Author Archive: sistercelluloid
Four Extraordinary Heroes, One Regiment: Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman, Claude Rains and Herbert Marshall in World War I
Basil Rathbone conceived an almost certain suicide mission—and carried it off disguised as a tree. Herbert Marshall, who lost a leg to a sniper’s bullet, downplayed his sacrifice, saying his most salient memories of the trenches were numbness and boredom. Claude Rains lost almost half his sight to a poison gas attack. And Ronald Colman …
TINTYPE TUESDAY: Keaton, Valentino and Nazimova, Ready for Their Arthur Rice Close-Ups
Welcome to another edition of TINTYPE TUESDAY! When you think of classic-film portraits, who pops to mind? George Hurrell, Clarence Bull, Ruth Harriett Louise? What about Arthur Rice? When it comes to recognition, Rice seems to have been left largely on the cutting-room floor. But his work was nothing short of stunning, capturing in still life …
Of Dads, Dreams and the Damn World Series
Watching the final game of the World Series, as our home team was ground to bits by a baseball machine known as the Royals, one classic film kept running through my mind. I’m guessing you know which one. The Royals were the best team in baseball this year. If you’d plugged all the variables into some fancy …
STREAMING SATURDAY!! Gather Round for Tales of Terror from Basil Rathbone, James Mason and Christopher Lee!
Happy Halloween, my fabulous family of friends! Welcome to a special edition of Streaming Saturdays! Gather round as Basil Rathbone, James Mason and Christopher Lee, three of the most compelling taletellers in all of classic film, share some of their favorite poems and stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Mason reads The Telltale Heart and Silence; Lee …
Please Join Us for the Backstage Blogathon!
I’m thrilled to be co-hosting another blogathon with the fabulous Fritzi at Movies Silently! And this one premieres in—gasp!—2016. Which is much closer than you think. On that cheery note, please join us January 15-18 for the Backstage Blogathon! What’s it about? Well, the entertainment industry has always loved looking in the mirror, and we’re going to …
TINTYPE TUESDAY: Classic Film Stars at Their Fabulous Costume Parties!
Welcome to another edition of TINTYPE TUESDAY! Happy Halloween, my fabulous family of classic film friends… and what’s Halloween without a costume party or ten? If this were the 1930s (and let’s face it, in our hearts, it is), we’d all be heading off to a dress-up ball at William Randolph Hearst’s place in San Simeon, where Marion Davies …
Finally! Maureen O’Hara Gets Her Oscar
Originally posted on Sister Celluloid:
At last. After more than 6o films in eight decades—and thousands of unforgettable moments—actress Maureen O’Hara finally received her Honorary Academy Award last night in Hollywood. The 94-year-old actress was introduced by Liam Neeson and Clint Eastwood, who both admitted they’d been a bit in love with the Irish beauty…
Joan Fontaine’s Multi-Million-Dollar Legacy of Kindness to Animals
Joan Fontaine’s talent and beauty are legendary. But her kindness and grace, like the lady herself, were in a quieter key. She would take the time write back to every fan and honor any request she could, making all she wrote to feel as if they alone had captured her attention. She also had a deep …
TINTYPE TUESDAY: At Home (and on the Floor) with Montgomery Clift!
Welcome to another edition of TINTYPE TUESDAY! This week: a slightly early 95th-birthday tribute to Montgomery Clift. Before Stanley Kubrick began telling stories with moving pictures, he told them with still-lifes, as a $50-a-week photojournalist for Look magazine in the mid to late 1940s. Some of his early photo essays were staged (I know—you’re shocked!), but as he …
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