Tag Archives: Hollywood

High Society (1956)

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When I was a kid in the late 80’s, All India Radio used to air a series of Western music programmes, most of which consisted of songs from the 50’s and 60’s. There was one programme—I’ve forgotten what it was called—which focused on music from the movies: Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music—and High Society. I was singing along to Who wants to be a millionaire long before I realised that yes, I did want to be one.

But, without further ado: this is a film with a title that’s pretty self-explanatory. High society in Newport centres round exquisite Tracy Samantha Lord (Grace Kelly), who’s getting ready to marry distinctly stuffy social climber George Kittredge (John Lund).

George and Tracy

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Holiday Affair (1949)

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Christmas border

I leave town tomorrow to visit my parents for Christmas—and for a brief break from the virtual world. And so, clichéd though this may seem, I thought my last post before Christmas should be one on a Christmas movie. No, it isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life. This one’s relatively little known, but is a sweet, lovely little gem of a movie—perfect for that warm and fuzzy feeling. And yes, it stars Robert Mitchum (which, for me, is reason enough to watch). Merry Christmas, all!

Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh in Holiday Affair

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Monkey Business (1952)

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I adore Cary Grant, and Ginger Rogers? Yessir! Unfortunately, the last Cary Grant-Ginger Rogers flick I watched was the somewhat incoherent Once Upon a Honeymoon: a major disappointment, since it couldn’t seem to figure out whether it wanted to be a war movie, a comedy, a romance, or what. Monkey Business, on the other hand, was very watchable and loads of fun. Farce, true; and definitely slapstick in a lot of places, but good for a lot of laughs. And it has a luscious Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe in Monkey Business

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Lover Come Back (1961)

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Though Pillow Talk’s the best known of the Hudson-Day-Randall films, this is my personal favourite. It’s funny and cute; it has Rock Hudson at his gorgeous best (well, he looked equally awesome in Pillow Talk, but what the heck. Still a reason); and it’s about an industry I’ve worked in, loved and hated: advertising.

I wasn’t on Madison Avenue, but our suave, lady’s man hero—Jerry Webster (Rock Hudson)—and our efficient, good-girl heroine Carol Templeton (Doris Day) are. They’re employed with rival agencies, and their styles of working, um, differ. Prior to a pitch, Carol asks for the rundown on a potential client: “…his packaging setup, distribution setup, sales volume, and strong and weak market areas.”

the worker in the beehive...

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Ice Station Zebra (1968)

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A friend was talking about Douglas Sirk and Rock Hudson the other day. Rummaging through my pile of films at home, I couldn’t find any Douglas Sirk, but Ice Station Zebra, directed by John Sturges and with Rock Hudson heading an all-male cast, was around. I’d heard of this Cold War film (though I still haven’t read the Alistair Maclean novel on which it was based), and Rock Hudson was adequate—and looked good. So Ice Station Zebra it was.

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Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)

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It’s a strange thing, but I’ve noticed I invariably end up watching one actor again and again—often unwittingly. I saw Deborah Kerr in Vacation from Marriage a couple of weeks back; last week, I saw her in The Prisoner of Zenda, and then today, in Heaven Knows, Mr Allison. This is a film I hadn’t heard of till a few days back, and now I can think of few films that I’ve loved more. It’s superb.

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Strangers on a Train (1951)

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Alfred Hitchcock is an all-time favourite, so I’m always game for anything he’s directed—and Strangers on a Train certainly delivers. This is one of Hitchcock’s lesser known movies, but it’s suspenseful, and has an interesting premise: does lack of an obvious motive help make for the perfect murder?

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