father said that $25 would be much closer to a prize amount awarded by a small college in those days--and that would have bee...
by Ayres
March 11th, 2008, 12:09 pm
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Follow the Fleet/Roberta - Fred & Ginger
Replies: 23
Views: 32057

I love The Gay Divorcee too. Is it just me who gets confused about which dance/song was in which film? I'm alright with the better known ones. Maybe it's age :) I think it's the same as with anything--the better you know them, the less likely you are to confuse the films. I might have a bit of trou...
by Ayres
March 10th, 2008, 1:30 pm
Forum: The People of Film
Topic: Ginger Rogers
Replies: 20
Views: 9053

Thanks for all the marvelous photos--many I'd never even seen before. What a cutie. The one with the garter and black lace... whoa!

My favorite "non-Freds" are 42nd Street, Stage Door, Bachelor Mother, Tom Dick and Harry, and The Major and the Minor.
by Ayres
March 4th, 2008, 11:46 am
Forum: The People of Film
Topic: In The Spotlight Redux
Replies: 389
Views: 174228

I seem to recall reading that Peck insisted upon the mustache for authenticity, but I always thought it marred a beautiful man!
by Ayres
February 25th, 2008, 2:46 pm
Forum: The People of Film
Topic: Which child star has had the longest successful career
Replies: 5
Views: 2555

Actually, upon looking him up, I see that he started acting at age 7 and retired many years ago, before he was really that old.

Still--a long and successful career.
by Ayres
February 25th, 2008, 2:44 pm
Forum: The People of Film
Topic: Which child star has had the longest successful career
Replies: 5
Views: 2555

Jackie Cooper certainly has had success (as actor, director and producer) from toddlerhood to old age.
by Ayres
February 25th, 2008, 2:21 pm
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Follow the Fleet/Roberta - Fred & Ginger
Replies: 23
Views: 32057

[quote="stuart.uk"]Anne "i must have a thing for Ginger in pants because i think another of their great routines is I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket, where they delibretly mess up." One thing that has always absolutely amazed me about that number is the tumble Ginge takes on...
by Ayres
February 12th, 2008, 12:05 pm
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Your Favorite Musical Sequences
Replies: 39
Views: 41328

As an Umbrellas fan, you might enjoy this take-off:

by Ayres
February 12th, 2008, 10:08 am
Forum: Musicals
Topic: Your Favorite Musical Sequences
Replies: 39
Views: 41328

Here are a whole bunch that I love (rendered in no particular order): 1. Night and Day—Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. For me, the apotheosis of romance 2. The Jumpin’ Jive—The Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather. Unbelievable 3. Over the Rainbow—Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz is my version of cho...