Tired Old Queen At The Movies #134

Clip recap:

In glorious Technicolor, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic SOUTH PACIFIC comes to vivid life under the direction of Joshua Logan. Shot on location with a cast headed by Mitzi Gaynor, Rosanno Brazzi, John Kerr, Ray Walston and Juanita Hall re-creating her legendary Broadway role as Bloody Mary, it is as romantic, erotic and sumptuous a musical as Hollywood ever brought to the screen.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #133

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Action director William Wellman takes you on a perilous journey through the old west as Robert Taylor leads a wagon train full of women to California in “Westward The Women” (1951). Filled with action, romance, comedy and tragedy, this is a rip-roaring adventure that will have you glued to your seats from beginning to end. Featuring a terrific cast that includes; Denise Darcel, Julie Bishop, John McEntire, Henry Nakamura and the wonderful and hysterical Hope Emerson, you won’t want to miss a moment of the journey west with this wagon load of wonderful women!

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #132

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Spring arrives with one of the most heartwarming films in MGM history, Clarence Brown’s “National Velvet (1944), starring Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Crisp, Angela Lansbury and Oscar winner Anne Revere. Taken from the novel by Enid Bagnold and filmed in glorious color, the film follows the dreams of a young English girl (Taylor) and her beautiful stallion known as “The Pye”. With the help of a rough young trainer (Rooney) and a wise and gentle mother (Revere), she is able to achieve her dream of entering “Pye” in The Grand National, the greatest horse race in England. It’s nostalgic, heart stopping, sensitive and beguiling. So, sit back and fall in love with “National Velvet.”

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #131

Clip recap:

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall exchange sexy banter and solve a mystery in Howard Hawks classic version of Raymond Chandler’s “THE BIG SLEEP” (1946). Adapted from the novel by William Faulkner, the story follows private detective Phillip Marlowe (Bogie) as he tries to track down the black mailers of a rich general with two pretty and “pretty wild” daughters (Lauren Bacall and Martha Vickers). The plot is convoluted, the action fast and furious and the dialogue fresh, funny and sexy. It’s an evening of film noir and one of Warner Brothers' best.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #130

Clip recap:

James Dean gives an iconic performance in Nicholas Ray’s classic study of troubled youth “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955). With able Oscar nominated support from Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo, it’s the story of a teenage misfit who moves to a new town and must juggle the pressures of an unhappy home life and his peers at school. Dean never lived to see his most famous screen role, which has served as the basis for countless movies about teenage rebelliousness ever since.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #129

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It’s high hilarity as Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe play three gold diggers on the make in Jean Negulesco’s “How To Marry A Millionaire”. Shot in glorious Technicolor and cinema-scope it’s a love letter to Manhattan and three of the funniest and most glamorous gals that ever hit Hollywood. Rounding out the cast are Cameron Mitchell, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Alec D’Arcy and William Powell as their intended spouses with able comic support from Fred Clark. The girls are gorgeous, the settings are fabulous, the dialogue witty and sophisticated. It’s the perfect way to ring in the New Year.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #128

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Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and a brilliant cast ring in the season in George Cukor’s HOLIDAY (1938). Adapted by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman from the play by Philip Barry, it deals with an unconventional young man (Grant) who wishes to marry into a wealthy family without sacrificing his ideals. He meets a comrade in the feisty sister of his fiancé (Hepburn) and her alcoholic brother Lew Ayres, in a brilliant performance. As always, Grant and Hepburn sparkle together. The dialogue is sophisticated, witty and the message as relevant today as it was when it was made. From all of us at Tired Old Queen at the Movies have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a lovely “Holiday”.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #127

Clip recap:

James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves turn in subtle and brilliant performances in Merchant Ivory's adaptation of E. M. Forster's romantic, gay love story; "Maurice" (1987). Published after Forester's death and hidden for decades, it concerns the romance of a two young men at Cambridge at the turn of the century, what their love affair costs them and how they manage to find peace and happiness in a society which forbids, admonishes and punishes them for their inclinations. Gloriously photographed, meticulously directed and exceptionally cast, it is one of the greatest and most honest love stories ever filmed.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #126

Clip recap:

No one celebrates Halloween like Alfred Hitchcock, especially with his masterpiece of the macabre PSYCHO (1960). Brilliantly shot, edited and with a classic score by Bernard Herrmann, Anthony Perkins in the role of his career brings to iconic life a lonely motel clerk named Norman Bates. With solid support from Vera Miles, John Gavin, John McIntire, Patricia Hitchcock and in an Oscar nominated turn, Janet Leigh, a web of suspicion and suspense is slowly woven leading to a climax that will leave you breathless. No one who has ever seen PSYCHO ever forgets it. Neither will you. Happy Halloween from The Tired Old Queen at the Movies!

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #126

Clip description:

Tori Spelling, Christian Campbell, JP Pitoc, Miss Coco Peru and “Yours Truly” spend a hilarious and romantic summer night in Manhattan in Jim Fall’s classic Gay comedy “TRICK” (1999). Shot on location with an original script by Jason Schaeffer, the film deals with a young gay composer and a hot go go boy who hook up. During the course of an evening, they try and find a place to have sex, without much success and despite numerous obstacles, including themselves, they wind up falling in love. Sweet, sexy, romantic and endlessly funny, TRICK is the perfect way to spend an autumn evening. “It’s big. It’s beautiful. And you’re gonna love it!”

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #125

Clip description:

The underside of Gay Hollywood history is examined with love, sensitivity and a lot of humor in Bill Condon's brilliant "Gods and Monsters" (1999). Starring Ian McKellen as veteran, gay, Brit director James Whale and Brendan Fraser as a beautiful, young, gardener he takes a fancy to, the film deals with the relations ship that develops between these two vastly different men, under the watchful eye of Lynn Redgrave as Whale's over protective German housekeeper. The Oscar winning screenplay examines the price that was paid for being an open homosexual in old Hollywood along with the loss of one's creativity, lively hood and spirit as a result. It's funny, touching and ultimately unforgettable.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #124

Clip description:

Billy Wilder takes a sardonic look at Hollywood's past in the classic "SUNSET BLVD" (1950). The film stars William Holden, Nancy Olsen, Erich Von Stroheim and in the greatest comeback in motion picture history, Gloria Swanson as silent screen star Norma Desmond. Based on an Oscar winning original screenplay by Wilder and writing partner Charles Bracket, it tells the story of a down and out Hollywood screenwriter taken in by a faded silent star. Eventually, he finds himself trapped in her web of memories, money, sex and disillusionment. It's a gritty look at the motion picture industry that's as true today as the when it was made. A business that takes talented people, builds them up, puts them pedestals, then tosses them aside and forgets them once their talent and box office appeal have been used up. "Sunset Blvd" is fascinating, frustrating, funny and fragile. It's not a pretty picture, but just try and look away.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #123

Clip recap:

Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey give iconic, Oscar winning performances in Bob Fosse's brilliant CABARET (1972). The plot deals with a tragic affair between a would-be novelist and a cabaret chanteuse, set against the decadence of pre-Nazi Berlin in the early 1930's. Based on the writings of Christopher Isherwood, shot on location in Berlin and adapted from the Tony winning Kander and Ebb musical, it also stars Michael York, Marissa Berenson and Helmut Griem. Filled with eye popping musical numbers, brilliant performances and Fosse's subtle direction, CABARET is an unsurpassed musical achievement not to be missed!

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #122

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Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are at their zany best and will have you on the floor with holiday laughter in Leo McCary's classic screwball comedy THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937). Playing a couple about to divorce, they do everything possible to stay together and the result is non-stop hilarity. Ralph Bellamy lends excellent support as a hick Texas oilman and Cecil Cunningham is fabulously deadpan as Dunne's mischievous, match making Aunt Patsy. Here's to love, laughter and Happy Holidays from the entire team at "STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies." Merry Christmas!

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #121

Clip recap:

Errol Flynn and Olivia deHavilland make movie magic in William Keighley and Michael Curtiz' s 1938 spectacular; "The Adventures Of Robin Hood." Sumptuously shot in Technicolor and featuring an unbelievable supporting cast featuring Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone at their villainous best, along with Alan Hale, Eugene Pallette , Una O'Connor and a cast of hundreds, it's the action/adventure epic of a lifetime. 

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #120

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THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946) In their third noir together, the romantic team of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake unravel a murder mystery in George Marshall's "The Blue Dahlia" (1946). Raymond Chandler's only original screenplay is set in LA near the end of the war. Ladd plays a returning veteran, with a faithless wife, who's murdered, leaving him to try and beat the rap. Helping Ladd along the way is Veronica Lake who is short, sultry and wise. He also get's sterling support from William Bendix, as a buddy suffering from Post Traumatic Stress, Howard De Silva as a sleazy nightclub owner and gorgeous Doris Dowling as his trampy, murdered spouse. The action is fast, the atmosphere murky, the dialogue snappy and the ending a surprise. "The Blue Dahlia" is quintessential film noir to brighten the dark days of Autumn.

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #119

The latest from Steve Hayes:

John Agar and Mara Corday find themselves doing battle with a gigantic spider in Universal's sci-fi classic TARANTULA (1956). Sci-fi veteran Jack Arnold directs this with all the fast paced action, thrills and terrific special effects he brought to "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" and "It Came From Outer Space". For anyone with a touch of arachnophobia, this film will have you squirming in your seat. It's the perfect way to spend the evening as the days grow shorter and the creep crawlies come inside!

Tired Old Queen at the Movies #118

Today's movie:

James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves turn in subtle and brilliant performances in Merchant Ivory's adaptation of E. M. Forester's romantic, gay love story; "Maurice" (1987). Published after Forester's death and hidden for decades, it concerns the romance of a two young men at Cambridge at the turn of the century, what their love affair costs them and how they manage to find peace and happiness in a society which forbids, admonishes and punishes them for their inclinations. Gloriously photographed, meticulously directed and exceptionally cast, it is one of the greatest and most honest love stories ever filmed.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #117

Clip description:

Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen creates one of his legendary fantasy films using the classic Greek tale of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece in "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963). With a cast headed by Todd Armstrong as Jason battling mythic monsters of all descriptions, Nancy Kovak as Medea, the woman he loves and featuring a cast of top flight British actors , the film is fast paced, action filled and gloriously scored by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann. It's a summer treat that can't be beat!

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #116

Clip recap:

Sparks fly as Joan Crawford and John Garfield heat up the screen in a forbidden romance set against the world of classical music in Jean Negulesco's HUMORESQUE (1946). Joan plays a wealthy dipsomaniac and patron of the arts who falls head over highballs for a young, struggling violinist played by a very hot John Garfield. Giving able support are Oscar Levant as Garfield's acerbic sidekick, Ruth Nelson as his possessive mother and Paul Cavanaugh as Crawford's debonair , wise and world weary husband. Crawford never looked more glamorous and Garfield never more magnetic. Filled with pithy, sophisticated dialogue, sumptuous visuals and shot against some of the greatest classical music ever recorded, HUMORESQUE is one of the greatest love stories of classic cinema.