Classic Films
We love classic movies. And now that we subscribe to Turner Classic Movies, we can find classic movies on television twenty four hours a day — with no commercial interruptions! Turner shows all the great classics, plus many nearly forgotten films from the classic age of cinema. One of the programs we usually watch is Sunday Night Silents. We just watched an immaculately restored version of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921), and Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan were amazing.
Roman Holiday (1953). Has the camera ever loved a woman as much as it loved Audrey Hepburn? If you can't decide, you should also watch Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), Charade (1963), or anything else she ever acted in. She still looked great in her last film, Always (1989), filmed when she was 60 years old.
Bringing Up Baby (1938). Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn made a delicious pairing in what might be the funniest movie ever made. Enjoy them again in Holiday (1938).
Woman of the Year (1942). This was the first in the long collaboration between Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn that would eventually yield eight more films. Not all of them can be considered classics, but the romance the film also spawned was. See also Adam's Rib (1949), State of the Union (1948), and Desk Set (1957).
It Happened One Night (1934). This great showcase for the talents of Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable is also a great comedy and a great example of Frank Capra's directing style. Many modern viewers are familiar with Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart, but they would be remiss in not seeing Meet John Doe (1941) with the laconic Gary Cooper and the original ball of fire Barbara Stanwyck. Also not to be missed are Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), again with Gary Cooper and with Jean Arthur; You Can't Take It with You (1938) with Jean Arthur and James Stewart; and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), once again with Jean Arthur and with James Stewart.
All About Eve (1950). "Buckle up everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride," says Bette Davis in one of the more memorable lines in this cynical look of life in the theater. Bette is fabulous as an aging star who takes in an adoring young fan, only to be overtaken by the newcomer. Great dialogue and a great cast. Bette Davis starred in many wonderful movies including Now, Voyager(1942), The Old Maid (1939), and Dark Victory (1939).
Mildred Pierce (1945) Joan Crawford, in an outstanding performance, encounters obstacles as she attempts to run a business, bring up a bratty daughter, and look for love. Gripping melodrama.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). Mrs. Muir, a beautiful young widow played by Gene Tierney, falls in love with the ghost of a sea-captain, played by Rex Harrison. A lovely romantic fantasy.
Casablanca (1942). Considered by many to be the greatest film of all time, and with good reason. This film is flawless. The dialogue is perfect (“Round up the usual suspects.”), as is the casting. Romance, drama, and humor, this film captures it all brilliantly. It is funny, it is moving, and it tells a great story. It is a wonderful cinematic experience. Ingrid Bergman lights up the screen; some of her other notable films include Intermezzo (1939), Notorious (1946), and Indiscreet (1958).
Brief Encounter (1945). English wartime romance, between two strangers, both married, who meet at a train station. A wonderful film starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. Evocative musical score by Rachmaninoff. Directed by David Lean, who also directed Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Til the End of Time (1946). Soldiers returning home after World War II find it difficult to adjust to civilian life. Both are sympathetic dramas featuring strong, solid acting. The Best Years of Our Lives swept the Oscars for that year.
The Lion in Winter (1968). Just absolutely brilliant acting from Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds sing and dance their way through this Technicolor extravaganza set in Hollywood in the 1920s. Except for a dream sequence number with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse that doesn't seem to belong to the rest of the movie, this is a wonderful movie and a perfect musical, arguably the best musical ever made. Donald, Gene, and Debbie are amazing dancers, and Jean Hagen is hilarious as Lina Lamont, the silent film star who can’t make the transition to talkies without Kathy Seldon (Reynolds) acting as her voice double.
My Man Godfrey (1936). Carole Lombard, arguably the greatest comedic actress in the history of the cinema, stars with William Powell, another comedic great, in this delightful screwball comedy.
The Thin Man series (1936-1947). William Powell and Myrna Loy play Nick and Nora Charles, a sophisticated couple who solve mysteries in their spare time. They are a wonderful team, and the six films in the Thin Man series are a delightful blend of screwball comedy and suspense.
The Women (1932). The ultimate chick-flick. An all-female, all-star cast including Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, and Rosalind Russell play a group of catty, competitive "friends" who love to discuss men and gossip about each other. Meow!
The Philadelphia Story (1940). It has to be a great movie when it stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Confusion ensues when a society girl's ex-husband shows up on the scene, just when she is about to remarry. Classic comedy. Hepburn, Grant, and Stewart acted in some of the better movies ever made, but this one of the best.
His Girl Friday (1940). Hilarious war-between-the-sexes comedy between Rosalind Russell as a newspaper reporter and Cary Grant as her editor — and her ex-husband.
The Blue Dahlia (1946). Classic film noir starring Alan Ladd as a Navy vet accused of murdering his wife. Raymond Chandler's first original screenplay.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948). Cary Grant and Myrna Loy are hilarious as a New York City couple who decide to move to the country and remodel a house. Their troubles are only beginning... .
Top Hat (1935). It's hard to say which is the best of the ten films Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together, but this might be it. In all of them, the plots were hokey, but the dancing was divine. They made it look as natural as swimming is to a fish. To say they were hummingbirds in a world of ostriches is an understatement.
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