When I published my pre-TCMFF picks before this year’s festival in April, I mentioned the tough time I have been having in the blogging arena of late. In truth, it is worse than I imagined.
The Classic Movie Blog Association (CMBA) held its spring blogathon a couple of weeks ago and I was ready to comment about my pick, King Vidor’s memorable Stella Dallas from 1937 starring Barbara Stanwyck. I can’t tell you how many times I attempted to put thoughts on paper after rewatching the movie. And nothing resulted. Not one word. Not one thought. Not one impression.
I honestly do not know how to overcome this utter blankness, but I aim to try today with a response to an award. Sometime in February one of my favorite bloggers and people, Karen of Shadows and Satin mentioned my blog along with others as her picks for a Sunshine Blogger Award. Aside from being incredibly honored that Karen mentioned Once Upon a Screen, I think focusing on the questions she posed may help open my mind to future commentaries. I am at least giving it a shot.
Here are Karen’s questions and my responses:
If you could pick a movie to be in, which one would it be, and which part would you play?
Hmmm. The first requirement for the role I’d like to play would be that I end up with Cary Grant and the first thought there is playing Lucy Warriner in the supremely entertaining The Awful Truth directed by Leo McCarey in 1937. Not that I can compete with the great Irene Dunne, but even the thought of attempting her rendition of “My Dreams are Gone with the Wind” song is entertaining. Whoop, whoop.
Lucy Warriner is not my pick, however. The one role in the one movie that beats all others for me is Hildy Johnson in Hawks’s His Girl Friday (1940). Just imagining conquering that rapid fire dialogue is a dream. I remember showing the picture to my godson for the first time and his reaction was, “Oh my God. Nobody can do that today.” Indeed. Unique circumstances call for unique talents and, to me, this would be the apex accomplishment of my acting career. Assuming I had one.
Columbia’s Harry Cohn and director Howard Hawks wanted someone other than Rosalind Russell to play Hildy in His Girl Friday and they asked several top-notch stars. Thankfully, they all declined because Russell, who was borrowed from MGM just two weeks prior to the start of filming, is glorious in the role. In fact, I cannot imagine anyone else as Hildy Johnson. Russell matches the orally gifted Grant word for word and ad-lib for ad-lib. This is music, the motion picture equivalent of the world’s greatest composition – I cannot say what that would be, but this is just as good. Something by Beethoven, Mozart, Sondheim, or Gershwin perhaps.
Anyway, an opportunity to spar with Cary Grant – in any form of that word – would be an absolute joy. Hildy Johnson, with Russell cheering me on from the wings, is my pick of part. There is more about His Girl Friday here.
I should mention that it is no coincidence that both roles I mentioned have relationships with Ralph Bellamy. He’s terrific.
What is your most memorable movie-watching experience?
Nothing compares to watching classics on a big screen and I’ve been lucky to experience that many times. As such there are several screenings that stand out, the best being at the TCM Classic Film Festival (TCMFF) where one shares the laughs and tears with other equally impassioned fans. But there is one movie-watching experience that still stands out twelve years later, the presentation of Frank Capra’s The Donovan Affair (1929) at the 2013 TCMFF. I commented on that screening here so there’s no need to explain how special it was again except to say that Columbia’s first talkie left me speechless.
What movie makes you cry without fail?
I do not cry easily and when I do it is the result of moments that may not make others cry. That said, I am not made of stone and lose it faithfully with George Stevens’s Penny Serenade (1941), which once again paired Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. That damn Christmas pageant!
By the way, The Classic Movie Blog Association’s most recent event was all about crying. You may want to go check out Cry Me a River: The Tearjerker Blogathon 2025.
What movie have you seen more often than any other?
Gosh. There are many. I think rewatching movies is in the marrow of classics fans. The ones that come to mind are Casablanca, The Godfather I and II, a few John Ford pictures, the Astaire-Rogers movies, and everything Elvis.
What is the worst movie you’ve ever seen, and what makes it the worst?
I absolutely abhorred David Lynch’s Eraserhead (1977) the one and only time I’ve seen it. It was disturbing and I did not get it. This is a suitable time to admit I am not an intelligent movie watcher. Although you may have come to that conclusion on your own. I like straightforward, traditional storytelling. I understand innovation, creativity, and art, but a lot of what may be considered that is not for me. Mel Brooks whose talent I adore loved Eraserhead, and it was the reason he hired Lynch to direct The Elephant Man (1980), which Brooks executive produced. I do not get it. I just feel lucky that most of the images from Eraserhead have been erased from my head.
Name one thing you believed as a child that turned out not to be true.
A few things come to mind here like when I was about seven years old a friend told me I was going to turn Jewish because I had eaten meat on a Friday. She was Catholic and knew of such things. Or so I thoiught. As silly as it sounds, I was devastated because I didn’t know what that meant or how to tell my parents. So I said nothing and was mighty releived when I later learned that being Jewish is not a dreadful thing and that eating meat on a Friday had no connection to Jewishness.
The other memory that comes to mind is the result of my watching Donen-Kelly’s On the Town (1949) for the first time. We hadn’t been in this country for long. I was about six and we had recently moved to New York City. My excitement grew with every musical number. I thought I was the luckiest person in the world to have been brought to a place where people are singing and dancing all over the place. I had to keep it secret because if my father, who was a bit of a curmudgeon, had ever found out about this he would surely have wanted to move to a boring, lifeless place. Well, lo and behold, I have never run into sailors dancing and singing across New York City. And, even worse, there is no such thing as Miss Turnstiles. For a time that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up.
What is your favorite film decade, and what five of your favorite films from that decade?
This is an impossible question, but I will play along.
I adore the 1940s and the following are among my favorites of that decade (in no order):
You’re having a dinner party, and your list of guests includes five classic film characters. Who’s on your list?
What is the best place you have ever visited?
I went to a fantastic barbecue at a stranger’s house once.
Name a movie that everyone has seen except you.
I have never seen Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973) starring Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe. It is on my mind because I just purchased the blu-ray to remedy this situation. But really, there are many, many movies I have not seen that are popular, especially foreign movies like Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
If you had Aladdin’s Lamp, what three wishes would you make?
I’m old enough to wish for good health first then financial security. I do not need riches, just enough to not worry about bills and go on an occasional trip. Finally, I would like to have a reason to laugh every day.
_____________
That was fun. Thank you again to Karen and to Toni of Watching Forever who told me about this Sunshine Award. I did not see a notification from Karen.
There are a few rules associated with receiving the Sunshine Blogger Award:
Post your response to the award.
• Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
• Answer your nominator’s questions.
• Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
• Ask your nominees 11 questions.
• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.
Questions (borrowing a couple from Karen):
- What is your earliest classic movie memory?
- What is your favorite film genre and why?
- If you had to recommend five classics to someone who does not like black and white movies, which would they be?
- What is something most people do not know about you?
- Why do you blog?
- What would your piece of advice to a new blogger be?
- Which classic movie would you describe as your guilty pleasure?
- What is your most memorable movie watching experience?
- If you could pick a movie to be in, which one would it be, and which part would you play?
- Who is your favorite actor (male or female) and favorite of his/her movies?
Nominated blogs (a couple less than 11):
Classic Film Observations & Obsessions
Should you choose to participate, have fun!
Until next time hoping next time is soon.
– Aurora
Once upon a screen... 
Congrats, Aurora. Well deserved.
Great getting to know more about your film habits. If I start talking about Cary Grant, my message will go for ages haha. Honestly, I wish they’d kept the original line of Arsenic and Old Lace. I saw The Bishop’s Wife recently and although it wasn’t perfect, he was just superb in it.
Mr. Grant was perfection! Thanks for stopping by.