It's the 31st which means our journey through old movies is done, at least for the moment. It also means that it is Halloween and perhaps I should offer something scary but anyone who knows me knows I don't do scary. Besides I really do want to take this chance to thank all of you who have read along and commented over the last month.
Hopefully I introduced you a few new (old) movies. I certainly had fun brainstorming what some of my favorites are. Did I miss any of yours?
While I am looking forward to not having to try and get a post up everyday; I am also headed into November with a lot of gratitude for all of you.
I'm actually going to quote imdb.com for this movie, cause this is one cool, complex 1956 movie starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones as a married couple making peace with the past and planning for their family's future.
"Tom Rath lives in Connecticut and commutes to work every day in Manhattan. He's happily married and has a loving wife and three children. Money is a bit tight and when the opportunity arises, he applies for a public relations job with a major television network. During his long commute to work everyday, Tom reminisces about the war. Although 10 years have gone by, he is still haunted by the violence and the men he killed. He also thinks of Maria, an Italian girl with whom he had an affair while stationed in Rome. At his new job, the head of the network Ralph Hopkins takes an immediate liking to him. Tom soon realizes that he will have to choose between becoming a wholly dedicated company man or maintaining a healthy work-life balance."
There are actually six movies in the series; personally I think the first two The Thin Man (1934) and After The Thin Man (1936) are the best but they all have their charm as former detective Nick Charles solves the mystery du jour. William Powell's comic delivery is as dry as the martini's he enjoys and Myrna Loy as his wife Nora Charles is the perfect counterpoint in her naivete but willingness to follow along.
Another light and lovely one for you dear readers. In Indiscreet (1958) Ingrid Bergman plays an actress living in London tired of life who meets an American economist, when thinking she was away her brother-in-law and his guest make use of her apartment to change for an evening engagement. The economist played by Cary Grant decides to take a job with NATO in Paris and so begins a delightful romance which is charming and very funny by turns.
We loss one of the great ladies of film this weekend when Maureen O'Hara died at age 95. Likely the first movie of her's I loved was The Parent Trap (1961) though as a kid I was more focused on Haley Mills performance. As an adult I came to appreciate her amazing talent especially when paired with John Wayne. Earlier this month I posted about the third movie in a John Wayne/John Ford trilogy; Rio Grande (1950) is the second and features Wayne and O'Hara as a married couple separated since the Civil War trying again on the frontier. The other Wayne/O'Hara movie not to be missed is The Quiet Man (1952) where Wayne moves to Ireland to retire his boxing career and the course of true love runs hilariously amiss.
This of course is only a small offering of the many wonderful movies by this amazing actress.
Happy Monday! Anyone still following along? For this last Modern Monday I thought I would share Love Story. Based on the Erich Segal book; Love Story (1970) tells the story of two students from Harvard and Radcliffe (as girls were not yet allowed to attend Harvard officially) who despite being from very different backgrounds fell in love and even at the cost of being disowned by his family decide to marry and pay their own way through law school. Being a girl from Cranston myself this movie has always held a place in my heart.
When it comes to Charlton Heston and Old Testament Movies people are either Ten Commandment (1956) fans or Ben Hur (1959). Well put me in the Ben Hur camp! This is a big movie (and long) but the journey both in distance and in faith that Judah Ben Hur makes is so very impressive. Heston plays a Jewish prince who is first thrilled that a long-time friend has returned to Jerusalem from Rome but the cultural divide proves too big and after a tragic accident this becomes an amazing tale of revenge, forgiveness and redemption.
