The Los Angeles Philharmonic Performs Bernard Herrmann...

James Stewart and Kim Novak in VertigoWhile perusing YouTube the other night I happened on the video below of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, performing Bernard Herrmann's "Scene d'Amour" from his score for Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. I watched and listened several...

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Kick your cares down the stairs...and come to Holiday Inn (1942)

Holiday Inn (1942) is famed as the film in which Bing Crosby first sang "White Christmas." I love its teaming of Crosby with Fred Astaire, their song and dance routines, the comedic rivalry between them, Irving Berlin's sensational music, the wintry New England scenery...everything about it.In this video...

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A Holiday Moment with Judy and Mel...

On December 6, 1963, Judy Garland taped "The Christmas Show" to air a few weeks later as the holiday episode of her weekly CBS-TV variety show. She was joined by by both family (including Liza) and friends...like singer/songwriter Mel Tormé, writer (with Bob Wells ) of  "The...

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Christmas in Connecticut (1945)...one special holiday season...

Christmas in Connecticut (1945), a jewel of a holiday romantic comedy, was released at a  time unlike any other in America...scant months after VE Day, just days before VJ Day - and by December 1945, World War II was finally over and many veterans were home in time for Christmas.A Time Magazine article of...

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The Artful Nostalgia of Richard Amsel

Chinatown movie posterRichard Amsel was a prolific graphic artist and illustrator who created some of the most indelible images of the '70s and '80s.Born on December 4, 1947, he was raised near Philadelphia, in the west side suburb of Ardmore where his parents owned a toy store. An artistic prodigy from...

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JOHN M. STAHL...a reappraisal and a reaffirmation

Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heavenby guest contributor doctor sabelotodoAuthor's DisclaimerNot until I started researching and reading did I realize the extent of the tremendous amount of heresay, recyled disinformation and vague references that exists in the written media about director John M. Stahl - both...

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 MEET ME IN ST. LOUISOne of the most charming and potent portrayals of Americana to grace the screen, Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) tugs at the heartstrings as powerfully today as it did 65+ years ago when it was crafted by MGM's "Freed Unit."The film's sparkling perfection is the work of producer...

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Clint and Me

Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973)by guest contributor Magic Lantern 21“Good guy…that last one he shot was a good guy!”Eleven words… my claim to celebrity status; my fifteen minutes of fame which if you took a stop watch and measured, would run well under that length of time. And although I would have many...

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