Tag Archives: Gossip

Strike Up the Band (1940)

I would be a neglectful movie reviewer indeed if I thought I could discuss classic movies without giving a nod to the team of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Arguably the most famous teenaged duo of Hollywood history, these two teamed up for several films that were loved by the younger set and the older set as well. “Strike Up the Band” stars Rooney as Jimmy Connors, a young man who plays the drums in his high school band. He wants to have his own orchestra someday and play for dances at clubs, but his mother has her heart set … Continue reading →

How God’s Word convicts

Today I’m detouring into a psalm to show how God speaks to us right where we are. This morning I read psalm 52. This psalm of David starts off with a tirade against Doeg the Edomite who informed Saul that David sheltered with Ahimelech, the priest, who gave him food and a sword, 1 Samuel 21: 1-10. What on earth could this have to do with you or me I hear you ask? Keep reading. Though David escaped capture, as a result of the information given by Doeg to King Saul, Ahimelech and his family of priests were killed for … Continue reading →

Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949)

When we watch a Gene Kelly film, we can be sure there will be dancing. If we watch a Frank Sinatra movie, we know there will be singing. If Esther Williams is the star, we can plan on swimming. So, what do you get when all three of these Hollywood superstars are in the same movie? A singing/dancing musical with swimming, of course! “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is the story of the Wolves, a baseball team who took the championship the year previously and want to do it again. But their two star players, Ryan and O’Brien, are … Continue reading →

Gossip—Is it Good or Bad for Business?

I am philosophically opposed to gossip, but as a flawed human, and a writer at that—I just can’t seem to stay away from observations and stories about people. Even at the ripe old age of forty, I have not quite mastered when it is “good” gossip and when it is not and recently I was talking with a colleague about how to keep gossip under control and figure out what and how it is best for a small business… It is so tempting and interesting to talk about people! It can also help us build alliances with some people even … Continue reading →

Good News (1947)

Picture June Allyson teamed with Peter Lawford (again) at a fictional university in the 1920s, and you’ve pretty much just guessed the entire plot of “Good News.” Allyson plays Connie Lane, the serious, underappreciated assistant librarian, and Lawford is Tommy Marlowe, captain of the football team. Yeah, I couldn’t really see him in that role either, but they did it. Tommy is a ladies’ man, but when the arrogant Patricia McLellan hits campus, he’s met his match. She wants nothing to do with him, and that’s a new thing for him. He casts his eyes around and they land on … Continue reading →

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)

Vernon and Irene Castle were pioneers in ballroom dance and gave us such famous moves as “The Castle Walk.” Irene wrote two loving books in memory of her husband, and those books became the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie, “The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.” Irene was a consultant on the film and oversaw the production, although not everything was done to her liking, and she clashed quite a bit with Ginger Rogers over some of the costuming. When Vernon and Irene meet, he’s already somewhat established in show business and she wants to break into it. She … Continue reading →

Three Little Words (1950)

“Three Little Words” is loosely based on the true story of songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Starring Fred Astaire as Bert Kalmar and Red Skelton as Harry Ruby, we start the movie with Fred as a song and dance man, engaged to his dance partner Jessie (Vera-Ellen). He keeps trying to interject some magic into the show, but she thinks they’re better off sticking with dancing. What she doesn’t know and what he doesn’t tell her is that he’s moonlighting at another theater as a magician. One night his regular assistant doesn’t show up, and he has to rely … Continue reading →

Les Girls (1957)

This fun movie tells the story of three showgirls who work together in Barry Nichols’ theater in Paris. It’s been a few years since the act broke up, and one of the girls, Sybil, has written her life story and had it published. Angele, the second of the three girls, is suing her for slander. Sybil claims that Angele tried to kill herself, and Angele insists that she did not. We see what happened from Sybil’s perspective as the movie goes into flashback while Sybil is on the stand. Barry Nichols (Gene Kelly) is a handsome rogue who enjoys flirting … Continue reading →

Lucky Me (1954)

“Lucky Me” is a cute Doris Day movie with the typical singing, not a lot of dancing, romance, and a happy ending. Day stars as Candy Williams, a young singer who has been trying to break into show business for what seems like forever, using a less-than-polished show run by Hap Schneider (Phil Silvers) as her vehicle. When a foolhardy move on Hap’s part leaves them stranded at a nice restaurant with no way to pay the bill, Candy and her friends take jobs at the restaurant and adjoining hotel to work off their extravagant dinner. Who should happen to … Continue reading →

Flower Drum Song (1961)

The movie “Flower Drum Song” is a Rodger and Hammerstein musical based on a novel by the same name. It began as a play, which was hugely successful, but when the play was turned into a movie, it didn’t do so well in the box office. Set in the early 1950s, our main character is Mei Li, a young woman who arrives in San Francisco with her father. They stowed away on a boat to arrive and have no legal documents, but they feel sure that when they reach their destination, everything will be just fine. Mei Li has entered … Continue reading →