Old Movie Classics: Judy Garland

Monday, December 28, 2009

A Star is Born

1954 Movie with Judy Garland
This movie is currently unavailable on the world wide web - not even for sale on Amazon!
For the moment you can enjoy the 1937 previous version, and some clips from the Movie with Judy singing. I shall be uploading a copy of the Movie soon and shall insert it here for your viewing pleasure. In the meantimer enjoy the rest of the media in this post.

Norman Maine, a movie star whose career is on the wane, meets showgirl Esther Blodgett when he drunkenly stumbles into her act one night. A friendship develops, then blossoms into romance before tensions increase as Esther's career takes off while Norman's continues to plummet.
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations
1954 American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell. In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Enjoy some Songs from the Film....

The man that got away - Judy Garland - "A star is born"

Judy Garland - Someone At Last (from 'A Star is Born')

The film ranked #43 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Passions list in 2002 and #7 on its list of best musicals in 2006. The song "The Man That Got Away" was ranked #11 on AFI's list of the 100 top tunes in films.

Watch the 1937 Movie - A Star is Born
A Star Is Born is also a 1937 romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who helps launch her career. Other members of the cast include Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander and Carole Landis.
The film follows a few years in the lives of Esther Blodgett (Gaynor), a promising young Hollywood starlet known to her fans as "Vicki Lester", and Norman Maine (March), the older, alcoholic actor who started Esther's career as his own career was fading. Vicki Lester rises to international fame and popularity while Maine sinks into obscurity and suicide.

Star Judy Garland had not made a movie since she had been dropped from her MGM contract soon after filming began on Royal Wedding in 1950, and the film was promoted heavily as her comeback. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and NBC, which was televising the ceremony, sent a film crew to the hospital room where she was recuperating after giving birth to her son Joey in order to carry her acceptance speech live if she won, but she lost to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl.

Plot
Norman Maine is a former matinee idol whose career is in the early stages of decline. When he arrives intoxicated at a function at the Shrine Auditorium, his studio's publicist attempts to keep him away from reporters, and after an angry exchange, Norman rushes away and bursts onto a stage where an orchestra is performing. Singer Esther Blodgett takes him by the hand and pretends he is part of the act, turning an embarrassing and potentially destructive moment into an opportunity for the audience to greet Norman with applause.

Judy Garland - RARE Interview - A Star Is Born Premier

Realizing Esther has saved him from public humiliation, Norman thanks her and draws a heart on the wall with her lipstick, then invites her to dinner. He later watches her perform after-hours in a downtown club and is impressed by her talent. He urges her to follow her dream, and convinces her to try to break into movies. She agrees to meet him the following day, but Norman is called away early in the morning to begin filming on location. He attempts to get a message to Esther but cannot remember her address, and when she doesn't hear from him, she suspects he was only flirting with her. Having quit her band, she takes jobs as a carhop and TV commercial singer to make ends meet. Time passes and Norman hears Esther singing on a television commercial. Recognizing her voice, he tracks her down and convinces her he believes in her talent. Studio head Oliver Niles believes the girl is just a passing fancy for the actor, but he casts her in a small role in a film. The studio changes her name to Vicki Lester, and after Norman finally gets Oliver Niles to hear her sing, she is cast in an important musical film that is a huge success, making her a star. Her relationship with Norman Maine flourishes, and they wed.

As Vicki's career continues to grow, Norman finds himself unemployed. When she is presented with an Oscar, he joins her onstage and, while making a drunken speech, gestures wildly and accidentally strikes her in the face. He realizes how severe his alcoholism has become and enters a sanitarium where he gradually recovers with Vicki's support.

Judy Garland - Lose That Long Face (from 'A Star is Born')

Following his release, Norman is at the racetrack, where he meets studio publicist Matt Libby, who taunts Norman and accuses him of living on Vicki's earnings. The resulting fight prompts the actor to go on a drinking binge and eventually he is arrested. Vicki bails him out and brings him home, where they are joined by Oliver Niles. Norman goes to bed but overhears his wife telling the studio head she will give up her career to take care of him. Norman tells Vicki he is going to go for a swim, then walks into the ocean and drowns himself.

Despondent, Vicki becomes a recluse and refuses to see anyone. Finally, her old friend Danny tells her she is wasting the career Norman died trying to save, and she agrees to honor a commitment to appear at a charity function. At the Shrine Auditorium, she notices the heart Norman drew on the wall on the night they met and for a moment begins to lose her composure. When Vicki arrives on stage, the emcee tells her the event is being broadcast worldwide and asks her to say a few words to her fans. She says, "Hello everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine."
Read On....

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Wizard of Oz

All time Old Movie Classic from 1939.

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most watched movies of all time;
I don't believe that anyone over the age of 30 hasn't seen this movie, due to it always being run on TV as a Christmas Special. This film is in my Opinion Immortal and shall never disappear from the annals of Movie History. A children's favourite around the world, it is also enjoyed by "grown up kids" without exception. The imaginative story just captivates you from the first few minutes of the movie right up to the end. You can't find a better Old Time Movie Classic than this one.. It is simply unequalled as a Family fantasy movie, even to this day. It is considered officially to be the most watched film ever in the History of Movies, which is quite possibly true considering that it is shown more than once a year all over the world on hundreds of TV channels. Almost every single household in the World that has a TV has sat and watched this movie at least once. How many other movies can you say this about?

as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard ...

Image via Wikipedia

Story Intro;
Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas. When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog Toto, to run away. But then a Cyclone comes, and picks her, her house, and her dog up and deposits them in the land of Oz. Things in Oz are strange and beautiful, but Dorothy just wants to get back home. She's helped by the Good Witch of the North, but she's also in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West, who seeks revenge for the death of her sister; the Wicked Witch of the East, for which she blames Dorothy.
And so the plot thickens......
The Wizard of OZ was first released BY Metro Goldwyn Mayer and later re-released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

During her journey, she meets a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), who join her, hoping to receive what they lack themselves (a brain, a heart and courage, respectively). All of this is done while also trying to avoid the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) and her attempt to get her sister's ruby slippers from Dorothy, who received them from Glinda.

Initially, The Wizard of Oz was not considered a commercial success in relation to its enormous budget, although it made a small profit and received largely favorable reviews. The impact it had upon release was reportedly responsible for the release of two other fantasy films in Technicolor the following year – The Blue Bird and The Thief of Bagdad. The songs from The Wizard of Oz became widely popular, with "Over the Rainbow" receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the film itself garnering several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. In those days, Over the Rainbow was occasionally heard on live radio.

The film was first telecast in 1956, but not repeated until 1959. But from 1959 to 1991, The Wizard of Oz was an annual television tradition in the United States and through these showings, it has become one of the most famous films ever made.
t is still shown on television; although, beginning in 1991, it began to be telecast more often than simply once a year. The film received much more attention after its annual television screenings were so warmly embraced and has since become one of the most beloved films of all time. The Library of Congress named The Wizard of Oz as the most-watched film in history. Read More......

Further Viewing Options;