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Maddie
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 1:26am | IP Logged
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The thread on funny movies got me thinking...
My grandparents were of the World War II generation and they instilled in me a great love of Hollywood's Golden Age. In my world, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Bette Davis, and the like are still alive. Movies had plots and memorable lines. The lines between good and evil were clear, families were intact or at least that was portrayed as the norm. There is nothing like an old movie on a snowy or rainy day! I love cuddling up with my children and popping in an old movie that doesn't require me to hover over the remote to skip past the scenes that are immoral, vulgar, violent or just plain stupid.
So! I thought I would share some of my families favorites and I would dearly appreciate any you can share with me!
I may not include the "usual suspects" (10 points for you if you can correctly name that movie  ) as I'm sure you are all familiar with movies like The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady.
Be forewarned! I have a 1940's sense of humor and I LOVE Bing Crosby so on that note:
Here Comes the Groom Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. One of my favorite songs "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is from this movie. Any Anna Maria Alberghetti fans out there? She is so young in this one!
Two weeks With Love Jane Powell, one of my favorite actresses. Ricardo Montalban is so dashing in this one. Aba Daba Honeymoon is a great song from this movie. I think this is where they got the idea for Dirty Dancing. I hated that movie.
The Fighting Sullivans Great boy movie and they were Catholic too!
You Can't Take It With You Jimmy Stewart. Love the Capracorn movies...
Good Old Summertime and The Shop Around the Corner were the basis of You Got Mail. Good Old Summertime is a musical. Hey! And no one has a shack-up significant other in either of these versions!
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Maybe a little scary for little guys, but the ghost is funny. Mrs. Muir (a widow) is courted by a married man, she doesn't know it though and quickly spurns the relationship once she finds out he's a creep. I love Gull Cottage, such a romantic old place by the sea!
Arsenic and Old Lace Our traditional Halloween movie. Little scary for younger guys.
Mrs. Miniver World War II movie. This movie won several Oscars. However, on the night of the awards the director wasn't available to accept any of them. He was on a bombing mission over Germany.
Good-Bye Mr. Chips I just loved Greer Garson. What a feminine lady!
The Man Who Came to Dinner Hysterical!
Jack and the Beanstalk One of our favorite Abbot and Costellos.
Alexander Graham Bell Loretta Young was such a beauty!
Young Tom Edison Your children will love it! Mickey Rooney was so young here.
The Story of Louis Pasteur We loved it.
Edison, the Man Great follow up to Yong Tom Edison. Spenser Tracy stars.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo WWII, great for boys. Capt. Ted Lawson wrote a Landmark book by the same name.
Captains Courageous Another Spencer Tracy, sad ending but very good.
Don Juan All time best swashbuckler, Errol Flynn.
Zorro The best Zorro! (I love his sweetheart's Spanish mantilla)
Friendly Persuasion Gary Cooper, I love the simple Quaker life here. Tense towards the end for littles.
Sergeant York Another Gary Cooper.
The Glenn Miller Story
Yankee Doodle Dandy The story of George M. Cohan, famous American songwriter.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers My all-time favorite musical.
Sabrina
I Was A Male War Bride Cary Grant, very funny.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard at this movie. One scene has the woman undressing, but you don't see anything.
A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Bing Crosby, again. 
Angels in the Outfield The original one! Wonderful old Catholic flavor to it, Disney ruined this movie IMO.
Well, it's late, I better turn in. I would love to hear any of your favorite oldies. I have more to list if there is any interest! Please forgive any typos.
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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jackiemomof7
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 5:50am | IP Logged
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Our family loves the old movies too. Yes, to all the above mention movies. They are all big hits here! My family loves the "Thin Man" series. And any thing with Ginger Rogers or Cary Grant are also big hits. Plus anything with Errol Flynn in it is always a favorite with my sons. (One ds just bought his brother the Prince and the Pauper movie with Errol Flynn for his birthday). Give me a movie from the 30's-40's and I am a happy woman!
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Jackie wife to Jim for 27!! years, proud army mom of Chris(25),Chef Matthew(24) and Sister Grace of Benedectines (21),Joshua(19),Nicholas(17),Jaymee(15), Elizabeth(13) and 2 in Heaven.Grandma to 3!
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Mary G
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 6:28am | IP Logged
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maddie wrote:
My grandparents were of the World War II generation and they instilled in me a great love of Hollywood's Golden Age. In my world, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Bette Davis, and the like are still alive. Movies had plots and memorable lines. The lines between good and evil were clear, families were intact or at least that was portrayed as the norm. There is nothing like an old movie on a snowy or rainy day! I love cuddling up with my children and popping in an old movie that doesn't require me to hover over the remote to skip past the scenes that are immoral, vulgar, violent or just plain stupid.
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OK, I'm feeling a tad bit old  as my MOTHER was the 40s generation (ok, she was 10 in 1941) and instilled in us a love for these movies too ....
and I'm also passing this love on to my kids ... my 17yod loves Bing Crosby songs, we just watched Bells of St. Mary's in a nice cool living room while it was blistering hot/humid outside .... wonderful!
I think the cool thing about old movies is not just their depth of story (even some of the real screwball comedies had more of a story-line than now) but the fact that people could be religious ... shown going to Mass or with a main character as a priest or sister ... and it was fine and even won awards. Families were shown as an extended unit where all were respectful, etc.
Not that there weren't some movies that were just bad, but the balance was more toward wholesome than now. I think partly because families went to the movies for entertainment ... it was a social gathering place where you got news of the War or foreign news, could be light-hearted after the stress of the Depression, etc.
What a fun topic! Thanks for bringing it up Maddie!
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Mary G
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 6:29am | IP Logged
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jackiemomof7 wrote:
| They are all big hits here! My family loves the "Thin Man" series. And any thing with Ginger Rogers or Cary Grant are also big hits. Plus anything with Errol Flynn in it is always a favorite with my sons. (One ds just bought his brother the Prince and the Pauper movie with Errol Flynn for his birthday). Give me a movie from the 30's-40's and I am a happy woman! |
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The Thin Man is great -- but it's amazing how much alcohol those two can put away ....  ! We love EF's Robin Hood (my kids call it "the big kids Robin Hood" as opposed to the Disney cartoon  ).
And even Disney movies/cartoons were better from the 40s/50s ....
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MaryG
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folklaur
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I was going to mention Bells of St Mary's but Mary beat me to it!
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nissag
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OOooh, wonderful movies! I love Mr. Chips, Mrs. Muir and Seven Brides. Damn Yankees is a good movie - and I love Little Rascals episodes and John Wayne films - and anything with either of the Hepburns (though they're slightly later). HUGE big Bing Crosby fans in this house.
Oh, and Sofia Loren. Fab! House Boat is a scream.
Blessings,
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Nissa
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jdostalik
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What a fun thread, Maddie!  I often wish I could have been about 18 in 1939 when Gone With the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Wizard of Oz and tons of classics were released all in the same year! Then, I would have been old enough to meet Cary Grant, or Jimmy Stewart or even better, the young Lawrence Olivier--what a handsome man he was!! But, I would have been young enough to enjoy the golden age of Hollywood in my prime and still just be in my early forties when it ended!
I love Greer Garson, too. My favorite movie of hers is Random Harvest--a beautiful film and an awesome romance! I can't wait to watch it with my girls in a few years.
I actually have an 8x10 photo autographed from Bette Davis. I wrote to her in the early 80's and she wrote me back and enclosed an autographed photo. I was so excited! Dark Victory is one of my favorites of all her films.
As far as some oldies that our whole family has enjoyed--I know we have watched some Danny Kaye films--I wouldn't call them masterpieces, but the kids loved them and they were a lot of fun. The Court Jester is one of his films that we have laughed uproariously at--"the chalice in the palace" part is hysterical...
I'll chime in again when more titles come to me...I need to go cook dinner!
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Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
Let the Little Ones Come
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Maddie
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| Posted: Aug 09 2008 at 12:06am | IP Logged
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Thanks for the new titles! I'll have to check out Random Harvest, never heard of it.
The Court Jester was hysterical. My children will still say, Get it? Got it? Good.
This Is the Army is another one full of great WWII music.
Gaslight a little spooky for the younger set, I loved the house in this one. I'm the one who wishes the characters would move out of the way so I can see the house!
Life With Father
The original Cheaper By the Dozen was so good. I love the look on the PP lady when she realizes they have 12 children!
I Remember Mama
Little Women Beautiful, young Katherine Hepburn will always be Jo to me.
Thanks for the titles! More would be great!
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Old Movie Buffs...
