Since YouTube lifted their restrictions on the length of a clip, many full movies have found their way onto the sight. Because silent films have often fallen out of copyright, they tend to stay up longer than the latest bootleg Thor. It’s worth exploring if you have a few hours to spare.
If you’re in the Halloween mood, or nostalgic for last year’s Festival, you could start off with our long-fingered friend Nosferatu.
Well I’m back again with another edition of Friday Facts. This week I’m going to reproduce an article that was printed in a publication called: “‘47 the Magazine of the Year.” The title of the article is Hollywood’s Adolescence and it was published in May 1947. The article, which was written by Richard G. Hubler, takes a look at the forming years of Hollywood and looks at life during the silent era – hope you enjoy the first part of this article, with he second part to be reproduced next week:
English: Vitagraph Studios, early Hollywood film studio, photo by Robert Monroe, shown in center of photograph wearing knickers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Los Angeles and its environs were crowded with new motion picture companies. The American Film Company, the Vitagraph Company, the Universal Company, Christie Comedies, and Selig found competitors springing up like weeds after rain: the demand for ‘flickers’ was enjoying its first boom.”
Hollywood Studios 1922 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“The 2000 theaters that showed motion pictures charged nickels and dimes. Most of them were converted grocery stores. Musical accompaniment was supplied by a lone pianist. Dialogue was offered in subtitles or in monologues by the theater manager. Insurance was hard to come by because of the inflammable film and the rickety theaters.”
Beauty and the Bandit. (Photo credit: Beinecke Library)
“Two-reelers about the Civil and Spanish-American Wars commenced to be the fashion. To save time and wear and tear on the meager wardrobe stocks, the big battle scenes were shot all-Union one day and all-Confederate the next. The scenes were intercut with each other. In the Civil War, to preserve the market in both the South and North, the retreats nd advances of both sides were mathematically divided.”
Universal’s stampede of thrills “The Ghost City” … (Photo credit: Beinecke Library)
“Censorship raised its ugly head for the first time. In Chicago, the police demanded that the guns in the hands of the villain’s henchmen on the billboards be deleted. The problem was solved by pasting flowers over the six-shooters. Instead of holding up the stage-driver, the grim masked men extended bouquets to him.”
Universal Life Insurance Company (Photo credit: Thomas Hawk)
“Naturalism was in demand. In one Western a live rattlesnake was used. The director picked it up to look at it; the snake sank its fangs into his bulbous nose. Nobody was sure whether the poison sacs of the reptile had been removed. So the director got roaring drunk. The next day he had a formidable hangover. The snake died.”
English: Union Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant photographed at Cairo, Illinois (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“One large film company had only one really convincing false beard. Moreover, they had only one actor who looked genuine in it. In their war features they used him for both General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant.”
Motion picture actors and actresses (1916) (Photo credit: State Library and Archives of Florida)
“Motion picture making was assuming its own dignity. More reels were shot on interior stages with the new mercury arc banks of lights. No scene was shot without an orchestra playing, “to get the actors in the mood.” But space at such studios as Universal was so cramped that sets were built less than six inches apart. A director doing a tear-jerker drama might be playing Hearts and Flowers, while on one side of him Al Christie would be doing a comedy and playing ragtime, and on the other Robert Z. Leonard would be having his orchestra play a schottische for a foreign portrayal. It was bedlam confounded, but the results were effective on the screen.”
English: The intersection of Hollywood and Highland, 1907. This would become the location of the current Hollywood and Highland complex and a center of Hollywood tourism today. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And so that’s Friday Facts for this week. Interesting stuff, but if you hunger for more of this article, I’ll be reproducing it even further next week with the second half of Hollywood’s Adolescence. Bye for now!
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
Welcome back to ‘A Quote on Thursday’. This week I’ve a number of quotations taken from films that were released from 1944 to 1949. I’m sure you’ll remember several of these productions, so why not count up how many you remember!
Laura (1944) (Photo credit: twm1340)
Laura (1944):
“I don’t use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in venom.“
Cropped screenshot of Judy Garland from the trailer for the film Meet Me in St. Louis. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944):
“I can’t believe it. Right here where we live – right here in St. Louis.”
To Have and To Have Not (1944)
To Have and To Have Not (1944):
“You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together – and blow.”
English: Screenshot of Bing Crosby from the film The Bells of St. Mary’s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945):
“If you ever need anything, no matter what it is or wherever you happen to be – “
“Yes, I know. I just dial O for O’Malley.”
English: James Cagney & Sylvia Sidney in Blood on the Sun – cropped screenshot (original image : see source) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Blood on the Sun (1945):
“Sure, forgive your enemies, but first get even.”
The Naughty Nineties (1945)
The Naughty Nineties (1945):
“Now on the St. Louis team, we have Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third.”
“That’s what I want to find out. I want you to tell me the names of the fellas on the St. Louis team.”
“I’m telling ya: Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third…”
The Big Sleep (1946)
The Big Sleep (1946):
“So you’re a private detective. I didn’t know they existed, except in books, or else they were greasy little men snooping around hotel corridors.”
Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones- ”Duel in the Sun” 1946 (Photo credit: Movie-Fan)
Duel in the Sun (1946):
“You always said you could shoot. I never believed ya.”
A distraught George Bailey (James Stewart) pleads for help from Mr. Potter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946):
“Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence! Get me back! Get me back, I don’t care what happens to me! Get me back to my wife and kids! Help me, Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again. I want to live again. Please, God, let me live again.”
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948):
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Invisible Man.”
Key Largo (1948)
Key Largo (1948):
“One thing I can’t stand, it’s a dame that’s drunk.”
Western ~ “Red River”, 1948 (Photo credit: e r j k p r u n c z y k)
Red River (1948):
“Cherry was right, you’re soft. You should’ve let him kill me, ’cause I’m gonna kill you. I’ll catch up with ya! I don’t know when, but I’ll catch up. Every time you turn around, expect to see me. ‘Cause one time you’ll turn around and I’ll be there. I’ll kill ya, Matt.“
adam’s_rib_(1949) (Photo credit: newhousedesign)
Adam’s Rib (1949):
“Licorice, mmmm. If there’s anything I’m a sucker for, it’s licorice.”
Champion (1949)
Champion (1949):
“I suppose you know you have a wonderful body. I’d like to do it in clay.“
Western ~ “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon”, 1949 (Photo credit: e r j k p r u n c z y k)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949):
“Don’t apologize – it’s a sign of weakness.”
screenshot of Virginia Mayo and James Cagney from the film White Heat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
White Heat (1949):
“Made it, Ma! Top of the world!”
Travers in his most memorable role, as Clarence Odbody in It’s a Wonderful Life (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And sure that’s that for this week. This completes my look at quotations from films of the 1940s, but I’ll be back next week with a selection of films from the 1950s. And that’s a Wrap!!!
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
Buffalo Bill Cody (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Have a look at this actual footage of Buffalo Bill Cody as was posted by Fritzl Kramer on Movies Silently. Just click on the link below the next image of Buffalo Bill:
Buffao Bill Cody (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Silent Movie Time Capsule: 105 years ago, Buffalo Bill Cody appeared in a movie.
It’s easy to think of silent films as somehow innocuous. It is the comedies which have held our attention, while many of the darker works are out of circulation. One exception is the strange and disturbing collaboration between Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, which has been horrifying and confusing audiences for almost a century.
Here are some highlights, set to a song inspired by the film. Be warned. This is disturbing stuff, and not for the young or squeamish.
And sure why not finish this selection of Will Ferrell memes with some footage of the bould Will Ferrell in action:
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
In the small district of North Tipperary there are several golf clubs situated in some wonderful scenery. This week I’m going to take a look at a few of them, which might wet your appetite to visit or travel around North Tipperary. There’s more to see in North Tipp than you may have guessed, as the saying of Nenagh town goes: It’s a Strangers Paradise!’.
Nenagh Golf Course Scenery
Nenagh Golf Club
Situated along the outskirts of Nenagh town, the local golf club, which was originally built in 1929 with its architects being Alister McKenzie, Eddie Hackett and Patrick Merrigan, however, it is a public and modern facility that is open all year round. It has a price range of €15 to €25, while it’s type is described as ‘Parkland’ ;other facilities include a bar, restaurant, practice facilities and a club-house. A very popular golf club, it even has a positive review on it’s profile on the WorldGolf website from Tiger Woods – this was a five-star review and it was posted on the morning on April 18th, 2012 at 9.40am. More information can be found at www.nenaghgolfclub.com.
Roscrea Golf Club Scenery
Roscrea Golf Club
Roscrea Golf Club is situated just outside Roscrea on the Dublin road and this very old golf club is open to the public, while it has a style that is described as ‘Parkland’. The architect of this golf club was one Arthur Spring and the golf club was built in 1892. The price range for week days and weekends is the same ranging from €20 to €45, while it’s other facilities include a club-house, practice facilities and changing rooms. More information can be sourced at www.roscreagolfclub.ie
Thurles Golf Club Scenery
Thurles Golf Club
Thurles Golf Club, which was originally built in 1909 and is situated on the outskirts of the town, is described by one reviewer as being a “great course in pristine condition“. Again, it’s description is ‘Parkland’ and this eighteen hole course is also opened to the public throughout the year. There are quite a number of other facilities including a restaurant, bar, sauna, gym, club-house, banquet facilities and meeting facilities. The rates at this club are from €10 to €45 weekdays and weekends. More information can be sourced at http://www.thurlesgolfclub.com.
Templemore Golf Club
Templemore Golf Club
The Golf Club that is situated in Templemore was built in 1970 and is open tot he public while it is described as ‘Parkland’. It is open all year round, while its rates range from €15 to €20 and its extra facilities include a Club-house, bar and practice facilities. Other information can be found at http://www.templemoregolfclub.ie.
A golf ball. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Well that’s it for this week, but rest assured I’ll be back in a week’s time with some more good reasons to come and visit or just travel around North Tipperary. And don’t forget, there’s more to Irish scenery and tourist opportunities than Dublin and ‘The West’. This year, why not give ‘North Tipperary’ and the ‘Midwest’ a chance!
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in The Kid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has full-filled its purpose.” ~ Charlie Chaplin
Cover of magazine “The Flapper” for November 1922. Shows actress Billie Dove in football uniform. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hello Again and welcome to Friday Facts, where I grab an article or any sort of a write-up about the silent-era by those who lived through it. This week I’ve come across an article from November 1922, of an interview with Colleen Moore by Gladys Hall for the Chicago Daily News. This article went under the heading The Flapper and it had a byline of Flappers Here to Stay, Says Colleen Moore. What is also noticeable in the article is the header which states: ‘Not For Old Fogies’, so this article which rightly was promoting the cause of Feminism, was at the same time indulging in agism – Mmmmm! Brilliant article though, so please enjoy:
Film Still of Colleen Moore as “Pink” Watson with Joe Yule Jr., who would later become Mickey Rooney, in Orchids and Ermine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“One day, not so very long ago, Colleen Moore and I had luncheon together. I don’t suppose I ever met anybody so enthusiastic as Colleen. Even about the subway, upon which – or rather, within which – she had been spending most of her New York visit, frequently getting lost, but gallantly persisting, none the less. Flappers came up – in conversation, I mean – and I found Colleen as enthusiastic for the maligned misses as most doleful individuals are against them!”
Flapper #2 (Photo credit: girlwparasol)
“‘Why’, said Colleen, with her head slightly to one side, an alert little manner, sort of characteristic of a humming bird, ‘Why, I’m a flapper myself!’ Colleen is twenty-one, correct flapper age, at any rate – but somehow, until she mentioned it, I really hadn’t catalogued her as precisely that. Flappers don’t generally do as much as Colleen, and they are more blase – about the subway.”
Page from magazine “The Flapper” for November 1922. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“A flapper,” Colleen went on, with wisdom, ‘is just a little girl trying to grow up – in the process of growing up. She wears flapper clothes out of mischief – because she thinks them rather smart and naughty. And what everyday, healthy, normal little girl doesn’t sort of like to be smart and naughty?”
Colleen Moore in Lilac Time (Photo credit: cliff1066™)
“‘Little Lady Flapper is really old-fashioned; but in her efforts not to let anyone discover that her true ideal is love-in-a-cottage, she ‘flaps’ in the most desperately modern manner. Left to her own devices she would probably dance and flirt just as girls have always done – but honest, I don’t think she’d wear her skirts so short!”
Colleen Moore (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“‘She likes her freedom, and she likes to be a bit daring, and snap her cunning, little manicured fingers in the face of the world; but fundamentally she is the same sort of girl as grandmamma was when she was young. The chief difference is that she has more ambition, and there are more things for her to wish for, and a greater chance of getting them. She demands more of men because she knows more about their work.”
colleen moore dance (Photo credit: carbonated)
“‘She uses lipstick and powder and rouge because, like every small girl, she apes her elders. She knows more of life than her mother did at the same age because she sees more of it. She knows what she wants and what she is doing, all of the time – and she meets life with a small and an eager, ardent hope. She’s a trim little craft and brave!”
Flapper in 1920s.. (Photo credit: joanneteh_32(On Instagram as Austenland))
“‘The flapper has charm, good looks, good clothes, intellect and a healthy point of view. I’m proud to ‘flap’ – I am!'” -END
Colleen moore 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And so you have it. Great article and great interview, in fact there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the struggles of life and the quest to enjoy life today compared to ninety years ago. This is another article that has being republished on the http://www.oldmagazines.com website; I hope you’re enjoying them; I’ll be back next week with another! Bye for now!
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
This screenshot shows Sydney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart in a discussion about whether Sam (Dooley Wilson) will come to work for Greenstreet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Welcome back to our weekly look at quotations connected to the world of cinema. In recent weeks I have looked at quotations taken from films of the 1920s and 1930s, but this week I’m going to take my first look at quotations taken from films which were released in the 1940s. So how many of these pictures do you remember, or even better, can you recall these famous cinematic quotes?
Trailer for the 1940 black and white film The Grapes of Wrath. John Carradine as Jim Casy, former preacher. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940):
“Well, maybe it’s like Casy says. A fella ain’t got a soul of his own – just a little piece of a big soul. The one big soul that belongs to everybody…Then it don’t matter. I’ll be all around in the dark. I’ll be everywhere – wherever you can look. Wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever there’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad. I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready. And when the people are eatin’ the stuff they raise, and livin’ in the houses they build, I’ll be there, too.”
Trailer for the 1940 black and white film The Grapes of Wrath. John Qualen as Muley Graves, neighbor in Oklahoma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940):
“That’s what makes us tough. Rich fellas come up and die and their kids ain’t no good, and they die out. But we keep a-comin’. We’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out. They can’t lick us. And we’ll go on forever, Pa… ’cause… we’re the people.”
Scene from His Girl Friday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
His Girl Friday (1940):
“He’s got a lot of charm.”
“He comes by it naturally. His grandfather was a snake.“
My Little Chickadee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My Little Chickadee (1940):
“Any time you’ve got nothing to do and lots of time to do it, come up.”
A screenshot of Judith Anderson and Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rebecca (1940):
“You’re overwrought, madam. I’ve opened a window for you. A little air will do you good. Why don’t you go? Why don’t you leave Manderley? He doesn’t need you. He’s got his memories. He doesn’t love you, he wants to be alone again with her. You’ve nothing to stay for. You’ve nothing to live for really, have you? Look down there. It’s easy, isn’t it? Why don’t you? Why don’t you? Go on. Go on. Don’t be afraid!”
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) (Photo credit: mikemennonno)
The Thief of Bagdad:
“This is the Land of Legend, where everything is possible when seen through the eyes of youth!”
A deep focus shot: everything, including the hat in the foreground and the boy (young Kane) in the distance, is in sharp focus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Citizen Kane (1941):
“I think it would be fun to run a newspaper.”
Sara Allgood as Beth Morgan and Roddy McDowall as Huw Morgan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How Green Was My Valley (1941):
“Men like my father cannot die. They are with me still – real in memory as they were in flesh, loving and beloved forever.”
Main title frame from the 1941 public domain trailer for the Warner Bros. film The Maltese Falcon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Maltese Falcon (1941):
“You, you imbecile! You bloated idiot! You stupid fathead!”
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941):
“I was in love with a beautiful blonde once, dear. She drove me to drink. That’s the one thing I’m indebted to her for.”
Screenshot of the title screen of the trailer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Casablanca (1942):
“Play it once, Sam, for old times’ sake…Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.'”
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in a romantic scene. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Casablanca (1942):
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
Screenshot of Paul Henreid, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and Humphrey Bogart from the trailer for the film Casablanca. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Casablanca (1942):
“If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it.”
“No.”
– “Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.”
Cover via Amazon
The Major and the Minor (1942):
“Why don’t you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?”
screenshot of James Cagney from the trailer for the film Yankee Doodle Dandy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942):
“Ladies and gentlemen. My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.”
Cropped screenshot of Edward G. Robinson from the trailer for the film Double Indemnity (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Double Indemnity (1944):
“It was a hot afternoon, and I can still remember the smell of honeysuckle all along that street. How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?”
Cover via Amazon
Going My Way (1944):
“Y’know, at one time I had quite a decision to make: whether to write the nation’s songs or go my way.“
The added gas chamber ending was unneeded, Wilder realized, so he shelved it (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And so that’s it for this week’s Thursday Quotes, but if you’re enjoying reminising these quotes from some of your most favourite films, don’t despair, sure I’ll be back next week with another bunch just for you. Now after all these quotations from the world of classic film, don’t ya have that longing to throw on your favourite classics … and play them one more time!
Posted by Michael ‘Charlie’ McGee
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