Old Classic Movies

Short Bio on Charlie Chaplin

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:49:25 +0000

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London England. His birth name was Charles Spencer Chaplin, though he had many nicknames growing up such as Charlie, Charlot, and The Little Tramp. His father, Charles Chaplin, and his mother, Hannah Chaplin, were inducted into the music hall of fame, leading the way to his exposure even as a young boy. His first onstage moment was when he was 5 years old; he sang a song that was intended to be sang by his own mother, though she had become ill at the time of the performance so little Charlie Chaplin stood in sand performed for his mother.

Charlie Chaplin came to the United States in 1910, at the age of 21. He was brought to New York, which was known to be a great place to start out for anyone trying to become a professional actor. Two years later, in 1913, Chaplin signed his very first contract at Keystone and it was no time before he headed to Hollywood. His first movie premiered in 1914, “Making a Living,” and went on to make over 35 movies total in that year alone. His rise in popularity was like nothing that people had seen, though with parents of fame, it was nothing new to Charlie.

Charlie Chaplin grew to become one of the most popular and successful actors of all time. The moment that really kicked off his long career was in 1921 when he starred in, and produced, his first full length film called “The Kid.” From then on, most people all over the world knew Charlie Chaplin and loved his movies. He had a great career and life, dying on December 25, 1977, in Vevey, Switzerland. He had apparently died of natural causes in his sleep from old age.

1965 The Sound of Music

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:37:31 +0000

In 1965, a great classic movie, The Sound of Music, was produced in accordance to the Broadway musical that had songs written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. The movie starred two people, Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews, who were not very well known prior to their role in the musical film, though their popularity in the movie world did accelerate thereafter. Ernest Lehman was the writer that wrote the screenplay that was later transformed into the great musical film.

The Sound of Music was filmed in Germany and Austria, as well as the 20^th Century Fox studio that is located in California. The movie gained so much popularity that it was later award a total of 5 Academy Awards for Best Picture in the opening year of 1965. The classic movie was considered by many to be the absolute best musical that was ever produced. The cast, or the actors and actresses, of the classic musical films were also nominated for a Grammy in accordance to Album of the Year.

The Sound of Music was such a great hit that if you took the money that it made in sales and translated that into the inflation of 2010, the film made over $1 billion which made it third of all time behind only two others which were Gone with the Wind and Star Wars. The film is still watched by many today and had been implemented into school systems to teach morals as well as the art of music to all students that study in schools. The complete plot to the classic musical film would not only entertain people that were watching, but also teach other aspects of life other than music, such as love and peace, though it generally used the music to get the message across to each viewer.

Why we need to remember Classic movies

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:41:42 +0000

There are many reasons why we need to remember classic movies. Classic movies have some of the best story lines and have opened up the doors to the great movies that we have all come to love today. If it weren’t for classic movies and the way they started with productions, we would know much less than we do now about how to make a good movie, therefore, we owe a ton of success to the great classic movies of all times and all of the people that were associated with the movie as well.

Some old classic actors such as Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, and Charlie Chaplin have really played great roles in entertainment that was not only great to watch when the movie came out, but is still worth watching today with their great acting skills and the heart and passion that they would put into these great classic movies. The skills of these actors, plus more from the classic movie days, are still studied today by many actors that want to bring the passion with their skills into the more modern movies that we have today. The skills that classic movie actors brought to their own career haven’t been able to be duplicated, though some are very close.

Classic movies are a great way to entertain your family, and in addition to this, you can really take yourself back into your early days of when you were a kid watching these movies with your families and enjoying life without any worries. These were the great times of your life that you really cherished and classic movies were part of what made it so special. Without movies, there would have been limited connection to the outside world; therefore, remembering these great classic movies is one of the best things to kick of the great evolution of technology in videos and films.

1943 Casablanca review

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:36:19 +0000

The classic movie, Casablanca, was released in 1943 when it rapidly gained popularity as one of the best movies of its time. The movie of Casablanca was set out to be one of the most organized films in the world, though even some Hollywood producers still claim that it was a total train wreck. Its rise in popularity was not obtained by accident, but rather it was planned by those to not necessarily become one of the greatest classics of all times, but at least a great organized film that people could thoroughly enjoy.

Casablanca had many aspects featured in the classic movie from romance, mystery, comedy, topical events, and intrigue. Many film makers have tried numerous times to mimic the film of Casablanca but all have been unsuccessful and realizing that the combination of all of these things in one films would be extremely difficult to duplicate. Many people even claim that the classic movie will NEVER be duplicated, no matter how many attempts there may be to do so by film makers in the world.

The movie was released in 1998 in the newer modeled digital format, which many people were ecstatic about with desire to see the classic all together. It was released by MGM and many claim that the released version is not the highest quality, though it is light years ahead of VHS movies. Many people were in hopes that the release would have been of a better quality, though were very happy to receive what they did at least.

The best films all started with the best scripts, and just like the best, Casablanca was a prior script that was acted out in a play, and then later transformed into a movie. The script and screenplay wasn’t perfect, though that was to be expected in a live act. The 1943 Casablanca was one of the old classics that will forever be remembered and adored by many people as well.

1957 the Bridge on the River Kwai

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:40:22 +0000

In 1957, The Bridge on the River Kwai was produced and to many people’s disliking, it would turn out to be one of the most memorable movies for all time. There was so much meaning in the movie as it took the setting of WW II from 1942 to 1943 which also acted as a way to give the general public people an insight to the things that were going on in the war. The film was made by a man named David Lean and it was based on the novel book that had previously been written called “The Bridge over the River Kwai,” which was written by a man named Pierre Boulle, a French writer.

The historical setting of the movie featured a few of the most commonly know actors and actresses of their time with William Holden, Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, and Jack Hawkins. These people that acted in the movie really brought the storyline to life in their passion that they put into this movie. The movie was actually a work of fiction, with a few realistic features, though with the acting jobs and historical settings that were represented in the classic movie, many would have sworn that the movie was nonfiction.

After years and years of the movie being replayed in homes and schools throughout the world, the classic movie was eventually chosen in 1997 to reserve a spot within the U.S. Library of Congress of the National Film Registry. The decision for this was based upon the film being determined to be historically, culturally, and aesthetically significant. This definitely marked a place in the history books for the classic movie that will never be forgotten. It started off rough in nature and many believed it was unsuitable for children, though over time, the thought process determined that even children should have a great feel for fiction and nonfiction in the war battles.

Short Bio on Cary Grant

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:50:27 +0000

The world famous Cary Grant, born January 18, 1904, in Bristol, England, was one of the most famously known actors of all times and had contributed a ton to the success of how actors perform today. If you can just about any actor in the world today about Cary Grant, you will quickly find that many still look up to him and implement his acting skills into their own careers. Cary Grant was born as Archibald Alexander Leach; he grew up in England as a typical middle class child. When he was only nine years old, he came home from school in the afternoon to find that his mother was not around and people informing him that she was at a seaside resort for a short vacation, when in reality, she was actually placed in a mental institution for being unstable with mental issues. Grant never actually got to see his mother again until he was in his late 20’s when she had finally become well enough to take visitors.

He first set out to be a comedian as he was intrigued by some but ended up in plays and screenings of the English provinces and the music halls. In 1920, he was selected to tour to the U.S. to debut on Broadway in the hit, “Good Times,” which helped to give Grant the time to adjust to the needed parts. He would go on to remain in the U.S. to try his hand in picture films.

The biggest hit that many people remember Cary Grant in is the 1950’s film called “North by Northwest,” which was directed by the world pronounced Alfred Hitchcock. He went on to make many other movies as well but none of the others were as big of a hit as the one directed by Hitchcock. On November 29, 1986, in Davenport, Iowa, Cary Grant died from a cerebral hemorrhage, though he will never be forgotten in his role of the greatest classical movies of all times.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:48:47 +0000

Very rarely does it ever happen that movies are made that are very simple in expression but possess monumental appeals and significant life lessons in a style only of the kind of their own that, we can’t expect even. This fact is truthfully exemplified in To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s not just a movie or even just a promising story in general, but all it portray’s is “Innocence”. A girl’s recollection of her childhood days which are still at their full bloom in her mind, depicting the innocence of juvenile as well as as adult minds, a period where mostly immature minds become curious to the racial bigotry and sometimes mature minds become its prey and a time when harsh realities of life like intolerance, hatreds, prejudice and adversities of society gradually dawn upon them.

Atticus Finch ( Gregory Peck ) is an absolutely Gentleman Lawyer whose wife has passed away and he has a son and a daughter. A Black man Tom Robinson is wrongly alleged of raping a poor white woman. In fact, he a victim of white woman’s effort to hide her guilt by targeting his innocence and utilizing favors of racial attitude of unsocial society towards Negros. Finch decides to defend him on his principles realizing that the narrow minded society will turn against him and so it happened and townspeople started making his life agonizing. The whole story is masterfully out shined by the ingenuousness, purity and innocence of his children with with a unique inspirational interaction with their father.

Boo Readly who lives in the town is mentally retarded and is sidelined by the society. He is a mark of fear and curiosity for children because he is different from others. But he is the one who marks the ultimate climax of this emotionally crafted masterpiece.

It’s a must see movie for all ages in all times because it gives many priceless emotional and touching lessons for those who are sincere and perceptive.

Singin’ in the Rain 1952

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:27:04 +0000

The transition from the silent film era to the newly arrived technique of the ‘talkies’ proved to be the ruin for many well established stars that were great on the screen, but who had no professional training in the theater, or otherwise, and had horrible speaking voices. Thus, a star of the magnitude of Lina Lamont, suffers a hard blow to her career and ego.

That’s the basis of one of the best movies about old Hollywood of all times: “Singin’ in the Rain”. The film is one of the classics it is because of the marvelous direction of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, two men who knew a lot about musicals. The screen play is by one of the best people in the business, Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

MGM was the studio that employed all the stars one sees in the film, and what a cast they put together: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Cyd Charisse in a dancing part, Millard Mitchell and Rita Moreno. As if those names weren’t big enough, there is the fantastic musical numbers that even, viewing them today, have kept their freshness because of the care in which this film was crafted.

“Singin’ in the Rain” is one of the best musicals of all times. It’s right up there with the best of them thanks to the vision of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and it will live forever as more people discover this wonderful example of entertainment.

Short Bio on Katharine Hepburn

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:51:29 +0000

Katharine Hepburn, born Katharine Houghton Hepburn, on May 12, 1907 in Harford, Connecticut was the daughter of a doctor and a suffragette. Her parents taught her to speak her mind, develop it fully and exercise her body to its full potential. She also had a brother, Tom, in which she was very close to, but sadly at the age of 14, they found him dead, the apparent result of an accidental hanging while he was practicing a hanging trick their father had taught them. After his death, Katharine used his birth date, November 8, as her own. She was mainly schooled at home because of the shyness she attained around girls her age. She attended Bryn Mawr College where she decided to become an actress. After graduating she began to get small roles in the plays on Broadway and many different places as well.

In 1931, she was in her first small film named “Art and Mrs. Bottle.” Then, in 1932 she finally broke into stardom when she took the lead role of an Amazon princess in “A Warrior’s Husband,” following that, she was a cast member in “A Bill of Divorcement.” This film was a hit and after agreeing to her salary demands, RKO signed Katharine to a contract, and with that, she went on to make five films between 1932 and 1934. Her third movie was Morning Glory, in 1933; she won her first Academy Award. Also in 1933, she made her fourth film, Little Women; it was the most successful picture of its day.

However, stories were beginning to leak out of her nasty behavior off screen and refusing to play the Hollywood Game, Katharine always wore slacks and no makeup she never posed for any pictures or involved herself in any interviews.

She made many more films over the years up until 1994 where she did her last feature film, which was “Love Affair” and her last TV film “One Christmas.” As her health declined she retired from the public life in the mid 90’s. Sadly she passed at the age of 96, from natural causes, in her home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Ingrid Bergman Bio

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:46:28 +0000

Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress noted for her starring roles in American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute. She is best remembered for her role as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942), a World War II drama co-starring Humphrey Bogart.

Before becoming a star in American films, she had already been a leading actress in Swedish, French, German, Italian, and British films. Her first introduction to American audiences came with her starring role in the English remake of Intermezzo in 1939. In America, she brought to the screen a “Nordic freshness and vitality,” along with extreme beauty and intelligence, and, according to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, quickly became “the ideal of American womanhood” and one of Hollywood’s greatest leading actresses.

Her producer David O. Selznick, who called her “the most completely conscientious actress” he had ever worked with, gave her a seven-year acting contract, thereby assuring her continual stardom. A few of her other starring roles besides Casablanca included the films For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949), and the independent production, Joan of Arc (1948).

In 1950, after a decade of stardom in American films, she starred in the Italian film Stromboli and had a love affair with director Roberto Rossellini while they were both already married. The affair created a scandal that forced her to return to Europe until 1956, when she made a successful Hollywood comeback in Anastasia for which she won her second Academy Award as well as the forgiveness of her fans.