Hello everyone! Quick reminder that I’m on Medium, if you’d like to follow me (email subscription is fine)! I recently wrote about the 8 sexiest scenes in classic movies, including Marlene Dietrich smoking in Shanghai Express (1932, dir. Josef von Sternberg), Lauren Bacall’s rendition of ‘How Little We Know’ in To Have and Have not (1944, dir. Howard Hawks) and Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman smooching in Notorious (1946, dir. Alfred Hitchcock), among others. You’ll also get top 7, 8, 9 and 10 lists, TV reviews, and of course, miscellaneous stuff. Those of you already following, thank you, you’re all lovely ❤
Month: May 2022
ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: Woman of the Year (1942)
It’s Katharine Hepburn’s birthday and you know what that means. May’s edition of ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES goes out to her! No, not The Philadelphia Story (1940), I’ve talked about that one far too much at this point. Also not Bringing up Baby (1938), Holiday (1938) or Stage Door (1937), which, endlessly quotable as they may be, they have also made numerous appearances here on the Garden. Nah, let’s go for Kate and Spencer’s first film together, Woman of the Year (1942, dir. George Stevens): international affairs correspondent Tess Harding (Hepburn) and sportswriter Sam Craig (Tracy) fall in love, but Tess’ hectic lifestyle starts getting in the way of their relationship. This is probably my favorite Hepburn-Tracy film, along with Adam’s Rib, and I thought I’d pay tribute to it on this day. So here are three of my ultimate quotes from Woman of the Year!
1. ‘I want to take you to a baseball game.’ ‘OK!’ (Sam and Tess) – The beginning of it all! This rather simple dialogue is just perfect for this scene – their first. Sam’s uneasiness and Tess’ enjoyment of it go together perfectly. Her delivery of ‘OK’ is just *chef’s kiss*
2. ‘I don’t want to speak to him now, he’s a pest.’ ‘She doesn’t want to speak to you now, you’re a pest.’ (Tess and Sam) – Cranky Sam is a funny Sam. Don’t know what I like more, Tess’ face after that, or the lovey-dovey moment on the couch afterwards.
3. ‘Thought you might want to kiss me goodbye...’ (Tess) – It’s a well-known fact that Hepburn and Tracy fell in love during the making of this film, and it’s just a joy to watch. Nearly every scene in this film is like a real-life version of fanfiction and I, for one, looove it.
Happy Katharine Hepburn Day!
CAFTAN WOMAN BLOGATHON: A Paddy Nolan-Hall Tribute
On March 7th, our dear Paddy Nolan-Hall of the Caftan Woman blog sadly left us. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll have no doubt seen her comments on many of my articles, and you’ll no doubt be familiar with her warmth, support and love, not to mention her love of classic films and television shows. So I couldn’t let Another Old Movie Blog and Lady Eve’s Reel Life’s blogathon pass by without saying a few words about our friend.
As a classic film buff and blogger, I love nothing more than to connect with fellow nerds and to share my love of cinema with the world. When I started the blog in 2015, I knew nothing about blogging or what it would take to get started and then noticed. Little did I know I would find a family. My people. Paddy was one of those people. She knew that blogging was hard and that support goes a very, very long way, and she always did everything that was in her power to help a fellow blogger. Throughout the years, she left the most heart-warming comments on my articles, showing her appreciation, and we would chat back and forth about a certain film or performance or actor. She always made me feel at home, and it was great to hear her say that an article of mine reminded her to watch or re-watch a certain film! Blogging is both fun and hard but when you’ve got people who appreciate you and what you do, the hard part becomes easier.
And this appreciation and dedication is what made Paddy’s own blog so wonderful. I have occasionally done a few mini-marathons of The Caftan Woman, and it is always such a thrill. From her love of Perry Mason to her knowledge of Westerns to her many miscellaneous posts, she always had the most interesting ideas and each post was more informative and fun than the last. Her regular presence at blogathons, however, was, of course, what a lot of bloggers will remember her for. The Umpteenth Blogathon, Bond Not Bond Blogathon, Distraction Blogathon, Favorite TV Show Episode Blogathon, you name it. She graced our blogathons with her wonderful, well-researched contributions many, many times and her knowledge was inspiring. She knew her pop culture, and she knew her audience. She loved us and we loved her. So, as the classic film world mourns a true film champion, I urge you to check out The Caftan Woman blog if you haven’t already. I’d link some of her articles, but I don’t think that would do her justice. And if you’re a blogger, vlogger, YouTuber, content creator, etc, please help your friends and fellow creatives however you can.
Rest in Peace, dear Paddy. Love, from all of us.
The Old Hollywood Garden 