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| Hey, you remind me of a man. What man? The man with the power. Power of what? Power of hoodoo. Who Do? You do! Do what? Remind me of a man. What man? The man with the power.... |
Cary Grant (or Archibald Alexander Leach), is still dreamy. Whether you happen upon him in black and white or color, his good looks will cause you pause on that channel. If you watch him in action long enough, you will be caught up by his charisma, charm, and comedic abilities. The other night I had the pleasure of viewing
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, a hilarious black and white comedy. Cary Grant and Myrna Loy are perfect together and Shirley Temple turns in a fabulous performance as an overwrought, misunderstood, teenager in love with an older man. One of the laugh-out-loud moments for me was watching the high school basketball scene from the movie. It looked nothing like the basketball played today...and the uniforms are enough to give one the giggles. You could never make a movie like this today since the mere thought of a family agreeing to allow an older man to date their high school aged daughter is alarming to say the least. The beauty of this film is that the audience never once believes that anything will develop between Shirley Temple's character and her crush. From the start, he is clearly meant for her age-appropriate older sister. This allows you to relax and enjoy the silly situations and oddball dialogue without any fear that you are going to see something that will give you nightmares.
Years ago I read Shirley Temple Black's autobiography. She started her acting career at a very early age and became a box office smash with a perfect image to maintain. She was not allowed to be seen in public with a curl out of place or a tear in her eye. If she lost a baby tooth, they glued a temporary one in to fill the gap. As her body matured, she was forced to dress and act younger than her actual age until the studio could no longer hide the fact that America's "Little Darling" had become a teen. Her book describes the highs and lows of the Hollywood life for a child actor. The fascinating part of her life is how she remade herself and rebuilt her life after Hollywood. Who could foresee that Shirley Temple, child actress, would go on to become a representative to the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations and a United States ambassador twice?
Myrna Loy is best known for her portrayal of Nora Charles in the six Thin Man films. She is the perfect wife, impeccably groomed and always prepared with a witty remark. Myrna herself was most proud of her work in
The Best Years of Our Lives which is a dramatic piece featuring the return of three World War II servicemen from different backgrounds. She had a lengthy and varied movie career but said she received the most satisfaction from her work as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II and later with UNESCO. In her autobiography, she describes how her remarks against Hitler got her movies banned in Germany and earned her a reprimand from the studio. According to the biography of Loy by Emily Leider, Myrna was one of the few Hollywood actresses who subscribed to a code of ethics when it came to relationships (other people's husbands). As with all things Hollywood, we will never truly know the real Myrna Loy but we can enjoy her flawless comedic timing, and the lovely, glamorous persona that comes through when she is on the screen.
There have been several biographies of Cary Grant over the years and much speculation about his personal life. I prefer to remember him as the suave, debonair good guy from Alfred Hitchcock's
North By Northwest, the angel from
The Bishop's Wife, or the heartthrob from
An Affair to Remember. I smile at the thought of Shirley Temple singing "The Good Ship Lollipop" or dancing with George Murphy and Bill Robinson. I admire the aura of sophistication Myrna Loy gave to every one of her screen characters. I am grateful that I don't have to wait for these people to randomly show up on my TV screen because I am at the mercy of a cable channel. To paraphrase the remarks of a recent library patron-this library has an excellent movie selection, and they're FREE. They don't make these kinds of movies anymore, don't miss out on the good stuff.
Years ago I read Shirley Temple Black's autobiography. She started her acting career at a very early age and became a box office smash with a perfect image to maintain. She was not allowed to be seen in public with a curl out of place or a tear in her eye. If she lost a baby tooth, they glued a temporary one in to fill the gap. As her body matured, she was forced to dress and act younger than her actual age until the studio could no longer hide the fact that America's "Little Darling" had become a teen. Her book describes the highs and lows of the Hollywood life for a child actor. The fascinating part of her life is how she remade herself and rebuilt her life after Hollywood. Who could foresee that Shirley Temple, child actress, would go on to become a representative to the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations and a United States ambassador twice?
Myrna Loy is best known for her portrayal of Nora Charles in the six Thin Man films. She is the perfect wife, impeccably groomed and always prepared with a witty remark. Myrna herself was most proud of her work in The Best Years of Our Lives which is a dramatic piece featuring the return of three World War II servicemen from different backgrounds. She had a lengthy and varied movie career but said she received the most satisfaction from her work as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II and later with UNESCO. In her autobiography, she describes how her remarks against Hitler got her movies banned in Germany and earned her a reprimand from the studio. According to the biography of Loy by Emily Leider, Myrna was one of the few Hollywood actresses who subscribed to a code of ethics when it came to relationships (other people's husbands). As with all things Hollywood, we will never truly know the real Myrna Loy but we can enjoy her flawless comedic timing, and the lovely, glamorous persona that comes through when she is on the screen.
There have been several biographies of Cary Grant over the years and much speculation about his personal life. I prefer to remember him as the suave, debonair good guy from Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest, the angel from The Bishop's Wife, or the heartthrob from An Affair to Remember. I smile at the thought of Shirley Temple singing "The Good Ship Lollipop" or dancing with George Murphy and Bill Robinson. I admire the aura of sophistication Myrna Loy gave to every one of her screen characters. I am grateful that I don't have to wait for these people to randomly show up on my TV screen because I am at the mercy of a cable channel. To paraphrase the remarks of a recent library patron-this library has an excellent movie selection, and they're FREE. They don't make these kinds of movies anymore, don't miss out on the good stuff.
