Farewell to the Year of Death

There can be no doubt that the year 2009 will be remembered for many things, but most of it all may well be remembered as the Year of Death. While many, many celebrities die every year, it seemed as if more celebrities died in 2009 than most years. What is more, it was not simply any celebrities who died in 2009, but some very big names.

Indeed, perhaps the most famous television news anchorman of all time passed in 2009. Walter Cronkite died on July 17 of this year. The year also saw the passing of his producer and the man who created 60 Minutes. Don Hewitt may have been the most influential news producer ever to work in television. He died only about a month after Walter Cronkite did. Of course, it was not simply the world of television news that saw the loss of giants. It seems as if every medium lost some very big names. Some very of the most famous television actors of all time passed in 2009, including Patrick McGoohan, Ricardo Montalban, Harry Endo, Don Galloway, Wendy Richard, Ron Silver, Frank Aletter, Gale Storm, Beatrice Arthur, Farrah Fawcett, Mollie Sudgen, Dallas McKennon, Ed Reimers, John Hart, Henry Gibson, Edward Woodward, and several others. The medium of motion pictures also saw the loss of some fairly well known actors, including Pat Hingle, James Whitmore, Jean Martin, Monte Hale, Natasha Richardson, Betsy Blair, Sydney Earle Chaplin, Maxine Cooper, Jody McCrea, Dom DeLuise, Harve Presnell, David Carradine, Brenda Joyce, Karl Malden, John Quade, Patrick Swayze, Frank Coghlan Jr., Lou Jacobi, Collin Wilcox, Jennifer Jones, Brittany Murphy, and yet others. Of course, actors were not the only celebrities to die in 2009. Several directors also passed during the year, including Fran�ois Villiers, Claude Berri, Ken Annakin, Peter Zadek, John Hughes, Paul Naschy, and others.

While television and movies saw several deaths in 2009, the world of music was not spared either. Dave Dee (of (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), Dewey Martin (of Buffalo Springfield), Lux Interior (of The Cramps), Kelly Groucutt (of The Electric Light Orchestra), Jimmy Boyd, "England" Dan Seals, Randy Cain (of The Delfonics), Jay Bennett (of Wilco), Bob Bogle (of The Ventures), Sky Saxon of The Seeds, Michael Jackson, Drake Levin (of Paul Revere and The Raiders), Gordon Waller (of Peter and Gordon), Les Paul, Dickie Peterson, Al Martino, Eric Woolfson, The Rev, and yet others. The year also saw the passing of several well know authors, including John Updike, Christopher Nolan, Philip Jose Farmer, J. G. Ballard, David Eddings, Frank McCourt, Tim Guest, Keith Waterhouse, and yet others.

Of course, while death filled the headlines in 2009, there were other things which happened this year. With regards to movies, it seemed to be another year of sequels. The top three highest grossing films for the year worldwide  as of December were all three sequels: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Of course, with some films released in 2009 still playing in theatres, this is subject to change. It would seem that Avatar is poised to become the highest grossing film released in 2009. When it comes to movies one thing for which 2009 may be remembered is the independent films which saw mainstream success. With a budget of only $5 million, (500) Days of Summer made a total of around $46 million at the box office. Completed in 2007, the independent horror film Paranormal Activity became a phenomenon in 2009. It made a total of around $141 million at the box office.

Sadly, the 2009 fall television season may well have been the worst in some time. Many of the shows which debuted in the season were, very sadly, derivative. There were medical dramas (Mercy, Three Rivers), a legal drama (The Good Wife) , and new takes on old favourites (Melrose Place). This is not to say there was no originality among the broadcast networks this season. NBC would make one very innovative, if risky move, by scheduling The Jay Leno Show every weeknight at 9:00 PM Central/10:00 PM Eastern. So far NBC's gamble does not appear to pay off. So far The Jay Leno Show has been routinely beaten in the ratings by the dramas on ABC and CBS. Alongside NBC, ABC would also show some originality.Their show, Flash Forward, based on the novel of the same name, began with a global event takes place in which people experience what their lives will be like in the future for two minutes and seventeen seconds an proceeded from there. With regards to television news (and the news media in general), it sadly displayed an obsession with scandal this year. When David Letterman allegedly became victim of a blackmail plot, it was treated as an important news story. When it was discovered that golfer Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife, the television news outlets gave the scandal more coverage than other stories that were much more important.

With regards to music, the big news of the year may well have centred upon an old band. On September 9, the entire catalogue of The Beatles was re-released in digitally remastered format. The year would also see new albums from some of the biggest names in music. Bruce Springsteen's album Working on a Dream came out in January. Green Day released 21st Century Breakdown in May. Cheap Trick released The Latest in July. The year also saw new releases from Franz Ferdinand, Cannibal Corpse, Lily Allen, Morrissey, Van Morrison, U2, Pet Shop Boys, Neil Young, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Tori Amos, Marilyn Manson, Placebo, Spinal Tap, Bowling for Soup, and others.

Sadly, for everything else that happened, 2009 will perhaps be remembered as the Year of Death. It was the year that giants in every medium passed, and in unusually large numbers. It was the year that saw the passing of Walter Cronkite, Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer Jones, Sky Saxon, John Updike, and Philip Jose Farmer If there is one thing to be hoped for in 2010, it is that we do not lose quite so many legends.

Rihanna for Ralph Magazine January 2010

Photographer Bob Willoughby & Drummer The Reverend Tholomew Plague

Bob Willoughby

Photographer Bob Willoughby, who took candid photos of Hollywood legends from Audrey Hepburn to Dustin Hoffman, passed on December 18 at the age of 82.

Bob Willoughby was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1927. He developed an interest in photography after he got a camera as a present for his 12th birthday  He enrolled in classes at the film school at the University of Southern California, and apprenticed under various photographers. At the Kann Art Institute in Los Angeles he studied under legendary graphic designer Saul Bass.

Willoughby began his career photographing jazz musicians in various clubs around California. This would lead him to photograph album covers for Fantasy Records, a label ran by his friends Max and Sol Weiss. He eventually received a contract with Globe Photos. It was in 1953 that he received his big break when his agent sent him on an assignment to take photographs of Audrey Hepburn at work on Roman Holiday for the magazine Harpers Bazaar. Rather than taking the usually stills, Willoughby instead took the documentary approach of photographing Hepburn at work. This brought Willoughby to the attention of Warner Brothers, who found his approach appealing. In 1954 he photographed Judy Garland at work on A Star is Born. One of his photographs of Garland made the cover of the September 13 issue of Life.

Unlike traditional Hollywood photographers of the past, who simply took posed photographs, Bob Willoughby preferred candid shots of the stars. He would blend in with film crews to get shots of the stars at work, and sometimes even with their guard down. In 1963 he invented the first remote controlled camera for use for shooting on Hollywood sets.Over the years Willoughby shot the stars and directors of many films, including the Rat Pack on the set of Ocean's Eleven, Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Marnie, Blake Edwards on the set of The Great Race,  Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Dustin Hoffman on the set of The Graduate, Roman Polanski on the set of Rosemary's Baby, and Jane Fonda on the set of Klute.

Bob Willoughby was not simply one of the greatest Hollywood photographers of all time, but one of the most revolutionary. Not only did he introduce the idea of taking pictures of actors at work on the set, but he even developed technology to make doing so even easier. It is Bob Willoughby that we owe the shots of scenes from movies that look almost exactly as they do on the big screen. He was one of the best photographers in Hollywood and perhaps the most innovative. I doubt we'll ever see his like again.

The Reverend Tholomew Plague

The Reverend Tholomew Plague, most often simply called The Rev, passed on December 28 at the age of 28. He was the drummer for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.

The Rev was born James Owen Sullivan on February 9, 1981 in Huntingdon Beach, California. It was while in high school that he met and befriended the other future members of Avenged Sevenfold. Together M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev and Matt Wendt formed Avenged Sevenfold in 1999. M. Shadows came up with the band's name (often abbreviated A7X) , a reference to the story of Cain and Abel from the Torah. Avenged Sevenfold released two demos in 1999 and 2000 respectively. The band developed a strong local following in the Huntington Beach area. Their first official album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was released on the minor label Good Life Recordings in 2001. It was later released on Hopeless Records in 2002. Their second album, Waking the Fallen, was released on Hopeless Records in 2003.

It was not long after the release of Waking the Fallen that Avenged Sevenfold was signed to a major label, Warner Brothers Records. Their first album with Warner, City of Evil, was released in 2005. It produced their first hit, "Bat Country," which reached #2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart. This was followed by the release of a self titled album in 2007, which produced the hits "Almost Easy" and "Afterlife." The band was at work on another album at the time of  The Rev's death.

In addition to his work with Avenged Sevenfold, The Rev also played piano and sang vocals for Pinkly Smooth, a side project with A7X guitarist Synyster Gates.

Avenged Sevenfold was one of the bands responsible for the re-emergence of heavy metal in the Naughts. Much of their success was largely due to The Rev, who was arguably one of the best drummers currently in the music business. With The Rev's powerful drumbeat backing the guitars and bass, Avenged Sevenfold became one of the best heavy metal bands in later years. Of course, it must be pointed out that The Rev did not simply play drums. He also provided backing vocals on tracks, as well as played piano. There are even those who believe that The Rev was so pivotal to the sound of Avenged Sevenfold that, wit his loss, the band's sound will change. Regardless, he was an immensely talented drummer and an important part of one of the best bands of the Naughts. He died far, far too young.

Arnold Stang and Brittany Murphy R.I.P.

Arnold Stang

Arnold Stang, comedic actor and the voice artist who gave life to Top Cat, passed on December 20 at the age of 91.

Where Arnold Stang was born and how he got into show business has always been a bit unclear, much of this due to Stang himself. It has often been claimed that Stang was born in Chelsea in Boston, Massachusetts. Stang tended to lend credence to that story with his tale of how  he entered show business was that he entered show business after sending a postcard to the children's radio show Let's Pretend at the age 9. He was told he could audition, so Stang took the bus to New York City, and got the job. His family has said that in actuality he grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Stang did indeed write a note to Let's Pretend, but he was a bit older than 9 years old.

Regardless, Arnold Stang did begin his career while young on such shows as The Horn and Hardart Children�s Hour and Let�s Pretend. He appeared on many radio shows, until he received the role of Seymour Fingerhood on The Goldbergs. In 1946 he became Henry Morgan's sidekick on The Henry Morgan Show. He appeared in a similar role on the shows of Milton Berle, Jack Benny, and Eddie Cantor. Arnold Stang also appeared on Broadway,. In 1942 he appeared in the play All in Favour. In 1943 he appeared in the play You'll See Stars. He made his first appearance on film in an uncredited role in My Sister Eileen. He then appeared in the Forties in such films as Seven Day's Leave and Let's Go Steady. It was in 1943 that Stang first lent his voice to a cartoon. In 1944 he became the voice of Herman Mouse in Paramount's series of animated Herman and Katnip shorts.

Stang made his television debut on an episode of Starlight Theatre in 1950. He was the star on The Billy Bean Show in 1951. In the Fifties on television he would appear on The Goldbergs, The Milton Berle Show, The Steve Allen Show, December Bride, and Playhouse 90. Arnold Stang on also continued to appear in feature films, such as Two Gals and a Guy and The Man with the Golden Arm. The last night Herman and Katnip cartoon was released in 1959--Stang had been the voice of Herman for fifteen years.

In the Sixties Arnold Stang guest starred in such shows as Wagon Train, Bonanza, and Batman. He was the voice of the title character in the primetime cartoon Top Cat. He was also a regular on the sitcom Broadside and The Jonathan Winters Show. Stang appeared in the movies The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and Skidoo. He was the voice of Nurtle the Turtle in Pinocchio In the Outer Space. In 1969 he appeared on Broadway once last time in a revival of The Front Page.

The Seventies saw Stang in appear in the films as Hercules in New York. He provided voices for the films Marco Polo Jr. Versus the Red Dragon and Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. He guest starred on the shows Emergency, Flying High, and Chico and the Man.  By the Eighties Stang's career slowed. He voiced Churchy LaFemme for Pogo for President: 'I Go Pogo' and Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats He guest starred on Tales from the Darkside and The Cosby Show. In the Nineties he appeared in the films Ghost Dad and Dennis the Menace. He voiced Top Cat for one last time in the series Wake, Rattle, and Roll. His final work was in the Naughts as various voices on Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Arnold Stang was a remarkable comedic actor. He was also one of the best voice men in animated cartoons. He voiced two of the medium's most famous characters, Herman Mouse and Top Cat. He excelled at comedy, particularly playing nervous, frantic or annoying characters. Stang was also a very good dramatic actor, proving such in The Man with the Golden Arm. He was one of the last great character actors from radio and the Golden Age of  Television, and one of the best.



Brittany Murphy

Actress Brittany Murphy passed on December 20 at the age of 32. The cause was a heart attack. She had appeared in such films as Clueless, Girl Interrupted, and Sin City. She was the voice of Luanne on King of the Hill.

Brittany Murphy was born on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents divorced when she was only two years old, so Murphy grew up in Edison, New Jersey and later Los Angeles. She guest starred on Murphy Brown and Kid's Incorporated before becoming a regular on Drexell's Class. She made her film debut in Family Prayers and was one of the cast of the show Almost Home.

It was in 1995 that Brittany Murphy appeared in the movie Clueless. She then appeared in several films, including Drive,  The Prophesy II, and Drop Dead Gorgeous. In 1997 she began voicing Luanne on King of the Hill. She stayed with the show for its entire run. In 1999 Murphy had  significant role in Girl, Interrupted and appeared in the film Drop Dead Gorgeous. In 2002 she gave a critically acclaimed performance in 8  Mile. Murphy appeared in the films Just Married, Little Black Book, Sin City,  Love and Other Disasters,  and Deadline. She provided voice work for the TV series Pepper Ann and the movie Happy Feet. Her last screen appearance was in The Expendables, due to come out next year.

Brittany Muprhy's passing is particularly sad as she was still very young, and would have had a long career ahead of her had she not died. She was certainly a talented actress, giving good performances in even the most unexpected material. And she was a very good voice artist. For twelve seasons she voiced Luanne on King of the Hill, and provided the voice for Gloria in Happy Feet. It is very sad that she passed all too soon.

Megan Fox for Men�s Style Magazine 2009

My Top Twenty Actresses

I recently compiled my list of my twenty favourite actors.This was due to a tag which has apparently been going around forever, or at least since the invention of blogging. Recently, the lovely Kate Gabrielle did her top twenty actresses list on her blog Silents and Talkies (sadly on indefinite hiatus now). Millie of Classic Forever and Nicole of Classic Hollywood Nerd both did theirs recently. I thought now would be a good time to do mine.

As with my list of actors, I left off my favourite actresses whose fame is due mostly to television (Diana Rigg, Elizabeth Montgomery). I also left off the adorable Thelma Todd, whose fame is primarily due to her short subjects. This is a list dedicated to actresses who starred in feature films. For those of you who are sensitive about such things, I must also apologise about the preponderance of cheesecake, but then I am a guy!

Anyhow, if you have a film blog or pop culture blog, and you wouldn't mind doing such a list, then consider yourself tagged.



1. Grace Kelly

Favourite Roles: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief

2. Audrey Hepburn

Favourite Roles: Sabrina, My Fair Lady

3. Ingrid Bergman

Favourite Roles: Casablanca, Gaslight, Notorious

4. Louise Brooks

Favourite Roles: Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl

5. Cyd Charisse

Favourite Roles: Silk Stockings, The Band Wagon

6. Carole Lombard
 
  Favourite Roles: My Man Godfrey, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, To Be or Not To Be

7. Vivien Leigh

Favourite Roles: Gone with the Wind, Ship of Fools

8. Doris Day

Favourite Roles: Pillow Talk, Send Me No Flowers

9. Myrna Loy

The "Thin Man" Series, Too Hot to Handle, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

10. Ava Gardner


Favourite Roles: The Killers, The Barefoot Contessa

11. Gene Tierneyy 

Favourite Roles: Laura, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

12. Brigitte Bardot

Favourite Roles: Et Dieu� cr�a la femme, Le M�pris

13.  Janet Leigh

Favourite Roles: Holiday Affair, The Manchurian Candidate

14. Maureen O'Hara
(Sorry, fellas, I just couldn't resist a pic of her with Tyrone Power)

Favourite Roles: The Black Swan, Miracle on 34th Street

15. Jane Fonda

Favourite Roles: Any Wednesday. Cat Ballou, Barbarella

16. Bette Davis

Favourite Roles: The Man Who Came to Dinner, Now Voyager, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

17. Barbara Stanwyck

Favourite Roles: Double Indemnity, Christmas in Connecticut

18. Julie Christie

Favourite Roles: Billy Liar, Petulia

19. Marilyn Monroe

Favourite Roles: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot

20. Hazel Court

Favourite Roles: Curse of Frankenstein, The Man Who Could Cheat Death

Humphrey Bogart's 110th Birthday

Yesterday was the 110th birthday of Humphrey Bogart. This was a man who was not handsome, at least not in a conventional sense. He was not tall either. He stood all of five foot 8 inches. He spoke with a slightly nasal voice. If there was anyone who seemed unlikely to become a movie star, it was Humphrey Bogart. And yet, during his lifetime he became one of the most respected stars of the era. Even after his untimely death in 1957, he has remained one of the most popular stars of all time. In fact, it is quite possible he is the most popular male actor of all time. In Empire magazine's list of the top 100 Movies Stars of All Time in 1997, he ranked #9. Entertainment Weekly went even further. They voted him the Greatest Movie Star of All Time. The American Film Institute also ranked him #1 in their list of 100 Greatest Screen Actors.

Humphrey Bogart was born on December 25, 1899 (some sources have claimed January 23, 1899, although December 25 seems to be the conventionally accepted date) in New York City. His father was a heart and lung surgeon. His mother was a commercial illustrator. Because of his mother's profession, Bogie's image was used in advertising when he was still a baby. She used his image in an ad campaign for Mellins Baby Food. Bogart grew up in the Upper West Side of New York City, and his family had a summer home in upstate New York on Canandaigua Lake. He attended private schools such as Delancy and Trinity, and the Phillips Academy. He attended Yale for a time, but was expelled for reasons that are unclear. In 1918 he enlisted in the United States Navy. Although he had apparently been a less than stellar student at Yale, Bogart was exemplary as a sailor. Once home Bogart joined the Naval Reserve. He also worked as a shipper and a bond salesman.

It was through his friendship with Bill Brady, Jr. that Humphrey Bogart first entered show business. Bill Brady Jr. got Bogey a job working in the office at William A. Brady Sr.'s new company World Films. While at World Films, Bogey got the chance to try screenwriting, direction, and production. He was even a stage manager on the play A Ruined Lady, starring Alice Brady (William A Brady's daughter). It was in another Alice Brady play that Bogie made his stage debut. He had a few lines in the play Drifting on Broadway in 1922. Bogie had a more substantial role in his next Broadway play Swiftly, also in 1922. Bogart appeared regularly on Broadway in the Twenties, in such plays as Meet the Wife, Hell's Bells, and Skyrocket.

It was in 1928 that Humphrey Bogart made his screen debut in the short The Dancing Town. In 1930 he appeared in a Vitaphone short with Joan Blondell. It was in 1930 that Bogie made his feature film debut, as paroled trustee Up the River. Bogart appeared in such films as Body and Soul, the 1932 version of Love Affair, and Three on a Match. He also continued to appear on Broadway, in plays such as It's a Wise Child, I Love You Wednesday, and Chrysalis. It was while he was appearing in the play Invitation to a Murder that producer Arthur Hopkins decided Bogie would be a good choice to play the escaped murderer in The Petriefied Forest.

Debuting in January 1935, The Petrified Forest proved to be a smash hit. It ran for 197 performances. And while Leslie Howard was the star of the play, it was Humphrey Bogart who received much of the attention. Warner Brothers bought the rights to play and released the movie adaptation in 1936. It was largely because of Leslie Howard that Bogie was able to reprise his role as Duke Mantee, the escaped murderer who terrorises a diner. The studio wanted the then better known Edward G. Robinson to play the role. Fortunately, Howard told Jack Warner in no uncertain terms that if there was no Humphrey Bogart, there would be no Leslie Howard. Warner was forced to cast Bogart in the role that had made him famous on Broadway.

Despite the success of The Petrified Forest and the good notices he received, Bogie found himself typecast in roles as gangsters, although he occasionally played district attorneys and police officers as well. He played a gangster in Kid Galahad, Dead End, Racket Busters, and King of the Underworld. Fortunately, by the late Thirties and very early Forties the sort of roles Humphrey Bogart played began to change. In They Drive By Night he played a wildcat trucker. The fact that he appeared in the Western Virginia City at all is perhaps a bit surprising. It would be the film High Sierra that would send Bogart's career in a completely different direction. While he played another criminal in the film, he got the opportunity to work with his friend John Huston, who co-wrote the screenplay. The two grew closer both personally and professionally. As a result, when George Raft turned down the chance to play Sam Spade in the 1941 version of The Maltese Falcon, it was Humphrey Bogart who got he part.

Sam Spade was the role Bogie was born to play. He was a private detective with his own code of honour, an idealist who realises all too well the world was not ideal. Humphrey Bogart's talent as an actor and skill with dialogue made him well suited to the swift words in John Huston's screenplay, adapted from Dashiell Hammett's novel. In the eyes of audiences Bogart was no longer a gangster, he was the tough guy with a heart of gold. From that point onwards, Humphrey Bogart generally played the hero. Indeed, it was not long before he played the romantic lead.

Casablanca was the first time Bogie played the romantic lead. Contrary to popular belief, Ronald Reagan was never considered for the role of Rick in the film, although George Raft greatly desired the part. It was producer Hal B. Wallis, then looking for another lead role for Bogart, who got him the part in the film. Casablanca would greatly change Bogart's career. He had been fourth place in the salary he made at Warner Brothers. After Casablanca he was in first place. He would soon be the highest paid actor in Hollywood. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the film.

Bogart appeared in such films as Sahara and To Have and To Have Not, on which he met the woman who was arguably his soul mate, Lauren Bacall. Bogart appeared in a number of classic films from that point until his death. Among these was as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep, a role similar in some respects to that of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon. He appeared in such films as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, Beat the Devil, The African Queen, Sabrina, and The African Queen. He played a variety of roles, from romantic leads (Sabrina), killers ((Dark Passage), private eyes (The Big Sleep), and martinets (The Caine Mutiny). Along the way he won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in The African Queen and was nominated for the same award in The Caine Mutiny.

Sadly, Humphrey Bogart contracted oesophageal cancer in the mid-Fifties, a result of his lifetime of smoking. While his oesophagus, two lymph nodes, and a rib were removed on March, 1956, it was too late. The cancer had spread to such a point that chemotherapy would not even help. Humphrey Bogart died on January 14, 1957. His last appearance on screen was in the film The Harder They Fall.

Such was the impact of Humphrey Bogart that he would maintain a cult of admirers even fifty years after his death. Jean-Luc Goddard made � bout de souffle (Breathless) as a tribute to Bogart, and Woody Allen made Play It Again, Sam as a tribute to him as well. He was also the inspiration behind the movie The Man with Bogart's Face. Through modern technology, Humphrey Bogart actually starred in the 1995 episode of Tales From the Crypt entitled "You, Murderer (based on a story from Shock Suspenstories)." His co-stars were John Lithgow and Isabella Rosellini, the daughter or his co-star from Casablanca, Ingrid Bergman.

Beyond his enormous talent, it is difficult to say why Humphrey Bogart continues to be one of the most popular actors, perhaps the most popular actor, of all time. He certainly was not what one would expect of a leading actor. Bogie was not conventionally handsome. He was only of average height. He spoke with a nasal voice. Speaking for myself, I think much of it may have had to do with his choice of roles and how well he played those roles. Arguably, Humphrey Bogart's three most famous roles were Sam Spade (from The Maltese Falcon), Rick Blaine (from Casablanca), and Philip Marlowe (from The Big Sleep). While these characters are somewhat different men, they are all men of integrity. Sam Spade is an idealist with a desire to achieve justice, even when he knows the world is less than ideal. Rick Blaine is man who claims neutrality, but somehow always winds up on the side of the just, and a romantic who sacrifices his own happiness for the greater good. Philip Marlowe cracked wise, drank hard, and fought hard, yet he was at heart an intellectual with a desire to do what was right. All three men lived by their own codes of honour and all three men sought justice in an unjust world. All three of them were heroes.

That is perhaps the secret of Humphrey Bogart's appeal even today. Although a talented actor, he was average in appearance and not a particularly big man, yet he played men of honour and decency who triumphed in the end. Through his characters, Bogie proved that it is not the looks or size of the man that counts, but what is deep down inside. Is it any wonder that his films continue to be watched today? Particularly in today's world, we need men like Spade, Blaine, and Marlowe. And we need an actor like Bogie to play them.

Merry Christmas 2009

Today being Christmas Day, I thought I would leave you with a few holiday videos.

First up, the classic "Happy Christmas (War is Over)." This is actually my favourite Yuletide song



The song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" originated in the movie Meet in St. Louis, where it was sung by Judy Garland. This is the clip from the movie.



Another one of my favourites, "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.



Last up, Kylie Minogue's performance of "Santa Baby" on Top of the Pops. I prefer the original version by Eartha Kitt and I am not a big fan of Kylie's songs. But I do like looking at her. :-)



Happy Yuletide and Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Pin-Ups

This being Christmas Eve, I prefer to celebrate the holiday to writing full post. Because of that, I thought tonight I would leave you with some holiday themed pin-up pictures. From the Thirties into the Sixties, it was not unusual come the holidays for Hollywood to release pin-up pictures of some of their starlets with Yuletide theme. Several famous actresses appeared in such pictures before they were famous, some even after they had attained some fame. Here are a few of my favourites.

Thirties starlet Grace Bradley trims a tree

Forties starlet Jane Greer composes her Christmas list

Cyd Charisse and a friend ready to rescue avalanche victims in the Alps

Mary Martin plays Santa's helper

Beverly Adams and a Reindeer

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

My Top 10 Favourite Holiday Movies

Tonight I find myself pressed for time, but I wanted to write another post. For that reason I decided upon something simple. This is my list of my top favourite holiday movies of all time.

1. It's a Wonderful Life

Okay, I know this is the popular choice. It is the movie that seems to top most polls on Americans' favourite Yuletide movies. The fact is that I honestly do love this film. Not only is it my favourite Yuletide movie, it is also my favourite Capra film and one of my top five favourite films of all time. In my humble opinion, It's a Wonderful Life was a starkly original film when it first came out. Insofar as I know, in no medium before then, let alone film, had the idea of showing a man what life would be without him ever been presented. What is more, in many respects It's a Wonderful Life is A Christmas Carol in reverse. In A Christmas Carol, cruel, miserly Scrooge is taught the Christmas spirit by ghosts who show him his past, his present, and his future. In It's a Wonderful Life, however, it is not a mean old miser, but a genuinely good man who has lost hope, who is taught the meaning not only of the holiday, but of life itself. These are only two of the levels upon which It's a Wonderful Life works, as it has many, many more. It is simultaneously a fantasy, a drama, a comedy, a romance. It is definitely Capra's most sophisticated film.

2. A Christmas Story

Most Christmas films at least try to be uplifting in some manner. This is not the case with A Christmas Story. Instead A Christmas Story presents us with a situation with which most Americans born in the early to mid-Twentieth century can identify.  At some point or another during our childhoods most of us had one thing that we really wanted for Christmas, which is precisely the situation Ralphie finds himself in. Not only does A Christmas Story presents us with a situation most of us have gone through, but it also hits every note when it comes to the holidays in the United States in the early to mid-Twentieth Century. It's all there. The downtown decked out in lights. The carols. The trip to get a Christmas tree. The Christmas parade.  The trip to the department store to see Santa. Christmas morning and the opening of gifts. It also gives a fine portrait of childhood in early to mid-Twentieth Century America. Hanging out with one's pals. Dealing with a bully. School. If A Christmas Story is now one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, it may well be because it paints a fairly accurate portrait of the holiday in the United States in the early to mid-Twentieth Century.

3. Miracle on 34th Street

The commercialisation of the holidays is not a new thing, although some might think it is. In truth, the commercialisation of Christmas has been going on since at least the late 19th Century. By 1947, when Miracle on 34th Street was released, Christmas was already heavily commercialised. This is only one of the subjects tackled in what is one of the holiday films to rival It's a Wonderful Life in popularity. Miracle on 34th Street also tackles such weighty subjects as faith, the need for imagination, psychology, and even the nature of identity. It is for this reason that A Miracle on 34th Street continues to be regarded a classic and why the Nineties remake failed. It is a film that works on multiple levels and deals with several important subjects in an entertaining way.

4. A Christmas Carol (AKA Scrooge)


Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been filmed many times, but never with such flair and finesse. While the film does differ in some respects from Dicken's original novella, it is for the most part one of the most loyal adaptations. What is more, it features perhaps the most faithful recreations of Dickens' characters ever on screen. This is particularly true of Ebeneezer Scrooge, brought to life by the great Alastair Sim CBE. Generally known for his work in comedies, Sim plays Scrooge with such a panache that it is hard to even believe it is Sim merely playing a role! Mervyn Johns also gave the most convincing portrayal of Bob Cratchitt ever seen on screen. The cast is helped greatly by Brian Desmond Hunt's direction, who does a fantastic job of recreating Dickensian London. It is one film that will not disappoint Dickens fans.

5. The Man Who Came to Dinner

In 1939 the play The Man Who Came Dinner, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart debuted. A huge success on Broadway, it was naturally adapted into a feature film released in 1942. The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy as they could only make in the Thirties and Forties. It begins with an unlikely situation--radio host Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Woolley) finds himself stranded in the home of a middle class Ohio couple after he injures his hip on their icy walk. Afterwards Whiteside proceeds to turn their lives upside down. Situations spiral out of control. The lines come fast and furious. And as might be expected of Kaufman and Hart, references to pop culture appear with such frequency it is hard to keep track of them all (one of them may be the first feature film reference to Superman). The film benefits from a sterling cast, including Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, and Mary Wickes (in her first screen appearance).

6. Christmas in Connecticut


Another comedy as they could only make them in the Thirties and Forties. Christmas in Connecticut would give Barbara Stanwyck one of her best roles, as Elizabeth Lane, a writer who writes articles about housekeeping and cooking, even though she does not know how to do either. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, she soon finds herself wrangled into cooking Christmas dinner for a war hero at the behest of her publisher (the great Sydney Greenstreet). As might be expected, the situation soon spirals out of control. Christmas in Connecticut is a smart comedy which makes the most of its situation. It also has some of the funniest lines of any film of its era (one of which I am surprised made it past the Breen Office).

7. Holiday Inn


Over the years there have been several holiday musicals, but none of them have ever topped this one. Indeed, it was Holiday Inn that introduced what would not only be the biggest selling Yuletide song of all time, but the biggest selling single of all time, "White Christmas." As Hollywood musicals go, Holiday Inn is nearly perfect. It features  the top crooner and top dancer of the time, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, in their first film together. It also featured some of the best work of Irving Berlin, including a mixture of some of his old songs ("Easter Parade," "Lazy") and new songs ("White Christmas," "Be Careful It's My Heart"). Holiday Inn also features some of the best sequences ever seen in a musical, including Fred Astaire's "drunken dance (and, yes, he really was drunk)" and his "firecracker dance." It also works quite well as a comedy, with some truly funny lines and some truly funny situations. Holiday Inn is not only the greatest holiday musical of them all, but one of the greatest musicals as well.

8. Holiday Affair

Romance has played a role in most holiday classics, from It's a Wonderful Life to Christmas in Connecticut. In Holiday Affair, romance takes centre stage. Janet Leigh plays a young widow with a comfortable life and a none too exciting boyfriend (Wendell Corey) when she finds her world turned inside out by a starry eyed romantic, ne'er-do-well played by Robert Mitchum. Like The Man Who Came to Dinner and Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Affair is a very smart comedy. Situations spiral swiftly out of control and there is a good deal of witty lines (the scene with Harry Morgan is priceless). It is also a very intelligent romantic comedy. While many modern romantic comedies offer up a paper tiger as a rival to the hero, Holiday Affair gives us Wendell Corey, a genuinely nice guy who is truly in love with Janet Leigh's character. Holiday Affair is a comedy which offers us some very funny, very far out situations while at the same time giving us a realistic romance.

9. The Bishop's Wife

It's a Wonderful Life is not the only Yuletide film to feature an angel. An angel, played by Cary Grant no less, takes centre stage in this classic fantasy. David Niven is a bishop so preoccupied with building a new cathedral that he ignores his wife (Loretta Young) and his friends (Monty Woolley). When he prays for guidance, his prayer is answered with a most singular angel in the form of Cary Grant. It is the cast which makes this film. Grant, Niven, and Young deliver some of the best performances of their career. The film also benefits from a sterling screenplay, which was spiced up by an uncredited Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. By the way, if the little girl playing Niven and Young's daughter seems familiar, there is good reason for that. She is Karolyn Grimes, who also played Zusu in It's a Wonderful Life. Bobby Anderson, who played young George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, also makes a brief appearance in the film.

10. Meet John Doe


Meet John Doe was directed by Frank Capra, the same man who directed It's a Wonderful Life. Both films tend to be somewhat grim at times and both films climax at Christmas Eve. That having been said, in many respects Meet John Doe is a very different film from It's a Wonderful Life. In Meet John Doe Gary Cooper plays a vagrant chosen by a newspaper columnist played by Barbara Stanwyck to portray a non-existent, average, angry citizen called simply John Doe. Unfortunately, Stanwyck character's publicity stunt soon goes out of control. Meet John Doe was Frank Capra's attack on fascism and similar movements that demand conformity, public corruption, and the media. Perhaps as a result at times Capra is a bit heavy handed in Meet John Doe, and at times a bit overly sentimental, but over all Meet John Doe is an entertaining, well crafted film. Indeed, I think it holds up better than some of Capra's better known movies, such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.