Spring Parade is the second movie Deanna Durbin and Robert Cummings appeared in together; they have that spark of on screen chemistry that is so fun in all three of the movies they performed in together. It is also SZ Sakall’s second screen appearance with Durbin after coming to the States as a seasoned European actor ahead of the growing storm of Adolf Hitler’s scourge of Europe. The featured songs from Spring Parade are; Waltzing in the Clouds, It’s Foolish But It’s Fun, When April Sings and Blue Danube Dream. This renovation was an immense project and is a great tribute to a great Icon of Classic Hollywood.
For all of our UK fans that can’t make it to the States for Spring Parade hope you can make the May 24th 7:30 pm showing at the Riverhouse Barn in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey for the showing of ‘Christmas Holiday’ starring Deanna  and Gene Kelly.

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May 23, 1890 ~ January 22, 1966

If Only You Could Cook, Breakfast for Two, Mad About Music

Happy Birthday Herbert!

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May 22, 1907  ~ July 11, 1989                    Laurence Olivier

Laurence Olivier hailed from England with more experience than possible in one s lifetime- so needless to say Hollywood scooped him right up, and put him on screen. A master in Shakespeare, Olivier was who Marlon Brando studied when rehearsing his role of Mark Antony in Julius Cesar. Olivier’s command in Henry V as in Hamlet and other films, earned him a knighthood, as Sir Laurence in 1947 and a place in the court as Lord Olivier in 1970. Meaningful films like Khartoum, balanced out fun films like Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson, and the very risky, Prince and the Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe. His ability to see all that was great in Marilyn was enough for us from the start. Married to Vivien Leigh, the couple was often the whole of perfection both in the U.S. and abroad. And while Vivien battled aging, Olivier often confessed he never imagined being loved so completely as he was by Vivien. Happy Birthday Laurence!

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Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard in Mr.and Mrs. Smith

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Robert Montgomery was born May 21, 1904 . Happy Birthday to you! Here with Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton

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Robert Montgomery here with Norma Shearer in The Divorcee.

May 21, 1904 ~ September 27, 1981   Robert Montgomery

We love Bob Montgomery. Favorite films right off the bat are Mr. and Mrs Smith with Carole Lombard, Private Lives with Norma Shearer and the very cute, very early in his career flick, Love in the Rough.

Bob Montgomery was blessed with those same long-lasting good looks, and went on to do tv like many of his counterparts in Hollywood. What I thought was most impressive was that he was actually one of the many dignified actors (alongside Ronald Reagan, Gary Cooper and Robert Taylor), to testify against any Communist activity  that may be going on in Hollywood, during the Red Scare years. The HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), from 1947-1954, often called on those willing actors to disclose any information on those that may have sympathies with the Communists.  So while we love the films, it’s even nicer to see that he was a stand-up guy in a time of terror.

Happy Birthday Robert Montgomery!

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May 20, 1908 ~ July 2, 1997 Jimmy Stewart
Happy Birthday James Stewart! Jimmy brought an element of range to his acting career that we rarely see in actors. In his early career he was cast often as the tall, if not awkward, dashing young man trying to get the girl. The Philadephia Story is a favorite for most, as is It’s a Wonderful Life. Two films which solidify his stardom for eras to come. And then we have the Frank Capra years, bringing films with meaning, much like Sturges, to the big screen. Stewart was nominated for his portrayal of American decency in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), which began his turn into more meaty films. James dabbled in witchcraft with Kim Novak in Bell, Book and Candle, and with a bunny in Harvey, but excelled in Westerns in the early 50’s, often playing the emotional, violent cowboy against the hard, unfeeling landscape of the west. Jimmy’s acting range also brought him into Hitchcock films of note; Vertigo, The Man who knew Too Much, and Rear Window are masterpieces of script and filmography. Stewart even went on to do the voice for a lazy eyes cartoon dog in Fieval Goes West. What do you best know Jimmy for?

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With films like The Artist and Hugo making us aware once again that there was a time when films didn’t have sound, I’d like to also thank Mo Willems for his tribute to Silent Films, and all that anxiety, in his new picture book, That is not a Good Idea.

Following a conversation between a plump goose, and a rather big and scary wolf, we’re stopped between the page turns, by stark black pages, and one sentence lines. Nothing like introducing 3 year olds to drama, tension, and the world of silent film!  It’s a must have for movie buffs, and grandparents trying to explain why Silent Films were so cool.

With Hollywood digging way back into the vault as of late, for new material, we’ll be seeing  the new Mary Pickford film soon,  a possible Clara Bow epic, and  a new book called Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photography. Grab a chance to win a free copy of Still in TCM’s Book Corner in June, and don’t forget to introduce the youngsters in your life to silent film with Mo Willems’ That is not a Good Idea.

Where else are you seeing Silent Movie Mania?

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May 18, 1897 ~ September 3, 1991

The Miracle Woman, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Lady for a Day

Happy Birthday Mr. Capra!

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May 17, 1911 ~ June 23, 1998

Tarzan the Ape Man, The Thin Man, Never Too Late

Happy Birthday Jane!

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