I hope that all of you have a very happy, and a very Merry Christmas! 
Category: 1940’s
Here is a list of some of my favorite Christmas movies and cds! All of the movies are available on DVD!
“It’s a Wonderful Life” Starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. This is a classic, black and white Christmas movie!
“White Christmas” Starring Danny Kaye, Rosmary Clooney, and Bing Crosby. This is one of my favorite Christmas movies! It has the best music, and great dances!
“Holiday Inn” Starring Fred Astair and Bing Crosby. This is a great Christmas, or any holiday movie! It’s a classic black and white, musical.
“Holiday Affair” Starring Robert Mitchum. This is such a good movie! They also re-made it in the 90’s. Both versions are great, but I think I like the original the best!
“Gremilns” Ok, this isn’t exactly a Christmas movie, but it does take place during Winter, and during Christmas!
“Noel By Josh Groban” This is Josh Grobans first Christmas cd! It’s really great, and I’m not even a Christmas music type of person!
Ashley Tisdales “Last Christmas” single. You can get this song on ITunes! It’s really good!
“Bishop’s Wife” Starring Cary Grant and Loretta Young. This is a really good, fun Christmas movie!
“Christmas in Connecticut” Starring Barbara Stanwyck. This is such a funny movie! It’s one of my favs!
“Mrs Santa Claus” Starring Angela Lansbury. This is a cute Christmas musical! Angela Lansbury is really good in it!
This comedy stars Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney. This was such a funny movie!
Tyrone Power plays Thomas Jefferson Tyler, a ace reporter who wants the inside scoop on heiress, Sara Farley (Tierney). Tierney falls in love with him, but once she sees what he wrote about her, she gets just a little upset! So as payback, she decides to tell all the newspapers that she and Thomas are married! She goes on with this little joke through the whole movie, even though he keeps begging her to tell the truth! This was SUCH a funny movie! I really recommend it! Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney were very good together. They were also in “Razors Edge”. I give it a A!
This drama stars Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains. It was based on the play by Louis Verneuil, and produced by Henry Blanke.
Davis plays a pianist, Christine Radcliffe. One day, she finds out that her boyfriend (Henried), Karel Novak, is not dead like she thought. She finds him and sees that he is still playing the cello, as he was before the war separated them. When he goes to her apartment, he finds it’s lavishly decorated with expensive paintings, furniture, and furs in her closet! Where did she get all this money, since she’s only a music teacher? Well, she says that they are gifts from her students, and he believes her.
Later, Karel and Christine marry. They have a wedding party, and suddenly Claude Rains (his character’s name is Hollenius) ‘crashes’ their party. He seems very upset, and Karel is a little confused. Hollenius talks about how he was her teacher for many years, and how he feels like she’s a daughter to him, but you can tell it was deeper then that!
That’s when the deceiving and lying start! She says that there is and never was anything between Hollenius and her, and he still buys it, but he is getting more skeptical as time goes by. Hollenius decides to help Karel out, by auditioning him in his orchestra. He makes it stressful for him, by constantly picking at him. Hollenius decides to hire him for a big concert he’s conducting, but Christine thinks he has something up his sleeve. She doesn’t think he’ll show. She decides to go to Hollenus’s house to make sure that he’s going to go, but when she gets there, she finds out how cruel and heartless he is. She runs up the stairs and grabs a gun. She threatens him, but he acts like he doesn’t care, and like she doesn’t have the guts the pull the trigger! I won’t say how this movie ends, but if your a Bette Davis fan, you can probably figure it out!
This was a very good movie, and I think Davis did a great job in it! Many people say that she ‘over-acted’ in this role, but that’s what made her, her! This isn’t exactly a film noir story, but the camera angles make it one. Their are many diagonal shots, and far off shots. Their are also a lot of shadows, and darkness. A couple intersting things to watch for is when ever Davis and Henrid are in a shot, their is normally something between them, like a window pane, or a piano, or even just a big space. Which shows how they aren’t really together, and their is something separating them. Davis often seems ‘trapped’ in things, like a piano, or a diagonal shot. Just like her lies are trapping her in her life. Also when Davis, Henrid, and Rains are in a shot together, Rains is always between them, showing how he keeps coming between them in their life. The more you watch it, the more you see these things! Also, if you have it on DVD, their is a GREAT audio commentary by Foster Hirsch. He talks about all these things, and it really teaches you the techniques of film noir!
I give this movie a A!
This movie stars Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante, Peter Lawford, and Gloria Graham.
Sinatra plays Danny Miller, a guy returning from the army to his hometown, Brooklyn. Before he leaves, he meets Jamie Shellgrove (played by Peter Lawford). Jamie is a piano writer, but he’s music is square (old fashioned). Danny decides to try to help him get in the grove by updating his music. He then leaves for his hometown, but he finds out that Brooklyn has changed. As soon as he gets there, he meets a Anne Fielding (played by Kathryn Grayson). She is a music teacher who wants to become a professional opera singer, but she keeps getting turned down. And Danny is trying to get a job singing in a music store, but he’s to afraid to try. So Nick Lombardi (played by Jimmy Durante) decides to help him. (Nick was a janitor in the school that Danny went to when he was a boy).
Danny gets the job, and decides to try to help Ann get a job in opera, and tries to get Jamie a girlfriend (Jamie decided to come and pay Danny a visit in Brooklyn). But, as time goes by, Jamie starts to fall for Ann, even though Danny likes her! Everything does turn out alright though, just as all these types of movies do!
I LOVE this movie! I don’t know exactly why, I just love it! I love the songs that Frank Sinatra sings, such as; “Time After Time”, “The Song’s Gotta Have Heart”, “I Believe”, and “Who’s Baby are You?”. Graysons songs are very good, but her voice dosen’t sound as good as in her other movies, it’s much more quite, and not as powerful. Even Peter Lawford ‘tries’ to sing “Who’s Baby Are You?”!
*Spoiler* I thought it was kind of sad that Danny didn’t get Ann in the end though! For some reason, in three out of four movies they are in, they never are a couple in the end, even though they seem the best together! I give this movie a A. It’s just a nice, fun movie!!
This movie, directed by Howard Hawk, stars Cary Grant and Jean Arthur. And it co-stars Rita Haywort, and Richard Barthelmess.
Grant plays Geoff Carter, a tough guy who is the head of an air-freight service that operates in very dangerous mountains. Arthur plays Bonnie Lee, a lady who’s on vacation, and gets stuck while waiting for her next boat to come in. She just happens to go to Carters plane place (which also has a little restaurant). She meets Carter, and he’s pretty rude! Later that day, a man dies while trying to land, and Bonnie finds out how cold hearted Carter really is. He doesn’t even bat a eye when his plane wrecks, but he is really just trying to act like a ‘tough guy’.
Bonnie really starts to fall for Carter, till one day, his old girlfriend comes back (Rita Hayworth). That causes a little bit of trouble!
This movie has a sad, but good ending. I really like Howard Hawks movies. He was a great director. He made a few films with Grant, such as; “Bringing Up Baby”, and “His Girl Friday”. This movie, although not a comedy, does have some humorous parts, and that helps break up the drama. I give this movie a A+!
This movie stars Katharine Hepburn, Paul Henreid, Robert Walker, Henry Daniell, and Leo G. Carroll. Hepburn plays Clara Wieck, a famous pianist who marries the famous composer, Robert Schumann (Henreid). This is a very good movie. I give it a B-.
This comedy stars Ginger Rogers, George Murphy, Burgess Meredith, Alan Marshall, and Phil Silvers. Rogers plays a girl who has big dreams of meeting a millionaire and marrying him. She meets 3 guys, a dependable one who’s slowly on his way (Murphy). A kind and caring, but poor guy (Marshall). And a millionaire (Meredith). She has to choose between the three, but she just can’t make up her mind! This is a really funny movie! I give it a B-.
This comedy stars Myrna Loy and Cary Grant. Loy and Grant play a married couple with two girls who are living in a small apartment in a big city. Tired of always bumping into each other in their tiny apartment, they decide to buy a big old house in the country. It doesn’t go as well as they hope! They find out that they have to tear the house down, and build a new one. But it’s not as easy as it sounds! Every minute something goes wrong, from having no windows to not finding any water for their well! This is one of the funniest movies ever!!!! Grant and Loy are GREAT together! I give this movie a A+++!!!
This movie stars Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Wolley, and Eve Arden. Grant plays the famous song writer of the 40’s, Cole Porter. The movie goes through Cole Porters life and the songs that he wrote. This was such a great movie! I really loved it! I give it a A++!!
This movie stars Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Water Brennan and Charles Ruggles. Davis plays twins, one good and one evil, and they are both in love with the same man! This was a very good movie, and it was neat to see Davis is 2 roles! I give this movie B+.
This movie stars Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, Herbert Marshall. Crawford plays a lady who writes book, and falls in love with her publisher, but he’s married! I LOVE this movie!! I really liked the cast too!! I give this movie a A++!!!
This remake of a Ingrid Bergman movie stars Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, and Conrad Veidt. Crawford plays a lady who’s face is badly disfigured. She falls in love with a man who happens to be a blackmailer! This was a very good movie!! I give it a A-.
Here is the new picture of the cover of the Tyrone Power DVD set that will be coming out July 26!!
This movie stars Joan Crawford and Michael Wilding with Gig Young. Crawford plays a temperamental musical star, who meets a blind piano player, and falls in love with him. This was a really good movie, but Joan’s singing voice was dubbed. I give it a A-.
This movie stars Lana Turner, Heddy Lamarr, Judy Garland and James Stewart. Turner plays a girl who dreams of becoming a star, and owning mink coats and diamonds. Lamarr plays a girl who’s husband is a aspiring violinist, but she ends up getting the fame, and Garland plays a girl who doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Eventually they all make it and become Ziegfield Girls. But some of them can’t handle the fame. This is a GREAT movie! I give it a A++!!
This movie stars Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, and Robert Mitchum. Hepburn plays a scientist who falls in love with Taylor, and then marries him. She starts to think that he’s really a psychotic who’s planning on murdering her. Mitchum plays his brother, who Taylor refuses to talk about. This was a really good movie. I’m not a huge Robert Taylor fan, but he did a really good job in this movie. And Hepburn and Mitchum were really good in this movie too! I give this movie a A-.
This movie stars William Powell and Myrna Loy with Gail Patrick, Jack Carson, and Florence Bates. Powell and Loy play a married couple. On the evening of their 4th wedding anniversary, Loy thinks that her husband is seeing his old girlfriend. So she files for a divorce. He decides to act insane to postpone the proceedings and to have time to prove that she was wrong! This is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen! It’s just great! I give it a A++!!
This comedy stars Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan. Boyer plays a playwright and Sullavan is a doctor. They fall in love and decide to get married on a impulse. This is a really funny movie! I give it a B+!
This movie stars Bette Davis and Charles Boyer with Jeffrey Lynn and Barbara O’Neil. Davis plays a governess in the house of Duc de Praslin (Boyer) and his jealous wife (O’Neil). When the governess and Duc de Praslin start to fall in love, the Duchess gets very upset! This was a really good movie! I give it a B.
This film-noir movie stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake with Robert Preston. Ladd plays a professional killer who was double crosed by his client. Lake plays a nightclub singer who is spying on her boss. This was a REALLY good movie! I give it a A++!!
A new, 10 movie, 5 DVD Tyrone Power dvd set will be coming out on July 29, 2008! The 10 movies will be Cafe Metropole(1937), Girls Dormitory(1936), Johnny Apollo(1940), Daytime Wife (193), Luck of the Irish (1948), I’ll Never Forget You (1951), That Wonderful Urge (1948), Love is News (1937), This Above All (1942), Second Honeymoon (1937).
This Alfred Hitchcook movie stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman and Robert Walker. Granger plays a tennis star who half-jokingly kids about killing his wife with a guy he meets on a train (Walker). Little does he know that Walker really believes him! This is a GREAT movie! I give it a A++!!
This movie stars Jane Powell, Jeanette MacDonald, and Jose Iturbi. MacDonald plays a mom of 3 daughters. She becomes over worked, so she goes on a vacation. Then she meets Iturbi. She marries him, but dosen’t tell her daughters! This is a GREAT movie with GREAT music!! I give it a A++!~
This film noir movie stars Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, and Linda Darnell. Faye plays a simple girl who lives in the county with her sister. Then one day Andrews, a con man, comes to town. He seems to be falling in love with Faye, but her sister thinks that he’s only after their family fortue. I give this movie A-!
Movies N Music 