My entry for the CMBA Comedy Classics Blogathon is focusing on the films of William Powell and Myrna Loy–one of the great onscreen couples who, surprisingly enough, never did have a romance offscreen, despite a wonderful lifelong friendship. She called him Bill, he called her Minnie, and they seemed to just click.

Both beginning their careers in the late 1920′s, Powell and Loy’s first movie together was Manhattan Melodrama, an anything but comedic movie about a politician who ends up sending his best childhood friend to the death chamber. Despite the melancholy tone of the movie, the chemistry between Powell (who played the politician) and Loy (his wife) was evident. The next year they starred in The Thin Man, the first in a long series of collaborations as Nick and Nora Charles, the fun, modern, crime-solving husband and wife who really love their cocktails. Their dog, Asta, also plays an integral role.

Reflecting upon the 6 films in the series, Myrna Loy said in a later interview that she felt that the first three Thin Man movies were far superior to the last three, however, the series has remained popular to this day. I have often described them to film-illiterate friends of mine, and when I mention Asta, many of their faces light up.

Another favorite Powell and Loy film of mine is the zany Love Crazy, in which William Powell pretends to be insane in order to win back his wife (Loy), who has called off their marriage. Powell’s performance is not only charming in this quirky film, but one of true comedic flair. This scene could almost be out of a modern film–the comedy is timeless.

In I Love You Again, Powell is a survivor of a man overboard incident on a cruise ship who, after the fall, began suffering from amnesia. His identity as a businessman falls by the wayside and he reverts back to a previous identity as a rough-around-the-edges boozer and swindler. He doesn’t remember his wife, yet falls in love with her anyway.

Totaling 14 in all, the movies of William Powell and Myrna Loy continue to be moneymakers. The Thin Man movies have been released in a box set (set at an unusually high price), and are often played on Turner Classic Movies. Their non-Thin Man films have recently been released in their own box set, showing the world that there is more to Powell and Loy than Nick and Nora.

I leave you with one of my favorite scenes from The Thin Man. Thanks for reading, and thank you to CMBA for hosting this blogathon!

My topic today is one that I have foolishly neglected until now, but its analysis seems imminent as the movie awards season has kicked off and the Oscars are just a little over a month away. I want to discuss the current films that address classic Hollywood themes, and we are so lucky this year to have not one, but three prominent movies that do just that. I’ve had the good fortune to see all three of them, and I will analyze them here for your consideration.

HUGO

The story of Hugo, an orphan who lives in the walls of Gare du Nord in Paris, his only real possession being an automaton that his father was fixing when he died. He often steals toys from a shop in the train station, and one day Hugo befriends the goddaughter of the owner, discovering that not only does this owner hold the secret to the automaton, but many years before he was a pioneer of the art of cinema…..by the name of George Méliès.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, this is an absolutely stunning tribute to early film, and it really passes as a love poem to the art that has given Scorsese so much success. Peppered with clips from well-known Buster Keaton and Hal Roach films, it is truly a pleasure and magnificent to watch. It also gives nods to the stories that have become classic Hollywood legends, such as an audience getting so scared at the sight of a train barreling toward the camera that they ran out of the theater in droves. Also, if you go with a friend who is not as versed in classic Hollywood, prepare to be asked a lot of questions about George Méliès at the end of the film. I saw it with my mom, and she was fascinated that Méliès was a real person, so I was bombarded with questions about his life and career. I highly recommend Hugo, and please, bring the children you know, as well.

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

A peek into the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl through the eyes of Colin Clark, a third director on the film who develops a friendship with Marilyn Monroe. It is a true story whose release was much-anticipated by the crew at the “A Weekend With the Oliviers” event in London last year, as two of the prominent characters in the film are, as you might imagine, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.

I am a REALLY tough customer when it comes to Marilyn Monroe. I feel that she was massively misunderstood, horribly underestimated, and misused and abused within the system, her vulnerability, insecurity and naïvete taken for granted. Even now, 50 years after her death, she is not rid of the gross stereotype that dominated her life–the vast majority of portrayals of her have been camp and inaccurate, leading to a perpetuation of her myth that was her destruction. Though I had heard great things about Michelle Williams’ performance, I had very little hope that it would do her justice.

Boy, was I wrong.

Michelle Williams has done her homework. Her Marilyn was childishly coquettish, sensitive, sweet, unsure of herself and a damned pain in the ass–all things that Marilyn certainly was. I was entranced by her all the way through the film, and admired her ability to show all sides of Marilyn. There were explanations given for her erratic behavior, but she was not portrayed as a martyr, someone who was excused of all responsibility for her actions, as tends to be the general rule in films about Marilyn. It shows HER, and the audience is left to take her as it will.

The portrayals of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were REALLY AWFUL. I will illustrate with pictures, for they are worth 1,000 words.

That’s supposed to be Vivien Leigh.

Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier is really overdone and someone unfamiliar with Olivier might walk away from the film thinking that Laurence Olivier had no teeth.

The movie itself is good. Nicely written and researched (though those familiar with Marilyn, the Oliviers, or classic Hollywood in general might have some trouble with some obvious references. I was able to spot many of the reference books they used simply by listening to the lines), and the kid who plays Colin Clark does a good job. If you can suffer through Julia Ormond and Kenneth Branagh, you’ll enjoy it.

THE ARTIST

A masterpiece by director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist tells the story of one silent movie star’s decline at the end of the silent era. He begins a downward spiral into obscurity and alcoholism, until a young woman to whom he had once shown a kindness rescues him from himself. The beautiful story unfolds almost like a fairy tale, with the lack of sound an almost welcome respite from the world of too much noise at the movie theaters nowadays.

I saw this movie twice–the first time, I had tears in my eyes. Finally, I thought to myself, finally someone brave enough to make a movie about silent films–and have it be SILENT! My faith in modern filmmaking was singlehandedly restored.

The second time, I still had the faith in modern filmmaking, but after the film was over, my faith in humanity had been demolished. One one side of me were two young women–laughing at all the inappropriate parts and talking through the title cards. The rest of the audience was not so great either–it seemed as though they thought that since the movie had no sound, they had free rein to talk whenever they wanted to. Silent film etiquette, people! On my other side was my mother….asleep. (Granted, she had had a long day at work.)

Anyway, if you can go and ignore people’s inherent crassness about silent film and simply watch the movie for what it is, you will have a marvelous time, and see one of the few real masterpieces made in recent years. If it doesn’t win Best Picture, I am going to have to have a serious talk with the Academy.

I hope that these reviews sum it up! I am so thrilled that classic film seems to be the theme for this year, and let’s hope that they keep it up!

Thank you for making Backlots’ first year as productive and wonderful as it has been! This blog’s first anniversary is on March 17, and its first 9 months have yielded things I never expected for my first year as a blogger–Backlots was accepted into the CMBA and participated in some fantastic blogathons. We hosted the Dueling Divas Blogathon which was great fun, and were honored to receive a CMBA Award for a discussion of The Heiress. The success this blog has achieved is largely due to you, the readers. If I didn’t see that this blog was loved and read every day, I would never have the motivation to keep up the work this blog takes. So I sincerely thank you for your readership, you make Backlots what it is! I look forward to a marvelous 2012, and wish all of my readers the same.

Even though Judy seems to prefer my readers in Laos, I’m pretty sure 2012 has already arrived in southeast Asia, so I’ll take the lead and wish EVERYONE a happy new year! Have a great one!

Stay tuned the rest of this month while we celebrate Marlene Dietrich, whose birthday is coming up on the 27th!

The first day has arrived! It is currently 1:15 in the morning, but I am busy collecting the entries that have arrived already. This list will be updated as more posts come in.

BACKLOTS: I have taken a look at the 1954 Oscar feud between Grace Kelly and Judy Garland. http://backlots.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/dueling-divas-blogathon-day-1-judy-garland-vs-grace-kelly-1954/

CRÍTICA RETRO: This post is a lovely examination of that wonderful film full of dueling divas, The Women! The cast, the film, backstories and trivia. Written in Portuguese, but don’t worry–there’s a translate button on the right. http://criticaretro.blogspot.com/2011/12/as-mulheres-women-1939.html

CAROLE & CO.: Though Carole Lombard never seemed to have a feud with anyone, she certainly had some competition onscreen, with one actress in particular! Check out with whom! http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/470760.html?view=632040#t632040

A PERSON IN THE DARK: I had so much fun reading this one! I’m a big fan of Josephine and Daphne, so I’m so glad someone chose to profile them for this blogathon. Here, they go head to head in 10 mini competitions such as Best Hair, Best Legs, and Least Conflicted About Her Gender.. http://flickchick1953.blogspot.com/2011/12/dueling-divas-handicapping-daphne-vs.html

IN THE MOOD: Susan Hayward and Paulette Goddard battle it out over forest ranger Fred MacMurray in this entertaining and well-written post about The Forest Rangers! http://theswingmood.blogspot.com/2011/12/dueling-divas-blogathon-hayward-vs.html

I STARTED LATE AND FORGOT THE DOG: Divine and witty entry comparing and contrasting two Joan Crawford and Bette Davis movies–The Great Lie and When Ladies Meet. You will love this one!! http://thebestofalexandra.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/dual-duel-or-dueling-duels-now-featuring-more-divas/

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DAY 2

HELIUM.COM: Joann Spears profiles many many films featuring a great many dueling divas in her comprehensive and informative post “Top Movies for a Baby Boomer Night of Chick Flicks.” http://www.helium.com/items/2179566-chick-flick

Also, see her comment below for Joann’s contribution of some of the great dueling diva scenes she talks about in her post!

MY LOVE OF OLD HOLLYWOOD: Joan Crawford and Bette Davis show their claws in a hilarious posthumous interview with Page. http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2011/12/dueling-divas-blogathon-just-friendly.html

FOREVER CLASSICS: A great review of In This Our Life, in which Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland play dueling sisters. http://foreverclassics.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-in-this-our-life-1942.html

FRANKLY MY DEAR: A detailed examination of the characters played by Joan Crawford and Greer Garson in When Ladies Meet. http://franklymydear-blog.blogspot.com/2011/12/dueling-divas-greer-vs-joan-when-ladies.html

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DAY 3

BETTE’S CLASSIC MOVIE BLOG: Verbal spats and witty comebacks abound in The Lion in Winter! http://bettesmovieblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/lion-in-winter-1968-non-review-post-for.html

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DAY 4

TRUE CLASSICS: Ginger Rogers and Shirley Temple, two dancing divas of the 1930′s, square off in I’ll Be Seeing You. Right in time for the Christmas holiday! http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/ginger-and-shirley-and-christmas-oh-my

VIVANDLARRY.COM: Kendra discusses Isabelle Adjani’s chilling and bizarre dual role in the movie Possessed. http://www.vivandlarry.com/film-diary/dueling-divas-blogathon-the-possession-of-isabelle-adjani/

For my first day of dueling divas, I am devoting my attention to that well-publicized “scandal” at the 1954 Oscars between Judy Garland and Grace Kelly. Now I must admit that I am a bit biased on the subject–as readers of my blog know, I am a HUGE Judy Garland fan, and have been since very early childhood. For years I had a chip on my shoulder about Grace Kelly, refusing to see The Country Girl (the film for which she was nominated) in protest of the outcome of the 1954 Oscars.

Why all this hullabaloo, you ask? Well, let’s start at the beginning.

In order to understand the significance of the 1954 Oscars for Judy Garland, we must revisit Judy’s career at MGM. She was signed to a contract in 1935, and shortly thereafter she was put into a virtual treadmill of productions that wore her young body out. She was given pills to sleep, pills to stay awake, and pills to make her lose weight, which in addition to the stress of her life at MGM, contributed to psychological problems and a severe addiction that culminated in the late 1940′s. Following a particularly difficult time on the set of Annie Get Your Gun (from which she was ultimately fired and replaced by Betty Hutton) and failure to appear on the set of Royal Wedding (in which she was replaced by Jane Powell), MGM suspended her contract and Judy Garland was a movie has-been at 28.

Almost immediately, however, she bounced back with an absolutely stellar concert career, playing some of the best houses in the world and breaking records at the Palace Theatre with her 19-week one-woman show. In the early 1950′s, Judy Garland was on top of the world, free from MGM and able to spread her wings to tackle anything. It is often said that the producer of the Palace show, Sid Luft, was almost solely responsible for her career revival, and the two married in 1952. Two years later, he was producing A Star is Born, heralded as Judy’s magnificent comeback to movies, and one that brought Judy her first Academy Award nomination as Best Actress.

All of Hollywood was abuzz about her performance, and everyone was convinced that it would bring her an Oscar–if not for her performance alone, then for the audience’s love and affection for her as a person and an entertainer. So convinced was everyone that she would win, that when she was unable to attend the Oscars ceremony due to having just given birth to her 3rd child, cameras were set up in her hospital room to televise her acceptance speech.

Judy was understandably very upset. The media had led her to believe that there was no way anybody else would win. Judy accused Grace of winning simply because she made herself dowdy in The Country Girl,  for her role as the long-suffering wife of an alcoholic. Judy is quoted as lashing out for Grace “taking off her fucking makeup and grabbing MY Oscar!” The telegrams that came in were very sympathetic, the cleverest one being from Groucho Marx: “This is the greatest robbery since Brink’s.” Many years later, upon being interviewed for the A&E Biography on Judy Garland’s life, MGM coworker June Allyson said “I really hated the Academy that year. Judy SHOULD have won that Oscar. She really should have.”

Per Judy’s self-deprecating sense of humor, the incident was relived many times, notably in a story from the “Born in a Trunk” segment of her TV show in 1963:

Poor Grace Kelly. Due to the legions of Judy fans across the world, she has developed a bit of a bad name, through no fault of her own. I am the first to admit that until about 7th grade, I held a major grudge against Grace Kelly. It wasn’t until I forced myself to read a biography and watch a few of her movies that I came around to her, and developed a great respect for her as a dignified human being (one of my favorite anecdotes is that when Josephine Baker was refused service in the Stork Club while Grace was dining there, she grabbed Josephine by the arm, stormed out, and vowed never to eat there again. She never did, the two embarked upon a lifelong friendship). Her performance in The Country Girl, as much as some Judy fans may hate me for this, is brilliant.

But I still think Judy should have won!

This post is an entry in the Dueling Divas blogathon!

All right everyone, are you ready??

I’m so excited for the Dueling Divas Blogathon, taking place between December 20 and 23, 2011!!

So again, a recap of the rules. You can post about:

• Those who had a rivalry in real life, either over a particular film role or over a personality clash, ie Bette Davis and Joan Crawford
• Those who had a rivalry on the screen, ie Mildred and Veda from Mildred Pierce
• Any dual role (see what I did there? Duel? Dual? Be proud.) played by an actor or actress in a classic film, ie Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap.

This opens the door for LOTS of possibilities, and I’m proud to say I have already got one stellar entry from Crítica Retro! Please link your posts to this page, and I will update this post with the links as the entries come in, beginning on the 20th.

Let the dueling begin!!

Now, how do we get from one to the other?

This race of linking Charlie Chaplin to Grace Kelly started off as such:

Charlie Chaplin ——-> Virginia Cherrill (City Lights, 1931), linked by ClassicBecky

Virginia Cherrill ————> Alastair Sim (Troubled Waters, 1936)

And now it falls to me to connect:

Here it goes:

Alastair Sim appeared in Rogue Male (1976) with Peter O’Toole.

Now for my turn to pick the next person to connect to:

And for the honors, I’m shooting it back to the creators of this game–My Love of Old Hollywood!!

My Joan Fontaine collection seems to be growing exponentially. Today I received this hilarious purse that used to belong to her, sent from that monumentally generous friend who also gave me the Joan Fontaine coat. I had helped him out with something he needed to do, and though I expected nothing in return, this arrived, unannounced, in the mail today.

It’s an Italian purse by I. Magnin, and knowing what I do about certain fashion styles, I would say it was probably made in the late 60′s, early 70′s. Joan traveled a lot during that period, and she may have gotten it in Italy. But my favorite part of this purse by far is that it has a tassel for a zipper. How 1970′s is that??

I also received LOTS of new DVDs and a postcard from “Darling, How Could You?”

In summation, I am very lucky. Very, very lucky.