Wednesday, August 22, 2012

21



 My poor tree doesn't stand a chance with the howling gale which has been blowing non-stop for most of the day. The yard is carpeted with pink blossom. On the plus side, the temperature apparently reached 21 degrees celsius! Amazing!





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Movie update.  A mixed bag from 1947-48.

"The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947)
Widowed Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) and her daughter move to a house by the sea which is inhabited by the ghost of the previous owner, Captain Gregg (Rex Harrison). Sweet enough movie, and I remember loving the 1970's TV series of the same name, but I think I've grown out of this one.
I did love the way Mrs Muir always curled up for  a nap beneath a lovely crocheted blanket.





 "The Egg and I" (1947)
Newlyweds buy a run-down farmhouse and all manner of mishaps ensue.
Couldn't stand Fred MacMurray in this. Didn't mind Claudette Colbert who I usually dislike. Best
part  - every scene with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as Ma and Pa Kettle (in their
first screen appearance)


 "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)
My favourite movie as a child. We watched it on TV every Christmas for years. I'm happy to say this one has definitely not lost its magic and still managed to bring tears to my eyes in a couple of scenes. Edmund Gwenn is Kris Kringle who is hired by non-believer (in everything) Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) to play Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Natalie Wood, who plays Doris' precocious, non-believing daughter Susan, is just wonderful. Love it.





 "Sitting Pretty" (1948)
Busy suburban couple (Maureen O'Hara and Robert Young) with three mischievous boys, hire a live in baby sitter who is secretly writing a book about the seedy side of life in their neighbourhood. Clifton Webb is Mr Belvedere, the genius, multi-talented babysitter who dislikes children intensely (his words) but has a way with them. Very funny.



  "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948)
City couple Cary Grant and Myrna Loy buy a dilapidated house in the countryside which
ends up being demolished, and then go through various trials and tribulations during the
construction of their dream house. Love this mainly because of Cary Grant who has never
disappointed me in any role.

 "State of the Union"(1948)
Spencer Tracy is selected as a possible presidential candidate by a group of unscrupulous politicians and is conflicted about following their ideas or his own beliefs regarding what makes a good leader. Tracy is excellent here as is Katharine Hepburn as his wife. Plenty of very witty one-liners.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I envy your DVD collection, M, and thoroughly enjoy your reviews. They never fail to make me nostalgic. I watched old movies with my favourite Nanna.

Anonymous said...

Whoops. Forgot to say who it was from again. "N". xx